<Tr> <Th> 7th Heaven </Th> <Td> 1927 </Td> <Td> Borzage, Frank Frank Borzage </Td> <Td> 7006250000000000000 ♠ $2,500,000 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> What Price Glory? </Th> <Td> 1926 </Td> <Td> Walsh, Raoul Raoul Walsh </Td> <Td> 7006240000000000000 ♠ $2,400,000 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Abie's Irish Rose </Th> <Td> 1928 </Td> <Td> Fleming, Victor Victor Fleming </Td> <Td> 7006150000000000000 ♠ $1,500,000 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <P> Although attempts to create sync - sound motion pictures go back to the Edison lab in 1896, only from the early 1920s were the basic technologies such as vacuum tube amplifiers and high - quality loudspeakers available . The next few years saw a race to design, implement, and market several rival sound - on - disc and sound - on - film sound formats, such as Photokinema (1921), Phonofilm (1923), Vitaphone (1926), Fox Movietone (1927) and RCA Photophone (1928). </P>

What controversial movie produced in the silent film era was the first blockbuster