Top 15 Grossing Films of 2011
Photo Credit: FlickDaily
The Hollywood Reporter releases the Top Grossing Movies of 2011:
Worldwide Gross: $1.3 billion
The final film in the Harry Potter franchise broke domestic and international box office records. On its opening Friday, it had the biggest single-day gross of all time at the domestic box office, earning a massive $92.1 million. It also smashed records around the globe, capped by scoring the best worldwide debut of all time at $481.5 million.
Worldwide Gross: $1.1 billion
Transformers: Dark of the Moon became the franchise’s top earner when it opened in theaters in 2011. The threequel’s $180.7 million opening over the long July 4th holiday aided Paramount in becoming the first studio to reach $1 billion in domestic grosses for the year.
Worldwide Gross: $1 billion
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides was an international box office hit, becoming Disney’s biggest release of all time at the international box office, grossing $695.9 million overseas. It also jumped the $400 million mark at the worldwide box office in less than a week after release.
Worldwide Gross: $663 million
The DreamWorks Animation and Paramount animated film had a strong showing overseas, breaking box office records in China and grossing, to date, $497 million in foreign markets.
Worldwide Gross: $648 million
While the Summit Entertainment penultimate film was not able to quite match the $142.8 million opening of The Twilight Saga: New Moon, it still nabbed the fifth largest opening of all time domestically. But combining the opening numbers of $139.5 million domestically and $144 million overseas helped Breaking Dawn Part 1 reach a franchise best $283.5 million for opening weekend worldwide.
Worldwide Gross: $209,837,675
Universal’s Fast Five grossed $34.4 million on its opening Friday. It went on to gross $86.2 million at the domestic box office its opening weekend, the best showing in months and the top number ever for Universal.
Worldwide Gross: $581.5 million
The Hangover Part II accomplished a rare feat: It outpaced the original at the box office. Not only did Warner Bros.’ sequel to the 2009 comedy score the best opening of all time for a comedy at the domestic box office, it grossed the most of any R-rated film in its first five days.
Worldwide Gross: 562.4 million
In a shocking upset, The Smurfs nearly beat Cowboys & Aliens in its opening weekend, opening to $35.6 million. Smurfs was also popular overseas, since the characters were created by Belgian cartoonist Peyo.
Worldwide Gross: $551.9 million
Disney/Pixar’s Cars 2 easily won the domestic box office race its opening weekend, grossing $68 million and beating the $60.1 million debut of the original Cars.
Worldwide Gross: $484.6 million
In April, Twentieth Century Fox’s 3D cartoon Rio became the top grossing 2011 release at the time, ending Easter weekend with a new worldwide cume of $286 million.
Worldwide Gross: $481.2 million
20th Century Fox’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes opened to an outstanding $54 million at the domestic box office. Overseas, the prequel also exceeded expectations, grossing a stellar $23.4 million from 25 territories.
Worldwide Gross: $448.5 million
Paramount and Marvel Studios successfully launched a new superhero franchise with Thor, which opened to a strong $66 million at the North American box office. Internationally, Thor decisively claimed its first weekend’s No. 1 box office spot on the foreign theatrical circuit with a gross of $87 million.
Worldwide Gross: $368.4 million
Captain America: The First Avenger was not only a domestic hit, winning opening weekend with $65 million, but went on to have international success as well. The film jumped $100 million during its second weekend of international release even though it had rolled out in only 41 markets, many of them smaller territories.
Worldwide Gross: $353.6 million
Directed by Matthew Vaughn and co-starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jennifer Lawrence, X-Men: First Class, the fourth sequel of the five-title franchise, won its opening weekend with a $56 million debut at the domestic box office in June.
Worldwide Gross: $331.3 million
Puss in Boots not only had a strong opening weekend, but, in a shocking upset, went on to a $33 million second weekend–a mere 3 pecent drop from its $34.1 million debut– and beat out that weekend’s newcomer, Brett Ratner’s Tower Heist.
Read more from 21 Top Grossing Movies of 2011: THR Year in Review
