Since then, audiences have happily braved the dog days of summer for decades to stand in huge lines formovie spectacles like "Star Wars," "Raiders of the Lost Ark," "Jurassic Park," all its sequels, and more recently, all those Marvel movies.
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The 10 highest-grossing summer blockbuster movies of all time
The modern summer blockbuster began in June 1975, when a young director named Steven Spielberg made us scared to go back into the water thanks to the thriller "Jaws."
jaws
Byfeeding people's hunger for franchises and action, this is the time of year when the movie business gets a good portion of its annual revenue. But only a handful of the blockbusters have stood the test of time as Hollywood's biggest summer earners ever.
Below are the highest-grossing summer movies at the domestic box office of all time:
Note: All figures are from Box Office Mojo and adjusted for inflation.
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10. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) - $798 million
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Unadjusted gross: $248 million
9. The Lion King (1994) - $803 million
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Disney
Unadjusted gross: $422 million
8. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (1999) - $814 million
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YouTube/LucasFilm
Unadjusted gross: $474 million
7. Jurassic Park (1993) - $826 million
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Universal Pictures
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Unadjusted gross: $402 million
6. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983) - $847 million
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Lucasfilm
Unadjusted gross: $309 million
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5. "Avengers: Endgame" (2019) - $858 million
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Disney
Unadjusted gross: $858 million
4. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) - $884 million
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YouTube/LucasFilm
Unadjusted gross: $290 million
3. Jaws (1975) - $1.1 billion
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Universal Pictures
Unadjusted gross: $260 million
2. E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) - $1.3 billion
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Universal Pictures
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Unadjusted gross: $435 million
1. Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) - $1.6 billion
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Lucasfilm
Unadjusted gross: $460 million
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See Also:
SEE ALSO: The 50 best video games of all time, according to critics
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