The movers and shakers managed to raise the stakes in 2004, hauling in a substantial $9 billion at the box office, up from last year’s $8.8 billion.
Spider-Man saved the world…again, but so did Van Helsing. Fahrenheit got things heated up but then things got pretty Incredible. Passions were stirred, but no one held any Grudges. The Day After Tomorrow was destroyed by freakish weather, Harry Potter turned 13, we searched for our National Treasure and got Bourne all over again.
And then there was the great green ogre with a heart of gold. In a rousing follow up, Shrek 2 once again captured moviegoer’s hearts–and wallets–to the tune of $436.4 million in box office revenues, making it the biggest moneymaker of 2004.
We took a gander at each big studio’s successes (and failures, there were a few of those too) to find out which reigned supreme in 2004. From lowest to highest, here’s how they scored.
10. MGM
Coming in last, MGM certainly had a lackluster year, proving that without James Bond, this studio has difficulty keeping up with the Joneses.
Show us the money: The biggest hit for MGM was Barbershop 2, which grossed $64.9 million. The studio, however, gets non-monetary points for releasing some high quality indies this year, including the intense family drama Undertow and the Oscar-baiter Hotel Rwanda.
The “ouch!” factor: Here’s a short list of stinkers: Walking Tall, Soul Plane and Sleepover. Yeah, not good, not good at all.
9. Miramax
With all the shake-ups and controversies, including a probable split from parent company Disney, it’s a miracle the Weinstein machine made any films at all. But alas, those brothers love making movies, and while Miramax slipped down on the moneymaking list, they still managed to sneak in a few Oscar contenders.
Show us the money: The hopefuls include Martin Scorsese‘s high-flyin’ The Aviator, which opened Christmas day but Oscar buzz should bring in the cash early next year as well as the endearing Finding Neverland, starring the equally winning Johnny Depp. Miramax also scored big with Kill Bill Vol. 2, which brought in $66.2 million, and who-would-have-thunk-it surprises Hero, with $31 million and Shall We Dance?, with $55.8 million.
The “ouch!” factor: Then again, Miramax also had a few missteps including My Baby’s Daddy and Jersey Girl. Oops.
8. New Line Cinema
With not a Hobbit in sight, New Line inevitably had to drop from last year’s fifth place standing. Still, even without The Lord of the Rings, the studio could have at least come up with a better slate of films.
Show us the money: Oddly enough, love seemed to conquer all for New Line. Their biggest hit was the oh-so-romantic The Notebook, which took in a respectable $81 million, while the suspenseful The Butterfly Effect hit the charts with $57.6 million. And although stoner comedy Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle didn’t really make the big bucks, bringing in a tepid $18 million, it did score a cult following–and a sequel.
The “ouch!” factor: Despite valiant efforts at pairing up attractive actors, Laws of Attraction (Julianne Moore and Pierce Brosnan), Cellular (Kim Basinger and Jason Statham), After the Sunset (Salma Hayek and Pierce Brosnan, again) and Blade: Trinity (Wesley Snipes and a bunch of vampires) failed to garner any attention.
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7. Paramount Pictures
Paramount managed to throw a lot of films up on the wall but unfortunately only a few of them stuck.
Show us the money: Those that did stick tended towards the outrageous comedies, including the teen farce Mean Girls ($86 mil), the raucous Without a Paddle ($57.8 mil) and the squishy animated SpongeBob Squarepants ($68.2 mil). Word is still out on how well Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events will fare, but we’re guessing it’ll be a hit, having already grossed $59.2 million in two weeks.
The “ouch!” factor: Those that slid down the wall included the annoying Against the Ropes, the predictable Suspect Zero, the really predictable Twisted, as well as tepid remakes The Stepford Wives and Alfie. Even Paramount’s widely hyped Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow couldn’t cut the mustard.
6. Universal Pictures
Despite setting itself up with what looked to be an impressive line up of high-profile films, Universal fell considerably from last year’s fourth place standing of $1,036 billion.
Show us the money: For every hit Universal had: pounding biopic Ray ($67.7 mil), romantic comedy Along Came Polly ($87.8 mil), monster fest Van Helsing ($120 mil) and the studio’s only true meal ticket, The Bourne Supremacy ($176 mil)…
The “ouch!” factor: There were the big flops: the dismal The Chronicles of Riddick, the loveless Wimbledon and the slapsticky sequel Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. Universal’s hoping their recently released Meet the Fockers will give them a little extra boost at the end of the year.
