30 best summer blockbusters of all time

30. Rambo: First Blood Part II

Released: May 22, 1985

Box office: Worldwide gross $300,400,432 according to Box Office Mojo

The classic sequel-as-hyperbolized-remake. John Rambo (Sylvester Stallone) returns to Vietnam, wins this time. —Darren Franich

29. There's Something About Mary

Released: July 15, 1998

Box office: Worldwide gross $369,884,651 according to Box Office Mojo

There's Something About Mary helped Cameron Diaz rise to fame, perfected Ben Stiller, and became one of the great slow-rising sleeper hits with a sui generis mixture of gross-out absurdity and rom-com sweetness. —D.F.

28. Guardians of the Galaxy

When it comes to superhero movies, I have become an agnostic. I have neither the faith of a fanboy nor the knee-jerk derision of a — © Marvel 2014

Released: Aug. 1, 2014

Box office: World wide gross $773,350,147 according to Box Office Mojo

It wasn't just the action-packed adventures of Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) & Co. that made Guardians of the Galaxy another smash hit at the box office for Marvel. The soundtrack was the best summer playlist, with super fun songs like Blue Swede's "Hooked on a Feeling," Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky," and Redbone's "Come and Get Your Love," which previously seemed to be reserved for the wedding montage at the end of a romantic comedy or Target commercials. The superhero film was also one of the more lighthearted and irreverent comic book movies, which added an extra layer of cool. —Megan Daley

27. Shrek

Released: May 18, 2001

Box office: Worldwide gross $488,441,368 according to Box Office Mojo

Shrek is the defining DreamWorks Animation project: PG-rude, celebrity voices, pop culture references, playful jabs at Disney and a legitimate inversion of the Beauty and the Beast legend. We were all believers. —D.F.

26. Inception

Released: July 16, 2010

Box office: World wide gross $870,110,523 according to Box Office Mojo

Christopher Nolan's 2010 actioner mixed the brain-twisty cerebral storytelling of Memento (2000) and The Prestige (2006) with the grand action of his Dark Knight trilogy. Evidence of the film's influence: Now each summer, we wait for that year's Inception. —D.F.

25. Spider-Man

Released: May 3, 2002

Box office: Worldwide gross $825,025,036 according to Box Office Mojo

Blade (1998) and X-Men (2000) got there first, but Sam Raimi's web-swinging film officially began the superhero era. Spider-Man 2 (2004) might be the better overall movie, but the first film is the essential artifact, an invigorating and hyperkinetic thrill ride like nothing that came before. —D.F.

24. Saving Private Ryan

Released: July 24, 1998

Box office: Worldwide gross $482,349,603 according to Box Office Mojo

In one of the most stunning Best Picture upsets of all time, Steven Spielberg's epic World War II film lost the Oscar to Shakespeare in Love. Still, Saving Private Ryan won five of the 11 Oscars it was up for that night, and enjoys an enduring legacy as one of the best war films ever made. It was no slouch at the box office, either. It was the highest-grossing film of the year domestically and the second highest in the world, making it a cultural and financial success. —Lauren Huff

23. Gladiator

Released: May 5, 2000

Box office: Worldwide gross $503,162,313 according to Box Office Mojo

Years later, this Roman epic can still be seen in the DNA of Hollywood blockbusters. The Ridley Scott-helmed film stars Russell Crowe as Maximus, a former Roman general-turned-gladiator who seeks revenge against the corrupt emperor (Joaquin Phoenix) who murdered his family and forced him into indentured servitude. Featuring predictably great performances from Crowe, Connie Nielsen, and Phoenix, the movie is credited with reigniting interest in stories set in ancient times. And, of course, it's the reason "Are you not entertained?!" became part of the pop culture lexicon, for which we are forever grateful. —L.H.

