1a Box Office Takings
Look at the highest grossing films of 2013 and 2014, based on figures collected from Box Office Mojo (rounded to the nearest $ million) and discuss the prompt questions before revealing the suggested responses.
Highest-grossing films of 2013
| Rank | Title | Studio | Worldwide gross ($ million) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frozen | Disney | $1274 |
| 2 | Iron Man 3 | Marvel Studios | $1215 |
| 3 | Despicable Me 2 | Universal / Illumination | $971 |
| 4 | The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug | Warner Bros. / New Line / MGM | $958 |
| 5 | The Hunger Games: Catching Fire | Lionsgate | $864 |
| 6 | Fast and Furious 6 | Universal | $789 |
| 7 | Monsters University | Disney / Pixar | $743 |
| 8 | Gravity | Warner Bros. | $716 |
| 9 | Man of Steel | Warner Bros. / Legendary | $668 |
| 10 | Thor: The Dark World | Marvel Studios | $645 |
Highest-grossing films of 2014
| Rank | Title | Studio | Worldwide gross ($ million) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Transformers: Age of Extinction | Paramount Pictures | $1000 |
| 2 | Guardians of the Galaxy | Marvel Studios | $771 |
| 3 | Maleficent | Walt Disney Pictures | $758 |
| 4 | X-Men: Days of Future Past | 20th Century Fox | $746 |
| 5 | Captain America: The Winter Soldier | Marvel Studios | $714 |
| 6 | The Amazing Spider-Man 2 | Columbia Pictures | $709 |
| 7 | Dawn of the Planet of the Apes | 20th Century Fox | $708 |
| 8 | How to Train Your Dragon 2 | 20th Century Fox / DreamWorks Animation | $619 |
| 9 | Interstellar | Paramount Pictures / Legendary Pictures | $542 |
| 10 | Godzilla | Warner Bros. / Legendary Pictures | $525 |
- Choose three films which you have seen from the list. What makes these films blockbusters? Why do you think they were popular with audiences?
- Why are high grossing films important to the film industry?
Blockbuster ingredients:
- popular genre
- major A list stars
- director
- a degree of spectacle and action (and thus high production values and VFX)
- family-oriented but with a direct interest to adults as well, allowing a maximum reach of audience
- strong, clear feel-good narrative which involves audiences emotionally.
The popularity of blockbuster films with audiences generally relates to a combination of the above points but interestingly different audiences rate some as more important than others. What for you is the single-most important factor?
Importance of high grossing/blockbuster films to the film industry – key points
- The industry uses blockbusters to support other films they’ve invested in less heavily throughout the year (look back on the ‘tent-pole’ release idea).
- Exhibitors benefit from films which attract large audiences – they hope to encourage some to return to the cinema.
- It strengthens the brand of producers and distributors – allows the ‘studio’ to be associated with high-quality blockbusters.
- Encourages audience loyalty – audiences tend to go to see films by the ‘makers’ of a previously successful film.
