The Event Movies of the Last 20 Years: The Complete USA Times Index

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This is the master ledger of the USA Times Event-Movie Index, and as of this edition it is complete: every film that, in any single week between 2006 and 2025, captured at least 26.18% of the U.S. box office — the USA Times definition of an event movie. Twenty consecutive years — 2006 through 2025 — are now in the ledger, measured week by week from Box Office Mojo’s weekly charts, graded into the three golden-ratio tiers, and checked for profitability (worldwide gross ÷ reported budget). That is 1,043 chart weeks and 437 owner-seasons of evidence, reaching back past the pandemic into the fourteen normal years of the old theatrical world. The pandemic year is measured under a dark-market rule: the 22 weeks of 2020 in which national grosses collapsed below $5 million are recorded but excluded from event-movie status. 2026 runs live on its own tracker.

The complete index, 2006–2025

USA Times Billion-Dollar Club: one S2 star per $1 billion in worldwide gross (floor). Two stars = crossed $2B.

The number barely moves. Nineteen of the twenty years land between 17 and 28 event movies, and the one exception is the very first year in the ledger: 2006 at 13, the all-time floor. The mean across the whole run is 21.9 a year and the median is 21.5. There is a modest drift upward — the first decade averages 19.7 owners a year, the second 24.0 — but that is a movement of about four films a year across two decades in which the domestic market swung from $9.1 billion to $11.8 billion and back down to $8.6 billion, admission prices roughly doubled, and the entire streaming industry was born and matured. The ceiling is 2024 at 28. The audience appears to have a roughly fixed appetite for films that take over a week, and the industry, whatever else changes, keeps supplying about that many.

The market-size staircase. Among the fourteen pre-pandemic years the smallest market is 2006 at $9.107 billion, followed by 2008 ($9.576B) and 2007 ($9.580B); the largest is 2018 at $11.844 billion, about 30% more money in the same number of weeks. Yet those three smallest markets produced 13, 18 and 18 event movies and the largest produced 21. Market size sets how much money an owner collects; it does not set how many owners there are.

“Phenom./Major/Event” = films whose peak week fell in each golden-ratio tier (61.8%+, 38.2–61.8%, 26.18–38.2%). “Owned / empty weeks” counts measurable weeks with and without an owner. *2020 is scored on its 30 measurable weeks; †pandemic-market peaks are recorded in-year but are not eligible for all-time records. 2024 and 2025 also have full standalone pages; 2026 runs on its own live tracker.

Seasonality: when the owners show up

Across all twenty years, May is the owner factory: 77 of its 84 weeks — 92% — had a film at 26.18% or better. March and July tie next at 75% each, with June (71%) and November (71%) close behind. At the other end sit the two genuine dead zones: January (32%) and August (33%), where two weeks in three pass with nobody in charge, and February (40%) not far behind. The pattern is remarkably stable: the summer and the pre-Christmas corridor are where studios put the films designed to own a week, and the post-holiday and late-summer troughs are where they put everything else.

Living charts · 2006–2026 (21 of 20 years so far)

Concentration: the owners are taking more of the room

This is the number that has moved. Concentration — what the owners take, during the weeks they own, as a share of the whole year’s domestic box office — averaged 19.0% across 2006–2012 and 44.0% across 2021–2025. The all-time low is 2006’s 13.1%; the all-time high is 2022’s 49.9%. The count of event movies is nearly flat, but each one now swallows a far larger share of the year. The mid-budget film that used to absorb the other three-quarters of the calendar is the thing that actually disappeared — not the blockbuster, which arrives at the same rate it always did.

The predictive read: which release slots reliably produce an owner

With twenty years on the board, the calendar itself becomes predictive. Two weeks are perfect: week 18 (the first weekend of May) and week 20 (the third week of May) produced an event movie in every single measurable year — 19/19 and 19/19 (the denominator is 19, not 20, because both weeks fell inside 2020’s dark-market shutdown). Weeks 19 and 21 sit at 89.5% each, which means the whole month of May is effectively a guaranteed ownership window. Outside May the most reliable slots are week 10 in early March (85%), week 46 in the run-up to Thanksgiving (85%) and week 28 in mid-July (84%).

The dead slots are just as consistent. Week 4 (late January), week 34 (late August) and week 35 (Labor Day) each produced an owner in only 3 of 20 years — 15% — with week 33 (21%) and week 1 (25%) barely better. The practical read for a distributor is blunt: a film placed in early May is entering a window that has produced an owner in every measurable year on record — it will be competing for the room, not inheriting an empty one — while a film placed in late August is entering a week that has had no owner at all in seventeen of the last twenty years. The August slot is cheap for a reason. It is also, on this evidence, the easiest week in the calendar in which to become the owner yourself.

All-time superlatives: twenty years in one place

• Biggest single week ever: Avengers: Endgame (2019) at 88.35% of the entire domestic box office in week 17. The top five: Avengers: Endgame 88.3% (2019), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever 86.1% (2022), Spider-Man: No Way Home 85.6% (2021), Avatar: The Way of Water 83.7% (2022) and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness 83.3% (2022). 2020’s pandemic-market peaks are excluded from this ranking.
• Most eventful film: Tenet (2020) held event status for 6 weeks — but in a market running at a fraction of normal size, so it carries the pandemic asterisk. Only four films in twenty years have held event status for five weeks or more: Tenet (2020, 6), The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023, 5), Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022, 5) and The Croods: A New Age (2020, 5). The longest hold in an undisrupted market is 5 weeks: The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022).
• Best return on a budget: Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) at 59.17× its reported budget. The rest of the top five: Get Out 52.0× (2017), Paranormal Activity 3 41.4× (2011), Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle 40.1× (2025) and Insidious: Chapter 2 32.4× (2013).
• Worst return by an owner: Argylle (2024) at 0.48×. The rest of the bottom five: Let Him Go 0.55× (2020), Tron: Ares 0.65× (2025), The New Mutants 0.73× (2020) and Red One 0.74× (2024). Every one of them owned a week outright and still lost money.
• Clean sweeps: in fifteen of the twenty years every owner with a reported budget finished at or above 1× — 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022. The five years that were not clean are 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025. Every clean sweep except 2022 happened before 2020, and four of the last five years put at least one outright week-owner underwater — the single clearest sign in the index that the economics of owning a week have changed.
• One-week wonders: in absolute terms the year with the most was 2014 (21 of 25 owners lasted exactly one week) and the fewest was 2006 (11 — but from only 13 owners). By rate the leader is 2011, where 19 of 21 owners (90%) held for a single week. Across all twenty years 299 of 437 owners (68%) owned exactly one week and were gone.
• Tier distribution over time: five years produced no Phenomenon at all — 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014 — and every one of them falls in the first half of the index. The Phenomenon-heavy years are all recent: 2021 (7), 2022 (6) and 2017 (5). In 2006 the top tier was empty and seven of thirteen owners were Event-tier; in 2025 seventeen of twenty-seven peaked in the Major-event band. The same number of films owns the year, but they own it harder.
• Emptiest and fullest calendars: 2006 had 37 weeks with no owner at all, the most in the index — five more than any other year. At the other end, 2021 and 2022 tie for the fewest empty weeks of any full year (10 each). (2020 shows only five empty weeks, but on a 30-week measurable calendar.)

Each of the twenty years follows, earliest first, with its own week-by-week index, its ranked owners, how long each held the room, and a full ledger with worldwide gross, reported budget and the profitability arrow.

2006: the emptiest year the index has ever measured

At $9.107 billion domestic across 52 chart weeks, 2006 produced thirteen distinct event movies (0 Phenomenon · 6 Major event · 7 Event). That is the smallest crop in the twenty-year index. Fifteen of the year’s 52 measurable weeks had an owner; thirty-seven had none. No week carried two owners at once.

No film reached Phenomenon. The year’s ceiling is Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest at 60.21% (W27), the 3rd-lowest year-ceiling in the index, and one of five zero-Phenomenon years (2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014). Five more peaked in Major event territory (38.2–61.8%): X-Men: The Last Stand (49.86%, W21), The Da Vinci Code (47.45%, W20), Ice Age 2: The Meltdown (46.33%, W13), Mission: Impossible III (42.79%, W18) and Cars (38.65%, W23). Seven finished as Event-tier owners, from Jackass Number Two (33.49%) down to Inside Man (26.18%, the year’s narrowest clearance of the 26.18% bar).

Two films tie for the longest hold at 2 weeks each: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest and Ice Age 2: The Meltdown. Eleven of the thirteen owners (85%) were one-week wonders. Money: 2006 is a clean-sweep year — all 13 owners with a reported budget finished at or above 1× that budget, one of fifteen such years in the twenty. The green arrows carry an asterisk, though: Superman Returns (1.45×) sits below the informal ~2× real-world breakeven line that marketing spend imposes. Best return of the year: Saw III at 16.49×. Concentration: the year’s owners took 13.1% of all domestic box office during the weeks they owned — the lowest in the index.

The 2006 ledger

*Budgets are reported estimates (Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, trade press) and should be read as such. A green ▲ marks a film that returned at least its reported budget in worldwide gross; a red ▼ marks one that did not. Industry rules of thumb put real breakeven nearer 2–2.5× budget once print and advertising are counted, so a green arrow below that range is not the same as a profit.

2007: Spider-Man 3 alone clears Phenomenon

At $9.580 billion domestic across 52 chart weeks, 2007 produced eighteen distinct event movies (1 Phenomenon · 6 Major event · 11 Event). That is the 3rd-smallest crop in the twenty-year index. Twenty of the year’s 52 measurable weeks had an owner; thirty-two had none. Two weeks carried two owners at once (W21, W44).

One film cleared the 61.8% Phenomenon line: Spider-Man 3 (78.07%, W18). Six more peaked in Major event territory (38.2–61.8%): Shrek the Third (61.74%, W20), Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (54.54%, W21), I Am Legend (47.57%, W50), 300 (46.50%, W10), Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (40.96%, W28) and The Bourne Ultimatum (38.72%, W31). Eleven finished as Event-tier owners, from The Simpsons Movie (37.93%) down to Bee Movie (26.97%, the year’s narrowest clearance of the 26.18% bar).

Four films tie for the longest hold at 2 weeks each: Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and 300. Fourteen of the eighteen owners (78%) were one-week wonders. Money: 2007 is a clean-sweep year — all 18 owners with a reported budget finished at or above 1× that budget, one of fifteen such years in the twenty. The green arrows carry an asterisk, though: Rush Hour 3 (1.84×) and Bee Movie (1.96×) sit below the informal ~2× real-world breakeven line that marketing spend imposes. Best return of the year: Saw IV at 13.94×. Concentration: the year’s owners took 19.1% of all domestic box office during the weeks they owned.

The 2007 ledger

*Budgets are reported estimates (Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, trade press) and should be read as such. A green ▲ marks a film that returned at least its reported budget in worldwide gross; a red ▼ marks one that did not. Industry rules of thumb put real breakeven nearer 2–2.5× budget once print and advertising are counted, so a green arrow below that range is not the same as a profit.

2008: Iron Man and The Dark Knight both fall just short of the top tier

At $9.576 billion domestic across 52 chart weeks, 2008 produced eighteen distinct event movies (0 Phenomenon · 5 Major event · 13 Event). Twenty of the year’s 52 measurable weeks had an owner; thirty-two had none. No week carried two owners at once.

No film reached Phenomenon. The year’s ceiling is Iron Man at 61.16% (W18), the 5th-lowest year-ceiling in the index, and one of five zero-Phenomenon years (2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014). Four more peaked in Major event territory (38.2–61.8%): The Dark Knight (59.78%, W29), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (57.04%, W21), Quantum of Solace (45.43%, W46) and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (42.80%, W45). Thirteen finished as Event-tier owners, from Hancock (37.31%) down to Get Smart (26.96%, the year’s narrowest clearance of the 26.18% bar).

Two films tie for the longest hold at 2 weeks each: Iron Man and The Dark Knight. Sixteen of the eighteen owners (89%) were one-week wonders. Money: 2008 is a clean-sweep year — all 18 owners with a reported budget finished at or above 1× that budget, one of fifteen such years in the twenty. The green arrows carry an asterisk, though: The Incredible Hulk (1.77×) and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (1.87×) sit below the informal ~2× real-world breakeven line that marketing spend imposes. Best return of the year: High School Musical 3: Senior Year at 22.99×, the 10th-best return anywhere in the twenty-year index. Concentration: the year’s owners took 17.9% of all domestic box office during the weeks they owned — the 2nd-lowest in the index.

