Summary
- Franchise continuations and original films dominated 2024’s highest grossing movies, signaling both audience demand for known IP and fresh storytelling.
- Although some highly anticipated productions were delayed due to strikes, 2024 still saw strong box office performers with varying levels of success.
- Not every movie met box office expectations, with some falling short of profitability despite generating substantial revenue.
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2024’s highest grossing movies at the worldwide box office are a mixture of franchise continuations and original films. The box office is traditionally dominated by the latest works involving known IP, major stars, or accomplished directors. After the film industry was rocked by COVID-19, 2022 and 2023 showed signs of promise that audiences were eager to return to theaters. This is exactly what Hollywood was hoping for with its 2024 movie slate. Although some highly anticipated productions were delayed after the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, 2024’s lineup still included plenty of titles that projected for good box office performances.
Whereas Barbie, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Oppenheimer dominated the list of 2023’s highest grossing movies, the 2024 slate had Dune: Part Two, Deadpool and Wolverine, Inside Out 2, and Despicable Me 4 as titles that were among 2024’s predicted highest grossing movies. Of course, not every movie lives up to its box office expectations, and several others can become bigger hits than projected. A mixture of expected and surprise results make up the highest grossing movies at the box office in 2024, based on data from Box Office Mojo.
10 IF
$108 Million Box Office Worldwide
IF (2024)
PG
Comedy
Fantasy
Director John Krasinski Release Date May 17, 2024 Writers John Krasinski Cast Ryan Reynolds , John Krasinski , Cailey Fleming , Steve Carell , Matt Damon , Emily Blunt , Phoebe Waller-Bridge , Vince Vaughn , Sam Rockwell , Maya Rudolph , Jon Stewart , Awkwafina Runtime 107 minutes Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures
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Released on May 17, IF has made $108.1 million at the worldwide box office. The total comes after it did not have the start expected for John Krasinski’s new movie about imaginary friends. Box office projections for the film’s opening weekend domestically were around $40 million, but it came in below that with its $33 million opening haul. IF‘s box office has had decent legs, as it has doubled that opening weekend for a domestic total of $68 million. The movie has also made an additional $40 million overseas.
The performance of IF is enough to put it among 2024’s highest grossing movies, but it is far from a success. The movie reportedly has a budget of $110 million. This means John Krasinski’s film has yet to even make back what it cost to make, and that does not include any marketing or additional expenses. IF needs to make roughly $220 million to become profitable. The film has a chance to move past this milestone if it has small drops for the remainder of its theatrical run and gets good word of mouth.
9 Civil War
$113 Million Box Office Worldwide
Civil War
R
Action
Drama
Director Alex Garland Release Date April 26, 2024 Writers Alex Garland Cast Kirsten Dunst , Wagner Moura , Stephen McKinley Henderson , Cailee Spaeny , Jesse Plemons , Nick Offerman Runtime 109 Minutes Distributor(s) A24
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Released on April 26, Civil War is one of the 2024 box office surprises. Alex Garland and A24’s political war movie has made $113.7 million worldwide. The film’s strong performance began with its $25 million opening weekend. It has made $68 million domestically overall thanks to strong word of mouth. A24 has also been able to add another $45 million from international audiences even though the film skews more toward American audiences.
The performance of Civil War‘s box office is certainly impressive. The film carried the highest budget for an A24 movie to date at $50 million. This made it a bigger risk, but Civil War has exceeded expectations and crossed the $100 million mark it likely needed to become profitable. It now stands as A24’s second highest grossing movie of all time, trailing only Everything Everywhere All At Once‘s $143 million performance. Even without breaking that record, Civil War‘s box office is one of 2024’s best.
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8 The Fall Guy
$146 Million Box Office Worldwide
The Fall Guy
PG-13
Action
Drama
Thriller
Director David Leitch Release Date May 3, 2024 Writers Drew Pearce Cast Ryan Gosling , Emily Blunt , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Stephanie Hsu , Winston Duke , Hannah Waddingham , Teresa Palmer Distributor(s) Universal Pictures
Released on May 3, The Fall Guy‘s box office has made $146.9 million worldwide. The film was projected to make as much as $40 million in its opening weekend to kick off the summer season. Despite receiving great reviews, The Fall Guy opened below expectations to the tune of $27.7 million. Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt’s action movie performed better than expected in the following weeks, allowing its legs to carry the film past $75 million domestically. It also added another $71 million from international territories to give the movie its bigger worldwide total.
Even as one of 2024’s highest grossing movies, The Fall Guy is not a box office success. Universal made the David Leitch production with a reported $140 million budget. This requires The Fall Guy to make over $280 million to become profitable. The movie has only managed to barely make its budget back instead. The Fall Guy‘s week-to-week drops came in relatively low to help keep the film somewhat afloat at the box office. That does not ultimately stop the movie from underperforming.
