Looking at the highest-grossing films from each decade can be an illuminating experience. It gives someone context for what might have been going through the cultural psyche of people during a particular decade. While certain genres are associated with decades likealien invasion filmsduring the 1950s or slasher films in the 1980s when one looks at the biggest films of a particular decade one sees the movies that not only defined that decade but typically also include some of the most iconic films. That makes a great deal of sense as to become the highest grossing they were the most seen and became cultural touchstones that everyone could share.
The 1960s and 2010s are separated by 50 years and feature not only drastically different types of films, but also a different audience who will receive them and make them profitable. They are courting different audiences with different sensibilities, yet when one compares the ten highest-grossing films released in each decade, adjusted for inflation, some interesting similarities emerge as well as some commentary about what audiences were craving at these particular moments. The 1960s and 2010s might seem like different time frames, but they also had a great deal in common in terms of what type of movies theatergoers were craving. Let’s take a look at thebox officeof each decade and what that implies about cultural changes, or lack thereof.
1960s Highest-Grossing Films
Highest Grossing Movies of the 1960s:The Sound of Music, Doctor Zhivago, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Graduate, Mary Poppins, Thunderball, The Jungle Book, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Goldfinger, My Fair Lady
The Sound of Musicwas not only the highest-grossing movie of the 1960s, but adjusted for inflation, is still the sixth highest-grossing movie of all time, with a worldwide gross of $2.9 billion. The ten highest-grossing films of the 1960s have a lot in common with what people would expect from the time period and even have mirrors of today. Big-budget spectacles drew in massive crowds in the form of musicals likeThe Sound of MusicandMy Fair Ladyor action blockbusters, like the James Bond franchise, with bothThunderballandGoldfingerbeing in the top 10 of the decade.
Related:Best Movie Musicals of the 1960s
Doctor Zhivagoisan epic love story, andButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kidwas a western at one of the last points when the western genre would be a big draw for audiences. Walt Disney’s animation was another big draw for families, as bothOne Hundred and One DalmatiansandThe Jungle Bookranked in the top tier, and it is fitting as those were two of the last animated movies Walt Disney would oversee before his death in 1966.Mary Poppinsfalls in the camp of both a high-profile Walt Disney family film and a big-budget musical, and this film andThe Sound of MusicmadeJulie Andrews the biggest starof the decade. The biggest outlier is 1967’sThe Graduate, which was a transition point from the big lavish spectacles of the 1960s to the smaller more adult-driven auteur films that would define the late 60s and most of the 1970s.
2010s Highest-Grossing Films
Highest Grossing Movies of the 2010s:Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Avengers: Endgame, The Avengers, Jurassic World, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Incredibles 2, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, The Lion King.
The 2010s will clearly be defined as the decade of the franchise, with all ten movies in the top 10 highest-grossing films of the decade is either a sequel, a remake, or an adaptation. While Disney had a presence in the 1960s with two films, in the 2010s, the studio basically controls the entire list with all but one film (Jurassic World) coming from the house of mouse, though everything butThe Lion Kingcoming from a subsidiary that the company purchased (Marvel, Lucasfilm, Pixar).
Other interesting trends to note are that three of the highest-grossing films of the decade areStar Warsfilms, while four belong to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This showed a shift in the interconnected franchises, brought on by the rise of the internet, streaming, and globalization where franchise entries were more easily accessible than ever before making it easier to have long-form interconnected storytelling.
All the entries also have ties to films released in previous decades. TheStar Warsreleases drew from audience nostalgia for the originalStar Warstrilogy and the prequel trilogy, while the MCU films all sprang from Iron Man released in 2008.The Lion KingandJurassic Worldhad their roots connected to highly popular films from the 1990s.Incredibles 2was a highly anticipated sequel to a movie released in 2004. Audiences in the 2010s were nostalgic, looking back at familiarity with something they loved before during uncertain times.
Spectacle Was and Still Is the Name of the Game
It is clear from both decades that spectacle filmmaking was the big draw for audiences, with the biggest change between the two eras being what type of spectacle draws audiences in. The 1960s were mainly defined by musicals and historical epics. Whilemusicals have seen a comebackin recent years they are not quite the box office draw they once were, and now the superhero film has replaced them as the dominant pop spectacle for theaters.
Related:Best Animated Disney Movies From Each Decade
This makes a certain amount of sense that blockbusters are the biggest draws for these two decades, as both were competing with a rise in home viewing. The 1950s saw the introduction of television and for the following two decades, Hollywood tried to compete with this new form of entertainment, offering stories that demanded big-screen viewing that television just could not deliver. Similarly, in the 2010s, Hollywood found itself competing with streaming and AAA video games, needing to make movies that would bring audiences out to the theater as opposed to staying home with a wider variety of options. That meant capitalizing on audiences' nostalgia for franchises and properties that had pre-existing attachments to them.
How Long Can This Last?
As noted above, the release ofThe Graduatehelped mark a shift in the Hollywood spectacle of the 1960s to a grittier style of film in the 1970s. While Hollywood still delivered big-budget event pictures like The Godfather and The Exorcist the movies of the late 60s and early 70s were defined by a sort of cynicism that had begun to take hold in the country following a decade of social and political upheaval. The big bombastic technicolor musicals of the 1960s began to flop and led to the collapse of the studio system, leading to the way ofthe New Hollywood erawhere filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Brian De Palma, and George Lucas would redefine the era.
While big blockbuster movies still are a major draw for audiences in the 2010s, there have been concerns going into the 2020s that there is a potential danger of a similar cycle happening.Reports about superhero fatiguehave always been exaggerated, but some have taken the fact that none of the three MCU films released in 2022 grossed $1 billion as a sign of the genre facing a decline (it’s worth noting that none of the films exceptBlack Panther: Wakanda Foreverhave been given releases in China). High profile flops likeBlack Adamhave certainly put Warner Bros. in a position to not only rework their superhero slate but their entire business strategy.
The current decacde will be interesting to see what movies remain the highest-grossing films, as so far the trend is leading to long-awaited sequels likeSpider-Man: No Way Home,Top Gun: Maverick, orAvatar: The Way of Water. The 2020s may have audiences looking back further into nostalgia particularly as they face an even more uncertain future dealing with the repercussions of a global pandemic and rising inflation.