5. 20th Century Fox
With the help from some natural disasters, malfunctioning robots, a monster showdown and a game called Dodgeball, Fox lands solidly in fifth place.
Show us the money: Fox held its own with hits such as The Day After Tomorrow, which took in a healthy $186.7 mil; Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story, which grossed $114.3 mil; Alien vs. Predator, which made $80.2 mil; and I, Robot, which garnered $52.1 mil.
The “ouch!” factor: Then again, Fox also had more than a few bad eggs, including Welcome to Mooseport, Garfield, Paparazzi and First Daughter. Blech.
4. DreamWorks
It’s amazing what a little “green” will do. Last year, DreamWorks came in last place in the box office race, but with the assistance on one good-hearted ogre, the studio flew towards the top of the list in 2004.
Show us the money: Not only did DreamWorks put out Shrek 2, the highest grossing film of the year, raking in $436.4 mil, they also released Shark Tale, which may have paled in comparison to the other, more superior animated competition but still managed to haul in $151.9 mil. And let’s not forget the intense Collateral, with its cool $100 mil.
The “ouch!” factor: Surviving Christmas. Enough said.
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3. Buena Vista
Knocked off its throne, last year’s box office king still turned in an impressive slate of films, which got even more Incredible as the year wore on. One wonders, though, how well the Mouse House will do without its juggernaut, Pixar Animation–that is, if they indeed split.
Show us the money: Despite a slow start, things picked up for Disney in the summer, with The Village‘s $114.2 million and Princess Diaries 2‘s $95.1 million. But then came The Incredibles, which like most of the Pixar films before it, gave the Mouse House a much needed $225.8 million infusion. And for icing on the cake? National Treasure‘s unexpected $110 (and counting) gross.
The “ouch!” factor: But Disney also had many disappointments including Hidalgo, The Ladykillers, The Alamo, Raising Helen and big-budget hopefuls Around the World in 80 Days and King Arthur. Oh well, can’t win them all.
2. Warner Bros.
With the epic Troy, the third Harry Potter installment and an Express to the North Pole, Warner Bros. stayed steady at No. 2–but not for lack of more than a few stinkers.
Show us the money: The TV show adaptation Starsky & Hutch started things off well for Warners, brining in a respectable $88.2 mil and then things improved. Troy brought in $133.2 mil, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban made $249.4 mil and The Polar Express, still on the top 10 list, has garnered $123.4 mil so far.
The “ouch!” factor: But every year, one studio also has the distinction of releasing the worst crop of films all year, and Warners wins it, hands down. Their absolutely dreadful selection included Torque, The Big Bounce, New York Minute, Exorcist: The Beginning–and the piece-de-resistance, Catwoman. Wow, that’s some stinky stuff.
And first place goes to…
1. Sony Pictures
Yep, Spidey is back and better than ever, propelling Sony to the No. 1 spot.
Show us the money: Besides raking in the major bucks–$373.4 million, to be exact–with Spider-Man 2, Sony also had hits such as the delightful 50 First Dates ($120.8 mil), comic-book devil Hellboy ($59 mil), the sweet 13 Going on 30 ($56 mil) and creepy The Grudge ($110.2 million).
The “ouch!” factor: Of course, you can’t release 17 films and have them all be money-makers. Prime examples included Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, You Got Served and Super Babies: Baby Geniuses 2. Those were just some bad ideas.
Honorable Mentions
We feel it would be remiss to leave out two independent distributors who, with a little aid from Mel Gibson and Michael Moore, not only beat out a few of the major studios but did it on their own terms:
Newmarket Films: With 2004 being very good to them, this little unknown distributor, who made just a mere $22 million last year, saw the big bucks, especially after snagging Gibson’s controversial The Passion of the Christ. As the third highest grossing film of 2004 (at $370 million), Passion thrust Newmarket into a whole new ballgame, helping them to rake in $406 million overall.
Lions Gate: Meanwhile, this slightly larger, slightly more well-known distributor also had a banner year with roughly 10 releases, including the explosive Moore docu Fahrenheit 9/11. At a domestic gross of $119 million, Fahrenheit propelled Lions Gate into the $300 million range. Not too shabby for the little guys.
