20 Highest-Grossing Disney Movies Of All Time

For over 100 years, Disney has been at the helm of the greatest animated movies of all time, and since merging with other production companies like Lucasfilm and Marvel, its resume has only become better, resulting in some of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Walt Disney and his brother and business partner Roy began making their own animated movies in 1927 in what would later become known as Walt Disney Productions. Though Disney earned acclaim for early cartoons featuring characters like Lucky Rabbit and Oswald, what truly put him on the map was Disney’s character Mickey Mouse.

Since its inception, Walt Disney Productions has grown immensely. Not only does it have hundreds of Disney original movies, both animated and live action, under its belt, but it also represents movies from sister companies like Pixar and Marvel. Ultimately, this empire that Disney has created has given the company an excellent reputation, and arguably, a sort of monopoly over film and television. In the end, this means that Disney’s highest-grossing films are not simply record-breaking for Disney, but for all movies of all time. These movies and their box office earnings are truly revolutionary.

20 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016)

$1,055,083,596

Disney’s 20th highest-grossing movie is from Lucasfilm’s Star Wars franchise, and it is 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. This is the first movie of the Star Wars anthology series and explores the Rebel Alliance’s first victory against the Empire, a week before the events of 1977’s Star Wars. Upon its release, and even before it, Rogue One broke records. In 2016, Rogue One had the second-highest number of pre-sale tickets ever sold, and also, it had the highest-grossing Thursday opening of the year. Ultimately, Rogue One was well-received by critics and audiences, who found the film to be a strong addition to the franchise.

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

$1,066,179,725

Following fairly close after in the number 19 spot is Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. This is the second movie in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, which began in 2003. Dead Man’s Chest followed swashbuckler Jack Sparrow as he paid a debt to Davy Jones, while Will Turner and Elizabeth Swan are enlisted to find the Dead Man’s Chest. Although this film was not as widely beloved as its predecessor, its box office numbers were far from a disappointment. Dead Man’s Chest was the highest-grossing film of 2006 and remains the highest-grossing Pirates of the Caribbean film to date. It also holds the prestigious title of being the third movie ever to gross $1 billion worldwide, making it quite the trendsetter for its time.

18 Toy Story 3 (2010)

$1,068,879,522

Pixar’s Toy Story franchise is one of its most beloved, so it’s no surprise its movies are Disney’s highest-grossing. Released in 2010, Toy Story 3 was the long-awaited third installment in the Toy Story franchise. In this film, Andy’s toys are given away to a local daycare, where they must adjust to new children and new toys. Toy Story 3 earned immediate praise from critics for its emotional depth and outstanding performances, but its box office is where the movie really hit new heights. Upon its release, Toy Story 3 became the first animated movie to earn $1 billion at the box office, and for three years, it held the spot as the highest-grossing animated movie of all time. This, along with Toy Story 3’s many award nominations, make it one of Disney’s most impressive movies of that time.

Toy Story 3

Director

Lee Unkrich

Release Date

June 18, 2010

Cast

Jodi Benson , Ned Beatty , Tim Allen , Tom Hanks , Joan Cusack

Runtime

103 minutes

Budget

$200 million

17 Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker (2019)

$1,072,767,997

Unsurprisingly, another Star Wars film takes the 17th spot of Disney’s highest-grossing movies. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is the third installment in the Star Wars prequel series, and the ninth and final tale of the “Skywalker” saga. Like Rogue One, Rise of Skywalker was impressive even before it hit screens, becoming Atom Tickets’ second-best first-day seller of all time. Similarly, Fandago reported that it outsold all other Star Wars movies.

