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Patricia Puentes

The 27 Most Anticipated Movies of 2022

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We can’t believe it’s already almost April either. But there’s still a lot of 2022 ahead of us and we thought about taking a renewed look at our selection of some of 2022’s most anticipated films, especially considering the calendar of releases has changed a lot in the last few weeks. 

Bear in mind that nothing is set in stone, so this isn’t a comprehensive selection. New titles will pop up as the new year unfolds. Plus, most of these titles are tentpole movies and/or sequels or adaptations from pre-existing franchises. Expect the year 2022 to be full of those, but also keep in mind that there’ll also be a fair share of must-see indie movies as the year progresses. It’s hard to know if 2022 will be the year that cinema-going returns to normal, or if we’ll all still be doing a lot of streaming at home for certain titles, while opting for the big screen for others. 

And yes, some of the titles on this list are movies that we were already looking forward to watching back in 2019 — ahem, Top Gun: Maverick .

Winter 2022: Movies That Have Already Premiered

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The 355 (January 7): This action-espionage ensemble stars Jessica Chastain as a CIA agent who joins forces with a German agent (Diane Kruger), a former MI6 ally who specializes in computers (Lupita Nyong’o) and a Colombian psychologist (Penélope Cruz) on a mission to recover a top-secret weapon. Bingbing Fan plays the mysterious woman who follows their every move. The 355 is now available on Peacock and on video on demand (VOD).

Scream (January 14): This is the fifth installment of the Scream franchise. Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette return to their iconic roles alongside newcomers Melissa Barrera, Kyle Gallner, Mason Gooding and Jenna Ortega. Twenty-five years after the brutal murders that terrified the small town of Woodsboro, a new killer dons the Ghostface mask and targets a group of teenagers. Scream is now available on Paramount+ and VOD.

Moonfall (February 4): Master of disaster and climate change advocate Roland Emmerich co-writes and directs this film that sees the Moon on the brink of colliding with Earth and annihilating our world. Halle Berry plays a former astronaut who partners with another astronaut (Patrick Wilson) and a conspiracy theorist (John Bradley from Game of Thrones ). Together they’ll try to save humanity as they discover our Moon is not what we think it is.

Death on the Nile (February 11): This new adaptation of a classic Agatha Christie novel has Kenneth Branagh directing and playing the lead detective, Hercule Poirot — the Irish filmmaker already starred in and directed Murder on the Orient Express (2017). This one has been postponed several times due not only to the pandemic but also because a prominent role in the movie is played by Armie Hammer. The movie debuts on Hulu and HBO Max on March 29. 

Uncharted (February 18): Based on the eponymous action-adventure video game series , the movie stars Tom Holland ( Spider-Man: Homecoming ) as Nathan Drake and Mark Wahlberg as Victor Sullivan. They both embark on an epic international adventure — Barcelona is prominently featured in the trailer — in the pursuit of “the greatest treasure never found.” Meanwhile, Nathan starts discovering new details about his long-lost brother.

The Batman (March 4): Robert Pattinson dons the cape and the pointy-eared mask in this new reboot of the bat franchise. Matt Reeves ( Dawn of the Planet of the Apes ) co-writes and directs the movie, which also stars Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Peter Sarsgaard, Andy Serkis, Jeffrey Wright and John Turturro. Don’t miss our article on the hidden details in The Batman ’s first trailer and the movie’s inception and our full review of The Batman . 

Turning Red (March 11): Pixar’s first 2022 title is directed by Domee Shi, who won an Oscar for her short film Bao (2018). The movie follows the story of 13-year-old Mei Lee (voiced by Rosalie Chiang), who turns into a giant red panda every time she gets excited. Sandra Oh voices Mei Lee’s overbearing mom, Ming. Read our review of Turning Red here . 

Deep Water (March 18): Based on the novel of the same name by Patricia Highsmith and starring Ana de Armas and Ben Affleck, this is one of the titles that has been postponed several times because of COVID-19. De Armas and Affleck play a married couple who have an arrangement to keep their marriage afloat. But when their games turn into murder, things get messier. Highsmith’s source material offers a portrayal of the fake veneer covering American suburbia — let’s hope the film does too.

The Lost City (March 25): Sandra Bullock returns to her comedy roots starring in this action-adventure where she plays Loretta Sage. She’s a popular romance-adventure writer on a promotional tour with Alan (Channing Tatum), the model who has always portrayed Loretta’s main character: the hero Dash. When Loretta is kidnapped by a billionaire (Daniel Radcliffe) who wants to find an ancient lost city’s treasure from one of her novels, Alan decides to take the lead and rescue her as Dash would do. They end up in the middle of the jungle needing to work together to stay alive and find the ancient treasure before it’s lost forever.

Spring Movies 2022

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Morbius (April 1): Set in the same universe as Venom , Morbius stars the chameleonic Jared Leto as Dr. Michael Morbius. He suffers from a rare blood disease and, while trying to find a cure for himself and others, he ends up transformed into someone with an urge for blood and other vampiric tendencies. Watching the method actor Leto transform himself into a mindless creature may prove to be one of the most appealing aspects of the film.

Ambulance (April 8): Michael Bay produces and directs this film starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II ( Candyman ) as Will, a vet desperate to pay for his wife’s medical bills. His adoptive brother, Dany (Jake Gyllenhaal), is a professional criminal. When Will asks him for help, Dany enlists Will in a $32 million bank robbery. The two of them end up in an adrenaline-fueled chase through the streets of Los Angeles, inside of an ambulance driven by EMT Cam (Eiza González).

Downton Abbey: A New Era (May 20): First there were the six seasons of the television drama about a family of British aristocrats, their estate and the servants who allowed for everything to run smoothly. Then there was a 2019 movie too, and now it’s time for a film sequel: A New Era . Julian Fellowes, the creator of the show, returns once more here as the writer. And yes, the good news is that despite the dire health diagnosis the Dowager Countess revealed to her granddaughter Mary (Michelle Dockery) at the end of the previous movie, Maggie Smith returns to A New Era to hopefully dispense fresh doses of perfectly delivered puns. 

Top Gun: Maverick (May 27): The original Top Gun opened in 1986. Now, this sequel that’s been decades in the making follows Tom Cruise’s Maverick after he’s served more than 30 years as a pilot in the Navy. When he has to train a group of Top Gun graduates for an impossible mission, Maverick meets Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), the son of his long-lost friend Goose. Expect spectacular aerial sequences and a lot of need for speed.

Jurassic World: Dominion (June 10): Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard return for this sixth installment of the Jurassic Park franchise and sequel to Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018). Franchise originals Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern also star in this movie. Lightyear (June 17): Who was the Space Ranger who inspired the Buzz Lightyear toy from the Toy Story franchise? Chris Evans voices Buzz in this origin story that Pixar describes as a sci-fi action-adventure film.

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Elvis (June 24): Musical heavy-weight Baz Luhrmann ( Moulin Rouge ) directs and co-writes this biopic starring Austin Butler ( The Carrie Diaries ) as music legend Elvis Presley. The film also stars Tom Hanks as Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker. “The story delves into the complex dynamic between Presley and Parker spanning over 20 years, from Presley’s rise to fame to his unprecedented stardom, against the backdrop of the evolving cultural landscape and loss of innocence in America,” reads Warner Bros.’ official synopsis of the film.

Summer Movies 2022

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Minions: The Rise of Gru (July 1): Allow me the yellow indulgence since I’ve been a fan of these adorable polyglot creatures since I first saw Despicable Me in a movie theater back in 2010. This second prequel of the Minions origin story — and fifth installment of the Despicable Me franchise — is set in the 1970s and follows a 12-year-old Gru (voiced by Steve Carell) and his faithful army of yellow sidekick followers. 

Thor: Love and Thunder (July 8): This fourth Thor movie — the second one helmed by the New Zealander Taika Waititi — sees Natalie Portman returning as astrophysicist and Thor’s ex, Jane Foster. Waititi, who’s also taken writing duties for this film, has teased at its romantic components . The movie will also feature Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson and Christian Bale.

Nope (July 22): After Get Out and Us , here comes the next psychological horror film written and directed by Academy Award-winner Jordan Peele. Details are still very much under wraps for this movie, which stars Academy Award-winner Daniel Kaluuya, Keke Palmer and Oscar nominee Steven Yeun . You can read more about Nope and its enigmatic first trailer here . 

Fall Movies 2022

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Don’t Worry Darling (September 23): Olivia Wilde’s second feature film after she directed the outstanding Booksmart (2019) stars Florence Pugh and Harry Styles as a married couple living in a utopian experimental community in the 1950s. Pugh plays a housewife and someone who fears that the company her husband works for may be hiding something. The movie also stars Wilde alongside Chris Pine, Gemma Chan and Kiki Layne.

Spider-Man: Across Spider-Verse (Part One) (October 7): After the multiverse-set Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018) won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film and was lauded for its diverse representation — the movie stars Miles Morales (voiced by Shameik Moore) as an Afro-Latino kid who also happens to be Spider-Man — we really are looking forward to this Spider-Verse sequel. Not to mention, it’s one of several animated films we’re most excited about seeing this year. 

Black Adam (October 21): This eleventh installment in the DC Extended Universe is directed by the Catalan filmmaker Jaume Collet-Serra and stars Dwayne Johnson as the titular villain. Pierce Brosnan and Aldis Hodge also appear in this Johnson-starring vehicle that could see him become Shazam’s archenemy. 

