Marquee History
Weeks 18-21 (May)
By Max Braden
May 24, 2016
BoxOfficeProphets.com
Summer at the movies begins with May, and who better to kick things off than a trio of Tom Cruise films?
Here are the movies that premiered on theater marquees ...
10 years ago - May 2006
May 5th new releases:
Mission: Impossible III / An American Haunting / Hoot
This is the third Tom Cruise film celebrated this month, so jump to the end and work backward if you'd like the chronological replay. By Mission: Impossible III the series had already established itself as a thrilling big stunt series. Two of the notable action sequences are a convoy jailbreak on a bridge, and Hunt swinging onto an all-glass skyscraper in Shanghai. Again, the plot is a little convoluted (tracking something called "The Rabbit's Foot"), but the real fireworks and intensity in this entry are based on the personal story; Cruise's wife, played by Michelle Monaghan, is kidnapped, and Hunt will do anything to save her. The face-off between him and Philip Seymour Hoffman's Owen Davian features Cruise at the most intense level we've ever seen from him. Mission: Impossible III opened with $47 million from 4,054 theaters, which was not so impressive compared to the previous films or other franchises. Its $134 million gross is actually the lowest of the series. I don't care; this one is my favorite of the franchise.
May 12th new releases:
Poseidon / Just My Luck / Goal! The Dream Begins
Poseidon remakes the 1972 disaster movie about a cruise ship turned upside down by a rogue wave. Kurt Russell leads an ensemble cast trying to make it out alive. Reviews were weak, but the film was later nominated for Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards. I was impressed by Russell's acting, especially his final scene. Poseidon couldn't take down Tom Cruise's crew, and opened at #2 with $22.1 million, ultimately taking in $60 million (about $100 million short of its budget).
May 19th new releases:
The Da Vinci Code / Over the Hedge / See No Evil
The Da Vinci Code was a huge, bestselling novel, so naturally audiences flocked to see its film adaptation. Tom Hanks plays the symbologist Robert Langdon and Audrey Tautou plays French cryptologist Sophie Neveu, who team up to solve a murder and uncover a vast conspiracy by the Priory of Scion and Opus Dei to cover up the true history of Jesus. The Da Vinci Code opened with $77 million from 3,735 theaters and ultimately grossed $217 million in the U.S. and a whopping $758 million total worldwide, making it the fifth biggest domestic earner and the second biggest worldwide movie of the year behind Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. The sequel, Angels & Demons, was released in 2009 to lower numbers.
Despite having the fifth widest release ever to that time, Over the Hedge could only manage second place for the weekend with $38 million from 4,059 sites. The animated adventure about backyard animals going beyond their typical boundaries features the voices of Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, and William Shatner. It took in a total gross of $155 million in the U.S.
May 26th new releases:
X-Men: The Last Stand / An Inconvenient Truth
X-Men: The Last Stand was the third entry in the comic book superhero series. This story features Magneto and his Brotherhood of Mutants fighting back against the use of a medical "cure" for mutants. Jean Grey has transformed into Phoenix, and we see the introductions of Angel, Multiple Man, Callisto, Juggernaut, and Kitty Pryde. The Last Stand opened with $122 million for the four-day Memorial Day weekend, taking that record from The Lost World: Jurassic Park, and setting the single Friday record. It went on to gross $234 million in the U.S., which was the best of the X-Men franchise until Deadpool was released in 2016. The next X-Men movie focused on Wolverine's origins before the series shifted to younger versions of the characters with X-Men: First Class in 2011.
Though Al Gore's environmental documentary An Inconvenient Truth opened at just four theaters this weekend, it had a big $70,332 per-theater average. It expanded its release to just under 600 theaters and eventually earned $24.1 million, the third highest grossing documentary to that time.
15 years ago - May 2001
May 4th new releases:
The Mummy Returns
The Mummy was big, but The Mummy Returns was bigger. Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz return for the sequel to the Indiana Jones-style adventure released in 1999. In this film, the archaeologists trigger the resurrection of Imhotep, played by Arnold Vosloo. Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) gets his first film role as The Scorpion King; he'd play the lead role in the 2002 spinoff prequel. Reviews were not as strong for this film as its predecessor, but audiences returned to see the adventure, special effects, and some light comedy. The Mummy Returns opened at #1 with $68 million from 3,401 theaters, the third biggest opening of 2001 and a new May opening weekend record, previously held by Mission: Impossible II. The Mummy Returns went on to gross $202 million in the U.S. and $433 million worldwide, putting it just above Pearl Harbor for the year.
