Although the movie world is filled with prolific directors, only a few have stood out as iconic symbols worthy of emulation.
This thrilling piece will look at the highest-grossing Steven Spielberg movies. Even if you have watched these movies before, they have so many elements that will still deliver the fun if you choose to watch them again.
Finally, Spielberg produced a film that crossed the $1 billion mark.
Highest Grossing Steven Spielberg Movies
1. Jurassic Park (1993)
- . Star Cast: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Bob Peck, and Martin Ferrero
- Original Worldwide gross: $1,030,314,141
- IMDb Rating: 8.2
Jurassic Park remains the most iconic creation of Steven Spielberg, and it stands out as one of the highest-grossing Steven Spielberg movies.
This thrilling adventure replaced E. T. the Extra-Terrestrial as the highest-grossing film at its release.
Remarkably, Jurassic Park raked in $3.1 million from Thursday night screenings in the United States of America and Canada on June 10.
It brought in $47 million from 2,404 theatres in the first weekend, breaking the record previously held by Batman Returns.
The whole film is filled with typical elements of Spielberg’s work. The terror is bindingly delivered with stellar special effects that bring the dinosaurs to life.
You can easily tell where the bulk of the budget went, and the visualization of the dinosaurs is one of the movie’s strongest suits.
Jurassic Park received a good reception, even among critics. The interesting characters are entertaining to watch on screen, and the subtle but occasional humor introduction loosens the tension to ensure a fun movie experience.
Decades later, this movie is still considered the best of Steven’s creations. The film’s plot might occasionally lack detail.
Nevertheless, Spielberg produced an action film with enough thrills and adventure to keep you on the seat.
2. E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
- Star Cast: Dee Wallace, Henry Thomas, Peter Coyote, Robert MacNaughton, and Drew Barrymore
- Original Worldwide gross: $792,910,554
- IMDb Rating: 7.9
Extra-Terrestrial is another Spielberg film that performed remarkably at the box office. It opened at the top spot, grossing about $11 million, and maintained its top spot for six weeks.
After this, there was a slight fluctuation, but it quickly returned to the top in December. Extra-Terrestrial hits every mark despite its mawkish and dated nature.
This classic children’s film of the 1980s is so much fun, with kids having to band together to bring justice.
The film portrays adults as either the enemy or out of touch with reality. Its success takes a greater chunk from E. T. himself. It is amazing to see Carlo Rambaldi’s special effects, voice, and sound design still remain worthy today.
Henry Thomas’s on-screen dynamics are commendable despite acting against a non-human.
The entire story is creatively and beautifully acted out. The film maintains good pacing that somehow evokes emotions from the viewers.
The increasing drama and poignant ending will tug at the hearts of any viewer. Overall, this remarkable work of art is one of Steven Spielberg’s highest-grossing movies.
3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
- Star Cast: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent, and Shia LaBeouf
- Original Worldwide gross: $786,636,033
- IMDb Rating: 6.2
This American action-adventure film was released as the fourth installment in the Indiana Jones series.
It takes place nineteen years after the previous film, which was released in 1957, and we find Indiana Jones in contention with Soviet KGB agents led by Irina Spalko.
The bone of contention in this film is a telepathic crystal skull. It is relieving that Indiana Jones gets help from Marion Ravenwood and their son, Mutt Williams.
The movie was released on May 22, 2008, from where it climbed to be one of the highest-grossing Steven Spielberg Movies.
This Indiana Jones installment raked in $25 million on its opening day. On the opening weekend in the United States and Canada, it grossed nearly $101 million from 4,206 theaters.
This placed it at number one at the box office, making it the third-widest opening of all time.
Harrison Ford performed most of his stunts in the movie. This old-fashioned adventure has everything from amusement to mind-blowing scenes that will take your breath away.
The fast-paced action and the violent fights will keep you on the edge of your seat.
It is amazing to see that Harrison Ford has kept himself in shape over the years to still look like himself in the previous installments.
What could be scarier than starving killer ants racing towards you?
4. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
- Star Cast: Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Pete Postlethwaite, and Arliss Howard
- Original Worldwide gross: $618,638,999
- IMDb Rating: 6.5
This film is the second installment in the Jurassic Park franchise and the second film in the Jurassic Park trilogy.
The film is a sequel to 1993’s Jurassic Park events, and Michael Crichton’s 1995 novel The Lost World is the book on which this film is loosely based.
