Jiffy

$1B+ locked and loaded.

Hmm wouldn't that honor go to ROTJ? It broke the previous OW record by over 60% (the highest percentage increase for any film that's held the record going back at least since Jaws in 1975) and still holds the record for highest adjusted theater average ($63,085) for any wide release in history.

Pretty sure this has the record for most money (adjusted for inflation) made in a calendar year ($926,468,439). Runner-up is Titanic with the $919,757,524 adjusted take from 1998.

Zack Snyder is a hack. That being said, the BO run for this was quite impressive.

Yes, that's the thing. It's total gross doesn't surprise me, given how high expectations were and the substantial marketing campaign attached, but its multiplier was the second best out of the Top 20 openers of 1998, and not far off from #1 (SPR -- a war film with rave reviews aimed at an older audience whose longevity was to be expected). It also isn't far off from ID4's multiplier, a film whose spectacle seemed a lot more unprecedented for its time (and that film reached the highest echelon of uber-blockbuster status). The multiplier was even a fair bit better than the July 4th Will Smith tentpole released the year before (MIB), despite that straddling another genre (comedy) that's typically better-suited to longevity than your average action blockbuster. No Michael Bay film enjoyed such a strong multiplier either before or since, and you didn't see the other blockbusters that surprised with an underwhelming opening on the heels of a marketing blitz / lofty expectations (Godzilla and Pearl Harbor) rebounding in such a way afterward. I'm fully capable of acknowledging when the general audience's tastes aren't in line with my own (not that I've ever considered myself above enjoying a well-crafted action blockbuster), and I certainly understand the appeal of Armageddon on paper (and why people were expecting it to be huge), but it's the strength of the multiplier itself that strikes me as anomalous in light of the initial disappointment and the critical savaging it received upon release. I think the song contributed to sustained public interest.

Yeah, the late 80s were a bit rough going until Batman arrived in '89 to kick things back into over-drive.

Out of the top 10 where? In the most recent dailies?

This has always been something of a bore for me... not a fan of Ron Howard's work in general.

Groundbreaking special effects (that still hold up today), shocking subject matter, it was the first major film to traverse many religious/social norms, and it played to the deep-rooted fears many people had about the supernatural and the unknown in disturbingly realistic/grotesque fashion. It is hard to put yourself in the mindset of audiences back then 40+ years after-the-fact, but people hadn't seen such violence/gore depicted on-screen before, and it shocked some people to the point of requiring medical attention. Also, consider that even with the historical stigma against horror films, it was viewed as so accomplished a production that it warranted 10 Oscar nominations (several of which were in major categories). That's simply unheard of either before or since.

Mission: Impossible II

Armageddon's impressive multiplier has always been somewhat inexplicable to me.

Never heard of it.

Yep. This movie and the associated song both suck.

BOM also has some other breakdowns per release that seem to largely coincide with those figures: Bambi http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=releases&id=bambi.htm&adjust_yr=2017&p=.htm Cinderella http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=releases&adjust_mo=&adjust_yr=2017&id=cinderella1950.htm

For some strange reason when the trailer debuted in Fall 2003 I had the sneaking suspicion that it had $300m+ potential.

This one hasn't aged too well, IMO. Aside from the hilarity of Heston apparently being the only one who was completely oblivious to the homoerotic subtext lol. It may be even hammier, but I prefer the entertainment value of The Ten Commandments to this.

By far the most fun box office run I've followed (2000 - Present).

I don't recall anyone seriously thinking Potter was in play, but most people assumed it was a shoo-in to take the #2 slot ahead of The Lost World. I still remember my jaw hitting the floor when I saw that first Friday figure come in (something that can't be replicated these days w/ early estimates). Definitely the biggest shock in all my years of box office tracking, and then the first $100m OW, the 2nd/3rd weekend records, and a $400m+ final tally.

I didn't start following box office until early 2000, so I've always been somewhat bitter that I missed out on the fun of tracking Titanic's earth-shattering performance in real time. I regretted not being able to partake in the excitement of such a colossal pop culture phenomenon (I only finally got to see it in 2000 when it premiered on NBC). Although, I'd always maintained that something was bound to come along and overtake it before the end of the decade (00s), but I must admit I was starting to sweat that prediction until Avatar arrived as a last-minute save lol. My excitement over Avatar's performance quickly subdued soon after actually seeing it in theaters for the first time. I'd always been a staunch apologist for Titanic (defending its place as one of my favorite movies of all-time), so I was willing to give Cameron the benefit of the doubt going into it, but unfortunately Avatar isn't fit to compare as Cameron's long-awaited follow-up. I'd even go so far as to say it's the first mediocre film to attain the #1 all-time position (putting the dubious merits of "The Birth of a Nation" aside).

A shame about the sequels... although I must say in retrospect The Matrix Reloaded kinda represents the peak of CGI innovation as far as I'm concerned. They still hold up really well to this day (and I would daresay even put most effects these days to shame).

Still holds up as an effective adrenaline-fueled action flick 20+ years later. Great concept! Hard to believe they botched the sequel so badly in that department.

You're kidding!?

Wow! For some reason I never realized its gross was that high. Upon the conclusion of its second (and final) re-release in 1989, it was the 6th highest grossing animated film of all-time domestically: #1 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs - $143,291,015 #2 - Bambi - $102,247,150 #3 - The Jungle Book - $97,197,993 #4 - Lady and the Tramp - $93,602,326 #5 - 101 Dalmatians - $84,049,729 #6 - The Rescuers - $71,215,869 #7 - Pinocchio - $65,390,608 #8 - The Fox and the Hound - $63,456,988 #9 - Peter Pan - $57,959,520 #10 - Oliver & Company - $53,279,055 This was a childhood favorite of mine... I especially loved the "Rescue Aid Society" theme song lol.

The CGI holds up better than any other film from the 90s. Maybe my favorite blockbuster ever... it's endlessly re-watchable.

I noticed this discrepancy about 12 years ago and even e-mailed Brandon Gray (who was still running BOM at that point) about it but never received any response from him. As far as all-time adjusted lists go, the one Daniel came up with at BoxOfficeReport is much more accurate than BOM (which relies on inaccurate data from Mr. Showbiz): http://www.boxofficereport.com/alltimeadjusteddomestic.html