Biggest Box Office - Adjusted for Inflation

Found this interesting article on Box Office Mojo. The movie studios want you to believe that their most recent films are the absolute cream of the crop...that movies are more popular today than ever and all the best stuff came out in the past 10 years.

However, when they compile their lists they don't take into account ticket price increases over the decades, once you take the actual amount of tickets sold and adjust that for inflation an entirely different list of films comes into play.

Here are the top 25 biggest money-making films of all-time with inflation figured in. In the top 10 there are only 2 films that came out after 1980 and two of the top 10 are from the 1930s.

1 Gone with the Wind MGM $1,620,397,900 1939^
2 Star Wars Fox $1,428,519,200 1977^
3 The Sound of Music Fox $1,142,171,300 1965
4 E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Uni. $1,137,671,800 1982^
5 Titanic Par. $1,087,949,000 1997^
6 The Ten Commandments Par. $1,050,620,000 1956
7 Jaws Uni. $1,027,192,100 1975
8 Doctor Zhivago MGM $995,566,400 1965
9 The Exorcist WB $887,005,300 1973^
10 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Dis. $874,180,000 1937^
11 101 Dalmatians Dis. $801,336,400 1961^
12 The Empire Strikes Back Fox $787,408,700 1980^
13 Ben-Hur MGM $785,960,000 1959
14 Avatar Fox $779,987,300 2009^
15 Return of the Jedi Fox $754,356,500 1983^
16 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Fox $724,308,000 1999^
17 The Sting Uni. $714,925,700 1973
18 The Lion King BV $714,590,500 1994^
19 Raiders of the Lost Ark Par. $708,700,500 1981^
20 Jurassic Park Uni. $691,370,800 1993^
21 The Graduate AVCO $686,325,500 1967^
22 Fantasia Dis. $666,008,700 $1941^
23 The Godfather Par. $632,959,000 1972^
24 Forrest Gump Par. $629,935,800 1994
25 Mary Poppins Dis. $627,018,200 1964^

Here is the complete list of 200:

http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm

I like this list -it gives a sense of perspective. Interesting to see the Harry Potter phenomenon didn't crack the top 25. I guess it shows how easily those 'highest grossing films of all time' get skewed to recent releases.

I have always wondered that but never got into checking it out. Thanks for the info SD!

Very cool information and as stated, nice to see a little reality placed into the equation.

That is a very cool list and very different then I excepted.

I've seen those list before- very cool. I guess the teenage girl market can't be underestimated, based on the box office for Titanic.......

thejokeriv wrote:

I've seen those list before- very cool. I guess the teenage girl market can't be underestimated, based on the box office for Titanic.......

or kids in general for that matter, several kid films in the top 25. Never underestimate the power of a whiny little brat begging to see that movie "one more time" until you cave in and take them just so they will shut up.

In recent years, when hearing this or that movie was the highest grossing film ever. It made me do this Cause I remember Jaws playing all summer long at the drive-in theater and it was always packed. 3 bucks a carload too.

Nice to see somebody sat down and crunched the numbers, thanks Shawn

James B. wrote:

In recent years, when hearing this or that movie was the highest grossing film ever. It made me do this Cause I remember Jaws playing all summer long at the drive-in theater and it was always packed.

I can remember both "Star Wars" and "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" playing in theatres for a entire year, straight through. (20th Century Fox even took out a really cool ad in newspapers when "Star Wars" hit that milestone, it was a full page with all the characters standing around a birthday cake with the S.W. logo on it).

That'd never happen nowadays, a movie's in theatres for a couple of weeks and then disappears from view.

Fat Freddy wrote:

James B. wrote:

In recent years, when hearing this or that movie was the highest grossing film ever. It made me do this Cause I remember Jaws playing all summer long at the drive-in theater and it was always packed.

I can remember both "Star Wars" and "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" playing in theatres for a entire year, straight through. (20th Century Fox even took out a really cool ad in newspapers when "Star Wars" hit that milestone, it was a full page with all the characters standing around a birthday cake with the S.W. logo on it).

