2022was a major test for movies. Following theater shutdowns in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 2021 saw a slow return to movie theaters. There was a mix of hybrid releases on streaming and theaters, with some exclusive theatrical releases. Audiences were slow to return, but followingSpider-Man: No Way Home’s massive box office at the end of 2021, the new year was looking bright.
Update July 30, 2025: This article has been updated with a full breakdown of the 2022 worldwide box office.
2022 saw a lot of surprises. Whilesome movies that seemed like sure-fit hits bombed, others were runaway hits. Franchises likeAvatarandTop Gunsaw their long-awaited return to the big screen and blew past expectations. The Marvel Cinematic Universe was still a force to be reckoned with, and new takes on familiar heroes shined at the box office. These are the ten highest-grossing movies of 2022 at the worldwide box office.
10Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Puss in Bootsis the spinoff series in theShrekfranchise, which hasn’t been revisited since the firstPuss in Bootsfilm premiered one year afterShrek Forever After.The Last Wishwas the underdog of the year as it had a modest marketing scheme without much fanfare, yet word of mouth made this movie a worldwide hit that earned $484 million in total box office gross.
Antonio Bandera returns as Puss, who finally realizes his passion for adventure is goneafter losing eight out of his nine lives. After settling for the life of a domestic housecat, he learns that Death is looking for him, so he embarks on a journey to find the mystical Last Wish, a McGuffin that can help him restore his life. It’s a great story that teaches us to enjoy life as we have it; all we need is the will to live it.
9The Battle at Lake Changjin II
If you read how studio films always try to cater to Chinese audiences, this entry is a great way to illustrate why: The Chinese market is willing to pay top dollar to be entertained. Making a film that can reach the coveted market is a chance to increase the profits of their costly productions.The Battle at Lake Changjin IIis a direct sequel to the first film of the same name. The films were renamedWater Gate Bridge Pts. 1 and 2in the American market. Both productions were made on a budget of $200 million and shot back to back.
The story for these movies is set during the Korean War, on the Chinese side of things. While the first movie deals with two brothers having to fight American Soldiers, the second film tells the story of a battalion of Chinese People’s Volunteers Soldierswho must take on a missionto attack a bridge crucial for the supply chain and transportation of American troops. The film didn’t outperform the first entry, but it still landed in the top 10 earners of 2022 with a total gross of $626 million.
8Thor: Love and Thunder
Chris Hemsworth returned as Donald Blake after the 2017 filmThor: Ragnarokwon both critics and fans of the MCU over alike. Naturally, the announcement that Thor would return to the silver screen withThor: Love and Thunderwas met with much delight and anticipation. On a journey of self-discovery and inner peace, Thor doesn’t take a trip to Bali or South-East Asia but rather into an early retirement. However, these plans are quickly derailed by Gorr, the God Butcher (Christian Bale), who is hunting to bring extinction to all the gods.
Related:Is Thor: Love and Thunder the MCU’s Batman & Robin?
Thor: Love and Thunderpocketed a respectable $760 million. While it was belowThor: Ragnarok, it is notable that unlike its predecessor, Love and Thunder was not given a China release. While there has been a lot of talk about Marvel movies losing their cultural grip, it is hard to argue that they are still relevant when all three films released in 2022 are in the top 10 of the worldwide box office of that year.
7The Batman
After the staggeringly successful tenures of Christopher Nolan and Christian Bale that took Batman to stratospheric levels, propelling it beyond the rat-ridden realms of Gotham, attention was very much glued to the new directorial/acting partnership of Matt Reeves and Robert Pattinson.The Batmanhad worldwide takings of $770 million dollars, the seventh highest-grossing film of 2022.
Reeves’ take is one that is heavily stylized, and Pattinson’s portrayal is as moody and eerie as Batman has ever been. Along with the charismatic Paul Dano as Riddler, we are treated to a spectacular showdown between the caped crusader of few words and Dano’s deviant presentation of Riddler, as Batman seeks to neutralize another parasite on the metropolis that is Gotham City.
6Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
We can’t deny thatBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverwas a huge box office earner in 2022, as the film managed to collect $860 million worldwide during its theatrical run. The film had to accommodate Disney’s scheduled sequel despite the untimely passing of Chadwick Boseman. The film pays homage to the beloved actor by sending him off to the sunset in a heartfelt tribute, but the script clearly shows this was meant to be a Black Panther Vs. Namor confrontation.
