Marquee History
May and Early June 2017
By Max Braden
June 6, 2017
BoxOfficeProphets.com
After a spring lull, we look back at the start of the Hollywood summer season, with some big box office anniversaries for May and early June.
Here are the movies that premiered on theater marquees…
10 YEARS AGO
Spider-Man 3 - May 4, 2007
Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker battles Sandman (Thomas Haden Church), Venom (Topher Grace), and friend-foe Green Goblin (James Franco). The film opened at #1, set US and worldwide single day records, and set the US weekend record with $151 million from 4,252 theaters, but it actually earned the least of Sam Raimi’s trilogy with $336 million from U.S. theaters. The series was rebooted in 2012 with Andrew Garfield as The Amazing Spider-Man.
28 Weeks Later - May 11, 2007
Juan Carlos Fresnadillo’s zombie sequel to Danny Boyle’s 28 Days Later opened at #2 with $9.8 million and scored good reviews for its unrelenting pace.
Shrek the Third - May 18, 2007
The third animated fairytale comedy in the DreamWorks franchise finds Shrek as heir to the kingdom and fending off claims from Prince Charming (Rupert Everett) and Arthur Pendragon (Justin Timberlake). The lovable ogre took down Spider-Man for the #1 spot with a $121 million opening (which would have been the May record) from 4,122 theaters and eventually grossed $322 million.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End - May 25, 2007
The third of this franchise introduces Chow Yun-fat and Keith Richards as as a pirate lords, travels to the world of the dead to recover Jack Sparrow, and features a battle between the Black Pearl and the Flying Dutchman. It is the most expensive film ever produced ($300 million), but did make back the money with a five-day Memorial Day take of $139 million, U.S. total gross of $309 million, and a worldwide total of $963 million (third best ever to that time).
Knocked Up - June 1, 2007
The pregnancy comedy with Seth Rogen and Katherine Heigl scored strong reviews and a #2 weekend opening with $30 million. Its $148 million domestic gross was the best of director Judd Apatow’s career to date.
Ocean’s Thirteen - June 8, 2007
Danny’s crew uses a giant underground drill to take down Willy Bank (Al Pacino) and his new casino in the third of Soderbergh’s trilogy. Ocean’s Thirteen replaced the Pirates at #1 with $36 million from 3,565 theaters and took in $117 million, significantly lower than the first film’s $183 million domestic gross. Sandra Bullock is expected to head the spinoff Ocean’s Eight in 2018.
15 YEARS AGO
Spider-Man - May 3, 2002
Tobey Maguire stars in Peter Parker’s origin story dueling against Willem Dafoe as the Green Goblin in Columbia/Sony’s big budget project with Sam Raimi at the helm. It took years of litigation and a superhero revival thanks to X-Men, but the wait paid off with the first eight-digit opening weekend record: $114.8 million from 3,615 theaters. It also tied Titanic’s record for fastest to $400 million at 66 days, with a total gross of $403 million. That domestic total is still in the top 25 all-time as of June 2017.
Unfaithful - May 10, 2002
Diane Lane’s sexy and anguished performance in this erotic thriller earned her her first and only Oscar nomination, for Best Actress. This is director Adrian Lyne’s most recent work. Unfaithful opened at #2 with $14 million from 2,617 theaters and grossed $52.7 million.
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones - May 16, 2002
Hayden Christensen is featured as the young Anakin Skywalker, protector of Senator Padme Amidala and apprentice to Obi-Wan Kenobi, who uncovers the secret army cloned from Jango Fett. Had it not been for Spider-Man, Attack of the Clones’ $80 million opening would have been the second best ever, behind Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’s $90 million the previous November. Clones brought in $302 million in the U.S. and $649 million total worldwide, compared to $821 million for Spider-Man.
About a Boy - May 17, 2002
Hugh Grant received great reviews and writers Peter Hedges and Chris Weitz & Paul Weitz received an Oscar nomination for their adaptation of Nick Hornby’s novel.
Memorial Day Weekend - May 24, 2002
With Star Wars and Spider-Man in the top spots, Insomnia, Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and Enough opened at third, fourth, and fifth at the box office.
The Sum of All Fears - May 31, 2002
Eight years after Harrison Ford last portrayed CIA analyst Jack Ryan, Ben Affleck took over in this reboot of the timeline. The plot features a nuclear bomb set off at Baltimore football game in a film released just nine months after the terrorist attacks of September 11th. The Tom Clancy thriller took the #1 spot at the box office with $31.1 million and finished at $118.9 million, slightly down from the series peak of $122 million for Clear and Present Danger. It was another 12 years before we saw the series rebooted again with Jake Ryan: Shadow Recruit. Also this weekend: Eddie Griffin starred in the hilarious spy comedy Undercover Brother.
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood - June 7, 2002
Sandra Bullock starred in this female bonding drama directed by Callie Khouri (of Thelma & Louise). The sisterhood debuted at #2, just $3 million shy of The Sum of All Fears’ second weekend, with $16.1 million (and a better per-theater average) headed toward a total of $69 million.
20 YEARS AGO
Breakdown - May 2, 1997
Kurt Russell stars in this thriller as a man desperate to save his abducted wife from a sinister truck driver (J.T. Wash in one of his best performances). Audiences made it #1 with $12.3 million from 2,108 theaters headed toward a total of $50.1 million.
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery - May 2, 1997
Mike Myers stars in this groovy spoof on the spy genre, and co-stars as Dr. Evil. Given the success of Wayne’s World, it’s remarkable look back and see that this highly quotable comedy debuted at #2 with only $9.5 million and a total gross of $53.8 million - less than half of Wayne’s World. But fans flocked to the sequel: The Spy Who Shagged Me earned a $54 million opening and $206 million gross two years later.
The Fifth Element - May 9, 1997
Bruce Willis saves the world from destruction by the evil Zorg (Gary Oldman) with the help of alien Leeloo (Milla Jovovich in her breakthrough role) in this sci-fi adventure from French writer/director Luc Besson. Thierry Arbogast’s vivid cinematography still looks spectacular 20 years later. The Fifth Element opened at #1 with $17 million, earned $63.8 million in the U.S., and a huge $200 million from foreign markets, putting it at #9 for the year in worldwide receipts.
May 16, 1997 - New releases barely cracked the top ten this weekend.
The Lost World: Jurassic Park - May 23, 1997
Four years after the blockbuster success of Jurassic Park, Steven Spielberg and Jeff Goldblum returned for this sequel set on a neighboring island, now with Julianne Moore and Pete Postlethwaite in the cast. The sequel fell short of the first film’s domestic gross by almost $130 million, but it took the all-time opening weekend record from Batman Forever with $90 million over the long Memorial Day weekend ($72 million three-day). The Lost World took in $229 million domestically (third for the year) and $618 million worldwide. Jurassic Park III followed in 2001.
Addicted to Love - May 23, 1997
The love/hate comedy with Matthew Broderick and Meg Ryan opened at #2 with #11.4 million and brought in a meager $34.6 million.
May 30, 1997 - With Jurassic Park holding on to the top spot with $34 million, the comedies Gone Fishin’ and Trial and Error opened at #3 and #4 in the $5 million to $6 million range.
Con Air - June 6, 1997
Teaming Nicolas Cage and producer Jerry Bruckheimer again after the success of The Rock , Cage’s U.S. Army Ranger has to prevent a group of prisoners lead by Cyrus the Virus (John Malkovich) from escaping their transport plane. Con Air stole the #1 spot from Jurassic Park with $24.1 million from 2,824 theaters and earned $101 million overall.
25 YEARS AGO
May 1 and 8, 1992
New films barely made a dent at the box office in early May, with Split Second and Folks! debuting at #4 and #5. The top spots were held by March openers Basic Instinct and White Men Can’t Jump, which eventually earned $117 million and $76 million respectively.
Lethal Weapon 3 - May 15, 1992
This time, LAPD detectives Riggs and Murtaugh are on the trail of an arms dealer selling “cop killers” - armor-piercing bullets. With each entry in this series comes a new cast member; Joe Pesci returns as Leo Getz from Lethal Weapon 2, and Rene Russo joins the cast as Internal Affairs (and love interest) Sgt. Cole. Lethal Weapon 3 opened at #1 with $33.2 million from 2,510 theaters, taking the May opening weekend record from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It grossed $144 million in the U.S., the fourth best of the year.
Alien 3 - May 22, 1992
Sigourney Weaver returns as Ellen Ripley, who lands on a penal colony world. Alien 3 opened at #2 behind Lethal Weapon with $23.1 million from 2,227 theaters over the Memorial Day weekend, which was an improvement over Aliens, but its overall gross was the weakest of the series to date with only $55 million. Alien Resurrection performed even less impressively five years later. Alien: Covenant recently opened on May 19, 2017 with $36 million.
Far and Away - May 22, 1992
Real life husband and wife Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman star in Ron Howard’s epic Irish immigration saga set in 1893 Oklahoma. The film is remembered as much for its lush cinematography as it is for Cruise’s uncertain accent, and its box office disappointment. Far and Away opened at #3 with $12.9 million and took in only $58.8 million in the U.S. on a $60 million budget.
Sister Act - May 29, 1992
Whoopi Goldberg stars as a lounge singer and witness to a murder, hiding out in a convent run by the stuffy Maggie Smith. Sister Act opened at #2 behind Lethal Weapon with $11.8 million from 2,087 and went on to earn $139 million, the sixth best total of the year. Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit followed in December 1993 with less impressive box office results. The choir-centric comedy was eventually adapted as a stage musical in 2006 and later in 2011 on Broadway.
Patriot Games - June 5, 1992
Following Alec Baldwin’s portrayal of Jack Ryan in The Hunt For Red October, Harrison Ford took over the role for this thriller centered around terrorism by the Irish Republican Army. Sean Bean plays the baddie. Patriot Games opened at #1 with $18.5 million from 2,365 theaters and eventually earned $83.3 million, a shortfall from the $122 million earned by Red October. Ford returned as Ryan in the more successful Clear and Present Danger in 1994.
