Updated June '06
Note: Earnings are not adjusted for inflation. If they were Gone with the Wind (1939) would actually have the number one spot, with Star Wars (1977) coming in second. Titanic (1997) would still be up there, somewhere between number 3 and 6, depending on the source.

Rank Earnings $US Movie Title Released
1 $1835.4 Titanic 1997
2 $1129.2 The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King 2003
3 $975.8 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone 2001
4 $925.5 Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 1999
5 $924.7 The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers 2002
6 $920.1 Jurassic Park 1993
7 $880.9 Shrek 2 2004
8 $892.2 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 2005
9 $869.8 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring 2001
10 $866.4 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 2002
11 $865.0 Finding Nemo 2003
12 $848.4 Staw Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith 2005
13 $811.2 Independence Day 1996
14 $806.7 Spider-Man 2002
15 $798.0 Star Wars 1977
16 $789.5 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban 2004
17 $787.4 The Lion King 1994
18 $761.5 Spider-Man 2 2004
19 $756.7 E.T.: The Extra Terrestrial 1982
20 $738.8 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe 2005

This top 20 list has changed dramatically over the past few years, with movies between 2001-2005 wiping most of the other films off the top spots. Such blockbuster franchises like Spider-Man, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings have claimed a total of 9 places on the list. Return of the King has come closer than any other recent movie in challenging Titanic for the top spot, taking over 1 billion in box office earnings. However, it will be hard to top Titanic's unbelievable $US1.8 billion in earnings.

Analysis of the Top 20 for those who like lists and a breakdown of information:

Most films in Top 20 by franchise:
=1 Lord of the Rings, 3
=1 Harry Potter, 4
=1 Star Wars, 3
4 Spider-Man, 2

Most films in Top 20 by director:
=1 Peter Jackson, 3
=1 George Lucas, 3
=3 Steven Spielberg, 2
=3 Sam Raimi, 2
=3 Chris Columbus, 2

Most films in Top 20 by genre:
=1 Fantasy, 6
=1 Sci-Fi, 7
3 Action/Adventure, 4
4 Drama, 1
5 Comedy, 1
kids movies (overlaps), 9

Most films in Top 20 by decade:
1 2000's, 13
2 1990's, 5
=3 1980's, 1
=3 1970's, 1

This is a pretty trivial analysis, especially considering that due to inflation the list changes dramatically all the time and current movies continually replace old ones. At the moment though the trend is obviously in fantasy/sci-fi/comic book movies. Kids movies are also drawing huge audiences. Comedy, drama, and the good old action movie are not making the big bucks these days.



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