List of highest-grossing films

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
A screencap of the title card from the trailer of Gone with the Wind.
Gone with the Wind held the record of highest-grossing film for twenty-five years and, adjusted for inflation, has earned more than any other film.

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 (such as Box Office Mojo and Variety) 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 in the 21st century. Seven out of eight films from the Harry Potter franchise and all films from the Peter Jackson's Middle-earth series are included in the nominal earnings chart, while the Transformers and Pirates of the Caribbean franchises both feature prominently. There is also continued interest in the superhero genre: Batman and Superman from DC Comics and films based on the Marvel Comics brand, such as Spider-Man, X-Men and films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, have generally done well. The only films in the top ten that are not adapted from a pre-existing property or a sequel are the top two, Avatar and Titanic, both directed by James Cameron. 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 (the highest-grossing animated film) and The Lion King, as well as with its Pixar brand, of which the Toy Story films and Finding Nemo have been the best performers. Beyond Pixar animation, the Shrek, Ice Age, Madagascar and Despicable Me series have met with the most success.

While inflation has eroded away the achievements of most films from the 1960s and 1970s, there are franchises originating from that period that are still active. Besides Superman, James Bond and Star Trek films are still being released periodically, while the Star Wars saga and Planet of the Apes were reprised after a lengthy hiatus; Indiana Jones also saw a successful comeback after lying dormant for nearly twenty years. All six are still among the highest-grossing franchises, despite starting over thirty years ago. 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 properly adjusted for inflation, however, on that comparative scale 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.

<templatestyles src="Template:TOC limit/styles.css" />

Highest-grossing films

A portrait of a middle aged man with greying hair.
The two highest-grossing films have both been directed and written by James Cameron.

With a worldwide box-office gross of over $2.7 billion, Avatar is often 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,[1] 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,[2] and ultimately sold a total of thirty million DVD and Blu-ray units worldwide.[3] After home video income is accounted for, both films have earned over $3 billion. Television broadcast rights will also substantially add to a film's earnings, with a film often earning as much as 20–25% of its theatrical box-office for a couple of television runs on top of pay-per-view revenues;[4] Titanic earned a further $55 million from the NBC and HBO broadcast rights,[1] 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.[5] The Lion King earned over $2 billion in box-office and home video sales,[6] but this pales in comparison to the $6 billion earned at box offices around the world by the stage adaptation.[7] Merchandising can be extremely lucrative too: The Lion King also sold $3 billion of merchandise,[8] while Pixar's Cars—which earned $462 million in theatrical revenues and was only a modest hit by comparison to other Pixar films[9]—generated global merchandise sales of over $8 billion in the five years after its 2006 release.[10][11] Pixar also 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.[12]

On this chart, films are ranked by the revenues from theatrical exhibition at their nominal value, along with the highest positions they attained. Twenty-four films in total have grossed in excess of $1 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.

  film currently playing Background shading indicates films playing in the week commencing 20 December 2024 in theaters around the world.
Highest-grossing films[13]
Rank Peak Title Worldwide gross Year Reference(s)
1 1 Avatar $2,787,965,087 2009 [# 1][# 2]
2 1 Titanic $2,186,772,302 1997 [# 3][# 4]
3 3 Star Wars: The Force Awakens film currently playing $1,762,743,529 2015 [# 5]
4 3 Jurassic World $1,668,984,926 2015 [# 6][# 7]
5 3 The Avengers $1,519,557,910 2012 [# 8][# 9]
6 4 Furious 7 $1,515,047,671 2015 [# 10][# 11]
7 5 Avengers: Age of Ultron $1,405,035,767 2015 [# 12][# 11]
8 3 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 $1,341,511,219 2011 [# 13][# 14]
9nb1 5 Frozen $1,279,852,693 2013 [# 15][# 16]
10 5 Iron Man 3 $1,215,439,994 2013 [# 17][# 18]
11 10 Minions film currently playing $1,157,275,017 2015 [# 19][# 7]
12 4 Transformers: Dark of the Moon $1,123,794,079 2011 [# 20][# 14]
13 2 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King $1,119,929,521 2003 [# 21][# 22]
14 7 Skyfall $1,108,561,013 2012 [# 23][# 24]
15 10 Transformers: Age of Extinction $1,104,054,072 2014 [# 25][# 26]
16 7 The Dark Knight Rises $1,084,939,099 2012 [# 27][# 28]
17 3 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest $1,066,179,725 2006 [# 29][# 30]
18 5 Toy Story 3 $1,063,171,911 2010 [# 31][# 32]
19 6 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides $1,045,713,802 2011 [# 33][# 34]
20 1 Jurassic Park $1,029,939,903 1993 [# 35][# 36]
21 2 Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace $1,027,044,677 1999 [# 37][# 4]
22 5 Alice in Wonderland $1,025,467,110 2010 [# 38][# 39]
23 14 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey $1,021,103,568 2012 [# 40][# 41]
24 4 The Dark Knight $1,004,558,444 2008 [# 42][# 43]
25 2 The Lion King $987,483,777 1994 [# 44][# 36]
26 2 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone $974,755,371 2001 [# 45][# 46]
27 20 Despicable Me 2 $970,761,885 2013 [# 47][# 48]
28 5 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End $963,420,425 2007 [# 49][# 50]
29 10 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 $960,283,305 2010 [# 51][# 52]
30 24 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug $958,366,855 2013 [# 53][# 54]
31 26 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies $956,019,788 2014 [# 55][# 56]
32 6 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix $939,885,929 2007 [# 57][# 50]
33 9 Finding Nemo $936,743,261 2003 [# 58][# 22]
34 8 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince $934,416,487 2009 [# 59][# 60]
35 5 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers $926,047,111 2002 [# 61][# 62]
36 6 Shrek 2 $919,838,758 2004 [# 63][# 64]
37 8 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire $896,911,078 2005 [# 65][# 66]
38 10 Spider-Man 3 $890,871,626 2007 [# 67][# 68]
39 15 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs $886,686,817 2009 [# 69][# 60]
40 6 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets $878,979,634 2002 [# 70][# 71]
41 29 Ice Age: Continental Drift $877,244,782 2012 [# 72][# 28]
42 42 Spectre film currently playing $872,101,529 2015 [# 73]
43 5 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring $871,530,324 2001 [# 74][# 75]
44 34 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire $865,011,746 2013 [# 76][# 77]
45 43 Inside Out film currently playing $856,130,132 2015 [# 78][# 7]
46 11 Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith $848,754,768 2005 [# 79][# 80]
47 19 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen $836,303,693 2009 [# 81][# 82]
48 33 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 $829,746,820 2012 [# 83][# 84]
49 24 Inception $825,532,764 2010 [# 85][# 32]
50 7 Spider-Man $821,708,551 2002 [# 86][# 75]

nb1Box Office Mojo stopped updating its main total for Frozen in August 2014, while it was still in release. The total listed here incorporates subsequent earnings up to the end of 2014.

Highest-grossing films adjusted for inflation

A map of the world with different regions colored in correlating to inflation rates
World map showing inflation rates in 2009.

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.[14] 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.[15] 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.[16] Ticket prices have also risen at different rates of inflation around the world, further complicating the process of adjusting worldwide grosses.[14]

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.[17] Social and economic factors such as population change[18] and the growth of international markets[19][20][21] also impact 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.[15]

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.[22] 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.[18] 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",[16][23] so there is little incentive to switch to a more robust analysis from a marketing or even newsworthy point of view.[22]

Despite the inherent difficulties in accounting for inflation, several attempts have been made. Estimates depend on the price index used to adjust the grosses,[23] and the exchange rates used to convert between currencies can also impact upon 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 Wind'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;[24] other estimates fall either side of this amount, with one putting its gross just under $3 billion in 2010,[25] while another provided an alternative figure of $3.8 billion in 2006.[26] Which film is Gone with the Wind's nearest rival depends on the set of figures used: Guinness have Avatar in second place with $3 billion, while other estimates see Titanic in the runner-up spot with first-run worldwide earnings of almost $2.9 billion at 2010 prices. The only other film that all sources agree grossed in excess of $2 billion at current prices is Star Wars; according to Guinness it has earned $2.8 billion at 2014 price levels, while other sources from 2010/2011 put its adjusted earnings at $2.2–2.6 billion.[25][27]

Highest-grossing films adjusted for inflation[28][29]
Rank Title Worldwide gross
(2014 $)
Year
1 Gone with the Wind $3,440,000,000 1939
2 Avatar $3,020,000,000 2009
3 Star Wars $2,825,000,000 1977
4 Titanic T$2,516,000,000 1997
5 The Sound of Music $2,366,000,000 1965
6 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial $2,310,000,000 1982
7 The Ten Commandments $2,187,000,000 1956
8 Doctor Zhivago $2,073,000,000 1965
9 Jaws $2,027,000,000 1975
10 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs S$1,819,000,000 1937

TThe figure for Titanic is most likely based on the gross from its 1997 theatrical release, and does not incorporate earnings from the 2012 reissue. According to the 2012 edition of Guinness World Records, the adjusted total for Titanic as of 2011 stood at $2,413,800,000, and a re-release in 2012 added a further $343,550,770 to the total.[30] However, the 2015 edition put the adjusted total at $2,516,000,000—an increase of just $102,000,000; this is a rise of 4.2% since 2011, an increase shared by the other adjusted totals in the chart.

