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

[Jonwo]

1 minute ago, cannastop said:

That's a big thing to take away, considering they have a musical number.

The stage musical version replaces them as statues of saints of Notre Dame and as figment of Quasimodo's imagination.

[Maxmoser3]

1997 is interesting because 1997 was an experiment year as Titanic was a surprise success with the biggest budget ever at the time. While films like Alien:Ressurection, The Postman, Speed 2, Batman & Robin, and Starship Troopers were all big budget misfires. 

[Chaz]

1996 in movie songs:

 

 

[baumer]

And finally coming in at number 13 is the film that single-handedly brought the horror genre back from the grave.  We'll get to this in a moment.;...but first some background on Scream.

 

scream is a 1996 slasher film written by Kevin Williamson and directed by Wes Craven. The film stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich, and Drew Barrymore. Released on December 20, 1996, Scream follows the character of Sidney Prescott (Campbell), a high school student in the fictional town of Woodsboro, California, who becomes the target of a mysterious killer known as Ghostface. The film combined black comedy and "whodunit" mystery with the violence of the slasher genre to satirize the clichés of the horror film genre popularized in films such as Halloween and Friday the 13th. The film was considered unique at the time of its release for featuring characters who were aware of real world horror films and openly discussed the clichés that Scream attempted to subvert.

 

Based partly on the real life case of the Gainesville Ripper, Scream was inspired by Williamson's passion for horror films, especially Halloween (1978). The script, originally titled Scary Movie, was bought by Dimension Films and was retitled by the Weinstein Brothers just before filming was complete. The production faced censorship issues with the Motion Picture Association of America and obstacles from locals while filming on location. The film went on to financial and critical acclaim, earning $173 million worldwide, and became the highest-grossing slasher film in the US in unadjusted dollars. It received several awards and award nominations. Scream marked a change in the genre as it cast already-established and successful actors, which was considered to have helped it find a wider audience, including a significant female viewership.

 

 

The script for what was then known as Scary Movie went on sale on a Friday in June 1995, but received no bids.  By the following Monday, the script had become the subject of a significant bidding war among a host of established studios, including Paramount Pictures, Universal Pictures, and Morgan Creek Productions.  Producer Cathy Konrad read the script and felt it was exactly what the Weinstein brothers of the fledgling Dimension Films — then a part of Miramax — were looking for. Dimension had previously released several horror films and intended to focus on that genre. Konrad brought the script to Bob Weinstein's assistant, Richard Potter. Believing it had potential, he brought it to Weinstein's attention.  Studios began to drop out of the bidding as the price of the script increased, and the final two bidders were Oliver Stone, who was at the time working under Cinergi Pictures, and the Weinsteins of Dimension Films. Williamson agreed to a bid of $400,000 from Miramax, plus a contract for two sequels and a possible fourth unrelated film. Williamson said he chose Dimension because he believed they would produce Scary Movie immediately and without significantly censoring the violence in the script.

 

 

Bob Weinstein approached Craven early in the planning stages, because he felt Craven's previous work in the genre that combined horror and comedy would make him the perfect person to bring Williamson's script to screen. Craven was already busy developing a remake of The Haunting and was considering distancing himself from the horror genre. He was growing weary of what he felt was an inherent misogyny and violence in it. Weinstein approached other directors, including Robert Rodriguez, Danny Boyle, George A. Romero, and Sam Raimi.  Williamson said that they "didn't get it"; he was concerned that having read the script, many of the directors believed the film to be purely a comedy. Craven was approached again but continued to pass in spite of repeated requests. When production of The Haunting collapsed, Craven was freed from that commitment and found himself in need of a project.  Meanwhile, Drew Barrymore had signed on to the film at her own request. When he heard an established actress wanted to be involved, Craven reasoned that Scary Movie might be different from other films of the genre he had previously undertaken, and he contacted Weinstein to accept the job.

As the film neared completion, the Weinstein brothers changed the film's title from Scary Movie to Scream. They were inspired by the Michael Jackson song of the same name. Bob Weinstein considered Scary Movie to be an unsuitable title as, in addition to the horror and violence, the film contained elements of satire and comedy; Weinstein wished for that to be better conveyed by the title. The change was effected so late into production that congratulatory gifts bore the original name. Williamson and Craven immediately disliked the new title, and considered it "stupid".  Both later remarked that the change turned out to be positive, and that Weinstein had been wise to pick the new title. Following a screening of the film in front of a test audience and Miramax executives, Craven was offered a two-picture contract for sequels to Scream.  In short, the film tested through the roof.

 

 

The casting was an interesting story as well.  Drew Barrymore was initially sought after to play the lead.  But when she read the script, she asked to play Casey.  Being a fan of the movie Psycho, she felt that the audiences would be thrown for a loop if she, like Marian Crane did in Psycho, died early in the film.  This idea worked beautifully as Barrymore was given the AND billing in the early trailers for the film.  Her early demise set the tone for the movie.

