This is a blog hop hosted by The Geek Twins, Just a Dash of Geek, L.K.Hill, and Comic Book & Movie Reviews.
To start, because I'm working my way to my actual subject, let's just start with Martians. My favorite Martian is DC's Martian Manhunter. In his usual depiction, he's basically a bald human who happens to be green and have a giant brow. Also, his costume is a blue cape and basically two red straps that criss-cross over his chest.
But he's really awesome. He was the only sane member of the famed "Bwa-ha-ha" Justice League, although this period also surfaced his obsession with Oreos. He had his own ongoing series in the late 1990s thanks to the popularity of Grant Morrison's JLA, but his best spotlight was in another eponymous mini-series from 2006-2007 (he wears a better costume here, and looks more alien), in which J'onn J'onnz (because he's a shapeshifter and as in human form, this naturally becomes John Jones) is faced with his truly being a stranger in a strange land for the first time.
In Smallville Martian Manhunter was portrayed by the underrated Phil Morris.
Another TV Martian milestone for me is "Little Green Men," an episode from the fourth season of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, in which the irascible Quark (who is a Ferengi, the species with the comically oversized ears) bastardizes his nephew Nog's break from their culture's tradition of institutional profiteering by entering Starfleet Academy. He loads the ship the family (along with Nog's father Rom) takes to Earth with contraband that inadvertently sends them all into the past, where they crash-land in Roswell, NM. They become the source of all our wild speculation about Martians (even though they're Ferengi). Odo, the shapeshifting (though unrelated to Martian Manhunter) constable who snuck aboard Quark's ship because he didn't trust his most reliable adversary, helps save them.
Although if you haven't seen the episode (or adore DS9 like I do), I've just gone ahead and spoiled one of its best surprises.
Now that I'm talking about Star Trek, let me wax nostalgic on a few of its most notable aliens. I'm thinking here of Spock and Worf, one from the original crew and the other from The Next Generation. Both of them serve in Starfleet, where they operate among mostly human crews. Spock is literally half human, by the way, though he's often pointed out as a Vulcan, while Worf is all Klingon but raised by humans. Both of them are militantly impassioned representatives of their respective alien cultures, however. Don't remind Spock that he shares some of the same genetic material as the illogical "Bones" McCoy. Don't make the mistake of being that Klingon who tries to tell Worf that he doesn't belong in that culture just because he was raised outside of it and is a warrior for another team. Spock is most definitely a Vulcan and Worf is most certainly a Klingon. It's what all their friends will tell you.
Getting back to comic books for a moment, I'd like to bring up the Green Lantern Corps. It's basically the Starfleet of DC. It's an intergalactic organization that provides each of its members with a ring that gives them the ability to exploit their willpower and imagination to police their respective sectors. Two of the more notable aliens to wear such a ring are Abin Sur and Sinestro. Abin Sur was Hal Jordan's predecessor in our particular sector of space. This may be odd for you to comprehend, because Hal Jordan is known for many things, but patrolling much beyond Earth is not one of them, and Abin Sur hadn't really bothered with Earth prior to the spectacular crash-landing that cost him his life. Sinestro meanwhile believed so much in the Green Lantern cause of galactic order that he reshaped his entire homeworld in its spitting image. Or perhaps merely his interpretation of that image, to the point where he was booted from the Corps and for a time became Hal Jordan's greatest enemy.
Like Spock and Worf, Abin Sur and Sinesro represent the kind of aliens we all think about when we think about aliens at all, maybe not the conquering invaders of War of the Worlds, but aliens who behave much as we do, extremely ethnocentric in nature, even when encountering many other alien cultures as a way of life.
Well, that's why I'm reaching my real subject. I'm talking about Phlox, of course. Phlox was the doctor from Star Trek: Enterprise. If you know much about Enterprise at all, you may still not know too much about Phlox. He was easily one of its most fascinating characters, but in terms of actual use, he was kind of like Scotty in the original series, the fourth lead after the trio of Archer/Tucker/T'Pol, as in Kirk/Spock/Bones.
Yet for a series about humans experiencing their first real taste of what's out there in space, there were only two aliens among the crew. One of them was T'Pol, who was the token Vulcan, at the insistence of Vulcans who had bitterly opposing speedy human progress in warp engine development. The other was Phlox, who was a Denobulan, a species currently only known from Enterprise.
It may seem a little odd that on a ship full of humans the only doctor was an alien, but Phlox was exactly that kind of alien, and why I'm writing about him now. His best friend was a human, actually, who was also participating in the interspecies medical exchange program. That pretty much sums up everything that made Phlox so awesome. Even before the crew understood its relationship with the possibilities they were about to encounter, they had among them someone who had already enthusiastically embraced them.
That's what sets Phlox apart. Plenty of characters in Star Trek love the thrill of adventure and the unknown, but Phlox is the rare one (Jadzia Dax from Deep Space Nine being another) who loved simply experiencing other cultures. At this point in Star Trek lore, that's exactly what the franchise needed, because in a lot of ways that's exactly what Enterprise was all about, why we finally revisited species like the Andorians (memorably embodied by Shran), Tellarites, and even Tholians while also spending so much time with the definitive Star Trek aliens, the Vulcans.
Phlox came from a culture that has, for simplicity's sake, an extremely complicated family structure. He could already appreciate the benefits of extensive bonds. He was a one-man Federation at a time when it didn't exist, an alien whose best and most simple advice to his captain was to embrace optimism. Many times Phlox himself was forced into dark corners and had to make difficult decisions, and he didn't seem so optimistic then, but then he was also the guy who kept his medical bay stocked with exotic creatures he had to manually feed each day (some of them snapped at his fingers!), and never had the benefit of or need for a regular nurse like Voyager's holographic Doctor. He was adaptable.
Admire Spock all you want as the paragon of virtue. Respect Worf for his stoic devotion to integrity. But give me Phlox. He's the one lived the message of Star Trek, the one that says Martians are what's out there, and that our future isn't so bad for it.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Thursday, January 17, 2013
#514. Film Fan launches
As you may or may not recall, I developed an obsession with the website Flickchart last year. Part of the reason why this happened is that I've been obsessed with ranking my favorite movies for years now. The last time before Flickchart that I did so ended up being listed at my Fan Companion before I completely devoted it to Star Trek.
Flickchart flabbergasted me with the movies that initially ended up in the version of my top ten that ended up there when I was still using the site's basic comparative model to reach such conclusions. It's not that I didn't like the movies that ended up there, but I had developed a pretty good sense of what my favorite movies were, and kept hoping Flickchart would help surface them to the top. That didn't happen. Eventually I moved them there myself. Still, I discovered some time later that the resulting list (around 1,400 films) still did not meet my satisfaction. But the good news was that it allowed me a new way to look at what I truly valued and how films really compared.
Much like a lot of critics, I settled on a star rating and started to work from there, using the basic Flickchart outline as a basis. Soon I came across movies that really weren't where they ought to be in this rating system. I started shifting around. It became far easier to shift around by creating separate lists by rating. That was when I finally broke away from the central list concept that I had been using for years.
As you might guess from the many other blogs I currently maintain (this is not even to say that I have not yet officially acknowledged here the nascent Survivor page, Your Torched Will Be Snuffed), all this is leading to the announcement of another blog. Yay!
Well, now there's Film Fan. Much like at Star Trek Fan Companion, I will be spending my time writing about individual films. At STFC, I'm currently in the midst of writing about each episode of the Star Trek franchise. Film Fan will feature my thoughts on each of the films that ended up on my Flickchart, and any others as they occur to me. As you can imagine, I have plenty of material. If you like films, hopefully you'll love this blog.
Flickchart flabbergasted me with the movies that initially ended up in the version of my top ten that ended up there when I was still using the site's basic comparative model to reach such conclusions. It's not that I didn't like the movies that ended up there, but I had developed a pretty good sense of what my favorite movies were, and kept hoping Flickchart would help surface them to the top. That didn't happen. Eventually I moved them there myself. Still, I discovered some time later that the resulting list (around 1,400 films) still did not meet my satisfaction. But the good news was that it allowed me a new way to look at what I truly valued and how films really compared.
Much like a lot of critics, I settled on a star rating and started to work from there, using the basic Flickchart outline as a basis. Soon I came across movies that really weren't where they ought to be in this rating system. I started shifting around. It became far easier to shift around by creating separate lists by rating. That was when I finally broke away from the central list concept that I had been using for years.
As you might guess from the many other blogs I currently maintain (this is not even to say that I have not yet officially acknowledged here the nascent Survivor page, Your Torched Will Be Snuffed), all this is leading to the announcement of another blog. Yay!
Well, now there's Film Fan. Much like at Star Trek Fan Companion, I will be spending my time writing about individual films. At STFC, I'm currently in the midst of writing about each episode of the Star Trek franchise. Film Fan will feature my thoughts on each of the films that ended up on my Flickchart, and any others as they occur to me. As you can imagine, I have plenty of material. If you like films, hopefully you'll love this blog.
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
#513. Box Office 2012
This last in the series will have a major caveat, since some releases from the end of 2012 will not be final grosses, so if you cared at all about grosses to begin with, keep that in mind...
1. Avengers ($623 mil)
Well, now we know that the whole Avengers cycle thing really, really worked. At first it was just Iron Man, but then (and increasingly, in 2011) other members of the team got their own movies, and then they all came together, some of them wearing their mother's drapes, and Hulk in his third cinematic incarnation finally proved a wild success. And suddenly Joss Whedon is no longer just a cult sensation but responsible for one of the largest grossing movies in history. So naturally his cult fans wonder if this will translate to more Browncoat love.
2. The Dark Knight Rises ($448 mil)
Well, we all kinda knew already that audiences weren't going to flock to a Christopher Nolan movie just to see Heath Ledger's last performance, after Inception, so the success of this conclusion to his Batman trilogy was assured. Some fans were concerned that after the above movie's huge success, maybe the superhero thing was already taken at last summer's box office. Or believed it could make more money. And then Aurora happened. Chances are the shooting didn't have any real effect on the movie's success, but it did put a decidedly more negative spin on its release.
3. The Hunger Games ($408 mil)
Jennifer Lawrence had critics loving her at Winter's Bone. The books this movie franchise is based on were already hyped as the Twilight Saga for serious (young) readers. But the huge success of this movie was still a surprise, although slightly less so in hindsight. We're a franchise culture now, yo, and this is definitely the followup to the Twilight Saga obsession and has greater crossover appeal.
4. Skyfall ($299 mil)
Daniel Craig's James Bond returns! And Javier Bardem is hyped as the greatest villain in the 007 franchise in years!
5. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 ($290 mil)
The story of twinkly vampires and the women who love them concludes! I realize that I've been apparently dismissive about these movies, but really, they're not so bad, probably a case where if I say the movies are better than the books, book lovers won't protest too much.
6. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey ($278 mil)
Not quite the huge success of the original Peter Jackson foray into Middle Earth, but then there are so many more franchises to choose from these days.
7. The Amazing Spider-Man ($262 mil)
The controversial reboot of a franchise begun a decade earlier found success much like the above movie in 2012, pretty respectable for having other franchises being slightly more immediately relevant.
8. Brave ($237 mil)
Pixar starts to seem a little less like Pixar with this one and a little more like Disney. Did the studio check that new contract closely?
9. Ted ($218 mil)
Seth MacFarlane has a whole franchise on TV, but chances are this is a one-off, making it only one of two movies not having anything to do with franchises in this top ten!
10. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted ($216 mil)
Seems like critics liked this one because as far as I can tell it's an animated version of a European film.
Other personal highlights:
13. Men in Black 3 ($179 mil)
20. Prometheus ($126 mil)
22. Django Unchained ($125 mil)
27. Argo ($111 mil)
30. Life of Pi ($94 mil)
37. John Carter ($73 mil)
41. Looper ($66 mil)
44. Mirror Mirror ($64 mil)
52. The Dictator ($59 mil)
53. Total Recall ($58 mil)
55. American Reunion ($57 mil)
57. This Means War ($54 mil)
64. The Grey ($51 mil)
70. Savages ($47 mil)
79. Silver Linings Playbook ($41 mil)
82. End of Watch ($40 mil)
85. Lawless ($37 mil)
98. Zero Dark Thirty ($29 mil)
100. The Five-Year Engagement ($28 mil)
101. Cloud Atlas ($27 mil)
109. Haywire ($18 mil)
111. A Thousand Words ($18 mil)
118. The Master ($16 mil)
120. The Man with the Iron Fists ($15 mil)
121. Seven Psychopaths ($15 mil)
122. Killing Them Softly ($14 mil)
133. Beasts of the Southern Wild ($11 mil)
141. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World ($7 mil)
224. Coriolanus ($700 thou)
263. Liberal Arts ($300 thou)
341. Iron Sky ($100 thou)
382. Deadfall ($60 thou)
Sunday, January 13, 2013
#512. Box Office 2011
Two years ago now (!) is still pretty recent history. Here's a look at what was going on at the movies in 2011...
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 ($381 mil)
The conclusion of the Harry Potter saga (the books ended in 2007) sees the end of Voldemort's threat, with just a few wrinkles left, including the ultimate fate and true character of Severus Snape and what Dumbledore ultimately left behind. Clearly audiences were primed to see how it all went down, finally bringing the franchise back to the level of popularity the films enjoyed at the beginning, and partly because of our modern franchise mentality that will make mass audiences turn out regardless of actual mass popularity.
2. Transformers: Dark of the Moon ($352 mil)
No Megan Fox! Michael Bay brought the focus back to the concept and softened the rough edges that had appeared in the second film.
3. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 ($281 mil)
The fourth film begins the final chapter of twinkly vampires and the women who love them.
4. The Hangover Part II ($254 mil)
Some people questioned making another of these, but clearly the result was still popular, so we're getting a third and probably final one this year.
5. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ($241 mil)
This was an attempt to discover whether or not audiences really only cared about Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow, because he's really the only common element between this installment and the previous three.
6. Fast Five ($209 mil)
The fourth and unexpectedly popular installment in this franchise brought the original crew back together, including Paul Walker and Vin Diesel. This fifth one brought most of the stars from each of the previous four back into the family, and added Dwayne Johnson, and was clearly a huge hit. So we get a sixth this year, and I say this series only gets better.
7. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol ($209 mil)
Tom Cruise returns to a reliable franchise under his belt for another big hit.
8. Cars 2 ($191 mil)
For the first time even critics begin to wonder if Pixar is coasting on its own success.
9. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows ($186 mil)
Robert Downey Jr. in another installment of another popular franchise.
10. Thor ($181 mil)
The Avengers cycle starts to heat up, featuring a slightly more risky member of the team and a heavy focus on Marvel's version of Norse mythology, discovering once again that if they cast the central role right (in this instance Chris Hemsworth) they'll have good results one way or another. Yet it's Tom Hiddleston's Loki who creates magic, which is good, because he's also a huge part of the later Avengers movie itself.
Other personal highlights:
12. Captain America: The First Avenger ($176 mil)
14. Bridesmaids ($169 mil)
16. Puss in Boots ($149 mil)
17. X-Men: First Class ($146 mil)
21. Super 8 ($127 mil)
23. Horrible Bosses ($117 mil)
24. Green Lantern ($116 mil)
28. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ($102 mil)
30. Cowboys & Aliens ($100 mil)
32. The Green Hornet ($98 mil)
34. The Muppets ($88 mil)
38. Immortals ($83 mil)
49. Hugo ($73 mil)
53. Mr. Popper's Penguins ($68 mil)
55. Unknown ($63 mil)
56. The Adjustment Bureau ($62 mil)
59. Midnight in Paris ($56 mil)
62. Source Code ($54 mil)
71. The Artist ($44 mil)
75. Hanna ($40 mil)
77. Spy Kids: All the Time in the World ($38 mil)
89. Sucker Punch ($36 mil)
90. Larry Crowne ($35 mil)
98. The Debt ($31 mil)
122. Fright Night ($18 mil)
131. Warrior ($18 mil)
132. The Tree of Life ($13 mil)
135. The Conspirator ($11 mil)
140. Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil ($10 mil)
176. The Way Back ($2 mil)
294. HappyThankYouMorePlease ($200 thou)
505. London Boulevard ($16 thou)
Source: Box Office Mojo
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 ($381 mil)
The conclusion of the Harry Potter saga (the books ended in 2007) sees the end of Voldemort's threat, with just a few wrinkles left, including the ultimate fate and true character of Severus Snape and what Dumbledore ultimately left behind. Clearly audiences were primed to see how it all went down, finally bringing the franchise back to the level of popularity the films enjoyed at the beginning, and partly because of our modern franchise mentality that will make mass audiences turn out regardless of actual mass popularity.
2. Transformers: Dark of the Moon ($352 mil)
No Megan Fox! Michael Bay brought the focus back to the concept and softened the rough edges that had appeared in the second film.
3. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 ($281 mil)
The fourth film begins the final chapter of twinkly vampires and the women who love them.
4. The Hangover Part II ($254 mil)
Some people questioned making another of these, but clearly the result was still popular, so we're getting a third and probably final one this year.
5. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ($241 mil)
This was an attempt to discover whether or not audiences really only cared about Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow, because he's really the only common element between this installment and the previous three.
6. Fast Five ($209 mil)
The fourth and unexpectedly popular installment in this franchise brought the original crew back together, including Paul Walker and Vin Diesel. This fifth one brought most of the stars from each of the previous four back into the family, and added Dwayne Johnson, and was clearly a huge hit. So we get a sixth this year, and I say this series only gets better.
7. Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol ($209 mil)
Tom Cruise returns to a reliable franchise under his belt for another big hit.
8. Cars 2 ($191 mil)
For the first time even critics begin to wonder if Pixar is coasting on its own success.
9. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows ($186 mil)
Robert Downey Jr. in another installment of another popular franchise.
10. Thor ($181 mil)
The Avengers cycle starts to heat up, featuring a slightly more risky member of the team and a heavy focus on Marvel's version of Norse mythology, discovering once again that if they cast the central role right (in this instance Chris Hemsworth) they'll have good results one way or another. Yet it's Tom Hiddleston's Loki who creates magic, which is good, because he's also a huge part of the later Avengers movie itself.
Other personal highlights:
12. Captain America: The First Avenger ($176 mil)
14. Bridesmaids ($169 mil)
16. Puss in Boots ($149 mil)
17. X-Men: First Class ($146 mil)
21. Super 8 ($127 mil)
23. Horrible Bosses ($117 mil)
24. Green Lantern ($116 mil)
28. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ($102 mil)
30. Cowboys & Aliens ($100 mil)
32. The Green Hornet ($98 mil)
34. The Muppets ($88 mil)
38. Immortals ($83 mil)
49. Hugo ($73 mil)
53. Mr. Popper's Penguins ($68 mil)
55. Unknown ($63 mil)
56. The Adjustment Bureau ($62 mil)
59. Midnight in Paris ($56 mil)
62. Source Code ($54 mil)
71. The Artist ($44 mil)
75. Hanna ($40 mil)
77. Spy Kids: All the Time in the World ($38 mil)
89. Sucker Punch ($36 mil)
90. Larry Crowne ($35 mil)
98. The Debt ($31 mil)
122. Fright Night ($18 mil)
131. Warrior ($18 mil)
132. The Tree of Life ($13 mil)
135. The Conspirator ($11 mil)
140. Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil ($10 mil)
176. The Way Back ($2 mil)
294. HappyThankYouMorePlease ($200 thou)
505. London Boulevard ($16 thou)
Source: Box Office Mojo
Saturday, January 12, 2013
#511. Box Office 2010
Now we're really entering recent territory. 2010 as you'll see had an explosion of computer animated hits on its hand, but there was also some dramatic material as well as plenty of franchises to keep audiences interested...
1. Toy Story 3 ($415 mil)
No Pixar hit pisses me off more than this one. Basically a rehash of the first two movies, everyone gushed over it because Andy finally moves on permanently from his toys (otherwise known as exactly what the second one was all about, except without Andy) and thus a permanent transition is reached for Buzz and Woody (although exactly like the second one they encounter ruthless competitors, which is also what happened in the first one). Anyway, there you go. I'm the only person to ever shit on Toy Story 3.
2. Alice in Wonderland ($334 mil)
Another big beneficiary of the new 3D craze was Tim Burton's interpretation of the Lewis Carroll classic, prominently featuring Johnny Depp.
3. Iron Man 2 ($312 mil)
I enjoyed this installment more than the first one, possibly because Sam Rockwell and Mickey Rourke were more compelling adversaries for Robert Downey Jr. than the generic general Jeff Bridges played in the first one. Though the best part is the blatant franchise building as we have a glimpse at Howard Stark and thus hark to the Captain America era that would shortly enough be featured in another Avengers installment. (Good year to be Bridges, though.)
4. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse ($300 mil)
Twinkly vampires and shirtless werewolves continue to fascinate people.
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 ($295 mil)
What with Twilight copying the model and Peter Jackson splitting The Hobbit into three films, the decision to split the final Harry Potter book into two movies now stands as a precedent.
6. Inception ($292 mil)
Christopher Nolan's cerebral follow-up to The Dark Knight has all but replaced The Matrix in the popular consciousness. Possibly because everyone assumes that there will be no sequels. For me personally, it was great seeing Tom Hardy finally start to see some appreciation of his talent.
7. Despicable Me ($251 mil)
Steve Carell does a character in a computer generated film, though the basic features are obviously based on Alfred Hitchcock (which might be interpreted as the genesis of interest 2012 showed in two separate projects about the famed director). This is another movie Pixar didn't do that probably does the Pixar model better without worrying about coming off artsy.
8. Shrek Forever After ($238 mil)
The fourth and presumably final Shrek tries to reboot the character to his humble origins.
9. How to Train Your Dragon ($217 mil)
I enjoyed Despicable Me very much, but this was my favorite computer generated cartoon of 2010, possibly because it captures the relationship between a boy and what might be described as his pet so perfectly, presenting a different interpretation of dragons and the Vikings who must learn to live with them. Based on a series of young reader books that I would absolutely have enjoyed if I were a young reader (but simply haven't read because I have plenty of adult books to occupy me), so will probably be buying them for nephew Christmas gifts in the next few years.
10. Tangled ($200 mil)
For a time, it looked as if the partnership between Disney and Pixar would fall apart. It was part of the reason ten years lapsed between Toy Stories. So Disney did a version of its classic animation model in computer generated form and achieved pretty good success with it.
Other personal highlights:
12. Tron Legacy ($172 mil)
13. True Grit ($171 mil)
14. Clash of the Titans ($163 mil)
17. Megamind ($148 mil)
18. The King's Speech ($135 mil)
19. The Last Airbender ($131 mil)
20. Shutter Island ($128 mil)
21. The Other Guys ($119 mil)
22. Salt ($118 mil)
24. Valentine's Day ($110 mil)
25. Black Swan ($106 mil)
26. Robin Hood ($105 mil)
32. The Social Network ($96 mil)
34. The Book of Eli ($94 mil)
35. The Fighter ($93 mil)
36. The Town ($92 mil)
37. Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time ($90 mil)
38. Red ($90 mil)
39. Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief ($88 mil)
41. Unstoppable ($81 mil)
44. The A-Team ($77 mil)
48. The Bounty Hunter ($67 mil)
50. The Sorcerer's Apprentice ($63 mil)
53. The Wolfman ($61 mil)
54. Get Him to the Greek ($60 mil)
55. Resident Evil: Afterlife ($60 mil)
60. Takers ($57 mil)
64. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps ($52 mil)
65. Predators ($52 mil)
70. Cop Out ($44 mil)
73. Gulliver's Travels ($42 mil)
74. Death at a Funeral ($42 mil)
87. Devil ($33 mil)
88. Hereafter ($32 mil)
92. Scott Pilgrim vs. the World ($31 mil)
100. Machete ($26 mil)
109. The Losers ($23 mil)
112. Skyline ($21 mil)
113. The Next Three Days ($21 mil)
118. Remember Me ($19 mil)
131. Jonah Hex ($10 mil)
148. The Warrior's Way ($5 mil)
160. You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger ($3 mil)
172. I Love You, Phillip Morris ($2 mil)
175. Somewhere ($1 mil)
179. Cairo Time ($1 mil)
224. Ondine ($500 thou)
297. The Disappearance of Alice Creed ($100 thou)
316. Centurion ($100 thou)
Friday, January 11, 2013
#510. Box Office 2009
I'd been waiting since 2002 for another Star Trek movie. It finally happened in 2009!
1. Avatar ($749 mil)
The massive success of this latest James Cameron spectacle is still a little hard to process. On the one hand, it was one of the earliest beneficiaries of the new 3D surge. On the other it was very much a spectacle, the way The Avengers was in 2012, something many people subsequently said they'd seen before. But not like this. I almost feel bad for Cameron, though, working on the sequels. This may not be a popular success that will hold up subsequent entries to mass popularity. I could be wrong. Maybe the next few stories will have Star Wars kind of scope, game-changing elements that will solidify the mythology. Or it could be like the Matrix trilogy, where further stories past the popular first one will contradict expectations and thus infuriate the geek response. Well, we'll see.
2. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ($402 mil)
Massive success, for instance, can work both ways, as numerous films in this survey have proven. This one, for instance, is considered the worst of Michael Bay's efforts in this franchise. Yet clearly it made a pretty penny. Oh how I love reactive thought. First lots of people see something because lots of people are seeing something. Then because lots of people are seeing something, some of them either decide that lots of people are seeing something because it's good, or simply because lots of people are seeing something. And the latter will always conclude that something lots of people are seeing is by definition not worth seeing. It totally makes sense, somehow...
3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ($301 mil)
The sixth film in this series is also the final before the two-part finale. Grosses have started to go up again, momentum is building, and the very thing I'm wondering about Avatar above and what helped make Revenge of the Fallen a massive success starts to take over. This era is all about franchises, being able to say you've experienced the series that seems like it's defining the era. Anyway, this is probably the Harry Potter most like Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films.
4. The Twilight Saga: New Moon ($296 mil)
Well, see? Greater success for this franchise once everyone realizes it's a popular franchise.
5. Up ($293 mil)
Everyone talks about the opening sequence for this Pixar effort. Otherwise what's there to distinguish it, beyond the collar that translates what the dog thinks?
6. The Hangover ($277 mil)
A modern comedy milestone is reached and new stars are born. Some still question making more of these, but I say it's a good thing. It's a good formula, good cast, and makes for consistently good films.
7. Star Trek ($257 mil)
Not the first time a Star Trek has landed in the top ten box office successes for a given year, but still by far the biggest gross in the series, thanks to a reboot some fans always dreaded but that turned out really well. Interestingly, I was always going to appreciate the casting of the villain. Originally Nero was offered to Russell Crowe. Instead Eric Bana played him. The rest of the cast is dynamite as well, including that dude who plays the older Spock. What's his name again?
8. The Blind Side ($255 mil)
Sandra Bullock becomes massively popular, more popular than she's ever been, and totally, totally deserves it. This one's about football.
9. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel ($219 mil)
Cringe-inducing title. But clearly kids love it.
10. Sherlock Holmes ($209 mil)
Robert Downey, Jr. in his other current franchise. Although Iron Man is bigger. What I like about this one is that it gives Jude Law, albeit in a supporting role, something popular to appear in. Finally!
Other personal highlights:
13. X-Men Origins: Wolverine ($179 mil)
15. 2012 ($166 mil)
16. The Proposal ($163 mil)
17. Fast and Furious ($155 mil)
18. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra ($150 mil)
19. Paul Blart: Mall Cop ($146 mil)
20. Taken ($145 mil)
21. A Christmas Carol ($137 mil)
22. Angels & Demons ($133 mil)
23. Terminator Salvation ($125 mil)
25. Inglourious Basterds ($120 mil)
27. District 9 ($115 mil)
31. Watchmen ($107 mil)
35. He's Just Not That Into You ($93 mil)
37. The Ugly Truth ($88 mil)
38. Up in the Air ($83 mil)
41. Where the Wild Things Are ($77 mil)
42. Zombieland ($75 mil)
43. Coraline ($75 mil)
44. Law Abiding Citizen ($73 mil)
47. I Love You, Man ($71 mil)
49. Race to Witch Mountain ($67 mil)
54. The Time Traveler's Wife ($63 mil)
59. Funny People ($51 mil)
63. Land of the Lost ($49 mil)
66. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans ($45 mil)
75. Crazy Heart ($39 mil)
76. Surrogates ($38 mil)
77. Ninja Assassin ($38 mil)
78. Invictus ($37 mil)
79. State of Play ($37 mil)
81. The Pink Panther 2 ($35 mil)
86. The Men Who Stare at Goats ($32 mil)
87. (500) Days of Summer ($32 mil)
91. The Soloist ($31 mil)
100. The Fourth Kind ($25 mil)
107. Fantastic Mr. Fox ($21 mil)
116. The Hurt Locker ($17 mil)
122. A Perfect Getaway ($15 mil)
137. Extract ($10 mil)
146. Everybody's Fine ($9 mil)
151. Pirate Radio ($8 mil)
153. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus ($7 mil)
161. Moon ($5 mil)
168. Two Lovers ($3 mil)
181. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans ($1 mil)
193. Me and Orson Welles ($1 mil)
227. Red Cliff ($600 thou)
316. Bronson ($100 thou)
377. The Slammin' Salmon ($40 thou)
432. Killshot ($10 thou)
Source: Box Office Mojo
A special bonus! Here are my predictions for key categories in this year's Oscars, based on yesterday's announcement of the nominees:
1. Avatar ($749 mil)
The massive success of this latest James Cameron spectacle is still a little hard to process. On the one hand, it was one of the earliest beneficiaries of the new 3D surge. On the other it was very much a spectacle, the way The Avengers was in 2012, something many people subsequently said they'd seen before. But not like this. I almost feel bad for Cameron, though, working on the sequels. This may not be a popular success that will hold up subsequent entries to mass popularity. I could be wrong. Maybe the next few stories will have Star Wars kind of scope, game-changing elements that will solidify the mythology. Or it could be like the Matrix trilogy, where further stories past the popular first one will contradict expectations and thus infuriate the geek response. Well, we'll see.
2. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ($402 mil)
Massive success, for instance, can work both ways, as numerous films in this survey have proven. This one, for instance, is considered the worst of Michael Bay's efforts in this franchise. Yet clearly it made a pretty penny. Oh how I love reactive thought. First lots of people see something because lots of people are seeing something. Then because lots of people are seeing something, some of them either decide that lots of people are seeing something because it's good, or simply because lots of people are seeing something. And the latter will always conclude that something lots of people are seeing is by definition not worth seeing. It totally makes sense, somehow...
3. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince ($301 mil)
The sixth film in this series is also the final before the two-part finale. Grosses have started to go up again, momentum is building, and the very thing I'm wondering about Avatar above and what helped make Revenge of the Fallen a massive success starts to take over. This era is all about franchises, being able to say you've experienced the series that seems like it's defining the era. Anyway, this is probably the Harry Potter most like Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films.
4. The Twilight Saga: New Moon ($296 mil)
Well, see? Greater success for this franchise once everyone realizes it's a popular franchise.
5. Up ($293 mil)
Everyone talks about the opening sequence for this Pixar effort. Otherwise what's there to distinguish it, beyond the collar that translates what the dog thinks?
6. The Hangover ($277 mil)
A modern comedy milestone is reached and new stars are born. Some still question making more of these, but I say it's a good thing. It's a good formula, good cast, and makes for consistently good films.
7. Star Trek ($257 mil)
Not the first time a Star Trek has landed in the top ten box office successes for a given year, but still by far the biggest gross in the series, thanks to a reboot some fans always dreaded but that turned out really well. Interestingly, I was always going to appreciate the casting of the villain. Originally Nero was offered to Russell Crowe. Instead Eric Bana played him. The rest of the cast is dynamite as well, including that dude who plays the older Spock. What's his name again?
8. The Blind Side ($255 mil)
Sandra Bullock becomes massively popular, more popular than she's ever been, and totally, totally deserves it. This one's about football.
9. Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel ($219 mil)
Cringe-inducing title. But clearly kids love it.
10. Sherlock Holmes ($209 mil)
Robert Downey, Jr. in his other current franchise. Although Iron Man is bigger. What I like about this one is that it gives Jude Law, albeit in a supporting role, something popular to appear in. Finally!
Other personal highlights:
13. X-Men Origins: Wolverine ($179 mil)
15. 2012 ($166 mil)
16. The Proposal ($163 mil)
17. Fast and Furious ($155 mil)
18. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra ($150 mil)
19. Paul Blart: Mall Cop ($146 mil)
20. Taken ($145 mil)
21. A Christmas Carol ($137 mil)
22. Angels & Demons ($133 mil)
23. Terminator Salvation ($125 mil)
25. Inglourious Basterds ($120 mil)
27. District 9 ($115 mil)
31. Watchmen ($107 mil)
35. He's Just Not That Into You ($93 mil)
37. The Ugly Truth ($88 mil)
38. Up in the Air ($83 mil)
41. Where the Wild Things Are ($77 mil)
42. Zombieland ($75 mil)
43. Coraline ($75 mil)
44. Law Abiding Citizen ($73 mil)
47. I Love You, Man ($71 mil)
49. Race to Witch Mountain ($67 mil)
54. The Time Traveler's Wife ($63 mil)
59. Funny People ($51 mil)
63. Land of the Lost ($49 mil)
66. Underworld: Rise of the Lycans ($45 mil)
75. Crazy Heart ($39 mil)
76. Surrogates ($38 mil)
77. Ninja Assassin ($38 mil)
78. Invictus ($37 mil)
79. State of Play ($37 mil)
81. The Pink Panther 2 ($35 mil)
86. The Men Who Stare at Goats ($32 mil)
87. (500) Days of Summer ($32 mil)
91. The Soloist ($31 mil)
100. The Fourth Kind ($25 mil)
107. Fantastic Mr. Fox ($21 mil)
116. The Hurt Locker ($17 mil)
122. A Perfect Getaway ($15 mil)
137. Extract ($10 mil)
146. Everybody's Fine ($9 mil)
151. Pirate Radio ($8 mil)
153. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus ($7 mil)
161. Moon ($5 mil)
168. Two Lovers ($3 mil)
181. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans ($1 mil)
193. Me and Orson Welles ($1 mil)
227. Red Cliff ($600 thou)
316. Bronson ($100 thou)
377. The Slammin' Salmon ($40 thou)
432. Killshot ($10 thou)
Source: Box Office Mojo
A special bonus! Here are my predictions for key categories in this year's Oscars, based on yesterday's announcement of the nominees:
Thursday, January 10, 2013
#509. Box Office 2008
This year for me was pretty easily dominated by the movie at the top of the box office. That doesn't always happen. Congratulates 2008.
