Los Angeles (photo from Ron Niebrugge)
Table and description from:
http://us.imdb.com/boxoffice/alltimegross?region=world-wide
The table above includes movies that have grossed over $200,000,000 at the box office during their theatrical runs.
All amounts are in USA dollars and only include theatrical box office receipts (movie ticket sales) and do not include video rentals, television rights and other revenues.
Totals may include theatrical re-release receipts. Figures are not adjusted for inflation.
Some movies may still be in general release; all figures are estimated and subject to change.
All-Time Worldwide Box office
Rank Title Worldwide Box Office
1. Titanic (1997) $1,835,300,000
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) $1,129,219,252
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006) $1,060,332,628
4. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) $968,657,891
5. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007) $958,404,152
6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007) $937,000,866
7. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) $922,379,000
8. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) $921,600,000
9. Jurassic Park (1993) $919,700,000
10. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) $892,194,397
11. Spider-Man 3 (2007) $885,430,303
12. Shrek 2 (2004) $880,871,036
13. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002) $866,300,000
14. Finding Nemo (2003) $865,000,000
15. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) $860,700,000
16. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) $848,462,555
17. Independence Day (1996) $811,200,000
18. Spider-Man (2002) $806,700,000
19. Star Wars (1977) $797,900,000
20. Shrek the Third (2007) $791,106,665
21. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) $789,458,727
22. Spider-Man 2 (2004) $783,577,893
23. The Lion King (1994) $783,400,000
24. The Da Vinci Code (2006) $757,236,138
25. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) $756,700,000
I realize that inflation dictates that the newer films will have an advantage over much older ones on dollars generated. However, since I became an adult in the late 1980s, I reason that Hollywood has been able to produce some of the best movies ever in the last 20-30 years. I am not stating that I consider all of the films on the list as among the best, far from it.
I remember attending a few movies as a teenager and they were often disappointing and it seemed as if there was rarely a potentially really good film to wait for in anticipation. Today there are many films that appear worth viewing. I am in no way defending the often philosophically non-Christian or anti-Christian ideas presented within Hollywood, but I reason that the advent of much improved computer technology, and computer generated images has assisted in the potential quality of a theatrical films and the DVD versions as well, of course.
Superhero movies such as produced by Marvel and DC are far more true to the comic books than could be done in the 1970s or 1980s. Lou Ferrigno is a huge, muscular human being and played the Incredible Hulk on television, but he was quite small compared to the comic book Hulk who is basically a superhuman beyond the physical size of any human being. Superheroes such as the Silver Surfer, Iron Man, Spider-Man and the Fantastic Four are now presented in ways very true to the comics.
I admit from watching the occasional old black and white film that the dialogue was generally superior, in comparison to today's movies, but interesting dialogue can be presented very well in modern films if the producers are seriously dedicated to having quality dialogue.
As much as Christianity should oppose Hollywood when its philosophy and morality counter Biblical standards, a positive is that computer technology seems to have ignited the God given creativity of many in Hollywood and a result we have many reasonably good movies to view. An ultimate goal of a film should be to entertain with both quality dialogue and interesting imagery, and I hope that this occurs in the future often, and that computer generated effects do not become overused at the expense of good story.
Christmas with Colonel Sanders
Are you dreaming of a white meat Christmas?
http://thekingpin68.blogspot.com/2008/05/son-of-man.html
That's an interesting list. It's funny that so many "kid's" movies are on there--Lion King, Shrek, Harry Potter, etc.
ReplyDeleteBut Titanic in top place? Gimme a break. That's got to be one of the crappiest movies of our time. Sure the special effects might have been great, but the ridiculously overdone love story even eclipses that. Ugh. Okay, rant over.
Yeah, there's a lot to be said for the improvements Hollywood has made in recent years in technology. But at the same time, while I enjoy a film with good special effects, I appreciate a movie more that has real meat and substance. And those films usually don't stay in the theater long, or are relegated to the independent film industry. It's not what sells in our culture, those are the movies with sex and cheap thrills. It's unfortunate. Visual arts likes movies and TV are a powerful medium for communicating cultural values and ideas.
Thanks much, Jake.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on Titanic, I did not view it in the theatre and from what I have seen on television it is overrated.
I agree with you also that many good films are not mainstream, but there are film series such as Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter, which have well written dialogue and good action. These are better written than the Star Wars movies, in my opinion.
Most movies listed I never saw and never will, then I am a rare one, but HATED star wars, I was a Dr Who fan.
