What was the best-selling movie of the 1970s?
Following the demise of the Hays Code in 1968, the film industry became a playground for experimentation.
Moving away from the studio-bound productions that banned taboo themes and explicit content, many filmmakers channelled the influence of arthouse and foreign cinema into their work, resulting in the New Hollywood period. With the release of movies like Bonnie and Clyde and Easy Rider, the industry welcomed more nihilism and unhappy endings as opposed to the shiny Hollywood happy endings people had become accustomed to.
Violence, sex, and drugs were depicted freely, reflecting the era’s increase in progressive thinking and movements like second-wave feminism and black civil rights. Filmmakers were keen to show the grittier sides of life, and to do so, they often used unconventional editing (think of the acid trip scene in Easy Rider) and other formal techniques, perhaps handheld filming, that felt much more raw and real.
By the 1970s, Hollywood was booming, and the release of several key films was vital in cementing the industry as a hub for innovation. The first was The Godfather, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, which revolutionised the gangster genre with its epic tale of family, rivalry, and the rise to success. It grossed around $291million, making it the highest-grossing movie ever made at the time. Until this point, Gone with the Wind had held the record, but this exciting new crime flick knocked it off the podium.
A few years later, The Godfather was overtaken by another film that proved to be hugely influential – Jaws. Steven Spielberg’s film sent shockwaves through the nation as he incited terror in a generation of beach-goers who now had the fear of being eaten alive by sharks clouding their holiday plans. It was the first summer blockbuster, grossing an impressive $477.9m against its $9m budget.
Jaws remained the highest-grossing film for the next two years until a certain movie proved itself to be even more bankable. Not only did it become the highest-grossing movie of 1977, but it subsequently became the highest-grossing movie of the whole decade.
What was the best-selling movie of the 1970s?
It might come as no surprise to learn that Star Wars reigned supreme as the highest-grossing film of the 1970s. The movie, conceived by George Lucas, was a worldwide sensation that highlighted an interest in sci-fi epics that allowed viewers to escape into another dimension. This was a world full of action and drama, where creatures like Wookiees and robots existed among humans in outer space – to many, this was the ultimate cinema experience.
Paired with an iconic soundtrack from John Williams, the movie captured the attention of countless fans. It soon turned into a franchise, with the next instalment, The Empire Strikes Back, coming in 1980 and Return of the Jedi making its way to screens in 1983. Star Wars has since spawned several other series as part of the franchise and has become a brand in its own right, with the logo seen on everything from T-shirts to bedspreads.
The movie, later known as Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, grossed $775.4m at the box office, making it the decade’s best-selling film. While other films from the decade made the top ten, like Grease and Enter the Dragon, none earned as much profit as Star Wars, one of the most beloved franchises in the world.