1. The Dark Knight ($533 mil)
Heath Ledger died before this movie was released. There will always be doubt as to whether or not the resulting huge success and acknowledgment of his fine performance as the Joker was a result of this or because people started to appreciate Christopher Nolan's intricate vision of Batman, the reverse of everything audiences expect from superhero movies. For me it doesn't matter. I was already a fan of Ledger. The performance speaks for itself. The rest of the movie matches it perfectly.
2. Iron Man ($318 mil)
The start of the Avengers cycle was such a huge success that many fans still argue to this day that The Dark Knight had a rival for best superhero movie of 2008. It doesn't, but without a doubt Robert Downey, Jr. made the role of Tony Stark his own. Single-handedly revived his career, and made him hugely popular, his very own Jack Sparrow.
3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ($317 mil)
Because every movie that people flocked to see in 2008 couldn't possibly remain beloved, fans almost immediately started a backlash against this latter-day adventure of the most famous descendant of classic Hollywood serials.
4. Hancock ($227 mil)
If there's any superhero movie that rivals The Dark Knight's brilliance in 2008, this was it, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a fan of Will Smith and he was clearly still on his hot streak. The unacknowledged second lead, Charlize Theron, plays a huge part in what makes this one so ultimately transcendent. And I'm not just saying that because I had this same idea in 2004. Let that be a warning. If your idea exists too long in the creative ether, someone else will eventually come upon it. Same thing with the title of the movie Book of Eli. That was mine, too.
5. WALL-E ($223 mil)
Pixar's silent film has a thing for environmentalism. You'd think if one half of the movie were subtle and sublime, the other half would be too. It isn't.
6. Kung Fu Panda ($215 mil)
Jack Black becomes immortal as a computer animated kung fu fighting panda.
7. Twilight ($192 mil)
Yeah, so sparkly vampires officially become popular.
8. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa ($180 mil)
At this point, you can clearly see Hollywood salivate at the prospect of computer animated movies. They don't all become franchises, but the ones that do are lucrative indeed.
9. Quantum of Solace ($168 mil)
The first James Bond sequel, although I contend that you can enjoy it without having to worry too much about Casino Royale. The second Daniel Craig outing isn't as well-received as the first, but it keeps both Craig and 007 wildly popular.
10. Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who ($154 mil)
Audiences love and will continue to love Dr. Seuss movies that are a little more faithful to the source material. I tell ya, Seuss is an improbable heir to Shakespeare. When people shout with glee, it's Seuss' rhymes they hear. Jim Carrey is slightly more animated than usual.
Other personal highlights:
20. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ($127 mil)
23. Tropic Thunder ($110 mil)
28. Step Brothers ($100 mil)
30. Yes Man ($97 mil)
36. 21 ($81 mil)
39. Cloverfield ($80 mil)
43. Vantage Point ($72 mil)
46. Seven Pounds ($69 mil)
49. The Happening ($64 mil)
50. Forgetting Sarah Marshall ($63 mil)
52. Burn After Reading ($60 mil)
64. Speed Racer ($43 mil)
71. Righteous Kill ($40 mil)
72. Body of Lies ($39 mil)
81. Star Wars: The Clone Wars ($35 mil)
88. The Love Guru ($32 mil)
95. Leatherheads ($31 mil)
103. The Other Boleyn Girl ($26 mil)
105. The Wrestler ($26 mil)
107. Superhero Movie ($25 mil)
108. W. ($25 mil)
112. Revolutionary Road ($22 mil)
113. Babylon A.D. ($22 mil)
117. The Spirit ($19 mil)
120. Frost/Nixon ($18 mil)
123. 88 Minutes ($17 mil)
124. Swing Vote ($16 mil)
125. Pride & Glory ($15 mil)
139. Meet Dave ($11 mil)
142. Doomsday ($11 mil)
144. U2 3D ($10 mil)
147. Smart People ($9 mil)
155. In Bruges ($7 mil)
166. Run Fat Boy Run ($6 mil)
168. RockNRolla ($5 mil)
171. Hamlet 2 ($4 mil)
177. Bottle Shock ($4 mil)
179. Charlie Bartlett ($3 mil)
191. How to Lose Friends and Alienate People ($2 mil)
196. The Fall ($2 mil)
209. Che ($1 mil)
226. Cassandra's Dream ($900 thou)
432. Boarding Gate ($40 thou)
549. Take ($6 thou)
570. Romulus, My Father ($4 thou)
Source: Box Office Mojo
1. The Dark Knight ($533 mil)
Heath Ledger died before this movie was released. There will always be doubt as to whether or not the resulting huge success and acknowledgment of his fine performance as the Joker was a result of this or because people started to appreciate Christopher Nolan's intricate vision of Batman, the reverse of everything audiences expect from superhero movies. For me it doesn't matter. I was already a fan of Ledger. The performance speaks for itself. The rest of the movie matches it perfectly.
2. Iron Man ($318 mil)
The start of the Avengers cycle was such a huge success that many fans still argue to this day that The Dark Knight had a rival for best superhero movie of 2008. It doesn't, but without a doubt Robert Downey, Jr. made the role of Tony Stark his own. Single-handedly revived his career, and made him hugely popular, his very own Jack Sparrow.
3. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ($317 mil)
Because every movie that people flocked to see in 2008 couldn't possibly remain beloved, fans almost immediately started a backlash against this latter-day adventure of the most famous descendant of classic Hollywood serials.
4. Hancock ($227 mil)
If there's any superhero movie that rivals The Dark Knight's brilliance in 2008, this was it, and I'm not just saying that because I'm a fan of Will Smith and he was clearly still on his hot streak. The unacknowledged second lead, Charlize Theron, plays a huge part in what makes this one so ultimately transcendent. And I'm not just saying that because I had this same idea in 2004. Let that be a warning. If your idea exists too long in the creative ether, someone else will eventually come upon it. Same thing with the title of the movie Book of Eli. That was mine, too.
5. WALL-E ($223 mil)
Pixar's silent film has a thing for environmentalism. You'd think if one half of the movie were subtle and sublime, the other half would be too. It isn't.
6. Kung Fu Panda ($215 mil)
Jack Black becomes immortal as a computer animated kung fu fighting panda.
7. Twilight ($192 mil)
Yeah, so sparkly vampires officially become popular.
8. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa ($180 mil)
At this point, you can clearly see Hollywood salivate at the prospect of computer animated movies. They don't all become franchises, but the ones that do are lucrative indeed.
9. Quantum of Solace ($168 mil)
The first James Bond sequel, although I contend that you can enjoy it without having to worry too much about Casino Royale. The second Daniel Craig outing isn't as well-received as the first, but it keeps both Craig and 007 wildly popular.
10. Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who ($154 mil)
Audiences love and will continue to love Dr. Seuss movies that are a little more faithful to the source material. I tell ya, Seuss is an improbable heir to Shakespeare. When people shout with glee, it's Seuss' rhymes they hear. Jim Carrey is slightly more animated than usual.
Other personal highlights:
20. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button ($127 mil)
23. Tropic Thunder ($110 mil)
28. Step Brothers ($100 mil)
30. Yes Man ($97 mil)
36. 21 ($81 mil)
39. Cloverfield ($80 mil)
43. Vantage Point ($72 mil)
46. Seven Pounds ($69 mil)
49. The Happening ($64 mil)
50. Forgetting Sarah Marshall ($63 mil)
52. Burn After Reading ($60 mil)
64. Speed Racer ($43 mil)
71. Righteous Kill ($40 mil)
72. Body of Lies ($39 mil)
81. Star Wars: The Clone Wars ($35 mil)
88. The Love Guru ($32 mil)
95. Leatherheads ($31 mil)
103. The Other Boleyn Girl ($26 mil)
105. The Wrestler ($26 mil)
107. Superhero Movie ($25 mil)
108. W. ($25 mil)
112. Revolutionary Road ($22 mil)
113. Babylon A.D. ($22 mil)
117. The Spirit ($19 mil)
120. Frost/Nixon ($18 mil)
123. 88 Minutes ($17 mil)
124. Swing Vote ($16 mil)
125. Pride & Glory ($15 mil)
139. Meet Dave ($11 mil)
142. Doomsday ($11 mil)
144. U2 3D ($10 mil)
147. Smart People ($9 mil)
155. In Bruges ($7 mil)
166. Run Fat Boy Run ($6 mil)
168. RockNRolla ($5 mil)
171. Hamlet 2 ($4 mil)
177. Bottle Shock ($4 mil)
179. Charlie Bartlett ($3 mil)
191. How to Lose Friends and Alienate People ($2 mil)
196. The Fall ($2 mil)
209. Che ($1 mil)
226. Cassandra's Dream ($900 thou)
432. Boarding Gate ($40 thou)
549. Take ($6 thou)
570. Romulus, My Father ($4 thou)
Source: Box Office Mojo
Tuesday, January 08, 2013
#508. Box Office 2007
2007 was another fine year at the movies, perhaps most notable for me as Josh Brolin's big breakout, which went mostly unacknowledged, although he's been reaping the benefits ever since...
1. Spider-Man 3 ($336 mil)
Do you begin to sense a pattern about the trends of audiences yet? Another blockbuster installment of a popular franchise scores big. Sure, most fans think of this one as their least favorite in the series, but here it is, the most popular movie of 2007. It's still my favorite. Tobey Maguire is finally something other than merely geeky, getting to be geeky cool (to his mind, anyway) when the Venom symbiont has affected his personality. That's progress!
2. Shrek the Third ($322 mil)
This is the installment I have the fewest memories of in this franchise, but clearly audiences were not deterred by the comparatively generic work. Sometimes it's just about revisiting favorite characters.
3. Transformers ($319 mil)
Michael Bay makes a movie about giant robots who happen to also transform into common human vehicle and previously have been a 1980s cartoon and toy franchise. Part of the reason these movies succeed so well is because of Bay's typically impeccable casting, with twitchy Shia LaBeouf leading the way, followed by American's temporary sexpot Megan Fox.
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End ($309 mil)
The most indulgent entry in this franchise allows Jack Sparrow to be as surreal as possible, plus literally meet his maker, Keith Richards, who helped inspire Johnny Depp's original portrayal. Still, there's an awful lot of moody reminders that pirates really weren't appreciated in their time.
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ($292 mil)
The lasting image from this installment will always be the most thrilling wizards duel in movie history, between Voldemort and Dumbledore. (This is one of the thing Peter Jackson got very, very wrong in his Lord of the Rings trilogy.)
6. I Am Legend ($256 mil)
Will Smith's hot streak continues full steam ahead, adapting the Hollywood favorite story from Richard Matheson as seemingly the last man left standing in a global apocalypse, sort of like the action version of Cast Away.
7. The Bourne Ultimatum ($227 mil)
Matt Damon finally learns Jason Bourne's real name (David Webb) in this final installment in the original trilogy. Because I love mythology and character work, this is almost by default my favorite entry.
8. National Treasure: Book of Secrets ($219 mil)
Nicolas Cage returns as the modern Indiana Jones. This is my favorite of the two films so far in this series. I'm hoping for another, ideally from that mysterious page from the eponymous book borrowed with a wink from the president portrayed by Bruce Greenwood. (Bruce Greenwood is always awesome. He must also return.)
9. Alvin and the Chipmunks ($217 mil)
This update of another 1980s property (at least this is the point where it was famous for me) is also another blend of live action and computer animated characters. This may be Jason Lee's lasting cultural memory, given that My Name Is Earl inexplicably failed to find a wide viewership, even though it was awesome.
10. 300 ($210 mil)
The digital landscape movie that audiences absolutely loved, and also the reason everyone is still trying really hard to combat Hollywood's efforts to make Gerard Butler a star. This is also the next reason why Zack Snyder is a commodity halfway between Robert Rodriguez and Christopher Nolan.
Other personal highlights:
11. Ratatouille ($206 mil)
12. The Simpsons Movie ($183 mil)
15. Juno ($143 mil)
19. American Gangster ($130 mil)
21. Bee Movie ($126 mil)
22. Superbad ($121 mil)
25. Blades of Glory ($118 mil)
26. Ocean's Thirteen ($117 mil)
27. Ghost Rider ($115 mil)
31. The Bucket List ($93 mil)
32. The Game Plan ($90 mil)
33. Beowulf ($82 mil)
36. No Country for Old Men ($74 mil)
37. Fred Claus ($72 mil)
40. Charlie Wilson's War ($66 mil)
46. TMNT ($54 mil)
48. 3:10 to Yuma ($53 mil)
49. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ($52 mil)
52. Music and Lyrics ($50 mil)
55. Michael Clayton ($49 mil)
60. License to Wed ($43 mil)
66. There Will Be Blood ($40 mil)
74. Freedom Writers ($36 mil)
75. Smokin' Aces ($35 mil)
77. The Number 23 ($35 mil)
87. 28 Weeks Later ($28 mil)
88. We Own the Night ($28 mil)
94. The Mist ($25 mil)
96. Grindhouse ($25 mil)
98. Across the Universe ($24 mil)
101. Hot Fuzz ($23 mil)
108. Gone Baby Gone ($20 mil)
121. Elizabeth: The Golden Age ($16 mil)
125. Alpha Dog ($15 mil)
127. Lions for Lambs ($15 mil)
135. Shoot 'Em Up ($12 mil)
146. Pathfinder ($10 mil)
159. Martian Child ($7 mil)
168. In the Valley of Elah ($6 mil)
172. The Last Legion ($5 mil)
175. Lucky You ($5 mil)
178. Rescue Dawn ($5 mil)
182. The Lookout ($4 mil)
189. I'm Not There ($4 mil)
192. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford ($3 mil)
217. Blade Runner: The Final Cut ($1 mil)
241. The Hunting Party ($900 thou)
296. Southland Tales ($200 thou)
550. Slipstream ($8 thou)
Source: Box Office Mojo
1. Spider-Man 3 ($336 mil)
Do you begin to sense a pattern about the trends of audiences yet? Another blockbuster installment of a popular franchise scores big. Sure, most fans think of this one as their least favorite in the series, but here it is, the most popular movie of 2007. It's still my favorite. Tobey Maguire is finally something other than merely geeky, getting to be geeky cool (to his mind, anyway) when the Venom symbiont has affected his personality. That's progress!
2. Shrek the Third ($322 mil)
This is the installment I have the fewest memories of in this franchise, but clearly audiences were not deterred by the comparatively generic work. Sometimes it's just about revisiting favorite characters.
3. Transformers ($319 mil)
Michael Bay makes a movie about giant robots who happen to also transform into common human vehicle and previously have been a 1980s cartoon and toy franchise. Part of the reason these movies succeed so well is because of Bay's typically impeccable casting, with twitchy Shia LaBeouf leading the way, followed by American's temporary sexpot Megan Fox.
4. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End ($309 mil)
The most indulgent entry in this franchise allows Jack Sparrow to be as surreal as possible, plus literally meet his maker, Keith Richards, who helped inspire Johnny Depp's original portrayal. Still, there's an awful lot of moody reminders that pirates really weren't appreciated in their time.
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ($292 mil)
The lasting image from this installment will always be the most thrilling wizards duel in movie history, between Voldemort and Dumbledore. (This is one of the thing Peter Jackson got very, very wrong in his Lord of the Rings trilogy.)
6. I Am Legend ($256 mil)
Will Smith's hot streak continues full steam ahead, adapting the Hollywood favorite story from Richard Matheson as seemingly the last man left standing in a global apocalypse, sort of like the action version of Cast Away.
7. The Bourne Ultimatum ($227 mil)
Matt Damon finally learns Jason Bourne's real name (David Webb) in this final installment in the original trilogy. Because I love mythology and character work, this is almost by default my favorite entry.
8. National Treasure: Book of Secrets ($219 mil)
Nicolas Cage returns as the modern Indiana Jones. This is my favorite of the two films so far in this series. I'm hoping for another, ideally from that mysterious page from the eponymous book borrowed with a wink from the president portrayed by Bruce Greenwood. (Bruce Greenwood is always awesome. He must also return.)
9. Alvin and the Chipmunks ($217 mil)
This update of another 1980s property (at least this is the point where it was famous for me) is also another blend of live action and computer animated characters. This may be Jason Lee's lasting cultural memory, given that My Name Is Earl inexplicably failed to find a wide viewership, even though it was awesome.
10. 300 ($210 mil)
The digital landscape movie that audiences absolutely loved, and also the reason everyone is still trying really hard to combat Hollywood's efforts to make Gerard Butler a star. This is also the next reason why Zack Snyder is a commodity halfway between Robert Rodriguez and Christopher Nolan.
