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 has lost only one of its 12 quarter-final matches in AFCON history
  • Nigeria has won 11 of its 12 AFCON quarter-final matches, losing only once (2008).
  • The only quarter-final defeat came against Ghana, highlighting the intensity of historic rivalries.
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  • Nigeria has beaten a wide range of opponents at this stage, including Algeria, Senegal, Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and South Africa.
  • Penalty shootouts feature twice, reflecting composure under extreme pressure.
  • Nigeria’s quarter-final success spans over 30 years, cutting across different generations of players.
Morocco is Africa's top soccer team, ranked 11th globally with 1716.34 points
  • Morocco’s male football team ranks 1st in Africa and 11th globally with 1713.12 points.
  • Senegal ranks 2nd and 19th in the world, confirming its strong international presence.
  • Egypt, Algeria, and Nigeria complete Africa’s top five, all within the global top 40.
  • The top 20 list includes teams from all major African regions.
  • Africa has 2 teams in the global top 20, 7 in the top 50, and 13 in the top 70.
Only 14 African countries have ever qualified for the FIFA World Cup, with the best performance by Morocco (4th place)
  • Cameroon has the highest World Cup appearances (8).
  • Morocco holds Africa’s best-ever performance (4th place), a historic milestone for African football.
  • Tunisia and Morocco both have seven appearances.
  • Nigeria remains one of Africa’s most successful qualifiers (six appearances), with multiple second-round finishes.
  • Algeria and Ghana (five appearances each) show strong track records, with Ghana also reaching the quarterfinals.
  • Egypt, South Africa, Senegal, and Côte d’Ivoire each have four appearances, but Senegal stands out for reaching the quarterfinals.
CAF Women’s Player of the Year: Nigeria has produced 13 winners since 2001, more than all other countries combined
  • Nigeria remains the country with the most overall winners.
  • Three Nigerian players — Asisat Oshoala (6), Perpetua Nkwocha (4), and Cynthia Uwak (2) — have won the award more than once.
  • Outside Nigeria, only Ghana, South Africa, Equatorial Guinea, and Cameroon have produced winners, showing limited spread beyond Nigeria in the first two decades.
  • In recent years, the award has become more competitive, with new winners emerging from Morocco, Zambia, and South Africa, signaling a noticeable shift away from long-standing Nigerian dominance.
U-17 World Cup winners: Nigeria holds the record with 5 titles
  • Nigeria remains the leader at U-17 level with five titles, more than any other nation.
  • Brazil follows closely with four wins, making the two countries the dominant forces in youth football history.
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  • Asamoah Gyan leads Africa’s all-time World Cup scoring chart with six goals in eleven games, making him the most prolific African player in World Cup history.
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