8 Best Disney Movies That Made $1 Billion, Ranked

Published Sep 26, 2026, 8:20 AM EDT

Lisa Nordin is an actress, writer, and fan of all things performing arts. Her favorite genres are Sci-Fi and Fantasy. She is a self-published author and enjoys exploring how fictional stories help define and qualify the human experience. 

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The Walt Disney Company has grown from a single man’s vision of the future to a multi-studio powerhouse. After acquiring other visionary labels like Pixar, Marvel, and Lucasfilm, Disney has become one of the foremost originators of creative content in cinema history. While not every movie Disney produces is a success (RIP John Carter, Treasure Planet, etc.), some have become massive hits that continue to redefine and inspire the industry today.

While several Disney-backed productions have crossed the $1 billion threshold, there are those that stand out from the rest. These movies not only delivered on financial revenue, but brought something new and exciting to the table, capturing the imagination of audiences worldwide. These are the best of the best box office billionaires for Disney.

1 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' (2016)

Image via Lucasfilm

Disney’s foray into the iconic Star Wars franchise has been a rocky one. While fan backlash and viewer fatigue have capped the success of other projects, one universal favorite among fans and critics alike is the standalone story, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. While the events of Rogue One take place within the timeline and setting of the traditional Skywalker saga, it introduced new and compelling characters to the canon and stayed in its lane in the best way possible.

Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) are only two examples of the captivating figures that make Rogue One worth watching and rewatching. Luna’s character became such a hit that he earned his own highly successful spin-off series, Andor, on Disney+. Rogue One took an important side note from the main story arc and gave it the time and space (no pun intended) it needed to reveal itself. It is a unique glimpse into how the conflict with the Empire affected other people in the galaxy, not just the Skywalker core group. It is the best Star Wars movie made by Disney so far and well deserving of the accolades it achieved.

2 'Frozen' (2013)

Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

It is very easy to take Frozen for granted now, over a decade later, but it was the most groundbreaking and subversive Disney movie ever released until that point. Fairy tales and princesses have been Disney’s raison d'être for years, and messing with their guaranteed formula for success was bold and risky. Frozen took major meta swings at the studio and well-established tropes and flipped the fantasy genre on its head with a radical ending that shook signature storytelling to its core.

[...] it was the most groundbreaking and subversive Disney movie ever released until that point.

Frozen’s damsel in distress was not rescued by a handsome prince, but by another princess, her sister. In a complete 180 of an established legacy in film, Disney featured a movie that had nonromantic love break a spell. It was profound, poignant, and fortunately for Disney, profitable. Frozen has been one of Disney’s biggest commercial and critical successes. The signature song “Let It Go” took home an Oscar for Original Song and became the first Disney song since 1995 to rank in the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 list. Frozen became the voice of the decade, and its influence continues to ripple across the future of Disney movies ever since.

3 'Black Panther' (2018)

Image via Marvel Studios

The Marvel Cinematic Universe does many things well, and one of the best is its ability to bring compelling characters from the comics onto the big screen in a way that feels relatable and admirable. One such example is Black Panther. Leaping off the pages of the comic books, T'Challa is a brother, son, prince, and superhero who must embrace his destiny as the people’s champion and their reigning monarch. Played to perfection by the late Chadwick Boseman, T'Challa faced loss, hardship, and challenges to his rule with a regality and nobility that movie legends are made of.

Black Panther’s cast is overflowing with talent and includes titans of the industry such as Daniel Kaluuya, Lupita Nyong'o, Angela Bassett, Letitia Wright, Forest Whitaker, and Sterling K. Brown. It also features Michael B. Jordan in a rare villain role, which he personified with powerful depth and range. Besides an engaging story, Black Panther delivered the heart-racing action scenes Marvel fans crave. It generated some popular quotes, with “Wakanda Forever!” being the anthem of 2018. Black Panther is exemplary of the MCU and ticks every box for excellence.

4 'Deadpool & Wolverine' (2024)

Image via Marvel Studios

It is no mean feat for an R-rated movie to earn $1 billion, and only three movies have achieved it so far. Disney’s contribution to this super elite club is the 2024 irreverent superhero comedy Deadpool & Wolverine. In the film, Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman reprise their well-established roles as Deadpool and Wolverine, respectively, as they team up to save a core universe from extinction.