Other personal highlights:
11. Ratatouille ($206 mil)
12. The Simpsons Movie ($183 mil)
15. Juno ($143 mil)
19. American Gangster ($130 mil)
21. Bee Movie ($126 mil)
22. Superbad ($121 mil)
25. Blades of Glory ($118 mil)
26. Ocean's Thirteen ($117 mil)
27. Ghost Rider ($115 mil)
31. The Bucket List ($93 mil)
32. The Game Plan ($90 mil)
33. Beowulf ($82 mil)
36. No Country for Old Men ($74 mil)
37. Fred Claus ($72 mil)
40. Charlie Wilson's War ($66 mil)
46. TMNT ($54 mil)
48. 3:10 to Yuma ($53 mil)
49. Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street ($52 mil)
52. Music and Lyrics ($50 mil)
55. Michael Clayton ($49 mil)
60. License to Wed ($43 mil)
66. There Will Be Blood ($40 mil)
74. Freedom Writers ($36 mil)
75. Smokin' Aces ($35 mil)
77. The Number 23 ($35 mil)
87. 28 Weeks Later ($28 mil)
88. We Own the Night ($28 mil)
94. The Mist ($25 mil)
96. Grindhouse ($25 mil)
98. Across the Universe ($24 mil)
101. Hot Fuzz ($23 mil)
108. Gone Baby Gone ($20 mil)
121. Elizabeth: The Golden Age ($16 mil)
125. Alpha Dog ($15 mil)
127. Lions for Lambs ($15 mil)
135. Shoot 'Em Up ($12 mil)
146. Pathfinder ($10 mil)
159. Martian Child ($7 mil)
168. In the Valley of Elah ($6 mil)
172. The Last Legion ($5 mil)
175. Lucky You ($5 mil)
178. Rescue Dawn ($5 mil)
182. The Lookout ($4 mil)
189. I'm Not There ($4 mil)
192. The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford ($3 mil)
217. Blade Runner: The Final Cut ($1 mil)
241. The Hunting Party ($900 thou)
296. Southland Tales ($200 thou)
550. Slipstream ($8 thou)
Source: Box Office Mojo
Monday, January 07, 2013
#507. Box Office 2006
I'm modifying this box office history one final time. And announcing a spin-off blog that will be following it, called The Film Fan, which actually spins off from stuff I previously did at Star Trek Fan Companion. Clearly I like a lot of movies, and want to talk about them. But these things can get a little long. Also, the followup feature here at Scouring Monk will be Fan Tango, a revamped version of the Vantage Point and Seven Reasons to Love features I've done in the past. First up in that series will be Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which celebrates its twentieth anniversary this year.
On to 2006!
1. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($423 mil)
I love that this was a huge success, because this was my favorite entry in the Pirates series. It expands on the mythology in ways that might not have seemed obvious in Curse of the Black Pearl, as we meet Will Turner's dead Bootstrap Bill, for instance, who's a reluctant crewmate aboard the other iconic ship from the series, the Flying Dutchman, captained by the cursed Davy Jones, memorably portrayed with CGI help by Bill Nighy. Jack Davenport, who appeared in the first movie, has a memorably expanded role in this one, helping to make it that much more swashbuckling (which is one of my favorite things about this entry and series, because it's the most notable swashbuckling movie of the modern era, and I love swashbuckling). And it ends on an unexpected note (besides in the release of the Kraken, the beast which Clash of the Titans subsequently built its whole advertising campaign around), reminding everyone that this franchise revolves around Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow.
2. Night at the Museum ($250 mil)
Ben Stiller finds another blockbuster film property!
3. Cars ($244 mil)
As much as I love that this movie stars the voice of Owen Wilson, it's also the point where I officially declared Pixar not as creatively inspired as everyone says it is. Another one strictly for niche audiences, but made into a huge hit because, well, everyone assumes everything Pixar does is golden. This one's fine, but it's no Toy Story or Finding Nemo. And if you wanted more subdued Pixar, you'd be better off looking at Ratatouille, which is arguably the studio's best.
4. X-Men: The Last Stand ($234 mil)
Bryan Singer didn't return for this one. He was replaced by Brett Ratner, who did not actually offend everyone until last year, but still routinely finds it hard to find respect. Perhaps not surprisingly, I love this installment. It's my favorite X-Men flick to date, even, possibly because it's so deeply about the characters, not just on the surface like so many of the others (and pretty much every movie based on a Marvel character), but because it's dark enough to explore them truthfully. Wolverine for once is not at the center of the story, but he's memorably present at the climax, when he's the last one standing against Jean Grey.
5. The Da Vinci Code ($217 mil)
A huge part of why I love Ian McKellen so much, not just because of Magneto or Gandalf, but because he helps elevate this material, along with Ron Howard and Tom Hanks (although even though the book was a huge sensation, the only thing anyone said about this movie was that Tom Hanks sports a mullet). I never read the book. But I adore this movie.
6. Superman Returns ($200 mil)
Just in case anyone hadn't figured it out yet, when a superhero movie is a big hit but not a huge one, it's prone to almost instantaneous backlash. Bryan Singer chose to make this movie instead of the third X-Men, and made the fatal mistake of trying to continue the Richard Donner series with too much reverence. Even Christopher Reeve couldn't do that, Bryan (although people didn't really started to love Reeve again until he was paralyzed, so yeah, people are fickle dicks). Perhaps not surprisingly, I love this movie.
7. Happy Feet ($198 mil)
Rob Williams scores another huge voiceover hit with this computer animated movie about dancing penguins.
8. Ice Age: The Meltdown ($195 mil)
Let's face it, half the reason people love these movies so much is because Scrat is basically an updated version of the transcendent Looney Tunes characters. Pixar did eventually do silent material, but predictably people exaggerated the worth of WALL-E.
9. Casino Royale ($167 mil)
The dawn of Daniel Craig's innovative new James Bond. Some fans thought it was pretty controversial to cast someone with blond hair as 007, but Craig quickly set them straight, once everyone saw how awesome he is in the role. Also part of the Year One trend that Batman Begins helped start.
10. The Pursuit of Happyness ($163 mil)
Will Smith's next shot at strictly dramatic success worked really well, because at this point he could do no wrong.
Other personal highlights:
11. Over the Hedge ($155 mil)
12. Taladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby ($148 mil)
14. Mission: Impossible III ($134 mil)
15. The Departed ($132 mil)
17. The Devil Wears Prada ($124 mil)
18. The Break-Up ($118 mil)
26. The Pink Panther ($82 mil)
29. Nacho Libre ($80 mil)
36. V for Vendetta ($70 mil)
37. World Trade Center ($70 mil)
38. Rocky Balboa ($70 mil)
43. Miami Vice ($63 mil)
50. The Good Shepherd ($59 mil)
51. Little Miss Sunshine ($59 mil)
56. Blood Diamond ($57 mil)
61. The Prestige ($53 mil)
71. We Are Marshall ($43 mil)
73. Lady in the Water ($42 mil)
76. Stranger Than Fiction ($40 mil)
77. The Illusionist ($39 mil)
82. Pan's Labyrinth ($37 mil)
86. 16 Blocks ($36 mil)
87. Accepted ($36 mil)
89. Children of Men ($35 mil)
92. Babel ($34 mil)
93. Snakes on a Plane ($34 mil)
96. United 93 ($31 mil)
101. Stick It ($26 mil)
110. The Black Dahlia ($22 mil)
118. Beerfest ($19 mil)
122. Ultraviolet ($18 mil)
126. Just My Luck ($17 mil)
128. Unaccompanied Minors ($16 mil)
131. Marie Antoinette ($15 mil)
137. Hollywoodland ($14 mil)
138. Letters from Iwo Jima ($13 mil)
148. Zoom ($11 mil)
151. The Last Kiss ($11 mil)
158. The Fountain ($10 mil)
166. A Good Year ($7 mil)
168. All the King's Men ($7 mil)
169. American Dreamz ($7 mil)
211. Brick ($2 mil)
215. The Proposition ($1 mil)
220. Factory Girl ($1 mil)
229. The Good German ($1 mil)
230. Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story ($1 mil)
236. The U.S. vs. John Lennon ($1 mil)
251. Ask the Dust ($700 thou)
263. Down in the Valley ($500 thou)
274. Idiocracy ($400 thou)
275. Don't Come Knocking ($400 thou)
349. Haven ($100 thou)
399. Beowulf & Grendel ($60 thou)
430. Candy ($40 thou)
Source: Box Office Mojo
On to 2006!
1. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest ($423 mil)
I love that this was a huge success, because this was my favorite entry in the Pirates series. It expands on the mythology in ways that might not have seemed obvious in Curse of the Black Pearl, as we meet Will Turner's dead Bootstrap Bill, for instance, who's a reluctant crewmate aboard the other iconic ship from the series, the Flying Dutchman, captained by the cursed Davy Jones, memorably portrayed with CGI help by Bill Nighy. Jack Davenport, who appeared in the first movie, has a memorably expanded role in this one, helping to make it that much more swashbuckling (which is one of my favorite things about this entry and series, because it's the most notable swashbuckling movie of the modern era, and I love swashbuckling). And it ends on an unexpected note (besides in the release of the Kraken, the beast which Clash of the Titans subsequently built its whole advertising campaign around), reminding everyone that this franchise revolves around Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow.
2. Night at the Museum ($250 mil)
Ben Stiller finds another blockbuster film property!
3. Cars ($244 mil)
As much as I love that this movie stars the voice of Owen Wilson, it's also the point where I officially declared Pixar not as creatively inspired as everyone says it is. Another one strictly for niche audiences, but made into a huge hit because, well, everyone assumes everything Pixar does is golden. This one's fine, but it's no Toy Story or Finding Nemo. And if you wanted more subdued Pixar, you'd be better off looking at Ratatouille, which is arguably the studio's best.
4. X-Men: The Last Stand ($234 mil)
Bryan Singer didn't return for this one. He was replaced by Brett Ratner, who did not actually offend everyone until last year, but still routinely finds it hard to find respect. Perhaps not surprisingly, I love this installment. It's my favorite X-Men flick to date, even, possibly because it's so deeply about the characters, not just on the surface like so many of the others (and pretty much every movie based on a Marvel character), but because it's dark enough to explore them truthfully. Wolverine for once is not at the center of the story, but he's memorably present at the climax, when he's the last one standing against Jean Grey.
5. The Da Vinci Code ($217 mil)
A huge part of why I love Ian McKellen so much, not just because of Magneto or Gandalf, but because he helps elevate this material, along with Ron Howard and Tom Hanks (although even though the book was a huge sensation, the only thing anyone said about this movie was that Tom Hanks sports a mullet). I never read the book. But I adore this movie.
6. Superman Returns ($200 mil)
Just in case anyone hadn't figured it out yet, when a superhero movie is a big hit but not a huge one, it's prone to almost instantaneous backlash. Bryan Singer chose to make this movie instead of the third X-Men, and made the fatal mistake of trying to continue the Richard Donner series with too much reverence. Even Christopher Reeve couldn't do that, Bryan (although people didn't really started to love Reeve again until he was paralyzed, so yeah, people are fickle dicks). Perhaps not surprisingly, I love this movie.
7. Happy Feet ($198 mil)
Rob Williams scores another huge voiceover hit with this computer animated movie about dancing penguins.
8. Ice Age: The Meltdown ($195 mil)
Let's face it, half the reason people love these movies so much is because Scrat is basically an updated version of the transcendent Looney Tunes characters. Pixar did eventually do silent material, but predictably people exaggerated the worth of WALL-E.
9. Casino Royale ($167 mil)
The dawn of Daniel Craig's innovative new James Bond. Some fans thought it was pretty controversial to cast someone with blond hair as 007, but Craig quickly set them straight, once everyone saw how awesome he is in the role. Also part of the Year One trend that Batman Begins helped start.
10. The Pursuit of Happyness ($163 mil)
Will Smith's next shot at strictly dramatic success worked really well, because at this point he could do no wrong.
Other personal highlights:
11. Over the Hedge ($155 mil)
12. Taladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby ($148 mil)
14. Mission: Impossible III ($134 mil)
15. The Departed ($132 mil)
17. The Devil Wears Prada ($124 mil)
18. The Break-Up ($118 mil)
26. The Pink Panther ($82 mil)
29. Nacho Libre ($80 mil)
36. V for Vendetta ($70 mil)
37. World Trade Center ($70 mil)
38. Rocky Balboa ($70 mil)
43. Miami Vice ($63 mil)
50. The Good Shepherd ($59 mil)
51. Little Miss Sunshine ($59 mil)
56. Blood Diamond ($57 mil)
61. The Prestige ($53 mil)
71. We Are Marshall ($43 mil)
73. Lady in the Water ($42 mil)
76. Stranger Than Fiction ($40 mil)
77. The Illusionist ($39 mil)
82. Pan's Labyrinth ($37 mil)
86. 16 Blocks ($36 mil)
87. Accepted ($36 mil)
89. Children of Men ($35 mil)
92. Babel ($34 mil)
93. Snakes on a Plane ($34 mil)
96. United 93 ($31 mil)
101. Stick It ($26 mil)
110. The Black Dahlia ($22 mil)
118. Beerfest ($19 mil)
122. Ultraviolet ($18 mil)
126. Just My Luck ($17 mil)
128. Unaccompanied Minors ($16 mil)
131. Marie Antoinette ($15 mil)
137. Hollywoodland ($14 mil)
138. Letters from Iwo Jima ($13 mil)
148. Zoom ($11 mil)
151. The Last Kiss ($11 mil)
158. The Fountain ($10 mil)
166. A Good Year ($7 mil)
168. All the King's Men ($7 mil)
169. American Dreamz ($7 mil)
211. Brick ($2 mil)
215. The Proposition ($1 mil)
220. Factory Girl ($1 mil)
229. The Good German ($1 mil)
230. Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story ($1 mil)
236. The U.S. vs. John Lennon ($1 mil)
251. Ask the Dust ($700 thou)
263. Down in the Valley ($500 thou)
274. Idiocracy ($400 thou)
275. Don't Come Knocking ($400 thou)
349. Haven ($100 thou)
399. Beowulf & Grendel ($60 thou)
430. Candy ($40 thou)
Source: Box Office Mojo
Sunday, January 06, 2013
#506. Box Office 2005
I've had two great booms in my time appreciating movies. One was while working for the video chain Movie Gallery, the other while working for the theater chain AMC. 2005 saw the start of the latter (although the following year was the greatest of the three I spent there), and as such is another defining year.
1. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith ($380 mil)
George Lucas completes his second Star Wars trilogy by finally depicting one of the most famous elements of franchise lore, the duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker on a lava planet. Of course, there's much more that happens besides this, and the highlight of the film ends up being Palpatine, especially the moment he explains to Anakin how the Sith can manipulate life itself, surely the ominous moment in which Darth Vader is born not just in theory but as the journey toward the Dark Side of the Force begins. I really appreciate creators who understand their own mythology, and the essential moments that define the stories that make the mythology worth knowing. Basically this is the prequel everyone was waiting for, and they proved it by making it the fifth top box office draw in the six film saga.
2. The Chronicles of Narna: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ($291 mil)
The obvious box office appeal of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings helped resurface Tolkien friend C.S. Lewis's memorable journey to one of fantasy's most famous places. Although obviously widely popular at the start of this latest incarnation, subsequent entries met with muted appreciation.
3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ($290 mil)
This one remains my favorite in the Harry Potter film series, the perfect mix of adventure and mythology, featuring Ralph Fiennes' debut as Voldemort in the chilling climax, as well as the secret origin of Robert Pattinson, who would later get his own franchise (the Twilight Saga).
4. War of the Worlds ($234 mil)
Tom Cruise further postpones his career backlash by appearing in this Steven Spielberg adaptation of H.G. Wells' famous tale of Martian invasion.
5. King Kong ($218 mil)
Peter Jackson's followup to his Lord of the Rings trilogy is another passion project, but perhaps a tad too indulgent. Modern audiences are not reliably wild about the old movie monsters.
6. Wedding Crashers ($209 mil)
Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson achieve their greatest success.
7. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ($206 mil)
Tim Burton commences his modern goth phase, hitching himself once more to the career of Johnny Depp, once more painting himself into a nutty character.
8. Batman Begins ($205 mil)
Even I've been guilty of taking this initial Christopher Nolan into the world of the Dark Knight for granted.
9. Madagascar ($193 mil)
Another wildly successful computer animated franchise that has nothing to do with Pixar, and subsequently has a hard time finding respect.
10. Mr. & Mrs. Smith ($186 mil)
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie achieve a mutual smash hit, and realize their chemistry doesn't belong only on the big screen.
11. Hitch ($179 mil)
Will Smith in a rare movie that's contemporary and featuring him in a more-or-less ordinary person role, his lone romantic comedy to date. Somehow also launched the movie career of Kevin James.
13. Fantastic Four ($154 mil)
Marvel fans were initially fairly happy with this new franchise. But then the Avengers cycle began, and now we'll be getting a reboot. Still, this is the secret origin of Chris Evans.
15. Robots ($128 mil)
It became increasingly normal for animation studios other than Pixar to achieve regular success at the box office around this point. This one features Robin Williams in another of his voiceover performances, though not one of his famous ones.
16. Walk the Line ($119 mil)
Reese Witherspoon is charming in this movie, and was given an Oscar, though it stars Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash.
17. The Pacifier ($113 mil)
Vin Diesel goes the full Schwarzenegger in this family comedy, scoring a big hit playing against type.
18. Fun with Dick and Jane ($110 mil)
This hilarious and timely Jim Carrey comedy helped point out the financial mess that was soon going to lead the US into the Great Recession. Apparently anyone who's supposed to learn from public satire does anything but pay attention to public satire.
19. The 40-Year-Old Virgin ($109 mil)
The movie careers of Steve Carell and Judd Apatow begin.
21. Saw II ($87 mil)
The draw for me with this sequel was Boomtown vet Donnie Wahlberg returning to the badge, years before Blue Bloods.
22. Brokeback Mountain ($83 mil)
Everyone who appeared in this movie benefited, from Anne Hathaway to Michelle Williams to Jake Gyllenhaal, but especially Heath Ledger, who finally found a role that everyone could respect.
24. Are We There Yet? ($82 mil)
Ice Cube. Yeah, he was a star for quite a while. Whatever happened to him?
26. The Dukes of Hazzard ($80 mil)
An unofficial entry in the Broken Lizards canon, this film updates the classic TV show with obnoxious stars Johnny Knoxville and Seann William Scott, but I suspect the cult of Jessica Simpson obscured everything about it at the time.