 

In terms of the box office, Scream made more than 100 million domestic, but when first released, the studio thought they had a dud.  The film was released in December, five days before Christmas. The studio did this because during the holiday season, family friendly movies are usually released, and the studio wanted to give the horror audience something to see during a time when no horror movies would be out. It opened at #4 with $6.4 million, which led the studio to believe the film had flopped. However, the film's good word of mouth is what led to its success at the box office. With every week it went up or stayed at the same place in the box office. Scream's budget was 14 million and it took in 173 million WW.  

 

Scream was responsible for the recrudescence of horror.  This was 1996.  Friday the 13th was done and the supposed final chapter just three years earlier went out with a whimper with 15 million.  Nightmare on Elm Street went out with a quiet 18 million for Wes' New Nightmare.  The last Halloween made 15 million.  The slasher giants from the 70's and 80's were no longer fresh and audiences were staying away.  Studios could no longer throw tiny budgets at straight to video horror films and make a tidy profit.  In 1996 before Scream, the highest grossing pure horror movie was Stephen King's Thinner which took in 15 million.  The genre was dead and it needed something to kick start it.  

 

Scream was that boost.  The reason it did so well is because it reinvented everything you knew about horror movies.  The characters were not oblivious to other horror films, in fact, not only were they aware but the characters were fans of films like Halloween and Friday the 13th.  Randy, the movie nerd of the group even tells people that there are rules for not getting killed in a horror film.  His four rules are:

 

1. You will not survive if you have sex

2. You will not survive if you drink or do drugs

3. You will not survive if you say "I'll be right back"

4. Everyone is a suspect.

 

Two additional rules come from the killer:

5. You will not survive if you ask "Who's there?"

6. You will not survive if you go out to investigate a strange noise.

 

There were also brilliant yet subtle touches and lines in the film that only a true horror geek would get.  "What's that werewolf movie with ET's mom in it?"  And then you had the entire beginning that was a wink and a nudge to all the horror fans who grew up watching scary movies in their parent's basement.  The killer quizzes Casey about horror trivia and when he asks her who the killer was in Friday the 13th, we, the audience right away shout out JASON VOORHEES!! And then he shows us who is boss by telling us and Casey that we should know that in the original Friday the 13th, Mrs. Voorhees was the killer.  Kevin Williamson's script was fresh and it appealed to people like me, people who have seen one too many scary movies.  We felt vindicated in some ways.  Horror has always been that genre that was kind of looked down upon.  It's about big breasted girls who are running up the stairs when they should running out the front door.  It's about pretty nubile women ready and willing to show is their assets before getting sliced and diced.  It's a genre basically ignored by the academy.  And here comes Kevin Williamson's script that started a bidding war among the Hollywood elite....and it finally got the director it needed to give it some pre-release credibility.  Wes Craven understands the genre and his clever touches helped make Scream the iconic film it is known as today.

 

 

Scream was blessed with a terrific cast as well.  Barrymore was the headliner but you had passionate performances by everyone from Skeet Ulrich to Jamie Kennedy to Neve Campbell to Henry Winkler.  But the one performance that stands out is Matthew Lilliard as Stu, the best friend of Billy.  Together they hatch the plan to kill the students of Woodsboro high.  Stu seems like more of a follower than a leader and Mtthew Lilliard played him brilliantly.  Some of funniest moments in the film were actually ad-libbed by Lilliard.  If you have seen the film, you might remember the scene where Stu asks Sid if she really called the police.  When she says that she really did, Stu cries, "My parents are going to be so mad at me."  This was done on the spot and Craven loved it.  There's also a scene where Billy drops the phone and it hits Stu in the head....Lilliard really did get hurt by that action but instead of break character he stays in it and just says OW and then rubs his head and complains to Billy.  All made up on the spot.  Lilliard, like Benicio Del Toro in Usual Suspects, took a character that was kind of standard and made him into what you see on screen.  It's one of the endearing things about the movie.

 

After Scream was a giant hit, the horror genre took off again.  Less than a year later, I Know What you Did Last Summer took in 75 million.  Scream 2 cleared the 100 million mark again also.  Then in 1998, Jamie Lee Curtis returned to her roots and starred in Halloween H2O, and it more than tripled the gross of the last Halloween film.  And of course, you have 1999.  The uber success of The Blair Witch Project and The Sixth Sense might not have happened if Scream hadn't been the genre reviving movie it was.  The point is, Kevin Williamson and Wes Craven, and yes, the fucking Weinsteins all read the market and took a chance and it paid off in ways that perhaps none of the could have foreseen.  Scream is one of my favourite films of all time.  Although it is just as funny as it is scary, it's moe than just a horror film.  It's a film that validated all the horror loonies like me.  It told us that there were others out there who loved Jason and Leatherface.  It joked about things we loved and it threw us all kinds of winks that only fans of the genre would get.  Scream did more for horror than perhaps any other film did for its genre, except for maybe Star Wars.  Scream is a giant.

