List of highest-grossing films
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Films generate income from several revenue streams, including theatrical exhibition, home video, television broadcast rights, and merchandising. However, theatrical box-office earnings are the primary metric for trade publications in assessing the success of a film, mostly because of the availability of the data compared to sales figures for home video and broadcast rights, but also because of historical practice. Included on the list are charts of the top box-office earners (ranked by both the nominal and real value of their revenue), a chart of high-grossing films by calendar year, a timeline showing the transition of the highest-grossing film record, and a chart of the highest-grossing film franchises and series. All charts are ranked by international theatrical box-office performance where possible, excluding income derived from home video, broadcasting rights, and merchandise.
Traditionally, war films, musicals, and historical dramas have been the most popular genres, but franchise films have been among the best performers of the 21st century. There is strong interest in the superhero genre, with eleven films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe featuring among the nominal top-earners. The most successful superhero film, Avengers: Endgame, is also the second-highest-grossing film on the nominal earnings chart, and there are four films in total based on the Avengers comic books charting in the top twenty. Other Marvel Comics adaptations have also had success with the Spider-Man and X-Men properties, while films based on Batman and Superman from DC Comics have generally performed well. Star Wars is also represented in the nominal earnings chart with five films, while the Jurassic Park franchise features prominently. Although the nominal earnings chart is dominated by films adapted from pre-existing properties and sequels, it is headed by Avatar, which is an original work. Animated family films have performed consistently well, with Disney films enjoying lucrative re-releases prior to the home-video era. Disney also enjoyed later success with films such as Frozen and its sequel, Zootopia, and The Lion King (along with its computer-animated remake), as well as its Pixar division, of which Inside Out 2, Incredibles 2, and Toy Story 3 and 4 have been the best performers. Beyond Disney and Pixar animation, China's Ne Zha 2 (the highest-grossing animated film), and the Despicable Me and Shrek series have met with the most success.
While inflation has eroded the achievements of most films from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, there are franchises originating from that period that are still active. Besides the Star Wars and Superman franchises, James Bond and Godzilla films are still being released periodically; all four are among the highest-grossing franchises. Some of the older films that held the record of highest-grossing film still have respectable grosses by today's standards, but no longer compete numerically against today's top-earners in an era of much higher individual ticket prices. When those prices are adjusted for inflation, however, then Gone with the Wind—which was the highest-grossing film outright for twenty-five years—is still the highest-grossing film of all time. All grosses on the list are expressed in U.S. dollars at their nominal value, except where stated otherwise.
Highest-grossing filmsEdit
With a worldwide box-office gross of over $2.9 billion, Avatar is proclaimed to be the "highest-grossing" film, but such claims usually refer to theatrical revenues only and do not take into account home video and television income, which can form a significant portion of a film's earnings. Once revenue from home entertainment is factored in, it is not immediately clear which film is the most successful. Titanic earned $1.2 billion from video and DVD sales and rentals,<ref name="titanic-sales">Template:Cite magazine</ref> in addition to the $2.2 billion it grossed in theaters. While complete sales data are not available for Avatar, it earned $345 million from the sale of sixteen million DVD and Blu-ray units in North America,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and ultimately sold a total of thirty million DVD and Blu-ray units worldwide.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After home video income is accounted for, both films have earned over $3 billion each. Television broadcast rights also substantially add to a film's earnings and, as of 2010, a film often earned the equivalent of as much as 20–25% of its theatrical box office for two television runs, on top of pay-per-view revenues;<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Titanic earned a further $55 million from the NBC and HBO broadcast rights,<ref name="titanic-sales" /> equating to about 9% of its North American gross.
When a film is highly exploitable as a commercial property, its ancillary revenues can dwarf its income from direct film sales.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Lion King (1994) earned over $2 billion in box-office and home video sales,<ref name="titanic-sales" /> but this pales in comparison to the $8 billion earned at box offices around the world by the stage adaptation.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Merchandising can be extremely lucrative too: The Lion King also sold $3 billion of merchandise,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> while Pixar's Cars—which earned $462 million in theatrical revenues and was only a modest hit by comparison to other Pixar films<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>—generated global merchandise sales of over $8 billion in the five years after its 2006 release.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Pixar had another huge hit with Toy Story 3, which generated almost $10 billion in merchandise retail sales in addition to the $1 billion it earned at the box office.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On this chart, films are ranked by the revenues from theatrical exhibition at their nominal value, along with the highest positions they attained. Seven films in total have grossed in excess of $2 billion worldwide, with Avatar ranked in the top position. All of the films have had a theatrical run (including re-releases) in the 21st century, and films that have not played during this period do not appear on the chart because of ticket-price inflation, population size and ticket purchasing trends not being considered.
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Rank | Peak | Title | Worldwide gross | Year | Template:Abbr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Avatar | $2,923,706,026 | 2009 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |
| 2 | 1 | Avengers: Endgame | $2,797,501,328 | 2019 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="endgame peak" group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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}}</ref> |
| 3 | 3 | Avatar: The Way of Water | $2,320,250,281 | 2022 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="avatar 2 peak" group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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}}</ref> |
| 4 | 1 | Titanic | T|[1]}}${{#expr:1,843,373,318+343,550,770+691,642+71,352+70,157,472}} | 1997 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |
| 5 | 5 | Ne Zha 2 † | ${{#expr:2,144,020,000+60,000,000}} | 2025 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="Ne Zha 2 Caixin" group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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}}</ref> |
| 6 | 3 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | $2,068,223,624 | 2015 | citation | CitationClass=web
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| 7 | 4 | Avengers: Infinity War | $2,048,359,754 | 2018 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="infinity war peak" group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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}}</ref> |
| 8 | 6 | Spider-Man: No Way Home | SM|[2]}}$1,922,598,800 | 2021 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="No Way Home peak" group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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| 9 | 8 | Inside Out 2 | $1,698,863,816 | 2024 | citation | CitationClass=web
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| 10 | 3 | Jurassic World | $1,671,537,444 | 2015 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="jurassic world peak" group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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}}</ref> |
| 11 | 7 | Template:Sort | $1,656,943,394 | 2019 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="endgame peak" group="#" /> | |
| 12 | 3 | Template:Sort | $1,518,815,515 | 2012 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="avengers peak" group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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}}</ref> |
| 13 | 4 | Furious 7 | $1,515,341,399 | 2015 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="furious 7 peak" group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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}}</ref> |
