Thehighest grossing movies of 2024all have one thing in common. The year has taken on an entirely different shape from the original plan, as many movies were rescheduled in the wake of the dual2023 Hollywood strikes. The Writers Guild of America and then the Screen Actors Guild took to the picket lines to fight for fair pay, and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers' delays in negotiating deals with both unions saw the industry effectively shut down in phases between May 2 and November 9 of that year.
The result of this extended industry turmoil was that, in addition to the manyTV shows cancelled during the strikes,quite a few blockbuster productions were delayed to 2025. This included Disney’s live-action remakeSnow White, Marvel’sThunderbolts*, Paramount Pictures’Mission: Impossible 8, Pixar’sElio, and Lionsgate’sDirtyDancingsequel. However, even though the fact that many tentpoles fled to 2025 led 2024 to start off with a slow rollout of major movies, the year has seen some major theatrical hits, all of which share one single notable quality.
Every 2024 Movie Delayed Due To The SAG-AFTRA Strike
As the SAG-AFTRA strike continues into late 2023, several studios are delaying their 2024 releases. Read on to find out which movies were pushed back.
Sequels Are The Only Movies In 2024’s Highest Grossing Releases
The Chart Spans From Inside Out 2 To Twisters
The biggest success of the year so far has been theInside Out 2box office, which grossed more than $1.5 billion, becoming the highest-grossing animated release of all time. The movie is a seven-years-later sequel to Pixar’s 2015 originalInside Out. While it is only the second installment in its franchise,the other nine highest grossing 2024 movies at the time of writing are also sequels, with varying numbers of previous installments behind them. Below, see a breakdown of the current Top 10 movies of 2024 worldwide, according toBox Office Mojo:
#1
$1.69 billion
#2
$1.33 billion
#3
$954 million
#4
$714.4 million
#5
$571.7 million
#6
$549.2 million
#7
Bad Boys: Ride or Die
$404.2 million
#8
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
$397.4 million
#9
$377.8 million
#10
Twisters
$370.8 million
The chart is rounded out by two belated sequels,TwistersandBeetlejuice Beetlejuice, which are the first follow-ups to original hits that premiered in 1996 and 1988 respectively. Another second installment on the chart is Denis Villeneuve’sDune: Part Two, though that istechnically part of a broader franchise of works adapting the novel of the same name by Frank Herbert, which includes David Lynch’s 1984 flopDune.
However, the other movies on the chart are installments that are even deeper into their respective franchises. Beyond the fourquelsBad Boys: Ride or DieandKung Fu Panda 4,Deadpool & Wolverineisboth the thirdDeadpoolmovie and the 34th installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Meanwhile,Godzilla x Kongis the fifth entry inLegendary’s Monsterverse, a series that already combines multiple long-running franchises, andKingdom of the Planet of the Apesis the tenth installment in its own franchise.
2024’s Sequel Domination At The Box Office Reverses 2023’s Originality
Less Than Half Of 2023’s Top 10 Movies Were Sequels
Though the modern cinema landscape tends to be dominated by sequels, 2024 is a far cry from the relative originality of 2023, in whichonly four sequels appeared in the worldwide box office Top 10. Of these titles, the highest grossing wasGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3at No. 4, meaning sequels were shut out of the Top 3 entirely. While many of the titles that were not sequels were still remakes or original movies that were part of pre-existing multimedia franchise, there was a much wider spread of types on the 2023 Top 10 chart, which is below:
$1.45 billion
$1.36 billion
$975.6 million
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3
$845.5 million
$704.9 million
$690.5 million
$634.4 million
$570.6 million
$569.6 million
Elemental
$496.4 million
Of the Top 10 2023 movies, onlyPixar’sElementalis technically original, as Christopher Nolan’sOppenheimeris adapted from the 2005 biographyAmerican Prometheus. However, neither title is a sequel, nor did they come from a pre-existing franchise. Additionally, the top two moviesBarbieandThe Super Mario Bros. Movieboth adapt famous IP but are original stories told within those universes. Meanwhile, the prequelWonkaand the live-action remakeThe Little Mermaidused IP as a foundation for non-sequel franchise storytelling.
2024 Still Has Several Major Sequels On The Way
Several Could Become Top 10 Titles Before The End Of The Year
As the holiday season ramps up, there are several blockbuster sequels yet to come in 2024, any number of which could land on the Top 10 by New Year’s. While they may displace a certain number of the current titles on the chart, they could still ensure total dominance of sequels by the end of the year. These titles include the brand-new releaseJoker: Folie à Deux,a sequel to a comic book adaptation that grossed more than $1 billion in 2019and went on to win two Oscars.
Jokerwon Oscars for Best Original Score and Best Actor (for Joaquin Phoenix) in addition to being nominated for 9 other awards including Best Picture.
In fact, the majority of the blockbuster tentpoles yet to be released in 2024 are direct sequels to smash hits. This includes theupcomingGladiator II,Ridley Scott’s long-awaited follow-up to his 2000 Best Picture winnerthat was the second highest grossing movie of that year with $465.4 million worldwide. Also on the roster areVenom: The Last Dance,Moana 2,Sonic the Hedgehog 3, andMufasa. While the latter is primarily a prequel, it also incorporates sequel elements as a follow-up to live-actionThe Lion King, which was the second highest grossing movie of 2019 at $1.66 billion.
Will Any Non-Sequels Break Into 2024’s Highest Grossing Movies List?
Only Two Titles Are Strong Contenders
There are a scant fewupcoming 2024 moviesthat are not sequels yet have a chance to break into the Top 10 by the end of the year. However,there are still some non-sequel contenders that could prove to be hitswhen they premiere. The first isWicked, the adaptation of the long-running stage musical, which itself is adapted from the Gregory Maguire novel reimagining the origin story ofThe Wizard of Oz’s Wicked Witch of the West. While the movie is obviously part of a vast pre-existing franchise, which could help its prospects, it is not a sequel.
Wickedis itself setting up a sequel, as it is the first installment of a two-part adaptation of the musical.
The other original title that has a chance of becoming one of the Top 10highest grossing movies of 2024isRed One,a holiday-themed action comedy starring Dwayne Johnson and Chris Evans. It remains to be seen how the movie performs, as it is an entirely untested property, but the duo of A-list stars at the helm could help propel it to box office success. However, even if both titles land in the Top 10, the year will still be dominated by sequels in a way that is thrown into sharp relief by the relative originality of 2023.
