Although the domestic market was up 1% above projections for the first three months of 2024, the release calendar has been full of financial disappointments, especially Madame Web. The collapse of the horror genre, plus the late spring misfire of The Fall Guy, also didn’t help.
After a slow start to the summer box office season, the theaters have been on fire with multiple hits, including Inside Out 2, A Quiet Place: Day One, Twisters, and Deadpool & Wolverine. When the year ends, there’s a great chance that Deadpool & Wolverine and Inside Out 2 are the No. 1 and No. 2 highest-grossing movies of 2024. Below are the 10 most popular movies of 2024 ranked by domestic gross.
Note: U.S. domestic box office grosses were reported by Box Office Mojo on August 19. The list only includes films released in 2024.
10. A Quiet Place: Day One ($138,891,098)
After terrorizing audiences for two movies, John Krasinski passed the directorial duties to Michael Sarnoski for the third installment in the Quiet Place franchise. Titled A Quiet Place: Day One, the prequel chronicles the first day of the alien attack in New York City. Sam (Lupita Nyong’o) is a terminally ill cancer patient on a field trip to the Big Apple. Suddenly, the blind extraterrestrial creatures fall from the sky and kill any human that makes a sound.
While on her journey through the city, Sam encounters Eric (Joseph Quinn), an English law student who joins her on a journey through the city. A Quiet Place: Day One is arguably the most emotional film in the franchise, serving as a touching meditation on morality and grief. Day One opened to $52.2 million domestically, the highest opening of the franchise.
Buy or rent A Quiet Place Day One on Prime Video, YouTube, Apple, or Google.
9. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes ($171,130,165)
What a wonderful day! It’s been seven years since War for the Planet of the Apes, the final film of the fantastic reboot trilogy. 2024 marked the return of the apes with new characters and a new story in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. 300 years after Caesar (Andy Serkis) led his tribe to the promised land, ape civilizations remain the dominant species over humans, who are now feral-esque.
After his friends are kidnapped, a young ape named Noa (Owen Teague) embarks on a journey to rescue his tribe. Along the way, Noa meets Mae (Freya Allan), a young woman who can speak and think unlike her fellow humans. Mae teams up with Noa to help save his tribe, though she also has an important mission of her own. Audiences still love the Apes franchise, as evidenced by the $171 million domestic gross. Expect more Apes films in the future.
Stream Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes on Hulu.
8. Bad Boys: Ride or Die ($178,165,954)
Nostalgia is a powerful drug in Hollywood. Audiences love to revisit their favorite heroes and join them on another adventure. The box office return of Bad Boys: Ride or Die is a case in point. After the success of Bad Boys for Life, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reprised their roles as Detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett in the franchise’s fourth installment, Bad Boys: Ride or Die.
After the late Captain Howard (Joe Pantoliano) is falsely linked to drug cartels, Mike and Marcus set out to clear his name and prove his innocence. After a disappointing start to the summer box office in May, Bad Boys: Ride or Die started June off on the right foot with an excellent opening weekend of $56.5 million. With the promising box office numbers, we likely haven’t seen the last of Mike and Marcus.
Buy or rent Bad Boys: Ride or Die on Prime Video, YouTube, Apple, or Google.
7. Kung Fu Panda 4 ($193,590,620)
Never underestimate the power of Jack Black. The 54-year-old comedian is a glorified family movie star thanks to recent hits, including The Super Mario Bros. Movie, two Jumanji films, and The House with a Clock in Its Walls. Black recently returned to his kid-friendly martial arts comedy franchise for a fourth time in Kung Fu Panda 4. Po (Black) embarks on a quest to find his successor as the Dragon Warrior. However, the shapeshifting creature, The Chameleon (Viola Davis), threatens the Valley of Peace with her ability to copy kung fu techniques.
Po reluctantly teams up with the mischievous Zhen (Awkwafina) to save the kung fu masters from Chameleon’s wrath. Because of the lack of family movies in Q1, Kung Fu Panda 4 has found a significant audience at the theaters, earning over $193 million domestically. As long as Kung Fu Panda continues to have legs, Kung Fu Panda 5 will likely become a reality.
Stream Kung Fu Panda 4 on Peacock.
6. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire ($196,350,016)
Critics were never going to like Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Do you want to know who enjoys these monster movies? Audiences. Despite a day-and-date release in 2021, Godzilla x Kong’s predecessor, Godzilla vs. Kong, set several pandemic box office records on its way to $470 million worldwide gross. In 2024, the two sworn enemies form an unlikely alliance to battle a new threat in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Despite the effort to tell an interesting and thought-provoking story, MonsterVerse fans are going to the movies to see Godzilla and Kong engage in epic battles, not learn about their mythology. It’s two Titans teaming off against another huge threat. In terms of spectacle, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire delivers. The Godzilla and Kong saga will continue with a sequel scheduled for a 2026 release.
