The 60 Highest-Grossing Movies, Adjusted for Inflation

Spoiler — “Avengers: Endgame” isn’t in the top spot.

The 60 Highest-Grossing Movies, Adjusted for Inflation

“Avengers: Endgame” was recently crowned the worldwide highest-grossing movie of all time, snapping away the title from “Avatar,” which had been king of the box office for 10 years. But that’s not taking inflation into account — after all, the American dollar of 2019 is worth about 15 cents less than the 2009 dollar. So how does “Avengers: Endgame” or stack up against other high-grossing movies?

Using Box Office Mojo, we checked out the 60 highest-grossing movies of all time when adjusted for inflation. We also checked for number of tickets sold for each film. All numbers are for American box office takes and ticket sales.

60. ‘Finding Nemo’

Year: 2003

Tickets sold (estimated): 56.33 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $380.84

Adjusted domestic gross: $554.89 million

“Finding Nemo” enjoyed enormous success at the box office and is one of Pixar’s highest-grossing films. Fun fact about this one: A French author claimed that the film was a rip-off of his 2002 book about a boy clownfish separated from his family. Furthermore, he said that he had penned a screenplay about it in 1995 and shopped it around, but had no buyers. He sued Disney for $1 million but lost and was ordered to pay 61,000 euros in damages.

59. ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’

Year: 2003

Tickets sold (estimated): 61.53 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $377.84 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $555.37

The third “Lord of the Rings” movie is the series’ highest-grossing, whether inflation is factored in or not. In New Zealand, where the trilogy was filmed, about one in every 160 New Zealanders were involved in making the movie. During the premiere of “The Return of the King,” approximately one-quarter of Wellington’s 179,000 citizens showed up to join the celebration. The movie won all 11 of the Academy Awards it was nominated for.

58. ‘‘The Bells of St. Mary’s’

Year: 1945

Tickets sold (estimated): 62.74 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $21.33 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $565.33 million

“The Bells of St. Mary’s” is a heartwarming film about a priest and a nun who need to save their run-down school from closing. It stars Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman, with Crosby reprising his role as Father O’Malley, a character from “Going My Way.”

57. ‘Batman’

Year: 1989

Tickets sold (estimated): 62.95 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $251.34 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $567.38 million

“Batman” may have solidified Michael Keaton’s ability to play serious roles, but Jack Nicholson was the one who made the most money from the 1989 superhero flick. Nicholson ditched his normal $10 million paycheck for a percentage of the film’s earnings, plus a cut of all the Joker toys that bore his likeness, netting him upwards of $90 million. He also bought the Joker costume for $70,000.

56. ‘Blazing Saddles’

Year: 1974

Tickets sold (estimated): 63.24 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $119.6

Adjusted domestic gross: $569.8 million

One of the funniest comedies of all time, Mel Brooks’ second film is his highest-grossing one. At the time, the film was decidedly raunchy, and its skewering of racism via liberal use of the N-word put Brooks at odds with Warner Bros. The studio tried to make Brooks cut all uses of the racial slur and fart noises (because those things are equal), and Warner Bros. almost dumped the film for a loss rather than release it.

55. ‘Bambi’

Year: 1942

Tickets sold (estimated): 11.11 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $102.24 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $574 million

This children’s movie from over 75 years ago is still one of the most gut-wrenching films ever. Did you know “Bambi’s” art style was inspired by 900-year-old Chinese paintings?

54. ‘Around the World in 80 Days’

Year: 1956

Tickets sold (estimated): 64.6 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $42 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $582.18 million

Nearly 65 million people in America flocked to theaters to see “Around the World in 80 Days,” a three-hour epic based on the Jules Verne novel of the same name. The film’s cost $6 million ($56.5 million today), used 34 directors, took 160 days to make and 112 location in 13 countries were used as filming locations. The wardrobe department alone spent $410,000 to adorn the thousands and thousands of extras.

53. ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest’

Year: 2006

Tickets sold (estimated): 64.62 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $423.3 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $582.3 million

The second film in the “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise is the most successful, whether the numbers are adjusted for inflation or not. The film had an enormous budget of $225 million — about $286 million in 2019 dollars — and Disney’s investment certainly paid off.

Audiences couldn’t get enough of Jack Sparrow and neither could children. In 2006, Disney Press launched a children’s book series about Sparrow’s teenage years. However, Sparrow will likely never be on screen again, or at least, not as we know him. Disney ousted Johnny Depp from the franchise in 2018.

52. ‘The Robe’

Year: 1953

Tickets sold (estimated): 65.45 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $36 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $592 million

A Biblical film centered on the Roman platoon that crucified Jesus, “The Robe” is one of the most successful Christian movies of all time. It won three Academy Awards and three nominations at the 1954 Academy Awards.

51. ‘American Graffiti’

Year: 1973

Tickets sold (estimated): 65.7 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $115 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $595.66 million

George Lucas’ “American Graffiti” is one of the most influential films in cinema — and it might be the reason why the American diner is such an iconic backdrop for movie scenes. Lucas had difficulty finding financing and a distributor, yet the movie made $115 million a $777,000 budget.

50. ‘Airport’

Year: 1970

Tickets sold (estimated): 66.1 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $100.5 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $595.66 million

“Airport” is a big-budget production with an all-star cast that included Burt Lancaster, Dean Martin, George Kennedy, Jean Seberg and Helen Hayes. The movie cost $10 million to make — about $66 million today — and brought in 10 times that in ticket sales. “Airport” had three sequels, and some of those scenes or situations from the series were parodied in “Airplane!” In many ways, "Airport" was the first real disaster flick.

49. ‘Incredibles 2’

Year: 2018

Tickets sold (estimated): 66.3 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $608.58 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $608.58 million

It took 14 long years for Pixar and Disney to release a sequel to 2004’s “The Incredibles,” and it was a giant success. “Incredibles 2” is the highest-grossing PG movie in America when not adjusted for inflation. It made almost twice more than the original, which made about $379 million when adjusted for inflation.

48. ‘Goldfinger’

Year: 1964

Tickets sold (estimated): 66.3 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $51 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $597.36 million

The James Bond film with the most, ahem, inventive Bond girl names (whom Bond apparently cured of lesbianism?), “Goldfinger” remains one of the most entertaining 007 movies ever made.

47. ‘Beverly Hills Cop’

Year: 1984

Tickets sold (estimated): 67.15 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $234.76

Adjusted domestic gross: $605 million

Eddie Murphy was on fire in the 1980s, and “Beverly Hills Cop”’s 67 million ticket sales are the perfect example of that. The action-comedy movie remains Murphy’s most successful film with him as the leading star. “Beverly Hills Cop” held its No. 1 spot at the box office for 13 consecutive weeks, with only “Titanic” doing better.

46. ‘Cleopatra’

Year: 1963

Tickets sold (estimated): 67.18 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $57.77 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $605.3 million

“Cleopatra” was the most expensive movie ever made when it released in 1963, running a production cost of $44 million — about $368 million today. The film was so expensive it almost bankrupted Twentieth Century Fox. To compensate, the studio sold off 200 acres of its lot in Los Angeles, which is now Century City.

45. ‘Pinocchio’

Year: 1940

Tickets sold (estimated): 67.4 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $84.25 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $607.3 million

Will Disney do a live-action remake of “Pinocchio”? You bet. Except this one is an Italian film starring Robert Benigni that is scheduled to release on Christmas day in Italy of 2019. No word yet on an American release, but here’s the trailer.

44. ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’

Year: 2017

Tickets sold (estimated): 67.6 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $620.2 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $609 million

The second of the “Star Wars” sequels had a huge production budget — $317 million — and made $620 million at the American box office. It’s also one of the most controversial “Star Wars” films to date and holds a 44 percent audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, although it enjoys a 91 percent critical score. Some fans hated Rian Johnson’s approach to plot twists, which spawned the “subverting expectations” meme.

43. ‘Home Alone’

Year: 1990

Tickets sold (estimated): 67.73 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $285.76 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $610.28 million

The Christmas movie that had every child trying — and hopefully failing — to secure their house with homemade traps is commonly voted one of the best Christmas movies of all time. It’s also the highest-grossing Christmas movie of all time in America, beating out 2018’s The Grinch” in domestic box office takes.

42. ‘Independence Day’

Year: 1996

Tickets sold (estimated): 69.26 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $306.17 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $624.11 million

A quintessential summer blockbuster, “Independence Day” cemented Will Smith as one of Hollywood’s biggest stars while also wowing audiences with cutting edge special effects (aliens exploding the White House still looks cool). The 1996 film sold about six times more tickets domestically than “Independence Day: Resurgence,” which released in 2016.

41. ‘Spider-Man’

Year: 2002

Tickets sold (estimated): 69.48 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $403.7 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $626 million

Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” is one of the most beloved superhero movies of the early 2000s. The newer Spider-Man films have more flash (and possibly more substance), but did Tom Holland do 156 takes in order to perfectly catch every single piece of falling food on a lunch tray for a single scene? We think not.

40. ‘Love Story’

Year: 1970

Tickets sold (estimated): 70 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $106.4 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $630.683 million

“Love Story” is considered one of the best romantic dramas ever made. The movie marked Tommy Lee Jones’ film debut, albeit it in a minor role.

39. ‘Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’

Year: 1969

Tickets sold (estimated): 70.55 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $102.3 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $635.72 million

“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” had a $6 million budget and grossed over $102 million at the domestic box office when it debuted in 1969. The film’s iconic bike scene and the last few minutes of the movie are some of the most well-known scenes in cinema.

38. ‘Shrek’

Year: 2004

Tickets sold (estimated): 71 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $441.22 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $640.16 million

The fifth “Shrek” movie is stuck in production hell, but if it can ever make it out of the swamp, there will surely be an audience for it. But even if Shrek, Donkey and Princess Fiona don’t make it back to the big screen, they will live on in “Shrek” memes, which never seem to go away.

37. ‘Ghostbusters’

Year: 1984

Tickets sold (estimated): 68 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $242.21 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $641.27 million

“Ghostbusters” is one of those rare movies where every single thing just works, and not a single scene is unnecessary. And over 30 years later, Sony Pictures is looking to tr re-create that magic. In 2015 the movie studio founded Ghost Corps, Inc., a production company tasked with overseeing the development and launch of new “Ghostbusters” productions and merchandising. The 2016 “Ghostbusters” was a dud, so now Sony Pictures and Ghost Corps are making an actual “Ghostbusters” sequel, featuring the original cast. It’s slated to release in 2020.

36. ‘Avengers: Infinity War’

Year: 2018

Tickets sold (estimated): 72.42 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $678.81 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $652.5 million

The Marvel movie that shocked audiences with a single snap, “Avengers: Infinity War” was perhaps the most talked-about movie of 2018. Its sequel, “Avengers: Endgame” was certainly the most talked about movie of 2019.

35. ‘Sleeping Beauty’

Year: 1959

Tickets sold (estimated): 68.6 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $51.6 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $654.81 million

Disney’s 16th animated movie was one of its most successful, and Disney’s “Sleeping Beauty” franchise is still going strong. 2014’s “Maleficent” was hugely successful, grossing nearly $263 million in adjusted domestic ticket sales. “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” will hit theaters in October 2019.

