Zoe Saldana has officially taken the box office crown.
Thanks to the massive success of “Avatar: Fire and Ash”, Zoe Saldana is now the highest-grossing actor of all time, with her films earning a jaw-dropping $16.8 billion worldwide. Yes, billion with a B. That puts her ahead of some very familiar names and cements her place in movie history.
The new milestone bumps Scarlett Johansson out of the top spot.
Scarlett Johansson now sits at number two with $16.4 billion in total box office earnings. Not exactly a bad consolation prize, but still, second place hurts when you were just winning. Rounding out the rest of the top five are Samuel L. Jackson at number three, Robert Downey Jr. at number four, and Chris Pratt at number five. If you’re sensing a theme here, you’re not wrong. Marvel actors dominate this list like it’s their job, because, well, it kind of was.
Saldana’s rise to the top is no accident. She happens to be a key player in two of the biggest movie franchises of all time. Between “Avatar”, “Star Trek” and the Marvel Cinematic Universe, she has been quietly stacking box office wins for years. While some actors bounce from franchise to franchise, Saldana locked into the right ones and stayed there. That long-term strategy just paid off in a historic way.
The rest of the Top 10 reads like a blockbuster hall of fame. Tom Cruise lands at #6, followed by Chris Hemsworth at #7, Vin Diesel at #8, Chris Evans at #9, and Dwayne Johnson closing things out at #10. It’s basically a list of people who have spent the last decade saving the world, blowing things up, or both.
What makes Saldana’s achievement especially impressive is how under-the-radar it feels.
She’s not always the loudest name in the marketing, but she consistently shows up in movies that absolutely dominate theaters worldwide. “Fire and Ash” simply pushed her over the edge, turning a long, successful career into a record-breaking one.
So congratulations to Zoe Saldana, the new queen of the box office. If Hollywood were a video game, she just unlocked the final achievement.
Everyone has that one movie they swear is a masterpiece… and another person who absolutely cannot understand the hype.
Movie arguments are basically a sport at this point, and this list of the most overrated movies of all time will undoubtedly create chaos.
Taking the number one spot is “Joker” from 2019. Joaquin Phoenix won an Oscar, the movie made over a billion dollars, and yet plenty of people walked out feeling like it was trying way too hard to be deep. For every fan who calls it a gritty character study, there is someone else who says it is just two hours of misery dressed up as brilliance.
Right behind it is “The Shawshank Redemption”, which might be the most shocking inclusion for a lot of people. It’s constantly ranked as one of the greatest films ever made, especially online, but critics of the hype argue that its reputation has grown far beyond what the movie actually delivers.
“Up” from Pixar lands at number three, and this one hurts. The reasoning, though, makes sense. The opening 20 minutes are widely considered one of the most emotional sequences in film history. The argument is that the rest of the movie never quite reaches those same heights.
Other modern favorites also made the cut, including “Everything Everywhere All at Once”, “The Revenant”, “Gravity”, and “American Hustle”.
Each of these movies was praised heavily at release, won awards or dominated pop culture, and then slowly picked up backlash from viewers who felt the hype machine went into overdrive.
Classic films were not spared either. “Gone with the Wind”, “The Birds”, “Miracle on 34th Street”, and “Once Upon a Time in America” all show up, proving that even movies considered untouchable can still be called overrated by newer audiences.
Romance fans will notice “The Notebook” on the list, while nostalgia lovers might not be thrilled to see “Grease”, “The Breakfast Club”, “Top Gun”, and “Elf” all labeled as overpraised. Even “Fight Club” and “Good Will Hunting” did not escape criticism, which feels like a direct challenge to film bros everywhere.
The full list also includes “Friday the 13th”, “Gladiator”, “Amélie”, “Prisoners”, “Desperately Seeking Susan”, and “Private Benjamin”. In other words, no genre is safe.
At the end of the day, calling a movie overrated does not mean it’s bad. It just means expectations got so high that some viewers walked away unimpressed. And honestly, without lists like this, what would we even argue about online?
Trying to rank the best cartoon characters of all time is basically asking for chaos.
