Every year, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awards the Oscars, the most prestigious honors in the movie industry. The star of the night is the Best Picture category, and the films that are granted this honor usually go down in history as memorable favorites of the public.
As such, Best Picture recipients usually make a lot of money at the box office. It's one thing to look at the highest-grossing Best Picture Oscar winners in general, but when looking at the numbers adjusted for inflation on Box Office Mojo, it's surprising to see how the experience of going to see these films at the theater has evolved over the years.
10) One of Biggest Romantic Musical Classics — 'My Fair Lady' (1964)
Based on a classic Greek tale about a sculptor who falls in love with a statue he made, George Cukor's My Fair Lady is a nearly three-hour-long musical about a professor who agrees to a wager that he can make a street vendor presentable in high society.
Decades later, the movie remains one of the most unique and enjoyable romantic stories to ever hit the silver screen, with an admirably monumental level of production and elegance worthy of the source material. Audiences in the '60s thought so, too, since this Best Picture winner had an adjusted lifetime gross of $549,469,026 dollars at the box office.
9) The Conclusion of the Most Epic Fantasy Trilogy — 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King' (2003)
Lauded as one of the greatest movie trilogies ever made, Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy concluded with The Return of the King, where the battle for the fate of Middle-earth comes to its breaking point.
The fantasy epic's 11 historic Oscar wins were more than deserved, as was its adjusted gross of $563,900,522 USD. It's a majestic film that works on pretty much every level, from the gorgeous visuals to the wonderful performances and the riveting story full of heart.
8) One of the Most Forgotten Best Picture Winners — 'Around the World in 80 Days' (1956)
In this comedic adaptation of Jules Verne's classic novel, a Victorian Englishman called Phileas Fogg (David Niven) makes a bet that he can go around the globe in the short period of only eighty days.
The film hasn't aged particularly well, becoming one of the lowest-rated Best Picture recipients on IMDb and falling into sad oblivion. However, audiences at the time were pretty eager to go see the two-and-a-half-hour adventure comedy, as it made an adjusted total of $591,123,218 dollars at the box office.
7) Is There Anything This Guy Didn't Do? — 'Forrest Gump' (1994)
Forrest Gump is the touching story of the character of the same name (played by Tom Hanks), and audiences get to see numerous historical events develop from his fun and unique perspective.
Full of as many references to American history and culture as it has universal themes that anyone can connect to, this Oscar winner directed by Robert Zemeckis won over the hearts of general audiences since the moment it came out, and it had adjusted earnings of $719,398,403 dollars to prove it.
6) A Landmark In the History of American Motion Pictures — 'The Godfather' (1972)
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It's hard to find anything to say about The Godfather that hasn't been said before. The crime epic about the aging patriarch of a mafia family (Marlon Brando) who has to transfer control of his empire to his reluctant youngest son (Al Pacino) is worthy of being referred to as the greatest American film ever made.
The movie made $722,009,337 USD worldwide when adjusting for inflation, and it deserved every dollar. Magnificently written, flawlessly directed, and with multiple stunning performances, it's more than worthy of its fame.
5) All It Takes Is a Little Confidence — 'The Sting' (1973)
The Sting, an intricate caper about a small-time crook and a veteran con man who seek revenge on an evil crime lord, was the last of the only two collaborations of one of cinema's most iconic duos: Paul Newman and Robert Redford.
The film won 7 Oscars including Best Picture, and it deserved every one of them. It's undoubtedly one of the greatest caper films ever made, with outstanding technical qualities and two magnetic lead performances. For all its merits, it made an adjusted total of $815,508,963 dollars at the box office.
4) A Mythical Piece of Epic Entertainment — 'Ben-Hur' (1959)
Another one of the only three movies that have earned 11 Oscars, Ben-Hur is a nearly four-hour-long adventure drama about a Jewish prince, betrayed by a friend and sent into slavery, who reclaims his liberty and returns to defeat his rival.
Though it's best known for its legendary chariots sequence, Ben-Hur is a phenomenal film throughout its entire runtime. It had an adjusted lifetime gross of a staggering $896,965,723 USD, earning them with its gargantuan scale, beautiful story, and action scenes that remain jaw-dropping even after more than half a century.
3) Nothing on Earth Could Sink Their Love — 'Titanic' (1997)
The final piece of the trifecta of films that have earned 11 Academy Awards, James Cameron's Titanic is a romantic drama about a young aristocrat girl (Kate Winslet) who falls in love with a kind poor artist (Leonardo DiCaprio) aboard the luxurious but tragic R.M.S. Titanic.
Titanic was as much of a cultural phenomenon as the ship itself, as proved by its adjusted earnings of $1,240,054,754 dollars at the worldwide box office. It's a true modern classic in every sense of the word; a visual spectacle, a beautifully written story, and just a fantastic Best Picture winner all around.
2) Audiences' Favorite Sound In the World — 'The Sound of Music' (1965)
Part joyful comfort film, part profound drama set in WWII times, The Sound of Music is one of the most gorgeous musicals ever to come out of classic Hollywood. It's about a former nun in Austria who becomes a governess in the home of a widowed naval captain with seven children, bringing newfound love and music into their lives.
The movie's 3 hour runtime flies right by thanks to its deeply endearing characters and story, beautiful Austrian landscapes, and especially its timeless and iconic score and soundtrack. Fans have been adoring it since the time it came out, seeing as it made an astonishing $1,303,502,105 USD when adjusting for inflation.
1) The Unbeatable Champion of the Box Office — 'Gone With the Wind' (1939)
Victor Fleming's Gone With the Wind is a 4-hour-long drama about the manipulating daughter of a plantation owner, and her turbulent romance with a charismatic rascal during the times of the American Civil War and the Reconstruction Era.
Even after more than 80 years, the film remains the highest-grossing film of all time with adjusted earnings of $1,850,581,586 dollars, so it's anyone's guess as to whether a film will ever come to take its throne. It deserves it, too, with a scale that's unheard of even today, technical qualities that remain flooring after all these years, brilliant performances, and a story that's fully engaging.