Box Office
These are the top 30+ highest-grossing film adaptations of all time. As of mid-October, 2011, eight of the top ten, 16 of the top 20, and well over 50 of the top 100 highest-grossing films are adaptations. Figures shown are worldwide theatrical (box office) receipts, rounded to the nearest million.
Note that most successful films earn three to four times more from DVD sales than they do from ticket sales. Rank indicates the film’s box office standing among all films (including non-adaptations), followed by its rank among adaptations (A). The “+” sign, found next to some totals, indicates the film is still in release. (Updated October 16, 2011.)
| MOVIE | CODE | RANK | BOX OFFICE | SOURCE MATERIAL |
| Titanic | HIS | 2 / 1A | $1,843,000,000 | The sinking of the Titanic |
| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 |
NOV | 3 / 2A | $1,327,000,000+ | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows |
| Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon |
GAM | 4 / 3A | $1,119,000,000+ | Transformers toys |
| The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King |
NOV | 5 / 4A | $1,119,000,000 | The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King |
| Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest |
THM | 6 / 5A | $1,066,000,000 | POTC theme park ride |
| Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides |
THM | 8 / 6A | $1,040,000,000 | POTC theme park ride |
| Alice in Wonderland (2010) | NOVs | 9 / 7A | $1,024,000,000 | Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass |
| The Dark Knight | COM | 10 / 8A | $1,002,000,000 | Batman series |
| Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone |
NOV | 11 / 9A | $975,000,000 | Harry Potter and the Sorceror’s Stone |
| Pirates of the Caribbean At World’s End |
THM | 12 / 10A | $963,000,000 | POTC theme park ride |
| Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 |
NOV | 13 / 11A | $955,000,000 | Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 |
| Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix |
NOV | 14 / 12A | $940,000,000 | Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix |
| Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince |
NOV | 15 / 13A | $934,000,000 | Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince |
| The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers |
NOV | 16 / 14A | $925,000,000 | The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers |
| Shrek 2 | NOV | 18 / 15A | $920,000,000 | Shrek! |
| Jurassic Park | NOV | 19 / 16A | $915,000,000 | Jurassic Park |
| Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
NOV | 20 / 17A | $897,000,000 | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
| Spider-Man 3 | COM | 22 / 18A | $891,000,000 | Spider-Man series |
| Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets |
NOV | 23 / 19A | $879,000,000 | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets |
| The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring |
NOV | 24 / 20A | $871,000,000 | The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring |
| Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen |
GAM | 28 / 21A | $836,000,000 | Transformers toys |
| Spider-Man | COM | 30 / 22A | $822,000,000 | Spider-Man series |
| Shrek the Third | NOV | 32 / 23A | $799,000,000 | Shrek! |
| Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban |
NOV | 33 / 24A | $797,000,000 | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban |
| Spider-Man 2 | COM | 36 / 25A | $784,000,000 | Spider-Man series |
| The Da Vinci Code | NOV | 39 / 26A | $758,000,000 | The Da Vinci Code |
| Shrek Forever After | NOV | 40 / 27A | $753,000,000 | Shrek! |
| The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe |
NOV | 41 / 28A | $745,000,000 | The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe |
| The Twilight Saga: New Moon |
NOV | 44 / 29A | $710,000,000 | The Twilight Saga: New Moon |
| Transformers | GAM | 45 / 30A | $710,000,000 | Transformers toys |
| The Twilight Saga: Eclipse |
NOV | 46 / 31A | $699,000,000 | The Twilight Saga: Eclipse |
| Forrest Gump | NOV | 47 / 32A | $677,000,000 | Forrest Gump |
CODES indicate the type of source material on which the films were based: ART (article in magazine, newspaper, etc.); BLG (blog); COM (comic book / graphic novel); HIS (historic event); MLF (myth / legend / faery tale); MOV (movie remake / spinoff); MOVs (movie short); NFB (nonfiction book); NOV (novel); SNG (song); STO (short story); GAM (game / toy); THM (theme park / theme park ride); TRU (true-life story); TVS (television series).
To get a better idea of a film’s total earnings (including DVD sales), multiply the figure shown by 3.5–but remember, this does not include earnings from merchandising or other rights sales and licensing (which can also exceed box office). You’ll find links to the basic widescreen DVDs at right; if a special edition is priced within $2 of the basic DVD, the special edition is linked instead.
As used on this site, “adaptation” includes screen stories / screenplays based on books (fiction and nonfiction), short stories, plays, comic books, magazine articles, true-life stories, historical events, myths and legends, faery tales, previous films and film shorts, tv series, theme park rides, games, toys, blogs, songs—pretty much anything adaptable. Sequels and prequels are not considered adaptations of the preceding film, unless the first film in the series was an adaptation. Remakes of earlier films are considered adaptations.
