The highest-grossing films in 2019

 Evaluation of the year

In his article highlighting the best movies of 2019, Richard Brody of The New Yorker said, "It's the year of apocalyptic cinema of the highest order, the year in which three of our best filmmakers have responded with vast ambition, invention, and inspiration to the crises at hand, including the threats to American democracy, the catastrophic menaces arising from global warming, the corrosive cruelty of ethnic hatreds and nationalist prejudices, and the poisonous overconcentration of money and power. At the same time, it’s a year of inside-movies practicalities, of special attention to the business at hand, because of the structural threats to the movie business from new and powerful players. The major crisis specific to cinema outleaps even the great merits of individual movies and invokes basic and comprehensive questions of which movies can be seen and how those movies are acknowledged. It's a terrific year for movies, but it would seem much less so if we only considered movies in wide release. Versions of that refrain come up every year, but what used to be merely a gap between the multiplexes and limited releases has now become an abyss."[1]

Highest-grossing films

The top films released in 2019 by worldwide gross are as follows:[2]

Highest-grossing films of 2019
RankTitleDistributorWorldwide gross
1Avengers: EndgameDisney$2,797,800,564
2The Lion King$1,656,943,394
3Frozen II$1,450,026,933
4Spider-Man: Far From HomeSony Pictures / Columbia$1,131,927,996
5Captain MarvelDisney$1,128,462,972
6JokerWarner Bros.$1,074,251,311
7Star Wars: The Rise of SkywalkerDisney$1,074,144,248
8Toy Story 4$1,073,394,593
9Aladdin$1,050,693,953
10Jumanji: The Next LevelSony Pictures / Columbia$800,059,707

Avengers: Endgame became the fifth film to gross $2 billion worldwide and is the second highest-grossing film of all timeThe Lion KingFrozen IISpider-Man: Far From HomeCaptain MarvelJokerStar Wars: The Rise of SkywalkerToy Story 4, and Aladdin all grossed $1 billion, with the second, third, and eighth as the first, second, and fifth highest-grossing animated films, respectively. Joker became the first R-rated film in history to surpass $1 billion.

2019 box office records

Studio records

  • Walt Disney Studios became the first studio in history to surpass $10 billion in worldwide box office grosses.[5]
  • Spider-Man: Far From Home became Sony Pictures' highest-grossing film.
  • With Toy Story 4Pixar became the first animation studio to have four animated films (along with Toy Story 3Finding Dory, and Incredibles 2) each surpass $1 billion at the worldwide box office, and also the second animated film series to have two installments that have surpass $1 billion at the worldwide box office, after the Despicable Me franchise in 2017.

Film records

  • The Wandering Earth set the all-time opening record in China, grossing $349 million in its first seven days, which also made it the second biggest opening in any territory (after Star Wars: The Force Awakens in North America).[6]
  • Pokémon Detective Pikachu earned the best North American opening for a film based on a video game, with a $58 million debut.[7] By June 14, 2019, Detective Pikachu became the highest-grossing video game film adaptation in North America, surpassing Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001).[8][9]
  • Avengers: Endgame set numerous box office records, including becoming the highest-grossing film of all time.
  • Capernaum became the highest-grossing Middle-Eastern film of all time, having earned more than $50 million worldwide (including $43.5 million in China) by 16 May 2019.[10]
  • Aladdin became the highest-grossing release of all time in the Middle East,[11] and had the year's biggest opening weekend for a foreign film as well as this year's highest-grossing foreign film in Japan to date. The film has also surpassed Independence Day (1996) to become the highest-grossing film of Will Smith's career.[12] The film also has become highest-grossing Disney film ever in South Korea, not including films from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
  • In June, Toy Story 4 set the record for the biggest opening for an animated film, with $244.5 million. However, the record was surpassed the following month by The Lion King, which grossed $246 million. The latter then became the fastest animated film to gross $1 billion worldwide, doing so in 21 days, surpassing Incredibles 2 (46 days). The Lion King then surpassed Frozen (2013) to become the highest-grossing animated film and highest-grossing musical film of all time in only 31 days.[13] On the other hand, Toy Story 4 surpassed Toy Story 3 to become the highest-grossing film of the series.
  • The Lion King set the record for the widest opening weekend and widest release ever for North American film history, with 4,725 and 4,802 theaters, respectively.[14] On August 11, the film surpassed Beauty and the Beast (2017) as the highest-grossing remake of all time worldwide.[15] On August 26, the film become the first animated film to grossed $1 billion at overseas box office outside North America.
  • Ne Zha set the record for the biggest opening for an animated film in China, with $91.5 million, this was also the highest for a non-Hollywood animated film. It later became the first non-Hollywood animated film to earn $500 million (in 17 days), $600 million (in 25 days), and $700 million (in 46 days) and the first animated film not released by UniversalDisney, or Fox to do so.
  • Joker became the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time, and the first R-rated film to pass the billion-dollar mark at the worldwide box office.[16]
  • In November, Frozen II surpassed the record set by The Lion King earlier in July, as the biggest opening weekend for an animated and musical film with $358.5 million worldwide.
  • 2019 is the first year to have nine films cross the billion-dollar milestone, surpassing 2015's and 2018's record of five billion-dollar films. Additionally, Disney (not counting Marvel Studios or Lucasfilm) saw four films cross $1 billion, the studio's highest amount in any calendar year.

