The 7 Best Blockbuster Films of the 2020s So Far, Ranked

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Image via Sony Pictures Releasing

Published Sep 27, 2026, 5:55 PM EDT

For a few years, going to the movies felt weirdly fragile. Then the big-screen movie came roaring back in the only way it really could, with crowds dressing up, arguing over formats, buying tickets weeks early, applauding entrances, and turning opening weekends into actual social events again. That feeling is worth protecting. A blockbuster should make the trip feel justified before the trailers are even over.

The finest blockbusters of this decade have understood that scale alone is useless. You remember the giant image because somebody inside it wants something badly. You remember the applause because the character earned the entrance. You remember the sound because the theater suddenly felt too small for it. These six movies made spectacle personal again, and when that happens, watching at home later is great. Being there the first time was something else.

7 'Barbie' (2023)

Barbie (Margot Robbie) wakes up in Barbieland expecting another perfect day and instead starts thinking about death. Her feet go flat. Her shower feels cold. Suddenly the woman living inside a world designed around cheerful perfection has to visit the real one and find out why something is wrong. Barbie takes that wonderfully stupid premise completely seriously without losing the joke.

The movie is at its funniest when Barbieland logic collides with ordinary human behavior. Ken (Ryan Gosling) discovers patriarchy through horses, fur coats, and a breathtaking misunderstanding of how power works. The Kens later turn their insecurity into a beach war featuring “I’m Just Ken,” guitar serenades, and enough wounded male ego to power a small nation. Yet Gloria (America Ferrera)’s frustration with the contradictory expectations placed on women gives all the pink chaos something real to push against. The marketing was everywhere, sure, but the movie itself earned the cultural takeover. People showed up dressed in pink because it felt like a party worth joining.

6 'Avatar: The Way of Water' (2022)

Image via 20th Century Studios

Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) has built a family on Pandora when the humans return, forcing him, Neytiri (Zoe Saldaña), and their children to leave the forest and seek refuge with the ocean-dwelling Metkayina. Avatar: The Way of Water then spends a huge amount of time doing something blockbuster movies are often terrified to do. It lets you hang out in the new world before destroying half of it.

That patience pays off. Learning to ride ilu, diving with the reef clan, watching Lo’ak (Britain Dalton) bond with Payakan, and simply seeing how this part of Pandora lives makes the later danger feel personal. The tulkun hunt is especially brutal because the movie takes time to show their intelligence and social bonds before humans arrive with industrial equipment built to kill them. Then the sinking ship turns the climax into a disaster movie inside an action movie, with family members trapped on different levels as water keeps rising. James Cameron still understands big-screen scale at a ridiculous level. This is three-plus hours, and somehow the ocean makes you want more.

5 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' (2021)

Peter Parker (Tom Holland)’s identity is exposed to the world, his friends get caught in the fallout, and one desperate visit to Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) turns a memory spell into a multiversal disaster. Spider-Man: No Way Home could have survived entirely on nostalgia once villains from earlier Spider-Man movies started appearing. Instead, it uses that history to put Peter through the harshest lesson of his life.

Doc Ock (Alfred Molina) stepping onto the bridge was enough to light up theaters, and Green Goblin (Willem Dafoe) quickly reminded everyone how frightening that version of Norman Osborn could be. Then Andrew Garfield walks through Ned’s portal. Tobey Maguire follows. The crowd reaction was part of the movie in 2021, and pretending otherwise misses how rare that shared excitement had become. Even better, the cameos actually serve Peter’s story. Garfield saving MJ (Zendaya) gives another Spider-Man a moment of healing. The three Peters comparing webbing and back pain lets them feel like people. Then Holland’s Peter ends up completely alone. Fan service got everyone through the door. Consequence is why the movie lasted.

Collider Exclusive · Marvel Personality Quiz Which MCU Hero Are You? Spider-Man · Daredevil · Iron Man · Punisher · Thor · Cap

Six heroes. One destiny. Answer 10 questions to discover which Marvel Cinematic Universe hero shares your personality, values, and fighting spirit. Will you swing, fly, or thunder your way to glory?

🕷️Spider-Man

😈Daredevil

🤖Iron Man

💀Punisher

⚡Thor

🛡️Cap

FIND YOUR HERO →

What drives you to do what's right? Choose the answer that feels most like you.

