Action box office

Action Box Office: Highest-Grossing Action Movies of All Time & 2026 So Far

Avatar (2009) is the highest-grossing action movie in our database, with $2.9B worldwide, ahead of Avengers: Endgame (2019) ($2.8B) and Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) ($2.5B). 5,652 action films report a worldwide gross, $333.6B in all, 38% of it from the US & Canada. 40 films crossed $1 billion and 779 crossed $100 million. In 2026 so far, Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) leads with $2.5B; 72 releases took $6B, down 28% on the same days of 2025 ($8.2B).

action films with a gross: 5,652
combined worldwide, all time: $333.6B
from 2026 releases so far: $6B
vs the same days of 2025: −28%

#1 of 5,652

Highest-grossing action movie ever

Avatar (2009)

2009 · Action, Adventure

$2.9B worldwide

$785.2M US & Canada · 27% $2.1B elsewhere · 73%

All-time records

What Are the 10 Highest-Grossing Action Movies Ever?

Avatar (2009) leads with $2.9B, $124.3M ahead of Avengers: Endgame (2019). The top 10 took $21.7B together, 7% of what all 5,652 films earned. 6 of them came out in 2016 or later.

Full all-time chart

1
Avatar (2009) Dec 18, 2009 · English · Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi $2.9B worldwide

Dec 18, 2009 US and Canada: $785.2M Rest of the world: $2.1B Worldwide: $2.9B
2
Avengers: Endgame (2019) Apr 26, 2019 · English · Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi $2.8B worldwide

Apr 26, 2019 US and Canada: $858.4M Rest of the world: $1.9B Worldwide: $2.8B
3
Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) Jul 31, 2026 · English · Action, Adventure, Fantasy $2.5B worldwide

Jul 31, 2026 US and Canada: $958.8M Rest of the world: $1.6B Worldwide: $2.5B
4
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) Dec 16, 2022 · English · Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi $2.3B worldwide

Dec 16, 2022 US and Canada: $688.5M Rest of the world: $1.7B Worldwide: $2.3B
5
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) Dec 18, 2015 · English · Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi $2.1B worldwide

Dec 18, 2015 US and Canada: $936.7M Rest of the world: $1.1B Worldwide: $2.1B
6
Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Apr 27, 2018 · English · Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi $2.1B worldwide

Apr 27, 2018 US and Canada: $678.8M Rest of the world: $1.4B Worldwide: $2.1B
7
Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021) Dec 17, 2021 · English · Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi $1.9B worldwide

Dec 17, 2021 US and Canada: $814.9M Rest of the world: $1.1B Worldwide: $1.9B
8
Zootopia 2 (2025) Nov 26, 2025 · English · Animation, Action, Adventure $1.9B worldwide

Nov 26, 2025 US and Canada: $428.1M Rest of the world: $1.4B Worldwide: $1.9B
9
Jurassic World (2015) Jun 12, 2015 · English · Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi $1.7B worldwide

Jun 12, 2015 US and Canada: $653.4M Rest of the world: $1B Worldwide: $1.7B
10
The Avengers (2012) May 4, 2012 · English · Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi $1.5B worldwide

May 4, 2012 US and Canada: $623.4M Rest of the world: $897.2M Worldwide: $1.5B

2026 so far

What Are the Biggest Action Hits of 2026 So Far?

Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) leads with $2.5B, 42% of the total. The top 5 together took $3.8B, 64% of what all 72 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

Full 2026 chart

Number 1

$2.5B Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026)
$958.8M US & Canada · 38% $1.6B elsewhere · 62%
Number 2

$385.9M Resident Evil (2026)
$155.6M US & Canada · 40% $230.3M elsewhere · 60%
Number 3

$345.6M Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu (2026)
$177.7M US & Canada · 51% $167.9M elsewhere · 49%
Number 4

$323.9M Moana (2026)
$126.2M US & Canada · 39% $197.6M elsewhere · 61%
Number 5

$247.2M Disclosure Day (2026)
$116.6M US & Canada · 47% $130.6M elsewhere · 53%

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

By release month

Which Month of 2026 Was Best for Action Movies?

