The share of each ride-hailing trip that Uber keeps is rising, a new study says.
Sebastian Gollnow/picture alliance via Getty Images
Uber now takes the majority of ride-hailing fares in some cities, a new study found.
The study analyzed three drivers’ trip histories over nearly a decade.
The company’s take rate has powered its profit and turnaround, Columbia’s Len Sherman found.
More of your Uber fare is going to the company than the driver, according to a new study.
Uber’s “take rate,” or the percentage of each fare that the company hangs on to, has risen above 50% this year in some cities, according to an analysis by Len Sherman, an executive in residence and adjunct professor at Columbia Business School.
That’s well above the 15% to 20% share of each fare that Uber took about a decade ago, Sherman found. Uber does not regularly report its take rate.
Sherman’s analysis examined nine years of ride-hailing data for three Uber drivers in different cities — Dallas, Miami, and Tampa. Collectively, the drivers have completed about 50,000 Uber trips in that time.
The findings show one reason many Uber drivers say it’s become harder for them to make money through the gig in recent years.
Sherman said the growing take rate in its ride-hailing business is powering Uber’s forays into new verticals, like hotel bookings. In a separate study last year, Sherman argued that Uber’s rising take rate, driven by its upfront pricing model, made the company’s financial turnaround under CEO Dara Khosrowshahi possible.
“This is still the profit engine for Uber,” he told Business Insider last week.
Uber has pushed back on Sherman’s past estimates of its take rate. In a January blog post, Uber said it kept 21% of each fare on average in the third quarter of 2025, less than half of what Sherman estimated.
It’s also “false” that Uber became profitable “by raising prices while taking an ever larger share of the pie,” the blog post said.
Uber’s ride-hailing business is its largest and most profitable, with gross bookings growing 18% to $29.7 billion in revenue in 2025 and accounting for roughly 90% of its adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization — a measure of profitability — for the year.
Uber’s take rate doubled over the time frame of the study
For the study, the drivers requested and received the information from Uber. All drivers used the earnings analysis app GigU, which connected them to Sherman.
The drivers worked in different markets and turned to gig work at different times — one took nearly two years off from driving after the start of the pandemic, for instance.
Still, Sherman said, a similar pattern emerged for each. About 10 years ago, Uber took no more than 20% of each fare, and its payouts to drivers moved in lockstep with the fares it charged passengers.
That relationship between rider fares and driver payouts began todiverge in 2019, when Uber cut driver payouts. That decoupling became particularly pronounced in 2022, after Uber began using upfront pricing, a system that sets fares and payouts individually for each trip rather than charging a set amount based on time or distance.
Uber’s 50% take rate is higher than that of other digital marketplaces, Sherman wrote in his report. Secondhand marketplaces, such as eBay and Etsy, say that they keep between 10% and 15% of each sale, for instance.
The study did not examine the take rate at other ride-hailing companies, such as Lyft, and the companies don’t regularly disclose that figure.
Uber uses its algorithms to price trips and determine payouts based on market conditions, Sherman said. That has allowed the company to increase its average share of each ride, though it isn’t always clear to drivers and riders, he said.
“Whether Uber gets to stay there is now a question for riders, drivers, and regulators who, at long last, have the numbers in hand to consider their choices,” Sherman wrote.
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Orlando Bravo said he has to hire more junior employees for the first time in his career.
IMF
The founder of private equity firm Thoma Bravo said AI means fewer late-night requests for juniors.
Orlando Bravo said that he feels he needs to hire more associates for the first time in his career.
Entry-level jobs at his lean firm will change, he said, as associates handle more higher-order work.
AI might mean the end of the frantic 2 a.m. email from the boss.
Orlando Bravo, the billionaire founder of software-focused private equity firm Thoma Bravo, said that AI is changing how much he relies on junior associates to perform the rote tasks that have historically kept them glued to their computers into the early hours.
“I bother them a lot less, because at midnight I can do something really quickly with AI, instead of calling them to do it in the middle of the night, which improves their life anyway, which is what they want,” Bravo told CNBC at a conference in Berlin on Tuesday.
Questions about the brutal entry-level hours on Wall Street have persisted for decades, with some employees reporting weeks exceeding 100 hours. AI tools can handle many of the time-consuming tasks that juniors on Wall Street have typically been responsible for, such as building models or pitch decks.
