List of highest-grossing science fiction films

The following is a list of highest-grossing science fiction films of all time.

Highest-grossing sci-fi films

The following is a list of the highest-grossing science fiction films of all time. The top 12 are among the highest-grossing films of all time. Superhero films often have some science-fiction elements but are not included here, as they have their own list.

† Background shading indicates films playing in the week commencing 15 August 2025 in theaters around the world.

Rank	Film	Worldwide gross	Year	Ref
1	Avatar	$2,923,706,026	2009	[1]
2	Avatar: The Way of Water	$2,320,250,281	2022	[2]
3	Star Wars: The Force Awakens	$2,068,223,624	2015	[3]
4	Jurassic World	$1,671,537,444	2015	[4]
5	Star Wars: The Last Jedi	$1,332,539,889	2017	[5]
6	Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom	$1,308,467,944	2018	[6]
7	Transformers: Dark of the Moon	$1,123,794,079	2011	[7]
8	Transformers: Age of Extinction	$1,104,054,072	2014	[8]
9	Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker	$1,074,144,248	2019	[9]
10	Rogue One: A Star Wars Story	$1,056,057,273	2016	[10]
11	Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace	$1,046,386,656	1999	[11]
12	Jurassic Park	$1,037,535,230	1993	[12]
13	Lilo & Stitch †	$1,030,499,804	2025	[13]
14	Jurassic World Dominion	$1,004,004,592	2022	[14]
15	Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith	$868,390,560	2005	[15]
16	The Hunger Games: Catching Fire	$865,011,746	2013	[16]
17	Inception	$836,836,967	2010	[17]
18	Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen	$836,303,693	2009	[18]
19	Jurassic World Rebirth †	$828,832,885	2025	[19]
20	Independence Day	$817,400,891	1996	[20]
21	E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial	$792,910,554	1982	[21]
22	Star Wars	$775,398,007	1977	[22]
23	The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1	$755,356,711	2014	[23]
24	Interstellar	$733,202,212	2014	[24]
25	Gravity	$723,192,705	2013	[25]
26	Dune: Part Two	$714,444,358	2024	[26]
27	Dawn of the Planet of the Apes	$710,644,566	2014	[27]
28	Transformers	$709,709,780	2007	[28]
29	The Wandering Earth	$699,856,699	2019	[29]
30	The Hunger Games	$694,394,724	2012	[30]
31	The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2	$658,344,137	2015	[31]
32	Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones	$653,779,970	2002	[32]
33	The Martian	$630,162,235	2015	[33]
34	Men in Black 3	$624,026,776	2012	[34]
35	The Lost World: Jurassic Park	$618,638,999	1997	[35]
36	Ready Player One	$607,874,422	2018	[36]
37	Transformers: The Last Knight	$605,425,157	2017	[37]
38	The Wandering Earth 2	$604,460,568	2023	[38]
39	War of the Worlds	$603,873,119	2005	[39]
40	Men in Black	$589,390,539	1997	[40]
41	I Am Legend	$585,410,052	2007	[41]
42	Armageddon	$553,709,788	1998	[42]
43	The Day After Tomorrow	$552,639,571	2004	[43]
44	Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back	$538,375,067	1980	[44]
45	WALL-E	$521,311,890	2008	[45]
46	Terminator 2: Judgment Day	$520,881,154	1991	[46]
47	War for the Planet of the Apes	$490,719,763	2017	[47]
48	Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi	$482,466,382	1983	[48]
49	Rise of the Planet of the Apes	$481,800,873	2011	[49]
50	Lucy	$469,058,574	2014	[50]

Highest-grossing films adjusted for inflation

See also: List of highest-grossing films in the United States and Canada § Adjusted for ticket-price inflation, and List of films by box office admissions

Inflation rates around the world vary, complicating inflation adjustment.

