In the end, nothing could top "Barbie."
Greta Gerwig's smash hit ended the year as the highest-grossing film of 2023, having raked in more than $1.4 billion since hitting theaters in July.
It's the first time in years that a non-sequel has topped the year-end box office. Indeed, of the 10 highest-grossing films of the year, half are part of an ongoing series. "The Little Mermaid," meanwhile, is a remake.
But the top two films, "Barbie" and No. 2 "The Super Mario Bros. Movie," are both standalone properties (for now). Christopher Nolan's historical drama "Oppenheimer" rounded out the top three with its $951 million haul.
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"I think audiences are really showing what they want are films that are a little different," Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, tells CNBC Make It.
After topping the 2022 box office charts with "Top Gun: Maverick" — "Avatar: The Way of Water" split its $2.3 billion box office haul between 2022 and 2023 — Tom Cruise made another appearance in the top 10 with his latest "Mission Impossible" sequel.
Marvel Studios, which in recent years has topped the year-end box office on multiple occasions with "Spider-Man" and "Avengers" films, claimed two spots in the top 10.
Money Report
These are the highest-grossing films released in 2023, according to Comscore data pulled on December 18.
10. 'Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania'
Worldwide gross: $476.3 million
Release date: February 17, 2023
9. 'Elemental'
Worldwide gross: $479.8 million
Release date: June 16, 2023
8. 'Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One'
Worldwide gross: $567.5 million
Release date: July 12, 2023
7. 'The Little Mermaid'
Worldwide gross: $568.8 million
Release date: May 26, 2023
6. 'Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
Worldwide gross: $684.9 million
Release date: June 2, 2023
5. 'Fast X'
Worldwide gross: $707.6 million
Release date: May 19, 2023
4. 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3'
Worldwide gross: $845.4 million
Release date: May 5, 2023
3. 'Oppenheimer'
Worldwide gross: $951.4 million
Release date: July 21, 2023
2. 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie'
Worldwide gross: $1.34 billion
Release date: April 5, 2023
1. 'Barbie'
Worldwide gross: $1.44 billion
Release date: July 21, 2023
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Disclosure: NBCUniversal is the parent company of Universal Studios and CNBC.
