<P> The measuring system for gauging a film's success is based on unadjusted grosses, mainly because historically this is the way it has always been done because of the practices of the film industry: the box office receipts are compiled by theaters and relayed to the distributor, which in turn releases them to the media . Converting to a more representative system that counts ticket sales rather than gross is also fraught with problems because the only data available for older films are the sale totals . As the motion picture industry is highly oriented towards marketing currently released films, unadjusted figures are always used in marketing campaigns so that new blockbuster films can much more easily achieve a high sales ranking, and thus be promoted as a "top film of all time", so there is little incentive to switch to a more robust analysis from a marketing or even newsworthy point of view . </P> <P> Despite the inherent difficulties in accounting for inflation, several attempts have been made . Estimates depend on the price index used to adjust the grosses, and the exchange rates used to convert between currencies can also impact upon the calculations, both of which can have an effect on the ultimate rankings of an inflation adjusted list . Gone with the Wind--first released in 1939--is generally considered to be the most successful film, with Guinness World Records in 2014 estimating its adjusted global gross at $3.4 billion . Estimates for Gone with the Wind's adjusted gross have varied substantially: its owner, Turner Entertainment, estimated its adjusted earnings at $3.3 billion in 2007, a few years earlier than the Guinness estimate; other estimates fall either side of this amount, with one putting its gross just under $3 billion in 2010, while another provided an alternative figure of $3.8 billion in 2006 . Which film is Gone with the Wind's nearest rival depends on the set of figures used: Guinness had Avatar in second place with $3 billion, while other estimates saw Titanic in the runner - up spot with first - run worldwide earnings of almost $2.9 billion at 2010 prices . The only other film that all sources agreed grossed in excess of $2 billion at recent prices is Star Wars; according to Guinness it has earned $2.8 billion at 2014 price levels, while other sources from 2010 / 2011 put its adjusted earnings at $2.2--2.6 billion . </P> <Table> Highest - grossing films adjusted for inflation as of 2016 <Tr> <Th> Rank </Th> <Th> Title </Th> <Th> Worldwide gross (2016 $) </Th> <Th> Year </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Th> Gone with the Wind </Th> <Td> 7009364000000000000 ♠ $3,640,000,000 </Td> <Td> 1939 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Th> Avatar </Th> <Td> 7009319600000000000 ♠ $3,196,000,000 </Td> <Td> 2009 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Th> Titanic </Th> <Td> $2,516,000,000 7009302600000000000 ♠ $3,026,000,000 </Td> <Td> 1997 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Th> Star Wars </Th> <Td> 7009298900000000000 ♠ $2,989,000,000 </Td> <Td> 1977 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 5 </Td> <Th> The Sound of Music </Th> <Td> 7009250300000000000 ♠ $2,503,000,000 </Td> <Td> 1965 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 6 </Td> <Th> E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial </Th> <Td> 7009244400000000000 ♠ $2,444,000,000 </Td> <Td> 1982 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 7 </Td> <Th> The Ten Commandments </Th> <Td> 7009231400000000000 ♠ $2,314,000,000 </Td> <Td> 1956 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 8 </Td> <Th> Doctor Zhivago </Th> <Td> 7009219300000000000 ♠ $2,193,000,000 </Td> <Td> 1965 </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 9 </Td> <Th> Jaws </Th> <Td> 7009214500000000000 ♠ $2,145,000,000 </Td> <Td> </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 10 </Td> <Th> Star Wars: The Force Awakens </Th> <Td> 7009210300000000000 ♠ $2,103,000,000 </Td> <Td> 2015 </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th> Rank </Th> <Th> Title </Th> <Th> Worldwide gross (2016 $) </Th> <Th> Year </Th> </Tr>

What is the highest grossing box office film of all time