Sci-fi movies have been some the biggest and most popular releases ever since they were introduced, but things really amped up in the 2010s with the rise of superhero movies and the release of several franchise reboots (such as the Star Wars sequel trilogy or the Jurassic World franchise).
According to Box Office Mojo, these topped the rest over the past ten years.
Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019) – $1.07 billion
The final installment in the more-than-forty-year-long Skywalker saga was 2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. It continues the adventures of Rey and the Resistance as they search for a wayfinder that will lead them to the real leader of the First Order – a resurrected Emperor Palpatine, who’s been controlling everything from behind the scenes and isn’t about to let a few rebels get in his way.
The film made $1.07 billion at the worldwide box office, on a budget of $275 million.
Transformers: Age Of Extinction (2014) – $1.10 billion
The fourth installment in the massively successful Transformers franchise, Transformers: Age of Extinction, takes place five years after the events of its predecessor. The cataclysmic end to the Battle of Chicago has painted all robots in a negative light, and thus humanity turns against the very ones who saved them; the Autobots. Pursed by the CIA, Optimus Prime is forced to team up with Cade Yeager, a sympathetic inventor, to save Earth from a new – and yet at the same time quite ancient – threat.
The film made $1.10 billion at the worldwide box office, on a budget of $210 million.
Transformers: Dark Of The Moon (2011) – $1.12 billion
2011’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon concludes the franchise’s three-film story of the war between the evil Decepticons and the heroic Autobots, as the warring mechas go all-in for one final conflict.
The film made $1.12 billion at the worldwide box office, on a budget of $195 million.
Captain Marvel (2019) – $1.12 billion
The last Marvel Cinematic Universe film to be released before the conclusion of Phase 3 in Avengers: Endgame, 2019’s Captain Marvel tells the origin story of Clara Danvers, a Kree warrior who discovers her past life as a U.S. Air Force pilot while caught up in a intergalactic conflict between Krees and the shape-shifting Skrulls.
The film made$1.12 billion at the worldwide box office, on a budget of $160 million.
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018) – $1.30 billion
The sequel to 2015’s blockbuster mega-hit Jurassic World, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom follows Navy vet Owen Grady and former Jurassic World operations manager Claire Dearing, as they return to Isla Nublar to save the dinosaurs still living there from a volcanic eruption – all while unearthing a black-market conspiracy that goes much deeper than they could have ever imagined.
The film made $1.30 billion at the worldwide box office, on a budget of $170 million.
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017) – $1.33 billion
Directed by Rian Johnson, 2018’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi follows Rey as she tracks down Luke Skywalker in the hopes of becoming his apprentice, while an all-out attack from the First Order tests the members of the Resistance.
The film made $1.33 billion at the worldwide box office, on a budget of $317 million.
The Avengers (2012) – $1.51 billion
2012’s The Avengers tells the origin story of one of the greatest superhero teams ever to grace the silver screen, as S.H.I.E.L.D head Nick Fury brings together Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Thor to stop Loki, the Asgardian God of Mischief and Thor’s brother, from conquering Earth.
The film made $1.51 billion at the worldwide box office, on a budget of $220 million.
Jurassic World (2015) – $1.67 billion
2015’s Jurassic World takes place twenty-two years after the events of Jurassic Park, as a new theme park featuring genetically-cloned dinosaurs has opened on Isla Nublar. Once the highly intelligent Indominus Rex finds a way to escape his cell despite the heavy security precautions, dinosaur trainer and Navy vet Owen Grady will have to stop the creature’s terrible rampage.
The film made $1.67 billion at the worldwide box office, on a budget of $150 million.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) – $2.06 billion
The first chapter in Disney’s Star Wars sequel trilogy, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, takes place thirty years after 1983’s Return of the Jedi and forms the basis for the franchise’s next films by introducing the main conflict of the Resistance against the First Order. It also introduces several characters who would go on to become well-known faces, including Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, and Kylo Ren.
The film made $2.06 billion at the worldwide box office, on a budget of $245 million. Factoring only the domestic box office, it’s the highest-grossing film ever made, with a gargantuan $936 million gross.
Avengers: Endgame (2019) – $2.79 billion
Perhaps the most hyped-up movie of the decade as well as the definitive conclusion to a saga spanning more than twelve years, 2019’s Avengers: Endgame follows the titular superheroes as they try to reverse the deaths of half of Earth’s population by traveling through time and taking down Thanos, the supervillain behind the notorious snap that caused so much damage.
It made $2.79 billion at the worldwide box office, on a budget of $356 million, and is as of this writing the highest-grossing film ever made.
