The 8 Biggest Movies of 2024, and Whether They Were Any Good

2024's eight biggest worldwide grosses, counted down, checked against their movie.guru scores. Spoiler: money and quality barely made eye contact.

Number one made the most money and still starts the most arguments.

1. 8
   Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (2024)5.2

   Fun monster punches, but the humans are just furniture.

   $572 million worldwide on a 47 Metacritic. Guru's Take: 4.8. The monster fights are loud fun, but every human scene feels like waiting for the next one.
2. 7
   Dune: Part Two (2024)9.4

   The best movie here, and somehow it finished seventh.

   9.4 movie.guru score, 800,550 IMDb votes, $714 million worldwide on a reported $190M budget. It got outgrossed by Mufasa. The slow middle stretch is the only knock.
3. 6
   Mufasa: The Lion King (2024)6.2

   Barry Jenkins deserved better than a photoreal lion prequel.

   $722 million worldwide, 56% on Rotten Tomatoes, 56 Metacritic. Guru's Take: 5.6. Lions that realistic can't really emote, and a reported $200M budget can't fix that.
4. 5
   Wicked (2024)8.6

   Wicked earned the hype, just not quite an 8.6.

   $474 million domestic, A CinemaScore, 8.6 movie.guru score. Guru's Take is 7.8: Cynthia Erivo carries it, but the long runway to the big number tests your patience.
5. 4
   Despicable Me 4 (2024)5.8

   Nearly a billion dollars for the weakest movie here.

   $972 million worldwide on a reported $100M budget. Critics beat just 34% of movies. Guru's Take: 4.6, lowest on this list. Gru is a guest star in the Minions business.
6. 3
   Moana 2 (2024)6.0

   A billion-dollar sequel with no song you'll hum tomorrow.

   $1.059 billion worldwide, 6.0 movie.guru score, 58 Metacritic. Dwayne Johnson came back. The spark mostly didn't. Guru's Take: 5.7, which is polite.
7. 2
   Deadpool & Wolverine (2024)7.9

   Critics underrated it. Audiences got this one right.

   Audiences beat 93% of movies, critics only 54%. $1.338 billion worldwide, A CinemaScore. Guru's Take: 8.7. The plot is held together with tape, and nobody cares.
8. 1
   Inside Out 2 (2024)8.7

   Deserved number one, even if it rhymes hard with the original.

   $1.698 billion worldwide, 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, 8.7 movie.guru score. Guru's Take: 8.3. Anxiety is a perfect new character, but the story beats feel very familiar.

$1,738 says you scroll back up just to be mad that Dune finished seventh.

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Current mood: ready to fight about it