AWith great power comes great responsibility — I protect those who can't protect themselves. BMy faith and my conscience — I believe justice must be served, even in the dark. CLegacy and ego, honestly — but I've learned that others depend on me now. DThe system failed. Someone has to make sure the guilty actually pay. EDuty to the innocent and honour to my name — I was born to protect realms. FThe values I was raised with — freedom, decency, and never backing down from a bully.

NEXT QUESTION →

It's 2 AM. Where are you? Your answer says more about you than you'd think.

ASwinging between skyscrapers, keeping an eye on the neighbourhood. BRunning rooftops in Hell's Kitchen, listening for trouble. CIn my lab, upgrading my suit with a cold cup of coffee nearby. DStaking out a target I've been tracking for three weeks. ESomewhere between the stars, or at a feast that got out of hand. FOn a morning run — I was up at 4, actually. Couldn't sleep.

NEXT QUESTION →

How do you handle a villain who keeps escaping justice? Every hero has a method. What's yours?

AWeb them up and leave them for the police — again. BBuild an airtight case and dismantle their entire operation from the inside. CDeploy a containment system I designed specifically for them. Tech wins. DMake sure they don't escape a third time. Permanently. EChallenge them to single combat. Honour demands a decisive end. FRally allies, adapt the plan, and bring them in — by the book, even if it's hard.

NEXT QUESTION →

How do you feel about keeping a secret identity? The mask — or the lack of one — says everything.

AEssential — my loved ones would be in danger if anyone found out who I am. BCritical — the mask protects my mission as much as my face. COverrated — I announced myself to the world and I'd do it again. DI'm a ghost. The less people know about me, the better. EMy name is known across the Nine Realms. There's no hiding it. FI don't hide — but I understand why some need to. Transparency builds trust.

NEXT QUESTION →

You've lost someone important because of your heroism. How do you carry that? Every hero pays a price. The question is how they pay it.

AWith guilt that never fully goes away — it pushes me to do better, every single day. BI channel it into purpose — their memory is the reason I keep fighting. CI buried myself in work for years. I'm only recently learning to face it. DIt transformed me completely. I'm not the same person I was before. EWith warrior's grief — I honour them by fighting with everything I have. FI keep moving forward. Stopping means letting the loss win.

NEXT QUESTION →

What's your role when working with a team? Who you are under pressure is who you actually are.

AThe enthusiastic wildcard who somehow makes it work — and keeps the mood up. BThe strategist who works best alone but shows up when it matters most. CThe one who funds it, equips it, and occasionally takes over the whole operation. DI don't do teams. I'm more effective operating solo, on my terms. EThe heavy hitter — I crash in, draw fire, and turn the tide of battle. FThe leader — I earn trust, build the plan, and make sure no one gets left behind.

NEXT QUESTION →

Where do you draw the line between justice and revenge? The answer defines what kind of hero you really are.

AClearly — I don't kill, and I wrestle with that line constantly. BI try to hold the line, but I've come terrifyingly close to crossing it. CPractically — I do what's necessary to protect people, including hard calls. DI crossed that line long ago. What I do is justice — the system just won't admit it. EIn battle, victory is justice. Mercy is earned — not automatic. FFirmly. The moment we abandon our principles, we become what we fight against.

NEXT QUESTION →

When you're not saving the world, what does life look like? The person behind the mask is always the more interesting story.

ATrying to juggle school, a part-time job, and not failing my friends. BWorking as a lawyer by day, fighting for justice in court and on the streets. CRunning a global company, attending galas, and pretending I'm sleeping enough. DQuiet. Isolated. Surviving with a clear mission and no distractions. ENavigating a bizarre and fascinating mortal world — coffee is extraordinary. FAdapting to a world decades ahead of everything I knew. Quietly, stubbornly.

NEXT QUESTION →

What keeps you up at night? Fear is useful data — if you're honest about what you're actually afraid of.

AThe people I couldn't save — and the ones I might not reach in time tomorrow. BWhether the monster I fight every night is starting to live inside me too. CThe threats I can see coming and whether my tech is actually good enough. DNothing. Silence is the only peace I get. I've made my choices. EWhether I'm truly worthy — of the hammer, of the throne, of the people I protect. FA world where no one stands up anymore. Where good people do nothing.

