INTRODUCTION
Whether a movie is considered successful or not is primarily determined by how much it earns at the box office although there are other measures of success. The highest grossing movies aren't necessarily considered the best movies even among audiences and the types of films which becoming the highest grossing movies have changed a lot over the decades.
This page mainly looks at the 5 highest grossing movies each year from 1950 to 2018 and how well they they were rated. The grosses are in North America from 1950 to 1988 and worldwide from 1989 to 2018 due to availability and completeness of information.
Charts
1. Genre of 5 Highest Grossing Films Worldwide by Year 1990 - 2018
2. Average RT score of 5 Highest Grossing Films Worldwide by Year 1990 - 2018
3. Cinemascore rating of 5 Highest Grossing Films Worldwide by Year 1989 - 2018
4. Best Picture Performance of 5 Highest Grossing Films Worldwide by Year 1990 - 2018
Data Table
5. Gross Revenue, Genre, Source, Best Picture Oscar and Rotten Tomatoes Score for Top 5 Grossing Movies Per Year 1950 - 2018
Actions movies, which were dominant in the mid 90s including movies such as Speed and Mission Impossible, seem to have declined sharply among the highest grossing movies. Thriller movies had a very strong presence in the early 90s with movies such as Silence of the Lambs and The Fugitive but no thriller films have made the top 5 in the last 10 years. Only 1 western movie has been among the top 5 grossing movies in the period, Dances with Wolves. The genre was one of the most popular in the mid 20th century with movies as as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The 2010s have been dominated by Superhero and Animated movies although animated movies have been well represented from the 1990s to present with Disney films such as the Lion King and Aladdin. The rise of the Superhero genre is far more sudden. Superhero movies have been dominated by the rivalry between movies based on Marvel and DC comics. The Fantasy genre has had a strong presence in the 21st century with the Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean accounting for much of them. The rise of the superhero genre and the fantasy genre is in large part a reflection in the growth in the use of CGI (Computer generated imagery) in the film industry. It is a result of this but it has also driven the technology as well.
Rotten Tomatoes is a website which collects critics reviews and assigns reviews as "fresh" or "rotten" and counts how many of each a film receives. 60% or more "fresh" reviews, a movie is rated as "fresh". Below 60%, it is rated as "rotten". It tends to show the overall approval of the film.
In 1992, the average Rotten Tomatoes scores for the 5 highest grossing movies was quite low and only 1 of the top 5, Aladdin, had a fresh rating. This was followed in 1993 by a very strong convergence of commercial and critical success where 4 of the highest grossing movies were rated over 90% including the Spielberg directed movies Jurassic Park and Schindler's list. 1994 was also a very strong year with the 91% rated animated classic The Lion King being the highest grossing movie.There was a gradual increase from the 1996 till 2005, followed by a major dip in 2006 where none of the top 3 grossing movies were rated fresh including the 25% rated Da Vinci Code. Afterwards there has been an increase again reaching a peak in 2016 where the average was over 90%, including 3 animated movies.
5. Gross Revenue, Genre, Source, Best Picture Oscar and Rotten Tomatoes Score for Top 5 Grossing Movies Per Year 1950 - 2018
Gross Revenue Rank for Year | Year and Movie | RT Score | Best Picture Oscar | Genre | Source | Worldwide Gross Revenue ($) | North American Gross Revenue ($) | CinemaScore |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1950 | % | |||||||
1 | King Solomans Mines | 92 | Nominated | Historical Adventure | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 9,955,000 | ||
2 | All About Eve | 100 | Won | Drama | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 8,400,000 | ||
3 | Cinderella | 97 | Animated Fantasy Musical | Based on Folk Tale/Legend/Fairytale | 8,000,000 | |||
4 | Annie Get your Gun | 100 | Musical | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 7,756,000 | |||
5 | Father of the Bride | 93 | Nominated | Contemporary Comedy | Remake | 6,084,000 | ||
1951 | ||||||||
1 | Quo Vadis | 88 | Nominated | Historical Drama | Based on Religious Text | 11,902,000 | ||
2 | Alice in Wonderland | 79 | Musical | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 7,196,000 | |||
3 | Show Boat | 89 | Historical Musical/Drama | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 5,533,000 | |||
4 | A Streetcar named Desire | 98 | Nominated | Contemporary Drama | Based on Play | 4,800,000 | ||
