Box Office Smash 10

The arts are a part of the entertainment industry, which means that the arts are not just a freedom of expression, but also a business. This means that the film industry is run by corporations owned by business executives who provide a product for consumers. Because of this, the first and foremost concern for distributors is making money. The film industry makes billions of dollars every year. A large percentage of this comes from only a handful of movies released each year which are gangbusters. Movies that do this well commercially need to have a reason for their success, which is studied by both investors and enthusiasts.

Which are the highest grossing films, or films which made the most money? BoxOfficeMojo tracks movies with theatrical releases as far back as a hundred years. There is a list for the highest grossing films on both a domestic and global scale, but only global numbers will be talked about today.

The number one ranking movie in terms of commercial gross is the 2009 movie, Avatar with a 2.7 billion dollar box office. Following Avatar in respective order are:

• Titanic at 2.1 billion dollars
• The Avengers at 1.5 million dollars
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 at 1.3 billion dollars
• Frozen at 1.2 billion dollars
• Iron Man 3 at 1.2 billion dollars
• Transformers: Dark of the Moon at 1.1 billion dollars
• Lord of the Rings: Return of the King at 1.1 billion dollars
• Skyfall at 1.1 billion dollars
• Transformers: Age of Extinction at 1 billion dollars

The Internet Movie Database has information about a movie’s production, including how much a movie cost to make. The list starts with the record holder for the highest grossing film of all time:

• Avatar cost $237,000,000
• Titanic cost $200,000,000
• The Avengers cost $220,000,000
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 cost $125,000,000
• Frozen cost $150,000,000
• Iron Man 3 cost $200,000,000
• Transformers: Age of Extinction cost $195,000,000
• Lord of the Rings: Return of the King cost $94,000,000
• Skyfall cost $200,000,000
• Transformers: Age of Extinction cost $210,000,000

With the exception of Lord of the Rings: Return of the King falling $6 million short of a $100,000,000 budget, every movie in the top ten biggest grosser list has a 9-digit production cost. In comparison, one of the most well-known movies, The Godfather, has a $6,000,000 budget.

With these high budgets, one might think that the overall profit made from subtracting the cost of the production from the box office gross would be low, but the opposite is true.

Avatar, the number one spot holder, has an overall 2.4 billion dollar profit. Following in second place:

• Titanic, has an overall 1.9 billion dollar profit. 
• The Avengers has a 1.2 billion dollar profit. 
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 has a 1.1 billion dollar profit. 
• Frozen has a 1.05 billion dollar profit. 
• Iron Man 3 has a 1 billion dollar profit. 
• Transformers: Age of Extinction has a 905 million dollar profit. 
• Lord of the Rings: Return of the King has a 1.006 billion dollar profit. 
• Skyfall has a 900 million dollar profit. 
• Transformers: Age of Extinction 790 million dollar profit. 

The Godfather, once again, in comparison made a 239 million dollar profit, which is about one-third of what the tenth place movie, Transformers: Age of Extinction made. The Godfather is in the 443rd place in terms of box office success for clarity’s sake.

Looking in 2014, just as before, Box Office Mojo has tracked all the movies and IMBD has stated production information about each title released for the year. Looking at the top ten of the highest grossing films of the year 2014 gives a good insight to the continuing trend.

The top ten films include:

• Transformers: Age of Extinction in first place at 1 billion dollars
• Guardians of the Galaxy at 771 million dollars
• Maleficent at 757 million dollars
• X-Men: Days of Future Past at 746 million dollars
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier at 714 million dollars
• The Amazing Spider-Man 2 at 708 million dollars
• Dawn of the Planet of the Apes at 708 million dollars
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 with 565 million dollars
• Godzilla (2014) at 524 million dollars
• The LEGO Movie at 468 million dollars

Taking a look at what has been established, we can compare what factor continued to work for these newer releases. In fact, the #1 movie of the year, Transformers: Age of Extinction, is also 10th place for highest grossing movie of all time.

 
Excluding Transformers: Age of Extinction, the budgets for these movies, in order from the highest grossing to least, was:

• Guardians of the Galaxy at 170 million dollars
• Maleficent at 180 million dollars
• X-Men: Days of Future Past at 200 million dollars
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier at 170 million dollars
• The Amazing Spider-Man 2 at 200 million dollars
• Dawn of the Planet of the Apes at 170 million dollars
• The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 at 125 million dollars
• Godzilla (2014) at 160 million dollars
• The LEGO Movie at 60 million dollars.

All but The LEGO Movie have a 9-digit production budget just like the top 10 highest grossing of all time.

