Records, not opinions
All-time blockbusters
Dramas and movies that earned the word with numbers: record ratings, record box office, or a reach no one else matched in their day. Every entry links to a page with the cast, the crew, a spoiler-free plot and the source for each figure. Older serials made before audited ratings are included only where a source documents their standing, and their pages say so.
This is not a ranking, and it is listed in no particular order. For the ShowBuzz editors' picks, see the Top 20 dramas and the Top 20 movies. A title can appear in both places for different reasons: there for taste, here for the record it set.
Classic hit dramas
20 serials, judged by ratings, reach and run.
Dhoop Kinare
1987 · PTV
Dhoop Kinare predates audited ratings in Pakistan, so there is no ratings figure to quote.
Tanhaiyaan
1986 · PTV
Like other PTV serials of the 1980s, Tanhaiyaan has no published ratings figure.
Ankahi
1982 · PTV
There is no audited ratings figure from 1982.
Waris
1979 · PTV
Waris aired from PTV Lahore every Saturday from 29 December 1979 to 22 March 1980, before audited ratings, and is described as an acclaimed mega hit.
Alpha Bravo Charlie
1998 · PTV
No audited ratings figure is published for the 1998 run.
Mere Humsafar
2021 · ARY Digital
Mere Humsafar was one of the most popular dramas of 2022, with a highest rating of 11.2 for its 38th and 40th episodes.
Khaani
2017 · Geo Entertainment
Khaani set new popularity records soon after it began and went viral on social media.
Ramayan
1987 · DD National
During its run it became the most watched television series in the world, with a viewership of 82 percent.
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi
2000 · Star Plus
It was the most successful serial of its time, ranked number one with double-digit TRPs for seven continuous years and peaking at 22.4 in May 2001.
Diriliş: Ertuğrul
2014 · TRT 1, later streamed on Netflix
No global ratings total is published, but its reach is documented: Netflix streamed it internationally from 2016–17 until 2023, and it was well received in Turkey and in countries such as Pakistan and Azerbaijan.
Muhteşem Yüzyıl (Magnificent Century)
2011 · Show TV, later Star TV
It was reported to have an international audience of 200 million viewers in more than 50 countries, and it kept consistently high ratings at home despite protests.
Jewel in the Palace (Dae Jang Geum)
2003 · MBC TV
It was the top programme on MBC with an average viewership rating of 45.8% and a peak of 57.1%.
Winter Sonata
2002 · KBS2
It became a phenomenon in Japan when NHK aired it in 2004.
Descendants of the Sun
2016 · KBS2
It was the first miniseries in South Korea to pass 30% in viewership ratings since 2012.
Crash Landing on You
2019 · tvN, streamed on Netflix
Its finale drew a nationwide rating of 21.7%, making it the highest-rated drama in tvN's history at the time.
Squid Game
2021 · Netflix
It became Netflix's most-watched series.
Game of Thrones
2011 · HBO
It attracted record viewership for HBO and built a large international fan base, and many critics name it one of the greatest television series.
Humsafar
2011 · HUM TV
It was described as the highest-rated serial of its time, with TRPs of 10.71 peaking at 13.9, and by 2014 it was the highest-rated series in its home market to date.
Meray Paas Tum Ho
2019 · ARY Digital
It received the best television ratings on record and still holds the highest TRP rating of any Pakistani show of all time.
Kabhi Main Kabhi Tum
2024 · HUM TV
It became the highest-rated programme on Pakistani television from 2021 to 2024, with consistently high TRPs.
All-time blockbuster movies
42 films, judged by box-office records.
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion
2017 · Telugu
It grossed over ₹1,810.60 crore worldwide and became the first Indian film to pass ₹1,000 crore, collecting about ₹792 crore in its first six days.
Baahubali: The Beginning
2015 · Telugu and Tamil
With a worldwide gross of ₹600–650 crore, it became the highest-grossing Telugu film and the second highest-grossing Indian film worldwide at the time of release.
RRR
2022 · Telugu
It grossed ₹1,300–1,387 crore worldwide and took ₹223 crore on its first day, the biggest opening day for an Indian film at the time.
KGF: Chapter 2
2022 · Kannada
It earned ₹1,200–1,250 crore worldwide, the highest-grossing film of 2022 in India.
Pushpa 2: The Rule
2024 · Telugu
It grossed between ₹1,642 and ₹1,800 crore worldwide, becoming the second highest-grossing film in India and the fourth highest-grossing Indian film worldwide at the time of its release.
Animal
2023 · Hindi
It grossed ₹917.82 crore worldwide, the third highest-grossing Indian film of 2023 and the fifth highest-grossing Hindi film.
Gadar 2
2023 · Hindi
Against a budget of ₹60 crore it grossed ₹691.08 crore worldwide, ₹625.54 crore of it in India, as of 14 September 2023.
Sanju
2018 · Hindi
It grossed over ₹587 crore worldwide, the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2018 and the second highest-grossing Indian film of the year.
War
2019 · Hindi
It grossed ₹475.62 crore worldwide, the highest-grossing Indian film of 2019.
Chhaava
2025 · Hindi
It earned ₹797.34–809 crore, ranking as the third highest-grossing Indian film of 2025 and the second highest-grossing Hindi film of the year.