July releases took the most, $2.9B from 6 films, led by Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026). October was the quietest month ($1.1M). Each column is a release month and links to that month's chart.

Biggest years

Which Years Had the Highest-Grossing Action Movies?

2017 releases earned the most: $20.6B from 286 films, led by Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017). The 10 biggest years, each linking to its chart.

Year	Films	Worldwide	Biggest film
2017 286 films	286	$20.6B	Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017) $1.3B
2018 274 films	274	$19.7B	Avengers: Infinity War (2018) $2.1B
2015 213 films	213	$16.7B	Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015) $2.1B
2019 278 films	278	$16.5B	Avengers: Endgame (2019) $2.8B
2016 255 films	255	$16.5B	Captain America: Civil War (2016) $1.2B
2014 174 films	174	$16.1B	Transformers: Age Of Extinction (2014) $1.1B
2012 171 films	171	$13.8B	The Avengers (2012) $1.5B
2013 185 films	185	$12.5B	Iron Man 3 (2013) $1.2B
2009 157 films	157	$12.5B	Avatar (2009) $2.9B
2025 171 films	171	$11.9B	Zootopia 2 (2025) $1.9B

By language

Which Languages Do the Biggest Action Movies Speak?

English-language action films took $289.5B across 2,844 films, 87% of the total, ahead of Chinese-language action films ($13.1B) and Japanese-language action films ($8.1B).

English $289.5B
2,844 films · #1 Avatar (2009)
Chinese $13.1B
243 films · #1 Wolf Warrior 2 (2017)
Japanese $8.1B
471 films · #1 Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Infinity Castle (2025)
Korean $4.2B
241 films · #1 Extreme Job (2019)
Hindi $2.8B
293 films · #1 Dangal (2016)
Cantonese $1.7B
128 films · #1 Shock Wave 2 (2020)
French $956.4M
109 films · #1 The Count of Monte-Cristo (2024)
Telugu $891.1M
168 films · #1 Bāhubali 2: The Conclusion (2017)
Russian $601.9M
70 films · #1 Stalingrad (2014)
Spanish $545.3M
80 films

Action Box Office Year by Year

Every year from 1924 to 2026 with its total and its biggest film. 2017 leads with $20.6B, led by Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017).

2020s 7 years · $61.4B

2010s 10 years · $152.6B

2000s 10 years · $73.2B

1990s 10 years · $32.6B

1980s 10 years · $10.7B

1970s 10 years · $2.8B

1960s 10 years · $286.3M

1950s 7 years · $3.2M

1940s 2 years · $2.3M

1930s 2 years · $5.8K

1920s 2 years · $1.8K

Other genres

Compare Action With Another Genre

Action has 5,652 films with a gross and $333.6B in all; each of these 20 genres has the same all-time and yearly charts to compare with.

All genres ranked

FAQ

Action Box Office: Questions & Answers

The Action charts in short: the all-time #1, 2026's leader, the billion-dollar hits and the biggest year, answered from the same 5,652 films as the charts.

What is the highest-grossing action movie of all time?

Avatar (2009) leads with $2.9B worldwide, $785.2M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Avengers: Endgame (2019) ($2.8B) and Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) ($2.5B).

All-time chart

What is the highest-grossing action movie of 2026 so far?

Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026) leads 2026 with $2.5B worldwide, 42% of the $6B that its 72 releases report. Films of this year are still earning, so the order can change.

2026 chart

How much have action movies earned at the box office?

5,652 action films report a worldwide gross, $333.6B in all, or $59M per film on average. $127.8B (38%) came from the US & Canada.

How many action movies have made $1 billion?

40 films crossed $1 billion worldwide, among them Avatar (2009), Avengers: Endgame (2019), Spider-Man: Brand New Day (2026), Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) and Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens (2015). 779 crossed $100 million.

Which year was the biggest for action movies?

2017 releases earned the most: $20.6B from 286 films, led by Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2017).

2017 chart

How are action box office numbers counted?

Films are ranked by lifetime worldwide gross in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation, and grouped by their release date. A gross that looks misattributed, such as one figure shared by two unrelated films, is left out rather than shown as a fact, and so are records that list seven or more genres.