Now that 2011 is history, it is time to consider how movies fared in the past year. The top ten grossing films in the U.S. were:
1.) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 $381 Million
While it was sad to see the films end, they ended very well. God bless J.K. Rowling for her imagination and for being brave enough not to drag out the Harry Potter story. The books and films ran their course and the characters all lived happily ever after, except for Dumbledore, Voldemore and Professor Snape.
2.) Transformers: Dark of the Moon $352.3 Million
3 .) The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 $276.1 Million
I can’t wait for Part II so that these Twilight films will end. Once. And. For. ALL!
4.) The Hangover Part II $254.4 Million
Low-brow humor brings in the dough.
5.) Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides $241 Million
6.) Fast Five $209.8 Million
7.) Cars 2 $191.4 Million
Since sequels worked for Toy Story, the folks at Pixar felt it would work for Cars and it did.
8.) Thor $181 Million
Stan Lee must be a very happy camper since his creations have finally made it to the silver screen.
9.) Rise of the Planet of the Apes $176.7 Million
10.) Captain America: The First Avenger $176.6 Million
See number 8.
Well, what about Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol? You must be asking. After all, this was the film that heralded Tom Cruise’s return to being a box office draw. Well that film was 18th on the Box Office Mojo list for 2011 with a total U.S. gross of $141.1 Million as of January 3, 2012.
Still, what do these films say about the movie industry. Well, they don’t just say, they shout that sequels still sell. Eight out of the 10 films on the list were sequels. I’ve written quite a lot about how sequels, redos and reboots have littered the movie landscape, so a word to the wise is sufficient. (i.e. The suits haven’t gotten the message so, gentle moviegoer, seek out something original and ignore the sequels, redos and reboots.)
I don’t mind movies based on comic books, because comic books lend themselves to being on the silver screen, especially with the technology now available. With today’s technology, a good special effect team can make it very easy to suspend disbelief and buy into the illusion that someone can leap tall buildings in a single bound, swing from skyscraper to skyscraper or design an exoskeleton suit that makes him impervious to injury and have incredible strength. Of course, a good special effects team can’t help if someone is a bad actor. Remember, there are limits as to what special effects can do.
Of course, I must admit that I am still on the fence regarding the upcoming Spider-Man reboot. The three Spider-Man films directed by Sam Rami and staring Toby Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man did well at the box office, with audiences and critics. It wouldn’t hurt anyone to have ended it at the third film and let other characters in the Marvel universe get their chance in the spotlight. Yet, I’ve seen some of the images from the film and they have piqued my curiosity. Stay tuned for further developments.
You know, when I ended a similar blog entry in January 2011, I predicted that 2011 would bring more blockbusters, sequels and animated films. I was right and the above list proves it. Just goes to show you that the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior.
Sources:
http://boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2011&p=.htm
http://www.hollywood.com/news/The_Box_Office_Year_in_Review_2011/12394979
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