50 Highest-Grossing Movies Of All Time Ranked
15. Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Box Office: $1.153 billion (#17)
Largely living up to sky-high expectations, Captain America: Civil War cemented the Russo brothers as the most reliable directors in the MCU, making the most of this epic superbrawl between warring superhero factions.
Cleverly engaging with the issue of over-the-top collateral damage in tentpole blockbusters, Civil War makes some smart deviations from the source material while forging a legitimately tantalising moral dilemma.
That the film delivers insane action but also does great service to its characters - while introducing a few new ones (Spider-Man!) - and even serves up an agreeably grounded villain is a testament to the Russos and the brilliant script they were working from.
That airport battle, though. Even in light of Infinity War, it's probably still the best set-piece in the entire MCU.
14. Skyfall (2012)
Box Office: $1.108 billion (#20)
Easily one of the best Bond films ever, Skyfall saw director Sam Mendes go full Christopher Nolan with his gritty compromise between gruff new Bond and sleek, old-school 007.
Beautifully filmed by Roger Deakins - who should've won an Oscar for his lensing - Skyfall teams a never-better Daniel Craig with a sublime Judi Dench and deliciously villainous Javier Bardem for a thrilling, cerebral, intense Bond flick with real emotional resonance.
The Home Alone-inspired finale, which brought M's (Dench) arc to a close in unexpectedly poignant fashion, might be the best sequence from Craig's entire tenure as Bond so far (though Casino Royale's Madagascar chase comes pretty close).
And what about that all-timer Adele title track? Wow.
13. The Jungle Book (2016)
Box Office: $966.6 million (#38)
The key to making a brilliant update of a classic Disney animation? Pick one that's not that amazing in the first place and improve upon it.
That Jon Favreau certainly did with the magnificent The Jungle Book, driven by eye-wateringly beautiful visuals, excellent vocal performances - especially Bill Murray as Baloo, Idris Elba as Shere Khan and Christopher Walken as King Louie - and a wealth of honest emotion.
At once paying tribute to the 1967 animated film and taking things to the next level, this should basically be the blueprint for Disney's planned live-action adaptations moving forward.
12. Zootopia (2016)
Box Office: $1.023 billion (#32)
Expectations were pretty middling for Zootopia ahead of release - it basically looked like Disney's Madagascar - yet the end result was in fact a far smarter and more affecting film than just about anyone saw coming.
A beautifully animated comedy that manages to wrap its important message about prejudice and racism around an almost Shane Black-esque buddy cop premise, Zootopia creates a vibrant, colourful world and fills it with intriguing, hilarious characters.
With a litany of sly gags for adults while gently explaining to kids the importance of inclusion and acceptance, Zootopia refuses to bash viewers big or small over the head, and is easily one of the best animated films Disney has put out in decades.
11. The Avengers (2012)
Box Office: $1.518 billion (#6)
A ground-breaking, history-making blockbuster like no other, The Avengers saw the MCU's biggest superheroes teaming up for the first time, and thanks to Joss Whedon's firm two-hander as writer-director, it effortlessly blew past any and all expectations.
Yes, the opening scene is weirdly flat and the cinematography is pretty bland throughout, but seeing these iconic heroes both squabble and team up is a crowd-pleasing delight on a whole other level.
The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) steal just about every scene they're in - especially when they're together - and though the finale might seem quaint or even conventional by today's standards (anonymous CGI monsters and a beam in the sky!), it still holds up as the first of many superhero team-ups.
Hilarious, action-packed and even a little poignant, this movie has everything fans wanted.