2013 was a year full of memorable movies, both in good ways and bad, but here is a look at the top ten most grossing films of this year.

Number one is a fan favorite amongst comic book lovers: Iron Man 3. Starring the lovable Robert Downey, Jr. and distributed by Disney, this movie had a budget of an astonishing $200 million. The movie made $1,215,439,994 at the box office worldwide, $409,013,994 in North America, and $806,426,000 in other countries.

Despicable Me 2 comes in at number two on the list. Steve Carell revives his role as the famous Gru, this time being recruited by the Anti-Villain League to “help deal with a new powerful superhuman criminal.” [1] Compared to Iron Man 3’s budget, the 76 million dollar allowance for Despicable Me 2 makes it look like a low budget movie. The movie had made a worldwide total of $918,612,050 as of December 12, 2013.

Number three on the list is also the most recently released contestant: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. This is a film adaptation of the 2^nd book in the critically acclaimed series by Suzanne Collins, also the sequel to The Hunger Games.  The Lionsgate film had an open budget of $130-$140 million. With the film earning $729,882,000 after only a month, plus the money she earned from the book sales, Suzanne Collins is left with enough money to last her the rest of her life.

Man of Steel, the twelfth superman movie, is 4^th on the list. Released on July 14^th this year, Man of Steel has reeled in a good return of $662,845,518. Warner Bros. Pictures gave a budget of $25 million and the recurring theme seems to be that the more money given to make the film, the more money the film makes upon release, otherwise the movie will end up on Netflix and become a “cult classic.”

Number five has been awaited for 12 years. Monsters University takes “a look at the relationship between Mike and Sulley during their days at Monsters University — when they weren’t necessarily the best of friends.” [2] No doubt the $743,544,940 the movie gained was due to anticipation.

Sandra Bullock and George Clooney fall into number six with Gravity. It is a sci-fi thriller and space drama, but most importantly, it’s 3D. This movie has been praised for everything from the acting to the cinematography to the musical score. Rottentomatoes.com [3] gave it a 97%, IMDB [4] gave it 9.1/10 stars, and Peter Travers of Rolling Stone Magazine gave it 4/4 stars. It earned a solid $642,167,000 at the box office.

With 788.6 million dollars, Fast & Furious 6 places 7^th.  Released on May 24^th, the film made $788.6 million, amazing for a long-running installment series that isn’t James Bond. By December 10^th, the movie was available for purchase and following Paul Walkers death on November 30^th, Universal stated that they are giving a portion of the proceeds to his charity Reach Out Worldwide. If you are interested in the Fast and Furious 6 proceeds, go to www.roww.org.

Oz the Great and Powerful swooped in at number eight on the list. This was the movie that everyone who never read the L. Frank Baum books about Oz needed for 74 years. But the movie has eventually been made, with a cast that includes A-listers such as James Franco, Mila Kunis, and Michele Williams. It cost 215 million dollars to make this colorful movie and it gained more than double that expense. So far no awards have been given, but many are still pending including Best Visual Effects (it is running against Gravity).

Last but not least was another old fan favorite. Star Trek Into Darkness is the sequel to 2009’s Star Trek, both directed by JJ Abrams, which in itself gives the movie enough hype. Chris Pine revives his role as Captain Kirk and completes the character splendidly; even with big shoes to fill as the well-enunciated William Shatner once portrayed Mr. James T. Kirk.  With a budget of only $190 million, Paramount Pictures certainly invested well gaining $467,365,246. Iron Man 3 might not have been your favorite; in fact your favorite might not have even been on the list. If it was Thor: The Dark World you just narrowly missed out and no doubt it had nothing to do with Chris Hemsworth. Some of these movies, like Catching Fire, are still out, so go catch a flick…it’s well worth the money. 

[1] “Despicable Me 2.” IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2014.

[2] Monsters University.” IMDb. IMDb.com, n.d. Web. 10 Jan. 2014.

[3] Movies | Movie Trailers | Reviews – Rotten Tomatoes.” Movies | Movie Trailers | Reviews – Rotten Tomatoes. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Jan. 2014.