The 2008 ledger

Film	Peak share	Tier at peak	Weeks as event	WW gross	Budget*	WW / budget
Iron Man	61.16% (W18)	Major event	2	$585.4M	$140.0M	▲ 4.18×
The Dark Knight	59.78% (W29)	Major event	2	$1.004B	$185.0M	▲ 5.43×
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull	57.04% (W21)	Major event	1	$786.6M	$185.0M	▲ 4.25×
Quantum of Solace	45.43% (W46)	Major event	1	$589.6M	$200.0M	▲ 2.95×
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa	42.80% (W45)	Major event	1	$603.9M	$150.0M	▲ 4.03×
Hancock	37.31% (W27)	Event	1	$629.4M	$150.0M	▲ 4.20×
Horton Hears a Who!	36.32% (W11)	Event	1	$298.6M	$85.0M	▲ 3.51×
Twilight	35.45% (W47)	Event	1	$392.6M	$37.0M	▲ 10.61×
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian	34.90% (W20)	Event	1	$419.7M	$225.0M	▲ 1.87×
Kung Fu Panda	33.78% (W23)	Event	1	$632.0M	$130.0M	▲ 4.86×
Sex and the City	33.77% (W22)	Event	1	$418.8M	$65.0M	▲ 6.44×
10,000 BC	32.17% (W10)	Event	1	$269.8M	$105.0M	▲ 2.57×
The Day the Earth Stood Still	31.31% (W50)	Event	1	$233.1M	$80.0M	▲ 2.91×
WALL·E	30.07% (W26)	Event	1	$521.3M	$180.0M	▲ 2.90×
The Incredible Hulk	29.13% (W24)	Event	1	$264.8M	$150.0M	▲ 1.77×
High School Musical 3: Senior Year	28.51% (W43)	Event	1	$252.9M	$11.0M	▲ 22.99×
Eagle Eye	28.10% (W39)	Event	1	$178.8M	$80.0M	▲ 2.23×
Get Smart	26.96% (W25)	Event	1	$230.7M	$80.0M	▲ 2.88×

*Budgets are reported estimates (Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, trade press) and should be read as such. A green ▲ marks a film that returned at least its reported budget in worldwide gross; a red ▼ marks one that did not. Industry rules of thumb put real breakeven nearer 2–2.5× budget once print and advertising are counted, so a green arrow below that range is not the same as a profit.

2009: the lowest ceiling the index has ever measured

At $10.529 billion domestic across 52 chart weeks, 2009 produced twenty distinct event movies (0 Phenomenon · 11 Major event · 9 Event). Twenty-three of the year’s 52 measurable weeks had an owner; twenty-nine had none. One week carried two owners at once (W20).

No film reached Phenomenon. The year’s ceiling is X-Men Origins: Wolverine at 51.43% (W18), the lowest year-ceiling in the index, and one of five zero-Phenomenon years (2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014). Ten more peaked in Major event territory (38.2–61.8%): Star Trek (51.02%, W19), Avatar (50.03%, W51), The Twilight Saga: New Moon (48.23%, W47), 2012 (46.17%, W46), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (46.01%, W26) and Watchmen (45.87%, W10), plus four more. Nine finished as Event-tier owners, from G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (34.40%) down to This Is It (26.23%, the year’s narrowest clearance of the 26.18% bar).

Four films tie for the longest hold at 2 weeks each: Star Trek, Avatar, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Sixteen of the twenty owners (80%) were one-week wonders. Money: 2009 is a clean-sweep year — all 20 owners with a reported budget finished at or above 1× that budget, one of fifteen such years in the twenty. The green arrows carry an asterisk, though: Watchmen (1.43×) and G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra (1.73×) sit below the informal ~2× real-world breakeven line that marketing spend imposes. Best return of the year: The Twilight Saga: New Moon at 14.20×. Concentration: the year’s owners took 19.8% of all domestic box office during the weeks they owned.

The 2009 ledger

Film	Peak share	Tier at peak	Weeks as event	WW gross	Budget*	WW / budget
X-Men Origins: Wolverine	51.43% (W18)	Major event	1	$373.1M	$150.0M	▲ 2.49×
Star Trek	51.02% (W19)	Major event	2	$385.7M	$150.0M	▲ 2.57×
Avatar	50.03% (W51)	Major event	2	$2.744B	$237.0M	▲ 11.58×
The Twilight Saga: New Moon	48.23% (W47)	Major event	1	$709.8M	$50.0M	▲ 14.20×
2012	46.17% (W46)	Major event	1	$769.7M	$200.0M	▲ 3.85×
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen	46.01% (W26)	Major event	2	$836.3M	$200.0M	▲ 4.18×
Watchmen	45.87% (W10)	Major event	1	$185.4M	$130.0M	▲ 1.43×
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince	45.55% (W29)	Major event	2	$934.0M	$250.0M	▲ 3.74×
Fast & Furious	42.71% (W14)	Major event	1	$360.4M	$85.0M	▲ 4.24×
Up	40.72% (W22)	Major event	1	$735.1M	$175.0M	▲ 4.20×
Monsters vs. Aliens	39.22% (W13)	Major event	1	$381.5M	$175.0M	▲ 2.18×
G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra	34.40% (W32)	Event	1	$302.5M	$175.0M	▲ 1.73×
Angels & Demons	30.92% (W20)	Event	1	$485.9M	$150.0M	▲ 3.24×
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian	30.56% (W21)	Event	1	$413.1M	$150.0M	▲ 2.75×
Couples Retreat	29.90% (W41)	Event	1	$171.8M	$70.0M	▲ 2.45×
Inglourious Basterds	29.67% (W34)	Event	1	$321.5M	$70.0M	▲ 4.59×
The Hangover	29.36% (W23)	Event	1	$468.8M	$35.0M	▲ 13.39×
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs	27.29% (W38)	Event	1	$243.0M	$100.0M	▲ 2.43×
Madea Goes to Jail	27.14% (W8)	Event	1	$90.5M	$17.5M	▲ 5.17×
This Is It	26.23% (W44)	Event	1	$268.0M	$60.0M	▲ 4.47×

*Budgets are reported estimates (Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, trade press) and should be read as such. A green ▲ marks a film that returned at least its reported budget in worldwide gross; a red ▼ marks one that did not. Industry rules of thumb put real breakeven nearer 2–2.5× budget once print and advertising are counted, so a green arrow below that range is not the same as a profit.

2010: Iron Man 2 stands alone at the top tier

At $10.731 billion domestic across 53 chart weeks, 2010 produced nineteen distinct event movies (1 Phenomenon · 4 Major event · 14 Event). Twenty-seven of the year’s 53 measurable weeks had an owner; twenty-six had none. No week carried two owners at once.

One film cleared the 61.8% Phenomenon line: Iron Man 2 (69.85%, W19). Four more peaked in Major event territory (38.2–61.8%): Alice in Wonderland (57.84%, W10), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (55.19%, W47), Toy Story 3 (54.45%, W25) and Shrek Forever After (42.60%, W21). Fourteen finished as Event-tier owners, from Jackass 3D (37.90%) down to Tron: Legacy (27.37%, the year’s narrowest clearance of the 26.18% bar).

Two films tie for the longest hold at 3 weeks each: Alice in Wonderland and Avatar. Thirteen of the nineteen owners (68%) were one-week wonders. Money: 2010 is a clean-sweep year — all 19 owners with a reported budget finished at or above 1× that budget, one of fifteen such years in the twenty. Every owner cleared even the ~2× real-world breakeven line (floor: Tron: Legacy, 2.35×). Best return of the year: Paranormal Activity 2 at 59.17×, the 1st-best return anywhere in the twenty-year index. Concentration: the year’s owners took 20.9% of all domestic box office during the weeks they owned.

The 2010 ledger

Film	Peak share	Tier at peak	Weeks as event	WW gross	Budget*	WW / budget
Iron Man 2	69.85% (W19)	Phenomenon	2	$623.9M	$200.0M	▲ 3.12×
Alice in Wonderland	57.84% (W10)	Major event	3	$1.025B	$200.0M	▲ 5.13×
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1	55.19% (W47)	Major event	2	$960.3M	$125.0M	▲ 7.68×
Toy Story 3	54.45% (W25)	Major event	1	$1.067B	$200.0M	▲ 5.33×
Shrek Forever After	42.60% (W21)	Major event	2	$752.6M	$165.0M	▲ 4.56×
Jackass 3D	37.90% (W42)	Event	1	$171.7M	$20.0M	▲ 8.58×
Inception	35.78% (W29)	Event	2	$828.3M	$160.0M	▲ 5.18×
The Karate Kid	35.35% (W24)	Event	1	$359.1M	$40.0M	▲ 8.98×
Avatar	33.59% (W1)	Event	3	$2.744B	$237.0M	▲ 11.58×
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse	33.09% (W27)	Event	1	$698.5M	$68.0M	▲ 10.27×
Clash of the Titans	32.33% (W14)	Event	1	$493.2M	$125.0M	▲ 3.95×
How to Train Your Dragon	32.13% (W13)	Event	1	$494.9M	$165.0M	▲ 3.00×
Resident Evil: Afterlife	31.59% (W37)	Event	1	$300.2M	$60.0M	▲ 5.00×
Shutter Island	31.03% (W8)	Event	1	$294.8M	$80.0M	▲ 3.69×
A Nightmare on Elm Street	30.75% (W18)	Event	1	$115.7M	$35.0M	▲ 3.31×
Paranormal Activity 2	29.50% (W43)	Event	1	$177.5M	$3.0M	▲ 59.17×
Despicable Me	29.16% (W28)	Event	1	$543.2M	$69.0M	▲ 7.87×
Megamind	29.02% (W45)	Event	1	$321.9M	$130.0M	▲ 2.48×
Tron: Legacy	27.37% (W51)	Event	1	$400.1M	$170.0M	▲ 2.35×

*Budgets are reported estimates (Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, trade press) and should be read as such. A green ▲ marks a film that returned at least its reported budget in worldwide gross; a red ▼ marks one that did not. Industry rules of thumb put real breakeven nearer 2–2.5× budget once print and advertising are counted, so a green arrow below that range is not the same as a profit.

2011: Harry Potter closes an era 0.02 points short of Phenomenon

At $10.147 billion domestic across 52 chart weeks, 2011 produced twenty-one distinct event movies (0 Phenomenon · 7 Major event · 14 Event). Twenty-three of the year’s 52 measurable weeks had an owner; twenty-nine had none. No week carried two owners at once.

No film reached Phenomenon. The year’s ceiling is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 at 60.22% (W28), the 4th-lowest year-ceiling in the index, and one of five zero-Phenomenon years (2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014). Six more peaked in Major event territory (38.2–61.8%): The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (54.43%, W46), Fast Five (53.80%, W17), Transformers: Dark of the Moon (46.53%, W26), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (44.23%, W20), Paranormal Activity 3 (41.16%, W42) and Thor (39.25%, W18). Fourteen finished as Event-tier owners, from The Hangover Part II (37.17%) down to Rango (27.08%, the year’s narrowest clearance of the 26.18% bar).

Two films tie for the longest hold at 2 weeks each: Transformers: Dark of the Moon and Puss in Boots. Nineteen of the twenty-one owners (90%) were one-week wonders. Money: 2011 is a clean-sweep year — all 20 owners with a reported budget finished at or above 1× that budget, one of fifteen such years in the twenty. The green arrows carry an asterisk, though: Green Lantern (1.19×) and Rango (1.82×) sit below the informal ~2× real-world breakeven line that marketing spend imposes. Best return of the year: Paranormal Activity 3 at 41.41×, the 3rd-best return anywhere in the twenty-year index. Concentration: the year’s owners took 18.8% of all domestic box office during the weeks they owned — the 3rd-lowest in the index.

The 2011 ledger

Film	Peak share	Tier at peak	Weeks as event	WW gross	Budget*	WW / budget
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2	60.22% (W28)	Major event	1	$1.342B	$125.0M	▲ 10.73×
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1	54.43% (W46)	Major event	1	$712.2M	$110.0M	▲ 6.47×
Fast Five	53.80% (W17)	Major event	1	$626.1M	$125.0M	▲ 5.01×
Transformers: Dark of the Moon	46.53% (W26)	Major event	2	$1.124B	$195.0M	▲ 5.76×
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides	44.23% (W20)	Major event	1	$1.046B	$250.0M	▲ 4.18×
Paranormal Activity 3	41.16% (W42)	Major event	1	$207.0M	$5.0M	▲ 41.41×
Thor	39.25% (W18)	Major event	1	$449.3M	$150.0M	▲ 3.00×
The Hangover Part II	37.17% (W21)	Event	1	$586.8M	$80.0M	▲ 7.33×
X-Men: First Class	32.72% (W22)	Event	1	$352.6M	$160.0M	▲ 2.20×
Captain America: The First Avenger	32.26% (W29)	Event	1	$370.6M	$140.0M	▲ 2.65×
Green Lantern	31.23% (W24)	Event	1	$237.2M	$200.0M	▲ 1.19×
Puss in Boots	30.42% (W43)	Event	2	$555.0M	$130.0M	▲ 4.27×
Rise of the Planet of the Apes	29.84% (W31)	Event	1	$481.8M	$93.0M	▲ 5.18×
Rio	29.55% (W15)	Event	1	$483.9M	$90.0M	▲ 5.38×
The Lion King	28.99% (W37)	Event	1	$186.0M	—	—
Cars 2	28.63% (W25)	Event	1	$559.9M	$200.0M	▲ 2.80×
Hop	28.51% (W13)	Event	1	$183.9M	$63.0M	▲ 2.92×
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows	27.55% (W50)	Event	1	$543.9M	$125.0M	▲ 4.35×
Contagion	27.17% (W36)	Event	1	$136.5M	$60.0M	▲ 2.28×
Real Steel	27.11% (W40)	Event	1	$299.3M	$110.0M	▲ 2.72×
Rango	27.08% (W9)	Event	1	$245.7M	$135.0M	▲ 1.82×

*Budgets are reported estimates (Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, trade press) and should be read as such. A green ▲ marks a film that returned at least its reported budget in worldwide gross; a red ▼ marks one that did not. Industry rules of thumb put real breakeven nearer 2–2.5× budget once print and advertising are counted, so a green arrow below that range is not the same as a profit.

