Greatest Films

 The "Greatest" and the "Best" in Cinematic History
www.filmsite.org & www.greatestfilms.org


ALL-TIME USA TOP 100
BOX OFFICE FILMS


Introduction: Rankings of American/Hollywood (Domestic) Box-Office Blockbusters have been compiled from various recent sources. The rankings are based upon domestic theatrical box office receipts (including some theatrical re-release receipts) and do not include video rentals, TV rights, international box office figures, or other revenues.

Note: A few other sites post all-time box-office information, including the Internet Movie DataBase, Boxofficereport.com, The-Movie-Times.com, Boxofficemojo.com, and Movieweb.com.

The Two Lists:

  • The Unadjusted (for inflation) list of domestic box-office champs is top heavy with recent films. Rankings may change daily with every new blockbuster release. There are few films that are classics or films from Hollywood's Golden Era in this list. Top-grossing, financially-successful films often rate lower in artistic achievement. Blockbusters, special effects wonders, films with sequels and expensive campaign and publicity ads fill many of the positions. (Notice that there are very few pre-1980 films in the unadjusted list.)
  • The Adjusted (for inflation) list of domestic box-office champs - with rankings that don't vary much from month to month (and therefore is not updated as regularly) - takes into account inflationary factors such as ticket prices and any re-issues or re-releases, and is more reflective of a film's actual appeal. [It is inflation-adjusted to the 2008 average ticket price of $6.88. Most pre-1980 pictures achieved their totals through multiple releases.] The escalating price of theatre tickets would otherwise bias a list of all-time blockbuster films to recent releases.

The 100 Greatest Films that have been selected at this site are identified throughout by a yellow star .

The Decade's All-Time US Box Office Hits of the most popular films (for each of the decades from the Pre-Sound Era to the decade of the 1990s) have also been compiled from various sources. See also Greatest Box-Office Bombs, Disasters, and Flops.

BOX-OFFICE
TOP 100 U.S. FILMS
Unadjusted and Adjusted
(through to early October, 2008)

TOP 100 AMERICAN FILMS
(Unadjusted)

  1. Titanic (1997)
  2. The Dark Knight (2008)
  3. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
  4. Shrek 2 (2004)
  5. E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
  6. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
  7. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
  8. Spider-Man (2002)
  9. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
  10. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
  11. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
  12. The Passion of the Christ (2004)
  13. Jurassic Park (1993)
  14. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
  15. Finding Nemo (2003)
  16. Spider-Man 3 (2007)
  17. Forrest Gump (1994)
  18. The Lion King (1994)
  19. Shrek the Third (2007)
  20. Transformers (2007)
  21. Iron Man (2008)
  22. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
  23. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
  24. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
  25. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
  26. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
  27. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
  28. Independence Day (1996)
  29. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
  30. The Sixth Sense (1999)
  31. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2007)
  32. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005)
  33. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
  34. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005)
  35. Home Alone (1990)
  36. The Matrix Reloaded (2003)
  37. Meet the Fockers (2004)
  38. Shrek (2001)
  39. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
  40. The Incredibles (2004)
  41. Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
  42. Jaws (1975)
  43. I Am Legend (2007)
  44. Monsters, Inc. (2001)
  45. Batman (1989)
  46. Night at the Museum (2006)
  47. Men in Black (1997)
  48. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004)
  49. Toy Story 2 (1999)
  50. Cars (2006)
  51. Bruce Almighty (2003)
  52. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
  53. Twister (1996)
  54. My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)
  55. Ghostbusters (1984)
  56. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
  57. X-Men: The Last Stand (2006)
  58. War of the Worlds (2005)
  59. Cast Away (2000)
  60. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
  61. Signs (2002)
  62. Hancock (2008)
  63. The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
  64. Rush Hour 2 (2001)
  65. WALL·E (2008)
  66. National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007)
  67. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
  68. King Kong (2005)
  69. Ghost (1990)
  70. The Da Vinci Code (2006)
  71. Aladdin (1992)
  72. Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007)
  73. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
  74. Mission: Impossible 2 (2000)
  75. Kung Fu Panda (2008)
  76. X2: X-Men United (2003)
  77. Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
  78. Back to the Future (1985)
  79. 300 (2006)
  80. Wedding Crashers (2005)
  81. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
  82. Ratatouille (2007)
  83. Austin Powers 2: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
  84. Batman Begins (2005)
  85. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
  86. The Exorcist (1973)
  87. The Mummy Returns (2001)
  88. Armageddon (1998)
  89. Superman Returns (2006)
  90. Gone With the Wind (1939)
  91. Pearl Harbor (2001)
  92. Happy Feet (2006)
  93. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
  94. Ice Age: The Meltdown (2006)
  95. Madagascar (2005)
  96. Toy Story (1995)
  97. Men in Black II (2002)
  98. Gladiator (2000)
  99. The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
  100. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