NEXT QUESTION →

The battle is lost. You're outnumbered, outgunned, and exhausted. What do you do? This is your tiebreaker — choose carefully.

ACrack a joke to buy a second, then find the one web shot that changes everything. BBlock out everything except the sound of the next threat — and keep going. CActivate the emergency protocol I built for exactly this scenario. Always have a plan. DI don't accept that it's lost. I keep fighting until I physically cannot anymore. ECall the lightning. All of it. The storm answers to me. FPick up the shield. Stand up. Because as long as I can stand, it's not over.

REVEAL MY HERO →

Your Hero Has Been Identified Your MCU Hero Is…

Based on your answers, the Marvel hero who matches your spirit, values, and instincts has been revealed.

🕷️ Spider-Man

You carry the weight of the world on shoulders that are younger than they should have to be — funny, loyal, and endlessly self-sacrificing.

You do the right thing not because it's easy, but because no one else will.
You understand that responsibility isn't a burden you choose — it's one that finds you.
Whether it's a neighbourhood mugging or a multiverse crisis, you show up.
Peter Parker's lesson — that great power demands great responsibility — isn't a slogan to you. It's the code you live by, even when it costs you everything.

😈 Daredevil

You fight in the shadows between law and chaos, guided by a fierce moral compass that refuses to let the guilty walk free.

You use every tool available — your mind, your body, your faith — to protect those the system overlooks.
You've looked into the darkness and chosen not to become it, though the line has never been easy.
Matt Murdock's duality — champion in the courtroom, devil in the alley — mirrors your own.
Relentless, conflicted, and unwilling to stop. That is exactly you.

🤖 Iron Man

Brilliant, driven, and occasionally insufferable — but always the person who solves the unsolvable problem.

You lead with your mind and back it up with resources, innovation, and a stubbornness that borders on heroic.
You started out looking out for yourself, but somewhere along the way the world became your responsibility.
Tony Stark's arc — from ego to sacrifice — is your arc too.
You build, you plan, and when the moment comes, you're willing to give everything. Because in the end, you're Iron Man.

💀 The Punisher

You've been through fire that would break most people — and it did change you, completely. What's left is unyielding, relentless, and operating by a code forged in grief.

You don't ask for forgiveness, and you don't expect gratitude.
You see a corrupt, broken world and you've decided to do something about it, consequences be damned.
Frank Castle's war is born from love twisted by loss — and so is yours.
Uncompromising and unflinching — the world may not agree with your methods, but your conviction is absolute.

⚡ Thor

Powerful, proud, and on a lifelong journey to become worthy of the legend you carry.

You lead with strength but have learned — sometimes painfully — that true greatness comes from humility and growth.
You're larger than life, yet more vulnerable than you let on.
Thor's story is one of transformation: from arrogant prince to worthy king, from isolated warrior to beloved protector.
You bring the storm when it's needed — and the warmth when it matters just as much.

🛡️ Captain America

You believe in something bigger than yourself — and you fight for it even when the world has moved on and nobody else will.

You don't bully the small guy, and you never stop when it gets hard.
Steve Rogers didn't become a hero when he got the serum — he was always one. So were you.
Your strength isn't in your fists; it's in your refusal to compromise what's right, no matter the cost.
In a world full of people taking the easy road, you're the one who picks up the shield and stands up — every single time.

↻ RETAKE THE QUIZ

4 'Top Gun: Maverick' (2022)

Tom Cruise walking while looking down in Top Gun- Maverick

Pete Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is still flying test aircraft decades after most people from his generation have moved into leadership, and Top Gun: Maverick gives him the assignment he is least emotionally prepared for. He has to train a group of younger pilots for a near-impossible mission, including Rooster (Miles Teller), the son of Goose (Anthony Edwards).

The movie understands exactly how to build a crowd moment. Maverick listens to everyone explain why the mission parameters are too difficult, gets into a jet, and proves the course can be flown in the required time himself. You can practically feel the theater straighten up. The aerial footage works because the actors were filmed under real G-forces inside aircraft, which puts physical strain into every turn and dive. The beach football scene gives everyone room to breathe, Iceman (Val Kilmer)’s return carries decades of history, and the mission itself keeps paying off details established during training. This is old-school blockbuster construction with almost embarrassing confidence. Every setup eventually gets its moment.

