2022’s Biggest Blockbusters: This Year’s Most Talked About Movies

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December 20, 2022 2:56PM EST

2022 was a huge year for movies. See all the most memorable films right here.

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2022’s Biggest Blockbusters: ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ & More

2022’s Biggest Blockbusters: ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ & More
©Paramount/Courtesy Everett Collection

2022 was a year full of blockbuster movies. Audiences packed theaters to catch all the big releases, and there were tons of things to see. From Marvel comic book magic to rock and roll biopics, and big retro reboots, it seems like there was a movie for everyone this year.

Top Gun: Maverick was 2022’s best box office showing. The revival of the Tom Cruise classic was released May 27, 2022 and went on to earn $718m in the U.S. alone. Fans loved the film, with many returning to the theater for repeat visits. It was dubbed “wildly entertaining” and sits at a 96% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Ready to learn more about the movies that made 2022? See this year’s biggest films here.

December 20, 2022, 11:24AM
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‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’
©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection

Sequels were a huge trend on the big screens this year. The highly anticipated Black Panther: Wakanda Forever recreated the success of its predecessor, earning $419m in the U.S.

The comic book movie starred Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, Lupita Nyong’o, Danai Gurira, Winston Duke, Florence Kasumba, Dominique Thorne, Michaela Coel, Tenoch Huerta Mejía, Martin Freeman, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Critics called it a “poignant tribute” and its Rotten Tomatoes rating is a respectable 84%.

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‘Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness’

‘Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness’
©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection

Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness put Benedict Cumberbatch’s wizardly Marvel character in the driver’s seat once more, set to clean up a mess set off in the last Spider-Man movie. The flick was huge, earning $411m domestically. Critics had mixed feelings about the second Dr. Strange film, however, calling it endlessly entertaining, if not a bit bloated storywise.

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‘Jurassic World Dominion’

‘Jurassic World Dominion’
©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection

There was no way a property like Jurassic Park wasn’t making a huge footprint on 2022’s movie scene. Jurassic World Dominion came out in June and had fans rushing to theaters to catch the dino-action. The movie, which featured original stars Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, and Laura Dern, along with second-gen leads Bryce Dallas Howard, Chris Pratt, Isabella Sermon and DeWanda Wise, made $376m in the U.S.

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‘Minions: The Rise Of Gru’

‘Minions: The Rise Of Gru’
©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection

The latest Minions adventure, Minions: The Rise Of Gru, was poised to make big bucks with the kids, but filmmakers were thrilled to learn about another demographic embracing the Despicable Me spin-off. Teens in suits flocked to theaters with bananas to take on the “Gentle-minions” trend.

While the pranks helped ticket numbers, theaters found it a total nuisance and some ended up banning well-dressed theater attendees. All in all, Minions: The Rise Of Gru made $369m.

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‘The Batman’

‘The Batman’
©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

Comic book fans can be finicky, but they were totally on-board with the darker Robert Pattinson take on The Batman. Critics called it “gritty, griping neo-noir” and audiences pushed the film to a $369m box-office take.

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‘Thor: Love And Thunder’

‘Thor: Love And Thunder’
©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection

Thor: Love And Thunder came with a built-in audience and that totally showed in the numbers. The Chris Hemsworth/Natalie Portman MCU movie earned $343m in the U.S. Fans found it to be a bit of a flub, however, calling it silly and a bit of a rehash of its predecessor Ragnarok, perRotten Tomatoes.

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‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’

‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’
©Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

Spider-Man: No Way Home came out at the end of 2021, but was one of 2022’s biggest box office earners, putting it on our list with $231m in U.S. ticket sales. Critics and fans were impressed by the story, which they called “A bigger, bolder Spider-Man sequel” which “expands the franchise’s scope and stakes without losing sight of its humor and heart,” per Rotten Tomatoes.

 

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‘Black Adam’

‘Black Adam’
©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

Black Adam was another one of DC’s big entries into the 2022 box-office race. The Dwayne Johnson-fronted flick had the burden of introducing audiences to a fresh character, and critics weren’t exactly thrilled. (Black Adam stands at 39% on Rotten Tomatoes, calling the flick a straight-up “let down.” A $167m domestic take might seem strong, but considering it cost a reported $190 to $230 million (per Deadline,) we might have to reconsider.

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‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’

‘Avatar: The Way Of Water’
©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection

Released in mid-December, Avatar: The Way Of The Water didn’t have as much time to rake in sales as its peers. The James Cameron eco-fantasy grossed $134m domestically in its initial weeks in theaters and the people are praising the film for its stunning scenes of Pandora.

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‘Elvis’

‘Elvis’
©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

A whole new generation of music fans got their introduction to Elvis Presley in the Austin Butler-fronted biopic. It was one of the year’s most buzzed-about movies and went on to earn $110m at domestic box offices.

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‘Nope’

‘Nope’
©Universal/Courtesy Everett Collection

Jordan Peele was back in the director’s chair for his first alien film, Nope. Keke Palmer and Daniel Kaluuya’s acting was electric, and critics were impressed by how the movie played with Hollywood mythology, the wild West, and the thrill of the unknown. Nope earned $123m in U.S. ticket sales.

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‘Lightyear’

‘Lightyear’
©Walt Disney Co./Courtesy Everett Collection

Lightyear offered the perfect dose of nostalgia for grownup Disney kids (and Chris Evans fans too!) The Toy Story spin-off delighted fans with its “straightforward but fun” origin story (Rotten Tomatoes) and earned $118m at the box office.

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‘Morbius’

‘Morbius’
©Sony Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection

It’s morbin’ time! Morbius gets an honorable mention, not for its ticket sales but for its utter meme-ability.

The Jared Leto vampire flick became the butt end of Twitter jokes, prompting studios to push it out to theaters again two months after its initial Apr. 2022 release. Turned out to be a major mistake. The special release of the Spider-Man spin-off raked in a mere $280k over 1000 theaters. All in all, Morbius earned a $74m in the U.S.

December 20, 2022, 11:24AM
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‘Don’t Worry Darling’

‘Don’t Worry Darling’
©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

Don’t Worry Darling was one of the most talked about movies of 2022, but not exactly because of the film itself. There was tons of drama around the cast, with rumors of onset romances and reported cast/director feuds. (And how can we forget that controversial (maybe) spitting incident?)

That buzz didn’t exactly translate to big numbers, but it definitely made an impact on 2022’s pop culture. Still, the Olivia Wilde-directed Don’t Worry Darling made $45m in the U.S.

December 20, 2022, 11:24AM