The Highest-Grossing Movies That Were Never No. 1 at the Box Office
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Some movies never get the glory of hitting No. 1 at the box office. Sure they have soaring sales, and they may even earn five-star reviews. But they just can’t climb to the top of the charts, not even for one week.
These are the 20 biggest moneymakers worldwide that never landed a spot at the top, according to Box Office Mojo.
20. ‘Bumblebee’
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Year: 2018
Total gross: $467,989,645
Highest rank at the box office: No. 3
The movie "Bumblebee" is set in 1987 and centers around an Autobot named Bumblebee. Autobots come from the "Transformers" universe and are sentient mechanical self-configuring modular robotic lifeforms.
Bumblebee is scarred from battle and makes a new home in a junkyard in a small California beach town. It is here that he meets Charlie, played by Hailee Steinfeld. The movie also stars Jorge Lendeborg Jr. and John Cena. Travis Knight directs.
19. ‘Rio 2’
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Year: 2014
Total gross: $498,735,140
Highest rank at the box office: No. 2
If you're looking for a fun G-rated movie to see with the kids, consider the uber-popular "Rio 2." Blue macaws Blu and Jewel move when Jewel worries their three babies are becoming too much like humans due to their comfortable city life in Rio de Janeiro.
Once relocated to the Amazon jungle, Blu, played by Jesse Eisenberg, tries to fit in, charm his intense father-in-law and deal with his archnemesis Nigel, played by Jemaine Clement. Anne Hathaway plays Jewel.
18. ‘Sherlock Holmes’
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Year: 2009
Total gross: $524,028,679
Highest rank at the box office: No. 2
Sherlock Holmes is a story that will always have an audience regardless of whether the story is told in a book, TV series or on the big screen. The 2009 flick starring Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law and Rachel McAdams was exceptionally popular.
As usual, detective Sherlock Holmes, alongside his partner, Watson, fight to protect England from an evil nemesis. Guy Ritchie directs.
17. ‘World War Z’
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Year: 2013
Total gross: $540,007,876
Highest rank at the box office: No. 2
Ah, zombies. They're just as popular as Sherlock Holmes. "World War Z" is one of the more well-known zombie tales as it stars Brad Pitt.
The superstar plays former United Nations employee Gerry Lane who travels the world attempting to stop the zombie pandemic, which is taking out armies and whole governments. Lane races to save humanity.
16. ‘The Day After Tomorrow’
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Year: 2004
Total gross: $542,747,723
Highest rank at the box office: No. 2
Before climate change became part of our daily conversations, "The Day After Tomorrow" presented a potential outcome: a new Ice Age.
In the film, Dennis Quaid stars as paleoclimatologist Jack Hall, who is struggling to reach his son, played by Jake Gyllenhaal. Hall must get from Washington, D.C. to New York City during the sudden storm that sends the planet into a new Ice Age.
15. ‘Detective Chinatown 2’
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Year: 2018
Total gross: $544,061,916
Highest rank at the box office: No. 20
"Detective Chinatown 2" is a Chinese comedy-mystery buddy film written and directed by Chen Sicheng. Wang Baoqiang and Liu Haoran star in the flick.
In the film, Tang and Qin form a team to solve a murder in New York's Chinatown. It's a sequel to the 2015 flick “Detective Chinatown.”
14. ‘The Mermaid’
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Year: 2016
Total gross: $553,810,228
Highest rank at the box office: No. 17
"The Mermaid" is a comedy, drama, fantasy and a love story. The story centers around Shan, a mermaid who is tasked with saving her race.
Shan is sent to kill Xuan, a developer, who is threatening her ecosystem. She ends up falling in love with her enemy, though. Stephen Chow directs.
13. ‘The Smurfs’
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Year: 2011
Total gross: $563,749,323
Highest rank at the box office: No. 2
The Smurfs are beloved, and their 2011 hit film is no different. The movie stars Hank Azaria, Katy Perry and Jonathan Winters.
In this film, the tiny blue Smurfs head to New York City after an evil wizard named Gargamel forces them out of their village home.
12. ‘Operation Red Sea’
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Year: 2018
Total gross: $578,113,072
Highest rank at the box office: No. 24
"Operation Red Sea" is a nearly 2.5-hour film with ample action and drama. Dante Lam directs the flick and Yi Zhang, Johnny Huang and Hai-Qing star.
PLA Navy Marine Corps attempt a rescue mission in the fictional Republic of Ihwea to defeat terrorism. They undergo an intense battle that involves rebellions.
11. ‘Casino Royale’
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Year: 2006
Total gross: $598,607,184
Highest rank at the box office: No. 2
While Daniel Craig is one of the British theater's most famous actors, his stardom skyrocketed when he was cast as James Bond in "Casino Royale."
Secret agent James Bond sets out on his first mission as 007 to battle a private banker who is responsible for providing money to terrorists. Where does the epic takedown occur? During a poker game at Casino Royale, Montenegro.
