Here’s a fun box office fact: every single movie that’s cracked $500+ million domestically has also cracked $1+ billion worldwide. From The Force Awakens to Barbie to Beauty and the Beast, getting past North America’s $500+ million mark is enough to shatter the $1 billion mark worldwide. If you’re such a big deal in America that you can get past $500 million domestically, you’re at least getting to $1.007 billion worldwide. This statistic reflects how much American cinema dominates the global moviegoing conversation. If something catches on like wildfire in the US, it will also be a phenomenon overseas.
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Despite the stats, not every single massive hit in North America has cracked $1 billion worldwide. There are a handful of domestic box office juggernauts that have cracked $400+ million that didn’t quite have enough juice to reach the ten-digit mark globally. That’s important to remember given that, right now, Wicked’s domestic haul is greatly outpacing an overseas total that (as of this writing) has yet to reach $100 million. And Wicked‘s tracking isn’t unique. Let’s look at the biggest movies ever in North America that didn’t quite make enough overseas to crack $1 billion worldwide.
Why Star Wars Didn’t Hit $1 Billion Worldwide
Currently, this record belongs to Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. This 1977 feature shattered all box office norms back when it first dropped into theaters and instantly became a pop culture phenomenon that still looms large over pop culture (Skeleton Crew just debuted on Disney+, after all). Its $460.99 million domestic haul (accumulated from multiple theatrical re-releases) still stands as the 26th biggest movie ever in North America. However, its overseas gross was “just” $314.4 million for a $775.39 million worldwide haul, a stark contrast to the global cumes of other movies that got past $450 million domestically.
It’s not exactly rocket science why A New Hope made so much less globally than other blockbusters. Back in 1977, the international box office scene was drastically different than it is today. While massive blockbusters like Avengers: Endgame could make well over $300 million in territories like China in the 2010s, A New Hope opened in an era where most movies made almost all of their money domestically. Plus, ticket prices in 1977 (or even 1997, when the feature returned to theaters across the planet) were significantly cheaper than today.
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Right behind A New Hope as the second-biggest movie domestically to never hit $1 billion worldwide is a much more modern film, 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. Though it grossed a massive $453.8 million domestically, its overseas gross only reached $400.1 million. Globally, it took in $853.9 million. In 2018, the original Black Panther grossed $105 million in China. Its sequel eventually opened in this territory and only grossed $15 million. That $90 million disparity is the reason Wakanda Forever didn’t reach $1 billion worldwide. Meanwhile, the 2022 global box office as a whole was still being rocked by diminished attendance in key territories, which contributed to Wakanda Forever‘s ultimate box office.. While certain titles like Avatar: The Way of Water were outliers that year and performed like it was still 2017, others like The Batman failed to cracked $800 million globally. Under these conditions, it’s understandable why Wakanda Forever couldn’t get past $1 billion.
Shrek 2 Narrowly Missed $1 Billion
Only two features in history have exceeded $450 million domestically without also grossing $1+ billion worldwide. The biggest of these is Shrek 2, which really made a run at getting to that ten-digit mark. In its 2004 theatrical run, Shrek 2 grossed a tremendous $935.4 million worldwide. Given how popular this installment was back in 2004, don’t be surprised if 2026’s Shrek 5 finally takes the franchise to $1+ billion territory.
Behind Shrek 2 is E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. This is another A New Hope case where lower ticket prices and a pre-1990 international marketplace easily explain why E.T. topped out at $797.3 million worldwide. Meanwhile, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, the 34th biggest movie ever domestically, hit $864.8 million globally. Though the first Hunger Games was drastically more popular in America than overseas, Catching Fire kicked off the series regularly garnering $350+ million hauls internationally. Then there’s The Lion King, which has amassed $988.38 million worldwide. One more lucrative theatrical re-release and that one gets past $1 billion after more than 30 years!
While none of the movies discussed here are failures by any extent, it is interesting to look what hits didn’t cross that billion mark and why. While ticket prices was a factor for some of them, it’s also notable that there are additional factors at play for others — with some films simply appealing more to international audiences. It just goes to show that something can be a major hit at home, but not quite each that big benchmark globally — and it will be interesting to see which future blockbusters have what it takes to bring home the billion.