2012: The Avengers tops the index’s first three-Phenomenon year

At $10.772 billion domestic across 52 chart weeks, 2012 produced eighteen distinct event movies (3 Phenomenon · 5 Major event · 10 Event). Twenty-four of the year’s 52 measurable weeks had an owner; twenty-eight had none. One week carried two owners at once (W23).

Three films cleared the 61.8% Phenomenon line: The Avengers (79.67%, W18), The Hunger Games (69.20%, W12) and The Dark Knight Rises (66.18%, W29). Five more peaked in Major event territory (38.2–61.8%): The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (58.65%, W50), Skyfall (50.71%, W45), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 (47.97%, W46), Brave (39.52%, W25) and The Lorax (38.93%, W9). Ten finished as Event-tier owners, from Snow White and the Huntsman (37.76%) down to Prometheus (26.50%, the year’s narrowest clearance of the 26.18% bar).

Two films tie for the longest hold at 3 weeks each: The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises. Thirteen of the eighteen owners (72%) were one-week wonders. Money: 2012 is a clean-sweep year — all 18 owners with a reported budget finished at or above 1× that budget, one of fifteen such years in the twenty. Every owner cleared even the ~2× real-world breakeven line (floor: Snow White and the Huntsman, 2.33×). Best return of the year: Ice Age: Continental Drift at 9.23×. Concentration: the year’s owners took 23.3% of all domestic box office during the weeks they owned.

The 2012 ledger

Film	Peak share	Tier at peak	Weeks as event	WW gross	Budget*	WW / budget
The Avengers	79.67% (W18)	Phenomenon	3	$1.519B	$220.0M	▲ 6.90×
The Hunger Games	69.20% (W12)	Phenomenon	2	$694.4M	$78.0M	▲ 8.90×
The Dark Knight Rises	66.18% (W29)	Phenomenon	3	$1.085B	$250.0M	▲ 4.34×
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey	58.65% (W50)	Major event	1	$1.017B	$180.0M	▲ 5.65×
Skyfall	50.71% (W45)	Major event	1	$1.109B	$200.0M	▲ 5.54×
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2	47.97% (W46)	Major event	1	$829.8M	$120.0M	▲ 6.91×
Brave	39.52% (W25)	Major event	1	$539.0M	$185.0M	▲ 2.91×
The Lorax	38.93% (W9)	Major event	2	$349.0M	$70.0M	▲ 4.99×
Snow White and the Huntsman	37.76% (W22)	Event	1	$396.6M	$170.0M	▲ 2.33×
Men in Black 3	35.16% (W21)	Event	1	$654.2M	$225.0M	▲ 2.91×
Taken 2	33.84% (W40)	Event	1	$376.1M	$45.0M	▲ 8.36×
Wreck-It Ralph	33.73% (W44)	Event	1	$471.2M	$165.0M	▲ 2.86×
21 Jump Street	33.32% (W11)	Event	1	$201.6M	$42.0M	▲ 4.80×
Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted	32.78% (W23)	Event	2	$746.9M	$145.0M	▲ 5.15×
Hotel Transylvania	32.57% (W39)	Event	1	$358.4M	$85.0M	▲ 4.22×
The Amazing Spider-Man	30.55% (W27)	Event	1	$758.7M	$230.0M	▲ 3.30×
Ice Age: Continental Drift	27.00% (W28)	Event	1	$877.2M	$95.0M	▲ 9.23×
Prometheus	26.50% (W23)	Event	1	$403.4M	$130.0M	▲ 3.10×

*Budgets are reported estimates (Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, trade press) and should be read as such. A green ▲ marks a film that returned at least its reported budget in worldwide gross; a red ▼ marks one that did not. Industry rules of thumb put real breakeven nearer 2–2.5× budget once print and advertising are counted, so a green arrow below that range is not the same as a profit.

2013: Iron Man 3 and Catching Fire own the year

At $10.898 billion domestic across 52 chart weeks, 2013 produced twenty-one distinct event movies (2 Phenomenon · 6 Major event · 13 Event). Twenty-five of the year’s 52 measurable weeks had an owner; twenty-seven had none. Four weeks carried two owners at once (W19, W25, W48, W49).

Two films cleared the 61.8% Phenomenon line: Iron Man 3 (78.31%, W18) and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (62.31%, W47). Six more peaked in Major event territory (38.2–61.8%): Man of Steel (54.23%, W24), Oz the Great and Powerful (53.83%, W10), Thor: The Dark World (48.95%, W45), Gravity (46.41%, W40), The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (45.71%, W50) and Star Trek Into Darkness (43.27%, W20). Thirteen finished as Event-tier owners, from Despicable Me 2 (36.83%) down to World War Z (26.35%, the year’s narrowest clearance of the 26.18% bar).

Two films tie for the longest hold at 3 weeks each: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Gravity. Fifteen of the twenty-one owners (71%) were one-week wonders. Money: 2013 is a clean-sweep year — all 21 owners with a reported budget finished at or above 1× that budget, one of fifteen such years in the twenty. Every owner cleared even the ~2× real-world breakeven line (floor: Oz the Great and Powerful, 2.29×). Best return of the year: Insidious: Chapter 2 at 32.38×, the 5th-best return anywhere in the twenty-year index. Concentration: the year’s owners took 22.9% of all domestic box office during the weeks they owned.

The 2013 ledger

Film	Peak share	Tier at peak	Weeks as event	WW gross	Budget*	WW / budget
Iron Man 3	78.31% (W18)	Phenomenon	2	$1.216B	$200.0M	▲ 6.08×
The Hunger Games: Catching Fire	62.31% (W47)	Phenomenon	3	$865.0M	$130.0M	▲ 6.65×
Man of Steel	54.23% (W24)	Major event	1	$670.1M	$225.0M	▲ 2.98×
Oz the Great and Powerful	53.83% (W10)	Major event	2	$493.3M	$215.0M	▲ 2.29×
Thor: The Dark World	48.95% (W45)	Major event	2	$644.8M	$170.0M	▲ 3.79×
Gravity	46.41% (W40)	Major event	3	$723.8M	$100.0M	▲ 7.24×
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug	45.71% (W50)	Major event	1	$960.4M	$225.0M	▲ 4.27×
Star Trek Into Darkness	43.27% (W20)	Major event	1	$467.4M	$190.0M	▲ 2.46×
Despicable Me 2	36.83% (W27)	Event	1	$970.8M	$76.0M	▲ 12.77×
Fast & Furious 6	36.75% (W21)	Event	1	$788.7M	$160.0M	▲ 4.93×
Insidious: Chapter 2	35.46% (W37)	Event	1	$161.9M	$5.0M	▲ 32.38×
Monsters University	35.02% (W25)	Event	1	$743.6M	$200.0M	▲ 3.72×
Oblivion	33.39% (W16)	Event	1	$286.2M	$120.0M	▲ 2.38×
Frozen	31.55% (W49)	Event	2	$1.285B	$150.0M	▲ 8.57×
The Great Gatsby	30.54% (W19)	Event	1	$353.6M	$105.0M	▲ 3.37×
Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa	30.41% (W43)	Event	1	$151.8M	$15.0M	▲ 10.12×
The Croods	30.08% (W12)	Event	1	$587.2M	$135.0M	▲ 4.35×
Identity Thief	28.68% (W6)	Event	1	$174.0M	$35.0M	▲ 4.97×
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2	28.64% (W39)	Event	1	$274.3M	$78.0M	▲ 3.52×
The Wolverine	27.67% (W30)	Event	1	$414.8M	$120.0M	▲ 3.46×
World War Z	26.35% (W25)	Event	1	$540.0M	$190.0M	▲ 2.84×

*Budgets are reported estimates (Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, trade press) and should be read as such. A green ▲ marks a film that returned at least its reported budget in worldwide gross; a red ▼ marks one that did not. Industry rules of thumb put real breakeven nearer 2–2.5× budget once print and advertising are counted, so a green arrow below that range is not the same as a profit.

2014: a wide, flat year with nothing at the top

At $10.324 billion domestic across 52 chart weeks, 2014 produced twenty-five distinct event movies (0 Phenomenon · 10 Major event · 15 Event). Twenty-nine of the year’s 52 measurable weeks had an owner; twenty-three had none. One week carried two owners at once (W45).

No film reached Phenomenon. The year’s ceiling is The Amazing Spider-Man 2 at 57.30% (W18), the 2nd-lowest year-ceiling in the index, and one of five zero-Phenomenon years (2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014). Nine more peaked in Major event territory (38.2–61.8%): The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (56.04%, W47), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (55.32%, W14), Godzilla (50.50%, W20), Guardians of the Galaxy (49.41%, W31), Transformers: Age of Extinction (47.72%, W26) and X-Men: Days of Future Past (46.87%, W21), plus three more. Fifteen finished as Event-tier owners, from Neighbors (36.60%) down to Gone Girl (26.57%, the year’s narrowest clearance of the 26.18% bar).

Longest hold: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 at 3 weeks as an event movie. Twenty-one of the twenty-five owners (84%) were one-week wonders. Money: 2014 is a clean-sweep year — all 25 owners with a reported budget finished at or above 1× that budget, one of fifteen such years in the twenty. Every owner cleared even the ~2× real-world breakeven line (floor: Noah, 2.87×). Best return of the year: The Fault in Our Stars at 25.60×, the 8th-best return anywhere in the twenty-year index. Concentration: the year’s owners took 23.7% of all domestic box office during the weeks they owned.

The 2014 ledger

Film	Peak share	Tier at peak	Weeks as event	WW gross	Budget*	WW / budget
The Amazing Spider-Man 2	57.30% (W18)	Major event	1	$709.0M	$200.0M	▲ 3.54×
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1	56.04% (W47)	Major event	3	$758.8M	$125.0M	▲ 6.07×
Captain America: The Winter Soldier	55.32% (W14)	Major event	2	$714.4M	$170.0M	▲ 4.20×
Godzilla	50.50% (W20)	Major event	1	$525.0M	$160.0M	▲ 3.28×
Guardians of the Galaxy	49.41% (W31)	Major event	1	$772.8M	$170.0M	▲ 4.55×
Transformers: Age of Extinction	47.72% (W26)	Major event	2	$1.105B	$210.0M	▲ 5.26×
X-Men: Days of Future Past	46.87% (W21)	Major event	1	$746.0M	$200.0M	▲ 3.73×
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes	45.33% (W28)	Major event	1	$710.6M	$170.0M	▲ 4.18×
The Lego Movie	41.59% (W6)	Major event	2	$468.1M	$60.0M	▲ 7.80×
Maleficent	40.70% (W22)	Major event	1	$758.4M	$180.0M	▲ 4.21×
Neighbors	36.60% (W19)	Event	1	$270.7M	$18.0M	▲ 15.04×
Divergent	36.55% (W12)	Event	1	$288.9M	$85.0M	▲ 3.40×
Big Hero 6	34.66% (W45)	Event	1	$672.1M	$165.0M	▲ 4.07×
The Equalizer	32.64% (W39)	Event	1	$192.3M	$55.0M	▲ 3.50×
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles	32.31% (W32)	Event	1	$485.0M	$125.0M	▲ 3.88×
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies	32.18% (W51)	Event	1	$956.0M	$250.0M	▲ 3.82×
300: Rise of an Empire	30.56% (W10)	Event	1	$337.6M	$110.0M	▲ 3.07×
Noah	30.45% (W13)	Event	1	$359.2M	$125.0M	▲ 2.87×
Interstellar	30.45% (W45)	Event	1	$764.3M	$165.0M	▲ 4.63×
The Maze Runner	30.41% (W38)	Event	1	$348.3M	$34.0M	▲ 10.24×
22 Jump Street	29.98% (W24)	Event	1	$331.3M	$50.0M	▲ 6.63×
The Fault in Our Stars	28.00% (W23)	Event	1	$307.2M	$12.0M	▲ 25.60×
Lucy	26.81% (W30)	Event	1	$469.1M	$40.0M	▲ 11.73×
Lone Survivor	26.70% (W2)	Event	1	$154.8M	$40.0M	▲ 3.87×
Gone Girl	26.57% (W40)	Event	1	$370.9M	$61.0M	▲ 6.08×

*Budgets are reported estimates (Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, trade press) and should be read as such. A green ▲ marks a film that returned at least its reported budget in worldwide gross; a red ▼ marks one that did not. Industry rules of thumb put real breakeven nearer 2–2.5× budget once print and advertising are counted, so a green arrow below that range is not the same as a profit.

2015: four Phenomenon blockbusters and a concentration jump

At $11.046 billion domestic across 52 chart weeks, 2015 produced twenty-four distinct event movies (4 Phenomenon · 6 Major event · 14 Event). Thirty-one of the year’s 52 measurable weeks had an owner; twenty-one had none. Five weeks carried two owners at once (W12, W20, W25, W26, W45).

Four films cleared the 61.8% Phenomenon line: Avengers: Age of Ultron (80.44%, W18), Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens (76.25%, W51), Jurassic World (75.24%, W24) and Furious 7 (61.88%, W14). Six more peaked in Major event territory (38.2–61.8%): Minions (52.50%, W28), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (50.98%, W47), Cinderella (49.61%, W11), American Sniper (44.26%, W3), Spectre (42.86%, W45) and Straight Outta Compton (39.00%, W33). Fourteen finished as Event-tier owners, from The Divergent Series: Insurgent (37.76%) down to The Peanuts Movie (26.22%, the year’s narrowest clearance of the 26.18% bar).

