[ad_1]
Movies took a hit with the pandemic: ticket sales were way down, and production disruptions meant fewer films hit the cinemas these past three years. However, over this year, audiences have started returning to the cineplex. Despite there being far fewer movies released in 2022 than in 2019, the U.S. box office still managed to bring in more than $3.3bn over the summer.
Top Gun: Maverick and Doctor Strange in the Multiverseof Madness performed well, and Avatar: the Way of Water is also set to make a big splash this month. In addition, 2023 looks like it will be a better year than 2022, with many more new releases. Hopefully, we see more big hits rake in big returns, and the industry recovers its footing.
‘Frozen II’ (2019)
Box Office: $1.45bn
The first Frozen was an instant sensation. Its soundtrack could be heard everywhere in 2013 (to many parents’ frustration). The sequel had big shoes to fill, and the cast and crew succeeded in delivering a worthy follow-up that resonated with fans. The filmmakers said they took care to make sure Frozen 2 felt true to the original.
“Over time, we’d heard a lot of feedback and ideas of who these characters are, and what should happen to them, and I found myself realizing if I was going to write further, I had to ground myself just in them, as people,” says co-director Jennifer Lee. “I think that actually gave me courage to write a sequel.”
‘Top Gun: Maverick’ (2022)
Box Office: $1.48bn
WithTop Gun: Maverick, Tom Cruise proved once again that his star power is far from fading. The film defied the post-pandemic slump, quickly soaring past the billion dollar threshold. With great supporting performances from Miles Teller and Jennifer Connelly, along with Joseph Kosinski‘s energetic directing, it equaled – or even surpassed – its predecessor.
Kosinski says that Cruse initially did not want to appear in the movie, and had to be persuaded. “I opened with the idea that this is a rite-of-passage story like the first film,” Kosinski says. “The first film is a drama, even though it’s wrapped in this glossy action film. This would be the same thing, but it would be Maverick reconciling with Goose’s son set against this mission that would take them both deep into enemy territory. And as soon as I said that, I could see the wheels in his head start to turn.”
‘Furious 7’ (2015)
Box Office: $1.51bn
The team returned for one of the most explosive entries in the mega-franchise. Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson are terrific as always, helped along by tons of well-crafted action scenes. The movie is also poignant, given the passing of Paul Walker.
“It became very apparent to all of us that we needed to finish this movie to honor Paul’s legacy and to basically honor his memories, and moving forward that became our number one goal,” director James Wansays. “Like nothing else mattered, it was about making this movie for Paul.”
‘The Avengers’ (2012)
Box Office: $1.51bn
The Avengers was a massive event for superhero movies. It was the first time that we saw Marvel’s leading heroes gathered together on-screen, laying the foundation for all the films that would follow.
Not to mention, it represents a great mash-up of various Marvel characters and storylines. “It’s part of the grand Marvel tradition to steal from all of the comics and all of the eras and Ultimates,” director Joss Whedon told Collider. “You sort of have to take all of those things and distill them the same way the customers do […] Distill them and then find your own.”
‘The Lion King’ (2019)
Box Office: $1.66bn
The live-action Lion King was another movie with high expectations to meet. While not as magical as the animated version, it’s still gorgeous and engaging, with great performances from the voice cast, especially Donald Glover and Seth Rogen.
“Casting is the foundation of great cinematic storytelling,” director Jon Favreau has said. “I came up as an actor, so I know that you can’t compromise one iota on cast. You have to get the best people you can because they’re the ones who are gonna do everything. We just built off of our cast. It started with us, just in a room, like a theater rehearsal.”
‘Jurassic World’ (2015)
Box Office: $1.67bn
Colin Trevorrow revived the Jurassic Park franchise with this action-packed epic. It went on to become the highest grossing entry in the series, and transformed Chris Pratt into a full-on leading man. The special effects are top-notch (just look at the Indominus Rex) but arguably its greatest strength is the fleshed-out characters.
“It’s not a bunch of movies with plots about dinosaurs. It’s a movie about people who live in a world in which there are dinosaurs,” Trevorrow says. “That’s an important distinction for me.”
‘Spider-Man: No Way Home’ (2021)
Box Office: $1.91bn
Tom Holland delivered his best (and most emotional) superhero performance yet in this multiverse-spanning, uber-meta Spider-Man flick. The return of previous Spider-Men Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield was an added treat. The result is one of the most satisfying Marvel movies in years.
No Way Home ditched many of the Spider-Man tropes, like Peter Parker being bitten by the spider, to instead focus on the characters in a new context. “It was just so nice to skip past it and just deal with more with the repercussions,” director Jon Wattssays. “And just explore it from the perspective of someone else finding out about it and having a lot of questions.”
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ (2018)
Box Office: $2.04bn
Infinity War raised the stakes in every way – more characters, deadlier villains, and even better CGI. It also cranked the action up to 11, without sacrificing characterization or an emotional story. The film was also unafraid to kill off major characters and to hand its heroes a rare defeat.
“It’s not only a culmination of the last ten years of Marvel storytelling, but for us, it’s a culmination of our journey as directors in the Marvel Universe,” co-director Joe Russo has said, “And I think having at our disposal all of those characters and allowing ourselves to refilter them through the way that we see the universe, the way that we feel about the characters, the themes that we really want to bring to the forefront.”
‘Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens’ (2015)
Box Office: $2.06bn
The Force Awakens was a true cinematic event, bringing fans back to one of the most beloved movie universes of all time. It deals heavily in nostalgia, essentially repackaging the story of A New Hope. While some were disappointed, most fans felt this was exactly what they needed.
Director J.J. Abramssays he understood the magnitude of telling a new Star Wars story. “You’re inheriting Star Wars! That’s not something you can do lightly. You have to really understand the design choices, because everything is important.”
‘Avengers: Endgame’ (2019)
Box Office: $2.79bn
Endgamehit harder than any Marvel movie before it, delivering epic battles, narrative twists, and heartbreaking sendoffs for some of its most cherished characters. The time travel element allowed the heroes (and audience) to reexperience some of the franchise’s most iconic moments, and appreciate just how much ground the Marvel films had covered over the previous decade.
“We wanted to go right to the heart of what we care about in these movies: the relationships between these characters,” co-director Anthony Russosays. “Once we came out of the edit of Civil War, we realized that we’d succeeded in divorcing the Avengers, destroying the relationship between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. We’ve set the table for Thanos; we’re ready for him.”
[ad_2]
Source link