Many were thrilled when American Sniper became the top-grossing domestic film of 2014, coming in at $350 million.  It sounds like an impressive achievement, but it’s not. Over time, both the inflation in ticket prices and an ever-increasing population have distorted our perceptions of what a good movie gross is.  The first part of this problem has been addressed by sites such as Box Office Mojo, who have adjusted historical movie grosses for ticket inflation.  The second half of the story gets incorporated here. The list of the top 200 inflation- and population-adjusted (i.e., per capita 2015 dollars) movies of all time follows at the end of this article. Getting excited over just $350 million in a movie gross needs to be tempered against what is without doubt the most impressive gross of all time: Gone with the Wind.  Released in 1939, Gone with the Wind grossed $1.64 billion in today’s dollars.  That equates to $12.54 per capita at the...(Read Full Post)