Two films tie for the longest hold at 3 weeks each: Jurassic World and American Sniper. Fourteen of the twenty-four owners (58%) were one-week wonders. Money: 2015 is a clean-sweep year — all 24 owners with a reported budget finished at or above 1× that budget, one of fifteen such years in the twenty. Every owner cleared even the ~2× real-world breakeven line (floor: The Peanuts Movie, 2.49×). Best return of the year: Minions at 15.67×. Concentration: the year’s owners took 35.8% of all domestic box office during the weeks they owned.

The 2015 ledger

Film	Peak share	Tier at peak	Weeks as event	WW gross	Budget*	WW / budget
Avengers: Age of Ultron	80.44% (W18)	Phenomenon	2	$1.403B	$250.0M	▲ 5.61×
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens	76.25% (W51)	Phenomenon	2	$2.068B	$245.0M	▲ 8.44×
Jurassic World	75.24% (W24)	Phenomenon	3	$1.670B	$150.0M	▲ 11.14×
Furious 7	61.88% (W14)	Phenomenon	2	$1.515B	$190.0M	▲ 7.97×
Minions	52.50% (W28)	Major event	1	$1.159B	$74.0M	▲ 15.67×
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2	50.98% (W47)	Major event	2	$653.4M	$160.0M	▲ 4.08×
Cinderella	49.61% (W11)	Major event	2	$542.4M	$95.0M	▲ 5.71×
American Sniper	44.26% (W3)	Major event	3	$547.6M	$58.8M	▲ 9.31×
Spectre	42.86% (W45)	Major event	2	$880.7M	$245.0M	▲ 3.59×
Straight Outta Compton	39.00% (W33)	Major event	1	$201.6M	$28.0M	▲ 7.20×
The Divergent Series: Insurgent	37.76% (W12)	Event	1	$297.0M	$110.0M	▲ 2.70×
Inside Out	36.99% (W25)	Event	2	$858.3M	$175.0M	▲ 4.90×
The Martian	36.95% (W40)	Event	2	$630.2M	$108.0M	▲ 5.84×
San Andreas	36.76% (W22)	Event	1	$474.6M	$110.0M	▲ 4.31×
Fifty Shades of Grey	36.72% (W7)	Event	1	$569.7M	$40.0M	▲ 14.24×
Pitch Perfect 2	36.31% (W20)	Event	1	$287.1M	$29.0M	▲ 9.90×
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation	34.76% (W31)	Event	1	$682.7M	$150.0M	▲ 4.55×
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water	33.63% (W6)	Event	1	$325.2M	$74.0M	▲ 4.39×
Home	33.59% (W13)	Event	1	$386.0M	$135.0M	▲ 2.86×
Hotel Transylvania 2	32.31% (W39)	Event	1	$474.8M	$80.0M	▲ 5.94×
Taken 3	29.46% (W2)	Event	1	$326.5M	$48.0M	▲ 6.80×
Ant-Man	28.26% (W29)	Event	1	$519.3M	$130.0M	▲ 3.99×
Mad Max: Fury Road	26.33% (W20)	Event	1	$379.4M	$150.0M	▲ 2.53×
The Peanuts Movie	26.22% (W45)	Event	1	$246.2M	$99.0M	▲ 2.49×

*Budgets are reported estimates (Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, trade press) and should be read as such. A green ▲ marks a film that returned at least its reported budget in worldwide gross; a red ▼ marks one that did not. Industry rules of thumb put real breakeven nearer 2–2.5× budget once print and advertising are counted, so a green arrow below that range is not the same as a profit.

2016: the busiest pre-pandemic year the index has measured

At $11.561 billion domestic across 53 chart weeks, 2016 produced twenty-two distinct event movies (2 Phenomenon · 10 Major event · 10 Event). Thirty-four of the year’s 53 measurable weeks had an owner; nineteen had none. One week carried two owners at once (W29).

Two films cleared the 61.8% Phenomenon line: Captain America: Civil War (73.98%, W19) and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (63.10%, W51). Ten more peaked in Major event territory (38.2–61.8%): Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (61.62%, W13), Finding Dory (58.96%, W25), The Jungle Book (57.48%, W16), Deadpool (54.70%, W7), Suicide Squad (54.31%, W32) and The Secret Life of Pets (47.11%, W28), plus four more. Ten finished as Event-tier owners, from X-Men: Apocalypse (38.03%) down to Ghostbusters (26.26%, the year’s narrowest clearance of the 26.18% bar).

Three films tie for the longest hold at 3 weeks each: The Jungle Book, Deadpool and Zootopia. Twelve of the twenty-two owners (55%) were one-week wonders. Money: 2016 is a clean-sweep year — all 22 owners with a reported budget finished at or above 1× that budget, one of fifteen such years in the twenty. The green arrows carry an asterisk, though: Ghostbusters (1.59×), The Magnificent Seven (1.80×) and Star Trek Beyond (1.86×) sit below the informal ~2× real-world breakeven line that marketing spend imposes. Best return of the year: Deadpool at 13.50×. Concentration: the year’s owners took 30.6% of all domestic box office during the weeks they owned.

The 2016 ledger

Film	Peak share	Tier at peak	Weeks as event	WW gross	Budget*	WW / budget
Captain America: Civil War	73.98% (W19)	Phenomenon	2	$1.153B	$250.0M	▲ 4.61×
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story	63.10% (W51)	Phenomenon	2	$1.055B	$200.0M	▲ 5.28×
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice	61.62% (W13)	Major event	2	$874.4M	$250.0M	▲ 3.50×
Finding Dory	58.96% (W25)	Major event	2	$1.029B	$200.0M	▲ 5.14×
The Jungle Book	57.48% (W16)	Major event	3	$967.7M	$175.0M	▲ 5.53×
Deadpool	54.70% (W7)	Major event	3	$782.8M	$58.0M	▲ 13.50×
Suicide Squad	54.31% (W32)	Major event	1	$749.2M	$175.0M	▲ 4.28×
The Secret Life of Pets	47.11% (W28)	Major event	2	$875.7M	$75.0M	▲ 11.68×
Zootopia	44.46% (W10)	Major event	3	$1.024B	$150.0M	▲ 6.83×
Doctor Strange	43.70% (W45)	Major event	2	$677.8M	$165.0M	▲ 4.11×
Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens	41.02% (W1)	Major event	1	$2.068B	$245.0M	▲ 8.44×
Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them	40.66% (W47)	Major event	1	$816.0M	$180.0M	▲ 4.53×
X-Men: Apocalypse	38.03% (W22)	Event	1	$543.9M	$178.0M	▲ 3.06×
Sully	36.11% (W37)	Event	1	$240.8M	$60.0M	▲ 4.01×
The Magnificent Seven	33.66% (W39)	Event	1	$162.4M	$90.0M	▲ 1.80×
Moana	29.41% (W48)	Event	2	$643.3M	$150.0M	▲ 4.29×
Jason Bourne	28.42% (W31)	Event	1	$415.5M	$120.0M	▲ 3.46×
Star Trek Beyond	27.47% (W30)	Event	1	$343.5M	$185.0M	▲ 1.86×
Kung Fu Panda 3	27.44% (W5)	Event	1	$521.2M	$145.0M	▲ 3.59×
The Revenant	26.51% (W2)	Event	1	$533.0M	$135.0M	▲ 3.95×
The Angry Birds Movie	26.26% (W21)	Event	1	$352.3M	$73.0M	▲ 4.83×
Ghostbusters	26.26% (W29)	Event	1	$229.1M	$144.0M	▲ 1.59×

*Budgets are reported estimates (Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, trade press) and should be read as such. A green ▲ marks a film that returned at least its reported budget in worldwide gross; a red ▼ marks one that did not. Industry rules of thumb put real breakeven nearer 2–2.5× budget once print and advertising are counted, so a green arrow below that range is not the same as a profit.

2017: five phenomena and the deepest bench of the old world

At $11.022 billion domestic across 52 chart weeks, 2017 produced twenty-five distinct event movies (5 Phenomenon · 7 Major event · 13 Event). Thirty-two of the year’s 52 measurable weeks had an owner; twenty had none. Three weeks carried two owners at once (W13, W20, W28).

Five films cleared the 61.8% Phenomenon line: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (73.71%, W18), It (73.26%, W36), Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (72.59%, W50), Beauty and the Beast (65.50%, W11) and Thor: Ragnarok (65.43%, W44). Seven more peaked in Major event territory (38.2–61.8%): Wonder Woman (55.08%, W22), The Fate of the Furious (54.66%, W15), Spider-Man: Homecoming (53.69%, W27), Logan (45.39%, W9), Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (42.56%, W21) and Despicable Me 3 (40.97%, W26), plus one more. Thirteen finished as Event-tier owners, from Kong: Skull Island (35.71%) down to Fifty Shades Darker (26.36%, the year’s narrowest clearance of the 26.18% bar).

Two films tie for the longest hold at 3 weeks each: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Beauty and the Beast. Seventeen of the twenty-five owners (68%) were one-week wonders. Money: 2017 is a clean-sweep year — all 25 owners with a reported budget finished at or above 1× that budget, one of fifteen such years in the twenty. The green arrows carry an asterisk, though: Blade Runner 2049 (1.45×) sits below the informal ~2× real-world breakeven line that marketing spend imposes. Best return of the year: Get Out at 51.96×, the 2nd-best return anywhere in the twenty-year index. Concentration: the year’s owners took 32.2% of all domestic box office during the weeks they owned.

The 2017 ledger

Film	Peak share	Tier at peak	Weeks as event	WW gross	Budget*	WW / budget
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2	73.71% (W18)	Phenomenon	3	$863.8M	$200.0M	▲ 4.32×
It	73.26% (W36)	Phenomenon	2	$704.2M	$35.0M	▲ 20.12×
Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi	72.59% (W50)	Phenomenon	2	$1.334B	$317.0M	▲ 4.21×
Beauty and the Beast	65.50% (W11)	Phenomenon	3	$1.266B	$160.0M	▲ 7.91×
Thor: Ragnarok	65.43% (W44)	Phenomenon	2	$855.3M	$180.0M	▲ 4.75×
Wonder Woman	55.08% (W22)	Major event	2	$824.0M	$149.0M	▲ 5.53×
The Fate of the Furious	54.66% (W15)	Major event	2	$1.236B	$250.0M	▲ 4.94×
Spider-Man: Homecoming	53.69% (W27)	Major event	2	$880.2M	$175.0M	▲ 5.03×
Logan	45.39% (W9)	Major event	1	$619.2M	$97.0M	▲ 6.38×
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales	42.56% (W21)	Major event	1	$795.9M	$230.0M	▲ 3.46×
Despicable Me 3	40.97% (W26)	Major event	1	$1.035B	$80.0M	▲ 12.94×
Justice League	39.79% (W46)	Major event	1	$661.3M	$300.0M	▲ 2.20×
Kong: Skull Island	35.71% (W10)	Event	1	$568.7M	$185.0M	▲ 3.07×
Kingsman: The Golden Circle	32.50% (W38)	Event	1	$410.9M	$104.0M	▲ 3.95×
War for the Planet of the Apes	31.82% (W28)	Event	1	$490.7M	$152.0M	▲ 3.23×
Blade Runner 2049	30.49% (W40)	Event	1	$267.5M	$185.0M	▲ 1.45×
Get Out	29.47% (W8)	Event	1	$259.8M	$5.0M	▲ 51.96×
Transformers: The Last Knight	28.53% (W25)	Event	1	$605.4M	$217.0M	▲ 2.79×
The Boss Baby	28.37% (W13)	Event	1	$528.0M	$125.0M	▲ 4.22×
Annabelle: Creation	28.04% (W32)	Event	1	$307.0M	$15.0M	▲ 20.47×
Dunkirk	27.27% (W29)	Event	1	$549.1M	$100.0M	▲ 5.49×
Alien: Covenant	26.98% (W20)	Event	1	$240.9M	$97.0M	▲ 2.48×
Split	26.67% (W3)	Event	1	$278.5M	$9.0M	▲ 30.94×
Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle	26.42% (W52)	Event	1	$962.5M	$90.0M	▲ 10.69×
Fifty Shades Darker	26.36% (W6)	Event	1	$381.1M	$55.0M	▲ 6.93×

*Budgets are reported estimates (Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, trade press) and should be read as such. A green ▲ marks a film that returned at least its reported budget in worldwide gross; a red ▼ marks one that did not. Industry rules of thumb put real breakeven nearer 2–2.5× budget once print and advertising are counted, so a green arrow below that range is not the same as a profit.

2018: the record year that three phenomena built

At $11.844 billion domestic across 52 chart weeks, 2018 produced twenty-one distinct event movies (3 Phenomenon · 7 Major event · 11 Event). Twenty-nine of the year’s 52 measurable weeks had an owner; twenty-three had none. One week carried two owners at once (W25).

Three films cleared the 61.8% Phenomenon line: Avengers: Infinity War (81.27%, W17), Black Panther (69.56%, W7) and Incredibles 2 (66.76%, W24). Seven more peaked in Major event territory (38.2–61.8%): Deadpool 2 (58.10%, W20), Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (50.19%, W25), Halloween (43.65%, W42), Solo: A Star Wars Story (43.27%, W21), Venom (42.23%, W40) and The Nun (41.47%, W36), plus one more. Eleven finished as Event-tier owners, from Ant-Man and the Wasp (37.28%) down to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (26.30%, the year’s narrowest clearance of the 26.18% bar).