 

The horror industry is once again getting healthy again as new film makers are giving us fresh takes on the genre.  We have spent the last 18 years getting overkilled by the found footage genre.  Now you have films like Split, Lights Out and Get Out, just to name a few, that are redefining the genre again.  I feel like it's in good hands once again. 

 

 

[75Live]

I was hoping for the great write up for Scream and not surprisingly, you didn't disappoint  

[WrathOfHan]

Scream is the shit. A top 10 movie for me

[Jonwo]

Scream is great but I find it more funny than scary. 

[baumer]

3 hours ago, Jonwo said:

Scream is great but I find it more funny than scary. 

 

That's kind of the vibe that Williamson was going for although his original script did have a lot more violence and gore that what was allowed.  They even had a NC-17 rating at first.  Harvey had to talk to the film board and only after a lengthy conversation did it get the R it needed.  There was one scene that was all but cut and that was Casey's boyfriend having his intestines dripping down his leg and his entire stomach ripped open.  That didn't sit well with the censors, so what we are left with is the scene we have now.

[baumer]

3 hours ago, 75livesinDerry said:

I was hoping for the great write up for Scream and not surprisingly, you didn't disappoint  

 

Thanks.....that means a lot coming from you.  Sincerely. 

[Chaz]

The Scary Movie parody was also a blast. Scream really led to some cut-rate late '90s entertainment.

[75Live]

15 minutes ago, Stutterng baumer Denbrough said:

 

Thanks.....that means a lot coming from you.  Sincerely. 

 

well I give credit where its due

 

and thanks for the compliment back.  It's appreciated.

 

I know you dedicated a whole paragraph to this, but this is one of those movies that was made for us.  In us, I mean people that grew up with or just enjoyed all the horror movies that came before it.  So many little inside jokes or references even just the janitor having a red and green sweater with his name being Freddy.  To the rules that we all knew but the films never really wanted to acknowledge. Using Randy as a character who basically was us an audience member on screen, was such an awesome touch.

 

I'l always give Scream its credit even if it didn't reinvigorate the horror genre, which of course it did 

 

 

Edited August 2, 2017 by 75livesinDerry

[baumer]

3 hours ago, 75livesinDerry said:

 

well I give credit where its due

 

and thanks for the compliment back.  It's appreciated.

 

I know you dedicated a whole paragraph to this, but this is one of those movies that was made for us.  In us, I mean people that grew up or just enjoyed all the horror movies that came before it.  So many little inside jokes or references even just the janitor having a red and green sweater with is name being Freddy.  To the rules that we all knew but the films never really wanted to acknowledge. Using Randy as a character who was basically was us an audience member on screen, was such an awesome touch.

 

I'l always give Scream its credit even if it didn't reinvigorate the horror genre, which of course it did 

 

 

 

[Maxmoser3]

A weird part of me wants to buy the old school scream DVD box set from 2000 next time I see it I might pick it up. I got the bluray set, but I want to get the set to watch them and have the set on display on the top of my shelf right next to where I keep my Bride Of Chucky VHS at. 

[75Live]

1 minute ago, Maxmoser3 said:

A weird part of me wants to buy the old school scream DVD box set from 2000 next time I see it I might pick it up. I got the bluray set, but I want to get the set to watch them and have the set on display on the top of my shelf right next to where I keep my Bride Of Chucky VHS at. 

 

I'm annoyed that the cool Scream blu ray set only came with the first 3 movies.  I'm not the biggest fan of part 4, but I still like it enough and wanted it part of the collection

[Maxmoser3]

5 minutes ago, 75livesinDerry said:

 

I'm annoyed that the cool Scream blu ray set only came with the first 3 movies.  I'm not the biggest fan of part 4, but I still like it enough and wanted it part of the collection

In Canada, you can get all 4 movies with the mask included. Not sure if it was dvd or bluray. But one of the FYEs in Indianapolis had it years ago for sale. 

[baumer]

It's great to see horror lovers here...who love the genre and Scream as much as I do.

[baumer]

@Krissykins should read the Scream stuff.

[75Live]

1 minute ago, Maxmoser3 said:

In Canada, you can get all 4 movies with the mask included. Not sure if it was dvd or bluray. But one of the FYEs in Indianapolis had it years ago for sale. 

 

sounds pretty cool.  I love the set I have since one of the discs is nothing but documentaries and special features, but still want the 4th movie  

[Jonwo]

You know a film has entered the zeitgeist when it is parodied a few years later. 

[John Marston]

when I was very young, the Scream movies looked like the scariest movies ever. Got scared whenever I saw some sort of commercial for them

 

 

when I was in high school I caught the first movie on TV. I remember getting really engaged in the mystery and liking that the film was kind of making fun of horror movies. Also liked it felt more like a thriller than a "Scary" type of film. And of course since I was older it wasn't the terrifying experience I thought when I was younger. 

 

 

When Scream 4 was coming out I checked out the first film again and liked it even more. I then watched the two sequels and it also made me watch other, similar films (Halloween, A Nightmare on Elm Street, I Know What You Did Last Summer etc)