Editing List of highest-grossing films (section)

== Highest-grossing films adjusted for inflation ==
{{See also|List of highest-grossing films in the United States and Canada#Adjusted for ticket-price inflation|List of films by box office admissions}}

[[File:World Inflation rate 2017.svg|thumb|right|Inflation rates around the world vary, complicating inflation adjustment|alt=A map of the world with different regions colored in correlating to inflation rates]]
Because of the long-term effects of [[inflation]], notably the significant increase of movie theater ticket prices, the list unadjusted for inflation gives far more weight to later films.<ref name="Bialik (2010-1-29)">{{cite news |last=Bialik |first=Carl |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/numbersguy/how-hollywood-box-office-records-are-made-889/ |title=How Hollywood Box-Office Records Are Made |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=January 29, 2010 |access-date=August 9, 2011 |archive-date=November 1, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111101195443/http://blogs.wsj.com/numbersguy/how-hollywood-box-office-records-are-made-889/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The unadjusted list, while commonly found in the press, is therefore largely meaningless for comparing films widely separated in time, as many films from earlier eras will never appear on a modern unadjusted list, despite achieving higher commercial success when adjusted for price increases.<ref name="Pincus-Roth (2009)">{{cite news |last=Pincus-Roth |first=Zachary |url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2009/07/why-journalists-don-t-account-for-inflation-when-they-report-box-office-records.html |title=Best Weekend Never |work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |date=July 6, 2009 |access-date=April 6, 2022 |archive-date=April 6, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220406213349/https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2009/07/why-journalists-don-t-account-for-inflation-when-they-report-box-office-records.html |url-status=live }}</ref> To compensate for the devaluation of the currency, some charts make adjustments for inflation, but not even this practice fully addresses the issue, since ticket prices and inflation do not necessarily parallel one another. For example, in 1970, tickets cost $1.55 or about $6.68 in inflation-adjusted 2004 dollars; by 1980, prices had risen to about $2.69, a drop to $5.50 in inflation-adjusted 2004 dollars.<ref name="LLU (2004)">{{cite conference |first1=S. Eric |last1=Anderson |first2=Stewart |last2=Albertson |first3=David |last3=Shavlick |title=How the motion picture industry miscalculates box office receipts |conference=Proceedings of the Midwest Business Economics Association |date=March 2004 |publisher=[[Loma Linda University]] |url=http://www.usi.edu/business/abe/2004/movies.doc |conference-url=http://www.usi.edu/business/abe/2004.aspx |format=DOC |access-date=April 8, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029204604/http://www.usi.edu/business/abe/2004/movies.doc |archive-date=October 29, 2013}}</ref> Ticket prices have also risen at different rates of inflation around the world, further complicating the process of adjusting worldwide grosses.<ref name="Bialik (2010-1-29)" />

Another complication is release in multiple formats for which different ticket prices are charged. One notable example of this phenomenon is ''Avatar'', which was also released in [[3D film|3D]] and [[IMAX]]: almost two-thirds of tickets for that film were for 3D showings with an average price of $10, and about one-sixth were for IMAX showings with an average price over $14.50, compared to a 2010 average price of $7.61 for 2D films.<ref name="Gray (2010-02-03)">{{cite web |first=Brandon |last=Gray |title='Avatar' Claims Highest Gross of All Time |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/article/ed2356806660/ |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=April 6, 2022 |archive-date=February 7, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100207134301/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2667&p=l.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Social and economic factors such as population change<ref name="Bialik (2010-1-30)">{{cite news |last=Bialik |first=Carl |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704878904575031813961239170 |title=What It Takes for a Movie to Be No. 1 |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=January 30, 2010 |access-date=August 9, 2011 |archive-date=December 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181218054255/https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704878904575031813961239170 |url-status=live }}</ref> and the growth of international markets<ref name="Kolesnikov-Jessop">{{cite news |last=Kolesnikov-Jessop |first=Sonia |title=Hollywood Presses Its Global Agenda |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=May 22, 2011 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/23/business/media/23film-screensingapore.html |access-date=January 4, 2012 |archive-date=December 18, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181218011038/https://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/23/business/media/23film-screensingapore.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Hoad">{{cite news |last=Hoad |first=Phil |title=The rise of the international box office |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=August 11, 2011 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2011/aug/11/hollywood-international-box-office |access-date=January 4, 2012 |archive-date=June 29, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230629043918/https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2011/aug/11/hollywood-international-box-office |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Frankel">{{cite news |last=Frankel |first=Daniel |title=Why the Foreign Box Office Leads: 'Fast Five,' 'Thor' Open Overseas First |work=[[The Wrap]] |date=May 1, 2011 |url=https://www.thewrap.com/rise-foreign-box-office-why-fast-five-debuted-down-under-first-26957/ |access-date=April 6, 2022 |archive-date=January 9, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190109012046/https://www.thewrap.com/rise-foreign-box-office-why-fast-five-debuted-down-under-first-26957/ |url-status=live }}</ref> also have an effect on the number of people purchasing theater tickets, along with audience demographics where some films sell a much higher proportion of discounted children's tickets, or perform better in big cities where tickets cost more.<ref name="Pincus-Roth (2009)" />