Star Wars: Episode IX- The Rise of Skywalker

Release Date

December 20, 2019

Cast

Carrie Fisher , Oscar Isaac , Anthony Daniels , Joonas Suotamo , Mark Hamill , Adam Driver , Ian McDiarmid , Kelly Marie Tran , Billie Lourd , Keri Russell , Richard E. Grant , Daisy Ridley , Lupita Nyong’o , Dominic Monaghan , John Boyega , Domhnall Gleeson , Billy Dee Williams , Naomi Ackie

Runtime

142 minutes

Budget

$275 million

16 Toy Story 4 (2019)

$1,072,817,964

The second Toy Story movie is to make it onto Disney’s highest-grossing list is Toy Story 4. This is the fourth and most recent installment in the franchise, and sees Andy’s toys go on a road trip with Bonnie, wherein Woody reunites with an old friend and must decide where his future lies. Despite the countless records Toy Story 3 broke, Toy Story 4 earned even more than its predecessor. It was the fourth Pixar film to earn $1 billion at the box office and played in the second-most number of theaters, 4.575. Ultimately, its success was so great that Toy Story is stronger than ever, despite starting all the way back in 1995.

Toy Story 4

Director

Josh Cooley

Release Date

June 21, 2019

Writers

Stephany Folsom

Cast

Patricia Arquette , Tim Allen , Kristen Schaal , Estelle Harris , Jodi Benson , Tony Hale , Blake Clark , Jeff Pidgeon , Joan Cusack , Laurie Metcalf , Tom Hanks , Annie Potts , Jeff Garlin , Bonnie Hunt , Wallace Shawn

Runtime

1h 40m

Budget

$200 million

15 Captain Marvel (2019)

$1,129,576,094

Of Disney’s many properties, Marvel is likely one of its biggest, therefore it is no surprise that a movie like Captain Marvel would appear as number 15 on this list. Captain Marvel is a 2019 solo Marvel superhero movie starring Brie Larson as Carol Danvers, a woman who becomes a superhero during an intergalactic invasion. Though 2019 was a massive year for movies, especially for Marvel and Disney, Captain Marvel stood out as the first female-led superhero movie to cross the $1 billion mark, and the seventh Marvel movie. On top of that, Captain Marvel was well-received upon its release, living up to its status as iMDb’s Most Anticipated Movie of 2019.

Captain Marvel

Director

Ryan Fleck , Anna Boden

Release Date

March 8, 2019

Studio(s)

Marvel Studios

Distributor(s)

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Writers

Carly Mensch , Ryan Fleck , Meg LeFauve , Geneva Robertson-Dworet , Liz Flahive , Nicole Perlman , Anna Boden

Cast

Lee Pace , Brie Larson , Rune Temte , Clark Gregg , Ben Mendelsohn , Algenis Perez Soto , Samuel L. Jackson , Jude Law , Djimon Hounsou , Gemma Chan , Lashana Lynch , Mckenna Grace

Runtime

124 minutes

Budget

$152 million

14 Captain America: Civil War (2016)

$1,151,899,586

In the following spot is yet another Marvel movie, 2016’s Captain America: Civil War. This is the 13th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the third Captain America movie. In the film, Steve Rogers and Tony Stark disagree over the effects the Avengers has on the world, leading to the world’s superheroes splitting into two warring factions. At the time of its release, Civil War became the highest-grossing movie of 2016 and the fourth-highest-grossing superhero movie of all time.

Captain America: Civil War

Release Date

May 6, 2016

Studio(s)

Disney

Distributor(s)

Disney

Writers

Stephen McFeely , Christopher Markus

Cast

Martin Freeman , Daniel Brühl , Robert Downey Jr. , Sebastian Stan , Elizabeth Olsen , Chadwick Boseman , Chris Evans , Paul Rudd , Frank Grillo , Scarlett Johansson , William Hurt , Paul Bettany , Anthony Mackie , Emily VanCamp , Tom Holland

Runtime

2h 28m

Budget

$250 Million

13 Iron Man 3 (2013)

$1,215,392,272

Although Marvel reached a definite peak in the late 2010s, there is a movie that came out earlier, and which remains one of the company’s best. Iron Man 3 is the third and final installment in the Iron Man franchise, led by Robert Downey Jr. In the film, Tony Stark grapples with the aftereffects of the Avengers just as a mysterious villain sets off a national terrorism campaign in the U.S. Upon its release, Iron Man 3 broke countless records: second-highest-grossing film of 2013, second-highest-grossing film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, highest-grossing Iron Man film, fourth-highest-grossing superhero movie of all time, and fifth-highest-grossing movie of all time. Combined with its strong reviews and legacy, Iron Man 3 remains a staple of the MCU.