Kalki 2898 AD
2024 · Telugu
It grossed an estimated ₹1,100 crore worldwide, the second highest-grossing Indian film of 2024 and the fourth highest-grossing Telugu film.
Dhoom 3
2013 · Hindi
It grossed ₹400 crore worldwide in ten days, becoming the highest-grossing Indian film of all time at that point, and then the first Indian film to pass ₹500 crore.
Gadar: Ek Prem Katha
2001 · Hindi
It grossed over ₹1.33 billion worldwide and became the highest-grossing Hindi film of its time, overtaking Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!.
The Legend of Maula Jatt
2022 · Punjabi
It became the highest-grossing Pakistani film and the highest-grossing Punjabi-language film worldwide, with reported earnings of over Rs.
Punjab Nahi Jaungi
2017 · Urdu and Punjabi
With a worldwide gross of Rs.
Jawani Phir Nahi Ani 2
2018 · Urdu
It became the highest-grossing film ever at the Pakistani box office at the time of its release, and the second-highest-grossing Pakistani film worldwide, overtaking Punjab Nahi Jaungi.
Titanic
1997 · English
It was the first film to reach $1 billion, grossing over $1.84 billion in its first run, and was the highest-grossing film of all time until Avatar.
Avatar
2009 · English
It became the first film to gross more than $2 billion and was the highest-grossing film of all time from 2010 to 2019 and again from 2021 to 2026, finishing at $2.924 billion.
Avengers: Endgame
2019 · English
It grossed $2.8 billion in its first run, passing the entire run of Infinity War in eleven days, and became the highest-grossing film of all time from 2019 to 2021, and regained the record in October 2026 when the Encore re-release took it to an estimated $2.9255 billion, just ahead of Avatar's $2.9237 billion.
The Shawshank Redemption
1994 · English
A banker sentenced to life for a double murder he says he did not commit forms a decades-long friendship with a fellow prisoner at Shawshank State Penitentiary.
Jurassic Park
1993 · English
Scientists invited to approve an island theme park of cloned dinosaurs discover how little of it is under control.
The Lion King
1994 · English
A lion cub heir to the Pride Lands is driven into exile after a family tragedy, and must decide whether to return and face his uncle Scar.
Star Wars
1977 · English
A farm boy, a smuggler, a princess and two droids join a rebellion against an Empire that has built a planet-destroying battle station.
The Dark Knight
2008 · English
Batman, Lieutenant Gordon and District Attorney Harvey Dent face the Joker, a criminal who wants to prove anyone can be broken.
Inception
2010 · English
A thief who steals secrets from dreams is offered his old life back if he can plant an idea in a target's mind instead.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
2001 · English
An orphaned boy learns he is a wizard and begins his first year at Hogwarts, where something valuable is hidden behind a locked door.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
2001 · English
A young hobbit inherits a ring that turns out to be the weapon of a dark lord, and sets out with eight companions to destroy it.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
2002 · English
With the Fellowship scattered, Frodo and Sam take Gollum as a guide to Mordor while their friends are drawn into the defence of Rohan.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2003 · English
As Sauron's armies march on Gondor, Aragorn faces his destiny and Frodo and Sam make the last climb toward Mount Doom.
Ne Zha 2
2025 · Mandarin
It grossed about $2.2 billion worldwide against an $80 million budget.
Tiger Zinda Hai
2017 · Hindi
It grossed over ₹5.65 billion worldwide, the third highest-grossing Indian film of 2017, and set many box-office records during its run.
Sholay
1975 · Hindi
It had a negative critical reception and a tepid start, then broke records for continuous showings in theatres across India and ran for more than five years at Mumbai's Minerva theatre.
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge
1995 · Hindi
It earned an estimated ₹102.5 crore in total, ₹89 crore of it in India, and was the highest-grossing Indian film of 1995.
3 Idiots
2009 · Hindi
It became a major box-office success and one of the few Indian films of its time to succeed in China and Japan, taking its worldwide gross to ₹460 crore.
Dangal
2016 · Hindi
It grossed ₹1,968–2,024 crore worldwide, setting records as the highest-grossing Hindi film and the highest-grossing Indian film worldwide.
PK
2014 · Hindi
Made for ₹1.22 billion, it was the first Indian film to gross more than ₹7 billion and US$100 million worldwide, and at release it was the highest-grossing Indian film of all time.
Bajrangi Bhaijaan
2015 · Hindi
It grossed ₹918.18 crore worldwide and was the highest-grossing Indian film of 2015.
Jawan
2023 · Hindi
It grossed over ₹1,100 crore, the highest-grossing Indian film of 2023.
Stree 2
2024 · Hindi
It grossed over ₹875 crore worldwide, the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2024 and the third highest-grossing Indian film of that year.
Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!
1994 · Hindi
Released on 5 August 1994, it grossed between ₹111.63 and ₹128 crore worldwide and became the highest-grossing Indian film at the time.
Maine Pyar Kiya
1989 · Hindi
Made for ₹20 million, it grossed ₹458.1 million worldwide, the biggest film of 1989 and the highest-grossing Indian film of the 1980s.
Mughal-e-Azam
1960 · Hindi
Released on 5 August 1960, it broke box-office records in India and became the highest-grossing Indian film, a distinction it held for 15 years.
Checked 22 October 2026. Box-office totals change with re-releases and differ between trackers; each title page gives the figure, the range where estimates differ and the source.