The blockbuster is the defining narrative form of our time. Though TV has begun to give film a run for its money when it comes to cultural influence, for now, the international blockbuster still reigns supreme.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at the best blockbusters of the millennium. What is a blockbuster? Originally, the term was applied to any movie, play, or book that made a splash. The phrase came from wartime slang describing aerial bombs of the 1940s that would literally bust a whole block. It eventually evolved to refer to any film that made significantly more money than its budget.

Now, a movie blockbuster is something more specific. It implies certain narrative sensibilities and studio ambitions. A blockbuster is a big-budget film with a global release and a major marketing push both domestically and abroad. A blockbuster almost always has franchise aspirations and usually has major stars attached to make that happen. (Though, as films like The Mummy have begun to prove, the market is increasingly relying on brand or story recognition over star recognition.

Narratively, the blockbuster has a fair amount of limitations when it comes to telling a story and appeasing all of its many chiefs… which is why it’s kind of a miracle when it manages to rise above the ticking off of all of the blockbuster boxes to be a legitimately good film in its own right. This list of The 30 Best Hollywood Blockbusters of the 21st Century looks not necessarily at the most successful or even iconic films of this era, but rather those that excel in what blockbusters do best: pure popcorn entertainment.

30) Speed Racer

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Image via Warner Bros.

Studio: Warner Bros.

Budget: $120 million

Total box office: $93.9 million

Number in franchise: 1 of 1

Speed Racer may be the least-watched film on this list. The anime adaptation was a flop at the box office and, unlike some blockbusters on this list, never really found its audience even after it left the cinemas. That’s too bad because The Wachowskis’ tale of high-speed car racing is a lot better than most people give it credit for. It’s also a lot weirder than any other blockbuster on this list.

While other blockbusters of the year (and the decade) worked to ground their fantastical premises in a gritty, realistic setting, Speed Racer leaned hard in the other direction. Based on the 1960s anime and manga series of the same name, the Wachowskis went to great lengths to recreate the visual style of the original cartoon. This may be as close as we ever get to a Need For Speed feature film adaptation.

Like the more recent Ghost in the Shell adaptation, Speed Racer has a white-washing problem — casting Emilie Hirsch, Susan Sarandon, John Goodman, and Christina Ricci in the main roles — but while the movie fails in representation, it succeeds in pretty much every other form of ambition. Speed Racer is a movie that refuses to play by the rules, right down to its anti-corporate message. The further away we get from this film’s initial release, the more unique Speed Racer feels.

29) Gladiator (2000)

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Image via DreamWorks/Universal

Studio: Dreamworks Pictures/Universal Pictures

Budget: $103 million

Total box office: $457.6 million

Number in franchise: 1 of 1

While Ridley Scott’s Gladiator is ultimately a downer, the ride itself is a whole lot of bloody fun. Russell Crowe appears as Maximus, a Gladiator intent on getting revenge for the murders of his wife and child at the hand of the evil Roman Emperor Commodus (played by Joaquin Phoenix), who is just the worst. Maximus gets there by stabbing lots of other gladiators because “Are you not entertained?!”

The plot isn’t particularly complicated, but it’s an excuse to indulge in a romantic, gory view of the Roman Empire. With some star-making performances and an epic scope that brings chariots and wild animals into the mix, Hollywood hasn’t been able to match the cinematic grandeur of Gladiator’s Rome in the 17 years since. (Though HBO and Starz have certainly given it a run for its money on TV screens with Rome and Spartacus, respectively.)

28) Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)

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Image via Warner Bros.

Studio: Warner Bros.

Budget: $130 million

Total box office: $797.7 million

Number in franchise: 3 of 8

The Harry Potter franchise is impressively consistent for a series that spans eight installments. That being said, the first two films were more competent than notable. This all changed when Alfonso Cuaron took over the franchise with Prisoner of Azkaban, infusing the magical series with a wonderful and, at times, terrifying whimsy that was missing from Sorcerer’s Stone and Chamber of Secrets.