ReplyDeleteI liked spidey 2 but the others sucked. and I would love A white meat christmas. Rick b
There are a few movies on that list that I do not care to view. I suppose the force is not with you, but who cares. Colonel Sanders thanks you, Rick.
ReplyDeleteRuss;)
"The Lord of the Rings" is #2? That's a bit surprising to me that its so popular. I suppose its largely due to its fantasy nature and its special effects, rather than its Christian author and symbolism. I also suspect that most people are clueless as to its Christian analogies and symbolism.
ReplyDeleteAnd yeah..."Titanic" being #1? That was a fairly boring movie, to me. The hype for that movie is ridiculously exaggerated, I believe.
"Pirates of the Caribbean" was pretty good, but hardly deserves the #3 ranking. Of course, the number of people who went to see the movie does not necessarily reflect the quality of the movie so much as the marketing of the movie, I think.
Are you dreaming of a white meat Christmas?
LOL! Funny!
I reason that Hollywood has been able to produce some of the best movies ever in the last 20-30 years.
I'm not sure I totally agree, though I do agree with you that superhero movies are far superior to what they used to be. I also think that, because of computer technology, the special effects in movies has become quite amazing.
The recent Star Wars movies are shabby and disappointing compared to the original ones (in their day), IMO.
But I'm glad you pointed out that the dialog in most modern movies does not equal that of older movies.
To me, "The Ten Commandments" (Charlton Heston) was far, far superior to "Titanic," "Pirates of the Caribbean," or even "Lord of the Rings." And "King of Kings" (Jeffrey Hunter) is still my favorite movie about the earthly life and crucifixion of Jesus, though "The Passion of the Christ" depicts His physical suffering better than any other movie.
It may seem odd, but "Gladiator" (Russell Crowe) and "The Matrix" showed me powerful, emotional spiritual truths. I'm sure these were completely unintentional by anyone involved in making those movies, and I doubt that anyone else was affected in the same way; nevertheless, "Gladiator" showed me one of the most dramatic, realistic revelations of Heaven that I've ever seen. And "The Matrix" was the most powerful depiction of Luke 17:6 and Matthew 21:21 that I have ever seen. But I think that a Christian, because of seeing things in a spiritual light, can sometimes see spiritual truth in some unlikely places; I think this is less a reflection of the movie than it is a reflection of the fact that there are spiritual truths all around us (even often in the most mundane things), for the person with the spiritual eyes to see them.
I agree Titanic is boring and hyped. I like the Pirates movies, but do not consider them among the very best in their genre.
ReplyDeleteComparisons are best kept within genres. It is hard to compare dramas such as The Godfather series with comedies like The Pink Panther series, which is one of my favourites, but let us look at a couple of comparisons within categories. Iron Man is one of the best movies ever within its category of superhero/action adventure. It is better in many ways than the original four Superman movies with equivalent dialogue and is superior technically. Iron Man is one of the best movies ever of its genre. The Wizard of Oz is considered a classic, but modern films such as the Harry Potter series and Lord of the Rings series, as well as Pan's Labyrinth, have well written dialogue and superior technical effects that in my view rank them among the best movies of their fantasy/action adventure genre.
The Italian Westerns, the Dirty Harry series, and The French Connection series, have likely not been equalled by many modern films as too many newer films do not place enough emphasis on quality writing and interesting philosophy within the drama/action adventure genre.
Thanks, Jeff.
This list is biased toward newer movies, because it does not take into account the declining value of money (inflation). Adjusted for inflation, and only counting U.S. box-office sales, the no. 1 movie is Gone With The Wind ($1,390,067,000 in 2008 dollars), and no. 2 is Star Wars ($1,225,462,800 in 2008 dollars). Adjusted-for-inflation numbers would give a better indication of relative numbers of tickets sold. One could conclude that more than twice as many people saw "The Ten Commandments" than saw "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest", for example. If Zimbabwe did a non-adjusted-for-inflation list of all-time box-office receipts in that country, it would only ever show the latest releases...
ReplyDeleteThe full list (US box-office receipts only) is here.
The top 10 worldwide adjusted for inflation list is available here.
It's amazing to me that the top two films in this list (GWTW & Snow White) were both released in the '30s, when the movie-going population of the world was much smaller!
This list is biased toward newer movies, because it does not take into account the declining value of money (inflation).
ReplyDeleteThis was understood. The cited site explains...
Totals may include theatrical re-release receipts. Figures are not adjusted for inflation.
Here is the adjusted list. Thanks, Chucky.
