Special Report
Most Popular Movie in America Every Year Since 1915
Published:
Last Updated:
Movies are not only one of the most beloved forms of entertainment but also have become a major cultural reference point for people across the globe. Birthdays are personal reference points, of course — occasions on which when we reflect on what’s been going on in our lives and maybe in the wider world, too.
24/7 Tempo has combined these two elements to create a list of the most popular movies every year between 1915 and 2021, based on critic and audience reviews. Not surprisingly, the list contains movies that are widely regarded as among the greatest ever made.
The entry for 1941, for instance, is “Citizen Kane,” in which director Orson Welles (who also starred in the title role) used innovative storytelling techniques such as flashbacks, multiple narrators, and deep-focus cinematography that have influenced generations of filmmakers.
From 1942, the most popular movie is “Casablanca,” a story of romance and war starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman that is beloved by audiences and critics alike and has become a cultural touchstone across the generations. (The most popular films aren’t always the ones that get the big awards. Compare this list with the Oscar winners for Best Picture the year you were born.)
The 1970s ushered in the era of summer blockbusters and they are well represented, including “Jaws” (1975) and the original “Star Wars” (1977). Big movies from the 1980s range from adventure stories (“Raiders of the Lost Ark”) to romcoms (“Pretty Woman”). In the last two decades franchises have become enormously popular, including numerous “Star Wars” offshoots as well as installments of “The Avengers,” “Batman,” “Harry Potter,” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.” (These are among America’s favorite movies of all time.)
Click here to see the most popular movie in America every year since 1915.
To determine the most popular movies every year over the past century-plus, 24/7 Tempo compiled the total number of reviews appearing on Rotten Tomatoes, an online movie and TV review aggregator, and IMDb, an online movie database owned by Amazon, for films released between 1915 and 2021. Data was current as of June 2021. Inflation-adjusted box office gross figures come from The Numbers, an online movie database owned by consulting firm Nash Information Services. Figures are for worldwide gross, except in a few cases for early films that had negligible international release. We indexed both review counts and gross figures, weighted equally, to identify the most popular movie each year.
1915: The Birth of a Nation
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 4,863
> Total IMDb reviews: 23,045
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $664.1 million (#290 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Henry B. Walthall
> Number of movies considered: 4
[in-text-ad]
1916: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 10,536
> Total IMDb reviews: 1,557
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $447.8 million (#535 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Allen Holubar, Dan Hanlon, Edna Pendleton
> Number of movies considered: 2
1917: A Man There Was
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 382
> Total IMDb reviews: 1,663
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: Not available
> Starring: Victor Sjöström, August Falck, Edith Erastoff
> Number of movies considered: 2
1918: The Outlaw and His Wife
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 310
> Total IMDb reviews: 1,588
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: Not available
> Starring: Victor Sjöström, Edith Erastoff, John Ekman
> Number of movies considered: 3
24/7 Wall St.
1919: Broken Blossoms
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 3,827
> Total IMDb reviews: 9,554
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: Not available
> Starring: Norman Selby, Lillian Gish, Richard Barthelmess
> Number of movies considered: 9
1920: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 27,850
> Total IMDb reviews: 58,353
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: Not available
> Starring: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher
> Number of movies considered: 11
1921: The Kid
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 15,500
> Total IMDb reviews: 115,598
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $89.6 million (#2,719 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: B.F. Blinn, Charles Chaplin, Edna Purviance
> Number of movies considered: 12
[in-text-ad-2]
1922: Nosferatu
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 48,116
> Total IMDb reviews: 89,928
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: Not available
> Starring: Max Schreck, Alexander Granach, Gustav von Wangenheim
> Number of movies considered: 10
1923: Safety Last!
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 3,790
> Total IMDb reviews: 18,728
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: Not available
> Starring: Harold Lloyd, Mildred Davis, Bill Strother
> Number of movies considered: 9
1924: Sherlock Jr.