SThe 2015 edition of Guinness World Records does not provide an explicit figure for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. However, it does state that it is one of only two pre-1955 films—the other being Gone with the Wind—that are among the adjusted top ten. It placed tenth in the 2012 edition, and the eleventh highest-grossing film according to the 2015 edition is The Exorcist, which has grossed $1.794 billion adjusted to 2014 prices. The adjusted grosses for the other films on the chart increased by 4.2 percent between 2011 and 2014 according to Guinness, and using this apparent rate of inflation would take the adjusted gross for Snow White from $1.746 billion at 2011 prices to $1.819 billion at 2014 prices.

High-grossing films by year

<templatestyles src="Template:Quote_box/styles.css" />

Glossary: Distributor rentals

Box-office figures are reported in the form of gross or distributor rentals, the latter being especially true of older films. Commonly mistaken for home video revenue, the rentals are the distributor's share of the film's theatrical revenue i.e. the box office gross less the exhibitor's cut.[31][32] Historically, the rental price averaged at 35–40% when the distributors owned the theater chains, equating to just over a third of the gross being paid to the distributor of the film.[33] In the modern marketplace, rental fees can vary greatly—depending on a number of factors—although the films from the major studios average out at 43%.[31]

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,[34] 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.[35] 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 Avatar in 2009 being the only chart-topper forming an original work.

File:Steven Spielberg 1999.JPG
Films directed by Steven Spielberg have been the highest-grossing film of the year on six occasions, and on three occasions have been the highest-grossing film of all time.

Steven Spielberg is the most represented director on the chart with six films to his credit, occupying the top spot in 1975, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1989 and 1993. Cecil B. DeMille (1932, 1947, 1949, 1952 and 1956) and William Wyler (1942, 1946, 1959 and 1968) are in second and third place with five and four films respectively, while D. W. Griffith (1915, 1916 and 1920), George Roy Hill (1966, 1969 and 1973) and James Cameron (1991, 1997 and 2009) 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, 1984 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 five directors have topped the chart in consecutive years: McCarey (1944 and 1945), Nichols (1966 and 1967), Spielberg (1981 and 1982), Jackson (2002 and 2003) and Verbinski (2006 and 2007).

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. 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. 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. At least one film every year has generated $100 million in gross revenue at the box office since 1967, and from 2008 each year has succeeded in producing a billion dollar grossing film.

