The 15 Highest Grossing Movies Ever

Curious what the highest grossing movies of all-time are? There are a few movies in cinematic history that have made a long-lasting impression. The popularity of a particular movie is often judged in terms of ticket sales; more specifically, the amount of money generated through selling tickets for a motion picture is what determines if that movie is a box office hit or not.

We have compiled a list of the 15 most popular movies of all time, based on ticket sales. However, considering that the average ticket price in 1940 was only 24 cents, while nowadays prices range between 5 and $20, we adjusted the sales figures so that they match the current inflation rate.

Our countdown revealed that 10 out of the 15 most popular movies of all time were filmed before 1980. In fact, only one movie in our countdown, Avatar, which ranked second to last, was produced in this millennium. Either people back in the day were more passionate about going to the cinema or they simply don’t make movies like they used to.

Apart from Avatar, which can be credited with making the concept of 3D movies widespread, our top 15 includes some classic movies, such as Star Wars, Jaws, or Doctor Zhivago.

Photo Credit: Serious Cat

Not surprisingly, the most popular movie of all time, in terms of revenue generated at the box office, turned out to be none other than Gone With the Wind, whose ticket sales, after adjusting for inflation, amounted to a whopping $1,604,234,300.

Wondering if your favorite motion picture has made the top? Let’s take a look at the countdown.

No. 15: Return of the Jedi

Ticket sales, inflation adjusted: $746,831,700

Year: 1983

See the rest of history’s highest grossing movies on the following pages: