Top 13 Movie Genres With Over $1bn Gross Profits

This article addresses 13 specific films from various genres that make more money than $1 billion at the box office and others whose earnings fall short of that amount

 

Just as the tide is tossed by the whirl of currents, the movie industry is globally following the trends of people’s wants. This keep-up trend has made the movie industry globally unstable.

 

The industry is constantly experiencing what is called a paradigm shift in its plots, styles and modes based on the demands of its audience. Today, we have fast-paced, action-packed motion pictures.

 

Our future is already beaming to us and what we only see is the emergence of space-alien-robot-dominated movies. The movie industry will once again have a shift. But before that what stood out beyond all these paradigm shifts, was the horror genre which has emerged as a remarkable force, dominating the industry.

 

With franchises like The Conjuring Universe collectively grossing over $2.1 billion worldwide, the horror genre is making a strong case for being the most profitable. Meanwhile, it is not all alone.

 

In recent times, sci-fi movies have stolen everyone’s attention, leading to over $2bn gross profit a year. This too, would soon be demoted by an elevated form of sci-fi that contains the use of aliens, robots and travelling in time.

 

As we go and examine individual films from various genres, the numbers become even more remarkable. This article addresses 13 specific films from various genres that make more money than $1 billion at the box office and others whose earnings fall short of that amount. 

 

1. History

Credit: Imdb

Gone with the Wind (1939), with an adjusted global box office gross of around $4.19 billion, is the most profitable historical film. This makes it the number one movie genre that has the most gross profit. 

 

2. Drama

Credit: Imdb

The most profitable drama movie of all time is Titanic, which grossed over $2.2 billion at the worldwide box office in 1997 and 1998. When factoring in home video and television revenues, Titanic earned over $3 billion, making it one of the highest-grossing films ever.

 

3. Adventure 

Credit: Movies Anywhere

We have at number three, Avatar, the highest-grossing adventure film, having earned over $2.9 billion at the global box office.

 

4. Romance 

Fourth on the list is Titanic the highest-grossing romantic film ever, with $2.19 billion made at the box office.

 

5. Horror 

Credit: Reddit

With eight films that have made over $2.1 billion in box office revenue worldwide, The Conjuring Universe is the most successful horror movie franchise, coming in at number five. Jaws (1975), which earned the equivalent of $1.154 billion in today’s dollars after accounting for inflation, is regarded as the highest-grossing horror film of all time.

 

6. Sci-Fi (Science Fiction)

Credit: Disney plus

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the highest-grossing science fiction film, taking home $936.7 million domestically and earning $1.132 billion worldwide, for a total of almost $2.068 billion. 

 

7. Musical

Credit: Movies Disney

With a global revenue of $1.656 billion, The Lion King (2019) is the highest-grossing musical genre movie

 

8. Action

Credit: Movies under the stars

With $1,515,341,399 in box office receipts worldwide, Furious 7 (2015) holds the record for highest grossing action film.

 

9. Comedy

Credit: Imdb

The highest-grossing comedy film of all time is Barbie (2023), which grossed $1,445,630,472 at the worldwide box office, making it the 14th highest-grossing film overall.

 

10. Animation

Credit: Movies Disney

A few of the animated films with the biggest box office receipts are Frozen II ($1.45 billion). Although The Lion King would have been the first, it doesn’t quite count because there was a live-action remake of the animation. 

 

11. Fantasy

Credit: Imdb

The highest-grossing fantasy film is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, which grossed $1.34 billion worldwide.

 

12. Mystery 

Credit: Imdb

The most profitable Mystery film of all time is The Fate of the Furious (2017) – $1,236,005,118 worldwide

 

13. Thriller

Joaquin Phoenix in Joker (2019)
Credit: Imb

Joker (2019), the most successful thriller film ever made, had an incredibly high return on investment thanks to its $1.074 billion box office receipts while having a relatively modest $70 million budget.

 

The following films are those that fell under the gross profit of 1 billion dollars

 

14. Documentary

Fahrenheit 9/11” (2004) is the highest-grossing documentary, taking in $119,194,771 at the global box office.

 

15. Crime

Credit: Uphe

American Gangster (2007) is the most profitable criminal drama, grossing $266 million worldwide at the box office despite a $100 million budget.

While other genres like action, comedy, and drama have their box office champions, the horror genre stands out for its consistent profitability and enduring appeal. 

Horror is going to be a major force in the film business for a while to come, as long as the industry keeps growing and filmmakers keep pushing the envelope.




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