34. ‘The Jungle Book’

Year: 1967

Tickets sold (estimated): 73.68 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $141.84 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $663.85 million

“The Jungle Book” is the last movie Walt Disney was ever involved in, as the animation pioneer passed away in 1966, a year before the film released in theaters. The 2016 live action/CGI mashup did well worldwide, but in the U.S., was not nearly as successful as the original film when taking inflation into account. “The Jungle Book” of 2016 netted $375.8 million domestically when adjusting for inflation.

33. ‘The Dark Knight’

Year: 2008

Tickets sold (estimated): 74.5 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $535.23 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $671.3 million

Do you know how I got these ticket sales? By making the gold standard of superhero movies. Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight” is the most lauded superhero movie ever, with the movie and its cast netting a total of 103 awards and 178 nominations from dozens of award ceremonies worldwide. Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the Joker will probably never be surpassed.

32. ‘Thunderball’

Year: 1965

Tickets sold (estimated): 74.8 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $63.59 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $673.94 million

When adjusted for inflation, “Thunderball” is the highest-grossing James Bond film ever made (and not counting worldwide ticket sales). The 1965 film starring Sean Connery wasn’t a safe movie to make. The jetpack used for a small scene was a real jetpack designed for the United States Army, and a Plexiglas corridor designed to keep sharks away from Connery was breached by one of the sharp-toothed sea dwellers, which nearly ended up with the Bond star being bit.

31. ‘Black Panther’

Year: 2018

Tickets sold (estimated): 76.27 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $700 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $687.21 million

“Black Panther” was the highest-grossing film of 2018 in America. Fun fact: the arms-crossed Wakandan salute was inspired by the way Pharaohs were buried in Ancient Egypt and also from statues of West African sculptures. The salute also means “hug” in American Sign Language.

30. ‘The Avengers’

Year: 2012

Tickets sold (estimated): 76.88 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $623.35 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $692.7 million

When adjusting for inflation, the first “Avengers” movie is the second highest-grossing film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This is the film where Black Widow, Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, Captain America and Hawkeye all fight together for the first time. Although it’s too bad that this fake trailer for a 1978 “Avengers” film isn’t for a real movie.

29. ‘Grease’

Year: 1978

Tickets sold (estimated): 77 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $189.69 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $694.65 million

“Grease” is sort of like “The Ring” of musicals. If you see it just once, you’ll never, ever get the show tunes out of your head (but unfortunately, it doesn’t kill you afterward). “Grease” was the highest-grossing movie of 1978, beating “National Lampoon’s Animal House” by over $45 million, and has since become one of the most popular musicals of all time.

28. ‘Mary Poppins’

Year: 1964

Tickets sold (estimated): 78.18 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $102.27 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $704.41 million

“Mary Poppins” worked magic on children and adults alike, with the film conjuring a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious $704 million in inflation-adjusted ticket sales at the domestic box office. The 2018 sequel, “Mary Poppins Returns,” fared far worse, netting only $172 million domestically and $349.5 million worldwide on a $130 million budget.

27. ‘Forrest Gump’

Year: 1994

Tickets sold (estimated): 78.63 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $330.45 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $708.52 million

“Forrest Gump” gave us timeless quotes (“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you gonna get,” “Stupid is as stupid does,” “I’m not a smart man, but I know what love is”) and reminded us of the humble shrimp’s many culinary uses. The strange but endearing movie was the highest-grossing film of 1994.

26. ‘The Godfather’

Year: 1972

Tickets sold (estimated): 78.64 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $134.95 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $711.09 million

The movie that started an entire genre of mafia movies is also one of the greatest films ever made. Oddly, “The Godfather Part II,” which released only two years later, sold less than a third the amount of tickets than its predecessor and took in $229 million in inflation-adjusted sales at the box office

25. ‘Jurassic World’

Year: 2015

Tickets sold (estimated): 79 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $652.27 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $712.23 million

“Jurassic Park” is one of the most successful movies of all time, so it’s no surprise that a sequel would attract flocks of moviegoers looking for more giant dinosaur action. Reviews were mixed but leaned positive, and the movie was a blockbuster hit regardless. 2018’s “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom” fared a bit worse, only bringing in $417.7 million domestically.