That prospect has fueled fears that AI could reduce demand for junior employees. Still, Wall Street executives have largely framed the technology as a productivity tool rather than a replacement effort.
Bravo said that associates can now focus more on higher-order thinking and investing, and that AI will generally allow young employees to “mature” faster. Employers across industries are offering entry-level employees the chance to work on bigger, more advanced projects, creating both opportunity and a steeper learning curve.
He rejected the notion that the technology will automate associates out of a job, saying that the opposite is true at his firm, which employs around 220 people.He said he feels the need to hire more people for the first time in his three-decade career in private equity.
“If you define the role of an associate as just doing a spreadsheet, you don’t need that, but our associates are now calling on companies a lot more, they’re developing relationships with CEOs, and we need a lot more of them,” he said.
Bravo, whose firm manages more than $180 billion and has built its business around software investing, is among the many high-profile finance leaders weighing in on the future of junior roles.
Leaders at many Wall Street banks also said AI will transform entry-level roles on the sell side, but none have publicly announced large-scale cuts related to the technology, and the number of summer interns on Wall Street has largely held steady or risen.
Some changes might be coming, though — Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon said earlier this month that his bank’s post-graduation hiring could “contract a little” over the next three years as AI reshapes work.
By Marc Kavinsky, Lead Editor at IoT Business News.
Deutsche Telekom IoT is positioning the 2026 FIFA World Cup as a practical reference point for connected stadium operations, spanning parking, logistics, building systems, mobility, safety and fan services. The significance is less a single product launch than a view of how global IoT connectivity, 5G and real-time data may have to work together across complex event environments.
Stadium digitalisation is often described through the fan experience: faster entry, better apps, smoother payments and more targeted information. The harder problem sits underneath those visible services. A major tournament requires transport systems, venue operations, building infrastructure, security processes, concession logistics and mobile networks to perform at the same time, under short peaks of demand and across multiple jurisdictions.
That is the context for Deutsche Telekom IoT’s latest smart-stadium narrative around the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico. With 48 teams and 104 matches, the event provides a useful stress case for IoT architectures because it combines high-density venues with cross-border travel, temporary operational peaks and the need for consistent digital services around stadiums rather than only inside them.
From connected venue to connected event district
Telekom’s framing is notable because it does not treat the smart stadium as a single building automation project. The company describes an operating model that starts before kick-off, continues during the match and extends into post-event clean-up and safety. In that model, IoT sensors can monitor pitch moisture and sunlight, autonomous mowers and line-marking robots can use positioning data, and connected logistics systems can support the movement of pallets, catering supplies, merchandise and technical equipment inside the venue.
Outside the stadium, the same connectivity layer is applied to parking, lighting and mobility. Telekom points to AI-powered parking sensors, electric-vehicle charging integration, connected LED systems that adjust to light conditions and visitor numbers, and shuttle services using LiDAR, cameras and precise positioning data. During the event, building management systems aggregate sensor inputs for lighting, ventilation, energy use, maintenance and cleaning. After the match, video-based analysis and other sensor data can support crowd exit management, while connected emergency equipment and waste bins report status or fill levels.
What makes this different from a typical smart-building or fan-app announcement is the breadth of the operational perimeter. Telekom is effectively presenting the stadium as part of a temporary smart city district, where car parks, access roads, service areas, energy systems, public transport links and visitor guidance tools all become part of the event infrastructure.
Connectivity is the architectural issue
The most important technical point is not simply that more sensors are being added. It is that the 2026 tournament spans three countries, making device connectivity, roaming, provisioning and platform integration more complex than for a single domestic venue. Telekom highlights global IoT connectivity, international partner and roaming networks, 5G, private 5G campus networks and high-precision positioning based on mobile and satellite data as components of the overall approach.
A concrete implication follows from that mix: no single network technology is likely to cover every stadium use case. Low-power sensors used for parking or fill-level monitoring have different requirements from real-time fan services, autonomous service vehicles or high-density mobile usage by spectators. For IoT teams, the practical challenge is therefore orchestration: matching the right connectivity option to the application, while keeping device management, data security and operational visibility consistent across the estate.
Telekom also notes that aggregated and anonymised visitor movement data may be used for flow analysis where permitted by regulation and applicable data protection requirements. That caveat matters. Crowd analytics in a stadium environment can be valuable for safety and routing, but it also requires governance around data minimisation, anonymisation and local compliance, especially in a tournament that crosses national borders.
