Summary

• Disney's box office achievement is nearly impossible to beat, with hits like Avatar and Deadpool & Wolverine pushing the financial record higher.
• Disney's takeover of 20th Century Fox has solidified their dominance with iconic franchises, helping them own the highest-rated movies at the box office.
• While challenging, another studio could potentially beat Disney with one record, but suring Disney's highest movies across all ratings would be a monumental task.

box office success of Deadpool & Wolverine has managed to push Disney's box office successes even further, setting a financial record that will be nearly impossible to beat anytime in the foreseeable future.

Despite being most well-known for its slate of animated films, Disney has really broadened their target demographics in recent decades with several major acquisitions. The MCU and Star Wars have helped Disney further its successes in blockbuster films, while Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Fox, now known as 20th Century Studios, added iconic franchises like Avatar, X-Men, Alien, and more to Disney's filmography. This move has helped solidify Disney's dominion over the box office, something that has been proven by this shocking financial record.

Disney Has The Highest-Grossing Movies At The Box Office In All Major Ratings

G, PG, PG-13, & R

The rating system is a huge factor in a film's box office success, with the four major ratings (G, PG, PG-13, and R) having a huge impact on the reach of a film. PG and PG-13 movies tend to be the most successful due to their broad appeal, while the rarity of G-rated movies and the limited audience of R-rated movies can often hinder their performance. However, Disney has found a way to master the box office of all four of these divisions, as the company now owns the highest G, PG, PG-13, and R-rated movies at the worldwide box office.

The highest-grossing G-rated movie is also the 40th highest-grossing movie of all time, with Toy Story 4 having made $1.073 billion. The highest-grossing PG-rated movie is also the ninth highest-grossing movie of all time, with 2019's The Lion King remake having made $1.656 billion (although Inside Out 2 isn't far behind, having made $1.625 billion as of the writing of this article).

The highest-grossing PG-13-rated movie is also the highest-grossing movie of all time, with that being Avatar, with Disney having acquired the $2.923 billion success upon their acquisition of 20th Century Fox. Finally, the highest-grossing R-rated movie is also the 31st highest-grossing movie of all time, with 2024's Deadpool & Wolverine having recently broken this box office record by grossing $1.142 billion as of the writing of this article.

Other Studios Are Unlikely To Ever Fully Beat Disney

It'll Be Difficult To Beat Four Of Disney's Movies

Disney's hold on the box office is incredible, and it is unlikely that another studio will ever beat Disney. It is entirely possible that another studio could take one of these records. For example, all a studio would have to do to achieve this is to make a G-rated movie that makes it into the top 40 highest-grossing movies of all time. It would be a bit harder to do this with PG or especially PG-13, but it is always possible that a random film from Universal, Paramount, or any other studio could end up being a runaway hit.

However, it would be incredibly difficult for a studio to release four movies across four different ratings that each ends up beating Disney's movies. One studio releasing movies more successful than Toy Story 4, The Lion King, Avatar, and Deadpool & Wolverine is a monumental task that could take decades. Unfortunately for any studio that attempts to pull this off, Disney will most likely continue releasing major blockbusters in the coming years. Disney has gotten close to breaking their own records several times, so it could finally happen.

Disney's Box Office Achievement Can Still Get More Impressive

If They Replace Avatar

Despite Disney's box office achievement, there is one element that can be improved on outside of the raw numbers. While Toy Story 4, The Lion King, and Deadpool & Wolverine were produced under Disney's ownership, Disney only acquired Avatar, with it having already become the highest-grossing movie of all time well before Disney owned the film. Thus, if Disney can release a new film that es Avatar, this would mean that all four of these box office hits have been produced and owned by Disney.

Unfortunately, since Avatar has grossed nearly $3 billion, this will be incredibly hard to pull off. Disney has gotten close a few times, with the box offices of Avatar: The Way of Water and Avengers: Endgame getting Avatar-level numbers. However, films that reach this level of success are very rare, and it is hard to imagine a movie that Disney has announced that could pull off this feat.

Source: Box Office Mojo