Quick answer: The eight Hollywood films this article listed in mid-2016 all released on schedule in the US between June and December 2016: Independence Day: Resurgence, The Legend of Tarzan, The Purge: Election Year, Ice Age: Collision Course, Star Trek Beyond, Jason Bourne, Mechanic: Resurrection and Passengers. Of the eight, Jason Bourne earned the most worldwide, about $415 million according to Box Office Mojo.
About this list
This article was first written in mid-2016, when half the year had gone, as a preview of the “upcoming” Hollywood films for the rest of 2016. Those films have long since been released, so we have kept the original list as a record and added what happened: the actual US release dates and worldwide box office totals. Release dates are for the United States; dates in India sometimes differed by a few days or weeks.
Hollywood hits of the first half of 2016
The original article opened with twelve Hollywood films that had already entertained audiences by mid-2016. Here they are with their final worldwide grosses, as listed on Box Office Mojo’s 2016 worldwide chart:
| Film | Worldwide gross |
|---|---|
| Captain America: Civil War | $1.153 billion (the year’s top film worldwide) |
| Zootopia | $1.024 billion |
| Deadpool | $782.6 million |
| Suicide Squad | $749.2 million |
| X-Men: Apocalypse | $543.9 million |
| Warcraft | $439.0 million |
| The Legend of Tarzan | $357.2 million |
| Now You See Me 2 | $334.9 million |
| The Conjuring 2 | $321.4 million |
| Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows | $245.6 million |
| Me Before You | $208.4 million |
| London Has Fallen | $205.8 million |
Two of those twelve were not actually out by mid-2016: The Legend of Tarzan opened on 1 July 2016 and Suicide Squad on 5 August 2016 in the US. The Legend of Tarzan also appears in the list below.
The eight films for the second half of 2016
1. Independence Day: Resurgence
A science-fiction disaster film directed by Roland Emmerich and released by 20th Century Fox, and the sequel to his 1996 hit Independence Day. The cast included Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch, Vivica A. Fox, Brent Spiner, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Jessie Usher, Maika Monroe, Angelababy, Sela Ward and William Fichtner.
Released: 24 June 2016, in 2D, 3D and IMAX 3D. Worldwide gross: about $389.7 million (Box Office Mojo).
2. Ice Age: Collision Course
The fifth film in the Ice Age animated series, produced by Blue Sky Studios and directed by Mike Thurmeier, with Galen T. Chu as co-director. The voice cast included Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Queen Latifah, Keke Palmer, Jennifer Lopez, Simon Pegg, Adam DeVine, Jessie J and Neil deGrasse Tyson, among others.
Released: 22 July 2016 by 20th Century Fox, in 2D and 3D. Worldwide gross: about $408.6 million (Box Office Mojo).
3. The Legend of Tarzan
An action-adventure film directed by David Yates, with Alexander Skarsgård as Tarzan and Samuel L. Jackson, Margot Robbie, Djimon Hounsou, Jim Broadbent and Christoph Waltz. The film is dedicated to producer Jerry Weintraub, who died on 6 July 2015. An earlier version of this article said Weintraub had directed the film; he was one of its producers.
Released: 1 July 2016, in 2D, 3D, IMAX and IMAX 3D. Worldwide gross: about $357.2 million (Box Office Mojo).
4. Jason Bourne
The fifth film in the Bourne series, directed by Paul Greengrass, who wrote it with Christopher Rouse. Matt Damon returned as Bourne, with Julia Stiles, Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel and Tommy Lee Jones.
Released: 29 July 2016 by Universal Pictures. Worldwide gross: about $415.5 million (Box Office Mojo), the highest of the eight films on this list.
5. The Purge: Election Year
The third film in The Purge series, a dystopian action-horror film written and directed by James DeMonaco. The cast included Frank Grillo, Elizabeth Mitchell, Mykelti Williamson, Betty Gabriel, Edwin Hodge, Kyle Secor, Joseph Julian Soria and Liza Colón-Zayas.
Released: 1 July 2016. Worldwide gross: about $118.6 million (Box Office Mojo).
6. Star Trek Beyond
Directed by Justin Lin, the thirteenth film in the Star Trek franchise. Chris Pine (Captain James T. Kirk) and Zachary Quinto (Spock) returned with Simon Pegg, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, John Cho and Anton Yelchin, joined by Idris Elba and Sofia Boutella. (An earlier version of this article garbled the cast list, mixing up actors and character names.) Anton Yelchin died in June 2016, a month before release, and the film is dedicated to him and to Leonard Nimoy.
Released: 22 July 2016. Worldwide gross: about $343.5 million (Box Office Mojo).
7. Mechanic: Resurrection
An action thriller directed by Dennis Gansel and the sequel to The Mechanic (2011). Jason Statham returned, with Jessica Alba, Tommy Lee Jones, Michelle Yeoh and Sam Hazeldine.
Released: 26 August 2016. Worldwide gross: about $125.7 million (Box Office Mojo).
8. Passengers
A science-fiction romance directed by Morten Tyldum from a script by Jon Spaihts, starring Chris Pratt and Jennifer Lawrence as two passengers who wake up decades too early on a spaceship.
Released: 21 December 2016 by Columbia Pictures. Worldwide gross: about $303.1 million (Box Office Mojo).
How the eight films compare
| Film | US release | Worldwide gross |
|---|---|---|
| Jason Bourne | 29 July 2016 | $415.5 million |
| Ice Age: Collision Course | 22 July 2016 | $408.6 million |
| Independence Day: Resurgence | 24 June 2016 | $389.7 million |
| The Legend of Tarzan | 1 July 2016 | $357.2 million |
| Star Trek Beyond | 22 July 2016 | $343.5 million |
| Passengers | 21 December 2016 | $303.1 million |
| Mechanic: Resurrection | 26 August 2016 | $125.7 million |
| The Purge: Election Year | 1 July 2016 | $118.6 million |
None of the eight came close to the year’s biggest films, Captain America: Civil War and Zootopia, both of which crossed $1 billion worldwide. For what followed in 2017, see our record of Hollywood movies released in early 2017, and for Hindi cinema of the same period, Bollywood movies released from January to March 2017.
Frequently asked questions
What was the highest-grossing film of 2016?
Captain America: Civil War, with about $1.153 billion worldwide according to Box Office Mojo.
Which film on this list earned the most?
Jason Bourne, with about $415.5 million worldwide, just ahead of Ice Age: Collision Course at about $408.6 million.
When did Passengers release?
Passengers, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt, released in the US on 21 December 2016.
Is Independence Day: Resurgence a sequel?
Yes. It is the sequel to Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day (1996), released twenty years later.
Release dates and worldwide grosses checked in October 2026 against Box Office Mojo’s 2016 worldwide chart and the films’ credits. Grosses are rounded and in US dollars.
2 comments
Wow! This is an amazing list of upcoming Hollywood movies for 2016! I am beyond excited to see these films hit the big screen. The detailed information about release dates makes it even better, as it helps me plan my movie nights in advance. Thank you so much for curating this fantastic compilation! Keep up the great work, eDefines!
– Gary Ford
HI,
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