Hollywood box office hits of the 1970s ranged from Star Wars to Jaws to The Exorcist

But not everything was brilliant or even worthy. There was a succession of (sometimes fun) dross, like disaster movies, and signs of things to come that were not necessarily positive. And as always, audience tastes and quality films did not always meet happily.

Here's the Internet Movie Database list of the highest-grossing films worldwide of the decade. While such measurements aren't perfect, they do provide some idea of what was popular at the time and what would be influential.

Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope (#1, 1977):

Originally, of course, this was just Star Wars, and its huge success had a lot of impact. The bar for special effects was raised, merchandising was reinvigorated and sequels, prequels, spin-offs and special editions all became important (the film was also a popular reissue, but this wasn't new: earlier films like Gone With the Wind and The Sound of Music had paved the way). It might be argued the film helped bring respectability to the idea of "kidult" entertainment as distinct from family entertainment like Disney's Mary Poppins (1964), a big hit in the previous decade. And, like Walt Disney, George Lucas became a mogul and a brand name. He didn't direct another film until the Star Wars prequels but Lucas was more successful as a conceptualist than a writer of dialogue or director of actors and seemed to become increasingly entranced by technology, which also had an effect on films and filmmakers.

Jaws (# 2, 1975) and Jaws 2 (#15, 1978):

Steven Spielberg's career took off with the original, the prototype of the summer blockbuster. Through skilled technique and serendipity (the shark had to remain offscreen for much of the film as the technology wasn't the best) Spielberg and company made what could have been a routine "nature attacks" movie (of which there were plenty) into a masterpiece of suspense.

The score by John Williams - who also contributed hugely to Star Wars and Close Encounters - became indelible. While Spielberg mostly soared, the first sequel, a workmanlike, uninspired effort, did not do as much for the career of its director, Jeannot Szwarc, who worked mostly in television. The 1980s follow-ups were dreadful but indicative of a trend to milk franchises until they were dry.

The Exorcist (#3, 1973):

Like Rosemary's Baby (1968), this took an intelligent popular novel from an often disreputable genre and gave it a classy, A-picture production. William Peter Blatty was concerned with the spiritual element in this tale of a girl possessed by a demon but director William Friedkin knew the thrills and gross-outs would bring in the masses. Other "evil kid" 1970s horror films included The Other (1973) and The Omen (1976). Horror remained popular, with the late 1970s going in another direction: low-budget slasher movies aimed at younger audiences. The Exorcist sequels had nowhere near the same impact.

Grease (#4, 1978):

Musicals were not as big as they once were but nostalgia was big and this campy adaptation of a 1950s-set Broadway show, with its overage stars and occasionally awkward blend of the 1950s and 1970s, was a hit. Other musicals of the 1970s ranged widely in quality and popularity, from successes like Cabaret (1972) to duds like The Wiz (1978).

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (#5, 1977):

The paranormal was popular in the decade and Steven Spielberg's story about sightings of, evidence for and direct encounters with UFOs and their otherworldly inhabitants was a big hit and a precursor to his even more successful E.T. The Extra Terrestrial (1982).

Superman (#6, 1978):

Another franchise began here and this was the first superhero blockbuster movie: DC might have started things but Marvel would eventually bring its own powers to bear and the two companies continue to battle for dominance. Are you team Supey or team Spidey?

Smokey and the Bandit (#7, 1977):

Car movies - action, comedy, even horror - were big in the 1970s and Burt Reynolds was one of the biggest stars of the period though his star had faded by the mid-1980s.

The Godfather (#8, 1972) and The Godfather Part II (#14, 1974):

Mario Puzo's novel was not always regarded as much more than pulp but Francis Ford Coppola with a fine cast and collaborators created an almost operatic drama in the first two movies (though some saw it as a whitewash of the Mafia).

There were plenty of moments of violence and suspense but these were also long, partly subtitled movies, hardly thrill a minute. At least this felt like a respectable sequel not just a cash grab (unlike the third).

Saturday Night Fever (#9, 1977):

Dance crazes don't always make for good movies (the Lambada - remember that? - inspired, if that's the word, a couple in the early 1990s) but this surprisingly gritty film looked behind the glamour of disco to explore working-class New York life. It also made John Travolta a star.

Rocky (#10, 1976) and Rocky II (#12, 1978):

This was a surprise best picture Oscar winner in a year where contenders included the acclaimed Network, All the President's Men, and Taxi Driver. But the story of a boxer who gets a shot at the big time obviously touched a nerve, perhaps because of Sylvester Stallone's own struggles as a writer and actor. After this film's success, though, Stallone's ego inflated and the sequels would be too often self-indulgent.