Because of the long-term effects of inflation, notably the significant increase of movie theater ticket prices, the list unadjusted for inflation gives far more weight to later films.^[51] The unadjusted list, while commonly found in the press, is therefore largely meaningless for comparing films widely separated in time, as many films from earlier eras will never appear on a modern unadjusted list, despite achieving higher commercial success when adjusted for price increases.^[52] To compensate for the devaluation of the currency, some charts make adjustments for inflation, but not even this practice fully addresses the issue, since ticket prices and inflation do not necessarily parallel one another. For example, in 1970, tickets cost $1.55 or about $6.68 in inflation-adjusted 2004 dollars; by 1980, prices had risen to about $2.69, a drop to $5.50 in inflation-adjusted 2004 dollars.^[53] Ticket prices have also risen at different rates of inflation around the world, further complicating the process of adjusting worldwide grosses.^[51]

Another complication is release in multiple formats for which different ticket prices are charged. One notable example of this phenomenon is Avatar, which was also released in 3D and IMAX: almost two-thirds of tickets for that film were for 3D showings with an average price of $10, and about one-sixth were for IMAX showings with an average price over $14.50, compared to a 2010 average price of $7.61 for 2D films.^[54] Social and economic factors such as population change^[55] and the growth of international markets^[56][57][58] also have an effect on the number of people purchasing theater tickets, along with audience demographics where some films sell a much higher proportion of discounted children's tickets, or perform better in big cities where tickets cost more.^[52]

The measuring system for gauging a film's success is based on unadjusted grosses, mainly because historically this is the way it has always been done because of the practices of the film industry: the box-office receipts are compiled by theaters and relayed to the distributor, which in turn releases them to the media.^[59] Converting to a more representative system that counts ticket sales rather than gross is also fraught with problems because the only data available for older films are the sale totals.^[55] As the motion picture industry is highly oriented towards marketing currently released films, unadjusted figures are always used in marketing campaigns so that new blockbuster films can much more easily achieve a high sales ranking, and thus be promoted as a "top film of all time",^[53][60] so there is little incentive to switch to a more robust analysis from a marketing or even newsworthy point of view.^[59]

Despite the inherent difficulties in accounting for inflation, several attempts have been made. Estimates depend on the price index used to adjust the grosses,^[60] and the exchange rates used to convert between currencies can also affect the calculations, both of which can have an effect on the ultimate rankings of an inflation adjusted list. Gone with the Wind—first released in 1939—is generally considered to be the most successful film, with Guinness World Records in 2014 estimating its adjusted global gross at $3.4 billion. Estimates for Gone with the Wind's adjusted gross have varied substantially: its owner, Turner Entertainment, estimated its adjusted earnings at $3.3 billion in 2007, a few years earlier than the Guinness estimate;^[61] other estimates fall either side of this amount, with one putting its gross just under $3 billion in 2010,^[62] while another provided an alternative figure of $3.8 billion in 2006.^[63] Which film is Gone with the Wind's nearest rival depends on the set of figures used: Guinness had Avatar in second place with $3 billion, while other estimates saw Titanic in the runner-up spot with first-run worldwide earnings of almost $2.9 billion at 2010 prices.^[62]

Highest-grossing films as of 2022^[update] adjusted for inflation^[64][Inf]

Rank	Title	Worldwide gross (2022 $)	Year
1	Avatar	A1$3,824,000,000	2009
2	Star Wars	$3,443,000,000	1977
3	E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial	$2,815,000,000	1982
4	Star Wars: The Force Awakens	TFA$2,491,000,000	2015

^InfInflation adjustment is carried out using the Consumer price index for advanced economies published by the International Monetary Fund.^[65] The index is uniformly applied to the grosses in the chart published by Guinness World Records in 2014, beginning with the 2014 index. The figures in the above chart take into account inflation that occurred in 2014, and in every available year since then, through 2022.

^A1The adjusted gross for Avatar includes revenue from the original release and all four reissues. The original release and 2010 Special Edition grosses are adjusted from the Guinness base year, whilst the 2020 and 2021 grosses are adjusted from the 2021 index and the 2022 gross from 2022.^[66]

^TFAThe gross for Star Wars: The Force Awakens is adjusted from the 2016 index.