Stream Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire on Max.
5. Twisters ($238,439,315)
Although it’s been 28 years since Twister, audiences still crave a good disaster movie. Enter Twisters, Lee Isaac Chung’s standalone sequel to 1996’s Twister. After a disastrous experiment in the field, Kate Carter (Daisy Edgar-Jones) abandons her career as a storm chaser to sit behind the desk. Javi (Anthony Ramos), a former colleague and friend, convinces Kate to join him in the field for one week as they look to implement new technology that could improve tornado warning systems dramatically.
When she arrives in Tornado Alley, Kate meets Tyler Owens (Glen Powell), a tornado-chasing pretty boy and social media star. The two rival factions begin their chases, and as the week progresses, they realize the twisters will only get worse, with a historic storm system on the horizon. Twisters is an old-fashioned summer blockbuster in all the best ways. The film has made over $238 million domestically, becoming one of the summer’s biggest hits.
Buy or rent Twisters on Prime Video, YouTube, Apple, or Google.
4. Dune: Part Two ($282,144,358)
The movie event of 2024 to this point has been Dune: Part Two. Denis Villeneuve’s highly anticipated sequel to 2021’s Dune has been met with overwhelmingly positive reviews thanks to stunning visuals, electrifying action, and sensational direction. Dune: Part Two continues to follow the rise of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), the gifted Duke who wishes to liberate the Fremen and exact revenge on the Harkonnens for murdering his father.
Originally scheduled for a November 2023 release, Warner Bros. delayed the film to March 2024 because of the actor and writer strikes. The gamble paid off, as Dune: Part Two’s $282 million domestic total is more than Dune’s $108 million haul. Dune: Part Two will likely stay in the top 10 the entire year and should be a major player at the 2025 Oscars.
Stream Dune: Part Two on Max.
3. Despicable Me 4 ($340,402,155)
Never underestimate the power of the minions. The lovable yellow creatures are back for a new adventure in Despicable Me 4. Gru (Steve Carrell) is still married to Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig) and is the adoptive father of Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and Agnes (Madison Polan). However, the family expands with the arrival of Gru and Lucy’s biological child, Gru Jr., who unfortunately hates his father.
Besides the problem with his son, more trouble is on the horizon with the return of Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell), who teams up with his girlfriend Valentina (Sofía Vergara) to seek revenge on Gru. Forced to relocate to a safer area, Gru and his family take on new identities. But Gru can’t outrun Maxime forever, leading to an important confrontation between the two. Despicable Me 4 opened to an impressive July Fourth weekend total of $120 million. The minions will continue attracting audiences to theaters for the rest of the summer.
Buy or rent Despicable Me 4 on Prime Video, YouTube, Apple, or Google.
2. Deadpool & Wolverine ($545,816,895)
The only Marvel movie of 2024 belongs to the Merc with a Mouth. The highly anticipated introduction of Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool into the MCU finally happens in Deadpool & Wolverine. Wade Wilson (Reynolds) has retired his Deadpool persona and now lives a quiet life as a car salesman. During his birthday party, Wade is kidnapped by the Time Variance Authority and taken to Mr. Paradox (Matthew Macfadyen). Unfortunately for Wade, Mr. Paradox plans to destroy his universe.
Not willing to let his friends die, Wade deduces that the only way to save his universe is to recruit Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) to help. Yet, it will take some serious convincing from Wade for an angry Wolverine to join the fight. With violent action and an underrated amount of emotion, Deadpool & Wolverine has quickly become a huge hit with fans, and it stands as the highest-grossing R-rated film in history.
Deadpool & Wolverine is now in theaters.
1. Inside Out 2 ($642,194,883)
After a string of minor hits and straight-to-Disney+ releases, Pixar needed to reestablish its dominance in theaters. Enter Inside Out 2, the long-awaited sequel to the Academy Award-winning Inside Out. 13-year-old Riley Andersen (Kensington Tallman) is now heading into high school. Joy (Amy Poehler), one of Riley’s emotions, still runs the show inside her mind with Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Fear (Tony Hale), Anger (Lewis Black), and Disgust (Liza Lapira).
The arrival of Anxiety (Maya Hawke) threatens to ruin the entire operation, so Joy attempts to fill Riley’s mind with only happy thoughts. Inside Out 2 recorded a massive $154.2 million opening weekend, the biggest of 2024. Inside Out 2 is at $642 million domestically and counting. Inside Out 2 has grossed $1.6 billion worldwide, the new high for an animated film.
Buy or rent Inside Out 2 on Prime Video, Apple, or Fandango.
