10 Highest Grossing Sci-Fi Films Of All Time (Adjusted For Inflation)

3. E.T. The Extraterrestrial

E T BOX OFFICE
Universal Pictures

ADJUSTED FOR INFLATION: $2.496 billion

ORIGINAL BOX OFFICE: $793.4 million

The only entry on the list which serves as a standalone film, E.T. the Extraterrestrial is the rare beast of a one-off film which refused to churn out sequels like many other successful sci-fi films on this list. For this alone it deserves its spot as the third highest grossing sci-fi film of all time.

It helps that Spielberg's 1982 film is a heart-warming tale that is as timeless as it is inventive. E.T. was an instant hit with critics and audiences alike and even surpassed Star Wars to become the highest grossing film of all time with a box office of $793.4 million compared to George Lucas' sci-fi classic which grossed $775.5 million. However, when adjusting for inflation its a different matter...

Contributor

An avid cinephile, love Trainspotting (the film, not the hobby), like watching bad films ironically (The Room, Cats) and hate my over-reliance on brackets (they’re handy for a quick aside though).