Top 10 Movies Adjusted for Inflation
-posted June 2023
Top 10 movies in the media are often listed by gross box office takings without taking inflation into consideration. An example of this is shown in the table below;
https://www.the-numbers.com/box-office-records
Wikipedia
To get a true reflection of the box office takings one must take inflation into consideration- for example $1 in 1939 is equivalent to $20.76 in 2022.
https://www.officialdata.org/us/inflation
The number 1 movie of all time by box office takings is "Gone with the Wind" with $8+ billion (adjusted inflation 2023).
In the 21st century the global audience reach is unprecedented, however only x8 movies have broken into the Top 25- James Cameron (x2), Lucas Film (x1), Marvel (x4) & Spielberg (x1). This may be reflective of better quality TV programming, home big screen TVs, short delay from movie big screen to streaming, limited creative original movies that capture the global audience's attention, etc.
In Disney's 100 years they produced x8 movies that took in more than $2 billion, however none in the past 30 years which suggests that Disney are well past their prime. Disney acquired Pixar (2006), Marvel (2009), Lucas Film (2012) and 21st Century Fox (2019) in order to recapture audience share. If Disney had not followed this strategy they would have lost relevance as a modern entertainment content producer and be known only as an amusement theme park operator pushing outdated Mickey Mouse themed products.
All I can say about James Cameron is "What a bloody legend!"- not overly prolific but has succeeded with drama- thrillers- science fiction, which have captured audience's attention and in some cases influenced the zeitgeist of society.