The Grinchhas officially dethronedHome Aloneto become the highest grossing Christmas movie of all-time. Illumination’s take on the Dr. Seuss classic has earned $500.5 million at the worldwide box office since debuting in theaters back in November, beatingHome Alone, which only took in $476.6 million globally.The Grinchis still in theaters, though it has dropped from the box office top ten, where it stayed for over a month, sparring withWreck-It Ralph 2andSpider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse.
WhileThe Grinchhas beatenHome Aloneon the worldwide stage, it still has a ways to go before beating the 1990 movie domestically. Macaulay Culkin’s Christmas movie was able to earn $285.7 million, while Illumination’s latest project is currently at $269.8 million. Now that the holiday season has passed, it seems highly unlikely thatThe Grinchwill be able to cover another $16 million to overtake the nearly 30-year old Christmas classic. However, Illumination has created a modern holiday rocker that will probably get watched every year until a new take on iconic Dr. Seuss character is made.
When looking at inflation, it seems thatHome Aloneis still the clear winner. WhileThe Grinchhas been able to pull in over $500 million worldwide, Macaulay Culkin-starring movie was able to take in $598 million domestically, when adjusted for inflation, meaning that it still holds the record in North America by far, something that Illumination’s movie will not come close to doing. So. Kevin McCallister still has that going for him, and when theHome Alonegross is changed for inflation worldwide, it stands at a might $918 million, almost hitting that $1 billion mark. Good luck coming close to that, Grinch.
Ron Howard’sHow the Grinch Stole Christmas, which starred Jim Carrey, is currently the third highest Christmas movie of all-time at the domesticbox office, with $260 million. That movie is followed byThe Polar ExpressandElf, respectfully. However, those movies are pretty far behind the top three domestic holiday movies. As for howThe Grinchwas able to pull of this huge global feat, that is unclear. The Grinch is one of the most iconic characters in literature and film, so it could be that popularity mixed with Illumination’s awesome track record.
WhileThe Grinchis now thehighest grossing Christmas movie globally, it was not the highest grossing animated project of 2018.Incredibles 2takes the number one spot, having brought in $1.2 billion worldwide and $608.5 million domestically. It is the third highest grossing movie of 2018 in North America, just behindInfinity Warand the mightyBlack Panther, which was able to bring in over $700 million. The second highest grossing animated movie of 2018 is Adam Sandler’sHotel Transylvania 3with $527 million. However, the sequel was only able to bring in $167.5 million domestically.
The Grinchcost Illumination $75 million to produce, so they must be pretty happy with the box office results. It is the sixth movie from the studio to cross the half-billion mark, joiningDespicable Me 2,Despicable Me 3,Minions,The Secret Life of Pets, andSing. Clearly, Illumination knows what they’re doing when it comes to family animated movies. The studio hasThe Secret Life of Pets 2up next, which will more than likely join the elite six projects to cross the half-billion mark at the worldwide box office this summer. you may check outThe Grinch’s numbers, along with the rest of the holiday classics over at Box Office Mojo.
