The 10 Highest-Grossing Fantasy Movies Of All Time

Traditional fantasy movies have struggled to out-perform some of fantasy’s biggest subgenres at the box office, but the highest-grossing straightforward fantasy movies of all time are still high up on the overall list. The highest-grossing movies of all time usually earn this status through a combination of cultural spectacle and event as well as storytelling that is actually good. However, these days all kinds of movies are struggling at the box office due to the expectation that they will be available to stream soon enough.

Disney has so many upcoming live-action remakes because these movies have actually been doing very well at the box office, despite mixed critical reviews. In fact, given the studio’s typical genre focus, several of Disney’s highest-grossing movies ever account for the majority of the highest-grossing fantasy movies. Today’s pop culture is dominated by franchises with some elements of fantasy, namely Star Wars and superheroes, making for an interesting debate about what it takes for more typical fantasy movies to succeed.

10 Alice In Wonderland (2010)

Domestic Gross: $334.2 Million | Worldwide Total: $1.03 Billion

Alice in Wonderland came out at a time when live-action reimaginings of classic Disney movies were still a novelty and deviated more from the original animated movie. It’s a decent fantasy adventure, bringing to life satisfying visual interpretations of this classic literary world. Alice returning to Wonderland as a skeptical adult is a good twist; so is her having to battle the famously mysterious beast known as the Jabberwocky. The references to the original source material in this movie are also clever.

However, Alice in Wonderland likely reached the status of one of Disney’s highest earners because of the names attached to it. Director Tim Burton’s usual style meshes fabulously with the trappings of Wonderland, while all of his most famous regular collaborators came along for the ride. Alice in Wonderland is a fantasy movie that is almost perfect and had a lot of marketability, making it a success in its time, even if the story problems caught up with it in the sequel.

9 Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)

Domestic Gross: $241 Million | Worldwide Total: $1.05 Billion

While the franchise has been in decline for years, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is still not the worst Pirates of the Caribbean movie. It was released as a strange crossroads for the franchise which allowed it some success. While the first movie achieved critical acclaim, the next two were the big earners. The story of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End is very bloated, but On Stranger Tides offered a fresh premise with a new set of characters, sparking hope that Pirates of the Caribbean could return to its old heights.

Part of that cast was the exciting new characters played by Penélope Cruz and Ian McShane, the legendary pirate Blackbeard and his vicious daughter. This was enough to get people to come to the movies for another Pirates of the Caribbean box office hit. The following movie got even worse reviews and made less money, also coming out at a time when streaming was slowly beginning to overshadow the traditional movie theater experience.

8 Aladdin (2019)

Domestic Gross: $355.6 Million | Worldwide Total: $1.05 Billion

Aladdin did surprisingly well at the box office, despite being one of Disney’s live-action remakes that suffers the most from the uncanny valley problem. Will Smith playing Genie was definitely a huge draw for audiences, one that paid off, as his performance is arguably the best part of the movie. Additionally, while the original animated version is considered one of Disney’s best animated movies, its story exhibits some cultural stereotypes, providing a real reason to make a better version of it.

In addition to this, the new Aladdin promised an expanded role for Jasmine and all the amazing songs from the original like “Friend Like Me” and “A Whole New World.” Overall, Aladdin came across as what would be a very fun, visually and musically spectacular blockbuster. Like most of Disney’s live-action remakes, there was enough nostalgia to go around and bring it to the one billion dollar mark. They also waited until a month after Avengers: Endgame for the release, still risking some competition, but not being impossibly overshadowed.

7 Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006)

Domestic Gross: $423.3 Million | Worldwide Total: $1.07 Billion

Despite the objective financial success of the next two movies, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest remains the franchise’s biggest earner, and it is easy to see why. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl was a smash hit, featuring some of the biggest stars of the day; the main cast signed on for two sequels immediately afterward. This organically set up an ongoing franchise about Captain Jack and co.’s swashbuckling adventures, running across various supernatural beings.

When the marketing for Dead Man’s Chest began, everyone got their first good look at the amazing CGI creation of Davy Jones’ character. This even more terrifying villain, another great twist on classic seafaring lore, made the sequel even more exciting. With other noteworthy actors like Stellan Skarsgård and the marketing teasing new crazy swordfights and monsters, Dead Man’s Chest had everything the patient Pirates of the Caribbean fans could hope for.

6 The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King (2003)

Domestic Gross: $382 Million | Worldwide Total: $1.14 Billion

The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King is another movie where pretty much everyone can understand why it was a massive box office hit. The conclusion to Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy, by its very nature, had a lot of hype surrounding it as the last movie. These movies had proven to be game-changing for the fantasy genre as well as critically acclaimed, fueling a lot of emotions about its ending. When Return of the King arrived in theaters, its reception surpassed everyone’s expectations.

