Archive for January, 2010

The actual most popular US movies of all time

Wednesday, January 27th, 2010

There’s much buzz around Avatar becoming the highest grossing film of all time in only a few weeks.  This buzz is well earned in many ways because it’s a landmark movie, but the more astute among you may say “Ah, but adjusted for inflation, it’s nowhere near the top!”.  This is true, it comes in 26th when looked at that way (still a remarkable feat given how briefly it’s been out).  But when you really think about it, money doesn’t directly measure the popularity of a movie: the number of tickets sold does.  But just as the dollars need to be adjusted for inflation for a more accurate measurement, the ticket sales must be adjusted to reflect changes in population (selling 100 million tickets in a population of 150 million is a very different thing than in a population of 300 million!).  So, based on estimated domestic ticket sales from Box Office Mojo and estimated population from the US Census Bureau, I present to you the actual most popular movies of all time.

Gone with the Wind still holds a record that is hard to imagine being broken.  At almost twice the popularity of its nearest competitor, every single citizen in the entire nation saw this movie an astonishing one and a half times!

Even with this more realistic picture of popularity, Avatar is still doing incredibly well at 68th place.  And it’s still steadily cranking out the sales, so I don’t doubt that its rank will climb much higher than that before it finishes its run.

It’s interesting to note that there hasn’t been a new top-10 movie in 28 years.  That means that most people currently alive in the country have never personally experienced a genuine cinematic phenomenon (especially not also being old enough to really appreciate it).  And in the last decade, Avatar aside, the best we’ve managed to do is 72nd.  Let’s hope that Avatar is a sign of better things to come!

Note that ticket sales were taken from a list ultimately based on money made, so an unusual ratio of tickets to money could have resulted in some movies being excluded from this list, especially near the bottom. Also, any movie re-released in a year with a substantially different population will have a skewed result (I’m looking at you, Star Wars).