27. March of the Penguins ($77 mil)
This documentary helped usher a new obsessions with penguins. No singing or dancing here, though.
29. Constantine ($75 mil)
Keanu Reeves is pretty much the opposite of the Vertigo/DC character he plays in this movie.
30. The Exorcism of Emily Rose ($75 mil)
Modern horror movies begin their obsession with exorcisms, previously featured in the classic movie The Exorcist. Somehow that doesn't stop many other movies from including the term in their titles.
32. Sin City ($74 mil)
There are a number of standout performances in this Robert Rodriguez adaptation of Frank Miller comics, including Bruce Willis, Clive Owen and Benicio del Toro, but somehow Mickey Rourke's big comeback is later ignored when he stars in The Wrestler. Jessica Alba famously does not get naked in this movie.
35. Sahara ($68 mil)
Surprisingly, popular fiction doesn't always translate to popular movies. This one's based on bestselling author Clive Cussler's material, though it doesn't do much for Matthew McConaughey or Penelope Cruz's careers, either.
37. Herbie: Fully Loaded ($66 mil)
Starring in one last Disney movie actually lost Lindsay Lohan the support of critics, and that's another reason her career went down the toilet.
39. Sky High ($63 mil)
Kurt Russell certainly looks like a stereotypical superhero. But this one is about a family of superheroes. And it's live action.
40. Bewitched ($63 mil)
Nicole Kidman's second "sin" in a row was starring in this movie. At the very least, Will Ferrell is typically hilarious in it.
41. Jarhead ($62 mil)
Jake Gyllenhaal scores again in this modern war movie.
42. Cinderella Man ($61 mil)
Russell Crowe realizes that the critics are definitely no longer supporting him after this one, which even the presence of Paul Giamatti can't salvage for those finicky creatures.
44. Red Eye ($57 mil)
This movie was supposed to be about Wes Craven, Cillian Murphy or Rachel McAdams, but it's instead stolen by Jayma Mays, who's later appears in Heroes and Glee.
45. Memoirs of a Geisha ($57 mil)
This was supposed to be such a more significant release, a spotlight for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star Zhang Ziyi, and featuring Ken Watanabe second notable role, after The Last Samurai. It was also supposed to be directed by Steven Spielberg.
47. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit ($56 mil)
Classic British humor in stop-motion animation form. Somehow there has still not been another feature length adventure starring these two.
48. Be Cool ($56 mil)
This followup to Get Shorty reunites Pulp Fiction stars John Travolta and Uma Thurman. Also features a number of notable supporting stars, including Vince Vaughn and Dwayne Johnson completely shattering his image.
49. Crash ($54 mil)
The movie that briefly made Paul Haggis a sensation.
51. Tim Burton's Corpse Bride ($53 mil)
Burton in full goth mode, returning to stop-motion animation for the first time since The Nightmare Before Christmas. Featuring, of course, Johnny Depp, as well as Burton companion Helena Bonham Carter.
53. Hoodwinked ($51 mil)
I adore this computer animated flick (crudely animated though it is), as the title suggests a twist on Little Red Riding Hood. Featuring among many other pleasures Patrick Warburton and a singing goat (he's cursed).
55. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ($51 mil)
I'm still baffled that this was not and still is not more popular. "Purists" talked themselves out of enjoying it, and everyone else stayed away, too. Still, features a terrific cast, including Martin Freeman, Mos Def, Sam Rockwell, and Zooey Deschanel, plus the voice of Alan Rickman.
56. Syriana ($50 mil)
George Clooney alters his movie career toward movies that are not guaranteed to be big hits with one of the early attempts to depict our modern political quagmire defined by 9/11.
57. Tyler Perry's Diary of a Mad Black Woman ($50 mil)
Thus begins the popular career of Tyler Perry.
62. Munich ($47 mil)
Spielberg made this movie, about the fallout of the Munich Olympics massacre of Israeli athletes, featuring Eric Bana and Daniel Craig. Long one of my favorite movies, and featuring a haunting John Williams score.
63. Kingdom of Heaven ($47 mil)
Ridley Scott returns to the historical epic with this study of the Crusades featuring a bevy of stars supporting Orlando Bloom. Another favorite. Together with Syriana helped launch Alexander Siddig to new prominence in film.
65. The Legend of Zorro ($46 mil)
Considering how much I still love The Mask of Zorro, this late-in-coming followup probably could never live up to my expectations. Featuring Michael Emerson (Lost, Person of Interest) in a supporting role.
69. Fever Pitch ($42 mil)
Suddenly it was very, very good to be a Red Sox fan. This movie was filming when the team won its first World Series in eighty-six years, and that completely changed the ending. Now Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore could end happily ever after!
70. The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D ($39 mil)
Robert Rodriguez tries his Spy Kids formula in a different guise. Not as successful. Featuring the secret origin of Taylor Lautner (making this a very good year for Twilight fans well ahead of the curve).
73. The Brothers Grimm ($37 mil)
Terry Gilliam directs Heath Ledger and Matt Damon. It's better than its lack of reputation suggests.
76. The Island ($35 mil)
Fairly familiar story made enjoyable by stars Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johnasson.
80. The Constant Gardener ($33 mil)
Thrilling drama featuring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz.
89. Good Night, and Good Luck. ($31 mil)
Together with Syrniana, this is the reason critics started to like George Clooney, and is also the the comeback of David Strathairn.
90. A History of Violence ($31 mil)
Viggo Mortensen in another movie he hoped people would really love. I have a conflicted relationship with it, so for once I'm glad everyone else seems to, too.
93. Zathura ($29 mil)
Features Kristen Stewart. I swear, 2005 was warning us about Twilight.
94. Rent ($29 mil)
One of my favorite musicals, either on the stage or screen. Rosario Dawson officially and completely wins me over.
95. Capote ($28 mil)
Philip Seymour Hoffman finally succeeds in getting critics to love him. I have no idea why it took so long.
96. Doom ($28 mil)
Dwayne Johnson makes a movie based on a video game. Bad move. Someone formerly known as a professional wrestler should not give audiences another reason to handicap him.
97. XXX: State of the Union ($26 mil)
Vin Diesel is replaced by Ice Cube. Somehow this makes sense?
98. Elizabethtown ($26 mil)
Cameron Crowe makes another standout film starring Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst (the movie that makes me fall in love with her).
100. Serenity ($25 mil)
Joss Whedon brings Firefly to the big screen!
103. Elektra ($24 mil)
Jennifer Garner (and the Daredevil franchise) learn the people don't exactly love her.
106. Match Point ($23 mil)
Woody Allen scores big (for him) switching his muse to London, plus Scarlett Johansson. This played for a really long time at my theater.
110. Hustle and Flow ($22 mil)
Terrence Howard temporarily becomes a critical darling.
116. The Producers ($19 mil)
Mel Brooks scored a big Broadway hit adapting his own film after 9/11, but it flopped being brought back to the screen. Still, Will Ferrell is a predictable standout.
118. Into the Blue ($18 mil)
Paul Walker and Jessica Alba make a movie the way they used to make Baywatch. Features one of Josh Brolin's notable performances before his big breakthrough in 2007.
136. The New World ($12 mil)
Terrence Malick comes back to movies (and finally pretty much doesn't go away again) with this Colin Farrell film about Pocahontas. Brilliant supporting cast includes Christopher Plummer and Christian Bale.
139. Casanova ($11 mil)
Heath Ledger in yet another movie Hollywood expected from him.
140. Lords of Dogtown ($11 mil)
Although 2005 being his breakthrough year, Ledger also got to do some terrific character work. This is him in a supporting role basically playing Val Kilmer.
145. Domino ($10 mil)
Tony Scott makes a badass out of Keira Knightley.
159. The Aristocrats ($6 mil)
Comics telling the filthiest joke ever.
170. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang ($4 mil)
Speaking of Val Kilmer, here he is alongside Robert Downey, Jr., making his way toward the comeback.
174. Melinda and Melinda ($3 mil)
Woody Allen scored again this year with a movie about the two sides of Rhada Mitchell. Will Ferrell is again predictably a standout.
185. Layer Cake ($2 mil)
Daniel Craig in the role that finally got him noticed. And people noticed Sienna Miller, too.
223. MirrorMask ($800 thou)
Still meaning to catch this movie based on Neil Gaiman material.
413. Jiminy Glick in La La Wood ($30 thou)
Martin Short stages his comeback.
Source: Box Office Mojo
1. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith ($380 mil)
George Lucas completes his second Star Wars trilogy by finally depicting one of the most famous elements of franchise lore, the duel between Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker on a lava planet. Of course, there's much more that happens besides this, and the highlight of the film ends up being Palpatine, especially the moment he explains to Anakin how the Sith can manipulate life itself, surely the ominous moment in which Darth Vader is born not just in theory but as the journey toward the Dark Side of the Force begins. I really appreciate creators who understand their own mythology, and the essential moments that define the stories that make the mythology worth knowing. Basically this is the prequel everyone was waiting for, and they proved it by making it the fifth top box office draw in the six film saga.
2. The Chronicles of Narna: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe ($291 mil)
The obvious box office appeal of Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings helped resurface Tolkien friend C.S. Lewis's memorable journey to one of fantasy's most famous places. Although obviously widely popular at the start of this latest incarnation, subsequent entries met with muted appreciation.
3. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire ($290 mil)
This one remains my favorite in the Harry Potter film series, the perfect mix of adventure and mythology, featuring Ralph Fiennes' debut as Voldemort in the chilling climax, as well as the secret origin of Robert Pattinson, who would later get his own franchise (the Twilight Saga).
4. War of the Worlds ($234 mil)
Tom Cruise further postpones his career backlash by appearing in this Steven Spielberg adaptation of H.G. Wells' famous tale of Martian invasion.
5. King Kong ($218 mil)
Peter Jackson's followup to his Lord of the Rings trilogy is another passion project, but perhaps a tad too indulgent. Modern audiences are not reliably wild about the old movie monsters.
6. Wedding Crashers ($209 mil)
Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson achieve their greatest success.
7. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ($206 mil)
Tim Burton commences his modern goth phase, hitching himself once more to the career of Johnny Depp, once more painting himself into a nutty character.
8. Batman Begins ($205 mil)
Even I've been guilty of taking this initial Christopher Nolan into the world of the Dark Knight for granted.
9. Madagascar ($193 mil)
Another wildly successful computer animated franchise that has nothing to do with Pixar, and subsequently has a hard time finding respect.
10. Mr. & Mrs. Smith ($186 mil)
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie achieve a mutual smash hit, and realize their chemistry doesn't belong only on the big screen.
11. Hitch ($179 mil)
Will Smith in a rare movie that's contemporary and featuring him in a more-or-less ordinary person role, his lone romantic comedy to date. Somehow also launched the movie career of Kevin James.
13. Fantastic Four ($154 mil)
Marvel fans were initially fairly happy with this new franchise. But then the Avengers cycle began, and now we'll be getting a reboot. Still, this is the secret origin of Chris Evans.
15. Robots ($128 mil)
It became increasingly normal for animation studios other than Pixar to achieve regular success at the box office around this point. This one features Robin Williams in another of his voiceover performances, though not one of his famous ones.
16. Walk the Line ($119 mil)
Reese Witherspoon is charming in this movie, and was given an Oscar, though it stars Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash.
17. The Pacifier ($113 mil)
Vin Diesel goes the full Schwarzenegger in this family comedy, scoring a big hit playing against type.
18. Fun with Dick and Jane ($110 mil)
This hilarious and timely Jim Carrey comedy helped point out the financial mess that was soon going to lead the US into the Great Recession. Apparently anyone who's supposed to learn from public satire does anything but pay attention to public satire.
19. The 40-Year-Old Virgin ($109 mil)
The movie careers of Steve Carell and Judd Apatow begin.
21. Saw II ($87 mil)
The draw for me with this sequel was Boomtown vet Donnie Wahlberg returning to the badge, years before Blue Bloods.
22. Brokeback Mountain ($83 mil)
Everyone who appeared in this movie benefited, from Anne Hathaway to Michelle Williams to Jake Gyllenhaal, but especially Heath Ledger, who finally found a role that everyone could respect.
24. Are We There Yet? ($82 mil)
Ice Cube. Yeah, he was a star for quite a while. Whatever happened to him?
26. The Dukes of Hazzard ($80 mil)
An unofficial entry in the Broken Lizards canon, this film updates the classic TV show with obnoxious stars Johnny Knoxville and Seann William Scott, but I suspect the cult of Jessica Simpson obscured everything about it at the time.
27. March of the Penguins ($77 mil)
This documentary helped usher a new obsessions with penguins. No singing or dancing here, though.
29. Constantine ($75 mil)
Keanu Reeves is pretty much the opposite of the Vertigo/DC character he plays in this movie.
30. The Exorcism of Emily Rose ($75 mil)
Modern horror movies begin their obsession with exorcisms, previously featured in the classic movie The Exorcist. Somehow that doesn't stop many other movies from including the term in their titles.
32. Sin City ($74 mil)
There are a number of standout performances in this Robert Rodriguez adaptation of Frank Miller comics, including Bruce Willis, Clive Owen and Benicio del Toro, but somehow Mickey Rourke's big comeback is later ignored when he stars in The Wrestler. Jessica Alba famously does not get naked in this movie.
35. Sahara ($68 mil)
Surprisingly, popular fiction doesn't always translate to popular movies. This one's based on bestselling author Clive Cussler's material, though it doesn't do much for Matthew McConaughey or Penelope Cruz's careers, either.
37. Herbie: Fully Loaded ($66 mil)
Starring in one last Disney movie actually lost Lindsay Lohan the support of critics, and that's another reason her career went down the toilet.
39. Sky High ($63 mil)
Kurt Russell certainly looks like a stereotypical superhero. But this one is about a family of superheroes. And it's live action.
40. Bewitched ($63 mil)
Nicole Kidman's second "sin" in a row was starring in this movie. At the very least, Will Ferrell is typically hilarious in it.
41. Jarhead ($62 mil)
Jake Gyllenhaal scores again in this modern war movie.
42. Cinderella Man ($61 mil)
Russell Crowe realizes that the critics are definitely no longer supporting him after this one, which even the presence of Paul Giamatti can't salvage for those finicky creatures.
44. Red Eye ($57 mil)
This movie was supposed to be about Wes Craven, Cillian Murphy or Rachel McAdams, but it's instead stolen by Jayma Mays, who's later appears in Heroes and Glee.
45. Memoirs of a Geisha ($57 mil)
This was supposed to be such a more significant release, a spotlight for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon star Zhang Ziyi, and featuring Ken Watanabe second notable role, after The Last Samurai. It was also supposed to be directed by Steven Spielberg.
47. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit ($56 mil)
Classic British humor in stop-motion animation form. Somehow there has still not been another feature length adventure starring these two.
48. Be Cool ($56 mil)
This followup to Get Shorty reunites Pulp Fiction stars John Travolta and Uma Thurman. Also features a number of notable supporting stars, including Vince Vaughn and Dwayne Johnson completely shattering his image.
49. Crash ($54 mil)
The movie that briefly made Paul Haggis a sensation.
51. Tim Burton's Corpse Bride ($53 mil)
Burton in full goth mode, returning to stop-motion animation for the first time since The Nightmare Before Christmas. Featuring, of course, Johnny Depp, as well as Burton companion Helena Bonham Carter.
53. Hoodwinked ($51 mil)
I adore this computer animated flick (crudely animated though it is), as the title suggests a twist on Little Red Riding Hood. Featuring among many other pleasures Patrick Warburton and a singing goat (he's cursed).
55. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy ($51 mil)
I'm still baffled that this was not and still is not more popular. "Purists" talked themselves out of enjoying it, and everyone else stayed away, too. Still, features a terrific cast, including Martin Freeman, Mos Def, Sam Rockwell, and Zooey Deschanel, plus the voice of Alan Rickman.
56. Syriana ($50 mil)
George Clooney alters his movie career toward movies that are not guaranteed to be big hits with one of the early attempts to depict our modern political quagmire defined by 9/11.
57. Tyler Perry's Diary of a Mad Black Woman ($50 mil)
Thus begins the popular career of Tyler Perry.
62. Munich ($47 mil)
Spielberg made this movie, about the fallout of the Munich Olympics massacre of Israeli athletes, featuring Eric Bana and Daniel Craig. Long one of my favorite movies, and featuring a haunting John Williams score.
63. Kingdom of Heaven ($47 mil)
Ridley Scott returns to the historical epic with this study of the Crusades featuring a bevy of stars supporting Orlando Bloom. Another favorite. Together with Syriana helped launch Alexander Siddig to new prominence in film.
65. The Legend of Zorro ($46 mil)
Considering how much I still love The Mask of Zorro, this late-in-coming followup probably could never live up to my expectations. Featuring Michael Emerson (Lost, Person of Interest) in a supporting role.
69. Fever Pitch ($42 mil)
Suddenly it was very, very good to be a Red Sox fan. This movie was filming when the team won its first World Series in eighty-six years, and that completely changed the ending. Now Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore could end happily ever after!
70. The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3D ($39 mil)
Robert Rodriguez tries his Spy Kids formula in a different guise. Not as successful. Featuring the secret origin of Taylor Lautner (making this a very good year for Twilight fans well ahead of the curve).
73. The Brothers Grimm ($37 mil)
Terry Gilliam directs Heath Ledger and Matt Damon. It's better than its lack of reputation suggests.
76. The Island ($35 mil)
Fairly familiar story made enjoyable by stars Ewan McGregor and Scarlett Johnasson.