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (November 11): Ryan Coogler returns as co-writer and director of the much-anticipated sequel to his Black Panther (2018), the first superhero film to be nominated for a coveted Best Picture nod at the Oscars. Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Daniel Kaluuya, Winston Duke, Florence Kasumba and Angela Bassett reprise their roles from the original movie. The multi-talented Michaela Coel ( I May Destroy You ) will play a new role in this sequel. To honor the memory of the late Chadwick Boseman, who played Black Panther in the original film, Marvel has announced that this movie won’t recast the titular role . Also, Thor: Love and Thunder and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever aren’t the only two Marvel Cinematic Universe movies to be released in 2022. There’ll also be Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (May 6).

She Said (November 18): Maria Schrader ( Unorthodox ) directs this adaptation of Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor’s book in which they relate their New York Times investigation into Harvey Weinstein’s sexual harassment and abuse behavior. The exposé helped further the #MeToo movement. The film stars Zoe Kazan, Carey Mulligan, Patricia Clarkson and Andre Braugher.

Avatar 2 (December 16): Thirteen years after James Cameron introduced us to Pandora in Avatar , here comes the second installment of this story. Zoe Saldaña, Sam Worthington and Sigourney Weaver all return to Avatar 2 , alongside newcomers Kate Winslet, Vin Diesel and Michelle Yeoh. The franchise is expected to have five installments in total, with each new movie being released two years apart.

I Wanna Dance with Somebody (December 21): Naomi Ackie ( Small Axe ) plays the late singer Whitney Houston in this musical biopic that’s directed by Kasie Lemons ( Harriet ) and also stars Clarke Peters, Stanley Tucci and Nafessa Williams.

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How to Find a Movie Theater Near You

If you’re ready for a fun night out at the movies, it all starts with choosing where to go and what to see. From national chains to local movie theaters, there are tons of different choices available. Here are the best ways to find a movie theater near you.

Fandango is the leader in the movie theater ticketing business. So naturally, the website is a great place to go to figure what the current movies are in theaters right now. The theater search is very simple, just enter your city or zip code. It will then populate a list of the theaters nearest to you, including all of the movies playing and their show times.

Local Discount Theaters

If seeing the new theater movie release isn’t as important as going out without breaking the bank, check out your local discount theaters. These can be more difficult to locate, because there’s no national directory of them. However, you can simply do a Google search for them. Typically called “Discount” theaters or “Second-Run” theaters, there’s typically several in most cities. If you’re a beer lover, you may be able to locate theaters that serve restaurant food and drinks rather than the usual theater fare.

In addition to housing one of the most trusted movie ratings online, IMDB offers information on movie theaters and their showtimes. Simply set your location and see a list of available theaters and showtimes. A bonus is that you can easily see the IMDB ratings for different movies, so you can have a good idea of whether something will be to your liking or not before heading out.

IMAX Theaters

IMAX theaters offer a more immersive movie experience than traditional theaters. From bigger screens, better images and realistic audio, some of the best new movies are better viewed in IMAX. It’s the best option for movie connoisseurs that simply want the ultimate experience. To check your local theater’s 3D movie schedule, check the IMAX website and enter your address under the “Find a Theatre” tab.

3D Theaters

Major movie theater chains offer Real3D movies, which are super fun for both adults and kids. Simply wear 3D goggles and enjoy an added dimension to regular flicks. AMC, Cinemark and Regal Cinemas all offer this option, which is available for select films.

The technology is all digital and theaters are typically available in major cities. Just like local discount theaters, there’s not a single comprehensive resource for the 3D theaters. So the best way to find them is on Fandango or Google.

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Most Watched Movies Of All Time

The most popular (and most famous) movies in a global aspect (or internationally). These are the most viewed films of all time. These movies are also most frequently mentioned on the internet and pop culture.

1. Titanic (1997)

PG-13 | 194 min | Drama, Romance

A seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.

Director: James Cameron | Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio , Kate Winslet , Billy Zane , Kathy Bates

Votes: 1,203,154 | Gross: $659.33M

2. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

PG | 115 min | Adventure, Family, Sci-Fi

A troubled child summons the courage to help a friendly alien escape from Earth and return to his home planet.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Henry Thomas , Drew Barrymore , Peter Coyote , Dee Wallace

Votes: 416,655 | Gross: $435.11M

3. The Wizard of Oz (1939)

PG | 102 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy

Young Dorothy Gale and her dog Toto are swept away by a tornado from their Kansas farm to the magical Land of Oz, and embark on a quest with three new friends to see the Wizard, who can return her to her home and fulfill the others' wishes.

Directors: Victor Fleming , George Cukor , Mervyn LeRoy , Norman Taurog , Richard Thorpe , King Vidor | Stars: Judy Garland , Frank Morgan , Ray Bolger , Bert Lahr

Votes: 406,145 | Gross: $2.08M

4. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)

PG | 121 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Luke Skywalker joins forces with a Jedi Knight, a cocky pilot, a Wookiee and two droids to save the galaxy from the Empire's world-destroying battle station, while also attempting to rescue Princess Leia from the mysterious Darth Vader.

Director: George Lucas | Stars: Mark Hamill , Harrison Ford , Carrie Fisher , Alec Guinness

Votes: 1,378,452 | Gross: $322.74M

Including the films that follow it (its 'prequels' and 'sequels').

5. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

PG-13 | 201 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

Gandalf and Aragorn lead the World of Men against Sauron's army to draw his gaze from Frodo and Sam as they approach Mount Doom with the One Ring.

Director: Peter Jackson | Stars: Elijah Wood , Viggo Mortensen , Ian McKellen , Orlando Bloom

Votes: 1,866,224 | Gross: $377.85M

The other two are as popular, but this one broke through worldwide.

6. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

Approved | 83 min | Animation, Adventure, Family

Exiled into the dangerous forest by her wicked stepmother, a princess is rescued by seven dwarf miners who make her part of their household.

Directors: William Cottrell , David Hand , Wilfred Jackson , Larry Morey , Perce Pearce , Ben Sharpsteen | Stars: Adriana Caselotti , Harry Stockwell , Lucille La Verne , Roy Atwell

Votes: 203,696 | Gross: $184.93M

7. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

R | 137 min | Action, Sci-Fi

A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her 10-year old son John from an even more advanced and powerful cyborg.

Director: James Cameron | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger , Linda Hamilton , Edward Furlong , Robert Patrick

Votes: 1,111,216 | Gross: $204.84M

Its predecessor is also quite very watched, but this wins it.

8. The Lion King (1994)

G | 88 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama

Lion prince Simba and his father are targeted by his bitter uncle, who wants to ascend the throne himself.

Directors: Roger Allers , Rob Minkoff | Stars: Matthew Broderick , Jeremy Irons , James Earl Jones , Whoopi Goldberg

Votes: 1,071,626 | Gross: $422.78M

9. The Godfather (1972)

R | 175 min | Crime, Drama

The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty in postwar New York City transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant youngest son.

Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Marlon Brando , Al Pacino , James Caan , Diane Keaton

Votes: 1,883,418 | Gross: $134.97M

10. The Jesus Film (1979)

G | 117 min | Biography, Drama, Family

Filmed on location in Israel at authentic biblical sites, this inspirational drama and commercial success retells the life of Christ.

Directors: John Krish , Peter Sykes | Stars: Brian Deacon , Rivka Neuman , Alexander Scourby , Niko Nitai

Votes: 2,515

According to The New York Times, this film is likely the most-watched motion picture of all time. The Jesus Film Project states that the film has been viewed more than 6 billion times (including repeat viewings).

11. Jurassic Park (1993)

PG-13 | 127 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

A pragmatic paleontologist touring an almost complete theme park on an island in Central America is tasked with protecting a couple of kids after a power failure causes the park's cloned dinosaurs to run loose.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Sam Neill , Laura Dern , Jeff Goldblum , Richard Attenborough

Votes: 1,001,923 | Gross: $402.45M

12. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

PG | 115 min | Action, Adventure

In 1936, archaeologist and adventurer Indiana Jones is hired by the U.S. government to find the Ark of the Covenant before the Nazis can obtain its awesome powers.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Harrison Ford , Karen Allen , Paul Freeman , John Rhys-Davies

Votes: 976,650 | Gross: $248.16M

13. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)

PG | 152 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy

An orphaned boy enrolls in a school of wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world.

Director: Chris Columbus | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe , Rupert Grint , Richard Harris , Maggie Smith

Votes: 798,280 | Gross: $317.58M

Including its sequels.

14. The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

R | 142 min | Drama

Over the course of several years, two convicts form a friendship, seeking consolation and, eventually, redemption through basic compassion.

Director: Frank Darabont | Stars: Tim Robbins , Morgan Freeman , Bob Gunton , William Sadler

Votes: 2,711,870 | Gross: $28.34M

15. Schindler's List (1993)

R | 195 min | Biography, Drama, History

In German-occupied Poland during World War II, industrialist Oskar Schindler gradually becomes concerned for his Jewish workforce after witnessing their persecution by the Nazis.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Liam Neeson , Ralph Fiennes , Ben Kingsley , Caroline Goodall

Votes: 1,369,940 | Gross: $96.90M

16. The Dark Knight (2008)

PG-13 | 152 min | Action, Crime, Drama

When the menace known as the Joker wreaks havoc and chaos on the people of Gotham, Batman must accept one of the greatest psychological and physical tests of his ability to fight injustice.

