Drama box office

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

Ne Zha 2 (2025) is the highest-grossing drama movie in our database, with $2.3B worldwide, ahead of Titanic (1997) ($2.3B) and The Odyssey (2026) ($1.8B). 21,189 drama films report a worldwide gross, $298.4B in all, 42% of it from the US & Canada. 12 films crossed $1 billion and 674 crossed $100 million. In 2026 so far, The Odyssey (2026) leads with $1.8B; 185 releases took $8B, up 18% on the same days of 2025 ($6.8B).

drama films with a gross: 21,189
combined worldwide, all time: $298.4B
from 2026 releases so far: $8B
vs the same days of 2025: +18%

#1 of 21,189

Highest-grossing drama movie ever

Ne Zha 2 (2025)

2025 · Animation, Drama

$2.3B worldwide

$23.3M US & Canada · 1% $2.2B elsewhere · 99%

All-time records

What Are the 10 Highest-Grossing Drama Movies Ever?

Ne Zha 2 (2025) leads with $2.3B, $5.9M ahead of Titanic (1997). The top 10 took $15.8B together, 5% of what all 21,189 films earned. 8 of them came out in 2016 or later.

Full all-time chart

1
Ne Zha 2 (2025) Feb 14, 2025 · Chinese · Animation, Drama, Fantasy $2.3B worldwide

Feb 14, 2025 US and Canada: $23.3M Rest of the world: $2.2B Worldwide: $2.3B
2
Titanic (1997) Dec 19, 1997 · English · Drama, Romance $2.3B worldwide

Dec 19, 1997 US and Canada: $674.4M Rest of the world: $1.6B Worldwide: $2.3B
3
The Odyssey (2026) Jul 17, 2026 · English · Adventure, Drama, Fantasy $1.8B worldwide

Jul 17, 2026 US and Canada: $625.6M Rest of the world: $1.2B Worldwide: $1.8B
4
Inside Out 2 (2024) Jun 14, 2024 · English · Animation, Adventure, Comedy $1.7B worldwide

Jun 14, 2024 US and Canada: $653M Rest of the world: $1B Worldwide: $1.7B
5
The Lion King (2019) Jul 19, 2019 · English · Adventure, Drama, Comedy $1.7B worldwide

Jul 19, 2019 US and Canada: $543.6M Rest of the world: $1.1B Worldwide: $1.7B
6
Barbie (2023) Jul 21, 2023 · English · Adventure, Drama, Fantasy $1.4B worldwide

Jul 21, 2023 US and Canada: $636.2M Rest of the world: $810.9M Worldwide: $1.4B
7
Black Panther (2018) Feb 16, 2018 · English · Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi $1.3B worldwide

Feb 16, 2018 US and Canada: $700.4M Rest of the world: $649.5M Worldwide: $1.3B
8
Toy Story 5 (2026) Jun 19, 2026 · English · Animation, Adventure, Comedy $1.1B worldwide

Jun 19, 2026 US and Canada: $480.3M Rest of the world: $668.8M Worldwide: $1.1B
9
The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Jul 20, 2012 · English · Action, Adventure, Drama $1.1B worldwide

Jul 20, 2012 US and Canada: $448.1M Rest of the world: $666.8M Worldwide: $1.1B
10
Joker (2019) Oct 3, 2019 · English · Action, Adventure, Drama $1.1B worldwide

Oct 3, 2019 US and Canada: $335.5M Rest of the world: $743.5M Worldwide: $1.1B

2026 so far

What Are the Biggest Drama Hits of 2026 So Far?

The Odyssey (2026) leads with $1.8B, 23% of the total. The top 5 together took $5.4B, 67% of what all 185 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.

Full 2026 chart

Number 1

$1.8B The Odyssey (2026)
$625.6M US & Canada · 35% $1.2B elsewhere · 65%
Number 2

$1.1B Toy Story 5 (2026)
$480.3M US & Canada · 42% $668.8M elsewhere · 58%
Number 3

$1B Michael (2026)
$372.3M US & Canada · 36% $656.4M elsewhere · 64%
Number 4

$693.5M The Devil Wears Prada 2 (2026)
$220.6M US & Canada · 32% $472.9M elsewhere · 68%
Number 5

$684.5M Project Hail Mary (2026)
$344.1M US & Canada · 50% $340.4M elsewhere · 50%

US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world

By release month

Which Month of 2026 Was Best for Drama Movies?