In a way, that’s exactly what we got, as Shuri, T’Challa’s sister, dons the mantle after recreating the mystical herb that grants Wakanda’s rulers their powers. In the story, we see how the country has turned into a matriarchal estatewhen Queen Ramonda is forced to assume leadershipafter the passing of T’Challa. The world is trying its best to get its hands on Wakanda’s primary resource, Vibranium, and the nation is ready to keep the world at bay until King Namor, the ruler of a new species, enters the conflict. Wakanda Forever was the sixth highest-grossing film of 2022 at the worldwide box office.
5Minions: The Rise of Gru
Despicable MeandThe Minionshave proved to be a profitable venture for Illumination Studios. The combined films, short films, digital series, and holiday specials have grossed $ 4.5 billion to date, with a new entry in the franchise coming up in 2024.Minions: The Rise of Gruis the second entry in the Minions trilogy, and we see the little yellow imps finally team up with their longstanding boss, Gru, at the tender age of 12.
In the story, a young Gru tries to join a villain conglomerate named Vicious Six after they fire their leader, the legendary Wid Knuckles. After being turned down, he must face the criminal syndicate with the help of Knuckles himself. The film proved massively popular after an organic social media campaign prompted young people to watch the film wearing suits, which seemingly workedas the film earned $940 million in total gross.
4Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Reprising the role of Dr. Strange, the monumentally talented Benedict Cumberbatch headlined the massiveDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Following on from 2016’s Doctor Strange and MCU movies like Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, and Spider-Man: No Way Home, the film was marketed as a major MCU event film.
Related:Academy Awards: 2023 Best Picture Nominees Ranked by Box Office
Stephen Strange and a teenage girl, America Chavez (Xochitl Gomez), who appears in his dreams, team up and traverse the multiverses to nullify threats, which happen to include varying versions of himself from other universes that could kill millions throughout the multiverse. Marvel has developed the biggest cinematic franchise in the world, so it is no surprise thatDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madnessgrossed an eye-watering $995 million worldwide.
3Jurassic World: Dominion
Place the name ‘Jurassic’ next to any word, namely ‘Park’ or ‘World,’ and it is a surefire way to guarantee people will flock en masse. Giant in name and literally giant in nature, the franchise has enjoyed booming success over a 30-year lifespan.Jurassic World: Dominion,the third installment of the celebratedJurassic Worldfilms, took home a purported $1 billion, the third-highest movie of the year.
Despite its stellar ensemble cast, with the glittering names ofJurassic Park’s Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, and Laura Dern returning alongside the stars of today in Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard,Jurassic World: Dominionwas a critical flop, with an unflattering Rotten Tomatoes score of just 29%. The movie follows on from 2018’sJurassic World: Fallen Kingdomand the destruction of Isla Nublar. With dinosaurs now reintegrating into the world, living alongside humans, the film details the struggle between the species for power as humans battle for supremacy.
2Top Gun: Maverick
Joseph Kosinski and Tom Cruise teamed up to bring us arguably one of the best blockbusters of 2022,Top Gun: Maverick. The long-awaited sequel tothe iconic 1986Top Gunamassed a whopping $1.45 billion dollars, placing it just shy of the top 10 highest-grossing movies of all time. It has, however, topped the standings as the second-highest-grossing film of 2022.
With Cruise reprising the role of Pete “Maverick” Mitchell, it was always going to be the case of pushing the movie’s action scenes to the absolute limit, with the stunts all filmed on actual Navy fighter jets. The follow-up movie to the incredible, albeit cheesy original, tells the story of Maverick and his graduation into the position of instructor, training up Top Gun’s latest fighter pilots for a special mission against an unspecified enemy in this 21st-centuryversion of military propaganda.
1Avatar: The Way of Water
The return to Pandora was everything fans had hoped for, and even more, James Cameron rallied behind the film and called out the audience to support him with the long-gestating sequel to 2009’sAvatar. InWay of the Water, a prominent time skip has taken place with Jake Sully now fully incorporated into Na’vii culture, having formed a family with Ney’tiri and three kids of their own.
The family struggles to stay together when an old threat returns to Pandora, forcing them to explore further regions of the planet to seek solace and support to combat these returning invaders and their warmongering ways. Humanity didn’t learn their lesson from last time,but everyone else was there for the rematch. The film became the box office hit of 2022, ranking $ 2.3 billion in its theatrical run to become the highest-grossing movie of 2022 at the worldwide box office. It certainly goes to show not to doubt James Cameron.
