Box Office Theory Forum's Top 100 Warner Bros. Movies

[Eric Lasagna]

#38

Gremlins

928 points, 22 lists

"You say you hate Thanksgiving and nobody cares, but you say you hate Christmas and people treat you like you're a leper."

 

Box Office: 212.9M

Rotten Tomatoes: 86%

Metacritic: 70

Awards: 5 Saturn Awards and 4 nominations, 1 Young Artist Award and 1 nomination

 

Its Legacy: Created the PG-13 rating. Became a merchandising powerhouse. Inspired other horror movie knock-offs like Ghoulies, Troll, Hobgoblins, and Munchies. Gave the name for the Scottish rock band Mogwai. Characters would later appear in The Lego Batman Movie, Space Jam: A New Legacy, Lego Dimensions, and MultiVersus. Spawned a sequel and animated television series. Gave Howie Mandel a paycheck.

 

Commentary: If you hear the term “Christmas movie”, a very specific image likely comes to your mind. One with wholesome stories, cutesy images, wacky slapstick, maybe a goofy comedian or a cute kid in the centerpiece? All of them being about the joys of the season. Being with loved ones, enjoying time with your fellow man, and loving life to all its fullest. Home Alone, It’s a Wonderful Life, Silent Night Deadly Night Part 2. All the wholesome family classics.

 

Gremlins is not that. It’s a Christmas movie that is all about a bunch of demented little monsters maiming others and causing mayhem, the little buggers getting blown up in a microwave, suburbia satire full of eccentric townsfolk, and the only semblance of Santa Claus being a teenager’s dad falling down the chimney and snapping their neck. It’s crude, mean, and frankly has no business being a Christmas movie. It’s also fucking awesome.

 

With incredible special effects, sequences that are both terrifying and hilarious, and a lot of naughty bits in a kids movie that probably shouldn’t have been for kids, this was the Christmas movie for the anarchist inside all of us. And this summertime hit would go on to earn a massive fan following even decades later, with a recent animated series premiering on Max earlier this year, and people enjoying this as an annual tradition. It’s the kind of kids movie that makes you feel like an adult while watching, because it’s so crass and cool and dangerous. And that’s the kind of movie we sadly don’t get anymore with everything so sanitized. Thankfully, we’re still around passing this hit to future generations, giving them a gateway to the world of horror comedy.

[Eric Lasagna]

#37

A Clockwork Orange

936 points, 16 lists

"I was cured, all right!"

Box Office: 114M

Rotten Tomatoes: 88%

Metacritic: 77

Awards: 4 Academy Award nominations, 7 BAFTA Award nominations, 3 Golden Globe Award nominations

 

Its Legacy: One of the most controversial movies of all time. Spawned copycat crimes in Britain that caused the movie to be banned for three decades. Helped relax control over violence in cinema. Referenced and an influence for Reservoir Dogs, Trainspotting, and The Dark Knight, among others. Also referenced/influenced David Bowie, Guns n Roses, U2, My Chemical Romance, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna, among others. #48 on AFI's Top 100 Movies and #70 for their 2007 edition. #75 in Sight & Sound's Director's Poll and #235 for Critics' Poll. Added to the National Film Registry in 2020. Gave Patrick Magee a paycheck.

 

Commentary: Remember when movies were controversial for...actually being controversial? Nowadays, people get pissed when a Star Wars movie subverts expectations or when a Barbie movie says that men are trash. Kids stuff. If you want something actually controversial, look no further here, with this Kubrick classic.

 

One of the most disturbing and violent films ever created, audiences are being asked to follow a criminal. Not a crook with a heart of gold. Not a brute with a tragic backstory. But a man with no heart and soul. An anti-social who loves stealing, raping women, and hurting even his gang of droogs. Alex Delarge is menacing, yet weirdly captivating to watch. He’s a symbol of just how awful and evil our minds can possibly go. And as the story progresses, we see how much our society is at fault for letting such mentally depraved folk get away with what they do.

 

It’s like Joker, but actually good. And like Joker, it spawned a moral panic, which actually led to copycat crimes. So Kubrick’s home country of Britain didn’t allow the movie to play for the longest time, and this film is still banned in numerous countries. This alongside the film’s ultraviolence made it one of the most polarizing and controversial films of the 1970s.

