Worldwide gross: $350,986,018

Reported production budget: $25 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 55%

The film adaptation of Colleen Hoover's novel "It Ends With Us" was one of the biggest surprises at the 2024 box office.

In less than two weeks in theaters, the movie surpassed $180 million at the box office globally — a tremendous feat for a project that was reportedly financed for just $25 million. It's possible that fans of the book and those aware of the reports of a rift between Blake Lively and costar and director Justin Baldoni were intrigued by "It Ends With Us" and wanted to see what all the hype was about.

Worldwide gross: $370,962,265

Reported production budget: $155 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 75%

After the box-office success of the rom-com "Anyone But You," Glen Powell continued his hot streak in Hollywood starring alongside Daisy Edgar-Jones in the stand-alone sequel to the 1996 disaster movie "Twister."

"Twisters" surpassed box office predictions, earning $32.2 million from release day and preview screenings and scoring a solid $80.5 million during its opening weekend.

Worldwide gross: $397,378,150

Reported production budget: $160 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 80%

Although "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" is one of the top-performing movies of the year, it earned the lowest global total compared to the three other films in the rebooted "Planet of the Apes" franchise.

Worldwide gross: $404,544,199

Reported production budget: $100 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 65%

Two years after his infamous slap at the Oscars, Will Smith made a comeback and regained box office glory with the fourth installment in the action-comedy franchise "Bad Boys."

"Ride or Die" was a hit domestically and overseas. In its opening weekend, the movie topped the global box office, making over $100 million and overperforming in key markets.

Worldwide gross: $406,644,901

Reported production budget: $250 million to $300+ million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 71%

"Gladiator II," didn't win over critics as much as Ridley Scott's epic 2000 film "Gladiator," though many agreed that it delivered plenty of thrilling action sequences.

The sequel fell short of the first "Gladiator" movie at the box office too, grossing $100 million less — though still bringing in an impressive haul to end up on this list.

Worldwide gross: $451,100,435

Reported production budget: $100 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 76%

Nostalgic sequels don't always equate to success, but Tim Burton's "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" was a slam dunk for Warner Bros.

Executives initially wanted the sequel to the 1988 "Beetlejuice" movie to forgo a theatrical release and head straight to streaming. But Burton disagreed. So they cut costs to lower the budget and justify a theatrical release — and it paid off.

"Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" earned $41.5 million from release day and preview screenings, becoming the second-biggest opening day ever for a September release, after 2017's horror movie "It." The movie is also one of Burton's most commercially successful films.

Worldwide gross: $476,368,152

Reported production budget: $120 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 41%

Sony's films about Spider-Man-adjacent characters don't have a great track record. But the "Venom" franchise, starring Tom Hardy, has become a fan favorite among the more disappointing and flat-out cringy movies. However, the third and final installment was the worst-performing "Venom" film at the box office.

Worldwide gross: $547,689,492

Reported production budget: $85 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 71%

The fourth "Kung Fu Panda" film, starring Jack Black as the voice of the panda named Po, earned the franchise's lowest critics' score on Rotten Tomatoes but racked up $26.5 million more than 2016's "Kung Fu Panda 3."

Worldwide gross: $571,750,016

Reported production budget: $135 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 54%

"Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire," centered on the titular gargantuan creatures teaming up after being enemies in 2021's "Godzilla vs. Kong," rocked the box office.

"Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" surpassed box office projections in its opening weekend and became the second-biggest debut for Warner Bros. and Legendary's shared MonsterVerse franchise.

With $571 million earned globally, "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" is now the highest-grossing movie in the Monsterverse.

Worldwide gross: $586,301,620

Reported production budget: $150 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 88%

Jon M. Chu's film adaptation of the wildly popular stage musical of the same name was a critical and commercial success.

"Glicked," the combined name for the rivalry between "Gladiator II" and "Wicked," was this year's version of the 2023 "Barbenheimer" phenomenon. In the battle between gladiators and witches, the latter was the clear winner. "Wicked" earned a higher Rotten Tomatoes score and has grossed over half a billion at the global box office, so far.

Despite not being explicitly advertised as such, "Wicked" is the first in a two-part franchise. The sequel, "Wicked: For Good," hits theaters in November 2025.

