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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 20th anniversary of The Rock and 25th anniversaries of City Slickers and Soapdish.

Here are the movies that premiered on theater marquees this week...

10 years ago

Cars - June 9, 2006
Pixar’s family-friendly CGI adventure is similar to Toy Story but seemingly set in a world without any people, where motorized vehicles each have their own personality. Owen Wilson voices Lightning McQueen, a race car who dreams of becoming a famous winner. Larry the Cable Guy voices Mater the tow truck, Bonnie Hunt voices romance interest Sally the Porsche, and Paul Newman voices a Hudson Hornet. Cars was one of the last film roles for Newman and George Carlin, who both died two years later. Kids naturally picked up on Mater’s goofy behavior and Lightning’s catchphrase “Ka-chow!” similarly to the appeal of Buzz and Woody from Toy Story. Reviews were very positive, and Cars was later nominated for Best Animated Picture and Best Song (“Our Town” by Randy Newman). The less successful Cars 2 was released in 2011. Cars opened at #1 with $60 million - the third best ever opening for June - from 3,985 theaters and went on to gross $244 million in the U.S., the third highest domestic gross of the year.

The Break-Up - June 2, 2006
This PG-13 rated romantic comedy from director Peyton Reed stars Jennifer Aniston and Vince Vaughn as a couple who find they can’t live with each other, but are unwilling to leave their condo to live apart, leading to a War of the Roses-style antagonistic roommate situation. This film followed recent box office successes for Vaughn (Wedding Crashers) and Aniston (Along Came Polly), and exceeded expectations for its opening weekend. The Break-Up opened at #1 on June 2 with $39 million from 3,070 theaters and then took the #2 spot the following weekend behind Cars. By the end of its run, The Break-Up had grossed $118 million in the U.S.

The Omen - June 6, 2006
This psychological/supernatural thriller was a remake of the 1976 original from Richard Donner that starred Gregory Peck. In this version directed by John Moore, Liev Schreiber plays the diplomat in Rome who secretly adopts a boy after his newborn son dies, with Julia Stiles playing his wife. Their adopted son, Damien, has a birthmark of the devil - 666, also the date of release for the movie. This remake received weak reviews and opened at #4 for the weekend with $16 million. Sharp drop-offs in the following weeks led to a domestic total of $55 million.

A Prairie Home Companion - June 9, 2006
Director Robert Altman’s ensemble comedy is based on comedian Garrison Keillor’s variety show of the same name. Keillor plays himself, while Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Lindsay Lohan, Woody Harrelson, John C. Reilly, and Kevin Kline play performers in a live radio show on the eve of cancellation. The film received good reviews and a good per-site average box office, opening at #7 with $4.5 million from only 760 theaters. It eventually earned $20.3 million.

District B13 - June 2, 2006
Also in limited release was this French action film from writer/producer Luc Besson. The crime plot is set in a future Paris partitioned to isolate heavily-populated and impoverished communities, and shows off plenty of Parkour action featuring the discipline’s founder David Bell. Opening at 151 theaters, District B13 earned $1.2 million in the U.S., adding to its $8.3 million grosses from overseas markets.

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