COVID-19 brought humanity to the brink, disrupting lives and industries worldwide. Declared a pandemic in March 2020, its aftereffects were deeply felt in the film business, specifically at the box office.
The post-COVID era proved unpredictable, with several movies that could've been major hits before 2020 struggling to attract large audiences to theatres. Yet, amid this volatility, some films managed to reignite global box office numbers. Now that the industry has largely stabilized, here's a look at the top 10 highest-grossing post-COVID Hollywood movies as of now and where you can stream them online.
1. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022) - $2.34B
- Streaming On: Disney+ (U.S.)
- IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
- Director: James Cameron
- Worldwide Collection: $2.34 billion
Plot: The Avatar sequel follows Jake Sully and Neytiri (Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana) as they protect their family from a new human threat. Forced to leave their forest home, they seek refuge with the Metkayina clan and learn to live among the sea.
3. Inside Out 2 (2024) - $1.7B
- Streaming On: Disney+ (U.S.)
- IMDb Rating: 7.5/10
- Director: Kelsey Mann
- Worldwide Collection: $1.7 billion
Plot: The Inside Out sequel follows teenage Riley as she faces new emotions like Anxiety and Envy. Her old emotions must adapt to the changes as she learns to grow up.
6. The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) - $1.36B
- Streaming On: Jio Hotstar (India), Amazon Prime Video (U.S.)
- IMDb Rating: 7/10
- Director: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic, Pierre Leduc
- Worldwide Collection: $1.36 billion
Plot: The animated adventure comedy follows Italian-American plumbers Mario and Luigi, who are transported to the Mushroom Kingdom. When Luigi is captured by Bowser, Mario teams up with Princess Peach to rescue him and save the kingdom.
9. Lilo & Stitch (2025) - $1.04B
- Streaming On: Disney+ (U.S.)
- IMDb Rating: 6.7/10
- Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
- Worldwide Collection: $1.04 billion
Plot: The live-action sci-fi comedy follows Lilo, a lonely Hawaiian girl, who adopts what she thinks is a dog, only to discover he's Stitch, an alien. Together, they form an unlikely bond that redefines the meaning of family.
10. Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) - $1B
- Streaming On: Jio Hotstar (India), Peacock (U.S.)
- IMDb Rating: 5.6/10
- Director: Colin Trevorrow
- Worldwide Collection: $1 billion
Plot: In this film, the lead characters from the first Jurassic Park film - Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, and Ian Malcolm- join forces with Jurassic World leads Owen Grady and Claire Dearing. Four years after the destruction of Isla Nublar, they team up to expose Lewis Dodgson, the powerful owner of Biosyn.
Note: Box office numbers are based on estimates and various sources. Numbers have not been independently verified by Koimoi.