3 'Dune: Part Two' (2024)

Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) disappears into the desert with the Fremen after his family is destroyed, and Dune: Part Two turns his survival into something far more dangerous than revenge. He learns their ways, falls in love with Chani (Zendaya), earns respect, and gradually becomes the figure that religious believers have been waiting for. The terrifying part is how exciting that rise feels while the movie keeps showing why Chani is afraid of it.

Paul’s first sandworm ride is pure blockbuster bliss. He plants the hooks, gets hammered by sand, fights his way onto the creature, and finally stands as the desert opens around him. Later, the black-and-white arena on Giedi Prime introduces Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler) through a gladiatorial spectacle that looks genuinely alien rather than like another expensive sci-fi set. Stilgar (Javier Bardem)’s increasingly ecstatic faith is funny until you realize how quickly belief is becoming political power. Then Paul walks into the war council and takes command with a force that changes the entire room. Dune: Part Two has the images, sound, scale, romance, and combat you want from a blockbuster. The reason it sits at number one is that every thrilling victory makes the future feel a little more frightening.

2 'The Odyssey' (2026)

Matt Damon as Odysseus wearing a helmet and looking to the side in The Odyssey

While this is not the original Troy’s sequel, the story began right after in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. Odysseus (Matt Damon) has won the Trojan War and wants one thing that sounds painfully simple after ten years of fighting. He wants to get home to Ithaca. Homer obviously has other plans. The Odyssey sends him across a Mediterranean filled with gods, monsters, temptation, bad judgment, and men who keep discovering that their legendary commander can be both brilliant and catastrophically proud. Back home, Penelope (Anne Hathaway) is surrounded by suitors consuming her household while Telemachus (Tom Holland) grows up with a father who has become more story than person. Christopher Nolan took one of the oldest untapped adventure narratives we have and treats it like it was always waiting for a screen this enormous.

And honestly, seeing the actual Odyssey turned into a genuine summer blockbuster still feels slightly insane. The Cyclops encounter makes Odysseus’ famous cunning feel dangerous rather than cute mythology trivia. The Sirens, Circe, Calypso, the Trojan Horse, the storms and that impossible journey across the sea give Nolan excuse after excuse to make IMAX feel enormous again, but the spectacle keeps coming back to a man taking far too long to reach the people waiting for him. Audiences responded accordingly. As of September 1, the film has made roughly $1.55 billion worldwide, becoming Nolan’s highest-grossing film and the highest-grossing R-rated movie ever. That is blockbuster impact in the most ridiculous, wonderful sense.

1 'Spider-Man: Brand New Day' (2026)

Image via Sony Pictures Releasing

After the events of Spider-Man: No Way Home, nobody remembers Peter Parker (Tom Holland). MJ (Zendaya) and Ned (Jacob Batalon) vividly remember how Spider-Man existed and saved them so many times in their lives, but the guy underneath the mask has effectively been erased. So Peter does what sounds great until you actually watch him live it. He becomes Spider-Man almost full-time. He patrols New York, tinkers alone in a miserable apartment, watches the lives of the people he loves continue without him, and gradually starts losing the balance between Peter and the thing the spider made him. Spider-Man: Brand New Day finally cashes the devastating check No Way Home wrote in 2021. The fresh suit and street-level reset are exciting. The loneliness underneath them is brutal.

That is also why the scale of what happened at the box office feels so important. This was supposed to be Spider-Man getting smaller again, and audiences somehow turned it into one of the biggest movies ever made. The film opened to $360.1 million domestically, knocking Avengers: Endgame off the all-time opening-weekend record, crossed $1 billion worldwide in six days, cleared $2 billion in three weeks, and has now reached roughly $2.33 billion globally, making it the highest-grossing film of 2026 and the fourth-highest-grossing movie ever. More interestingly, Peter’s isolation seems to be exactly what connected. At a moment when superhero fatigue has become practically its own genre of headline, Holland’s fourth solo movie turned a lonely, more adult Spider-Man into the biggest theatrical event on Earth. He entered the MCU as the excited kid asking Tony Stark when the next mission in MCU was. A decade later, an entire summer belonged to him and that’s why this has to be at #1.