film currently playing indicates films still playing in theaters around the world in the week commencing 20 December 2024.
High-grossing films by year of release[36][37][38]
Year Title Worldwide gross Budget Reference(s)
1915 The Birth of a Nation $50,000,000100,000,000
$20,000,000+R ($5,200,000)R
$110,000 [# 87][# 88][# 89]
1916 Intolerance $1,000,000*R IN $489,653 [# 90][# 91]
1917 Cleopatra $500,000*R $300,000 [# 90]
1918 Mickey $8,000,000 $250,000 [# 92]
1919 The Miracle Man $3,000,000R $120,000 [# 93]
1920 Way Down East $5,000,000R ($4,000,000)R $800,000 [# 94][# 95]
1921 The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse $5,000,000R ($4,000,000)R $600,000800,000 [# 96]
1922 Robin Hood $2,500,000R $930,042.78 [# 97][# 98]
1923 The Covered Wagon $5,000,000R $800,000 [# 99][# 100]
1924 The Sea Hawk $3,000,000R $700,000 [# 99]
1925 The Big Parade $18,000,00022,000,000R
($6,131,000)R
$382,000 [# 101][# 102][# 103]
Ben-Hur $9,386,000R $3,967,000 [# 104]
1926 For Heaven's Sake $2,600,000R FH $150,000 [# 94][# 105]
1927 Wings $3,600,000R $2,000,000 [# 94][# 106][# 107]
1928 The Singing Fool $5,900,000R $388,000 [# 107][# 108]
1929 The Broadway Melody $4,400,0004,800,000R $379,000 [# 109][# 110]
Sunny Side Up $3,500,000*R SS $600,000 [# 111][# 112]
1930 All Quiet on the Western Front $3,000,000R $1,250,000 [# 94][# 113][# 114][# 115]
1931 Frankenstein $12,000,000R ($1,400,000)R $250,000 [# 116][# 117]
City Lights $5,000,000R $1,607,351 [# 118]
1932 The Sign of the Cross $2,738,993R $694,065 [# 100][# 119][# 120][# 121]
1933 King Kong $5,347,000R ($1,856,000)R $672,255.75 [# 122]
I'm No Angel $3,250,000+R $200,000 [# 123][# 124]
Cavalcade $3,000,0004,000,000R $1,116,000 [# 95][# 114]
She Done Him Wrong $3,000,000+R $274,076 [# 125][# 126][# 127]
1934 The Merry Widow $2,608,000R $1,605,000 [# 128][# 120]
It Happened One Night $1,000,000R ON $325,000 [# 129][# 130]
1935 Mutiny on the Bounty $4,460,000R $1,905,000 [# 120]
1936 San Francisco $6,044,000+R ($5,273,000)R $1,300,000 [# 128][# 120]
1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs $418,000,000+S7 ($8,500,000)R $1,488,423 [# 131][# 132]
1938 You Can't Take It With You $5,000,000R $1,200,000 [# 133][# 134]
1939 Gone with the Wind $390,525,192400,176,459
($32,000,000)R GW
$3,900,0004,250,000 [# 135][# 136][# 137][# 138]
1940 Pinocchio $87,000,862* ($3,500,000)R $2,600,000 [# 139][# 132][# 140]
Boom Town $4,600,000*R $2,100,000 [# 141][# 142]
1941 Sergeant York $7,800,000R $1,600,000 [# 143][# 144]
1942 Bambi $267,997,843 ($3,449,353)R $1,700,0002,000,000 [# 145][# 146][# 147]
Mrs. Miniver $8,878,000R $1,344,000 [# 148][# 149]
1943 For Whom the Bell Tolls $11,000,000R $2,681,298 [# 150][# 151][# 152]
This Is the Army $9,555,586.44*R $1,400,000 [# 153][# 154][# 152]
1944 Going My Way $6,500,000*R $1,000,000 [# 155][# 156][# 157]
1945 Mom and Dad $80,000,000MD/$22,000,000R $65,000 [# 158]
The Bells of St. Mary's $11,200,000R $1,600,000 [# 159]
1946 Song of the South $65,000,000* ($3,300,000)R $2,125,000 [# 160][# 161][# 162]
The Best Years of Our Lives $14,750,000R $2,100,000 [# 163][# 164]
Duel in the Sun $10,000,000*R $5,255,000 [# 155][# 165]
1947 Forever Amber $8,000,000R $6,375,000 [# 111][# 165]
Unconquered $7,500,000R UN $4,200,000 [# 166][# 167]
1948 Easter Parade $5,918,134R $2,500,000 [# 157][# 168]
The Red Shoes $5,000,000*R £505,581 (~$2,000,000) [# 155][# 169][# 170]
The Snake Pit $4,100,000*R TBA [# 171]
1949 Samson and Delilah $14,209,250R $3,097,563 [# 172][# 100]
1950 Cinderella $88,000,466*
($20,000,000/$7,800,000R)
$2,200,000 [# 173][# 174][# 175]
King Solomon's Mines $10,050,000R $2,258,000 [# 176]
1951 Quo Vadis $21,037,00026,700,000R $7,623,000 [# 172][# 177][# 178]
1952 This Is Cinerama $50,000,000CI $1,000,000 [# 179][# 180]
The Greatest Show on Earth $18,350,000R GS $3,873,946 [# 181][# 182][# 100]
1953 Peter Pan $145,000,000 $3,000,0004,000,000 [# 183]
The Robe $25,000,00026,100,000R $4,100,000 [# 184][# 185][# 178]
1954 Rear Window $36,764,580* ($5,300,000)*R $1,000,000 [# 186][# 177]
White Christmas $26,000,050* ($12,000,000)*R $3,800,000 [# 187][# 188][# 189]
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea $25,000,134*
($6,800,0008,000,000)*R
$4,500,0009,000,000 [# 190][# 191][# 155][# 192]
1955 Lady and the Tramp $88,300,200* ($6,500,000)*R $4,000,000 [# 193][# 155][# 194]
Cinerama Holiday $21,000,000CI $2,000,000 [# 195][# 196]
Mister Roberts $9,900,000R $2,400,000 [# 197]
1956 The Ten Commandments $90,066,230R
($122,700,000/$55,200,000R)
$13,270,000 [# 100][# 198][# 199]
1957 The Bridge on the River Kwai $30,600,000R $2,840,000 [# 199]
1958 South Pacific $30,000,000R $5,610,000 [# 200]
1959 Ben-Hur $90,000,000R
($146,900,000/$66,100,000R)
$15,900,000 [# 201][# 202]
1960 Swiss Family Robinson $30,000,000R $4,000,000 [# 203]
Spartacus $60,000,000 ($22,105,225)R $10,284,014 [# 204][# 205]
Psycho $50,000,000+ ($14,000,000)R $800,000 [# 206]
1961 One Hundred and One Dalmatians $215,880,212 $3,600,0004,000,000 [# 207][# 208][# 147]
West Side Story $105,000,000 ($31,800,000)R $7,000,000 [# 209][# 210]
1962 Lawrence of Arabia $75,500,852 ($69,995,385) $13,800,000 [# 211][# 212]
How the West Was Won $35,000,000R $14,483,000 [# 213]
The Longest Day $33,200,000R $8,600,000 [# 210][# 212]
1963 Cleopatra $40,300,000R $31,115,000 [# 210][# 212]
From Russia with Love $78,900,000/$29,400,000R
($12,500,000)R
$2,000,000 [# 214][# 215][# 216]
1964 My Fair Lady $55,000,000R $17,000,000 [# 217]
Goldfinger $124,900,000 ($46,000,000)R $3,000,000 [# 214][# 216]
Mary Poppins $44,000,000$50,000,000R $5,200,000 [# 218][# 217]
1965 The Sound of Music $286,214,076 ($114,600,000)R $8,000,000 [# 219][# 210]
1966 The Bible: In the Beginning $25,300,000R $18,000,000 [# 205]
Hawaii $34,562,222* ($15,600,000)*R $15,000,000 [# 220][# 155]
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? $28,000,089* ($14,500,000)*R $7,613,000 [# 221][# 155][# 222]
1967 The Jungle Book $170,800,000199,475,744 $3,900,0004,000,000 [# 223][# 224][# 147]
The Graduate $85,000,000R $3,100,000 [# 225][# 226]
1968 2001: A Space Odyssey $138,000,000190,000,000
($21,900,000)R
$10,300,000 [# 227][# 228][# 210]
Funny Girl $80,000,000100,000,000 $8,800,000 [# 229][# 230]
1969 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid $152,308,525 ($37,100,000)R $6,600,000 [# 231][# 210][# 226]
1970 Love Story $80,000,000R $2,260,000 [# 232][# 233]
Airport $75,000,000R $10,000,000 [# 234][# 235]
1971 The French Connection $75,000,000R $3,300,000 [# 111]
Fiddler on the Roof $49,400,000R
($100,000,000/$45,100,000R)
$9,000,000 [# 236][# 237]
Diamonds Are Forever $116,000,000 ($45,700,000)R $7,200,000 [# 214][# 215]
1972 The Godfather $245,066,411286,000,000
($127,600,000142,000,000)R
$6,200,000 [# 238][# 237][# 239][# 240]
1973 The Exorcist $413,071,011 ($110,000,000)R $10,000,000 [# 241][# 242]
The Sting $115,000,000R $5,500,000 [# 243][# 244]
1974 The Towering Inferno $88,650,000R $15,000,000 [# 245]
Blazing Saddles $80,000,000+R $2,600,000 [# 246][# 247]
1975 Jaws $470,653,000 ($193,700,000)R $9,000,000 [# 248][# 249][# 250]
1976 Rocky $225,000,000 ($77,100,000)R $1,075,000 [# 251][# 237][# 252]
1977 Star Wars $775,398,007
($530,000,000SW/$268,500,000R)
$11,293,151 [# 253][# 254][# 237][# 255]
1978 Grease $394,589,888 ($341,000,000) $6,000,000 [# 256][# 257][# 225]
1979 Moonraker $210,300,000 $31,000,000 [# 214][# 258]
Rocky II $200,182,289 $7,000,000 [# 259][# 260][# 258]
1980 The Empire Strikes Back $547,969,004 ($413,562,607)SW $23,000,00032,000,000 [# 261][# 262]
1981 Raiders of the Lost Ark $389,925,971
($321,866,000353,988,025)
$18,000,00022,800,000 [# 263]
1982 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial $792,910,554
($619,000,000664,000,000)
$10,500,00012,200,000 [# 264][# 254][# 265][# 266]
1983 Return of the Jedi $475,106,177 ($385,845,197)SW $32,500,00042,700,000 [# 267][# 262]
1984 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom $333,107,271 $27,000,00028,200,000 [# 268][# 269][# 270]
1985 Back to the Future $389,053,797 ($381,109,762) $19,000,00022,000,000 [# 271][# 272]
1986 Top Gun $356,830,601 ($345,000,000) $14,000,00019,000,000 [# 273][# 274][# 269]
1987 Fatal Attraction $320,145,905 $14,000,000 [# 275][# 269]
1988 Rain Man $354,825,476 $30,000,000 [# 276][# 277]
1989 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade $474,171,806494,000,000 $36,000,00055,400,000 [# 278][# 269][# 279]
1990 Ghost $505,702,423 $22,000,000 [# 280][# 269]
1991 Terminator 2: Judgment Day $519,843,975 $94,000,000 [# 281][# 282]
1992 Aladdin $504,050,219 $28,000,000 [# 283][# 147]
1993 Jurassic Park $1.029939903×10^9 ($914,691,118) $63,000,00070,000,000 [# 35]
1994 The Lion King $987,483,777 ($766,964,132) $45,000,00079,300,000 [# 44]
1995 Toy Story $370,638,993 ($361,958,736) $30,000,000 [# 284][# 285]
Die Hard with a Vengeance $366,101,666 $70,000,000 [# 286][# 287]
1996 Independence Day $817,400,891 $75,000,000 [# 288]
1997 Titanic $2.186772302×10^9 ($1.843201268×10^9) $200,000,000 [# 3]
1998 Armageddon $553,709,626 $140,000,000 [# 289][# 290]
1999 Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace $1.027044677×10^9 ($924,317,558) $115,000,000127,500,000 [# 37][# 262]
2000 Mission: Impossible II $546,388,105 $100,000,000125,000,000 [# 291][# 269]
2001 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone $974,755,371 $125,000,000 [# 45]
2002 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers $926,047,111 ($921,780,457) $94,000,000 [# 61]
2003 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King $1.119929521×10^9 ($1.119110941×10^9) $94,000,000 [# 21]
2004 Shrek 2 $919,838,758 $150,000,000 [# 63]
2005 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire $896,911,078 $150,000,000 [# 65]
2006 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest $1.066179725×10^9 $225,000,000 [# 29]
2007 Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End $963,420,425 $300,000,000 [# 49]
2008 The Dark Knight $1.004558444×10^9 ($997,039,412) $185,000,000 [# 42]
2009 Avatar $2.787965087×10^9 ($2.749064328×10^9) $237,000,000 [# 1][# 292]
2010 Toy Story 3 $1.063171911×10^9 $200,000,000 [# 31]
2011 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 $1.341511219×10^9 $250,000,000HP [# 13][# 293]
2012 The Avengers $1.51955791×10^9 $220,000,000 [# 8]
2013 Frozen $1.279852693×10^9 $150,000,000 [# 15]
2014 Transformers: Age of Extinction $1.104039076×10^9 $210,000,000 [# 25]
2015 Star Wars: The Force Awakens film currently playing $1.751243529×10^9 $200,000,000 [# 5]
2016 Quo Vado? film currently playing $57,071,242 €10,000,000 [# 294][# 295]

( ... ) Since grosses are not limited to original theatrical runs, a film's first-run gross is included in brackets after the total if known.