May 11th new releases:
A Knight's Tale
I need to redo my all-time favorite movies list because A Knight's Tale belongs in my Top Ten. Some criticized the use of modern music (Queen, David Bowie, AC/DC) in a movie set during the Middle Ages, but I thought it was perfectly suited to the tone of the comedy-adventure. The energy we saw from Heath Ledger in 10 Things I Hate About You is in full effect here in the form of his squire-turned-faux-knight who is desperate to change his fate and win the heart of the girl played by Shannon Sossamon. Paul Bettany also comes out of nowhere to nearly steal the show as hype-master Geoffrey Chaucer. Even the villain and Ledger's supporting cast are great. It's one of those movies that just inspires boundless optimism, and is that much more bittersweet when you think about how much more Ledger had in store had he not passed prematurely. A Knight's Tale opened at #2 with $16.5 million from 2,980 theaters and went on to gross $56 million. This was Ledger's best box office performance until Brokeback Mountain was released at the end of 2005.
May 18th new releases:
Shrek / Angel Eyes / Moulin Rouge!
Shrek wasn't the first movie from DreamWorks Animation but certainly was the movie that established the studio's firm presence in the industry. Like Toy Story, Shrek was accessible for children, but it also made adults laugh. Both Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy were coincidentally reaching a low point in their live action film careers, so Shrek turned out to be a fortunate boon. For starters, Shrek opened at #1 with $42 million from 3,587 theaters and went on to earn $267 million in the U.S. That made it the third highest grossing film of 2001 and second highest grossing animated film (after The Lion King) to date. Then it was nominated for Best Writing and won Best Animated Feature at the Oscars the first time that category was created. From there, the franchise became a money-making machine. Three direct film sequels and a Puss in Boots spinoff, television specials, and countless toys and related merchandise have been released in the past 15 years, extending the franchise even after its film series ended in 2010/2011.
Moulin Rouge! opened at just two theaters this weekend (with a huge $83,770 per-site average) but would receive wide release expansion on June 1st. Baz Luhrmann's visually stunning musical set in 1899 stars Nicole Kidman, who was nominated for an Oscar, and Ewan McGregor. The film was also nominated for Best Picture, Cinematography, Editing, Makeup, and Sound, and won the Academy Awards for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. By the end of its run it had grossed $57 million, Luhrmann's best career result until The Great Gatsby in 2013.
May 25th new releases:
Pearl Harbor
As audiences could expect from Michael Bay and Jerry Bruckheimer, Pearl Harbor is a big, epic spectacle and glossy telling of the WWII battle. Ben Affleck leads an ensemble that includes Josh Hartnett, Kate Beckinsale, Cuba Gooding Jr., Alec Baldwin, and Jon Voight as FDR. Reviews were poor and the film earned a Worst Picture Razzie Award nomination, but it's hard to deny the technical achievement of the production. The cinematography over the cliffs of Dover is especially impressive. The film earned Oscar nominations for Best Sound, Sound Editing, Visual Effects, and Original Song ("There You'll Be"), winning for Sound Editing. Pearl Harbor earned $59 million for Friday-to-Sunday and $75 million for the four-day Memorial Day weekend. It took in $198 million in the U.S. and $449 million total worldwide, putting it in the top ten box office hits for the year.
20 years ago - May 1996
May 3rd new releases:
The Craft / The Great White Hype / Last Dance / The Pallbearer / Barb Wire
The teen witchcraft film The Craft had mixed reviews but it opened at #1 with $6.7 million from 1,757 theaters and made a total of $24.8 million. Boxing comedy The Great White Hype opened at #5 with $3.3 million. Last Dance (not to be confused with Save the Last Dance), a Sharon Stone prison drama, opened at #6 with $2.6 million. Rom-com The Pallbearer stars Gwyneth Paltrow and David Schwimmer; his success with television series Friends obviously didn't help, as the film opened at #9 with $2.3 million. And Baywatch star Pamela Anderson couldn't even get the comic-book-action flick Barb Wire into the top 10 for the weekend.
May 10th new releases:
Twister / Original Gangstas
One of my most vivid memories about seeing Twister was the double warning about the sound volume; a sign outside the theater plus an usher in the front of the theater informing the audience before the start that this movie was intentionally LOUD. At the Academy Awards, the film received nominations for Best Sound and Best Visual effects. It was no doubt both of these that drew audiences to see it, but there's plenty of fun dialogue between Helen Hunt and Bill Paxton as storm chasers taking on some serious tornadoes ("Cow."). My most enduring memory of Philip Seymour Hoffman will also probably be "It's coming!!" Twister opened at #1 in 2,414 theaters with $41 million, briefly taking the May opening record from Lethal Weapon 3 before Mission: Impossible would set the new record. Twister went on to earn $241 million in the U.S. and $494 million overall worldwide, making it the #2 box office movie of the year.