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 6,969
> Total IMDb reviews: 43,219
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: Not available
> Starring: Buster Keaton, Kathryn McGuire, Joe Keaton
> Number of movies considered: 17
1925: The Big Parade
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 808
> Total IMDb reviews: 6,231
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $769.7 million (#214 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: John Gilbert, Renée Adorée, Hobart Bosworth
> Number of movies considered: 18
[in-text-ad]
1926: The General
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 11,582
> Total IMDb reviews: 82,335
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: Not available
> Starring: Buster Keaton, Marion Mack, Glen Cavender
> Number of movies considered: 18
1927: Metropolis
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 63,052
> Total IMDb reviews: 162,491
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $42.5 million (#4,120 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich
> Number of movies considered: 23
1928: The Passion of Joan of Arc
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 10,458
> Total IMDb reviews: 49,005
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: Not available
> Starring: Maria Falconetti, Eugene Silvain, André Berley
> Number of movies considered: 27
1929: The Broadway Melody
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 1,840
> Total IMDb reviews: 6,605
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $156.0 million (#1,713 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Bessie Love, Anita Page, Charles King
> Number of movies considered: 23
1930: All Quiet on the Western Front
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 18,096
> Total IMDb reviews: 57,771
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: Not available
> Starring: Lew Ayres, Louis Wolheim, John Wray
> Number of movies considered: 28
1931: City Lights
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 27,169
> Total IMDb reviews: 170,276
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $1.8 million (#7,484 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Charles Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Florence Lee
> Number of movies considered: 52
[in-text-ad-2]
1932: Freaks
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 24,537
> Total IMDb reviews: 42,565
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: Not available
> Starring: Wallace Ford, Leila Hyams, Olga Baclanova
> Number of movies considered: 62
1933: King Kong
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 90,261
> Total IMDb reviews: 80,216
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $473.7 million (#498 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Fay Wray, Robert Armstrong, Bruce Cabot
> Number of movies considered: 56
1934: It Happened One Night
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 33,761
> Total IMDb reviews: 95,467
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $114.0 million (#2,242 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Jameson Thomas, Clark Gable, Claudette Colbert
> Number of movies considered: 51
1935: The 39 Steps
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 23,974
> Total IMDb reviews: 52,857
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: Not available
> Starring: Robert Donat, Madeleine Carroll, Lucie Mannheim
> Number of movies considered: 61
[in-text-ad]
1936: Modern Times
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 40,338
> Total IMDb reviews: 221,460
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $9.4 million (#6,293 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Al Ernest Garcia, Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard
> Number of movies considered: 71
1937: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 470,493
> Total IMDb reviews: 183,666
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $7.9 billion (#3 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Adriana Caselotti, Harry Stockwell, Lucille La Verne
> Number of movies considered: 60
1938: Bringing Up Baby
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 39,203
> Total IMDb reviews: 55,857
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: Not available
> Starring: Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant, Charles Ruggles
> Number of movies considered: 53
24/7 Wall St.
1939: Gone with the Wind
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 293,955
> Total IMDb reviews: 293,433
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $17.2 billion (#1 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Thomas Mitchell
> Number of movies considered: 76
1940: Pinocchio
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 279,522
> Total IMDb reviews: 133,147
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $3.7 billion (#6 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Dickie Jones, Christian Rub, Mel Blanc
> Number of movies considered: 87
1941: Citizen Kane
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 159,528
> Total IMDb reviews: 410,008
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $41.9 million (#4,149 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore
> Number of movies considered: 89
[in-text-ad-2]
1942: Bambi
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 599,925
> Total IMDb reviews: 132,793
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $10.1 billion (#2 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Hardie Albright, Stan Alexander, Bobette Audrey
> Number of movies considered: 81
1943: This Is the Army
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 592
> Total IMDb reviews: 1,000
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $690.1 million (#270 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: George Murphy, Joan Leslie, George Tobias
> Number of movies considered: 77
1944: Double Indemnity
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 35,879
> Total IMDb reviews: 145,580
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $0.2 billion (#1,359 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck, Edward G. Robinson
> Number of movies considered: 76
1945: The Bells of St. Mary’s
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 7,145
> Total IMDb reviews: 7,277
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $724.6 million (#249 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman, Henry Travers
> Number of movies considered: 82
[in-text-ad]
1946: It’s A Wonderful Life
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 219,223
> Total IMDb reviews: 410,837
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $340.0 million (#774 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: James Stewart, Donna Reed, Lionel Barrymore
> Number of movies considered: 85
1947: Miracle on 34th Street
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 47,671
> Total IMDb reviews: 41,917
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $875.5 million (#149 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Edmund Gwenn, Maureen O’Hara, John Payne
> Number of movies considered: 84
1948: Bicycle Thieves
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 34,311
> Total IMDb reviews: 149,597
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $8.4 million (#6,414 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Lamberto Maggiorani, Enzo Staiola, Lianella Carell
> Number of movies considered: 94
1949: The Third Man
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 54,156
> Total IMDb reviews: 161,156
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $9.4 million (#6,291 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli
> Number of movies considered: 93
1950: Cinderella
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 862,261
> Total IMDb reviews: 147,673
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $5.5 billion (#4 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Ilene Woods, James MacDonald, Eleanor Audley
> Number of movies considered: 99
1951: Alice in Wonderland
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 574,405
> Total IMDb reviews: 130,641
