25 Highest-Grossing Movies of All Time, Adjusted for Inflation

By Jacob Osborn - Entertainment

Published: 6 Nov 2025

Readtime: 20 min

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Hollywood has always been a place where dreams are made and legends are born, but no one loves the business of cinema quite like the accountants. Behind every big-budget blockbuster, rom-com and space opera lies a unique and intricate world of film financing. Producers and financiers are largely responsible for bringing the movies we know and love to life, and they don’t always do it for the love of cinema. Make no mistake, in Tinseltown, the ultimate validation isn’t critical acclaim, it’s cold, hard cash.

It’s no secret that blockbusters define eras and build empires, and while films like Avatar and Avengers: Endgame are synonymous with box office success, the true measure of cinematic dominance changes once you account for inflation. Adjust for the passing of time, and the story of Hollywood’s most profitable films suddenly looks very different.

Let’s not forget that movie tickets used to cost a mere fraction of what they cost today. There were also billions fewer people on the planet, making the box office haul for certain retro classics all the more impressive. On the other hand, at least some of those classics didn’t have modern television or the rental market to contend with. Nit-picking aside, what are the highest-grossing films of all time? Let’s find out.

Highest-Grossing Films of All Time

When you strip away the nostalgia and Rotten Tomatoes scores, box office numbers tell the story of what truly captured the world’s imagination. Adjusted for inflation, this list of the highest-grossing films of all time provides a clearer picture of cinema’s titans, revealing which movies truly dominated the global box office when dollars were flowing into cinemas. Here is a list of the 25 highest-grossing films of all time, adjusted for inflation.

1. Gone with the Wind

Release Year: 1939
Budget: US$3.85 million
Box Office: US$402 million
Adjusted Box Office: US$4.45 billion
IMDb Rating: 8.2

Produced for a then-astronomical US$3.85 million, the film went on to gross over US$400 million worldwide — an unfathomable return for 1939. Adjusted for inflation, that’s the equivalent of raking in more than US$4.4 billion today, making it the undisputed heavyweight champion of the box office. Follow Southern belle Scarlett O’Hara through the Civil War and Reconstructionist eras in this box office smash, which put the ‘sweeping’ in ‘sweeping saga’. Released at the tail end of the Great Depression, this romance film became a cultural phenomenon, drawing audiences back to theatres again and again.

Through its use of Technicolour visuals, enormous scope, and unforgettable performances (especially Vivien Leigh’s fiery Scarlett O’Hara), it cemented its place as a Hollywood landmark. While anachronistic by today’s standards, it still makes for a visual feast, and its financial success remains unmatched, proving that spectacle and sentiment have been Hollywood’s twin engines since the very beginning.

2. Avatar

Release Year: 2009
Budget: US$237 million
Box Office: US$2.92 billion
Adjusted Box Office: US$4.05 billion
IMDb Rating: 7.9

We may have had to wait a long time for a sequel and we’re still hanging out for the third film, Avatar: Fire and Ash, but James Cameron’s 2009 epic Avatar remains a box office smash. With a staggering US$237 million production budget (and an additional US$150 million in marketing), Avatar was one of the most expensive films ever made at the time, but the gamble paid off, earning nearly 12 times its budget and setting a new benchmark for global box office success.

Cameron’s strategic use of 3D and IMAX pricing helped push average ticket values higher than any previous blockbuster, while international markets, particularly China, contributed heavily to its record haul. Call it “Dances with Smurfs” if you will, but you can’t deny the film’s innovative and immersive qualities.

3. Titanic

Release Year: 1997
Budget: US$200 million
Box Office: US$2.26 billion
Adjusted Box Office: US$3.77 billion
IMDb Rating: 7.9

No list of the highest box office movies is complete without this historical smash, in which two star-crossed lovers meet aboard the Titanic. Winner of a record-tying 11 Oscars, it turned star Leonardo DiCaprio and director James Cameron into “kings of the world.”

Filmed on a US$200 million budget, the first in film history to cross that threshold, the enormous budget blockbuster seemed doomed to sink the studio, but Cameron’s knack for marketing, filmmaking prowess and meticulous craftsmanship turned Titanic into a booming success.

The film’s emotional appeal and repeat viewership (especially among teenage audiences) drove unprecedented longevity in theatres, ultimately grossing more than 11 times its budget. Its record-setting run cemented Titanic as not only a romantic epic but one of the most profitable cinematic investments ever made.

4. Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope

Release Year: 1977
Budget: US$11 million
Box Office: US$775 million
Adjusted Box Office: US$3.65 billion
IMDb Rating: 8.6

Cinema’s foremost space opera kicked off with this game-changing sci-fi adventure, which debuted as Star Wars and later became Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. The story takes place a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away and blah blah blah blah…you know where it goes from here. More than one of the highest-grossing films of all time, it kick-started Hollywood’s most profitable franchise to date.