Worldwide gross: $714,444,358

Reported production budget: $190 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 92%

Following the success of the 2021 "Dune" adaptation, Denis Villeneuve released a sequel that completed Paul Atreides' (Timothée Chalamet) journey from Frank Herbert's first "Dune" novel.

Hailed by critics as a "sci-fi masterpiece," the 2024 sequel was rated higher and grossed $300 million more worldwide than "Dune: Part One."

Worldwide gross: $820,990,553

Reported production budget: $150 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 61%

"Moana 2" didn't make nearly as big a splash in pop culture as the original film did with catchy songs like "How Far I'll Go" and "You're Welcome." The sequel also had a drastically lower rating on Rotten Tomatoes than "Moana," which landed a 95% critics score.

Regardless, "Moana 2" performed much higher at the box office and was a clear win for Disney. The movie even broke Thanksgiving box office records, racking up $380 million globally at the time.

Worldwide gross: $969,126,452

Reported production budget: $100 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 56%

Since the first "Despicable Me" movie was released in 2010, the franchise has been lucrative for Illumination Entertainment and Universal Studios.

The fourth installment fell short of earning $1 billion, which "Despicable Me 3" achieved in 2017. "Despicable Me 4" also received the lowest critics score of all the movies on Rotten Tomatoes.

Worldwide gross: $1,338,073,645

Reported production budget: $200 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 78%

Some recent entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have received middling reactions from fans and critics alike, but the success of "Deadpool & Wolverine" indicates that perhaps the superhero slump might be over.

The third installment of the "Deadpool" franchise earned a lower critic score on Rotten Tomatoes than the previous two movies. But the Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman team-up surpassed the global earnings of its predecessors and is one of two films released in 2024 to hit $1 billion at the box office.

After less than 30 days in theaters, "Deadpool & Wolverine" dethroned Todd Phillips' 2019 film "Joker" to become the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time.

Worldwide gross: $1,698,765,616

Reported production budget: $200 million

Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 91%

"Inside Out 2" fully surpassed expectations, grossing $155 million domestically and $295 million worldwide in its debut three-day weekend. The "Inside Out" sequel also earned the second-biggest domestic opening ever for an animated movie, following "Incredibles 2." It ended up being the highest-grossing film of 2024.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 65%

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence reprise their roles as Detective Mike Lowrey and Detective Marcus Burnett, who are on a mission to clear the name of their late police captain Conrad Howard.

Matt Goldberg wrote for The Wrap, "The 'Bad Boys' series has never been about tight plotting or ingenious twists. It's about throwing Lowrey and Burnett into chaotic situations and forcing them to wisecrack and shoot their way out. That's it. Those are the movies. They're a bizarre blend of soap opera, broad comedy, and bombastic action, and they should not work, but they do."

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 64%

The second film in "The Dry" series focuses on the disappearance of a woman, Alice Russell (Anna Torv), during a hiking retreat with four fellow employees. When they return without her, Detective Aaron Falk (Eric Bana) must figure out the truth of what happened to her.

We Live Entertainment's Aaron Neuwirth gave the film a 6/10 rating, writing the story "ends up feeling too convoluted for its own good, with a less engaging structure and more like a push towards some inevitable moments that ultimately take away from the film's urgency."

However, he added that it's still "decadent enough" to watch, and that he doesn't mind seeing another iteration of this story in a few years.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 57%

The "Descendants" series continued with its fifth iteration in July, as Ursula's daughter Uma (China Anne McClain) — now in charge of Auradon Prep — invites the Queen of Hearts (Rita Ora) and her teenage daughter Red (Kylie Cantrall) to the school. But when the Queen of Hearts launches a coup against her high-school nemesis Cinderella (Brandy), each of their daughters, Chloe (Malia Baker) and Red, must team up to go back in time and stop the event that turned the Queen evil.

While the score only draws from seven critics' reviews, Decider's John Serba wrote that fans of the series will be used to its over-the-topness, "which exists very much within the Disney Channel formula of heavily processed visuals and forced pep," and is "surely just good enough for all interested and engaged parties."

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 56%

In the latest "Despicable Me" film, Gru (Steve Carell) must face his high-school rival, villain Maxime Le Mal (Will Ferrell) and his girlfriend, Valentina (Sofía Vergara). But to keep the family safe — complete with their newest addition, Gru Jr. — everyone must relocate to a safe house.

