Box Office Over Time
The highest grossing film of the year is a title that only a handful of films can boast about. Looking back through the years and seeing year by year what the highest grossing film has been tells us a lot about how the film industry has changed over time and how the films society respond to has changed over time. This article will look at the highest grossing films year by year and display how human creativity and societies reaction to it, has changed over time.
Starting from the year 1918, worldwide box office and the films society respond to has changed dramatically over time. Silent films such as Way Down East and The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were the films dominating worldwide box office in the years 1920 and 21 with a gross that was under 10 million. Nowadays if a film grosses under 10 million it is almost deemed as a flop, however back then that was enough to be the highest grossing film of the year. What does this tell us about how the film industry has changed over time? Has it simply been an increase in the ticket prices and venues to see films? Or has societies interest in films steadily risen, to a point where a film can gross billions of dollars?
The first film to gross over the 100 million mark was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, going through the list of highest grossing films year by year, animated films are consistently present and Snow White is the first example of this with a gross of over 184 million, a big step up from the likes of Way Down East. However it was 1939s Gone With The Wind that could be called the first true “blockbuster” grossing an amount that would make it a hit today with a haul of over 400 million dollars. While Bond films, the sound of music, Hitchcock, The Godfather and animation continued to dominate worldwide gross it was not until 1973s The Exorcist until we got another film that crossed the 400 million mark. The Exorcist and Gone With The Wind are two dramatically different films; one is a sweeping and epic romance, the other a horrifying tale of a girl who has been possessed by the devil. This is one of the first explicit examples of how the films society reacts to has changed over time. In 1939 it was a sweeping romance that soared its way to the top of the box office charts, in 1973 it was a gruesome horror.
As we went through the 70s and 80s it was a golden age for film box office and it was the first consistent run of films that were true blockbusters and grossed hundreds of millions of dollars setting the trend for our current film industry.
Jaws- $470, 653, 000
Rocky- $225, 000, 000
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope- $775, 398, 007
Grease- $394, 589, 888
Moonraker- $210, 308, 099
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikers Back- $538, 375, 067
Raiders of the Lost Ark- $384, 140, 454
E.T the Extra-Terrestrial- $792, 910, 554
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi- $475, 106, 177
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom- $333, 107, 271
Back to the Future- $381, 109, 762
From 1975 to 1985, a decade of blockbusters movies, all of the above the highest grossing film for its year and all of them above 200 million. From then on grossing a hundred or so million or even 200 million was not good enough, never again would we see a film be the biggest money makers of its year at 100 or even 200 million. A new age of Hollywood box office had begun. The last film to gross under 200 million and be the highest grosser of its year was Blazing Saddles.
Looking at the films listed above, their gross not only shows us how the popularity and money making potential of the film industry had dramatically changed but also what films society were now responding to.
Jaws- a horror film about a killer shark
Rocky- A fell good, underdog sports film
The Star Wars Trilogy- Space adventure, with action, romance and groundbreaking special effects
Indiana Jones- Another action adventure
E.T- A tale about friendship and humanity, a family film with special effects
Back To The Future- Special effects, but also a family adventure and love story
With this run of films, society was showing what films grabbed them the most. Action and adventure films, cinematic spectacles that took you someplace else. None of the films listed above are particularly realistic or even that dark (save for Jaws) the decade above not only set the template for how much money films now had to make to be a hit but also what type of film you needed to be to become one.
The two next big watershed moments in terms of film box office came with Jurrasic Park and with Titanic. Jurassic Park, which contained breathtaking special effects, action, adventure and a family story grossed over 900 million dollars. However it was a film by the name of Titanic that was a truly unstoppable juggernaut. It grossed over 1 billion dollars. What kind of film was Titanic? It had great special effects yes, it was also a tragic love story, perhaps more in keeping with something akin to Gone With The Wind, was society starting to once again embrace the kind of films it had been rejecting in favour of more “exciting” fare?
Looking at the highest earners from the years 2000 to 2010, another leap in box office earnings is evident.
