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Highest Grossing Movies - Inflation Adjusted

Name the highest-grossing movies of all time at the U.S. box office, adjusted for inflation.
Animated films are in (parentheses)
As of 15 November 2021. Click here for a version not adjusted for inflation.
Quiz by Quizmaster
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Last updated: November 15, 2021
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First submittedJanuary 8, 2011
Times taken70,243
Average score60.0%
Rating4.45
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#
Year
Star
Movie
1
1939
Clark Gable
Gone with the Wind
2
1977
Carrie Fisher
Star Wars
3
1965
Julie Andrews
The Sound of Music
4
1982
Drew Barrymore
E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial
5
1997
Kate Winslet
Titanic
6
1956
Charlton Heston
The Ten Commandments
7
1975
Roy Scheider
Jaws
8
1965
Omar Sharif
Doctor Zhivago
9
1973
Ellen Burstyn
The Exorcist
(10)
1937
Adriana Caselotti
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
11
2015
Daisy Ridley
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
(12)
1961
Betty Lou Gerson
101 Dalmatians
13
1980
Mark Hamill
The Empire Strikes Back
14
1959
Charlton Heston
Ben-Hur
15
2009
Sigourney Weaver
Avatar
16
2019
Chris Evans
Avengers: Endgame
17
1983
Billy Dee Williams
Return of the Jedi
18
1993
Laura Dern
Jurassic Park
19
1999
Natalie Portman
Star Wars: Episode I
(20)
1994
James Earl Jones
The Lion King
21
1973
Robert Redford
The Sting
22
1981
Harrison Ford
Raiders of the Lost Ark
23
1967
Dustin Hoffman
The Graduate
(24)
1940
Walt Disney
Fantasia
25
1972
Marlon Brando
The Godfather
26
1994
Tom Hanks
Forrest Gump
27
1964
Julie Andrews
Mary Poppins
28
1978
John Travolta
Grease
29
2012
Jeremy Renner
The Avengers
30
2015
Chris Pratt
Jurassic World
phantomfan09
+3
Level 20
Oct 3, 2011
I got 22 out 30! AWESOME!
bioticbootyshaker
+4
Level 48
Jan 2, 2012
Believe it or not, Wizard of Oz was a complete dud when it opened in theaters.
Brooksie
+3
Level 23
Mar 29, 2014
Not really true. As someone says above, it did not immediately recoup its costs. It was an expensive movie, and most of the audiences were children who do not pay for a full-priced ticket.
mariofan367
+1
Level 14
Apr 4, 2012
WHAT ABOUT HUNGER GAMES??? HARRY POTTER???
nyrethearcher
+5
Level 17
Aug 8, 2012
First off...let's talk OVERRATED movies, mariofan367...books not bad, but anway. I knew all of these except dr zhivago, the exorcist and

ben-hur ...very disappointed in myself.

Sifhraven
+1
Level 67
Sep 5, 2019
Now a days muucch more movies come out each year, plus people dont go to cinemas like they used to. Anyway the amoutn of money people spend on movies is dividived between many now. so that surely makes a difference.
Rougarou
+1
Level 60
Mar 5, 2021
Not to mention that several popular movies such as Gone with the Wind, Titanic, and Star Wars end up getting several rereleases, which added to its gross. Add that to the inflation of several of the movies, (Gone with the Wind was released during the Great Depression), and the popular classic movies are the ones which will end up grossing the most, with respect to inflation.
Philippelebel
+1
Level 55
Apr 2, 2024
It's adjusted for inflation. Also, people used to go to the movies far more before streaming and home theaters.
Ozchris
+1
Level 33
Dec 25, 2012
Thunderball was the best selling Bond film at the box office? That was terrible. Surprised the original King Kong didn't make the list. Or Wizard of Oz.
kalbahamut
+1
Level 82
Mar 10, 2013
I'm not really a Bond fan myself, but amongst a couple of my friends who love Bond I know at least one regards Thunderball as the best.
plattitude
+1
Level 92
Mar 28, 2014
As an avid Bond fan, Thunderball's in my top 3.
Arp2600
+1
Level 86
May 20, 2016
Second best Bond with Connery after From Russia with Love, imo.
robisindy
+1
Level 32
Oct 24, 2016
I'm a huge Bond fan. Although I absolutely love Claudine Auger as Domino, I personally find Thunderball a little slow because of all the underwater scenes.