Everyone has their favorites, everyone has nostalgia blinders on, and everyone is convinced their childhood cartoons were objectively better. MovieWeb.com leaned into that chaos anyway and released a ranked list of the Top 20 cartoon characters ever, and honestly, it is pretty solid, even if it is guaranteed to start arguments.
At the very top of the list is Mickey Mouse, the original cartoon superstar and the face of an entire entertainment empire. Mickey has been around for nearly a century and somehow remains instantly recognizable to kids, parents, and grandparents alike. Right behind him is Bugs Bunny, the wisecracking Looney Tunes icon who turned sarcasm into an art form long before it was cool.
Landing at number three is the entire Simpsons family, which feels like a bit of a cheat but also completely justified. Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie have been cultural fixtures for decades, shaping comedy, satire, and animated TV in a way few characters ever have.
SpongeBob SquarePants takes the fourth spot, representing a newer generation of cartoon dominance. He is endlessly quotable, wildly expressive, and somehow appeals to kids and exhausted adults at the same time. Fred Flintstone comes in at number five, reminding everyone that cartoons were doing prime-time TV long before streaming existed.
Classic chaos lands at number six with Tom and Jerry, while Ash Ketchum and Pikachu from “Pokémon” grab the seventh spot. Scooby-Doo checks in at number eight, proving that cowardly mystery-solving dogs never go out of style.
Rounding out the top ten are Snoopy and Charlie Brown at nine, followed by Optimus Prime at ten. One brings quiet, existential humor, and the other brings robots, explosions, and inspirational speeches.
The middle of the list features the “South Park” kids at eleven, the “Rugrats” gang at twelve, and Wile E. Coyote with the Road Runner at thirteen. Daffy Duck and Porky Pig follow at fourteen and fifteen, representing the golden age of animation absurdity.
Tweety and Sylvester come in at sixteen, Garfield at seventeen, Casper the Friendly Ghost at eighteen, and Popeye the Sailor Man at nineteen. Closing out the list at number twenty are the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, who have somehow remained cool through multiple generations, reboots, and pizza-related catchphrases.
No list like this will ever make everyone happy, but that is kind of the point. Whether you grew up with Saturday morning cartoons, after-school reruns, or streaming marathons, these characters helped define pop culture. The full list goes to 35, and if your favorite didn’t make it, congratulations, you have just found your next argument.
Some classic movies celebrate their golden anniversaries this year. Here are 26 movies . . . both great and not-so-great . . . that turn 50 in ’26.
“Taxi Driver”
Robert De Niro is a lonely man in an ugly city that just doesn’t give a damn . . . much like Joaquin Phoenix in “Joker”, a film heavily inspired by “Taxi Driver”. In an ironic twist, “Joker” features De Niro as the man who pretty much pushes Joaquin’s character over the edge.
In addition to “Joker” and countless pop culture references to the classic line “You talkin’ to me?”, the film also inspired the real-life attempt on President Ronald Reagan’s life in 1981. Would be assassin John Hinckley Jr. was obsessed with Jodie Foster’s portrayal of a 12-year-old prostitute, and did it to impress her.
“The Bad News Bears”
The ultimate underdog story. There’s real heart underneath all the profanity and vulgarity, and anyone who’s ever played Little League will tell you that this movie really gets it right.
The 2005 remake, featuring Billy Bob Thornton taking the reigns from Walter Matthau as the team’s ne’er-do-well alcoholic coach, isn’t terrible . . . although it ultimately wimps out by having the kids celebrate nearly winning the championship with NON-ALCOHOLIC beer.
WARNING: This trailer contains racial slurs:
“All the President’s Men”
A film about American journalists with the guts to stand up to government corruption? File this one under “Fiction”.
“Family Plot”
Although it got overwhelmingly positive reviews at the time of its release, this is not considered among Alfred Hitchcock’s great films. It’s mostly notable for being his last.
“The Omen”
What “The Exorcist” did in bringing demonic possession into the public consciousness, “The Omen” did for the Antichrist. While considered the lesser of the two, this one is a lot more fun. The creative kills, which were amped up for 1978’s “Damien: The Omen 2”, were obvious precursors to Rube Goldberg-esque death sequences in the “Final Destination” films.
