Note that this listing is adjusted for inflation, to smooth out differences in ticket prices and other factors between years. By adjusting for inflation, this list better reflects the relative appeal of various movies across time. [More about this.]
Source of ranked list, as of June 2005: Tim Dirks, "All-Time USA Box Office Leaders", on "The Greatest Films" website (http://www.filmsite.org/boxoffice.html; viewed 5 October 2005)
| Rank | Film (Year) | Director | Religious Affiliation of Director | Producers | Religious Affiliation of Producers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gone With the Wind (1939) | Victor Fleming | Christianity | David O. Selznick | Jewish |
| 2 | Star Wars (1977) | George Lucas | Buddhist Methodist | Gary Kurtz | Latter-day Saint |
| 3 | The Sound of Music (1965) | Robert Wise | Robert Wise | ||
| 4 | E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) | Steven Spielberg | Judaism | Kathleen Kennedy Steven Spielberg | ? Judaism |
| 5 | The Ten Commandments (1956) | Cecil B. DeMille | Episcopalian | Cecil B. DeMille | Episcopalian |
| 6 | Titanic (1997) | James Cameron | vaguely Protestant background | James Cameron Jon Landau | vaguely Protestant background ? |
| 7 | Jaws (1975) | Steven Spielberg | Judaism | David Brown Richard D. Zanuck | |
| 8 | Doctor Zhivago (1965) | David Lean | Quaker | Carlo Ponti David Lean | ? Quaker |
| 9 | The Exorcist (1973) | William Friedkin | Jewish | William Peter Blatty | Catholic |
| 10 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) | David Hand | Walt Disney | Congregationalist | |
| 11 | One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) | Clyde Geronimi Hamilton Luske Wolfgang Reitherman | Walt Disney | Congregationalist | |
| 12 | The Empire Strikes Back (1980) | Irvin Kershner | Jewish Buddhist | Gary Kurtz | Latter-day Saint Buddhist Methodist |
| 13 | Ben-Hur (1959) | William Wyler | Jewish | Sam Zimbalist | |
| 14 | Return of the Jedi (1983) | Richard Marquand | Howard G. Kazanjian | ? Buddhist Methodist | |
| 15 | The Sting (1973) | George Roy Hill | Tony Bill Julia Phillips Michael Phillips | ||
| 16 | Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) | Steven Spielberg | Judaism | Frank Marshall George Lucas | ? |
| 17 | Jurassic Park (1993) | Steven Spielberg | Judaism | Kathleen Kennedy Gerald R. Molen | ? Latter-day Saint |
| 18 | The Graduate (1967) | Mike Nichols | Jewish | Lawrence Turman | |
| 19 | Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999) | George Lucas | Buddhist Methodist | Rick McCallum | |
| 20 | Fantasia (1940) | Joe Grant Dick Huemer | Walt Disney Ben Sharpsteen | Congregationalist ? | |
| 21 | The Godfather (1972) | Francis Ford Coppola | Catholic (non-practicing) | Albert S. Ruddy | |
| 22 | Forrest Gump (1994) | Robert Zemeckis | Jewish | Wendy Finerman Steve Starkey Steve Tisch | |
| 23 | Mary Poppins (1964) | Robert Stevenson | Walt Disney | Congregationalist | |
| 24 | The Lion King (1994) | Roger Allers Rob Minkoff | Don Hahn | Lutheran | |
| 25 | Grease (1978) | Randal Kleiser | Allan Carr Robert Stigwood | ||
| 26 | Thunderball (1965) | Terence Young | Kevin McClory | Catholic | |
| 27 | The Jungle Book (1967) | Wolfgang Reitherman | Walt Disney | Congregationalist | |
| 28 | Sleeping Beauty (1959) | Clyde Geronimi | Walt Disney | Congregationalist | |
| 29 | Shrek 2 (2004) | Andrew Adamson Kelly Asbury Conrad Vernon | David Lipman Aron Warner John H. Williams | ||
| 30 | Ghost Busters (1984) | Ivan Reitman | Jewish | Ivan Reitman | Jewish |
| 31 | Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969) | George Roy Hill | John Foreman | ||
| 32 | Love Story (1970) | Arthur Hiller | Jewish | Howard G. Minsky | |
| 33 | Spider-Man (2002) | Sam Raimi | Jewish | Ian Bryce Laura Ziskin | |
| 34 | Independence Day (1996) | Roland Emmerich | Dean Devlin | ||
