A Look at The Biggest Box Office Stories from 1972-present (THABOS: The History of Amazing Box Office Stories) | IT'S FINALLY COMPLETE!!!!!!!

[Maxmoser3]

2002 was the year that box office was turning around and people were turning around after an event like September 11th, 2001. 

 

In the film and box office world, 2002 had saw the most tickets being sold ever! For a year that included our neighborhood super hero, multiple sequels, multiple surprises, and some major disasters. Here is a look at 2002.

 

the winners included:

 

Spider-Man which was in talks for several years and was in development hell. The film was released on the first weekend of May, and had became the first film ever to debut with over $100 million! It was also Sony’s highest grossing film ever domestic until Jumanji 2 had came out. 

 

Sequels and more sequels were in full swing as well. As Lord Of The Rings: The Towers, Austin Powers: In Goldmember,  Die Another Day, and Blade II had all increased from their predecessors. 

 

Although other sequels such as Men In Black II, Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, Star Wars II: Attack Of The Clones,Spy Kids 2, and Sum Of All Fears had all decreased from their predecessors but were all profitable. 

 

Television was also sucessful as the Scooby Doo reboot did strong with a opening weekend of over $50 million and made over $150 million. Jackass: The Movie had also surprisingly performed well with a total of $64 million which was strong for a low budget film without any big stars.

 

speaking of stars: the winners in 2002 included Actors such as Denzel Washington with John Q had made a very solid $71.7 million on a budget of $36 million which is strong for a Denzel thriller.  Tom Hanks had more success with Road To Perdition with a total of $104 million.

 

Reese Witherspoon was continuing stardom with Sweet Home Alabama as it broke September record. 

 

Vin Deisel and The Rock had strong starring vehicles with XxX and Scorpion King. 

 

Adam Sandler had a comeback after Little Nicky bombed with Mr. Deeds performing decent with almost $130 million domestic.

 

Mel Gibson had two successes with war pic We Were Soldiers, and the sci-fi horror flick Signs almost made $230 million domestic.

 

Jennifer Lopez proved to be strong in 2002. As she had success with Maid In Manhattan, and a small success with Enough.

 

Adult thrillers did quite well as Panic Room, Insominia, Changing Lanes, and One Hour Photo all earned solid to decent numbers. 

 

Family films had earned two nice results as Ice Age and Lilo & Stitch Earned $176 million and $145 million respectively.

 

Music stars such as Eminem, Brittney Spears, and Bow Wow saw decent returns. As 8 Mile earner $116 million and proved to be a big surprise for Universal and was a hit as a movie and on cd. The other two had success with Crossroads and Like Mike earned decent results.

 

horror film The Ring earned a solid number for a horror remake as it had even increased on its 2nd weekend! Which is quite rare in today’s day and age.

 

losers:

In the midst of 9/11 less than a year prior. Colateral  Damage, Big Trouble, and Bad Company were all films scheduled for a 2001 release, but were moved to 2002 because of involvement with terrorism or themes related to 9/11. The films all were duds.

 

Eddie Murphy consistently had nothing but failures as Showtime, I-Spy, and Pluto Nash all were big failures. Pluto Nash remains one of the biggest bombs of all time. Murphy only had an up and down from this point on.

 

leading ladies and attractive stars also could produce a sucessful product as actresses Cameron Diaz and Rebecca Romijin had duds with The Sweetest Thing, Femme Fatale, and the Rollerball remake.

 

Adam Sandler had success with Mr. Deeds. But not with Eight Crazy Nights. As it underperformed in the holiday season.

 

Sequels were dying off as Stuart Little 2, and Star Trek:Nemisis.

 

Horror sequels were also dying off as Michael and Jason were treading water. As Michael and Jason saw two stinkers. Halloween Ressurection did way less than H20 4 years prior, and Jason X was the lowest grossing Friday The 13th film since Jason Takes Manhattan/Jason Goes To Hell. 

 

Overview: there is a bunch to share about 2002. 2003 is more interesting. Hopefully @baumer gets to do this again. This is all I can share for now guys.

[baumer]

Hey everyone,

 

This is a thread that I have really regretted not having the time to finish.  It was so much fun and so many people really enjoyed it.

 

@Eric Atreides

 

has so graciously offered to take over and to complete it and I'm thrilled to say that he will be running with this so I'm officially handing it over to him. I know he's going to do an excellent job and I can't wait to see what he does with the thread.

[Eric Duncan]

Guess it's my cue then.

 

That's right, I'm in charge of The Amazing History of Box Office Stories. From 2002 to the present. With no box office to talk about, might as well take a reprieve from the horrors and atrocities of the world and discuss the good ol' days when we actually went outside.

 

I can't give an exact start date on when we'll kick things off again, but I know it will be soon, and I hope to finish this off before the year is over.

 

The only thing I ask of you are requests. Like Baumer, I'm going to take requests on films outside the top 10. If there's a story from 2002 that you want me to talk about, share it right away. I already have movies I'm interested in talking about, but I want to know some of your inputs. Just share them below, and I'll look at the ones that seem most popular.

 

And yeah, that's it. Hope you guys like what you see!

 

Oh and Black Lives Matter

[baumer]

I'm really excited to see that this thread is going to carry on. It's been one of my biggest regrets not being able to finish it. I did get a good 20 years into it and now I guess the final 20 years or so will be done by Eric. Should be a really good time.

[sgrave]

On 7/13/2018 at 4:18 PM, Maxmoser3 said:

2002 was the year that box office was turning around and people were turning around after an event like September 11th, 2001. 

 

In the film and box office world, 2002 had saw the most tickets being sold ever! For a year that included our neighborhood super hero, multiple sequels, multiple surprises, and some major disasters. Here is a look at 2002.

 

the winners included:

 

Spider-Man which was in talks for several years and was in development hell. The film was released on the first weekend of May, and had became the first film ever to debut with over $100 million! It was also Sony’s highest grossing film ever domestic until Jumanji 2 had came out. 

 

Sequels and more sequels were in full swing as well. As Lord Of The Rings: The Towers, Austin Powers: In Goldmember,  Die Another Day, and Blade II had all increased from their predecessors. 

 

Although other sequels such as Men In Black II, Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets, Star Wars II: Attack Of The Clones,Spy Kids 2, and Sum Of All Fears had all decreased from their predecessors but were all profitable. 

 

Television was also sucessful as the Scooby Doo reboot did strong with a opening weekend of over $50 million and made over $150 million. Jackass: The Movie had also surprisingly performed well with a total of $64 million which was strong for a low budget film without any big stars.

 

speaking of stars: the winners in 2002 included Actors such as Denzel Washington with John Q had made a very solid $71.7 million on a budget of $36 million which is strong for a Denzel thriller.  Tom Hanks had more success with Road To Perdition with a total of $104 million.

 

Reese Witherspoon was continuing stardom with Sweet Home Alabama as it broke September record. 

 

Vin Deisel and The Rock had strong starring vehicles with XxX and Scorpion King. 

 

Adam Sandler had a comeback after Little Nicky bombed with Mr. Deeds performing decent with almost $130 million domestic.

 

Mel Gibson had two successes with war pic We Were Soldiers, and the sci-fi horror flick Signs almost made $230 million domestic.

 

Jennifer Lopez proved to be strong in 2002. As she had success with Maid In Manhattan, and a small success with Enough.

 

Adult thrillers did quite well as Panic Room, Insominia, Changing Lanes, and One Hour Photo all earned solid to decent numbers. 

 

Family films had earned two nice results as Ice Age and Lilo & Stitch Earned $176 million and $145 million respectively.

