Finding Nemo Becomes Disney's Top Grossing Film of All Time!

[indianajdp]

Finding Nemo is now in the 8th highest grossing film in US Box Office History:

1 Titanic - $600,788,188 1997
2 Star Wars - $460,998,007 1977
3 E.T. - $435,110,554 1982
4 Star Wars: Episode I - $431,088,297 1999
5 Spider-Man - $403,706,375 2002
6 Jurassic Park - $357,067,947 1993
7 Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - $339,776,642 2002
8 Finding Nemo - $339,615,775
9 Forrest Gump - $329,694,499 1994
10 The Lion King - $328,541,776 1994
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.
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16 Pirates of the Caribbean - $303,753,725


Amazing that this film keeps plugging along...and if I'm not mistaken didn't TLK have two separate Box Office releases accounting for that total? I'm also assuming that the IMAX receipts did NOT count towards that total.

Very impressive results for Pixar/Disney. Looks like this is even more negotiating ammo for Pixar to bring to the table in talks with Disney about a new working relationship.

[Luke]

IMAX receipts DID count towards that total, for about $16 M or so. Of course, ticket prices 9 summers ago were significantly less, so taking inflation into account, Simba still rules all.

[Prince Adam]

Actually, if you think about it, the success of Finding Nemo just drives another nail into the coffin that holds 2-D animation.

[Disneykid]

So you'd rather Finding Nemo had tanked (no pun intended) during its theatrical run?

I thought Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was in the U.S. top 10? Unless it got de-throned by Nemo?

[Luke]

I thought Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was in the U.S. top 10? Unless it got de-throned by Nemo?

It was bumped to 10 by The Lion King's IMAX run and dethroned by Nemo.

[Uncle Remus]

somehow movies like Star Wars and ET had second releases so do the box office for the second releases count for their highest grossing movie money amount.

[Luke]

somehow movies like Star Wars and ET had second releases so do the box office for the second releases count for their highest grossing movie money amount.

Yes. they count. Star Wars had around $215 million domestically at the semi-end of its theatrical release by the spring of '78. Re-releases have boosted it to around $460. E.T.'s $76 million or so in re-releases also is counted.

[Loomis]

I think it is fairly good news for the most part. Any good returns for Disney means more movies - but as some suggest this may mean more CGI (which I don't have a problem with per se, just not at the expense of traditional 2D).
I think it also shows just how amazing a job Lion King did in its day, given that it has held onto a position (non-adjusted!) in the Top 10. Adjusted, Lion King is kicking some serious butt...
Can't wait for both DVDs...

[DVDisney]

Inflation screws up everything.

I read somewhere that according to inflation, Snow White would have made $600,000,000+

[poco]

I am assuming that Nemo hasn't hit all areas of the world yet, so that has to be taken into consideration as well; not to mention DVD and VHS sales that come later this year. I think it is going to surpass Lion King even with taking consideration of inflation.

However, yes Lion King does deserve the title of all around best grossing 2-D movie of all time!

[Maerj]

I am assuming that Nemo hasn't hit all areas of the world yet, so that has to be taken into consideration as well; not to mention DVD and VHS sales that come later this year. I think it is going to surpass Lion King even with taking consideration of inflation.

However, yes Lion King does deserve the title of all around best grossing 2-D movie of all time!

The top ten high grossing list is only domestic theatrical box office gross. It doesn't include any home video or foriegn release income.

[antonio144]

shouldnt the amount be adjusted to todays money worth?

[Disneykid]

That's what inflation is, but like DVD Disney said, it screws up everything. If you adjust older film's prices to that of today's, Gone with the Wind would be the #1 film of all time in the U.S, and Titanic would be shoved like 2 or 3 spots. Also, with inflation taking place, Finding Nemo probably wouldn't even make the top 20.

[jabroni76]

^^^

Nemo would take top 10 in animation though!

[Disneykid]

Who the heck makes top 10 animation lists besides people like us?

[jabroni76]

^^^

not me, but thats what i've heard/read... I think!

and plus there's animation buffs who have no life... (Maltin kidding)

[Luke]

Adjusting for inflation, Nemo is just 77th.

According to Box Office Mojo, anyway, although I'm not sure if they've adjusted proper release totals for the proper years on films that have had multiple re-releases. Giving them the benefit of the doubt, here's the Domestic Top 20:
(first total is adjusted for inflation, 2nd is the unadjusted gross)
1 Gone With the Wind MGM $1,268,839,894 $198,655,278 1939
2 Star Wars Fox $1,118,591,056 $460,998,007 1977
3 The Sound of Music Fox $894,368,562 $158,671,368 1965
4 E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Uni. $890,845,225 $434,974,579 1982
5 The Ten Commandments Par. $822,680,000 $65,500,000 1956
6 Titanic Par. $811,387,059 $600,788,188 1997
7 Jaws Uni. $804,334,978 $260,000,000 1975
8 Doctor Zhivago MGM $779,570,661 $111,721,910 1965
9 The Exorcist WB $694,371,245 $232,671,011 1973
10 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Dis. $684,520,000 $184,925,486 1937
11 101 Dalmatians Dis. $627,480,336 $144,880,014 1961
12 The Empire Strikes Back Fox $616,100,238 $290,475,067 1980
13 Ben-Hur MGM $615,440,000 $74,000,000 1959
14 Return of the Jedi Fox $590,693,096 $309,306,177 1983
15 The Sting Uni. $559,817,141 $156,000,000 1973
16 Raiders of the Lost Ark Par. $553,530,850 $242,374,454 1981
17 Jurassic Park Uni. $541,639,303 $357,067,947 1993
18 The Graduate Avco $537,388,351 $104,397,100 1967
19 The Phantom Menace Fox $532,920,178 $431,088,297 1999
20 Fantasia Dis. $521,513,044 $76,400,000 1940

The entire Top 100 list can be found here:
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted/

Be warned, though, it's a haven for pop-ups and the like.

[Jake Lipson]

I don't think the Disney marketing execs will be too pleased that the very year they bring back The Lion King is the year its throne is taken away. Now they can't use "#1 ANIMATED FILM OF ALL TIME" in DVD promos -- and I think Lion King needs that more than Nemo does this holiday season, since there are idiot soccer moms who bought Lion King on VHS and won't double dip, but Nemo being in its first release will sell like hotcakes. Mind, Lion King will still sell like hotcakes, but not as much due to its previous sales records in 1995.

It will be very interesting to see if Nemo will beat Lion King's sales records. Something tells me that the DVD will do equeal if not more business to what Lion King did on VHS in 1995, but Lion King still has the #1 VHS title tied up with a bow, since more people will buy the DVD than the VHS of Nemo.

[indianajdp]

It will be very interesting to see if Nemo will beat Lion King's sales records. Something tells me that the DVD will do equeal if not more business to what Lion King did on VHS in 1995, but Lion King still has the #1 VHS title tied up with a bow, since more people will buy the DVD than the VHS of Nemo.

I think it's a forgone conclusion that Nemo will best Lion King's sales records. What surprises me is the fact that Disney has supposedly invested some $150 million in marketing the Lion King DVD release and I'm seeing NOTHING to make me believe they are doing anything above-and-beyond what is normal. Maybe things will pick up in September ....

[Jake Lipson]

I think the Lion King marketing will break in mid-to-late-September. In the meantime, I think we'll be seeing Sleeping Beauty promos as soon as Stitch! The Movie is released on Tuesday. The Finding Nemo marketing, which is obviously going to be huge, will most likely break in late October after TLK has had the edge for about a month. And mid-November, we'll probably start seeing a huge campign for Pirates, which will carry over through the end of the year.