Timeline of highest-grossing sci-fi films

Star Wars is the only franchise to hold it on multiple occasions doing so twice in 1977 and 1999, while Steven Spielberg is the only director to hold it on multiple occasions doing so twice in 1983 and 1993.

Star Wars, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Jurassic Park and Avatar all became the highest grossing films of all time upon the release. Avatar briefly lost it in 2019 to Avengers: Endgame before taking it back with a 2021 re-issue.

Timeline of the highest-grossing film record

Established	Title	Record setting gross	Reference(s)
1954	20,000 Leagues Under the Sea	$28,200,000*	[# 1]
1968	Planet of the Apes	$32,600,000*	[# 2]
1970	2001: A Space Odyssey	$138,000,000–193,000,000	[# 3]
1978[67][68]	Star Wars	$410,000,000/$268,500,000R	[# 4][# 5]
1982		$530,000,000 ‡	[# 6]
1983[69]	E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial	$619,000,000–664,000,000	[# 6][# 7]
1985		$701,000,000 ‡	[# 8]
1993	Jurassic Park	$914,691,118	[# 9]
1999	Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace	$924,317,558	[# 10]
2010[70][71]	Avatar	$2,743,577,587	[# 11]
		$2,788,416,135 ‡
2021[72]		$2,847,397,339 ‡
2022		$2,923,706,026 ‡

^RDistributor rental.

^*U.S. and Canada gross only

^‡Includes revenue from re-releases. If a film increased its gross through re-releases while holding the record, the year in which it recorded its highest gross is also noted in italics.

Highest-grossing sci-fi film franchises and film series

The following is a list of highest-grossing sci-fi film franchises and film series of all time. The top 5 are among the highest-grossing franchises of all time. Star Wars sits top with a total gross of $10.3B, while Avatar has the best average of any science fiction series at $2.6B.

† Background shading indicates that at least one film in the series is playing in the week commencing 15 August 2025 in theaters around the world.

Highest-grossing sci-fi film franchises and film series ^[§]

(The films in each franchise can be viewed by selecting "show".)

Rank Series Total worldwide gross No. of films Average of films Highest-grossing film

1 Star Wars $10,336,561,631 12 $861,380,136 The Force Awakens ($2,068,223,624) Episodes $8,818,049,454 9 $979,783,273 The Force Awakens ($2,068,223,624) Sequel trilogy $4,482,740,296 3 $1,494,246,765 The Force Awakens ($2,068,223,624) 1 VII – The Force Awakens (2015) $2,071,310,218 2 VIII – The Last Jedi (2017) $1,334,407,706 3 IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019) $1,077,022,372 Prequel trilogy $2,605,892,080 3 $868,630,693 The Phantom Menace ($1,046,515,409) 1 I – The Phantom Menace (1999) $1,046,515,409 2 III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) $905,595,947 3 II – Attack of the Clones (2002) $653,780,724 Original trilogy $1,817,474,912 3 $605,824,971 A New Hope ($775,398,007) 1 IV – A New Hope (1977) $775,398,507 2 V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) $559,610,023 3 VI – Return of the Jedi (1983) $482,466,382 Anthology films $1,451,609,549 2 $725,804,775 Rogue One ($1,057,304,526) 1 Rogue One (2016) $1,058,684,742 2 Solo (2018) $392,924,807 The Clone Wars (2008) $68,282,844

2 Jurassic Park † $6,837,803,384 7 $976,829,055 Jurassic World ($1,671,537,444) Jurassic World series † $4,812,848,346 4 $1,203,212,087 Jurassic World ($1,671,537,444) 1 Jurassic World (2015) $1,671,537,444 2 Fallen Kingdom (2018) $1,308,473,425 3 Dominion (2022) $1,004,004,592 4 Rebirth (2025) † $828,832,885 Jurassic Park trilogy $2,024,955,038 3 $674,985,013 Jurassic Park ($1,037,535,230) 1 Jurassic Park (1993) $1,037,535,230 2 The Lost World (1997) $618,638,999 3 Jurassic Park III (2001) $368,780,809