The Lost World’s timeline is set four years after the original film. John Hammond sends a team to Isla Sorna, and Malcolm heads this team to the second island Hammond’s company, InGen, used to develop the dinosaurs. Their mission is to study the animals.
Malcolm and his team soon conflict with another InGen team tasked with bringing some dinosaurs to the United States.
The interesting visual storytelling brought this film $72.1 million in its opening weekend, and it held the record of having the biggest opening weekend for four years.
Today, Lost World is one of Steven Spielberg’s highest-grossing Movies, and it quickly amassed several box office records as well.
One such record was for the highest single-day box office with $26.1 million, and it held this record until the release of Star Wars: Episode 1.
5. War of the Worlds (2005)
- Star Cast: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Miranda Otto, and Tim Robbins
- Original Worldwide gross: $591,745,532
- IMDb Rating: 6.5
War of the Worlds has amassed nearly $600 million among the highest-grossing Steven Spielberg movies.
It follows an American dock worker as he struggles to protect his children, and the journey to unite them with their mother becomes dangerous with the invasion of earth.
The extraterrestrials spare no effort in destroying the cities with their giant war machines, and they immediately cripple the Earth’s defense forces.
Interestingly, the producer shot this movie in 73 days using various sound stages and locations, including California, New Jersey, and New York.
Technically, this movie is flawless. The computer-generated imagery is done right, and you can put considerable effort into it.
The film captures scenes of destruction, such as collapsing bridges, to resonate with reality.
The CGI spaceships are good-looking and believable, too. Steven leaves very little to complain about the cinematography, and the musical score is impressive and nicely augments the scenes. This film was the fourth highest grossing film of 2005.
6. Ready Player One (2018)
- Star Cast: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, T. J. Miller, Simon Pegg, and Mark Rylance
- Original Worldwide gross: $582,890,172
- IMDb Rating: 7.4
Ready Player One is an incredible movie by Steven Spielberg. The film is set in 2045, when much of humanity has switched to a virtual reality simulation, OASIS, to escape the real world.
This might not be farther from the truth, as more and more people find assistance in the digital version of themselves.
This film grossed $137.7 million in the United States and Canada and about $445.2 million in other territories. Its worldwide gross has made it one of the highest-grossing Steven Spielberg movies.
The characters may not have many details for deep development. The orphaned Wade comes as naïve, portraying someone who has spent more time in the virtual world than the real one.
In this film, he searches for clues to a contest where the winner will be awarded ownership of OASIS.
Spielberg injected a lot of fun into this movie. The CGI had so many details, and the special effects were mind-blowing.
The film leans towards a pop culture with characters that only true game, comics, and movie fans will recognize.
7. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
- Star Cast: Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Matt Damon, and Tom Sizemore
- Original Worldwide gross: $482, 349, 603
- IMDb Rating: 8.6
Saving Private Ryan was one of the most iconic movies that ended in the 1990s. It was an incredible masterpiece that took the combined efforts of DreamWorks Pictures, Paramount Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, and Mutual Film Company.
Saving Private Ryan takes place during the Normandy invasion in World War II. It is seen as a graphical portrayal of war, effortlessly depicting the Omaha Beach assault.
This film opened in 2,463 theatres on July 24, 1998, with a $30.5 million first weekend gross.
The movie follows the efforts of United States Army Ranger Captain John H. Miller and his squad.
Together, they search for a paratrooper, Private First-class James Ryan. Ryan is the last surviving brother of four, three killed in action.
The highest-grossing Steven Spielberg movies have some of his most thrilling action sequences.
Some might argue that the D-Day landing at the beginning is among the most realistic war action ever, and viewers have found it hard to forget the intense action scene.
The action of war in this film is enough to stop your heart for a moment. It is an interesting ride that leads viewers to an epic final battle.
Saving Private Ryan is one of the best movies, and it came in second place behind Armageddon as the second-highest-grossing movie of 1998.
8. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
- Star Cast: Harrison Ford, Denholm Elliot, Alison Doody, John Rhys-Davies, Julian Glover, and Sean Connery
- Original Worldwide gross: $474,310,887
- IMDb Rating: 8.3
Indiana Jones’s escapades will thrill any adventure film fan. Although Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom had a dark theme and too much violence for some, Steven Spielberg decided to lighten things up in this next installment in the Indiana Jones series.
The Last Crusade has several improvements over the Temple of Doom. However, it lacks the brisk efficiency of Raiders.
The musical score is great and augments the movie’s overall theme, and The Last Crusade treats you to a deliciously witty script.