24. ‘Fantasia’

Year: 1941

Tickets sold (estimated): 83 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $76.4 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $748.22 million

The weird thing about “Fantasia” is that it was a flop when it came out in 1941, but gained popularity in the 1960s when hippies found that the film’s fantastic music and visuals mixed quite well with their hobbies. Its sequel, “Fantasia 2000” (which released in 2000), made $101 million at the domestic box office in inflation-adjusted dollars.

23. ‘The Graduate’

Year: 1967

Tickets sold (estimated): 85.57 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $104.94 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $771 million

A coming-of-age story with one of the more famous ending shots in history, “The Graduate” was a somewhat controversial film when it released in the late 1960s. “The Graduate” pits two generations at one another, the young and the old. Interestingly, opinions on “The Graduate” shape with age; younger viewers will see Mrs. Robinson as reviling, while older generations may sympathize with her. The film was Dustin Hoffman’s breakthrough, and he received an Oscar for best actor as well as a Golden Globe nomination in the same category.

22. ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’

Year: 1981

Tickets sold (estimated): 88.5 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $248.16 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $797.77 million

“Raiders of the Lost Ark” introduced us to Indiana Jones, quite possibly the most influential adventure character in the history of cinema. The film spawned three sequels, two of which were incredible and one of which included a nuclear blast-resistant fridge. Disney, which now owns the franchise, is making a fifth Indiana Jones movie that is slated to release in 2021. It will star Harrison Ford, who will be 79 years old when the movie is in theaters.

21. ‘The Sting’

Year: 1973

Tickets sold (estimated): 89.14 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $156 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $803.17 million

Starring Robert Redford and Paul Newman, “The Sting” was a box office hit and a critical darling. The caper flick about two con artists went on to win seven Oscars at the 46th Academy Awards, and in 2005, the Library of Congress included it in its National Film Registry.

20. ‘The Lion King’

Year: 1994

Tickets sold (estimated): 74.62 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $422.78 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $803.2 million

It didn’t matter that “The Lion King” may have been a rip-off of “Kimba the White Lion,” a Japanese anime series from the 1960s. Disney’s 1994 movie was an instant classic and is still one of the best children’s movies ever made (plus, it gave us all a new idea on how to introduce a new child). Disney’s 2019 remake was also a success, taking in $185 million during its opening weekend.

19. ‘Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace'

Year: 1999

Tickets sold (estimated): 84.82 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $474.54 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $813.71 million

When George Lucas announced that “Star Wars” was making a comeback after 22 years, it seemed like the entire world was talking about it, and a ton of people bought tickets for its opening night in 1999. Then “The Phantom Menace” released, enthusiasm waned, and the conversation switched to what the hell had happened to “Star Wars” for the next 16 years.

18. ‘Jurassic Park’

Year: 1993

Tickets sold (estimated): 86.2 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $ $402.82

Adjusted domestic gross: $825.89 million

“Jurassic Park” made everyone fall in love with dinosaurs again (and also Jeff Goldblum). The film showcased state-of-the art special effects, from the giant, animatronic T-Rex with life-like skin to the CGI that still holds up.

17. ‘Return of the Jedi’

Year: 1983

Tickets sold (estimated): 80.98 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $309.3 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $847.47 million

The third and final installment of the original “Star Wars” series made a huge splash at the box office, but not as big as its two predecessors (we’ll chalk that up to the singing Ewoks). “Return of the Jedi” was nominated for four Academy Awards (art direction, sound, sound editing and original score), but won none of them — best art direction went to “Fanny and Alexander” and “The Right Stuff” swept the rest.