Longest hold: Black Panther at 4 weeks as an event movie. Fifteen of the twenty-one owners (71%) were one-week wonders. Money: 2018 is a clean-sweep year — all 21 owners with a reported budget finished at or above 1× that budget, one of fifteen such years in the twenty. The green arrows carry an asterisk, though: Solo: A Star Wars Story (1.43×) sits below the informal ~2× real-world breakeven line that marketing spend imposes. Best return of the year: Halloween at 25.55×, the 9th-best return anywhere in the twenty-year index. Concentration: the year’s owners took 29.2% of all domestic box office during the weeks they owned.

The 2018 ledger

Film	Peak share	Tier at peak	Weeks as event	WW gross	Budget*	WW / budget
Avengers: Infinity War	81.27% (W17)	Phenomenon	3	$2.048B	$321.0M	▲ 6.38×
Black Panther	69.56% (W7)	Phenomenon	4	$1.347B	$200.0M	▲ 6.73×
Incredibles 2	66.76% (W24)	Phenomenon	2	$1.243B	$200.0M	▲ 6.21×
Deadpool 2	58.10% (W20)	Major event	1	$734.5M	$110.0M	▲ 6.68×
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom	50.19% (W25)	Major event	2	$1.308B	$170.0M	▲ 7.70×
Halloween	43.65% (W42)	Major event	2	$255.5M	$10.0M	▲ 25.55×
Solo: A Star Wars Story	43.27% (W21)	Major event	1	$392.9M	$275.0M	▲ 1.43×
Venom	42.23% (W40)	Major event	1	$856.1M	$100.0M	▲ 8.56×
The Nun	41.47% (W36)	Major event	1	$366.1M	$22.0M	▲ 16.64×
The Grinch	38.69% (W45)	Major event	1	$512.7M	$75.0M	▲ 6.84×
Ant-Man and the Wasp	37.28% (W27)	Event	1	$622.7M	$162.0M	▲ 3.84×
Mission: Impossible – Fallout	36.17% (W30)	Event	1	$791.1M	$178.0M	▲ 4.44×
Bohemian Rhapsody	35.36% (W44)	Event	1	$903.7M	$52.0M	▲ 17.38×
Ocean’s Eight	32.91% (W23)	Event	1	$297.7M	$70.0M	▲ 4.25×
Aquaman	31.90% (W51)	Event	2	$1.152B	$160.0M	▲ 7.20×
A Quiet Place	31.04% (W14)	Event	1	$340.9M	$17.0M	▲ 20.06×
Fifty Shades Freed	29.39% (W6)	Event	1	$372.0M	$55.0M	▲ 6.76×
Ready Player One	29.16% (W13)	Event	1	$583.5M	$175.0M	▲ 3.33×
The Meg	27.65% (W32)	Event	1	$529.2M	$130.0M	▲ 4.07×
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald	27.59% (W46)	Event	1	$655.8M	$200.0M	▲ 3.28×
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse	26.30% (W50)	Event	1	$375.6M	$90.0M	▲ 4.17×

*Budgets are reported estimates (Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, trade press) and should be read as such. A green ▲ marks a film that returned at least its reported budget in worldwide gross; a red ▼ marks one that did not. Industry rules of thumb put real breakeven nearer 2–2.5× budget once print and advertising are counted, so a green arrow below that range is not the same as a profit.

2019: the last normal year — and the biggest single week the index has ever seen

At $11.291 billion domestic across 52 chart weeks, 2019 produced twenty-two distinct event movies (5 Phenomenon · 8 Major event · 9 Event). Thirty-one of the year’s 52 measurable weeks had an owner; twenty-one had none. Four weeks carried two owners at once (W19, W26, W31, W37).

Five films cleared the 61.8% Phenomenon line: Avengers: Endgame (88.35%, W17), The Lion King (70.38%, W29), Captain Marvel (70.04%, W10), Joker (63.57%, W40) and It: Chapter Two (63.37%, W36). Eight more peaked in Major event territory (38.2–61.8%): Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (59.68%, W51), Frozen II (59.26%, W47), Toy Story 4 (56.55%, W25), Aladdin (50.31%, W21), Spider-Man: Far from Home (48.56%, W27) and Jumanji: The Next Level (46.73%, W50), plus two more. Nine finished as Event-tier owners, from John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (37.66%) down to Glass (27.80%, the year’s narrowest clearance of the 26.18% bar).

Four films tie for the longest hold at 3 weeks each: Avengers: Endgame, The Lion King, Frozen II and Spider-Man: Far from Home. Thirteen of the twenty-two owners (59%) were one-week wonders. Money: 2019 is a clean-sweep year — all 22 owners with a reported budget finished at or above 1× that budget, one of fifteen such years in the twenty. Every owner cleared even the ~2× real-world breakeven line (floor: Dumbo, 2.08×). Best return of the year: Joker at 19.62×. Concentration: the year’s owners took 36.7% of all domestic box office during the weeks they owned.

The 2019 ledger

Film	Peak share	Tier at peak	Weeks as event	WW gross	Budget*	WW / budget
Avengers: Endgame	88.35% (W17)	Phenomenon	3	$2.799B	$356.0M	▲ 7.86×
The Lion King	70.38% (W29)	Phenomenon	3	$1.662B	$260.0M	▲ 6.39×
Captain Marvel	70.04% (W10)	Phenomenon	2	$1.131B	$160.0M	▲ 7.07×
Joker	63.57% (W40)	Phenomenon	2	$1.079B	$55.0M	▲ 19.62×
It: Chapter Two	63.37% (W36)	Phenomenon	2	$473.1M	$79.0M	▲ 5.99×
Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker	59.68% (W51)	Major event	2	$1.077B	$275.0M	▲ 3.92×
Frozen II	59.26% (W47)	Major event	3	$1.450B	$150.0M	▲ 9.67×
Toy Story 4	56.55% (W25)	Major event	2	$1.073B	$200.0M	▲ 5.37×
Aladdin	50.31% (W21)	Major event	1	$1.051B	$183.0M	▲ 5.74×
Spider-Man: Far from Home	48.56% (W27)	Major event	3	$1.132B	$160.0M	▲ 7.07×
Jumanji: The Next Level	46.73% (W50)	Major event	1	$800.1M	$125.0M	▲ 6.40×
Us	46.35% (W12)	Major event	1	$256.1M	$20.0M	▲ 12.81×
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World	40.96% (W8)	Major event	1	$521.8M	$129.0M	▲ 4.04×
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum	37.66% (W20)	Event	1	$327.8M	$75.0M	▲ 4.37×
Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw	36.53% (W31)	Event	1	$760.7M	$200.0M	▲ 3.80×
Shazam!	36.24% (W14)	Event	1	$367.8M	$100.0M	▲ 3.68×
Pokémon: Detective Pikachu	31.52% (W19)	Event	1	$433.3M	$150.0M	▲ 2.89×
Dumbo	31.51% (W13)	Event	1	$353.3M	$170.0M	▲ 2.08×
Hustlers	30.46% (W37)	Event	1	$157.6M	$20.0M	▲ 7.88×
Ford v Ferrari	28.41% (W46)	Event	1	$226.3M	$97.6M	▲ 2.32×
The Secret Life of Pets 2	27.84% (W23)	Event	1	$431.2M	$80.0M	▲ 5.39×
Glass	27.80% (W3)	Event	1	$247.0M	$20.0M	▲ 12.35×

*Budgets are reported estimates (Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, trade press) and should be read as such. A green ▲ marks a film that returned at least its reported budget in worldwide gross; a red ▼ marks one that did not. Industry rules of thumb put real breakeven nearer 2–2.5× budget once print and advertising are counted, so a green arrow below that range is not the same as a profit.

2020: the asterisk year — owners in an emptying room

At $2.002 billion domestic across 52 chart weeks, of which 22 fell below the $5 million dark-market line and are excluded from event-movie status, 2020 produced seventeen distinct event movies (3 Phenomenon · 1 Major event · 13 Event). That is the 2nd-smallest crop in the twenty-year index. Twenty-five of the year’s 30 measurable weeks had an owner; five had none. Two weeks carried two owners at once (W35, W51).

Three films cleared the 61.8% Phenomenon line: The Croods: A New Age (67.93%, W48), Unhinged (63.59%, W34) and Wonder Woman 1984 (63.00%, W52). One more peaked in Major event territory (38.2–61.8%): Tenet (58.57%, W36). Thirteen finished as Event-tier owners, from Sonic the Hedgehog (37.33%) down to Monster Hunter (27.71%, the year’s narrowest clearance of the 26.18% bar).

Longest hold: Tenet at 6 weeks as an event movie. Fourteen of the seventeen owners (82%) were one-week wonders. Money: 2020 is not a clean sweep — five owners finished below 1× budget: Let Him Go (0.55×), The New Mutants (0.73×), Monster Hunter (0.80×), Onward (0.81×) and Wonder Woman 1984 (0.85×). Best return of the year: The Invisible Man at 20.64×, the 11th-best return anywhere in the twenty-year index. Concentration: the year’s owners took 26.4% of all domestic box office during the weeks they owned.

The 2020 ledger

*Budgets are reported estimates (Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, trade press) and should be read as such. A green ▲ marks a film that returned at least its reported budget in worldwide gross; a red ▼ marks one that did not. Industry rules of thumb put real breakeven nearer 2–2.5× budget once print and advertising are counted, so a green arrow below that range is not the same as a profit. †2020 peaks are pandemic-market shares and are recorded in-year but excluded from all-time records.

2021: the audience trickles back, and Spider-Man breaks the meter

At $4.586 billion domestic across 53 chart weeks, 2021 produced twenty-eight distinct event movies (7 Phenomenon · 10 Major event · 11 Event). That is the 2nd-largest crop in the twenty-year index. Forty-three of the year’s 53 measurable weeks had an owner; ten had none. Five weeks carried two owners at once (W17, W22, W23, W29, W41).

Seven films cleared the 61.8% Phenomenon line: Spider-Man: No Way Home (85.58%, W51), Godzilla vs. Kong (69.39%, W14), Venom: Let There Be Carnage (68.38%, W40), Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (68.06%, W36), F9: The Fast Saga (66.30%, W26), Tom & Jerry (65.38%, W9) and Black Widow (63.78%, W28). Ten more peaked in Major event territory (38.2–61.8%): Eternals (60.23%, W45), A Quiet Place Part II (57.99%, W22), No Time to Die (51.25%, W41), Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train (45.66%, W17), Halloween Kills (42.84%, W42) and Ghostbusters: Afterlife (42.48%, W47), plus four more. Eleven finished as Event-tier owners, from The Suicide Squad (37.61%) down to Cruella (27.22%, the year’s narrowest clearance of the 26.18% bar).

Two films tie for the longest hold at 4 weeks each: Godzilla vs. Kong and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings. Fourteen of the twenty-eight owners (50%) were one-week wonders. Money: 2021 is not a clean sweep — two owners finished below 1× budget: Wonder Woman 1984 (0.85×) and The Suicide Squad (0.91×). Best return of the year: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train at 32.26×, the 6th-best return anywhere in the twenty-year index. Concentration: the year’s owners took 48.9% of all domestic box office during the weeks they owned — the 2nd-highest in the index.

The 2021 ledger

Film	Peak share	Tier at peak	Weeks as event	WW gross	Budget*	WW / budget
Spider-Man: No Way Home	85.58% (W51)	Phenomenon	3	$1.922B	$200.0M	▲ 9.61×
Godzilla vs. Kong	69.39% (W14)	Phenomenon	4	$470.1M	$200.0M	▲ 2.35×
Venom: Let There Be Carnage	68.38% (W40)	Phenomenon	2	$501.0M	$110.0M	▲ 4.55×
Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings	68.06% (W36)	Phenomenon	4	$432.2M	$150.0M	▲ 2.88×
F9: The Fast Saga	66.30% (W26)	Phenomenon	2	$726.2M	$200.0M	▲ 3.63×
Tom & Jerry	65.38% (W9)	Phenomenon	1	$136.5M	$50.0M	▲ 2.73×
Black Widow	63.78% (W28)	Phenomenon	2	$379.8M	$200.0M	▲ 1.90×
Eternals	60.23% (W45)	Major event	2	$402.1M	$200.0M	▲ 2.01×
A Quiet Place Part II	57.99% (W22)	Major event	2	$297.5M	$61.0M	▲ 4.88×
No Time to Die	51.25% (W41)	Major event	1	$774.2M	$250.0M	▲ 3.10×
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba – The Movie: Mugen Train	45.66% (W17)	Major event	2	$506.5M	$15.7M	▲ 32.26×
Halloween Kills	42.84% (W42)	Major event	1	$133.4M	$20.0M	▲ 6.67×
Ghostbusters: Afterlife	42.48% (W47)	Major event	1	$204.4M	$75.0M	▲ 2.73×
Jungle Cruise	41.59% (W31)	Major event	1	$220.9M	$200.0M	▲ 1.10×
Wonder Woman 1984	40.87% (W1)	Major event	2	$169.6M	$200.0M	▼ 0.85×
The Little Things	39.55% (W5)	Major event	2	$30.8M	$30.0M	▲ 1.03×
Mortal Kombat	38.37% (W17)	Major event	1	$84.4M	$55.0M	▲ 1.53×
The Suicide Squad	37.61% (W32)	Event	1	$168.7M	$185.0M	▼ 0.91×
Free Guy	37.34% (W33)	Event	2	$331.5M	$110.0M	▲ 3.01×
Dune: Part One	35.90% (W43)	Event	1	$410.7M	$165.0M	▲ 2.49×
The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It	35.34% (W23)	Event	1	$202.0M	$39.0M	▲ 5.18×
Raya and the Last Dragon	34.92% (W10)	Event	3	$130.3M	$100.0M	▲ 1.30×
Candyman	34.75% (W35)	Event	1	$77.4M	$25.0M	▲ 3.10×
Wrath of Man	34.73% (W19)	Event	1	$104.0M	$40.0M	▲ 2.60×
Spiral	32.26% (W20)	Event	2	$40.6M	$20.0M	▲ 2.03×
Space Jam: A New Legacy	31.70% (W29)	Event	1	$163.7M	$150.0M	▲ 1.09×
The Marksman	27.51% (W3)	Event	1	$23.1M	$23.0M	▲ 1.00×
Cruella	27.22% (W22)	Event	1	$233.5M	$100.0M	▲ 2.33×

*Budgets are reported estimates (Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, trade press) and should be read as such. A green ▲ marks a film that returned at least its reported budget in worldwide gross; a red ▼ marks one that did not. Industry rules of thumb put real breakeven nearer 2–2.5× budget once print and advertising are counted, so a green arrow below that range is not the same as a profit.

