All 6 Hollywood Blockbusters That Make It Past $1 Billion In The Post Office Post-2020, Ranked
The 2020s so far have been a rough period for the world’s economy, and the filming industry is the one that got affected the most. With the audience unable to come to theaters due to quarantine, the box office profits for movies have been abysmal, and even the behemoths studios such as Sony or Disney also got affected heavily.
However, despite the quarantine, there are still several Hollywood blockbusters that completely dominated the box office, with a few of them even managing to break the $1 billion barrier. So far, there are six movies that have made this incredible milestone post-2020: Jurassic World: Dominion, Spider-Man: No Way Home, Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and latest but not least, the recent hit Barbie movie.
Of course, while all achieved an impossible feat, these box office sensations still vary in terms of quality and storytelling. Therefore, we wrote this article to rank all of them from worst to best, to see which one is the best billion-dollar blockbuster post-COVID era.
#6. Jurassic World: Dominion (2022)
Source: Universal Pictures
Jurassic World: Dominion is the sixth and latest installment in the prehistoric multi-billion-dollar franchise, which sees the dinosaurs created on Isla Nublar running amok in the human world, and humanity has to learn to live among them.
Chris Pratt returns along with Bryce Howard Dallas as the iconic duo Owen and Claire, as this time they have to protect their adoptive daughter Maisie from the hand of Biosyn. Sam Neil, Jeff Goldblum, and Laura Dern from the original trilogy also make their return in the movie as Alan Grant, Malcolm and Ellie.
While the movie received mixed reviews from critics, the movie still broke records left and right at the box office and is the third movie to cross the billion-dollar hallmark in 2022, thanks to its heart-pounding chasing scenes and action-packed sequences. The film also introduces us to some new fearsome dinosaurs alongside familiar faces like the Tyrannosaurus Rex.
#5. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)
Source: Illumination
Chris Pratt stars in yet another billion-dollar title post-2020, this time as the endearing Mario in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Adapting the classic Nintendo video game franchise, the animated movie brings iconic characters such as Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and King Bowsers to the silver screen.
Besides, The Super Mario Bros. Movie also captured the audience’s hearts with tons of cool references from the original franchise that hardcore Mario gamers would know about. The overall plot is simple, but it was a fun ride for all gamers out there to make them keep flooding the theaters.
#4. Barbie (2023)
Source: Warner Bros.
The latest installment to have reached the milestone, Barbie is a pleasant surprise at the box office this summer. Surpassing blockbusters such as Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part 1 and Oppenheimer, the movie proves that it’s more than just a Mattel commercial, with meaningful messages about self-discovery and feminism.
The film features Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, Simu Liu and other stars as our beloved Barbie and Ken figures being brought into real life. No matter what gender or age, the Barbie movie is for everyone, so grab a ticket to the theater while you still can.
#3. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021)
Source: Marvel
While Marvel’s Phase 4 was considered a hit-and-miss, Spider-Man: No Way Home stands out as the best title of the bunch. One of the first MCU movies to explore the Multiverse, No Way Home got the audience flooding to theaters with the addition of Sam Rami’s Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) and Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) in the trailer, which foreshadows a possible inclusion of the previous Spider-Man versions.
And indeed, the movie delivers. Fans screamed their lungs out as they see Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield reprising their roles as the Wall-Crawler again, this time as variants from the Multiverse, and fights alongside Tom Holland against the Sinister Five. Plot aside, this aspect alone is enough to keep Marvel fans coming to theaters again and again, which explains the movie’s box office success.
#2. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
Source: 20th Century Fox
After more than a decade of waiting, Avatar fans finally got to see Jake Sully, Neytiri and the other Na’vi again on the big screen in 2022. With the first film’s being a complete success, it’s no wonder the sequel also breaks records and surpassed the one-million-dollar milestone effortlessly.
Introducing the familiar characters from the prequel in a brand-new watery land, Avatar: The Way of Water delivers yet again another stunning display of CGI and breathtaking scenery. The fact that James Cameron still has more in store for the critically acclaimed franchise makes fans even more excited for the next installments.
#1. Top Gun: Maverick (2022)
Source: Paramount Pictures
Top Gun fans had to wait even longer than Avatar fans, as the last title was way back in 1986. Nearly 40 years later, Tom Cruise reprised his role as a legendary aviator Maverick in the titular movie, and this time, he has a whole young promising squad to train for the next dangerous campaign.
With action-packed scenes, emotional moments, and spectacular flying sequences, Top Gun: Maverick is the sequel we all deserve, as it lives up to the original film’s expectation, and even surpasses it in some aspects. Tom Cruise, with an excellent performance as always, successfully portrays the fierce yet sentimental Maverick, who goes through his past trauma to train Rooster – his late comrade’s son.
Maverick and Penny’s romantic relationship is also a nice, slow change of pace compared to the high-speed flying scenes, and is easily one of the best parts of the film.
Which movie in this list do you think is the best? How would you make the list? Let us know in the comment.