Traditionally, war films, musicals and historical dramas have been the most popular genres and Gone With the Wind held the record of highest-grossing film for 25 years but doesn’t even make it into the top fifty in the modern market. But purchasing power varies widely over the time period since Gone With the Wind was first released in 1939. But the true key to determining how revenues really compare is when you adjust them for inflation.
Highest-grossing films (Nominal)
First we will look at nominal gross box office revenues. That is the actual number of dollars (not adjusted for inflation) earned strictly in the box office. Modern films have an advantage because in addition to box office revenues there are home video sales, pay-per-view sales, and merchandising sales. These revenues can dwarf box office revenues such was the case with Pixar’s movie Cars which was only moderately successful in the theater grossing $461 million but it generated almost $10 Billion in merchandise sales. In addition, box office receipts are almost purely profit while merchandise has additional production and distribution costs.
Highest-grossing Films of All Time (not adjusted for Inflation) | |||
Rank | Title | Worldwide gross | Year |
1 | Avatar | $2,782,275,172 | 2009 |
2 | Titanic | $2,185,372,302 | 1997 |
3 | Marvel’s The Avengers | $1,511,757,910 | 2012 |
4 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 | $1,341,511,219 | 2011 |
5 | Transformers: Dark of the Moon | $1,123,746,996 | 2011 |
6 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | $1,119,929,521 | 2003 |
7 | Skyfall | $1,108,561,013 | 2012 |
8 | The Dark Knight Rises | $1,084,439,099 | 2012 |
9 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest | $1,066,179,725 | 2006 |
10 | Toy Story 3 | $1,063,171,911 | 2010 |
11 | Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides | $1,043,871,802 | 2011 |
12 | Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace | $1,027,044,677 | 1999 |
13 | Alice in Wonderland | $1,024,299,904 | 2010 |
14 | The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey | $1,017,003,568 | 2012 |
15 | The Dark Knight | $1,004,558,444 | 2008 |
16 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone | $974,755,371 | 2001 |
17 | Jurassic Park | $967,386,857 | 1993 |
18 | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End | $963,420,425 | 2007 |
19 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 | $960,283,305 | 2010 |
20 | The Lion King | $951,583,777 | 1994 |
21 | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix | $939,885,929 | 2007 |
22 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince | $934,416,487 | 2009 |
23 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | $926,047,111 | 2002 |
24 | Finding Nemo | $921,743,261 | 2003 |
25 | Shrek 2 | $919,838,758 | 2004 |
26 | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | $896,911,078 | 2005 |
27 | Spider-Man 3 | $890,871,626 | 2007 |
28 | Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs | $886,686,817 | 2009 |
29 | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets | $878,979,634 | 2002 |
30 | Ice Age: Continental Drift | $877,244,782 | 2012 |
31 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | $871,530,324 | 2001 |
32 | Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith | $848,754,768 | 2005 |
33 | Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | $836,303,693 | 2009 |
34 | The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 | $829,685,377 | 2012 |
35 | Inception | $825,532,764 | 2010 |
36 | Spider-Man | $821,708,551 | 2002 |
37 | Independence Day | $817,400,891 | 1996 |
38 | Shrek the Third | $798,958,162 | 2007 |
39 | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | $796,688,549 | 2004 |
40 | Iron Man 3 | $795,578,000 | 2013 |
41 | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | $792,910,554 | 1982 |
42 | Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | $786,636,033 | 2008 |
43 | Spider-Man 2 | $783,766,341 | 2004 |
44 | Star Wars | $775,398,007 | 1977 |
45 | 2012 | $769,679,473 | 2009 |
46 | The Da Vinci Code | $758,239,851 | 2006 |
47 | Shrek Forever After | $752,600,867 | 2010 |
48 | The Amazing Spider-Man | $752,216,557 | 2012 |
49 | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe | $745,013,115 | 2005 |
50 | The Matrix Reloaded | $742,128,461 | 2003 |
Modern films also have an advantage in non-inflation adjusted terms because each dollar is worth less than the dollars in an earlier era. Remember back when Gone With the Wind was released you could buy an ounce of gold for $35! Now you can barely get a movie for two with popcorn and drinks for that. Also with modern world wide distribution and the increase in world population, modern films have a wider audience than early films, so we would expect to see more modern films in the list than early films. So it is doubly impressive when we see early films like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs still on the list.