 

Yet as is typical of Kubrick’s work, the film would be re-evaluated and later praised for its distinct visuals, iconic setpieces, and repulsive insights into delinquency and abuse. It still has a strong fanbase and was a crucial part of the New Hollywood scene, allowing violence to be far less censored and showing that audiences were willing to enjoy works that were polarizing, daring, and didn’t fit into your average “good hero” archetype. This was yet another game changer from a studio notorious for putting out tons of game changers.

[Eric Lasagna]

#36

Barry Lyndon

939 points, 13 lists

"But Fate had determined that Barry should leave none of his race behind him... that he should finish his life poor, lonely, and childless."

Box Office: 31.5M

Rotten Tomatoes: 88%

Metacritic: 89

Awards: 4 Academy Awards and 3 nominations, 2 BAFTA Awards and 3 nominations, 2 Golden Globe Award nominations

 

Its Legacy: Boasts groundbreaking cinematography. Earned disappointing reception that would become far kinder over the decades. #46 in The Village Voice's Top 250 Films of the 20th Century. Martin Scorsese's favorite Kubrick film. An all-time favorite with Lars von Trier and Akira Kurosawa. Appeared in Sight & Sound's 2012 and 2022 lists. Gave Ryan O'Neal a paycheck.

 

Commentary: There’s a Kubrick movie for everybody. This is a man who dipped his toe into so many genres and stories and characters that everybody’s got a movie they can call their own and consider their favorite. And for me, I’m very much in the Barry Lyndon camp.

 

A big part really is just how easy it is to get lost in the rhythms and vistas Kubrick has created. The painterly cinematography, emphasizing beautiful costumes and gorgeous Irish landscapes, are immaculate within their staging, The score is also a hypnotic one, as it helps you stay entranced by the story and world. 

 

Yet what's most fascinating is Redmond Barry himself and how little impact he has as a character. He has a personality, but his kindly nature is intentionally subtle, as his life is basically taken over by other forces and he only submits to it due to his own kindness and meekness. It's a great blank slate that allows us to be in this bizarre world of aristocracy and subverts the typical figure you would find in these period epics. All of this is accentuated by Ryan O'Neal's spacey and offbeat performance, which really does add onto the subversion and unique persona of Redmond. Some would say O’Neal is miscast or poorly performed, but I find his oddities make Redmond and the film itself all the more curious and engaging. Kubrick's mood and tone has always been my personal standout of him as a filmmaker, and this one is one of the best in that regard. Everything clicks to create something unlike anything else, and nothing else comes close, at least with these period dramas. And this getting so high definitely gave me a smile.

[Eric Lasagna]

#35

Her

945 points, 19 lists

"Whatever someone you become, and wherever you are in the world, I'm sending you love. You're my friend to the end. Love, Theodore."

 

Box Office: 48.3M

Rotten Tomatoes: 94%

Metacritic: 91

Awards: 1 Academy Award and 4 nominations, 1 Critics Choice Award and 5 nominations, 1 Golden Globe Award and 2 nominations, 1 Grammy Award nomination, 2 National Board of Review Awards

 

Its Legacy: Jonze's solo screenwriting debut. Dedicated to James Gandolfini, Harris Savidies, Maurice Sendak, and Adam Yauch. Considered one of the greatest films of the 2010s and 21st century. Ranked #84 on BBC's Top 100 Movies Since 2000. Gave Amy Adams a paycheck.

 

Commentary: The romance story for the modern, digital age. Spike Jonze’s masterpiece, about a man who falls in love with a computer, has a strange and surreal premise to be sure. Yet one that’s ripe for satirizing our modern-day obsession and reliance on modern technology. A premise that is absurdly humorous, as how could anybody find themselves smitten with a robot? A robot that doesn’t even have a physical presence?

 

And a premise that is also hauntingly relatable. A film about our insecurities with finding love, a human connection with others. And we have ourselves a cautionary tale about why it’s important for us to break away from these fears and be with real humans. That to shut ourselves away from the world and love somebody that isn’t even alive has repercussions. It’s a film that feels even more prescient and powerful a decade after release, when all of us had to be forced to be with our computers and away from civilization.

 

Jonze has yet to make another movie since Her released a decade ago (weird to say it’s now a decade old), but I think this was a good note to end things on. One that exemplifies all his eccentricities, his talents, and his humanism in a delightfully witty, emotional, and romantic sci-fi package.