Rank Movie Title Ticket Sales Release Year Current Population Tickets per Citizen
1 Gone with the Wind 202,044,600 1939 130,879,718 1.5437
2 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs 109,000,000 1937 128,824,829 0.8461
3 Star Wars 178,119,600 1977 220,239,425 0.8088
4 The Ten Commandments 131,000,000 1956 168,903,031 0.7756
5 The Sound of Music 142,415,400 1965 194,302,963 0.7330
6 Doctor Zhivago 124,135,500 1965 194,302,963 0.6389
7 Fantasia 83,043,500 1941 133,402,471 0.6225
8 E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial 141,854,300 1982 231,664,458 0.6123
9 Jaws 128,078,800 1975 215,973,199 0.5930
10 Ben-Hur 98,000,000 1959 177,829,628 0.5511
11 101 Dalmatians 99,917,300 1961 183,691,481 0.5439
12 The Exorcist 110,568,700 1973 211,908,788 0.5218
13 Pinocchio 67,403,300 1940 132,122,446 0.5102
14 Titanic 128,345,900 1997 267,783,607 0.4793
15 Bambi 63,712,400 1942 134,859,553 0.4724
16 The Bells of St. Mary’s 62,745,100 1945 139,928,165 0.4484
17 The Empire Strikes Back 98,180,600 1980 227,224,681 0.4321
18 The Graduate 85,571,400 1967 198,712,056 0.4306
19 The Sting 89,142,900 1973 211,908,788 0.4207
20 Sleeping Beauty 72,676,100 1959 177,829,628 0.4087
21 The Robe 65,454,500 1953 160,184,192 0.4086
22 Mary Poppins 78,181,800 1964 191,888,791 0.4074
23 Return of the Jedi 94,059,400 1983 233,791,994 0.4023
24 The Best Years of Our Lives 55,000,000 1946 141,388,566 0.3890
25 Thunderball 74,800,000 1965 194,302,963 0.3850
26 Raiders of the Lost Ark 88,141,900 1981 229,465,714 0.3841
27 Around the World in 80 Days 64,615,400 1956 168,903,031 0.3826
28 The Greatest Show on Earth 60,000,000 1952 157,552,740 0.3808
29 The Godfather 78,922,600 1972 209,896,021 0.3760
30 The Jungle Book 73,679,900 1967 198,712,056 0.3708
31 Duel in the Sun 51,020,400 1946 141,388,566 0.3609
32 Sergeant York 48,123,200 1941 133,402,471 0.3607
33 Cleopatra (1963) 67,183,500 1963 189,241,798 0.3550
34 Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 70,557,900 1969 202,676,946 0.3481
35 Grease 76,921,800 1978 222,584,545 0.3456
36 Goldfinger 66,300,000 1964 191,888,791 0.3455
37 Love Story 69,998,100 1970 205,052,174 0.3414
38 Lady and the Tramp 55,734,900 1955 165,931,202 0.3359
39 Jurassic Park 86,205,800 1993 257,782,608 0.3344
40 Airport 66,111,300 1970 205,052,174 0.3224
41 The Bridge on the River Kwai 54,400,000 1957 171,984,130 0.3163
42 House of Wax 50,531,900 1953 160,184,192 0.3155
43 My Fair Lady 60,000,000 1964 191,888,791 0.3127
44 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 84,825,800 1999 272,690,813 0.3111
45 American Graffiti 65,714,300 1973 211,908,788 0.3101
46 Rear Window 50,354,700 1954 163,025,854 0.3089
47 West Side Story 55,970,300 1961 183,691,481 0.3047
48 Forrest Gump 78,545,600 1994 260,327,021 0.3017
49 Ghostbusters 70,730,600 1984 235,824,902 0.2999
50 Swiss Family Robinson 53,808,000 1960 180,671,158 0.2978
51 Lawrence of Arabia 55,383,600 1962 186,537,737 0.2969
52 The Lion King 77,231,800 1994 260,327,021 0.2967
53 Blazing Saddles 63,227,500 1974 213,853,928 0.2957
54 The Towering Inferno 61,375,700 1974 213,853,928 0.2870
55 Beverly Hills Cop 67,150,000 1984 235,824,902 0.2847
56 It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World 53,875,400 1963 189,241,798 0.2847
57 Home Alone 67,734,200 1990 249,464,396 0.2715
58 National Lampoon’s Animal House 59,890,300 1978 222,584,545 0.2691
59 M.A.S.H. 53,684,200 1970 205,052,174 0.2618
60 The Poseidon Adventure 54,902,000 1972 209,896,021 0.2616
61 Independence Day 69,268,900 1996 265,228,572 0.2612
62 Smokey and the Bandit 56,832,900 1977 220,239,425 0.2581
63 Superman 57,358,100 1978 222,584,545 0.2577
64 Batman 62,954,600 1989 246,819,230 0.2551
65 The Rocky Horror Picture Show 55,069,400 1975 215,973,199 0.2550
66 Rocky 55,040,000 1976 218,035,164 0.2524
67 Close Encounters of the Third Kind 55,575,500 1977 220,239,425 0.2523
68 Avatar 76,421,400 2009 307,006,550 0.2489
69 One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest 53,685,400 1975 215,973,199 0.2486
70 Back to the Future 59,050,700 1985 237,923,795 0.2482
71 Tootsie 56,903,900 1982 231,664,458 0.2456
72 The Dark Knight 74,282,100 2008 304,059,724 0.2443
73 Shrek 2 71,050,900 2004 293,655,404 0.2420
74 Spider-Man 69,484,700 2002 287,941,220 0.2413
75 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom 53,532,800 1984 235,824,902 0.2270
76 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest 64,628,400 2006 299,398,484 0.2159
77 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 61,538,100 2003 290,788,976 0.2116
78 The Sixth Sense 57,579,100 1999 272,690,813 0.2112
79 Ghost 51,465,200 1990 249,464,396 0.2063
80 Twister 54,688,100 1996 265,228,572 0.2062
81 Aladdin 52,442,300 1992 255,029,699 0.2056
82 Spider-Man 2 60,158,700 2004 293,655,404 0.2049
83 Mrs. Doubtfire 52,684,400 1993 257,782,608 0.2044
84 Men in Black 54,616,700 1997 267,783,607 0.2040
85 The Passion of the Christ 59,704,800 2004 293,655,404 0.2033
86 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 49,416,500 1989 246,819,230 0.2002
87 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 57,630,400 2002 287,941,220 0.2001
88 Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith 59,324,600 2005 296,507,061 0.2001
89 Top Gun 47,651,400 1986 240,132,887 0.1984
90 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone 55,913,000 2001 285,102,075 0.1961
91 Finding Nemo 56,337,500 2003 290,788,976 0.1937
92 Terminator 2: Judgment Day 48,656,400 1991 252,153,092 0.1930
93 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 54,703,900 2001 285,102,075 0.1919
94 The Lost World: Jurassic Park 49,910,000 1997 267,783,607 0.1864
95 Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones 53,468,500 2002 287,941,220 0.1857
96 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 56,004,400 2009 307,006,550 0.1824
97 Toy Story 2 47,836,500 1999 272,690,813 0.1754
98 Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 50,648,900 2003 290,788,976 0.1742
99 How the Grinch Stole Christmas 48,106,800 2000 282,192,162 0.1705
100 Spider-Man 3 48,914,300 2007 301,621,157 0.1622

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