3 Transformers $5,421,511,811 9 $602,390,201 Dark of the Moon ($1,123,794,079) Main series $5,418,066,011 8 $677,258,251 Dark of the Moon ($1,123,794,079) 1 Dark of the Moon (2011) $1,123,794,079 2 Age of Extinction (2014) $1,104,054,072 3 Revenge of the Fallen (2009) $836,303,693 4 Transformers (2007) $709,709,780 5 The Last Knight (2017) $605,425,157 6 Bumblebee (2018) $467,989,645 7 Rise of the Beasts (2023) $441,381,193 8 One (2024) $129,408,392 The Transformers: The Movie (1986) $5,860,601

4 Avatar $5,243,956,307 2 $2,621,978,154 Avatar ($2,923,706,026) 1 Avatar (2009) $2,923,706,026 2 The Way of Water (2022) $2,320,250,281

5 The Hunger Games $3,317,091,853 5 $663,418,371 Catching Fire ($865,011,746) Main series $2,968,191,834 4 $742,047,959 Catching Fire ($865,011,746) 1 Catching Fire (2013) $865,011,746 2 Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) $755,357,103 3 The Hunger Games (2012) $694,394,724 4 Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015) $653,428,261 The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes (2023) $348,900,019

6 Planet of the Apes $2,600,946,291 10 $260,094,629 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes ($708,835,589) Reboot series (Chernin Entertainment) $2,260,934,551 4 $565,233,638 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes ($708,835,589) 1 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014) $708,835,589 2 War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) $490,719,763 3 Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011) $481,801,049 4 Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024) $397,378,150 Planet of the Apes (2001) $362,211,740 Original series (APJAC Productions)[broken anchor] $160,000,000 5 $32,000,000 Planet of the Apes 1 Planet of the Apes (1968) 2 Beneath the Planet of the Apes (1970) 3 Escape from the Planet of the Apes (1971) 4 Conquest of the Planet of the Apes (1972) 5 Battle for the Planet of the Apes (1973)

7 Star Trek $2,266,723,196 13 $174,363,323 Into Darkness ($467,381,584) Kelvin Timeline $1,189,710,370 3 $396,570,123 Into Darkness ($467,381,584) 1 Into Darkness (2013) $467,381,584 2 Star Trek (2009) $385,680,446 3 Beyond (2016) $336,648,340 The Original Series $621,900,000 6 $103,650,000 The Motion Picture ($139,000,000) 1 The Motion Picture (1979) $139,000,000 2 IV: The Voyage Home (1986) $133,000,000 3 VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) $96,900,000 4 II: The Wrath of Khan (1982) $95,800,000 5 III: The Search for Spock (1984) $87,000,000 6 V: The Final Frontier (1989) $70,200,000 The Next Generation $455,112,826 4 $113,778,207 First Contact ($150,000,000) 1 First Contact (1996) $150,000,000 2 Generations (1994) $120,000,000 3 Insurrection (1998) $117,800,000 4 Nemesis (2002) $67,312,826

8 Terminator $2,105,699,296 6 $350,949,883 Judgment Day ($520,881,154) 1 Judgment Day (1991) $520,881,154 2 Genisys (2015) $440,603,537 3 Rise of the Machines (2003) $433,371,112 4 Salvation (2009) $371,353,001 5 Dark Fate (2019) $261,119,292 6 The Terminator (1984) $78,371,200

9 Alien $1,995,371,782 9 $221,707,976 Prometheus ($403,354,469) 1 Prometheus (2012) $403,354,469 2 Romulus (2024) $350,865,342 3 Covenant (2017) $240,892,187 4 Alien (1979) $188,034,787 5 Aliens (1986) $183,316,455 6 Alien vs. Predator (2004) $177,427,090 7 Resurrection (1997) $161,376,069 8 Alien 3 (1992) $159,814,498 9 Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007) $130,290,885

10 Men in Black $1,909,126,819 4 $477,281,705 Men in Black 3 ($624,026,776) 1 Men in Black 3 (2012) $624,026,776 2 Men in Black (1997) $589,390,539 3 Men in Black II (2002) $441,818,803 4 International (2019) $253,890,701