 

Music stars such as Eminem, Brittney Spears, and Bow Wow saw decent returns. As 8 Mile earner $116 million and proved to be a big surprise for Universal and was a hit as a movie and on cd. The other two had success with Crossroads and Like Mike earned decent results.

 

horror film The Ring earned a solid number for a horror remake as it had even increased on its 2nd weekend! Which is quite rare in today’s day and age.

 

losers:

In the midst of 9/11 less than a year prior. Colateral  Damage, Big Trouble, and Bad Company were all films scheduled for a 2001 release, but were moved to 2002 because of involvement with terrorism or themes related to 9/11. The films all were duds.

 

Eddie Murphy consistently had nothing but failures as Showtime, I-Spy, and Pluto Nash all were big failures. Pluto Nash remains one of the biggest bombs of all time. Murphy only had an up and down from this point on.

 

leading ladies and attractive stars also could produce a sucessful product as actresses Cameron Diaz and Rebecca Romijin had duds with The Sweetest Thing, Femme Fatale, and the Rollerball remake.

 

Adam Sandler had success with Mr. Deeds. But not with Eight Crazy Nights. As it underperformed in the holiday season.

 

Sequels were dying off as Stuart Little 2, and Star Trek:Nemisis.

 

Horror sequels were also dying off as Michael and Jason were treading water. As Michael and Jason saw two stinkers. Halloween Ressurection did way less than H20 4 years prior, and Jason X was the lowest grossing Friday The 13th film since Jason Takes Manhattan/Jason Goes To Hell. 

 

Overview: there is a bunch to share about 2002. 2003 is more interesting. Hopefully @baumer gets to do this again. This is all I can share for now guys.

2002...  what a great year

I still remember the shock of the opening day  of Spiderman

I didn't know Deadline at that moment

On Saturday morning (around 12h00), I went to.... Showbizdata     to get some numbers

Then I saw that 39 M$ numbers... WTF?  Really?

 

Besides SM, MBFGW  and The Ring were the most impressive boxoffice runs.

 

Good Old Days when there was diversity, not just the Disney franchises filling the boxoffice...

[Eric Duncan]

Just as a heads up, the 2002 edition of THABOS will drop tonight. It might be a touch different from what @baumer would have posted, but I promise it'll have a lot of the same enthralling and entertaining production and box office stories you guys come to know and love from this thread.

 

See you there!

[Eric Duncan]

 

[Eric Duncan]

2002

The No Child Left Behind Act is sent into law, the United States begins its invasion of Afghanistan, and the Department of Homeland Security is established, all one year after the World Trade Center attacks. A SARS epidemic begins in China, the Sierra Leone Civil War ends, and suicide bombers blow up a hotel in Mombasa.

 

Television saw the finales of The X-Files and Family Guy, only for both to return with new episodes years later. Milestone episodes for the likes of Sesame Street, General Hospital, and Jeopardy! debuted, and we saw the premieres of The Shield, The Wire, American Idol, Firefly, and Jimmy Neutron. Eminem, Avril Lavigne, and Nelly were some of the biggest music stars for the year. Vice City, Metroid Prime, Morrowind, and Kingdom Hearts landed in the video game aisles. Plus, 2002 would see the births of Finn Wolfhard, Sophia Lillis, Asher Angel, and Gaten Matarazzo.

 

When it comes to the box office, while Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter continued their box office successes after massive predecessors, the key success story, the #1 movie domestic, was the debut of Spider-Man.

 

 

Based on the famous web-slinging hero from Marvel Comics, Spider-Man has been an evergreen property ever since its debut. Comics, toys, video games, cartoons. Naturally a film adaptation was inevitable, but it went through a lot of decades of development hell before we got to the movie we know today. In the 1980s, Marvel Comics optioned the film rights to Cannon Films, with the first planned adaptation being directed by Tobe Hooper of Texas Chainsaw Massacre fame. Reportedly, Cannon chiefs Menaham Golan and Yoram Globus did not know or understand the concept of Spider-Man, which meant the original idea for the film would see Peter Parker transform into an eight-legged monster...that did not go over well with Stan Lee or other Marvel executives.

 

This led to a new script that was more in line with the comics, focusing on the villain Doctor Octopus, and would be directed by Joseph Zito, then known for the Chuck Norris film Invasion USA. Stunt actor Scott Leva and even Tom Cruise were considered for Peter Parker, while Bob Hoskins was considered for Doc Ock. Other actors vying for roles included Lauren Bacall, Katherine Hepburn, Peter Cushing, Adolph Caesar, and even Stan Lee as J. Jonah Jameson.

 

Alas, the film was not to be. Cannon was already known for their cheap budgets, but after flops like Superman IV: The Quest for Peace and Masters of the Universe, the project saw its budget slashed to under $10 million. Zito dropped out, more and more rewrites emerged, and the film was canceled.

 

The rights would soon be picked up by Carolco Pictures, best known for Schwarzzeneger vehicles like Terminator 2 and Total Recall, and MGM. This resulted in a scriptment developed by James Cameron. Yes, that James Cameron. His treatment was developed just after True Lies wrapped up filming, and featured the villains Electro and Sandman. However, contract disputes led to the project being shelved yet again.

 

But in 1999, Sony Pictures optioned Cameron’s scriptment from MGM, earning the film rights to Spider-Man in the process. However, Cameron was not going to direct the film, nor would they use his script. And after several promising contenders, the reins were given to Sam Raimi, best known for his Evil Dead trilogy. However, Cameron’s work would be the basis for the actual screenplay, written by David Koepp of Jurassic Park and Mission: Impossible fame.

 

And of course, releasing just a few months after 9/11, this New York-set film went through some major changes during post-production. Not only was the World Trade Center digitally edited from certain shots, one sequence was cut out entirely. A group of bank robbers were escaping with a helicopter, until it got caught from a giant web spun between the Twin Towers, created by Spider-Man himself. This was the initial teaser trailer, debuting in the summer of 2001, and was going to appear in the film. But after 9/11, the teaser was pulled, and the scene was removed for obvious reasons. There was even a poster that had the Towers in the reflection of Spider-Man’s eye, but that poster was also pulled.

 

 

Yet with all that development hell and the major changes after such a horrific attack, it was all worth it. Upon its release on May 3, 2002, Spider-Man opened to $114.8 million. On that weekend, all the records were broken. It broke Sony’s personal record, formerly owned by 1997’s Men in Black. It broke the May record, held by 1997’s The Lost World. But the one shocker, the one thing that amazed everybody, was it dethroned Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and generated the biggest opening of all time, and the first movie ever to generate $100 million in three days. Nobody thought it would do this well. In fact, the idea of a $100 million opening weekend, let alone one well above and beyond that mark, was considered an impossibility.

 

It may seem strange to say this in a day and age where Disney sneezes $100 million openers every other month, but back then, it seemed impossible. Says Rick Lyman for The New York Times, “while industry executives had expected a strong opening for the film because there was little competition in the marketplace and prerelease polling indicated intense interest from all age groups, no one predicted that ''Spider-Man'' would surpass the ''Harry Potter'' record.”

 

That astonishing number continued with astonishing legs in the weeks ahead, in spite of intense competition. Positive WOM spread like wildfire, resulting in an incredible $407 million total, and 5th place in the all-time domestic box office. Even today, the film is still in the top 35, and was Sony’s biggest film domestically for 15 years. Overseas was just as strong, with the film totaling $825 million in all markets.