| 14 | 11 | Top Gun: Maverick | $1,495,696,292 | 2022 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="Maverick peak" group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| 15 | 10 | Frozen 2 | $1,450,026,933 | 2019 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="covid peak" group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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}}</ref> |
| 16 | 14 | Barbie | $1,447,038,421 | 2023 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="barbie peak" group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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}}</ref> |
| 17 | 5 | Avengers: Age of Ultron | $1,402,809,540 | 2015 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="furious 7 peak" group="#" /> | |
| 18 | 15 | The Super Mario Bros. Movie | $1,360,847,665 | 2023 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="mario peak" group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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}}</ref> |
| 19 | 9 | Black Panther | $1,347,280,838 | 2018 | citation | CitationClass=web
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| 20 | 3 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 | ${{#expr:1,356,841,356−181,938−38,277−14,481,414}} | 2011 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |
| 21 | 20 | Deadpool & Wolverine | $1,338,073,645 | 2024 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="deadpool & wolverine peak" group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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}}</ref> |
| 22 | 9 | Star Wars: The Last Jedi | $1,332,539,889 | 2017 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="SW8 peak" group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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}}</ref> |
| 23 | 12 | Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom | ${{#expr:1,310,466,296−1,992,871}} | 2018 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="infinity war peak" group="#" /> | |
| 24 | 5 | Frozen | F|[3]}}${{#expr:1,274,219,009−247,650,477+249,036,646−21,668,593+22,492,845+167,333+(40,960,083−39,090,985)/0.63866+(41,087,765−40,960,083)/0.64136+(41,170,608−41,087,765)/0.636+(42,840,559−41,170,608)/0.7497+(42,976,318−42,840,559)/0.742+42,526,744−35,098,170 round −6}} | 2013 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |
| 25 | 10 | Beauty and the Beast | $1,263,521,126 | 2017 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="Beauty peak" group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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}}</ref> |
| 26 | 15 | Incredibles 2 | $1,242,805,359 | 2018 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="infinity war peak" group="#" /> | |
| 27 | 11 | Template:Sort | F8|[4]}}$1,238,764,765 | 2017 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="Beauty peak" group="#" /> | |
| 28 | 5 | Iron Man 3 | $1,214,811,252 | 2013 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="iron man 3 peak">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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| 29 | 10 | Minions | $1,159,444,662 | 2015 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="jurassic world peak" group="#" /> | |
| 30 | 12 | Captain America: Civil War | $1,153,337,496 | 2016 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="civil war peak">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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}}</ref> |
| 31 | 20 | Aquaman | $1,148,528,393 | 2018 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="infinity war peak" group="#" /> | |
| 32 | 2 | Template:Sort | $1,147,997,407 | 2003 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="ROTK peak">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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}}</ref> |
| 33 | RK|[5]}} | Spider-Man: Far From Home | $1,132,679,685 | 2019 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="endgame peak" group="#" /> | |
| 34 | RK|[6]}} | Captain Marvel | $1,128,274,794 | 2019 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="captain marvel peak">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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}}</ref> |
| 35 | RK|[7]}} | Transformers: Dark of the Moon | $1,123,794,079 | 2011 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="HP8 peak" group="#" /> | |
| 36 | 7 | Skyfall | $1,108,594,137 | 2012 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="Skyfall peak">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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}}</ref> |
| 37 | 10 | Transformers: Age of Extinction | $1,104,054,072 | 2014 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="Transformers 4 peak">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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}}</ref> |
| 38 | 7 | Template:Sort | DKR|[8]}}$1,081,169,825 | 2012 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="Ice Age 3 peak" group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
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}}</ref> |
| 39 | 31 | Joker | $1,074,458,282 | 2019 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="covid peak" group="#" /> | |
| 40 | 32 | Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker | $1,074,144,248 | 2019 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="covid peak" group="#" /> | |
| 41 | 30 | Toy Story 4 | $1,073,394,593 | 2019 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="endgame peak" group="#" /> | |
| 42 | TS3|[9]}} | Toy Story 3 | $1,066,970,811 | 2010 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |
| 43 | 3 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest | $1,066,179,747 | 2006 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |
| 44 | 44 | Moana 2 † | $1,059,242,164 | 2024 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="moana 2 peak" group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| 45 | 20 | Rogue One: A Star Wars Story | ${{#expr:1,058,682,142−1,261,755}} | 2016 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="rogue one peak">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| 46 | 34 | Aladdin | $1,050,693,953 | 2019 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="endgame peak" group="#" /> | |
| 47 | 2 | Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | $1,046,515,409 | 1999 | <ref group="#" name="tpm" /><ref name="titanic peak" group="#" /> | ||
| 48 | 6 | Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides | $1,045,713,802 | 2011 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="toy story 3 peak" /> | |
| 49 | 1 | Jurassic Park | ${{#expr:1,033,928,303+270,700+3,336,227}} | 1993 | <ref group="#" name="jp" /><ref group="#" name="Jurassic Park peak">Template:Cite book</ref> | ||
| 50 | 24 | Despicable Me 3 | $1,034,800,131 | 2017 | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="Beauty peak" group="#" /> |
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Highest-grossing films adjusted for inflationEdit
Because of the long-term effects of inflation, notably the significant increase of movie theater ticket prices, the list unadjusted for inflation gives far more weight to later films.<ref name="Bialik (2010-1-29)">Template:Cite news</ref> The unadjusted list, while commonly found in the press, is therefore largely meaningless for comparing films widely separated in time, as many films from earlier eras will never appear on a modern unadjusted list, despite achieving higher commercial success when adjusted for price increases.<ref name="Pincus-Roth (2009)">Template:Cite news</ref> To compensate for the devaluation of the currency, some charts make adjustments for inflation, but not even this practice fully addresses the issue, since ticket prices and inflation do not necessarily parallel one another. For example, in 1970, tickets cost $1.55 or about $6.68 in inflation-adjusted 2004 dollars; by 1980, prices had risen to about $2.69, a drop to $5.50 in inflation-adjusted 2004 dollars.<ref name="LLU (2004)">Template:Cite conference</ref> Ticket prices have also risen at different rates of inflation around the world, further complicating the process of adjusting worldwide grosses.<ref name="Bialik (2010-1-29)" />
Another complication is release in multiple formats for which different ticket prices are charged. One notable example of this phenomenon is Avatar, which was also released in 3D and IMAX: almost two-thirds of tickets for that film were for 3D showings with an average price of $10, and about one-sixth were for IMAX showings with an average price over $14.50, compared to a 2010 average price of $7.61 for 2D films.<ref name="Gray (2010-02-03)">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Social and economic factors such as population change<ref name="Bialik (2010-1-30)">Template:Cite news</ref> and the growth of international markets<ref name="Kolesnikov-Jessop">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Hoad">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Frankel">Template:Cite news</ref> also have an effect on the number of people purchasing theater tickets, along with audience demographics where some films sell a much higher proportion of discounted children's tickets, or perform better in big cities where tickets cost more.<ref name="Pincus-Roth (2009)" />
