This film made millions of hesitant fans to come out of their homes and enjoy the latest extravaganza put together by Marvel Studios and Sony. It has proven to be an absolute juggernaut, obliterating new releases in its domestic market North America after more than a month of its release. For instance, it outperformed the new Scream movie last weekend.

Bringing back Tom Holland as the titular webslinger, the film also features the last two live-action Spidey actors, Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield, who reprise their versions of the superhero.

The story explored the concept of the multiverse, and addressed the fallout of Spider-Man’s real identity getting exposed to the world by JK Simmons’ J Jonah Jameson in Far From Home, the last film in the franchise. To make everybody forget he is Spidey, Peter Parker requests Doctor Strange to perform an arcane ritual, but his repeated interference messes it up, ripping the multiverse open. Supervillains from previous Spidey film franchises, like Alfred Molina’s Doc Ock and Willem Dafoe’s Green Goblin, cross over to the MCU to face the three Spider-Men.

Here’s the current ranking of highest grossing movies worldwide:

10. Furious 7 (2015): $1.515 billion

This James Wan directorial had a troubled production due to untimely death of Paul Walker, who died while filming. But it anyway overcame hurdles to become the biggest Fast and Furious movie ever, in terms of ticket receipts. The film starred Vin Diesel, Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Jordana Brewster, Djimon Hounsou, Kurt Russell, and Jason Statham.

9. The Avengers (2012): 1.518 billion

The Avengers was the first truly revolutionary superhero film. It was for the first time a film brought together so many superheroes together in live-action. It was a treat for comic-book fans and delivered on all expectations. The film had loads of action, fun, humour and a smart, slimy villain in Loki. Most of all, the film had an intelligible plot with a solid reason to bring multiple superheroes together to form a team.

8. The Lion King (2019): $1.662 billion

From an artistic point of view, we can certainly decry Disney’s repeated attempts to ruin (as per many) the original animated classics by remaking them in live-action and stunning photorealistic and detailed CGI. But for the most part, money-wise, these experiments by House of Mouse have been successful. A remake of the 1994 animated classic which tells the story of a young lion, it was recreated in 3D unlike the 2D style of the original. James Earl Jones reprised his original role as Mufasa. While Donald Glover voiced Simba, Chiwetel Ejiofor lent his voice to the villainous Scar. Seth Rogen, Alfre Woodard, Billy Eichner, John Kani, John Oliver and Beyoncé also voiced different characters. Despite mixed reviews (52 per cent on Rotten Tomatoes), the film ended its box office journey at $1.65 billion.

7. Jurassic World (2015): $1.670 billion

Cashing in on to the newfound popularity of the face of Chris Pratt (who appears to be ubiquitous now) as his fame had skyrocketed a year earlier with 2014’s Guardians of the Galaxy, and featuring truly brilliant CGI, the film braved a recycled story and uneven acting to break multiple box office records.

6. Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021): $1.691 billion

A still from Spider-Man: No Way Home. (Photo: Sony Pictures)

The newest Marvel big screen sensation has already been described above.

5. Avengers: Infinity War (2018): $2.048 billion

Avengers: Infinity War was full of entertaining little parts that somehow did not make a compelling whole. It was a phantasmagoria of stunning action sequences and beautifully poignant moments that nevertheless left one cold in the end. However, just looking at more than two dozen superheroes battling it out for the fate of the universe was enough to make it one of the highest-grossing movies ever.

4. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015): $2.069 billion

Just one of countless efforts to renew old successful film franchises on part of the studios instead of creating new good ones, The Force Awakens may have seemed like a lazy retread of the original Star Wars to many, fans adored it.

3. Titanic (1997): $2.201 billion

More and more, this James Cameron continues to amaze by its success. There is something to be said about Cameron’s filmmaking, but even more impressive is his ability to market and promote his films that lures moviegoers in hordes.

2. Avengers: Endgame (2019): $2.797 billion

To be fair, Endgame defeated Avatar, but it was latter’s rerelease that dethroned Endgame. It was as if the potential of Infinity War was finally realised in Endgame. A supreme achievement and an epic conclusion to more than a decade worth of storytelling, Avengers: Endgame was more than just a movie. It was an experience, and an enthralling, emotional, indescribably satisfying one at that.

1. Avatar (2009): $2.847 billion

Such a sum is quite unbelievable for a movie that many thought was mediocre. Perhaps Cameron factor cannot be denied. The film flipped the traditional alien invasion premise of most films involving extraterrestrials. Instead of aliens invading earth, the humans invaded Pandora, a moon of the gas giant Polyphemus, populated by a race of humanoids called Na’Vi, a peace and nature-loving, blue-hued species with feline-ish eyes, to mine the valuable mineral called Unobtanium.