When you're talking ticket sales, it's interesting how things change when one adjusts for inflation. I believe it's only fair though. How else could you compare a modern film with one made in 1920? People bought HOUSES with what we typically spend on a night at the theater these days for crying out loud. So let's do some adjustments shall we? Marvel may dominate the list of top grossing films as it sits in real money. But when you factor in the inflation rate it looks more like this...
1."Gone with the Wind", 1939...$182 Billion. (Unadjusted Gross: $198.7 Million)
2.The original "Star Wars". 1977...$1.61 Billion (Unadjusted Gross : $461 Million)
3. "The Sound of Music" , 1965...$1.29 Billion (Unadjusted Gross: $159.3 Million)
4. "E.T" 1982...$1.28 Billion. (Unadjusted Gross:$435.1 Million)
5."Titanic" , 1997...$1.22 Billion (Unadjusted Gross: $659.4)
Interesting fact, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens just missed the top ten. It came in at 11th place, even though it's currently the highest-grossing movie of all time in the U.S WITHOUT adjusting for inflation.