That being said, Bond mania was at its peak when it came out. It sold a crazy amount of tickets. I knew when I clicked on this quiz that it would probably be on here.

tschutzer
+1
Level 91
Oct 22, 2017
The reason "Thunderball" did so well at the box office has nothing to do with its quality relative to the other Bond films. It was mainly a function of the inflation adjustment, as were the other 3 films on this list from 1964 and 1965. To get a sense of how big a factor this played, compare "Thunderball" (total gross $63.6M in 1965) to "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" (total gross $102M in 1969). "Butch Cassidy" made nearly twice as much only 4 years later and still sits 6 slots lower on the inflation-adjusted list.
tschutzer
+1
Level 91
Oct 22, 2017
And IMO the Connery Bond movies rank as follows: 1. From Russia with Love, 2. Dr. No, 3. Goldfinger, 4. Thunderball, 5. Diamonds Are Forever.

BTW, rewatching these older ones today is a really eye-opening experience. The number of times Bond smacks around, forces himself upon, or creates a meat shield out of the women unfortunate enough to be in the same room with him is quite amazing. Pretty much NONE of these activities would be palatable in a movie produced in the 21st century. Viewed through 2017 eyes, it would come off as misogynist at best, rapey or abusive to most - and yet the Connery Bond is still remembered as suave and debonair.

Jacktheguy
+1
Level 89
Sep 5, 2019
@tschutzer You missed You Only Live Twice, which I liked better than Diamonds, but that's just my opinion. And there's also the non-canon Never Say Never Again, which is just a remake of Thunderball.
overtired
+2
Level 84
Apr 22, 2019
Thunderball did very well because it came at the zenith of Bond-mania and off the back of Goldfinger, which is for many the best Bond film of all. You see the same thing with films like The Matrix Reloaded, which did a lot better than The Matrix despite being considered an inferior film.
Sifhraven
+2
Level 67
Sep 5, 2019
yea , you dont know what a movie is like till áfter you have seen it, so it makes sense that the highest selling ones areright after the ones with great reception.
camus
+3
Level 78
Mar 28, 2014
Always thought Fantasia was a bomb at the box office.
blinky
+2
Level 58
May 13, 2018
Fantasia did not do well when it debuted, but it was rereleased many times well into the 1960s and 70s. It came around here about once every seven years, and I went to see it every time.
kalbahamut
+1
Level 82
Sep 5, 2019
but they did that with all the older Disney films, before VHS and DVDs became huge.
Brooksie
+2
Level 23
Mar 29, 2014
Could you add the source for your statistics?
kalbahamut
+1
Level 82
Mar 29, 2014
BoxOfficeMojo
TheQuizzler
+1
Level 63
Apr 6, 2014
Hey everyone! Take my greatest film performances quiz!

http://www.jetpunk.com/user-quizzes/66970/100-greatest-film-performances-of-all-time

ander217
+1
Level 75
Mar 14, 2015
Enjoyed this one. Nice to see some oldies there.
HighFidelity
+1
Level 57
Feb 12, 2016
Wow, the Top 13 really are bigger than Ben Hur!
Natascha
+1
Level 52
Mar 23, 2016
I was sure the Jeremy Renner 2012 film was the Bourne Legacy....
Cedo
+1
Level 40
May 9, 2016
The 80 Best-Directed Films According to the Directors Guild of America : http://www.jetpunk.com/user-quizzes/71167/the-80-best-directed-films-directors-guild-of-america
DarthCaedus66
+4
Level 12
Jul 25, 2017
Hawkeye is noted as a star. My dreams have come true.
DarthCaedus66
+1
Level 12
Jul 25, 2017
I'm surprised The Hunt For Red October or any of its "sequels" aren't on here.
kalbahamut
+3
Level 82
Aug 13, 2017
nah. not even close
Chargly
+1
Level 70
Jul 25, 2017
I did much better on this (3 short) than the other. Being an old movie fan is showing. But this has a lot more good movies, you could look at compared rotten tomatoes or metascore and I'm sure this would be way higher. Not that there aren't great movies these days, but they're not the ones that get the most money. I mean, really, the first Avengers was ok, but the second was not a good movie, yet it made an obscene amount of money. Oh well.
musiclistsareus
+1
Level 62
Apr 11, 2018
Black Panther is now on this list
kalbahamut
+1
Level 82
Jul 17, 2018
Just barely, but yes.
Quizmaster
+4
Level ∞
Jul 22, 2019
And now its not
kalbahamut
+2
Level 82
Sep 5, 2019
good. :P
SkyQizzerRose
+1
Level 15
May 13, 2018
I missed Titanic and Jurassic park (and loads of others but i should have got them!)
joeythelemur
+2
Level 84
Jul 22, 2019
I had no idea the Exorcist would have been so high, especially considering that it's a tough movie to watch. Different times, I guess.
lazydaisee
+1
Level 44
Sep 5, 2019
I just don't get it...Im a huge horror fan and appreciate quite a few of the films from that period. The Omen, Alien etc were great horror...

