Highlights
- Assessing the highest-grossing movies of all time, even after adjusting for inflation, reveals the true financial success of a film over different eras.
- The challenges of promoting movies have changed with the abundance of films in the modern era, requiring bigger promotional budgets to stand out from the competition.
- The highest-grossing films of all time, when adjusting for inflation, span various genres and eras, showing the enduring popularity of certain movies throughout history.
Movies of modern day versus those of an earlier era are always a topic of debate for movie fans. There were many hugely successful movies in the old days of Hollywood, and there are many blockbusters in current times.
To calculate their success, one method is common: assessing how much revenue movies earned. But when factoring in inflation-adjusted calculations, a clearer picture emerges, revealing which film holds the title of the highest-grossing movie of all time.
Different eras also present different challenges for the entertainment industry. Promoting movies is relatively easy compared to the past, thanks to the internet; however, producers are required to spend more on promotions.
In the old days, with fewer entertainment options, word of mouth was sufficient for movie promotion. In this era (with an abundance of movies) creating a franchise and making a movie accessible is a financially daunting task.
The challenges may differ, but inflation has eroded the success of some movies. Let's delve into the highest-grossing inflation adjusted movies to determine which movie truly owns the title, irrespective of increases in the cost of living.
10 Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Inflation Adjusted Aggregate: $2.41 Billion
This epic historical war romance film is the perfect example of “how to make an emotional movie” for aspiring filmmakers. With exceptional acting, an engaging screenplay, and the magic between Egyptian acting maestro Omar Sharif and legendary British actress Julie Christie, this movie was a worldwide blockbuster.
Doctor Zhivago was a Russian physician and poet (and a married man), when he fell in love with a political activist’s wife Lara (Julie Christie). World War I, the October Revolution, and extreme hardships also present challenges to its star crossed protagonists.
The David Lean-directed movie was created for just $11 million, and it earned $248 million in 1965. As such, after an inflation adjustment, the movie's worth would be $2.41 billion.
9 Star Wars: Episode 7 - The Force Awakens (2015)
Inflation Adjusted Aggregate: $2.68 Billion
Star Wars' appeal is always enormous, a franchise able to entice audiences of any age. Every Star Wars movie is a blockbuster.
Its seventh edition is among the highest-grossing movies of all time when adjusted for inflation. With a 7.8 IMDB rating, the movie earned a massive $2 billion in 2015, and as of late 2023, the same gross would be $2.68 billion dollars.
The budget of the movie was just $258 million.
The J.J. Abrams-directed Star Wars Edition 7 depicted a threat to the galaxies and showcased how Rey and Finn, alongside Han Solo and Chewbacca, worked together to restore peace.
RelatedThe 10 Highest-Grossing Star Wars Films, Ranked
Star Wars is easily one of the most successful film franchises of all time.8 The Ten Commandments (1956)
Inflation Adjusted Aggregate: $2.72 Billion
The Ten Commandments is an epic religious drama centering on the story of Moses, who was raised as the prince of Egypt. Despite his royal heritage, Moses found God’s message, and his divine journey to liberate the people from captivity began.
1956’s The Ten Commandments was created with a budget of $13 million. The movie was the highest grossing worldwide and gathered a budget of $122.7 million, and in 2023, the movie's earnings would be $2.72 billion.
7 E.T. - The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Inflation Adjusted Aggregate: $2.86 Billion
When one alien loses his way on Earth and cannot get back to his home planet, a troubled child named Elliot found him – and decided to keep him hidden.
Elliot and his siblings formed an emotional bond with the alien, but an investigating task force searching for an alien discovered them, ensuring the titular E.T.'s chances of going back to his home planet were almost impossible.
Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece E.T. broke the record for the highest-grossing movie of all time in 1982. The movie's budget was $10.5 million, and it earned a whopping $796 million.
After an inflation adjustment, the movie's worth would be $2.86 billion.
6 The Sound Of Music (1965)
Inflation Adjusted Aggregate: $2.94 Billion
The Sound Of Music is based on Maria Von Trapp’s memoir, The Story Of The Trapp Family Singers. The musical drama movie is about motherhood, and follows one nun assigned to the strict officer George Von Trapp’s house, to look after his seven children.
