The 8 Biggest Movies of 2022, and Whether They Were Any Good

Money and quality are not the same thing. Here are 2022's top eight at the worldwide box office, ranked by gross, and whether they deserved it.

Number one made the most money and has the thinnest story here.

1. 8
   Uncharted (2022)4.9

   Tom Holland deserved a better treasure map than this.

   $407.1M worldwide on a reported $120M budget, with a 41% on Rotten Tomatoes. Crowds still gave it a B+ CinemaScore. Wahlberg as the mentor is still a choice.
2. 7
   Thor: Love and Thunder (2022)5.2

   Christian Bale showed up to a different, better movie.

   $760.9M worldwide, a 5.2 movie.guru score and a Guru's Take of 3.9. Hemsworth is still charming. The jokes just never stop long enough for anything to matter.
3. 6
   The Batman (2022)8.2

   Pattinson's Batman earned every dollar, even the brooding ones.

   $772.8M worldwide and an 8.2 movie.guru score. Critics rated it above 78% of movies, audiences above 83%. Paul Dano as the Riddler is legit unsettling.
4. 5
   Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)7.6

   A grief movie wearing a superhero suit, and it works.

   $859.2M worldwide, an A CinemaScore and a 7.6 movie.guru score. The 6.6 on IMDb says some fans wanted more punching and fewer feelings. They were wrong.
5. 4
   Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (2022)6.3

   Sam Raimi snuck a horror movie past the Marvel machine.

   $955.8M worldwide, a 6.3 movie.guru score, and a Guru's Take of 5.5. Elizabeth Olsen carries it. The multiverse part feels like assigned homework.
6. 3
   Jurassic World Dominion (2022)4.1

   A billion dollars for the worst movie on this list.

   $1.0B worldwide with a 29% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 4.1 movie.guru score. Audiences still handed it an A minus CinemaScore. Laura Dern deserved better.
7. 2
   Top Gun: Maverick (2022)9.5

   The rare blockbuster that's actually as good as its money.

   $1.5B worldwide on a reported $170M to $177M budget, an A+ CinemaScore and a 9.5 movie.guru score. Audiences rated it above 99% of movies. Tom Cruise wanted you back in theaters.
8. 1
   Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)8.1

   Biggest movie of the year, and the story is barely there.

   $2.33B worldwide and an 8.1 movie.guru score, but the Guru's Take is 6.9. The water looks unreal. The plot is the first movie with gills.

$283.41 says somebody in the comments defends Jurassic World Dominion with the words 'but the dinosaurs'.

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