 

 

There’s a lot of reasons why the film opened the way it did. Strong marketing, iconic superhero, rave reviews. However, I think the one element that made it so beloved in the summer of 2002 was simple: its heart. Peter Parker, from his very conception, was designed as the everyman. He wasn’t an incredible god like Superman. He wasn’t a rich genius like Batman. He’s not a strong Amazonian like Wonder Woman. He’s a nerdy kid just trying to get by. He’s forced to deal with bullies and school every day, while also being a friendly neighborhood hero. He has the confidence to save New York every day, but not enough to talk to his crush Mary-Jane. He’s got incredible gifts, used them to make money, but soon realized, after losing his Uncle Ben, he has to use his powers responsibly and grow up. We all go through these issues and insecurities. Raimi and Koepp understand that, and Maguire sells it. Sure there’s fun action and joyous energy here but Peter Parker is what makes the film and the Spider-Man mythos itself shine.

 

 

The success of the film changed everything. It was Sony’s biggest hit ever, and alongside the likes of Men in Black II, Mr. Deeds, xXx, 2001’s Black Hawk Down, and Panic Room, led to Sony hitting #1 in 2002’s market share. To this day, Spider-Man is Sony’s golden boy, their most consistent heavy-hitter, and so important to the studios’ bottom line they had to go through two reboots in order to keep it going. But obviously the film’s biggest legacy is its rejuvenation of superhero movies and comic book adaptations. This was far from the first superhero film to be successful. Superman was huge in the 70s, and Batman was the event of 1989. But once the 90s rolled around, with a couple exceptions, a lot of superhero movies were critical and commercial failures. Tank Girl, Steel, The Shadow, The Phantom. It kind of turned the idea into a joke.

 

Of course, that started to change. Blade saw decent success in 1998, and X-Men was the sixth-biggest opener when it debuted in 2000. But Spider-Man’s record-breaking opening, almost $115 million, showed how much money these adaptations can make. With the right blend of writing, action, direction, and acting, you can make something that will excite superhero fanboys and intrigue new fans at the same time.

 

This created a boom in superhero movie productions all across Hollywood. The next few years saw Hulk, X2, Fantastic Four, and Batman Begins, among others. And of course, thanks to Spider-Man’s success, this soon led to the comic book movie boom we have today. Every CBM release, from The Dark Knight to The Avengers to Wonder Woman to Endgame all pay their success and popularity due to Spider-Man. That film gave executives and producers confidence in these movies, and for better or worse, Hollywood today wouldn’t be the same without Spider-Man, and I think we can all be happy about that in some way.

 

 

[Eric Duncan]

Going down to #2 domestic was the actual 2002 victor worldwide, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. As said in Baumer’s 2001 post, The Two Towers was filmed concurrently with the two other films in the trilogy, an unheard of task that resulted in all three movies totaling up to about $270 million in production, and a filming schedule lasting from October 1999 to December 2000. For The Two Towers, the Helm’s Deep battle took three months to film, and actors Viggo Mortensen and Orlando Bloom, as well as John Rhys-Davies’ scale double Brett Beattie all sustained injuries during production.

 

And as said before, if the first movie was a flop, this put New Line Cinema in danger of bankruptcy and closure, since they had two other movies in the can at this point. Fortunately, Fellowship of the Ring was a massive hit, garnering instant acclaim from all audiences and generating close to $890 million worldwide. However, that could have been a fluke. People loved Fellowship, but was there enough interest among people to see the story continue? Was this venture still worth it?

 

 

With the immense goodwill of Fellowship, Two Towers built off the first film tremendously. It was considered as good, if not better than its predecessor, with particular praise going to the Battle of Helm’s Deep and the character of Gollum.

 

As for the box office itself, the film built off of what Peter Jackson laid down last year. Opening on December 18, the film’s 5-Day opening was an astonishing $102 million, an astonishing 36% jump from Fellowship’s $75.1 million. It broke Fellowship’s December OW record in the process, and continued to play well throughout the holiday season, earning $339.8 million domestically, an increase from Fellowship’s $313.4 million. Even today, a non-MCU sequel increasing from its already iconic predecessor is an anomaly, and shows just how much excitement Fellowship had amongst fantasy-loving audiences. Worldwide saw an increase to $951.2 million.

 

This more than solidified Jackson’s idea was a success and relaxed New Line executives. It was clear people loved this story and loved Jackson’s interpretation. And after that cliffhanger ending, people were real excited to see how Jackson was going to end it all.

 

Third place domestic, fourth worldwide saw the return of Star Wars with Episode II: Attack of the Clones. This took place 10 years after the events of The Phantom Menace, with Anakin now a teenager and training under Obi-Wan Kenobi. Despite the astonishing box office success of The Phantom Menace, the film garnered a mixed response from critics and audiences, for a variety of reasons. This made Lucas hesitant on continuing the story, but he nonetheless took the helm, developing his rough draft on March 2000, three months before filming would start.

 

 

As the middle film of the trilogy, Lucas heavily used Empire Strikes Back as a reference point. Lucas considered Boba Fett a clone and came from a planet of clones. The film also saw an asteroid field as the backdrop of a major star battle, and also saw Obi-Wan attach his spacecraft to an asteroid in a similar fashion to Han Solo attaching the Millenium Falcon to a Star Destroyer.

 

Upon its release, after debuting at both Tribeca and Cannes, like Phantom Menace, the responses were mixed. The dialogue and acting saw criticism, and even the likes of Roger Ebert and Leonard Maltin, both of whom praised all the previous films, were unimpressed. At the box office, while a hit, it was considered disappointing. Despite opening to $80M, which at the time was the third-biggest opener in box office history, its $310.7 million domestic and $649.4 million worldwide haul was about 30% lower than Phantom Menace’s $924.3 million haul, and was the first time a Star Wars film did not finish #1 domestically or worldwide. It only begged the question whether or not the final film in this new prequel trilogy could redeem itself from such a decline. We'll get to that in about three years.

 

Fourth domestic, second worldwide saw the return of the boy wizard with Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Detailing Harry’s second year, this sequel came out almost exactly one year after the massive success of Philosopher’s Stone. With the instant success Harry Potter generated in just the first four books, as well as the first film adaptation, producer David Heyman and director Chris Columbus fast tracked the sequel’s release, both to cash in on Potter mania, and because the child cast weren’t getting any younger. Even between movies 1 and 2, you can see Daniel Radcliffe going through his growth spurt. So filming began November 19, 2001, three days after Philosopher’s Stone hit theaters.

 

While moments of levity weren’t tossed aside, this was the film where the series began going into a darker direction. Cinematographer Roger Pratt was brought in so the film could have an edgier look, symbolizing the growth and maturity the characters were going through. This idea would permeate in all future releases, to the point where the events in the later movies are almost a far cry from the more whimsical atmosphere of Philosopher's.

 

 

Once filming and VFX were completed in October 2002, it was time for the Potter saga to continue one month later. On November 15, with strong reviews from critics, including a 4/4 from Roger Ebert, Chamber of Secrets was yet another hit for Heyman, Rowling & co. Its $88.4 million debut was below Philosopher’s Stone, but it still served as the third biggest opening weekend of all time, behind its predecessor and Spider-Man. It was clear that Pottermania was here to stay, and fans continued their support with a strong $262.4 million in the domestic box office. While a departure from Philosopher’s, this was still a mighty total, and alongside astonishing results from the overseas box office, this resulted in almost $880 million worldwide.

 

Along with Two Towers and Spider-Man, 2002 became the first year ever the top 3 movies crossed $800 million worldwide. Fueled by intense demand, and a need for escapist entertainment, there was plenty of love to go around for many movies. But for 2002, it was clear fantasy and superheroes were what the majority were clamoring to see.

 

Fifth place is a film that nowadays would never get the box office or legs as this did. In fact, it probably would have been pushed onto Netflix instead. My Big Fat Greek Wedding began as a one-woman play in 1997 created by Nia Vardalos. Performed at the Hudson Backstage Theater in Los Angeles, the play focused on Vardalos’ Greek upbringing, her time in Winnipeg, Canada, and her experience marrying a non-Greek man, fellow actor Ian Gomez.

