Don't underestimate the power of the Force ... or inflation. Box-office analysts predict that in dollar terms, The Force Awakens will be the biggest earning movie with Star Wars in its name. But such measurements almost always fail to account for inflation. In real dollar terms, none of the sequels/prequels have surpassed the original Star Wars (later subtitled Episode IV: A New Hope).
A New Hope was a smash success financially, a bona fide blockbuster in the dawn of the blockbuster era. With cinemas screening the original Star Wars for most of 1977 and 1978, the film garnered $512 million in ticket sales. What's truly incredible about that figure is that movie tickets in 1977 cost just $2.23 on average. That means about 230 million people went to see the film, slightly more than the population of the U.S. at the time.
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Thursday December 17 2015, @11:34PM
Fanny by Gaslight
Wow, a porn film in the top listing
(Score: 2) by snufu on Friday December 18 2015, @12:58AM
Its not a porn film, its a safety film.
(Score: 2) by isostatic on Friday December 18 2015, @01:29AM
A film with "Fanny" in the title (and the English meaning is far cruder than the US meaning)
A film that was "delayed for its breaking the Hays Purity Code"
A film that was based in a brothel
And 11 million people - about 1 in 4 - went to the cinema to watch it. Facinating.