2. 1983: Return of the Jedi, $252,583,617
The third in the Original Star Wars trilogy continued to mint money like its predecessors at box office. Domestically it fared higher than the critically acclaimed The Empire Strikes Back, which grossed so much more worldwide. Terms of Endearment, which won the Oscar for Best Picture, was the only other 1983 film to cross the $100 million mark!
1. 1982: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial, $359,197,037
Nobody could have guessed that a small budget ($11 millions) sci-fi movie would go on to gain a cult status in years to come. Steven Spielberg’s E.T. became the highest grossing film of all times with grossing $359 million domestically and $357 million in foreign, knocking Star Wars off from the highest box office collection rank. Considering inflation, E.T. will be ranking fourth in all-time highest grossing movies ever. Such unprecedented success at box office was also accompanied by bagging the Oscar for Best Picture.
