The Top 50 Highest-Grossing Science Fiction Movies of All Time Ranked by Their Rotten Tomatoes Score

Where can you find an alien who craves Reese’s Pieces, a beloved robot committed to picking up trash, talking apes, and a Jedi Master who speaks backward? In the wild world of science fiction. The genre has proven to be a hit at the box office and conveys powerful messages about oppression and rebellion, the treatment of other species and the planet, the dangers of nuclear warfare, and more.

As part of Geek Viz — a series of visualizations, posters, charts, and other geeky visuals based on our favorite movies, TV shows, video games, and more — we’re highlighting some of the best science fiction movies ever. To create our list, our PixlParade research team collected data on the 50 top-grossing sci-fi movies and ranked them by their Rotten Tomatoes rating. The result is definitive proof that the quality of a film doesn’t always correlate with how well it does at the box office.

Are These the Best Science Fiction Movies of All Time?

No. While we do think that many of the best science fiction movies of all time are on this list, we don’t think this should be determined by these two metrics alone. Think of films such as Denis Villeneuve’s widely praised Arrival. At just over $203 million, its box office total is not high enough to make it to the top 50 highest-grossing sci-fi movies, but it received glowing reviews and has a 94% on the Tomatometer and an 82% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Long story short, we are absolutely not claiming that Jurassic World: Dominion is a better movie because it made more in the box office. This list is merely an interesting way to analyze the science fiction movies that brought in the big bucks while they were in theaters.

A true ranking of the best sci-fi movies of all time would undoubtedly include classic films such as Blade Runner (and Blade Runner 2049 for that matter), Aliens, 2001: a Space Odessy, Back to the Future, The Fifth Element, and so many more that deserve to be a part of the conversation but didn’t even make an appearance in this current analysis. The top 50 highest-grossing sci-fi movies is not a ranking of the best of the best. It’s got Transformers: The Last Knight on it for crying out loud.

The Top 5 Science Fiction Films by Rotten Tomatoes Score Out of the Top 50 Highest Grossing Sci-Fi Movies of All Time

1. Humans are obsessed with exploring who inhabits the planets and far-off galaxies. That’s pretty evident when looking at the top-rated science fiction movies on our list, starting with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The Steven Spielberg-directed film follows a young boy, Elliott, as he tries to help an alien stranded on Earth return to his home.

Over 40 years later, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial remains a cultural phenomenon and a beloved movie about friendship, boasting a remarkable 99% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film launched Drew Barrymore’s career when she was just seven years old on set, and it won Academy Awards for its original score composed by John Williams and its visual and sound effects. Spielberg was also nominated in the Best Director category, and the movie was nominated for Best Picture. The film earned $792,910,554 worldwide.

2. Gravity is the second-highest Rotten Tomatoes score on this list. It hit the big screen in 2013 and revolves around a space mission that turns into a fight for survival. Starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney and directed by Alfonso Cuarón, Gravity picked up seven Academy Awards: cinematography, directing, film editing, original score, sound editing, sound mixing, and visual effects. The film earned $723,192,705 worldwide and has a 96% Rotten Tomatoes score.

3. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back is the third highest-rated sci-fi movie, and its popularity is likely no surprise: The Star Wars franchise is arguably one of the most well-known science fiction stories to hit the movie theaters. With a 95% Tomatometer rating, The Empire Strikes Back stars Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Harrison Ford as Han Solo, and Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia. The film brought in $538,375,067 worldwide, but not nearly as much as its counterparts Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Last Jedi did. Although it’s important to note that these figures do not take inflation into account.

4. WALL-E is next on our list, also with 95% on the Tomatometer, but ranking below The Empire Strikes Back, as it made less at the box office: $521,311,890. The animated film from Pixar follows the last lonely robot left on Earth, which falls for the Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator, or EVE. The film is known for its charm and heartwarming premises and for exploring how poorly humans treat their planet. It was named the Best Animated Feature Film of the Year by the Academy Awards.

5. War for the Planet of the Apes builds on the long history of the Planet of the Apes franchise, which originated in 1968. The 2017 film, which continues the theme of humans versus apes, earned a 94% Rotten Tomatoes score and $490,719,763 at the box office worldwide. The film stars Andy Serkis and Woody Harrelson and was nominated for its visual effects at the Academy Awards but lost to Blade Runner 2049.

What Is the Highest-Grossing Sci-Fi Movie of All Time?

The highest-grossing science fiction movie of all time is Avatar, the 2009 film written and directed by James Cameron. The story takes place on the moon Pandora, where a paraplegic Marine falls in love with a Na’vi (humanoid) woman who lives there. The Marine must choose between protecting her home and following the orders of his mission.

The film earned $2,923,706,026 worldwide at the box office, and its 2022 sequel, Avatar: The Way of Water, brought in $2,320,250,281. Avatar has an 81% Tomatometer score and won Academy Awards for cinematography, visual effects, and art direction.

Top 10 Highest-Grossing Science Fiction Movies of All Time

Avatar isn’t the only one of the top-grossing sci-fi movies to net over $1 billion. Here are the highest-grossing sci-fi movies of all time — Tomatometer aside — and how much they made worldwide at the box office:

1. Avatar (2009): $2,923,706,026
2. Avatar: The Way of Water (2022): $2,320,250,281
3. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015): $2,068,223,624
4. Jurassic World (2015): $1,670,516,444
5. Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017): $1,332,539,889
6. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018): $1,308,467,944
7. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011): $1,123,794,079
8. Transformers: Age of Extinction (2014): $1,104,054,072
9. Jurassic Park (1993): $1,103,086,582
10. Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019): $1,074,144,248

Top-Grossing Sci-Fi Movies by Rotten Tomatoes Rating

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-grossing_science_fiction_films

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/

See also: Top 50 Highest-Grossing Superhero Movies of All Time by Rotten Tomatoes Score