Why IoT stakeholders should care
For OEMs, the message is that stadium-related devices increasingly need to fit into broader operational ecosystems rather than operate as isolated products. Parking sensors, cleaning robots, lighting controllers, charging systems and safety assets must be connectable, manageable and supportable in environments with fluctuating demand.
For connectivity providers and system integrators, the opportunity is in stitching together public cellular IoT, 5G capacity, private networks, positioning services and cloud platforms without creating separate operational silos for each use case. Enterprises and venue operators, meanwhile, should read the scenario as a reminder that smart-stadium ROI is not limited to fan-facing services. Energy management, logistics efficiency, maintenance coordination, parking utilisation, safety readiness and post-event clean-up can all be part of the business case.
Telekom’s World Cup scenario should not be read as a confirmed deployment blueprint for every venue. Its value is in showing how many operational domains now depend on reliable connected infrastructure. For large events, the smart stadium is becoming less about one impressive application and more about whether the invisible systems around the venue can work together when tens of thousands of people arrive, move, consume services and leave within a compressed window of time.
Taniquewa Brewster, 41, is a former basic income participant in Austin, Texas.
Courtesy of Taniquewa Brewster
Taniquewa Brewster received $1,000 a month for one year from an Austin basic income program.
She landed job certifications and stable housing, but is worried about emergency expenses.
US cities have run hundreds of pilots offering no-strings-attached cash to low-income families.
Taniquewa Brewster is an assistant property manager, doula, student, advocate, and proud mom of six.
The 41-year-old is also a former guaranteed basic income participant in her hometown of Austin, Texas. She was one of 135 low-income households that received $1,000 a month for a year, from September 2022 to August 2023. The money helped her cover bills, build savings, and land a more stable career.
Business Insider first spoke with Brewster in the fall of 2024, about a year after her cash payments ended. She’s now feeling more confident in her family’s future — even if unexpected bills remain a stressor.
“I’ve been able to keep my children from having to work to contribute to the household,” she said in June. “They can do whatever they want to do with their money, and that’s a big difference for me — breaking that generational curse of poverty.” She said that fear is no longer her dominant emotion.
Basic income gained momentum in the early 2020s as a solution for poverty and an increasingly AI-dominated job market. The no-strings-attached cash model has been tried hundreds of times over the past decade, championed by lawmakers, local advocates, and some big-name tech leaders. Business Insider has heard from single parents who used the money for groceries and families who secured apartments after years of instability.
Much of the reporting and data about basic income follows participants during and immediately after their programs. What’s less documented is how families fare in the years after their cash payments end. Brewer said she’s still seeing a benefit.
Brewster feels more financially confident, but worries about emergency expenses
Austin’s guaranteed basic income program was a collaboration between the city and the nonprofit UpTogether. Brewster qualified because she was experiencing housing insecurity and earned less than 60% of the area median family income, which was slightly over $64,000 annually for her household size. Brewster is a single mother who supports her children — now between infancy and college age — alone.
Prior to GBI, she was patching together low-paying part-time jobs and struggling to pay bills. She said the financial strain prevented her from getting the training she needed for a higher-paying real estate job with predictable hours.
“I was working as hard as I could, working overtime,” Brewster said in 2024. “That’s keeping me away from my family. That’s keeping me away from things that I can be doing — even going back to school — because I have to work so hard to just cover rent.”
With the extra $1,000 a month, Brewster said she was able to get the certifications she needed to be promoted as a leasing agent and now assistant property manager. She also completed her doula training and has since gone back to school to study nonprofit management. She remains a vocal advocate for basic income in Texas. Building a career that both supports her family and allows her to support others is a dream, she said.
She’s currently adopting her youngest daughter, whom she’s been fostering, andher family is preparing to move to a bigger apartment. Data from the Austin pilot shows that the majority of participants were better able to afford basic necessities and pay off debt during and directly after the pilot.
“It didn’t just help me financially, it gave me confidence in myself,” she said. “It was a hand up and not a handout.”
She said the payments didn’t fix all of her affordability concerns. She had an unexpected illness last year that required expensive medications and hospital care. She has some savings, but worries about what will happen if her family runs into more emergency expenses.