The measuring system for gauging a film's success is based on unadjusted grosses, mainly because historically this is the way it has always been done because of the practices of the film industry: the box-office receipts are compiled by theaters and relayed to the distributor, which in turn releases them to the media.<ref name="Bialik (2007)">Template:Cite news</ref> Converting to a more representative system that counts ticket sales rather than gross is also fraught with problems because the only data available for older films are the sale totals.<ref name="Bialik (2010-1-30)" /> As the motion picture industry is highly oriented towards marketing currently released films, unadjusted figures are always used in marketing campaigns so that new blockbuster films can much more easily achieve a high sales ranking, and thus be promoted as a "top film of all time",<ref name="LLU (2004)" /><ref name="Leonhardt">Template:Cite news</ref> so there is little incentive to switch to a more robust analysis from a marketing or even newsworthy point of view.<ref name="Bialik (2007)" />
Despite the inherent difficulties in accounting for inflation, several attempts have been made. Estimates depend on the price index used to adjust the grosses,<ref name="Leonhardt" /> and the exchange rates used to convert between currencies can also affect the calculations, both of which can have an effect on the ultimate rankings of an inflation adjusted list. Gone with the Wind—first released in 1939—is generally considered to be the most successful film, with Guinness World Records in 2014 estimating its adjusted global gross at $3.4 billion. Estimates for Gone with the WindTemplate:'s adjusted gross have varied substantially: its owner, Turner Entertainment, estimated its adjusted earnings at $3.3 billion in 2007, a few years earlier than the Guinness estimate;<ref name="gwtw tcm" /> other estimates fall either side of this amount, with one putting its gross just under $3 billion in 2010,<ref name="Shone">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> while another provided an alternative figure of $3.8 billion in 2006.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Which film is Gone with the WindTemplate:'s nearest rival depends on the set of figures used: Guinness had Avatar in second place with $3 billion, while other estimates saw Titanic in the runner-up spot with first-run worldwide earnings of almost $2.9 billion at 2010 prices.<ref name="Shone" />
| Rank | Title | Template:Longitem | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gone with the Wind | {{#if:GW|GW|[10]}}${{#expr:(3,440,000,000*1.007*1.005*1.015*1.017*1.016*1.015+2,176,120)*1.005*1.053*1.073*1.031 round −6}} | 1939 |
| 2 | Avatar | {{#if:A1|A1|[11]}}${{#expr:((3,020,000,000*1.007*1.005*1.015*1.017*1.017*1.015*1.005*1.053+1,281,204+57,995,770)*1.073+76,012,917)*1.031 round −6}} | 2009 |
| 3 | Titanic | {{#if:T|T|[12]}}${{#expr:(2,516,000,000+57,884,114+285,666,656)*1.007*1.005*1.015*1.017*1.016*1.015*1.005*1.053*1.073*1.031+691,642+78,741+70,157,472 round −6}} | 1997 |
| 4 | Star Wars | ${{#expr:2,825,000,000*1.007*1.005*1.015*1.017*1.016*1.015*1.005*1.053*1.073*1.031 round −6}} | 1977 |
| 5 | Avengers: Endgame | {{#if:AE|AE|[13]}}${{#expr:2,797,501,328*1.005*1.053*1.073*1.031 round−6}} | 2019 |
| 6 | The Sound of Music | ${{#expr:2,366,000,000*1.007*1.005*1.015*1.017*1.016*1.015*1.005*1.053*1.073*1.031 round −6}} | 1965 |
| 7 | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | {{#if:ET|ET|[14]}}${{#expr:(2,310,000,000*1.007*1.005*1.015*1.017*1.016*1.015*1.005*1.053*1.073+516,969+2,834,590)*1.031 round −6}} | 1982 |
| 8 | The Ten Commandments | ${{#expr:2,187,000,000*1.007*1.005*1.015*1.017*1.016*1.015*1.005*1.053*1.073*1.031 round −6}} | 1956 |
| 9 | Doctor Zhivago | ${{#expr:2,073,000,000*1.007*1.005*1.015*1.017*1.016*1.015*1.005*1.053*1.073*1.031 round −6}} | 1965 |
| 10 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | {{#if:TFA|TFA|[15]}}${{#expr:2,068,223,624*1.015*1.017*1.016*1.015*1.005*1.053*1.073*1.031 round −6}} | 2015 |
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High-grossing films by yearEdit
Template:Quote box Audience tastes were fairly eclectic during the 20th century, but several trends did emerge. During the silent era, films with war themes were popular with audiences, with The Birth of a Nation (American Civil War), The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, The Big Parade and Wings (all World War I) becoming the most successful films in their respective years of release, with the trend coming to an end with All Quiet on the Western Front in 1930. With the advent of sound in 1927, the musical—the genre best placed to showcase the new technology—took over as the most popular type of film with audiences, with 1928 and 1929 both being topped by musical films. The genre continued to perform strongly in the 1930s, but the outbreak of World War II saw war-themed films dominate again during this period, starting with Gone with the Wind (American Civil War) in 1939, and finishing with The Best Years of Our Lives (World War II) in 1946. Samson and Delilah (1949) saw the beginning of a trend of increasingly expensive historical dramas set during Ancient Rome/biblical times throughout the 1950s as cinema competed with television for audiences,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> with Quo Vadis, The Robe, The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur and Spartacus all becoming the highest-grossing film of the year during initial release, before the genre started to wane after several high-profile failures.<ref name="HallNeale179">Template:Harvnb</ref> The success of White Christmas and South Pacific in the 1950s foreshadowed the comeback of the musical in the 1960s with West Side Story, Mary Poppins, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music and Funny Girl all among the top films of the decade. The 1970s saw a shift in audience tastes to high concept films, with six such films made by either George Lucas or Steven Spielberg topping the chart during the 1980s. The 21st century has seen an increasing dependence on franchises and adaptations, with the box-office dominance of films based on pre-existing intellectual property at record levels.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Steven Spielberg (1975, 1981, 1982, 1989 and 1993) and Cecil B. DeMille (1932, 1947, 1949, 1952 and 1956) tie as the most represented directors on the chart with five films apiece occupying the annual top spot. William Wyler (1942, 1946, 1959 and 1968) and James Cameron (1991, 1997, 2009 and 2022) are each represented by four films, whilst D. W. Griffith (1915, 1916 and 1920), George Roy Hill (1966, 1969 and 1973) and the Russo brothers (2016, 2018 and 2019) all feature heavily with three films apiece. George Lucas directed two chart-toppers in 1977 and 1999, but also served in a strong creative capacity as a producer and writer in 1980, 1981, 1983, and 1989 as well. The following directors have also all directed two films on the chart: Frank Lloyd, King Vidor, Frank Capra, Michael Curtiz, Leo McCarey, Alfred Hitchcock, David Lean, Stanley Kubrick, Guy Hamilton, Mike Nichols, William Friedkin, Peter Jackson, Gore Verbinski, and Michael Bay; Mervyn LeRoy, Ken Annakin and Robert Wise are each represented by one solo credit and one shared credit, and John Ford co-directed two films. Disney films are usually co-directed and some directors have served on several winning teams: Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Clyde Geronimi, David Hand, Ben Sharpsteen, Wolfgang Reitherman and Bill Roberts have all co-directed at least two films on the list. Only seven directors have topped the chart in consecutive years: McCarey (1944 and 1945), Nichols (1966 and 1967), Spielberg (1981 and 1982), Jackson (2002 and 2003), Verbinski (2006 and 2007) and the Russo brothers (2018 and 2019).
Because of 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 documented here are not confined to just the year of release. Grosses are not limited to original theatrical runs either, with many older films often being re-released periodically so the figures represent all the business a film has done since its original release; a film's first-run gross is included in brackets after the total if known. Because of incomplete data it cannot be known for sure how much money some films have made and when they made it, but generally the chart chronicles the films from each year that went on to earn the most. In the cases where estimates conflict both films are recorded, and in cases where a film has moved into first place because of being re-released the previous record-holder is also retained.
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Year | Title | Worldwide gross | Budget | Template:Abbr | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915 | The Birth of a Nation | Template:Nts–Template:Nts Template:Nts+{{#if:R|R|[16]}} (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[17]}} |
Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Wasko" group="#">Template:Cite book</ref><ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref> | ||||||
| 1916 | Intolerance | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[18]}} {{#if:IN|IN|[19]}} | Template:Nts | <ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name=Schickel>Template:Cite book</ref> | ||||||
| 1917 | Cleopatra | Template:Nts{{#if:*|*|[20]}}{{#if:R|R|[21]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="BlockWilson26">Template:Harvnb.
