The highest-earning films at the global box office of 2021, revealed – how many millions did Spider-Man: No Way Home, No Time to Die, Marvel’s Eternals and Dune rake in?

Dec 31 , 2021

Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Dune, Spider-Man: No Way Home, No Time to Die and The Battle at Lake Changjin are among some of 2021’s highest-grossing films. Photos: Sony, Warner Bros, MGM, Bona Film Group

Cinemas slowly recovered from pandemic losses in 2021, with China – the world’s biggest theatrical market – making a quick rebound, producing two of the top three films

Disney and Marvel dominated the rankings with films like Venom: Let There Be Carnage and Black Widow, while Dune and Godzilla vs Kong were also streamed on HBO Max

The worldwide box office is slowly recovering from the pandemic; Spider-Man: No Way Home became the first movie of the pandemic to cross US$1 billion worldwide following its mid-December release.

China, the world’s biggest theatrical market, has quickly rebounded and has produced two of the top three films of the year. But Marvel films like Eternals and Shang-Chi haven’t been approved for release in China, impacting their global grosses.

So what were the top-grossing films of 2021?

12. Black Widow (Disney)

Scarlett Johansson in Black Widow. Photo: Disney

Global box office: US$379.6 million

US box office: US$183.6 million (48.4 per cent)

Description: Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow is reunited with her long-lost sister, played by Florence Pugh, when elements from her past come back to haunt her. The movie was the first Marvel Cinematic Universe theatrical release in two years.

(Released simultaneously in theatres and on Disney+ Premier Access for an additional US$30 fee for subscribers.)

11. Dune (Warner Bros.)

Zendaya and Timothée Chalamet in Dune. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures/TNS

Global box office: US$393.6 million