Secret identities and double lives. Action sequences with car chases and gun fights. Mysterious villains, cool gadgets, and treacherous missions. These are the ingredients for one of Hollywood's favorite genres: the spy thriller.
Movie audiences love a good spy thriller, and the numbers are there to prove it. Most spy films are big-budget blockbusters that rope in hundreds of millions of dollars. At one point, the genre was dominated by a special agent with a certain three digit codename. Other famous spies, however, have since joined James Bond's ranks. Some of their films started off as standalone adventures, but their massive success produced multiple sequels. Now the genre is dominated by several major franchises. Here are the top highest grossing spy thrillers of all time.
12 Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)
Compared to other entries on this list, Kingsman: The Secret Service is a relatively new series of spy films. A blend of action and comedy that's based on a comic book series, the movie follows a character named Eggsy (Taron Egerton) as he's recruited by Harry Hart (Colin Firth) into a secret, British spy organization called Kingsman. It's a load of fun that grossed $414 million at the global box office. Kingsman: The Secret Service was the first installment of the franchise and was later followed by a sequel and prequel. Unfortunately, the latter, The King's Man, turned out to be a box office bomb, temporarily putting any plans for another installment on hold.
11 Die Another Day (2002)
What's a list of spy films without the world-famous James Bond? The dapper, womanizing hitman is the OG of secret agents, and his films constructed the blueprint that all spy thrillers have come to follow. Here we have Bond's first entry on this list: Die Another Day. It grossed an impressive $431 million worldwide. Although it was a box office success, the film was a disappointment for both critics and fans, who criticized its unoriginal plot and excessive use of CGI. The most notable thing about the film was that it was Pierce Brosnan's fourth and final performance as the iconic double agent.
10 The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
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The Jason Bourne franchise is another beloved series of spy films. The first three movies follow a CIA assassin named Jason Bourne (Matt Damon), who's suffering from amnesia and trying to piece together his shady past. The Bourne Ultimatum is the third installment and also the most successful movie in the franchise, grossing over $442 million at the global box office. Damon didn't reprise his role in the sequel, The Bourne Legacy, but did return in 2016 for the fifth and (so far) final movie in the series, Jason Bourne.
9 Mission: Impossible (1996)
The original Mission: Impossible is a classic --not just as a spy thriller but as an overall film. It stars Tom Cruise and features one of the most famous stunt scenes of all time. Its score is iconic and is as synonymous with spy thrillers as the legendary tune from the James Bond series. Mission: Impossible was a box office hit, pulling in $457 million across the globe. Its success launched a franchise that produced six sequels, with two more set to release in 2023 and 2024. Today, the Mission: Impossible franchise has earned over $3.5 billion globally, making it the 18th-highest-grossing film series of all time.
8 Mission: Impossible II (2000)
The tremendous success of Mission: Impossible led to its first sequel, titled simply: Mission: Impossible II. It was directed by John Woo, a renowned filmmaker in the action movie world. Tom Cruise reprised his role as secret agent Ethan Hunt, as he did for every film in the series. It also starred Westworld's Thandie Newton, who was apparently terrified of Cruise while on set. Mission: Impossible II had a worldwide gross of $546 million, outperforming its predecessor by nearly $100 million.
7 Quantum of Solace (2008)
After the cliff-hanging ending of Casino Royale, fans were eager to see Daniel Craig return as James Bond. And he finally did in 2008 with Quantum of Solace. It picked up where the last film left off, which was unusual at the time for a 007 movie, and saw Bond pursue the mysterious organization that killed the woman he loved. The highly anticipated sequel killed it at the global box office, drawing in $586 million. But despite its commercial performance, the film received mixed reviews for its forgettable villain and boring plot.
6 Casino Royale (2006)
Casino Royale was a major installment in the James Bond franchise. It rebooted the series, doing away with campy plots and villains and giving audiences a more realistic take on the secret agent. It also provided Bond's origin story, showing his rise to double O status and the reason for his lack of attachments. Casino Royale also saw a new face play the role of James Bond: Daniel Craig. The film was based on the novel of the same name, which was actually the first ever appearance of 007, making it the perfect start for a series reboot. Casino Royale was a major hit, grossing $599 million worldwide. It's now a contender for the best James Bond film of all time.
5 Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation (2015)
Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation is the fifth installment in the Mission: Impossible franchise and marked the return of Tom Cruise's secret agent, Ethan Hunt.
It made $682 million at the global box office and was well-received by critics and audiences. The movie features one of the most iconic, death-defying Tom Cruise stunts in the series, where the actor is actually hanging on the outside of a moving plane. When looking only at its domestic box office numbers, Rogue Nation actually ends up being the second highest grossing film in the Mission: Impossible series.
4 Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)
Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol is the fourth installment in the Mission: Impossible series. Its predecessor, Mission: Impossible III, was a letdown for fans and received mixed reviews. Ghost Protocol, however, restored faith in the franchise and delivered a worthy, action-packed sequel. It wracked up $694 million at the global box office, making it one of the most successful entries in the series. It also features another insane stunt from Tom Cruise. Here, he scales the tallest building in the world, Burj Khalifa, and goes crashing through one of its windows.
3 Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)
Mission: Impossible - Fallout is the sixth entry in the Mission: Impossible franchise. Tom Cruise has obviously aged since the 1996 original, but with Fallout, he proves that he can deliver a high quality spy thriller while performing his own death-defying stunts. Here, Cruise pilots a helicopter during a high-speed chase, all without the aid of CGI. Fallout was a huge success, grossing $791 million worldwide and receiving praise from both fans and critics. It's considered to be the best movie in the series, even better than the first film. It's the most recent entry in the franchise but surely will not be the last. Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part One is set to release in 2023, with Part Two to follow in 2024.
2 Spectre (2015)
Leading up to its release, Spectre was one of the most highly anticipated Bond films of all time. The movie promised to tie up the loose ends from Casino Royale, finally bringing 007 face-to-face with the villainous organization that's been pulling the strings from the shadows. This organization, of course, turned out to be Spectre, a callback to the evil group from early Bond films. Oscar winner Christoph Waltz played an iteration of one of 007's greatest and most famous villains, Blofeld. Unfortunately, even with this promising set-up, the movie was a letdown for audiences and critics. It still performed well at the box office though, grossing $880 million worldwide.
1 Skyfall (2012)
Skyfall was a departure from Daniel Craig's previous Bond films. While Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace were very much linked together, Skyfall served as a standalone film that took 007 away from his investigation into Spectre. It was notable for introducing Q, a favorite supporting character from the earlier Bond movies, and for excluding a major love interest in the story. Skyfall instead focused on Bond's relationship with the other leading lady in his life, M (Judi Dench). The film disclosed more of the secret agent's origins and was set partially at his family's ancestral estate, Skyfall. The film co-starred Oscar winner Javier Bardem, who played a former secret agent hellbent on getting revenge on M. All of these ingredients came together to create an amazing movie. Skyfall was praised by fans and critics and is debated as one of the greatest installments in the Bond franchise. It's not just the most successful James Bond movie ever. It's the highest grossing spy thriller of all time, grossing an astonishing $1.1 billion at the global box office.