After a promising 2023 box office thanks to “Barbenheimer“ and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, 2024 is projected to go down. According to Gower Street Analytics, the 2024 global box office is expected to be less than 2023’s total. However, the domestic market in the first three months of 2024 was 1% above projections. It’s a marginal victory for theater owners but a win nonetheless.
- 10. Night Swim ($32,494,740)
- 9. Madame Web ($43,809,294)
- 8. Argylle ($45,207,275)
- 7. The Beekeeper ($66,220,535)
- 6. Mean Girls ($72,404,248)
- 5. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire ($89, 362, 551)
- 4. Bob Marley: One Love ($96,602,729)
- 3. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire ($136,359, 532)
- 2. Kung Fu Panda 4 ($166,404,960)
- 1. Dune: Part Two ($265,646,536)
Movies in 2024 are off to an interesting start. No Marvel or DC movie premiered in the first quarter, with the only major superhero release, Deadpool & Wolverine, coming in July 2024. The biggest hits of 2024 have been sequels, making up four of the five highest-grossing films domestically. While it’s obvious what sits at the top, there are a few surprising entries in the top 10, considering two are considered catastrophic flops. Below are the 10 most popular movies of 2024 ranked by domestic gross.
Note: U.S. domestic box office grosses come via Box Office Mojo on April 9. The list only includes films released in 2024.
10. Night Swim ($32,494,740)
January has provided multiple horror hits over the past few years, including M3GAN and Scream. Night Swim did not make nearly as much money as those two films. However, it’s the biggest horror film of 2024 so far, which should not come as a surprise with Blumhouse Productions behind it. Directed by Bryce McGuire in his feature directorial debut, Night Swim stars Wyatt Russell as Ray Waller, a former MLB player forced into an early retirement.
Ray, his wife Eve (The Banshees of Inisherin‘s Kerry Condon), and two kids move into a new house with a swimming pool in the backyard. The pool miraculously heals Ray’s injuries, but a sinister force in the water wreaks havoc on the family. Despite negative reviews, Night Swim’s intriguing premise and brisk runtime (98 minutes) are enough to warrant a stream.
Stream Night Swim on Peacock.
9. Madame Web ($43,809,294)
Where to even begin with Madame Web? The latest entry in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe was a cultural phenomenon for all the wrong reasons. From the puzzling dialogue about researching spiders in the Amazon to the confusing action sequences, Madame Web is Digital Trends’ worst movie of 2024 so far. For those who haven’t seen it, Madame Web stars Dakota Johnson as Cassandra Webb, a Manhattan paramedic who will one day become Madame Web.
After a near-death experience allows her the ability to see the future, Cassie must protect three teenage girls — Julia Cornwall (Sydney Sweeney), Anya Corazon (Isabela Merced), and Mattie Franklin (Celeste O’Connor)—from Ezekiel Sims (Tahar Rahim), who plans to kill the trio. Madame Web is only on this list because it’s early in the year. However, Hollywood is in trouble if Madame Web remains in the top 10 by the summer.
Rent Madame Web on Prime Video, YouTube, Apple, or Google.
8. Argylle ($45,207,275)
Matthew Vaughn, the creative force behind the Kingsman movies, attempted to launch his second spy franchise with Argylle, but it ended in disaster. Argylle (Henry Cavill) is a gifted secret agent tasked with bringing down a spy organization. However, Argylle is the fictional creation of author Elly Conway (Bryce Dallas Howard), the spy novelist behind the Argylle series.
Unbeknownst to Elly, her novels predict the future, making her the target of an evil organization known as the Division. When the Division attacks Elly on a train, Aidan Wylde (Sam Rockwell), a real spy, intervenes and saves the day. Aidan must keep Elly alive to write the next chapter and stop the Division. Unlike the Kingsman franchise that spawned multiple sequels, Argylle will likely be one-and-done, as the film only made $45 million domestically against a $200 million budget.
Stream Argylle on Apple TV+ starting April 12.
7. The Beekeeper ($66,220,535)
Jason Statham is one of our finest B-movie action stars. The Transporter, Crank, and The Mechanic are some of Statham’s better offerings. Add The Beekeeper to the list. After losing $2 million to scammers, landlord Eloise Parker (Phylicia Rashad) commits suicide. Eloise’s tenant, beekeeper Adam Clay (Statham), is devastated to learn about her death and seeks vengeance against the scammers.
Adam is not an ordinary person. He once worked as an operative for the “Beekeepers,” a secret organization. All you need to know about The Beekeeper is that Statham does what he does best: fight, kill, and wreak havoc. This simple but satisfying premise is why The Beekeeper grossed over $150 million worldwide, including $66 million domestically.
Rent The Beekeeper on Prime Video, YouTube, Apple, or Google.
