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Today, it’s not uncommon to see a headline that reads ‘Box Office Record.’ After a mind-bending $201.8 million three-day debut, Black Panther shattered the box office record for an opening in February, beating out Deadpool which pulled in $132 million when it opened in 2016.
But the highest-grossing films of all-time don’t necessarily mean they’re the best. Furious 7, Jurassic World, and Avengers: Age of Ultron rank high on the list, well above classics like Jurassic Park and The Lion King.
Well, it’s important to consider how inflation plays a role in the financial success of a film. Business Insider examined domestic box-office grosses adjusted for inflation to determine what older movies would have been huge nowadays. A couple of these titles I’ve never even heard of.
10. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
Adjusted gross: $1,000,620,000
Unadjusted gross: $184,925,486
Fun! Fact: During production, Walt Disney kept a large collection of animals on the studio lot as reference for the animators. (via)
9. The Exorcist (1973)
Adjusted gross: $1,015,300,400
Unadjusted gross: $232,906,145
Fun! Fact: The scream of the demon being exorcised out of Linda Blair was created by recording squealing pigs being driven into slaughter. (via)
8. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
Adjusted gross: $1,139,563,500
Unadjusted gross: $111,721,910
Fun! Fact: The author of the book, Russian poet Boris Pasternak, could not receive his 1958 Nobel Prize in Literature because he would not be able to re-enter Russia if he did. The book was a refused publication in Russia because it “rejected socialist realism.” (via)
7. Jaws (1975)
Adjusted gross: $1,175,763,500
Unadjusted gross: $260,000,000
Fun! Fact: The shark doesn’t fully appear in a shot until one hour and 21 minutes into the two-hour movie. This is because the mechanical shark rarely worked during filming so Spielberg had to come up with ways to effectively tell the story without it. (via)
6. The Ten Commandments (1956)
Adjusted gross: $1,202,580,000
Unadjusted gross: $65,500,000
Fun! Fact: 15,000 animals and 14,000 extras were used in the making of the film.
5. Titanic (1997)
Adjusted gross: $1,244,347,300
Unadjusted gross: $65,500,000
Fun! Fact: Studios wanted Matthew McConaughey to play Jack, but James Cameron insisted on Leo playing the role. (via)
4. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Adjusted gross: $1,302,222,800
Unadjusted gross: $435,110,554
Fun! Fact: Initially, Elliott was supposed to lure E.T. into the house with M&Ms, but Mars rejected the request to use their candy. Reese’s Pieces were used instead, and it resulted in a 65% surge in sales. (via)
3. The Sound of Music (1965)
Adjusted gross: $1,307,373,200
Unadjusted gross: $158,671,368
Fun! Fact: Christopher Plummer, who played Captain von Trapp, hated the film so much that he called it The Sound of Mucus. He was also drunk during filming. (via)
2. Star Wars (1977)
Adjusted gross: $1,635,137,900
Unadjusted gross: $460,998,007
Fun! Fact: George Lucas was so sure the movie would flop that instead of attending the premiere, he went on vacation to Hawaii with Steven Spielberg. It was there they came up with the concept for Raiders of the Lost Ark. (via)
1. Gone with the Wind (1939)
Adjusted gross: $1,854,769,700
Unadjusted gross: $198,676,459
Fun! Fact: Clark Gable threatened to walk off set when the script called for him to cry, as he thought it would ruin his image. The director ultimately convinced him that crying would endear him to the audience. (via)
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[h/t Business Insider]