12 Lilo & Stitch † $1,305,249,024 2 $652,624,512 Lilo & Stitch (2025) ($1,030,499,804) 1 Lilo & Stitch (2025) † $1,030,499,804 2 Lilo & Stitch (2002) $274,749,220

11 The Wandering Earth $1,304,453,080 2 $652,226,540 The Wandering Earth ($699,992,512) 1 The Wandering Earth (2020) $699,992,512 2 The Wandering Earth 2 (2023) $604,460,568

13 Resident Evil $1,237,686,980 10 $123,768,698 Resident Evil: The Final Chapter ($312,257,250) Original series $1,233,229,454 6 $205,538,242 The Final Chapter ($312,257,250) 1 The Final Chapter (2017)[73] $312,257,250 2 Afterlife (2010)[74] $300,228,084 3 Retribution (2012)[75] $240,004,424 4 Extinction (2007)[76] $148,412,065 5 Apocalypse (2004)[77] $129,342,769 6 Resident Evil (2002)[78] $102,984,862 Animated series $4,487,010 3 $1,495,670 Resident Evil: Damnation ($2,325,035) 1 Damnation (2012)[79] $2,325,035 2 Vendetta (2017)[80][81] $1,623,063 3 Degeneration (2008)[82] $538,912 Welcome to Raccoon City (2021)[83] $41,851,340

14 Independence Day $1,207,082,826 2 $603,541,413 Independence Day ($817,400,891) 1 Independence Day (1996) $817,400,891 2 Resurgence (2016) $389,681,935

15 Dune $1,151,589,223 3 $383,863,074 Dune: Part Two ($711,844,358) 1 Dune: Part Two (2024) $714,644,358 2 Dune (2021) $406,018,000 3 Dune (1984) $30,926,865

16 Ghostbusters $1,145,945,826 5 $229,189,165 Ghostbusters (1984) ($295,212,467) Original series $916,798,317 4 $229,199,579 Ghostbusters (1984) ($295,212,467) 1 Ghostbusters (1984) $295,212,467 2 Ghostbusters II (1989) $215,394,738 3 Afterlife (2021) $204,334,455 4 Frozen Empire (2024) $201,856,657 Answer the Call (2016) $229,147,509

17 Back to the Future $970,381,382 3 $323,460,461 Back to the Future ($389,053,797) 1 Back to the Future (1985) $389,053,797 2 Back to the Future Part II (1989) $331,950,002 3 Back to the Future Part III (1990) $244,527,583 4 Back to the Future Day (2015) $4,850,000

18 Maze Runner $949,063,154 3 $316,354,385 The Maze Runner ($348,319,861) 1 The Maze Runner (2014) $348,319,861 2 The Scorch Trials (2015) $312,325,103 3 The Death Cure (2018) $288,418,190

19 The Divergent Series $765,409,015 3 $255,136,338 Insurgent ($297,276,329) 1 Insurgent (2016) $297,276,329 2 Divergent (2014) $288,885,818 3 Allegiant (2016) $179,246,868

20 Predator $744,592,428 6 $124,098,738 Alien vs. Predator ($177,427,090) Main series $443,164,018 4 $110,791,005 Alien ($203,630,630) 1 The Predator (2018)[84] $160,542,134 2 Predators (2010)[85] $127,233,108 3 Predator (1987)[86] $98,268,458 4 Predator 2 (1990)[87] $57,120,318 Alien vs. Predator $306,310,846 2 $153,155,423 Alien vs. Predator ($177,427,090) 1 Alien vs. Predator (2004) $177,427,090 2 Requiem (2007) $128,883,756

^*Canada and U.S. gross only.
^RDistributor rental.

