The biggest box office hits of 2019: From 'Joker' to 'Avengers: Endgame'
2019 has once again been a great year for the movies. With hits across the genre, we saw some brilliant movies in the theaters this year, like 'Ford vs. Ferrari', 'John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum', 'Glass', and 'How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World'.
Though 'Aquaman' -- a box office number one at the beginning of the year -- failed to make the top 10 list, DC managed an entry with Todd Phillips's 'Joker'. Read on to find out the top 10 domestic box office hits of the year. With the top four films and six films on the list overall, Disney is clearly having its best year.
Avengers: Endgame
Unsurprisingly, heading the list is the final film in the first generation of 'Avengers' movies. Fans had to bid farewell (for good) to characters that have been part of our lives for a long time. Though Disney has announced a slew of upcoming Marvel movies over the next few years, we will still miss the Avengers and the revolution they sparked for Marvel movies. The film leads in the international and domestic box office hit lists and also became the highest-grossing film ever, with a haul of $2,797,800,564 worldwide.
The Lion King
One of the most awaited movies of the year, 'The Lion King' live-action remake saw big names like Donald Glover, Seth Rogen, and Beyonce Knowles voice the characters we have known well for over 20 years. They had a difficult task, and though many felt the lions in the 2019 movie did not feel as emotional as the original 1994 film, fans still flocked to re-live their childhood and introduce a whole new generation to one of the best parts of their childhood. 'The Lion King' is second in both international domestic box office lists for 2019 and has become the seventh highest-grossing film ever with a worldwide haul of $1,655,964,858.
Toy Story 4
When the fourth installment of the beloved 'Toy Story' franchise was announced, fans were concerned. After all, 'Toy Story 3' gave us a perfect ending. But it would seem that those worries were unfounded as the movie managed to be just as moving, if not more while providing some profound reflections on the concept of loss. Though 'Toy Story 4' earned less than 'Captain Marvel' and 'Spider-Man: Far From Home' internationally (though still in the trillion-club with $1,073,366,308), the movie is third in the list of highest-grossing films domestically.
Captain Marvel
With the first Marvel movie with a female superhero, 'Captain Marvel' proved to be a huge hit. It did not matter that Brie Larson's Captain Marvel was an entirely new character to the Avengers universe as we knew it, the movie managed to tell its own story while connecting to the bigger story of the 'Avengers' franchise. Grossing $1,128,274,794 worldwide, 'Captain Marvel' is fourth on the list of international and domestic box office hits.
Spider-Man: Far From Home
'Spider-Man: Far From Home' was always going to be a much smaller fare in a year that also saw 'Avengers: Endgame'. However, being the 23rd and final installment in Marvel's First Phase, the movie secures another place in the list for Marvel, earning $1,131,928,519 worldwide. 'Spider-Man: Far From Endgame' rounds out the top 5 list and may have nudged the executives of Sony and Disney to work together again so we could get more of Tom Holland's Peter Parker.
Aladdin
Nine out of ten films on this year's list of top-grossing films are reboots, remakes, sequels, and along with 'The Lion King', 'Aladdin' was the other remake of a beloved 90s animated Disney flick. No one expected Will Smith to replace the inimitable Robin Williams in his performance as the Genie, but he managed to give his own take on it. With a worldwide gross of $1,050,693,953, 'Aladdin' is the sixth highest-grossing film of 2019 domestically.
Joker
Before 2019, DC just had one movie in the billion-plus club, whereas its competitor Marvel had many more including 'Avengers: Infinity War', 'Captain America: Civil War', and 'Iron Man 3'. However, DC managed to add two more this year with 'Aquaman' and 'Joker'. It was the release of 'Joker', however, that completely changed the conversation around DC movies. With Robert Pattinson's Batman movie set to release in 2021, and Joaquin Phoenix's turn as the Joker it may have just changed the game. With a worldwide gross of $1,040,071,842, 'Joker' proves that DC still has a few tricks up its sleeves.
It Chapter Two
'It Chapter Two' is Warner Brothers' second addition to the list of top ten highest-grossing films domestically. The movie nabbed the second-highest opening for a horror film when it opened with a domestic gross of $91 million. With a total worldwide gross of $468,954,445, it looks like Pennywise will continue to haunt our nightmares.
Frozen II
'Frozen II' may have released towards the end of 2019, but it did not stop Anna and Elsa from letting go of their spot on the list of the highest-grossing movies of the year. With a record-breaking opening weekend haul of $350.2 million worldwide, it is highly likely that the movie will end the year higher on the list, and might even overtake 'Frozen' to be the highest-grossing animated movie of all time.
Us
'Us' is the only movie for Universal Pictures on the list of highest-grossing movies domestically, and is the only movie on the list that is completely original. Though the international gross may be on the lower side, Jordan Peele's second horror film rounds out the list for the top-performing movies domestically for 2019. Through nuanced writing and direction, Peele studied humanity's inherent knack for "othering" while also examining race and cements his place as one of the best filmmakers in American cinema.