 

The popularity of this play intrigued many Hollywood executives, asking for a film version of the play. However, things did not go over well, as executives demanded several changes Vardalos was against. They wanted to change the plot. They wanted Marisa Tomei instead of Vardalos. They wanted the film to focus on a Hispanic family instead of a Greek family.

 

However, one celebrity who attended one of Vardalos’ shows was Rita Wilson, who herself is of Greek origin. Her and her husband Tom Hanks, with the help of their production company Playtone, contacted Vardalos and produced the film based on her vision. The film was her story, her culture, and her telling it, through her screenplay and with her as the star. Said Hanks, having Nia Vardalos star “brings a huge amount of integrity to the piece, because it's Nia's version of her own life and her own experience. I think that shows through on the screen and people recognize it."

 

 

Distributed by IFC Films, when it was released, the film opened in only 108 theaters and did okay. It opened at #20, and saw a solid $597 thousand gross. Not bad for a movie by a small distributor and somewhat niche, but nothing groundbreaking. The following weekend saw an increase to 141 theaters and an almost 35% increase, generating $804.6 thousand. And as the weeks went on, it just kept on going. Word of mouth continued to spread, and the film was consistently in the top 15. As June rolled around, it saw gains with more and more theaters, and bigger and bigger weekends. Going from over $1 million in June, to over $2 million in July, and exponentially gaining in August, going from $3 million to $5 million to $10 million once Labor Day hit. As the film continued to put butts into seats throughout the rest of the year and even into 2003, the film finished its run a whole year later generating an astonishing $241.4 million in the United States. Keep in mind, this opened to $597,362 back in April. Worldwide was $368.7 million, 9th place for 2002.

 

Even today, this film’s box office is an anomaly, both in legs and content. There’s plenty of films that see major box office success after a limited opening, but this is usually punctuated by a big opening in wide release. This continuously grew its audience week after week, with only slight theater gains per weekend. And it continued to grow for a whole year, not even once faltering or dropping like a rock. And with something like Hidden Figures or The Revenant, those films at least generate Oscar buzz to get people excited. This had no stars, no awards hype, no action, no raunchy comedy. It was a lighthearted romantic comedy starring actors in their 40s and higher, and yet it made it into the top 5 of 2002 and became the biggest romantic comedy of all time, without even hitting #1. 

 

It's a lightning in a bottle situation that has never been replicated, even by Vardalos. The success of the film led to a 2003 television series My Big Fat Greek Life, which was panned by critics and only lasted 7 episodes. 2016 saw My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2, which while a modest success, only grossed $90.6 million worldwide. It too saw bad reviews. How did this all happen?

 

Aside from the obvious word of mouth, thanks to the film’s broad comedy and light atmosphere, a perfect recipe for a nation still dealing with turmoil and distress, I feel a good part of it comes down to its passion. Nia Vardalos took her passion project that celebrated her family, her heritage, and her husband, and showed it to people. It’s about as personal as you can get, and it was a perspective that was fresh and exciting to mass audiences. Greek representation and Greek stories are still a rarity, and this was a film that looked at Greek culture in an entertaining way that appeals to everyone. In a way, it was a precursor to the likes of Black Panther and Crazy Rich Asians. There's really no other film like it, and I feel like that makes this movie all the more special.

[Eric Duncan]

Sixth place domestic, seventh worldwide was given to M. Night Shyamalan's Signs. Father Graham Hess (Mel Gibson) is a former priest who left his faith upon the loss of his wife, and lives on a farm with his two children and his younger brother. One day, large crop circles appear in his corn field, and it is through these circles Hess slowly realizes these circles come from extraterrestrials, and that an invasion could be on the way.

 

This is an interesting film for me personally, because this was actually shot and took place in Bucks County, which is where I grew up. I don’t have much else to add there, just wanted to mention that.

 

Aside, Signs’ opening weekend was yet another one that saw a lot of records (this is a running theme this year, ain’t it?). Opening to $60.1 million, this was a record opener for Mel Gibson (unfortunately) Joaquin Phoenix, and for Shyamalan. In fact, it usurped Mission: Impossible II and became the biggest opening weekend for a director of color. The film also beat 2001’s Pearl Harbor and became Disney’s biggest live-action debut. All of this can be attributed to the right amount of recognizable and rising talent, with a strong visual and hook.

 

 

The poster depicting a giant crop circle was a head-turner, and Mel Gibson was one of the biggest stars at the time, since this was before people realized he was a terrible person. Phoenix was also fresh off the success of Gladiator, which certainly helped. But I think it’s fair to say Shyamalan was the real star here. The Sixth Sense was one of the biggest horror hits ever, and Unbreakable gained a strong cult following. He became one of those rare directors that grew a loyal and passionate fanbase, and people were intrigued by his direction and storytelling. Shyamalan’s films combine philosophy and intrigue through the perspective of outsiders, and that’s all on display here in Signs, and displayed well. People ate it up, to the point Newsweek considered M. Night Shyamalan as the next Spielberg...that title did not last long.

 

Regardless, Signs finished its run with a terrific $228 million domestically and $408.2 million worldwide, and is still Shyamalan’s second-biggest film to this very day. Oh, and fuck Mel Gibson.

 

Seventh place saw the finale of the epic Austin Powers saga with Austin Powers in Goldmember. A satire of 1960s spy films and culture, this film sees Austin Powers traveling back to 1975 to stop Dr. Evil, who plans to team up with the nefarious Goldmember. Also Fat Bastard’s there. All of them are played by Mike Myers.

 

Parodying the Bond films Goldfinger and You Only Live Twice, the Goldmember title actually garnered legal action from MGM due to its too similar name, which led to the title being briefly removed in the marketing. This was resolved however, on the condition that the film would include a trailer for both The Two Towers and Die Another Day, the next Bond release. We’ll get to that film later.

 

After The Spy Who Shagged Me exploded in popularity following the cult success of the first Austin Powers, not only was Goldmember an anticipated release, everybody wanted to get in on the action. The film’s opening segment saw Austinpussy, a spoof of Octopussy that had the Powers characters portrayed by other actors. Steven Spielberg directed, Tom Cruise played Austin, Gwyneth Paltrow was Dixie Normous, Danny DeVito was Mini-Me, John Travolta was Goldmember, and Kevin Spacey was Dr. Evil....that casting aged well. The actual film also saw cameos from Britney Spears, Quincy Jones, and the Osbornes, along with a giant supporting cast of comedic talent. This was also the acting debut for Beyonce Knowles, playing the blaxploitation spoof Foxxy Cleopatra.

 

 

Upon its release on July 26, 2002, the film opened to a mindblowing $73.1 million, in spite of mixed reviews. That broke Planet of the Apes’ July record and Rush Hour 2’s comedy record, and became the fourth-biggest opening of all time. This was an event, helped by the immense popularity of Austin Powers and of Mike Myers, who was one of the biggest comedy stars at the time. Back in the day, he was a favorite on Saturday Night Live, saw cult success with the first AP, which exploded with its sequel, and voiced Shrek, which became one of the biggest, most important hits in animation history. By this point, he was on top of the world and could not be stopped...then The Cat in the Hat came out. I'll leave it at that.

 

Regardless, Goldmember was a smash success, generating $213 million domestically and $296.9 million worldwide. Rumors of a fourth film have been around since 2005, with a script reportedly finished.