Like other GBI pilots, Brewster’s program was designed to provide short-term financial support. Austin’s program lapsed recently due to a funding lapse and limited political backing. The US has yet to try basic income for more than a few years at a time, largely because governments and philanthropists say they can’t fund it long-term.
But, for Brewster, even a year of no-strings-attached cash was life-changing.
“It felt like people were actually asking me what my needs were, and how they could help me meet those needs,” she said. “There’s something comforting about someone actually caring enough to ask.”
For over a century, the movie business has entertained people around the globe by creating powerful stories that astound us and make us want to come back for more.
It has led to a collection of titles reaching the rarified $1 billion box office mark during their theatrical run.
This is where Marvel movies, Disney animation, and James Cameron reign supreme.
Here are the movies that have crossed the prized $1 billion mark at the box office.
Kirsten Acuna and Kim Renfro contributed to previous versions of this story.
60. “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” (2026)
“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie.”
Universal
Worldwide gross: $1,000,530,625
“Galaxy” marks the first $1 billion-plus earner of 2026.
Following the hit original, 2023’s “The Super Mario Bros. Movie,” which you’ll find further down this list, Nintendo and Universal teamed up for a sequel that expands the Mario Bros. universe.
Now that both “Mario” movies have crossed the $1 billion mark, the franchise is on its way to becoming one of the most lucrative animated series in Hollywood.
59. “Jurassic World Dominion” (2022)
Universal Studios
Worldwide gross: $1,001,978,080
Poor reviews didn’t stop people from seeing the third “Jurassic World” outing.
It took over three months, but “Jurassic World Dominion” crossed $1 billion worldwide. The sequel likely crossed the number thanks in part to the original “Jurassic Park” cast returning to the big screen and teaming up with the newer “Jurassic World” cast in this entry.
58. “The Dark Knight” (2008)
Warner Bros.
Worldwide gross: $1,008,287,756
Back in July of 2008, people began speculating that Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins” sequel starring Heath Ledger as the Joker might have the box-office power to set a world record. “There are even whispers starting whether ‘Dark Knight‘ can beat the incredible worldwide numbers posted by the all-time $1.8 billion benchmark of ‘Titanic,'” Deadline reported.
When Peter Jackson’s first “Hobbit” movie crossed the $1 billion mark, it looked like a good indication that the subsequent two sequels would perform equally well, if not better, at the box office.
But neither of the second two “Hobbit” films wound up crossing that box-office landmark. Both “The Desolation of Smaug” and “Battle of the Five Armies” grossed around $960,000,000 each.
56. “Alice In Wonderland” (2010)
Disney via YouTube
Worldwide gross: $1,025,468,216
When Tim Burton’s take on the original Disney classic hit $1 billion at the box office in 2010, it was only the sixth ever film to do so. In the years since, more than 20 other films have joined the club — but the sequel to this live-action “Alice In Wonderland” was not among them. 2016’s “Alice Through the Looking Glass” grossed over $299 million worldwide.
54. “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (2001)
Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter and Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.”
Warner Bros.
Worldwide gross: $1,028,496,499
Nineteen years after its initial 2001 release, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” managed to cross the $1 billion mark only after it was given a theatrical re-release in China.
Deadline reported that the movie had grossed $13.6 million over the course of three-days after it was released in theaters with a “remastered 4K 3D” version. It’s the second movie in the “Harry Potter” franchise to gross more than $1 billion.
53. “Finding Dory” (2016)
Disney
Worldwide gross: $1,029,266,989
Moviegoers flocked back to theaters in the summer of 2016 for Disney Pixar’s “Finding Nemo” sequel. It was the second animated feature of 2016 to pass the $1 billion mark (“Zootopia” is the other).
“Despicable Me 3” was a sleeper hit of 2017. With the return of Gru, Lucy, and of course the Minions, this is the second movie in the franchise to gross over one billion dollars. The introduction of “South Park” co-creator Trey Parker as a new villain was a smart move.
51. “Lilo & Stitch” (2025)
“Lilo & Stitch.”
Disney
Worldwide gross: $1,038,027,526
Disney’s live-action remake genre followed the dud of “Snow White” with this major success.
Along with hitting the billion mark, the movie also broke the Memorial Day opening weekend box office record with $341.7 million worldwide.