That'd never happen nowadays, a movie's in theatres for a couple of weeks and then disappears from view.

Not to mention, when I lved in California......you'd have those giant multi-plex cinemas with the same flic on like 3 or 4 screens at once. There is a single screen theater about 30 miles from me and a movie will only show there for a week unless it's a kid movie, then ya might have it for two.

Fat Freddy wrote:

James B. wrote:

In recent years, when hearing this or that movie was the highest grossing film ever. It made me do this Cause I remember Jaws playing all summer long at the drive-in theater and it was always packed.

I can remember both "Star Wars" and "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" playing in theatres for a entire year, straight through. (20th Century Fox even took out a really cool ad in newspapers when "Star Wars" hit that milestone, it was a full page with all the characters standing around a birthday cake with the S.W. logo on it).

That'd never happen nowadays, a movie's in theatres for a couple of weeks and then disappears from view.

I remember those days! Some ads used to stay "now in its X week"...... The film companies take in a higher percentage of the gross sales during the first few weeks. Cinema owners make a higher percentage of gross sales that have been in the theater for 4 weeks or so. Hence, part of the push to get as many people as possible to see a film in the first two weeks of release these days.

BTW - still have a drive in near me (open during the late spring/summer/early fall) and the do a bang up business - it's always packed. They show new releases so they charge per person instead of the by the car load. They also let people bring in their own food (nice perk!) but have signed all over about how refreshment stand sales keep them in business. Still a cool place, and you can see a double feature (new movie for first showing, one or two week old movie for second showing) and the admission is cheaper than the other theaters around here!

I'm surprised The Wizard Of Oz isn't in the Top 25.

Do the Starwars include the second run in the mid 90's or is it just the original releases?

Whats stands out to me is that the movies listed here are mostly longer films too, mostly epics, although Disney does have a hand in there. It is interesting that the the more recent the film, the harder time that they have cracking the top 25. Something to be said about quality and staying power.

jettafiend wrote:

Do the Starwars include the second run in the mid 90's or is it just the original releases?

I believe the list is all-time box office.

A film like Gone With The Wind has been re-released theatrically about once a decade since the initial run. Same goes for the all the Disney films which have been re-released numerous times.

S.D. wrote:

jettafiend wrote:

Do the Starwars include the second run in the mid 90's or is it just the original releases?

I believe the list is all-time box office.

A film like Gone With The Wind has been re-released theatrically about once a decade since the initial run. Same goes for the all the Disney films which have been re-released numerous times.

it is amazing the staying power of the SW films.

exact33 wrote:

S.D. wrote:

jettafiend wrote:

Do the Starwars include the second run in the mid 90's or is it just the original releases?

I believe the list is all-time box office.

A film like Gone With The Wind has been re-released theatrically about once a decade since the initial run. Same goes for the all the Disney films which have been re-released numerous times.

it is amazing the staying power of the SW films.

I'm sure the folks at Disney were thinking the same thing.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

I'm surprised The Wizard Of Oz isn't in the Top 25.

Agreed. It is number one in my house. My wife loves it enough for the both of us.

MetalGuy71 wrote:

exact33 wrote:

S.D. wrote:

jettafiend wrote:

Do the Starwars include the second run in the mid 90's or is it just the original releases?

I believe the list is all-time box office.

A film like Gone With The Wind has been re-released theatrically about once a decade since the initial run. Same goes for the all the Disney films which have been re-released numerous times.

it is amazing the staying power of the SW films.

I'm sure the folks at Disney were thinking the same thing.

yep. They can market til Gene Simmons is jealous with the rights they just bought.

exact33 wrote:

MetalGuy71 wrote:

exact33 wrote:

S.D. wrote:

jettafiend wrote:

Do the Starwars include the second run in the mid 90's or is it just the original releases?

I believe the list is all-time box office.

A film like Gone With The Wind has been re-released theatrically about once a decade since the initial run. Same goes for the all the Disney films which have been re-released numerous times.

it is amazing the staying power of the SW films.

I'm sure the folks at Disney were thinking the same thing.

yep. They can market til Gene Simmons is jealous with the rights they just bought.