| ||||||
| 1918 | Mickey | Template:Nts | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="mickey">Template:Cite news</ref> | ||||||
| 1919 | The Miracle Man | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[22]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref> | ||||||
| 1920 | Way Down East | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[23]}} (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[24]}} | Template:Nts | <ref name="Variety (1932)" group="#">Template:Cite news Cited in {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="Solomon (2011)" /> | |||||
| 1921 | The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[25]}} (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[26]}} | Template:Nts–Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Harvnb. "The Four Forsemen of the Apocalypse was to become Metro's most expensive production and one of the decade's biggest box-office hits. Its production costs have been estimated at "something between $600,000 and $800,000." Variety estimated its worldwide gross at $4 million in 1925 and at $5 million in 1944; in 1991, it estimated its cumulative domestic rentals at $3,800,000."</ref> | ||||||
| 1922 | Douglas Fairbanks in Robin Hood | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[27]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref><ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref> | ||||||
| 1923 | The Covered Wagon | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[28]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Time (1925)">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref group="#" name="Birchard (2009)" /> | ||||||
| 1924 | The Sea Hawk | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[29]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Time (1925)" /> | ||||||
| 1925 | The Big Parade | Template:Nts–Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[30]}} (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[31]}} |
Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="May (2005)">Template:Citation</ref><ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref><ref group="#">Template:Harvnb. "Even then, at a time when the budget for a feature averaged at around $300,000, no more than $382,000 was spent on production...According to the Eddie Mannix Ledger at MGM, it grossed $4,990,000 domestically and $1,141,000 abroad."</ref> | ||||||
| Ben-Hur | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[32]}} (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[33]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Ben-Hur (1925)">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="HallNeale163">Template:Harvnb</ref> | ||||||
| 1926 | For Heaven's Sake | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[34]}} {{#if:FH|FH|[35]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Variety (1932)" /><ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |||||
| 1927 | Wings | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[36]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Variety (1932)" /><ref group="#">Template:Harvnb. "At a cost of $2 million Wings was the studio's most expensive movie of the decade, and though it did well it was not good enough to earn a profit."</ref><ref group="#" name="Jolson" /> | ||||||
| 1928 | The Singing Fool | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[37]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Jolson">The Jazz Singer and The Singing Fool
| ||||||
| 1929 | The Broadway Melody | Template:Nts–Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[38]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Citation In: Template:Harvnb.</ref><ref group="#" name="bradley">Template:Cite book
| ||||||
| Sunny Side Up | Template:Nts{{#if:*|*|[39]}}{{#if:R|R|[40]}} {{#if:SS|SS|[41]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Solomon (1988)" /><ref group="#">Template:Harvnb. "Production Cost: $0.6 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."</ref> | |||||||
| 1930 | All Quiet on the Western Front | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[42]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Variety (1932)" /><ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref><ref group="#" name="Balio (1996)" /><ref group="#" name="Balio (1976)">Hell's Angels
| ||||||
| 1931 | Frankenstein | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[43]}} (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[44]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#">Template:Harvnb. "It drew $1.4 million in worldwide rentals in its first run versus $1.2 million for Dracula, which had opened in February 1931."</ref> | |||||
| City Lights | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[45]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref> | |||||||
| 1932 | The Sign of the Cross | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[46]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Birchard (2009)" /><ref group="#" name="IMPA (1937)">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref group="#" name="Sedgwick" /><ref group="#" name="shanghai">Shanghai Express
| ||||||
| 1933 | King Kong | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[47]}} (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[48]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">King Kong
|
CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |||||
| I'm No Angel | Template:Nts+{{#if:R|R|[49]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#">Template:Harvnb. "The studio released its most profitable pictures of the decade in 1933, She Done Him Wrong and I'm No Angel, written by and starring Mae West. Produced at a rock-bottom cost of $200,000 each, they undoubtedly helped Paramount through the worst patch in its history..."</ref> | ||||||
| Cavalcade | Template:Nts–Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[50]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Solomon (2011)">Template:Cite book
| |||||||
| She Done Him Wrong | Template:Nts+{{#if:R|R|[51]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="BlockWilson173">Template:Citation In: Template:Harvnb.</ref><ref group="#" name="Phillips (2008)">Template:Cite book</ref><ref group="#">Template:Harvnb. "Total production cost: $274,076 (Unadjusted $s)."</ref> | |||||||
| 1934 | The Merry Widow | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[52]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Turk" /><ref group="#" name="Sedgwick" /> | ||||||
| It Happened One Night | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[53]}} {{#if:ON|ON|[54]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref> | |||||||
| 1935 | Mutiny on the Bounty | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[55]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Sedgwick" /> | ||||||
| 1936 | San Francisco | Template:Nts+{{#if:R|R|[56]}} (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[57]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Turk">Template:Cite book
| ||||||
| 1937 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | Template:Nts+{{#if:S7|S7|[58]}} (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[59]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="Snow White & Pinocchio">Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio
| ||||
| 1938 | You Can't Take It with You | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[60]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">1938
|
CitationClass=web
| |||||
| 1939 | Gone with the Wind | Template:Nts–Template:Nts (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[61]}} {{#if:GW|GW|[62]}} |
Template:Nts–Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="gwtw tcm" /><ref group="#">Template:Harvnb ."The final negative cost of Gone with the Wind (GWTW) has been variously reported between $3.9 million and $4.25 million."</ref> | |||
| 1940 | Pinocchio | Template:Nts{{#if:*|*|[63]}} (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[64]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="Snow White & Pinocchio" /><ref group="#" name="Barrier602">Template:Cite book</ref> | |||||
| Boom Town | Template:Nts{{#if:*|*|[65]}}{{#if:R|R|[66]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Schatz (1999)">Template:Cite book</ref><ref group="#">Template:Harvnb. "Production Cost: $2.1 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s) ... Boom Town was the biggest moneymaker of 1940 and one of the top films of the decade."</ref> | |||||||
| 1941 | Sergeant York | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[67]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Harvnb. "With worldwide rentals of $7.8 million in its initial release, the movie made a net profit of over $3 million."</ref><ref group="#">Template:Harvnb. "The studio did particularly well with its war-related pictures, such as Sergeant York (1941), which cost $1.6 million but was the studio's biggest hit of the decade aside from This is the Army (1943), the Irving Berlin musical for which the profits were donated to the Army Emergency Relief fund."</ref> | ||||||
| 1942 | Bambi | Template:Nts (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[68]}} | Template:Nts–Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#">Template:Harvnb. "Worldwide rentals of $3,449,353 barely recouped the film's nearly $2 million production cost."</ref><ref group="#" name="Disney">Template:Harvnb.
| |||||
| Mrs. Miniver | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[69]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref><ref group="#">Template:Harvnb
| |||||||
| 1943 | For Whom the Bell Tolls | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[70]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Citation In: Template:Harvnb.</ref><ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="guy-named-joe">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | ||||
| This Is the Army | Template:Nts{{#if:*|*|[71]}}{{#if:R|R|[72]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Cite journal</ref><ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="guy-named-joe" /> | ||||||
| 1944 | Going My Way | Template:Nts{{#if:*|*|[73]}}{{#if:R|R|[74]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Finler356" /><ref group="#">Template:Harvnb. "(Unadjusted $s) in Millions of $s – Production Cost: $1.0"</ref><ref group="#" name="BlockWilson232" /> | ||||||
| 1945 | Mom and Dad | Template:Nts{{#if:MD|MD|[75]}}/Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[76]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Schaefer (1999)">Template:Cite book</ref> | ||||||
| The Bells of St. Mary's | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[77]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Harvnb
| |||||||
| 1946 | Song of the South | Template:Nts{{#if:*|*|[78]}} (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[79]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref><ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | ||||
| The Best Years of Our Lives | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[80]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Harvnb
| |||||||
| Duel in the Sun | Template:Nts{{#if:*|*|[81]}}{{#if:R|R|[82]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Finler356" /><ref group="#" name="HallNeale285" /> | |||||||
| 1947 | Forever Amber | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[83]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Solomon (1988)">Template:Cite book
| ||||||
| Unconquered | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[84]}} {{#if:UN|UN|[85]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref><ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | ||||||
| 1948 | Easter Parade | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[86]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="BlockWilson232">Template:Harvnb.