“The Outlaw Josey Wales”
One of Clint Eastwood’s best-loved Westerns, based on the 1973 novel “The Rebel Outlaw Josey Wales”, by half-Cherokee author Forrest Carter. But check this out:
While doing promotion for the movie, Forrest Carter was exposed as Asa Earl Carter, a notorious segregationist and KKK leader . . . who wrote the infamous line “Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever” for Alabama Governor George Wallace.
“Car Wash”
A landmark comedy with a killer theme song and some top-of-the-line black comedians and musicians, including Richard Pryor, The Pointer Sisters, Garrett Morris, Bill Duke, Franklyn Ajaye, Antonio Fargas, and . . . George Carlin???
The script was written by Joel Schumacher, who would go on to direct “St. Elmo’s Fire”, “The Lost Boys”, “The Client”, “A Time to Kill”, “Batman Forever”, and, regrettably, “Batman & Robin”.
“Carrie”
One of the greatest horror movies of all time, this one put director Brian DePalma on the map, and netted stars Sissy Spacek and Piper Laurie Oscar nominations.
It also features John Travolta saying “Git ‘er done” decades before Larry the Cable Guy based his entire act on the line.
“Rocky”
What’s left to say about this one, other than the fact that it could have been a much different movie. Sylvester Stallone wrote it, and was determined to star in it. He even rejected a six-figure deal that would have seen someone else playing the lead role. As would happen with Rocky in the film, Stallone’s dogged persistence paid off.
“Freaky Friday”
The O.G., starring Jodie Foster and Barbara Harris in the Lindsay Lohan / Jamie Lee Curtis roles. It was actually based on a novel of the same name by Mary Rodgers, published in 1972.
Honorable, and Dishonorable, Mentions:
“The Man Who Fell to Earth”: A British sci-fi drama starring David Bowie.
“Grizzly”: A “Jaws” rip-off rushed into theaters in less than a year, about an 18-foot killer grizzly bear.
“Mother, Jugs & Speed”: Guess which one Raquel Welch played?
“The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane”: A effective thriller starring a precocious Jodie Foster and a super-creepy Martin Sheen. (Yeah, Jodie Foster was all over the place in ’76.)
“Food of the Gods”: If “Man fights giant chicken” is all you need to hear to prompt you to seek this one out, you’re my kinda people.
“Murder by Death”: A hilarious whodunit that suffers from a very dated performance by Peter Sellers as a Charlie Chan-style Asian detective.
“Squirm”: Killer worms, you say? Sign me up!
“Bugsy Malone”: An all-kid gangster musical comedy starring Scott Baio and . . . are you freakin’ kidding me??? . . . Jodie Foster again.
“Marathon Man”: A thriller starring Dustin Hoffman as a long-distance runner who gets caught up in a plot by Nazi war criminals to retrieve stolen diamonds.
“The Song Remains the Same”: The legendary Led Zeppelin concert film.
“Buffalo Rider”: A bizarre little flick that would, decades later, inspire the hilarious YouTube parody series, “Guy on a Buffalo“.
“Assault on Precinct 13”: A tense, pre-“Halloween” thriller from John Carpenter.
“Network”: A TV news satire that still hits.
“A Star is Born”: Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson in the third of what are now FOUR versions of this story.
“Silver Streak”: The first of four Richard Pryor / Gene Wilder collabs.
“King Kong”: Not great but not terrible (although I concede that this opinion is debatable), this remake features Jessica Lange in her debut film role.
If you love movie rankings, prestige cinema, or simply arguing with strangers online about which films actually deserve awards, Rolling Stone handed you a fresh piece of ammo.
The magazine released its official list of the 20 best movies of the year, and it’s full of buzzy titles, festival darlings, and at least one film your coworker has been begging you to watch for six months. Movie fans have already started debating the picks, which makes this a perfect moment for anyone googling phrases like best movies 2025, top films of the year, or Rolling Stone list.
Topping the collection is “One Battle After Another”, a film whose title alone feels like a summary of adulthood. Right behind it is “Hamnet”, the Shakespeare-adjacent drama that has been quietly dominating film conversations all season. Also landing in the upper tier are the spy thriller “Black Bag”, the historical drama “Train Dreams”, and the stylish French standout “Nouvelle Vogue”.
