2015 was an incredible year for movies, with the advent of streaming services helping people find new ways to watch at home, while a series of big-budget blockbusters (including new entries in two of the biggest film franchises ever) kept theaters full. The year also saw a record-breaking five movies make $1 billion or more, worldwide, during their theatrical runs.
But which of 2015's biggest movies are actually worth a watch (or re-watch) and which can be skipped? Well, each one of the year's top 10 movies by gross profit has at least 200,000 ratings on IMDb, making for a spectacular dataset that can be used to rank them by public opinion.
Minions - 6.4 - $1,159,398,397
July's Minions was a spinoff of Illumination Entertainment's Despicable Me series. The animated kiddie-flick was expected to be a box-office hit from the very beginning, as its announcement coincided with the emerging of its titular yellow protagonists as a cultural symbol.
Minions made more than $1.1 billion worldwide, making it the highest-grossing non-Disney animated movie of all time, as well as the fifth-highest-grossing movie of 2015. While critics weren't endeared to its toyetic stars, there was some praise offered for the animation, as well as the performance of Sandra Bullock in a villain role.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2 - 6.6 - $658,344,137
Making $658 million at the worldwide box office, Mockingjay - Part 2 (the conclusion to the Hunger Games saga) was a financial darling for Lionsgate, if not to the extent of its hyped-up predecessors. It follows two-time Hunger Games survivor and newly-classified insurgent Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) as she and a group of followers infiltrate the Capitol of Panem to assassinate the tyrannical President Snow.
Mockingjay - Part 2 was recognized as a satisfying end to the saga's grim but hopeful story, although the decision to split the adaptation of Mockingjay into two parts was met with some derision from both fans of the series and movie reviewers.
Spectre - 6.8 - $880,674,609
While it couldn't reach the box-office heights of the previous Bond installment, Skyfall, Spectre's $880 million gross marked yet another massive success for the Sony Pictures property. Spectre stars Daniel Craig as debonair secret agent James Bond as he hunts down the leader of a global terrorist organization.
While it received praise for Craig's performance and its stunning visual effects, some reviews found the story lacking and unimaginative, as well as overly convoluted compared to previous Bond entries.
Jurassic World - 7.0 - $1,670,400,637
Released in June to usher in the summer moviegoing crowd, Jurassic World was a reboot of the franchise launched by Stephen Spielberg's culturally-celebrated thriller adaptation Jurassic Park. While it was just one of 2015's many billion-dollar franchise films, its $1.6 billion gross undoubtedly helped put the year in the books as one of the box office's best.
Set two decades after its predecessor, Jurassic World follows the titular dinosaur theme park's operations manager Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) and animal behaviorist Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) as they try to stop the trail of destruction left by an escaped dinosaur. While it received positive reviews for its performances and for maintaining the spirit of its franchise, some critics felt it couldn't meet its own lofty ambitions.
Furious 7 - 7.1 - $1,515,047,671
Furious 7 broke records when it was released in April by Universal Pictures, building enough steam to finish on an incredible $1.5 billion dollar gross that all but ensured a further series of sequels. After defeating criminal genius Owen Shaw, Dominic "Dom" Toretto and the rest of his crew are happy to be able to live normal lives again. Their newly-granted peace doesn't last long, however, as Shaw's vengeance-seeking brother is after them -- forcing the team to reassemble to stop yet another powerful threat.
Boosted in its reviewers' ratings by well-written drama interlined with incredible stunts, Furious 7 was perhaps the best entry in a franchise that was always more considered with thrills and spills than lasting emotional impact.
Avengers: Age Of Ultron - 7.3 - $1,402,805,868
The eleventh entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, April's Avengers: Age of Ultron follows the titular superhero group, led by Tony Stark/Iron Man, as they face their biggest threat yet -- Ultron, a sentient, power-hungry AI created by Tony himself.
Proving that the Marvel universe wouldn't be going away any time soon, the film surpassed the expectations set for it by its 2012 predecessor to finish with a whopping $1.4 billion gross. Based on reviews from both professional critics and the mainstream, it's not one of the worst MCU films, nor one of the best, but it ranks as a wholly watchable, squarely above-average addition to the Marvel canon.
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation - 7.4 - $682,714,267
July's Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation follows Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt, a rogue secret agent hiding out from the CIA while trying to expose the deadly plot of a global crime ring known as the Syndicate.
The film made $682 million at the box office, in part because its adrenaline-packed action scenes and clever writing drew in even the most stingy of critics. A sequel, Mission: Impossible - Fallout, was released in 2018 to similar critical and box office acclaim.
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens - 7.9 - $2,068,223,624
The first feature-length Star Wars movie since 2008's critically-panned The Clone Wars, December's Star Wars - Episode VII: The Force Awakens follows Rey, Finn, and Poe – members of a Resistance movement led by Leia Organa – as they prepare for a confrontation against the tyrannical First Order.
The long-awaited sequel to Return of the Jedi still holds the all-time domestic box-office record, and its final worldwide tally (which comes in at more than $2 billion total) is the fourth-highest ever. Critics were fairly positive, praising the characters, action, and story, though some retrospective reviews claimed the movie was too much a rehash of its acclaimed predecessors.
The Martian - 8.0 - $630,161,890
An adaptation of Andy Weir's debut novel of the same name, Ridley Scott's The Martian was released in September. The main narrative follows Mark Watney, an astronaut having to survive on his wits alone while stranded on Mars. As the whole world watches, NASA is forced to come up with a plan to save Mark before his rations run low.
The Martian was a surprise box office success, becoming one of the highest-grossing original movies of all time, with a global intake of more than $630 million worldwide. It also received praise from both critics and mainstream audiences for its atmospheric drama, dry humor, and scientific realism, though some reviews called the characters unlikable and felt the narrative was cut-and-dry.
Inside Out - 8.1 - $857,611,174
Directed by animation veteran Pete Doctor, Pixar's Inside Out was seen by many as a return to form for the studio, with had floundered in recent years by focusing on sequels instead of original movies. The film follows Riley, a young girl dealing with a difficult move, as the personifications of her emotions (Anger, Disgust, Joy, Fear, and Sadness) control things from inside her head.
The film broke records with a $90 million opening, building towards an $857 million worldwide box office that cemented it as one of Pixar's greatest hits.