The Big Picture on Hollywood Ticket Sales

By Laurie Trotta

Science fiction, fantasy and family fare dominate the list of movies that are the Top 50 all-time box office champs, as it relates to domestic grosses, according to BoxOfficeMojo.com. In an effort to offer readers a glimpse at various aspects of entertainment beyond concerts, theater and sports, TicketNews is taking a look at movie ticket sales for the first time.

Like concert promoters and theater producers, Hollywood executives often base their projects around what will sell the best to the widest audience, hence the predominance of G, PG and PG-13 rated films in the Top 50. This fact would appear to fly in the face of conventional wisdom about how Hollywood likes to push the envelop as it relates to more mature content based on gratuitous sex, violence and gore, but in fact family friendly films, such as “Shrek 2,” “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” among others, often lend themselves to repeat viewing by children and their parents.

* Source: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/domestic.htm
^ Indicates movie made its gross over multiple releases, e.g., E.T. was re-released in 1985 and a special edition was released in 2002.

ALL TIME TOP 50 DOMESTIC FILM GROSSES*