Zaki Hasan, of the San Francisco Chronicle's Datebook, wrote, "At this point, the 'Despicable Me' series ('Minions' too) is mostly about keeping the content flowing so Universal can continue selling backpacks and plush toys, so don't be shocked if your child asks to return to theaters again in a few years. Talk about despicable."

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 54%

The Monsterverse franchise continues with "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire," to see the iconic monsters team up against an even bigger threat to the world.

"This movie's a mess," wrote The Film Frenzy's Matt Brunson.

"It's noisy, punishing, soulless (it calculatingly kills off more civilians than even 'Man of Steel'), needlessly convoluted, populated by nitwits and dullards, and choked with increasingly impersonal CGI," he added.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 42%

In the follow-up to the "Ghostbusters" revival, "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," descendants of the late Egon Spengler team up with members of the original Ghostbusting crew — including Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Ernie Hudson, and Annie Potts — to save the world from a second Ice Age.

"Ultimately, there's nothing in 'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire' that will win you over — no great action sequences, no laugh-out-loud jokes, and certainly nothing as inspired as 'Ghostbusters II's' perfect metaphor of a malevolent ooze fed by the negative energy of New York City seeping into the sewers. The jokes are witless, the emotions artless, and the film joyless," wrote Vulture's Bilge Ebiri.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 40%

Sure, Sony doesn't have a perfect track record with superhero movies (see: "Morbius" and "Madame Web"), but the "Venom" series has been a surprise hit … until now. In the final film of the trilogy, Tom Hardy returns as Eddie Brock and Venom as the pair goes on the run from forces from both their worlds.

While The Hollywood Reporter's Gayle Sequeira wrote that what works in this installments' favor is "its incredibly earnest exploration of the characters' personal stakes," Observer's Dylan Roth had a harsher take, writing, "True to form for this trilogy — which supposedly concludes here — the brainless and disjointed 'Last Dance' skates by on star Tom Hardy's charm and a few good gags."

"It's a relentless marathon of mediocrity," Roth added.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 40%

After the lackluster reception of "Horizon: An American Saga — Chapter 1," Kevin Costner debuted the second chapter of his Western passion project during the Venice International Film Festival in September. Though the sequel was pulled from theaters ahead of its planned August debut, it's already garnered enough reviews from critics to earn a 40% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Variety's Jessica Kiang wrote that it "is an exercise in contradictions: incident-packed yet oddly sedate; replete with characters new and returning, yet largely lacking in compelling characterization; and, running to over three hours, simply too long a film to be so jarringly abrupt."

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 32%

The musical follow-up to 2019's critically acclaimed "Joker," did not live up to expectations despite the introduction of Lady Gaga's Lee Quinzel, aka Harley Quinn.

"By any reasonable measure this is a terrible movie, too long and too self-serious and way too dramatically inert, a regrettable waste of its lead actors' boundless commitment to even their most thinly written roles," Dana Stevens wrote for Slate.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 16%

"Rebel Moon — Part Two: The Scargiver" was released in April, offering a quick follow-up for audiences who'd seen "Rebel Moon: Part One — A Child of Fire" in December 2023. The sequel picks back up with Kora (Sofia Boutella) and her group of ally warriors returning to the planet Veldt; there, they must train and defend its people from an impending attack while Kora comes to terms with her past.

David Fear wrote for Rolling Stone that "life is painfully short," and advised readers to "turn away from your screens. Go for a walk. Start your own wheat-threshing collective. Anything but suffer through this."

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

The seventh installment in the "Alien" series follows indentured space colony worker Rain Carradine (Cailee Spaeny) and a group of other young workers as they attempt to escape to another colony.

Jordan Hoffman wrote for Entertainment Weekly that the film "doesn't try to reinvent anything and instead focuses on refining what works. It's got the thrills, it's got the creepy-crawlies, and it's got just enough plot to make you care about the characters."

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%

"Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" returns to Earth decades after Caesar's reign to reveal that apes are now the dominant species, not humans. But as Caesar's legacy is distorted by a new ruler, Proximus Caesar, who's attacked and enslaved other clans in the pursuit of human technology, a young chimpanzee, Noa, and a woman must work together.

