Okay, so you might know what some of the highest-grossing movies in cinematic history are. But do you know which blockbusters have been the most profitable?
Ranging from 1937’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home, we’ve rounded up the most profitable films of all time, based on how much money they grossed at the global box office against their production budgets.
Read on to find out if your favourite flick made the cut. All box office and budget figures are courtesy of Box Office Mojo and all dollar amounts are in US dollars, unless otherwise stated.
We’re kicking off with a cinematic classic: 1972’s The Godfather. Francis Ford Coppola’s gripping mafia masterpiece grossed around $250.3 million at the global box office, making it one of the highest-grossing flicks of all time when inflation is factored in.
And thanks to its miniscule budget of $6 million, The Godfather is also one of the most profitable movies in history, having made $244.3 million more than its production costs. In today’s money, that’s a hefty $1.7 billion (£1.4bn).
Not only was the crime saga a major commercial success but it was also a hit with the critics. In fact, the American Film Institute ranks it third on its list of The 100 Greatest American Movies Of All Time.
Starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, Grease brought Broadway to the big screen when it was released in 1978. The big-hit musical made around $396.3 million globally against a production budget of just $6 million, netting it a healthy profit of around $390.3 million. When adjusted for inflation, that’s $1.7 billion (£1.4bn).
Naturally, Paramount Pictures attempted to replicate the success of Grease with a sequel in 1982. Starring Michelle Pfeiffer, the film boasted a significantly larger budget of around $13.2 million (£11.1m) – yet it only managed to pull in a pitiful $15.2 million (£12.8m).
Needless to say, Paramount’s ambitious plans for a four-film franchise and a TV spin-off were quietly scrapped. Fast-forward to 2022, however, and comedy series Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies is tipped to land on Paramount+ later this year.
When Disney’s The Jungle Book hit the silver screen in 1967, there was significant pressure for it to perform well. Walt Disney had passed away the year before and, as a result, the fate of Disney’s animation studio was up in the air.
Thankfully, the film pulled in over $205.8 million worldwide. With an estimated production budget of just $4 million, it made a terrific profit of $201.8 million; in today’s money, that equates to around $1.7 billion (£1.4bn).
Disney gave its beloved classic a live-action makeover in 2016, which was a major success in its own right and grossed $966.6 million (£814.4m) against a budget of $175 million (£147.4m).
The second instalment of the Star Wars saga, The Empire Strikes Back hit the big screen in 1980.
With an estimated $18 million budget behind it, George Lucas’s sci-fi sensation went on to gross almost $538.4 million globally. That’s a profit of $520.4 million over its production costs, or a staggering $1.8 billion today (£1.5bn).
Unsurprisingly, The Empire Strikes Back was the highest-grossing film of 1980 and is also widely considered to be the best Star Wars movie of all time by fans and critics alike. Regardless of its reputation, it’s not the most profitable instalment in the series – but more on that later…
The magic of Jurassic Park was introduced to a whole new generation of moviegoers when Jurassic World was released in 2015.
Audiences old and new flocked to see the revival of the beloved blockbuster, which went on to gross close to $1.7 billion worldwide. With a budget of around $150 million, the film earned $1.5 billion, or $1.8 billion (£1.5bn) when factoring in inflation.
The Jurassic Park film franchise is the 12th highest grossing of all time, having banked an eye-watering $5.8 billion (£4.6bn) at the global box office.
Sony and Marvel combined forces to make the most ambitious superhero movie of all time, the multiverse crossover Spider-Man: No Way Home.
When the movie dropped in December 2021, it grossed $1.9 billion (£1.6bn) globally, making it the first film of the pandemic era to rake in more than $1 billion (£842m) at the worldwide box office.
With an estimated $200 million (£168.5m) budget, Spider-Man: No Way Home made a profit of around $1.7 billion, or $1.8 billion (£1.5bn) in 2022 dollars.
Disney’s The Lion King hit the big screen back in 1994.