| 35 | Home Alone (1990) | Chris Columbus | Catholic | John Hughes | |
| 36 | Pinocchio (1940) | Hamilton Luske, Ben Sharpsteen | Walt Disney | Congregationalist | |
| 37 | Cleopatra (1963) | Joseph L. Mankiewicz | Jewish parents; atheist father | Walter Wanger | |
| 38 | Beverly Hills Cop (1984) | Martin Brest | Jerry Bruckheimer Don Simpson | Jewish ? | |
| 39 | Goldfinger (1964) | Guy Hamilton | Albert R. Broccoli Harry Saltzman | Catholic ? | |
| 40 | Airport (1970) | George Seaton | Ross Hunter | ||
| 41 | American Graffiti (1973) | George Lucas | Buddhist Methodist | Gary Kurtz | Latter-day Saint |
| 42 | The Robe (1953) | Henry Koster | Jewish | Frank Ross | |
| 43 | Around the World in Eighty Days (1956) | Michael Anderson | Mike Todd | Judaism | |
| 44 | Bambi (1942) | David Hand | Walt Disney | Congregationalist | |
| 45 | Blazing Saddles (1974) | Mel Brooks | Jewish | Michael Hertzberg | |
| 46 | Batman (1989) | Tim Burton | non-churchgoing Protestant background | Peter Guber Jon Peters | |
| 47 | The Bells of St. Mary's (1945) | Leo McCarey | Catholic | Leo McCarey | Catholic |
| 48 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) | Peter Jackson | Barrie M. Osborne Peter Jackson Fran Walsh | ||
| 49 | The Towering Inferno (1974) | John Guillermin Irwin Allen | ? Jewish | Irwin Allen | Jewish |
| 50 | Spider-Man 2 (2004) | Sam Raimi | Jewish | Avi Arad Laura Ziskin | |
| 51 | My Fair Lady (1964) | George Cukor | Jewish | Jack L. Warner | Jewish |
| 52 | The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) | Cecil B. DeMille | Episcopalian | Cecil B. DeMille | Episcopalian |
| 53 | National Lampoon's Animal House (1978) | John Landis | Jewish | Ivan Reitman Matty Simmons | Jewish ? |
| 54 | The Passion of the Christ (2004) | Mel Gibson | traditionalist Catholic | Bruce Davey Mel Gibson Stephen McEveety | ? traditionalist Catholic ? |
| 55 | Back to the Future (1985) | Robert Zemeckis | Jewish | Neil Canton Bob Gale | |
| 56 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) | Peter Jackson | Barrie M. Osborne Peter Jackson Fran Walsh | ||
| 57 | The Sixth Sense (1999) | M. Night Shyamalan | Hinduism | Kathleen Kennedy Frank Marshall Barry Mendel | |
| 58 | Superman (1978) | Richard Donner | Alexander Salkind Pierre Spengler | ||
| 59 | Tootsie (1982) | Sydney Pollack | Jewish | Sydney Pollack Dick Richards | Jewish ? |
| 60 | Smokey and the Bandit (1977) | Hal Needham | Mort Engelberg | ||
| 61 | Finding Nemo (2003) | Andrew Stanton Lee Unkrich | Graham Walters | ||
| 62 | West Side Story (1961) | Robert Wise Jerome Robbins | Jewish | Robert Wise | |
| 63 | Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001) | Chris Columbus | Catholic | David Heyman | |
| 64 | Lady and the Tramp (1955) | Clyde Geronimi Wilfred Jackson Hamilton Luske | Walt Disney | Congregationalist | |
| 65 | Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) | Steven Spielberg | Judaism | Julia Phillips Michael Phillips | |
| 66 | Lawrence of Arabia (1962) | David Lean | Quaker | Sam Spiegel | |
| 67 | The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) | Jim Sharman | Michael White | ||
| 68 | Rocky (1976) | John Avildsen | Robert Chartoff Irwin Winkler | ||
| 69 | The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) | William Wyler | Jewish | Samuel Goldwyn | Jewish |
| 70 | The Poseidon Adventure (1972) | Ronald Neame | Irwin Allen | Jewish | |
| 71 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) | Peter Jackson | Barrie M. Osborne Peter Jackson Fran Walsh | ||
| 72 | Twister (1996) | Jan de Bont | Catholic | Ian Bryce Michael Crichton Kathleen Kennedy Gerald R. Molen | ? believes in God ? Latter-day Saint |
| 73 | Men in Black (1997) | Barry Sonnenfeld | Jewish | Laurie MacDonald Walter F. Parkes | |
| 74 | The Bridge On The River Kwai (1957) | David Lean | Quaker | Sam Spiegel | |
