Picture from 10 Highest-Grossing Domestic Movies of All Time
Clarke Gable and Vivien Leigh starred in this American Civil War story. Image ©1939 MGM / 2010 Warner Home Video

10 Highest-Grossing Domestic Movies of All Time

Summer is blockbuster season even if Marvel Comic hero Ant-Man failed to break any records at the box office. You can chalk the lackluster showing up to comic character fatigue or a lack of promotion. Or that it came out on the heels of tent pole movies like Avengers: Age of Ultron ($191 million on opening weekend) and Jurassic World ($208.8 million on opening weekend). However despite the ticket sales generated by this summer’s biggest films, they still don’t rank with America’s all-time highest-grossing films in cinematic history. Here’s a list of the top 10 films, adjusted for inflation, according to the movie site Box Office Mojo.

Gone With The Wind (1939) This adaptation of the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Margaret Mitchell starred Clarke Gable and Vivien Leigh in an epic tale set in the middle of the American Civil War. The film holds top spot with a grand total of $1,640,602,400.

Star Wars (1977) Now titled Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope thanks to the trio of prequels that followed its release, this film set the stage for one of the greatest film franchises of all time. However this first film still holds its place at the head of the Star Wars galaxy with a hefty take of $1,446,331,100.

The Sound of Music (1965) This film set the hills and cash registers alive with the sound of music. This story about the singing Von Trapp family and their governess Maria has earned $1,156,412,900 in domestic ticket sales.

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982) This Steven Spielberg film was one of the director’s first major hits of his career. And it upped the sales of Hershey’s Reese’s Pieces by 65% in the month following the movie’s release. The film also brought home a total of $1,151,857,200 at the box office.

Titanic (1997) James Cameron’s disaster movie may be a fictionalized account of the ocean disaster, but that didn’t keep audiences from flocking to the film to the tune of $1,100,052,700. Thanks to this movie’s success and Cameron’s other hit, Avatar (the 14th highest-grossing domestic film with $789,712,800), the director can now claim title to the top two highest-grossing movies worldwide.

The Ten Commandments (1956) Charlton Heston led a cast of thousands out of Egypt in Cecil B. DeMille’s adaptation of the Biblical story of Moses. Along the way, the film also brought in $1,063,720,000 at theaters.

Jaws (1975) This tale of a killer shark may have kept people from dipping their toes in the ocean but it didn’t keep them out of theaters. Steven Spielberg’s film sold tickets to the tune of $1,040,000,000.

Doctor Zhivago (1965) This film, set in Russia, starred the recently deceased Omar Sharif as Doctor Yuru Zhivago in this tale of adultery, war and poetry. The film earned a whopping $1,007,979,900 in U.S. ticket sales.

The Exorcist (1973) This R-rated horror film was nominated for Best Picture in 1974 and spawned a horror genre that is alive and well today. It also managed to bring in $898,065,200 at the box office.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) This Disney film was the first full-length animation to grace the silver screen. It also succeeded in the box office by bringing home $885,080,000 and igniting a filmmaking dynasty.

More details about the movies mentioned in this post…

Gone With The Wind

Gone With The Wind

The Civil War threatens to huff and puff and blow Scarlett's house away.

Titanic

Titanic

Avatar

Avatar

Jaws

Jaws

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial

Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs

Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs

Disney's first animation masterpiece still has the power to enchant.

The Ten Commandments

The Ten Commandments

Ant-Man

Ant-Man

Never judge a hero by his size.

The Avengers: Age of Ultron

The Avengers: Age of Ultron

The Avengers unite to face the ultimate force of Ultron.

Jurassic World

Jurassic World

Didn't anyone learn anything from past mistakes?

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope

Even in a big galaxy, three is a crowd.

The Sound of Music

The Sound of Music

The home theater is alive with the sound of music...