The cherished children's classic was crafted on an estimated budget of $45 million and went on to gross $1 billion at the box office, meaning it made a profit of around $955 million. In today’s money, that’s a roaring $1.9 billion (£1.6bn).
With box office results like that, it’s little wonder Disney cashed in with a photorealistic remake in 2019. With the likes of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Donald Glover, and James Earl Jones lending their voices to the flick, the reboot was a commercial hit, making $1.6 billion (£1.3bn) globally against its estimated $260 million (£219m) budget.
Critics were less convinced, however, feeling that it failed to capture the heart of the original, despite its modern special effects.
Jurassic World may have taken the box office by storm but as the old adage goes, sometimes you just can’t beat the original.
Spielberg’s original action-adventure dinosaur epic was crafted on an estimated production budget of just $63 million (£53.1m), which is seriously impressive when you consider that the special effects still hold up to this day.
Jurassic Park went on to gross over $1 billion (£842.4m) worldwide, earning $937 million (£789.1m) more than its production budget. Factoring in inflation, that’s a whopping $1.9 billion (£1.6bn).
Disney classic 101 Dalmatians grossed $215.9 million at the global box office against a $4 million production budget, netting it a profit of $211.9 million. Considering it was released all the way back in 1961, that’s a mammoth $2 billion (£1.7bn) today.
101 Dalmatians was actually one of Disney's first animated classics to receive a live-action makeover, with 1996’s 101 Dalmatians starring Glenn Close as the dastardly Cruella de Vil. This was followed by 2000’s 102 Dalmatians, which featured Ioan Gruffudd and Alice Evans.
And Disney isn’t done milking this canine cash cow just yet: the wicked Cruella got her very own origin story last year. Emma Stone stepped into the shoes of the fashion-forward villain and Cruella was so well received that a sequel is currently in development.
You can always count on Marvel to pull in the big bucks at the box office, and 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War was no exception.
The superhero blockbuster had an estimated budget of $321 million (£270.6m), making it one of the most expensive movies in history.
Despite this, it still made a profit of almost $1.7 billion (£1.4bn), which equates to a Marvel-ous $2 billion (£1.7bn) when adjusted for inflation.
When Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens was released in 2015, it marked a whole decade since the release of the previous instalment of the space opera.
No expense was spared when it came to The Force Awakens budget, which clocked in at an estimated $245 million (£206.6m). Despite the sky-high production costs, the flick still earned a profit of over $1.7 billion (£1.4bn), grossing an eye-watering $2 billion (£1.7bn) around the world. In 2022 dollars, that’s a profit of $2.1 billion (£1.8bn).
Despite these astonishing results, it’s still not the most profitable Star Wars movie in our round-up…
Sci-fi movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial grossed a magical $792.9 million worldwide against a modest production budget of $10.5 million. That means that Steven Spielberg’s 1982 family favourite netted a profit of $782.4 million, or an out-of-this-world $2.3 billion (£1.9bn) when factoring in inflation.
At one point, E.T. was the highest-grossing film of all time and was only knocked off its pedestal by another Spielberg classic, the aforementioned Jurassic Park.
While the dinosaur epic might have won the battle of the box office, E.T. certainly takes home the title for the most profitable of the two.
Next up, we have another Steven Spielberg classic. Given how many of the legendary director's movies appear in our round-up, it’s hardly surprising that Spielberg himself has an eye-popping net worth of $3.7 billion (£3.1bn).
His nail-biting creature-feature Jaws certainly made a splash at the box office when it was released in 1975, grossing $471.4 million. As the budget for the fishy flick was a mere $7 million, that’s a profit of $464.4 million.
In today’s money, that's a Jaws-ome $2.5 billion (£2.1bn).
The Exorcist is widely regarded as the scariest horror movie of all time, but the frightening flick is also one of the most profitable, too.