 

Eighth place saw Big Willie fight some alien ass with Men in Black II. After the smash success of the first Men in Black, along with Will Smith’s growing starpower, a sequel was inevitable. While David Koepp was planned to write, he soon left in favor of Spider-Man and Panic Room. Honestly a good idea in hindsight. Writing duties would then be given to Robert Gordon and Barry Fanaro. Gordon, fresh off Galaxy Quest, would work on the draft, while Fanaro would revise it. Reportedly the two butted heads, as Fanaro, known for such comedic masterpieces as Kingpin and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, would force pop culture references and gags in that Gordon purposely avoided. Director Barry Sonnenfeld was also not a fan of the script’s emphasis on the love story between Will Smith and Rosario Dawson. Said Sonnenfeld, "I learned on Wild Wild West that audiences didn't want to see Will as the straight man. And until Tommy comes back into the movie, by definition Will's the straight man."

 

 

If those production issues sound bad, that was kind of shown in the finished product. Men in Black II saw mixed to negative reviews, and while it did open to a Fourth of July record, with $87.2M over the 5-day weekend, it ended with only $190.4 million domestic, and $441.8 million worldwide. It was not a flop in the slightest, it even made it to #5 worldwide. However, it was still a downgrade from the first MIB’s $250 million/$589.4 million haul, despite 5 years of inflation. Regardless, it still made solid money, and was another hit for Will Smith in what would be many, many more to come.

 

Ninth domestic, eighth worldwide was the animated comedy Ice Age, from animation studio Blue Sky Studios and director Chris Wedge, a co-founder of Blue Sky. This CGI feature took place in the days of the ice age, as three prehistoric animals, a wooly mammoth, a ground sloth, and a sabertooth tiger, come across a human baby and find themselves having to work together to return the child to its tribe.

 

Initially the idea was pitched to 20th Century Fox in 1997 by producer Lori Forte as a 2D animated film from Fox Animation, who were set to release Don Bluth’s Anastasia. However, as Blue Sky began shifting its strategy from a visual effects house to an animation studio, Fox Animation head Chris Meledandri, now known as the head of Illumination, handed the project to Blue Sky, likely because CGI animation was becoming more and more popular. The film would begin production in June 2000, one week after Fox Animation shut down due to the disastrous box office of Titan A.E.

 

Many of the characters went through multiple changes over the years. Manny the mammoth was originally going to be voiced by an actor with a booming voice, like James Earl Jones and Ving Rhames, but Chris Wedge wanted a more comedic actor, with the role eventually given to Ray Romano. Sid, voiced by John Leguizamo, was initially a con-artist and a hustler, but was turned into the clumsy doofus sloth we all know and love as the filmmakers thought he would be too unlikable. Diego, voiced by Denis Leary, was also supposed to be killed off at the end of the movie, but that idea was scrapped because kids in test screenings got all upset. Wimps!

 

Of course the breakout character was Scrat, a weird squirrel rat hybrid who is obsessed with one single acorn. With no dialogue apart from yells and gibberish, the film intercuts scenes with the heroes with brief comedy bits featuring Scrat chasing and keeping his precious acorn. Originally the character was only supposed to appear in the beginning to set up the film’s ice and snow backdrops, but test audiences loved the guy so much, more scenes were added, and he would soon become the highlight of the franchise.

 

 

When released on March 15, the film’s $46.5 million opening shocked everyone. In an era where March has seen The Hunger Games, Batman v Superman, Beauty and the Beast, and Captain Marvel, that seems like chump change. But back then, March wasn’t a major destination for big openers. This was on par with a summer opening at the time, and soon became a record for the month, beating 1997’s Liar, Liar. Even Fox was shocked at this debut, becoming their fifth-biggest opening at that time. It also beat Shrek to become the biggest non-Disney animated opener. The film wrapped with $176.4 million domestically and $383.3 million worldwide.

 

This showed Fox could deliver hit animation and established Blue Sky as a hitmaker. Since then, while it has not been as consistent or iconic as Dreamworks or Illumination, Blue Sky has done solid business over the years, with films like Robots, Horton Hears a Who, The Peanuts Movie, and most recently Spies in Disguise.

 

But of course Blue Sky would be defined by Ice Age. As an instant success, Blue Sky knew it had to keep the property alive, which resulted in four sequels, three of which we’ll definitely talk about in future posts, several short films, and a Christmas and Easter television special...it’s weird the Ice Age gang would celebrate Christian holidays before Jesus was born, but whatever. A Disney+ television series is also rumored to be in the works.

 

In tenth place was the musical Chicago, based on the 1975 stage musical of the same name, which was itself based on the 1926 play of the same name. Detailing celebrity, scandal, and corruption during the Jazz Age, this centered on two murderers, one a housewife, another a showgirl, meeting one another in jail, and competing against one another for publicity, fame, and the attention of a greedy lawyer.

 

You may not believe it, but the 1975 musical was not initially a hit. Its uncomfortable and cynical atmosphere made theater audiences uncomfortable and unhappy with the show, and the popularity of A Chorus Line that same year stole the musical’s thunder, resulting in only 936 performances. Regardless, Bob Fosse, the musical’s director who also saw critical and commercial success with 1972’s film adaptation of Cabaret, was planning a film version of his show, but sadly passed away before it could be developed.

 

However, as time went on, the 1975 musical saw greater appreciation, helped by the 1996 revival, which saw instant acclaim, and is currently the second longest-running stage show on Broadway. With renewed interest, a film production went underway, with Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere, and debut director Rob Marshall. After earning acclaim and an Emmy nomination for his TV movie adaptation of Annie, Marshall would begin his theatrical film career with a bang.

 

 

Thanks to great reviews, and the savvy awards business of Miramax (unfortunately), the film opened in 77 theaters with a $2.1 million OW over the holidays. And thanks to eight Golden Globe nominations and 13 Oscar nominations, the film continued to gain traction through the rest of awards season. January saw it play in limited theaters, but still managed to do pretty well, landing in the lower end of the top 10.

 

When February and March rolled around, that’s when it found its biggest expansions, in 2,200+ theaters each week, where it still managed to pack the houses with a consistently growing audience. Not quite Greek Wedding, but still impressive. And alongside its six Oscar wins, including Best Picture, it managed to still play well throughout April. The film ended its run with over $170.7 million. At the same time, the film only went above $10 million for two weekends, and was at #3 in its ranking peak. These incredible legs made Chicago the highest-grossing film to never hit the top two, and held that record until Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. Truly a dark day in film history.

 

Rob Marshall would then go on to direct clunkers like Memoirs of a Geisha and Nine, but soon found great success with Disney, with the fourth Pirates of the Caribbean, which we’ll talk about when we get to 2011, Into the Woods, and Mary Poppins Returns all finding solid success. His next project is the upcoming Little Mermaid remake, which should be a smash hit when it comes out.

 

But Chicago’s biggest legacy was how it revived the movie musical. At a time when the genre was all but dead, this film’s critical and financial success, alongside other features like Moulin Rouge! and 8 Mile, gave the genre new life and attention. This would result in countless musicals and Broadway adaptations, including Dreamgirls, Hairspray, Sweeny Todd, Enchanted, Mamma Mia!, Les Miserables, La La Land, Beauty and the Beast, The Greatest Showman, Aladdin, The Lion King, and of course Cats. It was a trailblazer in a way, and would result in many future hits in the years to come.

[Eric Duncan]

Twelfth place domestic and sixth worldwide was the Bond release Die Another Day. Detailing Bond and his case that involves a North Korean terrorist, a diamond mogul, and a dangerous space weapon, the most notable aspect of the film was its Bond girl. While plenty of iconic celebrities and starlets have garnered the title, this iteration was Halle Berry, a rising star that was fresh off an Oscar win for Monster’s Ball, where she became the first Black woman, and woman of color in general, to win Best Actress. She is also still the only woman of color to win Best Actress...and now I’m upset.