DOMESTIC GROSSES
Adjusted for Ticket Price Inflation*
Note: Use the adjuster tool in the upper right-hand corner to adjust into any year's dollars. Rank Title (click to view) Studio Adjusted Gross Unadjusted Gross Year^
1 Gone with the Wind MGM $1,390,067,000 $198,676,459 1939^
2 Star Wars Fox $1,225,462,800 $460,998,007 1977^
3 The Sound of Music Fox $979,817,800 $158,671,368 1965
4 E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Uni. $975,957,800 $435,110,554 1982^
5 The Ten Commandments Par. $901,280,000 $65,500,000 1956
6 Titanic Par. $883,019,700 $600,788,188 1997
7 Jaws Uni. $881,182,300 $260,000,000 1975
8 Doctor Zhivago MGM $854,051,900 $111,721,910 1965
9 The Exorcist WB $760,712,400 $232,671,011 1973^
10 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Dis. $749,920,000 $184,925,486 1937^
11 101 Dalmatians Dis. $687,430,700 $144,880,014 1961^
12 The Empire Strikes Back Fox $675,482,800 $290,475,067 1980^
13 Ben-Hur MGM $674,240,000 $74,000,000 1959
14 Return of the Jedi Fox $647,128,700 $309,306,177 1983^
15 The Sting Uni. $613,302,900 $156,000,000 1973
16 Raiders of the Lost Ark Par. $606,416,000 $242,374,454 1981^
17 Jurassic Park Uni. $593,096,200 $357,067,947 1993
18 The Graduate AVCO $588,731,200 $104,901,839 1967^
19 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace Fox $583,601,600 $431,088,301 1999
20 Fantasia Dis. $571,339,100 $76,408,097 1941^
21 The Godfather Par. $542,987,300 $134,966,411 1972^
22 Forrest Gump Par. $540,393,800 $329,694,499 1994
23 Mary Poppins Dis. $537,890,900 $102,272,727 1964^
24 The Lion King BV $531,354,700 $328,541,776 1994^
25 Grease Par. $529,221,700 $188,389,888 1978^
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Comparisons are best kept within genres.
ReplyDeleteGood point, Russ. I guess that would be a little like comparing a juggler to an opera singer in a talent competition. Or maybe a kung fu stylist to a ballet dancer.
Thanks for those lists, Chucky. That is very interesting, and is more akin to the way I was thinking. Instead of comparing today's movies, with their superior technology, to movies from 50 years ago, that obviously had more primitive technology, compare each movie to how it stood in it's day against how another movie did in it's day. Or (and I realize this is related to comparing within genres, as you mentioned, Russ), compare quality of dialog in one movie to quality of dialog in another movie (which you have alluded to at least once already, Russ); humor quality in one movie to humor quality in another movie; or 'scariness' level in one movie compared to another movie. Horror movies are usually low-budget anyway, so technology doesn't really come into play here. For example, the latest "King Kong" cost around $207 million to make. I would not consider that a horror movie. In contrast, "Saw II" (a movie I would never, ever care to see) cost $4 million; "Evil Dead" cost around the $350,000 mark to make; and "Zombie Flesh Eaters" only $190,000. (Of course, I think this is a case of getting what you pay for.)
But the classic example for a low-budget horror movie doing extremely well, I think, would be "The Blair Witch Project." The budget was only US$22,000, yet the gross revenue was an incredible $248,639,099 (as of January 20, 2008)!
I read on Wikipedia that Georges Méliès' 1896 Le Manoir du diable (aka "The House of the Devil") is sometimes credited as being the first horror film. Another of his horror projects was the 1898 La Caverne maudite (aka "The Cave of the Demons", literally "the accursed cave"). I find it interesting that the first horror films had to do with the devil and with demons.
Thanks, Jeff.
ReplyDeleteYour comments are educational. I lean toward the view that superior modern technology can make modern movies better, at least in some ways in comparison to their older counterparts. With the same quality of dialogue imagine what The Wizard of Oz would be like today. By the way, I speculate that a very good remake of The Wizard of Oz would have a chance of overtaking Titanic for the number one movie in overall gross revenue.
As far as horror films go I wrote on that topic here:
The Horror
Although I like some of the movies on this list, it doesn't mean that they are necessarily the best films just because a lot of people have seen them. Success needs to be defined, for instance a lot of thse films grossed very highly, but this does not mean that success was achieved in creating an incredibly good film.
ReplyDelete-Arm Chair Movie Critic-
Reasonable points, and I agree Anonymous.
ReplyDelete