2010's Mid-Decade Report: Highest Grossing Original Movies

Believe it or not, we are now over halfway through the 2010's.  As we look forward to the last half of this decade, let's look back at what the first half of the 2010's has given us in terms of film.  If it hadn't been fully established yet, the biggest trend that has been solidified over this decade so far is the dominance of blockbusters based on previous material.  Whether it is comic book movies, sequels, remakes, or bringing a popular book to life, our decade has been dominated by known commodities.  It is as if no one wants to waste their time and money on something that is unknown.  In the past, a movie would become a blockbuster simply because the right movie superstar was in it.  Although there is still a little of that, it is nowhere near as prevalent as it was, say, in the 90's.

With these trends in mind, this article is celebrating the highest grossing original films of the first half of the 2010's.  Of the 159 films that grossed over $100 million from 2010-2014, only 36 movies were original.  That is 22.6% of the blockbusters.  Of those 36 films, 12 of them are comedies, 8 are animated, 6 are sci-fi, 5 Best Picture nominees, and 3 are action films.  All but 10 of the 36 films have positive scores on Rotten Tomatoes.  Of those 10, most were popular due to the stars in the cast like Grown Ups (Adam Sandler), Ride Along (Kevin Hart), and Due Date (Robert Downey, Jr. and Zach Galifianakis).

Here are films #11-36 on this list.

36.  Bad Teacher (2011) - $100,292,856

35.  Due Date (2010) - $100,539,043

34.  Pacific Rim (2013) - $101,802,906

33.  The Expendables (2010) - $103,068,524

32.  Black Swan (2010) - $106,954,678

31.  Hop (2011) - $108,085,305

30.  Valentine's Day (2010) - $110,485,654

29.  Magic Mike (2012) - $113,721,571

28.  Horrible Bosses (2011) - $117,538,559

27.  Now You See Me (2013) - $117,723,989

26.  Salt (2010) - $118,311,368

25.  The Other Guys (2010) - $119,219,978

24.  Rango (2011) - $123,477,607

23.  Safe House (2012) - $126,373,434

22.  Lucy (2014) - $126,663,600

21.  Super 8 (2011) - $127,004,179

20.  Identity Thief (2013) - $134,506,920

19.  Ride Along (2014) - $134,938,200

18.  The Conjuring (2013) - $137,400,141

17.  Rio (2011) - $143,619,809

16.  Megamind (2010) - $148,415,853

15.  American Hustle (2013) - $150,117,807

14.  Neighbors (2014) - $150,157,400

13.  We're the Millers (2013) - $150,394,119

12.  The Heat (2013) - $159,582,188

11.  Grown Ups (2010) - $162,001,186

With all this said, let's look at the 10 highest grossing original films of the first half of the 2010's.

10.  Django Unchained

(2012)

$162,805,434

This is a rarity on this list as it is not what you would consider a "mainstream" movie.  However, the appeal of a filmmaker like Quentin Tarantino has become pretty universal.  I have said many times before that Tarantino has pretty much created a genre for himself that nobody else has been able to duplicate.  That makes a film like Django Unchained a must-see movie event.  This is Tarantino's only film so far this decade, but it is pretty safe to assume that this year's The Hateful Eight will join this list eventually.

9.  Bridesmaids

(2011)

$169,106,725

The last 10 years or so has seen a rise in the quality R-rated laugh-out-loud comedy.  One of the highest grossing of these movies was one of the few that featured the girls.  Gathering all the funniest women in the industry today led to box office gold and the rarity of a few Oscar nominations for a comedy of this nature.  It also helped jumpstart the career of scene-stealer Melissa McCarthy.

8.  The Croods

(2013)

$187,168,425

I was surprised to find this film so high up on this list.  However, with 8 animated films among the 36 listed here, and 4 of them in the top ten, it shows one of the ways to make an original hit is to make a family-friendly film.  Family-friendly movies seem to be few and far between, especially high-quality non-animated ones.  However, like I said, this trend shows a deficiency in an area of film that could easily be capitalized on in the years to come.

