The 50 highest-grossing films of 2025 (and first place will surprise you)

Cinema showed once again in 2025 that it remains far from losing strength. Between long-awaited premieres, major sequels and even nostalgic re-releases, the year was marked by intense competition at the global box office.

The Box Office Mojo website, which monitors cinema box office daily, has a ranking of the films with the highest grossing of the year, and now we can check the 50 titles that raised the most in 2025. Last year’s list is surprising for its diversity and big surprises.

The Top 5, in particular, reflects this moment in the industry well. There is animation, game adaptations, Disney live-action and a Chinese blockbuster that not only led handily, but also reinforced the growing weight of the Asian market on the global stage.

Another curious highlight was the meteoric rise of Avatar: Fire and Ash. Even though it was only released at the end of December, the new chapter in James Cameron’s franchise managed to end the year already in the Top 3, showing that Pandora still exerts an enormous fascination on the world’s big screen audience.

Complete ranking: the 50 highest-grossing films of 2025

Below, check out the complete ranking of the 50 highest-grossing feature films of 2025.

1. Ne Zha 2 — US$2.24 billion
2. Zootopia 2 — US$1.59 billion
3. Avatar: Fire and Ash — US$1.09 billion
4. Lilo & Stitch — US$1.03 billion
5. A Minecraft Movie — US$958.29 million
6. Jurassic World: Fresh Start— US$869.15 million
7. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle — US$720.75 million
8. How to Train your Dragon — US$636.35 million
9. F1: The Movie — US$631.74 million
10. Superman — US$616.82 million
11. Mission Impossible 8 – The Final Hit — US$598.77 million
12. Fantastic Four: Getting Started — US$521.86 million
13. Wicked: Parte 2 — US$518.58 million
14. The Conjuring 4: The Last Ritual — US$494.66 million
15. Captain America: Brave New World — US$415.10 million
16. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (2025 Re-release) — US$382.75 million
17. Thunderbolts* — US$382.44 million
18. Sinners — US$368.29 million
19. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (2025 Re-release) — US$323.91 million
20. Premonition 6: Blood Ties — US$315.95 million
21. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2025 Re-release) — US$292.88 million
22. The Hour of Evil — US$269.07 million
23. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2025 Re-release) — US$264.38 million
24. The Batman (2025 Re-release) — US$252.19 million
25. Bad Guys 2 — US$239.43 million
26. Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 — US$231.66 million
27. Master Trick: The 3rd Act — US$219.14 million
28. Snow White — US$205.68 million
29. One Battle After Another — US$205.27 million
30. An Elf in New York (2025 Re-release) — US$187.08 million
31. Predator: Wildlands — US$184.42 million
32. The Matrix (2025 Re-release) — US$180.39 million
33. Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback — US$166.06 million
34. Chainsaw Man: The Movie – Arco da Reze — US$158.29 million
35. Elio — US$154.29 million
36. An Even Crazier Friday — US$153.18 million
37. Extermination: The Evolution (28 Years Later) — US$151.31 million
38. Dog Man — US$145.60 million
39. Tron: Ares — US$142.25 million
40. Bridget Jones: Boy Crazy — US$140.43 million
41. Ballerina: From the John Wick Universe — US$137.22 million
42. Mickey 17 — US$133.44 million
43. The Black Phone 2 — US$132.20 million
44. Smurfs — US$124.16 million
45. That’s it — US$119.64 million
46. Karate Kid: Legends — US$117.11 million
47. SpongeBob: Finding SquarePants — US$113.19 million
48. Materialistic Loves — US$105.62 million
49. The Accountant 2 — US$103.22 million
50. Downton Abbey: O Grande Final — US$102.78 million

Top 5 box office of 2025 brings animations, games and global phenomena

The big one 2025 champion was Ne Zha 2Chinese animation that surpassed the US$2 billion mark and confirmed the power of animations. Even with timid numbers globally, the film was established in the local market, showing the power of the Chinese market.

Soon afterwards, Zootopia 2 maintained Disney’s strength, heading towards being one of the most profitable animations in Hollywood history. Furthermore, the Top 3 also includes Avatar: Fire and Ashwhich took its breath away in such a short time on display.

Complete the Top 5 Lilo & Stitchin its live-action version, and A Minecraft Movie, which proved that game adaptations still have a lot of room to grow when they manage to dialogue with fans and the general public. Even with questionable script decisions, the film managed to please the community and became a global phenomenon.

Avatar is still a franchise full of strength

The case of Avatar: Fire and Ash also deserves a separate highlight. Released practically at the end of 2025, the film grossed more than US$1 billion in just a few days, securing third place in the annual ranking.

The performance reinforces Disney’s confidence in the franchise and indicates that the next chapters should arrive even stronger. Even though it is three hours long and has a slightly repetitive story, the film stood out for showing the strength of cinemas at the end of the year.

The next Avatar feature film will be released in 2029, when we will know if the franchise will really be able to maintain its pace.

Animes gain space at the box office

Another notable point in the ranking is the consistent presence of anime films. The list of 50 highest-grossing films includes films such as:

• Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – Infinity Castle
• Detective Conan: One-Eyed Flashback
• Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc

The productions appear well positioned in the ranking, showing that the genre is no longer a niche and is now competing on an equal footing with major Hollywood productions. The success even generated jokes and controversies, such as Marlon Wayans saying that he will avoid anime films when launching projects in the future.

Superman surpasses Marvel in 2025

In a year dominated by large franchises, the return of Superman also deserves attention. The feature film marked the beginning of the new DCU in theaters and managed to surpass the box office of recent Marvel releases.

The DC hero’s solid performance put the character ahead of titles such as Captain America: Brave New World and Thunderbolts*, signaling an interesting turn in the clash between the two universes in theaters. Now, attention turns to 2026.

On the Marvel side, the year will have two major releases: Spider-Man 4 and Avengers Doctor Doom, which promise to generate big box office sales. On the DCU side, the year promises with bold bets, including Supergirl and Cara-de-Barro.

Re-releases show the strength of nostalgia

Finally, 2025 was also a year that showed the strength of relaunches. The saga Harry Potter It achieved several films in the ranking, with emphasis on Deathly Hallows – Part 2, The Philosopher’s Stone and The Goblet of Fire.

Classics such as The Batman, The Matrix and even The Goblin in New York proved that nostalgia continues to be a powerful ally at the box office. In 2026, more major films will turn 20 years old, making room for more cinematic re-releases.

Warner has already started work on nostalgia with The Lord of the Rings. The company will re-release the three films from the original trilogy in cinemas from January 22nd, aiming to celebrate 25 years since its debut.

So, what did you think of the 2025 box office leaders? Comment on Minha Série social media! We are in Threads, Instagram, TikTok and even in WhatsApp. Come watch films and series with us!