A History of the Highest-Grossing Film of All Time, From Jaws to Avatar
Steven Spielberg’s 1975 classic, Jaws, returns to theaters this weekend. The film will be screened in 3D for the first time ever. If you’ve never seen Jaws, you’re in for a treat! The classic shark adventure film is just exciting today as it was during its initial release. The influence of Jaws can still be felt today. Jaws is responsible for creating what we think of as the modern “blockbuster.” The summer movie season as it exists today wouldn’t be possible otherwise; prior to Jaws, it was actually pretty rare for studios to release their major projects in the summer months. In a break from the standard practices of the era, Universal Pictures decided to distribute Jaws in wide release instead of slowly building anticipation through screenings in smaller cities. In January of 1976, Jaws officially outgrossed The Godfather and became the highest-grossing film of all time. It’s a title that has passed between many films throughout the history of cinema, each of which provides insights into the trends of the particular era. Take a look back at all the films that have claimed the title of being the “biggest ever.”
The Birth of A Nation (1915)
The Birth of A Nation is sadly representative of the blatant racism within early filmmaking. The three-hour-long war epic retells critical periods in American history. It’s a piece of propaganda for the Klu Klux Klan. While The Birth of A Nation’s technical prowess does not in any way make it more respectable, the film’s groundbreaking scope and scale made it an event during the early days of cinema. Sadly, the film’s overwhelming financial success is responsible for the rebirth of the KKK shortly after its release.
Gone With The Wind (1939)
The Birth of A Nation was eventually toppled by another controversial, three-hour epic about the Reconstruction and Civil War eras. Victor Fleming’s adaptation of Margaret Mitchell’s novel became a sensation unlike anything the industry had ever seen before; unadjusted for inflation, it remains the highest-grossing film in history. While not as blatantly wicked as The Birth of A Nation, Gone With The Wind continues to create controversy. HBO Max temporarily removed the film before adding a warning about the content. Although it temporarily had its title taken by The Sound of Music, Gone With The Wind took back the prize as the highest-grossing film ever with its re-release in 1971.
The Sound of Music (1965)
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Outside of war epics, musicals were among the biggest earners during the Golden Age of Cinema. After a string of musical success in the 1950s, The Sound of Music was released amidst a demand for elaborate song-and-dance films. It briefly managed to take the record from Gone With The Wind before the wartime epic was re-released. Sadly, the musical genre didn’t last much longer either. Musicals began flopping at the tail end of the 1960s, leading Hollywood to invest in younger filmmakers during the New Hollywood era.
The Godfather (1972)
Like Gone With The Wind and The Sound of Music, The Godfather was both a major financial and critical success. All three films took home the Academy Award for Best Picture. Prior to The Godfather, gangster films were thought of purely as a pulp genre. Francis Ford Coppola’s “elevated” approach to the mob epic launched countless imitators in the next few decades. The chaotic production of the film was recently chronicled in the Paramount+ original series The Offer.
Jaws (1975)
Jaws gave us the “blockbuster,” and changed Hollywood forever. The success of Jaws led studios to abandon the artistically-minded projects of the New Hollywood era and begin searching for potential blockbusters that could capitalize on Jaws’ success. While it inadvertently may have caused the end to an era of artistic innovation, Jaws was and remains highly acclaimed. It received a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars, although Spielberg was famously snubbed of the Best Director nomination.
Star Wars: Episode IV- A New Hope (1977)
Like Jaws, the original Star Wars was a risky project on paper. Science fiction films hadn’t been major financial achievements, and the famously chaotic production led many to anticipate one of the biggest disasters of all-time. Star Wars was even slated to go head-to-head with Smokey and the Bandit on its opening weekend. The rest is history.George Lucas’ passion project created a series that still resonates today and launched a new wave of blockbuster sci-fi films in the 1980s. Star Wars was able to briefly reclaim its title from E.T. The Extra Terrestrial when it was re-released and re-edited in 1997 for the “Special Edition.”
E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
Spielberg was already a proven titan at the time of E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial thanks to the success of Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, and Raiders of the Lost Ark. While E.T. was able to capitalize on the popularity of space films in the post-Star Wars era, its success can also be traced to the heartwarming emotional story. The film was released during the historic summer of 1982, which also saw the debut of films like Blade Runner, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, The Thing, Poltergeist, and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.
Jurassic Park (1993)
Spielberg topped his own record thanks to the groundbreaking CGI in Jurassic Park. While early advancements in CGI were made by James Cameron in The Abyss and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the lifelike dinosaurs set a new standard for special effects in the industry. It began the most successful year of Spielberg’s career. After Jurassic Park became the highest grossing film of all-time, Spielberg took home the Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director for Schindler’s List.
Titanic (1997)
Betting on James Cameron usually pays off. Titanic began its historic run in 1997 shortly after Star Wars’ box office was boosted by the Special Edition re-release. Much of Titanic’s success can be traced to how long it remained at the top of the box office; it wasn’t until the release of Lost in Space in April of 1998 that Titanic lost its spot as the #1 film of the weekend. Titanic also tied Ben-Hur’s Oscar record by taking home 11 awards (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King would do the same thing six years later). Titanic’s 2012 3D re-release boosted it to over $2 billion worldwide.
Avatar (2009)
Like Spielberg, Cameron was left to top his own record. With similar innovations in CGI and imagination, Cameron once again created a phenomenon that stayed atop the box office for months after its debut. Claim that the film is overrated all you want, but the historical significance of Avatar cannot be discounted. Avatar briefly gave up its record before its re-release in 2021.
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Superhero cinema reached its peak in 2019 when the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe reached their conclusion with Avengers: Endgame. While both Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Avengers: Infinity War had managed to cross the $2 billion mark, Endgame briefly managed top Avatar’s record and take the #1 spot. The two films are neck and neck for now, but that could change this December upon the release of Avatar: The Way of Water.
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