Top-Grossing Films of 1971
1. Fiddler on the Roof $38,261,000
2. The French Connection $32,500,000
3. Summer of ’42 $26,315,000
4. Diamonds Are Forever $20,500,000
5. Dirty Harry $19,727,000
6. Carnal Knowledge $18,000,000
7. A Clockwork Orange $17,000,000
8. Klute $14,075,000
9. The Last Picture Show $13,100,000
10. Bedknobs and Broomsticks* $11,426,000
I was surprised to see “Clockwork Orange” on this list. I can’t conceive of the film being made today and if it was, it would never have a national release in enough theaters to rank among the top-grossing films of the year. The re-release of “Bedknobs and Broomsticks” with Angela Lansbury is the only overtly family film. Aside from arguably “Diamonds are Forever,” the rest are movies strictly for adults or ones that parents might consider taking their kids along with them if they’re old enough, but none are the amusement park ride movies of today designed for kids and their parental chauffeurs.
Top-Grossing Films of 1981
1. Raiders of the Lost Ark $384,562,121
2. On Golden Pond $119,285,432
3. Superman II $108,185,706
4. Arthur $95,461,682
5. Stripes $85,297,000
6. The Cannonball Run $72,179,579
7. Chariots of Fire $58,972,904
8. For Your Eyes Only $54,812,802
9. The Four Seasons $50,427,646
10. Time Bandits $42,365,581
“Superman II” is a sequel, but otherwise, it’s a still diverse selection of comedies, dramas, and action films.
Top-Grossing Films of 1991
1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day $519,843,345
2. Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves $390,493,908
3. Beauty and the Beast $377,350,553
4. Hook $300,854,823
5. The Silence of the Lambs $272,742,922
6. JFK $205,405,498
7. The Addams Family $191,502,426
8. Cape Fear $182,291,969
9. Hot Shots! $181,096,164
10. City Slickers $179,033,791
People continue to debate whether eventual Best Picture winner “The Silence of the Lambs” is a creepy drama or a very good horror movie. I fall in the latter camp. “Beauty and the Beast,” essentially a cartoon musical, has more in common with 1971’s “Fiddler” than 2001’s “Shrek.” The biggest film of the year is a sequel, and we have our first entry based on TV show — back when the mid-60s was 25 years behind us rather than the mid-80s. We also see more disposable movies — you’d think “Robin Hood” and “Hook” were bombs based on the number of people with positive experiences of them.
Top-Grossing Films of 2001
1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone $974,733,550
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring $870,761,744
3. Monsters, Inc. $525,366,597
4. Shrek $484,409,218
5. Ocean’s Eleven $450,717,150
6. Pearl Harbor $449,220,945
7. The Mummy Returns $433,013,274
8. Jurassic Park III $368,780,809
9. Planet of the Apes $362,211,740
10. Hannibal $351,692,268 $165,092,268
Everything listed is either a sequel or a remake, except for “Pearl Harbor,” “Monsters, Inc.” (sequel on the way), and “Shrek” (enough already!) “Harry Potter” and “The Lord of the Rings” are what I call “sequels from the start,” as they are event movies that are intended to have multiple installments.
Top-Grossing Films of 2011
1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 $1,328,111,219
2. Transformers: Dark of the Moon $1,123,196,189
3. Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides $1,043,871,802
4. Kung Fu Panda 2 $663,024,542
5. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 $633,500,000
6. Fast Five $626,137,675
7. The Hangover Part II $581,464,305
8. The Smurfs $562,158,353
9. Cars 2 $551,850,875
10. Rio $484,635,760
So, no dramas, one comedy (in theory), four cartoons (five, if you count the theoretical comedy), and eight sequels. The new “film series within a film series” concept (“Harry Potter” and “Twilight”) amuses me: Four to five hours to watch a film adaptation of a book that could probably be read in half that time.
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