While nothing in life is guaranteed, thebox officecan be a little more predictable, with several upcoming titles almost certain to make hundreds of millions of dollars on release. The box office earnings for films is one statistic that gives a general overview of how well theaters and cinema are performing. New releases arrive in theaters, and the earnings that they bring in are totaled up to get an idea of how well a movie is performing.
Now, there are obvious variables, such as the cost to make and market films, which could lead to a movie that earns $200 million still being a flop and a financial loss for studios, while a different $100 million-dollar film could be a huge success. However,we are discussing thereal box office blockbustersthat earn hundreds of millions,and the budget consideration is less of a concern here, as it stands to show how widespread and popular a movie is.
Jurassic World Rebirth
Cast
Jurassic World Rebirth, set five years after Jurassic World Dominion, sees covert operations expert Zora Bennett guiding a team to obtain dinosaur genetic material. Their mission collides with a stranded family on a perilous island, uncovering a long-buried secret.
First up,Jurassic World Rebirth. TheJurassic Parkfranchise has been one of the most remarkable and profitable in cinematic history.The first film, since being released in 1993, earned just shy of a billion dollars upon its initial release (viaBox Office Mojo), and with several re-releases down the years, the film has now exceeded $1.1 billion.
But looking at the franchise as a whole,Jurassic Parkhas performed extremely well, with four of the six movies earning more than a billion dollars each (viaThe Numbers). Jurassic World Rebirth is evidently in good company, but it does have the misfortune of following a downward trend with the last three movies earning less each time. Despite this, if the movie gets anywhere close to the last movie in the series,Jurassic World: Dominion, it’s still looking at close to a billion dollars at the box office.
The Fantastic Four: First Steps
The Fantastic 4: First Steps features Marvel’s First Family navigating their dual roles as superheroes and family members in a 1960s-inspired, retro-futuristic world. They defend Earth from a formidable space god, Galactus, and his enigmatic Herald, Silver Surfer, testing their familial bonds and heroic resolve.
Next up, Marvel has had some serious ups and downs in recent years.While the mega-franchise had an epic run with hit after hit earning a billion, and sometimes nearly $3 billion, the Multiverse Saga has been less reliable. Despite this, the most hotly anticipated movies in the lineup have managed to earn over a billion dollars. This includesDeadpool & Wolverine, andSpider-Man: No Way Home(viaThe Numbers).
WhileThe Fantastic Four: First Stepstechnically highlights new heroes in the MCU, it is being set up to be a pivotal point in the series that introduces Marvel’s First Family, and could even provide the first official look atRobert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom. As a result, it appears that this movie will certainly be raking in hundreds of millions, if not crossing that billion dollar threshold.
Superman
Superman (2025): Superman follows the dual life of Clark Kent, a journalist in Metropolis, as he endeavors to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing. Set against a backdrop of personal discovery, the film explores his journey of identity as he navigates his existence in a complex world.
Now, the DCU is a little more precarious. Over the run of the DCEU, the predecessor to Warner Bros.’s new dedicated DC Studios franchise, DC’s superhero movies were in rough shape. However, with the DCEU now laid to rest, James Gunn taking the helm to create a cohesive and singular vision for his shared comic book universe, andSuperman appearing as the first hero who will set the tone for this franchise,Supermanhas a high chance of being a major box office hit.
This is also bolstered by the fact that Superman is likely the most popular superhero ever made.In previous releases, Superman has proven to be a character that fans around the world resonate with, and seeing a new version come to the big screen in 2025 is an event that is not to be missed. With so much riding on this movie, it needs to be a hit, butSupermanis more than capable of making those dreams into a reality.
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Avatar: Fire and Ash is a 2025 science fiction film continuing the saga of Pandora. Jake Sully and Neytiri confront a formidable new enemy, the Ash People, led by Varang. Struggling with personal loss and external threats, they strive to protect their family and Pandora’s future.
James Cameron is a visionary filmmaker.Over the years, he has single-handedly directed and created the highest-grossing movies of all time.Not some of, and not the top five, but literally the highest-grossing movies ever made. In 1997, when he releasedTitanic, it wasn’t long before the movie became the highest-grossing film ever made, and it remained at the top for more than a decade. Then, in 2009, Titanic was knocked off the top spot by a new release.
The third entry in the series is likely to earn a little less than the sequel.
Fortunately, thismovie was also made by James Cameron.Avatarthen held onto its spot at the top of the box office for another 10 years, untilAvengers: Endgamenarrowly beat it out. But with a cheeky re-release ahead of the sequel,Avatarregained the number one position and is dangerously close to being the first movie ever made to gross $3 billion. Now, the third entry in the series is likely to earn a little less than the sequel, in line with this trend (viaThe Numbers), but that still places it in the high $2 billion range.
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning
Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning follows Ethan Hunt and his team as they pursue a formidable AI called the Entity that has compromised global intelligence networks. With new allies and a haunting figure from Hunt’s past in pursuit, they must act quickly to avert a global catastrophe.