16. ‘Avengers: Endgame’

Year: 2019

Tickets sold (estimated): 98.84 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $854.21 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $854.21 million

Surprised? “Avengers: Endgame” only ranks 16 out of the highest-grossing movies of all time in domestic takes when inflation is taken into account. It holds the record for highest weekend opening of all time domestically and worldwide and holds the highest take for a single-day opening with $157.46 million in sales.

15. ‘Avatar’

Year: 2009

Tickets sold (estimated): 95.91 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $760.5 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $876.76 million

James Cameron’s CGI epic smashed records when it released in 2009. “Avatar” stayed in theaters for 34 weeks, and nearly 96 million Americans paid for a ticket to see the fantasy film about blue aliens. There are four “Avatar” sequels in the works, but they have been delayed for years. However, Disney announced that there will be a new “Avatar” every other year, starting in 2021 and ending by 2027.

14. ‘Ben-Hur’

Year: 1959

Tickets sold (estimated): 98 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $74 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $883.4 million

The “Ben-Hur” remake was one of the biggest film flops of all time, but the film from 1959 is one of the most successful movies ever made. It was extraordinarily expensive — in 1959, its $15 million production budget made it the most expensive movie ever made up to that point — and its actual production is the stuff of legends (or nightmares). About 150 horses were killed during its making and the chariot arena cost $1 million to create, partly because hundreds of workers needed to carve out a rock quarry.

13. ‘The Empire Strikes Back’

Year: 1980

Tickets sold (estimated): 78.86 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $290.47 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $884.6 million

The second film in the original “Star Wars” trilogy eked out “Return of the Jedi” in box office takes when inflation is taken into account. “The Empire Strikes Back” is considered by many to be the best film in the original trilogy.

12. ‘One Hundred and One Dalmatians’

Year: 1961

Tickets sold (estimated): 56.25 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $144.88 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $900.25 million

Disney’s movie about Dalmatians from 1961 is now a media franchise that includes six video games, several spin-off movies, an animated series and countless pieces of merchandise. A new animated series, “101 Dalmatian Street,” released in Britain in March 2019, and will premiere in the U.S. on Disney+ in November 2019. And Disney is continuing to cash-in on the series at the box office: “Cruella,” an origin story about the titular villain (portrayed by Emma Stone), is slated to release in 2020.

11. ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’

Year: 2015

Tickets sold (estimated): 108 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $936.66 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $974.11 million

A staggering 108 million people in the U.S. went to see Disney’s resurrection of “Star Wars” in 2015. The film, which had a $245 million budget, was very well received by critics and fans and received five Academy Award Nominations for sound and editing. And with its success, a new “Star Wars” film will be made every two years until we are all dead.

10. ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’

Year: 1937

Tickets sold (estimated): 77.47 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $66.59 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $982.09 million

“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” was Disney’s first feature film and is the world’s oldest animated movie. It was a huge success, earning $66.6 million at the box office during its first run at the box office in 1937. Will there be a remake? You bet — Disney will be making a live-action version and is reportedly looking to sign on “The Amazing Spider-Man” director Marc Webb.

9. ‘The Exorcist’

Year: 1973

Tickets sold (estimated): 103.2 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $232.9 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $996.5 million

“Your mother watches movies in hell!” is definitely not that infamous line from Linda Blair’s possessed mouth, but if hell had a movie theater, it would certainly show “The Exorcist.” And it seems like everyone on Earth was watching the movie when it released in 1973. The film caused enormous controversy, scared the hell out of movie goers, and made almost $1 billion at the box office when adjusting for inflation.

8. ‘Doctor Zhivago’

Year: 1965

Tickets sold (estimated): 124.13 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $111.72 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $1.11 billion

7. ‘Jaws’

Year: 1975

Tickets sold (estimated): 128 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $260 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $1.15 billion

Stephen Spielberg made “Jaws” with a budget of only $9 million (originally, he was only given $4 million, but production went over budget). The mechanical shark frequently malfunctioned and forced Spielberg to make a movie wherein the film’s main draw — a giant, bloodthirsty shark — would barely be seen. Universal Pictures thought it would flop. But it all worked. The film grossed $260 million and is regarded as one of the best films ever made.

