As everyone here knows, Iron Man 3 became the latest film to join the billion dollar club at the worldwide box office. While more films are now joining the billion dollar club, no other movie has come close to Avatar's incredible box office total of over $2.7 billion, despite the help of 3D and/or Imax surcharges that Avatar helped to make more common, along with slightly higher ticket prices. Of course, one very important thing that helped Avatar reach that box office amount was the brilliant advertising that really made it "an event movie" that convinced people that normally don't see movies in a theater go to see this movie, if only to see what all the buzz was about. Will any other movie be able to capture some of that same enthusiasm that made Avatar such a success at the box office, and convince people that they need to see it at the big screen and not wait for it to be released on Blu-ray or DVD? Thanks to anyone that replies.

Yes. Ticket prices keep going up.

Avatar 2.

Avatar isn't even a twinkle in Gone with the Wind's eye.

plus the world's population keeps growing = $$$

Good points and I agree.

A very good point, and I guess I should have clarified that I meant only unadjusted box office results.

Interesting choice, and I guess it might, though I wonder if it will have quite the same "event status" that the first movie had.

Not Avatar 2. But probably something that the big JC makes.

Titanic 2

I can see it now. Picks up where the first one left off. Ghost story. Murdoch is a demon.

Someone tell me where James Cameron is eating tonight. I can pitch him the idea while he's taking a dump.

It isn't even an accomplishment anymore. Most of the movies in that club came out this decade.

If you adjust for inflation? I'd love to see full adjusted for inflation figures for everything to find out where everything really falls.

This. Cameron, like Michael Bay, somehow has the whole world hypnotized.

I'm not a Cameron fanboy or anything but Michael Bay isn't even in the same class.

The eventual Matrix Reboot...just you wait.

As big a narcissist as he is, those initials are actually quite fitting.

I most certainly agree with this. But judging by his massive popular success, I'm clearly in the minority.

Actually, Avatar would only be a little more than $500 million behind.

Titanic Avatar Avengers. The Marvel superheroes and whatever those blue people from Avatar are called, team up to go back in time to prevent the Titanic from sinking.

Yes. The remake of Bloodsport.

Domestically I see Avatar being beat in the next few years, I don't see it being topped Worldwide for a little while.

I tend to agree with this. The global marketplace can push any mega hit - regardless of quality - into the billions. With international grosses continuing to accountg for more and more of a film's business, more movies will occupy those top spots. Movies that will likely never be as memorable as the ones that claimed those top spots when it was truly something special.

Whenever they make a movie with Batman and Superman in it together. If that shitty Avengers movie can make as much money as it did, I have to imagine a Superman/Batman movie should make much more.

I still don't get how Avengers was so popular.

I'm sure James Cameron will continue to break his own records.


Not adjusting for inflation is interesting, but it was a different game in Gone With the Wind's time. If you wanted to see it again, you had to go back to the theater. You couldn't wait for the DVD. Likewise because that was the only source to see a movie, the movie would have a much much longer theatrical run.

Still I think DVD sales should count towards a movie's overall revenue. I bought Jaws on Blu-Ray a couple months back. I'd bought on DVD a few years ago as well. I wasn't even alive when the movie came out, and I've thrown about 4x the price of a movie ticket at it. Why doesn't that count as additional revenue?

domestic only - adjusted for inflation


Rank Title (click to view) Studio Adjusted Gross Unadjusted Gross Year^
1 Gone with the Wind MGM $1,604,234,300 $198,676,459 1939^
2 Star Wars Fox $1,414,269,600 $460,998,007 1977^
3 The Sound of Music Fox $1,130,778,100 $158,671,368 1965
4 E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial Uni. $1,126,323,400 $435,110,554 1982^
5 Titanic Par. $1,075,667,300 $658,672,302 1997^