15 Most Profitable Movies Of All Time
9. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
It's difficult to describe exactly how big a movie E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was in 1982. While it's true that Steven Spielberg had already demonstrated his directorial abilities with Jaws, which will be coming up shortly, few could have predicted it would become a cultural phenomenon.
The movie was based upon an imaginary friend Spielberg created following his parents' divorce more than two decades previously, the tale of a cute and affectionate alien blew everyone away, and it blew past Star Wars to take the title of the highest-grossing movie of all time. It held that record for 11 years, losing it to another Spielberg film, Jurassic Park.
E.T. was highly acclaimed when it was first released, and it is widely considered to be among the greatest movies ever made. It has since been re-released, in 1985, and again in 2002 to celebrate its 20th anniversary, though none of those box office receipts are included here.
The film was made for $10.5 million in 1981, which amounts to a 2020 cost of $28.2 million. When adjusted for inflation, its impressive $792.9 million box-office haul adjusts to $1.667 billion. That left Universal Pictures with an estimated profit of $750 million.