Special Report
Once Popular Movies That Are Now All But Forgotten
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Hollywood’s trends and standards change at an impressive rate, and today’s zeitgeist can be tomorrow’s half-forgotten memory. While such turnover seems especially high in this modern age, the truth is that we’ve been leaving former hit movies in the dust for decades. Once the toast of the town, some Oscar winners and box office blockbusters are now all but forgotten by the general public at large. (Here’s where to stream 50 great movies you’ve probably never seen.)
It should come as a surprise to no one that even top-grossing sensations haven’t stayed the course over time. Take biblical epics like “The Robe” or “David and Bathsheba,” for example. Once synonymous with pure spectacle, these films seem tacky and dated when compared to the standard modern fare. Name either one to a young movie-goer and you’ll likely get a mere blank stare in return.
Of course, not every film is worthy of its cultural disappearing act. The 1955 drama “I’ll Cry Tomorrow,” based on the troubled life of Broadway star Lillian Roth, certainly has its merits. So too does 1957’s “Sayonara,” starring Marlon Brando, which deals with themes of racial bigotry.
To determine the once popular movies that are all but forgotten now, 24/7 Tempo reviewed data on worldwide box office and audience reviews for movies released between 1948 and 1999 from The Numbers, an online movie database owned by Nash Information Services, and IMDb, an online movie and TV database owned by Amazon. Movies were ranked based on the ratio of worldwide ticket sales to IMDb reviews as of March 2022.
Click here to see once-popular movies that are now all but forgotten
Ticket price sales represent historical popularity while IMDb reviews measure current popularity, so movies with the highest ratio of historical ticket sales to IMDb reviews were ranked the highest – meaning the most likely to have been forgotten. Worldwide ticket sales were estimated using box office data from The Numbers and historical ticket price data comes from the National Association of Theater Owners. Only films with sales of at least 10 million ticket were included for consideration. Supplemental data on IMDb audience ratings and audience scores from Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, were collected March 2022. (Here are some movies audiences love but critics hate.)
50. Quo Vadis (1951)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 4,252.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $578.6 million (63.2 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 7.2/10 (14,854 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (3,736 reviews)
> Starring: Robert Taylor, Deborah Kerr, Leo Genn
This historical epic takes place in ancient Rome and chronicles the spread of Christianity through the story of its two romantic leads. It went big on spectacle and became the highest-grossing film of 1951. The title is Latin for “Where are you going?”
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49. Come September (1961)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 4,295.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $138.5 million (15.1 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.9/10 (3,521 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 78% (3,062 reviews)
> Starring: Rock Hudson, Gina Lollobrigida, Sandra Dee
This lighthearted romantic comedy follows wealthy industrialist Robert L. Talbot (Hudson) to the Italian Riviera, where he tries to win back his mistress. With the arrival of teenage tourists comes an exploration of generational differences. The film was remade multiple times in India.
48. Valley of the Dolls (1967)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 4,298.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $333.6 million (36.4 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.0/10 (8,474 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 58% (5,598 reviews)
> Starring: Barbara Parkins, Patty Duke, Paul Burke
This star-studded drama centers around three aspiring female entertainers who grapple with drug addiction. Despite negative reviews, it was a resounding commercial success. It was later parodied in the 1970 musical satire “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls,” from a script by Roger Ebert.
47. The Wild Angels (1966)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 4,304.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $116.7 million (12.7 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 5.7/10 (2,960 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 45% (1,841 reviews)
> Starring: Peter Fonda, Nancy Sinatra, Bruce Dern
Before starring in “Easy Rider,” Peter Fonda played a Hell’s Angel in this biker outlaw film. The story weaves a tale of vengeance while offering a stark glimpse into 1960s counterculture. Directed by Roger Corman, it was the highest-grossing low-budget film of its time.
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46. Best Friends (1982)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 4,355.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $114.3 million (12.5 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 5.5/10 (2,864 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 29% (3,947 reviews)
> Starring: Burt Reynolds, Goldie Hawn, Jessica Tandy
This endearing romantic comedy sends a screenwriter couple (Reynolds and Hawn) through the wringer as they try their hand at marriage. It holds a paltry audience score of 29% on Rotten Tomatoes. Barry Levinson co-wrote the script and Norman Jewison directed.