Unlike the first two films, Azkaban wasn’t afraid to veer away from the source material a bit, cutting some of the Marauders’ backstory to give us more of Harry’s experience at Hogwarts. Azkaban marked a tonal and visual change for this franchise that would continue on through its end. Not to mention: it has a time-hopping, werewolf-laden adventure of an ending to boot!

27) Marvel’s The Avengers (2012)

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Image via Marvel Studios

Studio: Marvel/Disney

Budget: $220 million

Total box office: $1.5 billion

Number in franchise: 6 of 15

The Avengers may not be the best film in the MCU, but it is the film that proved Marvel wasn’t crazy when it dared to launch a shared fictional universe that would span both standalone and ensemble crossover films. It’s also a heck of a lot of fun.

Nerd god Joss Whedon directed and wrote this story of The Avengers first coming together to defend the Earth from those who would wish to do it harm (in this case, Loki and his Chitauri friends), lending his trademark banter to show the team’s initial growing pains. The Avengers is not only great for the sheer joy of seeing these superheroes fight alongside one another, but for the ways in which it was already setting up the ideological divisions we would come to see mature in Civil War. No one plans a franchise like Marvel.

26) Batman Begins (2005)

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Image via Warner Bros.

Studio: Warner Bros.

Budget: $150 million

Total box office: $374.2 million

Number in franchise: 1 of 3

While most of the attention for Christopher Nolan’s Batman franchise is understandably directed towards The Dark Knight, Batman Begins is a stellar blockbuster movie in its own right, a more traditional origin story that set the foundation for what was to come.

We all know the story: Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale) is an orphaned billionaire who becomes obsessed with saving Gotham from the corruption that claimed his parents’ lives. In the talented hands of Nolan, the Batman mythos gets a new lease on life. The Dark Knight trilogy would go on to inspire a bevy of misguided “gritty” superhero stories that never quite reached the heights of this franchise, but it’s easy to forget that it all began with this relatively hopeful opener.

25) X-Men (2000)

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Image via 20th Century Fox

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Budget: $75 million

Box office total: $296.3 million

Number in franchise: 1 of 10

Before the Marvel Cinematic Universe cemented superhero film franchises as the most lucrative of Hollywood genres, the X-Men series paved the way by proving that it was possible to make grounded comic book movies that the general public could care about. X-Men started that all, introducing us to an Australian movie star named Hugh Jackman in the Wolverine role he would inhabit for the next 17 years.

X-Men deftly manages to do in one movie what so many subsequent superhero film franchises have struggled to do in multiple films: introduce a whole world of superhero characters and make us care about them. It does this by grounding the story in Wolverine and Rogue’s untraditional relationship, while also laying the groundwork for the larger Magneto v. Professor X dynamic that would serve as the foundation for the ongoing series. Now, this kind of superhero starter may seem common. In 2000, it was something new.

24) Wonder Woman (2017)

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Image via Warner Bros.

Studio: DC/Warner Bros.

Budget: $149 million

Total box office: $438.5 million (so far)

Number in franchise: 4 of 4

The only film on this list to either be directed by a woman (Patty Jenkins) or to have a female protagonist as its main lead, Wonder Woman is a blockbuster that transcends the category to become something much more important. Within a genre that has the most resources, cultural influence, and narrative power, representation matters.

Luckily, Wonder Woman is a delightful movie in its own right, giving an origin story of sorts for Diana Prince, an Amazon woman with incredible powers who takes the Amazonian duty to protect mankind very seriously. Mainly set during World War I, the film is obviously heavily influenced by Marvel’s The First Avenger, but what it lacks in originality of tone and setting, it more than makes up for in the treatment of Diana’s character.

Unlike almost every other female-centric action film, Wonder Woman doesn’t treat Diana like a hero to be ogled at, but rather a hero to admire for her physical prowess and her kind heart. This is perhaps most exemplified in the stirring No Man’s Land scene that DC/WB execs wanted to cut from the long film. Jenkins persisted, understanding that the moment when Diana refuses to walk one more step through the trenches without helping the innocent victims crying out is the most important moment of the film.