Highest grossing sci-fi films by year

Year	Film	Gross	Budget	Ref
2025	Lilo & Stitch †	$1,030,499,804	$100,000,000	[88]
2024	Dune: Part Two	$714,444,358	$190,000,000	[89]
2023	Transformers: Rise of the Beasts	$441,381,193	$195,000,000–200,000,000	[90][91]
2022	Avatar: The Way of Water	$2,320,250,281	$350,000,000–460,000,000	[92]
2021	Hi, Mom	$822,054,381	$59,000,000	[93]
2020	Tenet	$365,304,105	$205,000,000	[94][95]
2019	Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker	$1,074,144,248	$275,000,000–416,000,000	[96][97]
2018	Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom	$1,308,467,944	$170,000,000–431,600,000	[98][99][100]
2017	Star Wars: The Last Jedi	$1,332,539,889	$200,000,000–317,000,000	[101][102][103]
2016	Rogue One: A Star Wars Story	$1,056,057,273	$200,000,000–265,000,000	[104][105][106]
2015	Star Wars: The Force Awakens	$2,068,223,624	$447,000,000	[107][108][109]
2014	Transformers: Age of Extinction	$1,104,039,076	$210,000,000	[110]
2013	The Hunger Games: Catching Fire	$865,011,746	$130,000,000–140,000,000	[16][111][112][113]
2012	The Hunger Games	$694,394,724	$78,000,000	[114][115]
2011	Transformers: Dark of the Moon	$1,123,794,079	$195,000,000	[116][117][118]
2010	Inception	$836,836,967 ($825,532,764)	$160,000,000	[119]
2009	Avatar	$2,923,706,026 ($2,743,577,587)	$237,000,000	[120]
2008	WALL-E	$521,311,890	$180,000,000	[121]
2007	Transformers	$709,709,780	$150,000,000–200,000,000	[28]
2006	Déjà Vu	$180,557,550	$75,000,000	[122]
2005	Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith	$868,390,560	$113,000,000	[123]
2004	The Day After Tomorrow	$552,639,571	$125,000,000	[43]
2003	Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines	$433,371,112	$187,300,000	[124]
2002	Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones	$653,779,970	$115,000,000	[125]
2001	Jurassic Park III	$368,780,809	$93,000,000	[126]
2000	Hollow Man	$190,213,455	$95,000,000	[127]
1999	Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace	$1,046,386,656 ($924,305,084)	$115,000,000	[128]
1998	Armageddon	$553,709,788	$140,000,000	[129]
1997	The Lost World: Jurassic Park	$618,638,999	$73,000,000	[130]
1996	Independence Day	$817,400,891	$75,000,000	[131]
1995	Waterworld	$264,218,220	$172,000,000–175,000,000	[132]
1994	Stargate	$196,567,262	$55,000,000	[133]
1993	Jurassic Park	$1,033,928,303 ($912,667,947)	$63,000,000	[134]
1992	Alien 3	$159,814,498	$50,000,000–60,000,000	[135]
1991	Terminator 2: Judgment Day	$520,881,154	$94,000,000–102,000,000	[136]
1990	Total Recall	$261,317,921	$48,000,000–80,000,000	[137]
1989	Back to the Future Part II	$331,950,002	$40,000,000	[138]
1988	Alien Nation	$32,155,047	$16,000,000	[139]
1987	Predator	$98,268,458	$15,000,000–18,000,000	[140]
1986	Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home	$133,000,000	$26,000,000	[141]
1985	Back to the Future	$389,053,797 ($381,109,762)	$19,000,000	[142]
1984	Ghostbusters	$296,187,079 ($229,242,989)	$25,000,000–30,000,000	[143]
1983	Return of the Jedi	$475,106,177 ($385,845,197)	$32,500,000–42,700,000	[144]
1982	E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial	$792,910,554 ($619,000,000–664,000,000)	$10,500,000	[145]
1981	Time Bandits	$42,368,025 ($42,365,581)	$5,000,000	[146]
1980	The Empire Strikes Back	$538,375,067 ($413,562,607)	$30,500,000	[147]
1979	Star Trek: The Motion Picture	$139,000,000	$44,000,000	[148]
1978	Invasion of the Body Snatchers	$24,946,533	$3,500,000	[149]
1977	Star Wars	$775,398,007 ($530,000,000)	$11,000,000	[150]
1976	Logan's Run	$25,000,000	$7,000,000–8,000,000	[151]
1975	Rollerball	$30,000,000	$5,000,000–6,000,000	[152]

Highest-grossing opening weekends for sci-fi films

The following is a list of the highest worldwide openings for sci-fi films.

