Nash Information Services ranks movies based on their box office revenues, adjusting them to date for the rate of inflation. Here are the top 10 classic mystery and suspense films, according to revenue.
1. “Airport” (1970)
The lead mystery and suspense film of the classics garnered $529 million at the box office, with an adjusted gross for the rate of inflation.
Cinema Sight reviewer Wesley Lovell wrote, “'Airport' is a glossy, high wattage flick that sets the tone for all of the films to follow. The movie follows a snow-bound airport struggling to get its planes in the air and avoid as many disasters as possible.”
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2. “Rear Window” (1954)
An Alfred Hitchcock classic, "Rear Window," starring Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly, is
worth $503 million today with inflation, according to Nash Information Services. The film, based on a wheelchair-bound man convinced his neighbors have committed murder, ranks No. 97 in the top movies of all genres of all time in regards to box office revenues.
3. “The Towering Inferno” (1974)
A disaster movie starring Paul Newman, "The Towering Inferno" has a lifetime gross of $509 million.
Roger Ebert’s review calls the film “a brawny blockbuster of a movie, by far the best of the mid-1970s wave of disaster films.”
4. “Notorious” (1946)
A film about an American infiltrating a German spy ring, "Notorious," starring Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman, has a lifetime gross of $495 million. Ebert gave the film four stars, calling it a ”visual masterpiece.”
5. “The Poseidon Adventure” (1972)
The depiction of an ocean liner capsizing at sea was a box office hit. The film starred Gene Hackman and Ernest Borgnine, and made the 2015 equivalent of $455 million at the box office.
6. “Earthquake” (1975)
Based a screenplay about a natural disaster striking Los Angeles, the film used “sensurround” technology, which vibrated the seats of theatergoers, mimicking an actual earthquake. According to Box Office Mojo, the film brought in $79.6 million, the equivalent of $349 million in 2015.
7. “To Catch a Thief” (1955)
A Cary Grant and Grace Kelly classic, "To Catch a Thief" has brought in $143 million in adjusted gross revenues to date.
8. “Dial M for Murder” (1954)
Another Alfred Hitchcock thriller, "Dial M for Murder," starring Ray Milland and Grace Kelly, had revenues of $109 million.
9. “Blade Runner” (1982)
A Ridley Scott-directed thriller starring Harrison Ford, "Blade Runner" has a lifetime adjusted gross of $83 million at the box office.
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10. “Vertigo” (1958)
Having raked in $38 million at the box office, the thriller, starring Jimmy Stewart and Kim Novak, is
considered one of Alfred Hitchcock’s finest films, according to Rotten Tomatoes.
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