2022s Box Office Top 10

At the time of writing these are the top 10 highest-grossing films at the worldwide box office in 2022 according to Box Office Mojo. 

10. Moon Man (Over $460,237,600)

9. Water Gate Bridge (Over $626,571,600)

8. Thor: Love and Thunder (Over $760,928,000)

7. The Batman (Over $770,945,500)

6. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Over $831,942,300)

5. Minions: The Rise of Gru (Over $939,628,200)

4. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (Over $955,775,800)

3. Jurassic World: Dominion (Over $1,001,978,000)

2. Top Gun: Maverick (Over $1,488,732,800)

1. Avatar: The Way of Water (Over $1,749,253,900)

In total the top 10 highest-grossing films earned over $9,587,993,700. There were 2 non-English language films in the top 10 (Moon Man and Water Gate Bridge). 4 of the big earners were produced by companies owned by Disney (Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness came from Marvel Studios while Avatar: The Way of Water was from 20th Century Studios), 2 had some involvement from Universal (Minions: The Rise of Gru and Jurassic World: Dominion), 1 was distributed by Paramount (Top Gun: Maverick) and 1 came from Warner Bros (The Batman).

The 2020s At The Box Office

How does this list and its revenue look when viewed next to the rest of the 2020s? Well, comparatively, 2022 was a very solid year. With pandemic restrictions firmly relaxed across many countries cinema-goers have returned to the theatres in good numbers. The top 10 movies this year earned almost 3 times what 2020’s top 10 earned. It even managed to outperform 2021’s top 10 by around $1.9 billion. This year also saw 3 movies cross the $1 billion mark and all 3 came from different studios. Interestingly, this also marked the first year since 2015 (excluding 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic) when the year’s two highest-grossing films were not affiliated with Disney.

But what does this box office top 10 tell us about the industry and what the future potentially holds? 

Lessons From 2022

2022 showed us primarily that franchises continue to be the big audience draw. So franchises are still likely to produce the biggest hits going forward. However, Top Gun: Maverick and even Avatar: The Way of Water have proven that smaller franchises still have the possibility to attract huge box office numbers. Additionally, the top 3 have shown that non-Disney-made films may have a chance to earn greater attention than in the pre-covid landscape.

Secondly, while international language pictures may be struggling in the box office rankings post-covid, with only 2 non-English films in this year’s top 10 (2021 had 3 and 2020 had 5), 2022 showed they still have potential to pull in good earnings in the future with Chinese language films proving to be a particularly big draw recently with growing interest in international releases. We could possibly see more big international hits if they are given better worldwide distribution.

Finally, while these figures prove the industry has certainly not reached pre-pandemic box office levels it is still in a healthy spot. This year’s top 10 managed to outperform 2016s (over $9,320,848,700) and while it is a way off from 2018s and 2019s numbers those movies were dominated by highly anticipated franchise entries, like the conclusion to Marvel’s Infinity Saga, which will be hard to immediately replicate. Thus 2022 showcases that the industry is on the road to recovery. Hopefully, 2023 will yield even more interesting and healthy box office results.

Also Read: Time To Rethink The Box Office Film Charts?

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What’s The Current Plan?

DC Films have a strange relationship with shared universe continuity. Recently, the trailer for James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad went online. Acting as a sort of sequel, but sort of not to the original film. Returning characters such as Harley Quinn, Rick Flagg and Amanda Waller feature alongside new ones, with the potential for them to be killed of. Shazam! featured easter eggs and references to the events of other films in the universe. WW84, being set in the ’80s and as a prequel to her other appearances, only refers back to her original film.

Originally, The Batman was to star (as well as be directed by) Ben Affleck and focus on his version of the character. However the film will now focus on a new version, played by Robert Pattinson, and Jared Leto was replaced by Joaquin Phoenix for the standalone Joker (he won an Oscar for his portrayal). There hasn’t been any indication that these two films will connect, with the different settings meaning Pattinson could face a completely different Joker.

Shared Universe Vs Multiverse

Originally, it seemed like DC was going to follow in Marvel’s footsteps with a shared universe. Justice League was to lead into several solo movies, as well as part two and three. But with most of those films stuck in development hell and no word on a Justice League sequel, those plans are up in the air. Some character’s fates are uncertain, with no word on whether we will get another Superman with Henry Cavill, or the previously announced Cyborg solo outing.

The current lineup for DC films, only features two following characters from Justice League (Not including Batman, who is recast) Aquaman 2 and The Flash. Of those, The Flash is more likely to refer to it, as this version has not appeared since (barring a cameo on the TV show). Interestingly, if WB decides they are going to continue with the “shared universe” model, The Flash could be the one to do it, especially if the rumours of it being based on “Flashpoint” are true.

However, in an interview with Variety, WarnerMedia CEO Ann Sarnoff seemed to indicate that they would be moving away from that model. The Snyder Cut appears to be the end of that particular story, but other versions and new heroes will feature. It still sounds like they will crossover with each other and other media too.

Final Thoughts

Moving away from the “shared universe” actually sounds like the best thing for DC. Aside from the diehard fans, the films have had largely mixed receptions from audiences and critics. Whereas the standalone entries have been much better received. It frees up filmmakers from having to follow along with a plan, and instead focus on their own project. As a side effect, it also reduces comparisons to the MCU, which has sometimes been criticised for how overwhelming it can be to keep up with.

Adopting an “Elseworlds” model allows each film to be wildly different from each other. Looking at the trailers. it doesn’t seem like The Batman and The Suicide Squad take place in the same universe. It’s hard to picture Pattinson’s Batman going up against Starro. Likewise, this doesn’t stop them from crossing over occasionally, with Michael Keaton’s Batman supposedly appearing in The Flash. It really seems like DC might be doing exactly what they should have done all along.

Also Read: Joke’s On You: The History of Batman’s Arch Nemesis

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