Rank	Film	Worldwide opening	Year	Ref[153]
1	Star Wars: The Force Awakens	$528,966,675	2015	[154]
2	Jurassic World	$524,909,010	2015	[155]
3	Star Wars: The Last Jedi	$450,821,889	2017	[156]
4	Avatar: The Way of Water	$441,703,887	2022	[157]
5	Jurassic World Dominion	$386,000,000	2022	[158]
6	Transformers: Dark of the Moon	$382,425,000	2011
7	Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker	$373,500,000	2019	[159]
8	Lilo & Stitch	$341,000,000	2025	[160]
9	Jurassic World Rebirth	$322,099,000	2025	[161]
10	Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith	$303,949,700	2005	[162]

Box office admissions

The following is a list of sci-fi films that sold over 70 million tickets.

Film	Year	Known ticket sales (est.)	Territories with known ticket sales data[a]	Notes
Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope	1977	338,400,000	Worldwide	[64]
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial	1982	276,700,000	Worldwide	[64]
Avatar	2009	238,600,000	Worldwide	[64]
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens	2015	196,584,093	USA, Canada, Europe, Morocco, China, South Korea	[b]
Jurassic Park	1993	165,447,929	USA, Canada, Brazil, Europe, China, India	[c]
Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace	1999	157,000,804	USA, Canada, Europe, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Japan, Seoul	[d]
Jurassic World	2015	152,003,952	USA, Canada, Europe, Morocco, China, South Korea	[e]
Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back	1980	129,984,978	USA, Canada, Europe, Japan, Seoul	[f]
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi	1983	126,255,825	USA, Canada, Europe, Japan, Seoul	[g]
Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi	2017	126,062,216	USA, Canada, Europe, China, Japan, South Korea	[h]
Independence Day	1996	120,752,312	USA, Canada, Europe, Japan, Seoul	[i]
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story	2016	111,452,976	USA, Canada, China, Europe, Japan	[j]
The Wandering Earth	2019	104,027,044	China, United States, Canada	[k]
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith	2005	98,302,094	Worldwide	[202]
Ghostbusters	1984	82,375,218	USA, Canada, Europe, Seoul	[l]
Close Encounters of the Third Kind	1977	74,596,637		[m]

See also

• List of highest-grossing films

Notes

1. "Box Office Information for '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'". The Numbers. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
2. "Planet of the Apes (1968)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 16, 2019.
3. Miller, Frank. "The Critics' Corner on 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY". Turner Classic Movies. Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on March 5, 2016. Retrieved November 24, 2015.
4. Harmetz, Aljean (May 18, 1980). "The Saga Beyond 'Star Wars'". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 20, 2013. Retrieved January 30, 2012. "Star Wars" has brought 20th Century-Fox approximately $250 million in film rentals ... "Star Wars" grossed $410 million, and his share was enough to allow him to finance its sequel, "The Empire Strikes Back," himself. Alt URL
5. Block, Alex Ben; Wilson, Lucy Autrey (30 March 2010). George Lucas's Blockbusting: A Decade-by-Decade Survey of Timeless Movies Including Untold Secrets of Their Financial and Cultural Success. Harper Collins. p. 527. ISBN 978-0-06-196345-2..

   • Star Wars: "Domestic Rentals: $127.0; Foreign Rentals: $141.5; Production Cost: $13.0 (Initial Release – Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
6. Wuntch, Philip (July 19, 1985). "Return of E.T.". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved March 6, 2012. Its worldwide box-office gross was $619 million, toppling the record of $530 million set by Star Wars.
7. Block & Wilson 2010, p. 609. "Steven Spielberg, by far the most successful director of the decade, had the highest-grossing movie with 1982's E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, which grossed over $664 million in worldwide box office on initial release."
8. "Jurassic Park (1993) – Miscellaneous notes". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved July 9, 2011.
9. Jurassic Park

