It's a silly question. Number of seats has this problem....if you charge less, you'll naturally sell more tickets. Inflation adjusted doesn't take into account disposable income percentages, re-releases, (in some cases) the advent of television, home movie theaters, and other, new, forms of entertainment. I used to teach statistical analysis at the University of California and (bottom line) it's really difficult to compare apples and oranges. Just enjoy the movie (or not) and quit trying to rank everything. One movie made more than a movie 10, 20, or 30 years ago. Who cares? Why the fascination and (usually inane) debate?