July releases took the most, $1.8B from 11 films, led by The Odyssey (2026). August was the quietest month ($106.8M). Each column is a release month and links to that month's chart.

Biggest years

Which Years Had the Highest-Grossing Drama Movies?

2019 releases earned the most: $13.9B from 1,161 films, led by The Lion King (2019). The 10 biggest years, each linking to its chart.

Year	Films	Worldwide	Biggest film
2019 1,161 films	1,161	$13.9B	The Lion King (2019) $1.7B
2018 1,016 films	1,016	$12.7B	Black Panther (2018) $1.3B
2017 963 films	963	$12.5B	Wolf Warrior 2 (2017) $870.3M
2013 668 films	668	$12.1B	The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013) $959.1M
2012 646 films	646	$12B	The Dark Knight Rises (2012) $1.1B
2015 822 films	822	$11.6B	Inside Out (2015) $859.1M
2016 862 films	862	$11.1B	The Jungle Book (2016) $967.7M
2023 886 films	886	$11B	Barbie (2023) $1.4B
2008 694 films	694	$10.6B	The Dark Knight (2008) $1B
2014 717 films	717	$10.3B	The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014) $759.2M

By language

Which Languages Do the Biggest Drama Movies Speak?

English-language drama films took $225.8B across 9,186 films, 76% of the total, ahead of Chinese-language drama films ($22B) and Japanese-language drama films ($9.2B).

English $225.8B
9,186 films · #1 Titanic (1997)
Chinese $22B
619 films · #1 Ne Zha 2 (2025)
Japanese $9.2B
906 films · #1 Your Name. (2017)
Korean $6B
711 films · #1 Parasite (2019)
French $5.4B
1,645 films · #1 The Intouchables (2012)
Hindi $4.4B
660 films · #1 Dangal (2016)
Spanish $3B
1,179 films
German $1.4B
548 films · #1 Downfall (2005)
Italian $1.2B
555 films · #1 Tolo Tolo (2020)
Russian $966.7M
372 films · #1 Three Seconds (2017)

Drama Box Office Year by Year

Every year from 1919 to 2026 with its total and its biggest film. 2019 leads with $13.9B, led by The Lion King (2019).

2020s 7 years · $50.1B

2010s 10 years · $113.6B

2000s 10 years · $70.7B

1990s 10 years · $42.3B

1980s 10 years · $14.2B

1970s 10 years · $5B

1960s 10 years · $865.1M

1950s 10 years · $438.7M

1940s 10 years · $775.9M

1930s 10 years · $2.8M

1920s 8 years · $10.4M

1910s 1 year · $160

1919 $160 #1 The Sentimental Bloke (1919)

Other genres

Compare Drama With Another Genre

Drama has 21,189 films with a gross and $298.4B in all; each of these 20 genres has the same all-time and yearly charts to compare with.

All genres ranked

FAQ

Drama Box Office: Questions & Answers

The Drama charts in short: the all-time #1, 2026's leader, the billion-dollar hits and the biggest year, answered from the same 21,189 films as the charts.

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

Ne Zha 2 (2025) leads with $2.3B worldwide, $23.3M of it in the US & Canada. Next come Titanic (1997) ($2.3B) and The Odyssey (2026) ($1.8B).

All-time chart

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

The Odyssey (2026) leads 2026 with $1.8B worldwide, 23% of the $8B that its 185 releases report. Films of this year are still earning, so the order can change.

2026 chart

How much have drama movies earned at the box office?

21,189 drama films report a worldwide gross, $298.4B in all, or $14.1M per film on average. $126.2B (42%) came from the US & Canada.

How many drama movies have made $1 billion?

12 films crossed $1 billion worldwide, among them Ne Zha 2 (2025), Titanic (1997), The Odyssey (2026), Inside Out 2 (2024) and The Lion King (2019). 674 crossed $100 million.

Which year was the biggest for drama movies?

2019 releases earned the most: $13.9B from 1,161 films, led by The Lion King (2019).

2019 chart

How are drama 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.