Quick Links
Several movie sequels have brought in surprisingly more significant revenue than the original. Watching a movie from a favorite franchise becomes a more rewarding experience when there is a sequel to be excited about. This is one of the reasons why the sales might increase by the time the sequel is released.
Here are some of the highest-earning movie sequels ever.
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
The Hunger Games has been one of the most beloved science fiction movies in pop culture. Catching Fire came out in 2013 and was the sequel to the 2012 movie titled, The Hunger Games.
The main character of Katniss Evergreen had become a superhit. The movie is said to have a gross income of about $424,668,047.
Toy Story 4 (2019)
Toy Story was the first movie that earned about $191.8 million. According to Go Banking Rates, the sequel, titled Toy Story 2, earned about $245.9 million.
However, Toy Story 4, released in 2019, broke all records as the highest-earning sequel in this franchise and has earned about $634,089,008 at the International Box Office.
Shrek 2 (2004)
Shrek 2 came out in 2004 and made an outstanding sale. It earned about $494,027,731. Shrek 3, released in 2007, was a greater hit with a sales figure of $813,367,380.
The first Shrek, directed by Andrew Adamson, was released in 2001 and had made a sale of about $484,409,218 in the gross box office.
Frozen II (2019)
Frozen became a popular re-watched movie when it came out in 2013. Disney was trying to portray the story of a princess who rules an entire kingdom and finds a happy ending without a male partner. It found high critical acclaim.
This venture was taken to the next level when the sequel was released in 2019. Frozen II, directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, made a fantastic sale of about $1.65 billion in 2019.
Finding Dory (2016)
Finding Dory is the famous sequel to the Pixar favorite, Finding Nemo. The character of Dory became as famous as the character of Nemo, and the sequel turned out to be the highest selling one.
Andrew Stanton has directed both movies. Finding Dory made about $339.7 million, while Finding Dory earned about $486.3 million.
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker (2019)
Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker did well at the box office because its franchise is already quite famous. This movie was released in 2019 and directed by J.J. Abrams.
It marked an epic comeback of the Jedi character, Luke Skywalker, and earned a massive $1 billion globally. The next most successful sequel is Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi that came to the theaters in 2017.
The Dark Knight (2008)
The Dark Knight is one of Christopher Nolan’s best. It was released in the year 2008 and was a brilliant sequel to Batman Begins, released in 2005. It is particularly remarkable for the character of Joker portrayed as the archenemy of Batman.
Its sequel is titled The Dark Knight Rises, and was released in 2012, with all three doing extraordinarily successful numbers at the box office. The first movie earned about $205.3 million, while The Dark Knight made a whopping $533.3 million.
Incredibles 2 (2018)
Incredibles 2 is an incredible creation by Pixar Animation Studios, and none other than Walt Disney Pictures released it.
The initial Incredibles was quite hyped. Brad Bird did an excellent job in creating this superhero movie franchise. Incredibles 2 later became one of the highest-selling sequels earning about $608,581,744, according to Mental Floss.
Jurassic World (2015)
Jurassic World is the fourth movie in the franchise and the first in the Jurassic World trilogy. The hype for this franchise has been immense ever since the first movie was released.
The fourth one released in 2015, portrayed a dystopian world that is destroyed more by power and corruption than the wrath of dinosaurs. The movie gained recognition for its new direction in the plot. It brought in about $652,270,625 in sales.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Avengers: Endgame is so far the highest-selling movie sequel in the Marvel Avengers franchise. Before the release of Endgame, Avengers: Infinity War, released in 2018, had been the highest-selling movie sequel.
Released in 2019, the film made about $858,373,000, whereas Infinity War had earned approximately $678,815,482.
According to Guinness World Records, Endgame is the top-selling movie sequel that has earned a lifetime gross amount at the box office of about...(deep breath) $2,797,800,564. Followed by this are movies Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens, Avengers: Infinity War, and Jurassic World.
Source: Go Banking Rates, Guinness World Records, Mental Floss