Top 5 Movies That You Won't Believe Made A Billion Dollars

We all know that kids and that one aunt everyone has seem to love the Minions from “Despicable Me,” but we just didn’t think that said enthusiasm would lead to their solo prequel movie becoming the 13th highest grossing movie ever! While the little yellow guys’ comedy is funny, in parts, the fact that they speak entirely in gibberish, and that most of physical gags tend to wear out their welcome, means the movie’s not exactly Shakespeare. Then again, its success may lie in its simplicity, as the film’s message and comedy can easily translate across language barriers, leading to easy success overseas.

“The Fast and the Furious” franchise is known for being consistent popcorn entertainment and its eighth installment is more of the series’ usual fare. We were all rather shocked with how well “The Fate of the Furious” did at the box office, though. The series had lost one of its main leads after Paul Walker’s death, the plot was criticized for being inconsistent, and most franchises don’t remain as successful eight movies in. Yet the series has managed to buck that trend and make more with almost every film. While “Fate” did make less than its predecessor, it still broke a billion! Clearly the series is “fated” for greatness.

Established brands can make big bucks at the box office, but we still have difficulty believing that the fourth “Pirates of the Caribbean” movie made over a billion dollars. A standalone story starring Jack Sparrow facing off against Blackbeard sounds fantastic in concept, but the execution consisted of a surplus of action sequences, goofy humor, and a surprisingly forgettable plot. You’d think a movie seen by so many people would leave more of an impression. Still, it’s a good thing “On Stranger Tides” did so well, considering it’s the most expensive movie ever made!

Speaking of movies starring Johnny Depp in a zany role (so every other film he’s in now?), this live-action adaptation of the Lewis Carroll books and subsequent Disney animated film is perplexing in all the wrong ways. While its art design has director Tim Burton’s signature creative creepiness, the storyline was largely criticized. Rather than being a strange journey into an unpredictable world, the plot became a generic fantasy centered on a prophecy. How so many strange creative choices and off-putting performances added up to over a billion dollar gross, and a sequel, is a mystery to us.

We didn’t think “Age of Extinction” could make a billion dollars after its predecessor, “Dark of the Moon,” did it too, but lo and behold – the “Transformers” movies still keep making money. Like several of our earlier entries, “Age of Extinction” lost many of its lead characters and is the fourth entry in a franchise. However, all of the hallmarks that made the previous films critical bombs (product placement, excessive explosions, incomprehensible camera work, etc.) remained and did nothing to dull its financial success. Pandering to China this time probably helped bolster its profits too.