Number One Movie...Temporarily

September 14, 2011 7:14 PM

I am looking for a list of "movies which broke the record for being the highest grossing of all time...at the time."

In other words, not merely a list of the current top 50 or whatever, but a list of movies that at *any* time became recognized as the top moneymaker of all time. (for example, "The Sound of Music" beat "Gone With The Wind" for the top spot briefly, but was later surpassed by "The Godfather", which was surpassed by "Jaws." (probably)

Does anyone know where I might find such a list?

posted by ShutterBun to Media & Arts (11 answers total)

Best answer: Wikipedia has one here, though weirdly lacking in actual, um, numbers for many entries.
posted by Tomorrowful at 7:19 PM on September 14, 2011

You might have luck over at The Numbers. I don't see the answer to your exact question in the lists on the main page, but you might be able to mine the data that is there for your answer, or ask the experts in their forums. They also offer professional market research services in sales projections, so they're very familiar with this territory.
posted by ceribus peribus at 7:22 PM on September 14, 2011

Adjusted for inflation, I think there's only been one answer since 1939--Gone with the Wind. For unadjusted grosses, I think you can take this list, note the first result, and read down the right hand column, only noting another film when its date precedes the date of the last film you've recorded.
posted by Monsieur Caution at 7:23 PM on September 14, 2011

Yep, MC has it. The answer if you adjust for inflation is Gone with the Wind and only that. Without inflation adjustment it's:

Avatar (2009)
Titanic (1997)
Jurassic Park (1993)
E.T. (1982)
Star Wars (1977)
Jaws (1975)
The Exorcist (1973)
Gone with the Wind (1939)

Note that GwtW seems to have been the highest grossing film of all time even without inflation adjustment for 34 years!
posted by Justinian at 7:32 PM on September 14, 2011

Response by poster: That's the kind of list I was looking for, Tomorrowful, although I have a sneaking suspicion that "The Sting" might have actually surpassed "The Godfather" at some point during its run.

Either way, it looks like the title really hasn't changed as often as I would have thought.

This link seems to support the Wikipedia entry.
posted by ShutterBun at 7:34 PM on September 14, 2011

Whoops, the list I gave is for domestic US box office, not worldwide. As you note the numbers for worldwide are slightly different.
posted by Justinian at 7:40 PM on September 14, 2011

Did you mean American films?
Here are the highest-grossing Bollywood films, noting how long each held the title.
posted by pH Indicating Socks at 8:30 PM on September 14, 2011

The list of American films and the list of all films are the same list; those Bollywood films didn't gross enough money to make the list is all.
posted by Justinian at 11:03 PM on September 14, 2011

What makes you think so, Justinian?
posted by pH Indicating Socks at 1:28 AM on September 15, 2011

What makes you think so, Justinian?

Because you provided a list of their grosses and it was less than the American films took?
posted by biffa at 1:44 AM on September 15, 2011

Yeah, I don't understand the question pH. I don't "think" they didn't gross enough money for the list, it's a question of facts not opinion. We know how much money the Bollywood movies grossed, we know how much money the American movies grossed, and the Bollywood movies didn't gross enough money to make the list.
posted by Justinian at 2:07 PM on September 15, 2011