Top 10 Highest-Grossing Movies of 2018

• Budget: $200 million
• Box Office: $1.24 billion

The Incredibles debuted in 2004, offering an entertaining and humorous tale of a family of superheroes hiding out in a quiet suburban neighborhood, only to be called upon to save the world. In 2018, Incredibles 2 hit theaters and quickly became a box-office sensation, breaking records for animated films. While the humor and thrilling action sequences remained strong, the movie faltered with a confusing plot and underdeveloped characters.

Incredibles 2 picks up with the Parr family, who continue their efforts to make the world a better place, only to be rejected by society due to the collateral damage caused by their heroics. Realizing the problem lies in the public's perception, two media moguls, obsessed with superheroes, offer a partnership to change public opinion. The twist? They select Helen (Elastigirl) as the face of the mission, leaving Bob (Mr. Incredible) to take on the role of stay-at-home dad, managing their rebellious daughter Violet, rapidly growing son Dash, and their precocious baby Jack-Jack, whose powers are starting to emerge. The adventure intensifies as new villains surface, pulling the family into an all-new challenge that requires teamwork to overcome.

• Budget: $100 million
• Box Office: $853 million

Although Venom had made previous appearances on the big screen, it never truly left a lasting impression. In Spider-Man 3, the character played by Topher Grace lacked the distinct personality of Venom, and even the iconic line "We are Venom" was absent. Fans of the comic were disappointed, feeling that Sony had created a half-hearted villain. To rectify this, Sony teamed up with Marvel to produce a solo film that would give the character a fresh, more complex identity, which excited many fans.

In the 2018 version of Venom, the story follows Eddie Brock, a journalist who is assigned to interview Carlton Drake, the head of the Life Foundation. A man of integrity, Eddie disobeys orders to investigate the shady activities of the organization, which leads to him losing everything: his job, his girlfriend, and his home. Forced to live in hardship, Eddie struggles with daily survival.

One day, a scientist from Life Foundation reaches out to Eddie for help in exposing the unethical experiments they are conducting. While gathering evidence, Eddie inadvertently becomes infected by a symbiote named Venom, merging with the creature to embark on a violent and intense journey together.

• Budget: $178 million
• Box Office: $787.49 million

After capturing Solomon Lane (Sean Harris), the mastermind behind the Syndicate terrorist network in Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015), Ethan Hunt and his team thought they could finally relax. However, despite this victory, the remnants of the Syndicate quickly regroup and form a new faction called The Apostles, who seek to continue Solomon's vision of toppling the current world order. To stop the group from executing a plan to wipe out a third of the global population, the IMF (Impossible Missions Force) orders Ethan Hunt to track them down and eliminate the threat once and for all.

In an attempt to prevent the Apostles from obtaining materials to build nuclear bombs, Ethan Hunt's mission goes awry when he prioritizes saving his old friend, Luther (Ving Rhames). This results in the CIA stepping in, sending their best agent, August Walker (Henry Cavill), to monitor Ethan's every move. Alongside his new team, Ethan must recover the stolen plutonium cores before it’s too late, all while uncovering the identity of the mysterious leader behind the Apostles.

• Budget: $110 million
• Box Office: $737.7 million

Two years after his box office success, the foul-mouthed, violent mercenary Deadpool returns in his signature, irreverent style. After reuniting with his girlfriend Vanessa (Morena Baccarin), Wade Wilson/Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) continues his mercenary work. A heartbreaking event leads him to meet the young mutant Russell Collins (Julian Dennison), bringing him face-to-face with a formidable new foe: Cable (Josh Brolin).

Cable, a super soldier from a dystopian future, believes Russell must be killed to prevent a catastrophic future. To face the powerful Cable, Deadpool assembles a new team of misfit mutants called X-Force.

Deadpool 2 stays true to a simple, linear storyline but adds its own flair by introducing new mutants with unique personalities. The film delivers plenty of witty, satirical humor and intense, R-rated fight scenes that made the first film such a hit.

