In the first and the last quarter of 2020, we saw the release of several awaited movies from around the globe. Christopher Nolan's Tenet and Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman 1984 ruled the box-office in North America, but it was a Chinese movie that topped the list of the highest-grossing movie of 2020.
As we all know, the year 2020 was greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and several movies that were scheduled to release in mid-2020 were postponed to a later date in 2021 or were released on video on demand or via streaming services like HBO Max or Netflix.
Notably, 2020 has officially become the very first year to not have a single year that grossed a billion dollars or more. For the first time since 1995, there was not a single movie that happened to cross the five hundred million dollar mark.
Still, there have been some good releases and some of the movies did manage to do well at the box-office. The following are the top movies released in 2020:
10. The Sacrifice:
Number 10 on the list is a Chinese anthology war drama movie, The Sacrifice, co-written and directed by Guan Hu.
The Sacrifice commemorates the 70th anniversary of the People's Volunteer Army fighting in the War to Resist America and Aid Korea. The movie's worldwide collection is $170 million.
Check out the official trailer of The Sacrifice:
9. Birds of Prey:
Margot Robbie's superhero movie, Birds of Prey, released in the first quarter of 2020 -- weeks before the COVID-19 lockdown.
Birds of Prey follows the story of Harley Quinn, after breaking up with the Joker as she joins hands with Helena, Dinah, and Renee to save Cassandra from the Gotham City crime lord Roman Sionis.
Birds of Prey was made with a budget of $82 million and grossed $201 million worldwide, making it the ninth highest-grossing movie of 2020. It should be noted here that the movie reportedly failed to touch the break-even point of $250-300 million.
Check out the official trailer of Birds of Prey:
8. Jiang Ziya:
Jiang Ziya is a Chinese 3D fantasy adventure movie featuring the mythological and fictional version of the popular Chinese figure Jiang Ziya. The famous Chinese noble is said to have helped Kings Wen and Wu of Zhou overthrow the Shang in ancient China.
The movie was scheduled for release in China and the international market in the last week of January 2020, but following the Coronavirus pandemic, the initial release was canceled.
Jiang Ziya was later released in China, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and other territories where it managed to earn $243 million.
Check out the official trailer of Jiang Ziya:
7. Dolittle:
Robert Downey Jr.'s 2020 release, Dolittle, received negative reviews from critics, mainly due to the stale humor, poor storyline, and pacing. But it somehow managed to become the seventh highest-grossing movie of 2020.
Universal's Dolittle movie was made against a production budget of $175 million and grossed $250 million.
Check out the official trailer of Dolittle:
6. Sonic the Hedgehog:
James Marsden and Jim Carrey's action-adventure comedy movie, Sonic the Hedgehog follows the story of Sonic as he teams up with a local town sheriff to find his lost rings and escape Dr. Robotnik.
Sonic the Hedgehog was released in the first quarter of 2020 where it did impress the critics and fans for visual effects and action sequences. However, many criticized the movie for the lack of story ideas.
That being said, Sonic the Hedgehog did set the record for the biggest opening weekend for a video game in the North American market. The movie was made against a budget of $81 million and happened to make $320 million worldwide.
Check out the official trailer of Sonic the Hedgehog:
5. Demon Slayer: Mugen Train:
Demon Slayer: Mugen Train is a Japanese anime dark fantasy period action movie based on the Manga series of the same name. The movie is said to be a direct sequel to the 2019 anime television series and is directed by Harua Sotozaki.
Following the lockdown, Demon Slayer got the theatrical release in October and became the highest-grossing Japanese film of 2020. As of this writing, Demon Slayer: Mugen Train has made $340 million worldwide.
Check out the official trailer of Demon Slayer: Mugen Train:
4. Tenet:
Christopher Nolan's time-bending movie Tenet comes fourth in the list of the highest-grossing movies of 2020.
With some amazing action sequences and a storyline that was deemed confusing for some viewers, Tenet managed to gross over $57.9 million in the United States and $304.7 million in other territories. With a production budget of $200 million, Nolan's Tenet made $362 million for Warner Bros.
Check out the official trailer of Tenet:
3. My People, My Homeland:
My People, My Homeland is a Chinese anthology movie where seven directors came together to tell a total of five stories.
My People, My Homeland was applauded for the stories and managed to gross $422 million.
Check out the official trailer of My People, My Homeland:
2. Bad Boys for Life:
Will Smith and Martin Lawrence's Bad Boys for Life follows the lives of Miami detectives Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett, who are investigating a string of murders tied to Lowrey's troubled past.
Bad Boys for Life was released in January 2020, by Sony Pictures Releasing under the Columbia Pictures label. The movie was made against a budget of $90 million and grossed $426 million, making it the second highest-grossing movie of 2020.
Check out the official trailer of Bad Boys for Life:
1. The Eight Hundred:
The Eight Hundred is a Chinese historical war drama movie following the defense of Sihang Warehouse in 1937 Shanghai during the Battle of Shanghai and the Second Sino-Japenese War.
The Eight Hundred was originally scheduled to be released in July but the movie's release date was canceled in the lights of the Coronavirus pandemic. The movie was later released on August 21, 2020, in China and grossed over $468 million worldwide.
Check out the official trailer of The Eight Hundred:
Apart from these ten movies, there were several notable releases this year, including Wonder Woman 1984, John Henry, Dangerous Lies, Blood and Money, and others.