|
CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |||||
| The Red Shoes | Template:Nts{{#if:*|*|[87]}}{{#if:R|R|[88]}} | Template:NtshTemplate:Nts (Template:Nts) | <ref group="#" name="Finler356" /><ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref><ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | ||||||
| The Snake Pit | Template:Nts{{#if:*|*|[89]}}{{#if:R|R|[90]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#">Template:Cite news</ref> | ||||||
| 1949 | Samson and Delilah | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[91]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="HallNeale136" /><ref group="#" name="Birchard (2009)" /> | ||||||
| 1950 | Cinderella | Template:Nts (Template:Nts/Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[92]}}) |
Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref><ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref> | |||||
| King Solomon's Mines | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[93]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Mannix">Template:Cite book</ref> | |||||||
| 1951 | Quo Vadis | Template:Nts–Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[94]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="HallNeale136">Template:Harvnb
| ||||||
| 1952 | This Is Cinerama | Template:Nts{{#if:CI|CI|[95]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Cite news</ref><ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref> | ||||||
| The Greatest Show on Earth | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[96]}} {{#if:GS|GS|[97]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Citation In: Template:Harvnb.</ref><ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="Birchard (2009)">Template:Cite book
| ||||||
| 1953 | Peter Pan | Template:Nts (Template:Nts){{#if:*|*|[98]}}{{#if:R|R|[99]}} | Template:Nts–Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#">Template:Cite magazine</ref> | |||||
| The Robe | Template:Nts–Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[100]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="HallNeale147">Template:Harvnb. "To take full advantage of CinemaScope's panoramic possibilities, shooting was delayed for the sets to be redesigned and rebuilt, adding $500,000 to the eventual $4.1 million budget...It ultimately returned domestic rentals of $17.5 million and $25 million worldwide, placing it second only to Gone with the Wind in VarietyTemplate:'s annually updated chart."</ref><ref group="#">Template:Harvnb. "It brought in $16.7 million in domestic rentals, $9.4 million in foreign rentals, and made a net profit of $8.1 million."</ref><ref group="#" name="BlockWilson335" /> | |||||||
| 1954 | Rear Window | Template:Nts{{#if:*|*|[101]}} (Template:Nts){{#if:*|*|[102]}}{{#if:R|R|[103]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="Lev">Template:Cite book
| |||||
| White Christmas | Template:Nts{{#if:*|*|[104]}} (Template:Nts){{#if:*|*|[105]}}{{#if:R|R|[106]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#">Template:Harvnb. "Domestic Box Office: $19.6 million; Production Cost: $3.8 million."</ref><ref group="#">Template:Harvnb. "VistaVision was first used for the musical White Christmas (1954), which Variety named the top grosser of its year with anticipated domestic rentals of $12 million."</ref> | ||||||
| 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea | Template:Nts{{#if:*|*|[107]}} (Template:Nts–Template:Nts){{#if:*|*|[108]}}{{#if:R|R|[109]}} |
Template:Nts–Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="Finler356" /><ref group="#">Template:Harvnb. "It was up and running in time to handle Disney's most elaborate expensive feature, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, based on the book by Jules Verne, starring James Mason and Kirk Douglas and directed by Richard Fleischer at a cost of $4.5 million."</ref> | |||||
| 1955 | Lady and the Tramp | Template:Nts (Template:Nts){{#if:*|*|[110]}}{{#if:R|R|[111]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="DisneyWWVariety2003">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref group="#" name="Finler356" /><ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |||||
| Cinerama Holiday | Template:Nts{{#if:CI|CI|[112]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Cite news</ref><ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | ||||||
| Mister Roberts | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[113]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Harvnb
| |||||||
| 1956 | The Ten Commandments | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[114]}} (Template:Nts/Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[115]}}) |
Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Birchard (2009)" /><ref group="#" name="BlockWilson327">Template:Harvnb. "Production cost: $13.3 million; Domestic Film Rental: $31.3; Foreign Film Rental: $23.9; Worldwide Box office (estimated): $122.7 (Initial Release – Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."</ref><ref group="#" name="HallNeale159">Template:Harvnb
| ||||||
| 1957 | The Bridge on the River Kwai | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[116]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="HallNeale159" /> | ||||||
| 1958 | South Pacific | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[117]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Harvnb. "South Pacific also became for a time the most successful film ever released in the United Kingdom, where it earned a box-office gross three times its negative cost of $5,610,000. Anticipated global rentals after three years were $30 million."</ref> | ||||||
| 1959 | Ben-Hur | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[118]}} (Template:Nts/Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[119]}}) |
Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref><ref group="#">Template:Harvnb. "Worldwide box office: $146.9 million; Worldwide rentals: $66.1 million; Production cost: $15.9 million. (Initial Release – Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)"</ref> | ||||||
| 1960 | Swiss Family Robinson | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[120]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref> | ||||||
| Spartacus | Template:Nts (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[121]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref><ref group="#" name="HallNeale179">Template:Harvnb.
| |||||||
| Psycho | Template:Nts+ (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[122]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | ||||||
| 1961 | One Hundred and One Dalmatians | Template:Nts | Template:Nts–Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="DisneyWWVariety2003" /><ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="Disney" /> | |||||
| West Side Story | Template:Nts (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[123]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Citation In: Template:Harvnb.</ref><ref group="#" name="BlockWilson434" /> | |||||||
| 1962 | Lawrence of Arabia | Template:Nts (Template:Nts) | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Lawrence of Arabia
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="HallNeale165">Template:Harvnb
| ||||
| How the West Was Won | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[124]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="HallNeale164">Template:Harvnb. "West cost $14,483,000; although it earned $35 million worldwide in just under three years, with ultimate domestic rentals totaling $20,932,883, high distribution costs severely limited its profitability."</ref> | |||||||
| The Longest Day | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[125]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="BlockWilson434" /><ref group="#" name="HallNeale165" /> | |||||||
| 1963 | Cleopatra | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[126]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="BlockWilson434" /><ref group="#" name="HallNeale165" /> | ||||||
| From Russia with Love | Template:Nts/Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[127]}} (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[128]}} |
Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Bond grosses" /><ref group="#" name="Chapman (2007)">Template:Cite book
| |||||||
| 1964 | My Fair Lady | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[129]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="HallNeale184">Template:Harvnb
| ||||||
| Goldfinger | Template:Nts (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[130]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Bond grosses" /><ref group="#" name="Balio (2009)" /> | |||||||
| Mary Poppins | Template:Nts–Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[131]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Citation In: Template:Harvnb.</ref><ref group="#" name="HallNeale184" /> | |||||||
| 1965 | The Sound of Music | Template:Nts (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[132]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="BlockWilson434">Template:Harvnb.
| |||||
| 1966 | The Bible: In the Beginning | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[133]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="HallNeale179" /><ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref> | ||||||
| Hawaii | Template:Nts{{#if:*|*|[134]}} (Template:Nts){{#if:*|*|[135]}}{{#if:R|R|[136]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="Finler356">Template:Harvnb</ref> | ||||||
| Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? | Template:Nts{{#if:*|*|[137]}} (Template:Nts){{#if:*|*|[138]}}{{#if:R|R|[139]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="Finler356" /><ref group="#" name="HallNeale188">Template:Harvnb. "The negative cost of Warners' adaptation of Edward Albee's play Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)—filmed in widescreen and black-and-white, largely set in domestic interiors and with a cast of only four principal actors—amounted to $7,613,000, in part because stars Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton received up-front fees of $1 million and $750,000 respectively, against 10 percent of the gross apiece. (Their participation was presumably added to the budget)."</ref> | ||||||
| 1967 | The Jungle Book | Template:Nts (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[140]}} | Template:Nts–Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="DisneyWWVariety2003" /><ref group="#">Template:Cite news</ref><ref group="#">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref group="#" name="Disney" /> | ||||||
| The Graduate | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[141]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Denisoff & Romanowski (1991)">Template:Cite book
| |||||||
| 1968 | 2001: A Space Odyssey | Template:Nts–Template:Nts (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[142]}} |
Template:Nts | <ref group="#">2001: A Space Odyssey
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="BlockWilson434" /> | ||
| Funny Girl | Template:Nts–Template:Nts | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Cite news</ref><ref group="#">Template:Cite news</ref> | |||||||
| 1969 | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid | Template:Nts (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[143]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
|
CitationClass=web
}}
| |||||
| 1970 | Love Story | Template:Nts (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[144]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref group="#">Template:Cite news</ref><ref group="#">Template:Citation In: Template:Harvnb.</ref> | ||||||
| 1971 | The French Connection | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[145]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Solomon (1988)" /> | ||||||
| Fiddler on the Roof | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[146]}} (Template:Nts/Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[147]}}) |
Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Harvnb. "Fiddler had the highest domestic box office of 1971 (it was second in worldwide box office after Diamonds Are Forever), with more than $100 million in unadjusted worldwide box office on its initial release. The soundtrack album was also a huge seller. The 1979 rerelease was not as successful, with the $3.8 million print and ad costs almost as high as the $4.3 million in worldwide rentals."</ref><ref group="#" name="BlockWilson527" /> | |||||||
| Diamonds Are Forever | Template:Nts (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[148]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Bond grosses">Template:Harvnb
| |||||||
| 1972 | The Godfather | Template:Nts–Template:Nts (Template:Nts–Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[149]}} |
Template:Nts–Template:Nts | <ref group="#">The Godfather
|
CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="BlockWilson527" /><ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref><ref group="#" name="godfather-tcm">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | ||||
| 1973 | The Exorcist | Template:Nts (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[150]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref><ref group="#">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref group="#" name="WBos">Template:Cite magazine</ref> | |||||
| The Sting | Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[151]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Citation (Online copy Template:Webarchive at Google Books)</ref><ref group="#" name="BlockWilson560">Template:Harvnb. "Production Cost: $5.5 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."</ref> | |||||||
| 1974 | The Towering Inferno | Template:Nts (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[152]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref group="#">Template:Harvnb. "The most successful entry in the disaster cycle was the $15 million The Towering Inferno which earned over $48,650,000 in domestic rentals and about $40 million foreign."</ref><ref group="#">Template:Cite news</ref><ref group="#" name=WBos /><ref group="#" name="BlockWilson568">Template:Harvnb. "Production Cost: $14.3 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."</ref> | ||||||
| 1975 | Jaws | Template:Nts (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[153]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="jaws" /><ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref> | |||||
| 1976 | Rocky | Template:Nts (Template:Nts){{#if:R|R|[154]}} | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Cite The Numbers</ref><ref group="#" name="HallNeale214">Template:Harvnb. "Rocky was the "sleeper of the decade". Produced by UA and costing just under $1 million, it went on to earn a box-office gross of $117,235,247 in the United States and $225 million worldwide."</ref><ref group="#" name="BlockWilson527">Template:Harvnb.
| ||||||
| 1977 | Star Wars | Template:Nts (Template:Nts{{#if:SW|SW|[155]}}/Template:Nts{{#if:R|R|[156]}}) |
Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="star-wars-se">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="et first-run">Template:Cite news</ref><ref group="#" name="BlockWilson527" /><ref group="#" name="HallNeale218">Template:Harvnb. "Eventually costing $11,293,151, Star Wars was previewed at the Northpoint Theatre in San Francisco on May 1, 1977."</ref> | |||||
| 1978 | Grease | Template:Nts (Template:Nts) | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#">Template:Cite book</ref><ref group="#" name="Denisoff & Romanowski (1991)" /> | |||||
| 1979 | Moonraker | Template:Nts | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="Bond grosses" /><ref group="#" name="kramer">Kramer vs. Kramer | |||||
| Rocky II | Template:Nts | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Template:Cite The Numbers</ref><ref group="#">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref group="#" name="kramer" /> | |||||||
| 1980 | The Empire Strikes Back | Template:Nts (Template:Nts){{#if:SW|SW|[157]}} | Template:Nts–Template:Nts | <ref group="#">The Empire Strikes Back
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
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}}
|
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}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="BlockWilson519">Template:Harvnb.
| ||
| 1981 | Raiders of the Lost Ark | Template:Nts (Template:Nts–Template:Nts) |
Template:Nts–Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Raiders of the Lost Ark
|
CitationClass=web
}}
| |||||
| 1982 | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | Template:Nts (Template:Nts–Template:Nts) |
Template:Nts–Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="ET">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="et first-run" /><ref group="#" name="BlockWilson609">Template:Harvnb. "Steven Spielberg, by far the most successful director of the decade, had the highest-grossing movie with 1982's E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, which grossed over $664 million in worldwide box office on initial release."</ref><ref group="#" name="BlockWilson652">Template:Harvnb. "Production Cost: $12.2 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."</ref> | |||||
| 1983 | Return of the Jedi | Template:Nts (Template:Nts){{#if:SW|SW|[158]}} | Template:Nts–Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Return of the Jedi
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="BlockWilson519" /> | |||
| 1984 | Ghostbusters | Template:Nts (Template:Nts) | Template:Nts–Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Ghostbusters
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | ||
| 1985 | Back to the Future | Template:Nts (Template:Nts) | Template:Nts–Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Back to the Future
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#">Template:Harvnb. "The studio had a record operating income of $212 million in 1982, the year of Spielberg's E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (which had cost only slightly over $10 million) and $150 million in 1985, mainly due to another Spielberg production, the $22 million Back to the Future, which became the top box office hit of the year."</ref> | |
| 1986 | Top Gun | Template:Nts (Template:Nts) | Template:Nts–Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#">Template:Citation In: Template:Harvnb.</ref><ref group="#" name="Finler190">Template:Harvnb.</ref> | |||||
| 1987 | Fatal Attraction | Template:Nts | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">Fatal Attraction
|
CitationClass=web
}}
| |||||
| 1988 | Rain Man | Template:Nts | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#">Template:Harvnb. "Rain Man: 30.0 (cost in million $s)"</ref> | |||||
| 1989 | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade | Template:Nts–Template:Nts | Template:Nts–Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="Finler190" /><ref group="#" name="BlockWilson694">Template:Harvnb. "Production Cost: $55.4 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s) ... The film went on to haul in over $494 million worldwide."</ref> | |||||
| 1990 | Ghost | Template:Nts ($505,702,588) | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="Finler190" /> | |||||
| 1991 | Terminator 2: Judgment Day | Template:Nts ($519,843,345) | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Terminator 2">Terminator 2
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="Ansen (1991)">Template:Cite news</ref> | ||||
| 1992 | Aladdin | Template:Nts | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="Disney" /> | |||||
| 1993 | Jurassic Park | ${{#expr:1,033,928,303+270,700+3,336,227}} ($912,667,947) | Template:Nts–Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="jp">Jurassic Park
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}
| |||
| 1994 | The Lion King | Template:Nts (Template:Nts) | Template:Nts–Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="lion king">The Lion King
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}
| |||
| 1995 | Toy Story | Template:Nts (Template:Nts) | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Toy Story">Toy Story
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="BlockWilson776">Template:Harvnb. "Production Cost: $30.0 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)"</ref> | ||||
| Die Hard with a Vengeance | Template:Nts | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="Finler123">Template:Harvnb.</ref> | ||||||
| 1996 | Independence Day | Template:Nts | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="id4">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |||||
| 1997 | Titanic | ${{#expr:1,843,373,318+343,550,770+691,642+71,352+70,157,472}} ($1,843,373,318) | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="titanic">Titanic
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |||
| 1998 | Armageddon | Template:Nts | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#">Template:Harvnb. "Production Cost: $140.0 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."</ref> | |||||
| 1999 | Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | $1,046,515,409 ($924,317,558) | Template:Nts–Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="tpm">Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="BlockWilson519" /> | ||||
| 2000 | Mission: Impossible 2 | Template:Nts | Template:Nts–Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="Finler190" /> | |||||
| 2001 | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone | ${{#expr:1,023,842,938−3,552,958−4,410,216−4,328,645−2,504,289}}{{#if:HP1|HP1|[159]}} (Template:Nts) | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="hp1">Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
|
CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |||||
| 2002 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | Template:Nts (Template:Nts) | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="lotr2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |||||
| 2003 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | $1,147,997,407 ($1,140,682,011) | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="lotr3" /> | ||||||
| 2004 | Shrek 2 | Template:Nts (Template:Nts) | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="shrek2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |||||
| 2005 | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire | Template:Nts (Template:Nts) | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="hp4">Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
|
CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |||||
| Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith | Template:Nts (Template:Nts) | Template:Nts | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | ||||||
| 2006 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest | $1,066,179,747 | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="potc2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |||||
| 2007 | Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End | Template:Nts | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="potc3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |||||
| 2008 | The Dark Knight | $1,007,336,937 (${{#expr:531,039,412+466,000,000}}) | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="tdk">The Dark Knight
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | ||
| 2009 | Avatar | $2,923,706,026 ($2,743,577,587) | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="avatar">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |||||
| 2010 | Toy Story 3 | $1,066,970,811 | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="ts3">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |||||
| 2011 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 | ${{#expr:1,356,841,356−181,938−38,277−14,481,414}} ($1,341,511,219) | Template:Nts{{#if:HP8|HP8|[160]}} | <ref group="#" name="hp7.2">Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2
|
CitationClass=web
}}
| |||||
| 2012 | The Avengers | $1,518,815,515 | Template:Nts | <ref name="avengers" group="#" /> | ||||||
| 2013 | Frozen | ${{#expr:1,274,219,009−247,650,477+249,036,646−21,668,593+22,492,845+167,333+(40,960,083−39,090,985)/0.63866+(41,087,765−40,960,083)/0.64136+(41,170,608−41,087,765)/0.636+(42,840,559−41,170,608)/0.7497+(42,976,318−42,840,559)/0.742+42,526,744−35,098,170 round −6}} (${{#expr:1,274,219,009−247,650,477+249,036,646−21,668,593+22,492,845+167,333+(40,960,083−39,090,985)/0.63866+(41,087,765−40,960,083)/0.64136+(41,170,608−41,087,765)/0.636+42,526,744−35,098,170 round −6}}) | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="Frozen">Frozen
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
CitationClass=web
}}
|
| 2014 | Transformers: Age of Extinction | $1,104,039,076 | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="transformers" /> | ||||||
| 2015 | Star Wars: The Force Awakens | $2,068,223,624 | Template:Nts | <ref name="sw7" group="#" /> | ||||||
| 2016 | Captain America: Civil War | $1,153,337,496 ($1,153,296,293) | Template:Nts | <ref group="#" name="civil war" /> | ||||||
| 2017 | Star Wars: The Last Jedi | $1,332,539,889 | Template:Nts | <ref name="sw8" group="#" /> | ||||||
| 2018 | Avengers: Infinity War | $2,048,359,754 | Template:Nts–Template:Nts | <ref name="infinity war" group="#" /><ref group="#" name="VarietyBudget">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |||||