80. The Constant Gardener ($33 mil)
Thrilling drama featuring Ralph Fiennes and Rachel Weisz.
89. Good Night, and Good Luck. ($31 mil)
Together with Syrniana, this is the reason critics started to like George Clooney, and is also the the comeback of David Strathairn.
90. A History of Violence ($31 mil)
Viggo Mortensen in another movie he hoped people would really love. I have a conflicted relationship with it, so for once I'm glad everyone else seems to, too.
93. Zathura ($29 mil)
Features Kristen Stewart. I swear, 2005 was warning us about Twilight.
94. Rent ($29 mil)
One of my favorite musicals, either on the stage or screen. Rosario Dawson officially and completely wins me over.
95. Capote ($28 mil)
Philip Seymour Hoffman finally succeeds in getting critics to love him. I have no idea why it took so long.
96. Doom ($28 mil)
Dwayne Johnson makes a movie based on a video game. Bad move. Someone formerly known as a professional wrestler should not give audiences another reason to handicap him.
97. XXX: State of the Union ($26 mil)
Vin Diesel is replaced by Ice Cube. Somehow this makes sense?
98. Elizabethtown ($26 mil)
Cameron Crowe makes another standout film starring Orlando Bloom and Kirsten Dunst (the movie that makes me fall in love with her).
100. Serenity ($25 mil)
Joss Whedon brings Firefly to the big screen!
103. Elektra ($24 mil)
Jennifer Garner (and the Daredevil franchise) learn the people don't exactly love her.
106. Match Point ($23 mil)
Woody Allen scores big (for him) switching his muse to London, plus Scarlett Johansson. This played for a really long time at my theater.
110. Hustle and Flow ($22 mil)
Terrence Howard temporarily becomes a critical darling.
116. The Producers ($19 mil)
Mel Brooks scored a big Broadway hit adapting his own film after 9/11, but it flopped being brought back to the screen. Still, Will Ferrell is a predictable standout.
118. Into the Blue ($18 mil)
Paul Walker and Jessica Alba make a movie the way they used to make Baywatch. Features one of Josh Brolin's notable performances before his big breakthrough in 2007.
136. The New World ($12 mil)
Terrence Malick comes back to movies (and finally pretty much doesn't go away again) with this Colin Farrell film about Pocahontas. Brilliant supporting cast includes Christopher Plummer and Christian Bale.
139. Casanova ($11 mil)
Heath Ledger in yet another movie Hollywood expected from him.
140. Lords of Dogtown ($11 mil)
Although 2005 being his breakthrough year, Ledger also got to do some terrific character work. This is him in a supporting role basically playing Val Kilmer.
145. Domino ($10 mil)
Tony Scott makes a badass out of Keira Knightley.
159. The Aristocrats ($6 mil)
Comics telling the filthiest joke ever.
170. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang ($4 mil)
Speaking of Val Kilmer, here he is alongside Robert Downey, Jr., making his way toward the comeback.
174. Melinda and Melinda ($3 mil)
Woody Allen scored again this year with a movie about the two sides of Rhada Mitchell. Will Ferrell is again predictably a standout.
185. Layer Cake ($2 mil)
Daniel Craig in the role that finally got him noticed. And people noticed Sienna Miller, too.
223. MirrorMask ($800 thou)
Still meaning to catch this movie based on Neil Gaiman material.
413. Jiminy Glick in La La Wood ($30 thou)
Martin Short stages his comeback.
Source: Box Office Mojo
Saturday, January 05, 2013
#505. Box Office 2004
To think, this was the first year in three that audiences learned they could survive without Lord of the Rings! But there was plenty to pay attention to in 2004...
1. Shrek 2 ($441 mil)
The thing that was absolutely magical about this sequel is that it projects the self-esteem message that beauty really is on the inside, completely reversing the ending of Beauty and the Beast when Fiona transforms...or rather stays an ogre. Completely brilliant. Not Pixar.
2. Spider-Man 2 ($373 mil)
I've kind of remained ambivalent about this sequel since its release. It was compared to The Empire Strikes Back and The Godfather Part II as a sequel that didn't suck, but for me, it repeated the worst elements of the first one, which mainly meant it would only treat the villain as a cartoon character, once the transformation occurs. Unfortunately The Amazing Spider-Man didn't change this at all. I will eternally respect Spider-Man 3, which of course everyone else hates, because Sandman completely bucks this trend.
3. The Passion of the Christ ($370 mil)
For some reason everyone who didn't see this movie became absolutely convinced that it had to be antisemitic, and thus began the downward spiral of Mel Gibson's career. For the record, I think it's brilliant, but some of you will take that with a grain of salt, considering what I just said about Spider-Man 3.
4. Meet the Fockers ($279 mil)
Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro continue to mine the odd father/son-in-law material of the first one. I still think it's odd that once De Niro proved he had a sense of humor, critics pretty much stopped respecting him.
5. The Incredibles ($261 mil)
You would probably assume that I love this Pixar flick about superheroes. You would be wrong. To me, it's Pixar's first major creative misstep, and the first sign that critics would absolutely not notice, convinced as they apparently are that the animation studio can do no wrong. Audiences agree. To me, it's nothing more than the Fantastic Four version of the way the Justice Society of America was forced to retire, only to make the inevitable comeback. It's old hat, and yet audiences who were just starting to love superheroes, and loved Pixar, treated it like it was something entirely new. Pretty much every computer animation studio has done more inspired work than this. It would probably have worked better the way it was presented in the previews, as a silent film. Then it would truly have been innovative. The later Megamind was better. And not by Pixar.
6. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ($249 mil)
Alfonso Cuaron made the third entry in this series into a Tim Burton movie, from a story that already distanced the former kid-centric story from previous entries. The book is my favorite in the series, while I've always been conflicted by how well the film translates the appeal of Harry discovering his connections to the darker elements of his origins. Clearly audiences, faced with a year's layoff, had to figure out for themselves if they were truly committed to the film series. (Turns out they were, by the way.)
7. The Day After Tomorrow ($186 mil)
After Independence Day, Godzilla, and The Patriot, Roland Emmerich comes back to the disaster flick in slightly more generic fashion.
8. The Bourne Supremacy ($176 mil)
Matt Damon continues his popular role as the American James Bond.
9. National Treasure ($173 mil)
Based partly on the appeal of The Da Vinci Code, this is actually Nicolas Cage doing his version of Indiana Jones, which also inspired Code. Anyway, this may be the most successful attempt at creating a surrogate Indy franchise, highly entertaining. Still waiting on a third entry, however.
10. The Polar Express ($162 mi)
Robert Zemeckis in his best-known motion-capture film, starring Tom Hanks in multiple roles.
12. I, Robot ($144 mil)
This was the start of an incredible Will Smith hotstreak for me, mostly featuring action roles he played seriously (rather than what he'd done previously, mostly for laughs). Asimov fans will argue about the purity of the adaptation, but for me, it's just good filmmaking.
13. Troy ($133 mil)
One of the hallmark releases of the year for me was Wolfgang Peterson's adaptation of The Iliad starring Brad Pitt, Eric Bana and Orlando Bloom. This was also part of the emerging trend for blockbuster films being far more successful outside of the US than within.
16. Van Helsing ($120 mil)
Clearly this one made a pretty penny, but it's still considered a flop, possibly because people still had unreasonable expectations for Hugh Jackman's Hollywood career. Enjoyable mashup of classic movie monsters all the same.
17. Fahrenheit 9/11 ($119 mil)
I don't talk politics a whole lot, but this was one of the most disturbing hits of the year for me, Michael Moore basically saying everything Democrats were complaining about, and then increasingly so, George W. Bush, though mostly through a pretty uncritical lens. Let's face it, Democrats hated Bush because Republicans hated Clinton, and in turn Republicans hate Obama because Democrats hated Bush. Generalizing a little here, but it's such a stupid trend, I'm calling a spade a spade in this instance. "Shame on you, Mr. Bush," Moore famously declared at the following Oscars. And he found himself heckled rather than praised. Because even an audience disposed to agree with him realized it's all just a stupid game of politics.
18. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events ($118 mil)
One of the more clever young reader series that publishers were so enthusiastic to present readers in the wake of Harry Potter became a single movie (there were thirteen books), although it succeeded mostly on the strength of Jim Carrey. This is a problem because he completely stole the thunder from everything else around him. Although this was really, really good for fans of Jim Carrey.
19. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story ($114 mil)
"If you can dodge a wrench you can dodge a ball." Vince Vaughn continues to solidify his status as a viable leading man thanks to Ben Stiller's more than generous supporting performance.
20. The Village ($114 mi)
If you want to know where M. Night Shyamalan really "went wrong," it was this movie, because it features the biggest twist ending of all his movies. And thus the myth that his movies can only be interpreted by their endings. Those who love to support backlashes thus began the backlash of Shyamalan.
22. The Aviator ($102 mil)
Martin Scorsese again collaborates with Leonardo DiCaprio (not for the last time), this time about Howard Hughes, although Cate Blanchett kind of steals the show as Katherine Hepburn.
23. Collateral ($101 mil)
Tom Cruise forestalled his own backlash by starring in this movie, although it's perhaps better known for being a key moment in Jamie Foxx's career.
24. Million Dollar Baby ($100 mil)
Hilary Swank has one of the most bizarre careers in Hollywood. When people love her, they really love her. When they don't, she might as well not even exist. This is an instance of people really loving her.
25. The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement ($95 mil)
Otherwise an unnecessary sequel to Anne Hathaway's big break, this movie is also the secret origin of Chris Pine.
28. Mean Girls ($86 mil)
The cult of Tina Fey, outside the realm of Saturday Night Live, begins here. Lindsay Lohan stars, unaware that this movie is not ultimately about her. It's her last notable success. Also features the secret origin of Rachel McAdams!
30. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy ($85 mil)
Will Ferrell strikes on another iconic performance. If you don't realize it by now, here's the secret to his success: creating movie characters more iconic than his Saturday Night Live characters. Also the key to Mike Myers' success.
32. The Notebook ($81 mil)
McAdams again, plus Ryan Gosling, whom critics love (but I don't).
33. Alien vs. Predator ($80 mil)
Two franchises collide, just like Freddy vs. Jason. The upshot here is that Ridley Scott eventually returns to one of them, and everyone gets to pretend that they care about Prometheus.
34. Man on Fire ($77 mil)
The first of a string of movies starring Denzel Washington that all say the same thing: he is now an action star.
35. The Terminal ($77 mil)
Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg are pretty low-key in this one, although arguably this affects Hanks more than Spielberg, the start of audiences thinking they don't really have to pay attention to him anymore.
37. Ray ($75 mil)
Jamie Foxx winning an Oscar, being taken seriously as an actor (and pop star, because apparently it's far more acceptable for him to try this than Jennifer Lopez, possibly because she was far more successful as a pop star).
40. Sideways ($71 mil)
Paul Giamatti in the film that best reflects everyone's new-found respect for him.
42. Hidalgo ($67 mil)
Like Tobey Maguire before him, Viggo Mortensen sets out to see how popular he is in the wake of massive franchise success. Turns out...not that much.
44. Kill Bill Vol. 2 ($66 mil)
Quentin Tarantino, Uma Thurman, and finally the character in the title (unexpectedly and brilliantly portrayed by David Carradine in the best sequence of the film)!
45. The Manchurian Candidate ($65 mil)
Audiences can be so ridiculous about remakes. If The Maltese Falcon hadn't been remade three times, we wouldn't remember it at all, because we would never have reached the iconic Humphrey Bogart version. Instead of focusing on the brilliant elements of this remake, most people only saw it as a remake. But it stars Denzel Washington in one of his last non-action movies for a few years, gives Liev Schrieber his most notable film role, and has the last unaffected Meryl Streep performance, before she and her critics started believing her own hype.
48. Friday Night Lights ($61 mil)
Peter Berg is sometimes respected, and sometimes he isn't. But enough people liked the concept behind this true story that it became a cult favorite TV series.
49. Hellboy ($59 mil)
Guillermo del Toro really let loose in the sequel, but he totally steals this movie from the title Mike Mignola comic book character and Ron Perlman finally getting to go mainstream again (after starring in the Beauty and the Beast TV series).
50. The Stepford Wives ($59 mil)
For some reason Nicole Kidman starts getting heckled for everything starting with this movie. Still have no idea why.
51. Dawn of the Dead ($59 mil)
I'm only an occasional viewer of horror movies, and don't particularly care about the franchise this movie in part represents, but for some reason I felt compelled to see it in theaters. Loved it. This is the source of the modern zombie craze, and also Zack Snyder's big break.
55. The Chronicles of Riddick ($57 mil)
Spinning off from Pitch Black, this was Vin Diesel's next attempt at a franchise. Turns out audiences were no longer quite so wild about him. Although thanks to his return to the Fast and Furious movies, they may be there again, and so there's another Riddick film around the corner.
56. 13 Going on 30 ($57 mil)
Jenifer Garner learns that she's not going to be a major movie star, even though she plays completely against type in this comedy. Apparently she's no Schwarzenegger.
57. Saw ($55 mil)
The beginning of the franchise. Also a rare Cary Elwes starring vehicle. What's up with that?
59. Blade: Trinity ($52 mil)
Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel both prove themselves as more versatile than previously thought in this final Blade flick.
60. King Arthur ($51 mil)
The historical epic is proven to not be reliably popular in this movie that stars Clive Owen and Keira Knightley.
61. Finding Neverland ($51 mil)
Freddie Highmore was for a while the next child prodigy after appearing in this movie about J.M. Barrie, creator of Peter Pan, portrayed by Johnny Depp.
68. Waking Tall ($46 mil)
Dwayne Johnson appears in this remake that kind of subverts the original appeal of a true story about someone who did not look at all like Dwayne Johnson. So The Rock had indeed gone Hollywood.
70. Napoleon Dynamite ($44 mil)
This cult hit inspired Hollywood' efforts to somehow keep Jon Heder a mainstream star.
75. Catwoman ($40 mil)
While Marvel superheroes were being featured in huge blockbusters, DC characters showed up in stuff like this. Halle Berry hasn't really recovered from it, though reports of Catwoman's horrible quality have been typically exaggerated.
76. The Ladykillers ($39 mil)
This is a remake, too, and perhaps one of the reasons why the Coen brothers scored a rare critical dud, though it sports a fine comedic performance from Tom Hanks.
77. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow ($37 mil)
Jude Law can't catch a popular break, unless he's tagging along the Sherlock Holmes films. Here he gets to get in on the digital landscape backlash early, even though the film is technically brilliant and features an excellent cast.
80. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ($34 mil)
One of Jim Carrey's best movies. Making this a very good year to be a fan.
81. Alexander ($34 mil)
My favorite film, starring Colin Farrell and scads of other great performances. Failure in part to the historical epic backlash that followed Gladiator, plus Oliver Stone's decision to explain the man rather than his greatness.
83. The Punisher ($33 mil)
A Marvel franchise that really hasn't happened, even with numerous attempts.
93. Garden State ($26 mil)
Outside of Scrubs, this was the start of a very brief critical love affair for Zach Braff, who was eventually replaced by How I Met Your Mother's Josh Radnor as the budding new Woody Allen. Or Edward Burns.
94. Jersey Girl ($25 mil)
Official torpedo for Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck, and Jennifer Lopez. Affleck is the only one of the three to claw his way out.
100. Ella Enchanted ($22 mil)
Anne Hathaway is still at this point committed to the Princes Diaries formula. She eventually learns better.
101. The Alamo ($22 mil)
I maintain an amateur fascination with this famous episode from Texas lore. So I would have seen this anyway, but great casting (even if it was all secondary choices, even the director after Ron Howard bowed out of the project) certainly doesn't hurt my appreciation.
110. Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle ($18 mil)
An unexpected vehicle that helped boost the careers of Kal Penn, John Cho, and Neil Patrick Harris, who completely reinvents himself (playing himself), eventually leading to his legendary role as Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother (yes, I am a big fan).
123. Welcome to Mooseport ($14 mil)
This is how Ray Romano attempts to capitalize on the success of Everyone Loves Raymond, and how Gene Hackman retires from acting.
129. Shaun of the Dead ($13 mil)
Only the title is a shameless ripoff. Everything else is completely inspired. Features the secret origin of Simon Pegg.
130. De-Lovely ($13 mil)
Kevin Kline learns, as Kevin Spacey does later, that playing old music legends is not always the key to critical success.
131. Alfie ($13 mil)
Jude Law failing to be popular again, this time in a remake of a signature Michael Caine film.
138. Super Size Me ($11 mil)
Morgan Spurlock exposes things we already knew about fast food, but his career has more respect today than Michael Moore's.
143. Kinsey ($10 mil)
Liam Neeson is the unlikely star of a movie about a sex researcher.
156. The Big Bounce ($6 mil)
Owen Wilson stars in a jaunty film. Stop the presses!
157. Beyond the Sea ($6 mil)
Oh hey, here's that Kevin Spacey movies I was talking about earlier.
164. Club Dread ($5 mil)
Everyone else still thinks of the Broken Lizards for Super Troopers, but this is my favorite from the comedy troupe. Bill Paxton helps put it over the top as Coconut Pete!
172. Vera Drake ($3 mil)
Imelda Staunton won the role of Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter movies based on this performance.
188. The Sea Inside ($2 mil)
Javier Bardem gained his first wide recognition from this movie.
219. The Machinist ($1 mil)
Christian Bale famously lost a ton of weight for this movie, which is arguably and not American Pyscho the reason Hollywood blockbusters later sought him out.