5 | David and Bathsheba | 80 | Historical Drama | Based on Religious Text | 4,720,000 | |||
1952 | ||||||||
1 | The Greatest Show on Earth | 44 | Won | Drama | Original Screenplay | 14,000,000 | ||
2 | The Bad and the Beautiful | 96 | Contemporary Drama | Original Screenplay | 8,500,000 | |||
3 | The Snows of Kilimanjaro | 100 | Contemporary Drama | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 6,700,000 | |||
4 | Ivanhoe | 79 | Nominated | Historical Adventure | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 6,258,000 | ||
5 | Singin' in the Rain | 100 | Contemporary / Historical Musical | Original Screenplay | 6,000,000 | |||
1953 | ||||||||
1 | The Robe | 33 | Nominated | Historical Drama | Based on Religious Text | 17,500,000 | ||
2 | From Here to Eternity | 92 | Won | Contemporary Drama | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 12,500,000 | ||
3 | Shane | 97 | Nominated | Historical Western | Original Screenplay | 8,000,000 | ||
4 | How to Marry a Millionaire | 83 | Contemporary Romantic Comedy | Based on Play | 7,500,000 | |||
5 | Peter Pan | 76 | Animated Fantasy Adventure | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 7,000,000 | |||
1954 | ||||||||
1 | Rear Window | 100 | Contemporary Thriller | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 36,764,313 | |||
2 | White Christmas | 77 | Contemporary Musical | Original Screenplay | 30,000,000 | |||
3 | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | 89 | Adventure | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 28,200,000 | |||
4 | Demetrius and the Gladiators | 80 | Historical Drama | Original Screenplay | 26,000,000 | |||
5 | The Caine Mutiny | 92 | Nominated | Historical Drama | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 21,800,000 | ||
1955 | ||||||||
1 | Cinerama Holiday | 10,000,000 | ||||||
2 | Mister Roberts | 92 | Nominated | Contemporary Comedy | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 8,500,000 | ||
3 | Battle Cry | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 8,000,000 | |||||
4 | Not as a Stranger | Contemporary Drama | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 7,100,000 | ||||
5 | Oklahoma! | 96 | Historical Musical | Based on Play | 7,100,000 | |||
1956 | ||||||||
1 | The Ten Commandments | 94 | Nominated | Dramatized Drama | Based on Religious Text | 18,500,000 | ||
2 | Around the World in 80 Days | 74 | Won | Historical Adventure | Remake | 16,200,000 | ||
3 | Giant | 95 | Nominated | Contemporary Western | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 12,000,000 | ||
4 | The King and I | 96 | Nominated | Historical Musical | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story? | 8,500,000 | ||
5 | Trapeze | 60 | Drama | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 7,500,000 | |||
1957 | ||||||||
1 | The Bridge on the River Kwai | 94 | Won | Drama | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 17,195,000 | ||
2 | Peyton Place | 60 | Nominated | Contemporary/Historical Drama | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 16,100,000 | ||
3 | Sayonara | 100 | Nominated | Contemporary Drama | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 10,500,000 | ||
4 | Old Yeller | 100 | Historical Drama | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 10,050,000 | |||
5 | The Curse of Frankenstein | 80 | Historical Horror | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 7,000,000 | |||
1958 | ||||||||
1 | South Pacific | 89 | Contemporary / Historical Musical | Based on Musical or Opera | 16,300,000 | |||
2 | Auntie Mame | 92 | Nominated | Comedy | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 9,000,000 | ||
3 | Cat on a Hot Tin Roof | 97 | Nominated | Contemporary Drama | Based on Play | 7,800,000 | ||
4 | No Time for Sergeants | Contemporary Comedy | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 7,200,000 | ||||
5 | Gigi | 77 | Won | Musical | 6,750,000 | |||
1959 | ||||||||
1 | Ben-Hur | 88 | Won | Historical Adventure | Based on Religious Text | 36,992,000 | ||
2 | Sleeping Beauty | 92 | Animated Fantasy Drama | Original Screenplay | 21,998,000 | |||
3 | North by Northwest | 100 | Contemporary Action | Original Screenplay | 12,703,000 | |||
4 | Some Like It Hot | 96 | Historical /Contemporary Romantic Comedy | Remake | 10,128,000 | |||
5 | Pillow Talk | 92 | Contemporary Romantic Comedy | Original Screenplay | 9,670,000 | |||
1960 | ||||||||
1 | Spartacus | 96 | Dramatized Action | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 14,000,000 | |||
2 | Psycho | 97 | Contemporary Horror | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 9,100,000 | |||
3 | Exodus | 64 | Contemporary Drama | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 8,500,000 | |||
4 | Swiss Family Robinson | 84 | Historical Adventure | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 7,900,000 | |||