23) How to Train Your Dragon (2010)

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Image via DreamWorks Animation

Studio: DreamWorks Animation/Paramount

Budget: $165 million

Total box office: $495.8 million

Number in franchise: 1 of 3

With some badass aerial dragon battles and a Viking-dragon friendship at its heart, How to Train Your Dragon burst onto the animated blockbuster scene in 2010 and would not be ignored. How to Train Your Dragon tells the story of Hiccup, a gawky Viking teen from a tribe of dragon slayers, who has some tough choices to make when he befriends a dragon.

Spoiler alert: he doesn’t mercilessly slay his new dragon friend. Instead, the film promotes a refreshingly pacifist message about friendship, teamwork, and an apparent enemy that has its own story to tell. How to Train Your Dragon would go on to inspire two more films (well, the second won’t be out until 2019), multiple short films, and two TV series. It doesn’t get much more blockbuster than that.

22) Stardust (2007)

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Image via Paramount

Studio: Paramount

Budget: $65 million

Total box office: $135.6 million

Number in franchise: 1 of 1

Stardust is one of the films on this list that falls on the blockbuster/non-blockbuster line. With a budget that’s high for a mid-sized Hollywood film, but low for a traditional blockbuster, Stardust never quite found its audience despite the fact that it’s based on a Neil Gaiman book and stars Michelle Pfeiffer, Robert De Niro, Claire Danes, and Charlie Cox. (Though, to be fair, no one knew who Charlie Cox was at the time.) It even snagged Ian McKellen as its narrator.

It’s a shame Stardust didn’t get more buzz because it’s a great film — the first blockbuster directed by Matthew Vaughn (who appears on this list multiple times). It’s also the kind of family-friendly fantasy fare, a la The Princess Bride, that hardly ever gets made anymore. The film tells the story of Tristan’s (Cox) quest to bring back a star for his beloved Victoria (Sienna Miller). On the way, he falls in love with said star (played by Danes) and has to face off against some witches and princes (both alive and undead), with a little help from some lightning pirates. They don’t make films like this anymore.

21) Spider-Man 2 (2004)

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Image via Sony Pictures

Studio: Columbia Pictures (Sony)

Budget: $200 million

Total box office: $783.8 million

Number in franchise: 2 of 3

While X-Men may have proved it was possible to make a successful comic book movie, Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2 proved it was possible to make a successful comic book movie that wasn’t afraid to lean in to the campiness of its comic book origins. Spider-Man 2 in particular wasn’t ashamed of the melodrama inherent in a superhero story, using Peter’s struggle between the responsibilities of his superhero persona and the responsibilities of his “real” life as the main conflict of the story. While Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus was a menacing and even sympathetic villain, the true antagonist of the film was Peter’s efforts to balance the many obligations in his life. Who can’t relate to that?

Spider-Man 2 also gave us one of the most iconic, powerful scenes in superhero film history when Peter saves a train full of people, only for them to vow to keep his identity a secret. Rarely has superhero cinema — or cinema in general — felt so warm and fuzzy.

20) X2: X-Men United (2003)

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Image via 20th Century Fox

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Budget: $110 million

Total box office: $407.7 million

Number in franchise: 2 of 10

The first X-Men is a great. X2: X-Men United is even better. In the superhero sequel, the franchise kicks into high gear, evolving from Wolverine and Rogue’s story into the story of the X-Men and mutant-kind more generally.

As all good sequels do, X-Men United builds on what was created in the first film, juggling a ridiculous number of characters to tell a cohesive story about prejudice and difference that manages to be both ideologically interesting and narratively bombastic. X2 includes the iconic “Have you tried not being a mutant?” scene, as well as some truly great action moments when the X-Men team up with Magneto & co. to stop Stryker.

It all ends with a fabulous cliffhanger that teases the Dark Phoenix storyline. The third X-Men movie’s execution of that storyline famously sucks, but we didn’t know that at the time. At the time of X2’s release, it was just a great time to be an X-Men fan.

19) Iron Man (2008)

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Image via Marvel Studios

Studio: Marvel/Paramount

Budget: $140 million

Total box office: $585.2 million

Number in franchise: 1 of 15

The film that launched the MCU, it’s hard to imagine what today’s Hollywood landscape would look like if Iron Man wasn’t very good. Luckily, the film was great — a hilarious, moving, action-packed introduction to Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark, a man forced to face his culpability in the military industrial complex after he is kidnapped during a business trip to the Middle East. In the post-9/11 landscape, this was exactly the kind of superhero film we needed (even if it wasn’t the one we necessarily deserved).

