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Image via Warner Bros.
As the days of blockbusters return to theaters with simultaneous releases like the Barbenheimer (Barbie and Oppenheimer) and Glicked (Gladiator II and Wicked) back to back years, audiences are reminded of why the movie-going experience is so intoxicating. One would assume that the best December-released blockbusters would be holiday films or family outing movies. The best movies released during this month are franchise revitalizers, technological feats, Oscar-sweepers, and much more.
The financial success of these movies was groundbreaking and staggering, as movie lovers flocked to the theater to see what all the hype was about. When classic movies are adjusted for 2024 inflation, the numbers are staggering. The December-release blockbusters audiences know and love transformed the movie theater experience in unimaginable ways.
10 'Misson: Impossible - Ghost Protocol' (2011)
Directed by Brad Bird
Image via Paramount Pictures
Credited with revitalizing the iconic action franchise, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is one of the best December-release blockbusters. In the fourth installment, Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and the team go rogue after IMF is implicated in the high-profile terrorist bombing of the Kremlin. They must go completely off-grid and are left with no resources to clear the agency's name. Ghost Protocol was the only franchise installment to premiere in December.
The fast-paced action movie earned close to $700 million worldwide, making back its large $145 million budget. The scaling of the Burj Khalifa in Dubai without a stunt double for Cruise enticed the skeptical viewers and the action junkies to see for themselves. The stunts are just as high-octane over a decade later and Cruise's commitment to them is what drew audiences to the theater despite the downfall of the franchise after movies two and three.
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Release Date December 21, 2011
Director Brad Bird
9 'Star Wars: Episode VII The Force Awakens' (2015)
Directed by J.J. Abrams
Image via Lucasfilm
A decade after audiences last left a galaxy far, far away, Star Wars returned to theaters under Disney's ownership for The Force Awakens. The long-awaited set of sequels begins 30 years after the Empire was destroyed, but the rise of the First Republic threatens the future of the galaxy and a new era of heroes emerges with the help of those from the past. The magic of the holiday season and the trepidation of failure or success drove audiences to the box office.
Grossing over two billion worldwide, The Force Awakens not only was a financial success, but it was the emergence of a story well-known to fans with a new generation to carry that made the film a critical hit. From the moment the trailer first dropped the iconic melodies and the reveal of Hans Solo (Harrison Ford), an emotional wave of nostalgia like none other began the countdown. The December release has, for many, made The Force Awakens and Star Wars marathon holiday tradition.
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Release Date December 17, 2015
Main Genre Sci-Fi
8 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' (2003)
Directed by Peter Jackson
Image via New Line Cinema
The highly-anticipated almost two-year wait for the closing chapter of this acclaimed literary and cinematic series reaped the box office benefits with some of the best fantasy movie action. In the epic three-and-a-half-hour conclusion, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King is the clash for the fate of Middle-earth as Frodo (Elijah Wood) readies to destroy the One Ring while the battle ensues, led by Gandalf (Ian McKellen) and Aragorn (Viggo Mortensen). The mid-December release was an early Christmas present to moviegoers.
A built-in fanbase is a usual guarantee for box office success, but The Return of the King deserved its success regardless, and did so additionally by sweeping the Oscars and winning every nomination it received, including Best Picture. Earning $1.1 billion worldwide, the final trilogy installment proved several things in that the right blockbuster, regardless of the genre but especially adapted fantasy, can sweep critical acclaim and leave a lasting legacy on cinematic history.
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Release Date December 17, 2003
Main Genre Fantasy
7 'Gone with the Wind' (1939)
Directed by Victor Fleming
Image via Loews Cineplex Entertainment
Gone with the Wind is the original page-to-screen blockbuster and a staple in cinematic history. Based on the famous novel by Margaret Mitchell, a dramatic and turbulent romance ensues during the American Civil War as Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) endures the decimation of the South and picks up the pieces of the relationship she wants, realizes she has what she needs, and what she must win back. As the movie continues to be rereleased, the box office numbers climb for Hollywood's golden age classic.
When adjusted for inflation, Gone with the Wind is one of the most financially successful blockbusters of all time. The nearly four-hour epic paved the way for box-office success films to have a place among the Academy Awards, earning 13 nominations and winning 10, including two honorary awards. Its stunning visuals, cinematography, and sweeping portrayal of the war-torn South shifted the way audiences viewed movies and how filmmakers approached large-scale productions.
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Gone With the Wind
Release Date December 15, 1939
Director Victor Fleming , George Cukor , Sam Wood
Cast Thomas Mitchell , Barbara O'Neil , Vivien Leigh , Evelyn Keyes , Ann Rutherford , George Reeves , Hattie McDaniel
6 'The Exorcist' (1973)
Directed by William Friedkin
Image via Warner Bros.
One of the many horror movies that expand their reach outside the spooky months, one of the greatest horror movies of all time smashed the box office in comparison to its modest budget. The Exorcist is the possession movie that still terrifies viewers today about a demonically possessed little girl (Linda Blair), the mother (Ellen Burstyn) who stops at nothing to save her, and the clergymen (Max von Sydow and Jason Miller) she turns to for help. With an $11 million production budget, William Friedkin's Oscar-winning horror movie earned $430 million at the worldwide box office.