   • Total: "Jurassic Park (1993)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved September 15, 2013. Worldwide: $1,029,153,882; Production Budget: $63 million
   • Original release: "Jurassic Park (1993)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on January 19, 2013. Retrieved April 5, 2013. $914,691,118
   • 2011 re-release: "Jurassic Park (2011 re-release)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 17, 2015. United Kingdom: $786,021
   • As of 2010: Block & Wilson 2010, pp. 756–757. "Production Cost: $70.0 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s) ... Jurassic Park was a smash at the box office, bringing in $920 million in worldwide box office and spawning two sequels."
10. Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace

    • Total: "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 2, 2012. $1,027,044,677
    • Original release: "Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved November 8, 2012. $924,317,558
11. "Avatar (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved June 5, 2023. Worldwide: $2,923,706,026
    Original Release: $2,743,577,587
    2010 Special Edition: $44,838,548
    2020 Re-release: $1,281,204
    2021 Re-release: $57,995,770
    2022 Re-release: $76,012,917

1. Box office territories for which the film's ticket sales data are currently known
2. Star Wars: The Force Awakens

   • United States and Canada – 108,115,100^[163]
   • Europe and Morocco – 63,353,034^[164]
   • China – 22,312,703^[165]
   • South Korea – 2,803,256^[166]
3. Jurassic Park:

   • United States and Canada – 91,664,200^[167]
   • Brazil, Europe, Japan, Russia, China – 63,783,729^[168]
   • India – 10 million^[169]
4. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

   • United States and Canada – 90,312,100^[167]
   • Europe – 48,414,586^[170]
   • Australia, Brazil, Chile, Japan – 17,527,464^[171]
   • Seoul City (South Korea) – 746,654^[172]
5. Jurassic World:

   • United States and Canada – 76,789,600^[173]
   • Europe and Morocco – 36,831,609^[174]
   • China – 32,835,951^[175]
   • South Korea – 5,546,792^[172]
6. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back

   • United States, Canada, United Kingdom – 107,270,600^[176]
   • France, Germany, Italy – 12,582,350^[177]
   • Japan – 8,291,840^[178][179]
   • Other European territories (1997–2016) – 1,762,184^[180]
   • Seoul City (South Korea) – 78,004^[172]
7. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi

   • United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Spain – 104,787,854^[181]
   • France, Germany, Italy – 12,207,226^[182]
   • Japan – 8,048,438^[183][179]
   • Other European territories (1997–2017) – 1,030,424^[184]
   • Seoul City (South Korea) – 181,883^[172]
8. Star Wars: The Last Jedi

   • United States and Canada – 67,594,500^[167]
   • Europe (excluding France and Russia) – 34,381,898^[185]
   • China – 7,156,868^[186]
   • France – 7,076,549^[187]
   • Japan – 5,732,824^[188][179]
   • Russia – 3.16 million^[189]
   • South Korea – 959,577^[172]
9. Independence Day:

   • United States and Canada – 69,268,900^[167]
   • Europe (excluding United Kingdom) – 32,020,189^[190]
   • United Kingdom – 10.79 million^[191]
   • Japan – 7.75 million^[192]
   • Seoul City (South Korea) – 923,223^[172]
10. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

    • United States and Canada – 60,441,600^[167]
    • China – 13,860,232^[193][194]
    • France, Germany, Italy, Spain – 13,266,243^[195]
    • Russia – 2.44 million^[196]
    • Other European territories – 16,891,241^[197]
    • Japan – 3,534,351^[198][199]
    • South Korea – 1,019,309^[172]
11. The Wandering Earth admissions:

    • China – 103,376,444^[200]
    • United States and Canada – 650,600^[201]
12. Ghostbusters:

    • United States and Canada – 71,173,700^[167]
    • France, Germany, Italy – 8,046,600^[203]
    • Denmark and Spain – 2,763,555^[204]
    • Seoul City (South Korea) – 344,420^[172]
    • United Kingdom, Belgium, Netherlands, Sweden (2002–2018) – 46,943^[205]
13. Close Encounters of the Third Kind:

    • United States and Canada – 55,922,700^[167]
    • Other territories – 18,673,937^[206]