Highest grossing movie ever???

[Vanyel]

When people claim that this movie made X dollars and is the highest grossing movie ever, then a couple of years later another movie makes more money and now it's the highest grossing movie ever they just used the money it brought in. Shouldn't the gross be adjusted for inflation. Like if movie "A" in 1985 made 1 billion dollars while movie "B" in 2013 made 1 billion and 1 dollars shouldn't movie "A" still beat movie "B" because of inflation?

So for the sake of honesty, shouldn't highest grossing be calculated and adjusted for inflation? Or is it all about bragging rights and assuming that people are dumb enough to realize that 30 years ago $1 bought more than it does today?

 

[Mister Fandango]

You mean something like this or this or this or the countless other pages on the Interweb that do exactly that?

That said, the reason the media says it is to promote or otherwise kiss the ass of whichever movie they're talking about.

 

[Vanyel]

You mean something like this or this or this or the countless other pages on the Interweb that do exactly that?

I'm quite aware of sites like those.

That said, the reason the media says it is to promote or otherwise kiss the ass of whichever movie they're talking about.

So bragging rights.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

If your studio owned the non-inflation adjusted highest grossing film of all time, wouldn't you market it as 'The highest grossing film of all time' to sell DVDs?

 

[CorporalClegg]

I've always been suspicious of just how accurate those "adjusted" totals were. Take Star Wars, Jaws, and E.T. for example. There is a pretty significant difference in each film's increase rate, yet they all came out in (roughly) the same era.

I mean did ticket prices really change that much between '75 and '82?

 

[Out Of My Vulcan Mind]

I mean did ticket prices really change that much between '75 and '82?

The overall inflation rate was very high in the 1970s, only coming under control in the early 1980s. That would have affected the price of movie tickets, too.

 

[Mister Fandango]

I've always been suspicious of just how accurate those "adjusted" totals were. Take Star Wars, Jaws, and E.T. for example. There is a pretty significant difference in each film's increase rate, yet they all came out in (roughly) the same era.

I mean did ticket prices really change that much between '75 and '82?

Inflation Calculator. Find out for yourself. Or are you going to assume the government has a vested interest in faking box office returns, too?

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Also some films get a boost from re-releases, so you have different multipliers for different parts of their gross.

 

[Snaploud]

I think the bigger problem is the inability to come up with an inflation-adjusted worldwide number. We only have an inflation-adjusted domestic number.

 

[Mister Fandango]

I think the bigger problem is the inability to come up with an inflation-adjusted worldwide number. We only have an inflation-adjusted domestic number.

Nope. Even Wikipedia has those numbers, as do numerous other sites.

 

[Snaploud]

I think the bigger problem is the inability to come up with an inflation-adjusted worldwide number. We only have an inflation-adjusted domestic number.

Nope. Even Wikipedia has those numbers, as do numerous other sites.

Interesting. Thanks for the link.

 

[Vanyel]

I think the bigger problem is the inability to come up with an inflation-adjusted worldwide number. We only have an inflation-adjusted domestic number.

Nope. Even Wikipedia has those numbers, as do numerous other sites.

Interesting. Thanks for the link.

Yes, thank you from me too. Very interesting read.

 

[Forbin]

IMHO number of tickets sold - asses in seats - might be a better gauge of a film's popularity. Never mind how much money it made; how many people went to see it?

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Yeah, tickets make more sense. Even if you adjust for inflation, that doesn't account for increase in ticket prices. How much a movie made is useful for only one group of people - those who need to decide whether to pay for making the next movie (OK, it's also pretty useful for those who are getting paid on this movie based on how much it made).

But it's really fans or critics who base a movie's value on how much it made that have inflated its worth to the point of pointlessness. Sure, it'll always be included in ads and stuff, but that's usually just noise that people can filter out.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

When people claim that this movie made X dollars and is the highest grossing movie ever, then a couple of years later another movie makes more money and now it's the highest grossing movie ever they just used the money it brought in.

Since 1997 (Titanic), what movie has been able to claim it was the highest grossing movie ever? I think you're seeing things that aren't really there.

Until Avatar came out, at least. Which, including inflation, is pretty remarkable when you think about it.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

Well, inflation hasn't been all that bad in the last ten years, to be fair.

 

[M'rk son of Mogh]

True, but nothing has beaten Titanic, inflation or not, so the point still stands that no movie has claimed "highest grossing ever" since then save for Avatar. Which makes this thread a little confusing to me in what it's specifically asking.

Only Cameron can beat himself it seems.

 

[Timelord79 (he/him)]

Both Avengers 2 and Star Wars VII will take a shot next...

 

[JirinPanthosa]

Of course the real highest grossing movie is still Gone With The Wind.

You could, of course, also argue that in 1939 movies stuck around in theaters longer, because we didn't have megaplexes and people had fewer options, so it was easier for a single film to sell more tickets. The same way no TV show is ever going to put up MASH numbers again. Though I don't know how you could come up with the math to adjust for that.

 

[Vanyel]

Yeah, tickets make more sense. Even if you adjust for inflation, that doesn't account for increase in ticket prices. How much a movie made is useful for only one group of people - those who need to decide whether to pay for making the next movie (OK, it's also pretty useful for those who are getting paid on this movie based on how much it made).

But it's really fans or critics who base a movie's value on how much it made that have inflated its worth to the point of pointlessness. Sure, it'll always be included in ads and stuff, but that's usually just noise that people can filter out.

Sorry to resurrect this thread, but ticket sales may not be the best way to determine anything either. There are more theaters now than in the 1930's. Multiplexes and huge IMAX theaters. Yes movies back in the 1930's were shown in theaters akin to a theater we'd be accustomed to seeing a play in. Even as early as the 1970's movies were released in what we would now call a limited release. So butts in seats would also unfairly favor new releases. Example The Hobbit movie is playing in about 6 theaters here and on multiple screens, with 5 showings a day.