It was the year of the sequel at the box office, with “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II” flying away with the top spot. The final film in the “Harry Potter” franchise was followed by the third film in the “Transformers” franchise and the penultimate movie in the “Twilight” series. Click here to read original Hollywood Reporter article.
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
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.
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
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.
Worldwide Gross: 288.4 million
In July, Universal’s sleeper hit Bridesmaids became the top R-rated female comedy of all time, surpassing Sex and the City. It’s also the top-grossing film ever for producer and director Judd Apatow, beating Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Knocked Up.
Worldwide Gross: $276.4 million
DreamWorks’ robot boxing drama starring Hugh Jackman won its opening weekend taking in $51.7 million domestically and $56.6 million and worldwide cume of $108.3 million.
Worldwide Gross: $259.9 million
After an aggressive eleventh hour marketing blitz by Paramount, J.J. Abrams’ Super 8 opened to a better-than-expected $37 million at the domestic box office.
19. Rango
20. The Adventures of Tintin