22. Independence Day

Released: July 3, 1996

Box office: Worldwide gross $817,400,891 according to Box Office Mojo

A quintessential summer movie if there ever was one, this film about a worldwide alien invasion coinciding with the July 4 holiday is both epic in scope (Aliens! Destruction! Battles in space! An iconic presidential speech!) and in terms of its box office haul. At the time, Independence Day was the second highest-grossing film in history, and it cemented star Will Smith as a bona fide movie star. —Lauren Huff

21. Toy Story 3

Released: June 18, 2010

Box office: Worldwide gross $1,067,316,101 according to Box Office Mojo

Toy Story 3 mapped out our childhood imagination and obsessions, and in one final scene, as Andy teaches a shy little girl how to pretend play with his old friends, Pixar pushes a button that unleashes a wave—or was it just a river of tears?—of nostalgia. It's No. 21 on our list—but it might be No. 1 in your heart. —Jeff Labrecque

20. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl

Released: July 9, 2003

Box office: Worldwide gross $654,264,015 according to Box Office Mojo

Although it seems strange to attribute too much importance to a series as lightweight as Pirates of the Caribbean, it's worth considering just how perfectly the first film defined a certain kind of Hollywood product: epic but fun; filled with action but safe for kids; spooky but not really scary; set in a stylized universe perfect for multimedia expansion. —D.F.

19. Grease

Released: June 16, 1978

Box office: Worldwide gross $396,271,103 according to Box Office Mojo

This wop-bop-a-loo-bopping high school musical—the No. 1 film of 1978—boasts a deck stacked with stellar triple-threat performances anchored by easy-on-the-eyes stars John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John as teen loves Danny and Sandy. Musically, Grease's music was radio-ready in a way that most movie musicals aren't, with sweetly straightforward harmonies and lyrics that rode a line between clever, catchy, and nonsensically addictive. And it goes without saying that the themes of the film are timeless: young love, growing up, teen rebellion, and what a tease Cha Cha DiGregorio (Annette Charles) is. Reviving its source-material Broadway musical and spawning a sequel, a chart-topping soundtrack, a reality show, and countless high school productions, Grease was, is, and evermore will be the word. —Lanford Beard

18. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2

Released: July 15, 2011

Box office: Worldwide gross $1,342,359,942 according to Box Office Mojo

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows—Part 2 is one of the best-constructed projects from a contemporary fan-service perspective, mixing together a greatest hits series of long-awaited moments—Ron (Rupert Grint) and Hermione (Emma Watson) kiss!—with nice little grace notes for the film's sprawling cast (Matthew Lewis' Neville grew up nice!). Deathly Hallows—Part 2 was the final Big Media Moment for the Potter franchise proper, and director David Yates left nothing to chance, providing viewers with a full-fledged visual assault that makes the original film look like an episode of Shining Time Station by comparison. —D.F.

17. The Avengers

Released: May 4, 2012

Box office: Worldwide gross $1,520,538,536 according to Box Office Mojo

Could Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) successfully join forces to battle evil? Despite initial skepticism from fans and critics alike, the answer was a resounding yes—making this smart superhero film the highest-grossing release of 2012 with over $1 billion in international ticket sales. —Nina Terrero

16. Back to the Future

Released: July 3, 1985

Box office: Worldwide gross $383,336,762 according to Box Office Mojo

Back to the Future transformed Michael J. Fox from a phenomenally popular TV actor to a bona fide movie star. Nothing speaks more to its popularity, though, than a shout-out in the 1986 State of the Union address from former-actor President Ronald Reagan himself: ''Never has there been a more exciting time to be alive, a time of rousing wonder and heroic achievement. As they said in the film Back to the Future, 'Where we're going, we don't need roads.''' —Hillary Busis

15. Superman II

Released: June 19, 1981

Box office: Worldwide gross $108,185,706 according to Box Office Mojo

While the 1978 original hooked audiences with then-spectacular special effects showing a man who could fly faster than a speeding bullet, Superman II wowed audiences with enormous action sequences of a superhero fighting supervillains in the heart of Metropolis, hurling buses, and crashing through skyscrapers. Don't think young Bryan Singer and Zack Snyder weren't impressed. —J.L.