The measuring system for gauging a film's success is based on unadjusted grosses, mainly because historically this is the way it has always been done because of the practices of the film industry: the box-office receipts are compiled by theaters and relayed to the distributor, which in turn releases them to the media.<ref name="Bialik (2007)">{{cite news |last=Bialik |first=Carl |url=https://blogs.wsj.com/numbersguy/box-office-records-are-the-stuff-of-legend-240/ |title=Box-Office Records Are the Stuff of 'Legend' |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |date=December 17, 2007 |access-date=August 10, 2011 |archive-date=October 29, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029224731/http://blogs.wsj.com/numbersguy/box-office-records-are-the-stuff-of-legend-240/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Converting to a more representative system that counts ticket sales rather than gross is also fraught with problems because the only data available for older films are the sale totals.<ref name="Bialik (2010-1-30)" /> As the motion picture industry is highly oriented towards marketing currently released films, unadjusted figures are always used in marketing campaigns so that new blockbuster films can much more easily achieve a high sales ranking, and thus be promoted as a "top film of all time",<ref name="LLU (2004)" /><ref name="Leonhardt">{{cite news |last=Leonhardt |first=David |title=Why 'Avatar' Is Not the Top-Grossing Film |date=March 1, 2010 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/01/why-avatar-is-not-the-top-grossing-film |access-date=April 7, 2013 |archive-date=October 16, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211016144720/https://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/03/01/why-avatar-is-not-the-top-grossing-film/ |url-status=live }}</ref> so there is little incentive to switch to a more robust analysis from a marketing or even newsworthy point of view.<ref name="Bialik (2007)" />

Despite the inherent difficulties in accounting for inflation, several attempts have been made. Estimates depend on the [[price index]] used to adjust the grosses,<ref name="Leonhardt" /> and the [[exchange rate]]s used to convert between currencies can also affect the calculations, both of which can have an effect on the ultimate rankings of an inflation adjusted list. ''Gone with the Wind''—first released in 1939—is generally considered to be the most successful film, with ''[[Guinness World Records]]'' in 2014 estimating its adjusted global gross at $3.4&nbsp;billion. Estimates for ''Gone with the Wind''{{'}}s adjusted gross have varied substantially: its owner, [[Turner Entertainment]], estimated its adjusted earnings at $3.3&nbsp;billion in 2007, a few years earlier than the ''Guinness'' estimate;<ref name="gwtw tcm" /> other estimates fall either side of this amount, with one putting its gross just under $3&nbsp;billion in 2010,<ref name="Shone">{{Cite news |first=Tom |last=Shone |author-link=Tom Shone |title=Oscars 2010: How James Cameron took on the world |website=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |date=February 3, 2010 |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/oscars/7144424/Oscars-2010-How-James-Cameron-took-on-the-world.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220110/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/oscars/7144424/Oscars-2010-How-James-Cameron-took-on-the-world.html |archive-date=January 10, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |access-date=March 22, 2012}}{{cbignore}}</ref> while another provided an alternative figure of $3.8&nbsp;billion in 2006.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hill |first=George F. |title=Gone With The Wind, Indeed |date=June 25, 2006 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/23/AR2006062301502.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181227233419/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/06/23/AR2006062301502.html |archive-date=December 27, 2018}}</ref> Which film is ''Gone with the Wind''{{'}}s nearest rival depends on the set of figures used: ''Guinness'' had ''Avatar'' in second place with $3&nbsp;billion, while other estimates saw ''Titanic'' in the runner-up spot with first-run worldwide earnings of almost $2.9&nbsp;billion at 2010 prices.<ref name="Shone" />