With an US$11 million budget financed largely by 20th Century Fox, the film’s box office haul of US$775 million represented a return of over 70 times its cost, an almost unprecedented figure. The true genius, however, lay in Lucas retaining merchandising and sequel rights, turning Star Wars into a perpetual revenue engine worth tens of billions over time.

5. Avengers: Endgame

Release Year: 2019
Budget: US$356 million
Box Office: US$2.8 billion
Adjusted Box Office: US$3.35 billion
IMDb Rating: 8.4

Remember when 2019 was the year of the Avengers: Endgame release, and it was all anyone talked about for a good month or so? Ahhh, those were the days. At an estimated US$356 million budget, Avengers: Endgame remains one of the most expensive productions in history; however, it was also one of the most lucrative.

Marvel Studios and Disney treated the film as the grand finale to a decade-long cinematic investment, and the payoff was monumental. Within two weeks, it crossed US$2 billion, eventually grossing US$2.8 billion worldwide. That’s roughly eight times its production cost, excluding an estimated US$150 million in marketing expenses.

6. The Sound of Music

Release Year: 1965
Budget: US$8.2 million
Box Office: US$286 million
Adjusted Box Office: US$3.05 billion
IMDb Rating: 8.1

The hills were alive with the sound of music and so too was the box office when this iconic musical hit theatres. Set during WWII, it tells the story of a cheerful governess, seven unruly children, and their disgruntled father. Its US$8.2 million budget was significant for the time, yet it went on to earn an astonishing 35 times that amount, becoming the highest-grossing film of the decade. Its financial success saved 20th Century Fox from bankruptcy after the disastrous performance of Cleopatra (1963), effectively keeping the studio alive.

Beyond ticket sales, the film’s multi-year theatrical run and soundtrack sales turned it into a multi-platform juggernaut — proof that a family musical could deliver blockbuster margins long before the superhero era. Amazing performances. Lush cinematography. Infectious songs. This film has it all. No wonder it was in theatres for four and a half years straight!

7. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Release Year: 1982
Budget: US$10.5 million
Box Office: US$796 million
Adjusted Box Office: US$2.99 billion
IMDb Rating: 7.9

Steven Spielberg struck box office gold with this enduring family classic, about the symbiotic relationship between a young boy and a loveable alien. With a modest US$10.5 million budget, E.T. became one of the most profitable films ever made, earning nearly 76 times its production cost.

Spielberg’s heartfelt sci-fi adventure struck a universal chord, driving ticket sales to levels usually reserved for action blockbusters. The film dominated the box office for over a year, with multiple re-releases in the 1980s and early 2000s further padding its total gross. Merchandise, from lunchboxes to Atari games, helped cement E.T. as a profit-generating phenomenon. If you were growing up at the time, E.T. was essentially baked into your childhood, and it continues to make new fans to this day. Now, who wants some Reese’s Pieces?!

8. The Ten Commandments

Release Year: 1956
Budget: US$13 million
Box Office: US$123 million
Adjusted Box Office: US$2.82 billion
IMDb Rating: 7.9

Cecil B. DeMille’s final effort represents a high point for the historical epic sub-genre, which dominated Hollywood throughout the 1950s and early 1960s. Playing biblical hero Moses, Charlton Heston squares off against a tyrannical Pharaoh and leads his people out of Egypt. Despite the near four-hour runtime, audiences flocked in droves and helped make it one of the highest-grossing films of all time.

At US$13 million, it was among the most expensive productions of its era, featuring vast sets, thousands of extras, and groundbreaking visual effects. The result was a monumental 10x return on investment, with US$123 million in worldwide earnings. Paramount’s re-releases across the 1960s and 70s turned it into a reliable cash cow, ensuring long-term profitability.

9. Doctor Zhivago

Release Year: 1965
Budget: US$11 million
Box Office: US$245 million
Adjusted Box Office: US$2.68 billion
IMDb Rating: 7.9

Director David Lean brought his sweeping sensibilities to this tragi-romantic adaptation, set during and after the Russian Revolution. Some critics were hostile to Lean’s revisionist style, but that didn’t stop the film from achieving massive commercial success.

Produced on a budget of US$11 million, which again was substantial for the 1960s, Doctor Zhivago returned over 22 times its cost, thanks to its global appeal and multiple re-release. Zhivago became MGM’s highest-grossing film at the time and one of the most profitable epics in history, proving that “slow cinema” could be a financial goldmine when paired with the right marketing and international distribution strategy.

10. Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens

Release Year: 2015
Budget: US$258 million
Box Office: US$2.07 billion
Adjusted Box Office: US$2.64 billion
IMDb Rating: 7.7

Rounding out the box office top 10 is the one Star Wars reboot that actually managed to appease most viewers. It comes to us from director J.J. Abrams, who played it safe by delivering a somewhat familiar plotline. Given the sheer ruthlessness of certain fans, who can blame him?

Disney paid US$4 billion to acquire Lucasfilm in 2012, and The Force Awakens pretty much instantly justified that investment. With a US$258 million production budget and approximately US$200 million in marketing expenses, the film generated a global gross exceeding US$2 billion, yielding a near-immediate return on Disney’s acquisition. Beyond the box office, merchandise, licensing, and theme park integrations turned The Force Awakens into an economic engine for the brand.

11. Jurassic Park

Release Year: 1993
Budget: US$63 million
Box Office: US$1.1 billion
Adjusted Box Office: US$2.55 billion
IMDb Rating: 8.2

Spielberg is back again with another worldwide box office smash. Using newly developed digital technology, his team of wizards brought dinosaurs to life with jaw-dropping precision. A lucrative franchise was thus born.

12. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs

Release Year: 1937
Budget: US$1.5 million
Box Office: US$418 million
Adjusted Box Office: US$2.5 billion
IMDb Rating: 7.6

Walt Disney’s full-length animated debut was no sure thing during production, running way over budget. All was forgiven when the film became an instant critical and commercial smash. Its status as an all-time box office champion swelled thanks to theatrical re-releases.

13. Avatar: The Way of Water

Release Year: 2022
Budget: US$350 million
Box Office: US$2.34 billion
Adjusted Box Office: US$2.48 billion
IMDb Rating: 7.5

A 3-hour sci-fi epic that, despite massive delays and costing an absolute motsa, managed to completely overperform expectations. While it continues the nature-versus-technology tale laid out in the original Avatar, and sets up a sequel to come in 2026, what sets The Way of Water apart is its truly impressive CGI. Cameron knows what he’s doing here.

14. Jaws

Release Year: 1975
Budget: US$9 million
Box Office: US$490 million
Adjusted Box Office: US$2.46 billion
IMDb Rating: 8.1

It might not make the box office top 10, but we’re still hailing “Jaws” as one of the top 10 movies of all time. What could’ve been an outright catastrophe became the first true summer blockbuster, which redefined theatrical rollouts and kept thousands of swimmers out of the water.

15. Avengers: Infinity War

Release Year: 2018
Budget: US$400 million
Box Office: US$2.05 billion
Adjusted Box Office: US$2.43 billion
IMDb Rating: 8.4

One of the highest box office movies is likewise high on everyone’s list of MCU fare, sitting alongside the first “Iron Man” and the last two Captain America movies. The first part of a two-part saga, it pits the mighty Avengers against the deadly Thanos. This was everything fans were hoping it would be.

16. Ne Zha 2

Release Year: 2025
Budget: US$80 million
Box Office: US$2.2 billion
Adjusted Box Office: US$2.2 billion
IMDb Rating: 8.0

Ne Zha 2 is one of the biggest movies you’ve likely never heard of. While it had a paltry showing in most countries around the world, the movie absolutely killed in China—which makes sense: it’s made in China, for Chinese audiences, and is based on a famous Chinese novel.

17. The Exorcist

Release Year: 1973
Budget: US$12 million
Box Office: US$441 million
Adjusted Box Office: US$2.21 billion
IMDb Rating: 8.1

Early audience members reportedly fainted in the aisles during early screenings of this horror classic. Naturally, that made it the must-see film of the year (and one of the highest-grossing movies of all time). Modern viewers aren’t quite as sensitive to on-screen gore and demonic possessions but don’t take that to mean the experience won’t make your gut churn or head spin.

18. 101 Dalmatians

Release Year: 1961
Budget: US$4 million
Box Office: US$303 million
Adjusted Box Office: US$2.19 billion
IMDb Rating: 7.3

Another Disney classic, the original 101 Dalmatians is a tour-de-force of the kind of amazing animation the Walt Disney Co was capable of nearly sixty years ago, while also introducing one of the most evil villains they’ve created: her name is literally Cruella de Vil—how much more evil can you get?

19. The Lion King

Release Year: 1994
Budget: US$45 million
Box Office: US$977 million
Adjusted Box Office: US$2.14 billion
IMDb Rating: 8.5

For your fix of this timeless tale, skip the live-action remake and go straight to the animated original. Released at the height of the Disney Renaissance, it fires on every cylinder to this day. Remember.

