To these lists I say: big deal! If the measure is total gross in dollars (or similar figure) then obviously – given unrelenting inflation over the past century – the winners will be the most recent films. To really measure commercial success of movies as a social phenomenon, you have to figure constant dollars adjusted for inflation & other factors.
Fortunately somebody figured out ticket sales in constant dollars, show far different rankings as follows:
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1. Gone With the Wind
2. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
3. Star Wars
4. Bambi
5. The Sound of Music
6. One Hundred and One Dalmatians
7. Jaws
8. The Exorcist
9. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
10. The Jungle Book
11. Titanic
12. The Sting
13. Doctor Zhivago
14. Star Wars – The Empire Strikes Back
15. The Godfather
16. The Graduate
17. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
18. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
19. Grease
20. Love Story
21. Raiders of the Lost Ark
22. American Graffiti
23. Blazing Saddles
24. Shrek2
25. Spider-Man
26. Home Alone
27. Smokey and the Bandit
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Unfortunately this is from 2005, so it doesn’t include Avatar. Just last week I visited an Avatar exhibit in Seattle – showed props, artwork, making-of footage, etc. Very cool
This clearly shows how 20th century movies were dominated by Disney. In fact, ”Most awards won by a man: Walt Disney won 26 Oscars (22 competitive, 4 honorary). He also won the most Oscars in one year, with 4.”