Director: Christopher Nolan | Stars: Christian Bale , Heath Ledger , Aaron Eckhart , Michael Caine

Votes: 2,684,746 | Gross: $534.86M

17. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy

Blacksmith Will Turner teams up with eccentric pirate "Captain" Jack Sparrow to save his love, the governor's daughter, from Jack's former pirate allies, who are now undead.

Director: Gore Verbinski | Stars: Johnny Depp , Geoffrey Rush , Orlando Bloom , Keira Knightley

Votes: 1,140,867 | Gross: $305.41M

18. Jaws (1975)

PG | 124 min | Adventure, Thriller

When a killer shark unleashes chaos on a beach community off Cape Cod, it's up to a local sheriff, a marine biologist, and an old seafarer to hunt the beast down.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Roy Scheider , Robert Shaw , Richard Dreyfuss , Lorraine Gary

Votes: 616,125 | Gross: $260.00M

19. Fight Club (1999)

R | 139 min | Drama

An insomniac office worker and a devil-may-care soap maker form an underground fight club that evolves into much more.

Director: David Fincher | Stars: Brad Pitt , Edward Norton , Meat Loaf , Zach Grenier

Votes: 2,155,653 | Gross: $37.03M

20. Pulp Fiction (1994)

R | 154 min | Crime, Drama

The lives of two mob hitmen, a boxer, a gangster and his wife, and a pair of diner bandits intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption.

Director: Quentin Tarantino | Stars: John Travolta , Uma Thurman , Samuel L. Jackson , Bruce Willis

Votes: 2,082,098 | Gross: $107.93M

21. Forrest Gump (1994)

PG-13 | 142 min | Drama, Romance

The presidencies of Kennedy and Johnson, the Vietnam War, the Watergate scandal and other historical events unfold from the perspective of an Alabama man with an IQ of 75, whose only desire is to be reunited with his childhood sweetheart.

Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Tom Hanks , Robin Wright , Gary Sinise , Sally Field

Votes: 2,107,200 | Gross: $330.25M

22. Shrek (2001)

PG | 90 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy

A mean lord exiles fairytale creatures to the swamp of a grumpy ogre, who must go on a quest and rescue a princess for the lord in order to get his land back.

Directors: Andrew Adamson , Vicky Jenson | Stars: Mike Myers , Eddie Murphy , Cameron Diaz , John Lithgow

Votes: 690,565 | Gross: $267.67M

Including its sequels...

23. Transformers (2007)

PG-13 | 144 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

An ancient struggle between two Cybertronian races, the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons, comes to Earth, with a clue to the ultimate power held by a teenager.

Director: Michael Bay | Stars: Shia LaBeouf , Megan Fox , Josh Duhamel , Tyrese Gibson

Votes: 646,158 | Gross: $319.25M

24. Back to the Future (1985)

PG | 116 min | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi

Marty McFly, a 17-year-old high school student, is accidentally sent 30 years into the past in a time-traveling DeLorean invented by his close friend, the maverick scientist Doc Brown.

Director: Robert Zemeckis | Stars: Michael J. Fox , Christopher Lloyd , Lea Thompson , Crispin Glover

Votes: 1,221,744 | Gross: $210.61M

25. Citizen Kane (1941)

PG | 119 min | Drama, Mystery

Following the death of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, reporters scramble to uncover the meaning of his final utterance: 'Rosebud.'

Director: Orson Welles | Stars: Orson Welles , Joseph Cotten , Dorothy Comingore , Agnes Moorehead

Votes: 446,655 | Gross: $1.59M

26. Psycho (1960)

R | 109 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller

A Phoenix secretary embezzles $40,000 from her employer's client, goes on the run and checks into a remote motel run by a young man under the domination of his mother.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: Anthony Perkins , Janet Leigh , Vera Miles , John Gavin

Votes: 679,552 | Gross: $32.00M

27. The Sound of Music (1965)

G | 172 min | Biography, Drama, Family

A young novice is sent by her convent in 1930s Austria to become a governess to the seven children of a widowed naval officer.

Director: Robert Wise | Stars: Julie Andrews , Christopher Plummer , Eleanor Parker , Richard Haydn

Votes: 240,976 | Gross: $163.21M

28. Ben-Hur (1959)

G | 212 min | Adventure, Drama

After a Jewish prince is betrayed and sent into slavery by a Roman friend in 1st-century Jerusalem, he regains his freedom and comes back for revenge.

Director: William Wyler | Stars: Charlton Heston , Jack Hawkins , Stephen Boyd , Haya Harareet

Votes: 242,477 | Gross: $74.70M

29. Gone with the Wind (1939)

Passed | 238 min | Drama, Romance, War

American motion picture classic in which a manipulative woman and a roguish man conduct a turbulent romance during the Civil War and Reconstruction periods.

Directors: Victor Fleming , George Cukor , Sam Wood | Stars: Clark Gable , Vivien Leigh , Thomas Mitchell , Barbara O'Neil

Votes: 319,482 | Gross: $198.68M

30. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

R | 169 min | Drama, War

Following the Normandy Landings, a group of U.S. soldiers go behind enemy lines to retrieve a paratrooper whose brothers have been killed in action.

Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Hanks , Matt Damon , Tom Sizemore , Edward Burns

Votes: 1,407,261 | Gross: $216.54M

31. City of God (2002)

R | 130 min | Crime, Drama

In the slums of Rio, two kids' paths diverge as one struggles to become a photographer and the other a kingpin.

Directors: Fernando Meirelles , Kátia Lund | Stars: Alexandre Rodrigues , Leandro Firmino , Matheus Nachtergaele , Phellipe Haagensen

Votes: 763,902 | Gross: $7.56M

32. The Matrix (1999)

R | 136 min | Action, Sci-Fi

When a beautiful stranger leads computer hacker Neo to a forbidding underworld, he discovers the shocking truth--the life he knows is the elaborate deception of an evil cyber-intelligence.

Directors: Lana Wachowski , Lilly Wachowski | Stars: Keanu Reeves , Laurence Fishburne , Carrie-Anne Moss , Hugo Weaving

Votes: 1,934,405 | Gross: $171.48M

33. Braveheart (1995)

R | 178 min | Biography, Drama, History

Scottish warrior William Wallace leads his countrymen in a rebellion to free his homeland from the tyranny of King Edward I of England.

Director: Mel Gibson | Stars: Mel Gibson , Sophie Marceau , Patrick McGoohan , Angus Macfadyen

Votes: 1,046,980 | Gross: $75.60M

34. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

PG | 130 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy

An angel is sent from Heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.

Director: Frank Capra | Stars: James Stewart , Donna Reed , Lionel Barrymore , Thomas Mitchell

Votes: 467,797

35. Scarface (1983)

R | 170 min | Crime, Drama

In 1980 Miami, a determined Cuban immigrant takes over a drug cartel and succumbs to greed.

Director: Brian De Palma | Stars: Al Pacino , Michelle Pfeiffer , Steven Bauer , Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio

Votes: 854,064 | Gross: $45.60M

36. Seven Samurai (1954)

Not Rated | 207 min | Action, Drama

Farmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a veteran samurai for protection, who gathers six other samurai to join him.

Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune , Takashi Shimura , Keiko Tsushima , Yukiko Shimazaki

Votes: 349,554 | Gross: $0.27M

37. Casablanca (1942)

PG | 102 min | Drama, Romance, War

A cynical expatriate American cafe owner struggles to decide whether or not to help his former lover and her fugitive husband escape the Nazis in French Morocco.

Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Humphrey Bogart , Ingrid Bergman , Paul Henreid , Claude Rains

Votes: 577,889 | Gross: $1.02M

38. Gladiator (2000)

R | 155 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

A former Roman General sets out to exact vengeance against the corrupt emperor who murdered his family and sent him into slavery.

Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Russell Crowe , Joaquin Phoenix , Connie Nielsen , Oliver Reed

Votes: 1,517,461 | Gross: $187.71M

39. The Avengers (2012)

PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Sci-Fi

Earth's mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are going to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity.

Director: Joss Whedon | Stars: Robert Downey Jr. , Chris Evans , Scarlett Johansson , Jeremy Renner

Votes: 1,403,906 | Gross: $623.28M

40. The Ten Commandments (1956)

G | 220 min | Adventure, Drama, Family

Moses, raised as a prince of Egypt in the Pharaoh's household, learns of his true heritage as a Hebrew and his divine mission as the deliverer of his people from slavery.

Director: Cecil B. DeMille | Stars: Charlton Heston , Yul Brynner , Anne Baxter , Edward G. Robinson

Votes: 72,417 | Gross: $93.74M

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Wonderslist

Top 10 Most Watched Movies of All Time

by Kiran Bisht

Movies are a great way to relax and unwind after a long day’s work. They also provide the perfect plan for the first date with the girl of your dreams. Movies are therefore part of us. They are who we are. And they are educative. They are entertaining and they are informative as well. Since time immemorial, human folk are known to enjoy acting and theatre. This is what led to the million dollar movie industry that we have at the moment. In this piece I will examine the top 10 most watched movies in the world. People tend to like the movies that have a good ending to it. The Feel good movies in which the good guy triumphs over the bad guy. Well let’s see if movies of this caliber make it into the list of the Top 10 most watched movies in the world.

10. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

10 Most Watched Movies

Produced at the turn of the millennium, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone is a film about a young kid, Harry Potter, who attends the Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the first time. He discovers that he is indeed a famous wizard and it is at this time that he begins his magic education. The plot develops and Harry is able to learn more about his past and hoe he came about to possess wizardry power. This film did cast a spell on its viewers with people trooping to cinema and video hall to watch it. It is still popular up to now and it therefore merits a place in the top 10 most watched movies in the world.

9. The God Father

10 Most Watched Movies

The Godfather is regarded by many as one of the greatest films of all time. The Godfather is a mob-drama film that highlights the all-powerful Italian-American crime family of Don Vito Corleone. The movie starts when the son of Don Corleone, Michael joins the mafia and get sucked into the vicious cycle of criminal violence and betrayal. It develops and scenes of armed conflict between the police and drug cartel are common. The Godfather was voted as the second “Greatest Film in American Film” by the American Film Institute.

8. Home Alone

10 Most Watched Movies Home Alone

Home Alone is a Christmas Comedy film produced in 1990 in which an 8 year old kid tries to save his family from burglars when he is accidentally left home alone after his family flies to Paris for their Christmas Holiday vacation. This is one of those feel good movies in which the good triumphs over evil. At the end the little kid outsmarts the burglars and they are arrested and taken to prison. All is well that ends well.

7. The Lord of the Rings

10 Most Watched Movies

The Lord of the Rings is a film franchise that includes three fantasy adventure films produced by Peter Jackson. The film is set in a fictitious setting of Middle-earth in which the Fellowship try to destroy its One Ring and by extension destroy its ruler the Dark Lord Sauron. The film is as intriguing as it is exciting and its viewers could not get enough of it making it is one of the most watched movies in the world

6. ET – The Extra Terrestrial

10 Most Watched Movies

This is a film about aliens and how they relate with Humans. Produced in 1982, ET – The Extra Terrestrial is a film about a gentle alien that gets stranded on earth. This alien is discovered by a young boy by the name Elliot and they become friends. Elliot takes this strange creature home and he introduces it to his brother and sister and they decide to keep its existence a secret. The alien falls ill and the government intervenes.

5. Terminator 2 – Judgment Day

10 Most Watched Movies

This is one of the most watched movie in the world and one of the main reason for this is that it stars none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger . Schwarzenegger is a darling to many with his fans amazed at acting and fighting skills so much so that he was elected governor of California immediately after his retirement from active acting. In the film he plays a robot T- 800 that is tasked to protect civilization by protecting a young John Connor. He fights of the bad guy T-1000 who intends on bring about a robot uprising.

4. The Lion King

10 Most Watched Movies

I think we have all watched the lion king . This animated film features the trail of a young lion by the name Simba as he tries to take leadership of the animal kingdom after his father Mufasa is cruelly murdered by hi envious uncle Scar. This film teaches us values of humanity and perseverance in the face of disaster. This is one of the film kids enjoy and for this reason it makes it as one of the most watched movies in the world.

3. Star Wars Episode IV – A new Hope

10 Most Watched Movies

In this space epic, the dark forces under the leadership of Darth Vader take hostage Princess Leia in their bid to tame opposition against the new Galactic Empire. The millennium falcon join hands to rescue the princess and restore freedom and order in the Galaxy.

10 Most Watched Movies

Another alien movie makes it into the list of the top 10 most watched movies in the world. The setting to this movie is the alien space world of Pandora. The natives of this planet are the Navi who may seem primitive but they are in fact highly evolved. A hybrid between a human and a Navi leads to a creature called an Avatar. War emerges where the Avatars and the natives the Navi fight for survival of their world. It was realized in 2009 and it witnesses some of the largest crowds in its opening show.

10 Most Watched Movies

The Titanic is one of the most watched movies of all time. Starring a young Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as members of different social classes. The Titanic is a disaster romance film in which members aboard the RMS Titanic fall in love with each other and majority perish when it is sinks during its maiden voyage. It has been nominated for various Awards and is one of the highest grossing movies of all time .

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Top 15 Most Watched Movies Of All Time

most viewed movie in the world

Of the millions of movies that are available around the world, if not trillions, audiences only fall in love with a few films, and watch even fewer films more than once. Keeping that in mind, here is a list of the 15 most watched films of all time:

most viewed movie in the world

Directed by James Cameron, Titanic enjoyed the position of the highest grossing film ever for a very long time, until Cameron’s Avatar came along and took Titanic’s position. Titanic remains to be a very well known and hugely popular film to this day, thanks to its relevant subject matter, its real life inspiration, and a soul breaking love story at its core.

ET: The Extra Terrestrial

most viewed movie in the world

This is not the first Steven Speilberg film that is going to be on this list. He is known to be the master of his craft, and this children’s film is the perfect example of that. Extra Terrestrial has been one of the most legendary and beloved children’s movies of all time, even being an inspiration for the Hindi film Koi Mil Gaya.

The Wizard of Oz

most viewed movie in the world

The film is one of the very first technicolour films to be ever be produced in the world, for which it became quite famous at the time. Moreover, the story telling and the fantasy elements that were dealt with in the film, and the themes at the core of the film have made it one of the most watched films ever, which is watched and enjoyed to even this day.

Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope

most viewed movie in the world

The first ever epic space fantasy, A New Hope bgan the Star Wars franchise way back in 1977, when the world’s audience was introduced to a galaxy far, far away for the first time. The original trilogy is very much loved to this day, and the Star Wars franchise is now a billion dollar franchise.

The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King

most viewed movie in the world

There was a lot of burden on the shoulders of director, producer Peter Jackson, when he decided that he wanted to adapt the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, written by JRR Tolkein. The three films directed by Peter Jackson went on to become a huge hit, with the Return Of The King even going on to win 11 Oscar awards.

Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs

most viewed movie in the world

Released in 1937, the film is the first traditionally animated feature length film, and the first ever Disney film to be ever made. It tells the tale of a girl named Snow White, and her interaction with seven dwarfs. The film is a classic, and is enjoyed by audiences of all kind to this day.

Terminator 2: Judgement Day

most viewed movie in the world

After the success of the first film, everyone wondered how the second Terminator film would turn out to be. Upon its release in 1991, Terminator 2 went on to become a massive success, even more so than its predecessor, and is considered to be the best film of the Terminator franchise to this day.

 The Lion King

most viewed movie in the world

Inspired from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, The Lion King is one of the most famous and influential films of all time, catering to children and adults at the same time, thanks to the kind of themes it deals with. The plot is simple, but the execution of it is a wonder to behold. The film even went on to receive two academy awards.

The Godfather

most viewed movie in the world

Considered to be the inspiration for many mobster films that have been made since, in many languages around the world, director Francis Ford Coppola’s first installment of his widely popular and beloved Godfather franchise was a trendsetter in all aspects. The film deals a lot with the complexities and psyches of mobsters, without just giving a one dimensional look into their lives, which makes it so special.

The Jesus Film

most viewed movie in the world

Not many films that were made on Jesus, the God of Christianity, turned out to be successful at the box office. However, The Jesus Film, released in 1979, was a huge commercial and critical success as well. The film became widely successful for adapting the bible correctly and faithfully.

Jurassic Park

most viewed movie in the world

Today’s audience crave for what is essentially known as ‘popcorn cinema’, meaning that they would gladly and preferably want to forget everything else in their life and around the world when watching a movie, and simply want to enjoy the film with some popcorn. Jurassic Park is one of the earliest films to have begun that trend, with its mind blowing practical and visual effects, and a gripping narrative. The film is directed by Steven Speilberg.

Indiana Jones And The Raiders Of The Lost Ark

most viewed movie in the world

Another Steven Speilberg film, Indiana Jones And The Raiders Of The Lost Ark is a very much beloved film to date, which is also a major inspiration to all of the adventure themed films that have been made since.

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone

most viewed movie in the world

The kind of magical world that the Harry Potter movies introduced to the world was never heard of, or seen before. Moreover, the film appealed very much to children and adults alike, and remains to be one of the most popular films to date, etching it in history forever.

Shawshank Redemption

most viewed movie in the world

The Shawshank Redemption was not a movie that was watched widely when it was released, even though it was a huge critical success. However, in the years since its release in 1994, the film became a cult favourite, as it is about the survival and escape of two men from jail, which made it one of the most watched films in the world.

Schindler’s List

most viewed movie in the world

Yet another Steven Speilberg film, Schindler’s List is a film that deals with the Jew holocaust during Hitler’s time in Germany, where hunted down Jews and mass murdered them. Because of its relevant subject, and its real life impact on the world, Schindler’s List remains to be one of the most watched films to date.

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The Top 25 Highest-Grossing Movies of All Time Worldwide

The Top 25 Highest-Grossing Movies of All Time Worldwide

What are the highest grossing movies of all time? It might surprise you that two of the 25 highest-grossing movies of all time came out in 2022, and 2021 added another another. But 2009’s Avatar still holds the top spot. These stats, of course, are skewed by rising ticket prices and increases in population. Adjusted for inflation, no movie can match the $8.2 billion haul that Gone with the Wind ’s $390 million box-office receipts since its 1939 release would be worth in today’s dollars. But here, we’re looking at the highest-grossing movies ever in gross dollar receipts.