*Canada and U.S. gross only.

RDistributor rental.

TBATo be ascertained.

INNo contemporary sources provide figures for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, although The Numbers provides a figure of $8,000,000 for the North American box office gross.[39] However, it is possible this figure has been mistaken for the gross of the 1954 remake which also earned $8,000,000 in North American rentals.[40]

FHSome sources such as The Numbers state that Aloma of the South Seas is the highest grossing film of the year, earning $3 million.[41] However, no contemporary sources provide figures for Aloma of the South Seas, so it is unclear what the $3 million figure relates to. If it were the rental gross then that would have made it not only the highest-grossing film of the year, but one of the highest-grossing films of the silent era, and if that is the case it would be unusual for both International Motion Picture Almanac and Variety to omit it from their lists.

SSIt is not clear if the figure for Sunny Side Up is for North America or worldwide. Other sources put its earnings at $2 million,[42] which may suggest the higher figure is the worldwide rental, given the confusion over international figures during this period.[43]

ONThe figure for It Happened One Night is not truly representative of its success: it was distributed as a package deal along with more than two dozen other Columbia films, and the total earnings were averaged out; the true gross would have been much higher.

S7Snow White's $418 million global cume omits earnings outside of North America from 1987 onwards.

GWIt is not absolutely clear how much Gone with the Wind earned from its initial release. Contemporary accounts often list it as earning $32 million in North American rentals and retrospective charts have often duplicated this claim; however, it is likely this was the worldwide rental figure. Trade journals would collate the data by either obtaining it from the distributors themselves, who were keen to promote a successful film, or by surveying theaters and constructing an estimate. Distributors would often report the worldwide rental since the higher figure made the film appear more successful, while estimates were limited to performance in North America; therefore it was not unusual for worldwide and North American rentals to be mixed up. Following the outbreak of World War II, many of the foreign markets were unavailable to Hollywood so it became standard practice to just report on North American box-office performance.[43] In keeping with this new approach, the North American rental for Gone with the Wind was revised to $21 million in 1947 ($11 million lower than the previous figure),[44] and as of 1953—following the 1947 re-release—Variety was reporting earnings of $26 million.[45] Through 1956, MGM reported cumulative North American earnings of $30,015,000 and foreign earnings of $18,964,000, from three releases.[46] Worldwide rentals of $32 million from the initial release is consistent with the revised figures and later reported worldwide figures: they indicate that the film earned $21 million in North America and $11 million overseas from the initial release, and added a further $9 million in North America and $8 million overseas from subsequent re-releases up to 1956.

MDMom and Dad does not generally feature in 'high-gross' lists such as those published by Variety due to its independent distribution. Essentially belonging to the exploitation genre, it was marketed as an educational sex hygiene film in an effort to circumvent censorship laws. Falling foul of the Motion Picture Production Code, Mom and Dad was prevented from obtaining mainstream distribution and restricted to independent and drive-in theaters. It was the biggest hit of its kind, and remained in continual distribution until the 1970s when hardcore pornography eventually took over. At the end of 1947 it had earned $2 million, and by 1949, $8 million; by 1956 it had earned $22 million in rentals, representing a gross of $80 million, and would have easily placed in the top ten films in the late 1940s and early 1950s. Estimates of its total earnings are as high as $100 million.

UNChopra-Gant stipulates that the figure given for Unconquered is for North American box-office, but as was common at the time, the chart confuses worldwide and North American grosses. Other sources state that the takings for Forever Amber ($8 million) and Life with Father ($6.5 million)[47] were in fact worldwide rental grosses, so it is possible this is also true of Unconquered.

CIThe Cinerama figures represent gross amounts. Since the Cinerama corporation owned the theaters there were no rental fees for the films, meaning the studio received 100% of the box-office gross, unlike the case with most other films where the distributor typically receives less than half the gross. Since Variety at the time ranked films by their US rental, they constructed a hypothetical rental figure for the Cinerama films to provide a basis for comparison to other films in their chart: in the case of This Is Cinerama, the $50 million worldwide gross was reconfigured as a $12.5 million US rental gross; this is exactly 25% of the amount reported by Cinerama, so Variety's formula seemingly halved the gross to obtain an estimate for the US share, and halved it again to simulate a rental fee. Variety's 'rental' amounts are often repeated, but have no basis in the reality of what the films actually earned—they are hypothetical figures conceived for comparative analysis.[48] All five Cinerama features collectively generated $120 million in worldwide box office receipts.[49]

GSVariety put the worldwide rental for The Greatest Show on Earth at around $18.35 million (with $12.8 million coming from the United States[40]) a year after its release; however, Birchard puts its earnings at just over $15 million up to 1962. It is likely that Birchard's figure is just the North American gross rental, and includes revenue from the 1954 and 1960 reissues.

SWThe "first run" Star Wars grosses do not include revenue from the 1997 special-edition releases; however, the figure does include revenue from the re-releases prior to the special editions.

HPProduction costs were shared with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.

Timeline of highest-grossing films

The theatrical poster for The Birth of a Nation depicting a hooded man carrying a burning cross on horse back.
The Birth of a Nation pioneered many of the techniques used in filmmaking today, becoming the most successful film ever made at the time of its release.

At least ten 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 holding the record on three occasions and James Cameron—the current holder—twice. 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.

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.[50] 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.[51] 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.[52] 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)[53] would not have earned enough on its first theatrical run to take the record;[54] although it would have been the highest-grossing 'talkie',[55] displacing The Singing Fool ($5,900,000).[56] Although received wisdom holds that it is unlikely The Birth of a Nation was ever overtaken by a silent-era film,[57] 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.[58] 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.[59] It was hugely popular with the Ku Klux Klan who used it to drive recruitment,[60] and at one point Variety estimated its total earnings to stand at around $50 million.[61] Despite later retracting the claim, the sum has been widely reported even though it has never been substantiated.[51] 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.[59] 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[62][63] compared to Gone with the Wind's $59 million;[64] 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,[65] and by 1963 it was trailing Gone with the Wind by just $2 million with international takings of $65 million,[66] ultimately earning $66 million from its initial release.[67]

The 1972 pornographic film Deep Throat reportedly earned as much as $600 million, a figure that may have been inflated by gangsters in money laundering schemes.

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;[68] 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.[69] 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.[70] 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.[71]

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—as the current record-holder—includes all its earnings at the present time. Gone with the Wind is represented twice on the chart: the 1940 entry includes earnings from its staggered 1939–1942 release (roadshow/general release/second-run)[72] 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 increased their earnings with further releases in 1973, 1997, 1979, 2013 and 2012 respectively, but they are not included in the totals here since they had already conceded the record prior to being re-released.

Timeline of the highest-grossing film record
Established Title Record setting gross Reference(s)
1915[50] The Birth of a Nation $5,200,000R [# 88]
1940 $15,000,000R [# 296]
1940[24] Gone with the Wind $32,000,000R [# 137]
1963 $67,000,000R [# 297]
1966[50] The Sound of Music $114,600,000R [# 210]
1971[50] Gone with the Wind $116,000,000R [# 298]
1972[50] The Godfather $127,600,000–142,000,000R [# 237][# 299]
1976[73][74] Jaws $193,700,000R [# 249]
1978[75][76] Star Wars $410,000,000/$268,500,000R [# 300][# 237]
1982 $530,000,000 [# 254]
1983[77] E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial $619,000,000–664,000,000 [# 254][# 265]
1993 $701,000,000 [# 301]
1993[50] Jurassic Park $914,691,118 [# 35]
1998[78] Titanic $1,843,201,268 [# 3]
2010[79][80] Avatar $2,749,064,328 [# 1]
$2,787,965,087

RDistributor rental.

Includes re-releasesIncludes revenue from re-releases. If a film increased its gross through re-releases while holding the record, the year in which it recorded its highest gross is also noted in italics.

