The Best* Blockbusters** of All Time
We've put together this very subjective ranking of the best* blockbusters** ever! This sub will be happy to know that Disclosure Day isn't on it (though we did like it).
If you don't want to click through here are the Top 10 along with our writer's little blurbs about them:
- Inception
Thrillingly dense (though probably less complex than some would lead you to believe), Christopher Nolan’s journey into our dreams is a film unlike any other. And that’s probably for the best, as it’s unlikely that any other filmmaker could handle the twisty, multilayered plot with its sprawling cast of characters quite as well as him.
- Se7en
From the moment that the Nine Inch Nails-backed opening title sequence begins it’s clear that you’re in for a masterfully dark ride. Often imitated, never duplicated, it remains one of the best thrillers ever made.
- Dune: Part Two
Villeneuve and his impressive cast continued to stun audiences with his Dune follow-up. The visuals are somehow even more striking than they were in Part One and the story remains engaging and timely. I cannot get enough of this universe.
- The Empire Strikes Back
It’s hardly a controversial take to say that this is the best entry in the Star Wars franchise. Everything is on point here, largely thanks to the story that maintains the original’s sense of fun while also upping the emotional stakes. When people tell you they love these movies, this is usually the one they are thinking of.
- Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
With a gorgeously unique animation style and some truly clever writing, this is both the best version of Spider-Man we’ve seen on screen and one of the best uses of the multiverse concept to appear in popular fiction.
- Interstellar
Anyone who claims that Christopher Nolan doesn’t really do “emotion” hasn’t seen Interstellar. With some of the most impressive visuals in a career that is marked out by them, several truly tense moments, and a few mind-bending plot beats, blended with more than a dash of Spielbergian schmaltz, it’s a hard movie to resist.
- Jaws
Widely held to be the first blockbuster, Spielberg’s 1975 killer shark adventure remains one of the best. Mixing bloody b-movie thrills with strong character development and almost literary moments, it’s popcorn entertainment of the highest order that continues to frighten audiences to this day.
- WALL·E
It’s hard to overstate just how impressive an achievement this movie is on nearly every front. This is a film that respects the audience’s intelligence to an almost unheard-of degree, going over 30 minutes without any dialogue (outside of background noise) and still clearly conveying its message and emotionally involving the viewer. That it’s targeted towards children only makes it that much more of a rare gem.
- The Dark Knight
The entirety of Christopher Nolan’s trilogy of Batman films is worthwhile, but the middle entry is the one that truly stands out, thanks in no small part to Heath Ledger’s brilliant performance as the Joker. This has become the version of this world that all others are compared to and, so far, have been unable to equal.
- The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Sure, the source material is strong, but there was never any guarantee that Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings trilogy would work. Thank goodness New Line took the chance anyway, as the end result is one of the most epic, exciting, emotional, and memorable cinematic experiences ever crafted. Far too precious to be in other spot on this list than this one.
For the entire Top 100 head here: https://afpljournal.com/2026/06/24/the-100-best-blockbuster-movies-ever/ [Note: We are a public library and as such do not make any money from any part of this, and the lone ad is for the Kanopy service which allows you to watch movies using your library card.]
* "Best" was determined by taking the qualifying films' ratings on Letterboxd and blending them with some of the author's own opinions.
** For the sake of simplicity, we have determined a "Blockbuster" to be any movie that earned $100million or more at the domestic box office, not adjusted for inflation, according to Box Office Mojo.