You might already know that the 2009 movie Avatar is the biggest money-making movie in history, with a global box office of over $2 billion. However, if you ignore the value of a dollar, the movie making the most money will always be relatively recent. Once you adjust for inflation, there are some classics that still haven't been beat. Check out a list of the top 15 movies ever, based on inflation-adjusted U.S.-only earnings. I've seen them all, and would recommend that you see them all, too, eventually.
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http://www.boxofficemojo.com/about/adjuster.htm says the average US movie in 1961 was $0.69 while in 2017 it's $8.84. https://www.aier.org/cost-living-calculator says the inflation adjusted $0.69(1961) is $5.78(2017). The $8.84 is the same value quoted at http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/movie-ticket-prices-hit-record-high-first-quarter-996254 , so it's likely from the same source.
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This effect might be even bigger since (in my experience) movie ticket prices have risen faster than overall inflation. For example, "101 Dalmatians" cost $0.50 to see when it finally came to my little town. Current, first-run movies cost $12. That adjustment has it grossing an adjusted $3.5 Billion.
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