Highest-grossing franchises and film series

The figure of silhouetted man points a gun straight at the camera.
The James Bond series was the first to gross over $1 billion and is still the highest-grossing after adjusting for inflation.

Prior to 2000, only seven film series had grossed over $1 billion at the box office: James Bond,[81] Star Wars,[82] Indiana Jones,[83] Rocky,[84][85][86] Batman,[87] Jurassic Park[88] and Star Trek.[89] Since the turn of the century that number has increased to over forty, excluding one-off hits such as Avatar, Titanic, Frozen and Alice in Wonderland.[90] This is partly due to inflation and market growth, but also 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.[27]

The films in the cross-franchise Marvel Cinematic Universe have collectively grossed the most, amassing over $9 billion at the box office, although the Eon James Bond films have earned over $14 billion in total when adjusted to current prices.[91] The Harry Potter franchise is the highest-grossing series based on a single property, earning nearly $8 billion at the box office; Harry Potter has also generated at least $3.5 billion in home video revenue,[92] taking total consumer spending on the films to over $11 billion. If ancillary income from merchandise is included, then Star Wars is the most lucrative property;[93] it holds the Guinness world record for the "most successful film merchandising franchise" and was valued at £19.51 billion in 2012 (approximately $30 billion).[94][95] The Marvel Cinematic Universe is the only series where three films have grossed in excess of $1 billion, and the two Avengers films comprise the only franchise where each installment has grossed over $1 billion. Avengers is also the only franchise to have a series average of over $1 billion per film, although the Star Wars, Harry Potter, Pirates of the Caribbean and Jurassic Park franchises and Peter Jackson's Middle-earth adaptation also average over $1 billion adjusted for inflation.[27]

film currently playing indicates that at least one film in the series is playing in the week commencing 20 December 2024.
Highest-grossing franchises and film series[§] (The films in each franchise can be viewed by selecting "show".)
Rank Series Total worldwide box office No. of films Average of films Highest-grossing film

*Canada and U.S. gross only.

RDistributor rental.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. 14.0 14.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. 15.0 15.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. 16.0 16.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. 18.0 18.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. 22.0 22.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. 23.0 23.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. 24.0 24.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. 25.0 25.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. 27.0 27.1 27.2 27.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. 31.0 31.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. Hall & Neale 2010, p. 179. "Later epics proved far more disastrous for the backers. Samuel Bronston's The Fall of the Roman Empire, filmed in Spain, cost $17,816,876 and grossed only $1.9 million in America. George Stevens's long-gestating life of Christ, The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), which had been in planning since 1954 and in production since 1962, earned domestic rentals of $6,962,715 on a $21,481,745 negative cost, the largest amount yet spent on a production made entirely within the United States. The Bible—in the Beginning... (1966) was financed by the Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis from private investors and Swiss banks. He then sold distribution rights outside Italy jointly to Fox and Seven Arts for $15 million (70 percent of which came from Fox), thereby recouping the bulk of his $18 million investment. Although The Bible returned a respectable world rental of $25.3 million, Fox was still left with a net loss of just over $1.5 million. It was the last biblical epic to be released by any major Hollywood studio for nearly twenty years."
  36. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. 40.0 40.1 Finler 2003, p. 358
  41. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  43. 43.0 43.1 Hall & Neale 2010, pp. 67. "For similar reasons of accountability, Variety has typically used figures for domestic (U.S. and Canadian) rather than worldwide revenue. This became its standard policy in 1940, when the advent of war in Europe persuaded the American film industry (temporarily, as it turned out) that it should be wholly reliant on the home market for profitability. Where specific rentals data are reported in Variety before this (which tended to be only sporadically) they were often for worldwide rather domestic performance. This was also the case with other trade sources, such as Quigley's annual Motion Picture Almanac, which published its own all-time hits lists from the early 1930s onward. The subsequent confusion of domestic and worldwide figures, and of rental and box-office figures, has plagued many published accounts of Hollywood history (sometimes including those in Variety itself), and we have attempted to be diligant in clarifying the differences between them."
  44. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  45. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. Block & Wilson 2010, p. 129. "Domestic Rentals: $30,015,000 (61%); Foreign Rentals: $18,964,000 (39%)...Gone with the Wind includes initial release plus four rereleases (1941,1942,1947 and 1954) since foreign rental revenues were available only cumulative through 1956."
  47. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. In: Block & Wilson 2010.
  48. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. Hall & Neale 2010, p. 145. "The commercial success of the five Cinerama travelogues, which earned an aggregate worldwide box-office gross of $120 million by 1962 (including $82 million in the United States and Canada), nevertheless demonstrated to the mainstream industry the market value of special screen formats."
  50. 50.0 50.1 50.2 50.3 50.4 50.5 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  51. 51.0 51.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  52. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Cited in Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  53. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  54. Block & Wilson 2010, p. 237. "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".
  55. Finler 2003, p. 47. "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."
  56. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  57. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  58. Hall & Neale 2010, p. 163. "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."
  59. 59.0 59.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  60. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  61. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  62. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  63. Hall & Neale 2010, pp. 160–161. "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 Variety'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)."
  64. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  65. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  66. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  67. Block & Wilson 2010, p. 324. "Worldwide rentals: $66.1 million (initial release)"
  68. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  69. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  70. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  71. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  72. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  73. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  74. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  75. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  76. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  77. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  78. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  79. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  80. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  81. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  82. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  83. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  84. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  85. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  86. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  87. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  88. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  89. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  90. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  91. Prior to the release of Skyfall in 2012, the James Bond series had grossed approximately $12.5 billion at 2011 prices;[27] after factoring in earnings of almost $2 billion from Skyfall and Spectre, the series has earned at least $14 billion adjusted for inflation.
  92. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  93. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  94. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  95. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Box office sources