But Exorcist just seems so corny...I can't manage to be afraid of a little girl making silly voices.

jmellor13
+2
Level 67
Sep 5, 2019
And it's rated R. That is the most surprising part to me. Kids see so many movies. I wasn't around in the early 70's, but I have to imagine movies were still a great pastime for dates, summer days, etc. The fact that the Exorcist is #9 all-time without the help of the underage moviegoer is crazy. I think the Godfather is the only other R-rated movie on this list. The Graduate and Jaws are both rated PG, which is kind of preposterous. Pretty sure I remember bare breasts (maybe tassles?) in the Graduate.
joedimaggio
+1
Level 72
Aug 22, 2019
So many intelligent movies compared the version not adjusted for inflation...
Sealantmajor
+2
Level 54
Sep 5, 2019
The Force awakens being here feels like a fraud... we got a terrible rehash instead of something that was actually fresh.
jmellor13
+2
Level 67
Sep 5, 2019
Yeah, I've seen probably 23 of the movies on this list, and Force Awakens is the worst one by a pretty wide margin.
Tramp
+2
Level 76
Sep 5, 2019
Jurassic World? The Force Awakens was actually not bad in my opinion (despite being so similar to Episode IV). The Last Jedi on the other hand? Yeah...
Jacktheguy
+1
Level 89
Sep 5, 2019
What about The Phantom Menace? That movie's on here, and is definitely the worst out of all of these.
jmellor13
+1
Level 67
Sep 5, 2019
I actually haven't seen Phantom Menace, partly because I heard it was so bad, so I can't comment for myself. Jurassic World was pretty bad, but I didn't feel quite as insulted by that as I did by Force Awakens, which so shamelessly copied A New Hope that it really irked me. I was also really looking forward to Force Awakens, so I was a lot more disappointed by how bad it was. I didn't really have much interest in Jurassic World, which I only saw because a friend asked me to go with her. But yeah, it was bad. I still think Force Awakens is worse though.
kalbahamut
+3
Level 82
Sep 5, 2019
The Force Awakens, Rogue One, and the prequels were all bad in their own, unique ways. They all had good things going for them, too. I waited in line to see Phantom Menace at the Senator in Baltimore on opening day; no regrets it was a great experience. Without the huge energy from the crowd there opening night, and the wow factor from the special effects spectacle diminishing more with every year, repeat viewings become harder and harder. The bad parts tend to stick out more.

However, I still really enjoyed all 3 prequels. I thought Rogue One was okay, and loved the ending. The Force Awakens I thought kinda sucked but at the same time I was entertained enough that I went back to see it a 2nd time in IMAX.

On the other hand, The Last Jedi was so bad I was fidgeting in my seat the entire time, I will never see it again, and it has completely destroyed my interest in seeing anything else Star Wars related. Going to skip Episode 9 because of that POS.

kalbahamut
+1
Level 82
Sep 5, 2019
and I enjoyed TFA a lot more than Jurassic World but they were both not good. All the Jurassic movies after the 1st one have sucked.
Jacktheguy
+1
Level 89
Jan 19, 2022
So a couple years later... while I have less appreciation for Force Awakens now than when I did before the sequel trilogy was completed, I still think it's better than Phantom Menace. Right now I'm deciding whether that or Jurassic World is the worst movie on this list (of the ones I've seen, anyway).
kalbahamut
+1
Level 82
Feb 1, 2022
As a standalone film I'd say Force Awakens is definitely a more well-made movie than Phantom Menace or Attack of the Clones. As part of the greater Star Wars saga, though, I think that it is worse than the prequels.

