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25 years ago

Boyz n the Hood - July 12, 1991
This film was notable for both launching multiple film careers and for its race relations, gangs, and youth culture in California during the late 1980s and early 1990s. Cuba Gooding Jr. has his first starring role as teenager in Crenshaw named Tre Styles, N.W.A. rapper Ice Cube has his first film role as Doughboy, and Morris Chestnut makes his film debut as Ricky. And for John Singleton’s first film, he received Oscar nominations for Best Director (the youngest ever at 23, and first African-American) and Best Writing. Reviews were excellent and audiences made Boyz n the Hood #3 (behind Terminator 2 in its second weekend, and 101 Dalmatians in re-release) for the weekend with $10 million from just 829 theaters, the second-highest per-theater average for a wide release film that year. It went on to earn $55 million on a small budget.

Point Break - July 12, 1991
Though typical of the late 1980s/early 1990s action genre, Point Break has had longevity to the point that it was referenced heavily in 2007’s Hot Fuzz and was remade in 2015. Keanu Reeves stars as former football quarterback and new FBI agent Johnny Utah, who goes undercover to take down a thrill-seeking group of surfer-bank thieves called the Ex-Presidents, led by Patrick Swayze’s character, Bohdi. Big waves, big talk, and skydiving sequences made for an instant classic. Point Break opened at #4 with $8.5 million and went on to earn $43 million.

Regarding Henry - July 12, 1991
Harrison Ford wasn’t always the action hero in the 1980s, taking on more personal roles in Witness, The Mosquito Coast, and Presumed Innocent. Here he plays a lawyer and shooting victim who struggles to regain his mobility, speech, and relationship with his wife, played by Annette Bening. The quieter pace and release pattern led to quieter box office, with Regarding Henry opening at #7 with $6.1 million from 800 theaters and $43 million from a peak of just over 1,000 theaters.

Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey - July 19, 1991
Time travelers Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves return as William “Bill” S. Preston and Ted “Theodore” Logan in a surreal trip to the afterlife where they battle robot duplicates of themselves and Death in various board games for a chance to get back to the real world. It may have not been as memorable as Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, but it did manage to nearly match the box office total of the first film. This sequel opened at #2 behind Terminator 2 in its third weekend, with $10.2 million from 1,620 theaters (matching T2’s per-theater average), and grossed a total of $38 million. Word about a third entry in the series has been on and off for years.

Dutch - July 19, 1991
Dutch is one of my favorite overlooked John Hughes-written comedies. Married...With Children star Ed O’Neill stars as a working class guy who is dating a wealthy divorced mother (JoBeth Williams) and offers to transport her son Doyle (Ethan Embry) from school back home for Thanksgiving. Their road trip suffers mishaps and mutual dislike but warms with comedy and life lessons. Dutch opened at #10 with $1.8 million and made only $4.6 million. But the critics called this one wrongly, I think, because it’s still funny and worth a look for Hughes fans.

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