When The Exorcist was released in 1973, it was so terrifying that cinema audiences were reportedly fainting and vomiting in fear. However, this didn’t stop brave moviegoers from buying a ticket, and it grossed $441.3 million globally.
With an estimated production budget of $11 million, The Exorcist netted a profit of $430.3 million. In today's dollars, that's a head-turning $2.7 billion (£2.3bn).
Avengers: Endgame is the highest-grossing Marvel film of all time, making nearly $2.8 billion (£2.4bn) at the box office.
The 2019 superhero epic is also considered to be the second highest-grossing movie in cinematic history, bested only by James Cameron's Avatar.
Only the superhero saga’s colossal budget holds it back from ranking higher on our list of the most profitable movies, with an estimated $356 million (£300.6m) spent on its production. Still, the film netted $2.4 billion at the box office, or a positively heroic $2.7 billion (£2.3bn) in 2022 dollars.
James Cameron’s Avatar is the highest-grossing movie of all time, having raked in over $2.8 billion (£2.4bn) at the box office.
The 2009 fantasy epic boasted an estimated budget of $237 million (£200m), which means the movie made a profit that was just shy of $2.6 billion (£2.2bn). In today’s money, that equates to a truly wow-worthy $3.5 billion (£3bn).
Four sequels are currently in the works, with Avatar: The Way of Water, which has been in development for more than a decade, finally dropping this December.
We’ve already had a couple of the Star Wars movies appear in our round-up but the most profitable by far is the 1977 original, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.
With a miniscule budget of just $11 million, the sci-fi classic went on to gross $775.4 million at the box office, netting a profit of $764.4 million. When adjusted for inflation, that’s an epic $3.6 billion (£3bn).
And not only is the original flick the most profitable instalment in the franchise but it's also the highest grossing when adjusted for inflation.
With Disney set to release at least two new Star Wars movies between 2023 and 2027, there’s still ample time for A New Hope to be knocked off its top-spot position yet.
Next up, we have another movie from James Cameron, the epic Titanic.
The tear-jerker romance hit the silver screen in 1997, grossing over $2.2 billion. With its estimated $200 million budget, Titanic netted a $2 billion profit, which is a mighty $3.6 billion (£3bn) when adjusted for inflation.
Titanic was actually the highest-grossing movie of all time until Cameron's other blockbuster, Avatar, beat it at the box office in 2009.
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was Disney’s first-ever fully animated feature film.
The team at Disney shelled out an estimated $1.5 million to make the fairy tale, which went on to gross $184.9 million. Given that it was released all the way back in 1937, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs banked an inflation-adjusted profit of $3.7 billion (£3.1bn).
But despite these truly enchanting box office results, it's still not the most profitable animated Disney feature of all time…
The 1942 tear-jerker Bambi holds the record for being the most profitable Disney film of all time.
The heart-wrenching hit grossed a cool $267.4 million at the global box office and, according to numerous sources, boasted a modest $858,000 budget. That means that when figures are adjusted for inflation, the film netted a mind-blowing $4.8 billion (£4bn) profit.
You’ve probably noticed a pattern of commercially successful films spawning sequels and remakes, and Bambi is no exception: in 2020, Disney announced plans to make a photorealistic version of the beloved classic akin to its reboot of The Lion King. Tissues at the ready, people...
Taking the top spot for the most profitable movie of all time is 1939's epic romance Gone with the Wind, which starred screen icons Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable. When factoring in inflation, the old Hollywood-era classic is also the highest-grossing movie in history.
The movie grossed $402.4 million at the worldwide box office with a production budget of almost $4 million. Adjusted for inflation, that’s an unbelievable profit of $8.3 billion (£7bn).
As well as being a commercial hit, Gone with the Wind is also considered a cinematic masterpiece. It also set a record at the time of its release for the number of Academy Award nominations and wins it received, clocking up thirteen and eight respectively at the 1940 ceremony.
Now discover which low-budget films made a fortune at the box office.