5 | The Alamo | 50 | Nominated | Historical Western | Original Screenplay | 7,900,000 | ||
1961 | ||||||||
1 | West Side Story | 94 | Won | Contemporary Musical | Based on Play | 43,656,822 | ||
2 | The Guns of Navarone | 95 | Nominated | Historical Adventure | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 28,900,000 | ||
3 | El Cid | 92 | Historical Drama | 26,600,000 | ||||
4 | The Absent-Minded Professor | 81 | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 25,381,407 | ||||
5 | The Parent Trap | 89 | Contemporary Comedy | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 25,150,385 | |||
1962 | ||||||||
1 | Lawrence of Arabia | 97 | Won | Dramatized Adventure | Based on Factual Book/Article | 44,824,144 | ||
2 | The Longest Day | 91 | Nominated | Dramatized Action | Based on Real Life Events | 39,100,000 | ||
3 | In Search of the Castaways | Historical Adventure | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 21,745,500 | ||||
4 | That Touch of Mink | 78 | Contemporary Romantic Comedy | Original Screenplay | 17,648,927 | |||
5 | The Music Man | 94 | Nominated | Historical Musical | Based on Play | 14,953,846 | ||
1963 | ||||||||
1 | Cleopatra | 55 | Nominated | Dramatized Drama | Based on Real Life Events | 57,777,778 | ||
2 | How the West Was Won | 90 | Nominated | Historical Western | Original Screenplay | 46,500,000 | ||
3 | It's a Mad,Mad, Mad, Mad World | 75 | Contemporary Comedy | Original Screenplay | 46,332,858 | |||
4 | Tom Jones | 83 | Won | Historical Adventure | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 37,600,000 | ||
5 | Irma la Douce | 86 | Contemporary Romantic Comedy | Based on Play | 25,246,588 | |||
1964 | ||||||||
1 | My Fair Lady | 96 | Won | Historical Musical | Based on Musical or Opera | 72,000,000 | ||
2 | Goldfinger | 96 | Contemporary Action | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 51,081,062 | |||
3 | Mary Poppins | 100 | Nominated | Kids Musical | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 31,000,000 | ||
4 | The Carpetbaggers | 33 | Contemporary Drama | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 28,409,547 | |||
5 | From Russia with Love | 96 | Contemporary Action | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 24,796,765 | |||
1965 | ||||||||
1 | The Sound of Music | 86 | Won | Historical Musical | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 138,700,000 | ||
2 | Doctor Zhivago | 82 | Nominated | Historical Drama | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | |||
3 | Thunderball | 86 | Action | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 63,595,658 | |||
4 | Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines | 71 | Historical Comedy | Original Screenplay | 31,111,111 | |||
5 | That Darn Cat! | 93 | Contemporary Comedy | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 28,068,222 | |||
1966 | ||||||||
1 | The Bible: In the Beginning... | Historical Drama | Based on Religious Text | 34,900,023 | ||||
2 | Hawaii | 75 | Historical Drama | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 34,562,222 | |||
3 | Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | 95 | Nominated | Contemporary Black Comedy | Based on Play | 33,736,689 | ||
4 | The Sand Pebbles | 88 | Nominated | Historical Action/Adventure | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 30,017,647 | ||
5 | A Man for All Seasons | 82 | Won | Historical Drama | Based on Real Life Events / Based on Play | 28,350,000 | ||
0 | 1967 | |||||||
1 | The Graduate | 91 | Nominated | Contemporary Comedy | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 104,642,560 | ||
2 | The Jungle Book | 86 | Animated Kids Musical | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 73,741,048 | |||
3 | Guess Who's Coming to Dinner | 68 | Nominated | Contemporary Drama | Original Screenplay | 56,666,667 | ||
4 | Bonnie and Clyde | 90 | Nominated | Dramatized Drama | Based on Real Life Events | 50,700,000 | ||
5 | The Dirty Dozen | 91 | Historical Action/War | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 45,300,000 | |||
0 | ||||||||
0 | 1968 | |||||||
1 | 2001: A Space Odyssey | 94 | Science Fiction Adventure | Original Screenplay | 56,715,371 | |||
2 | Funny Girl | 93 | Nominated | Historical Musical | Based on Play | 52,000,000 | ||
3 | The Love Bug | 75 | Contemporary Comedy | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 51,264,000 | |||
4 | The Odd Couple | 100 | Contemporary Comedy | Original Screenplay | 44,527,234 | |||
5 | Bullitt | 97 | Contemporary Action | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 42,300,873 | |||
0 | ||||||||
1969 | ||||||||
1 | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid | 89 | Nominated | Historical Western | Original Screenplay | 102,308,889 | ||
