Tom Cruise made history this past weekend, as his aviation hit, Top Gun: Maverick, became the first film in his 40-year screen career to surpass $1 billion at the worldwide box-office. The long-awaited (and long-delayed) sequel to the 1986 smash that first propelled the veteran actor to superstardom has been making a strong impression on audiences since its release in May, especially older viewers, as well as younger fans who weren't even born when the first movie came out.
Later this fall, it'll be 25 years since James Cameron's Titanic became the first film to break that same record. Since then, only 49 titles altogether have crossed that exclusive mark.
In honor of these milestones, here is a list of the the top ten billion-dollar hits as rated/ranked by users on IMDb (Internet Movie Database), as of this writing. Additional input from Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic is included. However, we won't be including films that have made $1 billion in subsequent re-releases (so, apologies to Jurassic Park, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, and Harry Potter 1, in advance).
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10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows--Part 2 (July 15, 2011)
IMDb user rating / critical score / Top 250 rank: 8.1 / 85 / #188
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Director: David Yates
Est. worldwide gross: $1,342,359,936
RT audience score (critical score): 89% (96%)
RT critical consensus: Thrilling, powerfully acted, and visually dazzling, Deathly Hallows Part II brings the Harry Potter franchise to a satisfying -- and suitably magical -- conclusion.
Metacritic user score (metascore): 8.2 (85, "Must-See")
9. Spider-Man: No Way Home (December 17, 2021)
IMDb user rating / critical score / Top 250 rank: 8.3 / 85 / #121
Distributor: Sony/Marvel
Director: Jon Watts
Est. worldwide gross: $1,901,229,952
RT audience score (critical score): 98% (93%)
RT critical consensus: A bigger, bolder Spider-Man sequel, No Way Home expands the franchise's scope and stakes without losing sight of its humor and heart.
RT audience consensus: Packed with action, emotion, and surprises, Spider-Man: No Way Home is franchise fan service at its finest.
Metacritic user score (metascore): 8.6 (71)
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8. Toy Story 3 (June 18, 2010)
IMDb user rating / critical score / Top 250 rank: 8.3 / 92 / #84
Distributor: Disney/Pixar
Director: Lee Unkrich
Est. worldwide gross: $1,066,970,816
RT audience score (critical score): 90% (98%)
RT critical consensus: Deftly blending comedy, adventure, and honest emotion, Toy Story 3 is a rare second sequel that really works.
Metacritic user score (metascore): 8.9 (92, "Must-See")
7. Avengers: Endgame (April 26, 2019)
IMDb user rating / critical score / Top 250 rank: 8.4 / 78 / #81
Distributor: Disney/Marvel
Directors: Anthony & Joe Russo
Est. worldwide gross: $2,797,501,440
RT audience score (critical score): 90% (94%)
RT critical consensus: Exciting, entertaining, and emotionally impactful, Avengers: Endgame does whatever it takes to deliver a satisfying finale to Marvel's epic Infinity Saga.
Metacritic user score (metascore): 7.9 (78)
6. Joker (October 4, 2019)
IMDb user rating / critical score / Top 250 rank: 8.4 / 59 / #71
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Director: Todd Phillips
Est. worldwide gross: $1,074,445,696
RT audience score (critical score): 88% (68%)
RT critical consensus: Joker gives its infamous central character a chillingly plausible origin story that serves as a brilliant showcase for its star -- and a dark evolution for comics-inspired cinema.
Metacritic user score (metascore): 8.9 (59)
WRITER'S NOTE: The most controversial film on this list also happens to be one of only two films based on comic books to be nominated for a Best Picture Academy Award (the other being Marvel's cultural landmark Black Panther). Borrowing elements from Alan Moore's equally shocking graphic novel "The Killing Joke" (which practically told everything and nothing about the origin of Batman's greatest adversary) and Tim Burton's seminal 1989 Batman film, director Todd Phillips and star Joaquin Phoenix shaped an intense character study about mental illness and social intolerance, with graphic results. I pity parents who make the mistake that this dark drama is "super" in any way. (The same goes for at least two other entries on this list.*)
5. *The Dark Knight Rises (July 20, 2012)
IMDb user rating / critical score / Top 250 rank: 8.4 / 78 / #69
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Director: Christopher Nolan
Est. worldwide gross: $1,081,153,152
RT audience score (critical score): 90% (87%)
RT critical consensus: The Dark Knight Rises is an ambitious, thoughtful, and potent action film that concludes Christopher Nolan's franchise in spectacular fashion.
Metacritic user score (metascore): 8.8 (78)
4. Avengers: Infinity War (April 27, 2018)
IMDb user rating / critical score / Top 250 rank: 8.4 / 68 / #65
Distributor: Disney/Marvel
Directors: Anthony & Joe Russo
Est. worldwide gross: $2,048,359,808
RT audience score (critical score): 91% (85%)
RT crtitical consensus: Avengers: Infinity War ably juggles a dizzying array of MCU heroes in the fight against their gravest threat yet, and the result is a thrilling, emotionally resonant [and polarizing] blockbuster that (mostly) realizes its gargantuan ambitions.
Metacritic user score (metascore): 8.5 (68)
3. Top Gun: Maverick (May 27, 2022)
IMDb user rating / critical score / Top 250 rank: 8.6 / 78 / #43
Distributor: Paramount
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Est. worldwide gross: $1,006,423,000
RT audience score (critical score): 99% (97%)
RT critical consensus: Top Gun: Maverick pulls off a feat even trickier than a 4G inverted dive, delivering a long-belated sequel that surpasses its predecessor in wildly entertaining style.
RT audience consensus: If you loved the original -- or enjoy some good old-school action -- you need to speed your way to a screening of Top Gun: Maverick.
Metacritic user score (metascore): 8.9 (78)
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (December 17, 2003)
IMDb user rating / critical score / Top 250: 9.0 / 94 / #7
Distributor: New Line
Director: Peter Jackson
Est. worldwide gross: $1,146,436,224
RT audience score (critical score): 86% (93%)
RT critical consensus: Visually breathtaking and emotionally powerful, The Lord of the Rings - The Return of the King is a moving and satisfying conclusion to a great trilogy.
Metacritic user score (metascore): 8.9 (94, "Must-See")
1. *The Dark Knight (July 18, 2008)
IMDb user rating / critical score / Top 250: 9.0 / 84 / #3
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Director: Christopher Nolan
Est. worldwide gross: $1,006,102,272
RT audience score (critical score): 94% (94%)
RT critical consensus: Dark, complex, and unforgettable, The Dark Knight succeeds not just as an entertaining comic book film, but as a richly thrilling crime saga.
Metacritic user score (metascore): 8.9 (84, "Must-See")
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