TOP 100 AMERICAN FILMS
(Adjusted)

  1. Gone With the Wind (1939)
  2. Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (1977)
  3. The Sound of Music (1965)
  4. E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
  5. The Ten Commandments (1956)
  6. Titanic (1997)
  7. Jaws (1975)
  8. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
  9. The Exorcist (1973)
  10. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
  11. 101 Dalmatians (1961)
  12. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
  13. Ben-Hur (1959)
  14. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
  15. The Sting (1973)
  16. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
  17. Jurassic Park (1993)
  18. The Graduate (1967)
  19. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
  20. Fantasia (1940)
  21. The Godfather (1972)
  22. Forrest Gump (1994)
  23. Mary Poppins (1964)
  24. The Lion King (1994)
  25. Grease (1978)
  26. Thunderball (1965)
  27. The Jungle Book (1967)
  28. Sleeping Beauty (1959)
  29. Shrek 2 (2004)
  30. Ghostbusters (1984)
  31. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
  32. Love Story (1970)
  33. Spider-Man (2002)
  34. Independence Day (1996)
  35. Home Alone (1990)
  36. Pinocchio (1940)
  37. Cleopatra (1963)
  38. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
  39. The Dark Knight (2008)
  40. Goldfinger (1964)
  41. Airport (1970)
  42. American Graffiti (1973)
  43. The Robe (1953)
  44. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
  45. Around the World in 80 Days (1956)
  46. Bambi (1942)
  47. Blazing Saddles (1974)
  48. Batman (1989)
  49. The Bells of St. Mary's (1945)
  50. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
  51. The Towering Inferno (1974)
  52. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
  53. My Fair Lady (1964)
  54. The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
  55. National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)
  56. The Passion of the Christ (2004)
  57. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
  58. Back to the Future (1985)
  59. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
  60. The Sixth Sense (1999)
  61. Superman (1978)
  62. Tootsie (1982)
  63. Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
  64. Finding Nemo (2003)
  65. West Side Story (1961)
  66. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
  67. Lady and the Tramp (1955)
  68. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977/1980)
  69. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
  70. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
  71. Rocky (1976)
  72. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
  73. The Poseidon Adventure (1972)
  74. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
  75. Twister (1996)
  76. Men in Black (1997)
  77. The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957)
  78. It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)
  79. Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
  80. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
  81. M*A*S*H (1970)
  82. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
  83. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
  84. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
  85. Aladdin (1992)
  86. Ghost (1990)
  87. Duel in the Sun (1946)
  88. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
  89. House of Wax (1953)
  90. Rear Window (1954)
  91. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
  92. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
  93. Spider-Man 3 (2007)
  94. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
  95. Sergeant York (1941)
  96. Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
  97. Toy Story 2 (1999)
  98. Top Gun (1986)
  99. Shrek (2001)
  100. Shrek the Third (2007)

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Created in 1996-2008 © by Tim Dirks. All rights reserved.