The biggest box-office movie that came out the year you were born

Jason Guerrasio,Jacob Shamsian,Tanza LoudenbackJun 4, 2020, 21:08 IST

"Star Wars: The Force Awakens."Lucasfilm

The most popular movie from every year can tell you a lot about what people used to be obsessed with.
Lately, "Star Wars" and the Marvel Cinematic Universe has dominated the cultural conversation, but over the centuries everything from screwball comedies to dramas have had their moment.
Here we have put together the highest-grossing movie from each year since 1930.

Looking at the most popular movie from each year can tell you a lot about what people were obsessed about at the time. And also, how people's tastes in genres have changed.

The best way to pinpoint the most popular movie is by looking at box office figures. In the past few years, Disney has been dominant worldwide with its "Star Wars" and Marvel Cinematic Universe franchises. But that wasn't always the case. Over the centuries everything from screwball comedies, gritty dramas, and family movies have all been at the top of the mountain.

What era were you born in?

Here we've put together an exhaustive list of the highest-grossing movie at the worldwide box office from each year since 1930.

Read below to find out the most popular movie released the year you were born:

Note: Box office figures are from Box Office Mojo and The Numbers. Worldwide figures are used where available. A few years in the 1930s are missing because of a lack of data. This story has been updated since its original version.

1930: "Tom Sawyer"

"Tom Sawyer." Paramount

1931: "Frankenstein"

James Whale's "Frankenstein." Universal

1933: "King Kong"

Merian C. Copper and Ernest B. Schoedsack's "King Kong." RKO

1934: "It Happened One Night"

Claudette Colbert in "It Happened One Night." Columbia

1935: "Top Hat"

Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire in "Top Hat." RKO

1937: "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"

Walt Disney's first animated feature, "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs." RKO Radio Pictures

1938: "Alexander's Ragtime Band"

Henry King's "Alexander's Ragtime Band." MGM

1939: "Gone with the Wind"

Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable in "Gone With the Wind." Loews, Inc.

1940: "Pinocchio"

Another early Walt Disney classic, "Pinocchio." Disney

1941: "Sergeant York"

Howard Hawks' "Sergeant York." Warner Bros.

1942: "Bambi"

David Hand's "Bambi." Disney

1943: "This Is the Army"

Michael Curtiz's "This Is the Army." Warner Bros.

1944: "Going My Way"

Bing Crosby in "Going My Way." Paramount

1945: "The Bells of St. Mary's"

Ingrid Bergman and Bing Crosby in "The Bells of St. Mary's." RKO

1946: "Song of the South"

James Baskett in "Song of the South." Disney

1947: "Forever Amber"

Otto Preminger's "Forever Amber." Fox

1948: "The Snake Pit"

Anatole Litvak's "The Snake Pit." Fox

1949: "Samson and Delilah"

Victor Mature and Hedy Lamarr in "Samson and Delilah." Paramount

1950: "Cinderella"

Walt Disney's team delivers another hit with "Cinderella." 1950

1951: "Quo Vadis"

Mervyn LeRoy's "Quo Vadis." MGM

1952: "The Greatest Show on Earth"

"The Greatest Show on Earth." Paramount Pictures

1953: "Peter Pan"

"Peter Pan" is yet another Disney movie that tops them all. RKO Radio Pictures/Disney

1954: "White Christmas"

Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby in "White Christmas." Paramount Pictures

1955: "Lady and the Tramp"

By this point with "The Lady and the Tramp," Walt Disney has produce almost two decades-worth of hits. Disney

1956: "The Ten Commandments"

Charlton Heston in "The Ten Commandments." YouTube

1957: "The Bridge on the River Kwai"

Alec Guinness in "The Bridge on the River Kwai." Columbia

1958: "South Pacific"

Joshua Logan's "South Pacific." 20th Century Fox

1959: "Ben-Hur"

Charlton Heston in "Ben-Hur." MGM

1960: "Spartacus"

Kirk Douglas in "Spartacus." Universal International

1961: "One Hundred and One Dalmatians"

Disney's hit "One Hundred and One Dalmatians." Disney

1962: "Lawrence of Arabia"

(L-R) Peter O'Toole and Omar Sharif in "Lawrence of Arabia." Columbia Pictures

1963: "From Russia with Love"

Sean Connery in "From Russia with Love." Getty Images

1964: "Goldfinger"

Sean Connery returns as James Bond in "Goldfinger." United Artists

1965: "The Sound of Music"

Julie Andrews in "The Sound of Music." 20th Century Fox

1966: "The Bible: In The Beginning..."