Some people argue that if it were a standalone film, The Last Jedi would be a great film or at least better than most other Star Wars films. I disagree. I think TLJ would still suck even if it didn't simultaneously break Star Wars canon, destroy the trilogy arc it's in the middle of, and betray the saga's lore and legacy. And Rise of Skywalker is of course just amateurish crap. But TFA is indeed better if judged individually.

kalbahamut
+1
Level 82
Sep 5, 2019
1st time I took this I was really surprised to see Fantasia on here. Used to be a really big Disney fan and though I always loved Fantasia and it was probably my favorite classic Disney movie I was under the impression somehow that it was not a big box office success compared to other more traditional Disney features like Pinocchio, Bambi, or the Jungle Book.
Insaniot
+4
Level 59
Sep 5, 2019
Ah, yes. Jeremy Renner. The star of the Avengers.
kalbahamut
+2
Level 82
Jan 22, 2020
it would make sense to switch his credit with Chris Evans. Renner had a lot more to do in Endgame than he ever had before.
sadra
+2
Level 23
Nov 18, 2020
i feel like the inflation stuff is kinda bs cause in todays world you wouldnt buy hald of those movies
wielblad
+1
Level 66
Jan 7, 2021
It would be interesting to see international ranking, but much harder to get the data.
kalbahamut
+1
Level 82
Feb 3, 2021
The data is available and it's largely the same list. The US market is still by far the most important when it comes to movies making money, and up until the last couple of decades its dominance was so supreme it was really the only one that mattered at all. Within the next decade or so, it's likely that the Chinese market will eclipse the American one in terms of revenue. And the international share of big budget Hollywood films' box office take grows larger every year. But these are recent developments and wouldn't much affect this list. If they could adjust both for inflation and for price localization, that might have a slightly more noticeable impact. But only slightly.
kalbahamut
+1
Level 82
Jan 8, 2022
China taking over is happening faster than I anticipated. Last year (2021) 3 of the top 10 worldwide grossing movies were Chinese films that barely sold any tickets at all in the US or Europe, but still made hundreds of millions of dollars. In fact, if not for Spider-Man's phenomenal end year pull, the top 2 films of 2021 would both be Chinese. Of course a lot of this has to do with the fact that China's COVID response was not being actively sabotaged by the most inept leader in history, and so they were able to get back to "normal" much faster than the US was, but still... 3 Chinese movies grossing over $500 million in one year, with one of them getting near a billion dollars?? Completely unprecedented. And a decade ago the top grossing Chinese film made less than Madea's Big Happy Family. But things have changed.
Hezzer619
+1
Level 53
Nov 9, 2021
I had no idea 101 dalmatians did so well.
NPSWild
+1
Level 57
Jan 19, 2022
I'm surprised by which Disney animated movies made the cut. I expected Snow White and Lion King, but I didn't think Fantasia was a huge hit when it came out and I just never would have guest that 101 Dalmatians was more successful than Lion King.
NPSWild
+1
Level 57
Jan 19, 2022
Maybe you were trying to add a level of challenge, but isn't Jeff Goldblum the star of Jurassic Park? Laura Dern isn't really a huge role.
RobNobody
+3
Level 76
Jan 19, 2022
Laura Dern is second-billed, after Sam Neill. Jeff Goldblum was third-billed, after her. His character is more interesting and meme-able, because it's Jeff Goldblum, but the character actually isn't all that huge a part. He's largely sidelined for the whole second half of the movie, after getting injured by the T. rex.
Damangio
+1
Level 64
Jan 19, 2022
I guess "star" means the most famous cast member, even if they played a minor character? Looking at Avatar.
SomeDude59888888
+1
Level 44
Apr 20, 2022
how is jeremy renner the star of avengers?
tee111
+1
Level 69
Oct 31, 2022
He's *a* star of the film, not *the* star. Same as Billy Dee Williams, Drew Barrymore, and some of the others.
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