Hildagarde25

Really torn between ranking based on my personal favorites and ranking based on my movies I think are generally great regardless if they're one of my favs. There are some movies that would rank high on both lists, but there are others where I think the movie is great but I'm not the biggest fan, and then there are movies I don't think are "good" but I love them anyway.

I hadn't realized how many great movies actually came out that specific year. Age of Innocence, Schindler's List, Jurassic Park, The Firm, Philadelphia, Joy Luck Club, Much Ado About Nothing... wow. I remember when my English teacher showed Much Ado in class when we were studying Shakespeare, and everyone kept laughing every time Keanu spoke. Love him in other stuff, but he was terrible in this. I wish we'd bring back quality period dramas that were made in the '90s, like Howard's End. So many other good ones, too.

I'd love for a big screen adaptation of Evelyn Hugo, but if Barbie was too "woke" for certain people, Hugo would cause a meltdown once they learned about the twist for the character and her husbands Daisy Jones could've been a big sreen adaptation, too, similar to Almost Famous, although the Amazon adaptation was okay (the music should've been way better). Taylor Jenkins Reid's books have a lot of potential, although idk if Netflix will do a good job (see The Witcher, which was saved by Henry C in the lead role).

I woud go to sing-alongs for Barbie and TLM. I went to a Rocky Horror sing-and-dance along, and it was great. WB should do extended cuts of Pink and Dance the Night where we can do the disco dance and hold hands for "I'm Just Ken." TLM woud be fun, too.

I never said Love Story was better. I said that I can see why Love Story was successful without having been alive at the time it was released. I'm actually not a huge fan of either it or Zhivago personally, but it's easier for me to see why Love Story was a hit ibecause it's a commerical tearjerker. I'm in no way automatically equating quality with success. If Zhivago is a favorite yours, cool. I just wanted to understand more of the context for why it was a hit because it wasn't as apparent to me watching it today.

That makes sense with what you and other posters said about the historical context and the book. I also agree about the probable goodwill for Lean. I like his Great Expectations, Lawrence of Arabia (even if its history is suspect), Oliver Twist (tho I like Oliver! better), and Madeleine, so kind of like Nolan, peope just saw his movies by Zhivago. The music is very nice.

Zhivago is a really interestig case to me. I watch a lot of old movies. Usually, with the big ones, I can understand why they were successful, regardless whether I like or don't like them personally. However, I don't get the domestic success for Zhivago Gone with the Wind, yes. Ben Hur, yes. Love Story, yes. Titanic, yes. But Zhivago drags as a film, and the love story isn't that romantic, imo. I feel like it's one of those films that hasn't held up like the others, but again, just my perspective.

I did a little digging, and yes the Sound of Music and Gone with the Wind were definitely the highest WW grossers at one point (I believe Gone with the Wind is still the highest adjusted for inflation). Godfather is murkier because I can't find info that separates original release from re-release numbers (I'm sure it's there, but I don't have time to dig for it now). It appears Godfather held the crown, and most include it in the list, but idk. The Exorcist was really successful, but it didn't hold the crown. So, it seems to be Gone with the Wind, Sound of Music, Godfather (likely), Jaws, A New Hope, E.T., Jurassic Park, Titanic, Avatar, Endgame.

So, Barbie pass 400 DOM and Oppie 200 DOM this week?

No, I was actually talking about WW - if you meant my list? Jaws, E.T., ANH, Jurassic Park, Titanic, Avatar, and Endgame were the highest WW grossers at one point. I think Godfather was, too, but I'd have to double check to be sure.

It did for WW gross, not domestic.

And it was in the 70s that the change began, ironically. It's funny how Godfather was like the peak for these kinds of blockbuster dramas, then Jaws in '75 became the highest grosser, only to have Star Wars (ANH) smash it in '77. After that, it was E.T., Jurassic Park, Titanic, Avatar, and Endgame. Yes, Titanic was a more traditional drama, but the other movies weren't the type that would've been blockbusters pre-1970s. I wonder if we'll ever see a Godfather, The Sound of the Music, or a Titanic be at the top again (which would require like 3 bill now).

As someone who read The Shining before watching either the miniseries or movie, I actually disliked Kubrick's film for the same reasons King does. It's great in its own right, but it completely misses the point King was making in the book. I also prefer the Doctor Sleep adaptation to the movie version of The Shining, although I prefer book Danny's ending (idk why the movie adaptations want to be so depressing). King can't seem to get really good adaptations (the latest IT was okay).

Elio - Not sure. This could be another Elemental where the start is soft but if it's good, WOM may give it some legs. Not a huge fan of the concept, but execution could change things. Snow White - Highlighting Gerwig could help. It could also be a Cinderella situation where the animated version is so old, it's due for an update. However, after the TLM casting backlash nonsense, who knows. I'm a little concerned there's no Prince/romance? The remakes my friends and I liked best--Jungle Book aside--had betters romances and MCs than the animated versions (Cinderella, Aladdin, TLM). Mulan pissed us off not only because it was bad, but Shang and Mulan were awesome in the animated version. They screwed over live-action Mulan in so many ways. Deadpool 3 - It'll do well, but I don't know if it'll reach the same heights as the previous 2 unless WOM is stellar. Jackson's Wolverine isn't as exciting as he would've been four years ago. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes - Will do okay but unless reviews and WOM are awesome, it will suffer having no Caesar. Inside Out 2 - Please be good. I loved the first one. If it's good, this has breakout possibilities. Mufasa - Almost everyone I know actively disliked or was meh on TLK '19, which I personally thought was an offense to films. However, I was sitting with my friends and we asked one another if we wanted to see Mufasa. At first, everyone said, no, then there was a pause, and most changed their answer to maybe. I'm still traumatized by TLK, but I'm a little curious to see what Jenkins does. It shames me to admit, but if the reviews are good, I'll probably see it. Could see be an Alice 2 drop or still make decent money. Captain America New World - If it's good, it can make okay to good money. If it's mid or bad, it's done. Alien movie - This feels DOA, but idk. The Amateur - Could do decent for its type. Thunderbolts - Another D&D

The Barbie "woke" or "not woke" discourse is funny. Personally, I'm fine with both of these being true: Barbie is a great feminist film that tells some in-your-face truths about patriarchy, and it deserves the praise it gets. Barbie is still a very mainstream film that presents digestible feminism in a GA-friendly way, allowing people to feel "woke" without pushing them into the uncomfortable zone of alterity. Do we have Thurs estimates yet, or is it too soon? Hope Barbie can stay above 20 and Oppie above 10.