The motion-picture industry last year began to recover from the pandemic-caused downturn in 2020, when box-office revenue plunged by 75%, according to accounting firm PwC.
2021 got off to a rough start, with just 23% of all movie theaters still shuttered in March. Gradually, Americans began to return to the cinema, and though revenue has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, there was more optimism in the industry that motion picture theaters still had a future.
To compile a list of the top domestic grossing movies in 2021, 24/7 Tempo ranked all movies released in 2021 by their domestic box office gross, using data from The Numbers. Data on opening gross box office and production studios are also for The Numbers.
Moviegoers in 2021 flocked to see superhero films such as “Venom: Let There be Carnage,” “Eternals,” and “Black Widow.” None of those movies will likely make any critics’ favorites list by year end, but all three made north of $160 million in domestic box office. (Some of 2021’s highest grossing movies would now be among the 50 highest grossing films directed by women.)
Animation films were popular this year, among them Warner Bros.’ “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” Disney’s offering “Encanto,” and the United Artists’ film “The Addams Family 2.” (These are the highest grossing independent films of all time.)
Critics and audiences found the tension-filled horror movie “A Quiet Place: Part II” as frightening as the original. Other horror flicks released in 2021 included “Halloween Kills” and “Candyman.”
This year marked Daniel Craig’s final appearance as James Bond in “No Time to Die.” The movie had an opening box office weekend of $55.2 million and was released in 4,407 theaters, the most theaters of any film on the list.
30. The Forever Purge
> Distributor: Universal
> Domestic box office: $44.5 million
> Opening box office weekend: $12.6 million
> Max theater count: 3,058
29. Tom and Jerry
> Distributor: Warner Bros.
> Domestic box office: $46.5 million
> Opening box office weekend: $14.1 million
> Max theater count: 2,563
28. Demon Slayer The Movie: Mugen Train
> Distributor: FUNimation
> Domestic box office: $47.7 million
> Opening box office weekend: $22.8 million
> Max theater count: 2,088
27. Old
> Distributor: Universal
> Domestic box office: $48.3 million
> Opening box office weekend: $16.9 million
> Max theater count: 3,379
26. Clifford the Big Red Dog
> Distributor: Paramount Pictures
> Domestic box office: $48.9 million
> Opening box office weekend: $16.6 million
> Max theater count: 3,700
25. House of Gucci
> Distributor: United Artists
> Domestic box office: $52.9 million
> Opening box office weekend: $14.4 million
> Max theater count: 3,477
24. Raya and the Last Dragon
> Distributor: Walt Disney
> Domestic box office: $54.7 million
> Opening box office weekend: $8.5 million
> Max theater count: 2,375
23. The Suiсide Squad
> Distributor: Warner Bros.
> Domestic box office: $55.8 million
> Opening box office weekend: $26.2 million
> Max theater count: 4,019
22. The Addams Family 2
> Distributor: United Artists
> Domestic box office: $56.5 million
> Opening box office weekend: $17.3 million
> Max theater count: 4,207
21. The Boss Baby: Family Business
> Distributor: Universal
> Domestic box office: $57.3 million
> Opening box office weekend: $16.0 million
> Max theater count: 3,688
20. Candyman
> Distributor: Universal
> Domestic box office: $61.2 million
> Opening box office weekend: $22.0 million
> Max theater count: 3,569
19. The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
> Distributor: Warner Bros.
> Domestic box office: $65.6 million
> Opening box office weekend: $24.1 million
> Max theater count: 3,280
18. Space Jam: A New Legacy
> Distributor: Warner Bros.
> Domestic box office: $70.6 million
> Opening box office weekend: $31.1 million
> Max theater count: 4,002
17. Cruella
> Distributor: Walt Disney
> Domestic box office: $86.1 million
> Opening box office weekend: $21.5 million
> Max theater count: 3,922
16. Halloween Kills
> Distributor: Universal
> Domestic box office: $92.0 million
> Opening box office weekend: $49.4 million
> Max theater count: 3,727
15. Encanto
> Distributor: Walt Disney
> Domestic box office: $93.8 million
> Opening box office weekend: $27.2 million
> Max theater count: 3,980
14. Godzilla vs. Kong
> Distributor: Warner Bros.
> Domestic box office: $100.9 million
> Opening box office weekend: $32.2 million
> Max theater count: 3,084
13. Dune
> Distributor: Warner Bros.
> Domestic box office: $107.5 million
> Opening box office weekend: $41.0 million
> Max theater count: 4,125
12. Jungle Cruise
> Distributor: Walt Disney
> Domestic box office: $117.0 million
> Opening box office weekend: $35.0 million
> Max theater count: 4,310
11. Free Guy
> Distributor: 20th Century Studios
> Domestic box office: $121.6 million
> Opening box office weekend: $28.4 million
> Max theater count: 4,165
10. Ghostbusters: Afterlife
> Distributor: Sony Pictures
> Domestic box office: $128.1 million
> Opening box office weekend: $44.0 million
> Max theater count: 4,315
9. Sing 2
> Distributor: Universal
> Domestic box office: $134.5 million
> Opening box office weekend: $22.3 million
> Max theater count: 3,892
8. A Quiet Place: Part II
> Distributor: Paramount Pictures
> Domestic box office: $160.2 million
> Opening box office weekend: $47.5 million
> Max theater count: 3,744
7. No Time to Die
> Distributor: United Artists
> Domestic box office: $160.9 million
> Opening box office weekend: $55.2 million
> Max theater count: 4,407
6. Eternals
> Distributor: Walt Disney
> Domestic box office: $164.9 million
> Opening box office weekend: $71.3 million
> Max theater count: 4,090
5. F9: The Fast Saga
> Distributor: Universal
> Domestic box office: $173.0 million
> Opening box office weekend: $70.0 million
> Max theater count: 4,203
4. Black Widow
> Distributor: Walt Disney
> Domestic box office: $183.7 million
> Opening box office weekend: $80.4 million
> Max theater count: 4,275
3. Venom: Let There be Carnage
> Distributor: Sony Pictures
> Domestic box office: $213.6 million
> Opening box office weekend: $90.0 million
> Max theater count: 4,225
2. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings
> Distributor: Walt Disney
> Domestic box office: $224.5 million
> Opening box office weekend: $75.4 million
> Max theater count: 4,300
1. Spider-Man: No Way Home
> Distributor: Sony Pictures
> Domestic box office: $735.9 million
> Opening box office weekend: $260.1 million
> Max theater count: 4,336