May 17th new releases:
Flipper / Heaven's Prisoners
Elijah Wood and Paul Hogan star in the family friendly dolphin movie Flipper, a remake of the 1963 film which was turned into a television series. Flipper opened at #2, well behind Twister with $4.2 million from 2,385 theaters, and eventually earned $20 million.
May 24th new releases:
Mission: Impossible / Spy Hard
Mission: Impossible (opening on the Wednesday before Memorial Day - May 22) was the first film version of the spy television series from the 1960s. The plot, under the direction of Brian DePalma, may have been hard to follow (something about a mole and stolen NOC list), but the style of its big moments set the standard for what would become Tom Cruise's first franchise role: eye-popping stunt pieces and scenes with high tension. The most memorable scene from this movie takes place in a brightly lit and very quiet vault in the CIA, as Ethan Hunt descends on a rope from the ceiling and very nearly activates a pressure-sensitive floor three times. The scene has been parodied both in movies and on television over the years. Mission: Impossible was the first movie to open at over 3,000 theaters, and its $45 million Monday-to-Friday and $75 million Wednesday-to-Monday takes were record openings for the month of May (broken the following year by The Lost World). Mission: Impossible went on to gross $180 million in the U.S. and $457 worldwide, putting it at #3 for the year. Meanwhile, Leslie Nielsen's spoof comedy Spy Hard opened at #3 with $10.4 million for the Memorial Day weekend.
25 years ago - May 1991
May 3rd new releases:
One Good Cop / A Rage in Harlem
One Good Cop is a drama starring Michael Keaton as an honest NYPD detective who steals from a criminal in a desperate move to help his family. The movie opened at #2 behind holdover Oscar with $3.3 million and only made $11.2 million, no doubt because audiences weren't used to this kind of role for Keaton. He would star as Batman again the following summer.
May 10th new releases:
F/X 2 / Switch / Madonna: Truth or Dare
F/X 2 is the sequel to the 1986 action thriller which brings back Bryan Brown as a special-effects artist and Brian Dennehy as a cop investigating a murder and stolen gold medallions. Reviews were poor but F/X 2 managed to open at #1 with $5.4 million, going on to a total of $21 million. Ellen Barkin's body-swapping comedy Switch opened at #2 with $3.7 million and made $15.5 million despite weak reviews. Madonna: Truth Or Dare opened at 51 theaters this weekend and expanded to 650 theaters through May, eventually earning $15 million.
May 17th new releases:
What About Bob? / Stone Cold / Mannequin Two: On the Move
The comedy What About Bob? stars Bill Murray as an erratic patient of stuffy psychiatrist Richard Dreyfuss, and things get crazy when Murray's character Bob insists on being part of his doctor's family vacation. Reviews were very good, leading to What About Bob? commanding the #1 box office spot with $9.2 million from 1,463 theaters. It took in a total of $63.7 million. Down at #5 was a less impressive entry, unless you like kick-ass biker movies. Stone Cold stars former NFL player Brian Bosworth in his first role as an undercover cop who takes down an outlaw motorcycle gang led by Lance Henriksen. Opening with $2.8 million, Stone Cold made just over a third of its budget back and earned Bosworth a Razzie Award nomination. (I didn't care; I remember enjoying the action on opening weekend even if Bosworth was no replacement for Schwarzenegger as an action star.) Mannequin Two: On the Move was of course the sequel to the odd 1987 hit about about a store mannequin that comes to life. Kim Cattrall and Andrew McCarthy are replaced by Kristy Swanson and William Ragsdale, with only Meschach Taylor returning, in a ridiculous medieval sorcerer plot. Mannequin Two bombed with critics and at the box office, opening at #8 with $1.6 million and earning less than a tenth of the first movie's total gross.
May 24th new releases:
Backdraft / Hudson Hawk / Thelma and Louise / Only the Lonely / Drop Dead Fred / Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken
This was a busy weekend for new movies, with six of the top seven box office spots held by debuts. Ron Howard's firefighter drama Backdraft took the #1 spot with $15.7 million over the four-day Memorial Day weekend, making it the best opening of Howard's career up to that point. Backdraft eventually made $77 million and was later nominated for Best Sound Effects, Best Visual Effects, and Best Sound at the Academy Awards. Hudson Hawk came in at #3 with $7 million and has been maligned as one of the worst critical and financial flops of Bruce Willis's career (though it has its fun moments). Thelma and Louise opened at #4 with $6 million. Ridley Scott's road movie starring Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis was very well received by critics and audiences, going on to gross $45 million on a $16 million budget, and earning Oscar nominations for Best Actress (Davis and Sarandon), Best Director, Cinematography, Editing, and Original Screenplay (winning that category for Callie Khouri). While having an important impact on feminist (or anti-misogyny) discussion, the film was also an early eye candy role for Brad Pitt. John Candy and Ally Sheedy starred in the Chris Columbus comedy Only the Lonely at #5 with $5.9 million, Phoebe Cates starred in the comedy Drop Dead Fred at #6 with $3.6 million, and the Disney drama Wild Hearts Can't be Broken opened at #7 with $2.7 million over the four-day weekend.