Iron Man 3

Director

Shane Black

Release Date

May 3, 2013

Writers

Drew Pearce , Shane Black

Runtime

130 Mins

Budget

200 Million

12 Incredibles 2 (2018)

$1,242,805,359

Another Pixar film that broke the incredible records set before it is Incredibles 2. Released fourteen years after its predecessor, 2004’s The Incredibles, the movie centers on the superhero family, the Incredibles, once again, as they attempt to restore the reputations of the world’s superheroes while also balancing their family lives. Incredibles 2 beat out Toy Story 3 as the highest-grossing Pixar film of all time, and also, became the ninth-highest-grossing film domestically, and the highest-grossing animated film domestically. It also became the top pre-selling animated movie of all time. Luckily, the movie was a success with critics and audiences, who had long-awaited this sequel.

11 Beauty And The Beast (2017)

$1,268,697,483

One niche that Disney has found and stuck to is turning older animated movies into modern, live-action versions, and it turns out, these new movies have been quite successful. 2017’s Beauty and the Beast is a perfect example. Based on the 1991 film of the same name, 2017’s Beauty and the Beast is a live-action retelling of the bookish Belle traveling to the Beast’s castle to free her father, and making a deal to stay with him, soon forming a bond with the monster. Beauty and the Beast may be the most expensive musical ever made, but it also became the highest-grossing live-action musical in just ten days.

Beauty and the Beast

Director

Bill Condon

Release Date

March 17, 2017

Writers

Stephen Chbosky , Evan Spiliotopoulos

Runtime

129 minutes

Budget

$160–255 million

10 Frozen (2013)

$1,274,215,854

One of Disney’s most notable movies in the modern era has to be 2013’s Frozen. The movie tells the story of Anna and Elsa, sisters who are torn apart by Elsa’s ice powers, which she keeps hidden until her coronation, in which she accidentally sets off an eternal winter. Frozen quickly became a pop culture phenomenon among children and adults alike, and has since spawned a highly successful and anticipated franchise. Upon its release, Frozen easily became the highest-grossing movie of 2013, the highest-grossing animated film of all time, and the fifth-highest-grossing movie ever. Many believed Frozen was the start of a second Disney Renaissance, and its box office numbers certainly do not disprove this theory.

Frozen

Director

Chris Buck , Jennifer Lee

Release Date

November 27, 2013

Writers

Jennifer Lee

Cast

Edie McClurg , Kristen Bell , Santino Fontana , Idina Menzel , Robert Pine , Maurice LaMarche , Jonathan Groff , Stephen J. Anderson , Alan Tudyk , Josh Gad , Ciarán Hinds , Chris Williams

Runtime

102 minutes

Budget

$150 million

9 Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi (2017)

$1,331,635,141

Returning to Star Wars, the ninth highest-grossing movie for Disney is Star Wars: The Last Jedi. This is the second movie in the Star Wars prequel series and the eighth of nine installments in the “Skywalker” saga. The Last Jedi was the third Star Wars movie to cross the $1 billion mark at the box office, and thus, became the highest-grossing film of 2017 and the ninth-highest-grossing movie of all time. It was also highly successful with critics as well, earning a 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi

Release Date

December 15, 2017

Cast

Daisy Ridley , Oscar Isaac , Mark Hamill , Carrie Fisher , John Boyega , Adam Driver , Andy Serkis , Lupita Nyong’o , Anthony Daniels , Gwendoline Christie , Kelly Marie Tran , Laura Dern

Runtime

152 Minutes

Budget

$317 million

8 Black Panther (2018)

$1,336,494,320

Although Marvel has been most successful with its ensemble movies, there are a few standalones that have also proven their worth, including 2018’s Black Panther. The movie follows Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa, the crown prince of the highly advanced country of Wakanda, who faces a challenge from an outsider after the death of his father. Black Panther made a splash upon its release, not only because of its unique and fresh story, but also because of its box office earnings. The movie quickly became the highest-grossing solo superhero movie, the third-highest-grossing MCU movie of the time, and the highest-grossing film by an African-American director. Another notable point: Black Panther was the first movie to hold the top spot at the box office for five weekends since James Cameron’s record-breaking Avatar.