The last movie brought with it everything that had made the first two good: stunning world-building and action, special effects ahead of their time, great performances, and everything in between. Return of the King went on to be the third Best Picture nominee for the franchise and the first movie to win the award. The once-in-a-generation fantasy phenomenon came to an end with huge profits for everyone involved and by setting the bar for fantasy movies that hope to also achieve critical acclaim.

5 Beauty And The Beast (2017)

Domestic Gross: $504.5 Million | Worldwide Total: $1.27 Billion

Beauty and the Beast is one of Disney’s live-action remakes that had the most hype surrounding it leading up to the movie’s release, likely due to the original animated movie’s status in cinematic history as the first animated movie ever to be nominated for Best Picture. It had a certain novelty about it, as it would be the first live-action remake to be a strict musical adaptation. Beauty and the Beast also has a mysterious gothic aesthetic that served it well with its early marketing, drawing people in from the beginning.

The entire cast was filled out with famous names, but Emma Watson was definitely the star that got the movie the most attention. Her first true blockbuster since the end of the Harry Potter franchise, fans were eager to see her back in the fantasy genre. Beauty and the Beast heralded a new era of Disney live-action remakes specifically concerning the Disney Renaissance movies which saw a huge turnout at the beginning.

4 Frozen (2013)

Domestic Gross: $401 Million | Worldwide Total: $1.3 Billion

Frozen‘s early marketing strategy has been analyzed and determined to have launched the movie forward. The early teasers focused on slapstick bits with Olaf the Snowman and Sven the Reindeer, emphasizing that the movie held comedic appeal beyond the expected target demographic for Disney Princess movies of young girls (via Forbes). However, word of mouth was a huge help to Frozen when it did hit theaters. Everyone was talking about the “new age” Disney princesses, while “Let It Go” played on repeat on many radio stations.

Frozen is a great movie that went on to win the Golden Globe and Oscar that year, the perfect finish to it being a true pop culture phenomenon. It also made a lot of money because its popularity meant it was in theaters longer, lasting from its late November release until early spring 2014. Most people will realize that Frozen‘s reception is something unique in movie history, making Disney even more money through merchandising tie-ins.

3 Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2011)

Domestic Gross: $381.4 Million | Worldwide Total: $1.34 Billion

The simple fact of the final Harry Potter movie did all the advertising work for the PR team. Like with Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter was a once-in-a-lifetime event that majorly benefited from the anticipation of the last movie.Harry Potter accomplished an impressive feat by keeping most of its cast through all eight movies; in the case of the young actors, audiences watched them grow up throughout the franchise. It was a cultural phenomenon that HBO’s Harry Potter TV show remake will struggle to live up to.

Those who read the books had specific action sequences to look forward to, like the Gringotts break-in and the Battle of Hogwarts; the story stakes, in general, were higher than ever. Several of the posters for the final movie didn’t even feature its title, thrilling expectant fans with the simple finality of Harry’s image. The beloved Harry Potter franchise came to an epic conclusion, also staying in theaters much longer than usual.

2 The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023)

Domestic Gross: $575 Million | Worldwide Total: $1.36 Billion

The Super Mario Bros. Movie, somewhat surprisingly, is one of the best animated movies of 2023. It never stood a chance as far as the award shows are concerned, competing with both The Boy and the Heron and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. Of these three movies, The Super Mario Bros. Movie has the most family appeal, being more light-hearted than the other two. However, it still timed its release so as not to coincide with the competition.

The impressive cast includes all of today’s biggest stars, with even some unexpected casting choices (people might not have guessed that Anya Taylor-Joy and Keegan-Michael Key would make an excellent Princess Peach and Toad, respectively). It also possibly benefited from comparisons to the notoriously bad live-action 1993 Super Mario Bros. Movie. Overall, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a product of the IP age of movies, but pure fun with great humor that carried it to success and guaranteed The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2.

1 Frozen II (2019)

Domestic Gross: $477.4 Million | Worldwide Total: $1.45 Billion

Frozen II reaped the benefits of its predecessor’s cultural status, surpassing it at the box office (possibly just because of inflation). The circumstances for Frozen II were different from those for other Disney Princess movie sequels. Disney Princess sequels have traditionally not been well-reviewed or liked as much as the first movie, and the last one to come out before Frozen II was in the early 2000s. Frozen had reached the heights where it was possible to make a franchise of it, and Disney jumped at this chance with great results.

Frozen II does not try to outdo its predecessor (something virtually impossible) but explores natural new storylines for the characters. The goodwill for the original movie guaranteed its box office performance and set the stage for Moana 2. It also set Disney up to start planning Frozen 3 and 4, which many people are skeptical will be joining the highest-grossing fantasy movies of all time.

Source: boxofficemojo.com, Forbes