John Huston's "The Bible: In The Beginning..." 20th Century Fox

1967: "The Jungle Book"

Wolfgang Reitherman in "The Jungle Book." Disney

1968: "Funny Girl"

Omar Sharif and Barbara Streisand in "Funny Girl." "Funny Girl"

1969: "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"

(L-R) Paul Newman and Robert Redford in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." 20th Century Fox

1970: "Love Story"

Ryan O'Neal and Ali MacGraw in "Love Story." Paramount

1971: "Diamonds Are Forever"

Sean Connery in "Diamonds Are Forever." 20th Century Fox

1972: "The Godfather"

Marlon Brando in "The Godfather." Paramount Pictures

1973: "The Exorcist"

Max von Sydow and Jason Miller in "The Exorcist." Warner Bros.

1974: "The Towering Inferno"

Paul Newman in "The Towering Inferno." Fox

1975: "Jaws"

Robert Shaw, Roy Sheider, and Richard Dreyfuss in "Jaws." Universal Pictures

1976: "Rocky"

Carl Weathers and Sylvester Stallone in "Rocky." MGM/Netflix

1977: "Star Wars: A New Hope"

Mark Hamill in "Star Wars: A New Hope." Lucasfilm

1978: "Grease"

Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta in "Grease." Kurt Harmsworth/YouTube

1979: "Moonraker"

Roger Moore and Lois Chiles in "Moonraker." United Artists

1980: "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back"

Irvin Kreshner's "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back." Lucasfilm

1981: "Raiders of the Lost Ark"

"Raiders of the Lost Ark." Lucasfilm / YouTube screencap

1982: "E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial"

Steven Spielberg's "E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial." Universal

1983: "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi"

Richard Marquand's "Star Wars: Return of the Jedi." Lucasfilm

1984: "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom"

Harrison Ford in "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom." Lucasfilm

1985: "Back to the Future"

Robert Zemeckis' "Back to the Future." Universal Pictures

1986: "Top Gun"

Tom Cruise in "Top Gun." Paramount Pictures

1987: "Fatal Attraction"

Glenn Close in "Fatal Attraction." Paramount Pictures

1988: "Rain Man"

(L-R) Dustin Hoffman and Tom Cruise in "Rain Man." MGM

1989: "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade"

Steven Spielberg's "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade." Paramount Pictures

1990: "Ghost"

Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze in "Ghost." Paramount Pictures

1991: "Terminator 2: Judgment Day"

Arnold Schwarzenegger in "Terminator 2: Judgment Day." TriStar

1992: "Aladdin"

Ron Clements and John Musker's "Aladdin." Disney

1993: "Jurassic Park"

Steven Spielberg's "Jurassic Park." Universal Pictures

1994: "The Lion King"

Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff's "The Lion King." Disney

1995: "Die Hard: With A Vengeance"

Samuel L. Jackson and Bruce Willis in "Die Hard: With A Vengeance." 20th Century Fox

1996: "Independence Day"

Will Smith and Jeff Goldblum in "Independence Day." Twentieth Century Fox

1997: "Titanic"

Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in "Titanic." 20th Century Fox

1998: "Armageddon"

Michael Bay's "Armageddon." Walt Disney Studios

1999: "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace"

George Lucas' "Star Wars: The Phantom Menace." 20th Century Fox

2000: "Mission: Impossible II"

John Woo's "Mission: Impossible II." Paramount Pictures

2001: "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"

Chris Columbus' "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." Warner Bros.

2002: "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"

Peter Jackson's "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers." New Line Cinema

2003: "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"

Viggo Mortensen and Ian McKellen in "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King." New Line

2004: "Shrek 2"

DreamWorks Animation proves its might with "Shrek 2." Dreamworks

2005: "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"

Mike Newell's "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." Warner Bros.

2006: "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"

Johnny Depp in "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest." Disney

2007: "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"

Gore Verbinski's "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End." Disney

2008: "The Dark Knight"

Heath Ledger in "The Dark Knight." Warner Bros.

2009: "Avatar"

James Cameron's "Avatar." Fox

2010: "Toy Story 3"

Lee Unkrich's "Toy Story 3." Disney/Pixar

2011: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2"

David Yates' "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2." Warner Bros.

2012: "The Avengers"

Joss Whedon's "The Avengers." Disney/ Marvel

2013: "Frozen"

Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee's "Frozen. Disney

2014: "Transformers: Age of Extinction"

Michael Bay's "Transformers: Age of Extinction." Paramount / Transformers Age of Extinction trailers

2015: "Star Wars: The Force Awakens"

Daisy Ridley in "Star Wars: The Force Awakens." Disney

2016: "Captain America: Civil War"

Anthony and Joe Russo's "Captain America: Civil War." Marvel

2017: "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"

Daisy Ridley and Mark Hamill in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi." Lucasfilm

2018: "Avengers: Infinity War"

Anthony and Joe Russo's "Avengers: Infinity War." IMDb/Walt Disney Studios

2019: "Avengers: Endgame"

Chris Evans in "Avengers: Endgame." Marvel Studios

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