Events



Notable Deaths 2019

January1Ivo Gregurević66CroatianActor
2Bob Einstein76AmericanActor, Director
4Ivan Bortnik79RussianActor
4Louisa Moritz82Cuban-AmericanActress
6Gregg Rudloff63AmericanSound Mixer
6W. Morgan Sheppard86EnglishActor
9Verna Bloom80AmericanActress
9Paul Koslo74German-CanadianActor
9Paolo Paoloni89ItalianActor
11Fernando Luján79MexicanActor
12Etsuko Ichihara82JapaneseActress
15Bill Anagnos60AmericanStuntman
15Carol Channing97AmericanActress
15Miodrag Radovanović89SerbianActor
17Windsor Davies88WelshActor
17Daniel C. Striepeke88AmericanMakeup Artist
19Muriel Pavlow97EnglishActress
21Kaye Ballard93AmericanActress
22James Frawley82AmericanDirector, Actor
23Jonas Mekas96Lithuanian-AmericanDocumentarian
23Aloysius Pang28SingaporeanActorYoung & Fabulous[28]
24Dušan Makavejev86SerbianDirector, Screenwriter
26Michel Legrand86FrenchComposer
30Dick Miller90AmericanActor
February1Clive Swift82EnglishActor
3Julie Adams92AmericanActress
3Carmen Duncan76AustralianActress
3Kristoff St. John52AmericanActor
4Nita Bieber92AmericanActress
7Albert Finney82EnglishActor
9Ron W. Miller85AmericanProducer, Executive
10Carmen Argenziano75AmericanActor
10Mario Bernardo99ItalianCinematographer
10Jan-Michael Vincent74AmericanActor
12Vijaya Bapineedu82IndianDirector
13Marisa Solinas79ItalianActress, Singer
16Bruno Ganz77SwissActor
19Giulio Brogi83ItalianActor
20Chelo Alonso85CubanActress
20Claude Goretta89SwissDirector
20Vinny Vella72AmericanActor
21Stanley Donen94AmericanDirector
21Peter Tork77AmericanActor, Singer
22Morgan Woodward93AmericanActor
23Katherine Helmond89AmericanActress
24Paul Blackwell64AustralianActor
27Nathaniel Taylor80AmericanActor
28André Previn89German-AmericanComposer
March2Med Hondo82MauritanianDirector, Actor
4Luke Perry52AmericanActor
5Susan Harrison80AmericanActress
5Jacques Loussier84FrenchComposer
7Pino Caruso84ItalianActor
7William J. Creber87AmericanProduction Designer
7Sidney Sheinberg84AmericanProducer, Executive
9Vladimir Etush96RussianActor
16Richard Erdman93AmericanActor
16Barbara Hammer79AmericanDirector, Documentarian
16Tom Hatten92AmericanActor
18John Carl Buechler66AmericanDirector, Makeup Artist
21Pyotr Zaychenko75RussianActor
23Larry Cohen82AmericanDirector, Screenwriter
23Denise DuBarry63AmericanActress
24Joseph Pilato70AmericanActor
29Shane Rimmer89CanadianActor
29Agnès Varda90Belgian-FrenchDirector, Screenwriter
April2Mahendran79IndianDirector, Screenwriter
3Jerzy Wójcik88PolishCinematographer
4Barry Malkin80AmericanFilm Editor
4Roberta Haynes91AmericanActress
5Nadja Regin87SerbianActress
7Seymour Cassel84AmericanActor
12Georgia Engel70AmericanActress
12John McEnery75EnglishActor
13Norman Garwood73EnglishProduction Designer
14Bibi Andersson83SwedishActress
16Fay McKenzie101AmericanActress
20David V. Picker87AmericanProducer, Executive
21Steve Golin64AmericanProducer