20. Spider-Man: No Way Home

Release Year: 2015
Budget: US$200 million
Box Office: US$1.9 billion
Adjusted Box Office: US$2.13 billion
IMDb Rating: 8.2

The third in Spider-Man’s third (and most successful) attempt at making it work on the big screen, No Way Home brings the kind of multiverse shenanigans we’ve come to expect from Marvel these days to Peter Parker’s domain. Dr. Strange and Parker do a whoopsie and everything is thrown out of whoop, bringing all former Spider-Man franchises into the Marvel fold. Worth it for the ‘three Spider-Man’s pointing at one another’ memes alone.

21. Jurassic World

Release Year: 2015
Budget: US$150 million
Box Office: US$1.67 billion
Adjusted Box Office: US$2.12 billion
IMDb Rating: 6.9

The original “Jurassic Park” franchise was going the way of the dinosaurs until this blockbuster reboot came along. Chris Pratt makes for a charming lead, but it’s the spectacle that steals the show.

22. The Jungle Book

Release Year: 1967
Budget: US$4 million
Box Office: US$378 million
Adjusted Box Office: US$2.07 billion
IMDb Rating: 7.6

Man, Disney really knew how to turn children’s books into beloved animated films back in the 60’s, huh? Here, a feral child Mowgli grows up in the jungle, surrounded by friendly animals, and has to figure out what to do when a ruthless tiger comes back onto the scene.

23. Ben-Hur

Release Year: 1959
Budget: US$15.2 million
Box Office: US$147 million
Adjusted Box Office: US$2.05 billion
IMDb Rating: 6.5

A clear predecessor to films like “Gladiator,” this historical epic stars Charlton Heston in the avenging title role. It was the costliest production of its time with a budget that equates to about US$130 million in today’s dollars. It’s also one of the highest-grossing films of all time so that was money well spent

24. Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace

Release Year: 1999
Budget: US$115 million
Box Office: US$1.04 billion
Adjusted Box Office: US$2.05 billion
IMDb Rating: 6.5

If you build it, they will come. So went the infamous “Star Wars” prequel trilogy, which kicked off with this oft-ridiculed episode. It divided audiences but dominated at the box office nonetheless.

25. Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back

Release Year: 1980
Budget: US$23 million
Box Office: US$550 million
Adjusted Box Office: US$2.01 billion
IMDb Rating: 8.7

Often touted as a fan favourite, “The Empire Strikes Back” contains one of the most famous reveals in movie history. We won’t spoil it here for the three people left on the planet who haven’t seen the film.

Why Does Inflation Matter?

You know how Grandpa keeps telling you that back in his day, a person could buy a cheeseburger for a quarter and fill up their gas tank for $5? Well, that’s because services and products generally cost much less in his day than they do today. As such, we need to take the inflated cost of goods into account when compiling the list of the highest-grossing films of all time.

Box Office Inflation

In the film industry, inflation plays a crucial role in charting changes in pricing, social significance and accessibility to cultural practices. It’s one thing to say Titanic made over US$2 billion and quite another to understand what that figure means in context. The cost of a movie ticket in 1939 was just 25 cents; a far cry from today’s average. Once you factor in economic changes, cost-of-living pressures, and the recent surge in on-demand streaming options, it’s little wonder that cinemas are bearing the brunt of harsh industrial evolution.

Over the decades, the value of money has changed dramatically, meaning a film’s gross from the past can’t be fairly compared to modern-day blockbusters without using math. In essence, inflation adjustment is designed to ‘level the playing field’, revealing how massive older hits truly were when measured against contemporary audiences and ticket prices. Gone with the Wind, for instance, dominated in an era before global distribution, streaming, or even widespread television. Without this adjustment, the legacy of many classic films would be buried beneath the raw, inflated figures of today’s billion-dollar franchises.

What About the Top 50 Most Profitable Movies?

For the true box office accountants, success doesn’t end merely at box office gross. While the terms “highest-grossing” and “most profitable” are often used interchangeably, they actually measure very different things.

Box Office Gross – A film’s gross refers to the total amount of money it earns at the global box office; essentially, how much audiences spend on tickets.
Profitability – This metric takes into account the cost of producing and marketing the film. A movie might rake in billions, but if it also costs hundreds of millions to produce and promote, its profit margin could be slimmer than a low-budget hit that quietly overperformed.

In other words, while Avatar may be one of the highest-grossing films ever made, something like Paranormal Activity, produced for just US$15,000 and earning over US$190 million, stands as one of the most profitable movies of all time. Expanding the scope reveals a fascinating cross-section of Hollywood history. The top 50 most profitable films of all time represent cultural landmarks that showcase how technology, storytelling, and audience tastes have evolved. Here’s an expanded list of the 50 most profitable movies in history, adjusted for inflation.