2022: six Phenomenons, and the week the market hit its theoretical limit

At $7.367 billion domestic across 52 chart weeks, 2022 produced twenty-four distinct event movies (6 Phenomenon · 9 Major event · 9 Event). Forty-two of the year’s 52 measurable weeks had an owner; ten had none. Four weeks carried two owners at once (W2, W15, W23, W24).

Six films cleared the 61.8% Phenomenon line: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (86.07%, W45), Avatar: The Way of Water (83.65%, W50), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (83.31%, W18), The Batman (79.82%, W9), Top Gun: Maverick (74.37%, W22) and Jurassic World: Dominion (64.30%, W23). Nine more peaked in Major event territory (38.2–61.8%): Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (57.53%, W14), Black Adam (56.71%, W42), Thor: Love and Thunder (55.94%, W27), Minions: The Rise of Gru (54.61%, W26), Spider-Man: No Way Home (50.99%, W1) and Halloween Ends (48.09%, W41), plus three more. Nine finished as Event-tier owners, from Jackass Forever (38.13%) down to Lightyear (29.44%, the year’s narrowest clearance of the 26.18% bar).

Longest hold: Black Panther: Wakanda Forever at 5 weeks as an event movie. Twelve of the twenty-four owners (50%) were one-week wonders. Money: 2022 is a clean-sweep year — all 24 owners with a reported budget finished at or above 1× that budget, one of fifteen such years in the twenty. The green arrows carry an asterisk, though: Lightyear (1.13×) and The Woman King (1.95×) sit below the informal ~2× real-world breakeven line that marketing spend imposes. Best return of the year: Smile at 12.79×. Concentration: the year’s owners took 49.9% of all domestic box office during the weeks they owned — the highest in the index.

The 2022 ledger

Film	Peak share	Tier at peak	Weeks as event	WW gross	Budget*	WW / budget
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever	86.07% (W45)	Phenomenon	5	$859.2M	$250.0M	▲ 3.44×
Avatar: The Way of Water	83.65% (W50)	Phenomenon	3	$2.321B	$400.0M	▲ 5.80×
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness	83.31% (W18)	Phenomenon	3	$955.8M	$200.0M	▲ 4.78×
The Batman	79.82% (W9)	Phenomenon	3	$772.2M	$200.0M	▲ 3.86×
Top Gun: Maverick	74.37% (W22)	Phenomenon	3	$1.496B	$170.0M	▲ 8.80×
Jurassic World: Dominion	64.30% (W23)	Phenomenon	2	$1.002B	$165.0M	▲ 6.07×
Sonic the Hedgehog 2	57.53% (W14)	Major event	2	$405.4M	$110.0M	▲ 3.69×
Black Adam	56.71% (W42)	Major event	3	$393.5M	$195.0M	▲ 2.02×
Thor: Love and Thunder	55.94% (W27)	Major event	2	$760.9M	$250.0M	▲ 3.04×
Minions: The Rise of Gru	54.61% (W26)	Major event	1	$940.5M	$80.0M	▲ 11.76×
Spider-Man: No Way Home	50.99% (W1)	Major event	4	$1.922B	$200.0M	▲ 9.61×
Halloween Ends	48.09% (W41)	Major event	1	$104.4M	$30.0M	▲ 3.48×
Uncharted	44.97% (W7)	Major event	2	$407.1M	$120.0M	▲ 3.39×
Morbius	44.60% (W13)	Major event	1	$167.5M	$75.0M	▲ 2.23×
Scream	38.97% (W2)	Major event	1	$137.7M	$24.0M	▲ 5.74×
Jackass Forever	38.13% (W5)	Event	1	$80.6M	$10.0M	▲ 8.06×
The Lost City	37.27% (W12)	Event	1	$192.9M	$68.0M	▲ 2.84×
Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore	36.62% (W15)	Event	1	$407.2M	$200.0M	▲ 2.04×
Smile	36.55% (W39)	Event	2	$217.4M	$17.0M	▲ 12.79×
The Woman King	35.36% (W37)	Event	1	$97.6M	$50.0M	▲ 1.95×
Nope	31.99% (W29)	Event	1	$171.2M	$68.0M	▲ 2.52×
Don’t Worry Darling	30.41% (W38)	Event	1	$87.6M	$35.0M	▲ 2.50×
Bullet Train	30.00% (W31)	Event	1	$239.3M	$90.0M	▲ 2.66×
Lightyear	29.44% (W24)	Event	1	$226.4M	$200.0M	▲ 1.13×

*Budgets are reported estimates (Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, trade press) and should be read as such. A green ▲ marks a film that returned at least its reported budget in worldwide gross; a red ▼ marks one that did not. Industry rules of thumb put real breakeven nearer 2–2.5× budget once print and advertising are counted, so a green arrow below that range is not the same as a profit.

2023: the year of Barbenheimer — and the near-miss that proves the rule

At $8.868 billion domestic across 52 chart weeks, 2023 produced twenty-six distinct event movies (4 Phenomenon · 11 Major event · 11 Event). Thirty-six of the year’s 52 measurable weeks had an owner; sixteen had none. Four weeks carried two owners at once (W1, W20, W23, W42).

Four films cleared the 61.8% Phenomenon line: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (72.99%, W18), The Super Mario Bros. Movie (71.08%, W14), Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (69.93%, W7) and Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (64.06%, W41). Eleven more peaked in Major event territory (38.2–61.8%): John Wick: Chapter 4 (61.60%, W12), Five Nights at Freddy’s (60.11%, W43), The Little Mermaid (58.35%, W21), Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (57.86%, W22), Barbie (52.48%, W29) and Fast X (52.38%, W20), plus five more. Eleven finished as Event-tier owners, from The Equalizer 3 (36.70%) down to M3GAN (27.33%, the year’s narrowest clearance of the 26.18% bar).

Longest hold: The Super Mario Bros. Movie at 5 weeks as an event movie. Eighteen of the twenty-six owners (69%) were one-week wonders. Money: 2023 is not a clean sweep — two owners finished below 1× budget: The Marvels (0.76×) and Killers of the Flower Moon (0.79×). Best return of the year: Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour at 17.45×. Concentration: the year’s owners took 37.3% of all domestic box office during the weeks they owned.

The 2023 ledger

Film	Peak share	Tier at peak	Weeks as event	WW gross	Budget*	WW / budget
Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3	72.99% (W18)	Phenomenon	3	$845.6M	$250.0M	▲ 3.38×
The Super Mario Bros. Movie	71.08% (W14)	Phenomenon	5	$1.361B	$100.0M	▲ 13.61×
Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania	69.93% (W7)	Phenomenon	2	$476.1M	$200.0M	▲ 2.38×
Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour	64.06% (W41)	Phenomenon	2	$261.7M	$15.0M	▲ 17.45×
John Wick: Chapter 4	61.60% (W12)	Major event	1	$447.1M	$100.0M	▲ 4.47×
Five Nights at Freddy’s	60.11% (W43)	Major event	2	$291.5M	$20.0M	▲ 14.57×
The Little Mermaid	58.35% (W21)	Major event	1	$569.6M	$250.0M	▲ 2.28×
Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse	57.86% (W22)	Major event	2	$690.5M	$100.0M	▲ 6.91×
Barbie	52.48% (W29)	Major event	4	$1.447B	$145.0M	▲ 9.98×
Fast X	52.38% (W20)	Major event	1	$704.9M	$340.0M	▲ 2.07×
The Marvels	50.06% (W45)	Major event	1	$206.1M	$270.0M	▼ 0.76×
Creed III	48.83% (W9)	Major event	1	$276.1M	$75.0M	▲ 3.68×
Wonka	48.43% (W50)	Major event	1	$634.5M	$125.0M	▲ 5.08×
Avatar: The Way of Water	42.57% (W1)	Major event	2	$2.320B	$350.0M	▲ 6.63×
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny	40.43% (W26)	Major event	1	$384.0M	$295.0M	▲ 1.30×
The Equalizer 3	36.70% (W35)	Event	1	$191.1M	$70.0M	▲ 2.73×
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One	35.51% (W28)	Event	1	$571.1M	$290.0M	▲ 1.97×
The Nun II	35.39% (W36)	Event	1	$269.7M	$38.5M	▲ 7.00×
Scream VI	35.14% (W10)	Event	1	$166.6M	$35.0M	▲ 4.76×
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes	34.21% (W46)	Event	1	$347.6M	$100.0M	▲ 3.48×
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts	33.89% (W23)	Event	1	$441.7M	$200.0M	▲ 2.21×
The Exorcist: Believer	33.47% (W40)	Event	1	$136.3M	$30.0M	▲ 4.54×
Shazam! Fury of the Gods	30.36% (W11)	Event	1	$134.1M	$125.0M	▲ 1.07×
Killers of the Flower Moon	29.92% (W42)	Event	1	$158.8M	$200.0M	▼ 0.79×
The Flash	29.27% (W24)	Event	1	$271.4M	$200.0M	▲ 1.36×
M3GAN	27.33% (W1)	Event	1	$180.1M	$12.0M	▲ 15.01×

*Budgets are reported estimates (Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, trade press) and should be read as such. A green ▲ marks a film that returned at least its reported budget in worldwide gross; a red ▼ marks one that did not. Industry rules of thumb put real breakeven nearer 2–2.5× budget once print and advertising are counted, so a green arrow below that range is not the same as a profit.

2024: twenty-eight owners, and the first year the money turned

At $8.557 billion domestic across 52 chart weeks, 2024 produced twenty-eight distinct event movies (4 Phenomenon · 12 Major event · 12 Event). That is the largest crop in the twenty-year index. Thirty-eight of the year’s 52 measurable weeks had an owner; fourteen had none. Seven weeks carried two owners at once (W10, W11, W20, W32, W38, W48, W49).

Four films cleared the 61.8% Phenomenon line: Inside Out 2 (73.26%, W24), Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (72.92%, W36), Deadpool & Wolverine (71.64%, W30) and Dune: Part Two (71.22%, W9). Twelve more peaked in Major event territory (38.2–61.8%): Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (58.30%, W19), Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (55.22%, W13), Bad Boys: Ride or Die (52.53%, W23), Twisters (52.13%, W29), Venom: The Last Dance (50.25%, W43) and Despicable Me 4 (48.94%, W27), plus six more. Twelve finished as Event-tier owners, from The Wild Robot (37.48%) down to Mean Girls (27.52%, the year’s narrowest clearance of the 26.18% bar).

Six films tie for the longest hold at 3 weeks each: Inside Out 2, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Deadpool & Wolverine, Dune: Part Two, Moana 2 and Wicked. Seventeen of the twenty-eight owners (61%) were one-week wonders. Money: 2024 is not a clean sweep — two owners finished below 1× budget: Argylle (0.48×) and Red One (0.74×). Best return of the year: It Ends with Us at 14.04×. Concentration: the year’s owners took 42.2% of all domestic box office during the weeks they owned — the 3rd-highest in the index.

