In honor of Inception (which won't be included in this list), I've decided to look back and see what were some of my favorite summer blockbusters in my own lifetime. I was born in 1987 so I don't know what it was like when Jaws, Stars, any of the Indiana Jones movies or Back to the Future movies came out. But my memory is fairly solid since about 1991 or so at least when it comes to this. I can remember what it was like when some of these movies came out so that's why I want to just make it span the last 20 years.
This list is about a couple of things: How much hype was there for the movie beforehand and did it live up to it? Also, bonus points for originality and groundbreaking technology. Movies that haven't lost their luster even in recent years. That's what this list is about. As you probably would guess, it's all about the months between May and August, no exceptions. Also, live action only.
So, let's do this.
10. Independence Day, July 2nd 1996
Starring: Will Smith, Jeff Goldblum
Gross earnings: $306,169,268 (domestic), $817,400,891 (worldwide)
Budget: $75 million
Looking back now, Independence Day was, in many ways, a very campy movie. It's one of those movies now where you sit and watch it with family and laugh at some of the cheesy lines, ridiculous plot, and lack of movie logic. But, I remember when this movie came out and it blew everyone away. It made a ridiculous amount of money and officially made Will Smith a star in Hollywood. Everybody was wowed by the visual effects, the stakes of the action, and the fact that we won! We beat those damn aliens! And Bill Pullman's speech at the end makes us all wish we can vote him for President, you know, just in case we're in the midst of an alien invasion. Would Barack Obama suit up and attempt to fight those aliens? Hell no. Bill Pullman would though!
9. Pirates of the Caribbean, July 9th 2003
Starring: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom
Gross earnings: $305,413,918 (domestic), $654,264,015 (worldwide)
Budget: $140 million
This hugely successful movie spawned two even more successful sequels and with this movie, Johnny Depp proved that he can carry a blockbuster movie by himself. Of course there are strong supporting roles in the movie, but it's Depp's film through and through. Before then though, he was known for his eccentric roles and frequent Tim Burton pairings, but this film made him an action star. Also, this movie made pirates popular once again. For a long time, pirates weren't really portrayed in film and when they were, they were often to lackluster ticket sales. Steven Spielberg's Hook isn't very memorable and Cutthroat Island lost a ton of money. Who knew that it'd take a movie based on a ride at Disney World to make pirates popular again?
8. Spider-Man 2, June 30th 2004
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst
Gross earnings: $373.5 million (domestic), $783,766,341 (worldwide)
Budget: $200 million
I remember everyone was shocked at how this movie basically broke all the box office records in its opening weekend. Of course, that's been broken multiple times since then so it's not really surprising to see it happen. Spider-Man 2 is sort of important in that it was the first big budget blockbuster film where the second film successfully managed to raise the stakes of the first film as well as remain just as successful financially. At the time, Spider-Man was the model superhero film franchise, boy how the mighty have fallen. Now it's being completely rebooted, but in 2004, Spider-Man was king.
7. Forrest Gump, July 6th 1994
Starring: Tom Hanks
Gross earnings: $329.7 millions (domestic), $677.3 million (worldwide)
Budget: $55 million
This might seem like an unusual choice since it doesn't really have the same elements that the other blockbuster films on this list have, but that's what makes it so unique. Forrest Gump was the runaway hit of the decade, really. Sure, big things were expected from this film in that they expected it to do well, but to gross over $300 million? Then win best picture of the year? Plus, there are plenty of things about Forrest Gump that fits with the other summer blockbusters. First of all, it's about an ordinary man who does or witnesses extraordinary things. You have the great visual effects including Forrest Gump being embedded into old presidential footage. This was the all-American movie. A movie that said a lot about our country from the '50s all the way to present day. Plus, everyone was talking about it, parodying it... they still parody it. "Life is like a box of chocolates..."