7.  Interstellar

(2014)

$188,020,017

Much like Tarantino, Christopher Nolan films have become events simply because he is directing them.  Although he became a household name through his Dark Knight trilogy, it is his original material that has made him one of the top directors working today.  Although Interstellar is not his best, the ambitious nature of this film and his reputation made this a top grossing film.

6.  Wreck-It Ralph

(2012)

$189,422,889

This animated film combined two things that are loved by the masses: cartoons and video games.  This film shows how animated films have changed over the years.  When I was growing up watching Disney classic cartoons like The Little Mermaid and Aladdin, very few voices were known names.  Now we have films like Wreck-It Ralph, where not only do we have a family-friendly animated film, but also there are top billed actors like John C Reilly, Sara Silverman, Jack McBrayer, Jane Lynch, Mindy Kaling, Ed O'Neill, Dennis Haysbert, and others.  So now you have the appeal not only of it being an animated film, but also some of your favorite stars are in it.

5.  Ted

(2012)

$218,815,487

Our first film over $200 million is as original a comedy as we saw so far this decade.  Only Seth MacFarlane could make a story about a man and his talking R-rated teddy bear a hit success.  After the huge success of Family Guy, everyone was anxious to see what MacFarlane could do on the big screen.  His first attempt produced this breakout hit that led to a great year for MacFarlane that ended with him hosting the Oscars and getting nominated for a song from this movie (unfortunately, the song was not "Thunder Buddies").

4.  Brave

(2012)

$237,283,207

Although there are 8 animated films on this list, this is the only film to come from animation giant Pixar.  There is one primary reason for this: it was Pixar's only original story in the last 5 years.  Pixar is known for its ability to come up with truly original and groundbreaking stories.  However, it almost felt like they were tapped out of material for a little while as they relied on sequels at the start of this decade.  Brave was the one exception, however it was also one of the lesser Pixar films.  However, putting the Pixar label on the film single-handedly made a top grossing film.

3.  Despicable Me

(2010)

$251,513,985

Few original movies start phenomenons quite like what happened with Despicable Me.  This film just came out 5 years ago, and we are about to see its second sequel get released this weekend!  Again, it was started by billing names like Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand, Julie Andrews, Will Arnett, and Kristen Wiig on the marquee.  Also, as is the case with many animated films, it's cute for the kids while still having elements that adults will appreciate.  Also, who doesn't love the minions?  (Okay, you might be sick of them now, but who didn't love them when you first saw them?)

2.  Gravity

(2013)

$274,092,705

This is one of 5 Best Picture nominees on this list and one of three to make the top ten.  This sci-fi thriller has a simple premise: George Clooney and Sandra Bullock are stranded in space.  However, this film ended up having something for everyone.  It had star power, it had suspense, it had incredible visuals, and it was wonderfully executed.  It is also one that had its box office helped by 3D viewings.  The public seems to have a fascination with space and the unknown that it produces.  This film's success shows that.

1.  Inception

(2010)

$292,576,195

Coming into the decade, no one was hotter than Christopher Nolan.  He had just made what is widely thought to be the greatest superhero movie of all time in The Dark Knight.  Then he started the new decade with this groundbreaking thriller that is as original as they come.  This film had everything: stars (LEO!!!), A-list director, completely original sci-fi premise, mind-bending visuals, and an incredible ending that just makes you want to start the movie over again.  All this leads to the highest grossing original movie of the first half of this decade.

By the way, if 2015 movies had been included in this list, there would be a different number one as Inside Out has been dominating the box office.  See what happens when Pixar truly gets original?

