I have to disagree sir.
GWTW was released in an age where one didn't hear; 'Nah, I'll see it when it comes out on DVD / streaming / terrestrial / pirated version.'
One saw it at the cinema, or one didn't see it at all.
It’s actually much more complex than that. Yes, GwtW was released at a time when ancillary markets didn’t exist. Money was made in theaters, period. Worldwide distribution was also very spotty. Movies would hit theaters in Europe years after the US distribution.
And then there was the re-release factor. GwtW was in theaters for 5 years uninterrupted. Nowadays, a movie is lucky to have a 10 week window. Then it was re-released a dozen times, always making a lot of money since it was not available on any other platforms. New generations discovered it in theaters, and it was still an event.
Then one of the networks, I think it was NBC, bought the rights for a single showing in the mid 70s. The first time the movie made money outside of theaters.
So yes, it is by far the biggest hit of all time, but the Boxoffice figures are way, way off. They were added with zero consideration of ticket prices or inflation. And a lot of them are simply made up. No computers to check them out, just the word from the distributor.
So how does it compare to an Avatar which made so much more money on home video, international TV sales, etc... it doesn’t and it shouldn’t.
Most countries go by attendance, which makes comparisons much easier. It’s complete BS in the US.
T