Mission Impossible II- $546, 388, 105
Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone- $974, 773, 550
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers- $925, 282, 504
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King- $1,119,263,306
Shrek 2- $919, 838, 758
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire- $895, 921, 036
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest- $1, 066, 179, 725
Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End- $960, 996, 492
The Dark Knight- $1, 001, 921, 825
Avatar- $2, 778, 527, 559
Toy Story 3- $1, 063, 143, 492
Compare the money those films made in the years 2000-2010 to the money that the films in 1975-1985 made. In 1975-1985 it became apparent that you would have to make more than 100 or 200 million to be a worldwide box office sensation, while in the past decade grossing 300 million, 400 million, 500 million or even 600 million is no longer enough to be the highest grossing film of the year. In the past decade 5 films have crossed the billion-dollar mark, while 4 have crossed the 900 million mark. That is a gigantic leap in terms of money available to make in the film industry. Who is to say that in a few decades time…that grossing a billion wont be enough to be the highest grossing film of the year. In terms of what films society are now responding to, looking at the highest grossing films from the years 2000-2010
9 of the films are sequels, 5 of them are based on books or previously published material and only one of them is neither of the above, that film? Avatar
Is it a coincidence that the highest grossing film of not just the above list but of all time is an “original” film? It is also directed by James Cameron, the director of previous box office champ Titanic, Avatar like Titanic also has a love story at its core. However when discussing Avatar it is important to note that it was in 3D, 3D films charge more and for some reason Hollywood are very keen to put all their films in 3D, I cannot possibly imagine why…
In the past three years the highest grossing film of the year has made over a billion dollars worldwide. This is a far cry from the days of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The film industry has grown enormously and part of that is down to the experience it can offer. Heavy special effects films are frequently box office champions showing that the development in film technology and development of film popularity are intriguingly intertwined. The amount of venues to view a film, the price of seeing a film, the commercial opportunities of a film and the experience a film can offer has all risen over the years resulting in billions of dollars for just one film. It will be interesting to note if within a decade sequels still rule the box office, or with the success of films such as Inception persuade studio bosses that original ideas can still rule the box office, unlikely considering the domineering success of sequels in the past decade.
Overall a billion dollars is now what you have to gross to be a worldwide hit and being a sequel certainly helps. Societies tastes as well as the film industries success have changed and risen drastically over the time and the best way of showing this way by looking at the highest grossing film of each year. 2010 could infact be a landmark year when we look back at box office, as Alice In Wonderland grossed over 1 billion and is not the highest grossing film of its year. Will in the years 2030-2040 we be looking back at the years 2000-2010 in the same vein as we do at 1975-1985 currently? Only time will tell…
By Michael Dalton
Starting from the year 1918, worldwide box office and the films society respond to has changed dramatically over time. Silent films such as Way Down East and The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse were the films dominating worldwide box office in the years 1920 and 21 with a gross that was under 10 million. Nowadays if a film grosses under 10 million it is almost deemed as a flop, however back then that was enough to be the highest grossing film of the year. What does this tell us about how the film industry has changed over time? Has it simply been an increase in the ticket prices and venues to see films? Or has societies interest in films steadily risen, to a point where a film can gross billions of dollars?
The first film to gross over the 100 million mark was Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, going through the list of highest grossing films year by year, animated films are consistently present and Snow White is the first example of this with a gross of over 184 million, a big step up from the likes of Way Down East. However it was 1939s Gone With The Wind that could be called the first true “blockbuster” grossing an amount that would make it a hit today with a haul of over 400 million dollars. While Bond films, the sound of music, Hitchcock, The Godfather and animation continued to dominate worldwide gross it was not until 1973s The Exorcist until we got another film that crossed the 400 million mark. The Exorcist and Gone With The Wind are two dramatically different films; one is a sweeping and epic romance, the other a horrifying tale of a girl who has been possessed by the devil. This is one of the first explicit examples of how the films society reacts to has changed over time. In 1939 it was a sweeping romance that soared its way to the top of the box office charts, in 1973 it was a gruesome horror.
As we went through the 70s and 80s it was a golden age for film box office and it was the first consistent run of films that were true blockbusters and grossed hundreds of millions of dollars setting the trend for our current film industry.
Jaws- $470, 653, 000
Rocky- $225, 000, 000
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope- $775, 398, 007
Grease- $394, 589, 888
Moonraker- $210, 308, 099
Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikers Back- $538, 375, 067
Raiders of the Lost Ark- $384, 140, 454
E.T the Extra-Terrestrial- $792, 910, 554
Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi- $475, 106, 177
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom- $333, 107, 271
Back to the Future- $381, 109, 762
From 1975 to 1985, a decade of blockbusters movies, all of the above the highest grossing film for its year and all of them above 200 million. From then on grossing a hundred or so million or even 200 million was not good enough, never again would we see a film be the biggest money makers of its year at 100 or even 200 million. A new age of Hollywood box office had begun. The last film to gross under 200 million and be the highest grosser of its year was Blazing Saddles.
Looking at the films listed above, their gross not only shows us how the popularity and money making potential of the film industry had dramatically changed but also what films society were now responding to.
