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Movies That Made the Most Money in 2020

As of March 16, three of the largest U.S. movie theater chains — AMC Theatres, Cinemark and Regal Cinemas — had announced that they would be closing their locations across the country due to the coronavirus pandemic. Although theaters in some places have since reopened, they remain closed in many others, which has led to a huge decline in box office revenue. As of Dec. 14, domestic box office revenue for 2020 stands at around $2.2 billion — an 80% decrease from 2019, when revenue reached roughly $11.4 billion, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
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Because movie theaters have been closed for much of 2020, most of the highest-earning films of the year were released in late 2019 and early 2020, prior to the shutdown. The one exception to this is the film “Tenet,” which was one of the only films released in theaters this summer.
Find out where “Tenet” ended up ranking among the movies that made the most at the domestic box office in 2020, and take a look at the other movies that managed to bring in big bucks during this very strange year for the film industry.
15. ‘Spies in Disguise’
- Domestic gross: $37.43 million
- Number of theaters: 3,502
- Release date: Dec. 25, 2019
- Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox
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14. ‘Tenet’
- Domestic gross: $46.29 million
- Number of theaters: 2,930
- Release date: Sept. 3
- Distributor: Warner Bros.
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13. ‘Frozen II’
- Domestic gross: $47.23 million
- Number of theaters: 4,440
- Release date: Nov. 22, 2019
- Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
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12. ‘Knives Out’
- Domestic gross: $49.65 million
- Number of theaters: 3,461
- Release date: Nov. 27, 2019
- Distributor: Lionsgate
11. ‘Onward’
- Domestic gross: $61.56 million
- Number of theaters: 4,310
- Release date: March 6
- Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
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10. ‘The Call of the Wild’
- Domestic gross: $62.34 million
- Number of theaters: 3,914
- Release date: Feb. 21
- Distributor: 20th Century Studios
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9. ‘The Invisible Man’
- Domestic gross: $64.91 million
- Number of theaters: 3,636
- Release date: Feb. 28
- Distributor: Universal Pictures
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8. ‘Little Women’
- Domestic gross: $70.51 million
- Number of theaters: 3,308
- Release date: Dec. 25, 2019
- Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment
7. ‘Dolittle’
- Domestic gross: $77.04 million
- Number of theaters: 4,155
- Release date: Jan. 17
- Distributor: Universal Pictures
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6. ‘Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn’
- Domestic gross: $84.16 million
- Number of theaters: 4,236
- Release date: Feb. 7
- Distributor: Warner Bros.
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5. ‘Star Wars: Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker’
- Domestic gross: $124.5 million
- Number of theaters: 4,406
- Release date: Dec. 20, 2019
- Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
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4. ‘Jumanji: The Next Level’
- Domestic gross: $124.74 million
- Number of theaters: 4,227
- Release date: Dec. 13, 2019
- Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment
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3. ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’
- Domestic gross: $146.07 million
- Number of theaters: 4,198
- Release date: Feb. 14
- Distributor: Paramount Pictures
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2. ‘1917’
- Domestic gross: $157.9 million
- Number of theaters: 3,987
- Release date: Dec. 25, 2019
- Distributor: Universal Pictures
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1. ‘Bad Boys for Life’
- Domestic gross: $204.42 million
- Number of theaters: 3,775
- Release date: Jan. 17
- Distributor: Sony Pictures Entertainment
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