For The First Time In A Decade, Star Wars Is No Longer In The Top Five Grossing Movies Of All Time

When Frozen 2 made $1.45 billion at the box office in 2019, it seemed like that record as the highest grossing animated film would endure for a very long time. But in recent years, we’ve seen extremes at both ends of the box office scale, with major studio films clearing one billion as regularly as they flop. However, it’s not Disney nor any other Western powerhouse that has dethroned Frozen 2, but Chinese production company Beijing Enlight Pictures.

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This success comes via Ne Zha 2, which opens in Euope this week, having arrived in the US last month. It is already not only the highest grossing animated movie of all time, but the highest grossing non-English language movie too – and it’s not done yet.

Star Wars Slips Down The All Time Box Office List

Ne Zha 2 currently sits at $2.07 billion, which places it fifth on the all-time list behind Titanic, Avatar: The Way of Water, Avengers: Endgame, and Avatar, with the latter being nearly a billion ahead of Ne Zha 2 on $2.9 billion. Most of Ne Zha 2’s gross came in China, with only $20 million of the box office coming from the USA. That means its European release is unlikely to add the $200 million it would need to catch Titantic in fourth, but that hasn’t stopped Ne Zha 2 from claiming an impressive scalp.

As per Collider, its recent takings have seen it edge past Star Wars: The Force Awakens on $2.06 billion, making it the first time i n a decade that Star Wars has not been in the top five. Of course, at one time Star Wars sat at the very top of the list, taking the title from Jaws in 1978 with the first Star Wars movie, before Steven Spielberg reclaimed the top spot in 1983 with ET: The Extra Terrestrial, and then overtook himself in 1993 with Jurassic Park.

Ne Zha 2 will see its place in the top five challenged later this year when Avatar: Fire and Ash releases, while both Frozen and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which got close to Frozen 2 at $1.36 billion will return with sequels that challenge Ne Zha 2 for animated supremacy in the near future.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Release Date

December 18, 2015

Runtime

138 minutes

Director

J.J. Abrams

Writers

Lawrence Kasdan, J.J. Abrams, Michael Arndt

Sequel(s)

Star Wars: The Last Jedi