The summer movie season is home to some of the biggest blockbusters of the year. Every year, audiences can expect theaters to be packed with superhero movies, animated adventures, and other franchise favorites.
Many summer releases are among the highest-grossing movies of any year. We've looked back at the biggest movie of every summer since 2000, based on how much it made in the US (per numbers from Box Office Mojo), adjusted for inflation. We counted movies that came out May through August.
We've also provided the movie's original domestic gross, its worldwide gross, and its Rotten Tomatoes critic score for comparison. Some movies that raked in the big bucks performed terribly with critics.
Superheroes, animated movies, and Disney have ruled most summers in this timeframe. Six of the movies below are animated, and eight are superhero movies. Others include entries in popular franchises like "Transformers" and "Harry Potter."
Below is the highest-grossing movie in the US of every summer since 2000:
2000: "Mission: Impossible 2"
Release date: May 4, 2000
Adjusted domestic gross: $370,473,000
Original domestic gross: $215,409,889
Original worldwide gross: $546,388,105
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 57%
2001: "Shrek"
Release date: May 16, 2001
Adjusted domestic gross: $438,384,200
Original domestic gross: $267,665,011
Original worldwide gross: $484,409,218
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 88%
2002: "Spider-Man"
Release date: May 3, 2002
Adjusted domestic gross: $644,123,600
Original domestic gross: $403,706,375
Original worldwide gross: $821,708,551
Rotten Tomatoes critic score: 89%
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