New Delhi
2022 has been pretty good for movies. While COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the theatrical film business to an extent, studios and filmmakers are no longer delaying projects. Numerous movies, both indie, and big studio products, were released this year, and a lot of them proved to be commercial successes. 2022 proved that theatrical film releases are here to stay, even as streaming releases gained even more popularity. But which films raked in the most money at the worldwide box office? Most of the films were part of a popular franchise, which is sadly nothing new.
Also Read: MCU had a terrible 2022. What went wrong?
So anyway, here is the list of the highest-grossing movies of 2022, in terms of worldwide collections. The list has a reverse order.
10. 'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore'
We might never see the sequel and the franchise might never end, but 'Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore' was a decent success for Warner Bros. The 'Fantastic Beasts' franchise is set in the same world as the 'Harry Potter' movie series. It tells the story of the great conflict between a young Albus Dumbledore (Jude Law) and Grindelwald, who was the most powerful dark wizard the world had ever seen until Voldemort arrived, from the perspective of a young magizoologist Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne). The film grossed $405 million.
9. 'Moon Man'
A Chinese science fiction comedy, 'Moon Man' follows an astronaut who is stranded on the moon after an asteroid destroys all life on earth. It was an adaptation of South Korean illustrator Cho Seok's webcomic series Moon You. 'Moon Man' grossed $460 million.
8. 'The Battle at Lake Changjin II'
A sequel to 2021's 'The Battle at Lake Changjin', which also broke many records at the Chinese box office, The Battle at Lake Changjin II' is based on the Battle of Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War. The film, like its predecessor, has been termed propagand by critics. It grossed $626.5 million.
7. 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever'
The 30th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a sequel to 2019's 'Black Panther', this film was directed by returning director Ryan Coogler and written by Coogler himself with Joe Robert Cole. They had an enviable task of writing a story without Chadwick Boseman, the star of the first film who died in 2020 of colon cancer. The script, centring around him, had to be rewritten and a new Black Panther had to be there, in order to justify the title. Though, the role of T'Challa, the real name of the superhero and the king of Wakanda, was not recast. Letitia Wright, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Dominique Thorne, Florence Kasumba, Michaela Coel, Tenoch Huerta, and others were in the film. It is still in theatres and has grossed $732.9 million.
6. 'Thor: Love and Thunder'
Directed by Taika Waititi, who returned from the third movie, 'Ragnarok', 'Thor: Love and Thunder' had Thor and Portman's Jane Foster, who becomes Mighty Thor and wields Mjolnir, being pitted against Christian Bale's fearsome villain Gorr the God Butcher. Despite mixed reviews, the film grossed $760.9 million.
5. 'The Batman'
Matt Reeves' 'The Batman', starring Robert Pattinson in the lead, is probably the best Batman movie ever about Batman. The film was a reboot of the franchise but wisely stepped away from an origin story -- we have seen that Crime Alley Wayne murders too many times on the screen to be interested now -- but still told the story of a young Caped Crusader coming to terms with his grief-fulled rage and violence. It was also visually stunning with lurid oranges contrasted with drab greys and blacks. It grossed $770.8 million.
4. 'Minions: The Rise of Gru'
'Minions: The Rise of Gru' is the second iteration in the 'Minions' series, which itself is a prequel to the 'Despicable Me' franchise. Steve Carell, Pierre Coffin, Taraji P. Henson, Michelle Yeoh, RZA, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Lucy Lawless, Dolph Lundgren, Danny Trejo, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, and Alan Arkin have lent their voices to the film. It grossed $939.4 million.
3. 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness'
None other than Sam Raimi had agreed to direct a 'Doctor Strange' film after the first film's Scott Derrickson opted out. It was exciting. And in hindsight one wishes Raimi had chosen some other project for his MCU debut. 'Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness' was an utter mess. The premise was delicious, and Raimi at the helm augured good things. Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff or Scarlet Witch was involved, and she looked angry in trailers. The movie revealed her as the main villain, and somebody with the ability to even defeat the Master of Mystic Arts himself. Even mixed reviews did not prevent the film from earning $955.7 million.
2. 'Jurassic World Dominion'
'Jurassic World Dominion' was the conclusion of the 'Jurassic World' trilogy. The film marked the return of the original trio (Sam Neill, Laura Dern, and Jeff Goldblum), from 1993's blockbuster 'Jurassic Park'. It did not receive positive reviews. It, however, became a blockbuster with over $1 billion in box office returns.
1. 'Top Gun: Maverick'
Directed by Joseph Kosinski and written by Ehren Kruger, Eric Warren Singer, and Christopher McQuarrie from a story by Peter Craig and Justin Marks, 'Maverick' was the sequel to the 1986 classic 'Top Gun' and brought back Cruise in the role of Pete "Maverick" Mitchell, who is now a test pilot and flight instructor. Cruise has single-handedly nearly monopolised the action genre with 'Mission: Impossible' movies, and he proved it yet again with 'Maverick'. The film was a non-stop entertainment ride from start to finish. Oh, and it is the highest-grossing movie of 2022, with $1.48 billion in earnings.