All-Time Box-Office Hits (Domestic) By Decade and Year:

Rankings of the top ten US films by decade (based on domestic gross revenue) are presented below. Also, rankings of the top films by year are included. In earlier days stretching into the 1940s, exact dollar grosses for films at the box-office were tallied differently, and therefore remain somewhat unreliable.

1. The Big Parade (1925)
2. The Singing Fool (1928)
3. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921)
4. Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
5. Way Down East (1920)
6. The Gold Rush (1925)
7. The Ten Commandments (1923)
8. The Covered Wagon (1923)
9. Wings (1927) (unknown gross)
10. Over the Hill to the Poorhouse (1920) (tie)
11. Aloma of the South Seas (1926) (tie)
12. The Jazz Singer (1927) (tie)
13. The Broadway Melody (1929)
14. The Kid (1921)
    

1915: The Birth of a Nation (1915)
1916: Intolerance (1916), or Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1916)
1917: Cleopatra (1917)
1918: Mickey (1918)
1919: The Miracle Man (1919)
1920: Way Down East (1920), or Over the Hill to the Poorhouse (1920), or Something to Think About (1920)
1921: The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921), or The Kid (1921)
1922: Robin Hood (1922), or Oliver Twist (1922)
1923:The Ten Commandments (1923), or The Covered Wagon (1923)
1924: The Sea Hawk (1924)
1925: The Big Parade (1925), or The Gold Rush (1925), or Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925)
1926: Aloma of the South Seas (1926), or Flesh and the Devil (1926), or For Heaven's Sake (1926), or What Price Glory? (1926)
1927: The Jazz Singer (1927), or Wings (1927), or Love (1927)
1928: The Singing Fool (1928), or The Road to Ruin (1928)
1929: The Broadway Melody (1929), or Sunnyside Up (1929)

1. Gone With The Wind (1939)
2. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
3. The Wizard of Oz (1939)
4. Frankenstein (1931)
5. Tom Sawyer (1930)
6. King Kong (1933)
7. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)
8. Hell's Angels (1930)
9. Ingagi (1930)
   
10. San Francisco (1936)

1930: Tom Sawyer (1930), or All Quiet on the Western Front (1930), or Whoopee! (1930), or Ingagi (1930), or Hell's Angels (1930)
1931: Frankenstein (1931), or City Lights (1931)
1932: The Kid From Spain (1932), or The Sign of the Cross (1932), or Grand Hotel (1932), or The Most Dangerous Game (1932), or Shanghai Express (1932)
1933: King Kong (1933), or I'm No Angel (1933), or Cavalcade (1933), or She Done Him Wrong (1933)
1934: It Happened One Night (1934), or The Merry Widow (1934), or Viva Villa! (1934)
1935: Mutiny on the Bounty (1935), or Top Hat (1935)
1936: San Francisco (1936)
1937: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
1938: Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938), or Boys Town (1938), or Test Pilot (1938), or You Can't Take It With You (1938)
1939: Gone With The Wind (1939)

1. Bambi (1942)
2. Pinocchio (1940)
3. Song of the South (1946)
4. Samson and Delilah (1949)
5. Fantasia (1940)
6. The Best Years of Our Lives (1946)
7. The Bells of St. Mary's (1945)
8. Duel in the Sun (1946)
9. For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943)
10. This Is the Army (1943)
11. Sergeant York (1941)
12. Going My Way (1944)
13. Mom and Dad (1945) (tie)
14. Forever Amber (1947) (tie)

1940: Pinocchio (1940), also Fantasia (1940)
1941: Sergeant York (1941)
1942: Bambi (1942), also Mrs. Miniver (1942)
1943: For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943), also This Is the Army (1943), and A Guy Named Joe (1943)
1944: Going My Way (1944), also Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)
1945: The Bells of St. Mary's (1945), also Mom and Dad (1945)
1946: Song of the South (1946), also The Best Years of Our Lives (1946), and Duel in the Sun (1946)
1947: Forever Amber (1947), also Unconquered (1947), and Welcome Stranger (1947), and Road to Rio (1947)
1948: The Red Shoes (1948), also Easter Parade (1948), and Red River (1948)
1949: Samson and Delilah (1949)

1. Lady and the Tramp (1955)
2. Peter Pan (1953)
3. The Ten Commandments (1956)
4. Ben-Hur (1959)
5. Sleeping Beauty (1959)
6. Around the World in 80 Days (1956) (tie)
7. This is Cinerama (1952) (tie)
8. The Greatest Show on Earth (1952) (tie)
9. The Robe (1953) (tie)
10. Cinderella (1950)
11. Seven Wonders of the World (1956)
12. Quo Vadis (1951)