 

Anyways, Berry accepted her Oscar during filming of Die Another Day. One scene that featured Berry in a bikini was apparently so cold and windy during filming, Berry was wrapped in thick towels so she could avoid catching the chills. Berry and Brosnan also saw injuries during production. 

 

Upon its release on November 22, reviews, like with Tomorrow Never Dies and The World is Not Enough, were once again mixed. A. O. Scott and Roger Ebert considered it one of the best for its action and the direction of Lee Tamahori, while James Berardinelli panned it for its emphasis on gadgets and CGI rather than an engaging story. Even Roger Moore thought the film was too ridiculous and over the top, which says a lot.

 

Regardless, the film’s hype, thanks to its many promotional partners, the rising popularity of Halle Berry, and the hype over the franchise’s 40th anniversary, resulted in the biggest opening weekend for a Bond film ever with $47.1 million, and a total of $160.9 million. And with a worldwide finish of $431.9 million, this meant, by all accounts, Die Another Day was the highest-grossing Bond film of all time.

 

 

This success prompted MGM and Eon to start developing a spin-off for Berry’s character Jinx Johnson, that would become its own film series that would compliment Brosnan’s future adventures. However, that was not to be. Brosnan was getting older, and rumors circulated he was going to leave the mantle. This meant the Jinx spin-off was scrapped, and a few years later, Brosnan officially announced he was done with the character. Eon would then soldier on with a new actor. That actor would take the series to new heights.

 

Thirteenth place was the Disney Animation hit Lilo & Stitch, focusing on the relationship and friendship between a young Hawaiian girl named Lilo and a destructive animal-like space alien named Stitch. The film was first conceived by storyboard artist Chris Sanders in the mid-90s. Disney CEO Michael Eisner wanted Disney Animation to develop a smaller, less expensive film while the team was working on high-profile, high-budget fare. This idea was proposed based on the 1941 film Dumbo, which was a cheaply-made, though still high-quality feature after the massively expensive Pinocchio and Fantasia. Sanders created the character of Stitch in 1985 for an unsuccessful children’s book pitch, and used him as the basis for Eisner’s cheap feature.

 

Initially the film was supposed to be set in Kansas, but it was decided for the film to be set in Kaua’i, both as a way to create a fresh, exciting new setting that had never been seen in animation, as well as to develop the film’s themes further. One of the most important aspects of the film was the concept of “Ohana”, a Hawaiian term representing family, and often extended family. The film focused on a broken family, as Lilo and her older sister Nani are forced to live together after their parents died in a car crash, as well as introducing Stitch as a new member to this broken family. It built on the film’s themes and ideas, and showcased the beauty of a culture that still sees little representation. The film’s animation was also unique for Disney, as it used watercolor backgrounds to evoke a storybook feel and a celebration of the beauty and colors of the Hawaiian landscape.

 

Having said all that, Lilo & Stitch was produced at a dark time for Disney Animation. The Renaissance formula of bombastic musicals was waning in interest, while the more experimental films in the new millennium, like The Emperor’s New Groove and Atlantis: The Lost Empire, saw poor box office results. It also didn’t help that CG animation was getting bigger and bigger every year, with competitors like Dreamworks beginning to make serious headway in what was their once dominant playground. This meant Disney had to get creative if they wanted to sell this film.

 

This resulted in a brilliant set of teaser trailers that played into Disney’s legacy and Stitch’s crazy personalities. During some of the most iconic sequences of The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King, Stitch would insert himself into these moments, and bring chaos along the way. It was a brilliant marketing move that resulted in hilarious teasers and smartly introduced the character to kids and audiences before the film even came out.

 

 

When it was released on June 21, the film opened to $35.3 million, which while below the likes of Monsters, Inc. or Ice Age or Shrek, was still pretty impressive. It garnered the second-biggest opening ever for a 2D animated film, only behind The Lion King, and with strong reviews, with particular praise for its heart and emotion, the film played well throughout the summer. So much so, it grossed nearly $145.8 million in the domestic box office, grossing more than Renaissance films like Hercules, Mulan, and Pocahontas.

 

This breakout success at a time when Disney’s animation department didn’t have many made this one of Disney’s biggest cash cows of the 2000s, with three direct-to-DVD sequels, three television shows, several theme park attractions, and way too many Stitch plushies to count. In 2018, Disney announced a live-action remake for Lilo & Stitch, and is rumored to debut on the Disney+ streaming service.

 

Alas, it wasn’t really enough to change the feelings of hand-drawn animation among moviegoers. Treasure Planet would follow in November 2002 and become one of the biggest bombs in Disney history, and with CGI becoming bigger than ever, Michael Eisner announced all future animation projects would be CG productions. And despite an attempt to revitalize the medium with 2009’s The Princess and the Frog, it sadly seems like the return of 2D theatrical animation won’t come any time soon, apart from some TV adaptations. Tragic!

 

Steven Spielberg saw two major box office hits in 2002. Catch Me if You Can finished 11th domestic, and has an interesting story, but I want to focus on what was in 17th place and 10th worldwide. That film was Minority Report, based on the Philip K. Dick short story “The Minority Report.” Starring Tom Cruise, the film takes place in the distant future, where a police unit named PreCrime are able to arrest murderers before committing their crimes. Yet when one officer, played by Cruise, is accused by PreCrime’s technology, despite having no intention of doing so, he is forced to clear his name.

 

Initially the project was optioned by producer and writer Gary Goldman in 1992, and was supposed to be a sequel to the 1990 Schwarzzeneger film Total Recall, but that never went anywhere. Novelist Jon Cohen would then write a screenplay for Speed director Jan de Bont. However, the script landed in the hands of Tom Cruise, who always wanted to work with Steven Spielberg since when they first met during production of Risky Business. This led to Minority Report becoming a Spielberg sci-fi action tentpole.

 

 

The most notable aspect of Minority Report is its futuristic world. In 1999, Spielberg invited fifteen science experts for a three-day “think tank”. This was done to make the year of 2054 both blend the look and feel of utopian and dystopian future, as well as make the concepts, setting and technology feel plausible and realistic. Spielberg stated in an interview with Roger Ebert: “I wanted all the toys to come true someday. I want there to be a transportation system that doesn't emit toxins into the atmosphere. And the newspaper that updates itself ... The Internet is watching us now. If they want to. They can see what sites you visit. In the future, television will be watching us, and customizing itself to what it knows about us. The thrilling thing is, that will make us feel we're part of the medium. The scary thing is, we'll lose our right to privacy. An ad will appear in the air around us, talking directly to us.”

 

When it was released, there was concern over the film’s potential. Despite the box office pull of both Spielberg and Cruise, the film’s darker, more mature subject matter made this big-budget hit a hard sell for many audiences, and both figures were supposed to earn 30% of the film’s box office, making it hard for Fox to break even.

 

Upon its release, not only did the film see rave reviews for its action, direction, and themes of free will, the film did relatively decent. While its 35 million opening was on par with expectations, though some argued it was a touch disappointing, its positive WOM resulted in the film generating over $132 million in the United States and Canada. And thanks to Cruise’s global popularity, Minority Report finished with $358.4 million. Since then, Minority Report is still a fan favorite amongst sci-fi and Spielberg fans. In 2015, Fox produced a short-lived television series based on the movie that only lasted 10 episodes.