6. Speed, June 10th 1994
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock
Gross earnings: $121.3 million (domestic), $350.5 million (worldwide)
Budget: $28 million
Speaking of parodies, Speed has been the subject to numerous parodies and it made Keanu Reeves the Hollywood star everybody loves to make fun of for being stupid. I wonder how he feels about that. But, Keanu wasn't really that dumb in this film, he played his role as straight as he possibly could. This also turned Sandra Bullock into a big time star who subsequently starred in movies where the main attraction was her. I remember this film being a big deal at the time as well and it was certainly quite the spectacle. It was a very simple premise that everyone could follow and it lead to a pretty suspenseful, thrilling film. It didn't cost much to make and it didn't make that much money domestically, but it certainly was a great summer blockbuster film.
5. Men in Black, July 2nd 1997
Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones
Gross earnings: $250.1 million (domestic), $589 million (worldwide)
Budget: $90 million
Men in Black is like the ideal summer blockbuster, in my opinion. First of all, it stars Will Smith, whose ego wasn't quite as large as it is now. Secondly, it's a really funny and endlessly entertaining movie that kids and adults can enjoy. It also features that unforgettable performance by Vincent D'Onfrio as the main "bug" or "alien." Tommy Lee Jones also has a great role here and he held his own pretty well against Will Smith. This film was certainly the talk of 1997 and it's one of the most entertaining blockbusters that you can watch over and over.
4. Iron Man, May 2nd 2008
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Jeff Bridges
Gross earnings: $318.4 million (domestic), $585.1 million (worldwide)
Budget: $140 million
Iron Man kicked off the 2008 summer blockbuster film and it was a great success. I remember people weren't expecting it to do as well as it did. People questioned the idea of Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man although those people probably felt pretty stupid when Downey absolutely nailed the part. Now, Robert Downey Jr. is a big action star, he finally got his career under control and appears as if it will stay that way for as long as he wants to. The movie raised expectations pretty high for the next Iron Man movie which it didn't quite live up to, but we'll always have the original to watch and enjoy for years to come.
3. Jurassic Park, June 11th 1993
Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern
Gross earnings: $357 million (domestic), $914.7 million (worldwide)
Budget: $63 million
This one really shouldn't be a question with anyone. Anybody who remembers the summer of 1993 will remember that Jurassic Park was fucking HUGE. The tv spots aired all the time. It was a complete spectacle. The idea that these dinosaurs were going to come alive blew people away. It really did raise the stakes for blockbuster films to come. It was something everybody wanted to see... fucking dinosaurs eating and terrorizing people. How awesome is that? The movie isn't very strong on acting as the characters are less memorable than the dinosaurs, but the last half of the film is purely awesome. It nearly grossed $1 billion worldwide which was unheard of at the time.
2. The Dark Knight, July 16th 2008
Starring: Christian Bale, Heath Ledger
Gross earnings: $533 million (domestic), $1 billion (worldwide)
Budget: $185 million
The Dark Knight DID gross $1 billion worldwide and it was absolutely the hit of that summer. Christopher Nolan made Batman a respectable film franchise with Batman Begins but then blew everyone away with this film. Then the film went on to make the big bucks in the box office. Not only did the film break box office records in its opening weekend, but it's the highest grossing film domestically that's not been directed by James Cameron. I've said plenty about this film and Nolan in the last month so, let's just leave it at that.
1. Terminator 2: Judgment Day, July 3rd 1991
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Gross earnings: $204.8 million (domestic), $519 million (worldwide)
Budget: $102 million
Terminator 2 was the first summer blockbuster film I remember seeing in theaters. Everybody saw this film back then. It was huge. It was awesome. It featured groundbreaking special and visual effects and it had Arnold Schwarzenegger in his most badass role yet. Of course, he played The Terminator before, but he's more fun in this movie, especially with the way he interacts with the kid. But the Terminator is the ultimate blockbuster film. It entertains you in so many different ways, it contains a great storyline, and it features great performances especially from Linda Hamilton. It also has the awesome, relentless villain named T-1000. Some of the action sequences in this film remain my favorite to this day and its pitch perfect second half is just top notch. You also can't help but shed a little tear when you watch Arnie hold his thumb up as he slowly submerges himself into molten steel. What a film.
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