Entertainment
8 Best Sci-Fi Movies That Made $1 Billion, Ranked
Whether it be revolutionary technologies that reshape the human experience or vast, intergalactic worlds light-years away, there is an inherent joy and fascination with sci-fi storytelling that has made it a staple of cinema ever since the early days of the medium. These sci-fi films prove to be that much more striking and memorable when given a massive blockbuster scale and stature to bring their visions to life, with many of the most acclaimed and recognizable sci-fi success stories crossing over into the luxurious $1 billion club.
These massively successful titans of the sci-fi genre have taken a myriad of different paths to box-office success, whether it be continuing the impact of beloved film franchises or utilizing craft and technology to bring a striking original vision to life. While not every sci-fi film that has made $1 billion is of overwhelming high quality, the very best of this selection have proven to be some of the most recognizable and acclaimed sci-fi films of their respective eras.
8
‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ (2021)
Spider-Man was a massively popular character long before his introduction into the MCU, with a deep-rooted history of iconic film outings and iterations of the character for each generation. Spider-Man: No Way Home effectively taps into the long-lasting history of the character, bringing back iconic villains and heroes from Spider-Man films of the past to create a glorious love letter to the character’s live-action blockbuster history.
While a lot of the box-office success of the film can be attributed to the highly anticipated and memorable return of iconic Spider-Man actors Andrew Garfield and Tobey Maguire, it certainly helped that the film had its fair share of great action sequences and emotional story beats. It sticks to what makes the fundamentals of Spider-Man so enticing as a superhero, building upon the development and arcs of previous MCU films, and acts as the definitive outing of the character in the MCU and one of the best Spider-Man films to date.
7
‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019)
Acting as a culmination of over a decade’s worth of films in the wider multiverse of MCU filmmaking, it isn’t exactly shocking that Avengers: Endgame made box-office records and was at one point the highest-grossing film in box-office history. The film stands as a love letter to the MCU as a whole, with callbacks and references to each film leading up to this point while still telling a sprawling, highly entertaining action film that gives each character a moment to shine.
Even as the MCU continues to have new entries and build-up anticipation for the next Avengers film, it’s difficult to imagine any other film in the MCU coming close to the complete global dominance and cultural impact that this iconic finale had. It has stood as a towering achievement for what is possible not just within the MCU but in extended-universe storytelling in film as a whole, proudly known as one of the defining blockbuster successes of the 21st century.
6
‘Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens’ (2015)
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While legacy sequels are all the rage nowadays for bringing back hardcore fans and continuing the stories of beloved films, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was truly the first film to succeed in this regard, bringing a classic franchise into the modern age. Releasing over 30 years after Return of the Jedi and over a decade after Revenge of the Sith, this monumental return to the Star Wars franchise was received with overwhelming excitement and praise from long-time fans.
While Disney’s handling of Star Wars as a brand has arguably been muddied and not nearly as impactful in the decade since its release, it’s hard to ignore just how impactful The Force Awakens was, not just for sci-fi blockbusters, but blockbuster filmmaking in general. It still holds the record for the highest-grossing film at the North American box office and is held in much higher regard than the two sequels that it would receive.
5
‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ (2022)
Releasing 13 years after the previous blockbuster juggernaut, Avatar: The Way of Water certainly had a lot to live up to in terms of legacy and anticipation following the highest-grossing movie of all time. James Cameron‘s groundbreaking marvel of visual achievement and technological advancement made perfect use of the time since the last film’s release, with masterful top-notch CGI visuals that are still unmatched by any other high-budget blockbuster of the modern era.
The beautiful underwater sequences make the absolute most of both the groundbreaking motion capture technology as well as the absolute limit of 3D filmmaking at a blockbuster scale. Cameron’s style of filmmaking has such a distinct vision in terms of pushing blockbuster filmmaking to its absolute limits, with The Way of Water perfectly encapsulating what sci-fi blockbuster filmmaking is capable of. While the Avatar franchise will surely continue to deliver memorable sequels in the coming years, The Way of Water is important for proving to audiences that Avatar was far from just a one-time success story.
4
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018)
While a lot of the praise and prominent success of the MCU’s finale is largely attributed to the brilliance of Avengers: Endgame, it is arguably even more impressive that Avengers: Infinity War was able to set the stage and stand as its own cinematic event without feeling like only half of a complete story. The impact and success of Endgame wouldn’t have been nearly as large without Infinity War setting the stage and proving the quality of bringing together all corners of the MCU into one explosive blockbuster event.
Even today, the film still stands as one of the most ambitious superhero movies ever made and a landmark title in the MCU’s success, with inherent charm and pacing that gives it an edge over Endgame in terms of standalone quality. A lot of the greater success and individuality of the film can be attributed to how it centers around the looming threat of Thanos (Josh Brolin), with each hero finding their own way to try and stop his conquest of universal destruction.
3
‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’ (2016)
While the actual trilogy of mainline Star Wars films under Disney had a relatively rocky reception from fans, one of the absolute best things to come out of the Disney era of Star Wars was being that much more willing to experiment with spinoffs and standalone stories, with the best example being Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Its entry into the $1 billion gross club can certainly be attributed by continued excitement from The Force Awakens the previous year, but that doesn’t take away from the strength and effectiveness of Rogue One as a standalone experience.
This dynamic adventure of a rogue group of resistance fighters uniting for a mission to steal the Death Star’s plans proves to be all the more effective thanks to its high stakes, entertaining characters, and emotional action-packed climax. Even with the occasional hiccups like distracted de-aging CGI, the film proves to be leaps and bounds ahead of Disney’s other Star Wars efforts and has aged tremendously in the decade since its release.
2
‘Avatar’ (2009)
It’s impossible to discuss the topic of sci-fi blockbusters without talking about James Cameron’s Avatar, the film that currently holds the record for the highest-grossing movie of all time and manages to be just as groundbreaking and visually striking today as when it was released 17 years ago. The film ushered in a wave of 3D filmmaking in the wake of its success, as its revolutionary utilization of the technology not only helped it achieve massive box-office success, but completely redefined for many audiences what film was capable of.
Avatar proved to be a generational, must-watch experience that was pushing the medium of filmmaking forward with its brilliance, standing tall as a culmination of Cameron’s exceptional career and creating a sprawling, mesmerizing sci-fi world. This perfectly directed sci-fi epic is often the first film that comes to mind when considering massively successful sci-fi films at the box-office, made all the more impressive that it achieved this as a completely original film, not a part of a pre-existing franchise.
1
‘Jurassic Park’ (1993)
Jurassic Park is an interesting case when it comes to its inclusion in the $1 billion club, as while it didn’t earn $1 billion during its original box-office run, it would make it over the edge thanks to various re-releases over the years, with it now standing at $1.1 billion grossed worldwide. However, Steven Spielberg‘s sci-fi adventure masterpiece is still one of the most important and highly acclaimed sci-fi blockbusters ever released, being massively influential for the entire genre and featuring revolutionary visuals that still hold up over 30 years later.
The film proved to be so overwhelmingly successful as a worldwide phenomenon that it once held the title of the highest-grossing movie of all time at the box office, a mantle that it would hold until the release of Titanic 4 years later. Still, the film’s substantial legacy grows with each passing year, as it’s the oldest film to have grossed $1 billion and has seen a myriad of spinoffs and sequels that have further defined its cinematic legacy.
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