222. A Home at the End of the World ($1 mil)
Whereas a lot of his films don't find much of a wide audience, Colin Farrell was deliberately going for a limited release this time.
227. Intermission ($800 thou)
One of Colm Meaney's first notable film roles in years.
265. Still, We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie ($300 thou)
Famously spotlights the disastrous 2003 playoffs the very year the Sox win the World Series for the first time in eighty-six years, talking about a curse broken by the miraculous 2004 playoffs.
367. Ned Kelly ($80 thou)
The first indication that Orlando Bloom by himself really is not a movie star. Costars with Heath Ledger, not yet breaking his own box office doldrums.
Source: Box Office Mojo
1. Shrek 2 ($441 mil)
The thing that was absolutely magical about this sequel is that it projects the self-esteem message that beauty really is on the inside, completely reversing the ending of Beauty and the Beast when Fiona transforms...or rather stays an ogre. Completely brilliant. Not Pixar.
2. Spider-Man 2 ($373 mil)
I've kind of remained ambivalent about this sequel since its release. It was compared to The Empire Strikes Back and The Godfather Part II as a sequel that didn't suck, but for me, it repeated the worst elements of the first one, which mainly meant it would only treat the villain as a cartoon character, once the transformation occurs. Unfortunately The Amazing Spider-Man didn't change this at all. I will eternally respect Spider-Man 3, which of course everyone else hates, because Sandman completely bucks this trend.
3. The Passion of the Christ ($370 mil)
For some reason everyone who didn't see this movie became absolutely convinced that it had to be antisemitic, and thus began the downward spiral of Mel Gibson's career. For the record, I think it's brilliant, but some of you will take that with a grain of salt, considering what I just said about Spider-Man 3.
4. Meet the Fockers ($279 mil)
Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro continue to mine the odd father/son-in-law material of the first one. I still think it's odd that once De Niro proved he had a sense of humor, critics pretty much stopped respecting him.
5. The Incredibles ($261 mil)
You would probably assume that I love this Pixar flick about superheroes. You would be wrong. To me, it's Pixar's first major creative misstep, and the first sign that critics would absolutely not notice, convinced as they apparently are that the animation studio can do no wrong. Audiences agree. To me, it's nothing more than the Fantastic Four version of the way the Justice Society of America was forced to retire, only to make the inevitable comeback. It's old hat, and yet audiences who were just starting to love superheroes, and loved Pixar, treated it like it was something entirely new. Pretty much every computer animation studio has done more inspired work than this. It would probably have worked better the way it was presented in the previews, as a silent film. Then it would truly have been innovative. The later Megamind was better. And not by Pixar.
6. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban ($249 mil)
Alfonso Cuaron made the third entry in this series into a Tim Burton movie, from a story that already distanced the former kid-centric story from previous entries. The book is my favorite in the series, while I've always been conflicted by how well the film translates the appeal of Harry discovering his connections to the darker elements of his origins. Clearly audiences, faced with a year's layoff, had to figure out for themselves if they were truly committed to the film series. (Turns out they were, by the way.)
7. The Day After Tomorrow ($186 mil)
After Independence Day, Godzilla, and The Patriot, Roland Emmerich comes back to the disaster flick in slightly more generic fashion.
8. The Bourne Supremacy ($176 mil)
Matt Damon continues his popular role as the American James Bond.
9. National Treasure ($173 mil)
Based partly on the appeal of The Da Vinci Code, this is actually Nicolas Cage doing his version of Indiana Jones, which also inspired Code. Anyway, this may be the most successful attempt at creating a surrogate Indy franchise, highly entertaining. Still waiting on a third entry, however.
10. The Polar Express ($162 mi)
Robert Zemeckis in his best-known motion-capture film, starring Tom Hanks in multiple roles.
12. I, Robot ($144 mil)
This was the start of an incredible Will Smith hotstreak for me, mostly featuring action roles he played seriously (rather than what he'd done previously, mostly for laughs). Asimov fans will argue about the purity of the adaptation, but for me, it's just good filmmaking.
13. Troy ($133 mil)
One of the hallmark releases of the year for me was Wolfgang Peterson's adaptation of The Iliad starring Brad Pitt, Eric Bana and Orlando Bloom. This was also part of the emerging trend for blockbuster films being far more successful outside of the US than within.
16. Van Helsing ($120 mil)
Clearly this one made a pretty penny, but it's still considered a flop, possibly because people still had unreasonable expectations for Hugh Jackman's Hollywood career. Enjoyable mashup of classic movie monsters all the same.
17. Fahrenheit 9/11 ($119 mil)
I don't talk politics a whole lot, but this was one of the most disturbing hits of the year for me, Michael Moore basically saying everything Democrats were complaining about, and then increasingly so, George W. Bush, though mostly through a pretty uncritical lens. Let's face it, Democrats hated Bush because Republicans hated Clinton, and in turn Republicans hate Obama because Democrats hated Bush. Generalizing a little here, but it's such a stupid trend, I'm calling a spade a spade in this instance. "Shame on you, Mr. Bush," Moore famously declared at the following Oscars. And he found himself heckled rather than praised. Because even an audience disposed to agree with him realized it's all just a stupid game of politics.
18. Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events ($118 mil)
One of the more clever young reader series that publishers were so enthusiastic to present readers in the wake of Harry Potter became a single movie (there were thirteen books), although it succeeded mostly on the strength of Jim Carrey. This is a problem because he completely stole the thunder from everything else around him. Although this was really, really good for fans of Jim Carrey.
19. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story ($114 mil)
"If you can dodge a wrench you can dodge a ball." Vince Vaughn continues to solidify his status as a viable leading man thanks to Ben Stiller's more than generous supporting performance.
20. The Village ($114 mi)
If you want to know where M. Night Shyamalan really "went wrong," it was this movie, because it features the biggest twist ending of all his movies. And thus the myth that his movies can only be interpreted by their endings. Those who love to support backlashes thus began the backlash of Shyamalan.
22. The Aviator ($102 mil)
Martin Scorsese again collaborates with Leonardo DiCaprio (not for the last time), this time about Howard Hughes, although Cate Blanchett kind of steals the show as Katherine Hepburn.
23. Collateral ($101 mil)
Tom Cruise forestalled his own backlash by starring in this movie, although it's perhaps better known for being a key moment in Jamie Foxx's career.
24. Million Dollar Baby ($100 mil)
Hilary Swank has one of the most bizarre careers in Hollywood. When people love her, they really love her. When they don't, she might as well not even exist. This is an instance of people really loving her.
25. The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement ($95 mil)
Otherwise an unnecessary sequel to Anne Hathaway's big break, this movie is also the secret origin of Chris Pine.
28. Mean Girls ($86 mil)
The cult of Tina Fey, outside the realm of Saturday Night Live, begins here. Lindsay Lohan stars, unaware that this movie is not ultimately about her. It's her last notable success. Also features the secret origin of Rachel McAdams!
30. Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy ($85 mil)
Will Ferrell strikes on another iconic performance. If you don't realize it by now, here's the secret to his success: creating movie characters more iconic than his Saturday Night Live characters. Also the key to Mike Myers' success.
32. The Notebook ($81 mil)
McAdams again, plus Ryan Gosling, whom critics love (but I don't).
33. Alien vs. Predator ($80 mil)
Two franchises collide, just like Freddy vs. Jason. The upshot here is that Ridley Scott eventually returns to one of them, and everyone gets to pretend that they care about Prometheus.
34. Man on Fire ($77 mil)
The first of a string of movies starring Denzel Washington that all say the same thing: he is now an action star.
35. The Terminal ($77 mil)
Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg are pretty low-key in this one, although arguably this affects Hanks more than Spielberg, the start of audiences thinking they don't really have to pay attention to him anymore.
37. Ray ($75 mil)
Jamie Foxx winning an Oscar, being taken seriously as an actor (and pop star, because apparently it's far more acceptable for him to try this than Jennifer Lopez, possibly because she was far more successful as a pop star).
40. Sideways ($71 mil)
Paul Giamatti in the film that best reflects everyone's new-found respect for him.
42. Hidalgo ($67 mil)
Like Tobey Maguire before him, Viggo Mortensen sets out to see how popular he is in the wake of massive franchise success. Turns out...not that much.
44. Kill Bill Vol. 2 ($66 mil)
Quentin Tarantino, Uma Thurman, and finally the character in the title (unexpectedly and brilliantly portrayed by David Carradine in the best sequence of the film)!
45. The Manchurian Candidate ($65 mil)
Audiences can be so ridiculous about remakes. If The Maltese Falcon hadn't been remade three times, we wouldn't remember it at all, because we would never have reached the iconic Humphrey Bogart version. Instead of focusing on the brilliant elements of this remake, most people only saw it as a remake. But it stars Denzel Washington in one of his last non-action movies for a few years, gives Liev Schrieber his most notable film role, and has the last unaffected Meryl Streep performance, before she and her critics started believing her own hype.
48. Friday Night Lights ($61 mil)
Peter Berg is sometimes respected, and sometimes he isn't. But enough people liked the concept behind this true story that it became a cult favorite TV series.
49. Hellboy ($59 mil)
Guillermo del Toro really let loose in the sequel, but he totally steals this movie from the title Mike Mignola comic book character and Ron Perlman finally getting to go mainstream again (after starring in the Beauty and the Beast TV series).
50. The Stepford Wives ($59 mil)
For some reason Nicole Kidman starts getting heckled for everything starting with this movie. Still have no idea why.
51. Dawn of the Dead ($59 mil)
I'm only an occasional viewer of horror movies, and don't particularly care about the franchise this movie in part represents, but for some reason I felt compelled to see it in theaters. Loved it. This is the source of the modern zombie craze, and also Zack Snyder's big break.
55. The Chronicles of Riddick ($57 mil)
Spinning off from Pitch Black, this was Vin Diesel's next attempt at a franchise. Turns out audiences were no longer quite so wild about him. Although thanks to his return to the Fast and Furious movies, they may be there again, and so there's another Riddick film around the corner.
56. 13 Going on 30 ($57 mil)
Jenifer Garner learns that she's not going to be a major movie star, even though she plays completely against type in this comedy. Apparently she's no Schwarzenegger.
57. Saw ($55 mil)
The beginning of the franchise. Also a rare Cary Elwes starring vehicle. What's up with that?
59. Blade: Trinity ($52 mil)
Ryan Reynolds and Jessica Biel both prove themselves as more versatile than previously thought in this final Blade flick.
60. King Arthur ($51 mil)
The historical epic is proven to not be reliably popular in this movie that stars Clive Owen and Keira Knightley.
61. Finding Neverland ($51 mil)
Freddie Highmore was for a while the next child prodigy after appearing in this movie about J.M. Barrie, creator of Peter Pan, portrayed by Johnny Depp.
68. Waking Tall ($46 mil)
Dwayne Johnson appears in this remake that kind of subverts the original appeal of a true story about someone who did not look at all like Dwayne Johnson. So The Rock had indeed gone Hollywood.
70. Napoleon Dynamite ($44 mil)
This cult hit inspired Hollywood' efforts to somehow keep Jon Heder a mainstream star.
75. Catwoman ($40 mil)
While Marvel superheroes were being featured in huge blockbusters, DC characters showed up in stuff like this. Halle Berry hasn't really recovered from it, though reports of Catwoman's horrible quality have been typically exaggerated.
76. The Ladykillers ($39 mil)
This is a remake, too, and perhaps one of the reasons why the Coen brothers scored a rare critical dud, though it sports a fine comedic performance from Tom Hanks.
77. Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow ($37 mil)
Jude Law can't catch a popular break, unless he's tagging along the Sherlock Holmes films. Here he gets to get in on the digital landscape backlash early, even though the film is technically brilliant and features an excellent cast.
80. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind ($34 mil)
One of Jim Carrey's best movies. Making this a very good year to be a fan.
81. Alexander ($34 mil)
My favorite film, starring Colin Farrell and scads of other great performances. Failure in part to the historical epic backlash that followed Gladiator, plus Oliver Stone's decision to explain the man rather than his greatness.
83. The Punisher ($33 mil)
A Marvel franchise that really hasn't happened, even with numerous attempts.
93. Garden State ($26 mil)
Outside of Scrubs, this was the start of a very brief critical love affair for Zach Braff, who was eventually replaced by How I Met Your Mother's Josh Radnor as the budding new Woody Allen. Or Edward Burns.
94. Jersey Girl ($25 mil)
Official torpedo for Kevin Smith, Ben Affleck, and Jennifer Lopez. Affleck is the only one of the three to claw his way out.
100. Ella Enchanted ($22 mil)
Anne Hathaway is still at this point committed to the Princes Diaries formula. She eventually learns better.
101. The Alamo ($22 mil)
I maintain an amateur fascination with this famous episode from Texas lore. So I would have seen this anyway, but great casting (even if it was all secondary choices, even the director after Ron Howard bowed out of the project) certainly doesn't hurt my appreciation.
110. Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle ($18 mil)
An unexpected vehicle that helped boost the careers of Kal Penn, John Cho, and Neil Patrick Harris, who completely reinvents himself (playing himself), eventually leading to his legendary role as Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother (yes, I am a big fan).
123. Welcome to Mooseport ($14 mil)
This is how Ray Romano attempts to capitalize on the success of Everyone Loves Raymond, and how Gene Hackman retires from acting.
129. Shaun of the Dead ($13 mil)
Only the title is a shameless ripoff. Everything else is completely inspired. Features the secret origin of Simon Pegg.
130. De-Lovely ($13 mil)
Kevin Kline learns, as Kevin Spacey does later, that playing old music legends is not always the key to critical success.
131. Alfie ($13 mil)
Jude Law failing to be popular again, this time in a remake of a signature Michael Caine film.
138. Super Size Me ($11 mil)
Morgan Spurlock exposes things we already knew about fast food, but his career has more respect today than Michael Moore's.
143. Kinsey ($10 mil)
Liam Neeson is the unlikely star of a movie about a sex researcher.
156. The Big Bounce ($6 mil)
Owen Wilson stars in a jaunty film. Stop the presses!
157. Beyond the Sea ($6 mil)
Oh hey, here's that Kevin Spacey movies I was talking about earlier.
164. Club Dread ($5 mil)
Everyone else still thinks of the Broken Lizards for Super Troopers, but this is my favorite from the comedy troupe. Bill Paxton helps put it over the top as Coconut Pete!
172. Vera Drake ($3 mil)
Imelda Staunton won the role of Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter movies based on this performance.
188. The Sea Inside ($2 mil)
Javier Bardem gained his first wide recognition from this movie.
219. The Machinist ($1 mil)
Christian Bale famously lost a ton of weight for this movie, which is arguably and not American Pyscho the reason Hollywood blockbusters later sought him out.
222. A Home at the End of the World ($1 mil)
Whereas a lot of his films don't find much of a wide audience, Colin Farrell was deliberately going for a limited release this time.
227. Intermission ($800 thou)
One of Colm Meaney's first notable film roles in years.
265. Still, We Believe: The Boston Red Sox Movie ($300 thou)
Famously spotlights the disastrous 2003 playoffs the very year the Sox win the World Series for the first time in eighty-six years, talking about a curse broken by the miraculous 2004 playoffs.
367. Ned Kelly ($80 thou)
The first indication that Orlando Bloom by himself really is not a movie star. Costars with Heath Ledger, not yet breaking his own box office doldrums.
Source: Box Office Mojo
Wednesday, January 02, 2013
#504. Box Office 2003
2003 saw the end of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy (and no competing Harry Potter), and for me personally will forever be known as the year of Colin Farrell, in which he was in a barrage of film releases.
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ($377 mil)
There was such a groundswell of support for this final release of the trilogy that the Oscars actually granted it the unusual move of awarding it Best Picture. That doesn't happen in genre filmmaking. That's how much everyone loved these movies. Even though this one is best known for its thousand endings. Although Sam was pretty awesome, supporting Frodo even though Frodo by this point had turned into a huge douche.
2. Finding Nemo ($339 mil)
This is pretty much the source of Ellen Degeneres' modern career. Everyone knows what made her famous in the 1990s. Then she voiced Dory and is now beloved as a daytime talk show host. This is not a coincidence. Also, fish are our friends, not food. (Arguably Pixar's best overall film.)
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl ($305 mil)
Everyone was surprised by the huge success of this film, not the least because it was based on a theme park ride and Johnny Depp had never been wildly popular before. But he also never been quite as unhinged as Jack Sparrow. Also, some people started to believe that Orlando Bloom, who was also a featured player in the Lord of the Rings films, was going to be a huge star. No, just a dependable franchise player. Someone find him a new franchise!
4. The Matrix Reloaded ($281 mil)
People can say what they like about why the 2003 version of The Matrix is not as popular as the 1999 version, but a lot of it is because the zeitgeist was stolen, much as The Matrix stole the zeitgeist from The Phantom Menace. Once that happens, and people glom onto something else, they will always be able to convince themselves that the thing that lost the zeitgeist somehow deserved to lose it. Well, no, but good try. And please feel to comment and confirm that you still don't understand this.
5. Bruce Almighty ($242 mil)
Being a big fan of Jim Carrey, I always like to see him succeed big. It's gooood.
6. X2: X-Men United ($214 mil)
This is the movies version of how Jean Grey dies (like or not, you have to watch The Last Stand to see the movies version of the resulting Phoenix saga). This is also as close to a good Wolverine movie as we've gotten, which is fortunate, because Wolverine remains the breakout star of the franchise.