Craig also stars as Bond in “Quantum of Solace” (2008), “Skyfall” (2012), “Spectre” (2015) and the upcoming “No Time to Die” (2020).
10. ‘Life of Pi’
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Year: 2012
Total gross: $609,016,565
Highest rank at the box office: No. 5
In 2001, Yann Martel’s philosophical novel "Life of Pi" was published. The book went on to win the Man Booker Prize and become an international bestseller.
The book — and the movie released in 2012 — centers around a young man who survives a disaster at sea. His epic adventure takes him on a journey of discovery where he forms a deep connection with a fellow survivor — a Bengal tiger.
9. ‘Mamma Mia!’
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Year: 2008
Total gross: $609,841,637
Highest rank at the box office: No. 2
It is a bit shocking that "Mamma Mia!" never hit No. 1, considering it’s a cult classic that fans rewatch endlessly. The film has one star after another, including Christine Baranski, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Amanda Seyfried and Meryl Streep.
Donna, played by the Meryl, runs a hotel in the Greek Islands and is preparing for her daughter Sophie's wedding. Hoping to meet her birth father, Sophie (played by Seyfried) invites three of her mother's former flames. The romantic comedy is also a musical centering on the music of ABBA.
8. ‘How to Train Your Dragon 2’
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Year: 2014
Total gross: $621,518,440
Highest rank at the box office: No. 2
The "How to Train Your Dragon" franchise already has three films — released in 2010, 2014 and 2019.
The second film focuses on Hiccup and Toothless discovering an ice cave and hundreds of new wild dragons. Their journey takes them to the middle of a battle to keep the peace. The movie stars Jay Baruchel, Cate Blanchett and Gerard Butler. Dean DeBlois directs all three flicks.
7. ‘Sing’
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Year: 2016
Total gross: $634,085,299
Highest rank at the box office: No. 2
"Sing" is an animated comedy starring Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon and Seth MacFarlane. The feel-good movie was so successful that "Sing 2" should hit screens in 2021.
In a city filled with humanoid animals, dapper koala Buster Moon, played by McConaughey, rushes to save his once magnificent theater. Moon's theater is his whole life. To keep it, he hosts a singing competition. Five superstars steal the show — a mouse, a pig, a timid elephant, a punk-rock porcupine and a gorilla.
6. ‘Kung Fu Panda 2’
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Year: 2011
Total gross: $665,692,281
Highest rank at the box office: No. 2
In the franchise’s second installment, Po is on a new adventure, battling a peacock villain who is trying to conquer China with a new weapon.
Jack Black stars as the obese panda that isn't the best at martial arts but has a lot of enthusiasm. Ian McShane and Angelina Jolie also star. The movie was so successful that they made a third.
5. ‘Interstellar’
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Year: 2014
Total gross: $677,463,813
Highest rank at the box office: No. 2
"Interstellar," starring Matthew McConaughey, won an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects. The science fiction film centers around a global crop disease that causes a second Dust Bowl.
As the planet becomes uninhabitable, former NASA pilot Cooper must travel through a wormhole and across the galaxy to see if they can find a planet that could be the next home for humans. Michael Caine also stars as a NASA physicist.
4. ‘The Wandering Earth’
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Year: 2019
Total gross: $699,760,773
Highest rank at the box office: No. 13
"The Wandering Earth" made a ton of money at the box office this year. The film, similar to many popular films of the last decade, centers around humans attempting to save humankind.
In "The Wandering Earth," people from all across the planet use giant planet thrusters to move Earth out of its orbit after the sun dies out. The journey is long — 2,500 years — and challenging.
3. ‘Ne Zha’
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Year: 2019
Total gross: $700,547,754
Highest rank at the box office: No. 15
Another high-earning 2019 flick is "Ne Zha," an animated fantasy thriller. The story centers around a boy who has special powers. He's enlisted to fight demons and protect the people who fear him.
The Chinese film is in Mandarin. It was written and directed by Yu Yang. Yanting Lü and Mo Han star.
2. ‘Wolf Warrior 2’
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Year: 2017
Total gross: $870,325,373
Highest rank at the box office: No. 18
"Wolf Warrior 2" is a follow up to the 2015 film where a Chinese special forces soldier who fights to stay alive against a group of mercenaries. Both films were so popular that a third is already in the works.
In the sequel, the special forces operative settles down into a new quiet life. But when innocent civilians are killed, he returns to his life as a soldier.
The film stars Jing Wu, Frank Grillo and Celina Jade.
1. ‘Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs’
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Year: 2009
Total gross: $886,585,412
Highest rank at the box office: No. 2
"Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs" is an animated comedy that centers around a group of prehistoric animals who go on unexpected adventures.
The third film in the franchise stars Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary. Sid, played by Leguizamo, attempts to adopt three dinosaur eggs but instead is abducted by their real mom. His friends travel to an underground world to save him.
The film brought in just over $886 million. The original "Ice Age" film premiered in 2002 and brought in $383 million.
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