 

18th place was the horror film The Ring, a remake of the 1998 Japanese film Ringu. Focusing on a cursed videotape that kills the viewer seven days after watching it, the film was almost going to be directed by David Lynch, who was offered the part by producer and collaborator Neal Edelstein. Lynch would reject the offer, but Edelstein was not deterred. Sure enough, the role of director was given to Mouse Hunt/The Mexican director Gore Verbinski. Verbinksi was given a VHS copy of Ringu by producer Walter F. Parkes. Verbinski loved the movie, jumped on the opportunity and a movie was made.

 

One of the most important aspects Verbinski wanted in his film, apart from wanting to make a film that would appeal to the hardcore fans of Ringu who already criticized the idea of a remake, was avoiding big stars, in a way to make his film seem “discovered”. This resulted in the casting of Naomi Watts as Rachel Keller. While Watts had been working as an actress in Australia since 1986’s For Love Alone, her move to the United States led to struggles in finding a quality agent and quality work. But in 2001, Naomi Watts starred in the David Lynch classic Mulholland Drive. Originally a television pilot transformed into a movie, Watts saw considerable acclaim for her performance, earning multiple critic awards, and helped her become a rising star in the industry. This made her the perfect actress for Verbinksi’s vision.

 

 

Upon its initial release on October 18, the film opened to #1 despite being in less than 2,000 theaters, resulting in a $15 million opening. A fine enough result, but that solid opening, coupled by great word of mouth and decent reviews from critics prompted Dreamworks Pictures to expand the film into 653 more locations. And thanks to Halloween around the corner, the film saw a 23% jump with a $18.5 million second weekend. But even after Halloween, the film continued to play incredibly well throughout November. Weekend three saw only a 2% drop, and despite competition from 8 Mile, Potter, and Bond, people still lined up to see the film for its quality and interesting horror concept.

 

The film legged out to 8.6 times its opening, resulting in $129.2 million. In a day and age where horror movies make boffo business and large openings, The Ring’s leggy run and final total are still an anomaly, and shows how much of a phenomenon the film was to the horror community. This was a massive success for all involved. Verbinski’s last films like Mouse Hunt and The Mexican were modest hits, but The Ring put him on the map and made Hollywood know his name. And one year later, Verbinski had one big-budget tentpole that was set to explode and take him to the stratosphere.

 

Naomi Watts also saw a significant career boost. Her Mulholland acclaim and box office powerhouse Ring turned her into a household name, and resulted in future Oscar nominations for the films 21 Grams and The Impossible, the role of Ann Darow in Peter Jackson’s King Kong, and supporting roles in films like Birdman, St. Vincent, and While We’re Young. The Ring also saw a major increase in American remakes of Japanese horror films like The Grudge, Dark Water, One Missed Call, The Eye, and more. Having said all that, none of these movies saw the same critical nor financial success as The Ring.

 

In 2005, The Ring Two was produced, with Watts returning, but Verbinski not directing. It was poorly received and grossed less than its predecessor. Finally in 2017, a third installment, without Watts or Verbinski, was released and titled Rings. Unfortunately it was considered one of the worst movies of the year, did mediocre business, and has resulted in the franchise laying dormant. Tragic!

 

And finally, down in 21st place, we have The Bourne Identity, based on the Robert Ludlum novel of the same name. Matt Damon is Jason Bourne, a man with extreme amnesia. Bourne finds himself looking to discover his true identity, which seems tied into a grand conspiracy within the CIA.

 

Director Doug Liman was a massive fan of the source material when he first read it in high school. His interest in the novel, as well as his father Arthur’s memories in his involvement of the Iran-Contra affair, resulted in Liman pushing to direct this adaptation, getting the film rights, and working alongside Universal Pictures, who acquired Ludlum’s stories in the hope of developing a new film franchise.

 

The role of Jason Bourne was offered to a variety of actors, including Brad Pitt, Russell Crowe, Arnold Schwarzzeneger, Tom Cruise and Sylvester Stallone, but the role was given to Matt Damon. Liman believed that Damon had the best understanding of the material, knowing that despite the action set pieces, the film, first and foremost, focused on character and plot. This was the most physically demanding role Damon ever went through, and he insisted he would perform a majority of his stunts. This meant Damon went through three months of training in both stunt work and boxing.

 

 

Having said all that, Liman’s production was anything but smooth. Universal didn’t care for the film’s pace and low-key action, while Liman stayed distant from the Universal executives, as he was very suspicious of any direct studio involvement. Reshoots and rewrites emerged later on in development, which forced the film to delay from September 2001 to June 2002. Screenwriter Tony Gilroy faxed rewrites throughout the entirety of filming, with the farmhouse scenes in the third act in particular becoming heavily contentious among all parties. There was also concern over the expensive filming in Paris, Liman’s insistence on a French-speaking crew, and poor reactions from test screenings over the Paris finale. Liman was also very hands-on with the production to the point where he operated the camera himself in order to have a more intimate relationship between himself, the film, and the actors.

 

Yet despite the production nightmares, it paid off tremendously. The Bourne Identity saw great reviews, earning praise for its realistic action and compelling narrative. And at the box office, it opened to $27.1 million, becoming the biggest debut in Matt Damon’s career, and a needed win after flops like The Legend of Bagger Vance and All the Pretty Horses. In the end, the film finished with $121.5 million domestic and about $214 million worldwide, a solid number that showed potential for the franchise. And thanks to that solid box office and growing popularity, this resulted in one of Universal’s biggest franchises ever, with four sequels, two of which we’ll definitely talk about in the future, a short-lived USA Network series titled Treadstone, and The Bourne Stuntacular, which was set to debut at Universal Studios Florida this spring, but then COVID-19 happened.

 

Regardless, despite all the production woes, it was all worth it in the end.

 

And that’s just a sampling of some of what happened at the box office in 2002. There were so many interesting stories to talk about here that I had to cut out due to time constraints. But rest assured, there’s a lot more. Scooby-Doo combined nostalgia for the cartoon series with a slew of talented young actors, resulting in the second-biggest June debut at that time. xXx is both a very uncomfortable title, and helped continue Vin Diesel’s momentum after The Fast and the Furious was a hit in 2001. The Santa Clause 2 combined Disney magic, holiday magic, and Tim Allen magic, resulting in the film just barely below the 1994 original’s box office. Sweet Home Alabama was Reese Witherspoon’s follow-up to last year’s Legally Blonde, becoming the biggest opening for a September movie, holding the record until 2012’s Hotel Transylvania. Mr. Deeds put Adam Sandler back on track after the horror that was Little Nicky. 8 Mile continued what was a banner year for Eminem. 

 

The Scorpion King was Dwayne Johnson’s first vehicle. Snow Dogs tricked kids into thinking they were seeing a talking dog movie, and Disney laughed all the way to the bank. Insomnia was another step for Papa Nolan and his eventual rise. Stuart Little 2 dropped more than half from its predecessor. Jackass: The Movie banked on the popularity of the MTV series and became its own successful film franchise. Star Trek: Nemesis was a box office flop that prompted Paramount to completely reboot the property. Resident Evil became its own mildly popular film franchise. 

 

Animated shows The Wild Thornberrys, The Powerpuff Girls, and Hey! Arnold all got movies that did poorly, prompting executives to think not every cartoon can turn into a successful movie. Eddie Murphy had three box office flops back to back to back, with Showtime, I Spy, and Pluto Nash. Pluto Nash in particular was such a failure, grossing only $7 million on a mind-boggling $100 million budget, it became the biggest bomb of 2002, one of the biggest bombs in film history, and considered one of the worst comedies ever made. The Country Bears made $18 million on a $35 million budget, almost caused production for Pirates of the Caribbean to shut down, and gave little baby Eric nightmares because god damn were those bears terrifying. And lastly, Jonah: A Veggietales Story...existed I guess.