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $20.6 million (#5,344 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Kathryn Beaumont, Ed Wynn, Richard Haydn
> Number of movies considered: 97
[in-text-ad-2]
1952: Singin’ in the Rain
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 138,751
> Total IMDb reviews: 222,069
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $136.3 million (#1,922 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds
> Number of movies considered: 84
1953: Peter Pan
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 278,062
> Total IMDb reviews: 128,458
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $1.6 billion (#29 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Bobby Driscoll, Kathryn Beaumont, Hans Conried
> Number of movies considered: 108
1954: Rear Window
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 151,013
> Total IMDb reviews: 449,844
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $515.8 million (#445 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: James Stewart, Grace Kelly, Wendell Corey
> Number of movies considered: 95
1955: Lady and the Tramp
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 861,330
> Total IMDb reviews: 124,718
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $1.4 billion (#47 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Barbara Luddy, Larry Roberts, Peggy Lee
> Number of movies considered: 121
[in-text-ad]
1956: The Ten Commandments
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 60,300
> Total IMDb reviews: 65,287
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $1.2 billion (#65 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Charlton Heston, Yul Brynner, Anne Baxter
> Number of movies considered: 116
1957: 12 Angry Men
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 105,570
> Total IMDb reviews: 702,293
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $60.4 million (#3,422 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam
> Number of movies considered: 117
1958: Vertigo
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 102,735
> Total IMDb reviews: 369,595
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $44.4 million (#4,030 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: James Stewart, Kim Novak, Barbara Bel Geddes
> Number of movies considered: 116
1959: Ben-Hur
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 106,274
> Total IMDb reviews: 222,139
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $820.2 million (#174 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Charlton Heston, Jack Hawkins, Stephen Boyd
> Number of movies considered: 120
1960: Psycho
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 240,421
> Total IMDb reviews: 612,633
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $352.3 million (#737 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Anthony Perkins, Janet Leigh, Vera Miles
> Number of movies considered: 127
1961: One Hundred and One Dalmatians
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 709,394
> Total IMDb reviews: 154,805
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $1.7 billion (#25 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Rod Taylor, Betty Lou Gerson, J. Pat O’Malley
> Number of movies considered: 94
[in-text-ad-2]
1962: Lawrence of Arabia
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 75,295
> Total IMDb reviews: 272,119
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $755.3 million (#226 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Peter O’Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn
> Number of movies considered: 116
1963: The Great Escape
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 103,606
> Total IMDb reviews: 227,443
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $127.5 million (#2,031 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Steve McQueen, James Garner, Richard Attenborough
> Number of movies considered: 117
1964: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 209,673
> Total IMDb reviews: 455,665
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $69.3 million (#3,176 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden
> Number of movies considered: 141
1965: The Sound of Music
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 606,557
> Total IMDb reviews: 209,778
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $2.1 billion (#16 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker
> Number of movies considered: 130
[in-text-ad]
1966: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 239,990
> Total IMDb reviews: 697,320
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $45.8 million (#3,965 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Clint Eastwood, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef
> Number of movies considered: 143
1967: The Graduate
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 183,728
> Total IMDb reviews: 255,996
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $784.4 million (#202 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Dustin Hoffman, Anne Bancroft, Katharine Ross
> Number of movies considered: 143
1968: 2001: A Space Odyssey
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 299,410
> Total IMDb reviews: 611,622
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $488.7 million (#478 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Keir Dullea, Gary Lockwood, William Sylvester
> Number of movies considered: 144
1969: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 71,272
> Total IMDb reviews: 203,444
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $660.0 million (#292 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Katharine Ross
> Number of movies considered: 130
1970: The Aristocats
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 273,585
> Total IMDb reviews: 95,397
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $309.1 million (#867 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Phil Harris, Eva Gabor, Sterling Holloway
> Number of movies considered: 153
1971: A Clockwork Orange
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 437,120
> Total IMDb reviews: 766,772
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $158.1 million (#1,687 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates
> Number of movies considered: 187
[in-text-ad-2]
1972: The Godfather
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 734,390
> Total IMDb reviews: 1,647,795
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $1.5 billion (#33 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan
> Number of movies considered: 165
1973: The Exorcist
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 420,546
> Total IMDb reviews: 365,427
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $2.3 billion (#12 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Linda Blair
> Number of movies considered: 147
1974: The Godfather: Part II
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 411,775
> Total IMDb reviews: 1,147,241
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $277.7 million (#969 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Al Pacino, Robert De Niro, Robert Duvall
> Number of movies considered: 145
1975: One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 279,968
> Total IMDb reviews: 929,439
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $736.8 million (#239 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Jack Nicholson, Louise Fletcher, Michael Berryman
> Number of movies considered: 133
[in-text-ad]
1976: Rocky
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 33,404,060
> Total IMDb reviews: 525,647
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $967.6 million (#119 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young
> Number of movies considered: 148
1977: Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 863,213
> Total IMDb reviews: 1,245,638
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $3.2 billion (#9 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
> Number of movies considered: 136
1978: Grease
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 1,161,485
> Total IMDb reviews: 245,536
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $1.5 billion (#35 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing
> Number of movies considered: 149
24/7 Wall St.