| 2019 | Avengers: Endgame | $2,797,501,328 | Template:Nts | <ref name="endgame" group="#" /> | ||||||
| 2020 | Demon Slayer: Mugen Train | $507,119,058 | $15,750,000 | <ref group="#">Template:Cite The Numbers</ref> | ||||||
| 2021 | Spider-Man: No Way Home | $1,922,598,800 ($1,912,233,593) | $200,000,000 | <ref name="nwh" group="#" /><ref group="#" name="Budget">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |||||
| 2022 | Avatar: The Way of Water | $2,320,250,281 | Template:Nts–Template:Nts | <ref name="avatar2" group="#" /><ref group="#" name="budget 350–400">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref group="#" name="budget 460">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | ||||
| 2023 | Barbie | $1,447,038,421 | Template:Nts–Template:Nts | <ref name="Barbie" group="#" /><ref name="Deadline-Previews" group="#">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Paskin" group="#">Template:Cite magazine</ref> | ||||||
| 2024 | Inside Out 2 | $1,698,863,816 | $200,000,000 | <ref name="Inside Out 2" group="#" /><ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | |||||
| 2025 | Ne Zha 2 † | ${{#expr:2,144,020,000+60,000,000}} | $80,000,000 | <ref name="Ne Zha 2" group="#" /><ref name="Ne Zha 2 Caixin" group="#" /> |
Template:Refbegin (...) Since grosses are not limited to original theatrical runs, a film's first-run gross is included in brackets after the total if known.
Template:Note label Template:Refend
Timeline of highest-grossing filmsEdit
At least eleven films have held the record of 'highest-grossing film' since The Birth of a Nation assumed the top spot in 1915. Both The Birth of a Nation and Gone with the Wind spent twenty-five consecutive years apiece as the highest-grosser, with films directed by Steven Spielberg and James Cameron holding the record on three occasions each. Spielberg became the first director to break his own record when Jurassic Park overtook E.T., and Cameron emulated the feat when Avatar broke the record set by Titanic. When it took over the top spot in 2019, Avengers: Endgame became the first sequel to hold the record of highest-grossing film, and in doing so interrupted thirty-six years of Spielberg/Cameron dominance before Avatar reclaimed the top spot two years later in 2021 upon a re-release.
Some sources claim that The Big Parade superseded The Birth of a Nation as highest-grossing film, eventually being replaced by Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which in turn was quickly usurped by Gone with the Wind.<ref name="Dirks (2010)" /> Exact figures are not known for The Birth of a Nation, but contemporary records put its worldwide earnings at $5.2 million as of 1919.<ref name="Wasko">Template:Cite book</ref> Its international release was delayed by World War I, and it was not released in many foreign territories until the 1920s; coupled with further re-releases in the United States, its $10 million earnings as reported by Variety in 1932 are consistent with the earlier figure.<ref name="Variety (1932)">Template:Cite magazine Cited in {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> At this time, Variety still had The Birth of a Nation ahead of The Big Parade ($6,400,000) on distributor rentals and—if its estimate is correct—Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs ($8,500,000)<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> would not have earned enough on its first theatrical run to take the record;<ref>Template:Harvnb. "By the end of 1938, it had grossed more than $8 million in worldwide rentals and was ranked at the time as the second-highest-grossing film after the 1925 epic Ben-Hur".</ref> although it would have been the highest-grossing 'talkie',<ref>Template:Harvnb. "Walt Disney took a big risk when he decided to invest $1.5 million in his first feature-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It became the biggest hit of the sound era and the largest-grossing movie since The Birth of a Nation – until the release of independent producer David O. Selznick's Gone with the Wind just two years later."</ref> displacing The Singing Fool ($5,900,000).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Although received wisdom holds that it is unlikely The Birth of a Nation was ever overtaken by a silent-era film,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> the record would fall to 1925's Ben-Hur ($9,386,000) if The Birth of a Nation earned significantly less than its estimated gross.<ref name="HallNeale163">Template:Harvnb. "MGM's silent Ben-Hur, which opened at the end of 1925, had out-grossed all the other pictures released by the company in 1926 combined. With worldwide rentals of $9,386,000 on first release it was, with the sole possible exception of The Birth of a Nation, the highest-earning film of the entire silent era."</ref> In addition to its gross rental earnings through public exhibition, The Birth of a Nation played at a large number of private, club and organizational engagements which figures are unavailable for.<ref name="du Brow">Template:Cite news</ref> It was hugely popular with the Ku Klux Klan who used it to drive recruitment,<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> and at one point Variety estimated its total earnings to stand at around $50 million.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Despite later retracting the claim, the sum has been widely reported even though it has never been substantiated.<ref name="Wasko" /> While it is generally accepted that Gone with the Wind took over the record of highest-grossing film on its initial release—which is true in terms of public exhibition—it is likely it did not overtake The Birth of a Nation in total revenue until a much later date, with it still being reported as the highest earner up until the 1960s.<ref name="du Brow" /> Gone with the Wind itself may have been briefly overtaken by The Ten Commandments (1956), which closed at the end of 1960 with worldwide rentals of $58–60 million<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="HallNeale160">Template:Harvnb. "General release began at normal prices in 1959 and continued until the end of the following year, when the film was temporarily withdrawn (the first of several reissues came in 1966). The worldwide rental by this time was around $60 million. In the domestic market it dislodged Gone with the Wind from the number one position on VarietyTemplate:'s list of All-Time Rentals Champs. GWTW had hitherto maintained its lead through several reissues (and was soon to regain it through another in 1961)."</ref> compared to Gone with the WindTemplate:'s $59 million;<ref name="Oviatt (1961)">Template:Cite news</ref> if it did claim the top spot its tenure there was short-lived, since Gone with the Wind was re-released the following year and increased its earnings to $67 million. Depending on how accurate the estimates are, the 1959 remake of Ben-Hur may also have captured the record from Gone with the Wind: as of the end of 1961 it had earned $47 million worldwide,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and by 1963 it was trailing Gone with the Wind by just $2 million with international takings of $65 million,<ref name="Thomas (1963)">Template:Cite news</ref> ultimately earning $66 million from its initial release.<ref>Template:Harvnb. "Worldwide rentals: $66.1 million (initial release)"</ref>
Another film purported to have been the highest-grosser is the 1972 pornographic film Deep Throat. In 1984, Linda Lovelace testified to a United States Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on juvenile justice that the film had earned $600 million;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> this figure has been the subject of much speculation, since if it is accurate then the film would have made more money than Star Wars, and finished the 1970s as the highest-grossing film. The main argument against this figure is that it simply did not have a wide enough release to sustain the sort of sums that would be required for it to ultimately gross this amount.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Exact figures are not known, but testimony in a federal trial in 1976—about four years into the film's release—showed the film had grossed over $25 million.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Roger Ebert has reasoned it possibly did earn as much as $600 million on paper, since mobsters owned most of the adult movie theaters during this period and would launder income from drugs and prostitution through them, so probably inflated the box-office receipts for the film.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The Birth of a Nation, Gone with the Wind, The Godfather, Jaws, Star Wars, E.T., and Avatar all increased their record grosses with re-releases. The grosses from their original theatrical runs are included here along with totals from re-releases up to the point that they lost the record; therefore the total for The Birth of a Nation includes income from its reissues up to 1940; the total for Star Wars includes revenue from the late 1970s and early 1980s reissues but not from the 1997 Special Edition; the total for E.T. incorporates its gross from the 1985 reissue but not from 2002. The total for Avatar's first appearance on the chart includes revenue from the 2010 Special Edition, which represents all of its earnings up to the point it relinquished the record, whereas its second appearance also incorporates revenue from a 2020 re-release in the Asia-Pacific region as well as the 2021 re-release in China which helped it to reclaim the record. Gone with the Wind is likewise represented twice on the chart: the 1940 entry includes earnings from its staggered 1939–1942 release (roadshow/Template:Zwspgeneral release/Template:Zwspsecond-run)<ref name="Bartel">Template:Cite book</ref> along with all of its revenue up to the 1961 reissue prior to losing the record to The Sound of Music in 1966; its 1971 entry—after it took back the record—includes income from the 1967 and 1971 reissues but omitting later releases. The Godfather was re-released in 1973 after its success at the 45th Academy Awards, and Jaws was released again in 1976, and their grosses here most likely include earnings from those releases. The Sound of Music, The Godfather, Jaws, Jurassic Park, and Titanic have all increased their earnings with further releases, but they are not included in the totals here because they had already conceded the record prior to being re-released.