45. Thoroughly Modern Millie (1967)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 4,386.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $257.8 million (28.1 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.9/10 (6,417 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 81% (9,184 reviews)
> Starring: Julie Andrews, James Fox, Mary Tyler Moore
Veteran actress Julie Andrews plays the title character in this musical send-up of the roaring ’20s. Upon moving to New York City, Millie sets her sights on marrying her wealthy boss. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards, winning for Best Score.
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44. The Man in the Gray Flannel Suit (1956)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 4,590.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $156.2 million (17.0 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 7.1/10 (3,714 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (1,784 reviews)
> Starring: Gregory Peck, Jennifer Jones, Fredric March
A former WWII soldier (Peck) struggles to support his family and move past his traumas in this touching drama. “The film may seem mediocre now (it did back then), but it probably speaks volumes about the period,” wrote critic Jonathan Rosenbaum for Chicago Reader.
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43. Show Boat (1951)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 4,706.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $211.9 million (23.1 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.9/10 (4,917 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 70% (5,462 reviews)
> Starring: Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel
This Technicolor musical is the third and most successful film adaptation of a 1920s play based on Edna Ferber’s novel of the same name. It centers on the various characters who work for a traveling show boat on the Mississippi river. A number of changes were made to the original play – which incorporated themes of racial inequality – so as to sanitize the material for mass audiences.
42. The Pride and the Passion (1957)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 4,777.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $121.2 million (13.2 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 5.7/10 (2,770 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 25% (1,642 reviews)
> Starring: Cary Grant, Frank Sinatra, Sophia Loren
Set during the Napoleonic Wars, this historical drama follows Spanish forces as they try to keep a powerful cannon out of French hands. It scored big at the box office but nevertheless lost money due to high production costs. Director Stanley Kramer later called it “one of the most difficult and disappointing experiences” of his Hollywood career.
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41. I’ll Cry Tomorrow (1955)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 4,839.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $94.7 million (10.3 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 7.2/10 (2,137 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 74% (415 reviews)
> Starring: Susan Hayward, Richard Conte, Eddie Albert
An entertainer’s (Hayward) path to fortune and fame is nearly derailed by alcoholism in this heralded biopic. It’s based on the real life of actress and singer Lillian Roth, whose best-selling memoir went by the same name.
40. The Cardinal (1963)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 4,961.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $119.0 million (13.0 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.7/10 (2,618 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 67% (934 reviews)
> Starring: Tom Tryon, John Huston, Romy Schneider
This Oscar-nominated drama follows a Catholic priest (Tryon) through a sea of struggles on his way to becoming a cardinal. Told through a series of flashbacks, it deals with themes of racism, Nazism, and romantic temptation.
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39. The Groove Tube (1974)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 5,082.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $99.1 million (10.8 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 5.8/10 (2,129 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 60% (978 reviews)
> Starring: Ken Shapiro, Richard Belzer, Chevy Chase
Chevy Chase and Richard Belzer make their feature debuts in this low-budget spoof of network television. While considered a misfire by critics and audiences alike, its skit-style format did anticipate shows such as “Saturday Night Live.” The film was initially slapped with an X rating and then modified to appease the MPAA.
38. The Main Event (1979)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 5,195.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $138.0 million (15.1 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 5.5/10 (2,899 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 42% (2,367 reviews)
> Starring: Barbra Streisand, Ryan O’Neal, Paul Sand
A broke perfume magnate turned boxing promoter (Streisand) sees an inept fighter (O’Neal) as her ticket back to fortune in this late 1970s romantic comedy. It was co-produced by Streisand along with then-partner Jon Peters. Some things are best left forgotten is the general consensus.
37. The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 5,201.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $678.0 million (74.0 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.6/10 (14,233 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 54% (6,211 reviews)
> Starring: James Stewart, Charlton Heston, Betty Hutton
Director Cecil B. DeMille takes viewers behind the scenes at the Ringling Bros.-Barnum and Bailey Circus in this sprawling drama. Many of the lead stars were reportedly tasked with learning their real stunts. The film won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Screenplay.
