Besides epic live-action franchise offerings, the highest-grossing movies worldwide in the first six months of 2024 also include animation works — an increasing trend, especially since the days of the pandemic. And what a year it is turning out for the segment!
Pixar Animation Studios’ Inside Out 2, the first film of 2024 to cross the USD 1-billion mark, is the highest-grossing movie of 2024 as well as the highest-grossing animated movie of all time. Its record-shattering spree dethroned Frozen 2 (2019) from the top spot among animated films that made the most at the worldwide box office.
But catching up is Deadpool & Wolverine, which is on its own record-breaking run at the worldwide box office. It is now among the fastest films to earn USD 1 billion and could possibly go past the haul of Inside Out 2.
Year 2024: Highest-grossing movies that all should watch
Let’s talk about animation first. Among the animation films at the top of the 2024 highest-grossing movies list is Despicable Me 4. And why shouldn’t it, right? Every film in the franchise has been a major theatrical draw, with fans rooting for Gru and the adorable minions as they go on (mis)adventures involving epic villains.
Not only Despicable Me 4, but the animated film Kung Fu Panda 4, too, has maintained its hold among the 10 highest earners at the worldwide box office in 2024. Films such as The Garfield Movie and IF were also previously in the top 10 before franchise instalments outperformed them. This is an indication of the significance that animation films are getting worldwide.
Of course, the usual live-action movies dominate the list and continue to churn the most money among all types of films.
Dune: Part Two was always expected to perform very well at the box office, as it has, with its stellar star cast, masterful direction of Denis Villeneuve, and the success of its previous instalment. The same is the case with Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. The latest instalment in the Monsterverse franchise expectedly did very well at the worldwide box office with fans wanting to see more action of the two titular titans colliding on the screen.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes takes forward the legacy of its franchise not only in terms of box office revenue but also as a story.
But so far only Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine have touched the USD 1-billion mark at the worldwide box office. Analysts believe that Denzel Washington-starrer Gladiator II, which will release later in 2024, could be another addition to the one-billion-dollar club.
The highest-grossing movies worldwide in 2024
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A Quiet Place: Day One
Directed by: Michael Sarnoski
Cast: Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Alex Wolff, Djimon Hounsou
Runtime: 1 hour 39 minutes
IMDb rating: 6.7
Worldwide gross: USD 260,826,155
Synopsis: Sam (Nyong’o) is a terminally ill cancer patient who finds herself in the middle of an extraterrestrial invasion in Manhattan. The alien creatures cannot see but have ultra-sensitive hearing, which makes them kill any living thing that makes even the slightest sound. While Sam tries to find a way out, she is joined by another survivor, Eric (Quinn), who rekindles hope in her.
Trivia: A Quiet Place: Day One is a spin-off prequel to John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place (2018). It is the third film in the overall series. The film received positive reviews from critics, but fans of the franchise gave a mixed verdict.
Twisters
Directed by: Lee Isaac Chung
Cast: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney, Sasha Lane
Runtime: 2 hours 2 minutes
IMDb rating: 6.9
Worldwide gross: USD 311,863,190
Synopsis: Kate Cooper (Edgar-Jones), a former storm-chaser struggling with a tragedy that led to the deaths of her colleagues, returns to the open fields of Oklahoma to study a new technology that scans tornados. She comes across a group of internet-famous storm chasers led by the charming but risk-taking Tyler Owens (Powell). Their groups are trapped when multiple tornados suddenly intensify.
Trivia: Twisters is a standalone sequel to Twister (1996), which starred Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton in the lead roles.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
Directed by: Wes Ball
Cast: Owen Teague, Freya Allan, Kevin Durand, Peter Macon, William H. Macy
Runtime: 2 hours 25 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.2
Worldwide gross: USD 397,357,378
Synopsis: Noa (Teague), a young ape, goes on a journey that aims to build a shared future for the dominant apes and humans, who are forced to live in the shadows. But in his way stands the tyrannical ape leader, Proximus Caesar (Durand).
Trivia: The story of the film is set 300 years after the events of War for the Planet of the Apes (2017). As such, it is a standalone sequel. However, it is the 10th instalment in the overall Planet of the Apes franchise which started with the first film in 1968.
Bad Boys: Ride or Die
Directed by: Adil & Bilall
Cast: Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Núñez, Joe Pantoliano
Runtime: 1 hour 55 minutes
IMDb rating: 7
Worldwide gross: USD 400,106,140
Synopsis: Will Smith as Detectives Mike (Smith) and Marcus (Lawrence) find themselves at the centre of a conspiracy around the death of their former captain, Conrad Howard (Pantoliano). But with both law enforcement and criminals gunning for their heads, the two friends go on the run to prove their innocence as well as that of Howard.
Trivia: Ride or Die is the fourth instalment of the Bad Boys film series, which started with the first film in 1995.