| Established | Title | Record-setting gross | Template:Abbr | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1915<ref name="Dirks (2010)">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
The Birth of a Nation | $5,200,000{{#if:R|R|[161]}} | <ref name="Wasko" group="#" /> | |
| 1940 | $15,000,000{{#if:R|R|[162]}} {{#if:‡|‡|[163]}} | <ref group="#" name="Time (1940)">Template:Cite magazine</ref> | |||
| 1940<ref name="gwtw tcm">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Gone with the Wind | $32,000,000{{#if:R|R|[164]}} | <ref group="#" name="gwtw tcm">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
| 1963 | $67,000,000{{#if:R|R|[165]}} {{#if:‡|‡|[166]}} | <ref group="#" name="Thomas (1963)">Template:Cite news</ref> | |||
| 1966<ref name="Dirks (2010)" /> | The Sound of Music | $114,600,000{{#if:R|R|[167]}} | <ref group="#" name="BlockWilson434" /> | ||
| 1971<ref name="Dirks (2010)" /> | Gone with the Wind | $116,000,000{{#if:R|R|[168]}} {{#if:‡|‡|[169]}} | <ref group="#" name="Atlantic Monthly (1973)">Template:Cite book</ref> | ||
| 1972<ref name="Dirks (2010)" /> | The Godfather | $127,600,000–142,000,000{{#if:R|R|[170]}} | <ref group="#" name="BlockWilson527" /><ref group="#">Template:Cite book (Online copy at Google Books)</ref> | ||
| 1976<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="jaws">Template:Cite news</ref> | Jaws | $193,700,000{{#if:R|R|[171]}} | <ref group="#" name="jaws">Template:Cite news</ref> | ||
| 1978<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> | Star Wars | $410,000,000/$268,500,000{{#if:R|R|[172]}} | <ref group="#" name="star-wars first-run">Template:Cite news</ref><ref group="#" name="BlockWilson527" /> | ||
| 1982 | $530,000,000 {{#if:‡|‡|[173]}} | <ref group="#" name="et first-run" /> | |||
| 1983<ref name="Cook (2002)">Template:Cite book</ref> | E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | $619,000,000–664,000,000 | <ref group="#" name="et first-run" /><ref group="#" name="BlockWilson609" /> | ||
| 1993 | $701,000,000 {{#if:‡|‡|[174]}} | <ref group="#">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> | ||
| 1993<ref name="Dirks (2010)" /> | Jurassic Park | $912,667,947 | <ref group="#" name="jp" /> | ||
| 1998<ref name="BBC (1998)">Template:Cite news</ref> | Titanic | $1,843,373,318 | <ref group="#" name="titanic" /> | ||
| 2010<ref name="Cieply (2010)">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Segers (2010)">Template:Cite news</ref> | Avatar | ${{#expr:2,743,577,587}} | <ref group="#" name="avatar" /> | ||
| ${{#expr:2,743,577,587+44,838,548}} {{#if:‡|‡|[175]}} | |||||
| 2019<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Avengers: Endgame | $2,797,501,328 | <ref name="endgame" group="#" /> |
| 2021<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
Avatar | $2,847,397,339 {{#if:‡|‡|[176]}} | <ref group="#" name="avatar" /> | |
| 2022 | $2,923,706,026 {{#if:‡|‡|[177]}} |
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Highest-grossing franchises and film seriesEdit
Template:See also Prior to 2000, only seven film series had grossed over $1 billion at the box office: James Bond,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Star Wars,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Indiana Jones,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Rocky,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Batman,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Jurassic Park,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Star Trek.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Since the turn of the century, that number has increased to over a hundred.<ref name="Numbers franchises">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> This is partly due to inflation and market growth, but it is also due to Hollywood's adoption of the franchise model: films that have built-in brand recognition such as being based on a well-known literary source or an established character. The methodology is based on the concept that films associated with things audiences are already familiar with can be more effectively marketed to them, and as such are known as "pre-sold" films within the industry.<ref name="economist">Template:Cite news</ref>
A franchise is typically defined to be at least two works derived from a common intellectual property. Traditionally, the work has a tautological relationship with the property, but this is not a prerequisite. An enduring staple of the franchise model is the concept of the crossover, which can be defined as "a story in which characters or concepts from two or more discrete texts or series of texts meet".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A consequence of a crossover is that an intellectual property may be utilized by more than one franchise. For example, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice belongs to not only the Batman and Superman franchises, but also to the DC Extended Universe, which is a shared universe. A shared universe is a particular type of crossover where a number of characters from a wide range of fictional works wind up sharing a fictional world.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The most successful shared universe in the medium of film is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, a crossover between multiple superhero properties owned by Marvel Comics. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is also the highest-grossing franchise, amassing over $31 billion at the box office.
The Spider-Man films are the highest-grossing series based on a single property, earning over $11 billion at the box office (although the Eon James Bond films have earned over $19 billion in total when adjusted to current prices).Template:Efn The Marvel Cinematic Universe has had the most films gross over $1 billion, with eleven. The four Avengers films, the two Frozen films, and the two Avatar films are the only franchises where each installment has grossed over $1 billion, although the Jurassic Park, Black Panther and Inside Out series have averaged over $1 billion per film.
Template:Refbegin Template:Note label
See alsoEdit
NotesEdit
ReferencesEdit
Box office sourcesEdit
Franchise and series sourcesEdit
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- Avengers
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- Batman
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- Fathom events
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- Batman Returns (UK): {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Batman Forever: {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Batman and Robin: {{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Batman: The Movie (1966) Template:Ndash Template:Cite book
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- Despicable Me
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- James Bond
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- Template:Harvnb. "James Bond Franchise Films: All-Release Worldwide Box Office." (Connery, Lazenby, Moore and Dalton)
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- Transformers
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