14. The Lion King

Released: June 24, 1994

Box office: Worldwide gross $968,511,805 according to Box Office Mojo

Alongside fellow blockbuster Forrest Gump, The Lion King ruled the 1994 box office. Kids—and their parents—were absolutely transfixed by the then-revolutionary animation, the beautiful music, and the compelling story about the ''Circle of Life.'' And the buzz hasn't slowed since the film's original release: Simba still is a Disney fave, with successful IMAX and 3-D rereleases introducing the cub working on his roar to new generations, in addition to a live-action adaptation. It's good to be king. —Erin Strecker

13. The Sixth Sense

Released: Aug. 6, 1999

Box office: Worldwide gross$672,806,432 according to Box Office Mojo

In the post-Lady in the Water era, it's tough to remember how wild people once went for M. Night Shyamalan's atmospheric thriller. But a mere millennium ago, The Sixth Sense was the toast of audiences and critics alike—a box office smash, a cultural touchstone, a freakin' Best Picture nominee. And for good reason: Its brief 107-minute run time means not a scene is wasted, its creepy visuals are arresting and inventive, and most important, its game-changing twist manages to be both surprising and inevitable. —H.B.

12. Top Gun

Released: May 16, 1986

Box office: Worldwide gross $357,288,178 according to Box Office Mojo

Top Gun's mixture of Reagan-era patriotism and MTV-era style proved an uncannily perfect concoction with something for everyone. It's nonsense. It's genius. The film's soundtrack became iconic. Everything about the movie became iconic. The definition of ''iconic'' is just a picture of Tom Cruise wearing aviators. —D.F.

11. Terminator 2: Judgment Day

Released: July 3, 1991

Box office: Worldwide gross $520,881,154 according to Box Office Mojo

The Terminator of Judgment Day would be a good guy this time, paired up with a sassy youngster on a mission of mercy. He would face off against a new villain that was state-of-the-art within the world of the movie and in the world of moviemaking. Robert Patrick's T-1000 is one of the great action villains, a morphing chameleon to contrast with Arnold Schwarzenegger's hulking man-of-action; the T-1000 was also the killer app for digital effects, with director James Cameron building on the technological leaps of The Abyss to create a new kind of monster on screen. —D.F.

10. National Lampoon's Animal House

Released: July 28, 1978

Box office: Worldwide gross $141,600,000 according to Box Office Mojo

When you think of college movies, you think of Animal House. From John Belushi's iconic performance and quotable lines to the biggest toga party since the Romans, the first feature in the National Lampoon's series is memorable not only for launching many comedic careers and films, but for launching the love of comedy for many viewing generations to come. —Jake Perlman

9. Ghostbusters

Released: June 8, 1984

Box office: Worldwide gross$296,578,797 according to Box Office Mojo

Ghostbusters surrounded some of the funniest guys on the planet with expensive—though slightly cheesy—special effects, including demon dogs and a giant marauding marshmallow man. Everyone in 1984 knew the emphatic, enthusiastic chanted response to the winking question, ''Who you gonna call?'' and many decades later, everyone still knows the answer. —J.L.

8. Forrest Gump

Released: July 6, 1994

Box office: Worldwide gross$678,226,465 according to Box Office Mojo

Based on Winston Groom's fantastical novel, Robert Zemeckis' decades-spanning movie touched on nearly every major cultural milestone in the second half of the 20th century: Vietnam and the March on Washington, Watergate and ''S--- happens'' shirts, Elvis and world-class ping pong, and on and on. Yet, it was solid as a rock while feeling light as a feather. In addition to being Baby Boomer bait, the film also introduced a new generation to America's—and the world's—mid-century struggles, as well as the songs that embodied them. Sure, it was more fantasy than fact-checking, but Forrest Gump is just darn charming. Like its endearing hero, the highly quotable multiple Oscar winner proves to be wonderfully complex underneath a seemingly uncomplicated exterior, and that's what makes it so lovable. —L.B.