What makes Rolling Stone’s list fun is how wide the tonal range is. You get intense dramas like “No Other Choice”, charming indies such as “Sorry, Baby”, and the chaotic delight “Marty Supreme”, which somehow clawed its way into the Top 10. The mid-section includes emotionally charged picks like “Sentimental Value” and the art-house favorite “Peter Hujar’s Day”.
“Eddington” brings the tensions of the pandemic to a violent end, while “Orwell: 2+2=5” offers us a look at the career of “1984” author George Orwell. There are also films with big cultural buzz like “Universal Language”, “Best Wishes for All”, and the intriguingly titled “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl”, which absolutely sounds like something that played to ten-minute standing ovations at Cannes.
The list rounds out with a mix of genre films and heavy hitters: “The Phoenician Scheme”, “Caught by the Tides”, a fresh take on “Frankenstein”, and horror thriller “Weapons”. Even though they sit in the 11 through 20 slots, these movies have all had serious word-of-mouth energy this year.
Lists like this tend to reflect broader trends: more literary adaptations, more international filmmaking in the spotlight, and a whole lot of stories anchored in personal identity and political urgency.
Whether or not your favorites made the cut, Rolling Stone’s lineup shows how varied and experimental modern filmmaking has become. And hey, if you needed a new watchlist, here are 20 solid excuses to ignore your responsibilities for an entire weekend.
My main question is: Where is “Sinners” on this list?
If you need a little schadenfreude to go with your holiday cheer, buckle up.
“Paste“ magazine has officially crowned the worst Christmas movies ever made, and it is a spectacular parade of cinematic coal. If you love bad movies, cult classics, or anything involving killer snowmen, this is basically your Super Bowl.
This rundown has everything from campy horror to sequels literally no one asked for. At the top of the list is the beautifully awful “Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2”, the 1987 gem best known for the line “Garbage day!” If you’ve somehow never witnessed that scene, treat yourself.
What makes this ranking especially fun is the mix of styles. You get low-budget slashers, strange sequels, and those “How did this get made?” titles that only resurface during the holidays.
Here’s the Bottom 20:
“Silent Night, Deadly Night Part 2” (1987)
“Elves” (1989)
“Santa Claus” (1959)
“Last Ounce of Courage” (2012)
“A Karate Christmas Miracle” (2019)
“Jingle All the Way 2” (2014)
“Santa with Muscles” (1996)
“Santa Claws” (1996)
“A Christmas Story 2”(2012)
“Jack Frost 2: Revenge of the Mutant Killer Snowman” (2000)
“Santa Claus Conquers the Martians” (1964)
“Deck the Halls” (2006)
“Surviving Christmas” (2004)
“Saving Christmas” (2014)
“Christmas Evil” (1980)
“The Nutcracker in 3D” (2009)
“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” (1998)
“Santa’s Slay” (2005)
“Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever” (2014)
“Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July” (1979)
If you use the holidays as an excuse to binge both classics and catastrophes, this list is your new watch guide. Just maybe pace yourself, or risk having “Jack Frost 2” haunt your dreams.
Every year the Die Hard argument rolls back into town like Mariah Carey defrosting on November 1st. But the Christmas movie gray area is way bigger than one Bruce Willis rooftop showdown.
A whole lineup of beloved films quietly sneak their way into the holiday conversation thanks to snow, twinkly lights, or one random Christmas tree that shows up for five seconds.
So if you’ve ever wondered whether a movie needs jingle bells, Santa, or at least one ugly sweater to qualify as a Christmas movie, here are 13 more films that keep the internet arguing.
First up, the entire Harry Potter franchise. Even though only parts of each movie happen at Christmas, the cozy Hogwarts vibe, the snow-covered grounds, and that first Great Hall holiday feast have permanently connected Harry and the holidays in people’s minds. Movie eight is the only one that skips the festive spirit, but the franchise as a whole still gets honorary holiday status.
