The 50 highest-grossing sports movies ever released

Sports fans aren't short of time to waste in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
As the respiratory disease sweeps across the world, virtually all sporting action has been forced into postponement and supporters are looking for alternative forms of entertainment in lockdown.
And although we expect jigsaw puzzle and board game sales to go through the roof, we highly suspect that one of the most popular self-isolation pastimes will be watching movies.
Here at GIVEMESPORT, we've already looked a some of the best sports-related documentaries you can purchase on Netflix and Amazon Prime, but we're already hungry for more.
As shocking as it may seem, not every movie in the world resides on those streaming platforms and we wanted to provide a comprehensive list of the most successful sports films of all time.
Highest grossing sports films
Intrigued? Well, using data collected by Box Office Mojo, we've compiled the 50 highest grossing movies of all time that are either completely sports focused or have it as one of their main genres.
So, yes, that does mean that Lightning McQueen is a much of a fictional athlete as Rocky Balboa and sorry football fans, Santiago Munez couldn't do enough to push the 'Goal!' series on to the list.
But disclaimers aside, keep scrolling for the full top 50 and get noting which films you want to tick off your bucket-list while you're sat indoors or, of course, working vitally important jobs.
50. The Karate Kid (1984)
Sport: Martial arts
Worldwide gross: $91,000,640

49. Speed Racer (2008)
Sport: Motor racing
Worldwide gross: $93,945,766

48. Sultan (2016)
Sport: Wrestling
Worldwide gross: $95,720,209

47. The Karate Kid Part II (1986)
Sport: Martial arts
Worldwide gross: $115,103,979

46. Rocky V (1990)
Sport: Boxing
Worldwide gross: $119,946,358

45. A League of Their Own (1992)
Sport: Baseball
Worldwide gross: $132,440,069

44. Remember the Titans (2000)
Sport: American football
Worldwide gross: $136,706,683

43. Herbie: Fully Loaded (2005)
Sport: Motor racing
Worldwide gross: $144,146,816

42. Blades of Glory (2007)
Sport: Ice skating
Worldwide gross: $145,708,642

41. Seabiscuit (2003)
Sport: Horse racing
Worldwide gross: $148,336,445

40. Surf's Up (2007)
Sport: Surfing
Worldwide gross: $149,044,513

39. Planes: Fire & Rescue (2014)
Sport: Air racing
Worldwide gross: $151,386,640

38. Cool Runnings (1993)
Sport: Bobsleigh
Worldwide gross: $154,856,263

37. Rocky Balboa (2006)
Sport: Boxing
Worldwide gross: $155,720,088

36. Ip Man 3 (2015)
Sport: Martial arts
Worldwide gross: $157,300,954

35. The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006)
Sport: Drifting
Worldwide gross: $158,468,292

34. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
Sport: Motor racing
Worldwide gross: $162,966,177

33. DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story (2004)
Sport: Dodgeball
Worldwide gross: $167,722,310

32. Creed (2015)
Sport: Boxing
Worldwide gross: $173,567,581

31. The Waterboy (1998)
Sport: American football
Worldwide gross: $185,991,646

30. The Longest Yard (2005)
Sport: American football
Worldwide gross: $190,320,568

29. Rocky II (1979)
Sport: Boxing
Worldwide gross: $200,182,160

28. The Fast and the Furious (2001)
Sport: Motor racing
Worldwide gross: $207,283,925

27. Creed II (2018)
Sport: Boxing
Worldwide gross: $214,115,889

26. Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Sport: Boxing
Worldwide gross: $216,763,646

25. Rocky (1976)
Sport: Boxing
Worldwide gross: $225,000,000

24. Ford v Ferrari (2019)
Sport: Motor racing
Worldwide gross: $225,508,210

23. Space Jam (1996)
Sport: Basketball
Worldwide gross: $230,418,342

22. 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003)
Sport: Motor racing
Worldwide gross: $236,350,661

21. Planes (2013)
Sport: Air racing
Worldwide gross: $239,258,712

20. Rocky III (1982)
Sport: Boxing
Worldwide gross: $270,000,000

19. Jerry Maguire (1996)
Sport: American football
Worldwide gross: $273,552,592

18. xXx (2002)
Sport: Extreme sports
Worldwide gross: $277,448,382

17. Turbo (2013)
Sport: Motor racing
Worldwide gross: $282,570,682

16. Real Steel (2011)
Sport: Boxing
Worldwide gross: $299,268,508

15. Rocky IV (1985)
Sport: Boxing
Worldwide gross: $300,473,716

14. The Blind Side (2009)
Sport: American football
Worldwide gross: $309,208,309

13. Dangal (2016)
Sport: Wrestling
Worldwide gross: $340,000,000

12. XXX: Return of Xander Cage (2017)
Sport: Extreme sports
Worldwide gross: $345,963,851

11. The Karate Kid (2010)
Sport: Martial arts
Worldwide gross: $359,126,022

10. Fast & Furious (2009)
Sport: Motor racing
Worldwide gross: $363,164,265

9. Cars 3 (2017)
Sport: Motor racing
Worldwide gross: $383,930,656

8. Cars (2006)
Sport: Motor racing
Worldwide gross: $462,216,280

7. Cars 2 (2011)
Sport: Motor racing
Worldwide gross: $562,110,557

6. Fast Five (2011)
Sport: Motor racing
Worldwide gross: $626,137,675

5. Forrest Gump (1994)
Sport: Running, ping pong and American football
Worldwide gross: $677,945,399

4. Hobbs & Shaw (2019)
Sport: Motor racing
Worldwide gross: $759,056,935

3. Fast & Furious 6 (2013)
Sport: Motor racing
Worldwide gross: $788,679,850

2. The Fate of the Furious (2017)
Sport: Motor racing
Worldwide gross: $1,238,764,765

1. Furious 7 (2015)
Sport: Motor racing
Worldwide gross: $1,516,045,911

Fast and Furious franchise dominates
All bow down to the altar of the Fast and Furious franchise.
While, yes, it's debatable just how closely related the movies are to actual motor racing, there's no denying that it's one of the most profitable film franchises to ever come to pass.
There's just something about Vin Diesel, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, Jason Statham and co. flying around in fast cars that has the money-making potential to earn over $1,000,000,000.

It's a formula that blows away Oscar-winners such as Rocky and Million Dollar Baby as well as cult classics like Cool Runnings and Blades of Glory.
But at the end of the day, films are a completely subjective medium and don't let the box office stats tell you how to pick your self-isolation entertainment. Besides, we know you're fumbling around for your Goal! DVD right now.
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