The Top Grossing Movies of All Time (Adjusted for Inflation)

Updated June 14, 2019 18.6k views100 items

List RulesUS domestic movie grosses only

The top grossing movies of all time, adjusted for inflation, as reported by highest grossing movies ever includes a calculation that converts the domestic box office grosses of all movies into what their dollar equivalent would be in 2013 based on average ticket prices then and now.

It should come as no surprise that some of the movies that have made the most money are also considered to be some of the best movies of all time; perhaps their high quality compelled multiple viewings.

As a note, this list of the highest grossing films does include revenues from re-releases, 3D, and IMAX screenings, so yes, there are some movies from the last decade who sold more expensive tickets as opposed to more tickets overall. Ticket prices aside (and FYI, the average movie ticket price in 2013 is $8.05), this list has all the highest grossing domestic box office takes for films released in the US.

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1
Gone with the Wind
Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh
Released: 1939
Directed by: Sam Wood, George Cukor, Victor Fleming
Adjusted Gross: $1,626,459,200. Unadjusted Gross: $198,676,459 (1939)
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2
Star Wars
Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Released: 1977
Directed by: George Lucas
Adjusted Gross: $1,433,862,700. Unadjusted Gross: $460,998,007 (1977)
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3
The Sound of Music
Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer
Released: 1965
Directed by: Robert Wise
Adjusted Gross: $1,146,443,800. Unadjusted Gross: $158,671,368 (1965)
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4
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
Drew Barrymore, Erika Eleniak
Released: 1982
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Adjusted Gross: $1,141,927,400. Unadjusted Gross: $435,110,554 (1982)
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5
Titanic
Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet
Released: 1997
Directed by: James Cameron
Adjusted Gross: $1,090,569,500. Unadjusted Gross: $658,672,302 (1997)
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6
The Ten Commandments
Charlton Heston, Vincent Price
Released: 1956
Directed by: Cecil B. DeMille
Adjusted Gross: $1,054,550,000. Unadjusted Gross: $65,500,000 (1956)
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7
Jaws
Steven Spielberg, Richard Dreyfuss
Released: 1975
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Adjusted Gross: $1,031,034,500. Unadjusted Gross: $260,000,000 (1975)
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8
Doctor Zhivago
Omar Sharif, Julie Christie
Released: 1965
Directed by: David Lean
Adjusted Gross: $999,290,400. Unadjusted Gross: $111,721,910 (1965)
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9
The Exorcist
Max von Sydow, Ellen Burstyn
Released: 1973
Directed by: William Friedkin
Adjusted Gross: $890,323,300. Unadjusted Gross: $232,906,145 (1973)
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10
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Billy Gilbert, Pinto Colvig
Released: 1937
Directed by: Wilfred Jackson, Larry Morey, Perce Pearce, Ben Sharpsteen, William Cottrell
Adjusted Gross: $877,450,000. Unadjusted Gross: $184,925,486 (1937)
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11
101 Dalmatians
Hugh Laurie, Glenn Close
Released: 1996
Adjusted Gross: $804,333,900. Unadjusted Gross: $144,880,014 (1961)
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12
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Released: 1980
Directed by: Irvin Kershner
Adjusted Gross: $790,354,100. Unadjusted Gross: $290,475,067 (1980)
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13
Ben-Hur
Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins
Released: 1959
Directed by: William Wyler
Adjusted Gross: $788,900,000. Unadjusted Gross: $74,000,000 (1959)
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14
Avatar
Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver
Released: 2009
Directed by: James Cameron
Adjusted Gross: $782,904,900. Unadjusted Gross: $760,507,625 (2009)
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15
Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi
Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
Released: 1983
Directed by: Richard Marquand
Adjusted Gross: $757,178,300. Unadjusted Gross: $309,306,177 (1983)
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16
Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Natalie Portman, Keira Knightley
Released: 1999
Directed by: George Lucas
Adjusted Gross: $727,012,200. Unadjusted Gross: $474,544,677 (1999)
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17
The Lion King
Whoopi Goldberg, Jeremy Irons
Released: 1994
Directed by: Rob Minkoff, Roger Allers
Adjusted Gross: $717,628,700. Unadjusted Gross: $422,783,777 (1994)
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18
The Sting
Paul Newman, Robert Redford
Released: 1973
Directed by: George Roy Hill
Adjusted Gross: $717,600,000. Unadjusted Gross: $156,000,000 (1973)
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19
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
Harrison Ford, Alfred Molina
Released: 1981
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Adjusted Gross: $712,640,600. Unadjusted Gross: $248,159,971 (1981)
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20
Jurassic Park
Samuel L. Jackson, Jeff Goldblum
Released: 1993
Directed by: Steven Spielberg
Adjusted Gross: $693,957,000. Unadjusted Gross: $357,067,947 (1993)
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21
The Graduate
Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft
Released: 1967
Directed by: Mike Nichols
Adjusted Gross: $688,892,800. Unadjusted Gross: $104,945,305 (1967)
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22
Fantasia
Walt Disney, Corey Burton
Released: 1940
Directed by: Wilfred Jackson, James Algar, Samuel Armstrong, T. Hee, Ford Beebe
Adjusted Gross: $668,892,800. Unadjusted Gross: $76,408,097 (1941)
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23
The Godfather
Al Pacino, Marlon Brando
Released: 1972
Directed by: Francis Ford Coppola
Adjusted Gross: $635,326,700. Unadjusted Gross: $134,966,411 (1972)
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24
Forrest Gump
Tom Hanks, Sally Field
Released: 1994
Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
Adjusted Gross: $632,292,200. Unadjusted Gross: $329,694,499 (1994)
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25
Mary Poppins
Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke
Released: 1964
Directed by: Robert Stevenson
Adjusted Gross: $629,363,600. Unadjusted Gross: $102,272,727 (1964)
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