This is a listing of the highest-grossing films by year, based on their United States box-office gross. The films are listed by in-year release, rather than the gross they accumulated during a calendar year.
Six directors have directed the highest-grossing film on multiple occasions: George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Sam Raimi, Robert Zemeckis, and Chris Columbus. Spielberg has the record, directing four of the yearly highest-grossing films: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Jurassic Park (1993), and Saving Private Ryan (1998). Lucas has directed three such films, all of which are part of the Star Wars franchise, which he created: the original Star Wars (1977), and two of its prequels The Phantom Menace (1999), and Revenge of the Sith (2005). James Cameron has also directed three such films: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Titanic (1997), and Avatar (2009). Sam Raimi, Robert Zemeckis, and Chris Columbus have directed two each: Spider-Man (2002) and Spider-Man 3 (2007) for Raimi; Back to the Future (1985) and Forrest Gump (1994) for Zemeckis; Home Alone (1990) and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) for Columbus.
Films that are a part of larger film or media franchises are frequently atop the highest-grossing films in the United States. The Star Wars franchise has had the highest-grossing film in eight years since 1977. In addition to the aforementioned three which Lucas directed, the franchise also had The Force Awakens, Rogue One, and The Last Jedi finish as the highest-grossing in 2015, 2016, and 2017, respectively. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has had four films atop the yearly U.S. box office: The Avengers (2012), Black Panther (2018), Avengers: Endgame (2019), and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021). No Way Home also gave the Spider-Man film franchise its third leading film. Batman films, Harry Potter, Top Gun, and Toy Story are the other franchises with two films to top the U.S. box office in a single year.
By in-year release The following is the annual listing:
Year Film Gross Ref. 1977 Star Wars $221,280,994 1978 Grease $159,978,870 1979 Kramer vs. Kramer $106,260,000 1980 The Empire Strikes Back $209,398,025 1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark $212,222,025 1982 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial $359,197,037 1983 Return of the Jedi $252,583,617 1984 Ghostbusters $234,760,478 1985 Back to the Future $210,609,762 1986 Top Gun $176,781,728 1987 Three Men and a Baby $167,780,960 1988 Rain Man $172,825,435 1989 Batman $251,188,924 1990 Home Alone $285,761,243 1991 Terminator 2: Judgment Day $204,843,345 1992 Aladdin $217,350,219 1993 Jurassic Park $357,067,947 1994 The Lion King $295,691,076 1995 Toy Story $191,796,233 1996 Independence Day $306,169,268 1997 Titanic $600,788,188 1998 Saving Private Ryan $216,540,909 1999 Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace $431,088,295 2000 How the Grinch Stole Christmas $260,044,825 2001 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone $317,575,550 2002 Spider-Man $403,706,375 2003 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King $377,027,325 2004 Shrek 2 $441,226,247 2005 Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith $380,270,577 2006 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest $423,315,812 2007 Spider-Man 3 $336,530,303 2008 The Dark Knight $533,345,358 2009 Avatar $749,766,139 2010 Toy Story 3 $415,004,880 2011 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 $381,011,219 2012 The Avengers $623,357,910 2013 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire $424,668,047 2014 American Sniper $350,126,372 2015 Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens $936,662,225 2016 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story $532,177,324 2017 Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi $620,181,382 2018 Black Panther $700,059,566 2019 Avengers: Endgame $858,373,000 2020 Bad Boys For Life$206,305,244 2021 Spider-Man: No Way Home $804,793,477 2022 Top Gun: Maverick $718,732,821 2023 Barbie $636,238,421 2024 Inside Out 2 $652,980,194 2025 Zootopia 2 $428,130,160 2026Spider-Man: Brand New Day $954,734,627
See also List of highest-grossing films in the United States and Canada
References