Highest-Grossing Films Bar Graph

The bar graph above is a visualization of the top three highest-grossing films in the US from 2017 to 2023. On the left, the revenue is listed in the millions, with films like Black Panther and Top Gun: Maverick passing 700 million dollars in revenue - Avengers: Endgame even passed 800 million, which only Spider-Man: No Way Home managed after the fact due to what it grossed in 2022. There was a noticeable decline in revenue in 2019 outside of Endgame, followed by a steep decline in 2020 due to the pandemic setting in; none of its highest-grossing films are blockbusters, either, which likely has something to do with how those don't often release early in a year. Spider-Man: No Way Home heralded the beginning of significant box office gross for movies again at the tail end of 2021. From there, in 2022 and 2023, the highest-grossing films had success akin to those in prior years, though there are some noticeable differences - namely, compared to how in the 3 years prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Disney had 8 out of the 9 highest-grossing films under their belt, but post-pandemic, they only had 4, one of which was co-produced with Sony. Additionally, from 2021 onwards, all of the highest-grossing films except for Top Gun: Maverick are based on properties that were created for mediums other than films, namely comic books, video games, and toys. By comparison, prior to 2021, only 5 of the 12 highest-grossing films were based on properties that were adapted for film, instead of being based on properties conceived for film. There is more variety in the companies behind the highest-grossing films now, with Sony, Paramount, Warner Bros., and Universal all having top 3 films after 2020 (the year of the lockdowns), which can be regarded as a sign of a healthier marketplace. This bar graph does show that new releases are capable of reaching the heights of prior years as we move further away from the pandemic, indicating theaters are still able to produce successes on par with years past.