Theaters were fully open again in the United States in 2022, although domestic box offices have still not returned to pre-pandemic levels across the board, but some of the top 10 films of 2022 have posted box office returns similar to the top -Movies of the past years. With some production halted or slowed down due to the pandemic, theaters didn’t have nearly as many big films as they did before the pandemic, but there were still a number of big hits.
While Avatar: The Way of Water is part of an original franchise, every single movie in this year’s top 10 is a sequel or a reboot of an existing IP because it’s a sequel. The list also includes Spider-Man: Now Way Home, which only made part of its earnings in 2022, and Avatar: The Way of Water, which is expected to make the bulk of its earnings in 2023, but here’s how the numbers jitter for those below Top 10 films of 2022 at the domestic box office.
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10. Avatar: The Way of Water
Avatar: The Way of Water was released on December 16, 2022 and grossed $134.1 million in its opening weekend. At the time of writing Avatar: The Way of Water hasn’t completed its second weekend, so it’s not clear how much it will drop off; However, if it follows in the footsteps of James Cameron’s last two films, its box office performance won’t behave like typical blockbusters, and it will generate the majority of its earnings over the long term. Avatar: The Way of Water is the biggest opening weekend for any James Cameron film and the sixth biggest opening weekend for any film in 2022. It’s too early to predict the film’s performance, but at the time of writing, the film is starring the ten highest domestic box office receipts of 2022 at $183 million.
9. Sonic the Hedgehog 2
Sonic the Hedgehog 2 was released on April 8, 2022 and grossed $72.1 million in its opening weekend. The box office for the second weekend was down 59.4 percent for a total of $190.9 million at the domestic box office. His domestic opening weekend numbers are the lowest of any top 10 film and his second weekend drop is a few points higher than the top 10 average of 57.81%, but his legs were still strong enough to stay on top of the ninth place (although Avatar: The Way of Water is sure to pass it before the end of December).
8. Spider-Man: No Way Home
Spider-Man: No Way Home was released on December 17, 2022 and grossed $260.1 million in its opening weekend. The box office for the second weekend fell 67.5 percent, grossing $804.8 at the domestic box office. While not actually released in 2022, it earned $231.8 million of its total domestic earnings in calendar year 2022, enough to make it the eighth highest-grossing film of 2022.
See also: How Spider-Man: No Way Home’s Box Office Shattered Expectations and Records
7. Thor: Love and Thunder
Thor: Love and Thunder was released on July 8, 2022 and grossed $144.2 million in its opening weekend. The box office for the second weekend fell 67.7 percent, grossing a total of $343.3 domestically. While Thor: Love and Thunder was the fifth-highest domestic opening weekend, the second-weekend’s drop of 67.7 percent is larger than any other film in the top 10 and nearly 10 points higher than the average of 67.8 percent.
6. The Batman
The Batman was released on March 4, 2022 and grossed $134 million in its opening weekend. The box office for the second weekend was down 50.4 percent for a total of $369.3 million. Out of the top 10 films for 2022, The Batman’s opening weekend is the fourth lowest, although it’s just below Avatar: The Way of Water’s opening at $134.1 million. Batman’s box-office success can be attributed to its moderately strong legs, as its second-weekend decline of 50.4 percent is the second-lowest among the top 10 films; While the drop is just over seven points below the top 10 average, it’s still 21 points higher than Top Gun: Maverick.
5. Minions: The Rise of Gru
Minions: The Rise of Gru was released on July 1, 2022 and grossed $107 million in its opening weekend. The box office for the second weekend was down 56.9 percent for a total of $369.5 million. Minions: The Rise of Gru’s opening weekend is the second-lowest opener in the top 10, but its 56.9-second weekend drop is third-best (behind Top Gun: Maverick and The Batman), contributing to its strong legs propelling it to the fifth-highest Playground of the year.
Related: Minions: The Rise of Gru’s Record-Breaking Box Office Explained
4. Jurassic World: Dominion
Jurassic World: Dominion was released on June 10, 2022 and grossed $145 million in its opening weekend. The box office for the second weekend was down 59.2 percent, grossing $376 million. Jurassic World: Dominion’s domestic opening weekend is the third-best domestic opening weekend of 2022, but with average legs (59.2 percent is just over 2 percent above average), it ended up fourth in its overall domestic box office run.
3. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness was released on May 6, 2022 and grossed $187.4 million in its opening weekend. The box office for the second weekend was down 67 percent, grossing $411.3 million. While Spider-Man: No Way Home opened in 2022 with $260 million and has made big bucks since its December 2021 opening weekend, it means Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness has the biggest domestic opening weekend of 2022. Despite the strong opening, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ 67 percent drop over the second weekend is the second-worst drop in the top 10 (behind Thor: Love and Thunder).
2. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever was released on November 11, 2022 and grossed $181.3 million in its opening weekend. The box office for the second weekend fell 63.3 percent, grossing $421.7 million. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’s opening weekend is the second-best domestic opening of 2022 (behind Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness), but like the other Marvel films, it had bad legs, coming in third-worst on the top 10. Still, nonetheless managed to debut as the second-highest-grossing film of 2022.
1. Top Gun: Maverick
Top Gun: Maverick was released on May 27, 2022 and grossed $126.7 million in its opening weekend. The box office for the second weekend was down 28.9 percent for a total of $718.7 million. Top Gun Maverick has the third-lowest box office in its opening weekend, but its legs fared better than any other film in the top 10, falling less than 30 percent compared to the 57 percent average, with the second-lowest drop belonging to The Batman a 50, 4 percent decline. Top Gun: Maverick is the highest-grossing film of the year domestically and is guaranteed to finish the year at the top, although Avatar: The Way of Water, if it has legs nearly as strong as the first Avatar, will eventually top Gun: Maverick could catch up in 2023.
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