1979: Alien
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 460,388
> Total IMDb reviews: 798,839
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $685.0 million (#272 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, John Hurt
> Number of movies considered: 153
1980: Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 1,058,489
> Total IMDb reviews: 1,173,662
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $1.9 billion (#20 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
> Number of movies considered: 177
1981: Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 826,942
> Total IMDb reviews: 893,647
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $1.2 billion (#68 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Paul Freeman
> Number of movies considered: 188
[in-text-ad-2]
1982: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 32,314,482
> Total IMDb reviews: 376,787
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $2.2 billion (#15 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore, Peter Coyote
> Number of movies considered: 178
1983: Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 1,013,907
> Total IMDb reviews: 961,982
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $1.4 billion (#44 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher
> Number of movies considered: 179
1984: The Terminator
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 776,842
> Total IMDb reviews: 805,145
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $212.7 million (#1,279 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn
> Number of movies considered: 203
1985: Back to the Future
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 1,095,430
> Total IMDb reviews: 1,075,227
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $994.7 million (#115 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson
> Number of movies considered: 218
[in-text-ad]
1986: Aliens
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 429,942
> Total IMDb reviews: 660,094
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $452.6 million (#528 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Sigourney Weaver, Michael Biehn, Carrie Henn
> Number of movies considered: 222
1987: Full Metal Jacket
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 324,789
> Total IMDb reviews: 683,410
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $105.5 million (#2,400 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey, Vincent D’Onofrio
> Number of movies considered: 278
1988: Die Hard
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 574,278
> Total IMDb reviews: 801,448
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $310.8 million (#861 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Bonnie Bedelia
> Number of movies considered: 283
1989: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 768,758
> Total IMDb reviews: 699,393
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $1.1 billion (#91 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, Alison Doody
> Number of movies considered: 262
1990: Pretty Woman
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 32,709,444
> Total IMDb reviews: 294,636
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $938.9 million (#127 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Richard Gere, Julia Roberts, Jason Alexander
> Number of movies considered: 260
1991: The Silence of the Lambs
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 847,393
> Total IMDb reviews: 1,291,144
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $599.9 million (#341 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Jodie Foster, Anthony Hopkins, Lawrence A. Bonney
> Number of movies considered: 275
[in-text-ad-2]
1992: Reservoir Dogs
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 446,675
> Total IMDb reviews: 931,262
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $6.6 million (#6,654 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen
> Number of movies considered: 262
1993: Schindler’s List
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 411,895
> Total IMDb reviews: 1,230,104
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $712.9 million (#254 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Kingsley
> Number of movies considered: 302
1994: Ace Ventura: Pet Detective
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 33,204,181
> Total IMDb reviews: 279,914
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $240.7 million (#1,131 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Jim Carrey, Courteney Cox, Sean Young
> Number of movies considered: 310
1995: Braveheart
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 32,708,539
> Total IMDb reviews: 969,310
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $369.3 million (#696 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Patrick McGoohan
> Number of movies considered: 321
[in-text-ad]
1996: Independence Day
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 977,727
> Total IMDb reviews: 532,453
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $1.7 billion (#24 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum
> Number of movies considered: 349
1997: Titanic
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 35,797,828
> Total IMDb reviews: 1,060,644
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $ billion (#5 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane
> Number of movies considered: 382
1998: There’s Something About Mary
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 33,121,623
> Total IMDb reviews: 293,408
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $722.4 million (#250 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Cameron Diaz, Matt Dillon, Ben Stiller
> Number of movies considered: 395
1999: The Matrix
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 33,324,357
> Total IMDb reviews: 1,701,317
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $752.0 million (#232 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Carrie-Anne Moss
> Number of movies considered: 391
2000: Gladiator
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 34,128,368
> Total IMDb reviews: 1,359,472
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $1.1 billion (#86 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Connie Nielsen
> Number of movies considered: 451
2001: Donnie Darko
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 30,984,686
> Total IMDb reviews: 747,385
