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:

No. 14: Avatar

Ticket sales, inflation adjusted: $772,206,800

Year: 2009

No. 13: Ben-Hur

Ticket sales, inflation adjusted: $778,120,000

Year: 1959

No. 12: The Empire Strikes Back

Ticket sales, inflation adjusted: $779,554,300

Year: 1980

No. 11: 101 Dalmatians

Ticket sales, inflation adjusted: $793,343,000

Year: 1961

No. 10: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Ticket sales, inflation adjusted: $865,460,000

Year: 1937

No. 9: The Exorcist

Ticket sales, inflation adjusted: $878,157,400

Year: 1973

No. 8: Doctor Zhivago

Ticket sales, inflation adjusted: $985,635,500

Year: 1965

No. 7: Jaws

Ticket sales, inflation adjusted: $1,016,945,800

Year: 1975

No. 6: The Ten Commandments

Ticket sales, inflation adjusted: $1,040,140,000

Year: 1956

No. 5: Titanic

Ticket sales, inflation adjusted: $1,075,667,300

Year: 1997

No. 4: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial

Ticket sales, inflation adjusted:  $1,126,323,400

Year: 1982

No. 3: The Sound of Music

Ticket sales, inflation adjusted: $1,130,778,100

Year: 1965

No. 2: Star Wars

Ticket sales, inflation adjusted: $1,414,269,600

Year: 1977

No. 1: Gone With the Wind

Ticket sales, inflation adjusted: $1,604,234,300

Year: 1939