The 2024 ledger

Film	Peak share	Tier at peak	Weeks as event	WW gross	Budget*	WW / budget
Inside Out 2	73.26% (W24)	Phenomenon	3	$1.698B	$200.0M	▲ 8.49×
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice	72.92% (W36)	Phenomenon	3	$451.0M	$100.0M	▲ 4.51×
Deadpool & Wolverine	71.64% (W30)	Phenomenon	3	$1.338B	$200.0M	▲ 6.69×
Dune: Part Two	71.22% (W9)	Phenomenon	3	$714.0M	$190.0M	▲ 3.76×
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes	58.30% (W19)	Major event	2	$397.0M	$160.0M	▲ 2.48×
Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire	55.22% (W13)	Major event	2	$572.0M	$135.0M	▲ 4.24×
Bad Boys: Ride or Die	52.53% (W23)	Major event	1	$404.0M	$100.0M	▲ 4.04×
Twisters	52.13% (W29)	Major event	1	$371.0M	$155.0M	▲ 2.39×
Venom: The Last Dance	50.25% (W43)	Major event	2	$476.0M	$120.0M	▲ 3.97×
Despicable Me 4	48.94% (W27)	Major event	2	$969.0M	$100.0M	▲ 9.69×
Moana 2	47.96% (W48)	Major event	3	$1.059B	$150.0M	▲ 7.06×
Wicked	44.90% (W47)	Major event	3	$756.0M	$150.0M	▲ 5.04×
Red One	43.42% (W46)	Major event	1	$186.0M	$250.0M	▼ 0.74×
Kung Fu Panda 4	41.17% (W10)	Major event	2	$548.0M	$85.0M	▲ 6.45×
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire	39.50% (W12)	Major event	1	$226.0M	$100.0M	▲ 2.26×
Joker: Folie a Deux	39.17% (W40)	Major event	1	$206.0M	$190.0M	▲ 1.08×
The Wild Robot	37.48% (W39)	Event	1	$325.0M	$78.0M	▲ 4.17×
The Fall Guy	36.26% (W18)	Event	1	$181.0M	$130.0M	▲ 1.39×
Bob Marley: One Love	34.97% (W7)	Event	1	$180.0M	$70.0M	▲ 2.57×
Civil War	33.42% (W15)	Event	1	$127.0M	$50.0M	▲ 2.54×
Smile 2	33.18% (W42)	Event	1	$138.0M	$28.0M	▲ 4.93×
IF	32.86% (W20)	Event	1	$190.0M	$110.0M	▲ 1.73×
Sonic the Hedgehog 3	31.98% (W51)	Event	1	$492.0M	$122.0M	▲ 4.03×
It Ends with Us	31.80% (W32)	Event	1	$351.0M	$25.0M	▲ 14.04×
Alien: Romulus	28.30% (W33)	Event	1	$351.0M	$80.0M	▲ 4.39×
Argylle	28.17% (W5)	Event	1	$96.0M	$200.0M	▼ 0.48×
Transformers One	27.79% (W38)	Event	1	$129.0M	$75.0M	▲ 1.72×
Mean Girls	27.52% (W2)	Event	1	$105.0M	$36.0M	▲ 2.92×

*Budgets are reported estimates (Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, trade press) and should be read as such. A green ▲ marks a film that returned at least its reported budget in worldwide gross; a red ▼ marks one that did not. Industry rules of thumb put real breakeven nearer 2–2.5× budget once print and advertising are counted, so a green arrow below that range is not the same as a profit.

2025: the Major-event year — seventeen films in the middle tier

At $8.621 billion domestic across 52 chart weeks, 2025 produced twenty-seven distinct event movies (3 Phenomenon · 17 Major event · 7 Event). That is the 3rd-largest crop in the twenty-year index. Thirty-nine of the year’s 52 measurable weeks had an owner; thirteen had none. Four weeks carried two owners at once (W16, W19, W48, W49).

Three films cleared the 61.8% Phenomenon line: A Minecraft Movie (78.72%, W14), The Conjuring: Last Rites (65.97%, W36) and Wicked: For Good (63.86%, W47). Seventeen more peaked in Major event territory (38.2–61.8%): Superman (59.24%, W28), The Fantastic Four: First Steps (59.24%, W30), Jurassic World: Rebirth (57.03%, W27), Lilo & Stitch (54.47%, W21), Captain America: Brave New World (54.39%, W7) and How to Train Your Dragon (53.40%, W24), plus eleven more. Seven finished as Event-tier owners, from Dog Man (37.63%) down to Now You See Me: Now You Don’t (28.13%, the year’s narrowest clearance of the 26.18% bar).

Four films tie for the longest hold at 3 weeks each: A Minecraft Movie, Lilo & Stitch, Zootopia 2 and Sinners. Fifteen of the twenty-seven owners (56%) were one-week wonders. Money: 2025 is not a clean sweep — two owners finished below 1× budget: Tron: Ares (0.65×) and Snow White (0.76×). Best return of the year: Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle at 40.15×, the 4th-best return anywhere in the twenty-year index. Concentration: the year’s owners took 41.7% of all domestic box office during the weeks they owned.

The 2025 ledger

Film	Peak share	Tier at peak	Weeks as event	WW gross	Budget*	WW / budget
A Minecraft Movie	78.72% (W14)	Phenomenon	3	$955.0M	$150.0M	▲ 6.37×
The Conjuring: Last Rites	65.97% (W36)	Phenomenon	1	$499.0M	$55.0M	▲ 9.07×
Wicked: For Good	63.86% (W47)	Phenomenon	2	$541.0M	$150.0M	▲ 3.61×
Superman	59.24% (W28)	Major event	2	$616.0M	$225.0M	▲ 2.74×
The Fantastic Four: First Steps	59.24% (W30)	Major event	2	$521.0M	$200.0M	▲ 2.60×
Jurassic World: Rebirth	57.03% (W27)	Major event	1	$861.0M	$180.0M	▲ 4.78×
Lilo & Stitch	54.47% (W21)	Major event	3	$1.038B	$100.0M	▲ 10.38×
Captain America: Brave New World	54.39% (W7)	Major event	2	$415.0M	$180.0M	▲ 2.31×
How to Train Your Dragon	53.40% (W24)	Major event	2	$636.0M	$150.0M	▲ 4.24×
Snow White	52.75% (W12)	Major event	1	$206.0M	$270.0M	▼ 0.76×
Zootopia 2	52.20% (W48)	Major event	3	$1.867B	$150.0M	▲ 12.45×
Thunderbolts*	50.06% (W18)	Major event	2	$382.0M	$180.0M	▲ 2.12×
Final Destination: Bloodlines	48.41% (W20)	Major event	1	$318.0M	$50.0M	▲ 6.36×
Predator: Badlands	46.58% (W45)	Major event	1	$185.0M	$105.0M	▲ 1.76×
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle	45.77% (W37)	Major event	1	$803.0M	$20.0M	▲ 40.15×
Avatar: Fire and Ash	45.33% (W51)	Major event	2	$1.480B	$400.0M	▲ 3.70×
Tron: Ares	44.14% (W41)	Major event	1	$142.0M	$220.0M	▼ 0.65×
Sinners	39.22% (W16)	Major event	3	$366.0M	$90.0M	▲ 4.07×
Black Phone 2	39.01% (W42)	Major event	1	$132.0M	$30.0M	▲ 4.40×
Five Nights at Freddy’s 2	38.39% (W49)	Major event	1	$221.0M	$51.0M	▲ 4.33×
Dog Man	37.63% (W5)	Event	1	$146.0M	$40.0M	▲ 3.65×
Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl	33.24% (W40)	Event	1	$50.0M	—	—
F1: The Movie	33.15% (W26)	Event	1	$629.0M	$250.0M	▲ 2.52×
Weapons	32.60% (W32)	Event	2	$270.0M	$38.0M	▲ 7.11×
Mickey 17	32.32% (W10)	Event	1	$132.0M	$118.0M	▲ 1.12×
One Battle After Another	30.83% (W39)	Event	1	$213.0M	$130.0M	▲ 1.64×
Now You See Me: Now You Don’t	28.13% (W46)	Event	1	$247.0M	$90.0M	▲ 2.74×

*Budgets are reported estimates (Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, trade press) and should be read as such. A green ▲ marks a film that returned at least its reported budget in worldwide gross; a red ▼ marks one that did not. Industry rules of thumb put real breakeven nearer 2–2.5× budget once print and advertising are counted, so a green arrow below that range is not the same as a profit.

Method & sources

Every weekly figure traces to a Box Office Mojo weekly domestic chart (boxofficemojo.com/weekly/{YEAR}W{NN}). The weekly denominator is the “Overall Gross” column of Box Office Mojo’s weekly by-year page for that year; where that page has returned incomplete data, the denominator is instead the sum of every film’s gross on that week’s own chart, and the substitution is footnoted in the year’s method note below. The two methods agree closely — for 2006 they agree to the dollar in all 52 weeks. Every week’s No. 1 film is additionally cross-checked against the “#1 Release” column of the by-year index before any share is computed. A film counts as an event movie in a week when it is No. 1 or No. 2 with at least 26.18% of that week’s domestic total; the global 6.18% test is a secondary route to qualification but every grade above is computed on domestic shares. Concentration is computed on a uniform owner-week basis across all twenty years. Worldwide grosses come from Box Office Mojo release pages; production budgets are reported estimates (Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, trade press and, where noted, Wikipedia infoboxes) and should be read as estimates, not audited figures. No figure anywhere in this index is reconstructed from memory or inference; where a page could not be retrieved, the gap is recorded rather than filled. The backfill is complete: 2006 through 2025, twenty consecutive years. 2026 continues on the live tracker.

2006 method note. Denominators are the official “Overall Gross” column of Box Office Mojo’s 2006 weekly index; as an independent check, the sum of every film’s gross on each week’s own chart was computed separately and matched that column exactly, to the dollar, in all 52 weeks. Per-film weekly figures are taken directly from BOM’s 52 weekly charts (/weekly/2006W01–W52) using the widened row regex; every week’s No. 1 film matched the by-year index’s “#1 Release” column, 52 of 52, with no discrepancies. There is no partial week 53 — /weekly/2006W53/ returns HTTP 400. Worldwide gross and production budget were available on Box Office Mojo’s own release page for all thirteen event movies, so no outside budget estimates were needed for this year. Two figures deserve a footnote. Inside Man qualifies by 0.0019 percentage points — $37,070,295 of $141,587,260 is 26.1819%, the narrowest clearance of the 26.18% bar anywhere in the twenty-year index. And week 46 came within 0.21 points of being a two-owner week: Casino Royale took 26.41% while Happy Feet took 25.97%, which is why 2006 records zero two-owner weeks rather than one.

2020 method note. Denominators are the official “Overall Gross” column of Box Office Mojo’s 2020 weekly index. Per-film weekly figures come from BOM’s weekly charts where retrievable; for weeks whose charts no longer render, figures are reconstructed exactly by differencing BOM’s own cumulative totals across adjacent weekly and weekend charts (the reconstruction reproduces published weekly charts to the dollar wherever both exist). Weeks 12–33, in which the national market fell below $5 million under COVID-19 closures, are recorded but excluded from event-movie status; 2020’s pandemic-market share peaks are likewise excluded from all-time records. Honest Thief’s opening week (Oct 9–15) was not reported to BOM’s weekly chart and is carried per BOM’s own accounting.

2019 method note. Denominators are the official “Overall Gross” column of Box Office Mojo’s 2019 weekly index. Per-film weekly figures are taken directly from BOM’s 52 weekly charts (/weekly/2019W01–W52); every week’s No.1 film was additionally cross-checked against the “#1 Release” column of the by-year index, with no discrepancies. Shares are computed domestic-only; the global 6.18% threshold was not separately evaluated.

2018 method note. Denominators are the official “Overall Gross” column of Box Office Mojo’s 2018 weekly index. Per-film weekly figures are taken directly from BOM’s 52 weekly charts (/weekly/2018W01–W52); every week’s No.1 film was additionally cross-checked against the “#1 Release” column of the by-year index, with no discrepancies. Shares are computed domestic-only; the global 6.18% threshold was not separately evaluated.

2017 method note. Denominators are the official “Overall Gross” column of Box Office Mojo’s 2017 weekly index. Per-film weekly figures are taken directly from BOM’s 52 weekly charts (/weekly/2017W01–W52); every week’s No.1 film and weekly total were additionally cross-checked against the by-year index, with no discrepancies in 52 weeks. Shares are computed domestic-only; the global 6.18% threshold was not separately evaluated.

2016 method note. Denominators are the official “Overall Gross” column of Box Office Mojo’s 2016 weekly index (53 weeks, including the partial Dec 30–Jan 5 week 53). Per-film weekly figures are taken directly from BOM’s weekly charts (/weekly/2016W01–W53); every week’s No.1 film and weekly total were cross-checked against the by-year index, with no discrepancies across all 53 weeks. Shares are computed domestic-only; the global 6.18% threshold was not separately evaluated.

2015 method note. Denominators are the official “Overall Gross” column of Box Office Mojo’s 2015 weekly index (52 weeks; no partial week 53). Per-film weekly figures are taken directly from BOM’s weekly charts (/weekly/2015W01–W52); every week’s No.1 film and weekly total were cross-checked against the by-year index, with no discrepancies across all 52 weeks after a scraping fix (an initial pass using a regex that only matched bare <tr> tags silently dropped rank-1 rows Box Office Mojo marks “New This Week” — those carry a class attribute on the row — which shifted the computed No.1 down a rank for about half the year’s weeks until caught by the by-year cross-check and corrected). Shares are computed domestic-only; the global 6.18% threshold was not separately evaluated. Worldwide grosses and budgets are Box Office Mojo’s current lifetime figures and reported studio/press estimates, respectively.

2014 method note. Denominators are the official “Overall Gross” column of Box Office Mojo’s 2014 weekly index (52 weeks; no partial week 53 — confirmed directly, /weekly/2014W53/ returns HTTP 400). Per-film weekly figures are taken directly from BOM’s weekly charts (/weekly/2014W01–W52); every week’s No.1 film and weekly total were cross-checked against the by-year index, with zero discrepancies across all 52 weeks. Shares are computed domestic-only; the global 6.18% threshold was not separately evaluated. Worldwide grosses and budgets are Box Office Mojo/The Numbers current lifetime figures and reported studio/press estimates, respectively; the widest-ranging reported budgets were The Amazing Spider-Man 2 ($200–293 million depending on source) and Godzilla (worldwide gross reported $524.98–529 million) — this ledger uses the more conservative, commonly-cited figure in both cases.

