As a huge movie fan, I’ve always loved how science fiction lets you completely lose yourself in another world. It just feels like the perfect genre for the big screen, so it’s no surprise some of the all-time biggest blockbusters are sci-fi films. I’ve put together a list of the ten highest-grossing ones – the movies that really paid off for everyone involved. And you might be surprised to learn that not everything on the list is Star Wars, though, naturally, a few entries are!
We didn’t include superhero movies because they would have dominated the list. This ranking is based on how much money each film made in the United States, adjusted for inflation. If a movie was re-released in theaters, we adjusted the numbers for both the original and subsequent releases. While the ranking focuses on domestic earnings, we’ll also discuss each film’s worldwide box office performance.
10) Avatar: The Way of Water — $764 Million
With a production budget between $350 million and $460 million, James Cameron’s Avatar: The Way of Water earned an incredible $2.343 billion globally in 2022. Of that amount, $688.5 million came from the US and Canada, and $1.65 billion came from international markets.
Even with a large budget, the film would still earn five times what it cost to make. This means we were virtually assured of getting Avatar: Fire and Ash, even if it didn’t match the success of the original 2009 Avatar movie.
Stream Avatar: The Way of Water on Disney+.
9) Jurassic Park — $868.9 Million
When Jurassic Park first came out in 1993, it earned $357 million in the United States. If you adjust that amount for inflation to today’s dollars (2025), it would be about $802.6 million. The movie also earned $45.4 million from a 3D re-release in 2013, which is around $63.3 million today. Plus, a smaller re-release in 2023 brought in $3 million (or $3.3 million adjusted for inflation), bringing the total domestic earnings to $868.9 million.
Additionally, Jurassic Park was incredibly popular internationally. When it was first released in 1993, it earned a massive $621.1 million outside of the US – which is about $1.4 billion today. Considering that, plus the money it made from its 3D re-release in other countries, Jurassic Park actually outperformed the next film on our list.
Stream Jurassic Park on Peacock.
8) Jurassic World — $895.4 Million
When the first Jurassic Park came out, ticket sales in the United States made up about 36.5% of its total earnings worldwide. With Jurassic World, that number increased to 39%. While that might not sound like a massive difference, it shows just how incredibly popular the movie was domestically.
Adjusting for inflation, Jurassic World earned $653.4 million in 2015, which is about $895.4 million today. It made over $1 billion internationally, roughly $1.4 billion in today’s money. While later Jurassic World movies didn’t perform quite as well, the original was the biggest movie of the summer in 2015. It likely would have been the year’s biggest film overall if Star Wars: The Force Awakens hadn’t been released.
Stream Jurassic World on Peacock.
7) Star Wars: The Phantom Menace — $914.9 Million
As a lifelong Star Wars fan, it’s wild to see! The prequel trilogy – Episodes I, II, and III – is getting re-released in theaters, just like the original films did. But like with the originals, the first re-release is always the big one at the box office. It seems the initial excitement is something special!
The 1999 release of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace was arguably the most hyped movie event ever. While it didn’t satisfy everyone, a huge number of people still went to see it – and even attended earlier movies just to watch its trailer. The film earned a massive $431 million domestically in 1999, which is equivalent to over $840 million today. Including a successful 3D re-release in 2012 ($43.5 million then, $61.5 million now) and a recent 2024 release earning $13 million, The Phantom Menace has brought in almost $915 million domestically. Its worldwide earnings are more than double that amount.
Stream Star Wars: The Phantom Menace on Disney+.
6) Star Wars: Return of the Jedi — $957 Million
As we’ve discussed, the original Star Wars trilogy has been re-released in cinemas several times. While the first films of each trilogy generally perform the best, all three movies in the original series were incredibly popular and financially successful.
When Star Wars: Return of the Jedi first came out in 1983, it earned $252.6 million, which is about $823.7 million today. It was re-released in 1985 and made another $11.3 million (equal to $34 million now). The special edition in 1997 brought in $92 million in today’s money, and the 2023 release added $7.3 million. In total, the film has earned $957 million domestically when adjusted for inflation to 2025 dollars.
Stream Star Wars: Return of the Jedi on Disney+.
5) Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back — $1.01 Billion
Like the more recent sequel trilogy, the original Star Wars trilogy saw decreasing profits with each film. However, even with those declines, Return of the Jedi still generated a massive return on investment – a truly enormous profit.
Overall, Return of the Jedi performed slightly less well than the incredibly successful Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Empire Strikes Back earned just over $1 billion (in 2025 dollars) with its four theatrical releases and was by far the top-grossing film of 1980.
Stream Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back on Disney+.
4) Avatar — $1.178 Billion
As a movie fan, I remember when Avatar came out – the buzz was insane! Everyone wanted to see it, and honestly, it needed to be seen in a theater. The special effects were groundbreaking and just stunning on the big screen. It felt like it played in theaters forever, and I don’t think anyone minded!
Although the increased budget for The Way of Water was significant, it pales in comparison to the original Avatar. Avatar took a massive risk with a $237 million budget – a huge sum for a brand new story – and then earned more than twelve times that amount. It’s extremely unlikely that Fire and Ash or any future sequels will ever achieve that level of success.
Stream Avatar on Disney+.
3) Star Wars: The Force Awakens — $1.283 Billion
Just like with The Phantom Menace, excitement for Star Wars: The Force Awakens was incredibly high. The film marked both a fresh start for the series and a return to the feel of the original Star Wars movies, something fans had missed in the earlier prequels.
The movie was a huge financial success, breaking numerous box office records. While some viewers thought the story wasn’t particularly original, it still earned a massive return on its $245 million budget – generating 3.8 times that amount. Globally, it earned almost 8.5 times its production cost.
Stream Star Wars: The Force Awakens on Disney+.
2) E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial — $1.395 Billion
I still remember when E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial first came out! It was absolutely everywhere – it played in theaters for almost a whole year! And the best part? It made so much money! It only cost around $10.5 million to make, but it earned over 30 times that amount, starting with an amazing $11.8 million opening weekend. It was a total phenomenon!
Adjusting for inflation, the film earned the equivalent of $1.2 billion in the US in 1982. It also performed well with re-releases in 1985 ($122 million in today’s money) and 2002 ($64 million today). While successful internationally, it didn’t reach the same heights as its domestic performance. Because it’s a beloved film for generations, E.T. continues to generate significant revenue through home video and streaming, even after more than 40 years.
Stream E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial on Starz.
1) Star Wars: A New Hope — $1.979 Billion
Looking back, it’s funny to remember that when Star Wars: A New Hope was made in the late 1970s, its $11 million budget was considered a major risk. Even the company releasing the film didn’t realize how successful it could become.
Today, this movie is one of the most popular films ever made. When adjusted for inflation, its original $307.3 million earnings from 1977 actually total almost $1.65 billion. That doesn’t even include the additional $100 million it earned internationally at the time. Add to that the success of its 1997 special edition release—which brought in $138.3 million then, equivalent to about $280 million today—and A New Hope is clearly the highest-grossing film in the science fiction genre.
Stream Star Wars: A New Hope on Disney+.
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2025-12-05 03:15