30 years ago - May 1986
May 2nd new releases:
Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling / Blue City / No Retreat, No Surrender
Richard Pryor was a huge stand-up comedy star by 1980 but nearly lost it all when he set himself on fire while under the influence of cocaine. Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life is Calling stars Pryor as a comedian who does the same thing, and then has an out-of-body experience trying to remedy the destructive behavior in his life. Pryor wrote and directed the film as well as starring in it. Jo Jo Dancer opened at #1 with $4.8 million and eventually earned $18.0 million. Blue City, a drama with Ally Sheedy and Judd Nelson, opened at #2 with $2.7 million. It fell to #4 the following week as Sheedy also starred in Short Circuit. No Retreat, No Surrender is notable not for its box office, but as one of Jean-Claude Van Damme's earliest martial arts roles before he became known in Bloodsport.
May 9th new releases:
Short Circuit / Fire With Fire / Dangerously Close
"Johnny Five...is alive!" Who doesn't love a wisecracking robot? Like WarGames, Real Genius, and other movies this decade, Short Circuit takes a shot at wayward military technology with comedy. Ally Sheedy plays a woman who discovers the killer robot Number 5 after it has been struck by lightning and has become self-aware, asking for as much "input" from television and books as she can provide. Steve Guttenberg plays Dr. Newton Crosby, the military program's lead inventor who is sent to recover the lost robot but then helps them escape the military efforts to destroy Number 5. It's a little bit of E.T. and Home Alone. Guttenberg had built up an audience with his hits Police Academy and Cocoon, which helped turn this movie into another success. Short Circuit opened at #1 with $5.3 million from 1,033 theaters and took in a total of $40.6 million. Short Circuit 2 was released in 1988 without Sheedy or Guttenberg (Fisher Stevens returns from the first film) to weaker reviews and box office.
May 16th new releases:
Top Gun / Sweet Liberty
Top Gun wasn't actually the first jet pilot movie of the year - that was Iron Eagle in January - or Tom Cruise's first movie of the year - that was Legend, which was released in April. Top Gun, of course, blew them both away, along with every other movie released in 1986. After opening at #1 with $8.1 million, Top Gun went on to become the top grossing movie of the year with $176 million. As of 2016, that's still the best result of Cruise's career when adjusted for inflation. But the impact of Top Gun wasn't just at the box office; there was a measurable increase in signups for the Navy, and sales of bomber jackets and aviator sunglasses, and possibly beach volleyball nets. The film received Oscar nominations for Best Effects, Editing, Sound, and Song, winning for "Take My Breath Away." The full soundtrack album had multiplatinum sales thanks to Kenny Loggins's "Danger Zone." The movie made Cruise an instant star and has remained a memorable icon of 1980s action.
May 23rd new releases:
Cobra / Poltergeist II: The Other Side
Cobra stars Sylvester Stallone as LAPD "Zombie Squad" officer "Cobra" Cobretti, a cop who probably hasn't seen a booking desk for years because he keeps gunning down his suspects. Brigitte Nielsen plays a witness to a killing spree by members of a cult/crime group, leading to her being put under Cobra's protective care. Stallone and Nielsen were also involved offscreen; they married a month after Rocky IV was released at the end of 1985. Though the movie is senselessly violent, it does feature a decent car chase with Cobra's custom 1950 Mercury Coupe, and a classic 1980s soundtrack with songs by John Cafferty, Jean Beauvoir, and Robert Tepper. Audiences ignored the reviews and made Cobra #1 at the box office with $15.6 million from 2,131 theaters over the four-day Memorial Day weekend, taking down Top Gun. Cobra held the top spot in its second week and went on to gross $49 million (a third of Rambo II's gross the previous year).
Poltergeist II: The Other Side opened at #2 with $12.3 million. The sequel to the 1982 supernatural horror film brings back the original cast as the Freeling family, who now live in a new distant home but are again under supernatural assault by a possessed reverend. In one of the key scenes, a Mezcal worm grows into a huge monster inside the home; the film was later nominated for Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards. Reviews of the film weren't that great though, and Zelda Rubinstein received a Razzie Award nomination. The total $40.9 million gross was decent but fell short of the first film's $76.6 million total. Poltergeist III was released in 1988.
Come back next week for another installment of Marquee History!