'Avengers: Endgame' will have to make billions more at the box office to beat the biggest movie of all time

"Avengers: Endgame" has already made over $1 billion at the worldwide box office.

It's projected to cross $3 billion, at which point it would beat "Avatar," the biggest movie of all time before inflation.
But it has a tough hill to climb to beat "Gone with the Wind," the highest-grossing movie ever after adjusting for inflation.





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 projected to be the first movie to crack $3 billion at the worldwide box office. That would finally beat 2009's "Avatar," the record-holder, with $2.8 billion.




But "Avatar" is the biggest movie only before inflation. "Endgame" has a much tougher hill to climb if it wants to beat "Gone with the Wind," 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 the worldwide box office for inflation can get tricky, but below is a breakdown.




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

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

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