What makes a great movie? Francis Ford Coppola said that movies have to have “quality and integrity because they have such a tremendous influence on the world and on people.” Hitchcock said, “Drama is life with the dull bits cut out.” According to Ingmar Bergman, “No art passes our conscience in the way film does, and goes directly to our feelings, deep down into the dark rooms of our souls.”
While it’s completely subjective to decide if the list below defines the best movies of all time, they are certainly the highest-grossing summer blockbusters. Adjusted for inflation, these five films made more money in theaters than any others before them, according to the website, AMC’s Filmsite. Four out of five have been released in the last five years!
1
Jurassic World (2015)
In a luxury resort that was the habitat for genetically-engineered dinosaurs, one creature escaped, followed by others, setting off a chain reaction of chaos. The visitors must be saved from the prehistoric assault.
June 12, 2015
$652.3 million
2
Marvel’s The Avengers (2012)
The highly-anticipated 3-D superhero tale produced by Disney-owned Marvel Studios brought together, under Nick Fury’s peace-keeping S.H.I.E.L.D, a team of superhumans (Iron Man/Tony Stark, the Hulk/Bruce Banner, Thor, the Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff, Hawkeye/Clint Barton and Captain America/Steve Rogers) to save the Earth from Loki and his army. The sixth installment in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe.
May 4, 2012
$623.4 million
3
The Dark Knight (2008)
Christian Bale’s brooding Batman and Heath Ledger’s scary Joker gave this comic-book movie reboot real emotional depth.
July 18, 2008
$534.8 million
4
Finding Dory (2016)
Blue tang fish Dory, afflicted with short-term memory loss, has since childhood been looking for her lost parents, with help from her friends Nemo and Marlin.
June 17, 2016
$486 million
5
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
The sequel to the 2012 hit film, and the 11th film in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe. Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.) and other Avengers superheroes, including Captain America, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye battled the terrifying technological villain Ultron (James Spader), a mechanical AI with the goal of human extinction.
May 1, 2015
$459 million