Avengers, Jurassic World, and Star Wars: A road map to the top 100 grossing movies of all time

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Jurassic World: Lost Kingdom hits theaters in the United States this weekend. The film, the fifth installment of the Jurassic Park franchise, has already earned more than $400 million since its global release and is expected to be a massive hit at the box office in America. Avengers: Infinity War is already the fourth-highest grossing movie of all-time, and it’s still in theaters.

News@Northeastern has created a series of data visualizations that examine the top 100 grossing films of all time, of which 85 percent are from franchises such as The Avengers, Harry Potter, Star Wars, and The Twilight Saga. Only 15 percent are original pictures. Explore these visualizations for a closer look at these films, how their earnings in the United States compare to overseas success, and how films within each series have fared.

Select a circle to see the movie and its rank.
Most movies have higher overseas than domestic gross.
Select a bar for information.
While most movies are recent releases, a handful premiered before 2000.
Select a circle for information.
Curious which films out-performed the others in their own series? Explore the individual and collective gross of each film by selecting a circle.
Select a path to highlight each movie series.

Where the latest Jurassic World film winds up among the highest grossing films of all time remains to be seen, but it’s success is bolstered by the power of the franchise, says Nathan Blake, associate teaching professor in Northeastern’s Media and Screen Studies program.Hollywood, he says, has become increasingly more comfortable with investing in franchise films with global appeal and broad marketing opportunities. Franchises, he says, also have large fan communities who invest time and money in these series and who often see these films multiple times.

“Fan cultures have been built around these sci-fi and superhero films,” Blake says, “and the movie studios have created a platform for all these sequels and spinoffs.”