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $12.2 million (#6,043 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Mary McDonnell
> Number of movies considered: 472
[in-text-ad-2]
2002: Spider-Man
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 34,297,599
> Total IMDb reviews: 695,833
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $1.2 billion (#64 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Willem Dafoe
> Number of movies considered: 533
2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 34,680,048
> Total IMDb reviews: 1,664,586
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $1.6 billion (#28 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Elijah Wood, Viggo Mortensen, Ian McKellen
> Number of movies considered: 497
2004: Shrek 2
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 34,232,761
> Total IMDb reviews: 425,039
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $1.4 billion (#45 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz
> Number of movies considered: 594
2005: Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 33,684,140
> Total IMDb reviews: 721,120
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $1.2 billion (#76 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Hayden Christensen, Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor
> Number of movies considered: 634
[in-text-ad]
2006: The Departed
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 738,335
> Total IMDb reviews: 1,206,885
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $405.1 million (#605 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson
> Number of movies considered: 764
2007: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 2,738,719
> Total IMDb reviews: 601,303
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $1.3 billion (#53 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley
> Number of movies considered: 739
2008: The Dark Knight
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 1,831,910
> Total IMDb reviews: 2,342,411
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $1.3 billion (#55 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Aaron Eckhart
> Number of movies considered: 688
2009: Avatar
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 1,383,160
> Total IMDb reviews: 1,130,126
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $3.5 billion (#8 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver
> Number of movies considered: 725
2010: Inception
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 571,907
> Total IMDb reviews: 2,100,917
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $845.9 million (#163 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Elliot Page
> Number of movies considered: 659
2011: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 392,543
> Total IMDb reviews: 779,826
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $1.5 billion (#31 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint
> Number of movies considered: 698
[in-text-ad-2]
2012: The Dark Knight Rises
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 1,212,919
> Total IMDb reviews: 1,537,239
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $1.2 billion (#60 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Christian Bale, Tom Hardy, Anne Hathaway
> Number of movies considered: 771
2013: The Wolf of Wall Street
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 181,382
> Total IMDb reviews: 1,214,418
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $439.3 million (#554 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Jonah Hill, Margot Robbie
> Number of movies considered: 796
2014: Interstellar
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 176,902
> Total IMDb reviews: 1,545,279
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $731.2 million (#242 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain
> Number of movies considered: 862
2015: Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 235,891
> Total IMDb reviews: 868,510
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $2.2 billion (#13 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac
> Number of movies considered: 841
[in-text-ad]
2016: Deadpool
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 188,212
> Total IMDb reviews: 916,479
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $830.4 million (#173 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin, T.J. Miller
> Number of movies considered: 862
2017: Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 224,725
> Total IMDb reviews: 573,193
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $1.4 billion (#48 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Mark Hamill
> Number of movies considered: 910
2018: Avengers: Infinity War
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 60,114
> Total IMDb reviews: 866,356
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $2.1 billion (#18 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo
> Number of movies considered: 867
2019: Avengers: Endgame
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 72,454
> Total IMDb reviews: 857,859
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $2.8 billion (#10 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo
> Number of movies considered: 777
[in-text-ad-2]
2020: Tenet
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 6,223
> Total IMDb reviews: 331,957
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $362.0 million (#712 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: John David Washington, Robert Pattinson, Elizabeth Debicki
> Number of movies considered: 482
2021: Raya and the Last Dragon
> Total Rotten Tomatoes reviews: 4,900
> Total IMDb reviews: 47,967
> Inflation-adjusted box office gross: $102.0 million (#2,452 out of 9,859 films)
> Starring: Kelly Marie Tran, Awkwafina, Gemma Chan
> Number of movies considered: 41
Cash Back Credit Cards Have Never Been This Good
Credit card companies are at war, handing out free rewards and benefits to win the best customers. A good cash back card can be worth thousands of dollars a year in free money, not to mention other perks like travel, insurance, and access to fancy lounges. See our top picks for the best credit cards today. You won’t want to miss some of these offers.
Flywheel Publishing has partnered with CardRatings for our coverage of credit card products. Flywheel Publishing and CardRatings may receive a commission from card issuers.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Latest from 24/7
