Most Searched Movies The Past 6 Years: Marvel Reigned Supreme
In the fast-paced world of cinema, trends come and go, but some films manage to captivate audiences and dominate the digital landscape for an entire year. Some, for several more.
With the berth of the Internet, and now the dominance of streaming platforms, more and more movies are available to viewers. More and more people are also hitting the World Wide Web for information, reviews and updates on their favorite films.
The recent years have seen a diverse collection of movies capturing the collective imagination of audiences worldwide. From epic superhero sagas to animated masterpieces to empowering cinematic gems, we look back at the films that have not only dominated the box office but have also sparked countless online discussions and searches.
Here are the most searched movies on Google from 2018 to 2023.
2018: Avengers: Infinity War
"Avengers: Infinity War" is the first part in the two-part "Avengers" finale -- a culmination of a decade-long Marvel Cinematic Universe journey that started with the "Iron Man" in 2008.
"Infinity War" was a cinematic spectacle that brought together Marvel's mightiest superheroes in a desperate battle against the cosmic villain, Thanos, to save Earth. Remember the Infinity Stones? This was that film that united the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy and other allies together.
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, the film went on to break box-office records. At the time, it had the highest global opening weekend gross and was the fastest one to hit $1 billion and $1.5 billion in the box office.
The movie's impact on popular culture was undeniable, making it the most searched movie of 2018.
2019: Avengers: Endgame
This is almost a no-brainer.
The ultimate ending of the super successful original "Avengers" saga and phase three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, "Avengers: Endgame" was a massive success to say the least. Released a year after "Infinity War," it not only dominated the Internet in 2019, but it also shattered box office records. Some of it still stands to this day.
"Endgame" still holds the record for the biggest opening weekend of all time and the top single-day grosses. It is still the highest-grossing superhero film of all time and the fastest movie to hit $2 billion. "Endgame" is also the second highest-grossing movie of all time, just next to "Avatar."
"Endgame" was so popular that the first Avengers flick, 2012's "The Avengers," was even the third most searched film of that year!
The Marvel hit also had such a huge impact on popular culture that lines from the film are still being quoted to this day, with memes still famous online. "Avengers: Endgame's" ending (no spoilers here!) continues to be one of the most shocking and heartbreaking movie moments of the past decade.
We surely loved this movie 3,000 in 2019!
2020: Frozen
The pandemic year of 2020 was a break from a lot of things, including superhero hits. That year we were served some thought-provoking features like "Tenet," scandalous streaming titles like "365 Days" and powerful documentaries like "Athlete A." But what's interesting about the search trends in 2020 is that the most searched ones weren't even released that year!
Maybe it's because productions were on hold due to COVID-19, but "Parasite" (second), "Joker" (fourth) and "Frozen 2" (fifth) were all released in 2019. What's more, the most searched film that year is one from 2013 -- "Frozen"!
Yes, the Disney animated movie was the most searched film in 2020 likely because the sequel was released just two months before New Year, in November 2019.
"Frozen," which follows the story of Anna and her magical sister Elsa, was also a milestone film for Disney. It was a big hit among kids and adults alike, helping it become the highest-grossing movie of 2013. It was also the highest-grossing animated movie at the time, only to be eclipsed by "Frozen 2" and 2019's "The Lion King" (although this live-action remake isn't considered an "animation" by some). It now sits at fourth, next to "The Super Mario Bros. Movie."
2021: Spider-Man: No Way Home
2021 saw the return of the superheroes at the top of the searches and for good reason! Three Spider-Men in one movie -- what more could you ask for?
Bringing together the original Peter Parker, Tobey Maguire; not-so-loved Spidey, Andrew Garfield (we love him though!); and current web-slinger Tom Holland in one movie is a Marvel/ comic book nerd's dream come true. The result -- "Spider-Man: No Way Home" sitting atop Google's search trends for 2021 and $1.9 billion in global box office.
For months, rumors of a possible union of the three Spideys in one movie have swirled and when the movie was released, fans minds were blown. Not only were Maguire, Garfield and Holland together, but favorite Spider-Man villains were also brought back. Doc Oc, Green Goblin, Sandman and more.
This is one of the more recent blockbuster hits of Marvel, before it suffered an ill-fated box office slump.
2022: Top Gun Maverick
Tom Cruise + fighter jets = adrenaline and Google searches. "Top Gun Maverick" was 2022's top-searched movie.
Cruise returned as US Navy Captain Pete "Maverick" Mitchell after 36 years, with the same good looks and charisma (sans the famous underwear scene). What made "Top Gun 2" a must-watch then was the fact that all aerial and fighter jet scenes were real -- no CGI used! The production reportedly used IMAX-certified 6K full-frame cameras to film the adrenaline-pumping cuts.
"Top Gun Maverick" went on to score $1.4 billion in the global box office.
2023: Barbie
2023 was the year we were graced with "Barbenheimer." Two of the biggest movies of the year -- Warner Bros. Pictures's "Barbie" and Universal Pictures's "Oppenheimer" -- were both released on July 21, 2023, thus the portmanteau.
"Barbenheimer" topped box office charts last year, with "Barbie" taking the top spot with $1.45 billion worldwide. "Oppenheimer" was third at $952 million. "The Super Marios Bros. Movies" was runner-up with $1.36 billion.
The Google searches weren't too different either -- "Barbie" powered its way to the top, while "Oppenheimer" was second most searched.
Both movies have also been dominating awards shows, winning awards for the cast's performances and the films' well-told stories and excellent filmmaking.
Other movies on the list were "Avatar" The Way of Water" (third); 1997's "Titanic," which was re-released in 2023 to mark its 25th anniversary; and "John Wick: Chapter 4" at the fifth spot.