This Spielberg movie has an engaging story that will crank up your adventurous spirit. The epic action flows smoothly from the beginning.
This film’s entertainment value is stellar, and the humor is well-spread throughout its length.
At its release, The Last Crusade was the 11th highest-grossing movie of all time, fighting off competition from Batman to become the highest-grossing film worldwide in 1989.
Its remarkable success has made it one of the highest-grossing Steven Spielberg movies today.
9. Jaws (1975)
- Star Cast: Roy Scheider, Robert Shaw, Richard Dreyfuss, Lorraine Gary, and Murray Hamilton
- Original Worldwide gross: $471,203,004
- IMDb Rating: 8.1
Watch out for the menacing monster in the water. With a good IMDb rating of 8.1, Jaws is your typical summer blockbuster movie. Motion picture history regards it as a watershed moment, and this film went home with several awards for its music and editing.
Jaws remained the highest-grossing film until Star Wars was released in 1997. Even with dated film technology, movies still hold up today.
In this film, beachgoers’ fun is cut short when a man-eating great white shark wreaks havoc on them.
The police chief teams up with a marine biologist and a professional shark hunter to put an end to this monster.
Did they succeed? If you haven’t watched this film, it might be time for you to sit back and throw in some classics. You can get Jaws on Amazon Prime Video.
Jaws is a captivating and well-made horror film. It is packed with brilliant dialogue and excellent performances from the cast. Spielberg ups the tension and suspense in this movie.
The haunting score from John William engulfs this film with bone-chilling horror.
10. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
- Star Cast: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, and Denholm Elliot
- Original Worldwide gross: $390,133,212
- IMDb Rating: 8.4
Indiana Jones’s quest to acquire the Ark of the Covenant doesn’t go so well when Renee and a group of Nazis are after the same thing.
He teams up with his old lover, Marion Ravenwood, to prevent archaeologist Dr. Rene from leading the Nazis to the ark and its power.
Raiders of the Lost Ark occupy a sensitive position among the highest-grossing Steven Spielberg movies. It is considered one of the greatest films ever made, and its long-lasting impact on pop culture has seen several imitations across several media.
Spielberg paired up with George Lucas to deliver one of the most fun movie franchises ever. The old fashion action-adventure leaves on.
This film comes with all the master ingredients for an adventure film, and the chefs mixed them right.
Harrison Ford delivers a stellar performance worthy of an action hero. In simple terms, you might see him as the book-smart Han Solo.
Raiders of the Lost Ark is a work of cinematic magic that has influenced many other movie directors today. It is also a symbol of iconic movie production.
11. The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
- Star Cast: Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Nick Frost, and Simon Pegg
- Original Worldwide gross: $374,000,000
- IMDb Rating: 7.3
The Adventures of Tintin is one of the best CGI animated films by Steven Spielberg. A young journalist buys a miniature model of a ship known as the Unicorn, and he purchased it while browsing in an outdoor market with his pet dog, Snowy.
It turns out that the miniature model is a desperately sought-after piece. Two men accost Tintin in a desperate but unsuccessful attempt to acquire the model.
Armed with information from a scroll hidden in the model, Tintin informs Captain Haddock, and they both search for the shipwreck.
The dazzling visuals in this film are full of color. The characters and the cinematography are well executed with great effort.
The musical score by John Williams is strong and memorable. Although this might be an animated film, it has all the elements of a great movie.
The storyline is compelling despite some slow plots. Spielberg adds some master touches to the production to create a truly fantastic film. Kids will enjoy every bit of this movie, but that is not to say that adults won’t find it entertaining.
12. Minority Report (2002)
- Star Cast: Tom Cruise, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton, and Max von Sydow
- Original Worldwide gross: $358,400,000
- IMDb Rating: 7.7
What would you do if you had the power to know a crime before it is committed? Please share your thoughts in the comments section. The power to foretell a crime helped the authorities maintain peace in this film until something happened.
This film combines elements from tech noir, thriller, and science fiction genres to join with the traditional chase themes we know Tom Cruise for.
The authorities accuse the main protagonist of a crime he hasn’t committed, and he doesn’t take it fairly well and goes on the run.
The film maintains tension despite all the crazy ideas thrown around. Tom Cruise delivers a stellar performance.
This film might not be Spielberg’s best, but it still ranks among the highest-grossing Steven Spielberg movies.
The performances are compelling enough to give a sense of dread throughout the film. After watching this film, I was forced to ask myself, can we change fate? It is relieving to see the movie end with a neat wrap.