6. Mean Girls ($72,404,248)
In 2004, Tina Fey invited audiences into the cutthroat world of high school in Mean Girls. Twenty years later, Fey returned to high school, but with a musical twist, in Mean Girls. After years of homeschooling in Kenya, Cady Heron (Angourie Rice) returns to the U.S. and attends North Shore High School. Cady’s friends — Janis ‘Imi’ike (Auliʻi Cravalho) and Damian Hubbard (Jaquel Spivey) — open her eyes to the social cliques of high school, led by the popular Regina George (Reneé Rapp) and her group of minions known as the Plastics.
After Cady receives an invite into the Plastics, Janis convinces her to infiltrate the group and ruin Regina’s reputation. Since Mean Girls is based on a stage musical, the cast performs numerous songs throughout the film, which garnered some unfavorable social media reactions around its release. However, the somewhat off-key singing and awkward staging did not affect the box office, as a $72-plus million domestic haul is a solid win for Paramount.
Stream Mean Girls on Paramount+.
5. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire ($89, 362, 551)
In 2024, the answer to “Who you gonna call?” remains the same: the Ghostbusters. The paranormal investigators head back to where it all began, New York City, in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire. It’s been three years since the events of Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and the Spengler family—Callie (Carrie Coon), Trevor (Finn Wolfhard), and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace)—move to the Big Apple with Gary Grooberson (Paul Rudd) to help re-establish the Ghostbusters.
The quartet joins Ray Stantz (Dan Aykroyd) and Winston Zeddemore (Ernie Hudson) in the fight against a new evil force that could cause a second Ice Age. Frozen Empire is a nostalgia play with mixed results. Although there are plans for another sequel, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire will need to have legs at the box office and surpass $100 million domestically before having any serious discussions about the future.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is now in theaters.
4. Bob Marley: One Love ($96,602,729)
Bob Marley: One Love is hands-down the surprise hit of 2024. Directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green, Bob Marley: One Love stars Kingsley Ben-Adir as the titular Jamaican singer and songwriter. The film begins in 1976 with an assassination attempt on Marley and his wife Rita (Lashana Lynch) at a peace concert.
After surviving the gunshots, One Love traces Marley’s career over the next few years, from the recording of Exodus to his meteoric rise to global superstardom. Bob Marley: One Love doesn’t reinvent the biopic, but Ben-Adir’s performance and the landmark reggae songs should satisfy most Marley fans. The film exceeded expectations by grossing over $50 million throughout its six-day Valentine’s Day week opening, with its current domestic total at $96 million.
Stream Bob Marley: One Love on Prime Video, YouTube, Apple, or Google.
3. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire ($136,359, 532)
Critics were never going to like Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire. Do you want to know who does enjoy these monster movies? Audiences. Despite a day-and-date release in 2021, Godzilla x Kong’s predecessor, Godzilla vs. Kong, set several pandemic box office records on its way to $470 million worldwide gross. In 2024, the two sworn enemies form an unlikely alliance to battle a new threat in Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire.
Despite the effort to tell an interesting and thought-provoking story, MonsterVerse fans are going to the movies to see Godzilla and Kong engage in epic battles, not learn about their mythology. In terms of spectacle, Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire delivers. The New Empire is on its way to passing Godzilla vs. Kong at the domestic box office with $134 million and counting.
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire is now in theaters.
2. Kung Fu Panda 4 ($166,404,960)
Never underestimate the power of Jack Black. The 54-year-old comedian is a glorified family movie star thanks to recent hits, including The Super Mario Bros. Movie, two Jumanji films, and The House with a Clock in Its Walls. Black recently returned to his kid-friendly martial arts comedy franchise for a fourth time in Kung Fu Panda 4. Po (Black) embarks on a quest to find his successor as the Dragon Warrior. However, the shapeshifting creature, The Chameleon (Viola Davis), threatens the Valley of Peace with her ability to copy kung fu techniques.
Po reluctantly teams up with the mischievous Zhen (Awkwafina) to save the kung fu masters from Chameleon’s wrath. Because of the lack of family movies in Q1, Kung Fu Panda 4 has found a significant audience at the theaters, earning over $165 million domestically. As long as Kung Fu Panda continues to have legs, Kung Fu Panda 5 will likely become a reality.
Kung Fu Panda 4 is now in theaters.
1. Dune: Part Two ($265,646,536)
The movie event of 2024 to this point has been Dune: Part Two. Denis Villeneuve’s highly anticipated sequel to 2021’s Dune has been met with overwhelmingly positive reviews thanks to stunning visuals, electrifying action, and sensational direction. Dune: Part Two continues to follow the rise of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), the gifted Duke who wishes to liberate the Fremen and exact revenge on the Harkonnens for murdering his father.
Originally scheduled for a November 2023 release, Warner Bros. delayed the film to March 2024 because of the actor and writer strikes. The gamble paid off, as Dune: Part Two’s $265 million domestic total is already more than Dune’s $108 million haul. Dune: Part Two will likely stay in the top 10 the entire year as it marches toward the 2025 Oscars.
Dune: Part Two is now in theaters. The film arrives on digital on April 16.
