The Final Word: Top Domestic Movies of 2013
By: MattInRC
It's time to ruminate on the year that was, and seek some insight from the Movie Gods about 2014.
In a year that saw Hollywood act more like a rollercoaster than a business, we're frankly surprised to find ourselves saying the following: Hollywood broke box office records once again, taking in a staggering $10.92 billion in sales. But that success wasn't guaranteed entering the Summer season. Take a look at the top list from the end of Q2:
- Oz The Great and Powerful $186,672,400
- Identity Thief $128,817,890
- Silver Linings Playbook $99,352,650
- Zero Dark Thirty $94,172,217
- Django Unchained $93,537,202
- Les Miserables (2012) $75,753,685
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey $74,210,420
- Mama $71,514,415
- Safe Haven $69,423,682
- A Good Day to Die Hard $66,393,000
- And then, Summer arrived:
- Iron Man 3 $405,435,000
- Man of Steel $248,660,000
- Oz The Great and Powerful $234,668,782
- Fast Six $233,313,000
- Star Trek Into Darkness $220,501,000
- The Croods $184,412,000
- Monsters University $171,006,000
- Great Gatsby $141,988,676
- Identity Thief $134,506,920
- World War Z $123,722,000
But it was a very strong November and Q3 which reversed the trend. With those numbers in mind, here's how the whole thing shook out:
- Iron Man 3 $409,013,994
- Catching Fire $402,568,000
- Despicable Me 2 $367,860,095
- Man of Steel $291,045,518
- Frozen $283,866,000
- Monsters University $268,492,764
- Gravity $255,144,426
- Fast Six $238,679,850
- Oz The Great and Powerful $234,911,825
- Star Trek Into Darkness $228,778,661
Looking at the above, we notice a nearly-complete takeover from Q2, something that is not uncommon until you notice who survived from Q1. That honor goes to Oz: The Great and Powerful, demonstrating either its surprising resiliency or offering a stinging commentary on the lack of blockbuster performances last year. You might be surprised that The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug missed the list, but with an early December release, it could only muster #11. Another surprise was Catching Fire, which needed only a few million more to overtake Iron Man 3 for the top spot. An earlier release might have solved that, but all of that was made from November 11 onward, while the first installment premiered in March 2012.
So, where do all these numbers leave us? Some harsh lessons were learned in 2013, many of which can be clearly seen in the numbers. The top 10 was down around 10% from last year, with the top 2 releases being outperformed by 2012's The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises to the tune of 20%. Still, it appears that the overall market was healthier, as receipts were spread around to more films. This will need to be the story in 2014, as no sure-fire winner will appear before April's Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which means early releases need to bring audiences in and keep them there until April 4th. If Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (January), The LEGO Movie and Robocop (February), and Divergent and Noah (March) can do just that, it will reverse an ugly trend that occurred during the same time last year, where numbers were down 24% in February alone.
Which first quarter movies do you think need to perform to keep Hollywood on track for a successful Summer? Comment below and join the discussion!
Discuss this article with fellow SJF fans on Facebook. On Twitter, follow us at @SandwichJFilms, and follow author Matt Cummings at @mfc90125.
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