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="margin:auto; margin:auto;"
|+{{nowrap|Highest-grossing films {{As of|2023|lc=y}} adjusted for inflation<ref name="Guinness 2015">{{cite book |title=Guinness World Records |edition=2015 |year=2014 |volume=60 |isbn=978-1-908843-70-8 |pages=160–161 |publisher=Guinness World Records}}</ref>}}{{ref label|Inflation|Inf}}
! scope="col" | Rank
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" data-sort-type="currency" | {{longitem|Worldwide gross<br />{{small|(2023 $)}}}}
! scope="col" | Year
|-
| 1
! scope="row" | ''[[Gone with the Wind (film)|Gone with the Wind]]''
| style="text-align:right;" | {{ref |GWTW|GW}}${{formatnum:{{#expr:(<!--2013-->3440000000<!--2014-->*1.007<!--2015-->*1.005<!--2016-->*1.015<!--2017-->*1.017<!--2018-->*1.016<!--2019-->*1.015+2176120)<!--2020-->*1.005<!--2021-->*1.053<!--2022-->*1.073<!--2023-->*1.031 round -6}}}}
| style="text-align:center;" | 1939
|-
| 2
! scope="row" | ''[[Avatar (2009 film)|Avatar]]''
| style="text-align:right;" | {{ref |Avatar|A1}}${{formatnum:{{#expr:((<!--2013-->3020000000<!--2014-->*1.007<!--2015-->*1.005<!--2016-->*1.015<!--2017-->*1.017<!--2018-->*1.017<!--2019-->*1.015<!--2020-->*1.005<!--2021-->*1.053+1281204+57995770)<!--2022-->*1.073+76012917)<!--2023-->*1.031 round -6}}}}
| style="text-align:center;" | 2009
|-
| 3
! scope="row" | ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]''
| style="text-align:right;" | <span style="display:none">$2,516,000,000</span>{{ref |Titanic|T}}${{formatnum:{{#expr:(<!--2013-->2516000000+<!--2012 REISSUE-->57884114+285666656)<!--2014-->*1.007<!--2015-->*1.005<!--2016-->*1.015<!--2017-->*1.017<!--2018-->*1.016<!--2019-->*1.015<!--2020-->*1.005<!--2021-->*1.053<!--2022-->*1.073<!--2023-->*1.031+691642+78741+70157472 round -6}}}}
| style="text-align:center;" | 1997
|-
| 4
! scope="row" | ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]''
| style="text-align:right;" | ${{formatnum:{{#expr:<!--2013-->2825000000<!--2014-->*1.007<!--2015-->*1.005<!--2016-->*1.015<!--2017-->*1.017<!--2018-->*1.016<!--2019-->*1.015<!--2020-->*1.005<!--2021-->*1.053<!--2022-->*1.073<!--2023-->*1.031 round -6}}}}
| style="text-align:center;" | 1977
|-
| 5
! scope="row" | ''[[Avengers: Endgame]]''
| style="text-align:right;" | {{ref |Avengers Endgame|AE}}${{formatnum:{{#expr:<!--2019-->2797501328<!--2020-->*1.005<!--2021-->*1.053<!--2022-->*1.073<!--2023-->*1.031 round-6}}}}
| style="text-align:center;" | 2019
|-
| 6
! scope="row" | ''[[The Sound of Music (film)|The Sound of Music]]''
| style="text-align:right;" | ${{formatnum:{{#expr:<!--2013-->2366000000<!--2014-->*1.007<!--2015-->*1.005<!--2016-->*1.015<!--2017-->*1.017<!--2018-->*1.016<!--2019-->*1.015<!--2020-->*1.005<!--2021-->*1.053<!--2022-->*1.073<!--2023-->*1.031 round -6}}}}
| style="text-align:center;" | 1965
|-
| 7
! scope="row" | ''[[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial]]''
| style="text-align:right;" | {{ref |ET|ET}}${{formatnum:{{#expr:(<!--2013-->2310000000<!--2014-->*1.007<!--2015-->*1.005<!--2016-->*1.015<!--2017-->*1.017<!--2018-->*1.016<!--2019-->*1.015<!--2020-->*1.005<!--2021-->*1.053<!--2022-->*1.073+516969+2834590)<!--2023-->*1.031 round -6}}}}
| style="text-align:center;" | 1982
|-
| 8
! scope="row" | ''[[The Ten Commandments (1956 film)|The Ten Commandments]]''
| style="text-align:right;" | ${{formatnum:{{#expr:<!--2013-->2187000000<!--2014-->*1.007<!--2015-->*1.005<!--2016-->*1.015<!--2017-->*1.017<!--2018-->*1.016<!--2019-->*1.015<!--2020-->*1.005<!--2021-->*1.053<!--2022-->*1.073<!--2023-->*1.031 round -6}}}}
| style="text-align:center;" | 1956
|-
| 9
! scope="row" | ''[[Doctor Zhivago (film)|Doctor Zhivago]]''
| style="text-align:right;" | ${{formatnum:{{#expr:<!--2013-->2073000000<!--2014-->*1.007<!--2015-->*1.005<!--2016-->*1.015<!--2017-->*1.017<!--2018-->*1.016<!--2019-->*1.015<!--2020-->*1.005<!--2021-->*1.053<!--2022-->*1.073<!--2023-->*1.031 round -6}}}}
| style="text-align:center;" | 1965
|-
| 10
! scope="row" | ''[[Star Wars: The Force Awakens]]''
| style="text-align:right;" | {{ref |The Force Awakens|TFA}}${{formatnum:{{#expr:<!--2015-->2068223624<!--2016-->*1.015<!--2017-->*1.017<!--2018-->*1.016<!--2019-->*1.015<!--2020-->*1.005<!--2021-->*1.053<!--2022-->*1.073<!--2023-->*1.031 round -6}}}}
| style="text-align:center;" | 2015
|}

