#1 of 46 2008 · Action, Adventure
$585.8M worldwide · 19% of the chart's total
Iron Man (2008) is the highest-grossing sci-fi movie released in 2008, with $585.8M worldwide, ahead of WALL-E (2008) at $527.4M and The Incredible Hulk (2008) at $264.8M. 46 sci-fi films released in 2008 report a worldwide gross, $3.2B in all, 42% of it from the US & Canada. 8 films crossed $100 million; none reached $1 billion. That is up 25% on 2007, whose releases took $2.5B. By language, English leads with $3B across 26 sci-fi releases.
#1 of 46 2008 · Action, Adventure
$585.8M worldwide · 19% of the chart's total
Iron Man (2008) leads with $585.8M, 19% of the total. The top 5 together took $1.9B, 59% of what all 46 films earned. Each bar splits a film's gross into the US & Canada and the rest of the world.
Number 1
Number 2
Number 3
Number 4
Number 5 US & Canada (domestic) Rest of the world
Lifetime worldwide grosses in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation; domestic means the US & Canada. Films are grouped by their release date in 2008.
May 2, 2008 US and Canada: $319M Rest of the world: $266.8M Worldwide: $585.8M
Jun 27, 2008 US and Canada: $223.8M Rest of the world: $303.6M Worldwide: $527.4M
Jun 13, 2008 US and Canada: $134.8M Rest of the world: $130M Worldwide: $264.8M
Feb 14, 2008 US and Canada: $80.2M Rest of the world: $145M Worldwide: $225.1M
Jan 18, 2008 US and Canada: $80M Rest of the world: $92.3M Worldwide: $172.4M
Jun 13, 2008 US and Canada: $64.5M Rest of the world: $98.9M Worldwide: $163.4M
Aug 22, 2008 US and Canada: $36.3M Rest of the world: $39.7M Worldwide: $76M
Aug 29, 2008 US and Canada: $22.5M Rest of the world: $49.6M Worldwide: $72.1M
Mar 28, 2008 US and Canada: $25.9M Rest of the world: $45.7M Worldwide: $71.6M
Jul 18, 2008 US and Canada: $30.1M Rest of the world: $35M Worldwide: $65.1M
Jul 11, 2008 US and Canada: $11.8M Rest of the world: $39.5M Worldwide: $51.3M
Mar 7, 2008 US and Canada: $207.4K Rest of the world: $49.3M Worldwide: $49.5M
Oct 10, 2008 US and Canada: $31.7M Rest of the world: $9.6M Worldwide: $41.3M
Mar 14, 2008 US and Canada: $11M Rest of the world: $11.5M Worldwide: $22.5M
Dec 5, 2008 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $22.2M
Oct 10, 2008 US and Canada: $7.9M Rest of the world: $10.1M Worldwide: $17.9M
Sep 13, 2008 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $8.3M
May 31, 2008 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $7.2M
Aug 2, 2008 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $5.8M
Feb 15, 2008 US and Canada: $959K Rest of the world: $4.6M Worldwide: $5.5M
May 12, 2008 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $2.3M
Feb 22, 2008 US and Canada: $251.2K Rest of the world: $789.2K Worldwide: $1M
Dec 11, 2008 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $945.8K
Oct 2, 2008 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $783.5K
Dec 12, 2008 US and Canada: $39.1K Rest of the world: $514.1K Worldwide: $553.2K
Jul 12, 2008 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $489.8K
Jan 2, 2008 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $476.9K
Nov 7, 2008 US and Canada: $146.8K Rest of the world: $41.4K Worldwide: $188.1K
Oct 9, 2008 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $176.6K
May 22, 2008 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $151.8K
Oct 31, 2008 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $74.4K
Apr 7, 2008 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $30.8K
Jun 18, 2008 US and Canada: – Rest of the world: – Worldwide: $25.8K
Jun 9, 2008 US and Canada: $4.1K Rest of the world: Worldwide: $4.1K Of the top 10, Iron Man (2008) earned the biggest share at home (54% in the US & Canada), while Babylon A.D. (2008) made 69% of its gross abroad. Across all 46 films, $1.3B (42%) came from the US & Canada.
8 of 46 films crossed $100M and took $2.4B between them, 77% of the total. 24 films, 52% of the list, earned under $10M.
June releases took the most, $955.6M from 5 films, led by WALL-E (2008). November was the quietest month ($188.1K). Each column is a release month and links to that month's chart.
Of these 10 years, 2003 earned the most: $3.4B from 34 films, led by The Matrix Reloaded (2003). 2008 took $3.2B.
| Year | Films | Worldwide | Change | Biggest film |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 25 films | 25 | $2.3B | – | Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) $1B |
| 2000 20 films · −42% | 20 | $1.3B | −42% | X-Men (2000) $296.3M |
| 2001 27 films · +72% | 27 | $2.3B | +72% | The Mummy Returns (2001) $443.3M |
| 2002 43 films · +32% | 43 | $3B | +32% | Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) $653.8M |
| 2003 34 films · +12% | 34 | $3.4B | +12% | The Matrix Reloaded (2003) $741.8M |
| 2004 33 films · −27% | 33 | $2.5B | −27% | Spider-Man 2 (2004) $784.6M |
| 2005 37 films · +33% | 37 | $3.3B | +33% | Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) $905.6M |
| 2006 40 films · −52% | 40 | $1.6B | −52% | X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) $460.4M |
| 2007 37 films · +59% | 37 | $2.5B | +59% | Transformers (2007) $709.7M |
| 2008 46 films · +25% | 46 | $3.2B | +25% | Iron Man (2008) $585.8M |
English-language sci-fi films took $3B across 26 films, 95% of the total, ahead of Japanese-language sci-fi films ($96.5M) and Chinese-language sci-fi films ($51.8M).
Every year from 1933 to 2026 with its total and its biggest film. 2018 leads with $15.1B, led by Avengers: Infinity War (2018).
The chart's numbers in short: the #1 film, the total, the billion-dollar hits and the US & Canada share, answered from the same 46 films as the chart.
Iron Man (2008) leads with $585.8M worldwide, $319M of it in the US & Canada. Next come WALL-E (2008) at $527.4M and The Incredible Hulk (2008) at $264.8M.
46 sci-fi films released in 2008 report a worldwide gross, $3.2B in all, or $68.5M per film on average. 2007 releases took $2.5B.
None. 8 films crossed $100 million, led by Iron Man (2008) with $585.8M.
Films are ranked by lifetime worldwide gross in US dollars, not adjusted for inflation, and grouped by their release date in 2008. The figures are the reported box office grosses in our database. A gross that looks misattributed, such as one figure shared by two unrelated films or a blockbuster total on an obscure title, is left out rather than shown as a fact.
Grosses change while films are in theaters and whenever a new figure is reported; this chart reads the latest numbers in our database, so an older film can still move after a re-release.