Reactions to the Nominations: 2012

As usual, the Oscar nomination announcement brought some pleasant surprises and some downright shockers. The Artist is still the one to beat, but much to my surprise, it did not lead in nominations. Hugo leads the way with 11, followed by The Artist’s 10. Interesting developments abound. Here is my breakdown of each category:

Best Picture
The Artist

The Descendants

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

The Help

Hugo

Midnight in Paris

Moneyball

The Tree of Life

War Horse

Predicted: 8 for 9

Reactions: I suspected that only 7 would get nominated, but the only one I didn’t have in my top 9 was Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (I had Dragon Tattoo). I am slightly upset that Fincher’s film did not make the cut, especially with 9 getting nominated. However, I am much more excited that Bridesmaids did not make it (even though that would have made Apatow an Oscar nominee) and that The Tree of Life got in, basically telling the guilds that they are not the answer to predicting the Oscars. Not a bad group, though. Brad Pitt gets his double nod, but not necessarily the one we were hoping for. Seeing how the rest of the nominees stacked up implies that there could be a legitimate threat or two for The Artist. Last year, 9 of the 10 nominees had screenplay nominations, but this year only 5 of the 9 do. Not sure what that means, but it is an interesting development. Having 9 nominees all having at least 5% of the vote also implies that the votes are a lot more spread out than I would have originally thought. I always figured when a movie sweeps the ceremony that they get like 40% of the vote or something, but the math just simply does not support that, at least not this year. I find this new rule rather interesting, actually. Oh, and never underestimate Stephen Daldry. Two straight films of his that I have said that about, and I still do it. Genius.

Preliminary prediction: The Artist

Best Director

Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris

Michel Hazanavicius – The Artist

Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life

Alexander Payne – The Descendants

Martin Scorsese – Hugo

Predicted: 4 for 5

Reactions: I had Fincher in for Malick. I love this. I hate that Fincher is not going to win an Oscar for another worthy film, but Terrence Malick got nominated. I am stoked that they didn’t make it Spielberg or Daldry. I have a feeling that this may be one of those Director-Picture split years that has not happened since 2005.

Preliminary Prediction: Terrence Malick

Best Actor

Demian Bichir – A Better Life

George Clooney – The Descendants

Jean Dujardin – The Artist

Gary Oldman – Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Brad Pitt – Moneyball

Predicted: 3 for 5

Reactions: I had DiCaprio and Fassbender in for Bichir and Oldman. Gary Oldman, Oscar nominee. We can finally say it! Pretty great group, other than that random guy in that horrible movie by the director of the second Twilight Movie. I don’t get that. Clooney may not be as much of a favorite as we suspected with Woodley missing out on Supporting Actress. Pitt and Oldman could pull a shocker. Let’s hope that happens.

Preliminary Prediction: George Clooney

Best Actress

Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs

Viola Davis – The Help

Rooney Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady

Michelle Williams – My Week with Marilyn

Predicted: 5 for 5

Reactions: There was no real question here as to what the nominations would look like. The guys on E! are stupid for saying that no one thought Mara would get nominated. Tilda Swinton is once again on the outside. Not enough people saw her movie, I guess. Streep’s film got an unexpected second nomination, so at least she has some support from somewhere other than the actors branch. Her third win finally?

Preliminary Prediction: Meryl Streep

Best Supporting Actor

Kenneth Branagh – My Week with Marilyn

Jonah Hill – Moneyball

Nick Nolte – Warrior

Christopher Plummer – Beginners

Max von Sydow – Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

Predicted: 4 for 5

Reactions: I had Albert Brooks in for Max von Sydow. How is that only von Sydow’s second nomination? Anyway, Jonah Hill getting nominated is amazing. The rest are fairly predictable overdue veteran actors, but I just can’t believe that one isn’t Brooks. When was the last time that the unanimous critic favorite in an acting category failed to get even a nomination? I guess Drive is just too cool for the Academy. Same old story…

Preliminary Prediction: Christopher Plummer

Best Supporting Actress

Berenice Bejo – The Artist

Jessica Chastain – The Help

Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids

Janet McTeer – Albert Nobbs

Octavia Spencer – The Help

Predicted: 4 for 5

Reactions: I had Shailene Woodley in for McCarthy. This was just wishful thinking that the Academy would ignore Bridesmaids. Nothing really to say here. I feel bad for Woodley. She deserved to get invited.

Preliminary Prediction: Octavia Spencer

Original Screenplay

The Artist

Bridesmaids

Margin Call

Midnight in Paris

A Separation

Predicted: 3 for 5

Reactions: I had Win Win and Young Adult in for Bridesmaids and Margin Call. Stupid Bridesmaids, but Margin Call!!! This is amazing. This reminds me of when 2009’s best film The Messenger was nominated in this category after no precursors. This is awesome. However, with Woody Allen getting his director nod, his win here is almost assured. I have no problem with that.