Highest Grossing Movies by Year
Due to release schedules—especially in the case of films released towards the end of the year—and different release patterns across the world, many films can do business in two or more calendar years; therefore the grosses are not limited to just the year of release. Grosses are not limited to original theatrical runs either, with many older films (especially Disney) often being re-released periodically so the figures represent all the business a film has done since its original release. This will skew the inflation adjusted total since not all of the revenue was actually earned during the initial year. Since 1967, at least one film every year has generated $100 million in gross revenue at the box office, and from 2008 each year has succeeded in producing a billion dollar grossing film.
Year | Title | Worldwide gross (Millions) | Worldwide Gross In Inflation Adjusted 2013 Dollars (Millions) |
1915 | The Birth of a Nation | $20+ | $460.9 |
1916 | 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | $8.0 | $170.8 |
1917 | Cleopatra | $2.0 | $36.4 |
1918 | Mickey | $8.0 | $123.3 |
1919 | The Miracle Man | $3.0 | $40.4 |
1920 | Way Down East | $5.0 | $58.2 |
1921 | The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse | $5.0 | $65.0 |
1922 | Robin Hood | $2.5 | $34.6 |
1923 | The Covered Wagon | $5.0 | $68.0 |
1924 | The Sea Hawk | $3.0 | $40.8 |
1925 | The Big Parade | $18.0 | $239.4 |
Ben-Hur | $9.4 | $125.0 | |
1926 | Aloma of the South Seas | $3.0 | $39.4 |
For Heaven’s Sake | $2.6 | $34.2 | |
What Price Glory? | $2.4 | $31.6 | |
1927 | Wings | $3.6 | $48.2 |
1928 | The Singing Fool | $5.9 | $80.3 |
1929 | The Broadway Melody | $4.8 | $65.3 |
Sunny Side Up | $3.5 | $47.6 | |
1930 | All Quiet on the Western Front | $3.0 | $41.8 |
Whoopee! | $2.7 | $37.6 | |
1931 | Frankenstein | $12.0 | $183.8 |
City Lights | $5.0 | $76.6 | |
1932 | The Kid from Spain | $2.6 | $44.2 |
Grand Hotel | $2.6 | $44.2 | |
1933 | King Kong | $5.3 | $94.9 |
I’m No Angel | $3.25+ | $58.2 | |
Cavalcade | $4.0 | $71.6 | |
She Done Him Wrong | $3.0 | $53.7 | |
1934 | The Merry Widow | $2.6 | $45.2 |
It Happened One Night | $1.0 | $17.4 | |
1935 | Mutiny on the Bounty | $4.5 | $76.5 |
1936 | San Francisco | $6.0 | $100.5 |
1937 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | $416.3 | $6,729.0 |
1938 | You Can’t Take It With You | $5.0 | $82.5 |
1939 | Gone with the Wind | $393.4 | $6,588.0 |
1940 | Pinocchio | $84.3 | $1,401.6 |
Boom Town | $4.6 | $76.5 | |
1941 | Sergeant York | $7.8 | $123.5 |
1942 | Bambi | $268.0 | $3,827.2 |
Mrs. Miniver | $8.9 | $127.1 | |
1943 | For Whom the Bell Tolls | $11.0 | $148.0 |
This Is the Army | $9.6 | $129.2 | |
1944 | Going My Way | $6.5 | $86.0 |
1945 | Mom and Dad | $22.0 | $284.5 |
The Bells of St. Mary’s | $11.2 | $144.8 | |
1946 | Song of the South | $65.0 | $775.9 |
The Best Years of Our Lives | $14.8 | $176.7 | |
Duel in the Sun | $10.0 | $119.4 | |
1947 | Forever Amber | $8.0 | $83.5 |
Unconquered | $7.5 | $78.3 | |
1948 | Easter Parade | $6.8 | $65.7 |
The Red Shoes | $5.0 | $48.3 | |
The Snake Pit | $4.1 | $39.6 | |
1949 | Samson and Delilah | $14.2 | $138.9 |
1950 | Cinderella | $85.0 | $821.0 |
King Solomon’s Mines | $10.1 | $97.6 | |
1951 | Quo Vadis | $21.0 | $188.0 |
1952 | This Is Cinerama | $50.0 | $439.2 |
The Greatest Show on Earth | $18.4 | $161.6 | |
1953 | Peter Pan | $145.0 | $1,264.1 |
The Robe | $26.1 | $227.5 | |
1954 | Rear Window | $36.8 | $318.4 |
White Christmas | $30.0 | $259.6 | |
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | $28.2 | $244.0 | |
1955 | Lady and the Tramp | $93.6 | $813.0 |
Cinerama Holiday | $21.0 | $182.4 | |
Mister Roberts | $9.9 | $86.0 | |
1956 | The Ten Commandments | $60.0 | $513.5 |
1957 | The Bridge on the River Kwai | $30.6 | $253.5 |