2013 method note. Denominators are the official “Overall Gross” column of Box Office Mojo’s 2013 weekly index (52 weeks; no partial week 53 — confirmed directly, /weekly/2013W53/ returns HTTP 400). Per-film weekly figures are taken directly from BOM’s weekly charts (/weekly/2013W01–W52); every week’s No.1 film and weekly total were cross-checked against the by-year index, with zero discrepancies across all 52 weeks. Shares are computed domestic-only; the global 6.18% threshold was not separately evaluated. Worldwide grosses and budgets are Box Office Mojo/The Numbers current lifetime figures and reported studio/press estimates, respectively; several budgets carry genuine uncertainty and are flagged in the film_summary data file — The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug ($217–250 million reported range, used $225 million), The Great Gatsby (reported net production budget ~$105 million vs. a ~$190 million gross budget before an Australian tax rebate, used the $105 million net figure), and World War Z (escalated during reshoots; commonly reported at $190 million, though figures folding in reshoots and marketing run as high as $260–269 million).

2012 method note. Denominators are the official “Overall Gross” column of Box Office Mojo’s 2012 weekly index (52 weeks; no partial week 53 — confirmed directly, /weekly/2012W53/ returns HTTP 400). Per-film weekly figures are taken directly from BOM’s weekly charts (/weekly/2012W01–W52); every week’s No.1 film was cross-checked against the by-year index’s “#1 Release” column, with zero discrepancies across all 52 weeks. Shares are computed domestic-only; the global 6.18% threshold was not separately evaluated. Worldwide grosses and budgets are Box Office Mojo current lifetime figures and reported studio/press estimates, respectively; a few budgets carry genuine uncertainty and are flagged in the film_summary data file — The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (per-film cost commonly cited $180–270 million against a $500–745 million trilogy-wide figure, used $180 million, the figure most often attributed specifically to this film), Skyfall (raw cost reported ~$210 million against a ~$150 million net-of-UK-tax-incentive figure; BOM/IMDb commonly list $200 million, used here — at the $150 million net figure the ratio would be 7.39× rather than 5.54×), and Prometheus (reported $120–130 million range plus roughly $10 million for 3D conversion, used $130 million as the most commonly cited final figure).

2011 method note. Denominators are the official “Overall Gross” column of Box Office Mojo’s 2011 weekly index (52 weeks; no partial week 53 — confirmed directly, /weekly/2011W53/ returns HTTP 400; the year’s 52nd week runs Dec 30, 2011–Jan 5, 2012). Per-film weekly figures are taken directly from BOM’s weekly charts (/weekly/2011W01–W52); every week’s No.1 film was cross-checked against the by-year index’s “#1 Release” column, with zero discrepancies across all 52 weeks. Shares are computed domestic-only; the global 6.18% threshold was not separately evaluated. Worldwide grosses and budgets are Box Office Mojo current lifetime figures and reported studio/press estimates, respectively; budgets carrying genuine uncertainty are flagged in the film_summary data file — Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (reported $125 million individually, also cited as part of a combined $250 million two-part budget with Part 1, used $125 million), The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (reported $110–127 million range, used $110 million), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (widely reported $250 million production budget, though marketing-inclusive and escalated figures as high as $378.5–410 million have been cited, making it one of the most expensive films ever made — used the $250 million production-budget figure for comparability with the rest of the index), and X-Men: First Class (reported $140–160 million range, used $160 million). The Lion King’s entry reflects its 2011 3D theatrical re-release (Box Office Mojo tracks it as a release group distinct from the 1994 original); its original production budget is seventeen years older and not a comparable figure, so no worldwide/budget ratio is computed for it. This run also found and removed a stray, incomplete 23-row partial stub for 2011 already present in the shared em_index.db — its owner-week figures matched this run’s own from-scratch computation film-for-film, an independent cross-check of the methodology, but it was missing all 29 ownerless weeks and all profitability data; it has been replaced in full by this run’s complete 52-week, 21-film dataset.

2010 method note. Denominators are the official “Overall Gross” column of Box Office Mojo’s 2010 weekly index (53 weeks, including the partial Dec 31, 2010–Jan 6, 2011 week 53; confirmed directly — /weekly/2010W53/ returns HTTP 200, /weekly/2010W54/ returns HTTP 404). Per-film weekly figures are taken directly from BOM’s weekly charts (/weekly/2010W01–W53); every week’s No.1 film and weekly domestic total were cross-checked against the by-year index’s “Overall Gross” and “#1 Release” columns, with zero discrepancies across all 53 weeks (seven weeks were additionally spot-checked against a fresh, independent parse of their own chart pages using the widened <tr[^>]*> row regex, per the scraping-bug fix documented in the 2015 method note, with identical results). Shares are computed domestic-only; the global 6.18% threshold was not separately evaluated. Worldwide grosses and budgets are Box Office Mojo current lifetime figures and reported studio/press estimates, respectively; budgets carrying genuine uncertainty are flagged in the film_summary data file — Iron Man 2 (reported $170–200 million range, used $200 million, the more commonly cited figure across BOM/IMDb databases), Alice in Wonderland (reported $150–200 million range, used $200 million), Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (reported $125 million individually, also cited as part of a combined $250 million two-part budget with Part 2, used $125 million, consistent with the 2011 run’s treatment of Part 2), Avatar (reported $237 million production budget, with some post-production/marketing-inclusive estimates running $280–310 million, used $237 million), Clash of the Titans (reported $125 million base production budget, with reshoots, 3D conversion and marketing pushing total studio investment to an estimated $187.5–225 million, used the $125 million production-budget figure for comparability), and Tron: Legacy (reported $170–200 million range, used $170 million; an additional estimated $150 million in worldwide marketing is not counted here). Avatar’s worldwide gross reflects its full theatrical run beginning Dec 18, 2009; its December 2009 weeks (W51–52) are now measured as part of 2009’s own ledger entry (added in a later pass; see the 2009 method note), and only its January 2010 weeks are counted toward 2010’s event-movie status here. This run found em_index.db already containing a stray, incomplete 27-row partial stub for 2010 (owner-weeks only, no ownerless weeks, and no profitability data) left over from an earlier, interrupted session; the year’s working data files (weekly ingestion, tier computation, and analysis JSON) had already been completed to a 52-week-plus-partial-W53 standard in that earlier session and were independently re-verified against fresh Box Office Mojo fetches this run (the by-year page’s Overall Gross and #1 Release columns re-fetched and matched 53/53 weeks; seven individual weekly chart pages spot-checked in full detail against the existing ingestion, with identical films and dollar figures) before being trusted; the stray 27-row stub was then deleted and replaced in full by this run’s complete, independently verified 53-week, 19-film dataset. The stray, out-of-scope stubs for 2006 (14 rows), 2007 (18 rows), 2008 (20 rows) and 2009 (23 rows) were confirmed present and unmodified at both the start and the end of this run.

2009 method note. Denominators are the official “Overall Gross” column of Box Office Mojo’s 2009 weekly index (52 weeks; no partial week 53 — confirmed directly on the by-year table, Week 1 = Jan 2–8, Week 52 = Dec 25–31, each week a Friday–Thursday span). Per-film weekly figures are taken directly from BOM’s 52 weekly charts (/weekly/2009W01–W52), fetched via direct shell request rather than the web_fetch tool (whose literal-URL provenance restriction blocked a prior pass at this year, which had only solved 23 of 52 weeks via WebSearch-surfaced URLs before stopping per this project’s own quality gate rather than publish an incomplete year); this run’s own per-week sum of every film’s Gross column matched the by-year page’s Overall Gross figure exactly for all 52 weeks, and every week’s No.1 film matched the by-year index’s “#1 Release” column, both zero discrepancies. Shares are computed domestic-only; the global 6.18% threshold was not separately evaluated. Worldwide grosses are Box Office Mojo current lifetime figures (fetched from each film’s BOM release page); production budgets are BOM’s own listed figure where available (18 of 20 films) and Wikipedia-cited estimates otherwise — Madea Goes to Jail ($17.5 million; Lionsgate did not disclose an official figure, and Tyler Perry films are consistently reported in the $15–20 million range) and This Is It ($60 million; a concert-film production/post-production cost, not a traditional studio budget). Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince’s BOM-listed $250 million is on the high end of commonly cited figures (some press reports cite $150–175 million for the film alone, with $250 million reflecting a marketing-inclusive studio investment); used BOM’s figure for consistency with this index’s BOM-first sourcing rule. Avatar’s worldwide gross reflects its full theatrical run beginning Dec 18, 2009; its December 2009 weeks (W51–52) are measured here as part of 2009’s own ledger entry, and only its January 2010 weeks are counted toward 2010’s event-movie status (see the 2010 method note, updated accordingly this run). This run found em_index.db already containing a stray, incomplete 23-row weekly / 20-row film_summary partial stub for 2009 (owner-weeks only, missing all 29 ownerless weeks and all profitability data) left over from the earlier, stopped pass referenced above; the stray stub’s 23 solved weeks matched this run’s own from-scratch computation film-for-film and share-for-share, an independent cross-check of the methodology, but it was deleted and replaced in full by this run’s complete 52-week, 20-film dataset. The stray, out-of-scope stubs for 2006 (14 rows), 2007 (18 rows) and 2008 (20 rows) were confirmed present and unmodified at both the start and the end of this run.

2008 method note. Denominators are the official “Overall Gross” column of Box Office Mojo’s 2008 weekly index (52 weeks; no partial week 53 — confirmed directly on the by-year table, Week 1 = Jan 4–10, Week 52 = Dec 26–Jan 1, 2009, each week a Friday–Thursday span). Per-film weekly figures are taken directly from BOM’s 52 weekly charts (/weekly/2008W01–W52), fetched via direct shell request (curl) rather than the web_fetch tool, per the tooling workaround established in the 2009 run; this run’s own per-week sum of every film’s Gross column matched the by-year page’s Overall Gross figure exactly for all 52 weeks, and every week’s No.1 film matched the by-year index’s “#1 Release” column, both zero discrepancies. Shares are computed domestic-only; the global 6.18% threshold was not separately evaluated. Worldwide grosses and production budgets for all 18 event movies were both sourced from each film’s Box Office Mojo release page (Worldwide summary figure; Budget field, a reported estimate) — BOM listed a budget figure for all 18 of 18 films, so no Wikipedia fallback was needed this run. This run found em_index.db already containing a stray, incomplete 20-row weekly / 18-row film_summary partial stub for 2008 (owner-weeks only, missing all 32 ownerless weeks, all No.2-film data, and all profitability data) left over from an earlier, unfinished session, referenced in both the 2009 and 2010 method notes above; the stray stub’s 20 solved weeks matched this run’s own from-scratch computation film-for-film and share-for-share exactly (Iron Man 61.16%, The Dark Knight 59.78%, and so on down the list), an independent cross-check of the methodology, but it was deleted and replaced in full by this run’s complete 52-week, 18-film dataset with No.2-film shares and full profitability data added. The stray, out-of-scope stubs for 2006 (14 rows) and 2007 (18 rows) were confirmed present and unmodified at both the start and the end of this run; no stray stub remains for 2008 or 2009.

2007 method note. Denominators are the official “Overall Gross” column of Box Office Mojo’s 2007 weekly index (52 weeks; no partial week 53 — confirmed both on the by-year table and directly, since a request to /weekly/2007W53/ returns HTTP 400; Week 1 = Jan 5–11, Week 52 = Dec 28–Jan 3, 2008, each week a Friday–Thursday span). Per-film weekly figures are taken directly from BOM’s 52 weekly charts (/weekly/2007W01–W52), fetched via direct shell request (curl) rather than the web_fetch tool, per the tooling workaround established in earlier runs, and parsed with the widened <tr[^>]*> row regex (title in cell index 2, gross in cell index 3, both verified against raw HTML before bulk parsing) to avoid the annotation-class row-drop bug diagnosed in the 2015 method note. This run’s own per-week #1 film matched the by-year index’s “#1 Release” column for all 52 weeks, zero discrepancies, and num1_gross≤overall_domestic and num2_gross≤num1_gross held for all 52 weeks. Shares are computed domestic-only; the global 6.18% threshold was not separately evaluated. Worldwide grosses and production budgets for 16 of the 18 event movies were both sourced from each film’s Box Office Mojo release page (Worldwide summary figure; Budget field, a reported estimate); Box Office Mojo did not list a budget for two films, Wild Hogs and Saw IV, so their budgets ($60 million and $10 million respectively) are Wikipedia infobox estimates, corroborated by each film’s Wikipedia box-office figure matching Box Office Mojo’s own worldwide-gross figure almost exactly. This run found em_index.db already containing a stray, incomplete 18-row weekly / 16-row film_summary partial stub for 2007 (all num1-only owner weeks, no No.2-film data at all, no ownerless weeks recorded, and no profitability data) left over from an earlier, unfinished session, referenced in the 2008, 2009 and 2010 method notes above. Sixteen of the stray stub’s 18 solved weeks matched this run’s own from-scratch computation film-for-film and share-for-share exactly, an independent partial cross-check of the methodology — but the stray stub was missing two owner-weeks this run’s widened-regex parse correctly recovered (W11, 300 at 29.26%; W27, Transformers at 32.06%), and it never captured either of the year’s two genuine two-owner weeks (W21’s Shrek the Third at 26.42% as a No.2 owner; W44’s Bee Movie at 26.97% as a No.2 owner) because it recorded no No.2-film data whatsoever — a data-quality gap consistent with the annotation-class row-drop bug this project diagnosed and fixed in the 2015 method note, though this run cannot confirm that was the specific cause of the 2007 stub’s gaps versus a simpler num2-column omission in whatever process produced it. The stray stub was deleted in full and replaced by this run’s complete 52-week, 18-film dataset with full No.2-film shares and profitability data added. The stray, out-of-scope stub for 2006 (14 rows) was confirmed present and unmodified at both the start and the end of this run; no stray stub remains for 2007, 2008 or 2009.