• Budget: $162 million
• Box Office: $621.9 million

Set after the events of Captain America: Civil War (2016), Ant-Man and the Wasp follows Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), who is under house arrest for violating the Sokovia Accords by siding with Captain America (Chris Evans). One day, Scott experiences a strange dream involving Janet Van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer), the original Wasp. This reignites Hank Pym’s (Michael Douglas) hope of finding his long-lost wife. Hank and his daughter Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) build a device to enter the Quantum Realm, but their mission is interrupted by an enigmatic villain known as Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen). Meanwhile, arms dealer Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins) is scheming to steal Hank’s quantum technology.

While Ant-Man and the Wasp isn't one of the standout films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it still succeeds in delivering an entertaining experience for audiences and generates significant box office revenue for Marvel Studios. The film also teases connections to Avengers 4 (2019), especially through the after-credits scene involving the Quantum Realm, which ties into the events of Thanos' snap that wipes out half of the universe's population.

• Budget: $175 million
• Box Office: $578.6 million

Directed by Steven Spielberg, this high-budget blockbuster dazzles with cutting-edge special effects and delights audiences with nods to pop culture. Set in a future Earth ravaged by climate change, overpopulation, and environmental disasters, the world of the 21st century is a grim place to live. Humanity now resides in overcrowded slums or towering apartment complexes made from salvaged truck cabins. To escape this harsh reality, people turn to OASIS, a virtual world where they can become anyone, do anything, and travel anywhere their imagination allows.

The OASIS was created by computer genius James Halliday (Mark Rylance), who designed countless virtual spaces and characters inspired by iconic 1980s pop culture, including movies and video games. Before his death, Halliday hid three virtual keys within the OASIS, and the person who finds them would gain control of the virtual universe, essentially becoming the ruler of the digital lives of people worldwide.

The key to unlocking the first treasure – the Copper Key – is discovered by 18-year-old Wade Watts (Tye Sheridan), known as Parzival in the OASIS. His knowledge of Halliday’s life and some luck lead him to the first clue. But to find the remaining treasures – the Jade Key and Crystal Key – Parzival will need the help of his friends from the High Five: Samantha Cook (Art3mis, played by Olivia Cooke), Helen (Aech, played by Lena Waithe), and the two brothers Daito (Win Morisaki) and Sho (Philip Zhao).

• Budget: $210 million
• Box Office: $1.3 billion

Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1966, Black Panther is one of the first African-American superheroes in the comic book world, predating iconic characters like Falcon (1969), Luke Cage (1972), John Stewart (1971), and Blade (1973). However, Black Panther is not just one individual – it is the title held by the kings of the fictional African nation of Wakanda. Wakanda is a technologically advanced civilization that has developed using the rare metal vibranium, which is superior to anything the outside world has discovered.

The film picks up immediately after the events of Captain America: Civil War. Following the death of his father, King T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) returns to his homeland to ascend the throne. After enduring a series of trials, he is crowned the new king of Wakanda.

At the same time, Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis), the infamous black market arms dealer from Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), steals a vibranium artifact from a British museum. Klaue has a personal vendetta with Wakanda, having previously stolen vibranium, causing the deaths of many of its people. Upon learning of Klaue's whereabouts, T'Challa vows to bring him to justice, which leads to a high-stakes pursuit during an illicit arms deal in South Korea.

• Budget: $205 million
• Box Office: $1.3 billion

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom takes place three years after the events of Jurassic World, where the theme park on Isla Nublar has been abandoned and dinosaurs now roam freely. The dormant volcano on the island is once again about to erupt, and there is a dilemma on how to save the dinosaurs. Should the US government intervene to rescue them from extinction? Or should they let nature take its course and allow the dinosaurs to face their second extinction? Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard), now the leader of a dinosaur protection organization, strongly opposes abandoning the creatures.

She is summoned by Eli Mills (Rafe Spall) from Lockwood Estate, created by Benjamin Lockwood (James Cromwell), a former colleague of John Hammond. The mission is to save the dinosaurs from the island and relocate them to a safe haven. To save the Velociraptor named Blue, Claire enlists the help of Owen Grady (Chris Pratt). Along with them are Dr. Zia Rodriguez (Daniella Pineda) and analyst Franklin Webb (Justice Smith). However, their mission quickly encounters trouble when Claire and Owen uncover Eli Mills’ true intentions. In the end, they are unsure if they will even survive, let alone manage to rescue the dinosaurs.