Answer: Dunkirk

There’s certainly no shortage of films focused on World War II, and among them, there are some truly exceptional treatments of the subject: Saving Private Ryan, Schindler’s List, Letters From Iwo Jima, and Casablanca, among others. As popular and award winning as the aforementioned films are, there’s one point of recognition in the genre that they can’t lay claim to: highest box office gross.

The box office crown rests firmly on the head of director Christopher Nolan and his treatment of a singular moment in World War II history, Dunkirk, which follows the story of the evacuation of Dunkirk, France as seen through the perspective of the civilians and soldiers on land, at sea, and in the air. The film was well received by movie goers and critics alike, with many critics stating that it was Nolan’s best film to date and heaping praise upon the film—Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called it the first major Oscar contender of the year and praised it as “maybe the greatest war film ever”.

The praise and audience reception translated into serious box office sales. The film opened strong and finished its global box office run with a gross of 525.6 million dollars, outpacing the previous top grossing World War II film, Saving Private Ryan, by approximately 44 million dollars.