The highest-grossing movies of 2024 all share a sad similarity. This year’s theatrical release structure is unusual, with many big-budget blockbusters scheduled to be released until 2025 during the 2023 Hollywood double strikes, during which writers and actors took to the picket lines to fight for fair pay in film and television The Producers Alliance suspended production worldwide. However, despite a lack of blockbusters at the start of the year, 2024 has seen a number of record-breaking movie releases, including ones worth $2 billion to date.
Several records were broken this year thanks to movies of all genres. That includes a 2024 Thanksgiving weekend total of $414 million, boosted by a lineup of Disney animated features moana 2Jon. M Chu’s Broadway musical adaptation eviland the Ridley Scott historical epic Gladiator IImaking it the best 5-day Thanksgiving weekend ever in North America. Another major record set this year was for a Pixar animated film Inside Out 2 With box office revenue of $1.69 billion, it became the highest-grossing animated film of all time.
Box office numbers for “Inside Out 2”: Total, Worldwide, Domestic, Opening and Records
Pixar’s “Inside Out” becomes the highest-grossing movie of 2024. Suffice it to say, it made so much money while also breaking some box office records.
The 15 highest-grossing movies in the world in 2024 are all IP
From “Inside Out 2” to “Alien: Romulus”
As of this writing, the top 15 movies of 2024 are all IP adaptations, including sequels, prequels, and epiquels. That wasn’t the case earlier this year. July, 15 highest-grossing movies of 2024 include originals like Alex Garland civil war (Now No. 31 with $126.2 million) John Krasinski’s if (No. 22 with $190.3 million) Biopic Bob Marley: A Love (No. 24 with $180.8 million) and Jason Statham action movie beekeeper (No. 27, $152.7 million). Here’s the full chart of the top 15 so far this year:
rank | title | total global revenue |
|---|---|---|
#1 | Inside Out 2 | $1.69 billion |
#2 | deadpool and wolverine | US$1.34 billion |
#3 | despicable me 4 | $969.1 million |
#4 | Dune: Part 2 | $714.4 million |
#5 | moana 2 | $606.1 million |
#6 | Godzilla x Kong: A New Empire | $571.7 million |
#7 | Kung Fu Panda 4 | $547.7 million |
#8 | Venom: The Last Dance | $472.9 million |
#9 | evil | $465.5 million |
#10 | Beetlejuice Beetlejuice | $451.1 million |
#11 | Bad Boys: Ride or Die | $404.5 million |
#12 | kingdom of the planet of the apes | $397.4 million |
#13 | Gladiator II | $371.5 million |
#14 | tornado | $370.9 million |
#15 | Alien: Romulus | $350.9 million |
In the final weeks of 2024, it seems unlikely that IP’s dominance of the annual global box office will change. That’s despite multiple original movies set to premiere on New Year’s Eve, including Nicole Kidman’s erotic drama baby girl and Bob Dylan biopics Completely unknown – No one seems to be able to surpass Alien: Romulusalthough they can achieve significant success on their own terms. The only movies expected to gross $350.9 million are IP spin-offs, such as musical prequels Mufasa: The Lion King and video game adaptations Sonic the Hedgehog 3.
IP dominating the box office is nothing new – but the results in 2024 are extreme
Original Hits of 2024 Already Behind
Modern Hollywood has long been dominated by multiple models of IP projects. This includes sequels, spin-offs and prequels, e.g. Top Gun: Maverick, black widow, No time to dieand Fast and Furious: Hobbs and Shawand reboots, including live-action Disney movies lion king, beauty and the Beastand Aladdin. Additionally, original stories are adapted from multimedia series including works by Greta Gerwig Barbie, Sonic the Hedgehogand Uncharted.
Both
Sonic the Hedgehog
and
Uncharted
Bringing the popular video game series to the big screen.
