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Only 6 movies have ever hit $2 billion at the box office — here they all are

Avatar: The Way of Water
2022's "Avatar: The Way of Water" quickly became the third highest-grossing movie of all time.20th Century Studios
  • Only six movies have ever crossed $2 billion at the box office, without adjusting for inflation.

  • Using Box Office Mojo, Insider compiled the only films to cross the threshold.

  • James Cameron has directed three of the six films.

6. "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018)

avengers infinity war thanos gauntlet
Thanos' shocking triumph over the Avengers was a gripping moment for fans.Marvel

Worldwide gross: $2,052,415,039

The traumatic cliffhanger at the end of "Infinity War" was a must-see, movie-going moment for fans. No one was expecting the film to end on such a grim note with Thanos (Josh Brolin) not only defeating the Avengers, but snapping away half of all life from existence.

When the film debuted, it set a new record for the biggest worldwide opening weekend with $640.9 million.

It crossed $1 billion in just 11 days.

In 48 days, the film crossed $2 billion worldwide.

5. "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" (2015)

princess leia han solo in star wars the force awakens
Carrie Fisher, Harrison Ford, and Mark Hamill all returned for "The Force Awakens."Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Worldwide gross: $2,071,310,218

Disney's return to a galaxy far, far away intrigued both old and new fans as it brought back original cast members and teamed them up with a new roster of characters.

At the time, "The Force Awakens" set a record for the biggest opening weekend ($247.9 million) and was previously the fastest film to pass $1 billion worldwide, in 12 days. It took 53 days to cross $2 billion.

4. "Titanic" (1997)

kate winslet leonardo dicaprio titanic
Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio starred in the tragic love story.Courtesy of Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox

Worldwide gross: $2,256,003,352

The James Cameron-directed film was the first movie to cross $1 billion worldwide.

At the time, it was the most expensive movie made. The film finally crossed $2 billion during its rerelease in 3D in 2012.

3. "Avatar: The Way of Water" (2022)

avatar the way of water
Sigourney Weaver voices Kiri in "Avatar: The Way of Water."Disney/20th Century Studios

Worldwide gross: $2,303,114,154

"Avatar: The Way of Water" became the first film to cross $2 billion theatrically since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Behind "Avengers: Endgame," it became the second-fastest movie to cross $2 billion in just 39 days.

While discussing the digital release of "Avatar: The Way of Water," out March 28, producer Jon Landau told Insider he and director James Cameron wondered if the sequel to the 2009 film would even hit the number "Titanic" crossed at the box office.

"I was never nervous that people would lose interest because I didn't think they needed to have interest. I thought we were making a new movie," Landau said when asked if he was nervous that audiences may lose interest in an "Avatar" sequel after waiting more than a decade for it.

"I looked at this almost like an original piece of content that happened to be with known characters in a known world, but we were showing them in a new way. So I was nervous about how the movie would do because when you stop being nervous, you stop caring. But I was never worried," Landau added of the movie's strong box-office performance.

2. "Avengers: Endgame" (2019)

Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, holding up a gauntlet with six stones, in "Avengers: Endgame."
Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man in "Avengers: Endgame."Marvel Studios

Worldwide gross: $2,799,439,100

Fans needed to know if the remaining Avengers could rise up, defeat Thanos, and reverse the effects of the end of "Infinity War." They came out in droves as the film shattered box-office records, grossing over $1.2 billion worldwide opening weekend, nearly double that of the opening weekend for "Infinity War."

It only took "Endgame" 11 days to cross $2 billion. That's the same amount of time it took "Infinity War" to cross its first billion.

1. "Avatar" (2009)

avatar
Director James Cameron first started working on "Avatar" in 1994.20th Century Fox

Worldwide gross: $2,923,706,026

At the time, "Avatar," following the 10-foot-tall Na'vi on their home of Pandora, became the fastest film to cross $1 billion, doing so in 19 days. It eventually crossed $2 billion in 47 days.

Read the original article on Insider