21Ken Kercheval83AmericanActor
23Mark Medoff79AmericanScreenwriter
23Terry Rawlings85EnglishFilm Editor
23David Winters80English-AmericanActor, Director
24Jean-Pierre Marielle87FrenchActor
26Jessie Lawrence Ferguson76AmericanActor
28John Singleton51AmericanDirector, Screenwriter
30Anémone68FrenchActress
30Peter Mayhew74English-AmericanActor
May1Alessandra Panaro79ItalianActress
2Chris Reccardi54AmericanAnimator
5Barbara Perry97AmericanActress
9Allene Roberts90AmericanActress
9Alvin Sargent92AmericanScreenwriter
11Jean-Claude Brisseau74FrenchDirector, Screenwriter
11Peggy Lipton72AmericanActress
12Machiko Kyō95JapaneseActress
13Doris Day97AmericanActress, Singer
14Tim Conway85AmericanActor
17Rallapalli73IndianActor
18Analía Gadé87ArgentineActress
26Stephen Thorne84EnglishActor
28Carmine Caridi85AmericanActor
29Peggy Stewart95AmericanActress
June2Alistair Browning65New ZealandActor
3Paul Darrow78EnglishActor
7Narciso Ibáñez Serrador83SpanishDirector, Screenwriter
9Ma Ju-lung80TaiwaneseActor
11Valeria Valeri97ItalianActress
12Sylvia Miles94AmericanActress
13Edith González54MexicanActress
15Franco Zeffirelli96ItalianDirector, Screenwriter
20Eddie Garcia90FilipinoActor
21William Simons78WelshActor
24Billy Drago73AmericanActor
25Bruno de Keyzer69FrenchCinematographer
25Bryan Marshall81EnglishActor
26Édith Scob81FrenchActress
26Max Wright75AmericanActor
28Paul Benjamin81AmericanActor
29Jeon Mi-seon48South KoreanActress
July1Ennio Guarnieri88ItalianCinematographer
3Glyn Houston93WelshActor
3Arte Johnson90AmericanActor
4Eduardo Fajardo94SpanishActor
4Arturo Fernández90SpanishActor
5Ugo Gregoretti88ItalianActor, Director
5Pierre Lhomme89FrenchCinematographer
6Cameron Boyce20AmericanActor
7Artur Brauner100GermanProducer
9Freddie Jones91EnglishActor
9Rip Torn88AmericanActor
10Valentina Cortese96ItalianActress
10Denise Nickerson62AmericanActress
13Richard Carter65AustralianActor
18David Hedison92AmericanActor
19Rutger Hauer75DutchActor
19Jeremy Kemp84EnglishActor
20Ilaria Occhini85ItalianActress
25Giorgio Arlorio90ItalianScreenwriter
26Russi Taylor75AmericanVoice Actress
28Ruth de Souza98BrazilianActress
28George Hilton85UruguayanActor
31Raffaele Pisu94ItalianActor
31Harold Prince91AmericanDirector, Producer
August1D. A. Pennebaker94AmericanDocumentarian
1Barrington Pheloung65AustralianComposer
8Jean-Pierre Mocky86FrenchDirector, Actor, Screenwriter
10Piero Tosi92ItalianCostume Designer
11Gordan Mihić80SerbianScreenwriter
16Peter Fonda79AmericanActor, Screenwriter
16Anna Quayle86EnglishActress
16Richard Williams86CanadianAnimator, Animation Director
18Encarna Paso88SpanishActress
23Carlo Delle Piane83ItalianActor
28Michel Aumont82FrenchActor
30Valerie Harper80AmericanActress
September3Carol Lynley77AmericanActress
7Robert Axelrod70AmericanActor
7Al Carmichael90AmericanStuntman
8John Wesley72AmericanActor
