Screw inflation.  I want to see what all the movies in a given time period add up to and see if it adds up to Gone with Wind's billion dollars. Just because it made that much money doesn't mean it was good and that was the reason people went to see it. It was probably the only thing to see at the time or one of the only things - people had no choice.

LOL...Jawbreaking, you do realize that you're making the same argument about "Gone With the Wind" that many people make about "Avatar", right? I've never seen "Gone With the Wind", so I'm not here to argue about it with you, just observing. I'm sure there were other movies out at the same time, so I'm sure it wasn't the only thing out there...but it was filmed in color, so in 1939, it WAS "Avatar". Also, what people keep forgetting to account for, is how many times a movie gets re-released. The classics always got released multiple times in the days before home videos were big. So I'm wondering what would happen if George Lucas converted all the Star Wars movies to 3D and released them to theaters again, only with 3D and IMAX this time around. With the past box office success of the Star Wars movies, I wonder how long Avatar would hold onto the top spot. After all, until Titanic, Star Wars reclaimed the top spot from E.T. with the 1997 Special Edition release.

For that matter, what if James Cameron decided to have the poor taste to re-release "Titanic" in 3D and IMAX?

First of all, a congrats to J.C.  This is good for all Genre film making.

Jawbreaking has a point...the numbers are getting skewed so its hard to determine how well its received by the public.  Was it Entertainment weekly or somewhere else I read a few weeks ago that Avatar hadn't even reached the top 50 for tickets sold.  80% of the BO are from higher ticket prices...so I said it once and I'll say it again...there should be a seperate category for tickets sold because if Avatar hadn't even reached the top 50 then with normal ticket prices it wouldn't even be talked about right now.  It would have been a huge hit but nowhere near these numbers...and them the facts which I realize some of you have a hard time dealing with. 

Just an FYI, 1939 academy award nominations...Gone With The Wind, Wizard Of OZ, Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, Wuthering Heights, Stagecoach...just to name a few.  Not like there was nothing else to see that year. 

Gone With The Wind was a monster best seller and one of the most anticipated movies of its time.  Give credit where credit is due.  Gone Wih The Wind was that generations Star Wars....on top of it being a fantastic movie.

I am surprised on the whole I did not believe that a Si-fi film could topple the mass appeal of Titanic. I know its proof that no matter what genera if the story is good people can connect with it.

I’m not getting into “Gone with the Wind”, which I have seen and didn’t care about.
 

As time has progressed the overall competition has increased so much that tickets sold don't tell the entire story.

When Gone with the Wind hit theaters tv's weren't a staple of all homes, there wasn't an internet, movie downloads, video games, dvd's, vcr's, cable tv, satelite tv. So the competition was practically nil compared to today's market. When a movie does what AVATAR does TODAY it says something cause unlike back then the radio was the only widespread alternative and them the facts.

@ Caveman, why would a re-release of Titanic be in bad taste? I would love a re-release of The Matrix, Spiderman, Star Wars amongst some others to be re-released in 3D. Where's the bad taste in it if there's a willing paying audience

YAY It made a ton of $$$$

we all knew it would, can we all breathe a collective meh...?

My line of thinking Wiseguy, I wasn't saying a re-release of "Titanic" would be in bad taste, but a 3D rendering would, IMO...next thing you know Speilberg will go nuts and do an 3D IMAX re-release of "Schindler's List", or what have you.  Somehow 3D seems in poor taste to me if applied to any true story and/or story based off of actual events.  I just think it's a gimmick that needs to stay in the purely entertainment aspect of cinema.

they should re-release Boogie Nights in 3D.

LOL...scariest ending scene ever, killerville...although Heather Graham in 3D wouldn't be awful.