50. “Star Wars: Episode 1 — The Phantom Menace” (1999)
49. “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” (2011)
Disney
Worldwide gross: $1,046,721,266
There are four total “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies in the franchise — and two of them have joined the billion-dollar club. “Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides” sits behind the “Dead Man’s Chest” installment of this Disney franchise.
48. “Aladdin” (2019)
Will Smith as the Genie in Disney’s “Aladdin.”
Disney
Worldwide gross: $1,054,304,000
Like many of the Disney live-action versions of animated classics, “Aladdin” did very well at the box office. “Aladdin” became one of Disney’s record-breaking seven movies to hit $1 billion in 2019.
47. “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” (2016)
Disney/Lucasfilm
Worldwide gross: $1,058,684,742
“Rogue One” cemented its place in the “Star Wars” franchise by raking in $1 billion just 39 days after its global release. The spinoff became the fourth and final movie of 2016 to make $1 billion at the box office. All four billion-dollar movies of 2016 were Disney releases.
46. “Moana 2” (2024)
“Moana 2.”
Disney
Worldwide gross: $1,059,242,164
In the sequel, Moana and Maui reunite to reconnect the people of the ocean by seeking out a lost island.
45. “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” (2006)
Disney
Worldwide gross: $1,066,179,747
Back in 2006, when the sequel to Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl” hit theaters, it took just three months for the movie to make $1 billion at the box office. At that time, it was the third ever film to do so.
44. “Toy Story 3” (2010)
Pixar
Worldwide gross: $1,067,316,101
The third movie in the “Toy Story” franchise crossed the $1 billion mark in 2010 and made Disney history as Pixar’s highest-grossing film of all time. The success of “Toy Story 3” helped push a fourth movie into Disney’s animated movie plan.
43. “Toy Story 4” (2019)
Disney/Pixar
Worldwide gross: $1,073,841,394
With “Toy Story 4” also crossing this milestone, Disney became the first movie studio to create seven billion-dollar movies in a single year. The movie joined its Disney comrades “Captain Marvel,” “Aladdin,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “The Lion King,” “Frozen II,” and “The Rise of Skywalker.”
The ninth episode in the “Star Wars” Skywalker saga, “The Rise of Skywalker,” crossed the $1 billion mark on Tuesday, January 14.
As reported by Variety, it took this film 28 days to hit this milestone, while “The Force Awakens” did it in 12 days and “The Last Jedi” managed it in 19 days.
41. “Joker” (2019)
Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros
Worldwide gross: $1,078,958,629
This DC comic movie is the first R-rated movie to ever make $1 billion at the box office. Deadline announced the milestone, which came about six weeks after the movie premiered worldwide.
Similar to “The Phantom Menace,” a 3D re-release is responsible for putting “Jurassic Park” over the edge and into the $1 billion club. “Jurassic Park” wasn’t originally released in China in 1993, according to a report from The Wrap. But the 20th anniversary international re-release included China — and the difference in ticket sales showed.
A few more pandemic re-releases in 2020 and 2022 helped send it up the chart even more.
The third “Transformers” movie was Paramount’s first film to reach $1 billion at the box office. Similar to “Age of Extinction,” the boost in ticket sales came largely from international movie audiences. This was the last “Transformers” movie which starred Shia LaBeouf.
35. “Captain Marvel” (2019)
Brie Larson in “Captain Marvel” (2019).
Disney/Marvel
Worldwide gross: $1,131,416,446
And here we begin with the seemingly unstoppable success of Marvel universe movies. Just over three weeks after its release date and record-breaking opening weekend, “Captain Marvel” crossed the billion-dollar mark for global box office sales.
“Captain America: Civil War” was a blockbuster hit in 2016, and the first movie of that year to rake in $1 billion. The wild success of Cap’s third outing came from it playing more like an Avengers film thanks to a large superhero roster, including Iron Man, and the introduction of Tom Holland’s Spider-Man.
30. “Minions” (2015)
Illumination
Worldwide gross: $1,159,457,503
The 2015 prequel to “Despicable Me” focused only on the overall-wearing Minions the world had come to love. People clearly appreciated the yellow henchman’s standalone film, since neither of the two “Despicable Me” movies have breached $1 billion.
In April 2017, the eighth movie in “The Fast and the Furious” franchise joined the billion-dollar club. Clearly Vin Diesel’s creative control of these action-packed movies is paying off along with its diverse cast. This is the second movie from the franchise to make more than $1 billion.