7 The Beekeeper
$152 Million Box Office Worldwide
The Beekeeper
R
Action
Thriller
Director David Ayer Release Date January 12, 2024 Writers Kurt Wimmer Cast Jason Statham , Emmy Raver-Lampman , Josh Hutcherson , Bobby Naderi , Minnie Driver , Phylicia Rashad , Jeremy Irons Runtime 105 Minutes Distributor(s) Amazon MGM Studios
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Released on January 12, The Beekeeper was 2024’s first box office success story. Jason Statham’s action movie only opened to $16.5 million domestically, but the continued interest from audiences and positive reviews helped turn it into a hit. It made $66 million domestically overall, adding another $50 million after its opening weekend. The Beekeper‘s box office was substantially aided by overseas interest drawing another $86 million. The end result was Statham’s movie making $152 million at the worldwide box office.
With a strong box office performance, The Beekeeper became a profitable venture for Amazon MGM. The film reportedly carried a $40 million budget, meaning it needed to make at least $80 million to break even. The Beekeeper nearly doubled that total by the end of its theatrical run. It makes the movie’s theatrical release a very smart move from Amazon MGM to potentially launch a new franchise.
6 Bob Marley: One Love
$179 Million Box Office Worldwide
Bob Marley: One Love
PG-13
Biography
Drama
Music
Where to Watch
*Availability in US
- stream
- rent
- buy
Not available
Not available
Not available
Director Reinaldo Marcus Green Release Date February 14, 2024 Writers Zach Baylin , Frank E. Flowers , Terence Winter Cast Kingsley Ben-Adir Runtime 107 Minutes Distributor(s) Paramount Pictures
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Released on February 12, Bob Marley: One Love became a major box office success by making $179.3 million worldwide. The Bob Marley biopic had a strong opening weekend with $28.6 million after opening early on a Wednesday, where it made $14 million alone. The film had very strong legs after its opening weekend, which allowed it to finish with a $96.8 million total gross domestically. International audiences also added another $82.5 million to the box office.
This performance made Bob Marley: One Love a big winner for Paramount in 2024. With its reported $70 million budget, the studio needed audiences to be very interested in seeing the later years of the musician’s life. Bob Marley: One Love‘s box office passed the $140 million milestone to become profitable for Paramount. It also managed to become one of the highest grossing music biopics of all time thanks to its $179 million total. It is the fifth biggest musician biopic domestically ever.
5 Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
$200 Million Box Office Worldwide
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire
PG-13
Action
Comedy
Supernatural
Director Gil Kenan Release Date March 22, 2024 Writers Jason Reitman , Gil Kenan Cast Finn Wolfhard , Mckenna Grace , Logan Kim , Celeste O’Connor , Carrie Coon , Paul Rudd , Bill Murray , Dan Aykroyd , Ernie Hudson Runtime 115 Minutes Distributor(s) Sony Pictures Releasing
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Released on March 22, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire made $200 million at the box office worldwide. The sequel to Ghostbusters: Afterlife performed mostly as expected. Its $45 million opening weekend domestically was right on par with projections. The film had a substantial drop in its second weekend, but it still managed to make $112.7 million domestically overall. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire‘s box office also pulled in another $87 million from international audiences, helping it squeak past the $200 million milestone.
The box office total for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire puts the film right on the brink of being a success. The movie reportedly carries a $100 million budget, so its $200 million haul is just enough to help Sony break even. Frozen Empire is just shy of Ghostbusters: Afterlife‘s $204 million total from 2021. Every Ghostbusters movie has made at least $200 million at the box office, but the 2024 release is still the lowest-grossing entry of the franchise.
4 Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes
$305 Million Box Office Worldwide
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
PG-13
Action
Sci-Fi
Director Wes Ball Release Date May 10, 2024 Writers Patrick Aison , Josh Friedman , Rick Jaffa , Amanda Silver Cast Kevin Durand , Freya Allan , Peter Macon , Owen Teague , Eka Darville , Sara Wiseman , Neil Sandilands Runtime 145 Minutes Distributor(s) 20th Century
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Released on May 10, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes had a strong showing at the box office. The film opened to $58.4 million domestically, which is right in line with how the previous three modern Planet of the Apes movies performed. Audiences have shown sustained interest in the film as represented by its weekend-to-weekend drops not being substantial. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes has made $129.9 million domestically, with another $175.2 million coming from overseas. This gives the movie a worldwide box office total of $305.2 million.
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The performance of Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes‘ box office puts the franchise in a strong position. 20th Century and Disney gave director Wes Ball a reported $160 million budget to make this installment. That means the film needs to make $320 million worldwide to break even. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes will be a profitable release for the studios by the time its theatrical run concludes. It will still come in far below the previous trilogy barring an elongated theatrical run with continued interest.