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36. Winning (1969)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 5,232.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $94.5 million (10.3 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.0/10 (1,971 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 46% (1,238 reviews)
> Starring: Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Robert Wagner
Paul Newman’s passion for auto racing began with this high-octane drama, about the ambitions and exploits of rising motorsport star Frank Capua. “Well of course he wins the race and gets the girl,” wrote an unimpressed Roger Ebert.
35. The Bible: In the Beginning… (1966)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 5,326.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $262.1 million (28.6 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.2/10 (5,372 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 55% (8,490 reviews)
> Starring: Michael Parks, Ulla Bergryd, Richard Harris
Director John Huston interprets the first 22 chapters in the book of Genesis in this religious drama. All but forgotten to today’s audiences, it was the second highest-grossing film of 1966.
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34. A Hole in the Head (1959)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 5,359.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $123.2 million (13.4 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.3/10 (2,509 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 49% (2,233 reviews)
> Starring: Frank Sinatra, Edward G. Robinson, Eleanor Parker
Star Frank Sinatra performs the Oscar-winning song “High Hopes” in this adaptation of a Broadway play. Some scenes were shot on location in Miami Beach, where Sinatra reportedly butted heads with the local press. It was the penultimate film of director Frank Capra (not counting an industrial film made for Martin Marietta and shown at the 1964 New York World’s Fair).
33. Semi-Tough (1977)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 5,513.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $152.8 million (16.7 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 5.9/10 (3,025 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 31% (1,308 reviews)
> Starring: Burt Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson, Jill Clayburgh
From the director of “The Bad News Bears” comes this sports comedy about the love triangle between two football pros and the team owner’s daughter. It was later adapted as a TV pilot starring Bruce McGill and David Hasselhoff.
32. Freebie and the Bean (1974)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 5,550.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $145.4 million (15.9 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.6/10 (2,860 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 66% (1,446 reviews)
> Starring: Alan Arkin, James Caan, Loretta Swit
This outrageous crime comedy stars Alan Arkin and James Caan as two San Francisco cops who unleash chaos in their pursuit of a local kingpin. Fan Quentin Tarantino relishes the film’s unabashed depiction of brutality, which forces discomfort upon the viewer.
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31. Starting Over (1979)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 5,595.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $141.7 million (15.5 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.4/10 (2,764 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 58% (1,373 reviews)
> Starring: Burt Reynolds, Jill Clayburgh, Candice Bergen
Hollywood veteran James L. Brooks wrote the screenplay for this blockbuster comedy, based on a Dan Wakefield novel. It follows a middle-aged divorcee (Reynolds) as he tries to move past his previous marriage and forge a new romance.
30. The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 5,603.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $267.1 million (29.2 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.1/10 (5,204 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 53% (1,286 reviews)
> Starring: Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, Ava Gardner
As he lies dying at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro, a writer (Peck) wades through a sea of memories in this adventure drama. It’s based on a short story of the same name by Ernest Hemingway.
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29. Follow Me, Boys! (1966)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 5,624.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $121.7 million (13.3 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 7.2/10 (2,362 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 77% (2,089 reviews)
> Starring: Fred MacMurray, Vera Miles, Kurt Russell
This family drama stars a young Kurt Russell in his first of many film roles for Disney Studios. It tells the story of a small-town scoutmaster (MacMurray), who puts his other plans on hold to lead a newly formed troop.
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28. Sayonara (1957)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 5,916.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $364.3 million (39.8 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 7.1/10 (6,722 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 79% (3,551 reviews)
> Starring: Marlon Brando, Ricardo Montalban, Patricia Owens
Reassigned to Japan during the Korean War, US Air Force Major Lloyd “Ace” Gruver (Brando) falls in love with a Japanese entertainer (Miiko Taka). The pair’s subsequent romance tackles themes of prejudice head-on, making this a unique drama for its time. It won four Academy Awards.
