I Don’t See Many Movies
Jun 25
A couple of weeks ago, I went out and saw Iron Man. I loved it. But it occurred to me that I don’t go to the movies, or even watch movies, anywhere near as often as I used to. As a teenager and into my early 20’s, I would see, on average, a movie a week. That’s dropped precipitously, and I’d be surprised if I’ve seen 25 movies in the last 5 years. I also often joke with people that they would be appalled at the list of movies I haven’t seen.
In that spirit, I decided to take a look at the top grossing movies of the last ten years, along with the “Best Picture” nominees over that period, to document just how many movies I haven’t seen. If you’re intrigued, the list is below the fold.
I’ve listed the top ten grossing movies of each year in descending order. Afterward, I’ve added any Best Picture nominees that weren’t top grossing films, preceded by a dash. Bold means I saw it in the theater. Italics means I saw it on video/cable/elsewhere. No special formatting means that I haven’t seen it.
Before I get to the list, some startling statistics: In 2007, I only saw one movie the theater the whole year, down from three in 2006 (I also saw A Prairie Home Companion, which didn’t meet the other criteria, so it’s not on the list below), and three in 2005 (Thank You For Smoking is missing from the list below, for the same reasons). The year 2000 was an aberration — as far as I can recall, I saw nothing in the theater that year. But then, I was traveling for work and wasn’t home much that year.
The List:
2007:
Spider-Man 3
Shrek the Third
Transformers
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
I Am Legend
The Bourne Ultimatum
National Treasure: Book of Secrets
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Ratatouille
- No Country for Old Men
- Atonement
- Juno
- Michael Clayton
- There Will Be Blood
2006:
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
Night at the Museum
Cars
X-Men: The Last Stand
The Da Vinci Code
300
Superman Returns
Happy Feet
Ice Age: The Meltdown
Casino Royale
- The Departed
- Babel
- Letters from Iwo Jima
- Little Miss Sunshine
- The Queen
2005:
Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
War of the Worlds
King Kong
Wedding Crashers
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Batman Begins
Madagascar
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
- Crash
- Brokeback Mountain
- Capote
- Good Night, and Good Luck
- Munich
2004:
Shrek 2
Spider-Man 2
The Passion of the Christ
Meet the Fockers
The Incredibles
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The Day After Tomorrow
The Bourne Supremacy
National Treasure
Shark Tale
- Million Dollar Baby
- The Aviator
- Finding Neverland
- Ray
- Sideways
2003:
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
Finding Nemo
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl
The Matrix Reloaded
Bruce Almighty
X2
Elf
Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines
The Matrix Revolutions
Cheaper by the Dozen
- Lost in Translation
- Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
- Mystic River
- Seabiscuit
2002:
Spider-Man
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Signs
Austin Powers in Goldmember
Men in Black II
Ice Age
Chicago
- Gangs of New York
- The Hours
- The Pianist
2001:
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
Shrek
Monsters, Inc.
Rush Hour 2
The Mummy Returns
Pearl Harbor
Ocean’s Eleven
Jurassic Park III
Planet of the Apes
- A Beautiful Mind
- Gosford Park
- In the Bedroom
- Moulin Rouge!
2000:
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Cast Away
Mission: Impossible II
Gladiator
What Women Want
The Perfect Storm
Meet the Parents
X-Men
Scary Movie
What Lies Beneath
- Chocolat
- Erin Brockovich
- Traffic
- Wo hu cang long
1999:
Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
The Sixth Sense
Toy Story 2
Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me
The Matrix
Tarzan
Big Daddy
The Mummy
Runaway Bride
The Blair Witch Project
- American Beauty
- The Cider House Rules
- The Green Mile
- The Insider
1998:
Saving Private Ryan
Armageddon
There’s Something About Mary
A Bug’s Life
The Waterboy
Doctor Dolittle
Rush Hour
Deep Impact
Godzilla
Patch Adams
-Shakespeare in Love
-Elizabeth
-The Thin Red Line
-La Vita è bella
#1 by J. R. Matteson at June 25th, 2008
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Sportsman Park, St. Louis c. 1966 opener.
Gibson vs. Bunning (Philly).