1958 | South Pacific | $30.0 | $241.6 |
1959 | Ben-Hur | $90.0 | $719.9 |
1960 | Swiss Family Robinson | $30.0 | $235.9 |
Spartacus | $60.0 | $471.8 | |
Psycho | $50+ | $393.2 | |
1961 | One Hundred and One Dalmatians | $215.0 | $1,673.8 |
West Side Story | $30.0 | $233.6 | |
1962 | Lawrence of Arabia | $77.3 | $595.8 |
How the West Was Won | $35.0 | $269.8 | |
The Longest Day | $33.2 | $255.9 | |
1963 | Cleopatra | $38.0 | $289.1 |
From Russia With Love | $29.4 | $223.6 | |
1964 | My Fair Lady | $55.0 | $413.0 |
Goldfinger | $124.9 | $937.9 | |
Mary Poppins | $50.0 | $375.4 | |
1965 | The Sound of Music | $286.2 | $2,114.9 |
1966 | The Bible: In the Beginning | $25.3 | $181.8 |
Hawaii | $34.6 | $248.6 | |
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | $33.7 | $242.1 | |
1967 | The Jungle Book | $205.8 | $1,434.3 |
The Graduate | $85.0 | $592.4 | |
1968 | 2001: A Space Odyssey | $190.0 | $1,270.9 |
Funny Girl | $100.0 | $668.9 | |
1969 | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid | $96.0 | $608.9 |
1970 | Love Story | $80.0 | $479.9 |
Airport | $75.0 | $450.0 | |
1971 | Diamonds Are Forever | $116.0 | $666.7 |
1972 | The Godfather | $286.0 | $1,592.7 |
1973 | The Exorcist | $402.7 | $2,111.2 |
The Sting | $115.0 | $602.9 | |
1974 | The Towering Inferno | $88.7 | $418.8 |
Blazing Saddles | $80+ | $377.7 | |
1975 | Jaws | $470.7 | $2,036.6 |
1976 | Rocky | $225.0 | $920.5 |
1977 | Star Wars | $775.4 | $2,978.4 |
1978 | Grease | $387.5 | $1,383.4 |
1979 | Moonraker | $210.3 | $674.3 |
Rocky II | $200.2 | $641.9 | |
1980 | The Empire Strikes Back | $538.4 | $1,520.9 |
1981 | Raiders of the Lost Ark | $389.9 | $998.4 |
1982 | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | $792.9 | $1,912.6 |
1983 | Return of the Jedi | $475.1 | $1,110.4 |
1984 | Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom | $333.1 | $746.3 |
1985 | Back to the Future | $383.9 | $830.5 |
1986 | Top Gun | $356.8 | $759.8 |
1987 | Fatal Attraction | $320.1 | $655.9 |
1988 | Rain Man | $412.8 | $812.3 |
1989 | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade | $474.2 | $890.2 |
1990 | Ghost | $517.6 | $921.8 |
1991 | Terminator 2: Judgment Day | $519.8 | $888.4 |
1992 | Aladdin | $504.1 | $836.4 |
1993 | Jurassic Park | $967.4 | $1,558.4 |
1994 | The Lion King | $951.6 | $1,494.7 |
1995 | Die Hard with a Vengeance | $366.1 | $559.2 |
1996 | Independence Day | $817.4 | $1,212.7 |
1997 | Titanic | $2,185.4 | $3,169.5 |
1998 | Armageddon | $554.6 | $792.0 |
1999 | Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace | $1,027.0 | $1,434.9 |
2000 | Mission: Impossible II | $546.4 | $738.6 |
2001 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone | $974.8 | $1,281.2 |
2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | $926.0 | $1,198.2 |
2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | $1,119.9 | $1,416.8 |
2004 | Shrek 2 | $919.8 | $1,133.4 |
2005 | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | $896.9 | $1,069.0 |
2006 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest | $1,066.2 | $1,231.1 |
2007 | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End | $963.4 | $1,081.6 |
2008 | The Dark Knight | $1,004.6 | $1,086.1 |
2009 | Avatar | $2,782.3 | $3,018.8 |
2010 | Toy Story 3 | $1,063.2 | $1,135.0 |
2011 | Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows – Pt. 2 | $1,341.5 | $1,388.2 |
2012 | Marvel’s The Avengers | $1,511.8 | $1,532.7 |
2013 | Iron Man 3 | $795.6 | $795.6 |
In an effort to look at just first run revenues and avoid the skewing, this table includes only first run revenues and the inflation adjustment. Also note that during the first run Gone with the Wind actually lost money because it cost so much to produce. Eventually it went on to be one of the top grossing films but only after it went into world-wide distribution.
