The biggest movies of 2020 by box-office
Even before COVID-19 happened, 2020 was never going to match the record-breaking box office heights of 2019, where nine movies hit $1 billion and Avengers: Endgame became the biggest movie of all time.
However, nobody could have predicted the drop in box office that has resulted from major blockbusters being delayed, following cinemas worldwide having to close and audience restrictions placed on them once reopened (as well as some subsequent closures again).
Wonder Woman 1984 is finally coming out at Christmas, but with cinemas still closed in major markets, it's not set to be as much of a box-office hit as the first movie, especially as it's coming straight to HBO Max as well in the US.
Instead, cinemas have had to rely on unexpected movies to bring in the box-office bucks this year and at least we had some hits earlier in 2020, so here are the top 20 highest-grossing movies released this year.
(The data refers to worldwide box-office takings, and is from Box Office Mojo and The Numbers, accurate as to December 15. We're only considering movies first released in 2020, unless they had a staggered release like Parasite.)
20. Fantasy Island
Supernatural horror.
US: $27,309,289
International: $27,045,584
Overall: $54,354,873
19. Mulan
Live-action adaptation.
US: N/A
International: $69,951,770
Overall: $69,951,770
18. Love You Forever
Chinese time-travel romance.
US: N/A
International: $73,692,536
Overall: $73,692,536
17. The Croods: A New Age
Animated sequel.
US: $24,310,640
International: $52,321,000
Overall: $76,631,640
16. Caught In Time
Chinese crime thriller.
US: N/A
International: $80,620,075
Overall: $80,620,075
15. Parasite
Oscar-winning Korean satirical drama.
US (in 2020): $30,736,060 (of $53,369,745)
International (in 2020): $69,063,327 (of $204,187,237)
Overall (in 2020): $99,799,387 (of $257,556,986)
14. The Call of the Wild
Adaptation of the dog-centred novel.
US: $62,342,368
International: $48,596,661
Overall: $110,939,029
13. Leap
Sports biopic about the Chinese women's volleyball team.
US: $83,074
International: $128,630,658
Overall: $128,713,732
12. Onward
Pixar animation.
US: $61,555,145
International: $80,033,650
Overall: $141,588,795
11. The Invisible Man
Horror update of the classic story.
US: $70,410,000
International: $73,535,040
Overall: $143,945,040
10. Sacrifice
Chinese war movie set during the Korean War.
US: N/A
International: $171,077,608
Overall: $171,077,608
9. Birds of Prey
Supervillain spin-off for Harley Quinn and her gang.
US: $84,158,461
International: $117,700,000
Overall: $201,858,461
8. Jiang Ziya
Chinese animated sequel to 2019 hit Ne Zha.
US: $214,670
International: $243,646,789
Overall: $243,861,459
7. Dolittle
Remake of the classic about a man who speaks to the animals.
US: $77,047,065
International: $173,634,115
Overall: $250,681,180
6. Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train
Big-screen sequel to Japanese manga series.
US: N/A
International: $280,694,964
Overall: $280,694,964
5. Sonic the Hedgehog
Videogame adaptation with the speedy blue fuzzball.
US: $146,066,470
International: $164,455,991
Overall: $310,522,461
4. Tenet
Christopher Nolan's cerebral, time-bending thriller.
US: $57,800,000
International: $303,600,000
Overall: $361,400,000
3. Bad Boys for Life
Belated action sequel.
US: $206,305,244
International: $220,200,000
Overall: $426,505,244
2. My People, My Homeland
Chinese drama anthology made up of five stories.
US: N/A
International: $432,068,307
Overall: $432,068,307
1. The Eight Hundred
Chinese historical war epic.
US: $372,755
International: $472,438,230
Overall: $472,810,985
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