6. ‘The Ten Commandments’

Year: 1956

Tickets sold (estimated): 131 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $65.5 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $1.18 billion

Cecil B. DeMille’s “The Ten Commandments” cost $13.26 million to produce — nearly double the amount of the last most expensive film (that film was 1951’s “Quo Vadis,” which had a $7.6 million budget). DeMille’s three-hour and forty minute religious epic showcases the biblical life of Moses as played by Charlton Heston. ABC has aired the movie every Easter weekend for 45 years.

5. ‘Titanic’

Year: 1997

Tickets sold (estimated): 128.34 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $659.3

Adjusted domestic gross: $1.22 billion

“Titanic” was king of the box office for 12 years, until James Cameron's next movie, “Avatar,” took the throne. But 1997 dollars are worth more than 2009 dollars, meaning “Titanic” is still king of the world when it comes to Cameron’s highest-grossing hits. Unlike “Avatar,” there are no sequels planned — although a “Titanic 2” does exist. It’s a low-buck, made-for-television Australian movie that appeared on SyFy in 2010. The plot involves a cruise ship making the same voyage as the original Titanic on its 100th anniversary…and then it hits an iceberg (although this time, it’s due to a tsunami throwing the iceberg in the ship’s path). Original stuff.

4. 'E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial'

Year: 1982

Tickets sold (estimated): 124.34 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $435 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $1.28 billion

“E.T.” remains one of the best children’s movies of all time. It was an instant hit when it debuted in the summer of 1982, raking in $11.8 million during its first weekend (about $31 million today) and was no. 1 at the box office for six weeks straight.

3. ‘The Sound of Music’

Year: 1965

Tickets sold (estimated): 142.4 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $159.28 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $1.28 billion

Critics hated it and Christopher Plummer may have referred to “The Sound of Music” as “The Sound of Mucus,” but audiences flocked to the musical when it was released in 1965. When accounting for inflation, “The Sound of Music” earned an impressive $1.28 billion in ticket sales. Over 50 years later, “The Sound of Music” is a staple of Broadway and touring theater productions.

2. ‘Star Wars’

Year: 1977

Tickets sold (estimated): 142.7 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $461 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $1.6 billion

Here’s a review that aged like milk: “There's something depressing about seeing all these impressive cinematic gifts and all this extraordinary technological skills lavished on such puerile materials…. We enjoyed such stuff as children, but one would think there would come a time when we might put away childish things,” wrote a critic for the Wall Street Journal, reviewing “Star Wars” in 1977.

Forty-two years later, will we absolutely not put away childish things — it has become a cultural phenomenon to revisit our childhoods whenever possible. Nothing exemplifies this more than “Star Wars,” with all of its sequels, remakes and one-off movies. The franchise is here to stay forever, and this is the film that started it all.

1. ‘Gone With the Wind’

Year: 1939

Tickets sold (estimated): 202 million

Unadjusted domestic gross: $200.85 million

Adjusted domestic gross: $1.822 billion

“Gone With the Wind” has been re-released in theatres eight times since its first opening night in 1939 in Atlanta. The movie’s premiere was tremendous — approximately 300,000 spectators lined up for seven miles to watch limos carrying the “Gone With the Wind” cast to the theater. The night before, 6,000 people had celebrated at a costume ball in anticipation of what was surely the most anticipated movie of the century. Its popularity endured 40 years later; when the movie was first shown on network television, 47.7 percent of American households, or about 33.96 million households, tuned in. Turner Entertainment currently holds the rights to its television deals, purchasing it for an undisclosed sum from CBS, which had bought TV rights for $35 million in 1978. That $35 million only allowed for 20 telecasts over 20 years.

Not bad for a movie with a $3.85 million budget from 1939.