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Highest Grossing Films In America
By Kate Logan | December 18, 2009
Written by: Paul A Harper
For those of you who were bummed out by my last article on the biggest box office flops, I’ll make an attempt to brighten you mood by highlighting some of the highest grossing films from America. There will be some obvious ones, but some might irk you.
You will also notice that some of the biggest films, that have made boatloads of cash for everyone involved are seemingly always part of trilogies, or, at the very least, part of some franchise.
I know what you might be thinking…Beverly Hills Chihuahua isn’t on this list. Sorry. It’s true, despite how much money that film made and the general love of talking Chihuahuas since 1994 when Carlos Alazraqui started voicing Gidget, the promotional campaign icon for Taco Bell. Sad to say, Gidget passed away this year, and thus I have refused to use that film in this list. I’m kidding of course about the refusal, but that is because BHC does not even come close to the heavy hitters you will find below this sentence.
Let us begin, shall we?
10 - Ice Age: Dawn Of The Dinosaurs
The cute characters are back at it again, and I say “back at it again” because this is the third in the series. I would expect more sequels considering the concurrent success of John Leguizamo, Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, Dennis Leary, and let’s not forget the new addition of SNL regular Bill Hader. Yes, these lovely characters really know how to pull and audience, and good thing too, because this movie was probably the biggest paycheck any of these actors have made all year, if not ever.
Budget: 90 million / Gross: 887 million
9 - Spiderman 3
Somehow, despite being panned by critics and fans for whatever reason, the third in the series from 2007 ousted the previous two. I’ve heard that Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst and Sam Raimi have all signed on for even more Spiderman related films, so I guess I wouldn’t be surprised if any of those surpass this one. Hollywood seems to continuously make a killing off most any film based on a comic book.
Budget: 258 million / Gross: 890 million
8 - Jurassic Park
I am personally glad to see a film on this list from the 90s that was the first of the irregular series of progressively bad sequels. Yes, the original finally kills the ones following it. Laura Dern, Sam Neill, and Jeff Goldblum* sure raked it in back in 1993. Not to mention Michael Crichton and Steven Spielberg. This film was a horrific sight at the time for those under the age of 8, just as the newer ones are for the same kids. Not because they are scary, but because they terrifyingly awful.
*At his best since The Fly and just as inquisitive, not that he has a best, it’s just this awkward character is what I want to see out of him
Budget: 63 million / Gross: 914 million
7 - Shrek 2
Despite the whirlwind opening weekend of the third one, strangely enough the second in the trilogy wins out on total gains. Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas really pulled in the dough the second time around, with their obtuse (and slightly stereotypical) voicing of very random characters from another world. This world (being animated feature films) is increasingly getting popular, and it’s apparent why A and B list actors are trying to get into them more and more.
Budget: 150 million / Gross: 919 million
6 - Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace
If there was ever a killer of a franchise, it’s absolutely this film. Patton Oswalt had it right when he decided that if given the chance to go back in time, he would attack George Lucas with a shovel. The racial slurs of Jar Jar Binks (shame on you Ahmed Best), the impending doom portrayed by thousands of nerds waiting in tents to get a glimpse of their favorite franchise going directly down the tubes…well, it’s their fault this movie made so much. It murdered at the box office, and subsequently the greatest Sci-Fi series of all time. Think if The Beatles didn’t break up and still put out original albums. Their music would sound like this film.
Budget: 115 million / Gross: 924 million
5 - Harry Potter & The Sorcerer’s Stone
Thank you again. Here’s another film that spawned too many sequels that could never match the financial gain of the original. J.K. Rowling is definitely rolling in the cash with or without the sequels. But, the annoyingly popular book series has kept demand up, despite lowering turnouts and DVD sales, thank God. Emma Watson is the only good thing to come from this series. If you don’t believe me, listen to any of them on late night talk shows. It must be that she is actually from Paris, France. Makes you think, right?
Budget: 125 million / Gross: 974 million
4 - The Dark Knight
There must have been a reason they attempted to distance this film from previous Batman flicks. None of them were bad, but this one destroyed the expectation anyone could have had. They got a bit more attention since Heath Ledgers surprise death early in 2008 (sad to see him go) but this movie did not need to rely on that kind of hype to showcase the quality that Christopher Nolan had created. Pluses: Amazing performances, and the great idea to rid the camera of Katie Holmes in exchange for Maggie Gyllenhall. Minuses: Christian Bale really needs to spit up the molten lava from his throat.
Budget 185 million / Gross: 1 billion
3 - Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Third on the list, and third of the four films dedicated to mythical pirates who reek of bourbon. Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley probably stuck with this so long because the paychecks were mighty fine. In the grand scope of this series, Dead Man’s Chest is probably the worst of them all, despite the pitfalls of The Black Pearl. But mistakes and failures aside, this one was and is still the highest grossing one, and that is a lot of money for one series.
Budget: 225 million / Gross: 1.06 billion
2 - Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King
This series made Elijah Wood a star. I still love Liv Tyler and Ian McKellen, but the success Wood has had since these films makes me happy they exist, despite my complete distaste for this film, especially the length. The extended version clocked in at four hours and ten minutes. Are you kidding me Peter Jackson? I’m sure you could have told the story in half that time, without the two hours that I fell asleep during. Guess what? Still got the plot and the story. Thanks. Also, you’ve got to wonder why Sean Astin does nothing now. Oh, wait. No, you don’t have to wonder that at all. Take care of the ring, boys. You won’t make that kind of cash again. For all of you who now want to throw me into a lake of fire for dissing LOTR, sorry.
Budget: 96 million / Gross: 1.1 billion
1 - Titanic
Despite my own lack of interest in this film, James Cameron deserves a thousand pats on the back. Not only directed this financial masterpiece, but wrote, co-produced, and co-edited it. He should do that more often and open up another Swiss bank account. Seemingly launching the careers of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet, this film was vicious. It’s no wonder it destroyed every other box office movie ever. I personally saw it on theater boards for over a year straight, and I’m sure it was still being played globally for at least months. And yes, Titanic, based on the tragic events of 1912, was released in 1997, might just forever be Americas highest grossing film of all time. To Cameron: thank you for not ruining your legacy by trying to repeat the success of Titanic. It just can’t happen.
Budget: 200 million / Gross: 1.85 billion
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