This was just a simple spreadsheet that used IMDBs list of the top grossing films of all time and converted the totals to present day values. It was created to help put current popular movies in perspective with the Golden Age of Hollywood.
** Updated as of 2007: IE Version (Worldwide) now includes distributions as films X year and $ X year
- Gone With The Wind is uncatchable.
- Snow White must have been extremely popular ONLY in the US.
- 2004 was a truly massive year for Hollywood.
- 2007 is on pace to be the least successful box office take in the past decade (weighted 30/70 by first half of the year).
- The effect of the Great Depression in the mid-1920’s through the 1930s became extremely clear. The value of the dollar did not reach pre-Depression values until 1950. This emphasizes the strength of the 1930s-1940s film era in times where there was very little expendable income.
- Choice – the current market obviously has much greater choice – yet blockbusters still exist. Is box office growth only based on population growth? What about rentals? To be continued.