Tony Stark isn’t an easy character to pull off, but Downey Jr. walks the delicate line between snark and heart, making us care about Tony’s evolution into Iron Man despite the man’s many character flaws. Even today, Downey Jr.’s Tony remains one of the very best parts of the MCU, an example of a hero who doesn’t always make the right choices, but who is always trying his best.

18. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol (2011)

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Image via Paramount Pictures

The Mission: Impossible franchise has spanned almost two decades and is, against all odds, still going strong. There have been many highs in this sometimes-forgettable action franchise starring Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt, but the highest high so far came in the series’ fourth installment, which was more or less a soft reboot of the series after J.J. Abrams’ Mission: Impossible III failed to make sizable waves.

Here, we see Mission: Impossible truly lean into its heist film antics, bulking up Simon Pegg’s sidekick role and introducing Jeremy Renner to the team. But, whatever. I’m not here for the plot. I’m here for Brad Bird’s inspired direction, which peaks in a Burj Khalifa sequence that will give you vertigo, even if you’re not afraid of heights.

17) Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)

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Image via 20th Century Fox

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Budget: $81 million

Total box office: $414.4 million

Number in franchise: 1 of 2

Not many people were expecting R-rated action comedy Kingsman: The Secret Service to make such a splash at the box office, but how could it not? Matthew Vaughn’s adaptation of the The Secret Service comic book is a spy film that both plays into the many James Bond tropes and subverts them in knowingly hilarious ways. The entire film is non-stop fun, complete with a hilarious turn from Samuel L. Jackson who stars as a billionaire genius villain who can’t stand the sight of blood.

But the best part of Kingsman’s outrageous runtime is undoubtedly the appallingly violent fight scene that sees a brainwashed Agent Harry Hart taking out an entire church filled with hateful Christians who are also brainwashed to fight. It goes right up to the border of appropriate (and, some would argue, passes it), pushing a movie-going population already over-saturated with violent imagery to see how far their desensitization will take them. And it’s starring Mr. Darcy.

16) The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (2014)

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Image via Lionsgate

Studio: Lionsgate

Budget: $125 million

Total box office: $755.4 million

Number in franchise: 3 of 4

The film adaptation series of the bestselling Suzanne Collins books doesn’t have a lot of weak points (though there is a noticeable budget difference in the franchise’s first film and the other three). Much of that is thanks to Jennifer Lawrence, who portrays stoic protagonist Katniss Everdeen in a layered, relatable way. With a weaker actor in this role, this franchise could have fallen apart.

The Hunger Games series unexpectedly peaks with its third installment in the series: Mockingjay Part 1, which only adapts the first half of the final book. After the action-oriented dystopia of the first two films, Mockingjay Part 1 takes a step back, sending Katniss to District 13 where she gets to see firsthand how wartime propaganda works. With more time to tell its story, the narrative branches out to show the other elements of the resistance, most memorably a “Hanging Tree” montage that sees men and women inspired by Katniss to sacrifice their lives to shut down the Capital’s power.

With supporting turns from Phillip Seymour Hoffman and Julianne Moore, Mockingjay Part 1 doesn’t pull any punches in its complex portrayal of “the good guys,” and, while the ending may fall into the trap we’ve come to expect from half-adaptations, it ends on a shocking note that leaves viewers eager to see the final installment.

15) Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

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Image via Disney

Studio: Disney

Budget $140 million

Total box office: $654.3 million

Number in franchise: 1 of 5

Is there a more perfect Hollywood blockbuster than Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl? It’s one of those movies that is inoffensive enough to appeal to everyone, but still dynamic enough to tell a great story. Who knew a theme ride could make such a compelling film? Jerry Bruckheimer, I guess.

Starring Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley, and Orlando Bloom, Curse of the Black Pearl is the epitome of popcorn movie fun with a toe-tapping soundtrack that will make you want to pick up a sword and challenge standers-by to a duel. Depp took a chance with his Keith Richards-inspired portrayal of Jack Sparrow, a drunkard slacker of a pirate — a take that many studio executives famously pushed back against. The thespian gamble paid off.