With the exception of Titanic , all of the biggest box office movies are part of a franchise, making us believe that there were probably some studio execs at Paramount or 20th Century Fox trying to convince James Cameron that he should do a sequel (“Are we sure that Jack really dies? Can he come back as a ghost?”). Speaking of Cameron, directing three of the top four biggest box-office hits of all time is quite a feat, one we’re sure hasn’t gone to his head. That they includ both a historic romance drama and a pair of sci-fi action/adventures makes it all the more impressive.

The list of the highest grossing films of all time includes some highly enjoyable movies and some that we can only shake our heads at and marvel at the worldwide moviegoer.

Here are the 25 highest-grossing movies of all-time:

25. Captain America: Civil War (2016) Box office: $1.16 billion Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

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The Russo brothers’ second film in the Captain America trilogy, and their last before tackling the upcoming two-part Avengers: Infinity War films, Civil War maintains the same balance of action and significant (if brief) character development/interaction that made Winter Soldier so enjoyable. The fight and chase scenes are frenetic without being confusing, while the comic relief, mostly supplied by our bug-themed heroes, provides a Whedon-flavored lightening of the otherwise dark proceedings. Even more impressive, the film introduces two additional MCU Phase Three stars—one brand new to filmgoers and the other oh-so familiar—and both generate a real sense of “Man, I can’t wait to see his solo film!” All this is achieved without once veering too far from the core plot of the film. If one thinks of the each MCU film as a juggling act—and each hero’s origin, “flavor” and power set as its own subset of items that must be kept in motion and in proper relation with each other—then as a series both Avengers films and Captain America: Civil War can be seen as an escalation of the routine that’s as impressive as it is necessary. After all, with each additional hero added, with each additional demand placed on the script in both action and dialogue, Kevin Feige and company are building toward Infinity . —Michael Burgin

24. Minions (2015) Box office: $1.16 billion Directors: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin

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Struggling to come up with a reason for its sidekick characters to have their own adventure, Minions proves far too much of a little thing. After two outings as the henchmen to evil super-villain Gru (Steve Carell) in the Despicable Me franchise, the short, stubby, giant-eyed, yellow-bodied Minions are given a backstory of a distinctly dreary nature in directors Kyle Balda and Pierre Coffin’s rambunctious film. Their origins, as it turns out, are as dull as their escapades are wearisome, in large part because the Minions are, by design, one-joke characters incapable of supporting the thousands of gags, pratfalls, one-liners, and other assorted absurdities that crowd the screen for the proceedings’ 90 minutes. Try as they might, they can’t compensate for the lameness of this prequel’s countless pranks, nor for the almost immediate impression that they’re small fries ill-suited for a stand-alone solo effort. What Minions surely doesn’t lack is energy. Set to the good-natured narration of Geoffrey Rush, Universal’s animated film opens with a credits sequence that explicates how, since the dawn of time, the Minions have functioned as gleeful second bananas, hitching their rides to the fortunes of the fiercest bad guy around. That genetic imperative meant they rode side by side with the T. rex and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Napoleon (among others), and in each instance, their buffoonery was ultimately the cause of their master’s demise. Despite being a huge box office success, Minions winds up residing in a passable-at-best middle ground that’s already overpopulated by scores of virtually identical diversions. — Nick Schager

23. Iron Man 3 (2013) Box office: $1.21 billion Director: Shane Black

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Though its titular hero spends 2/3rds of the film outside his armor, Iron Man 3 works. The film provides just the right mix of action (much of it explosive), chuckles (mostly via banter) and plot (fairly comprehensible). Some of that credit goes to director Shane Black, no stranger to the action genre as a screenwriter ( Lethal Weapon , The Last Action Hero ), nor to Robert Downey Jr. as a director ( Kiss Kiss Bang Bang ). At a time when Whedon’s Avengers still loomed large in the rearview mirror (and provided much of the impetus for Tony Stark’s personal character arc in Iron Man 3 ), Black keeps the plot and pacing under much firmer control than Jon Favreau did in Iron Man 2 . But though Iron Man 3 is a better constructed film than its predecessor, ultimately it succeeds for the same reason the first two films did—Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark. Whereas most actors, no matter how adept the performance, play second fiddle to the character they portray, Downey Jr. has pretty much displaced Tony Stark, 50 years of comic book character development notwithstanding. In part, it’s because the character himself has never been as compelling as the armor he wore, but mainly, it’s because Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark is just so damned much more enjoyable to be around than Stark Classic. It doesn’t matter that, in terms of hero profiles, Downey Jr.’s breezy, edgy quipping is pure Spider-Man. In fact, it’s telling that, in a realm pretty much defined by a fandom that will wail and gnash teeth about even the slightest deviation from canon, no one really cared . It’s the primary reason why a superhero film where the protagonist spends most of his time out of his armor rather than in it is not just bearable, but downright fun. It’s why the neutering of an arch-villain—though still a troublesome precedent for the Marvel film universe as a whole—works fine within the framework of the film. It’s why, in the frivolous debates of the future, the question “Who was the best Iron Man?” will really be, “Who has done the best version of Robert Downey Jr.?” —Micheal Burgin

22. The Fate of the Furious (2017) Box office: $1.24 billion Director: F. Gary Gray

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The Fate of the Furious is the main reason moving pictures exist: The glory of dynamic motion which involves the pulse and the heart. The Fast franchise is a group of action films centered around a crew of talented outlaws who engage in illegal street racing and, later, heists. Although the lineup has changed over the years, the basic formula has stayed the same: an eccentric crew of colorful characters with various talents, led by Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his co-conspirator/girlfriend/wife Letty Ortiz (Michelle Rodriguez) get involved in ever-increasing stakes. This group refers to themselves as “family,” and their bond is the sinew of the franchise. As the series escalates—escalation is the name of the game here—everybody eventually becomes part of the family, even the antagonists who are sent after them: the first movie saw undercover cop Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker) joining the crew; this habit is followed in later movies by Diplomatic Security Service agent Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson). None of this dry summation can give you an accurate idea of franchise or its charm…which is that it is absolutely bazonkers : These are movies where topping the previous installment is itself the art . How much crazier can the stunts get? How strong is the family’s bond? How many incredible moments will these stars have on screen? How intense can the stakes get? How byzantine are the plots? How can they possibly pull it off? Any other movie franchise would have run out of gas—think of Brosnan-era Bond. But Fate of the Furious is so clever, so perfectly executed, emotionally sincere, self-aware and gloriously cinematic that I think it made me happier, and more entertained, than any other movie I saw in 2017. — Jason Rhode

21. Incredibles 2 (2018) Box office: $1.24 billion Director: Brad Bird

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Incredibles 2 starts right where the first film ended, with the costumed Family Parr reacting to the arrival of the Underminer (John Ratzenberger). Their scuffle with the villain gains the attention of Winston Deavor (Bob Odenkirk)—or more precisely, allows Deavor and his sister, Evelyn (Catherine Keener), to gain the attention of the Parrs. The siblings want to bring supers back into the light, using Winston’s salesmanship and Evelyn’s tech to sway public opinion back to the pro-super side. To do so, they want to enlist Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) as the tip of the spear in their charm offensive, leaving Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson) on the sidelines for now. (She tends to fight crime in a manner that results in less property damage than her husband, after all.) This sets up a second act that’s firmly by the numbers in terms of story development—watch the husband try to succeed as a stay-at-home dad!—yet no less enjoyable. Bob’s attempts to handle teen romance, Jack-Jack’s manifestation of powers and, horror of horrors, “new” math will strike a chord with any mom or dad who has ever felt overwhelmed by the simple, devastating challenges of parenthood. (The family interactions, one strength among many with the first film, remain a delight in the sequel.) Meanwhile, we get to watch Elastigirl in action, as she encounters, foils and matches wits with the film’s mysterious villain, Screenslaver. As in the first film, watching Helen Parr do the hero thing is also quite the delight—she’s resourceful, tough and, above all, a professional. Watching Elastigirl operate almost makes one feel sorry for the criminals. Delving more into the plot would do the film a disservice—suffice to say both villainous and family challenges are faced, and it takes a village, Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) and Edna Mode (Bird) to emerge victorious. Whether you enjoy Incredibles 2 as much as the original will likely depend on your opinion of the latter, but regardless, you’ll be happy both exist. And in today’s sequel-saturated environment, that is practically a superheroic achievement in itself. —Michael Burgin