Preliminary Prediction: Midnight in Paris

Adapted Screenplay

The Descendants

Hugo

The Ides of March

Moneyball

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

Predicted: 4 for 5

Reactions: I had The Help in for Tinker Tailor. This was a real surprise, showing that The Help does not have all of the support that we had originally thought. Clooney gets his double nod. Aaron Sorkin gets in two years in a row. Steven Zaillian goes 1 for 2. I like this group.

Preliminary Prediction: The Descendants

Cinematography

The Artist

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Hugo

The Tree of Life

War Horse

Predicted: 5 for 5

Reactions: I completely nailed this! Other than Drive not getting in, I cannot complain about any of these nominees.

Preliminary Prediction: War Horse

Art Direction

The Artist

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Hugo

Midnight in Paris

War Horse

Predicted: 4 for 5

Reactions: I had Anonymous in for Midnight in Paris. This just shows that Paris has a fair amount of support. Can Woody make a serious run at Best Picture?

Preliminary Prediction: Hugo

Costume Design

Anonymous

The Artist

Hugo

Jane Eyre

W.E.

Predicted: 3 for 5

Reactions: I had The Help and My Week with Marilyn in for Anonymous and Jane Eyre. The latter certainly deserved its nomination (and the win), but I am so mad that I chose the wrong category for Anonymous! I knew it would show up somewhere…

Preliminary Prediction: W.E.

Sound Mixing

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Hugo

Moneyball

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

War Horse

Predicted: 3 for 5

Reactions: I had The Tree of Life and The Artist in for Transformers and Moneyball. This is normally a spot for the Best Picture winners. Each BP winner was nominated here since 2006. Could this be a telling factor in the race?

Preliminary Prediction: War Horse

Editing

The Artist

The Descendants

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Hugo

Moneyball

Predicted: 4 for 5

Reactions: I had Tinker Tailor in for The Descendants. It seems that the Academy liked The Descendants more than Sideways even with it getting the crucial editing nod. I am shocked that Tinker Tailor didn’t get in here with the support it got elsewhere. Oh well. I hope Dragon Tattoo or Moneyball takes this.

Preliminary Prediction: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Sound Editing

Drive

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Hugo

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

War Horse

Predicted: 2 for 5

Reactions: Yeah, I had Tintin, Super 8, and Planet of the Apes instead of Drive, Dragon Tattoo, and Hugo. This is a big spot for Hugo. It basically got every possible Artistic/Technical nomination. Drive at least got one nomination in one of its least deserving spots. Whatever, Oscar…

Preliminary Prediction: War Horse

Visual Effects

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Hugo

Real Steel

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Predicted: 3 for 5

Reactions: I had Tree of Life and X-Men in for Real Steel and Transformers. Yep, that is three noms for the Michael Bay disaster. Nice.

Preliminary Prediction: Harry Potter

Makeup

Albert Nobbs

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

The Iron Lady

Predicted: 1 for 3

Reactions: I had The Artist and Anonymous in for Iron Lady and Harry Potter. Well, I went 0 for 3 last year, so this is something.

Preliminary Prediction: Albert Nobbs

Song

“Man or Muppet” – The Muppets

“Real in Rio” – Rio

Predicted: 0 for 2

Reactions: I predicted 5 nominees, including songs from The Help, Albert Nobbs, We Bought a Zoo, Cars 2, and the wrong song from The Muppets. I love these two songs, though. They are both the best in their films, which are both stocked full with great original songs. Well done, but the Academy needs to fix the rules here. Only nominating two is pretty dumb.

Preliminary Prediction:The Muppets

Score

The Adventures of Tintin

The Artist

Hugo

Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy

War Horse

Predicted: 4 for 5

Reactions: I had Dragon Tattoo in for Tinker Tailor. Double nom for John Williams? What else is new. Shame that Dragon Tattoo and Drive got snubbed here.

