Although several other revenue streams also generate revenue (such as theatrical exhibition, home video, television broadcast rights and merchandising), theatrical box office earnings take prominence, mostly because of the availability of the data compared to sales figures for home video and broadcast rights, but also because of historical practice.
Included on this list are charts showing the films that reached certain milestones in the fastest time.
By 1980, Star Wars became the first movie to reach a $500 million worldwide gross (not adjusting for inflation).
[8] The list below is restricted to the 10 movies that reached the milestone the fastest, not taking into account early, single-show premieres.
The milestones used by trade publications such as Box Office Mojo or The Numbers, are multiples of $50 million.
The first movie to reach $100 million at the US and Canadian box office was The Sound of Music, during its initial 1965 release.
The first movie to reach this milestone was Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope with its 1981 reissue.
The first movie to reach this milestone was Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope on Feb 7, 1997,[82][# 8] during its 20-year anniversary re-release.
The first movie to reach this milestone was Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope on Mar 7, 1997,[83][# 9] during its 20-year anniversary re-release.
As of September 2024[update], seventeen films have grossed over $550 million at the US and Canadian box office.
As of September 2024[update], sixteen films have grossed over $600 million at the US and Canadian box office.
As of September 2024[update], eleven films have grossed over $650 million at the US and Canadian box office.
George Lucas's Blockbusting: A Decade-by-Decade Survey of Timeless Movies Including Untold Secrets of Their Financial and Cultural Success.