20. Beauty and the Beast (2017) Box office: $1.27 billion Director: Bill Condon

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While a generation of kids gape at overwhelming CGI landscapes and a talking teacup, the generation before them wonder where all the magic went. An ostensibly live-action remake of the 1991 Disney animated classic, Beauty and the Beast hits all the notes of the original film slowly and without distinction. The new components of this version are great, but they’re jammed into an older model, one we’ve seen before, which can’t always use them to the best of their abilities. Introductory number “Belle (Little Town)” perfectly contrasts the sweeping introduction from Disney’s castle by looking and sounding like it came from a well-choreographed TV musical special. And yes, here that’s a plus. Cramming the screen with gesticulating townsfolk vying for their moment in the French sun makes a strong case for the song’s premise of a town both too small and too full. Then the plot picks up: Belle’s father and the town tinkerer, Maurice (Kevin Kline), is going to the market and will be back with a rose. Maurice serves as our protagonist for almost the first half hour of the movie, accidentally wandering into Beast’s castle, discovering its magic and anthropomorphic accoutrements, failing to escape, coping with his daughter’s sacrifice—offering herself as prisoner in place of her dad—and eventually running back to town. He wrings every drop of acting juice from his part, giving us an overprotective, loving, encouraging father whose helplessness against a town that doesn’t believe his story is genuinely moving. As the Beast, Dan Stevens gives an engaging performance, manipulating his elastic face and wild eyes into winks, smirks and terribly cold glowering gazes that, when the Beast is the only character on screen, work as well as some of the best CGI creature animation we’ve enjoyed on screen lately. Likewise, Emma Watson nails the role of Belle: Smirking at times, lovelorn at others. She’s the kind of adorably naïve, romantic dreamer that can still sell a little uppityness (“Little town filled with little people”? Belle, this is why the townsfolk dislike you) that makes for a good coming-of-age heroine. Despite some convoluted final action (not Twilight helmer Bill Condon’s directorial strong suit) and unbalanced music, Beauty and the Beast ’s teary fairy tale ending survives it all thanks to the brief but colorful relationships we develop with the side characters. Even if they’re not the best they’ve ever been, the story’s quirks and core remain effective. There’s still beauty here to be found. — Jacob Oller

19. Frozen (2013) Box office: $1.28 billion Directors: Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck

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Everything old is new again in Hollywood these days, so it only made sense for Disney to revive the animated musical brand that dominated the early ’90s. The canny nostalgia play of Frozen catered not just to kids but also the parents who grew up quoting dialogue and humming tunes from Beauty and the Beast , The Little Mermaid , The Lion King and Aladdin . Very loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s classic story The Snow Queen , Frozen stacks the deck with big bold songs, scheming villains, wacky sidekicks, cuddly characters (ready made to become holiday merchandise) and not just one but two (!) new Disney princesses. Elsa, the elder of the two, was born with the ability to conjure snow and ice with her bare hands. That means the sisters can skate, sled or build a snowman whenever they please, much to young Anna’s delight. Unfortunately, Elsa’s incredible gift soon feels more like a curse when an ice-related accident leaves Anna injured and their parents forbid Elsa from using her magic. A terrified Elsa locks herself away in her bedroom, essentially abandoning Anna whose memory of the event has been erased by a kindly troll king (Ciaran Hinds). Not that Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell) is willing to give up on her sister so easily. She’s delighted when Elsa (Idina Menzel) comes of age and ascends to the throne, but trouble arises again when Elsa’s powers go public during an argument over Anna’s love-at-first-sight infatuation with charming visiting prince Hans (Santino Fontana). Elsa stuns her assembled subjects with angry bursts of ice and snow, fleeing to the mountains and literally freezing over her entire seaside Scandinavian village in the middle of summer. Local dignitary the Duke of Weselton (Alan Tudyk) proclaims Elsa a monster, but Anna knows better and resolves to track down her sister and bring her back to the kingdom. — Geoff Berkshire

18. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) Box office: $1.31 billion Director: J.A. Bayona

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Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom isn’t the best or worst film in the franchise, but it’s certainly the most dully competent. Twenty-five years after Steven Spielberg ruled the summer with his vision of an island overrun by the most magnificent, terrifying dinosaurs you’ve ever seen, director J.A. Bayona provides us with just one more perfectly below-average blockbuster that occasionally grasps what’s so primal and wondrous about the subject matter. The film deals with the fallout from 2015’s Jurassic World , which ended with the dino-centric amusement park imploding and most of the mighty creatures being killed. But three years later, scientists discover that an active volcano on the island is going to kill off the last of the dinosaurs, a fact that troubles Claire (Bryce Dallas Howard), who has become a fierce advocate for preserving their various species. Now regretting her role in running a park that profited off these mammoth reptiles, she enlists former love Owen (Chris Pratt) to help rescue the beasts. Jeff Goldblum makes a cameo as the offbeat scientist Ian Malcolm—his job is to give congressional testimony that, very handily, highlights the trilogy’s underlying themes in ominous tones. There’s meant to be some dark moral complexity in these films’ depiction of humanity’s desire to create its own dinosaurs—we’re playing God!—but like so much of this silly, by-the-numbers tentpole, the intellectual handwringing is really an excuse for self-perpetuation. The evil masterminds behind the creatures’ abduction just want to make a buck, and so does everybody responsible for Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom . Such financial expediency isn’t going to go extinct anytime soon. — Tim Grierson

17. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) Box office: $1.33 billion Director: Rian Johnson

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The Last Jedi , unlike its predecessor, has the freedom to be daring, and perhaps the most thrilling thing about it—and there are many, many thrilling things—is how abundantly it takes advantage of that freedom. If The Force Awakens was basically just Star Wars told again in a new, but familiar way, The Last Jedi challenges the audience, challenges the Star Wars mythos, even challenges the whole damned series itself. It blows the universe up to rebuild it; it is a continuation and a new beginning. And more than anything else, it goes places no Star Wars film has ever dreamed of going. In a way, the success J.J. Abrams had with The Force Awakens , particularly how decidedly fan-servicey it was, laid the groundwork for what The Last Jedi is able to pull off. That movie reminded you how much power and primal force this series still had. This movie is an even more impressive magic trick: It uses that power and force to connect you to something larger. Not everything in The Last Jedi works perfectly, but even its few missteps are all founded in the desire for something new, to take risks, to push an American myth into uncomfortable new directions. —Will Leitch

16. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II (2011) Box office: $1.34 billion Director: David Yates

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It all ends. And to be sure, it was a fitting end for the storied franchise. Perhaps no other series of children’s films (and few series of films period) has delivered as consistently good visuals and narrative as Harry Potter . The event that was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II can be called nothing less than epic. Picking up right where Part 1 left off, Harry grieves by the seaside grave of the fallen Dobby. His gravestone reads “A Free Elf.” The death of Dobby left moviegoers, even those schooled on and prepared by the source material, gutted. It’s one thing to absorb the pathos from the words on the written page, but the movie medium can pack a harder punch. Of course, without a reverent retelling of the story crafted by the novel’s author, the words become hollow on the screen. And over the course of eight films, the Potter franchise has tried on four directors and two writers, finding success and failure through numerous evolutions. All the while, the three central actors—Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint—grew up along with hordes of avid fans. The story depends so much on caring for Harry. Played with timidity by the ever-boyish Radcliffe, we first met Harry as he made his bed under the stairs in the unwelcoming home of a relative. Cast out because he was different, the bespectacled Harry won us over with each installment in the series, managing, often awkwardly, to combat the forces of Voldemort with pure goodness. But as students of the books know, Harry’s innocence is but part of his defense. And the grand plan, politics and treachery, play out in Part II in a clever and challenging manner. What started out in 2001 as a kid’s fantasy matured into something of surprising import and lasting impact. — Jonathan Hickman

15. Black Panther (2018) Box office: $1.35 billion Director: Ryan Coogler

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Black Panther might be the first MCU film that could claim to most clearly be an expression of a particular director’s voice. We shouldn’t go so far as to call it auteurist, because it’s still a Disney movie and (perhaps ironically) a part of that monopolizing Empire—i.e., eat the rich—but Black Panther ’s action scenes, especially, feel one with Coogler’s oeuvre. Look only to an early scene in a South Korean casino, in which T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), Okoye (Danai Gurire) and Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) plan to intercept a deal between Klaue and everyone’s favorite CIA milquetoast, Everett Ross (Martin Freeman, lovable) for a vibranium-filled artifact which Klaue stole from some colonizer-run museum with Killmonger’s help. We’re introduced to Klaue through the surprising spryness of his violence—Andy Serkis, too, freed from mocap, is still an amazing presence, even as a gangster shitbag—and Coogler gets on his wavelength, carving out the geography of the casino in long tracking shots, much like he convinced us to love stained, shitty-seeming Philadelphia gyms in Creed by helping us to comprehend the many crevices and corners of each hole in the wall. When the casino brawl breaks out into the streets, morphing into a death-defying car chase (slow motion thankfully kept to a minimum), we feel as if we know exactly what these characters—and this wonderful director—are capable of. Cue magnificent Vince Staples track. —Dom Sinacola

14. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) Box office: $1.41 billion Director: Joss Whedon

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The second Avengers film was warmly received when it initially arrived, but then suffered a bit of immediate blowback, with many superhero genre geeks asserting themselves that although it was undeniably an entertaining film, it represented something of a step back from Joss Whedon’s record-smashing original. Even if it can’t quite match it, and occasionally feels like a bridge toward the next Avengers story, there’s still a whole lot to enjoy in this action-packed yarn. James Spader excels as the voice of the godlike Ultron—a wonderfully arrogant, immature AI character who is only undermined by plot, rather than performance. Ultimately, though, we may remember Age of Ultron more for the storyline fallout it helped generate in the MCU, as Tony Stark’s guilt at creating Ultron is instrumental in driving his position in the fabulous Civil War . Looking back on it in the wake of several other MCU films, its stature has somewhat grown as a result of what it has helped build. — Jim Vorel

