EntertainmentMoviesFrom Deadpool and Wolverine to Dune: Part Two, all 10 of the highest-grossing movies of 2024 are sequels – and it’s the first time that’s happened in at least 50 yearsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
EntertainmentMoviesFrom Deadpool and Wolverine to Dune: Part Two, all 10 of the highest-grossing movies of 2024 are sequels – and it’s the first time that’s happened in at least 50 yearsWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Marvel Studios)
All ten of the highest-grossing movies of 2024 are sequels, with Inside Out 2,Deadpool and Wolverine, and Despicable Me 4 taking up the top 3 spots. It marks the first time in 50 years that the entire top 10 is made up of follow-up titles, which we define as direct continuations here – not prequels, reboots, and films merely consisting of existing IP.
It’s hard to imagine sequels would’ve taken over the top 10 pre-1974, too, which likely means it’s the first time it’s happened in cinema history.
At the time of publishing (November 21),Dune: Part Twoand Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire round out the top 5, while the likes of Kung Fu Panda 4,Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Venom: The Last Dance, Bad Boys: Ride or Die, andKingdom of the Planet of the Apesmake up the rest of the list, according toBox Office Mojo. Two of the entries made more than $1 billion, withInside Out 2and Deadpool and Wolverine pulling in $1,698,030,965 and $1,337,870,481, respectively – staggering figures, really, when you consider both of them landed onDisney Plusjust over 100 days after they were released in theaters.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, which is currently in tenth place, has made $397 million. (GamesRadar+has not counted Chinese box office figures in this report).
As Gabriel Rossman, an assistant professor of sociology at the University of California, Los Angeles, points out to us, “box office has mostly recovered from the extremely low COVID era numbers but not all the way” and there “seems to be at a new equilibrium like 75% of the pre-COVID level.”
“Theaters need box office wherever they can get it,” he explains. “Whether that’s originals, sequels/franchises, or more niche/emerging genres like streaming live events.”
Not everyone is down with sequels' big screen domination, though. Shockingly, Star Wars creator George Lucas hit out at the trend earlier this year in an interview withFrench publication Brut Officiel. “The stories they’re telling are just old movies,” he claimed. “‘Let’s do a sequel, let’s do another version of this movie.’ There’s no original thinking… the big studios… they don’t have an imagination.”
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During London Film Festival 2024,writer-director Sean Baker(Tangerine, Red Rocket) shared similar sentiments, revealing toMetrothat “part of the goal” of his newest film, Anora, was “[bringing] films from the ’80s that were dramas or dramedies made for adults, [films] we’re not seeing a lot of these days” back to cinemas.
(Image credit: Lionsgate)
“We’re gonna balance sequels with originals specifically in animation. We’re now swinging back a bit to lean on sequels,“DisneyCEO Bob Iger announced during the company’s quarterly earnings in May 2024 (perVariety). “I just think that right now, given the competition and the overall movie marketplace, that actually there’s a lot of value in the sequels obviously because they’re, you know, they’re known and it takes less in terms of marketing.”
Sequels may be seen as safer bets for studios, but are they actually saving theaters? Are sequels getting people back into cinemas in the age of streaming, which is swiftly becoming film lovers' preferred way to watch the latest releases? 2024’s top 10 movies – be them sequels or not – making approximately $7.5 billion at the box office, as opposed to $8.5 billion in 2023, $10.2 billion in 2022, and $7.6 billion in 2021, highlights the declining interest in seeing movies on the big screen even when they’re predominantly titles with built-in fans. Who’s to say, however, that it wouldn’t be substantially lower without these sequels managing to get bums in seats in these undeniably trying times for the industry?
For more, check out our picks of the most excitingupcoming moviesheading our way in 2024 and beyond.
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GAME REVIEWSMOVIE REVIEWSTV REVIEWS
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
1
Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
2
Arcs review: “A whole lot of game in a small package”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
3
Path of Exile 2 review: “A stellar start to a thrilling and brutal dark adventure”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
4
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle review: “The best adventure Indy has embarked on in over 30 years”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
5
Marvel Rivals review: “So preoccupied with trying to be like Overwatch that it forgets to play to its own strengths”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
1
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 review: “Keanu Reeves as Shadow is wasted whilst Jim Carrey steals the show”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
2
Mufasa: The Lion King review – “It’s no Hakuna Matata but this Disney origin story is a class above the 2019 movie”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
3
Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
4
The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
5
Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
1
Doctor Who 2024 Christmas special review: “Ncuti Gatwa is as magnetic as ever in this delightful festive treat”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
2
Secret Level review: “An uneven experience with serious highlights that ultimately make up for the misses”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
3
Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
4
Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”
5
Cobra Kai season 6, part 2 review: “Returns to the sort of hard-hitting form that made it such a fan favorite in the first place”