Top 46 Grossing Films from 1980-2010
I started by wanting to do a list of the top grossing films of my lifetime (1978-) but then decided it would be easier, with the dawn of a new decade, to list the Top 46 Grossing Films from 1980-2010 instead.
The amounts are adjusted for inflation because an even playing field is essential – in my opinion – to see which film made Americans get out of their house and down to the local theater to check it out.
| Rank | Title (click to view) | Studio | Adjusted Gross | Unadjusted Gross | Year^ |
| 1 | E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial | Uni. | $1,042,629,400 | $435,110,554 | 1982^ |
| 2 | Titanic | Par. | $943,342,300 | $600,788,188 | 1997 |
| 3 | The Empire Strikes Back | Fox | $721,627,700 | $290,475,067 | 1980^ |
| 4 | Return of the Jedi | Fox | $691,336,700 | $309,306,177 | 1983^ |
| 5 | Raiders of the Lost Ark | Par. | $647,842,600 | $242,374,454 | 1981^ |
| 6 | Jurassic Park | Uni. | $633,612,900 | $357,067,947 | 1993 |
| 7 | Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace | Fox | $623,469,700 | $431,088,301 | 1999 |
| 8 | Forrest Gump | Par. | $577,310,300 | $329,694,499 | 1994 |
| 9 | The Lion King | BV | $567,653,700 | $328,541,776 | 1994^ |
| 10 | The Dark Knight | WB | $545,973,300 | $533,345,358 | 2008 |
| 11 | Shrek 2 | DW | $522,224,300 | $441,226,247 | 2004 |
| 12 | Ghostbusters | Col. | $519,870,000 | $238,632,124 | 1984^ |
| 13 | Avatar | Fox | $511,782,300 | $505,067,000 | 2009 |
| 14 | Spider-Man | Sony | $510,712,900 | $403,706,375 | 2002 |
| 15 | Independence Day | Fox | $509,126,200 | $306,169,268 | 1996 |
| 16 | Home Alone | Fox | $497,846,400 | $285,761,243 | 1990 |
| 17 | Beverly Hills Cop | Par. | $493,552,600 | $234,760,478 | 1984 |
| 18 | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest | BV | $475,018,500 | $423,315,812 | 2006 |
| 19 | Batman | WB | $462,716,400 | $251,188,924 | 1989 |
| 20 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King | NL | $452,305,300 | $377,027,325 | 2003 |
| 21 | Spider-Man 2 | Sony | $442,166,800 | $373,585,825 | 2004 |
| 22 | The Passion of the Christ | NM | $438,830,600 | $370,782,930 | 2004^ |
| 23 | Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith | Fox | $436,035,700 | $380,270,577 | 2005 |
| 24 | Back to the Future | Uni. | $434,022,300 | $210,609,762 | 1985 |
| 25 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers | NL | $423,583,600 | $341,786,758 | 2002^ |
| 26 | The Sixth Sense | BV | $423,206,600 | $293,506,292 | 1999 |
| 27 | Tootsie | Col. | $418,244,000 | $177,200,000 | 1982 |
| 28 | Finding Nemo | BV | $414,080,400 | $339,714,978 | 2003 |
| 29 | Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | P/DW | $411,632,600 | $402,111,870 | 2009 |
| 30 | Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone | WB | $410,960,400 | $317,575,550 | 2001 |
| 31 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring | NL | $402,073,800 | $314,776,170 | 2001^ |
| 32 | Twister | WB | $401,957,700 | $241,721,524 | 1996 |
| 33 | Men in Black | Sony | $401,432,600 | $250,690,539 | 1997 |
| 34 | Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom | Par. | $393,466,200 | $179,870,271 | 1984 |
| 35 | Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones | Fox | $392,993,300 | $310,676,740 | 2002^ |
| 36 | Mrs. Doubtfire | Fox | $387,230,200 | $219,195,243 | 1993 |
| 37 | Aladdin | BV | $385,451,300 | $217,350,219 | 1992 |
| 38 | Ghost | Par. | $378,269,400 | $217,631,306 | 1990 |
| 39 | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl | BV | $372,269,400 | $305,413,918 | 2003 |
| 40 | The Lost World: Jurassic Park | Uni. | $366,838,100 | $229,086,679 | 1997 |
| 41 | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade | Par. | $363,211,200 | $197,171,806 | 1989 |
| 42 | Spider-Man 3 | Sony | $359,520,000 | $336,530,303 | 2007 |
| 43 | Terminator 2: Judgment Day | TriS | $357,624,400 | $204,843,345 | 1991 |
| 44 | How the Grinch Stole Christmas | Uni. | $353,585,200 | $260,044,825 | 2000 |
| 45 | Toy Story 2 | BV | $351,598,400 | $245,852,179 | 1999^ |
| 46 | Top Gun | Par. | $350,237,800 | $176,786,701 | 1986 |
^indicates first year of release. Film released multiple times over the years.
Avatar (#13) will climb several spots on this list before it leaves theaters and very likely will end up among the Top 5 releases of the past thirty years.
What is your favorite film from this list? How many of these films have you seen? If I counted right…I have seen 31 of the 46.
[source: Box Office Mojo]
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I’ve seen all of the movies except for Tootsie, and I have probably seen parts of it in passing. Almost all of them, I have seen several times. My birthday is in 1977, I think the year that Star Wars IV came out, I wonder where that would be on the list.
These numbers are domestic based. Avatar has also reach the #2 spot worldwide, all time.