Sometimes studios give fans what they need, and sometimes they need to give fans what they want. The outpouring of fan desire for a Wolverine and Deadpool mashup was overwhelming, and Disney responded. Campy, fourth-wall-breaking, self-deprecating, violent, gory, and everything it needed to be, Deadpool & Wolverine was part love letter, part thank-you note to the fans. In direct opposition to the visceral reaction voiced by Star Wars devotees, Deadpool & Wolverine kept the characters exactly as they were. It didn’t try to reinvent the wheel or undo any mythos. Instead, Deadpool & Wolverine delivered on everything aficionados wanted, and it is extremely fun to watch.

5 'Toy Story 3' (2010)

Image via Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

The emotional conclusion to the Andy years, Toy Story 3 took the feels to a whole new level, even for Pixar. As Andy (John Morris) prepares to go to college, his favorite toys prepare themselves for the big life change. However, the road to completion still has some adventures and exciting shenanigans to explore, and Toy Story 3 will make you laugh and cry by the end.

The Toy Story franchise is a monumental one for Disney and Pixar. The touching conclusion to a much-beloved trilogy feels earned and well done for audiences who have been along for the ride since the very beginning. Change is inevitable, and sooner or later, parents, kids, and loved ones must embrace the unrelenting rolling on of time. Toy Story 3 explores these growing pains with a tremendous amount of heart and hope. It has one of the best endings of any Disney movie and is a favorite in the canon for many.

6 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' (2021)

Image via Sony Pictures Releasing

Much like Doctor Who, Superman, Batman, and any other iconic character, fans have their choice of a favorite actor who plays the role. Luckily for Spidey fans in Spider-Man: No Way Home, audiences didn’t have to choose. Viewers got a rare chance to see all three reigning kings of swing in the same movie together. As the MCU’s version of Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland, faces a cataclysmic dilemma, Spider-Men from other dimensions are pulled into his world, including those played by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.

Spider-Man: No Way Home doubled down on popular crossovers and featured several villains as well, as Jamie Foxx, Rhys Ifans, Alfred Molina, Thomas Haden Church, and Willem Dafoe reprised their roles as the friendly neighborhood hero’s greatest nemeses. The star power made the movie thrilling, but the fantastic writing made it epic. Peter (Holland) has to make a terrible sacrifice to save everyone he loves, and there are many parts of the movie that are genuinely touching. Spider-Man: No Way Home is packed with knockout action and gut-punches to the feels, as only Disney and the MCU can do.

7 'Captain America: Civil War' (2016)

As anyone who has ever been a part of a team can testify, there is bound to be a disagreement or difference of opinion at some point. The boiling point for the Avengers came in Captain America: Civil War. The core factions break into two teams: Team Cap and Team Iron Man, and devotees still hotly debate which side they’d prefer to be on.

Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) are very dissimilar people with dramatically different backgrounds and hero origin stories. Although they have experienced the same events together, they have been affected by them differently, and they disagree about limitations put on them and political involvement in how they run things. Civil War is one of the best movies in the MCU. It grinds down to the bedrock of two prominent figures in the saga and tackles a complex topic from several angles. The acting, action, and direction in the movie are flawless, and it remains as gripping to watch now as it did upon its first release.

8 'Avengers: Endgame' (2019)

Image via Marvel Studios

An action epic 10 years in the making, Avengers: Endgame was a masterpiece of planning, writing, and everything that had made the Marvel Cinematic Universe a spectacle to behold. The surprise second part to the culmination of the Avengers saga, it picked up where Avengers: Infinity War had left off; audiences stunned, the villain triumphant, and half of the world’s population and main MCU characters disintegrated into dust. Thankfully, the heroes were not done yet, and as they rallied together, Endgame gave movie history one of the most epic final battles ever.

Crowds in theaters cheered aloud as Captain America said the two words they had waited a decade to hear: “Avengers, assemble.” Not only was this moment a huge payoff for fans who had been along for the MCU journey, but also for comic book fans in general who had waited even longer to see their favorite characters portrayed on such a massive and dedicated scale. The $1 billion achievement for Endgame is even more meaningful as many audience members went back to see it again, and again. There is so much going on that viewers can catch something new each time they watch it. Endgame is a commercial success, a critical hit, and an adored favorite for scores of superhero fans.

Avengers: Endgame

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  Robert Downey Jr.

  Tony Stark / Iron Man

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  Chris Evans

  Steve Rogers / Captain America