'Avengers: Endgame' will have to make billions more at the box office to beat the biggest movie of all time, which came out in 1939

Travis Clark

Apr 30, 2019, 20:35 IST

'Avengers: Endgame' will have to make billions more at the box office to beat the biggest movie of all time, which came out in 1939

Marvel Studios

"Avengers: Endgame"

"Avengers: Endgame" has already made over $1 billion at the worldwide box office.
Projections say it will cross $3 billion, at which point it would beat the biggest movie all time, "Avatar" - before inflation.
But it has a tough hill to climb to beat "Gone with the Wind," which is the highest-grossing movie ever after adjusting for inflation.
Visit BusinessInsider.com for more stories.

In just a few days, "Avengers: Endgame" has become one of the biggest movies of all time.

The latest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe grossed $356 million domestically and $1.2 billion worldwide in its opening weekend, exceeding projections and shattering records left and right. It's the biggest domestic opening weekend and biggest worldwide opening of all time, for starters.

But can "Avengers: Endgame" rocket to the top? After its monumental debut, it's being projected to be the first movie to crack $3 billion at the worldwide box office. That would finally beat out 2009's "Avatar," the current record holder with $2.8 billion.

But "Avatar" is only the biggest movie ever before inflation. "Endgame" would have a much tougher hill to climb if it wants to beat "Gone with the Wind," which is the highest-grossing movie ever after adjusting for inflation.

"Gone with the Wind," originally released in 1939, grossed $189 million domestically (not counting its multiple re-releases) and $402 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. Adjusting worldwide box office for inflation can get tricky, but below is a breakdown.

After inflation, the "Gone with the Wind" worldwide total today would be an astounding $7.4 billion, according to this CPI inflation calculator. The movie's domestic total would be $3.5 billion, based on the consumer price index.

Box Office Mojo calculates inflation by adjusting to the given year's average US ticket price, which is $9.01 in 2019, and doesn't calculate worldwide box-office inflation. But according to Box Office Mojo, the movie's domestic total would be $1.8 billion after inflation.

Either way, "Avengers: Endgame" would have to perform beyond anyone's wildest dreams to beat out "Gone with the Wind."

Read more of Business Insider's "Avengers: Endgame" coverage: