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?
Is it just me, or has December/awards season really snuck
up on us? Anyway, the Golden Globes nominations are coming quick, and here are
my sarcastic commentary and over-my-head predictions for how the Hollywood Foreign
Press Association will vote this year. Read up!
BEST SUPPORTING
ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES, MINISERIES, OR TV MOVIE
1. Julia Roberts – The
Normal Heart
2. Allison Janney – Mom
3. Kathy Bates – American
Horror Story: Freak Show
4. Uzo Abuda – Orange
is the New Black
5. Michelle Monaghan – True Detective
BEST SUPPORTING
ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES, MINISERIES, OR TV MOVIE
1. Martin Freeman – Sherlock:
His Last Vow
2. Jon Voight – Ray
Donovan
3. Peter Dinklage – Game
of Thrones
4. Matt Bomer – The
Normal Heart
5. Bill Murray – Olive
Kitteridge
BEST ACTRESS IN
A MINISERIES OR TV MOVIE
1. Jessica Lange – American
Horror Story: Freak Show
2. Frances McDormand – Olive Kitteridge
3. Zoe Saldana – Rosemary’s
Baby
4. Cicely Tyson – The
Trip to Bountiful
5. Sara Paulson – American Horror Story:
Freak Show
BEST ACTRESS IN
A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY/MUSICAL
1. Julia Louis-Dreyfus – Veep
2. Lisa Kudrow – The
Comeback
3. Amy Poehler – Parks
and Recreation
4. Gina Rodriguez – Jane
the Virgin
5.Taylor Schilling – Orange is the New
Black
BEST ACTOR IN A
TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY/MUSICAL
1. Jeffrey Tambor – Transparent
2. Jim Parsons – The
Big Bang Theory
3. Andy Samberg – Brooklyn
Nine-Nine
4. Matt LeBlanc –
Episodes
5. Anthony Anderson – Blackish
BEST TELEVISION
SERIES – COMEDY/MUSICAL
1. Modern Family
2. Veep
3. Jane the Virgin
4. Orange is the
New Black
5. Silicon Valley
BEST ACTRESS IN
A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
1. Viola Davis – How
to Get Away with Murder
2. Robin Wright – House
of Cards
3. Julianna Margulies – The Good Wife
4. Kerry Washington – Scandal
5. Claire Danes - Homeland
BEST ACTOR IN A
TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
1. Clive Owen – The
Knick
2. Kevin Spacey – House
of Cards
3. Dominic West – The
Affair
4. Michael Sheen – Masters
of Sex
5. Steve Buscemi – Boardwalk Empire
BEST TELEVISION
SERIES – DRAMA
1. House of Cards
2. Game of Thrones
3. The Knick
4. Boardwalk Empire
5. The Affair
BEST ANIMATED
FILM
1. Big Hero 6
2. The Lego Movie
3. The Tale of
Princess Kaguya
4. The Book of Life
5. The Boxtrolls
Explanation: We
all know that the HFPA loves big movies, and even though Lego was star-studded and a box office smash, Big Hero 6 just seems like the type of material (Marvel) that is
the flavor of the month. How to Train
Your Dragon 2 will probably get in, but I just can’t figure out where.
BEST FOREIGN
FILM
1. Two Days, One
Night (Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne) – Belgium
2. Mommy
(Xavier Dolan) – Canada
3. Ida (Pawel
Pawlikowski) – Poland
4. Cantinflas
(Sebastian del Amo) – Mexico
5. The Golden Era (Ann Hui) – Hong
Kong
Explanation: They
normally vote in favor of the name directors (Clint Eastwood’s Letters from Iwo Jima appeared in this category
back in 2006, as was Angelina Jolie’s In
the Land of Blood and Honey in 2011), and they love international stars.
The Dardennes have Marion Cotillard in their critical hit, which should be
enough to take the award. But hey, this is the hardest category to predict for
any awards circuit.
BEST ORIGINAL
SONG
1. “Lost Stars” – Begin
Again
2. “Everything is Awesome” – The Lego Movie
3. “Masterpiece” – Beyond
the Lights
4. “The Last Goodbye” – The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
5. “Glory” – Selma
Explanation: I
would try to justify these, but it would be pointless. It is basically random,
but I would be shocked if the top two are ignored.
BEST ORIGINAL
SCORE
1. The Theory of
Everything – Johann Johannsson
2. Gone Girl –
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross
3. Big Eyes –
Danny Elfman
4. Interstellar
– Hans Zimmer
5. Maleficent – James Newton Howard
Explanation: They
love the big names, but there is always a wild card in the mix. Maleficent might be that wildcard, and
history shows that they give their wins to movies that sometimes don’t even get
nominated anywhere else. It is hard to ignore the beauty of The Theory of Everything’s music,
though.
BEST SCREENPLAY
– MOTION PICTURE
1. Birdman –
Armando Bo, Alexander Dinelaris, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, Nicolas Giacobone
2. Unbroken –
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
3. Boyhood – Richard
Linklater
4. Gone Girl –
Gillian Flynn
5. A Most Violent Year – JC Chandor
Explanation: The
HFPA loves putting a screwball into this category, but the top movies are just
too great of screenplays to not put in there. Plus, there isn’t a legitimate random
romantic-comedy or anything.
Explanation: This
seems pretty standard, and they love Jolie. She won three years in a row in different
categories from 1997-1999. Eastwood is the only real shocker, but his movie
will be popular and the Globes still can’t get enough of him.
The HFPA Dream Lineup:
Tim Burton – Big
Eyes
Clint Eastwood – American
Sniper
Peter Jackson – The
Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
Angelina Jolie – Unbroken
Christopher Nolan – Interstellar
BEST ACTRESS IN
A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
1. Meryl Streep – Into
the Woods
2. Patricia Arquette – Boyhood
3. Emma Stone – Birdman
4. Anna Kendrick – Into
the Woods
5. Cameron Diaz – Annie
Explanation: Seemingly,
Streep is nominated whether she has a movie being released or not. Diaz is a
weird addition, I know, but they do love her. She was nominated 4 times between
1998 and 2002. If Annie is any good,
then she might be a no-brainer for the Globes.
The HFPA Dream
Lineup:
Cameron Diaz – Annie
Jane Fonda – This
Is Where I Leave You
Kristen Stewart – Still
Alice
Meryl Strep – The
Giver
Meryl Streep – Into
the Woods
BEST ACTOR IN A
SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE
1. JK Simmons – Whiplash
2. Edward Norton – Birdman
3. Johnny Depp – Into
the Woods
4. Robert Duvall – The
Judge
5. Albert Brooks – A Most Violent Year
Explanation: Usually,
this category is pretty similar to the other awards, unless there is something
absurd like Tom Cruise in Tropic Thunder
or John Travolta in Hairspray in the
running. Depp is nominated always. Brooks is really just a stab.
The HFPA Dream
Lineup:
Matt Damon – Interstellar
Johnny Depp – Into
the Woods
Shia LaBeouf – Fury
Tyler Perry – Gone
Girl
Chris Pine – Into
the Woods
BEST ACTRESS IN
A LEADING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY/MUSICAL
1. Julianne Moore – Maps
to the Stars
2. Angelina Jolie – Maleficent
3. Helen Mirren – The
Hundred-Foot Journey
4. Keira Knightley – Begin
Again
5. Jenny Slate – Obvious Child
Explanation: This
category, with the exception of their thirst for stars, has a tendency to put
an indie or two in there. Greta Gerwig was nominated for Frances Ha last year, so Jenny Slate takes that potential spot.
Moore might be set to win two awards, like Kate Winslet was back in 2008,
mainly because of the HFPA’s obsession with David Cronenberg.
The HFPA Dream
Lineup:
Jennifer Aniston – Cake
Tina Fey – This Is
Where I Leave You
Angelina Jolie – Maleficent
Melissa McCarthy – St.
Vincent
Emma Stone – Magic
in the Moonlight
BEST ACTOR IN A
LEADING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY/MUSICAL
1. Michael Keaton – Birdman
2. Joaquin Phoenix – Inherent
Vice
3. Chris Rock – Top
Five
4. Bill Murray – St.
Vincent
5. Ralph Fiennes – The Grand Budapest
Hotel
Explanation: This
would be a really interesting group. The Comedy/Musical actor category is
always strong. It is hard to completely leave out musical contenders Mark
Ruffalo, John Lloyd Young, and James Corden, but these stars in strong films
are too hard to get by.
The HFPA Dream
Lineup:
Jim Carrey – Dumb
and Dumber To
Jamie Foxx – Annie
Bill Murray – St.
Vincent
Al Pacino – The
Humbling
Chris Pratt – Guardians
of the Galaxy
BEST MOTION
PICTURE – COMEDY/MUSICAL
1. Into the Woods
2. Birdman
3. Inherent Vice
4. Jersey Boys
5. Guardians of the Galaxy
Explanation: The
Globes love to even out the musicals and comedies, and the musicals almost always
win. This would be a cool list, and Jersey
Boys gets in because it is Eastwood. Superhero movies have yet to really
been embraced, but none have fully embellished in its comedy like Guardians.
The HFPA Dream
Lineup:
Begin Again
Into the Woods
Jersey Boys
Jimi: All Is By My
Side
Magic in the
Moonlight
BEST ACTRESS IN
A LEADING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
1. Julianne Moore – Still
Alice
2. Reese Witherspoon – Wild
3. Shailene Woodley – The
Fault in Our Stars
4. Scarlett Johansson – Under the Skin
5. Marion Cotillard – Two Days, One Night
Explanation: Johansson
would be the one real surprise, but like Diaz and Jolie, the HFPA simply loves
her. She was nominated 4 times between 2003 and 2005. Moore is really set up
for a sweep, and she deserves it. It is a shame that she has never won an Oscar
or a Globe in the film categories. Why not give her two?
The HFPA Dream
Lineup:
Anne Hathaway – Interstellar
Scarlett Johansson – Under
the Skin
Jennifer Lawrence – The
Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1
Reese Witherspoon – Wild
Shailene Woodley – The
Fault in Our Stars
BEST ACTOR IN A
LEADING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
1. Steve Carell – Foxcatcher
2. Bradley Cooper – American
Sniper
3. Brad Pitt – Fury
4. Benedict Cumberbatch – The Imitation Game
5. David Oyelowo – Selma
Explanation: Carell
is a past winner at the Globes, and his transformative performance seems like a
safe bet for the Drama category. Pitt is nominated consistently. International
actors are also popular here, so leaving off Eddie Redmayne, Timothy Spall, and
Jack O’Connell was difficult.
The HFPA Dream
Lineup:
Bradley Cooper – American
Sniper
Robert Downey Jr. – The
Judge
Matthew McConaughey – Interstellar
Brad Pitt – Fury
Channing Tatum – Foxcatcher
BEST MOTION
PICTURE – DRAMA
1. Unbroken
2. Gone Girl
3. Boyhood
4. Interstellar
5. A Most Violent Year
Explanation: This
is a really loaded category, and once again, the international movies might
have to take a back seat. These seem pretty secure, with the exception of newly
minted NBR Best Picture A Most Violent
Year, which no one has really seen yet. It will be a fight between box
office megahit Gone Girl, indie Boyhood, and Jolie’s war epic Unbroken for the top prize.
The HFPA Dream
Lineup:
American Sniper
Fury
Gone Girl
The Hobbit: The
Battle of the Five Armies
Interstellar
There they are! Anyone who has any input or expertise,
feel free to speak up. I only do this one for fun. I don’t follow it nearly as
closely as the Oscars. Comment below!