Tom Cruise is one of the highest-grossing actors of all time.In terms of how much his movies make, it’s nearly always hundreds of millions. And recently, when the long-awaited sequel toTop Guncame out, it managed to bank nearly $1.5 billion (viaBox Office Mojo). As a result, he is an undeniable action star who adds enormous weight to movies.
And in 2025, his long-running, beloved franchise,Mission Impossible, is coming to an end withMission Impossible - The Final Reckoning. The film has the biggest budget of the series (viaThe Numbers), but it also marks a milestone in Cruise’s career, and promises to feature some of the deadliest, most death-defying, and intense stunts ever brought to the big screen.The result is a movie that is nearly guaranteed to rake in hundreds of millions of dollars.
Zootopia 2
Zootopia 2 follows detectives Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde as they embark on a complex investigation involving a mysterious reptile that disrupts the dynamics of the mammal metropolis of Zootopia. The sequel continues the adventures in this vibrant animal society where new challenges and enigmas arise.
Disney is one of the most successful production studios in the world.And ever since the company began, they have included animated films as a staple in their release schedule. Well, while they have dozens of popular series' and solo films, there are a rare few that rack up billions of dollars, butZootopiawas one of them (viaBox Office Mojo).
The film earned a healthy chunk of money in 2016 when it first released, and as has been the case with several of Disney’s animated franchises, the sequels often see larger returns at the box office than the originals.This is in spite of the long wait for a sequel, and it appears almost certain that thelatestZootopiamovie will come closeto or exceed the original.
Wicked: For Good
Wicked: For Good concludes the two-part film adaptation of the acclaimed Broadway musical.
It’s not always as straightforward to calculate what trend will occur for live-action films.Some franchises see their profits expand with each sequel, and some start to dip. However, whatever happens with the sequel to John M. Chu’s incredible stage-to-screen adaptation of Wicked is likely to sit in the region of above $500 million.
The first part was released in 2024, and it managed to earn in excess of $750 million (viaBox Office Mojo).This, paired with spectacular positive reviews, does lead to the film potentially expanding its audience and fanbase in the period between the first and second release, which may result in the sequel exceeding the original. The film also won’t be competing for space withGladiator 2, which managed to pull in nearly $500 million and released on the same day (viaBox Office Mojo).
Super Mario World
Announced during Nintendo’s 2024 MAR10 day celebration, The Super Mario Bros. Movie sequel is the follow-up to the 2023 animated adventure film starring Nintendo’s famous plumber mascot.
In 2023,The Super Mario Bros. Movieshattered records when it became the highest-grossing video game adaptation of all time. In fact, with this one release, the movie managed toearn more than all three of theSonic the Hedgehogmovies combined. Now, with a sequel on the way, the beloved characters from Nintendo are likely to pull in huge crowds and rack up in excess of a billion dollars.
It feels like this movie’s success is almost guaranteed.
There is a chance that it could dip from the total box office of the last release, but considering the popularity of the series and characters, the positive reviews, and the appeal to kids and adults, it feels like this movie’s success is almost guaranteed.
Avengers: Doomsday
Avengers: Doomsday is the fifth Avengers film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will bring together heroes, new and old, to face off against Victor von Doom - played by the returning Robert Downey Jr.. Avengers 5 will also mark the beginning of phase 6 of the MCU.
Returning to superhero movies for a moment,Avengers: Doomsdaymarks the firstAvengersmovie to be released by the MCU since 2019,withAvengers: Endgame. BothAvengers: Infinity WarandAvengers: Endgameearned well over $2 billion, and these crossover titles have proved to be some of the absolute biggest hits from Marvel Studios.
Add in the fact that Robert Downey Jr., who previously starred as Iron Man, is returning to play Doctor Doom in this upcoming release, and it seems almost guaranteed to take home a huge box office return.There are variables that could see the total figure earned by this movie fluctuate,but the fact that the previous entries had such high returns, and some of the most anticipated MCU movies are releasing ahead of and around this film, it seems likely that it will hit the mark.
The Odyssey
The Odyssey is a 2026 film adaptation of Homer’s epic poem, chronicling Odysseus’s treacherous journey home from the Trojan War. The narrative explores his encounters with mythical creatures such as Polyphemus, the Sirens, and Circe, culminating in his reunion with his wife, Penelope.
Finally,The Odysseyis Christopher Nolan’s latest epic film.Nolan is another visionary director whose movies have gone on to earn widespread praise, accolades, and vast sums of money. His latest release,Oppenheimer, while being a historical biopic, managed to earn just shy of a billion dollars, and that was with it sharing a release date withBarbie.
Now, Nolan returns with a new star-studded cast, and one of the greatest stories in history, and the film is likely to pull in hundreds of millions, if not cross over that billion-dollar threshold. It will alsorelease in the month previous toSpider-Man 4, which also stars Tom Holland, and recent history has proven that moviegoers enjoy a crossover or event to further build excitement. All of this together suggestsThe Odysseywill be yet another huge earner at thebox office.