Rainout after two innings. Muy strikeouts, no hits. Man, I wish the game had been completed. Gibson would have crushed his republican hounddog ass.
#2 by Dan M. at June 26th, 2008
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Glancing through your list, I see three movies where I would say you’re actually missing something:
La Vita e Bella. A good story about a father sheltering his child from evil. Depressing. Well-done.
Michael Clayton. Clooney actually acts, as well as being a pretty face, and he’s actually quite good. Excellent surprise ending, with an upbeat.
Ratatouille. Mostly fluffy silliness, predictable children’s pabulum, but all worth it, in my opinion, for one fantastic depiction of the emotion that food can bring.
#3 by Dan M. at June 26th, 2008
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Oh, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is just plain beautiful.
#4 by SayUncle at June 26th, 2008
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I don’t see many either. Last movie I saw in the theater was Bad Santa.
I do catch them on PPV on occasion.
#5 by tgirsch at June 26th, 2008
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Dan M:
I TiVoed Ratatouille off pay-per-view several months ago, but still haven’t watched it.
Uncle:
Haven’t seen Bad Santa, either.
#6 by Janusz at June 26th, 2008
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I think the relationship between the commercial successes and the critical (best picture) successes is interesting…there is absolutely no correlation.
What does that say about our collective taste level?
#7 by tgirsch at June 26th, 2008
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Janusz:
I think it’s a disconnect in why people go to the movies. The movies that get critical acclaim generally do so because of the message they’re conveying, the way in which they challenge us to think about things (or rethink things), etc. But that’s not why most people go to the movies. They go to be entertained, often mindlessly so. I don’t think there’s necessarily anything wrong with that (and, indeed, even the great Isaac Asimov used to praise the virtues of a good mindless action film).
People often want an escape from reality, not a reminder of it, and that’s why mindless movies do so much better than the substantive, “important” films. This isn’t to say that there aren’t a lot of bad-but-popular films; of course there are. But you’re really still looking at an entertainment versus substance divide, and entertainment wins that battle hands down.
#8 by Janusz at June 26th, 2008
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Tgirsch, I agree with you. A great deal has to do with consumer demand, but conversely, alot has to do with movie producers who fall into easy formulaic patterns.
As you pointed out, Iron Man isn’t bad for that genre of film…it’s fun, techy, good visuals, updates the story to Afghanistan for relevance, displays a rudimentary social conscience (wealthy industrialist weapons monger reforms his selfish ways) etc. It’s not Godard, and doesn’t want to be, but is able to break-out of the X-men/Superman/Batman formula to become a better film. I just hope they use a little more thought when production of “Rex Mundi” starts…I would hate to see such a potentially good story fall victim to the usual comic book becomes film mediocrity…
#9 by tgirsch at June 26th, 2008
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I actually rather liked the first X-Men film, certainly a lot more than the Batman/Superman films (though I haven’t seen the latest incarnations of any of these).
And you’re right about the laziness of producers. “Mindless entertainment” doesn’t have to mean “crap,” but usually does. But movies like Dogma only come around so often…
#10 by digglahhh at June 26th, 2008
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But movies like Dogma only come around so often…
Come for the weed and sex jokes, stay for some decent discourse on organized religion.
Clerks was an ingenuous film; almost certainly my favorite comedy of all time. Yet, the legacy of its creator is built on the back of the lowest common denominators of his first work of genius. So, yeah, Dogma’s got it’s moments - but that identity was smuggled in by a Trojan Horse, (pardon the dick joke pun).
That being said, the reverse is kind of true too. The critics’/industry’s self-consciousness about being high minded (and often elitist) contribute to the disconnect between what wins and what’s popular too. Additionally, with the movies being so expensive nowadays, a lot of people only go to see movies to which the huge screen, loud sound moviegoing experience actually adds something. I think the last movie I saw in the theatre was Sicko, but I wouldn’t have lost anything waiting to Nextflix it.
So, there’s a few things at play here.
As far as predicting success of movies, here’s a LONG but interesting article (coulda just said it was written by Malcolm Gladwell - means the same thing).
http://www.gladwell.com/2006/2006_10_16_a_formula.html