As 'Spider Man: No Way Home' swings past $1 billion, here are seven biggest films of 2021

The web-slinger's franchise is the only film of the year to gross nine figures

Tom Holland in 'Spider Man: No Way Home', the only film to cross the $1 billion mark in 2021. Photo: Sony Pictures

Spider Man: No Way Home is officially the biggest film of the year.

The latest instalment of the web-slinger’s franchise swept past the $1 billion mark on Saturday, becoming the only film of 2021 to gross nine figures.

No Way Home achieved the feat 11 days after its release, putting it on par with Avengers: Infinity War as the second fastest film to gross a billion worldwide.

Avengers: Endgame is still the fastest to reach a billion, crossing the mark in five days.

With just a few days left until the end of the year, we look at seven of the highest-grossing films of 2021.

‘The Battle at Lake Changjin’

With a budget of $200 million, The Battle at Lake Changjin has been called the most expensive film ever made in China. The war film, directed by Chen Kaige, was commissioned by the Chinese Communist Party’s publicity department.

Set during the Korean war, it tells the story of Chinese soldiers defeating US troops at the Chosin Reservoir campaign during the 1950 battle.

The film has made more than $905m at the global box office, making it the second-highest grossing film of 2021.

‘Hi, Mom’

A Chinese family comedy written and directed by Jia Ling, Hi, Mom tells the story of a woman who travels back to 1981 to befriend her mother, hoping to give her a better life, husband and daughter.

The film has grossed more than $800m at the global box office. It is ranked as the third-highest grossing non-English film of all time, and the highest by a solo female director.

‘No Time to Die’

The latest 007 film was arguably one of the most eagerly anticipated films of 2021. It was initially set to be released last year, but was subject to a series of delays owing to the pandemic.

The film, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, marks the last time Daniel Craig takes on the role of the British MI6 agent. It also stars Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch, Billy Magnussen and Ana de Armas.

No Time to Die did not bring in as much money as the last two Craig-starring Bond films. However, it still made a respectable $774m at the global box office, making it the second-highest grossing Hollywood film of 2021.

‘F9: The Fast Saga’

The ninth iteration of the Fast and Furious franchise made more than $726 million at the global box office. While nowhere near the $1.5 billion mark set by Furious 7, the most successful film in the franchise, F9 still set several pandemic box office records when it was released earlier this summer.

The film brought many franchise favourites back together, including characters played by Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson and Ludacris. It also features newer characters played by John Cena, Helen Mirren and Charlize Theron.

‘Detective Chinatown 3’

The third instalment of the comedy Detective Chinatown series made more than $680m at the global box office, setting the record for the highest-grossing non-US R-rated film of all time.

The film, directed and written by Chen Sicheng, continues the adventures of detectives Tang Ren and Qin Feng. While the first two films in the series were set in Bangkok and New York, the third is set in Tokyo.

Detective Chinatown 3 was initially set for a 2020 release but was delayed until February 2021 because of the pandemic.

‘Venom: Let There be Carnage’

The sequel to Venom was initially slated for an October 2020 release date, but came out almost a full year later because of the pandemic.

In the Andy Serkis-directed film, Tom Hardy reprises his role as investigative journalist Eddie Brock, who is also host of an alien symbiote, Venom. The film also stars Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris and Woody Harrelson.

It made just over $500 million at the global box office, making it the seventh highest-grossing film of 2021.

‘Godzilla vs Kong’

Godzilla vs Kong was arguably the film that led a box office revival during the pandemic. The film, which pits two of the most famous monsters in pop culture in an epic fight, suffered major delays, finally being released in March 2021.

The film grossed more than $467m worldwide.