Preliminary Prediction: The Artist

Documentary

Hell and Back Again

If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory

Pina

Undefeated

Predicted: 3 for 5

Reactions: I had Project Nim and We Were Here in for Hell and Back Again and Pina. Just took a stab, really. They always snub the best doc, and this year, the best ones were supposedly Project Nim and George Harrison: Living in a Material World. Well done, Academy. Your new rules still don’t work.

Preliminary Prediction: Undefeated

Foreign Language Film

Bullhead

Footnote

In Darkness

Monsieur Lazhar

A Separation

Predicted: 3 for 5

Reactions: I had Black Bread and Where Do We Go Now? in for Bullhead and Footnote. Haven’t seen any of these, but I always have a random gut feeling that there will be an upset, and I am right almost every year. Do not be fooled just because A Separation got a screenplay nod that it is a lock in this category. Ask Guillermo Del Toro if that is the case. One of the movies is about Nazis, and we know how Oscar feels about those movies. Upset!

Preliminary Prediction: In Darkness

Animated Feature

A Cat in Paris

Chico & Rita

Kung Fu Panda 2

Puss in Boots

Rango

Predicted: 2 for 5

Reactions: I had Tintin (obviously), Arthur Christmas, and Cars 2 in for A Cat in Paris (what?), Kung Fu Panda 2, and Puss in Boots. Well, I got one of the no name films right. What happened to Tintin and the surefire Spielberg nomination? I love that Kung Fu Panda got the nod, though. Such a cool movie. Poor Winnie the Pooh. Oh well. The director of Pirates of the Caribbean is going to be an Oscar winner. Nice.

Preliminary Prediction: Rango

Overall predictions: 72/104; 69.23% (67.96% in 2011)

Without the last 5 categories: 60/79; 75.95% (70.37% in 2011)

On the Big 8 categories: 35/44; 79.55% (84.44% in 2011)

So, I did better predicting everything but the main categories this year, which is a change of pace. The arts and techs were a tad easier since the Best Picture contenders are almost all visual spectacles. Not bad. I am pretty proud about how this turned out.

10 coolest first-time nominees (last year had so many better options):

1. Gary Oldman

2. Jonah Hill

3. Rooney Mara

4. Jessica Chastain

5. Kristen Wiig (even though I hate her movie)

6. JC Chandor

7. Berenice Bejo

8. Chris Columbus

9. Jean Dujardin

10. Gore Verbinski

10 worst snubs:

1. Drive in all categories (especially Best Editing, Best Original Score, and Best Supporting Actor)

2. Michael Shannon for Best Actor

3. Michael Fassbender for Best Actor

4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo for Best Original Score and Best Director

5. Brad Pitt for Best Supporting Actor

6. Super 8 for Best Sound Editing

7. Winnie the Pooh for Best Animated Feature

8. Carey Mulligan for Best Supporting Actress (for Shame and Drive)

9. Carnage for Best Adapted Screenplay

10. Berenice Bejo for Best Actress

If there were five nominees for Best Picture, they probably would have been The Artist, The Descendants, The Help, Hugo, and Midnight in Paris. If there were 10, it probably would have added in Bridesmaids. Maybe Dragon Tattoo with all its guild and technical category support. Seeing a concrete number would have been nice. Anyway, it was a nominations morning filled with excitement, both good and bad. Most of the important nominations I was hoping for (Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara, Terrence Malick) were taken care of. Dragon Tattoo missing out on almost everything is discouraging, but it is all made up for with Margin Call getting a nomination. Seriously, it is the best original screenplay since 2009. I can’t wait to see what the next month brings to the race. Maybe the SAGs will give us a surprise. Maybe the DGA will give the award to someone other than Hazanavicius, since the category is filled with amazing, proven directors. Maybe the BAFTAs will help someone’s cause in the acting categories (do not forget that they almost single-handedly anointed Tilda Swinton and Marion Cotillard as winners in the same year). We shall see. I love this time of year.

Stay tuned for our Fourth Annual Oscar Challenge. How do you think the Academy did this year? Who are you predicting to win? Let us know in the comments.