30 YEARS AGO
May 1 and 8, 1987
The lead at the box office in early May was The Secret of My Success which had opened at #1 on April 10th and held that spot through the May 8th weekend. Creepshow 2 actually had a higher per-theater average on its debut weekend May 1st but quickly fell off. Of interest to music fans was The Allnighter, starring Bangles lead singer Susanna Hoffs, though it bombed with critics and audiences. More trivia: Hoffs’ husband Jay Roach directed Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery due to Susanna being a bandmate in Ming Tea with Mike Myers.
Ishtar - May 15, 1987
This Saharan road comedy with Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman became notorious when its $55 million production costs generated more buzz than its script or performances. Though it managed to open at #1 on its debut weekend with $4.3 million (1,139 theaters), its $14.3 million gross was a failure on the order of Heaven’s Gate.
Beverly Hills Cop II - May 22, 1987
When Beverly Hills Cop became the number one box office hit of 1984, you knew a sequel was guaranteed. Eddie Murphy returns as Axel Foley, alonwith Rosewood and Taggart (Judge Reinhold and John Ashton) as they face off against bank-job and arms-dealing bad guys Dean Stockwell and Brigitte Nielsen. Beverly Hills Cop II’s #1 opening effectively tied the all-time record-holder Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom with $26.3 million 3-day and $33.0 million over the Memorial Day weekend and held the #1 spot for two more weekends. However, its $153 million gross fell far short of the $234 million for the first film. Murphy returned for Beverly Hills Cop III in 1994.
The Untouchables - June 5, 1987
Kevin Costner stars as Eliot Ness and Robert De Niro plays Al Capone, but it was Sean Connery who would win an Oscar for his supporting role as a beat cop in Brian DePalma’s period crime drama. The film also received Academy Award nominations for Best Costume Design, Best Original Score, and Best Production Design. The Untouchables opened at #2 with $10 million from less than half the number of theaters showing Beverly Hills Cop II. It eventually earned $76 million, the sixth best total of the year.
Harry and the Hendersons - June 5, 1987
The family friendly adventure about a family that takes in a sasquatch didn’t earn big box office but is probably fondly remembered by its fans. John Lithgow reluctantly yelling at Harry to go into the wild (to save him from hunters) is the standout scene. Harry opened at #3 with $4.1 million and brought in $29.7 million overall.
35 YEARS AGO
May 7, 1982
March and April were dominated by Porky’s, which opened at #1 on March 19th with $7.6 and held the top spot through the May 7th weekend. Porky’s eventually earned $105 million, the 5th highest domestic gross of the year.
Conan the Barbarian - May 14, 1982
At age 35, Mr. Olympia legend Arnold Schwarzenegger scored a decent hit with his first major starring role. Opening at #1, Conan’s $9.6 million weekend was among the top ten to date, and the film’s $39.5 million was Schwarzenegger’s highest until Predator five years later.
Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid - May 21, 1982
One of my favorite Steve Martin comedies is one of his least-remembered. He plays private eye Rigby Reardon in black & white scenes edited with clips from classic noir films. Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid opened at #2 with $4.2 million at only 882 theaters for a per-theater average that beat Conan’s in its second weekend. The comedy grossed a total of $18.1 million.
The Road Warrior / Mad Max 2 - May 21, 1982
In this sequel Mel Gibson’s former cop saves a group of survivors at an oil refinery group from Wez and Lord Humungus. It of course features some fantastic driving action sequences. The Road Warrior opened at #4 with $2.5 million from 704 theaters and grossed a total of $23.6 million in the U.S. Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome followed in 1985.
Rocky III - May 28, 1982
Sylvester Stallone returns as the now wealthy heavyweight champion who loses his belt and friend Mickey to the fierce Clubber Lang (Mr. T). This was the film that made “Eye of the Tiger” a hit. Rocky III opened with $16 million over the long Memorial Day weekend from just 939 theaters, a May record and a per-theater average that wasn’t matched again until Return of the Jedi. Its $124 million gross was the most successful of the series until Rocky IV in 1985.
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - June 4, 1982
Ricardo Montalban reprises his role as the villain Khan Noonien Singh, 25 years after first appearing on the Star Trek television series. The film remains one of the highest rated in the series at Rotten Tomatoes.com no doubt due to the cat and mouse fight between Kirk and Khan, and two poignant scenes with Spock. Star Trek II’s $14.3 million opening weekend (at 1,621 theaters) took the all-time record from Superman II and became the sixth highest grossing film of the year with $78.9 million.
Poltergeist - June 4, 1982
This supernatural horror made homeowners everywhere afraid of their houses, trees, and pools. Poltergeist opened at #3 with $6.8 million from 980 theaters and went on to earn $76.6 million. Two sequels and a 2015 reboot followed, but the first in the franchise remains the most successful at the box office.