Ty Burr wrote for The Washington Post, "'Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes' is a sturdy new entry in the revived Planet of the Apes franchise, itself one of the more successful second go-rounds, commercially and artistically, of Hollywood's modern corporate era."

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%

As the prequel to 1976's "The Omen," "The First Omen" centers on a young American nun, Margaret, who uncovers a conspiracy to birth the Antichrist while serving at a Catholic orphanage in Rome.

Alison Foreman wrote for IndieWire that the film "ticks all the boxes of a justified IP revisitation that arguably should get more chapters [because] it improves what came before it."

Foreman added, "It's also the rare prequel (sequel, requel, what have you) that fits seamlessly inside the existing franchise and makes tracks toward a chilling new future. In short, it births something new and genuinely scary. Remember when that wasn't so rare?"

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 86%

Beginning six days after the end of "Smile," "Smile 2" focuses on pop star Skye Riley's (Naomi Scott) battle with the Smile entity.

Though the AP's Mark Kennedy concedes that director and screenwriter Parker Finn's script "sometimes lags as he searches for an ending," Finn found "a great satirical target, given life to a third film easily and showcased another rising star to watch. That's a reason to, well, smile about."

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 87%

"A Quiet Place: Day One" serves as a prequel to the first two installments in John Krasinski's "A Quiet Place" series by highlighting the first day of the alien invasion in New York City through the journeys of Samira "Sam" (Lupita Nyong'o) and Eric (Joseph Quinn).

"The third chapter of 'A Quiet Place' shows that this smart, reliably frightening series, which began with a modestly budgeted feature that performed way beyond expectations, is by no means tapped out," David Rooney wrote for The Hollywood Reporter.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 89%

"Transformers" might be one of the most heavily mined IPs in Hollywood, but Paramount's "Transformers One" manages to do something unique by telling the origin story of Orion Pax (Optimus Prime) and D-16's (Megatron) friendship and inevitable hatred.

Carlos Aguilar of the LA Times wrote that writers Andrew Barrer, Gabriel Ferrari, and Eric Pearson created "a consistently humorous script brimming with witty banter and quips that mostly land."

"Yet what grounds the story amid the pileup of sci-fi terms and lore is the convincingly intense bond that these male protagonists have nurtured," Aguilar added. "There's a gravitas to their relationship that makes the heartbreak of their eventual separation feel earned."

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

Another origin story that was well-received this year was "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga." The prequel follows the story of Furiosa, portrayed by Anya Taylor-Joy, from her kidnapping from the Green Place to her life as a skilled mechanic, driver, and warrior ready to take on her enemies.

Though NPR's Justin Chang thought something in Furiosa's "arc feels a bit too psychologically tidy to grip or disturb you in the way it's supposed to," the movie's post-apocalyptic world is the true star.

"Even in the moments when the CGI looks a little obvious, the mayhem is staged and shot with the kind of blissful coherence that you rarely see in a Hollywood blockbuster anymore," Chang said.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 90%

Audiences are thrust back into the mind of "Inside Out" protagonist Riley Andersen, who's now 13, as her lovable cast of emotions, led by Amy Poehler's Joy, deal with the introduction of new characters Anxiety, Envy, Ennui, and Embarrassment.

"What I loved most about 'Inside Out 2,' a movie that's warmhearted and entertaining if not quite up to the revelatory standards of its predecessor, is its portrayal of Anxiety as not a villain but a character who believes herself to be a protector," Dan Kois wrote for Slate.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 92%

In the highly anticipated follow-up to 2021's "Dune," Timothée Chalamet returns as Paul Atreides as he lives and trains amongst the Fremen of Arrakis and decides whether to embrace his position as the Lisan al Gaib, or messiah.

"It's a towering feat of sci-fi cinema that will put 'Dune: Part Two' in contention for the pantheon of greatest sequels ever," Hoai-Tran Bui wrote for Inverse.

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%

Though "Paddington in Peru," the third on-screen adventure for Paddington Bear, doesn't premiere in US theaters until January 17, it's already received positive reviews from those in the UK, where it was released on November 8.

The film follows Paddington and the Brown family as they go on an adventure through the jungles of Peru to search for his missing Aunt Lucy.

"This is confectionary cinema—sweet, light, and wanting little more than to make its audience smile," Ross McIndoe wrote for Slant.