[Eric Lasagna]

#34

Blade Runner 2049

967 points, 19 lists

"Pain reminds you the joy you felt was real. More joy, then! Do not be afraid."

Box Office: 267.7M

Rotten Tomatoes: 88%

Metacritic: 81

Awards: 2 Academy Awards and 3 nominations, 1 Critics Choice Award and 6 nominations, 2 BAFTA Awards and 6 nominations, 1 Saturn Award and 8 nominations

 

Its Legacy: Considered one of Denis Villenueve's best films and a modern cult classic. Spawned three short films. Helped inspire the anime series Blade Runner: Black Lotus in 2021. A sequel series, Blade Runner 2099, is in development at Amazon Studios with Ridley Scott executive producing. Gave Dave Bautista a paycheck.

 

Commentary: It seemed like an utterly baffling choice by all accounts to make a sequel to Blade Runner. Even ignoring the financial risks, which were all sadly proven true, how can you top, or at least match, perfection? Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner was an ahead of its time masterpiece of science fiction filmmaking. The film that inspired the cyberpunk genre, the film that gave us so many other amazing feats of science fiction storytelling within all forms of media. You can’t make a sequel and expect it to leave the same impact.

 

Well Denis Villenueve said “bet” and made it. And to everybody’s surprise, we got a sequel that was as good, if not better than its iconic predecessor and made us all love the original even more. An incredible cast, gorgeous cinematography, which gave icon Roger Deakins his first ever Oscar, meticulously crafted production values, and plenty of the depth and drama and political intrigue that made the 1982 classic so wonderful and loved by fans.

 

Still, like the first Blade Runner, this movie was ahead of its time and is only now developing the epic fan following it deserves. Will its upcoming TV series from Amazon suffer the same fate? Only time will tell I suppose.

[Eric Lasagna]

#33

Creed

970 points, 23 lists

"One step at a time. One punch at a time. One round at a time."

Box Office: 173.6M

Rotten Tomatoes: 95%

Metacritic: 82

Awards: 1 Academy Award nomination, 1 Critics Choice Award, 1 Golden Globe Award, 4 NAACP Image Awards and 2 nominations

 

Its Legacy: Kept the Rocky franchise alive, while also crafting a new and iconic franchise in the process. Gave re-evaluation to Sylvester Stallone as an actor. Gave Ryan Coogler the job of directing Black Panther. Made Michael B. Jordan and Tessa Thompson household names. Gave Phylicia Rashad a paycheck.

 

Commentary: Coming out when the legacyquel and actors passing the torch was just starting to become a thing, this Rocky sequel/spin-off was frankly the gold standard and very, very few have matched it. Coming out almost after Rocky’s last boxing bout, this one places the Italian Stallion in the role of coach to a stubborn, hotheaded man named Adonis Creed. Who yes, is just like his father, good ol’ Apollo.

 

For a Rocky fan, it’s a beautiful look at an old friend. Somebody who has lost a lot in his life and near the end of the road health-wise, but finds new life from this scrappy newcomer and wants to give his dear friend justice and closure. It’s all textured into Stallone’s emotionally powerful performance. One of his absolute bests that helped people remember he really is an acting legend. And with an Oscar nomination for a role he originated nearly 40 years prior, it was a perfect full circle moment that showed that Rocky isn’t just a product of the 70s and 80s, but somebody who will always endure.

 

But even if you aren’t a Rocky fan, Creed shines as its own unique piece of filmmaking. Boasting exhilarating boxing sequences, beautiful cinematography and direction that highlights the majesty of Philadelphia, and the necessary montages that are just exquisite, this offers so much to love for people unfamiliar with the franchise.

 

Michael B. Jordan became a superstar thanks to his stirring and dramatic work as Adonis, and characters like love interest Bianca or mother Mary Anne Creed, who could have easily been one-note characters with little dimension or personality, are given plenty of depth, with their own struggles and wants and desires between the big guy in the center.

 

Director Ryan Coogler created a film that is beautiful, comedic, sweet-hearted, and action-packed, while also making sure that character came first above all else. It’s no wonder this was the film that gave him the pop art masterpiece that is Black Panther, and Creed itself has already crafted an incredible legacy. A legacy so strong that, ironically, doesn’t even need Rocky anymore. 