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Avatar
    • Total: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Total as of 2013: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Special edition: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Titanic
    • Total: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Original release: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. 5.0 5.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. 8.0 8.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. 11.0 11.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. 13.0 13.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. 14.0 14.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. 15.0 15.1 Frozen
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Total as of August 3, 2014: $247,650,477
    Total as of August 31, 2014: $249,036,646
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Total as of August 17, 2014: $167,333
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Total as of July 27, 2014: $21,668,593
    Total as of November 2, 2014: $22,492,845
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    Total as of June 8, 2014: £39,090,985
    Total as of November 30, 2014: £40,960,083 ($1 = £0.63866)
    Total as of December 7, 2014: £41,087,765 ($1 = £0.64136)
    Total as of December 14, 2014: £41,170,608 ($1 = £0.636)
  16. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  19. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. 21.0 21.1 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
    • Total: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Re-release (2011): Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  22. 22.0 22.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  23. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. 25.0 25.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  26. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. 28.0 28.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. 29.0 29.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. 31.0 31.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. 32.0 32.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  34. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  35. 35.0 35.1 35.2 Jurassic Park
    • Total: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Original release: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • 2011 re-release: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • As of 2010: Block & Wilson 2010, pp. 756–757. "Production Cost: $70.0 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s) ... Jurassic Park was a smash at the box office, bringing in $920 million in worldwide box office and spawning two sequels."
  36. 36.0 36.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. 37.0 37.1 Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
    • Total: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Original release: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  39. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  40. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  41. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  42. 42.0 42.1 The Dark Knight
    • Total: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Original release (excluding 2009 IMAX reissue): Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • 2009 IMAX re-release: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • First-run gross and IMAX reissue: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  43. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  44. 44.0 44.1 The Lion King
    • Total: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • IMAX release (2002): Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Total prior to 3D release (2011): Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • As of 2010: Block & Wilson 2010, p. 764. "Production Cost: $79.3 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
  45. 45.0 45.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  46. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  47. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  48. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  49. 49.0 49.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  50. 50.0 50.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  51. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  52. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  53. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  54. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  55. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  56. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  57. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  58. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  59. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  60. 60.0 60.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  61. 61.0 61.1 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
    • Total: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Re-release (2003): Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Re-release (2011): Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  62. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  63. 63.0 63.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  64. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  65. 65.0 65.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  66. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  67. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  68. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  69. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  70. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  71. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  72. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  73. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  74. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  75. 75.0 75.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  76. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  77. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  78. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  79. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  80. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  81. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  82. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  83. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  84. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  85. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  86. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  87. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  88. 88.0 88.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  89. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  90. 90.0 90.1 Block & Wilson 2010, p. 26.
    • Intolerance: "Domestic Rentals: $1.0 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
    • Cleopatra: "Domestic Rentals: $0.5; Production Cost: $0.3 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
  91. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. In: Block & Wilson 2010.
  92. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  93. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  94. 94.0 94.1 94.2 94.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Cited in Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  95. 95.0 95.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Way Down East: p. 52. "D.W. Griffith's Way Down East (1920) was projected to return rentals of $4,000,000 on an $800,000 negative. This figure was based on the amounts earned from its roadshow run, coupled with its playoff in the rest of the country's theaters. Griffith had originally placed the potential film rental at $3,000,000 but, because of the success of the various roadshows that were running the $4,000,000 total was expected. The film showed a profit of $615,736 after just 23 weeks of release on a gross of $2,179,613."
    • What Price Glory?: p. 112. "What Price Glory hit the jackpot with massive world rentals of $2,429,000, the highest figure in the history of the company. Since it was also the most expensive production of the year at $817,000 the profit was still a healthy $796,000..."
    • Cavalcade: p. 170. "The actual cost of Cavalcade was $1,116,000 and it was most definitely not guaranteed a success. In fact, if its foreign grosses followed the usual 40 percent of domestic returns, the film would have lost money. In a turnaround, the foreign gross was almost double the $1,000,000 domestic take to reach total world rentals of $3,000,000 and Fox's largest profit of the year at $664,000."
    • State Fair: p. 170. "State Fair did turn out to be a substantial hit with the help of Janet Gaynor boosting Will Rogers back to the level of money-making star. Its prestige engagements helped raked in a total $1,208,000 in domestic rentals. Surprisingly, in foreign countries unfamiliar with state fairs, it still earned a respectable $429,000. With its total rentals, the film ended up showing a $398,000 profit."
  96. Hall & Neale 2010, p. 53. "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."
  97. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  98. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  99. 99.0 99.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  100. 100.0 100.1 100.2 100.3 100.4 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  101. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  102. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  103. Hall & Neale 2010, pp. 58–59. "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."
  104. Hall & Neale 2010, p. 163. "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. (At a negative cost of $3,967,000, it was also the most expensive.)"
  105. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  106. Finler 2003, p. 188. "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."
  107. 107.0 107.1 The Jazz Singer and The Singing Fool
  108. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  109. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. In: Block & Wilson 2010.
  110. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • The Singing Fool: p. 12. "Ego aside, Jolson was at the top of his powers in The Singing Fool. The $150,000 Warner Bros. paid him to make it, and the $388,000 it took to produce the film, were drops in the hat next to the film's world gross of $5.9 million. Its $3.8-million gross in this country set a box-office record that would not be surpassed until Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)."
    • The Broadway Melody: p. 24. "The Broadway Melody with a negative cost of $379,000, grossed $2.8 million in the United States, $4.8 million worldwide, and made a recorded profit of $1.6 million for MGM."
    • Gold Diggers of Broadway: p. 58. "It grossed an impressive $2.5 million domestically and nearly $4 million worldwide."
  111. 111.0 111.1 111.2 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Sunny Side Up: p. 10. "Sunny Side Up, a musical starring Janet Gaynor and Charles Farrell, showed domestic rentals of $3.5 million, a record for the company."
    • Forever Amber: p. 66. "On the surface, with world rentals of $8 million, Forever Amber was considered a hit at distribution level."
    • The French Connection
    p. 167. "The Planet of the Apes motion pictures were all moneymakers and Zanuck's record would have immediately improved had he stayed through the release of The French Connection, which took in rentals of approximately $75 million worldwide."
    p. 256. "$3,300,00".
  112. Block & Wilson 2010, p. 46. "Production Cost: $0.6 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
  113. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  114. 114.0 114.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Cavalcade: p. 182. "Produced by Winfield Sheehan at a cost of $1.25 million, Cavalcade won Academy Awards for best picture, director, art direction and grossed close to $4 million during its first release, much of which came from Great Britain and the Empire."
    • Whoopee: p. 212. "Produced by Sam Goldwyn at a cost of $1 million, the picture was an adaptation of a smash musical comedy built around Eddie Cantor...A personality-centered musical, Whoopee! made little attempt to integrate the comedy routines, songs, and story. Nonetheless, Cantor's feature-film debut grossed over $2.6 million worldwide and started a popular series that included Palmy Days (1931), The Kid from Spain (1932), and Roman Scandals (1933)."
  115. Hell's Angels
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  116. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  117. Block & Wilson 2010, p. 163. "It drew $1.4 million in worldwide rentals in its first run versus $1.2 million for Dracula, which had opened in February 1931."
  118. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  119. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  120. 120.0 120.1 120.2 120.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Grand Hotel: Production Cost $000s: 700; Distribution Cost $000s: 947; US box-office $000s: 1,235; Foreign box-office $000s: 1,359; Total box-office $000s: 2,594; Profit $000s: 947.
    • The Merry Widow: Production Cost $000s: 1,605; Distribution Cost $000s: 1,116; US box-office $000s: 861; Foreign box-office $000s: 1,747; Total box-office $000s: 2,608; Profit $000s: -113.
    • Viva Villa: Production Cost $000s: 1,022; Distribution Cost $000s: 766; US box-office $000s: 941; Foreign box-office $000s: 934; Total box-office $000s: 1,875; Profit $000s: 87.
    • Mutiny on the Bounty: Production Cost $000s: 1,905; Distribution Cost $000s: 1,646; US box-office $000s: 2,250; Foreign box-office $000s: 2,210; Total box-office $000s: 4,460; Profit $000s: 909.
    • San Francisco: Production Cost $000s: 1,300; Distribution Cost $000s: 1,736; US box-office $000s: 2,868; Foreign box-office $000s: 2,405; Total box-office $000s: 5,273; Profit $000s: 2,237.
  121. Shanghai Express
    • Block & Wilson 2010, p. 165. "Shanghai Express was Dietrich's biggest hit in America, bringing in $1.5 million in worldwide rentals."
