IF my argument was that GwtW wasn't one of the most influential, popular movies ever, then my argument would, indeed, lose steam, but that's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that it was helped by the times and how its release was handled by the studio. Think about it, no TV.....just start with that. What I'm really saying is comparing GwtW to ANH to Titanic to TFA is incredibly difficult and probably can't really be done. They are just different times.
This is an example and NOT to make a comparison. The Wizard of Oz was handled very differently and a decision was made to release it on TV very early on. That decision in and of itself, meant movie revenues would be minimal. Add other factors and you start building a more coherent analysis (but again, you probably can't REALLY do it).
I let GwtW, ANH, Titanic, etc. stand on their own as what they were and try to not compare them.....different times.....