{{Refbegin}}
{{note label|Inflation|Inf||Inflation adjustment is carried out using the [[Consumer price index]] for advanced economies published by the [[International Monetary Fund]].<ref>{{cite web |title=World Economic Outlook: Inflation rate, end of period consumer prices |publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]] |url=https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/PCPIEPCH@WEO/ADVEC |access-date=June 16, 2024 |archive-date=May 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510074943/https://www.imf.org/external/datamapper/PCPIEPCH@WEO/ADVEC |url-status=live }}</ref> The index is uniformly applied to the grosses in the chart published by ''Guinness World Records'' in 2014, beginning with the 2014 index. The figures in the above chart take into account inflation that has occurred in every year since then, through 2023.}}

{{note label|GWTW|GW||The adjusted gross for ''Gone with the Wind'' includes the original release and reissue grosses up to 1998, adjusted from the Guinness base year, and the 2019 gross<ref>{{cite web |title=Gone with the Wind (2019 Re-release) |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr2689159685/ |access-date=June 16, 2024 |quote=Gross: $2,176,120}}</ref> adjusted from the 2020 index. There have been several limited re-releases in the 2020s, but the grosses from these reissues are not represented in the adjusted gross.}}

{{note label|Avatar|A1||The adjusted gross for ''Avatar'' includes revenue from the original release and all four reissues. The original release and 2010 Special Edition grosses are adjusted from the Guinness base year, whilst the 2020 and 2021 grosses are adjusted from the 2021 index and the 2022 gross from 2022.<ref>{{cite web |title=Avatar (2009) |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0499549/ |access-date=September 10, 2022 |quote=2020 Re-release: $1,281,204; 2021 Re-release: $57,995,770; 2022 Re-release: $76,012,917 |archive-date=May 3, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503004225/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0499549/ |url-status=live }}</ref>}}

{{note label|Titanic-b|T||''Guinness''{{'}} adjusted total for ''Titanic'' only increased by $102,000,000 between the 2012 (published in 2011) and 2015 editions, a rise of 4.2% shared by the other adjusted totals in the chart, and omitted the gross from a 3D re-release in 2012.<ref name="Guinness 2015" /><ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Glenday|editor-first=Craig|script-title=ru:Гиннесс. Мировые рекорды|trans-title=Guinness World Records |edition=2012 |year=2011 |publisher=[[Astrel]] |location=Moscow |isbn=978-5-271-36423-5 |page=211 |language=ru |translator-last=Andrianov |translator-first=P.I. |translator-last2=Palova |translator-first2=I.V.}}</ref> This chart incorporates the gross of $343,550,770 from the reissue and adjusts it from the 2013 index.<ref>{{cite web |title=Titanic 3D (2012) – International Box Office results |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=titanic3d.htm |access-date=November 25, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191027003338/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0120338/ |archive-date=October 27, 2019|quote=$343,550,770}}</ref> ''Titanic'' grossed a further ${{formatnum:{{#expr:691642+71352}}}} during limited re-releases in 2017 and 2020, and these have been incorporated into the gross from the 25th anniversary reissue and adjusted from the 2023 index.<ref>{{cite web |title=Titanic (1997) |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0120338/ |access-date=November 25, 2012 |quote=2017 Re-release: $691,642; 2020 Re-release: $71,352; 25 Year Anniversary: $70,157,472}}</ref>}}

{{note label|ET|ET||The adjusted gross for ''E.T.'' includes revenue from the original release and all re-releases. The original release along with the 1985 and 2002 reissues are adjusted from the Guinness base year, whilst the 2020 and 2022 grosses<ref>{{cite web |title=E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0083866/ |access-date=June 16, 2024 |quote=2020 Re-release: $516,969; 2022 Re-release: $2,834,590 }}</ref> are adjusted from the 2022 index.}}

{{note label|Avengers Endgame|AE||The gross for ''Avengers: Endgame'' is adjusted from the 2020 index.}}

{{note label|The Force Awakens|TFA||The gross for ''Star Wars: The Force Awakens'' is adjusted from the 2016 index.}}

{{Refend}}