Kung Fu Panda 4
Directed by: Mike Mitchell, Stephanie Stine
Cast: Jack Black, Ian McShane, Dustin Hoffman, James Hong, Bryan Cranston
Runtime: 1 hour 34 minutes
IMDb rating: 6.3
Worldwide gross: USD 545,846,093
Synopsis: Po (Black) is tasked to train a new Dragon Warrior as he has become the Spiritual Leader of the Valley of Peace. While his search is on, he also has to deal with a wicked sorceress named Chameleon (Davis) who can re-summon all the master villains from the spirit realm.
Directed by: Adam Wingard
Cast: Rebecca Hall, Brian Tyree Henry, Dan Stevens, Kaylee Hottle, Alex Ferns, Fala Chen
Runtime: 1 hour 55 minutes
IMDb rating: 6.2
Worldwide gross: USD 567,650,016
Synopsis: Godzilla and Kong battle with a colossal monster with links to the mysterious Skull Island, to protect their future and, as a result, ensure the survival of mankind.
Trivia: The film is a sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong (2021) and the fifth film in the Monsterverse franchise.
Here is an explanation of the ending of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire
Dune: Part Two
Directed by: Denis Villeneuve
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux
Runtime: 2 hours 46 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.6
Worldwide gross: USD 711,844,358
Synopsis: Paul Atreides (Chalamet) leads the Fremen against the powerful House Harkonnen who destroyed his family, House Atreides. But this vengeful quest of his tests his relationship with Chani (Zendaya).
Trivia: The sequel to Dune (2021) completes the two-part adaptation of the 1965 novel of the same name by Frank Herbert.
Despicable Me 4
Directed by: Chris Renaud, Patrick Delage
Voice cast: Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Pierre Coffin, Joey King, Miranda Cosgrove, Sofía Vergara, Will Ferrell
Runtime: 1 hour 35 minutes
IMDb rating: 6.3
Worldwide gross: USD 808,896,690
Synopsis: Gru’s (Carell) family is in danger when his old rival Maxime Le Mal (Ferrell) creates an invention that can turn people into hybrids of cockroaches. Gru must protect his family, but before that he has to help a new neighbour, Poppy Prescott (King), commit a crime.
Trivia: Despicable Me 4 comes seven years after the third instalment in the franchise. It was made on a budget of around USD 100 million and, despite mixed reviews, performed well at the box office.
Deadpool & Wolverine
Directed by: Shawn Levy
Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Aaron Stanford, Matthew Macfadyen
Runtime: 2 hours 8 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.1
Worldwide gross: USD 1,036,025,800
Synopsis: Deadpool (Reynolds) and an alternate universe Wolverine (Jackman) must join forces to save the multiverse from the powerful telekinetic and telepath Cassandra Nova (Corrin).
Trivia: Deadpool & Wolverine holds several opening day records, including the biggest global opening since Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) and the biggest domestic openings ever in the careers of both Reynolds and Jackman. The film features major superhero cameos of several actors who played iconic characters in older non-MCU Marvel movies.
Inside Out 2
Directed by: Kelsey Mann
Voice cast: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan, Maya Hawke, Kensington Tallman, Tony Hale, Liza Lapira, Ayo Edebiri, Lilimar, Grace Lu, Sumayyah Nuriddin-Green, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Paul Walter Hauser
Runtime: 1 hour 36 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.9
Worldwide gross: USD 1,462,769,628
Synopsis: Things are going pretty well for 13-year-old Riley Andersen (Tallman) and her emotions –Joy (Poehler), Sadness (Smith), Anger (Black), Fear (Hale) and Disgust (Lapira). But everyone’s lives change in an unexpected manner the moment Anxiety (Hawke) joins the ‘emotions’ group.
Trivia: The film is a sequel to Inside Out (2015), in which Kaitlyn Dias voiced Riley. The sequel has been on a record-shattering spree since its release. It recorded the biggest second-weekend opening for any animated film at the US domestic box office in history and the seventh-biggest of any film overall. It is also the fastest animated film to cross USD 1 billion at the box office.
(All box office revenue figures are courtesy of Box Office Mojo.)
(Hero image: IMDb; Featured image: Marvel Studios/Courtesy of Marvel Studios – © 2024 20th Century Studios / © and ™ 2024 MARVEL./IMDb)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Animated film 'Inside Out 2' is currently the biggest film of 2024. But there is a possibility that 'Deadpool & Wolverine' or 'Gladiator II' might surpass it by the end of the year.
Telugu-language film 'Kalki 2898' AD, which was also released in Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and English, is the highest-grossing movie in India in 2024.
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Manas Sen Gupta writes at the intersection of tech, entertainment and history. His works have appeared in publications such as The Statesman, Myanmar Matters, Hindustan Times and News18/ETV. In his spare time, Manas loves studying interactive charts and topographic maps. When not doing either, he prefers reading detective fiction. Spring is his favourite season and he can happily eat a bowl of noodles any time of the day.