Pirates of the Caribbean is just earnestly weird enough to set itself apart from other Hollywood blockbusters, while also following a comfortable, traditional three-act structure that assuages any fears of an unhappy ending. In many ways, the movie is just like a theme park ride: mimicking all of the thrills of an adventure from the safety of a comfy seat.

14) Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011)

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Image via 20th Century Fox

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Budget: $90 million

Box office total: $481.8 million

Number in franchise: 1 of 3

A decade after Andy Serkis brought Gollum to life in The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring, the performance capture artist brought us our first truly effective performance capture protagonist in Caesar, the intelligent chimp who would go on to lead the ape revolution against humanity. After Tim Burton’s truly terrible Planet of the Apes reboot attempt in 2001, Rise of the Planet of the Apes caught audiences by surprise, not only making the Planet of the Apes franchise relevant again, but making it a landmark in film history.

As with the later films of the original Planet of the Apes series, the reboot sees intelligent apes as the oppressed, dominated by a fearful, ignorant, yet nuanced human population that is treated as the antagonist. Rise of the Planet of the Apes boldly tells this story from Caesar’s point-of-view, making us care about this chimp character more than any of the human characters we also meet.

The moment when Caesar first speaks — a defiant “No!” — is not only a landmark moment for this franchise, but a landmark moment for all of cinema. We are watching a performance capture character own this narrative over the many human roles.

13. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

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Image via Universal Pictures

Studio: Universal

Budget: $110 million

Total box office: $442.8 million

Number in franchise: 3 of 5

In some ways, The Bourne Ultimatum is just another film in this action franchise. It has the same basic premise as the ones that have come before and that came after: amnesiac former secret agent Jason Bourne (Matt Damon) struggles to uncover the truth of his past as the CIA that once employed him tries to take him down. What sets this third installment in the series apart is Paul Greengrass’ kinetic, yet defined direction.

Modern action cinema has struggled with the balance between shaky camerawork and, you know, actually being able to understand what’s happening on the screen. The Bourne Ultimatum has been one of the few action adventures to get this balance right, making for a non-stop thrill ride of a Bourne sequel that remains the height of this franchise.

12) Up (2009)

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Image via Disney/Pixar

Studio: Disney/Pixar

Budget: $175 million

Total box office: $735.1 million

Number in franchise: 1 of 1

Up is a film that doesn’t make us choice between grief and hope. It is a film that recognizes both the banalities of life and the wonders of it. Up is the story of elderly widow Carl and his inadvertent sidekick gawky Wilderness Explorer Russell as they go on an adventure on the other side of the world.

While most people probably remember Up for the heartbreaking opening montage that sees Carl and his wife Ellie meeting as kids and growing old together prior to Ellie’s death, this film is one, long, hilarious, heart-wrenching exploration of human connection. Michael Giacchino’s character-driven emotive score weaves and through around director Pete Docter’s stunning visuals to create a once-in-a-lifetime cinematic experience that is as hopeful as it is heartbreaking.

11) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010)

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Image via Warner Bros.

Studio: Warner Bros.

Budget: $250 million

Total box office: $960.3 million

Number in franchise: 7 of 8

Like another film on this list, Deathly Hallows Part 1 is a film that benefits from the added narrative space inherent in the decision to split one book into two film. While Deathly Hallows Part 1 might not have the tight narrative shape of some of its predecessors, it gives Harry, Hermione, and Ron’s characters a chance to breathe. For the first time, these characters’ commitment to the cause and one another is questioned as the friends embark on a physically and emotionally-exhausting trek across the British countryside on the hunt for Horcruxes.

Deathly Hallows Part 1 has some real highlights: A Polyjuice Potion undercover operation into the Ministry of Magic; Harry and Hermione’s brief moment of shared connection to Nick Cave’s “O Children” after Ron’s departure; and the gorgeously animated tale of the Deathly Hallows. Dobby’s sacrifice at the film’s end serves as a reminder (for anyone who hasn’t been paying attention) that this is no longer a children’s story.