Also in April 2017, Walt Disney Studios announced that its live-action remake of “Beauty and the Beast” had officially passed the $1 billion mark for global box-office sales. Its total revenue makes “Beauty and the Beast” the highest-grossing film of 2017.
After its initial release, it became Walt Disney Pictures’ third highest-grossing film of all time. According to Deadline, the film earned a profit of over $400 million for Disney.
24. “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” (2018)
Universal
Worldwide gross: $1,310,469,037
The second installment in Universal’s rebooted “Jurassic Park” trilogy had an impressive opening weekend and then quickly grossed $1 billion after two weeks.
21. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two” (2011)
Warner Bros.
Worldwide gross: $1,342,505,340
Following the trend of some other franchises in our top list, the final “Harry Potter” film was the only one of the bunch that raked in $1 billion or more until “Sorcerer’s Stone” was given a theatrical release in China.
Universal Pictures’ adaptation of the Nintendo game crossed $1 billion in just 26 days, making it the first film of 2023 to cross the threshold and the studio’s seventh-largest film.
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is the fifth film released during the pandemic to hit $1 billion theatrically and the first animated movie to do so.
18. “Avengers: Age of Ultron” (2015)
Marvel
Worldwide gross: $1,405,018,048
“Transformers,” “The Dark Knight,” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” are three franchises which each have two movies in the billion dollar club — and you can add “The Avengers” to that list.
“Furious 7” broke records when it raced past the $1 billion box-office mark in just 17 days. As Entertainment Weekly reported “that makes ‘Furious’ 7 the fastest live-action film to reach that number.” But two other 2015 movies (coming later on our list) eventually bumped it to third place.
The first “Avengers” movie brought together an all-star cast of comic book heroes — and Marvel’s efforts were rewarded at the box office. The film passed $1 billion in ticket sales in just 19 days — which means it’s tied for third place in the list of fastest grossing movies alongside “Avatar” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two.”
After relegating titles like “Luca” and “Turning Red” to direct-to-streaming releases during the pandemic, which led to frustration and low morale within the company, Pixar is back on top.
“Inside Out 2” hit the $1 billion global mark in 19 days, the fastest ever for an animated movie. It’s also the only movie released in 2024 that has crossed the $1 billion mark.
We wouldn’t be shocked if Pixar is already crafting another sequel for Joy, Anxiety, and all of Riley’s other feelings.
8. “Zootopia 2” (2025)
“Zootopia 2.”
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Worldwide gross: $1,866,647,950
Some sequels can get hurt at the box office for coming out so long after the original. Not this Disney title.
Released almost a decade after the first “Zootopia” movie, audiences rushed back to watch Nick Wilde and Judy Hopps go on another case.
After opening with a huge $559.5 million global take, making it the biggest global opening for an animated movie ever, it hit the $1 billion mark in just 17 days, becoming the second 2025 release to hit the billion milestone (the other being Disney’s “Lilo & Stitch”).
7. “Spider-Man: No Way Home” (2021)
Tobey Maguire, Tom Holland, and Andrew Garfield in “Spider-Man: No Way Home.”
Sony Pictures
Worldwide gross: $1,921,426,073
Spider-Man broke the pandemic curse. “No Way Home” became the first film since 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker” to cross $1 billion at the box office. The Tom Holland-starring film crossed $1 billion in just 12 days and become the highest-grossing movie of 2021.
According to Forbes, it’s only the fifth film to cross $1 billion without a China release. If it ever does open there, it will likely cross $2 billion.
The seventh movie in the “Star Wars” franchise broke the “Jurassic World” records when box-office numbers tallied $1 billion after only 12 days. And it didn’t stop there — “The Force Awakens” went on rake in more than $2 billion, solidifying its number four spot on our list and becoming the highest-grossing “Star Wars” movie of all time.
4. “Titanic” (1997)
20th Century Fox
Worldwide gross: $2,264,812,968
More than two decades since its release, James Cameron’s “Titanic” is holding steady as one of the biggest box-office hits of all time. The movie made around $1.8 billion during its initial 1997 release and then topped $2 billion after it was rereleased in 3D in honor of the 100-year anniversary of the iconic ship’s sinking.
3. “Avatar: The Way of Water” (2022)
“Avatar: The Way of Water.”
