“Jaws” turns 50 this week, and its legacy of the summer movie blockbuster remains strong.
The titles that have packed the most summer moviegoers into theaters since 1975 represent some of the best known films of the last half century, including five “Star Wars” movies, Pixar favorites like “Toy Story 3” and “Finding Nemo,” superheroes galore and both “Top Gun” films.
They also include some surprises, and movies both less bombastic and less enduring.
Combined, the top-earning summer films between 1975 and 2024 earned more than $15 billion through the summer months, a figure not adjusted for inflation, according to the tracking firm Comscore.
It’s also worth noting that box-office tracking before 1981 was not as robust as it is today — and there was essentially no summer movie season in 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic shuttered theaters across the country.
Here’s a list of the top summer movie each year, along with the film’s gross earnings from its release date through Labor Day, according to Comscore’s data.
- 1975: “Jaws,” $260 million
- 1976: “The Omen,” $60.9 million
- 1977: “Star Wars,” $221.3 million
- 1978: “Grease,” $132.5 million
- 1979: “Alien,” $79 million
- 1980: “Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back,” $222.7 million
- 1981: “Superman II,” $59.2 million
- 1982: “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” $242 million
- 1983: “Star Wars: Episode VI – Return Of The Jedi” $222.3 million
- 1984: “Ghostbusters,” $189.1 million
- 1985: “Rambo: First Blood Part II,” $139 million
- 1986: “Top Gun,” $131.3 million
- 1987: “Beverly Hills Cop II,” $151 million
- 1988: “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” $130.7 million
- 1989: “Batman,” $239 million
- 1990: “Ghost,” $125 million
- 1991: “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” $183.1 million
- 1992: “Batman Returns,” $159.8 million
- 1993: “Jurassic Park,” $316.6 million
- 1994: “The Lion King,” $262.3 million
- 1995: “Batman Forever,” $181.4 million
- 1996: “Independence Day,” $282 million
- 1997: “Men In Black,” $235.1 million
- 1998: “Armageddon,” $193 million
- 1999: “Star Wars: Episode I – Phantom Menace,” $421.4 million
- 2000: “Mission: Impossible II,” $214 million
- 2001: “Shrek,” $263 million
- 2002: “Spider-Man,” $403.7 million
- 2003: “Finding Nemo,” $332.7 million
- 2004: “Shrek 2,” $436.7 million
- 2005: “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith,” $380 million
- 2006: “Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” $414 million
- 2007: “Spider-Man 3,” $336.5 million
- 2008: “The Dark Knight,” $504.8 million
- 2009: “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” $400.6 million
- 2010: “Toy Story 3,” $409 million
- 2011: “Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows II,” $375.6 million
- 2012: “Marvel’s The Avengers,” $620.3 million
- 2013: “Iron Man 3,” $409 million
- 2014: “Guardians Of The Galaxy,” $281.2 million
- 2015: “Jurassic World,” $647.4 million
- 2016: “Finding Dory,” $482.9 million
- 2017: “Wonder Woman,” $409.5 million
- 2018: “Incredibles 2,” $602.6 million
- 2019: “The Lion King,” $523.6 million
- 2020: “Tenet,” $20 million
- 2021: “Black Widow,” $182.7 million
- 2022: “Top Gun Maverick,” $701.3 million
- 2023: “Barbie,” $612.3 million
- 2024: “Inside Out 2,” $650.8 million
Source: Comscore