The healthy worldwide box office result looms despite being banned in several countries after release and banned on home video sales until the late 90s. With its blockbuster results, The Exorcist demonstrates the fascination and curiosity surrounding horror movies and the fixation on being scared, even during the jolliest of the winter months.
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Release Date December 26, 1973
5 'Superman' (1978)
Directed by Richard Donner
Image via Warner Bros.
Before The Avengers or The Dark Knight were captivating hordes of moviegoers, Superman was cleaning up with its mid-December release. Christopher Reeves stars Clark Kent, an alien sent to Earth as a boy and raised by two farmers, whose superhuman abilities allow him to keep the city of Metropolis safe. He must save the city, and the woman he's pining for when Lex Luthor (Gene Hackman) seeks to destroy it with a nuclear missile that triggers catastrophic earthquakes. The charm of Reeves paired with the groundbreaking special effects earned the superhero movie a healthy $300 million during its era.
Translating the figures in 2024, the best version of Superman grossed over a billion dollars. The movie set off the chain reaction for blockbuster superhero movies and big-budget comic book adaptations, leading to the DCU and MCU caliber of productions today. Despite its plummeting sequels, Superman launched the career of Reeves and wrote the blueprint for every variation of the character for nearly 50 years.
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Superman
Release Date December 15, 1978
4 'Titanic' (1997)
Directed by James Cameron
Image via 20th Century Studios
After the underwater wreckage of the unsinkable ship was found in 1985, it was only a matter of time before a blockbuster retelling of the maiden voyage was coming. With writer and director James Cameron at the helm, Titanic is the story of a wealthy girl (Kate Winslet) looking for a way out who falls in love with a penniless artist (Leonardo DiCaprio) aboard the titular ship, and the horrific events following the ship's collision with an iceberg. A diving enthusiast, Cameron's attention to the present and past of the Titanic shaped the way audiences remember the historical disaster.
Drawing audiences out of the comforts of their warm homes to the icy waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Titanic grossed almost $2.3 billion at the worldwide box office, making back tenfold the $200 million production budget. The movie endures as one of the best dramatic blockbusters almost three decades later.
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A seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic.
Release Date November 19, 1997
Director James Cameron
3 'Tootsie' (1982)
Directed by Sydney Pollack
Image via Colombia Pictures
While certain elements have aged poorly over the last 40 years, the original box office success of Tootsie proves the content resonated with audiences of the era. Dustin Hoffman stars as Michael Dorsey, a down-and-out actor with a reputation for being difficult to work with. After a bad audition, Michael poses as a woman called Dorthy Michaels and re-auditions, landing the role in a soap opera. The longer Michael lives as Dorothy the more complicated things get as he begins to fall for a co-star (Jessica Lange) while simultaneously experiencing the struggles of women in the entertainment industry.
Tootsie earned a healthy $177 million worldwide compared to its modest $21 million budget. The social issues portrayed in the movie reflect the mindset of the decade and could be viewed as offensive today for its comedic representation of gender identity; however, the subject matter was approached with craft and emotional maturity that other blockbuster comedies lack. The story, while represented as a comedy and not drama, still resonated with audiences and Hoffman's leading role drove them to the theaters.
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Release Date December 17, 1982
Director Sydney Pollack
2 'Goldfinger' (1964)
Directed by Guy Hamilton
Image via MGM
A fundamental franchise in cinematic history, the mainstream success of 007 is attributed to the blockbuster success of Goldfinger. The Sean Connery-led installment features James Bond as he must foil a gold magnate's plot to raid Fort Knox and decimate the economy. Celebrating its 60th anniversary, fans of Goldfinger reflect on not only the movie's pop culture and cinematic influence but also its groundbreaking financial gains.
Earning what equates to over $1 billion worldwide today, Goldfinger launched James Bond to a higher caliber by setting the standard formula for the series with its complex adversaries, Bond girls, opening action sequences, and the best high-tech gadgets available to 007. Connery's magnetic charisma and what became an innovative surefire spy movie recipe made Goldfinger not only one of the most successful Bond films of all time but one of the best December blockbuster movies of all time.
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Release Date September 20, 1964
Director Guy Hamilton
1 'Avatar' (2009)
Directed by James Cameron
Image via Disney
James Cameron is no stranger to massive budget, large-scale productions that take years to film but secure their return on investment. Dethroning Titanic, Avatar is Cameron's most successful blockbuster, but the best December-release blockbuster of all time. The almost $3 billion box office success is a fantasy sci-fi epic about the mystical Pandora and its native inhabitants' fight against the humans to save their most precious resources from the military trying to exploit it.
With a stunning onscreen world like nothing moviegoers had ever seen, Avatar teased the best of movie magic with its first trailer. The marketing push to witness the 3D experience from a theater seat reeled in the earnings with many returning for more than one experience. As each installment of the franchise is released, teased, and announced, the bar gets set higher and higher, with Cameron and the cast eager to deliver.
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Release Date December 18, 2009
Director James Cameron
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