This is an interesting relationship. It brings up the question as to whether an expensive movie is more appealing for movie goers. In my interpretation, I believe much of the money goes to marketing those movies. This spreads awareness which in turn draws a bigger audience to buy a ticket. I also believe the top 10 highest grossers are made to be able to appeal to any side of the spectrum. The movies are simple and easily understood so a large audience can enjoy them without needing to struggle to understand what is going on. That is also the reason why they have worldwide appeal since movies dealing with politics or social issues of America would not interest a person living in Hong Kong. Instead the writing features a good guy against a bad guy with as many explosions money can buy.

This was just something I noticed, and I cannot claim to be an expert. But the relationship is there, just not factually proven. Maybe someday there will be a scientific study done, I'd be interested in it. Until then every movie maker crosses their fingers to deliver a box-office hit.

Review: Hachi: A Dog's Tale

Hachi: A Dog's Tale is a Western remake of a Japanese film based on a true story that occurred in Shibuya, Japan.

This movie is difficult to describe without giving away major plot details that are best experienced through watching the movie if you are not already familiar with the story. The basic setup is that a man finds a puppy who has lost his way and decides to take him in.

The two of them bond and a deep friendship is born. The movie is emotional and heartwarming, and towards the end it becomes heavy. People who have a dog may be able to relate to what is happening a bit more than non-dog owners. Despite that, it can still leave an impact on any viewer.

It makes good use of music and uses a dog's view of the world which helps better demonstrate what Hachi the dog is feeling. It feels very humane with its lack of CGI or other obtrusive special effects. This movie uses very little in order to tell a whole lot.

Final Verdict: Red light, sit down to watch this and prepared to release your emotions.

Review: Boyz in the Hood

Life is depicted differently depending on the circumstances surrounding a person. For the hundreds of suburban so called everyman we see in movies, there's comes one that is not so lucky. Boyz in the Hood is about the life of a Southern California urban youth and his friends living the hard knock life.

This movie is a drama. Unlike many movies like this which uses humor with dramatic moments, the entire story has a serious tone. The story begins with the characters as boys. We are shown the unpleasant lives they must endure with things like dead bodies hanging around that no one bothers to report or clean up. The movie then flash forwards to the characters as adults. Life is still tough with like night time shootings and drug addicts harassing them.

The movie makes a point about how people who live in their situation are normally ignored or hoped to be rid of. They are trapped in a situation that seems impossible to escape, while the rest of the country turns their back on them. Without any help, very few are lucky enough to find a way out, and most end up like how many of the characters ended up in this movie.

This movie was fascinating and also made me think about how lucky I actually am, and how as a country we should show our gratefulness by pushing for trying to help those are are not so lucky. This is a fantastic movie, and a definite must watch.

Final Verdict: Red light. Stop, watch, and reflect on this great piece.

Real Life Experience

I was in a mechanic shop sitting in the waiting lounge. The head mechanic was at the front desk writing something. Through the wall I heard the sounds of metal clanking and power tools buzzing. Suddenly, a man bursts through the front door with blood streaming down his face. He starts yelling to call for help. About four seconds later two men come chasing after him. They try to corner the bleeding man against the wall. One of them grabs a hammer off the display and the other a shovel. They lean in close. Suddenly the head mechanic tells them both to get on the floor as he is pointing a handgun to the two attackers. I step out and call the police. The police arrive fifteen later. Someone could have been killed fifteen times over, that response time was unacceptable. The police asked some questions and made some arrests. After everything was over I payed what I owed, and left.

These types of real life experiences are what influences writers to branch out an entire storyline. Never take odd moments in life for granted.

Interview with a Local Director

Making movies is a team process, and the leader of the team is often attributed to the director. I managed to find a local director to ask him a few questions. Below is a short interview between the two of us which may offer insight to aspiring film students.

Q: Speak a little about yourself.
 A: My name is Nick Taylor, I'm a director who grew up in New Jersey.

Q: How long have you been doing this?
A: Nearly 20 years.

Q: Do you enjoy what you do?
A: I love it, absolutely.

Q: Who are some of your inspirations?
A:  Everyone has something to contribute.

Q: Favorite movies?
A: Mostly 70s works, I find they had a real-world charm.

Q: What are the most important elements for a story?
A: Characters.

Q: Anything you wish you could change in today's standards?
A: Less CGI.

Q: Is this line of work hard?
A: The hardest part is always getting started.

 Q: What advice would you give to newcomers?
A: Work on anything. Get experience and meet people.

Q: Anything else you would like to say?
A: Never give up, and keep trying.

Interesting things from someone in the industry. I would like to personally thank Mr. Nick Taylor for taking time to answer some questions. I agree, never give up. We all have aspirations, let's continue to work toward them.