20th Century Studios
Worldwide gross: $2,343,477,301
Two weeks after its premiere in movie theaters, Cameron’s first “Avatar” sequel had already grossed more than $1 billion at the box office, a rare feat during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While discussing the digital release of “Avatar: The Way of Water,” out March 28, producer Jon Landau told Insider he and Cameron wondered if the sequel to the 2009 film would reach the number “Titanic” crossed at the box office.
“I was never nervous that people would lose interest because I didn’t think they needed to have interest. I thought we were making a new movie,” Landau said when asked if he was nervous that audiences may lose interest in an “Avatar” sequel after waiting more than a decade for it.
“I looked at this almost like an original piece of content that happened to be with known characters in a known world, but we were showing them in a new way. So I was nervous about how the movie would do because when you stop being nervous, you stop caring. But I was never worried,” Landau added of the movie’s strong box-office performance.
2. “Avengers: Endgame” (2019)
Thanos leading his army in “Avengers: Endgame.”
Disney
Worldwide gross: $2,799,439,100
Marvel’s major endcap to its run of 22 comic-book-based films broke the record for the fastest movie to reach $1 billion dollars in international box-office totals.
The offers and details on this page may have updated or changed since the time of publication. See our article on Business Insider for current information.
Jeffrey Maas (not pictured) has filed a civil lawsuit after being conned out of $390,000.
FG Trade/Getty Images
Jeffrey Maas was told that his savings account had been compromised because of a computer error.
He followed the advice for resolving the issue: withdrawing money from his bank account and buying gold.
The grandfather of two lost $390,000 and is now taking legal action.
When Jeffrey Mass and his wife retired, they had planned to use part of their savings to travel to Europe and take foreign cruises.
They also wanted to leave inheritance money for their adult kids and establish college funds for their two young grandchildren. “We had this idea of how we wanted to spend our golden years and include a legacy,” Maas, 77, told Business Insider.
The couple’s future is unlikely to look anything like they’d hoped: Maas was scammed out of his $390,000 nest egg — around half his life savings — by cybercriminals who struck twice.
The scammer said he represented PayPal
Maas received an email on June 5, 2024, claiming to acknowledge a $691.05 payment for Norton Antivirus identity theft protection software.
The email was not, in fact, from Norton, but from the scammers. Maas, a former human relations professional, who had not ordered the service, called the “helpline” number listed.
He reached a man, who called himself Jason Green and said he was an agent for PayPal. He said he could refund the money if Maas filled out an online form.
The senior provided details, including his bank name and the last four digits of his PNC checking and money accounts. Unbeknownst to Maas, the scammer had also taken control of his computer.
Green began the “refund process,” but told Maas he had accidentally deposited $300,000 into the checking account. Green used his computer access to show Maas a falsified PNC statement recording the transaction.
Maas was told he could incur penalties from the IRS
“He kept saying he would be fired if his mistake was discovered,” Maas said, adding that the scammer was slick and solicitous.
A second scammer, to whom the first conman directed to call, told Maas that the only way he could refund the $300,000 without incurring financial penalties from the IRS was to deposit gold.
The same day, Maas visited his regular PNC branch in West Orange, New Jersey, to authorize the wiring of $300,000 to American Coin and Stamp Co, Inc., a precious-metal dealer based in Clifton, New Jersey, as recommended by the scammers, to buy gold.
Details of the scam are described in a lawsuit filed in the Law Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey, Essex County. In it, Maas claims negligence against PNC and American Coin.
Maas lost half of his life savings in the scam.
Courtesy of Jeffrey Maas
He is also suing a Pennsylvanian named Jaynesh Patel, alleging conspiracy to commit conversion and conspiracy to commit common fraud. Authorities arrested Patel, identifying him as a person who allegedly helped retrieve hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of gold from Maas. Patel has been charged in a separate criminal investigation of the matter.
According to the lawsuit, a PNC banker guided Maas through the process of wiring the money to American Coin. Throughout the whole transaction, the suit said, Maas was on an open phone line with Green. It said the staff member asked Maas no questions, such as why he was depleting his savings to purchase gold.
“He did not ask why Mr. Maas was on a call during the entire interaction or who was on the other end of the call,” the complaint stated. “He did not try to assess if Mr. Maas was being unduly influenced.”
