2024 was a big year for the film industry in terms of production with 596 movies being released in the United States. A variety of those movies, mostly adventure films, made their way up the box office charts, made millions of dollars in profit and stuck out to audiences where they then received either positive or or negative reviews. 

According to The Numbers, an organization known for their data collection of movies, their charts demonstrate the top grossing movies of 2024 beginning with those that made the most money. On IMDb, a collection of cinema schedules and events for movies and television shows, audiences shared their reviews and ratings of the various movies that came out last year. This combination of money earned upon release and audience response was used to create the following ranking.

Coming in at number one on The Numbers’ “Top Grossing Movies of 2024” was Walt Disney’s adventure animation film Inside Out 2 that was released on June 14, 2024. It sold 60,573,301 tickets and made $652,980,194. It received 7.6 stars out of 10 on IMDb where the rating was reflected with the reviews. Some felt it was one of the best Pixar movies to be released, while others felt that the movie did not compare  to the previous Pixar movies. 

Second on the chart was Walt Disney’s action film Deadpool and Wolverine, released on July 26, 2024, which starred Canadian-American actor and film producer Ryan Reynolds and Australian actor and singer Hugh Jackman. It sold 59,067,333 tickets and grossed $636,745,858. On IMDb it received 7.6 out of 10 stars with reviews sharing the cast’s exceptional performances went great alongside the movie’s plot.

Third on the chart was Universal Pictures’ musical Wicked, released on November 22, 2024 which starred British actress and singer Cynthia Erivo and American singer-songwriter and actress Ariana Grande. It sold 41,793,619 tickets and made $450,535,220. Grande’s appearance in the film brought it a significant amount of attention on social media and earned the movie 7.8 out of 10 stars on IMDb. The film went as far as to surpass the expectations of some viewers as they did not expect it to be of high quality. Junior Jaydin Cervantes-Kearney watched the movie two days after it was released and felt that the film was of prime value.

“I really enjoyed it… you can tell it took a lot of time to like make and like watching every detail in the movie was just such a like- good like quality movie,” said Cervantes. 

Fourth on the chart was Walt Disney’s adventure animation film Moana 2 that was released on November 27, 2024. It sold 39,443,847 tickets and grossed $425,204,680. The movie received 7 stars out of 10. According to some fans, the film seemed to lack some of the charm that the first movie brought, whether it was through the soundtrack or the film’s visuals. 

“#Moana2 was full of vibrant colors & gorgeous animation, but it sadly did not live up to its predecessor’s magic, warmth, entertainment, or especially the music for me. Still a fun watch w/ many endearing moments, and sequels can be tough, but I had hoped for & expected much more,” said @Jane_Blatz via X.

Various viewers were not interested in seeing these popular films despite the exceptional ratings, however some of the films had some viewers intrigued enough to go and watch them. Junior Areanne Abigail Custodio has not seen all of the top ten movies, but has known of them through social media platforms like TikTok. Despite the lack of attention they grabbed, they keep viewers like Custodio intrigued, sparking her interest occasionally.

“I wanted to see Inside Out 2 but then like I kept forgetting about it,” said Custodio.

The sixth movie on the chart was Warner Bros.’ comedy film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, released on Sept. 6, 2024 which starred American actors Michael Keaton and Winona Ryder. The film sold 27,282,044 tickets, made $294,100,435 and received 6.7 out of 10 stars. The movie was a sequel for the original Beetlejuice, released on March 30, 1988 and received mixed reviews from fans. Many were not as pleased with the movie since they believed it did not top the original film and others felt the movie was an excellent continuation to the original. 

Following “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” was Warner Bros.’ action film Dune: Part Two, released on March 1, 2024 which starred French-American actor Timothée Chalamet and American actress and singer Zendaya. It sold 26,172,946 tickets, made $282,144,358, and received 8.5 stars out of 10 with many positive reviews about the plot and visuals in the movie. Viewers like @and_mikkelsen expressed their love for the movie on platforms like IMDb.

“Ladies and gentleman,,, the PEAK of filmmaking!!” said @and_mikkelsen via IMDb alongside their 10/10 rating.  

Universal Pictures’ thriller film Twisters, which was released on July 19, 2024 and starred American actor Glen Powell, took number eight on the chart by selling 24,838,800 tickets and making $267,762,265. It received 6.5 stars out of 10 and according to viewers, the plot just seemed predictable, removing that sense of suspense it could have emitted.

Second to last on the chart was Warner Bros.’ action film Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire that was released on March 29, 2024 which sold 18,214,287 tickets, made $196,350,016 and received 6.1 out of 10 stars. Despite having a lower rating because of a lack of emotion or plot compared to the other movies, there were still viewers who enjoyed it for its imaginative storyline and visuals.

“… I enjoyed it overall; had a huge smile during the second-half…,” said @ruubesz via X.

To conclude the list at number ten was Universal Pictures’ comedy animation film Kung Fu Panda 4, released on March 8, 2024. The movie sold 17,958,313 tickets and made $193,590,620. It received 6.3 out of 10 stars along with reviews that were unexpected considering the popularity of the franchise. Many viewers shared that the movie was disappointing or that it didn’t have the same charm as all the other movies in the series, therefore waiting eight years for the movie to come out wasn’t worth it.

2024 was the year of animated and adventure films. Although there were many more movies released in 2024, these particular movies reached the top ten in making the most money, gaining the most popularity, and were the most viewed.