Inflation Adjusted First Run Movie Gross
Title | First-run gross (Millions) | First-run gross In 2013 Dollars (Millions) | Budget | Net Gain (First run) |
Avatar | $2,749.1 | $2,982.8 | $237,000,000 | $2,512,064,328 |
Titanic | $1,843.2 | $2,673.2 | $200,000,000 | $1,643,201,268 |
Star Wars | $530.0 | $2,035.8 | $11,293,151 | $518,706,849 |
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | $619.0 | $1,493.1 | $10,500,000 | $608,500,000 |
Jurassic Park | $914.7 | $1,473.5 | $63,000,000 | $851,691,118 |
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | $1,119.1 | $1,415.7 | $94,000,000 | $1,025,110,941 |
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace | $924.3 | $1,291.4 | $115,000,000 | $809,317,558 |
Grease | $341.0 | $1,217.4 | $6,000,000 | $335,000,000 |
The Lion King | $768.2 | $1,206.6 | $45,000,000 | $723,155,561 |
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | $921.8 | $1,192.7 | $94,000,000 | $827,780,457 |
The Empire Strikes Back | $413.6 | $1,168.4 | $23,000,000 | $390,562,607 |
The Dark Knight | $997.0 | $1,077.9 | $185,000,000 | $812,039,412 |
Raiders of the Lost Ark | $354.0 | $906.5 | $20,000,000 | $333,988,025 |
Return of the Jedi | $385.8 | $901.6 | $32,500,000 | $353,345,197 |
Jaws | $193.7 | $838.1 | $9,000,000 | $184,700,000 |
The Sound of Music | $112.5 | $831.3 | $8,100,000 | $104,381,000 |
Top Gun | $353.8 | $819.4 | $15,000,000 | $338,781,728 |
The Godfather | $142.0 | $790.8 | $6,200,000 | $135,800,000 |
The Exorcist | $110.0 | $576.7 | $10,000,000 | $100,000,000 |
Lawrence of Arabia | $70.0 | $545.0 | $13,800,000 | $56,195,385 |
Ben-Hur | $66.1 | $528.7 | $15,900,000 | $50,200,000 |
Goldfinger | $46.0 | $345.4 | $3,000,000 | $43,000,000 |
Diamonds Are Forever | $45.7 | $262.7 | $7,200,000 | $38,500,000 |
2001: A Space Odyssey | $31.9 | $213.4 | $10,500,000 | $21,400,000 |
Spartacus | $22.1 | $173.8 | $10,284,014 | $11,821,211 |
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | $8.5 | $137.4 | $1,488,423 | $7,011,577 |
The Birth of a Nation | $5.20 | $119.8 | $110,000 | $5,090,000 |
Hawaii | $15.6 | $112.1 | $15,000,000 | $600,000 |
Psycho | $14.0 | $110.1 | $800,000 | $13,200,000 |
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | $14.5 | $104.2 | $7,613,000 | $6,887,000 |
White Christmas | $12.0 | $103.8 | $3,800,000 | $8,200,000 |
From Russia With Love | $12.5 | $95.1 | $2,000,000 | $10,500,000 |
San Francisco | $5.3 | $88.8 | $1,300,000 | $3,973,000 |
The Big Parade | $6.1 | $81.1 | $382,000 | $5,749,000 |
Cinderella | $7.8 | $75.3 | $2,900,000 | $4,900,000 |
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | $6.8 | $58.8 | $5,000,000 | $1,800,000 |
Lady and the Tramp | $6.5 | $56.5 | $4,000,000 | $2,500,000 |
Pinocchio | $3.3 | $54.9 | $2,600,000 | $690,000 |
Gone with the Wind | $3.2 | $53.6 | $3,850,000 | -$650,000 |
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse | $4.0 | $52.0 | $800,000 | $3,200,000 |
Bambi | $3.4 | $48.6 | $2,000,000 | $1,449,353 |
Way Down East | $4 | $46.6 | $800,000 | $3,200,000 |
Rear Window | $5.3 | $46.2 | $1,000,000 | $4,300,000 |
Song of the South | $3.3 | $39.4 | $2,125,000 | $1,175,000 |
King Kong | $1.9 | $34.0 | $672,255.75 | $1,183,744 |
Frankenstein | $1.4 | $21.4 | $250,000 | $1,150,000 |
Top Movies Based on Inflation Adjusted World Wide Gross
Note: World Wide Gross revenues are estimates and can vary based on the source of the estimates so this list may not match other lists exactly. Also note that the top three movies were released several times over a long period so the inflation adjustment will be skewed higher because some of the later dollars will actually be worth less than the original dollars on an inflation adjusted basis.
