Star Trek, the recent update of the monolithic franchise originally created by Gene Roddenberry, has likely surpassed The Motion Picture to become the highest-grossing film in the entire series, when all of the box office receipts are adjusted for inflation.
A study conducted by Airlock Alpha has shown that the JJ Abrams-directed special effects extravaganza, which featured an almost completely recast crew and a brand-new direction for the series canon, is expected to edge out the first film to claim the top spot, with preliminary figures for Tuesday’s US domestic box office showing that it has now taken $240.8 million with several thousand more dollars expected today. In contrast, The Motion Picture took $240.9 million (adjusted) on its release in 1979.
The list of the films in the franchise, with their receipts reflecting inflation, is below in order of gross.
Star Trek (2009) – $241.3 million (est)
Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979) – $240.9 million
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1987) – $212.7 million
Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan (1982) – $173.8 million
Star Trek III: The Search For Spock (1984) – $156.5 million
Star Trek: First Contact (1996) – $125 million
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991) – $117 million
Star Trek Generations (1994) – $108.6 million
Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) – $92.3 million
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) – $89.5 million
Star Trek: Nemesis (2002) – $51.3 million