| 75 | It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) | Stanley Kramer | Jewish | Stanley Kramer | Jewish |
| 76 | Swiss Family Robinson (1960) | Ken Annakin | Bill Anderson | Latter-day Saint | |
| 77 | One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) | Milos Forman | Jewish father; Protestant mother | Michael Douglas Saul Zaentz | half-Jewish ? |
| 78 | M*A*S*H (1970) | Robert Altman | Catholic (lapsed) | Ingo Preminger | Jewish |
| 79 | Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) | Steven Spielberg | Judaism | Robert Watts | ? Buddhist Methodist |
| 80 | Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002) | George Lucas | Buddhist Methodist | Rick McCallum | |
| 81 | Mrs. Doubtfire (1993) | Chris Columbus | Catholic | Mark Radcliffe Marsha Garces Williams Robin Williams | ? ? Christian Science; Episcopalian |
| 82 | Aladdin (1992) | Ron Clements John Musker | Ron Clements John Musker | ||
| 83 | Ghost (1990) | Jerry Zucker | Jewish | Howard W. Koch Lisa Weinstein | |
| 84 | Duel in the Sun (1946) | King Vidor | Christian Science | David O. Selznick | Jewish |
| 85 | Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) | Gore Verbinski | Jerry Bruckheimer | Jewish | |
| 86 | House of Wax (1953) | Andre De Toth | Bryan Foy | ||
| 87 | Rear Window (1954) | Alfred Hitchcock | Catholic | Alfred Hitchcock | Catholic |
| 88 | The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) | Steven Spielberg | Judaism | Gerald R. Molen Colin Wilson | Latter-day Saint ? |
| 89 | Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) | Steven Spielberg | Judaism | Robert Watts | ? Buddhist Methodist |
| 90 | Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) | James Cameron | vaguely Protestant background | Stephanie Austin James Cameron B.J. Rack | vaguely Protestant background |
| 91 | Sergeant York (1941) | Howard Hawks | Christian Science | Howard Hawks Jesse L. Lasky Hal B. Wallis | Christian Science Jewish ? |
| 92 | Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000) | Ron Howard | Protestant (Methodist?) | Brian Grazer Ron Howard Aldric La'Auli Porter | ? Protestant (Methodist?) Latter-day Saint |
| 93 | Toy Story 2 (1999) | John Lasseter Ash Brannon Lee Unkrich | Karen Robert Jackson Helene Plotkin | ||
| 94 | Top Gun (1986) | Tony Scott | Jerry Bruckheimer Don Simpson | Jewish ? | |
| 95 | Shrek (2001) | Andrew Adamson Vicky Jenson | Jeffrey Katzenberg Aron Warner Ted Elliott Terry Rossio John H. Williams John Garbett | Jewish ? ? ? ? Latter-day Saint | |
| 96 | The Matrix Reloaded (2003) | Andy Wachowski Larry Wachowski | Joel Silver | Jewish | |
| 97 | "Crocodile" Dundee (1986) | Peter Faiman | John Cornell | ||
| 98 | The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) | Rex Ingram | Rex Ingram | ||
| 99 | Saving Private Ryan (1998) | Steven Spielberg | Judaism | Ian Bryce Mark Gordon Gary Levinsohn Steven Spielberg | ? ? ? Judaism |
| 100 | Young Frankenstein (1974) | Mel Brooks | Jewish | Michael Gruskoff |
Note: With only a few exceptions, we have included in the table below only individuals credited as "producer." Individuals credited as executive producer, co-producer, associate producer, etc., have not been listed, except in a few cases for the sake of clarity.
Notes from the source page, by Tim Dirks:
Rankings of American/Hollywood (Domestic) Box-Office Blockbusters have been compiled from various recent sources (through early June, 2005). 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...The adjusted (for inflation) list of domestic box-office champs - with rankings that don't vary much from month to month (and isn't 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. The escalating price of theatre tickets would otherwise bias a list of all-time blockbuster films to recent releases. [It is inflation-adjusted to the 2005 average ticket price of $6.40. Most pre-1980 pictures achieved their totals through multiple releases.]