To say that these films overperformed would be an understatement. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re looking at movies released between 2020 and 2024 that exceeded everyone’s expectations critically and financially.
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00:00Sorry, that's not how this works.
00:02But the customer is always right.
00:04Not in this case.
00:06Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're looking at movies released between 2020 and 2024 that
00:11exceeded everyone's expectations critically and financially.
00:14Not salsa, not flamenco, my brother.
00:17Do you know?
00:19Not to.
00:21Number 10.
00:22Civil War
00:23We're American, okay?
00:26Okay.
00:28What kind of American are you?
00:29From Ex Machina to Annihilation, a new Alex Garland film is always cause for anticipation.
00:35Given its subject matter, though, we expected Civil War to split people down the middle.
00:38While we wouldn't call this dystopian thriller a crowd-pleaser, we wouldn't describe it as
00:42polarizing, either.
00:43In fact, the film won over most critics and audiences, more than doubling its $50 million
00:47budget on the way to becoming A24's second-highest-grossing movie.
00:50Would you photograph that moment if I got shot?
00:54What do you think?
00:57Maybe the film resonated with so many because it didn't take one side.
01:00Granted, you could argue Nick Offerman's president shares more in common with a certain somebody
01:04currently running for office.
01:05Yet the other side might believe the character represents another candidate.
01:08Either way, the film surprisingly unified viewers with its divisive themes.
01:12I need a quote.
01:15Don't let him kill me.
01:20Yeah.
01:21That'll do.
01:24Number 9.
01:25The Invisible Man
01:26He's figured out a way to be invisible.
01:34He is a world leader in the field of optics.
01:37I know that he could do this.
01:39Considering how Universal dropped the ball with The Dark Universe, we weren't expecting
01:43much from An Invisible Man Reimagining.
01:45We were shocked to discover not only how thrilling Lee Whannell's film was, but how well the
01:49material translated to modern day.
01:51People are opening up about domestic violence now more than ever.
01:54Even when somebody gets away from their abusive partner, their presence can still linger.
01:58Invisible Man provides a haunting parallel as Cecilia, masterfully played by Elizabeth
02:02Moss, is tormented by an unseen yet all-too-real threat.
02:05He what?
02:06He would hit you?
02:11Amongst other things.
02:12The technology behind the invisibility, while fictional, is also presented in a way that
02:16feels practical.
02:18Becoming a sleeper hit, The Invisible Man crept up on us in more than one way.
02:21I have something that will prove he's alive.
02:23They found it.
02:25What do you have?
02:28Number 8.
02:29Borat's Subsequent Movie Film
02:30All I had left was my livestock.
02:33Two pigs, one cow, and a daughter.
02:36If a Borat sequel was released in 2007, we'd say the character was overexposed.
02:40If a sequel came out in 2017, we'd say it was too late.
02:43In a year like 2020, though, Borat's return seemed as appropriate as ever.
02:47Even then, people assumed that a subsequent movie film could never leave the same impact.
02:51I feel bad because I was the one who put the baby in her.
02:56You don't need to feel bad.
02:58I was just trying to give my daughter pleasure, and next thing I know there's a baby inside
03:03her.
03:04Yet few comedies released this decade have done a better job of encapsulating the political
03:07zeitgeist.
03:08Part of that's because Sacha Baron Cohen and Maria Bakalova, playing Borat's daughter,
03:12again interact with real America, ranging from everyday MAGA supporters to disgraced
03:16presidential advisors.
03:17While Borat is more enlightened, the film is hardly politically correct, showing that
03:21you can still make an edgy comedy in this day and age.
03:23Is she asking too many questions?
03:25No, she's doing great.
03:26She'd make a very nagging wife.
03:29Oh, if I were you, I would stick to marrying your cousins.
03:34Number 7.
03:35Coda
03:36What's rude is how noisy you guys are.
03:44Coda is the definition of a little movie that could, chugging its way to the summit of success.
03:48Centered on the only hearing member of a deaf family, Coda won over the Sundance crowd with
03:52its warmth, humor, and music, picking up several prizes.
