Biggest Blockbusters in Recent History

Going to see a movie is one of the great American pastimes. Whether you prefer buttery popcorn or sweet snacks, there’s nothing like relaxing into the plush velvet seats at your favorite theater. There are some movies that we remember more than others though, with vivid special effects, beautiful soundtracks, and stellar performances from A-list actors that stick with us forever. Today we’re bringing you a breakdown of the seven biggest box office openings of all time!

 

  1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens: The seventh installment of the iconic Star Wars series, The Force Awakens opened on December 18th, 2015 grossing a whopping $822,802,874! This is over $100,000,000 than the next spot’s earnings! Excitement surrounding The Force Awakens began in mid October with the release of its trailer, which now has over 85 million views on YouTube.

 

  1. Jurassic World: The first move in the Jurassic Park franchise originally premiered in 1993, to critical acclaim, with many considering it a classic film. 22 years later, and with two more in having been released in the meantime, Jurassic World hit theaters on June 12th, 2015, grossing $652,270,625!

 

  1. Marvel’s The Avengers: In this epic superhero film, Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk, Thor, the Black Widow, and Hawkeye all come together to defeat Thor’s brother Loki. The star studded cast included the likes of Samuel L. Jackson, Scarlett Johansson, and Robert Downey Jr., and made a stunning $207,438,708 on the opening day of 05/04/2012.

 

  1. Avengers: Age of Ultron: Opening on 05/01/2015, Age of Ultron made nearly $500M, million, bringing in $459,005,868! Tony Stark’s (played by Robert Downey Jr.) plans for the Ultron Program, designed to keep planet earth safe, go awfully awry, leading to an epic showdown to determine the fate of earth. Our favorite Marvel characters are all present as they work to protect the planet from a terrifyingly powerful enemy!

 

  1. Iron Man 3: Perhaps surprisingly, Iron Man one and two do not appear on this list, but fans turned out for the witty and inspiring Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man 3! Grossing $409,013,994 at the box office, and being released on 05/03/2013, it’s safe to say that fans are hoping for a fourth installation of the series.

 

  1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2: In its book edition, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series has sold over 450 million copies worldwide. If that’s not enough wow factor, the final movie in the series opened to $169,189,427 on 07/15/2011. Perhaps most impressive is that it’s the oldest release on this list, and still holding strong to its spot!

 

  1. The Dark Knight Rises: Fan favorite Christian Bale plays Batman in the epic Dark Knight series, in which Bale has to be stopped from wreaking havoc and mayhem on earth. Pulling in a whopping $160,887,295, it made over $2 million more than the original Dark Knight!