7. Mad Max: Fury Road

Charlize Theron as Furiosa in 'Mad Max: Fury Road'. Everett Collection

Released: May 15, 2015

Box office: Worldwide gross $415,261,382 according to Box Office Mojo

George Miller's higher-than-high-octane saga of fire and blood felt like a missive from Valhalla when it hit theaters in 2015. Less a reboot than a long (long, long, long)-delayed fourth entry in the hit post-apocalyptic film series, Mad Max: Fury Road blew up all expectations of what a modern Hollywood blockbuster could be in a firestorm of practical visual effects, visionary design, potent anti-patriarchy themes, and pure, undiluted action-movie filmmaking. It was instantly iconic in every way, from Charlize Theron's hardened, haunted Furiosa to the one-big-car-chase structure to the Doof Warrior. And it stormed that year's Oscars, miraculously earning a Best Picture nomination and picking up the most awards of the night. It feels not a moment too soon to declare Fury Road an all-time classic. It will ride eternal, shiny and chrome. —Tyler Aquilina

6. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Released: June 11, 1982

Box office: Worldwide gross $792,910,554 according to Box Office Mojo

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is one of Steven Spielberg's more personal films, telling the story of a young boy and his out-of-this-world new friend forming what former EW film critic Owen Gleiberman called ''one of the touching and timeless bonds of movie history.'' Intimacy wins over loud special effects, making for a movie that retains its magic decades later. —Ariana Bacle

5. Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark

Released: June 12, 1981

Box office: Worldwide gross $389,925,971 according to Box Office Mojo

In the first 13 minutes of Raiders of the Lost Ark, audiences experience more pulsating action than most action movies stuff into two hours. Indiana Jones, who battles Nazis and fears snakes, was envisioned as an American James Bond, and Harrison Ford combined the dash of Sean Connery with the roguish charm of Humphrey Bogart. —J.L.

4. The Dark Knight

Released: July 18, 2008

Box office: Worldwide gross $1,006,234,167 according to Box Office Mojo

Unshackled by the need to reboot and restart the Caped Crusader franchise, Christopher Nolan delivered an ambitious new take on the whole superhero idea. High Nerds could play spot-the-reference with the film's plot and tone—a little bit Frank Miller, a little bit Alan Moore, a little bit Long Halloween—but working with co-writers Jonathan Nolan and David S. Goyer, the director delivered an exciting new take on the character. Heath Ledger's mile-high performance as the Joker got the accolades, but he's just one piece of Nolan's sprawling criminal epic, The Dark Knight. —D.F.

3. Jurassic Park

Released: June 11, 1993

Box office: Worldwide gross $1,109,802,321 according to Box Office Mojo

Just as the rippling water in one now iconic scene signaled the Tyrannosaurus rex's grand entrance, so did Jurassic Park usher in a new era of cinematic innovation. The leaps and bounds made by director Steven Spielberg and Oscar-winning special effects artist Stan Winston aren't solely accountable for the film becoming a global phenomenon, but they have had a profound influence, inspiring filmmakers including Stanley Kubrick, Peter Jackson, James Cameron, and George Lucas to blaze new VFX trails. Cinema historian Tom Shone noted in his book Blockbuster: How Hollywood Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Summer that, ''In its way, Jurassic Park heralded a revolution in movies as profound as the coming of sound in 1927.'' —L.B.

2. Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope

Released: May 25, 1977

Box office: Worldwide gross $775,398,007 according to Box Office Mojo

The influence of Star Wars outside of Star Wars is hard to measure, because it's hard to know what is outside of Star Wars. Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) is everywhere. You can find him in any story that takes a regular kid and turns them into a Hero With a Grand Destiny. And you can see Star Wars everywhere. Sometimes literally: The brokedown-futuristic aesthetic pioneered by George Lucas and his collaborators pretty much became the de facto visual style of movie science fiction. Heck, Star Wars was one of the first ''gritty-realism'' fantasies. —D.F.

1. Jaws

Director: Steven Spielberg ''You're gonna need a bigger boat.'' — Everett Collection

Released: June 20, 1975

Box office: Worldwide gross $476,512,065 according to Box Office Mojo

Jaws did for the beach what Psycho (1960) did for showers, and Steven Spielberg's monster movie became a cultural sensation that dominated the summer and established the template for every blockbuster that followed. To this day, it's practically the Citizen Kane (1941) of modern Hollywood with every mainstream filmmaker aspiring for its perfect mix of art and popular appeal. —J.L.