The Highest Grossing Movies 1976-2022

The 1972 movie The Godfather was the reigning box office champion in 1976, when this chart begins. But Steven Spielberg and George Lucas were both very busy making movies that would soon eclipse it, and the race was on. Ticket prices climbed, and so did movie grosses. In this mesmerizing visualization, you can see how the top movies competed as they climbed to the stratosphere of profitability. E. T.: The Extraterrestrial was certainly hard to beat, as it broke the billion-dollar mark and stayed at the top for years. But watch out- here comes James Cameron! Eventually all the movies on the chart made over a billion dollars. And you've probably seen every one of them. (via Born in Space)