Marquee History
Week 46 - 2015
By Max Braden
November 16, 2015
Welcome to Marquee History, the weekly column that takes you back to a time when you - or your parents - were younger. Prepare to become nostalgic (and shocked) at how much time has passed when you recall what was new in theaters 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 years ago.
This week's highlights are the the massive box office hits of Home Alone, the Grinch, and Harry Potter, plus the 35th anniversary of Raging Bull.
Here are the movies that premiered on theater marquees this week...
10 years ago - November 18, 2005
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Goblet of Fire was the fourth movie in the Harry Potter franchise, following Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Following directors Chris Columbus and Alfonso Cuaron, this film was directed by Mike Newell (Four Weddings and a Funeral). The plot here puts Harry into the dangerous Triwizard Tournament. Critics were impressed by the transition of the main characters from kids to teens, and audience made the movie a huge hit at the box office. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire opened at #1 with $102 million from 3,858 theaters, allowing last week’s four opening movies to pick up less than $20 million combined. Not only did this Potter smash the November opening weekend record previously set by Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in 2001, this was the fourth biggest opening ever, after Spider-Man, Revenge of the Sith, and Shrek 2. Domestically it earned $290 million during its run (behind Star Wars III and The Chronicles of Narnia for the year), and a whopping $606 million from foreign markets for a total worldwide gross of $896 million.
Walk the Line This biopic of the life of country music star Johnny Cash and his wife June Carter came a year after Jamie Foxx portrayed Ray Charles, and was an early Oscar contender. While critics praised Joaquin Phoenix for his portrayal of Cash, it was Reese Witherspoon who came out of the film as the big winner. Witherspoon won the Oscar for Best Actress as a first time nominee, and also won the BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild Awards for the role. The movie also earned Oscar nominations for Best Actor, Best Film Editing, Best Costume Design, and Best Sound Mixing. The soundtrack later won a Grammy for Best Compilation Soundtrack. Walk the Line also did solid business in theaters, opening at #2 with $22 million from 2,961 theaters and finishing with $119 million domestically. Both of those figures outperformed Ray and did so on a smaller budget.
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