27. Masquerade (1988)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 5,960.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $204.1 million (22.3 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.0/10 (3,739 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 51% (1,537 reviews)
> Starring: Rob Lowe, Meg Tilly, Kim Cattrall
After inheriting her mother’s fortune, a woman (Tilly) gets ensnared in a dangerous game of seduction. So goes this erotic mystery starring Rob Lowe at the height of his movie career. He appeared alongside James Spader in the similarly twisty (and largely forgotten) thriller “Bad Influence” the following year.
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26. South Pacific (1958)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 6,181.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $496.0 million (54.1 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.8/10 (8,760 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 69% (12,466 reviews)
> Starring: Rossano Brazzi, Mitzi Gaynor, John Kerr
Not so much forgotten as it is relegated to the lower tiers of movie history, this smash musical spent multiple weeks at No. 1 at the domestic box office. Based on a Rodgers & Hammerstein musical and loosely inspired by a collection of James Michener short stories, it chronicles an island-bound romance during WWII. The adjoining soundtrack album was likewise a massive success.
25. The Sea Chase (1955)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 6,212.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $174.9 million (19.1 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.4/10 (3,073 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 54% (2,647 reviews)
> Starring: John Wayne, Lana Turner, David Farrar
A German freighter captain and devout anti-Nazi, Karl Ehrlich (Wayne) must outmaneuver Allied navies in this WWII action drama. Even the critics have forgotten about it, hence the meager three reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.
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24. Pinky (1949)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 6,238.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $176.0 million (19.2 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 7.2/10 (3,080 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 71% (1,055 reviews)
> Starring: Jeanne Crain, Ethel Barrymore, Ethel Waters
This sobering drama stars Jeanne Crain as a light-skinned Black woman who passes for white. Director John Ford was originally attached to helm, but he was fired a week into the shoot and then replaced with Elia Kazan. The casting of a white actress in a Black role hasn’t aged well, but the film’s themes continue to resonate.
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23. The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 6,259.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $96.3 million (10.5 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.3/10 (1,679 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 61% (1,731 reviews)
> Starring: Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom, Karlheinz Böhm
This top-grossing fantasy interweaves a fictionalized tale the Brothers Grimm with three of their classic stories. Filmed for Cinerama screens, it features both live action and stop motion animation. A number of famous actors appear in supporting roles.
22. A Farewell to Arms (1957)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 6,373.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $152.6 million (16.7 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 5.8/10 (2,614 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 36% (1,461 reviews)
> Starring: Rock Hudson, Jennifer Jones, Vittorio De Sica
The final film from producer David O. Selznick was the second to adapt Hemingway’s iconic novel. Against the violent backdrop of WWI, an English nurse (Jones) and American soldier (Hudson) fall in love. Writing for Slant Magazine, critic Jeremiah Kipp called it a “bloated two-hour-plus Technicolor remake.”
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21. Peyton Place (1957)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 6,562.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $354.6 million (38.7 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 7.2/10 (5,899 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 73% (3,113 reviews)
> Starring: Lana Turner, Lee Philips, Lloyd Nolan
This blockbuster drama welcomes viewers to the small town of Peyton Place, where dark secrets lurk just beyond the idyllic veneer. The second highest-grossing film of 1957, it was nominated for nine Academy Awards. A prime-time TV series based on the best-selling source novel of the same name, by Grace Metalious, debuted in 1964 and ran for five seasons.
20. House Calls (1978)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 6,599.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $113.5 million (12.4 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.7/10 (1,878 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 48% (1,284 reviews)
> Starring: Walter Matthau, Glenda Jackson, Art Carney
Following the death of his wife, a respected doctor (Matthau) goes looking for love in this underwhelming dramedy. Its box office success inspired a TV series of the same name, which aired from 1979 to 1982.
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19. In Search of the Castaways (1962)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 6,978.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $198.7 million (21.7 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.5/10 (3,109 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 63% (4,611 reviews)
> Starring: Hayley Mills, Maurice Chevalier, George Sanders
Disney star Mills plays teenager Mary Grant in this adaptation of a Jules Verne novel. With help from a ship owner and his son, Mary and her brother search for their missing father. “An Earthquake of Entertainment!” was the tagline.