Speaking of moody snow, Batman Returns earns its place simply because Gotham decorates like it’s trying to win a neighborhood lights contest. The giant Christmas tree alone seals the deal.
And then there’s Eyes Wide Shut. Despite the steamy storyline, it’s undeniably set during holiday season.
Gremlins is maybe the most obvious Christmas-adjacent pick on this list. It has a Christmas gift, Christmas carols, and tiny troublemakers, so it gets a big “yes.” First Blood is a funnier case, because it technically includes a single Christmas tree in one scene, which some fans treat as a binding legal argument.
Trading Places brings holiday chaos with its tipsy Santa moment, while Kiss Kiss Bang Bang and Iron Man 3 both take place in Los Angeles during the Christmas season. Shane Black, the director of both, basically treats Christmas like his favorite film set accessory.
Other classics sneak in through tone. Edward Scissorhands has that dreamy winter fairytale feeling. Lethal Weapon opens with Christmas music. Rocky covers multiple holidays and basically treats the entire winter season like one big emotional montage. And Hook sets its real-world scenes at Christmastime before we head off to Neverland.
And finally, The Nightmare Before Christmas remains the movie most likely to start a fight at family gatherings. Christmas movie? Halloween movie? The only correct answer is: yes.
Everyone has that one holiday movie they’ll defend with the passion of a thousand jingle bells.
But instead of arguing over hot cocoa again this year, we finally have something resembling science to settle the debate. A new study took 20 popular holiday films and ran them through 20 different data points to determine the ultimate Christmas movie of all time. Yes, it is possible to quantify festive spirit, and yes, someone actually did it.
Researchers broke their ranking into four main categories. They counted Christmas references in each movie, including things like Christmas outfits, holiday songs, uses of the word “Christmas,” and any direct Santa sightings. Then they compared that with the film’s box office success, critic and audience reviews, and how much festive buzz each movie still generates across social media and search trends every December.
And according to the data, the most Christmas-y Christmas movie of all time is the original Home Alone.
Surprised? While it scored lower than you’d expect in sheer Christmas references, the movie crushed the competition in box office performance and long-term holiday hype. Even with just five shots of Christmas outfits, 11 Christmas songs, 13 uses of the word “Christmas,” and a single Santa cameo, Kevin McCallister still reigns supreme.
Here is the top ten, in case you need to update your holiday watchlist:
Home Alone (1990)
Elf (2003)
Love Actually (2003)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000, Jim Carrey version)
The Santa Clause (1994)
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Arthur Christmas (2011)
Gremlins (1984)
The Polar Express (2004)
National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
For the people who insist Die Hard is a Christmas movie and will absolutely not let that argument die, good news and bad news. It did make the list, but it landed just outside the top ten at number eleven. It was followed by Home Alone 2 and Scrooged.
So whether your holiday vibe is cozy, chaotic, romantic, spooky, or aggressively pro-Bruce Willis, now you can cite actual data when declaring your favorite Christmas movie the rightful king of the season. Merry science to all, and to all a good movie night.
When it comes to holiday movies, we like to pretend everything is cozy, sparkly, and wrapped in a bow. But deep down, we all know the truth.
Christmas movies would not hit the same without a deliciously grumpy, cackling, chaos-loving villain stirring the hot cocoa.
And thanks to “People“ magazine, we now have an official ranking of the Greatest Christmas Movie Villains of All Time.
It includes everything from old-school classics to modern holiday mischief, and it proves one thing: Christmas might be all about goodwill, but audiences really love a character we can boo from the couch while wearing pajama pants.
Topping the list is Mr. Potter from “It’s a Wonderful Life”, played by Lionel Barrymore.
He is the ultimate Christmas curmudgeon, a man who looks at holiday cheer the way most of us look at expired eggnog. His brand of villainy is grounded in pure greed and zero remorse, which pretty much makes him the blueprint for every cinematic holiday grouch that came after. (Fun bonus trivia: Lionel Barrymore is Drew Barrymore’s great uncle.)
Right behind him is Oogie Boogie from “The Nightmare Before Christmas”.
If you enjoy your villains with a little musical flair and a whole lot of creepy charm, Oogie’s your guy. He is basically a festive fever dream made of burlap and bad intentions.
