Pixar is a studio that has produced some of the greatest, if not the greatest animated movies of all time. They have mastered the art of crafting movies that are entertaining and adored by kids as well as being engrossing and having an emotional, heartfelt touch that resonates with adults too.
On top of their brilliant craftsmanship and personal touch though, they have been wildly successful. For the past 25 years Pixar has churned out - to this point - 21 movies, and with many more to come in the future. None of these 21 films have ever earned less than $300,000,000 at the box office, but which earned the most? Here are the 10 highest-grossing Pixar films, ranked according to Box Office Mojo.
MONSTERS INC. (2001) - $632,316,649 WORLDWIDE
Monsters Inc. is a feature from Pixar that embodies everything that makes their films so good as it followed Mike and Sully as they protect a human who has escaped into the monster world. It was another instance of Pixar making further leaps in the animation genre.
It was the highest-grossing Pixar film upon release, scoring $62,557,067 on its opening weekend en route to a $289,916,256 domestic run. Internationally the film ended up grossing $342,400,393 making its worldwide gross $632,316,649 from its original release and two rereleases, all from a $115,000,000 budget.
UP (2009) - $735,099,082 WORLDWIDE
The second of three animated movies to ever be nominated for Best Picture Up is often cited as one of the most heartfelt and beautiful movies produced by Pixar as Carl goes on a lifelong desired adventure to South America.
It also made a house full of money, from a budget of $175,000,000 the film grossed $293,004,164 during a domestic run that kicked off with a $68,108,790 weekend. This domestic gross, combined with the international total of $442,094,918, give it the worldwide total gross of $735,099,082.
MONSTERS UNIVERSITY (2013) - $743,559,607 WORLDWIDE
Monsters University is a prequel to Monsters Inc. and shows the meeting of the beloved duo of Sully and Mike in university as they aim to fulfill their dreams of becoming scarers. It is not as acclaimed, remembered, or beloved as its predecessor, but is great family entertainment.
From a big $200,000,000 budget the film managed $82,429,469 on its opening weekend as it marched towards a domestic total of $268,492,764 which is nearly half of the $475,066,843 the movie earned internationally to give its worldwide gross of $743,559,607.
COCO (2017) - $807,082,196 WORLDWIDE
Coco was the recipient of the 2018 Oscar for Best Animated Feature and going off critical and fan reception, it was well deserved. Following Miguel, as he ventures to the Land of the Dead and attempts to uncover musical and familial secrets, the film is visually stunning and affecting.
The movie had a $175,000,000 and made under a third of that back in its opening weekend of $50,802,605, kicking off its $209,726,015 domestic run. Outside the U.S. the movie grossed a total of $597,356,181, making its worldwide total $807,082,196.
INSIDE OUT (2015) - $857,651,174 WORLDWIDE
Another Best Animated Feature Oscar for Pixar comes in the form of the critically beloved and audience adored Inside Out. The movie follows the five emotions of a young girl moving to a different state and how they all impact that journey.
The film grossed $356,461,711 domestically, which kicked off with a $90,440,272 opening weekend, as well as grossing $501,149,463 internationally. This takes the film to a worldwide gross of $857,651,174, from a budget of $175,000,000.
FINDING NEMO (2003) - $940,343,261 WORLDWIDE
For seven years Finding Nemo was the highest-grossing Pixar movie and remains very near the top today both in terms of its gross and reception. Following Marlin on his journey to find his lost son Nemo, the movie is a funny, heartfelt tale and introduced fans to some iconic characters.
Relative to other Pixar films, this movie had a modest $94,000,000 budget and made most of it back in its opening weekend grossing $70,251,710 which kickstarted a domestic run that totaled in $380,843,261. Internationally the movie grossed $559,500,000, making its worldwide total gross $940,343,261, coming from its original run and a single rerelease in 2o12.
FINDING DORY (2016) - $1,028,570,889 WORLDWIDE
The second Pixar movie to gross over $1,000,000,000, Finding Dory focuses on the titular character first introduced in Finding Nemo as she embarks on a journey, with the help of her friends, to be reunited with her family.
The film had a budget of $200,000,000 that was blown out of the water by its domestic gross alone which stands at $486,295,561: this run kicked off from a $135,060,273. The film’s international gross topped it’s domestic, as it earned a total of $542,275,328 making its total worldwide gross $1,028,570,889.
TOY STORY 3 (2010) - $1,066,969,703 WORLDWIDE
Another Best Animated Feature Oscar for Pixar, and the third-ever Best Picture nominee for an animated flick, Toy Story 3 shook the world upon its release, showing our heroes accidentally sent off to daycare as they are separated from Andy and try to escape back to him while he prepares to set off for college.
The movie had a $110,307,189 opening weekend en route to a $415,004,880 domestic run that was outdone by the movies international gross of $651,964,823. This means the films overall worldwide gross sits at $1,066,969,703, the first Pixar movie to reach over $1,000,000,000
TOY STORY 4 (2019) - $1,073,394,593 WORLDWIDE
The latest, and what seems like the end of the Toy Story franchise came in 2019 in the form of Toy Story 4, a frontrunner at the Oscars and a film that some deemed unnecessary but was still critically beloved. It follows our heroes on another journey as they cope with a new life with Bonnie before Woody gets kind of lost and meets an old friend.
The movie had a $200,000,000 budget that was about 60% made back in its $120,908,065 opening weekend. At the domestic box office overall, the film grossed $434,038,008 while internationally it reached $639,356,585, bringing its worldwide total gross to $1,077,394,593.
THE INCREDIBLES 2 (2018) - $1,242,805,359 WORLDWIDE
The long time coming sequel to the 2004 hit film The Incredibles finally came in 2018 in the form of The Incredibles 2 and critics and audiences alike loved it. It builds on from the events of the first film and shows Elastagirl do missions and fight crime for a wealthy individual determined to have the ban on Superhero’s lifted, all while the family as a whole deal with their issues, mainly Jack-Jack related.
This movie also had a budget of $200,000,000, making up nearly all of that in its $182,687,905 opening weekend which kicked off a domestic run of $608,581,744. Internationally the movie earned $634,223,615 to make it’s worldwide total gross $1,242,805,359.
