Friday, August 28, 2026
RSS
Breaking
Miss England wins Miss World talent round for first time in 75 years with stirring musical performance as beauty queen mother reveals she was born with a 'tie' Aerosmith's Steven Tyler wins legal victory in lawsuit with ex-lover who claims he sexually abused her as a teenager in the 1970s... as trial date approaches All 40 sequels have grossed $1 billion or more at the box office Locals fight to remove thousands of migrants left in Ceuta after 'invasion' and destroy makeshift camp as fears grow over groups of men roaming the streets Music icon Gladys Knight, 82, breaks silence after footage of her 'confused' concert performance sparks fear among fans
Business

All 40 sequels have grossed $1 billion or more at the box office

August 28, 2026 4 min read 35 views
All 40 sequels have grossed $1 billion or more at the box office

The cast of "Spider-Man: Brand New Day." Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images

It used to be that sequels were expected to yield diminishing returns, but not anymore. If a sequel doesn’t surpass its predecessor, it can be considered a failure.

Perhaps that is why 64 films have been released by American studios $1 billion at the box officea whopping 40 of those are direct sequels to other films — 44 if you count “Rogue One,” “Minions,” “The Phantom Menace” or “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” which are technically prequels.

Three sequels this year alone — “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,“Toy Story 5” and “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” have earned at least $1 billion, with “Brand New Day” gaining even more traction by grossing over $2 billiononly the seventh film released by an American studio before this.

Here are all 40 sequels that scored $1 billion at the box office Box Office Mojo data, from ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’ to ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’.

40. ‘Jurassic World Dominion’ (2022)

“Jurassic World Domination.”

Universal studios

Worldwide gross: $1,001,978,080

39. “The Dark Knight” (2008)

“The Dark Knight.”

Warner Bros. Images

Worldwide gross: $1,008,480,529

38. “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” (2026)

“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.”

Universal images

Worldwide gross: $1,013,045,939

37. “Finding Dory” (2016)

“Finding Dory.”

Walt Disney Studios films

Worldwide gross: $1,029,266,989

36. “Despicable Me 3” (2017)

“Despicable Me 3.”

Universal images

Worldwide gross: $1,034,800,131

35. ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’ (2011)

“Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.”

Walt Disney Studios films

Worldwide gross: $1,046,721,266

34. “Moana 2” (2024)

“Moana 2.”

Walt Disney Studios films

Worldwide gross: $1,059,242,164

33. ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest’ (2006)

“Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.”

Distribution of Buena Vista photos

Worldwide gross: $1,066,179,747

32. ‘Toy Story 3’ (2010)

“Toy Story 3.”

Walt Disney Studios films

Worldwide gross: $1,067,316,101

31. “Toystory 4” (2019)

“Toy Story 4.”

Walt Disney Studios films

Worldwide gross: $1,073,841,394

30. “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” (2019)

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.”

Walt Disney Studios films

Worldwide gross: $1,077,022,372

29. “The Dark Knight Rises” (2012)

“The Dark Knight Rises.”

Warner Bros. Images

Worldwide gross: $1,085,429,692

28. ‘Transformers: An Age of Extinction’ (2014)

“Transformers: Age of Extinction.”

Paramount Photos

Worldwide gross: $1,105,261,713

27. “Skyfall” (2012)

“Heavenfall.”

Sony Pictures release

Worldwide gross: $1,108,594,137

26. “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (2011)

“Transformers: Dark of the Moon.”

Paramount Photos

Worldwide gross: $1,123,794,079

25. “Toystory 5” (2026)

“Toy Story 5.”

Walt Disney Studios films

Worldwide gross: $1,128,693,939

24. “Spider-Man: Far From Home” (2019)

“Spider-Man: Far From Home.”

Sony Pictures release

Worldwide gross: $1,132,723,226

23. “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2003)

“The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.”

New line cinema

Worldwide gross: $1,149,453,674

22. ‘Captain America: Civil War’ (2016)

“Captain America: Civil War.”

Walt Disney Studios films

Worldwide gross: $1,155,046,416

21. ‘Iron Man 3’ (2013)

“Iron Man 3.”

Walt Disney Studios films

Worldwide gross: $1,215,577,205

20. “The Fate of the Enraged” (2017)

“The Fate of the Enraged.”

Universal images

Worldwide gross: $1,236,009,236

19. “Incredibles 2” (2018)

“Unbelievable 2.”

Walt Disney Studios films

Worldwide gross: $1,243,225,667

18. “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” (2018)

“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.”

Universal images

Worldwide gross: $1,308,566,455

17. “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” (2017)

“Star Wars: The Last Jedi.”

Walt Disney Studios films

Worldwide gross: $1,334,407,706

16. Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)

“Deadpool & Wolverine.”

Walt Disney Studios films

Worldwide gross: $1,338,073,645

15. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2” (2011)

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.”

Warner Bros. Images

Worldwide gross: $1,342,942,050

14. ‘Avengers: Age of Ultron’ (2015)

“Avengers: Age of Ultron.”

Walt Disney Studios films

Worldwide gross: $1,405,018,048

13. “Frozen II” (2019)

“Frozen II.”

Walt Disney Studios films

Worldwide gross: $1,453,683,476

12. “Avatar: Fire and Ashes” (2025)

“Avatar: Fire and Ashes.”

20th century studios

Worldwide gross: $1,485,999,890

11. “Top Gun: Maverick” (2022)

“Top Gun: Maverick.”

Paramount Photos

Worldwide gross: $1,503,260,455

10. “Furious 7” (2015)

“Furious 7.”

Universal images

Worldwide gross: $1,515,342,457

9. “Jurassic World” (2015)

“Jurassic World.”

Universal images

Worldwide gross: $1,671,537,444

8. “Inside Out 2” (2024)

“Inside Out 2.”

Walt Disney Studios films

Worldwide gross: $1,698,863,816

7. “Zootopia 2” (2025)

“Zootopia 2.”

Walt Disney Studios films

Worldwide gross: $1,866,647,950

6. “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021)

“Spider-Man: No Way Home.”

Sony Pictures release

Worldwide gross: $1,921,426,073

5. “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018)

“Avengers: Infinity War.”

Walt Disney Studios films

Worldwide gross: $2,052,415,039

4. “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” (2015)

“Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

Walt Disney Studios films

Worldwide gross: $2,071,310,218

3. “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” (2026)

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day.”

Sony Pictures release

Worldwide gross: $2,229,461,878

2. “Avatar: The Way of Water” (2022)

“Avatar: The Way of Water.”

20th century studios

Worldwide gross: $2,334,484,620

1. “Avengers: Endgame” (2019)

“Avengers: Endgame.”

Walt Disney Studios films

Worldwide gross: $2,799,439,100

#billion #box #brand new day #checkout #different movie #film #follow-up #grossed #hobbit #office #our studio #phantom threat #precursor #rings #sequels #spider man #toy story #unexpected trip #year #yield

NY Breaking News Technology Desk

Technology Reporter

The NY Breaking News Technology Desk covers technology and digital-policy developments with clear source attribution. For corrections or editorial questions, contact editor@nybreaking.com.

Related Articles