 

 

This was 2002

[Eric Duncan]

Well that was a lot to unpack right there. I really enjoyed taking part in the research here, and I really enjoyed getting to briefly talk about all these movies.

 

And now that 2002 is done, it's time to move on with 2003. It's an exciting year, with the LOTR finale, Pixar's continued dominance, Matrix fever, and a wide variety of comedy hits. But of course, I can't talk about everything. That's where you come in. The Top 10 Domestic and Top 10 Worldwide will be covered no matter what, but for other 2003 releases, you get to tell me what you want to see. I can't promise I'll do every request, but I hope I can talk about the movies you most want to hear about. So please suggest the 2003 films you want me to talk about, and I'll do them.

 

Thanks again, and I hope you guys enjoy the rest of THABOS

[Brainbug]

If you dont count The Clone Wars movie, Attack of the Clones shares the notion of "not beeing Number 1 DOM or WW" now together with Solo (2018) and Rise of Skywalker (2019). Every other Star Wars Film held atleast one of the two top spots.

 

Personally for me, AOTC's relatively speaking moderate success shows that Star Wars can "underperform" to a certain extent but still dont loose any of its box office weight in the bigger picture; Revenge of the Sith was a great return to form in 2005 and while Solo was a clear flop and Rise of Skywalker did clearly underperform compared to TFA, TLJ and Rogue One, i still see the future of Star Wars optimistically. Especially if Disney does manage to create new storys, new characters while still make if feel like the Star Wars we know and love.

 

With other words: Make that damn Old Republic movie/trilogy!

[baumer]

Well just like when @chasmmi and his crew took over baumers summer game and completely out did what I did in the game by making it so much better, @Eric AtreidesA you have truly outdone anything I did previously in this exercise.

 

That write-up on Spider-Man was one of the most interesting things I've ever read in my life. No hyperbole here either. I had no idea that the cannon boys once had the rights to Spider-Man and even though they made a couple of films that I enjoyed like over-the-top and cobra, if they would have had free rein to make Spider-Man it absolutely would have sucked. I also had no idea that Joseph Zito was once attached to direct and he did my favourite Friday the 13th movie, the Final Chapter and another really good horror movie called The Prowler so his vision would have been welcomed by me.

 

Everything else you did was fascinating as well but I just want to mention you're piece on The Bourne identity. I remember Terry Crews once being asked if it bothered him because he was the second choice to play Caesar in The Expendables after Wesley Snipes couldn't do it. Terry Crews actually corrected the interviewer and said he was the fifth choice to play Caesar and that he wouldn't have it any other way. He said Caesar was one of the most fun characters he's ever played an the fact that there was four other black actors who were thought of before him just made him appreciate the role that much more.

 

And that's a similar story I guess with Matt Damon. Some of the guys that were mentioned in your article who were approached to play Jason Bourne like Russell Crowe, Sly and Arnold, would have been horrible choices in my opinion. And now we can't picture anyone but Matt Damon in that role so good for him 4 accepting the role and making it as iconic as it is.

 

You've done an absolutely incredible job on this and take a breath and I look forward to reading 2003.

[Eric Duncan]

2 hours ago, baumer said:

Well just like when @chasmmi and his crew took over baumers summer game and completely out did what I did in the game by making it so much better, @Eric AtreidesA you have truly outdone anything I did previously in this exercise.

 

That write-up on Spider-Man was one of the most interesting things I've ever read in my life. No hyperbole here either. I had no idea that the cannon boys once had the rights to Spider-Man and even though they made a couple of films that I enjoyed like over-the-top and cobra, if they would have had free rein to make Spider-Man it absolutely would have sucked. I also had no idea that Joseph Zito was once attached to direct and he did my favourite Friday the 13th movie, the Final Chapter and another really good horror movie called The Prowler so his vision would have been welcomed by me.

 

Everything else you did was fascinating as well but I just want to mention you're piece on The Bourne identity. I remember Terry Crews once being asked if it bothered him because he was the second choice to play Caesar in The Expendables after Wesley Snipes couldn't do it. Terry Crews actually corrected the interviewer and said he was the fifth choice to play Caesar and that he wouldn't have it any other way. He said Caesar was one of the most fun characters he's ever played an the fact that there was four other black actors who were thought of before him just made him appreciate the role that much more.

 

And that's a similar story I guess with Matt Damon. Some of the guys that were mentioned in your article who were approached to play Jason Bourne like Russell Crowe, Sly and Arnold, would have been horrible choices in my opinion. And now we can't picture anyone but Matt Damon in that role so good for him 4 accepting the role and making it as iconic as it is.

 

You've done an absolutely incredible job on this and take a breath and I look forward to reading 2003.

Welp, didn't expect to cry today. Thank you so much for these amazing words, and I'm glad you loved what I wrote here. I honestly was nervous about whether I could follow in your footsteps, but I'm so happy you think I outdone your work here.

 

Spider-Man's development certainly was fascinating to read. I'm obviously very happy with what we got with Raimi's vision, and of course Marvel is definitely happy with what they got, but part of me is curious about the original pitch where Peter Parker would turn into an eight-legged freak. Simultaneously would have been the greatest and worst thing in the history of cinema.

 

And of course, just as a reminder that if there's a 2003 movie you're dying to hear me talk about, feel free to share it. I'm of course going to talk about the top 10 domestic and worldwide, but I know there are other stories out there you probably want me to talk out.

[titanic2187]

2002's box office was so much more healthy than what we having today.

 

From blockbuster hit like SM, SW2, LOT2, HP2, to a small comedy sleep hit like MBFGW, all kind of films had their fair share of gross versus today Disney/Superhero centric box office 

[Brainbug]

31 minutes ago, titanic2187 said:

2002's box office was so much more healthy than what we having today.

 

From blockbuster hit like SM, SW2, LOT2, HP2, to a small comedy sleep hit like MBFGW, all kind of films had their fair share of gross versus today Disney/Superhero centric box office 

 

Main reasons for that i suppose were

 

1) way more diversity among the huge releases. You had Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Comedys, Superheros all with anticipated releases and huge fanbases

2) way more people going to the movies. The early 2000s were the golden age of moviegoing in this decade so far

3) most of those films had very good reception among critics and audiences

4) This was a time where people still could be "wowed" by new films and new film techniques.

5) No Monopoly among the major studios

6) Healthy mix of franchise films and original fare

[baumer]

I also loved the write up on the ring. Nothing will ever match the legs of My big fat Greek wedding but for a Japanese horror movie remake with no stars in the cast and a director that was still one year away from superstardom, the ring was certainly an amazing success story.

[redfirebird2008]

19 hours ago, Eric Atreides said:

Well that was a lot to unpack right there. I really enjoyed taking part in the research here, and I really enjoyed getting to briefly talk about all these movies.

 

And now that 2002 is done, it's time to move on with 2003. It's an exciting year, with the LOTR finale, Pixar's continued dominance, Matrix fever, and a wide variety of comedy hits. But of course, I can't talk about everything. That's where you come in. The Top 10 Domestic and Top 10 Worldwide will be covered no matter what, but for other 2003 releases, you get to tell me what you want to see. I can't promise I'll do every request, but I hope I can talk about the movies you most want to hear about. So please suggest the 2003 films you want me to talk about, and I'll do them.

 

Thanks again, and I hope you guys enjoy the rest of THABOS

 

You're doing a hell of a job from what I can see. 2002 was a pretty interesting year at the box office for sure. Spidey 1 is the first movie that made me interested in tracking the daily/weekly results. 

[baumer]

And ironically I believe 2002 was the first year of the box office mojo forums. That's when this whole obsession started and these forms definitely owe a debt of gratitude or at least an acknowledgement to boxofficemojo from back in the day.