13. Frozen II (2019) Box office: $1.45 billion Director: Jennifer Lee, Chris Buck

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There’s a bit of diminishing returns with the sequel to Frozen , the aching feeling that this exists not for any compelling narrative or artistic reasons but because Disney didn’t feel like leaving an easy billion dollars on the table. To the studio’s credit, though, it didn’t have to be this good; almost anything with the name “Frozen II” and Anna and Elsa on the poster would’ve been an instant smash hit. Frozen II expands on the original in a way that makes sense, and doubles down on what made it work: Extravagant showtunes and dazzling computer animation.— Garrett Martin

12. Top Gun: Maverick (2022) Box office: $1.49 billion Director: Joseph Kosinski

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Not quite four years since Mission: Impossible—Fallout and much of Tom Cruise’s purpose remains the same—if it hasn’t exactly grown in religious fervor. In Top Gun: Maverick , the sequel to Tony Scott’s 1986 original, Cruise is Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, a man trapped in the past, refusing to advance his career as resolutely as he refuses to do much of anything besides continue to prove he’s the greatest pilot in the world—a title the film never forgets to remind the audience that Maverick earned long ago—and mourn his best friend, Goose (Anthony Edwards), who died 35 years ago in an accident for which Maverick still feels responsible. Tom Cruise is also, simply, “Tom Cruise,” the only notable show business scion left to throw his body into mind-numbing danger to prove that it can be done, to show a younger generation that this is what movies can be, what superstars can do. Must do. The more modern action films teem with synthetic bodies bursting apart at the synthetic seams, the more Tom Cruise builds his films as alters upon which to splay his beautiful sacrificed flesh. To that end, Joseph Kosinski is the precisely correct director to steer Cruise’s legacy sequel. As was the case with Kosinski’s Tron: Legacy , Maverick seems to exist to justify its existence, to update an IP that seems to only work in the past. For Top Gun this means translating Scott’s vision of sweat-drenched beach volleyball and unmitigated military spectacle into a soberer IMAX adventure, moving from the halcyon days of Reagan’s America to a world with no more need of a man like Maverick. “The future’s coming, and you’re not in it,” he’s told; every one of his superior officers appears to have no patience for him left. One can’t help but imagine that every new Tom Cruise vehicle is a way for him to reckon with that. Kosinski’s dogfights are pristine, incredible feats of filmmaking, economical and orbiting around recognizable space, but given to occasional, inexplicable shocks of pure chaos. Then quickly cohering again. If Scott’s action was a melange of motion never meant to fully cohere, keeping the American dream just that, then Kosinski is dedicated to allowing the audience a way into the experience. With his regular cinematographer Claudio Miranda, he revels in symmetry to keep the audience tethered. A wide glimpse of a dogfight in total, resembling a beach scene earlier, so suddenly appeared silently in the vast theater and unlike anything I’d ever really seen before, I gasped.— Dom Sinacola

11. Furious 7 (2015) Box office: $1.52 billion Director: James Wan

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Watching the seventh installment of the adrenaline-fueled Fast & Furious franchise, one gets the distinct impression that, when faced with a creative choice, the filmmakers asked themselves, “What’s the most insane, over-the-top thing we can do here?” Then they did just that. For a series of films that has been a continual escalation in physics-defying stunts, Furious 7 takes it to an entirely new level. The result is a damn lot of fun. Furious 7 is part revenge thriller, part daring heist, and more than a little of a loving goodbye to a dear friend. Franchise star Paul Walker died in a car crash before filming was complete, and both his life and death loom large over the movie. As his character, Brian O’Conner, experiences one harrowing escapade after another, you wait for the moment where he meets his end. It feels inevitable, and waiting around every corner. There are more than a few instances where Walker’s face is digitally pasted on another body—his brothers stood in for him to help finish the production. The movie is also a celebration of his life. There’s much talk about family in the Furious films; the gang’s been picking up strays and bringing them into the fold since day one. The chemistry between the cast is undeniable, and it’s easy to see how much everyone involved enjoys themselves. Furious 7 traffics so heavily in history that it will carry the most weight with already extant fans, especially in an emotional sense. That said, there are enough WTF action moments and eye candy to sell the movie to more than just diehards. — Brent McKnight

10. The Avengers (2012) Box office: $1.52 billion Director: Joss Whedon

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Nestled amongst the gaudy box office numbers of Joss Whedon’s blockbuster is a much simpler achievement. Yes, The Avengers should evoke a deserved appreciation of Whedon’s directorial skills. And yes, the film’s release and reception make for a natural “And that’s when it was official” moment that the MCU took over Hollywood. But for comic book fans especially, The Avengers represents the first instance of the superhero team dynamic truly captured and sustained on film. Even though the X-Men and the Fantastic Four had received big screen treatment, those films were all still pretty static. The interaction between both heroes and villains were slow, separate vignettes rather than two-way, three-way or more-way battles. If Raimi’s Spider-Man showed why comic book superheroes are fun, The Avengers showed why superhero teams are. — Michael Burgin

9. The Lion King (2019) Box Office: $1.66 billion Director: Jon Favreau

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The Lion King feels less like a more “realistic” version of the classic animated original than a bloodless X-ray of it. The new Disney trend of making “live-action” versions of their animated catalog—“live-action,” of course, being the exact wrong term for what this is—can have a purpose besides the obvious profitability of reviving an existing brand name if its goal is to conjure the spirit of the original rather than artificially reinflate its corpse; David Lowery’s Pete’s Dragon wasn’t perfect, but it felt like a fond cover rather than, well, taxidermy. That’s what the new Lion King feels like: It feels like taxidermy. It feels like computers attempting to impersonate real life and doing so with such rigid, determined accuracy that the result feels both emotionless and even a little ghoulish. What exactly are these creatures? The movie is dutifully mounted, and Favreau brings the same dogged professionalism he brought to The Jungle Book , a film with many of the same problems as this film. It does its job all too well. The problem is that The Lion King is The Lion King , you know? This is a universally powerful story, with terrific songs and countless funny and fascinating supporting characters. It’s a classic of performance and sensation. This version, seemingly by design—like that was the damned plan all along—drains every bit of life from it … in order to make it more “realistic.” I would love to watch a documentary about these beautiful animals in the flesh. I would love to watch the original film with its joy and grandeur and scope and sense of fun. This? This bizarre, literal-minded thing? I don’t know what this is. — Will Leitch

8. Jurassic World (2015) Box office: $1.67 billion Director: Colin Trevorrow

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Jurassic World marks the fourth entry in its paleontological franchise, but it’s probably more important as the second chapter in the story of Chris Pratt’s unexpected ascent to movie stardom. Pratt, seemingly born to make a career out of playing lovable doofuses, made his goofy tenor work for him in Guardians of the Galaxy . With Jurassic World , he’s shed that skin almost entirely in favor of aping the hard-jawed macho men of the 1950s B-movie canon. That transformation lends the film inevitability: As if brand recognition didn’t give Jurassic World enough of a box-office edge, the image of Pratt riding a motorcycle side by side a quartet of raptors should sold Colin Trevorrow’s picture to the crowds. That scene, and others like it, let Jurassic World function as a suitably thrilling roller-coaster ride. Unsurprisingly, they don’t add up to a particularly good movie, but Trevorrow has enough diversions stored up his sleeve that the film’s inconsistencies and overarching sloppiness almost don’t matter. Here, we finally get to see John Hammond’s loopy vision of a dino theme park brought to fruition. — Andy Crump

7. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) Box office: $1.92 billion Director: Jon Watts

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Spider-Man: No Way Home holds no surprises. It’s an intriguing case study of corporate collaboration, a self-aware meme machine, and a lackluster movie that understands its hero so well that the disservice stings all the greater. What director Jon Watts’ trilogy has done better than its Raimi and Webb counterparts is convince us that Peter Parker is a kid . A nervous, charming goodie-goodie with a headful of knowledge and not a lick of sense. So it fits that when he, his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and BFF Ned (Jacob Batalon) face problems—blown out of proportion by crippling cases of teen-brain—he’d run off to Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and plead for a magical worldwide memory wipe without really considering consequences or alternatives. What follows, with characters from past Spidey films getting interdimensionally sucked to this NYC, only really makes sense if you’ve been keeping a keen eye on casting rumors. If so, congratulations: They’re here and shenanigans ensue. After so long playing with the legacy and impact of Spider-Man, No Way Home finds its way back. All the spectacle, all the stunt performers and stunt casting—it all evaporates like so many Snapped extras when confronted with small, connected scenes of human-level dramatic filmmaking that remind you why broke loser Peter Parker resonates with us so deeply in the first place. It’s valuable, this recollection, but getting back to Spider-Man basics is a shallow victory with diminished returns. Perhaps the fact that Spider-Man: No Way Home finds any success in this familiar territory, after devoting itself so wholly to unwieldly examinations of its own IP, is itself its biggest surprise. — Jacob Oller

6. Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Box office: $2.05 billion Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