7. Elf ($173 mil)
This was Will Ferrell's big breakout as a movie star. Previously he did a lot of really good work on Saturday Night Live and supporting star in other people's movies. This is also Zooey Deschanel's breakout film. Although she does not yet look like Zooey Deschanel. But she does sing!
8. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines ($150 mil)
The first in this series not to be directed by James Cameron, but still pretty awesome.
9. The Matrix Revolutions ($139 mil)
Another of the things that sabotaged the 2003 version of The Matrix was the decision to release both sequels in the same year. It somehow worked out really well for Peter Jackson to release his three Lord of the Rings films in three years (which is another reason they were so popular), but combined with Jackson having the zeitgeist and asking audiences to care about two Matrix movies in one year...just not good timing all around.
10. Cheaper by the Dozen ($138 mil)
Steve Martin plays another patriarch! Why doesn't he just do that in every movie?
11. Bad Boys II ($138 mil)
Michael Bay starts to perfect the formula he would later employ in the Transformers movies.
12. Anger Management ($135 mil)
Jack Nicholson was a hug star in 2003, costarring in this movie with Adam Sandler.
14. Hulk ($132 mil)
This was the movie that dominated the Super Bowl ads. I was pretty happy, because I was becoming a big fan of Eric Bana. But this was the first indication that Marvel could draw an audience but not guarantee success with its movies.
15. 2 Fast 2 Furious ($127 mil)
I saw this with a college audience, which is pretty ideal as far as this kind of movie goes. Paul Walker returns from the first one. Eva Mendes and other eventually returning new additions to the family debut.
16. Something's Gotta Give ($124 mil)
Jack also stars in this movie.
17. Seabiscuit ($120 mil)
Sure, people love horses. But this was also a success thanks to people not knowing how much they loved Tobey Maguire outside of his Spider-Man costume.
18. S.W.A.T. ($120 mil)
This is very close to being an ensemble movie (Samuel L. Jackson costars!), but it's also Colin Farrell's biggest hit as a movie star. You may or may not know that it's based on an old TV show, but you really don't need to know that, because really, that show has very little legacy behind it (although its theme song is presented by the cast in this movie). Fun fact! Jeremy Renner has one of his early notable roles as Farrell's one-time friend and rival.
19. Spy Kids 3D: Game Over ($111 mil)
Robert Rodriguez gets to the 3D craze early and that's chiefly why this one was a success.
20. The Last Samurai ($111 mil)
Tom Cruise found it increasingly difficult to find hit movies in the new millennium. This one is about a Civil War vet who gives Japan a hand.
21. Freaky Friday ($110 mil)
Part of the reason Lindsay Lohan is still someone whose life people are so concerned about.
25. American Wedding ($104 mil)
The third American Pie movie doesn't feature all the stars but it does feature the title event.
26. Daddy Day Care ($104 mil)
Eddie Murphy in a family movie. Like I said, a pretty reliable source for hits starring this guy.
27. Daredevil ($102 mil)
Colin Farrell costars in this movie, but it's also Ben Affleck's last hit as a star until he starts making his own movies, and part of the momentum that helped Jennifer Garner a star (along with Alias), but also another Marvel flop (basically). I love this one a lot more than most of the other movies based on Marvel superheroes. It is not just because of Colin Farrell.
28. The Cat in the Hat ($101 mil)
Yes, it made good money. But it also proved that Mike Myers could not always expect success. And that's why he doesn't make a lot of movies these days.
30. Cold Mountain ($95 mil)
Fun little movie about the personal miseries awaiting veterans of the Civil War. For some reason, this was a year featuring veterans of the Civil War.
31. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the Word ($93 mil)
Russell Crowe discovers that his prickly personality offscreen cannot sustain the critical approval his movies had been getting this millennium. This was basically the end of his big popularity.
33. Mystic River ($90 mil)
Critics really loved this movie. I think it was really overblown.
34. Brother Bear ($85 mil)
Yeah, it made pretty good movie. But I doubt Disney or fans of traditional animation care today.
35. Freddy vs. Jason ($82 mil)
1980s horror icons meet! And later get rebooted.
39. Old School ($75 mil)
Will Ferrell proved himself as a star by appearing in this movie.
40. Kill Bill Vol. 1 ($70 mil)
Presented by Quentin Tarantino, Uma Thurman, white ninjas, and movies being awesome.
43. Big Fish ($66 mil)
I like to call a lot of movies "the new Wizard of Oz," mostly because as I've gotten older, I've found it a lot harder to appreciate The Wizard of Oz. This is one of those movies that I wish could get a little of that Oz love. Maybe it needs more singing.
44. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen ($66 mil)
Say goodbye to Sean Connery. Based on a comic book by Alan Moore. Not surprisingly, Alan Moore did not approve.
49. Love Actually ($59 mil)
People love Brits loving people.
51. Open Range ($58 mil)
Kevin Costner continues his efforts to get people loving him again. The critics like this one, anyway.
52. Once Upon a Time in Mexico ($56 mil)
Not only was this the conclusion of Robert Rodriguez's Mariachi trilogy, but it was also the first test to see if audiences would continue to love Johnny Depp as much when he wasn't Jack Sparrow. They didn't.
55. The Recruit ($52 mil)
More Colin Farrell! In this movie, he joins the CIA. Mind games ensue.
58. Underworld ($51 mil)
Kate Beckinsale, vampires, and lycanthropes, oh my!
60. Peter Pan ($48 mil)
No Harry Potter this year, but...Peter Pan? A worthy effort all the same.
63. The Rundown ($47 mil)
Dwayne Johnson has a bunch of really awesome costars in this movie, my favorite being Seann William Scott. Seann William Scott deserves more love!
65. Phone Booth ($46 mil)
At one point this movie was going to star Jim Carrey. But instead it stars Colin Farrell. And it is really awesome. My favorite of Colin's films from 2003.
67. Lost in Translation ($44 mil)
Features Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, and the direction of Sofia Coppola. Yet I have never been able to be as wild about it as critics were.
74. Head of State ($38 mil)
Loved this movie starring Chris Rock.
83. Monster ($34 mil)
Charlize Theron earned an Oscar for this one.
89. Bend It Like Beckham ($32 mil)
Parminder Nagra was supposed to be the breakout star of this one. But instead it was Keira Knightley. Who later also starred in Pirates of the Caribbean. Parminder got a stint on ER. Americans still don't love soccer.
96. The Missing ($27 mil)
Tommy Lee Jones becomes John Wayne in this movie.
97. Basic ($26 mil)
John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson in their first movie together since Pulp Fiction.
110. Whale Rider (20 mil)
Great piece of coming of age from an international perspective.
127. House of Sand and Fog ($13 mil)
Made Hollywood love Shohreh Aghdashloo. Despite her name being Shohreh Aghdashloo.
128. Gods and Generals ($12 mil)
Movie I am watching right now.
143. The Order ($7 mil)
Hollywood still trying to figure out what to do with Heath Ledger.
151. Gigli ($6 mil)
Torpedoed the careers of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez.
152. American Splendor ($6 mil)
Was supposed to be about Harvey Pekar. Instead made people fall in love with Paul Giamatti.
154. The Station Agent ($5 mil)
Features the breakout role of Peter Dinklage.
156. The Human Stain ($5 mil)
Among other things, features Wentworth Miller, who would later star in Prison Break.
165. The Gospel of John ($4 mil)
Features Henry Ian Cusick, who would later be featured in Lost as Desmond.
188. Shattered Glass ($2 mil)
The best movie to star Hayden Christensen.
199. Veronica Guerin ($1 mil)
Features Colin Farrell in a supporting role. But stars Cate Blanchett.
204. Bubba Ho-Tep ($1 mil)
The cult of Bruce Campbell continues!
229. Lost in La Mancha ($700 thou)
Documentary about Terry Gilliam's doomed efforts to film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.
268. Buffalo Soldiers ($300 thou)
I'm still meaning to see this Joaquin Phoenix movie.
Source: Box Office Mojo
1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ($377 mil)
There was such a groundswell of support for this final release of the trilogy that the Oscars actually granted it the unusual move of awarding it Best Picture. That doesn't happen in genre filmmaking. That's how much everyone loved these movies. Even though this one is best known for its thousand endings. Although Sam was pretty awesome, supporting Frodo even though Frodo by this point had turned into a huge douche.
2. Finding Nemo ($339 mil)
This is pretty much the source of Ellen Degeneres' modern career. Everyone knows what made her famous in the 1990s. Then she voiced Dory and is now beloved as a daytime talk show host. This is not a coincidence. Also, fish are our friends, not food. (Arguably Pixar's best overall film.)
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl ($305 mil)
Everyone was surprised by the huge success of this film, not the least because it was based on a theme park ride and Johnny Depp had never been wildly popular before. But he also never been quite as unhinged as Jack Sparrow. Also, some people started to believe that Orlando Bloom, who was also a featured player in the Lord of the Rings films, was going to be a huge star. No, just a dependable franchise player. Someone find him a new franchise!
4. The Matrix Reloaded ($281 mil)
People can say what they like about why the 2003 version of The Matrix is not as popular as the 1999 version, but a lot of it is because the zeitgeist was stolen, much as The Matrix stole the zeitgeist from The Phantom Menace. Once that happens, and people glom onto something else, they will always be able to convince themselves that the thing that lost the zeitgeist somehow deserved to lose it. Well, no, but good try. And please feel to comment and confirm that you still don't understand this.
5. Bruce Almighty ($242 mil)
Being a big fan of Jim Carrey, I always like to see him succeed big. It's gooood.
6. X2: X-Men United ($214 mil)
This is the movies version of how Jean Grey dies (like or not, you have to watch The Last Stand to see the movies version of the resulting Phoenix saga). This is also as close to a good Wolverine movie as we've gotten, which is fortunate, because Wolverine remains the breakout star of the franchise.
7. Elf ($173 mil)
This was Will Ferrell's big breakout as a movie star. Previously he did a lot of really good work on Saturday Night Live and supporting star in other people's movies. This is also Zooey Deschanel's breakout film. Although she does not yet look like Zooey Deschanel. But she does sing!
8. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines ($150 mil)
The first in this series not to be directed by James Cameron, but still pretty awesome.
9. The Matrix Revolutions ($139 mil)
Another of the things that sabotaged the 2003 version of The Matrix was the decision to release both sequels in the same year. It somehow worked out really well for Peter Jackson to release his three Lord of the Rings films in three years (which is another reason they were so popular), but combined with Jackson having the zeitgeist and asking audiences to care about two Matrix movies in one year...just not good timing all around.
10. Cheaper by the Dozen ($138 mil)
Steve Martin plays another patriarch! Why doesn't he just do that in every movie?
11. Bad Boys II ($138 mil)
Michael Bay starts to perfect the formula he would later employ in the Transformers movies.
12. Anger Management ($135 mil)
Jack Nicholson was a hug star in 2003, costarring in this movie with Adam Sandler.
14. Hulk ($132 mil)
This was the movie that dominated the Super Bowl ads. I was pretty happy, because I was becoming a big fan of Eric Bana. But this was the first indication that Marvel could draw an audience but not guarantee success with its movies.
15. 2 Fast 2 Furious ($127 mil)
I saw this with a college audience, which is pretty ideal as far as this kind of movie goes. Paul Walker returns from the first one. Eva Mendes and other eventually returning new additions to the family debut.
16. Something's Gotta Give ($124 mil)
Jack also stars in this movie.
17. Seabiscuit ($120 mil)
Sure, people love horses. But this was also a success thanks to people not knowing how much they loved Tobey Maguire outside of his Spider-Man costume.
18. S.W.A.T. ($120 mil)
This is very close to being an ensemble movie (Samuel L. Jackson costars!), but it's also Colin Farrell's biggest hit as a movie star. You may or may not know that it's based on an old TV show, but you really don't need to know that, because really, that show has very little legacy behind it (although its theme song is presented by the cast in this movie). Fun fact! Jeremy Renner has one of his early notable roles as Farrell's one-time friend and rival.
19. Spy Kids 3D: Game Over ($111 mil)
Robert Rodriguez gets to the 3D craze early and that's chiefly why this one was a success.
20. The Last Samurai ($111 mil)
Tom Cruise found it increasingly difficult to find hit movies in the new millennium. This one is about a Civil War vet who gives Japan a hand.
21. Freaky Friday ($110 mil)
Part of the reason Lindsay Lohan is still someone whose life people are so concerned about.
25. American Wedding ($104 mil)
The third American Pie movie doesn't feature all the stars but it does feature the title event.
26. Daddy Day Care ($104 mil)
Eddie Murphy in a family movie. Like I said, a pretty reliable source for hits starring this guy.
27. Daredevil ($102 mil)
Colin Farrell costars in this movie, but it's also Ben Affleck's last hit as a star until he starts making his own movies, and part of the momentum that helped Jennifer Garner a star (along with Alias), but also another Marvel flop (basically). I love this one a lot more than most of the other movies based on Marvel superheroes. It is not just because of Colin Farrell.
28. The Cat in the Hat ($101 mil)
Yes, it made good money. But it also proved that Mike Myers could not always expect success. And that's why he doesn't make a lot of movies these days.
30. Cold Mountain ($95 mil)
Fun little movie about the personal miseries awaiting veterans of the Civil War. For some reason, this was a year featuring veterans of the Civil War.
31. Master and Commander: The Far Side of the Word ($93 mil)
Russell Crowe discovers that his prickly personality offscreen cannot sustain the critical approval his movies had been getting this millennium. This was basically the end of his big popularity.
33. Mystic River ($90 mil)
Critics really loved this movie. I think it was really overblown.
34. Brother Bear ($85 mil)
Yeah, it made pretty good movie. But I doubt Disney or fans of traditional animation care today.
35. Freddy vs. Jason ($82 mil)
1980s horror icons meet! And later get rebooted.
39. Old School ($75 mil)
Will Ferrell proved himself as a star by appearing in this movie.
40. Kill Bill Vol. 1 ($70 mil)
Presented by Quentin Tarantino, Uma Thurman, white ninjas, and movies being awesome.
43. Big Fish ($66 mil)
I like to call a lot of movies "the new Wizard of Oz," mostly because as I've gotten older, I've found it a lot harder to appreciate The Wizard of Oz. This is one of those movies that I wish could get a little of that Oz love. Maybe it needs more singing.
44. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen ($66 mil)
Say goodbye to Sean Connery. Based on a comic book by Alan Moore. Not surprisingly, Alan Moore did not approve.
49. Love Actually ($59 mil)
People love Brits loving people.
51. Open Range ($58 mil)
Kevin Costner continues his efforts to get people loving him again. The critics like this one, anyway.
52. Once Upon a Time in Mexico ($56 mil)
Not only was this the conclusion of Robert Rodriguez's Mariachi trilogy, but it was also the first test to see if audiences would continue to love Johnny Depp as much when he wasn't Jack Sparrow. They didn't.
55. The Recruit ($52 mil)
More Colin Farrell! In this movie, he joins the CIA. Mind games ensue.
58. Underworld ($51 mil)
Kate Beckinsale, vampires, and lycanthropes, oh my!
60. Peter Pan ($48 mil)
No Harry Potter this year, but...Peter Pan? A worthy effort all the same.
63. The Rundown ($47 mil)
Dwayne Johnson has a bunch of really awesome costars in this movie, my favorite being Seann William Scott. Seann William Scott deserves more love!
65. Phone Booth ($46 mil)
At one point this movie was going to star Jim Carrey. But instead it stars Colin Farrell. And it is really awesome. My favorite of Colin's films from 2003.
67. Lost in Translation ($44 mil)
Features Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, and the direction of Sofia Coppola. Yet I have never been able to be as wild about it as critics were.
74. Head of State ($38 mil)
Loved this movie starring Chris Rock.
83. Monster ($34 mil)
Charlize Theron earned an Oscar for this one.
89. Bend It Like Beckham ($32 mil)
Parminder Nagra was supposed to be the breakout star of this one. But instead it was Keira Knightley. Who later also starred in Pirates of the Caribbean. Parminder got a stint on ER. Americans still don't love soccer.
96. The Missing ($27 mil)
Tommy Lee Jones becomes John Wayne in this movie.
97. Basic ($26 mil)
John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson in their first movie together since Pulp Fiction.
110. Whale Rider (20 mil)
Great piece of coming of age from an international perspective.
127. House of Sand and Fog ($13 mil)
Made Hollywood love Shohreh Aghdashloo. Despite her name being Shohreh Aghdashloo.
128. Gods and Generals ($12 mil)
Movie I am watching right now.
143. The Order ($7 mil)
Hollywood still trying to figure out what to do with Heath Ledger.
151. Gigli ($6 mil)
Torpedoed the careers of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez.
152. American Splendor ($6 mil)
Was supposed to be about Harvey Pekar. Instead made people fall in love with Paul Giamatti.
154. The Station Agent ($5 mil)
Features the breakout role of Peter Dinklage.
156. The Human Stain ($5 mil)
Among other things, features Wentworth Miller, who would later star in Prison Break.
165. The Gospel of John ($4 mil)
Features Henry Ian Cusick, who would later be featured in Lost as Desmond.
188. Shattered Glass ($2 mil)
The best movie to star Hayden Christensen.
199. Veronica Guerin ($1 mil)
Features Colin Farrell in a supporting role. But stars Cate Blanchett.
204. Bubba Ho-Tep ($1 mil)
The cult of Bruce Campbell continues!
229. Lost in La Mancha ($700 thou)
Documentary about Terry Gilliam's doomed efforts to film The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.
268. Buffalo Soldiers ($300 thou)
I'm still meaning to see this Joaquin Phoenix movie.
Source: Box Office Mojo
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