Black Panther

Director

Ryan Coogler

Release Date

February 16, 2018

Writers

Joe Robert Cole , Ryan Coogler

Runtime

134 Minutes

Budget

$200 million

7 Avengers: Age Of Ultron (2015)

$1,395,316,979

The movie in the seventh spot as Disney’s highest-grossing movie is 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron. This is the sequel to the record-breaking movie, The Avengers, and ended up earning two sequels, with a third on its way in 2027. In Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Avengers reunite to take down an artifical intelligence created by Tony Stark who wants to bring world peace by extinguishing human life. Most notably, Avengers: Age of Ultron was the third Marvel movie ever to cross the $1 billion mark. After its release, it was also the fifth-highest-grossing movie ever at that time. Although Age of Ultron is not Marvel’s most iconic ensemble film, it certainly has its place among the top.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Release Date

May 1, 2015

Studio(s)

Marvel Studios

Distributor(s)

Disney

Cast

Chris Hemsworth , Clark Gregg , Robert Downey Jr. , Cobie Smulders , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Jeremy Renner , Thomas Kretschmann , Chris Evans , Don Cheadle , Mark Ruffalo , Elizabeth Olsen , Scarlett Johansson , Paul Bettany , Samuel L. Jackson , James Spader

Runtime

141 minutes

Budget

365 million USD

6 Frozen II (2019)

$1,451,653,316

The only Disney animated film to outdo Frozen is its sequel, Frozen II. Released in 2019, the original cast of Frozen, Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, and Jonathan Groff, return to travel into an enchanted forest and discover the origins of Elsa’s ice powers. Aside from being highly anticipated, Frozen II made history for Disney, some of which has remained to this day. As Disney does not consider 2019’s The Lion King to be animated, it labels Frozen II as its highest-grossing animated film ever, and as a result, it is the second-highest-grossing animated film of all time. Frozen II lived up to the expectations set by the first movie, and hopefully, Frozen III can also keep the franchise’s success alive.

Frozen 2

Director

Jennifer Lee , Chris Buck

Release Date

November 22, 2019

Writers

Allison Schroeder

Cast

Sterling K. Brown , Kristen Bell , Santino Fontana , Evan Rachel Wood , Jonathan Groff , Josh Gad , Idina Menzel

Runtime

103 minutes

prequel(s)

Frozen , Frozen Fever

Budget

150 million

5 The Avengers (2012)

$1,515,100,211

The ensemble film that truly started it all for Marvel is 2012’s The Avengers. This is the sixth movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the first to bring together a series of superheroes. In the film, Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Hawkeye, and Black Widow come together to defeat Thor’s brother Loki. At the time of its release, The Avengers was the third-highest-grossing movie of all time, the highest-grossing superhero movie of all time, and the highest-grossing movie released by Disney at that time. It is also the highest-grossing movie of 2012.

The Avengers

Release Date

May 4, 2012

Studio(s)

Marvel

Distributor(s)

Marvel , Disney

Cast

Chris Hemsworth , Mark Ruffalo , Robert Downey Jr. , Scarlett Johansson , Samuel L. Jackson , Stellan Skarsgård , Clark Gregg , Paul Bettany , Cobie Smulders , Tom Hiddleston , Jeremy Renner , gwyneth paltrow , Chris Evans

Runtime

2h 23m

Budget

220 Million

4 The Lion King (2019)

$1,646,106,779

Disney’s fourth highest-grossing movie of all time is 2019’s live-action remake of The Lion King. The movie retells the story of the iconic 1994 film, which follows a young lion who, after his father’s tragic death, must learn to be king, despite his uncle’s nefarious intentions. The Lion King is the second Disney live-action remake that has made a splash at the box office. Not just at its release, but in the current day, The Lion King is considered to be the highest-grossing animated film of all time (though Disney does not consider it animated,) the highest-grossing musical of all time, the highest-grossing remake of all time, and the seventh-highest-grossing movie of all time. In this way, The Lion King remains on top in terms of Disney’s animation.