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Avengers: Infinity War is epic in a way that has been often aspired to but never fully grasped when it comes to the translation from comic book panel to the Big Screen. It’s what happens when moviemakers take their source material seriously, eschewing unnecessary melodrama even as they fully embrace the grandeur, the sheer spectacle, of it all. (And if there’s one lesson Disney has learned, it’s that if you focus on the viewer experience, the product lines will take care of themselves.) For every frenetic fight scene in Avengers: Infinity War —and there are plenty of them—there are myriad character interactions and emotional beats the audience has been prepped for by the previous films (okay, maybe not 2008’s The Incredible Hulk ). As a result, writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have ample room to riff and play as characters meet for the first time or see each other again. Some of the interactions are easy to anticipate (if no less enjoyable)—the immediate ego clash between Cumberbatch’s Dr. Strange and Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, for example—but our familiarity with these characters adds resonance to nearly every scene and every line, as the vestiges and ripples of emotional arcs laid down in the last decade’s worth of movies bolster even the smallest moment. —Michael Burgin

5. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) Box office: $2.07 billion Director: J.J. Abrams

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The Force Awakens was the remedy to the near-terminal Prequel-itis of fans. J.J. Abrams and company accomplished this act of restorative cinema primarily through a return to the “dirty future” aesthetic that made the Original Trilogy feel so real (no matter how absurd the dialogue being delivered by the characters). That’s not to say CGI is lacking, but whereas budget and technology constraints helped the first three films and an overabundance hurt the next three, the balance between practical and special effects in The Force Awakens feels near perfect. I say “primarily” not to take away from other factors, such as casting. Daisy Ridley, John Boyega and Adam Driver are all solid, and Oscar Isaac brings a palpable vigor to his role. Ultimately, The Force Awakens just feels right in ways the Prequels never did. — Michael Burgin

4. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) Box office: $2.21 billion Director: James Cameron

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Avatar: The Way of Water is a promise—like the titular Way as described by a beatific, finned Na’vi fish-people princess, the film connects all things: the past and the future; cinema as a generational ideal and one film’s world-uniting box office reality; James Cameron’s megalomania and his justification for Being Like That; one audience member and another audience member on the other side of the world; one archetypal cliché and another archetypal cliché; dreams and waking life. Avatar ’s sequel can be nothing less than a delivery on everything Cameron has said, hyperbolic or not, he would deliver. What’s less clear is exactly what Cameron’s intending to deliver. The Way of Water ’s story is a bare bones lesson in appealing to as many worldwide markets as possible, the continuation of the adventures of Bostonian Jake Sully (Sam Worthington, who’s spent the past decade trying not to sound like an outback chimney sweep) as he raises a Na’vi family with like-warrior-minded Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña, screaming from inside her golden prison) and realizes that Earthlings aren’t going to stop colonizing Pandora just because they had their shit kicked in a lifetime ago. The Way of Water ’s true achievement is that it looks like nothing else but the first Avatar , unparalleled in detail and scale, a devouring enterprise all to itself. Watching The Way of Water can at times feel astonishing, as if the brain gapes at the sheer amount of physical data present in every frame, incapable of consuming it, but longing to keep up. No film will ever be this beautiful in my lifetime, at least until the next Avatar .— Dom Sinacola

3. Titanic (1997) Box office: $2.22 billion Director: James Cameron

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Decades after its theatrical debut, James Cameron’s blockbuster epic is still so ubiquitous in the pop culture zeitgeist, its filmmaking marvels are drowned out by young Kate-and-Leo nostalgia and that damned Celine Dion caterwaul (not to mention the now late James Horner’s iconic score). Cameron’s ear for dialogue may be woefully leaden, but he’s a shrewd storyteller, plunking a Romeo-and-Juliet redux aboard the doomed ocean liner and flanking the fictional romance with historical details, groundbreaking special effects and jaw-dropping visuals. The narrative lapses are at times dumbfounding—let’s face it, old Rose, who tosses a priceless artifact into the abyss after waxing ad nauseam about herself, is a thoughtless jerk—and the aforementioned dialogue is awful (to say nothing of Billy Zane doing his best mustache-twirling silent movie villain) but Titanic remains a painstaking testament to the all-in Hollywood spectacle.— Amanda Schurr

2. Avengers: Endgame (2019) Box office: $2.80 billion Directors: Joe Russo, Anthony Russo

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Where does one begin? When it comes to Avengers: Endgame , that question is not so much an expression of wanton enthusiasm as a practical challenge in evaluating the destination toward which Kevin Feige and company have been steering story and viewer alike for the previous 11 years and 21 films. Though there have been plenty of three-hour-plus movies and even a few 20+ entry movie franchises, there’s really nothing to compare with what Disney and Marvel Studios have pulled off, either in terms of size, quality and consistency of cast (a moment of silence for Edward Norton and Terrence Howard), or in how narrow the chronological window, all things considered, those movies were produced. Though we’ve praised it often, casting remains the cornerstone of the MCU. Whether by pitch-perfect distillations of decades-old comic book characters (Captain American, Thor, Spider-Man) or charisma-fueled reinventions of same (Iron Man, Ant-Man, Star-Lord), the MCU’s batting average in terms of casting is not only practically obscene, it’s a crucial ingredient in ensuring the thematic and emotional payoff (and box office payday) of Endgame . Moviegoers have been living with these actors, as these characters, for over a decade. For many, this version of these characters is the only one they know. This is why the sudden ashification of so many heroes at the end of Infinity War hit even the most cynical comic book veterans right in the feels and left less hardened viewers confused and distraught. It’s also why, as Avengers: Endgame opens (after another swift kick to the stomach just in case we’ve forgotten the toll of that snap), the audience cares about not just what the surviving heroes are going to do, but how they are doing in general. It gives the film an emotional resonance that’s unusual not only in pulpier genre offerings but in films in general. This connection makes the quiet moments as valuable to the viewer as the spectacle, and for all the fireworks in the third act, Avengers: Endgame is very much a film of quiet moments and small yet potent emotional payoffs. Comic book fans know the thrill of following all your favorite characters through a multi-issue storyline that culminates in a “universe at stake” ending. Now, thanks to 21 movies in 11 years and one massive, satisfying three-hour finale, moviegoers do, too. —Michael Burgin

1. Avatar (2009) Box office: $2.92 billion Director: James Cameron

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It makes sense that Avatar is the highest grossing movie ever made: Irony and insincerity have no place in its extended universe. Whether or not James Cameron intended to crib the world of Pandora and its futuristic inhabitants from practically every fantastical ur-text ever conceived, it hardly matters, because Avatar is modern mythmaking at its most foundational. Cameron still seems to believe that “the movies” can give audiences a transformative experience, so every sinew of his film bears the Herculean effort of truly genius worldbuilding, telling the simple story of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and his Dances with Wolves -like saving of the Na’vi, natives to the planet of Pandora, from the destructive forces of colonialism. Cameron wants us to care about this world as much as Jake Sully, and by extension James Cameron, does, crafting flora and fauna with borderline sociopathic obsessiveness, at the time pushing 3-D technology to its brink to bring his inhuman imagination alive. It worked; “unobtanium” is actually a real thing. Four sequels feels like a disgusting gambit for a man whose ambition may have long ago outpaced his sense of storytelling, or sense of reason, or sense of what our oversaturated, over-franchised culture can even stomach anymore. But Cameron’s proven us wrong countless times before. —Dom Sinacola

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What is the most watched movie in the world?

Sitting in front of the television and watching a good movie is one of the best moments we can share, whether with friends or family. A film makes us live a unique and unprecedented experience. If you are stressed, worrying, it is strongly advised to watch a romantic or comedy movie to cheer you up. The idea of going to the cinema, meeting up with colleagues can also be pleasant to relax in order to end a long and rather hectic day in style. What are the top three most viewed films worldwide? Have you ever seen any of these movies? We're going to give you a taste of the most-watched movies in the world. This will certainly make you want to discover them in turn if you have never had the opportunity to appreciate them for one reason or another.

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The top 3 most watched films in the world

"avatar".

most viewed movie in the world

In the forefront is “Avatar”, a film which was directed by the famous American producer James Cameron, it was released in the United Kingdom on December 17, 2009. It is a story about a paralyzed former sailor, by being an “Avatar” he was able to regain the use of his feet. He fell in love with an extraterrestrial “Navi”, the latter must make a choice to define his side since the fate of the planet is in his hands. The main role was performed by “Jake Sully”. It is important to specify that 86 % of viewers loved this film.

most viewed movie in the world

In second position is the movie titled “Avengers”, it was released on May 04, 2019. According to the poll, as “Avatar” 86 % viewers also loved this movie, it was directed by producer “Josh Whedon ”. In order to avoid a global catastrophe, “Nick Fury” has assembled an elite team in his agency to guarantee protection and balance in the world, this is the short summary of the film.

most viewed movie in the world

The third position is attributed to the film ”Titanic, it was released on December 19, 1997, just like “Avatar” the latter was also directed by the famous American producer James Cameron.

It was inspired by a true story of “Rose DeWitt”. One of the survivors of the sinking of the great ship known as "Titanic", Rose reveals her fondest memories in this film.

In summary, these three films are not out of the ordinary, on the other hand, they met with real success with the general public. There is no secret, everyone contributes and gives the best of themselves to achieve fairly substantial results with viewers. Many paths have been crossed, there were undoubtedly ups and downs during the making of these films. Anyway, these three films remain unbeatable in terms of ranking.

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    In second position is the movie titled “Avengers”, it was released on May 04, 2019. According to the poll, as “Avatar” 86 % viewers also loved