18. The Shaggy Dog (1959)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 7,151.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $324.7 million (35.4 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.5/10 (4,957 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 48% (9,049 reviews)
> Starring: Fred MacMurray, Jean Hagen, Tommy Kirk
This live-action smash was Disney’s most profitable film of the 1950s. It tells the story of young Wilby Daniels (Kirk), who occasionally transforms into a sheepdog due to an ancient spell. Multiple sequels and a 2006 remake would follow.
17. The Robe (1953)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 7,224.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $673.2 million (73.5 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.7/10 (10,173 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 69% (6,028 reviews)
> Starring: Richard Burton, Jean Simmons, Victor Mature
A Roman tribune (Burton) inherits the robe of Christ and suffers from a crisis of faith in this biblical epic. It was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two in minor categories. A 1954 sequel called “Demetrius and the Gladiators” continues the story.
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16. The Tall Men (1955)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 7,263.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $174.9 million (19.1 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.7/10 (2,629 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 62% (413 reviews)
> Starring: Clark Gable, Jane Russell, Robert Ryan
Sparks fly during a dangerous cattle drive in this romantic Western from veteran director Raoul Walsh. Filmed in Cinemascope in Mexico’s Sierra de Órganos National Park, it features a perennial backdrop of sweeping vistas.
15. The Egyptian (1954)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 7,711.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $280.4 million (30.6 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.5/10 (3,970 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 60% (1,035 reviews)
> Starring: Edmund Purdom, Michael Wilding, Jean Simmons
Brought to life in DeLuxe color, this historical drama sends a struggling physician (Purdom) into the employ of Egypt’s new pharaoh (Wilding). Marlon Brando was originally attached to star, only to quit once production was underway. Facing a lawsuit, he agreed to appear in the film “Désirée” from the same studio.
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14. Goodbye, Columbus (1969)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 7,982.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $148.0 million (16.2 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.5/10 (2,024 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 48% (1,116 reviews)
> Starring: Richard Benjamin, Ali MacGraw, Jack Klugman
This romantic dramedy explores class division through the lens of a young couple’s relationship. It received an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay and stars MacGraw in her first major film role. Bestselling author Philip Roth wrote the novel upon which it’s based.
13. Heroes (1977)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 8,253.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $135.6 million (14.8 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.0/10 (1,793 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 49% (607 reviews)
> Starring: Henry Winkler, Sally Field, Harrison Ford
“Happy Days” star Henry Winkler played against type when he headlined this plodding but nevertheless popular drama. It tells the story of Jack Dunne (Winkler), a Vietnam veteran who struggles with post traumatic stress disorder. Supporting actor Harrison Ford was coming off of “Star Wars,” which surely helped drive ticket sales.
12. The World’s Greatest Athlete (1973)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 8,334.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $121.4 million (13.3 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 5.7/10 (1,591 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 34% (1,304 reviews)
> Starring: John Amos, Jan-Michael Vincent, Tim Conway
A Walt Disney production, this sports comedy brings a Tarzan-like jungle boy (Vincent) into the world of collegiate track and field. It opened to disappointing numbers but eventually became one of the year’s most successful films.
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11. Samson and Delilah (1949)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 8,429.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $604.0 million (65.9 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.8/10 (7,822 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 59% (2,082 reviews)
> Starring: Hedy Lamarr, Victor Mature, George Sanders
Cecil B. DeMille retells the Old Testament story of Samson and Delilah in this biblical epic. The highest-grossing film of 1950, it won Academy Awards for Best Costume and Best Art Decoration.
10. Son of Flubber (1963)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 8,723.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $235.7 million (25.7 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.1/10 (2,950 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 47% (4,649 reviews)
> Starring: Fred MacMurray, Nancy Olson, Keenan Wynn
Fred MacMurray reprises his role from the “The Absent-Minded Professor” in this lucrative sequel, which introduces a new form of Flubber (a fictional kind of “flying rubber”) called Flubbergas. It was originally filmed in black-and-white and later colorized for VHS in the 1990s.