The children didn’t accept her initially – but Maria’s persistence and loving nature tamed their hearts, and eventually, they became fond of her. Robert Wise’s biographical musical drama got an outstanding rating of 8.1 on IMDB.
The movie was created with an $8.2 million budget and succeeded massively, having collected $286.2 million at the box office. Based on the impact and performance of 1965, after the inflation adjustment, the movie’s total take would be $2.94 billion.
5 Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Inflation Adjusted Aggregate: $3.31 Billion
Thirty-eight superheroes from different Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) projects joined forces to fight Marvel's most powerful villain, Thanos. Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Spider-Man, Hulk, Wanda Maximoff, Doctor Strange, and many more united to beat Thanos and reverse his actions in Avengers: Infinity War.
The IMDB rating of this truly star-studded movie sits at an impressive at 8.4. $356 million was spent to create this movie, and it earned a profit of $2.8 billion dollars at the box office.
After an inflation adjustment for the relatively brief span of four years, the movie would earn $3.31 billion in 2023.
4 Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
Inflation Adjusted Aggregate: $3.56 Billion
Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope is the first edition of the Star Wars series - which has created a massive impact on society and entertainment writ large. It marked the first time he audience saw the advanced technologies in Star Wars (some of which were later invented after the release of the movie).
The plot of the movie follows Luke Skywalker with a Jedi Knight as they try to save the galaxy, and also attempt to rescue Princess Leia from Darth Vader. This first edition of Star Wars (directed by George Lucas) has a tremendous rating of 8.6 on IMDB.
The movie was created on a downright frugal $11 million budget, and broke the record of the highest-grossing movie of all time by earning $775.5 million in 1977. After an inflation adjustment, the movie's earnings would be $3.56 billion dollars in 2023.
3 Titanic (1997)
Inflation Adjusted Aggregate: $3.6 Billion
Notable filmmaker James Cameron's dedication to his films is legendary and always praiseworthy; he created a replica of the ill-fatedTitanic, and sank it again in the course of filming.
Cameron had the option to use advanced, computer generated graphics for the film's sinking scenes. Instead, he created a detailed replica of largest ship in 1914 for realism and audience immersion – and he sank it again like original Titanic sunk, for perfect picturization.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet’s iconic movie was produced with a $200 million budget, and it grossed $2.2 billion at the box office. After an inflation adjustment, the movie's take leaps to $3.607 billion.
2 Avatar (2009)
Inflation Adjusted Aggregate: $3.96 Billion
Another James Cameron movie, and another example of huge success, Avatar is the highest-grossing movie of all time. In Avatar, James introduced the fantasy world of Pandora.
In 2154, humans found Pandora, and their goal was to extract the mineral unobtanium. Unobtainium is worth $20 million a kilogram, and the creatures of Pandora must act to ensure the security of their assets.
The producer's mindset was: “Give James Cameron an amount of $200 to $250 million, and he will earn you billions.” Cameron did so several times.
The movie budget for Avatar was $237 million, and the movie collected $2.92 billion. After an inflation adjustment, the movie's gross was $3.96 billion.
RelatedInside Of James Cameron’s Billion-Dollar Bet on ‘Avatar’
Cameron says he took the kids’ note, that he tries to listen more and control less. “I thought, ‘Well, that’s valid,'” he says.1 Gone With The Wind (1939)
Inflation Adjusted Aggregate: $4.32 Billion
Gone With The Wind was the first movie in the world to break the profit levels of $200 million, $300 million, and $400 million in 1939. The movie did well in the environment of World War 2 due to its then-relatable themes of resilience and flexibility – and it offered an escape into the past, allowing viewers to briefly forget the scars of war.
This old Hollywood masterpiece remained the highest-grossing movie for 34 years, a record spanning more than three decades. Gone With the Wind was made on a $3.85 million budget, and collected a profit of $402.3 million.
After 84 years, the movie's take would stand at $4.32 billion dollars, and it would be highest highest-grossing movie of all time.
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