Coming in third is the neighborhood tormenter of every kid’s childhood, Scut Farkus from “A Christmas Story”.
His entire personality hinges on bullying children in the snow while wearing that iconic coonskin hat. Generations of viewers still flinch when they hear his name.
It is a fun reminder that holiday movies are not just twinkly lights and heartfelt lessons. They are also home to some of the most memorable villains ever created, the kind we love to hate because they make the hero’s big Christmas redemption feel that much sweeter.
And if People ever expands the list, yes, Stripe from Gremlins absolutely deserves a spot.
Here’s the full list:
Mr. Potter (Lionel Barrymore) from “It’s a Wonderful Life”
Oogie Boogie from “The Nightmare Before Christmas”
Scut Farkus from “A Christmas Story”
Comet and the Abominable Snow Monster from “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”
Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) from “Die Hard”
Ted Maltin (Phil Hartman) from “Jingle All the Way”
Harry and Marv (Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern) from “Home Alone”
The Grinch (Jim Carrey) from “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”
Ebenezer Scrooge (George C. Scott) from the 1984 version of “A Christmas Carol”
Jack Frost (Martin Short) from “The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause”
If you want to start a fight in a group chat, just ask everyone to name the greatest comedy movie of all time.
Variety apparently did exactly that, then poured gasoline on the internet by rankingAirplane! at a criminally low #62. Sixty. Two. At that point, why even make a list? But hey, their Top 20 still gives plenty to argue about, especially if you’re into classic comedies, cult favorites, or movies your parents insist “you just had to be there” to appreciate.
For anyone Googling best comedy movies, top comedy films ever, or funniest movies of all time, here’s what Variety says belongs at the top of the pile.
Their number one pick is The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! and honestly, that’s a choice with big goofy energy.
Leslie Nielsen’s deadpan genius absolutely deserves recognition, even if we can debate whether it’s the single greatest comedy ever made. Right behind it is Some Like It Hot, the 1959 classic that’s still quoted, referenced, and studied today. Billy Wilder fans are celebrating, teenagers everywhere are shrugging, and film professors are pumping their fists in victory.
Meanwhile, Annie Hall sits at #3, followed by The Great Dictator at #4, proving the list leans heavily on iconic, influential films, not just the ones that make you spit out your drink laughing. By the time you hit the middle of the Top 10, the list really starts to feel like a comedy hall of fame: Waiting for Guffman, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Duck Soup, Fargo, Young Frankenstein, and Groundhog Day. This is basically the comedy starter pack for anyone who wants to pretend they’re serious about cinema.
Spot #11 goes to Buster Keaton’s silent-era masterpiece Sherlock Jr., which probably delighted exactly three cinephiles while confusing everyone who just wanted to know where Step Brothers is.
Tootsie, Dr. Strangelove, and Sideways follow, giving the list a nice mix of satire, character comedy, and movies your dad quotes annually.
Then you get deep cuts like Playtime and His Girl Friday, plus cult classics like The Heartbreak Kid and mockumentary legend This Is Spinal Tap. Rounding it out are It Happened One Night and Superbad, the lone modern teen comedy in the Top 20, representing an entire generation that believes McLovin is basically Shakespeare.
Is this list perfect? Absolutely not. Is ranking Airplane! outside the Top 10 a cinematic crime? Yes. Should we still enjoy arguing about it? Always.
Here’s the full Top 20 according to Variety:
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
Annie Hall (1977)
The Great Dictator (1940)
Waiting for Guffman (1996)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975)
Duck Soup (1933)
Fargo (1996)
Young Frankenstein (1974)
Groundhog Day (1993)
Sherlock Jr. (1924)
Tootsie (1982)
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Sideways (2004)
Playtime (1967)
His Girl Friday (1940)
The Heartbreak Kid (1972)
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
It Happened One Night (1934)
Superbad (2007)
Feel free to yell your disagreements into the void. Variety probably can’t hear you over the sound of all that chaos they just caused.
![TAXI DRIVER [1976] - Official Trailer (HD)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/T5IligQP7Fo/hqdefault.jpg)