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9. Hawaii (1966)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 9,039.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $259.5 million (28.3 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.6/10 (3,134 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 54% (1,544 reviews)
> Starring: Julie Andrews, Max von Sydow, Richard Harris
James Michener’s massive novel laid the groundwork for this similarly sprawling drama, which clocks in at over three hours. The story takes place in the 1820s and follows a missionary (Sydow) and his bride (Andrews) to Hawaii. An attempt to convert the local tribespeople results in a harrowing clash of cultures.
8. Billy Jack (1971)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 9,930.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $544.0 million (59.4 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.2/10 (5,981 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 63% (9,214 reviews)
> Starring: Tom Laughlin, Delores Taylor, Clark Howat
Tom Laughlin co-wrote, directed, and stars in this independent action drama, the second in a series of four. It centers on the title character, an ex-Green Beret with Native American blood who grows increasingly hostile toward the white man’s ways. “There’s not a single contemporary issue, from ecology to gun control, that’s not covered,” wrote critic Roger Ebert.
7. Island in the Sun (1957)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 10,252.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $110.8 million (12.1 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.1/10 (1,180 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 54% (615 reviews)
> Starring: James Mason, Harry Belafonte, Joan Fontaine
This ensemble melodrama explores murder, race, and politics on a British-ruled Caribbean island in the 1950s. Its depiction of interracial romance was highly controversial, prompting bans in the South and protests from the Ku Klux Klan.
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6. The Carpetbaggers (1964)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 10,428.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $213.3 million (23.3 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.5/10 (2,233 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 62% (1,021 reviews)
> Starring: George Peppard, Alan Ladd, Robert Cummings
Bequeathed his father’s empire, a young man (Peppard) grows ruthless in his pursuit of power and pleasure. Set in the 1930s, the soapy drama pushed boundaries with its depictions of sex and sadism. It was the fourth highest-grossing film of 1964.
5. David and Bathsheba (1951)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 12,633.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $269.7 million (29.4 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.1/10 (2,331 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 32% (417 reviews)
> Starring: Gregory Peck, Susan Hayward, Raymond Massey
This Technicolor epic portrays the love affair between King David and Bathsheba, occasionally flashing back to famous biblical events. Sweeping spectacle and Gregory Peck’s committed performance helped make it a commercial success.
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4. Come Blow Your Horn (1963)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 13,098.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $135.3 million (14.8 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.0/10 (1,128 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 61% (730 reviews)
> Starring: Frank Sinatra, Lee J. Cobb, Molly Picon
Sitcom legend Norman Lear wrote the script for this musical comedy, based on a play by Neil Simon. It stars Sinatra as Alan Baker, a womanizing Manhattanite who teaches his younger brother some tricks of the trade. Look for a cameo from fellow rat packer Dean Martin.
3. Lt. Robin Crusoe, U.S.N. (1966)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 13,336.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $169.4 million (18.5 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 5.8/10 (1,387 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 41% (1,516 reviews)
> Starring: Nancy Kwan, Akim Tamiroff
Walt Disney received his sole story credit (as “Retlaw Yensid”) for this adventure comedy, which puts a modern twist on Defoe’s “Robinson Crusoe.” Cast away to a remote island, a navy pilot (Van Dyke) engages with tribal women and an astro-chimp named Floyd.
2. Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 14,028.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $486.2 million (53.1 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 6.6/10 (3,784 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 66% (4,993 reviews)
> Starring: Victor Mature, Susan Hayward, Michael Rennie
This sequel to “The Robe” follows a Christian slave (Mature) through the ranks of gladiator training and into the arena. Themes of faith play out against a tapestry of epic set pieces and romantic encounters.
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1. The Trial of Billy Jack (1974)
> Ticket sale to IMDb review ratio: 34,448.1 tickets per review
> Inflation-adjusted box office: $431.3 million (47.1 million tickets)
> IMDb audience rating: 4.5/10 (1,367 reviews)
> Rotten Tomatoes audience score: 49% (2,100 reviews)
> Starring: Tom Laughlin, Delores Taylor, Victor Izay
Tom Laughlin returns as Billy Jack for the third installment of his Western action series. This time around, the half-blooded Native American joins a freedom school in the fight against establishment forces. The film overcame negative reviews on its way to the top of the domestic box office, where it stayed for three weeks.
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