Title | Worldwide gross (Millions) | Worldwide Gross In Inflation Adjusted 2013 Dollars (Millions) |
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | $416.3 | $6,729.0 |
Gone with the Wind | $393.4 | $6,588.0 |
Bambi | $268.0 | $3,827.2 |
Titanic | $2,185.4 | $3,169.5 |
Avatar | $2,782.3 | $3,018.8 |
Star Wars | $775.4 | $2,978.4 |
The Sound of Music | $286.2 | $2,114.9 |
The Exorcist | $402.7 | $2,111.2 |
Jaws | $470.7 | $2,036.6 |
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | $792.9 | $1,912.6 |
One Hundred and One Dalmatians | $215.0 | $1,673.8 |
The Godfather | $286.0 | $1,592.7 |
Jurassic Park | $967.4 | $1,558.4 |
Marvel’s The Avengers | $1,511.8 | $1,532.7 |
The Empire Strikes Back | $538.4 | $1,520.9 |
The Lion King | $951.6 | $1,494.7 |
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace | $1,027.0 | $1,434.9 |
The Jungle Book | $205.8 | $1,434.3 |
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | $1,119.9 | $1,416.8 |
Pinocchio | $84.3 | $1,401.6 |
Harry Potter: Deathly Hallows – Pt. 2 | $1,341.5 | $1,388.2 |
Grease | $387.5 | $1,383.4 |
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone | $974.8 | $1,281.2 |
2001: A Space Odyssey | $190.0 | $1,270.9 |
Peter Pan | $145.0 | $1,264.1 |
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest | $1,066.2 | $1,231.1 |
Independence Day | $817.4 | $1,212.7 |
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | $926.0 | $1,198.2 |
Toy Story 3 | $1,063.2 | $1,135.0 |
Shrek 2 | $919.8 | $1,133.4 |
Return of the Jedi | $475.1 | $1,110.4 |
The Dark Knight | $1,004.6 | $1,086.1 |
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End | $963.4 | $1,081.6 |
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | $896.9 | $1,069.0 |
Raiders of the Lost Ark | $389.9 | $998.4 |
Goldfinger | $124.9 | $937.9 |
Ghost | $517.6 | $921.8 |
Rocky | $225.0 | $920.5 |
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade | $474.2 | $890.2 |
Terminator 2: Judgment Day | $519.8 | $888.4 |
Aladdin | $504.1 | $836.4 |
Back to the Future | $383.9 | $830.5 |
Cinderella | $85.0 | $821.0 |
Lady and the Tramp | $93.6 | $813.0 |
Rain Man | $412.8 | $812.3 |
Iron Man 3 | $795.6 | $795.6 |
Armageddon | $554.6 | $792.0 |
Song of the South | $65.0 | $775.9 |
Top Gun | $356.8 | $759.8 |
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom | $333.1 | $746.3 |
Mission: Impossible II | $546.4 | $738.6 |
Ben-Hur | $90.0 | $719.9 |
Moonraker | $210.3 | $674.3 |
Funny Girl | $100.0 | $668.9 |
Diamonds Are Forever | $116.0 | $666.7 |
Fatal Attraction | $320.1 | $655.9 |
Rocky II | $200.2 | $641.9 |
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid | $96.0 | $608.9 |
The Sting | $115.0 | $602.9 |
Lawrence of Arabia | $77.3 | $595.8 |
The Graduate | $85.0 | $592.4 |
Die Hard with a Vengeance | $366.1 | $559.2 |
The Ten Commandments | $60.0 | $513.5 |
Love Story | $80.0 | $479.9 |
Spartacus | $60.0 | $471.8 |
The Birth of a Nation | $20+ | $460.9 |
Airport | $75.0 | $450.0 |
This Is Cinerama | $50.0 | $439.2 |