03:55Forget the words?
03:57Don't look at them.
04:00They're not going to help you.
04:03Apple TV subsequently acquired Sean Heeder's film for a record $25 million, guaranteeing
04:09it would find a wider audience.
04:11As awards season rolled around, analysts thought Coda might get a few notices, but
04:14that would be the end of its journey.
04:16After winning outstanding performance by a cast at SAG, though, people saw its potential
04:20to go much further.
04:21Coda just kept gaining momentum, culminating in three Oscars, including Best Picture.
04:25We couldn't sing this indie treasure higher praises.
04:416.
04:42Encanto
04:43An animated Disney musical with songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda sounds like a sure-fire home run,
04:54but Encanto had a fair deal working against it.
04:56It wasn't based on a pre-existing IP, and COVID continued to alienate moviegoers.
05:01Under these circumstances, the film performed as well as one could reasonably hope at the
05:04box office.
05:05Films on Disney Plus, however, were the miracle materialized.
05:08We don't talk about Bruno exploded into a cultural phenomenon, but Encanto was far from
05:20a one-hit wonder, with every song achieving a level of notoriety.
05:24Beyond the soundtrack, the film inspired numerous conversations about mental health and representation.
05:29Encanto did so without forcing an agenda, getting its meaningful message across with
05:32lovable characters, stunning imagery, and sincerity.
05:355.
05:36Barbie
05:37I thought I might stay over tonight.
05:38Why?
05:39Because we're girlfriend-boyfriend.
05:40To do what?
05:41I'm actually not sure.
05:53When news broke that Greta Gerwig was directing a Barbie movie, we let out an excited, what?
05:57Nobody could have predicted that an auteur like Gerwig would choose something so mainstream
06:01like Barbie as her next project.
06:03We also never thought Warner Bros. or Mattel would grant Gerwig free reign to make a Barbie
06:06movie that acknowledges the brand's past controversies, with a PG-13 rating no less.
06:11The biggest question mark was whether this gamble would pay off.
06:14It did, with over $1 billion.
06:16"'Cause I'm just kidding, anywhere else I'd be, you'd take."
06:21Gerwig found an unlikely balance appealing to Barbie's fans and haters, turning the latter
06:25into fans.
06:26The film's success was only made more surprising by the addition of Oppenheimer, resulting
06:30in a double feature that Hollywood may never be able to replicate.
06:33"...neutrons dismission to other nuclei.
06:36Criticality, point of no return, massive explosive forces.
06:40But this time, the chain reaction doesn't stop."
06:424.
06:43Puss in Boots, The Last Wish
06:44Always on the lookout for a new lapcat.
06:46You will be safe there.
06:48Lapcat?
06:49I am no lapcat, doctor.
06:51I am Puss in Boots!
06:53A sequel to his spinoff of a movie that came out over a decade earlier, DreamWorks must
06:57be desperate to milk our nostalgia.
06:59Well, yeah, but so is the rest of Hollywood.
07:01What sets Puss in Boots!
07:02The Last Wish apart is how it expanded upon every aspect of the franchise, from the animation
07:06style, to fairytale satire, to the dramatic depth.
07:09"...Trust me!"
07:10"...Easy, easy, you're gonna give yourself a hernia.
07:14Here, one more time.
07:15Like this.
07:16Trust me."
07:18What started as a sequel nobody thought needed to exist evolved into one of the decade's
07:22most visually innovative and thematically mature animated features.
07:25The film started slow at the box office, but in nine lives fashion, kept attracting
07:29audiences throughout the weeks, providing that positive word-of-mouth is still a powerful
07:33force in today's theatrical landscape.
07:35Normally, I have a sword.
07:37It's like a whole thing, you know?
07:39Because you're Puss in Boots?
07:41Not yet, but I will be.
07:42I'll come with you!
07:45Sorry, Pedro!
07:46Puss in Boots walks alone!
07:48Number 3.
07:49Godzilla Minus One
07:50Modern Godzilla movies have ranged from entertaining escapism to Matthew Broderick.
