The Most Popular Movie of All-Time?

Popular in general i'd agree with Star Wars but popular among todays youth which i hope i'm still apart of i'd guess Dark Knight. INB4 GUAP - REVEALS STATS

1.Gone with Wind has the highest gross because it had so many re-releases.That means we should count the money made from DVD releases as well.

2.Money earned with inflation(Worldwide):

Star Wars:2895 million
Titanic:3104 million
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3.A movie-goer in 1940's went to an average of 40 movies per year.In 2000,he went to an average of 5 movies per year.That should be taken into consideration.

In the 1940's it was 15 movies a year actually. In the US, of course.

That would depend on how you define popular. I don't think you can do it by sales alone.
I would define popular as most liked and find it hard for Star Wars and Gone With The Wind to compete with Godfather, especially in countries like China and India.

What? Are you sure? Most people I know never watched The Godfather.

In the US and Europe, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings always beats The Godfather on the popularity contest. For instance, in a 2001 BBC popular poll produced this top 10:

1) Star Wars / Empire Strikes Back
2) The Godfather / Godfather II
3) The Shawshank Redemption
4) Pulp Fiction
5) Some Like it Hot
6) Gladiator
7) It's a Wonderful Life
8) Blade Runner
9) Schindler's List
10) Goodfellas

The answer is the OP's question is Star Wars.

[quote=Guaporense;903015]What? Are you sure? Most people I know never watched The Godfather.

In the US and Europe, Star Wars and Lord of the Rings always beats The Godfather ]

Not in China and India and they are 3/4 of the known world!

He often acts before he thinks (no brain).

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If you as me, either Scarface or Star Wars.

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Why are you guys basing popularity on cinema admissions? The lifespan of a movie far exceeds it's cinema release. You have to take into account the greater context of the film. Should you not also be considering:

- How many times it has been rebroadcasted
- Total franchise revenue generated
- VHS/DVD/Blu ray sales
- Spin offs
- Cultural impact
- The creation of a larger universe
- Sequels
- Parodies
- Reviews by critics
- Reviews by the general public
- IMDB/Metacritic/Rotten Tomatoes scores
- Dedicated following on forums

Obviously there are other factors such as advertising, social marketing, viral marketing, budget etc. etc. but you have to take all of this into account and form an overall picture. If you ask me, taking all of these factors into account there is quite simply one answer to the question and that is Star Wars.

Wouldn't it be Titanic? (For the time its been out)

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I agree with Star Wars. But thinking about my personal experience, taking into account my friends and family and their favourite films compared to films they liked or hated i'd say Wizard of Oz would work out the favourite film from the people in my life.

Overall - Star Wars

My Experience - The Wizard of Oz

Mine - Taxi Driver

In my family:

Gradma's favorite movie: Gone With the Wind
Grampa's favorite movie (I think): The Searchers
Dad's favorite movie: Apocalypse Now
Mom's favorite movie: Gladiator
Sister's favorite movie: Princess Mononoke
Brother's favorite movie: Star Wars trilogy
My favorite movie: My Neighbor Totoro

Indeed. That's pretty much my argument as well.

My mother enjoys a lot of arthouse, but still her favourite is City of Angels.

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Look, I'm not judging you - after all, I'm posting here myself, but maybe, just maybe, if you spent less time here and more time watching films, maybe, and I stress, maybe your taste would be of some value. Just a thought, ya know.

one would think merchandizing has to play a major role in a movie's popularity as well...

do hundreds of thousands if not millions of people in India scour the countryside for Jack Dawson, Rose Bukater, and Caledon Hockley collectibles? Titanic t-shirts? Did Titanic spawn hundreds of spin-off books?

there is a vast nerd contingent in the Star Wars fanbase that goes beyond anything I could ever imagine Titanic fans even coming close to

Exactly, Star Wars spanned a modern religion. It truly is one of the greatest works of art of the 20th century by any objective measure. I would say that The Lord of the Rings novel and Star Wars are the two most influential cultural works of the 20th century, in the same way that The Illiad and The Odyssey were the two most influential works of the 8th century BC.

AdamHanks;
"The most famous movie of all-time is Titanic,IMO.
No movie made more money than Titanic.2 billion in theatres and 1.2 billion in DVD sales.That too 15 years back"


Profitability and popularity - while not necessarily that far removed - are not necessarily one in the same.
Star Wars is pretty much iconic, and pop culture synonymous. Titanic - not even close to that iconic status.

Titanic is the most famous movie EVER

AdamHanks: