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# The #1 Movie of Every Summer Since 1980
- URL: https://dailyrivet.com/the-1-movie-of-every-summer-since-1980/
- Published: 2026-08-31T10:37:24.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-14T23:41:56.000Z
- Author: Ryan
- Tags: By The Numbers

Daily Rivet • By the Numbers

From *The Empire Strikes Back* to *Lilo & Stitch*, these were the biggest movies of the summer at the domestic box office—one blockbuster for every year from 1980 through 2025.

1980s

## The Blockbuster Takes Shape

The #1 movie of every summer • Domestic box office

![The Empire Strikes Back (1980) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/1980-the-empire-strikes-back-1.jpg)

1980

### The Empire Strikes Back

May 21, 1980**$209.4M**$0$750M

![Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/1981-raiders-of-the-lost-ark.jpg)

1981

### Raiders of the Lost Ark

June 12, 1981**$212.2M**$0$750M

![E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/1982-e-t-the-extra-terrestrial.jpg)

Decade champion1982

### E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

June 11, 1982**$359.2M**$0$750M

![Return of the Jedi (1983) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/1983-return-of-the-jedi.jpg)

1983

### Return of the Jedi

May 25, 1983**$252.6M**$0$750M

![Ghostbusters (1984) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/1984-ghostbusters.png)

1984

### Ghostbusters

June 8, 1984**$229.2M**$0$750M

![Back to the Future (1985) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/1985-back-to-the-future.jpg)

1985

### Back to the Future

July 3, 1985**$212.3M**$0$750M

![Top Gun (1986) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/1986-top-gun.jpg)

1986

### Top Gun

May 16, 1986**$176.8M**$0$750M

![Beverly Hills Cop II (1987) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/1987-beverly-hills-cop-ii.jpg)

1987

### Beverly Hills Cop II

May 20, 1987**$153.7M**$0$750M

![Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/1988-who-framed-roger-rabbit.jpg)

1988

### Who Framed Roger Rabbit

June 22, 1988**$156.5M**$0$750M

![Batman (1989) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/1989-batman.jpg)

1989

### Batman

June 23, 1989**$251.2M**$0$750M

1990s

## The Event Movie Explodes

The #1 movie of every summer • Domestic box office

![Ghost (1990) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/1990-ghost.jpg)

1990

### Ghost

July 13, 1990**$217.6M**$0$750M

![Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/1991-terminator-2-judgment-day.png)

1991

### Terminator 2: Judgment Day

July 2, 1991**$204.8M**$0$750M

![Batman Returns (1992) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/1992-batman-returns.jpg)

1992

### Batman Returns

June 18, 1992**$162.8M**$0$750M

![Jurassic Park (1993) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/1993-jurassic-park.jpg)

1993

### Jurassic Park

June 11, 1993**$357.1M**$0$750M

![Forrest Gump (1994) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/1994-forrest-gump.jpg)

1994

### Forrest Gump

July 6, 1994**$329.7M**$0$750M

![Batman Forever (1995) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/1995-batman-forever.png)

1995

### Batman Forever

June 16, 1995**$184.0M**$0$750M

![Independence Day (1996) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/1996-independence-day.jpg)

1996

### Independence Day

July 2, 1996**$306.2M**$0$750M

![Men in Black (1997) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/1997-men-in-black.jpg)

1997

### Men in Black

July 1, 1997**$250.7M**$0$750M

![Saving Private Ryan (1998) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/1998-saving-private-ryan.jpg)

1998

### Saving Private Ryan

July 24, 1998**$216.5M**$0$750M

![Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/1999-star-wars-episode-i-the-phantom-menace.jpg)

Decade champion1999

### Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

May 19, 1999**$431.1M**$0$750M

2000s

## Franchises Take Over

The #1 movie of every summer • Domestic box office

![Mission: Impossible II (2000) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2000-mission-impossible-ii.jpg)

2000

### Mission: Impossible II

May 24, 2000**$215.4M**$0$750M

![Shrek (2001) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2001-shrek.jpg)

2001

### Shrek

May 18, 2001**$268.2M**$0$750M

![Spider-Man (2002) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2002-spider-man.jpg)

2002

### Spider-Man

May 3, 2002**$403.7M**$0$750M

![Finding Nemo (2003) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2003-finding-nemo.jpg)

2003

### Finding Nemo

May 30, 2003**$339.7M**$0$750M

![Shrek 2 (2004) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2004-shrek-2.jpg)

2004

### Shrek 2

May 19, 2004**$441.6M**$0$750M

![Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2005-star-wars-episode-iii-revenge-of-the-sith.jpg)

2005

### Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

May 19, 2005**$380.3M**$0$750M

![Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2006-pirates-of-the-caribbean-dead-man-s-chest.jpg)

2006

### Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest

July 7, 2006**$423.3M**$0$750M

![Spider-Man 3 (2007) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2007-spider-man-3.jpg)