08:07Either way, the franchise had generally forgotten that Godzilla started as an allegory for the
08:11atomic bomb.
08:24Godzilla Minus One recaptures the series' roots presenting the King of the Monsters
08:27in a more grounded light.
08:29What's more, it offered a personal story that had us emotionally invested in the humans,
08:33in turn making Godzilla more intimidating.
08:35We wouldn't just rank this among the best Godzilla films, but also the best recent war
08:39movies.
08:40While the sequel doesn't overshadow the drama, the effects are nonetheless extraordinary.
08:43Bringing the franchise its first Oscar, the fact that this was accomplished on a budget
08:47of no more than $12 million set a new standard, and not just for Godzilla.
09:02Number 2.
09:03Top Gun Maverick
09:12Top Gun is a perennial 80s flick, although throughout the decades it became best known
09:16for the infamous volleyball scene and other erotic undertones.
09:19Top Gun Maverick seemed like evidence that the industry will make a legacy sequel out
09:23of anything.
09:24With the effects of COVID still felt, nobody expected Maverick would be the blockbuster
09:27that saved Hollywood.
09:28Nobody except maybe Tom Cruise, who fought to preserve the film's theatrical release.
09:32It's not what I am, it's who I am.
09:38How do I teach that?
09:42Even if I could teach it, it's not what Rooster wants."
09:44Paramount owes Cruise a debt of gratitude, as Maverick soared to nearly $1.5 billion
09:49and even scored a Best Picture Oscar nomination.
09:52While Cruise delivered on the exhilarating aerial sequences, Maverick caught us off guard
09:56with its story about the old guard passing the torch while still proving that they have
09:59more to offer.
10:00Where am I?
10:02Earth.
10:04Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
10:07Wonka, Timothee Chalamet, plus Paul King, plus Roald Dahl, equals surprisingly scrum-diddly-umptious.
10:12You see, I'm something of a magician, inventor, and chocolate maker.
10:17And first thing tomorrow at the Gallery Gourmet, I plan to unveil my most astonishing creation
10:21yet.
10:22Bad Boys for Life.
10:23Just when you thought the franchise was dead, it slapped back with this sequel.
10:26You know, Mike, we got more time behind us than in front.
10:29It's time to make some changes, for real.
10:31You can miss me with that.
10:33I'm living my best life.
10:34You're dying your goatee, Mike.
10:37What?
10:38Sonic the Hedgehog.
10:39That ugly initial design is now a distant, disturbing memory.
10:42You can talk.
10:43You're not here to abduct me, are you?
10:46You abducted me!
10:48Okay, that's a fair point.
10:51Anyone but you.
10:52We'll never underestimate Sidney Sweeney and Glenn Powell's star power again.
10:55I'm engaged now.
10:56Good for you.
10:57Where are you registered?
10:58I'll buy you a broomstick.
10:59Keeping audiences screaming and executives smiling.
11:01Look at me.
11:02I...
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11:25Number 1.
11:26Everything Everywhere All at Once
11:27I'm not your husband, and he's not the one you know.
11:29I'm another version of him from another life path, another universe.
11:32I'm here because we need your help.
11:35By 2022, multiverse movies were nothing new.
11:38Some might even say they were growing redundant.
11:40That made it all the more astonishing when The Daniels delivered this jolt of originality.
11:44Living up to its title, this movie has everything.
11:46Inventive martial arts, a heart-tugging mother-daughter relationship, a raccoon mimicking a beloved
11:50Pixar character, you name it.
11:52What may seem like a jumble of random genres, tones, and ideas beautifully comes together
11:56in a universal story about family, identity, and existence.
11:59I will always, always want to be here with you.
12:07For all the critical love it amassed, some feared whether or not the masses would embrace
12:11such a unique experience.
12:13The most pleasant surprise is just how hard everyone went for Everything Everywhere, turning
12:16it into A24's highest-grossing film and a Best Picture winner.
12:20Which movie exceeded your expectations the most this decade thus far?
12:35Let us know in the comments.
12:36You shoot me down, but I won't fall.
12:40I am titanium.
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