3 Kung Fu Panda 4
$539 Million Box Office Worldwide
Kung Fu Panda 4
PG
Action
Adventure
Animation
Martial Arts
Director Mike Mitchell , Stephanie Stine Release Date March 8, 2024 Cast Jack Black , Awkwafina , Viola Davis , Dustin Hoffman , James Hong , Bryan Cranston , Ian McShane , Ke Huy Quan Distributor(s) Universal Pictures
Released on March 8, Kung Fu Panda 4 made $539 million at the worldwide box office. The movie was projected to make $45-$50 million in its opening weekend, but the franchise’s first film in eight years overperformed. Kung Fu Panda 4 opened to $57.9 million domestically and had great legs from that point on. It made $193 million at the domestic box office. International audiences showed great interest in the franchise’s return by adding $345.7 million to its total.
Kung Fu Panda 4 is a major success for Universal and DreamWorks Animation thanks to this box office. The sequel reportedly had an $85 million budget, which is the lowest of the franchise. Audiences showed that there is still great interest in Po’s story and helped turn Kung Fu Panda 4 into a massively profitable release as it blasted past the necessary $170 benchmark. The movie even beat Kung Fu Panda 3‘s box office to avoid being the lowest grossing entry among the Kung Fu Panda movies.
2 Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
$567 Million Box Office Worldwide
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
PG-13
Action
Adventure
Director Adam Wingard Release Date March 29, 2024 Writers Terry Rossio , Simon Barrett , Jeremy Slater Cast Dan Stevens , Rebecca Hall , Brian Tyree Henry , Kaylee Hottle , Fala Chen Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures
Released on March 29, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire‘s box office total reached $567 million worldwide. The fifth Monsterverse movie was expected to make $50-$55 million in its opening weekend, but demand to see Godzilla and Kong share the screen again was higher than industry projections. The result was Godzilla x Kong‘s opening weekend climbing to $80 million, which was the second highest opening weekend for the Monsterverse. The film even managed to win its second weekend on its way to making $195 million domestically. Another $371 million came from international audiences.
Godzilla x Kong‘s box office helped the Monsterverse re-establish itself as a major draw. The movie is now the second highest grossing movie in the Monsterverse, trailing Kong: Skull Island‘s $568 million haul. With a reported budget of $135 million, Godzilla x Kong easily made more than the $270 million it needed to become profitable. It also means that the franchise once again has one of the 10 highest grossing movies of a single year, as it did in 2021.
1 Dune: Part Two
$711 Million Box Office Worldwide
Dune: Part Two
PG-13
Sci-Fi
Thriller
Drama
Adventure
Director Denis Villeneuve Release Date March 1, 2024 Writers Denis Villeneuve , Jon Spaihts Cast Timothee Chalamet , Zendaya , Florence Pugh , Austin Butler , Rebecca Ferguson Runtime 165 Minutes Distributor(s) Warner Bros. Pictures
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Released on March 1, Dune: Part Two is 2024’s highest grossing movie so far. Following the success of the first Dune in 2021, expectations were high for Denis Villeneuve’s sequel at the box office. Dune 2 opened to $178 million worldwide, with $82 million of that total coming domestically. Heralded as one of the year’s best movies, the sequel had small drops between its weekends. Its incredible legs resulted in making $282 million domestically and another $429 million overseas. The end result is Dune 2‘s box office making $711.8 million worldwide.
The strong performance of Dune 2 was expected, but it was also necessary for Warner Bros. The film carried a reported budget of $190 million, meaning it needed to make over $380 million to be a success. Dune 2 far surpassed that box office milestone during its run to become 2024’s highest grossing movie to date.
|
Highest Grossing Movies Of 2024 Worldwide |
|
|---|---|
|
Movie |
Box Office Total |
|
Dune: Part Two |
$711 Million |
|
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire |
$567 Million |
|
Kung Fu Panda 4 |
$539 Million |
|
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes |
$305 Million |
|
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire |
$200 Million |
|
Bob Marley: One Love |
$179 Million |
|
The Beekeeper |
$152 Million |
|
The Fall Guy |
$146 Million |
|
Civil War |
$113 Million |
|
IF |
$108 Million |
|
Mean Girls |
$104 Million |
|
The Garfield Movie |
$102 Million |
|
Madame Web |
$100 Million |
|
Exhuma |
$97 Million |
|
Argylle |
$96 Million |
|
Detective Conan: The Million-Dollar Pentagram |
$89 Million |
|
Challengers |
$86 Million |
|
The Roundup: Punishment |
$80 Million |
|
Haikyuu!! The Dumpster Battle |
$74 Million |
|
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga |
$69 Million |
Source: Box Office Mojo