The Lion King

Release Date

July 19, 2019

Writers

Jeff Nathanson

Cast

James Earl Jones , John Kani , Shahadi Wright Joseph , Eric Andre , Donald Glover , JD McCrary , Alfre Woodard , Chiwetel Ejiofor , Beyoncé , Florence Kasumba , john oliver , Seth Rogen , Keegan-Michael Key , Billy Eichner

Runtime

118 minutes

Franchise(s)

The Lion King

Budget

260 million

3 Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

$2,048,359,754

Disney’s third highest-grossing movie at this time is Avengers: Infinity War. This is the third movie in the Avengers franchise and the 19th movie to appear in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Like its predecessors, Infinity War brought together almost all the MCU’s superheroes, and furthermore, included the iconic villain Thanos, played by Josh Brolin. Upon its release, Avengers: Infinity War became the highest-grossing MCU movie, the highest-grossing superhero film, the highest-grossing film of 2018, and the fourth-highest-grossing movie of all time, many of these which were surpassed by its sequel. However, all in all, it took 11 days for Infinity War to pass the $1 billion mark.

Avengers: Infinity War

Release Date

April 27, 2018

Studio(s)

Marvel

Distributor(s)

Disney

Writers

Stephen McFeely , Christopher Markus

Cast

Chris Hemsworth , Anthony Mackie , Elizabeth Olsen , Robert Downey Jr. , Scarlett Johansson , Mark Ruffalo , Sebastian Stan , Paul Rudd , Chadwick Boseman , Don Cheadle , Samuel L. Jackson , Josh Brolin , Tom Holland , Evangeline Lilly , Paul Bettany , Chris Evans , Jeremy Renner

Runtime

149 minutes

2 Star Wars Ep. VII: The Force Awakens (2015)

$2,064,615,817

The second highest-grossing movie released by Disney is Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Of the several Star Wars movies to surpass $1 billion, the first prequel movie made the most money of all, with over 2 billion dollars. The Force Awakens is the first of three prequel movies, and is the first to introduce the modern era characters, Rey, Poe, Finn, and Kylo Ren. Currently, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the fifth-highest-grossing movie of all time. Furthermore, it was the third movie in history to surpass $2 billion worldwide.

Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens

Release Date

December 17, 2015

Cast

Daisy Ridley , John Boyega , Oscar Isaac , Harrison Ford , Mark Hamill , Carrie Fisher , Adam Driver , Andy Serkis , Lupita Nyong’o , Max Von Sydow , Peter Mayhew , Simon Pegg

Runtime

136 Minutes

Budget

$306–447 million

1 Avengers: Endgame (2019)

$2,788,912,285

The highest-grossing movie that Marvel and Disney has put out at this time is 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. This is the most recent installment in the Avengers movie, and the most successful of the movies included in the MCU. Avengers: Endgame is not only Disney’s highest-grossing release, but is the second highest-grossing movie of all time, only after Avatar was re-released in 2021 in China. Regardless, Avengers: Endgame continues to hold the record for the biggest movie opening of all time, and also, surpassed $1 billion and $2 billion faster than any other movie, at just five days and eleven days respectively. In this way, Avengers: Endgame is not just a win for Disney but for Hollywood as a whole.

Avengers: Endgame

Release Date

April 26, 2019

Writers

Stephen McFeely , Christopher Markus

Cast

Chris Hemsworth , Anthony Mackie , Paul Rudd , Robert Downey Jr. , Scarlett Johansson , Mark Ruffalo , Evangeline Lilly , Sebastian Stan , Josh Brolin , Elizabeth Olsen , Tom Holland , Don Cheadle , Samuel L. Jackson , Bradley Cooper , Karen Gillan , Brie Larson , Paul Bettany , Chris Evans , Jeremy Renner , Chadwick Boseman

Runtime

3 hours, 2 minutes

Budget

356 million USD