The list of the 10 highest grossing films of 2013 is essentially a list of what Hollywood does best in recent years. Five of them were sequels, two rebooted classic properties and one was a prequel. Two members of the top 10 were animated. Only two were completely original stories and only one is expected to be a major contender come awards time.

It’s also worth noting that it was another highly successful year for Disney, Universal, Paramount and Warner Bros. Sony had a particularly weak year, since there was no installment of the Spider-Man series and both Elysium and After Earth flopped. Although it was Fox’s first year distributing DreamWorks Animated films, the studio also didn’t have any movies in the Top 10, although The Croods came in 14th and the comedy The Heat came in 15th.

So, without further ado, here are the Top 10s. Box office data comes from Box Office Mojo.

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Iron Man 3 - $409 million ($1.2 billion internationally) - Disney/Marvel
Even before this year started, we knew Iron Man 3 would be at the top of this list. Coming on the heels of Marvels’ The Avengers, there was no way any other movie was going to top it.

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The Hunger Games: Catching Fire - $390 million ($794 million internationally) - Lionsgate
The second Hunger Games movie was just released in November and made more money for Lionsgate than the first film. But the real big story is just how internationally successful the movie has been. Katniss Everdeen and the other characters created by Suzanne Collins have become known around the world, making Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson superstars.

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Despicable Me 2 - $367 million ($918 million internationally) - Universal
Where would Universal be without Illumination Entertainment? The in-house animation studio has provided Universal with the Despicable Me franchise and without it, 2013 would have been a real stinker. Both R.I.P.D. and 47 Ronin have been expensive flops for Universal.

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Man of Steel - $291 million ($662 million internationally) - Warner Bros.
Zack Snyder rebooted the Superman franchise with Man of Steel, which Warner Bros. is hoping will spark a cinematic universe like Disney’s Marvel universe. It didn’t become the huge success that Christopher Nolan’s Batman films were, but this is a good launch pad for the series.

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Monsters University $268 million ($743 million internationally) - Disney/Pixar
Monsters University is a fun film and a nice addition to the Pixar canon. It was fun to see Mike (Billy Crystal) and Sully (John Goodman) back and audiences responded with laughter (and dollars).

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Gravity $254 million ($653 million internationally) - Warner Bros.
Alfonso Cuaron’s Gravity is the only film here that will be in the running for the Best Picture Oscar. Its stunning success was likely thanks to everyone - from critics to audiences - agreeing that it is a great film. Everyone also rushed to see the movie in IMAX and since it’s only 90 minutes, theaters could schedule more showings.

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Frozen $248 million ($491 million internationally) - and counting - Disney
Frozen was just released and is still bringing in millions each week. It’s the only popular family film in theaters right now and could hit $300 million domestically. Frozen has earned rave reviews and proves that Disney’s own animation unit is still one of the best after Tangled and Wreck It Ralph were hits as well.

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Fast & Furious 6 $238 million ($788 million internationally) - Universal
The Fast & Furious franchise has also saved Universal. The sixth film in the franchise really elevated it to an international powerhouse. A seventh is on the way in 2015 and would be coming out in 2014, were it not for Paul Walker’s tragic death. There are also reports that an eighth and ninth film are in the works.

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Oz The Great And Powerful $234.9 million ($493 million internationally) - Disney
Sam Raimi’s Oz The Great And Powerful was not met with wide acclaim, but it made Disney a lot of money. Unfortunately, the movie cost $250 million to make and was not a monster success overseas. The chances that James Franco will play Oz again are slim.

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Star Trek Into Darkness $228 million ($467 million internationally) - Paramount
This was the huge disappointment of the top-grossing movies. J.J. Abrams’ 2009 film rebooted Star Trek to acclaim and success, but his sequel earned a mixed response, especially from fans. It is more a streamlined action movie with too many plot holes than a traditional Star Trek adventure. Hopefully, a new director will make the next Star Trek film more interesting.

top image: Lionsgate