The real scoop on highest grossing movies

[Baak]

It's always annoyed me how movies keep posting year after year that they're "breaking box office records" but never take into account the effects of inflation on the actual value of the money as time goes by.

IMDB (an excellent site for general film info) FINALLY has a list of the Top 25 Grossing Films of all-time which DOES take into account inflation. I knew the original Star Wars movie was way up there, but several of the movies in the list surprised me. I was also surprised there were no Pixar movies in the list (and surprised how many Disney films there were). I was not surprised, however, when they said that only two of the top 25 of all time were from the past 15 years -- again showing how misleading it is when every new blockbuster that comes out is touted as "breaking all box-office records":

Check out the list here

[vinylrake]

Wow that's crazy how many disney movies are on that list (though the last film they made that's in the top 25 was made over 30 years ago). and wth is ghost busters doing on that list? campy fun sure, but one of the top 25 grossing films of all time?

Interesting that the ONLY sci-fi films on the list were the first three (released) Star Wars movies, and ET and not one of the second three SW file (released) were on the list. (No suprise, just noting)

ps. "The Jungle Book" should defintely have earned more than Pinocchio or Bambi. It's a much better film.

[sillek]

Newer disney/pixar/etc movies may not gross because of big @$$ TVs, DVDs, etc. People don't want to take their roaring clan of children to the movies. They'll sit at home watching the Disney/Pixar movie on their 9mile wide TV via DVD. A lot easier on parents than bringing kiddies to the theatre.

[Baak]

I thought it was interesting with the later SW movies too -- I was so disappointed with them and at the same time really irritated that they were touted as grossing more than the original, which was very misleading.

Ghost Busters didn't entirely surprise me, though the absence of other movies and the proliferation of Disney films sure did.

[The Elfoid_TFS]

No one else is surprised Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings didn't make it?

I thought it was interesting with the later SW movies too -- I was so disappointed with them and at the same time really irritated that they were touted as grossing more than the original, which was very misleading.

That's true, but you're older. Star Wars is aimed at kids, Lucas has always said that they're kids movies. You weren't the target audience.

I'll tell you something, the release of The Phantom Menace was an awesome time. Whether the movie lived up to expectations the sensation that you were seeing a NEW Star Wars movie was unbelievable. The tales of the debuts of previous films were flashing through the mind as it started. It felt like traveling to another time - when movies were real movies and hollywood blockbusters were hollywood blockbusters.

I was maybe 10 or 11? Old enough to astutely understand the plot and take it seriously but not enough to see its shortcomings. And young enough to find JarJar Binks funny (every kid did, just most of them no longer want to admit it). Looking back on that movie I still think the final lightsabre battle, the visuals on the space battles and the Pod Race are incredible. Seeing something like that as a kid was mind blowing.

It's not fashionable to say you liked Phantom Menace. It really isn't. But a lot of people my age did. The movie did what it was meant to both in terms of quality and like I said, the hype...everyone had been told by their dad what it was like when Star Wars came out.

Where I was disappointed was Episode II. Lucas isn't the finest of directors but in a film that focuses on action (which he gets help on doing by fx guys), politics (dry but pretty simple to do passably really) and "Star Wars magic" (by which I mean cool environments, cool aliens, seeing old characters come back etc.) he did ok. The second one though was a love story, it sought to top the first one in the visuals so came off as phoney (Episode I didn't feel like it made much of a big deal about effects in comparison, it had a more organic feel to it). Episode III was an improvement but still not so great. Enjoyable movies for the young though, definitely. Just a shame it's not fashionable to admit it. I'm a bit older now, but the memories are in place.

[Frumius]

Thanks for your Phantom Menace perspective, Elfie. I think you hit the nail on the head -- we were too old for it to work to its potential.

When the "real" (heh) Star Wars Came out, in th summer of '77, I was 11 years old. My dad bought ticets early for its San Jose, California, premier showing. I got to see it on opening night, and I was blown away as you were for the Phantom Menace. The second round of Star Wars movies just couldn't match that for me..