| Title | Studio | Gross World-Wide | Year | Rank |
| Avatar | 20th Century Fox | $2,781,132,032 | 2009 | 1 |
| Titanic | Lightstorm Entertainment | $1.843,201,268 | 1997 | 2 |
| The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King | New Line Cinema | $1,119,110,941 | 2003 | 3 |
| Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest | Walt Disney Pictures | $1,066,179,725 | 2006 | 4 |
| Toy Story 3 | Walt Disney Pictures Pixar | $1,063,161,943 | 2010 | 5 |
| Alice in Wonderland | Walt Disney Pictures | $1,024,299,722 | 2010 | 6 |
| The Dark Knight | Legendary Pictures, Syncopy Films, Warner Bros. | $1,001,921,825 | 2008 | 7 |
| Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone | Warner Bros. Heyday Films, 1492 Pictures | $974,733,550 | 2001 | 8 |
| Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End | Walt Disney Pictures | $960,996,492 | 2007 | 9 |
| Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | Warner Bros, Heyday Films | $938,212,738 | 2007 | 10 |
It may be interest to note that within the Top 50 films, 80% were released after the year 2000 and there are no films that were released before 1977 within the list. This is due to the inflation of ticket-prices, size of the population, and also ticket purchasing trends.
Just like Professional Athletes, the earnings of Movie Stars is often controversial especially when compared to executive pay, it can seem extortionate. However, as long as people are prepared to visit the cinemas, watch movies, rent or buy DVD’s, and pay for downloads on the internet, the movie stars will continue to be paid exorbitant amounts. With plenty of star presence, and occasionally a degree of acting talent, a high profile actor can determine the success of a film’s financial success at the box office.
