LOS ANGELES (AP) — “Jaws” turns 50 this week, and its legacy of the summer movie blockbuster remains strong.
The titles that have packed the most summer moviegoers into theaters since 1975 represent some of the best known films of the last half century, including five “Star Wars” movies, Pixar favorites like “Toy Story 3” and “Finding Nemo,” superheroes galore and both “Top Gun” films. They also include some surprises, and movies both less bombastic and less enduring.
Combined, the top-earning summer films between 1975 and 2024 earned more than $15 billion through the summer months, a figure not adjusted for inflation, according to the tracking firm Comscore.
It's also worth noting that box-office tracking before 1981 was not as robust as it is today — and there was essentially no summer movie season in 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic shuttered theaters across the country.
Here’s a list of the top summer movie each year, along with the film’s gross earnings from its release date through Labor Day, according to Comscore's data.
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1975: “Jaws,” $260 million
1976: “The Omen,” $60.9 million
1977: “Star Wars,” $221.3 million
1978: “Grease,” $132.5 million
1979: “Alien,” $79 million
1980: “Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back,” $222.7 million
1981: “Superman II,” $59.2 million
1982: “E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial,” $242 million
1983: “Star Wars: Episode VI - Return Of The Jedi” $222.3 million
1984: “Ghostbusters,” $189.1 million
1985: “Rambo: First Blood Part II,” $139 million
1986: “Top Gun,” $131.3 million
1987: “Beverly Hills Cop II,” $151 million
1988: “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” $130.7 million
1989: “Batman,” $239 million
1990: “Ghost,” $125 million
1991: “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” $183.1 million
1992: “Batman Returns,” $159.8 million
1993: “Jurassic Park,” $316.6 million
1994: “The Lion King,” $262.3 million
1995: “Batman Forever,” $181.4 million
1996: “Independence Day,” $282 million
1997: “Men In Black,” $235.1 million
1998: “Armageddon,” $193 million
1999: “Star Wars: Episode I - Phantom Menace,” $421.4 million
2000: “Mission: Impossible II,” $214 million
2001: “Shrek,” $263 million
2002: “Spider-Man,” $403.7 million
2003: “Finding Nemo,” $332.7 million
2004: “Shrek 2,” $436.7 million
2005: “Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith,” $380 million
2006: “Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest,” $414 million
2007: “Spider-Man 3,” $336.5 million
2008: “The Dark Knight,” $504.8 million
2009: “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen,” $400.6 million
2010: “Toy Story 3,” $409 million
2011: “Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows II,” $375.6 million
2012: “Marvel’s The Avengers,” $620.3 million
2013: “Iron Man 3,” $409 million
2014: “Guardians Of The Galaxy,” $281.2 million
2015: “Jurassic World,” $647.4 million
2016: “Finding Dory,” $482.9 million
2017: “Wonder Woman,” $409.5 million
2018: “Incredibles 2,” $602.6 million
2019: “The Lion King,” $523.6 million
2020: “Tenet,” $20 million
2021: “Black Widow,” $182.7 million
2022: “Top Gun Maverick,” $701.3 million
2023: “Barbie,” $612.3 million
2024: “Inside Out 2,” $650.8 million
Picture Courtesy: Peacock/Universal Pictures via AP