2007

### Spider-Man 3

May 4, 2007**$336.5M**$0$750M

![The Dark Knight (2008) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2008-the-dark-knight.jpg)

Decade champion2008

### The Dark Knight

July 18, 2008**$533.3M**$0$750M

![Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2009-transformers-revenge-of-the-fallen.jpg)

2009

### Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

June 24, 2009**$402.1M**$0$750M

2010s

## The Mega-Hit Machine

The #1 movie of every summer • Domestic box office

![Toy Story 3 (2010) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2010-toy-story-3.jpg)

2010

### Toy Story 3

June 18, 2010**$415.0M**$0$750M

![Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (2011) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2011-harry-potter-and-the-deathly-hallows-part-2.jpg)

2011

### Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2

July 15, 2011**$381.0M**$0$750M

![The Avengers (2012) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2012-the-avengers.jpg)

2012

### The Avengers

May 4, 2012**$623.4M**$0$750M

![Iron Man 3 (2013) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2013-iron-man-3.jpg)

2013

### Iron Man 3

May 3, 2013**$409.0M**$0$750M

![Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2014-guardians-of-the-galaxy.jpg)

2014

### Guardians of the Galaxy

August 1, 2014**$333.2M**$0$750M

![Jurassic World (2015) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2015-jurassic-world.jpg)

Decade champion2015

### Jurassic World

June 12, 2015**$652.3M**$0$750M

![Finding Dory (2016) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2016-finding-dory.jpg)

2016

### Finding Dory

June 17, 2016**$486.3M**$0$750M

![Wonder Woman (2017) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2017-wonder-woman.jpg)

2017

### Wonder Woman

June 2, 2017**$412.6M**$0$750M

![Incredibles 2 (2018) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2018-incredibles-2.jpg)

2018

### Incredibles 2

June 15, 2018**$608.6M**$0$750M

![The Lion King (2019) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2019-the-lion-king.jpg)

2019

### The Lion King

July 19, 2019**$543.6M**$0$750M

2020s

## Records, Reset & Rebound

The #1 movie of every summer • Domestic box office

![Tenet (2020) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2020-tenet.jpg)

2020

### Tenet

September 3, 2020**$58.5M**$0$750M

![Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (2021) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2021-shang-chi-and-the-legend-of-the-ten-rings.jpeg)

2021

### Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

September 3, 2021**$224.5M**$0$750M

![Top Gun: Maverick (2022) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2022-top-gun-maverick.jpg)

Decade champion2022

### Top Gun: Maverick

May 27, 2022**$718.7M**$0$750M

![Barbie (2023) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2023-barbie.jpg)

2023

### Barbie

July 21, 2023**$636.2M**$0$750M

![Inside Out 2 (2024) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2024-inside-out-2.jpg)

2024

### Inside Out 2

June 14, 2024**$653.0M**$0$750M

![Lilo & Stitch (2025) movie poster](https://storage.ghost.io/c/c9/ec/c9ec014c-a651-451c-83d1-b614edbd1640/content/images/2026/08/2025-lilo-stitch.jpg)

2025

### Lilo & Stitch

May 23, 2025**$423.8M**$0$750M

For decades, summer has been Hollywood’s biggest stage.

From Memorial Day weekends packed with sequels and action movies to July releases that became cultural events, the summer movie season has produced many of the biggest box-office hits in American history. Looking back at the top summer movie from every year since 1980 shows just how much the blockbuster has changed — and how much bigger the numbers have become.

In 1980, *The Empire Strikes Back* led the summer class with just over $209 million in domestic box office. Two years later, *E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial* pushed the summer champion past $350 million. By the 1990s, movies such as *Jurassic Park*, *Forrest Gump*, and *The Phantom Menace* were regularly turning summer releases into nationwide events.

The 2000s and 2010s took the trend even further. *Spider-Man* crossed $400 million in 2002, *The Dark Knight* topped $500 million in 2008, and *The Avengers* became the first summer champion on this list to clear $600 million in 2012.

The current high-water mark belongs to *Top Gun: Maverick*. Released in May 2022, the long-awaited sequel earned approximately **$718.7 million domestically**, making it the biggest summer champion in this entire 1980–2025 timeline.

There is one dramatic exception to the upward trend: 2020\. With theaters across the country closed or operating under restrictions during the pandemic, *Tenet* finished as the summer’s top movie with only about **$58.5 million** domestically.

What makes this timeline especially fun, though, isn’t just the money. It’s seeing the movies themselves. *Ghostbusters*. *Back to the Future*. *Batman*. *Jurassic Park*. *Shrek*. *The Dark Knight*. *Barbie*. Each year’s winner is a small snapshot of what audiences were excited to see at that particular moment.

Scroll through the years below and see how many summer blockbusters you remember seeing when they first arrived in theaters.

**Methodology:** For this feature, the #1 movie is defined as the highest total domestic-grossing film released during the traditional summer movie season, roughly the first weekend of May through Labor Day. Box-office figures are unadjusted for inflation.

**Source:** Box Office Mojo.