The Towering Inferno | $88.7 | $418.8 |
My Fair Lady | $55.0 | $413.0 |
Psycho | $50+ | $393.2 |
Blazing Saddles | $80+ | $377.7 |
Mary Poppins | $50.0 | $375.4 |
Rear Window | $36.8 | $318.4 |
Cleopatra | $38.0 | $289.1 |
Mom and Dad | $22.0 | $284.5 |
How the West Was Won | $35.0 | $269.8 |
White Christmas | $30.0 | $259.6 |
The Longest Day | $33.2 | $255.9 |
The Bridge on the River Kwai | $30.6 | $253.5 |
Hawaii | $34.6 | $248.6 |
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | $28.2 | $244.0 |
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | $33.7 | $242.1 |
South Pacific | $30.0 | $241.6 |
The Big Parade | $18.0 | $239.4 |
Swiss Family Robinson | $30.0 | $235.9 |
West Side Story | $30.0 | $233.6 |
The Robe | $26.1 | $227.5 |
From Russia With Love | $29.4 | $223.6 |
Quo Vadis | $21.0 | $188.0 |
Frankenstein | $12.0 | $183.8 |
Cinerama Holiday | $21.0 | $182.4 |
The Bible: In the Beginning | $25.3 | $181.8 |
The Best Years of Our Lives | $14.8 | $176.7 |
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | $8.0 | $170.8 |
The Greatest Show on Earth | $18.4 | $161.6 |
For Whom the Bell Tolls | $11.0 | $148.0 |
The Bells of St. Mary’s | $11.2 | $144.8 |
Samson and Delilah | $14.2 | $138.9 |
This Is the Army | $9.6 | $129.2 |
Mrs. Miniver | $8.9 | $127.1 |
Ben-Hur | $9.4 | $125.0 |
Sergeant York | $7.8 | $123.5 |
Mickey | $8.0 | $123.3 |
Duel in the Sun | $10.0 | $119.4 |
San Francisco | $6.0 | $100.5 |
King Solomon’s Mines | $10.1 | $97.6 |
King Kong | $5.3 | $94.9 |
Mister Roberts | $9.9 | $86.0 |
Going My Way | $6.5 | $86.0 |
Forever Amber | $8.0 | $83.5 |
You Can’t Take It With You | $5.0 | $82.5 |
The Singing Fool | $5.9 | $80.3 |
Unconquered | $7.5 | $78.3 |
City Lights | $5.0 | $76.6 |
Boom Town | $4.6 | $76.5 |
Mutiny on the Bounty | $4.5 | $76.5 |
Cavalcade | $4.0 | $71.6 |
The Covered Wagon | $5.0 | $68.0 |
Easter Parade | $6.8 | $65.7 |
The Broadway Melody | $4.8 | $65.3 |
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse | $5.0 | $65.0 |
Way Down East | $5.0 | $58.2 |
I’m No Angel | $3.25+ | $58.2 |
She Done Him Wrong | $3.0 | $53.7 |
The Red Shoes | $5.0 | $48.3 |
Wings | $3.6 | $48.2 |
Sunny Side Up | $3.5 | $47.6 |
The Merry Widow | $2.6 | $45.2 |
The Kid from Spain | $2.6 | $44.2 |
Grand Hotel | $2.6 | $44.2 |
All Quiet on the Western Front | $3.0 | $41.8 |
The Sea Hawk | $3.0 | $40.8 |
The Miracle Man | $3.0 | $40.4 |
The Snake Pit | $4.1 | $39.6 |
Aloma of the South Seas | $3.0 | $39.4 |
Whoopee! | $2.7 | $37.6 |
Cleopatra | $2.0 | $36.4 |
Robin Hood | $2.5 | $34.6 |
For Heaven’s Sake | $2.6 | $34.2 |
What Price Glory? | $2.4 | $31.6 |
It Happened One Night | $1.0 | $17.4 |
Image courtesy of Digital Art / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Ray Blinn says
Saving Private Ryan is missing from your list.
Where does it rank on your world wide gross adjusting for inflation?
Tim McMahon says
Currently the worldwide box office gross of “Saving Private Ryan” is $481,840,909 well below #50 “The Matrix Reloaded” at $742,128,461.