2 | Midnight Cowboy | 90 | Won | Contemporary Drama | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 44,785,053 | ||
3 | Easy Rider | 89 | Contemporary Drama | Original Screenplay | 41,728,598 | |||
4 | Hello, Dolly! | 41 | Nominated | Historical Musical | Based on Play | 33,208,099 | ||
5 | Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice | 91 | Comedy | Original Screenplay | 31,897,253 | |||
1970 | ||||||||
1 | Love Story | 57 | Nominated | Contemporary Drama | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 106,397,186 | ||
2 | Airport | 80 | Nominated | Contemporary Thriller | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 100,489,151 | ||
3 | MASH | 87 | Nominated | Historical Black Comedy | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 67,300,000 | ||
4 | Patton | 95 | Won | Historical Action | Based on Factual Book/Article | 61,749,765 | ||
5 | Woodstock | 100 | Factual Documentary | Based on Real Life Events | 50,000,000 | |||
1971 | ||||||||
1 | Fiddler on the Roof | 81 | Nominated | Historical Musical | Based on Musical or Opera | 75,600,000 | ||
2 | The French Connection | 98 | Won | Contemporary Drama | Based on Factual Book/Article | 51,700,000 | ||
3 | Diamonds Are Forever | 67 | Contemporary Action | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 43,819,547 | |||
4 | Dirty Harry | 95 | Contemporary Action | Original Screenplay | 35,976,000 | |||
5 | Billy Jack | 62 | Contemporary Western | Original Screenplay | 32,500,000 | |||
1972 | ||||||||
1 | The Godfather | 100 | Won | Historical Drama | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 133,698,921 | ||
2 | The Poseidon Adventure | 79 | Contemporary Adventure | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 93,300,000 | |||
3 | What's Up, Doc? | 90 | Comedy | Original Screenplay | 66,000,000 | |||
4 | Behind the Green Door | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 50,000,000 | |||||
5 | Deliverance | 93 | Nominated | Contemporary Thriller | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 46,122,355 | ||
1973 | ||||||||
1 | The Sting | 93 | Won | Historical Comedy | Original Screenplay | 156,000,000 | ||
2 | The Exorcist | 86 | Nominated | Fantasy Horror | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 128,000,000 | ||
3 | American Graffiti | 95 | Nominated | Contemporary Drama | Original Screenplay | 96,300,000 | ||
4 | Papillon | 82 | Dramatized Drama | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 53,267,000 | |||
5 | The Way We Were | 63 | Contemporary Drama | Original Screenplay | 45,000,000 | |||
1974 | ||||||||
1 | Blazing Saddles | 90 | Historical Comedy | Original Screenplay | 119,500,000 | |||
2 | The Towering Inferno | 71 | Nominated | Contemporary Action | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 116,000,000 | ||
3 | The Trial of Billy Jack | Contemporary Western/Action | Original Screenplay | 89,000,000 | ||||
4 | Young Frankenstein | 93 | Science Fiction Comedy | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 86,273,333 | |||
5 | Earthquake | 35 | Science Fiction Drama | Original Screenplay | 79,666,653 | |||
1975 | ||||||||
1 | Jaws | 97 | Nominated | Contemporary Horror | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 190,000,000 | ||
2 | The Rocky Horror Picture Show | 80 | Fantasy Musical | Based on Musical or Opera | 112,892,319 | |||
3 | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest | 95 | Won | Contemporary Drama | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 108,981,275 | ||
4 | Dog Day Afternoon | 95 | Nominated | Contemporary Drama | Based on Factual Book/Article | 50,000,000 | ||
5 | Shampoo | 63 | Contemporary Comedy/Drama | Original Screenplay | 49,407,734 | |||
1976 | ||||||||
1 | Rocky | 93 | Won | Contemporary Drama | Original Screenplay | 117,235,147 | ||
2 | To Fly! | Documentary | Original Screenplay | 86,600,000 | ||||
3 | A Star Is Born | 31 | Remake | 80,000,000 | ||||
4 | All the President's Men | 93 | Nominated | Contemporary Drama | Based on Real Life Events | 70,600,000 | ||
5 | The Omen | 86 | Contemporary Horror | Original Screenplay | 60,922,980 | |||
1977 | ||||||||
1 | Star Wars | 93 | Nominated | Science Fiction Adventure | Original Screenplay | 307,263,857 | ||
2 | Smokey and the Bandit | 81 | Contemporary Comedy | Original Screenplay | 126,737,428 | |||
3 | Close Ecounters of the Third Kind | 96 | Science Fiction Adventure | Original Screenplay | 116,395,460 | |||
4 | The Goodbye Girl | Nominated | Contemporary Romantic Comedy | Original Screenplay | 102,000,000 | |||
5 | Saturday Night Fever | 86 | Contemporary Drama | Based on Fiction Book/Short Story | 94,213,184 | |||
1978 | ||||||||
1 | Grease | 75 | Historical Musical | Based on Musical or Opera | 159,978,870 | |||
Source:
https://www.boxofficemojo.com/
https://www.rottentomatoes.com/
Charts created using OpenOffice Calc.