Franchises and blockbusters dominate the highest-grossing movies worldwide

Key takeways

  • Avatar remains the highest-grossing movie globally, earning $2.92 billion.
  • Titanic, released in 1997, is still among the top-grossing films with $2.22 billion, showing the lasting appeal of classics.
  • Recent films like Avatar: The Way of Water ($2.32 billion) and Spider-Man: No Way Home ($1.92 billion) prove that sequels and superhero films continue to drive massive revenues.
  • Disney properties dominate the list, with multiple Marvel, Star Wars, and animated films ranking among the top earners.

The list of highest-grossing movies globally continues to be dominated by major franchises, with Avatar leading at $2.92 billion. Marvel films secure multiple spots, including Avengers: Endgame at $2.75 billion, while classics like Titanic and newer entries like The Super Mario Bros. Movie maintain billion-dollar earnings. The dominance of Disney, superhero films, and nostalgia-driven movies remains evident in global box office trends.

Source:

The Numbers

Period:

2025
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Nigeria and South Africa together account for over 18.97 million pay TV subscribers, leading Africa in 2023
  • Nigeria leads Africa in pay TV subscribers, with 9.69 million, followed closely by South Africa, which has 9.28 million.
  • Together, both countries account for nearly 40% of the continent’s total pay TV subscribers.
  • Kenya holds third place with 2.89 million subscribers.
  • Central African Congo (2.04M) and East African Uganda (1.77M) are becoming key pay TV growth zones.
  • Tanzania’s 2.27 million subscribers underscore the country's growing media consumption, particularly in urban centres.
  • Côte d’Ivoire and Angola, with 1.38 million and 1.06 million, respectively, demonstrate growing demand even in relatively smaller economies.
DStv is projected to remain Africa's leading pay TV platform by 2028, holding 28.26% of the market share, despite a decline from 36.27% in 2019
  • DStv is expected to remain the market leader by 2028, with a 28.26% share, despite a decline from 36.27% in 2019.
  • StarTimes’ share is projected to remain relatively stable, around 24.9% by 2028, underscoring consistent consumer demand.
  • Canal Plus is growing, increasing from 16.2% in 2019 to 19.76% by 2028, showing its expanding influence in Africa.
  • Smaller players, such as StarSat and Easy TV, will continue to hold marginal but stable positions across the continent.
  • The overall pay TV market in Africa is fragmenting, with top platforms losing dominance as competition intensifies.
Salah (51 goals) and Drogba (44 goals) are the only two African players in the top 20 Champions League scorers; Ronaldo holds the top spot with 141 goals
  • Ronaldo leads the UEFA Champions League scoring chart with 141 goals, ahead of Messi's 129.
  • Salah and Drogba are the only two African players in the top 20 scorers list.
  • Just 8 goals separate the 10th and 20th-ranked scorers, showing how tight competition is outside the top ranks.
  • Haaland and Mbappé are the only two players under 30 in the top 15.
  • Legendary players like Neymar and Ibrahimović never broke into the top 10 despite long careers at top clubs.
Just three nations have shared all Women’s AFCON titles since 1998 as Nigeria claims 9 of 12 titles
  • Only three nations, Nigeria, Equatorial Guinea, and South Africa, have won the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations since it began in 1998.
  • Nigeria leads with nine titles, claiming the trophy in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2010, 2014, 2016, and 2018.
  • Equatorial Guinea captured the title twice, in 2008 and 2012.
  • South Africa won its first title in 2022 to become the third country to lift the trophy.
USA dominates Diamond League's 100m hurdles with 7 wins from 3 athletes since 2010, as Nigeria’s Tobi Amusan rises with 3 consecutive wins
  • The United States dominates with 7 wins from 4 different athletes: Harper-Nelson (5), Carruthers (1) and McNeal (1).
  • Tobi Amusan of Nigeria is the only African and second-most decorated athlete, winning 3 consecutive titles (2021–2023).
  • Only 8 women from 6 countries have won the event in the last 15 years.
  • Dawn Harper-Nelson (USA) holds the record for most titles – five between 2012 and 2016.
  • Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (Puerto Rico) broke through in 2024, becoming the most recent champion and the first from her nation to do so.
Top 10 Nigerian songs on Spotify rack up 316M+ streams in May 2025, led by ‘Baby (Is it a crime)’ at 53.4M streams
  • Total Spotify streams for the top 10 Nigerian songs hit 316.4 million, signalling another milestone for Nigeria’s digital music dominance.
  • Rema’s ‘Baby (Is it a crime)’ topped the chart with 53.4M streams, standing well ahead of the next closest, ‘Laho’.
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  • Shallipopi entered twice with ‘Laho’ (48.1M) and ‘Laho II’ (18.6M), showing the success of follow-ups and fan loyalty to a sound.
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