Maas placed the coins in the back seat of a car
The lawsuit said that American Coin received the wire amount an hour later, and that Maas drove to Clifton to pick up the gold from Jeffrey Angello, owner of American Coin.
The suit added that Maas was also on the phone with the scammer during the gold exchange, and no one questioned why the large sum of gold was being purchased, or how he had learned about the store.
Maas returned home, following Green’s advice to wait for someone to collect the coins. A black Nissan with a New Jerseylicense plate arrived, and Maas placed the coins in the back seat through an open window.
The next day, Green told Maas that the process had been successful and offered him a $1,000 reward for his help, which, the lawsuit said, Maas declined.
Maas was shown a forged document depicting his bank account
“I said, ‘I don’t want a reward,'” Maas told Business Insider. “I told him to leave me alone.”
Green then told Maas that, instead, he would pay Maas $10,000 compensation because he had “saved his job.” As Maas completed the supposed reward form, Green said there had been another mistake: $100,000 had been credited to his account, not $10,000.
Maas was again shown a forged document depicting his PNC account with the latest deposit and told he would need to repeat the process of the previous day.
The New Jersey resident returned to PNC and withdrew $90,000. The suit alleges that Maas was on an open phone line and that the second banker who helped him did not ask him what he needed the funds for, or note that he had withdrawn the $300,00 the day before.
Maas requested that the wires be recalled
Maas’ complaint said the banker “did not alert Mr. Maas that this withdrawal would essentially wipe out the savings in his checking and money market account.”
Maas then returned to Angello and purchased more coins. This time, a green Honda with Pennsylvania plates came to pick up the gold.
“I was on the phone with Green, but I just figured something wasn’t right,” Maas told Business Insider. After a sleepless night of “agitation” and “complete humiliation,” he filed a report with the West Orange Police Department.
Maas is suing PNC Bank and two other defendants.
AP/Getty Images
Officers identified the Honda driver as Patel, leading to his arrest and indictment on a second-degree theft by deception charge. He has pleaded not guilty, and his next court appearance is on July 6, 2026.
The lawsuit said Maas reported the situation to PNC and requested the wires be recalled, only to learn that it could not be done. “I was hoping it was a bad dream, but it wasn’t,” Maas said to Business Insider.
He had two severe episodes of fainting, which doctors diagnosed as the result of stress. He spent three days in the hospital on both occasions and suffered from severe social anxietyand avoidance.
The coin dealer has denied all wrongdoing
The lawsuit alleges that neither the bank nor the dealer took the necessary precautions to prevent the elaborate con.
Business Insider reached out to PNC and Patel’s attorneys in both the civil and criminal cases against him. PNC, which has filed a motion to dismiss the case on legal grounds, said it could not comment on active litigation.
Patel’s attorneys have not responded to Business Insider’s request. However, in his answer to the complaint, Patel denied Maas’ allegations.
Jeffrey Angello, owner of American Coin, denied wrongdoing. He told Business Insider that the lawsuit was “absurd.”
“I’m livid that they are taking shots at my company and me when we’ve been here for 70 years,” he said. “My name is being sullied.” He said the case was keeping him up at night, and he was considering counter-suing.
Maas wants to raise awareness
Meanwhile, Maas told Business Insider, “Of course, my wife yelled at me, but she and my family have been super about what happened, but I’m my own worst enemy. Nobody held a gun to my head, but I was trying to do the right thing.”
Maas bought gold coins and lost a total $390K
Mohamed Abd El Ghany/Reuters
He added that he was left shaken, and his regret at what happened wouldn’t go away. As for his attitude toward PNC, American Coin, and Patel, Maas said he wanted nothing more to do with them, but hopes to recover damages, attorney’s fees, and court costs.
Maas’ attorney, Steve Cohen, who said scams against older Americans are prolific, accused financial entities such as PNC and American Coin of being as crucial to the success of the con as the frontline criminals.
“They ignored all the red flags,” he told Business Insider. “Jeffrey has been gutsy coming forward with his story.”
Maas has now dramatically scaled back his expectations for an enjoyable retirement, yet still wants something good to come out of his experience.
“In retrospect, you just get caught up, and your adrenaline is going, and now it’s caused this situation,” he said.
Maas said that, by going public, he hopes people will take note of his personal story of being scammed, and it will raise awareness of exploitative crimes like phishing.
