According to Culture Crave on Twitter, Oppenheimer has surpassed Dunkirk and Saving Private Ryan to become the highest-grossing World War II film ever.

In nominal terms, this is true: Oppenheimer has earned $552.9 million worldwide as of August 6, according to CNN, while Dunkirk and Saving Private Ryan earned $527 million and $482.3 million, respectively.

But, as grocery shoppers have experienced in recent months, the value of the dollar is not constant. So, accounting for inflation, how much did Dunkirk, released in 2017, and Saving Private Ryan, released in 1998, gross in 2023 dollars?

Using data from the Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index (PCEPI) from the St. Louis Fed, one finds inflation to be (approximately) +20.189% from June 2017 to June 2023 and +69.723% from June 1998 to June 2023. Multiplying these inflation figures by the films’ respective nominal box-office earnings, we find that, in 2023 dollars, Dunkirk grossed $633.396 million and Saving Private Ryan $818.574 million.

In real terms, Oppenheimer has tens of millions of dollars to go before surpassing Dunkirk and several hundred million before it overtakes Saving Private Ryan.