11Mardik Martin82AmericanScreenwriter
13Eddie Money70AmericanMusician
15Phyllis Newman86AmericanActress
15Ric Ocasek75AmericanMusician
19Charles Gérard92FrenchActor
20Jan Merlin94AmericanActor
21Sid Haig80AmericanActor
22Boriss Teterevs63LatvianProducer
27Rob Garrison59AmericanActor
28Mark Zakharov85RussianDirector, Playwright
30Wayne Fitzgerald89AmericanTitle Designer
October1Eric Pleskow95AustrianProducer, Executive
4Diahann Carroll84AmericanActress, Singer
4Stephen Moore81EnglishActor
6Vlasta Chramostová92CzechActress
6Rip Taylor84AmericanActor
9John W. Corso89AmericanProduction Designer
10Marie-José Nat79FrenchActress
11Robert Forster78AmericanActor
12Carlo Croccolo92ItalianActor
17Bill Macy97AmericanActor
22Raymond Leppard92EnglishComposer
26Robert Evans89AmericanProducer, Executive
26Pascale Roberts89FrenchActress
28Annick Alane94FrenchActress
29John Witherspoon77AmericanActor
30Bernard Slade89CanadianScreenwriter
31Florence Giorgetti75FrenchActress
November2Marie Laforêt80French-SwissActress, Singer
2Brian Tarantina60AmericanActor
5Omero Antonutti84ItalianActor
7Nik Powell69EnglishProducer, Executive
8Fred Bongusto84ItalianComposer
10Lawrence G. Paull81AmericanProduction Designer
12Luciano Marin87ItalianActor
13Niall Tóibín89IrishActor
14María Baxa73SerbianActress
14Branko Lustig87CroatianProducer
15Jorge Vergara64MexicanProducer
16Vojtěch Jasný93CzechDirector
18Laure Killing60FrenchActress
20Michael J. Pollard80AmericanActor
26Vittorio Congia89ItalianActor
December1Michael Lai73Hong KongComposer
1Shelley Morrison83AmericanActress
4Leonard Goldberg85AmericanProducer
5Robert Walker79AmericanActor
6Ron Leibman82AmericanActor
8René Auberjonois79AmericanActor
8Caroll Spinney85AmericanPuppeteer
12Danny Aiello86AmericanActor
14Anna Karina79Danish-FrenchActress
14Bernard Lavalette93FrenchActor
15Nicky Henson74EnglishActor
18Claudine Auger78FrenchActress
22Tony Britton95EnglishActor
26Jerry Herman88AmericanComposer, Lyricist
26Sue Lyon73AmericanActress
27Jack Sheldon88AmericanSinger, Musician, Actor
29Neil Innes75EnglishComposer, Actor
30Jan Fedder64GermanActor
30Jack Garfein89AmericanDirector
30Syd Mead86AmericanConcept Artist
30Elizabeth Sellars98ScottishActress

List of some of the film festivals for 2019 that have been accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (FIAPF). 

 Date Event Host Location January 14–February 3 2019 Sundance Film Festival Sundance Institute Park City, Utah, United States February 9–14 69th Berlin International Film Festival Berlin International Film Festival Berlin, Germany May 14–25 2019 Cannes Film Festival Cannes Film Festival Cannes, France August 28–September 7 76th Venice International Film Festival Venice Film Festival Venice, Italy September 5–15 2019 Toronto International Film Festival Toronto International Film Festival Toronto, Ontario, Canada