It’s hard to rank the biggest box office movies of 2020 without an asterisk. While the year’s blockbusters like "Mulan" and "Soul" entertained families stuck at home, and Christopher Nolan captured the news with "Tenet," the biggest movies in terms of raw gross may come as a surprise.
With movie theaters opening and closing constantly, and streaming platforms making a major push with releases of their own, it’s no surprise it’s been a rollercoaster for the film industry.
According to Box Office Mojo, here are the top-grossing movies of 2020.
The Call of the Wild — Gross: $62,342,368
Harrison Ford starred in this new adaption of the classic Jack London novel from 1903. The film follows a dog named Buck who befriends an old outdoorsman (played by Ford) in the Yukon and features a mix of live-action acting and CGI animation for the animals depicted.
The Invisible Man — Gross: $64,914,050
Loosely based on the original H. G. Wells story of the same name, "The Invisible Man" follows Elisabeth Moss as she battles an unseen ex-boyfriend. Through much of the film Moss holds down the screen against empty air. Talk about acting chops. The Australian-American stalker flick squeezed into theaters in late February.
Dolittle — Gross: $77,047,065
"Dolittle" helped families start the year right in January. Robert Downey Jr. took over the role of Doctor Dolittle, previously played by Eddie Murphy and Rex Harrison. The plot mostly follows the second Dolittle book by Hugh Lofting, The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle, bringing lots of animal characters to the screen with famous voice actors behind them, including Emma Thompson, Rami Malek, John Cena, Octavia Spencer, and Kumail Nanjiani.
After We Collided — Gross: $82,386,475
This youthful romcom didn’t win over many critics, but it hauled in loads of rentals on video streaming services when it debuted in October, along with a limited worldwide theatrical release. Both this film and it’s 2019 predecessor, "After," were based on the “new adult” novels by Anna Todd.
Birds of Prey — Gross: $84,158,461
Technically the full title is "Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)," which gives you a hint as to the tongue-in-cheek female-empowerment comic book thrill ride. The movie inspired high expectations, as Margot Robbie both reprised her role as Harley Quinn (from 2016’s “Suicide Squad”) and produced the film, but ultimately limped into the box office, causing the studio to rename the movie "Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey" to make things a little clearer.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker — Gross: $124,496,308
As the third-highest grossing movie of 2019, the ninth "Star Wars" film in the primary franchise remained strong into 2020, when movie watchers were more than happy to imagine themselves in a galaxy far, far away. It cleared an extra 100 million in leftovers, making it another incredibly profitable movie for Disney.
Jumanji: The Next Level — Gross: $124,736,710
Here’s a formula for success. Take all the stars from the 2017 box office winner "Jumanji," drop them back into an adventure video game, add a few new stars like Awkwafina and Danny DeVito, stir and release. Released late in 2019 in time for the holidays, the "Jumanji" sequel did well into the new year.
Sonic the Hedgehog — Gross: $146,066,470
The initial trailers for the Sonic movie adaptation raise a lot of ire on the internet. The title character just didn’t look right. But after an animation overhaul, the reconceived Sonic won praise among fans. After a release on Valentine’s Day (nothing more romantic than a blue hedgehog), the film grossed enough to earn the bronze metal for the year.
1917 — Gross: $157,901,466
This 2019 film was already well-loved by both ticket buyers and critics. It earned a ton of nominations at the Oscars, and clinched a few awards, including one for cinematography for Roger Deakins. Even if it didn’t sweep the awards as initially expected, it did earn top dollar over 2020.
Bad Boys for Life — Gross: $204,417,855
From the outset of 2020, "Bad Boys" was the film to beat at the box office. Despite the title of the film, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence can do no wrong, grossing 200 million in the threequel of the "Bad Boys" franchise.
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