What is the highest-grossing movie of all time?
Avatar (2009), directed by James Cameron, is the highest-grossing film of all time, with about 2.9 billion dollars worldwide including several re-releases.
Avatar first became the top earner in 2010, passing Cameron's own Titanic. Avengers: Endgame overtook it in 2019, but a re-release of Avatar in China in 2021 put it back in first place. These rankings use box office earnings that are not adjusted for inflation.
The rest of the top five includes Avengers: Endgame, Avatar: The Way of Water, Titanic and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Cameron directed three of the five, which shows how strongly his films perform around the world, especially in 3D.
Adjusted for inflation
If ticket prices are adjusted for inflation, 1939's Gone with the Wind is often estimated to be the biggest box office hit ever, because it played in cinemas for years and was seen by enormous audiences. Records also change quickly: China's animated film Ne Zha 2 became the highest-grossing animated movie in 2025.
Did You Know?
Most of a blockbuster's earnings now come from outside the United States, especially from China and Europe. Avatar's success also helped popularize 3D screenings in the late 2000s and early 2010s.