This comes despite the 2023 strike causing many of the year’s most notable IP films to be delayed until 2025. This rearrangement allowed a number of original films to flourish earlier this year, including the indie serial killer thriller long legsThe romantic drama had a budget of less than $10 million but grossed $126.9 million at the box office It all ends with usThe film, which is based on a novel but is not part of a pre-established film series, has become the 16th highest-ranking film of the year worldwide at the time of writing.
For the first time in X years, the top 15 movies at the box office in 2024 will all be IP
Usually has at least one groundbreaking original work
However, 2024 marks the first time since at least 1977 that the entire top 15 has been dominated by an IP, and global box office records have become murkier since then. However, complete domination of the IP’s top 15 before 1977 seems unlikely, as the modern edge of sequels didn’t kick into high gear until the 1980s. In fact, of the top 15 films of 1977, there were only two (James Bond films) the spy who loved me and horror sequels The Exorcist II: Heretic) based on existing movie IP.
The #1 movie of 1977 was
Star Wars
the film that launched a massive franchise and played a major role in shifting the tide of IP spin-off films over the next decade.
So far, at least one original hit has made the top 15 every year, including Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer 2023 (3rd in the year), 2013 freezing (No. 1), 2010 Inception (4th place), 2007 ratatouille (6th place), 2003 Finding Nemo (No. 2) and 1999 sixth sense (No. 2). In fact, there are often more, including in 2016, when there were five original films in the top 15, namely Zootopia, The secret life of pets, Moana, Singand mermaid Although sequels such as Captain America: Civil War and looking for dory Still thriving.
IP box office in 2025 could return to 2024 levels of success
Plenty of sequels are planned
Since many IP movies scheduled for release in 2024 were pushed to 2025 during the strike, there will be more sequels to 2025 movies on the schedule for the coming year. Here are the details on some of the most notable sequels set to premiere throughout the year, and that doesn’t even include upcoming reboots of movies like werewolf, snow Whiteand Lilo & Stitch. It also does not include derivatives From the world of John Wick: Ballerinavideo game adaptation minecraft movie., or comic universe movies superman, Thunder*and Fantastic Four: The First Step.
sequel | US release date (subject to change) |
|---|---|
Wallace & Gromit: The Most Revenge | January 3 |
Den of Thieves: Pantera | January 10 |
Paddington in Peru | January 17 |
Bridget Jones: Crazy for this boy | February 14 |
Captain America: Brave New World | February 14 |
Passion of Christ: Resurrection | April 18 |
Accountant 2 | April 25 |
Final Destination: Bloodline | May 16 |
Mission: Impossible – Final Reckoning | May 23 |
The Karate Kid: Legend | May 30 |
28 years later | June 20 |
M3GAN 2.0 | June 27 |
I know what you did last summer | July 18 |
bad guy 2 | August 1 |
Weirder Friday | August 8 |
no one 2 | August 15 |
Insidious: Red Door | August 29 |
The Conjuring: Last Rites | September 5 |
Downton Abbey 3 | September 12 |
saw eleven | September 26 |
Creation: Ares | October 10 |
black phone 2 | October 17 |
Mortal Kombat 2 | October 24 |
now you see me 3 | November 14 |
evil part 2 | November 26 |
Zootopia 2 | November 26 |
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 | December 5 |
Avatar: Fire and Ashes | December 19 |
The Spongebob Movie: The Search for Squarepants | To be determined |
Untitled horror movie | To be determined |
Waking the Dead: Mystery of the Blade | To be determined |
Thanksgiving 2 | To be determined |
However, IP may not continue to dominate the box office in 2025. Several of these sequels seem unlikely to make the top 15, including Downton Abbey 3a sequel to the $92.6 million film, and Bridget Jones: Crazy for this boyalthough it has been released in international theaters, it is still being released on Peacock in the United States. Given historical precedent, it’s entirely possible for an unexpectedly original film (especially a Disney or Pixar production) to become a hit, even to the level required to surpass such a widespread box office success.