1950: Cinderella (1950), also King Solomon's Mines (1950)
1951: Quo Vadis (1951)
1952: This is Cinerama (1952), also The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)
1953: Peter Pan (1953), also The Robe (1953)
1954: Rear Window (1954), also Demetrius and the Gladiators (1954)
1955: Lady and the Tramp (1955)
1956: The Ten Commandments (1956), also Seven Wonders of the World (1956) (Cinerama feature)
1957: The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957)
1958: Hercules (1958), also South Pacific (1958)
1959: Ben-Hur (1959)

1. The Sound of Music (1965)
2. 101 Dalmatians (1961)
3. The Jungle Book (1967)
4. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
5. The Graduate (1967) (tie)
6. Mary Poppins (1964) (tie)
7. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)
8. My Fair Lady (1964)
9. Thunderball (1965)
10. Funny Girl (1968)
11. Cleopatra (1963)
12. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) (tie)
13. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (1967) (tie)
14. Goldfinger (1964)

1960: Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
1961: 101 Dalmatians (1961)
1962: Dr. No (1962), also The Longest Day (1962)
1963: Cleopatra (1963)
1964: Mary Poppins (1964)
1965: The Sound of Music (1965)
1966: The Bible: In the Beginning (1966), or Hawaii (1966), or The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)
1967: The Jungle Book (1967), also The Graduate (1967)
1968: Funny Girl (1968), also 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
1969: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969)

1. Star Wars (1977)
2. Jaws (1975)
3. The Exorcist (1973)
4. Grease (1978)
5. The Sting (1973)
6. Saturday Night Fever (1977)
7. (National Lampoon's) Animal House (1978)
8. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
9. The Godfather (1972)
10. Superman (1978)
11. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977/80)
12. Smokey and the Bandit (1977)
13. Blazing Saddles (1974)
14. Rocky (1976)
15. The Towering Inferno (1974)
16. American Graffiti (1973)
17. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
18. Love Story (1970) (tie)
19. Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) (tie)

1970: Love Story (1970), also Airport (1970)
1971: Billy Jack (1971), also Diamonds Are Forever (1971)
1972: The Godfather (1972)
1973: The Exorcist (1973), also The Sting (1973)
1974: Blazing Saddles (1974), also The Towering Inferno (1974)
1975: Jaws (1975)
1976: Rocky (1976)
1977: Star Wars (1977)
1978: Grease (1978)
1979: Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)

1. E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
2. Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
3. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
4. Batman (1989)
5. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
6. Ghostbusters (1984)
7. Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
8. Back to the Future (1985)
9. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
10. Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
11. Tootsie (1982)

1980: Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
1981: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
1982: E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)
1983: Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi (1983)
1984: Ghostbusters (1984), also Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
1985: Back to the Future (1985)
1986: Top Gun (1986), also Crocodile Dundee (1986)
1987: Three Men and a Baby (1987), also Fatal Attraction (1987) and Beverly Hills Cop II (1987)
1988: Rain Man (1988)
1989: Batman (1989), also Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

1. Titanic (1997)
2. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)
3. Jurassic Park (1993)
4. Forrest Gump (1994) (tie)
5. The Lion King (1994) (tie)
6. Independence Day (1996)
7. The Sixth Sense (1999)
8. Home Alone (1990)
9. Men in Black (1997)
10. Toy Story 2 (1999)
11. Twister (1996)

1990: Home Alone (1990)
1991: Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
1992: Aladdin (1992)
1993: Jurassic Park (1993)
1994: Forrest Gump (1994), also The Lion King (1994)
1995: Toy Story (1995), also Batman Forever (1995)
1996: Independence Day (1996), also Twister (1996)
1997: Titanic (1997)
1998: Saving Private Ryan (1998), also Armageddon (1998)
1999: Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

1. Avatar (2009)
2. The Dark Knight (2008)
3. Shrek 2 (2004)
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
5. Spider-Man (2002)
6. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
7. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
8. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
9. Spider-Man 2 (2004)
10. The Passion of the Christ (2004)

2000: How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
2001: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
2002: Spider-Man (2002)
2003: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
2004: Shrek 2 (2004)
2005: Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
2006: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006)
2007: Spider-Man 3 (2007)
2008: The Dark Knight (2008)
2009: Avatar (2009)

1. Jurassic World (2015)
2. Marvel's The Avengers (2012)
3. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
4. The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
5. The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
6. Toy Story 3 (2010)
7. Iron Man 3 (2013)
8. The Hunger Games (2012)
9. Frozen (2013)
10. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (2011)
11. Despicable Me 2 (2013)
12. Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)

2010: Toy Story 3 (2010)
2011: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 (2011)
2012: Marvel's The Avengers (2012)
2013: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013)
2014: American Sniper (2014)
2015: Jurassic World (2015) (tentative)