  122. King Kong
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  123. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  124. Finler 2003, p. 188. "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..."
  125. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. In: Block & Wilson 2010.
  126. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  127. Block & Wilson 2010, p. 135. "Total production cost: $274,076 (Unadjusted $s)."
  128. 128.0 128.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • The Merry Widow: p. 361 Cost: $1,605,000. Earnings: domestic $861,000; foreign $1,747,000; total $2,608,000. Loss: $113,000.
    • San Francisco: p. 364 Cost: $1,300,000. Earnings: domestic $2,868,000; foreign $2,405,000; total $5,273,000. Profit: $2,237,000. [Reissues in 1938–39 and 1948–49 brought profits of $124,000 and $647,000 respectively.]
  129. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  130. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  131. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  132. 132.0 132.1 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio
    p. 207. "When the budget rose from $250,000 to $1,488,423 he even mortgaged his own home and automobile. Disney had bet more than his company on the success of Snow White."
    p. 237. "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".
    p. 255. "On its initial release Pinocchio brought in only $1.6 million in domestic rentals (compared with Snow White's $4.2 million) and $1.9 million in foreign rentals (compared with Snow White's $4.3 million)."
  133. 1938
    • You Can't Take It With You:Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Boys Town: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. In: Block & Wilson 2010.
    • The Adventures of Robin Hood: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Alexander's Ragtime Band: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. In: Block & Wilson 2010.
  134. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  135. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  136. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  137. 137.0 137.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  138. Hall & Neale 2010, p. 283 ."The final negative cost of Gone with the Wind (GWTW) has been variously reported between $3.9 million and $4.25 million."
  139. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  140. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  141. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  142. Block & Wilson 2010, pp. 258259. "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."
  143. Block & Wilson 2010, p. 267. "With worldwide rentals of $7.8 million in its initial release, the movie made a net profit of over $3 million."
  144. Finler 2003, p. 301. "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."
  145. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  146. Block & Wilson 2010, p. 281. "Worldwide rentals of $3,449,353 barely recouped the film's nearly $2 million production cost."
  147. 147.0 147.1 147.2 147.3 Block & Wilson 2010, pp. 712–713.
    • Bambi: "Worldwide Box Office: $266.8; Production Cost: $1.7 (Millions of $s)"
    • 101 Dalmatians: "Worldwide Box Office: $215.0; Production Cost: $3.6 (Millions of $s)"
    • The Jungle Book: "Worldwide Box Office: $170.8"; Production Cost: $3.9 (Millions of $s)"
    • Aladdin: "Worldwide Box Office: $505.1"; Production Cost: $28.0 (Millions of $s)"
  148. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  149. Block & Wilson 2010
    • Mrs. Miniver: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Yankee Doodle Dandy: p. 275. "It became the second biggest box-office hit of 1942 (after Mrs. Miniver) and was praised by critics, making a profit of $3.4 million on worldwide rentals of $6.5 million."
  150. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. In: Block & Wilson 2010.
  151. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  152. 152.0 152.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  153. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  154. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  155. 155.0 155.1 155.2 155.3 155.4 155.5 155.6 Finler 2003, pp. 356–363
  156. Block & Wilson 2010, p. 420. "(Unadjusted $s) in Millions of $s – Production Cost: $1.0"
  157. 157.0 157.1 Block & Wilson 2010, p. 232.
    • Mrs. Miniver: "Domestic Rentals: $5,358,000; Foreign Rentals: $3,520,000 (Unadjusted $s)"
    • Meet Me in St. Louis: "Domestic Rentals: $5,016,000; Foreign Rentals: $1,623,630 (Unadjusted $s)"
    • Easter Parade: "Domestic Rentals: $4,144,000; Foreign Rentals: $1,774,134 (Unadjusted $s)"
  158. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  159. Block & Wilson 2010
    • p. 296. "Production Cost: $1.6 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)"
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  160. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  161. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  162. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  163. Hall & Neale 2010
    • p. 132."Best Years was considerably cheaper, costing only $2.1 million, and therefore vastly more profitable."
    • p. 286 (note 6.70). "Worldwide rentals for The Best Years of Our Lives amounted to $14,750,000."
  164. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. In: Block & Wilson 2010.
  165. 165.0 165.1 Hall & Neale 2010, p. 285 (note 6.56). "The cost of Duel in the Sun has been reported as both $5,255,000 (Haver, David O'Selznick's Hollywood, 361) and $6,480,000 (Thomson, Showman: The Life of David O'Selznick, 472); the latter figure may include distribution expenses. Forever Amber cost $6,375,000 (Solomon, Twentieth Century-Fox: A Corporate and Financial History, 243)."
  166. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  167. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  168. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  169. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  170. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  171. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  172. 172.0 172.1 Hall & Neale 2010, p. 136–139
    • Samson and Delilah: "...the film became the highest grosser in the studio's history to date, with domestic rentals of $7,976,730 by 1955 and a further $6,232,520 overseas...For all their spectacle, Samson and David were quite economically produced, costing $3,097,563 and $2,170,000 respectively."
    • Quo Vadis: "Production costs totaled a record $7,623,000...Worldwide rentals totaled $21,037,000, almost half of which came from the foreign market."
  173. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  174. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  175. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  176. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  177. 177.0 177.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Quo Vadis: p. 15. "MGM's most expensive film of the period, Quo Vadis (1951) also did extremely well. The cost was $7,623,000, earnings were an estimated $21.2 million (with foreign earnings almost 50 percent of this total), and profit was estimated at $5,562,000."
    • Rear Window: pp. 203204. "Rear Window (1954) was an excellent commercial success, with a cost of $1 million and North American rentals of $5.3 million."
  178. 178.0 178.1 Block & Wilson 2010, p. 335.
    • The Robe: "Domestic Rentals: $16.7; Foreign Rentals: $9.4; Production Cost: $4.1 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
    • Quo Vadis: "Domestic Rentals: $11.1; Foreign Rentals: $15.6; Production Cost: $7.5 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
  179. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  180. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  181. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. In: Block & Wilson 2010.
  182. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  183. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  184. Hall & Neale 2010, p. 147148. "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 Variety's annually updated chart."
  185. Block & Wilson 2010, p. 367. "It brought in $16.7 million in domestic rentals, $9.4 million in foreign rentals, and made a net profit of $8.1 million."
  186. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  187. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  188. Block & Wilson 2010, p. 420. "Domestic Box Office: $19.6 million; Production Cost: $3.8 million."
  189. Hall & Neale 2010, p. 149. "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."
  190. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  191. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  192. Finler 2003, p. 320. "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."
  193. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  194. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  195. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  196. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  197. Block & Wilson 2010
    • p. 382. "Production Cost: $2.4 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)"
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  198. Block & Wilson 2010, p. 327. "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)."
  199. 199.0 199.1 Hall & Neale 2010, pp. 159–161
    • The Ten Commandments: "No film did more to entrench roadshow policy than The Ten Commandments. While the success of This Is Cinerama, The Robe, and even Eighty Days could be attributed, at least in part, to their respective photographic and projection formats, that of DeMille's film (which cost a record $13,266,491) could not...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 Variety'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)."
    • The Bridge on the River Kwai: Columbia's Anglo-American war film The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) opened on a roadshow basis in selected U.S. cities (including New York, Chicago, Boston, and Los Angeles) and in London. Costing only $2,840,000 to produce, it grossed $30.6 million worldwide on first release."
  200. Hall & Neale 2010, p. 153. "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."
  201. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  202. Block & Wilson 2010, p. 324. "Worldwide box office: $146.9 million; Worldwide rentals: $66.1 million; Production cost: $15.9 million. (Initial Release – Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)"
  203. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  204. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  205. 205.0 205.1 Hall & Neale 2010, p. 179.
    • Spartacus: "In the case of Spartacus, overseas earnings to 1969 amounted to $12,462,044, while U.S. and Canadian rentals (even including a million-dollar TV sale) were only $10,643,181. But the film failed to show a profit on production costs of $10,284,014 because of the distribution charges and expenses amounting to an additional $15,308,083."
    • The Bible: "The Bible—In the Beginning... (1966) was financed by the Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis from private investors and Swiss banks. He then sold distribution rights outside Italy jointly to Fox and Seven Arts for $15 million (70 percent of which came from Fox), thereby recouping the bulk of his $18 million investment. Although The Bible returned a respectable world rental of $25.3 million, Fox was still left with a net loss of just over $1.5 million. It was the last biblical epic to be released by any major Hollywood studio for nearly twenty years."
  206. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  207. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  208. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  209. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. In: Block & Wilson 2010.
  210. 210.0 210.1 210.2 210.3 210.4 210.5 210.6 Block & Wilson 2010, p. 434.
    • The Sound of Music: "Domestic Rentals: $68.4; Foreign Rentals: $46.2; Production Cost: $8.0 (Initial Release – Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
    • The Dirty Dozen: "Domestic Rentals: $20.1; Foreign Rentals: $11.2; Production Cost: $5.4 (Initial Release – Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
    • 2001: A Space Odyssey: "Domestic Rentals: $16.4; Foreign Rentals: $5.5; Production Cost: $10.3 (Initial Release – Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
    • Cleopatra: "Domestic Rentals: $22.1; Foreign Rentals: $18.2; Production Cost: $44.0 (Initial Release – Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
    • West Side Story: "Domestic Rentals: $16.2; Foreign Rentals: $15.6; Production Cost: $7.0 (Initial Release – Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
    • The Longest Day: "Domestic Rentals: $13.9; Foreign Rentals: $19.3; Production Cost: $8.6 (Initial Release – Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
    • Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: "Domestic Rentals: $29.2; Foreign Rentals: $7.9; Production Cost: $6.6 (Initial Release – Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
  211. Lawrence of Arabia
    • 1962 release: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • US total (including reissues): Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  212. 212.0 212.1 212.2 Hall & Neale 2010, p. 165166
    • Lawrence of Arabia: Columbia released the $13.8 million Lawrence of Arabia (1962), filmed in Super Panavision 70, exclusively on a hard-ticket basis, but opened Barabbas (1962), The Cardinal (1963), and the $12 million Joseph Conrad adaptation Lord Jim (1965) as 70mm roadshows in selected territories only."
    • The Longest Day: "Darryl's most ambitious independent production was The Longest Day (1962), a three-hour reconstruction of D-Day filmed in black-and-white CinemaScope at a cost of $8 million. It grossed over $30 million worldwide as a roadshow followed by general release, thereby helping the studio regain stability during its period of reorganization."