 

Unlike other legacyquels, this one was focused on the future than on the past. And with this, we got two sequels that have broke box office records, and the recent Creed III being a huge hit without Stallone’s presence in front of the camera. It’s a property that has evolved from aiming itself towards 30-40something white guys to 20something Black guys. You don’t see that kind of progression very often. And while MGM is the main studio we associate the Creed franchise for, WB has always been there in distribution and production in some way. They played a part to help give us an epic sports franchise that is captivating modern audiences in the same way Rocky did 4-5 decades prior. And that’s pretty darn cool.

[Ethan Hunt]

Blade Runner 2049 being higher than The Matrix Reloaded hurts me deeply 

[Human]

15 hours ago, Eric the Turtle said:

#38

Gremlins

928 points, 22 lists

 

The creators of Ghostbusters 4 recently joked it would also be Gremlins 3.  Would require a big inner company crossover, but it is fun to imagine.

[DAR]

On 8/9/2023 at 7:05 PM, Eric the Turtle said:

 

#115 - Michael Clayton (383 points, 8 lists)

 

 

 

[JustLurking]

20 hours ago, Ethan Hunt said:

Blade Runner 2049 being higher than The Matrix Reloaded hurts me deeply 

it's not higher by enough if anything

 

but then again we have a just ok boxing film ahead of both so ay

Edited August 13, 2023 by JustLurking

[WorkingonaName]

Creed placed 60 spots higher then Once Upon a Time in America. 

[Ipickthiswhiterose]

2 hours ago, WorkingonaName said:

Creed placed 60 spots higher then Once Upon a Time in America. 

 

Scooby Doo on Zombie Island came in 2 spots higher than The Elephant Man.

[SchumacherFTW]

Boo hoo

[grim22]

There's zero use in complaining about movie placements. The list will be very reflective of the forums demographics than the actual history of WB. 

 

Which is a roundabout way of saying, the top 2 will likely be The Dark Knight and The Matrix in whichever order.

[4815162342]

3 minutes ago, grim22 said:

There's zero use in complaining about movie placements. The list will be very reflective of the forums demographics than the actual history of WB. 

 

Which is a roundabout way of saying, the top 2 will likely be The Dark Knight and The Matrix in whichever order.

 

Come on grim, we're very well entitled to call out the suspect preferences of the forum that are aired publicly. What else is the Internet for.

[SchumacherFTW]

3 minutes ago, 4815162342 said:

 

Come on grim, we're very well entitled to call out the suspect preferences of the forum that are aired publicly. What else is the Internet for.

Porn

[grim22]

4 minutes ago, SchumacherFTW said:

Porn

 

I have a fast connection so I don't have to wait, for...

 

[Ipickthiswhiterose]

4 minutes ago, grim22 said:

There's zero use in complaining about movie placements. The list will be very reflective of the forums demographics than the actual history of WB. 

 

Which is a roundabout way of saying, the top 2 will likely be The Dark Knight and The Matrix in whichever order.

 

1. Think it was pretty clear there that my post about Scooby Doo versus Zombies was quite sardonic in nature. 

 

2. Also think it's pretty clear it's a trade off: the main demographics of the forum get to validate their love of The Matrix and The Dark Knight etc and ongoing beliefs that these are all time great films, with the trade off being that the rest of us get to clown on both the relative recency bias and banality of those choices.

 

3. It even pays off perfectly nicely because we get to have our fun and feel superior while they get to win in the end where despite whatever carping we do their movies are obviously going to dominate and so as much as I or others can make fun of "Batman V Bugs Bunny but we pretend it's a piece of gritty realism" and "The Truman Show but a year later and nowhere near as clever or relevant", they win. And we lose. And are officially stamped as being Wrong (TM) 

 

It's a good system for everyone. I think it works. So long as it stays playful and we acknowledge that Eric has taken all the time to do this and the hard work involved and is not personally responsible for the wider tastes of the forum.

[baumer]

I never did get my list in but the Matrix and The dark Knight were 1-2 on my list and I'm 52 years old.

[Ipickthiswhiterose]

Just now, baumer said:

I never did get my list in but the Matrix and The dark Knight were 1-2 on my list and I'm 52 years old.

 

Naturally.

 

People over 40 are allowed to have suspect taste too.

 

(Joke)