10 Highest-Grossing Films of 2023: From 'Barbie' to 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania'
Barbie - $1.4 Billion
Barbie dominated Box Office Mojo's list and ranked first on the list of highest-grossing films of 2023. The film stars Margot Robbie, who plays the titular character, and Ryan Gosling as Ken.
Nicola Coughlan, Dua Lipa, Rity Arya, Ana Cruz Kayne, Sharon Rooney, Hari Nef, Emma Mackey, Issa Rae, Kate McKinnon and Alexandra Shipp play the roles of the titular character's main variations. Meanwhile, Simu Liu, John Cena, Scott Evans, Kingsley Ben-Adir and Ncuti Gatwa appear as the main variations of Ken.
In the film, the main character gets the chance to become part of the real world. However, it takes her only a short time to feel what humans do.
The Super Mario Bros. Movie - $1.3 Billion
In April 2023, the U.S. got the first look at The Super Mario Bros. Movie. The film explores Mario and Luigi's origin story as the famed plumbers who enter the alternate world and get involved in the battle between the Koopas and the Mushroom Kingdom.
Aside from ranking second on the list, the animated flick became the highest-grossing film produced by Illumination.
Oppenheimer - $952 Million
Oppenheimer shook the film industry when it arrived in July 2023. The Christopher Nolan-directed epic film hailed Cillian Murphy as the main star as he played J. Robert Oppenheimer's role and told the story of the "father of the atomic bomb," going on to develop and create the first nuclear weapons for the Manhattan Project.
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 - $845 Million
The highest-grossing Marvel film of the year, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 served as the latest installment of the hit Guardians of the Galaxy franchise featuring Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Karen Gillan, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff and Bradley Cooper.
The flick mainly highlights Rocket's past life and the Guardians' attempt to save him from High Evolutionary by finding his switch's override code at the Orgocorp's headquarters.
Fast X - $714.6 Million
In May 2023, Fast X started driving its way to the list of highest-grossing films of 2023. The Vin Diesel-led flick shares the story of Dominic Toretto and his team's mission to steal a computer chip en route to Rome. But the main character's world gets shattered while doing the task.
Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, John Cena and Natalie Emmanuel also appeared in the movie.
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Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - $690 Million
The sequel to the 2018 Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse's plot involves Miles Morales' reunion with Gwen Stacy before he enters the Multiverse, where the other Spiders clash because of a new threat.
Shameik Moore voiced the titular character, while Hailee Steinfeld gave life to Gwen Stacy/Spider-Gwen.
The Little Mermaid - $569 Million
Halle Bailey-led musical romantic fantasy film The Little Mermaid surpassed the half-a-million mark after impressing the Disney character's fans across the globe. The movie, which premiered in May 2023, followed the original story of Ariel, who becomes curious about the world beyond the sea and eventually falls in love with Prince Eric.
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One - $567 Million
Tom Cruise returned to action as he presented Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One to the public in 2023. The latest installment saw Ethan Hunt accept a new mission to find the new weapon and prevent the dark forces from acquiring it.
The lead star appeared alongside an ensemble cast including Hayley Atwell, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson and Vanessa Kirby, among others.
Elemental - $496 Million
Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios produced the romantic comedy-drama animated film Elemental, which made it to the top 10 highest-grossing films of 2023. The picture shares the story of the Fire elements who immigrate to Element City, where they feel hated by other elements.
Ember soon meets Wade, a water element, with whom she eventually falls in love.
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania - $476 Million
The Peyton Reed-directed Marvel film Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania completed the top 10 after grossing $476 million. Set after the Avengers' battle against Thanos, Paul Rudd's Scott Lang and his family accidentally enter the Quantum Realm after Cassie's device opens the portal that sucks them into the world.
The team fights Kang — the new ruler — to prevent him from destroying more worlds and help themselves get back to earth.