    • Cleopatra: "With top tickets set at an all-time high of $5.50,Cleopatra had amassed as much as $20 million in such guarantees from exhibitors even before its premiere. Fox claimed the film had cost in total $44 million, of which $31,115,000 represented the direct negative cost and the rest distribution, print and advertising expenses. (These figures excluded the more than $5 million spent on the production's abortive British shoot in 1960–61, prior to its relocation to Italy.) By 1966 worldwide rentals had reached $38,042,000 including $23.5 million from the United States."
  213. Hall & Neale 2010, p. 164. "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."
  214. 214.0 214.1 214.2 214.3 Block & Wilson 2010, pp. 428–429
    • From Russia With Love: "Worldwide Box Office: 78.9; Production Cost: 2.0 (in millions of $s)"
    • Goldfinger: "Worldwide Box Office: 124.9; Production Cost: 3.0 (in millions of $s)"
    • Diamonds Are Forever: "Worldwide Box Office: 116; Production Cost: 7.2 (in millions of $s)"
    • Moonraker: "Worldwide Box Office: 210.3; Production Cost: 34.0 (in millions of $s)"
  215. 215.0 215.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • From Russia With Love: "The American release of From Russia With Love again followed on some six months after it had been shown in Britain. North American rentals of $9.9 million were an improvement on its predecessor, helped by a slightly wider release, though they were still only half the $19.5 million of foreign rentals... (Online copy at Google Books)"
    • Diamonds Are Forever: "Diamonds Are Forever marked a return to the box-office heights of the Bond films of the mid-1960s. Its worldwide rentals were $45.7 million... (Online copy at Google Books)"
    • Moonraker: "These figures were surpassed by Moonraker, which earned total worldwide rentals of $87.7 million, of which $33 million came from North America. (Online copy at Google Books)"
  216. 216.0 216.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • From Russia With Love: "The picture grossed twice as much as Dr. No, both domestic and foreign—$12.5 million worldwide (Online copy at Google Books)"
    • Goldfinger: "Produced on a budget of around $3 million, Goldfinger grossed a phenomenal $46 million worldwide the first time around. (Online copy at Google Books)"
  217. 217.0 217.1 Hall & Neale 2010, p. 184
    • My Fair Lady: "My Fair Lady (1964) cost Warners $17 million to make, including a record $5.5 million just for the film rights to the Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe stage show and a million-dollar fee for star Audrey Hepburn. By 1967 it was reported to have grossed $55 million from roadshowing worldwide."
    • Mary Poppins: "Mary Poppins (1964), which cost $5.2 million, was neither a stage adaptation nor a roadshow. But by the end of its first release, it had grossed nearly $50 million worldwide."
  218. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. In: Block & Wilson 2010.
  219. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  220. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  221. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  222. Hall & Neale 2010, p. 188. "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)."
  223. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  224. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  225. 225.0 225.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • The Graduate: p. 167. "World net rental was estimated at more than $85 million by January 1971."
    • Grease: p. 236. "The film was produced for $6 million and Paramount reportedly spent another $3 million on promotion."
  226. 226.0 226.1 Hall & Neale 2010, p. 191–192
    • The Graduate: "The Graduate eventually earned U.S. rentals of $44,090,729 on a production cost of $3.1 million to become the most lucrative non-roadshow picture (and independent release) to date."
    • Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid: "None of these films was roadshown in the United States; most were set in contemporary America or had a contemporary "take" on the past (the casting of genuine teenagers to play Romeo and Juliet, the urbane sophistication of the dialogue in Butch Cassidy, the antiauthoritarianism of Bonnie and Clyde and MASH); most were produced on modest or medium-sized budgets (as low as $450,000 for Easy Rider and no higher than $6,825,000 for Butch Cassidy); and all grossed upward of $10 million domestically."
  227. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  228. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  229. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  230. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  231. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
    • United States and Canada: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Outside North America: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  232. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  233. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. In: Block & Wilson 2010.
  234. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  235. Block & Wilson 2010, p. 541. "Screenwriter and director George Seaton was given a then-whopping production budget of $10 million to make what would be his last big movie after a long career as an actor in radio, a screenwriter, and a director."
  236. Block & Wilson 2010, p. 549. "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."
  237. 237.0 237.1 237.2 237.3 237.4 237.5 Block & Wilson 2010, p. 527.
    • Star Wars: "Domestic Rentals: $127.0; Foreign Rentals: $141.5; Production Cost: $13.0 (Initial Release – Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
    • The Godfather: "Domestic Rentals: $85.6; Foreign Rentals: $42.0; Production Cost: $7.2 (Initial Release – Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
    • Fiddler on the Roof: "Domestic Rentals: $34.0; Foreign Rentals: $11.1; Production Cost: $9.0 (Initial Release – Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
    • Rocky: "Domestic Rentals: $56.0; Foreign Rentals: $21.1; Production Cost: $1.6 (Initial Release – Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
  238. The Godfather
    • 1974: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • 1991: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • 1997 re-release: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • As of 2010: Block & Wilson 2010, p. 246. "Domestic Box Office: $135.0; Foreign Box Office: $110.1 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
    • Total: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  239. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  240. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  241. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  242. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  243. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  244. Block & Wilson 2010, p. 560. "Production Cost: $5.5 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
  245. Hall & Neale 2010, pp. 206–208. "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."
  246. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  247. Block & Wilson 2010, p. 564. "Production Cost: $2.6 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
  248. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  249. 249.0 249.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  250. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  251. Hall & Neale 2010, p. 214. "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."
  252. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. In: Block & Wilson 2010.
  253. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  254. 254.0 254.1 254.2 254.3 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  255. Hall & Neale 2010, p. 218. "Eventually costing $11,293,151, Star Wars was previewed at the Northpoint Theatre in San Francisco on May 1, 1977."
  256. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  257. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  258. 258.0 258.1 Kramer vs. Kramer
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  259. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  260. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  261. The Empire Strikes Back
    • Total up to 2014: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Special edition: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • 2015 re-release: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  262. 262.0 262.1 262.2 Block & Wilson 2010, p. 519.
    • The Empire Strikes Back: "Production Cost: $32.0 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
    • Return of the Jedi: "Production Cost: $42.7 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
    • The Phantom Menace: "Production Cost: $127.5 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
  263. Raiders of the Lost Ark
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Block & Wilson 2010, p. 625. Domestic Box office: $180.1; "Production Cost: $22.8 (Initial Release – Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
  264. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  265. 265.0 265.1 Block & Wilson 2010, p. 609. "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."
  266. Block & Wilson 2010, p. 652. "Production Cost: $12.2 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
  267. Return of the Jedi
    • Total: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Special edition: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  268. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  269. 269.0 269.1 269.2 269.3 269.4 269.5 Finler 2003, pp. 190–191.
  270. Block & Wilson 2010, p. 664. "Production Cost: $28.2 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
  271. Back to the Future
    • Original release: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • 2010 reisue: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • 2014 reisue: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  272. Finler 2003, p. 268. "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."
  273. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  274. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. In: Block & Wilson 2010.
  275. Fatal Attraction
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  276. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  277. Finler 2003, p. 244. "Rain Man: 30.0 (cost in million $s)"
  278. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  279. Block & Wilson 2010, pp. 694–695. "Production Cost: $55.4 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s) ... The film went on to haul in over $494 million worldwide."
  280. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  281. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  282. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  283. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  284. Toy Story
    • Original release: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • 3D release: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  285. Block & Wilson 2010, pp. 776. "Production Cost: $30.0 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)"
  286. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  287. Finler 2003, p. 123.
  288. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  289. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  290. Block & Wilson 2010, p. 509. "Production Cost: $140.0 (Unadjusted $s in Millions of $s)."
  291. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  292. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  293. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  294. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  295. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  296. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  297. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  298. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  299. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  300. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  301. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

§ Franchise and series sources

  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Avengers
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Batman
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • The Fast and the Furious
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Harry Potter
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • The Hunger Games
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Ice Age
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Indiana Jones
    • Initial releases: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Raiders of the Lost Ark (including reissues): Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Iron Man
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • James Bond
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. (Brosnan and Craig)
    • Block & Wilson 2010, pp. 428–429. "James Bond Franchise Films: All-Release Worldwide Box Office." (Connery, Lazenby, Moore and Dalton)
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Jurassic Park
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Madagascar
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Marvel Cinematic Universe
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Middle-earth
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Mission: Impossible
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Pirates of the Caribbean
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Terminator
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Shrek
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Spider-Man
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Star Trek
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Star Wars
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Despicable Me
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Toy Story
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Transformers
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • The Twilight Saga
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • X-Men
    • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Bibliography

  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links