Every so often, Hollywood produces a film with titanic box office results. For various reasons, these films
made a splash in theaters and have a following on the Web to prove
it. For a complete list of top grossing movies, check out the
Internet Movie Database Charts. Here's a brief tour of chart toppers:
Titanic (1997)
We all knew how this one was going to end, but that didn't keep people from
flocking to theaters over and over again. With total box office
sales of over $600.7 million, Titanic is the top grossing film in U.S. history. The
official site features interviews with
director James Cameron and time-lapse photos of set construction. C2T, or Countdown to Titanic,
the first Titanic fan site on the web, has a message board, daily chat, free
electronic newsletter and many links to other Titanic sites.
Star Wars (1977)
Until Titanic came along, this cult classic held the record with box office sales of over
$460.9 million. The original Star Wars movie was given a new name in
1980 - Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope - leaving the door open for sequels
and prequels. At No. 5 on the list of all-time
blockbusters, Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999) came close to breaking
the original film's record, but fell about $30 million short at
$431.1 million. Episode II: Attack of the Clones reached No. 19 at $310.7 million, while the last movie, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith held a respectable No. 8 with $380 million. Of the early released movies, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
faired the worst at the box office, but still finished at a No.
25, while Episode VI: Return of the Jedi (1983) sits at No. 20.
The official Star Wars site features extensive
information on the six immensely popular movies.
For the most current Star Wars news, TheForce.net offers "your daily
dose of Star Wars" and JediNet is the site "for the
fans by the fans." And with so many other fan sites out there, the
EyeOnStarWars.com helps narrow down the list
to the very best.
Shrek 2 (2004)
Remembering the success of Academy Award-winning Shrek, audiences poured out to see the sequel. The happily married Shrek and Fiona set out with a host of fairytale characters in another amusing adventure. The comical antics of the main characters, along with Donkey, Puss-in-Boots and others entertained audiences young and old.
Visit the official site and learn about the making of the movie or go on your own adventure.
E.T. the Extra Terrestrial (1982)
It may not have been the decade for fashion, but the '80s certainly produced
some hit movies. This heartwarming story of a boy and an alien brought in
just under $400 million at the box office. One noteworthy part of the film
is John Williams' award-winning soundtrack, which you can read more about at
Filmtracks Modern Soundtrack
Reviews.
For information on the cast and crew, photos and information on awards the
film has won, this E.T. Fan Site
is an excellent resource.
Other Sites to See
- MovieWeb
A list of the 50 highest grossing movies in the United States based on gross
ticket receipts, including the year each movie was released.
- Washington Post
List of movies that grossed more than $100 million at the box office.
- Box Office Mojo
Click on the movies in this list for a detailed picture of the domestic box office numbers and lifetime gross.
- '80s Server Top Grossing Films
A year-by-year glance at the top grossing films of the 1980s, one of the
movie industry's most profitable decades.
--- A. Crawford
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