All-time box office champions

Leading the pack at $2.78 billion (2.53 billion euros) is "Avatar," by director James Cameron. Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana and Sigourney Weaver, the epic sci-fi film follows a 22nd-century mining colony on the moon Pandora and the ensuing conflict with the original inhabitants, the Na'vi. Cameron is currently working on three sequels, with the first set for release in late 2017.

An earlier Cameron film, the worldwide smash hit "Titanic," has pulled in $2.19 billion over multiple rereleases since it premiered nearly 20 years ago. The film, which dramatized the April 1912 sinking of the British passenger liner on its maiden voyage, starred a young Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and a massive North Atlantic iceberg.

Four of the top 10 highest-grossing movies of all time were released this year - and that doesn't include "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," which is quickly rising through the ranks. The long-awaited sequel to Steven Spielberg's 1993 hit "Jurassic Park," released this past May, has earned nearly $1.7 billion worldwide. The inevitable sequel is due in June 2018.

The 2012 American superhero film "The Avengers" brought together the various Marvel franchises - Iron Man, Captain America, the Hulk and Thor - and went on to gross $1.52 billion, making it the fourth-highest grossing film to date. A sequel, " Avengers: Age of Ultron," was released in May 2015 and earned $1.4 billon. Two additional sequels are planned for 2018 and 2019.

The seventh installment in the "Fast and the Furious" franchise is, at the moment, the second-highest grossing film of the year, with $1.51 billion in global box office sales. Rounding out the top 10 as of December 28, 2015 are "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (2015), "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" (2011), "Frozen" (2013), "Iron Man 3" (2013) and "Minions" (2015).