As the summer movie season (such as it is) rolls on, Boxoffice Pro presents the ten highest-grossing films ever released in June.
Note: this list is ordered by domestic revenue earned during a film’s original theatrical run and does not take into account admissions, re-releases, or figures adjusted for inflation.
#1: Jurassic World
One of three Jurassic films on this list, this fourth installment wasn’t directed by original director Steven Spielberg and didn’t feature any of the characters from the original film. Despite, in a sense, starting from scratch, this 2015 sequel earned a Tyrannosaurus-sized $652.3M to become the top June-released film of all time.
Jurassic World’s $208.8M opening weekend set a new record, beating the record held for three years by The Avengers. The record wouldn’t last long, though, as it was broken again that December by Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Overseas, it’s one of only nine movies to earn $1B domestically, just clearing that mark with $1.02B. At the time, it was only the fourth such film to do so, joining Titanic, Avatar, and Furious 7 from earlier that year. Globally it earned a $1.67B total, good for sixth place now and fourth place at the time.
#2: Incredibles 2
While 2004’s original The Incredibles was released in November, Pixar moved 2019’s animated superhero comedy sequel to June. Smart move, as the film “dashed” to Pixar’s all-time best opening with $182.7M before becoming their top film ever domestically with $608.6M. Same thing globally, where it ranks as Pixar’s top title with $1.24B.
Read our interview with the Incredibles 2 team, including director Brad Bird, here.
#3: Finding Dory
2003’s original Finding Nemo was released in May, but 2016’s animated sequel “found” a June release instead. And it just kept swimming to $486.3M, Pixar’s second-biggest film ever domestically and biggest at the time. With $1.03B, it’s the brand’s fourth-biggest title globally and second-biggest at the time.
Read our interview with the Finding Dory team, including director Andrew Stanton, here.
#4: Toy Story 4
While most thought the franchise concluded with its apparent story-ending third installment, 2019’s animated Toy Story sequel wasn’t toying around. It opened to $120.9M before topping out at $434.0M domestically—both stats the third-best mark for Pixar. Globally it earned $1.07B, good for the Pixar’s second-biggest title.
Read our interview with the Toy Story 4 team, including director Josh Cooley, here.
#5: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
Though it would have been almost impossible to top predecessor Jurassic World, the top film on this list, 2018’s sequel didn’t “fall” far. First it debuted with $148.0M, then went on to $417.7M domestically and $1.31B globally.
Supposed trilogy-capper Jurassic World: Dominion is currently slated for release in June 2021, though production is currently suspended due to COVID-19.
#6: Toy Story 3
2010’s trilogy-capper (or so we thought at the time) played its way to a $110.3M opening, then $415.0M domestically and $1.07B globally. At the time, all three marks were record highs for Pixar.
#7: Wonder Woman
After 2004’s Catwoman and 2005’s Elektra both underperformed, this 2017 superhero title helped destroy the myth that audiences wouldn’t turn out for female-led superhero movies. After opening with $103.3M, Wonder Woman earned $412.6M domestically.
That 3.99x multiple is almost unheard of for the superhero genre, which traditionally opens higher but falls faster. For comparison, no Marvel Cinematic Universe movie has had a multiple that high, demonstrating the positive word of mouth for Wonder Woman even two or three months after release.
Among DC Comics films, Wonder Woman bested Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman, and Justice League—highly improbable given the fame and name recognition of those other lead characters.
Sequel Wonder Woman 1984 is currently slated for release October 2.
#8: Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
With six Transformers movies so far—five “in-series” films plus 2018 spinoff Bumblebee—none have matched 2009’s second installment. The film assembled both the series’ highest opening with $108.9M and its highest domestic total with $402.1M. The sequel notably earned $200.1 million in its first five days of release, the second highest ever at the time behind The Dark Knight ($203.8 million) and a then-record for Wednesday releases (passing Spider-Man 2‘s $152.4 million).
In a reflection of the movie business’s increasing reliance on foreign receipts during the 2010s, the film only ranks third in the franchise globally, with $836.3M. It was beaten out by two subsequent billion-dollar installments, 2011’s Dark of the Moon and 2014’s Age of Extinction, both of which earned far less domestically but far more overseas.
#9: Spider-Man 2
Of the three installments in the Tobey Maguire-led Spider-Man trilogy, only 2004’s second installment was released in June, with the other two arriving in May. This one saw Peter Parker taking on new enemy Doctor Octopus and snatched $373.6M during its run. While it finished middle of the pack domestically among the three original films, it came in third of three globally with $789.0M.
#10: E.T.
The alien could certainly afford the phone bill when he phoned home, as 1982’s sci-fi family film earned $359.2M during its original run. (Two subsequent theatrical runs in 1985 and 2002 increased its total further, but they aren’t counted here.)
The film spent an incredible 440 weekends in the box office top 10. For context, the closest that any title has come since then is Beverly Hills Cop with 26 weekends. Yet despite its earnings, E.T. is the only film on this list unconnected to a franchise, with no subsequent sequels or prequels.
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