What does it take to make a billion (or two) dollars at the box office these days? Primarily, an epic tale or franchise with an A-List cast and crew. Those of you aspiring to write or direct the next billion dollar film should definitely make note of the following films, there are only five that have topped the $1 billion mark in cinematic history.

Coming in at #5 is The Dark Knight from 2008. There are some things about this film we can never know, like how much the death of Heath Ledger, the actor who brilliantly played The Joker, impacted the box office receipts, but in the end, the owners of the Batman franchise probably don't care too much. The Dark Knight grossed a whopping $1,022,345,358 and Ledger posthumously won the Best Actor in a Supporting Role Oscar for his efforts.

#4 is the most successful sequel of all time. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest made a staggering $1,066,179,725, beating the first installment by nearly $100 million. The franchise has been a worldwide smash hit propelled by huge names Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, and Bill Nighy. It has appealed to audience members of all ages and continues to do very well in DVD and on premium home television outlets like DIRECTV.

#3 is the lead film in an über-successful franchise, and clocks in at $1,129,219,252 at the box office. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King set the bar very high for the two films that would follow, and was bolstered by incredible location filming in director Peter Jackson's native New Zealand. It didn't hurt the franchise at all that the source material, written by J.R.R. Tolkien, rank among the most popular books of the 20th century, and have been read by tens of millions of people worldwide.

#'s 2 and 1 have something in common: they were both written and directed by James Cameron. #2, Titanic, with gate receipts of $1,843,201,268, is an epic telling of the sinking of the ship that couldn't be sunk. It was a first rate love story that tugged at the heartstrings of millions of people around the globe, and held the #1 spot at the box office for nearly 13 years.

Titanic gave way to this year's mega-blockbuster Avatar, which remained one of the top five box office films each week for 13 weeks in a row. Amassing an incredible $2,668,266,471, it is the only film in history to top the $2 billion mark, which makes James Cameron the hottest commodity in Hollywood, or just about anywhere else on the planet for that matter.

It's interesting to note that 4 of these films were made in this century, and 17 of the top 20 highest grossing films of all time have been made since the turn of the century- something to think about if you're an aspiring filmmaker, writer, or actor. You picked the right century to shoot for the stars!

About the Author

Lincoln Wilder loves all things entertainment. His weekly music blog is a compilation of celebrity madness, album reviews, concert news, & sleezy celebrity drama; always written with absolute honesty and irresistible hints of sarcasm. Armed with only a laptop and Qwest high speed Internet, Wilder surfs the streams for the latest and not always greatest of the music world. If it involves music and is notable, it's on his blog. While some call it madness, he calls it living, (not "a living," as that would suggest compensation of some kind). Wilder does what he does purely for the joy of it, and is always open to the suggestions of his followers.

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