Jaws- a horror film about a killer shark
Rocky- A fell good, underdog sports film
The Star Wars Trilogy- Space adventure, with action, romance and groundbreaking special effects
Indiana Jones- Another action adventure
E.T- A tale about friendship and humanity, a family film with special effects
Back To The Future- Special effects, but also a family adventure and love story
With this run of films, society was showing what films grabbed them the most. Action and adventure films, cinematic spectacles that took you someplace else. None of the films listed above are particularly realistic or even that dark (save for Jaws) the decade above not only set the template for how much money films now had to make to be a hit but also what type of film you needed to be to become one.
The two next big watershed moments in terms of film box office came with Jurrasic Park and with Titanic. Jurassic Park, which contained breathtaking special effects, action, adventure and a family story grossed over 900 million dollars. However it was a film by the name of Titanic that was a truly unstoppable juggernaut. It grossed over 1 billion dollars. What kind of film was Titanic? It had great special effects yes, it was also a tragic love story, perhaps more in keeping with something akin to Gone With The Wind, was society starting to once again embrace the kind of films it had been rejecting in favour of more “exciting” fare?
Looking at the highest earners from the years 2000 to 2010, another leap in box office earnings is evident.
Mission Impossible II- $546, 388, 105
Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone- $974, 773, 550
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers- $925, 282, 504
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King- $1,119,263,306
Shrek 2- $919, 838, 758
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire- $895, 921, 036
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest- $1, 066, 179, 725
Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End- $960, 996, 492
The Dark Knight- $1, 001, 921, 825
Avatar- $2, 778, 527, 559
Toy Story 3- $1, 063, 143, 492
Compare the money those films made in the years 2000-2010 to the money that the films in 1975-1985 made. In 1975-1985 it became apparent that you would have to make more than 100 or 200 million to be a worldwide box office sensation, while in the past decade grossing 300 million, 400 million, 500 million or even 600 million is no longer enough to be the highest grossing film of the year. In the past decade 5 films have crossed the billion-dollar mark, while 4 have crossed the 900 million mark. That is a gigantic leap in terms of money available to make in the film industry. Who is to say that in a few decades time…that grossing a billion wont be enough to be the highest grossing film of the year. In terms of what films society are now responding to, looking at the highest grossing films from the years 2000-2010
9 of the films are sequels, 5 of them are based on books or previously published material and only one of them is neither of the above, that film? Avatar
Is it a coincidence that the highest grossing film of not just the above list but of all time is an “original” film? It is also directed by James Cameron, the director of previous box office champ Titanic, Avatar like Titanic also has a love story at its core. However when discussing Avatar it is important to note that it was in 3D, 3D films charge more and for some reason Hollywood are very keen to put all their films in 3D, I cannot possibly imagine why…
In the past three years the highest grossing film of the year has made over a billion dollars worldwide. This is a far cry from the days of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. The film industry has grown enormously and part of that is down to the experience it can offer. Heavy special effects films are frequently box office champions showing that the development in film technology and development of film popularity are intriguingly intertwined. The amount of venues to view a film, the price of seeing a film, the commercial opportunities of a film and the experience a film can offer has all risen over the years resulting in billions of dollars for just one film. It will be interesting to note if within a decade sequels still rule the box office, or with the success of films such as Inception persuade studio bosses that original ideas can still rule the box office, unlikely considering the domineering success of sequels in the past decade.
Overall a billion dollars is now what you have to gross to be a worldwide hit and being a sequel certainly helps. Societies tastes as well as the film industries success have changed and risen drastically over the time and the best way of showing this way by looking at the highest grossing film of each year. 2010 could infact be a landmark year when we look back at box office, as Alice In Wonderland grossed over 1 billion and is not the highest grossing film of its year. Will in the years 2030-2040 we be looking back at the years 2000-2010 in the same vein as we do at 1975-1985 currently? Only time will tell…
By Michael Dalton
Research for this article was conducted through the following internet sources:
"Worldwide Box Office Results, 1989-Present." Box Office Mojo. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/?view2=worldwide&view=releasedate&p=.htm>.
WorldwideBoxoffice.com -|- 6727 Titles as of Jan 18 2011. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://www.worldwideboxoffice.com/>.
"Worldwide Box Office Results, 1989-Present." Box Office Mojo. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/?view2=worldwide&view=releasedate&p=.htm>.
WorldwideBoxoffice.com -|- 6727 Titles as of Jan 18 2011. Web. 19 Jan. 2011. <http://www.worldwideboxoffice.com/>.
