As people have started to go back to movie theaters after the pandemic, numbers have been soaring. Numbers, meaning, the amount of money that movie companies have been making. The average family spends about $60 every visit, and goes to the theaters about once a month or more. Adding up to at least $700 a year. So what movies kept people coming back this year? Here are the top 10 movies of 2022.

#10 – Moon Man

Adapted from a webcomic series, Moon Man is a Chinese science-fiction comedy written and directed by Zhang Chiyu. After Duguyue, played by Shang Teng, is unexpectedly left on the moon as a cleaner for a moon base, an asteroid destroys Earth and leaves him to be the last person in existence. The #1 Chinese comedy film made $460,237,662 worldwide. If you like space and you like to laugh, this might be a good movie for you to check out!

#9 – Water Gate Bridge

Water Gate Bridge is the sequel to “The battle at Lake Changjin”. This movie follows the Chinese People’s Volunteers soldiers on a new task, and now their battlefield is a crucial bridge on the retreat route of American troops. Worldwide it made $626,571,697. As a historical war drama, people seemed to like it a great deal, and you will too if you are into war documentaries or drama. 

#8 – Thor: Love and Thunder

Directed by Taika Waititi and starring Chris Hemsworth, Tessa Thompson, and Natalie Portman, this marvel movie was geared a little more towards a love story than usual for Marvel. While Thor Odinson is enjoying his retirement, he catches word of the God Butcher quickly taking the lives of gods until total extinction. Thor finds himself needing the help of Valkyrie, Korg, and ex-girlfriend, Jane Foster – who unexpectedly gains the power of Thor’s magical hammer. Rated PG-13, Thor: Love and Thunder made $760,928,081 worldwide. This was and still is a must-see for Marvel fans, and is highly recommended for comedic action lovers.

#7 – The Batman

“When a sadistic serial killer begins murdering key political figures in Gotham, Batman is forced to investigate the city’s hidden corruption and question his family’s involvement.” (Box Office) The stars, Robert Pattinson and Zoë Kravitz did a great job of telling Batman’s story and portraying the plot. After so many Batman films have been released with different actors, I think this one lived up to anyone’s expectations of what it would be. The Batman made $770,836,163 worldwide.

#6 – Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

Wakanda Forever is a sequel to the beloved Marvel movie, Black Panther. As the T’Challa family strives to continue building a strong community in the wake of their late king’s death, challenges come their way that they must face. New secrets are revealed in this incredibly well done movie. This is also a Marvel must-see that has made $831,224,940 worldwide so far. 

#5 – Minions: The Rise of Gru

This “threequel” to the Minions series gave the long-awaited back story of many people’s favorite former villain, Gru. Gru’s childhood was a little rough so in his search for a partner in crime, he finds hundreds of tiny yellow helpers. It’s a heartwarming, charming, and funny movie that people of all ages seemed to enjoy. Worldwide it made $939,629,210 and is rated PG.

#4 – Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

Yet another Marvel movie to add to the top 10 list is, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. In it, Doctor Strange teams up with a mysterious teenage girl from his dreams who can shockingly travel across multiverses, to battle multiple threats, which happen to include other-universe versions of himself, which threaten to wipe out millions across the multiverse. Viewers actually had mixed feelings about this movie. This movie starred Xochitl Gomez, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Elizabeth Olsen. Some people say that it made so much money just because it was the next part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe story, and that it wasn’t that well made. Others rave over how great the story line was portrayed and how they wouldn’t change anything about it. It made $955,775,804 worldwide.

#3 – Jurassic World: Dominion

Jurassic World: Dominion is another threequel on the top-10 list that surprisingly also lived up to its expectations. The Jurassic Park and Jurassic World serieses are sets of movies that I don’t think many people will ever get tired of because they are so iconic. They give us a peek into what life might be like if humans and dinosaurs had to coexist with each other. In Dominion, Clair Dearing and Owen Grady keep the story going, although this may be the last movie of the series. It earned $1,001,978,080 worldwide.

#2 – Avatar: The Way of Water

This was a very long awaited sequel by fans of the first Avatar film. Avatar was a jaw dropping movie in terms of special effects when it first came out in 2009. In this new movie, Jake Sully is enjoying his new life on Pandora with his newfound family. When an ancient threat reemerges, Jake is forced to fight in a tough war between the Na’vi and the humans. It managed to make $1,713,093,812 worldwide, and rightly so.

#1 – Top Gun: Maverick

Top Gun: Maverick was an outstanding sequel to the original and absolutely iconic Top Gun film. It met and passed all of its standards for not only critics, but also mega fans of the movie. Pete “Maverick” Mitchell is called to confront the ghosts of his past and his deepest fears, by fulfilling a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who choose to fly it, and allows him to return to Top Gun. He helps train his late friend’s son, Bradley “Goose” Bradshaw, and sets aside their differences to make history once again. Top Gun: Maverick made $1,488,732,821 worldwide as expected. This movie is very highly recommended, and is rated PG-13.

It is important to note, the box office rankings may or may not have changed over time, while movies do keep making more money.

Personally, I watched seven of the ten movies, and the seven I saw were all worth watching!