Oscar Talk aside, which movies did we really like in 2004? According to the Box Office, which did boffo business (a record $9.4 billion), fans flocked to five movies that brought in more than a quarter billion each.
1. The top spot went to "Shrek 2" which won the box office title easily, earning $441 million for the year, according to Exhibitor Relations, which tracks box office receipts.
2. Tobey Maguire's "Spider-Man 2" spun into the second spot, with $373 milion in receipts.
3. Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" -- set records for an indie film, bringing in $370 million.
, 4. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," conjured up $249.5 million.
5. The animated "Incredibles" nailed an incredible $247 million.
6. "The Day After Tomorrow" froze $186.7 million.
7. "The Bourne Supremacy" took in $176 million.
Rounding out the top ten list, two more animated films,"Shark Tale" and "Polar Express" came in 8th and 9th positions at $159 mil and $149 mil, respectively. That means 4 of the top 10 grossing films in 04 were animated. ("National Treasure" came in a surprise 10th place earning $147 million.)
Some of the biggest duds of the year were historical epics, such as "Alexander," "King Arthur," "The Alamo" and "Hidalgo."
A surprise flop, "Troy" actually took in $133 million, grabbing the 12th spot -- but it cost $175 million to make. One of the year's biggest duds, "Around the World in 80 Days" did even worse: it cost $110 million to make and brought only $24 million in receipts.
Of the 21 movies earning more than $100 mil this year, some of the surprises include comedies like "Dodgeball", "Meet the Fockers" (which did the best Christmas Day opening ever") and "50 First Dates," (with box office magic that Adam Sandler couldn't recreate with "Spanglish.") The biggest surprise among the $100 mil crowd was Michael Moore's politically-driven "Fahrenheit 9/11," which has earned more money than any documentary in history ($119 mil so far), and has boosted interest in other documentaries such as "Super-Size Me" and "Touching the Void."
The small indies were giants in 04 and made quick money for their distributors: "Sideways," "Saw," "Hero," "Napoleon Dynamite," "Open Water" and "Garden State."
Yet, Oscar buzz isn't setting off records for "Finding Neverland," "Ray," "Closer," "Kinsey," or "The Aviator" -- still, they've opened in very limited release.
As for the battle of the Bens, put your money on Ben Stiller, who earned nearly half a billion for his movies ("Along Came Polly," "Starsky and Hutch," "Dodgeball," "Anchorman" and "Meet the Fockers" this year), not not Ben Affleck, who's dogs "Surviving Christmas" and "Jersey Girl" together earned only $36 million.
4. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," conjured up $249.5 million.
5. The animated "Incredibles" nailed an incredible $247 million.
6. "The Day After Tomorrow" froze $186.7 million.
7. "The Bourne Supremacy" took in $176 million.
Rounding out the top ten list, two more animated films,"Shark Tale" and "Polar Express" came in 8th and 9th positions at $159 mil and $149 mil, respectively. That means 4 of the top 10 grossing films in 04 were animated. ("National Treasure" came in a surprise 10th place earning $147 million.)
Some of the biggest duds of the year were historical epics, such as "Alexander," "King Arthur," "The Alamo" and "Hidalgo."
A surprise flop, "Troy" actually took in $133 million, grabbing the 12th spot -- but it cost $175 million to make. One of the year's biggest duds, "Around the World in 80 Days" did even worse: it cost $110 million to make and brought only $24 million in receipts.
Of the 21 movies earning more than $100 mil this year, some of the surprises include comedies like "Dodgeball", "Meet the Fockers" (which did the best Christmas Day opening ever") and "50 First Dates," (with box office magic that Adam Sandler couldn't recreate with "Spanglish.") The biggest surprise among the $100 mil crowd was Michael Moore's politically-driven "Fahrenheit 9/11," which has earned more money than any documentary in history ($119 mil so far), and has boosted interest in other documentaries such as "Super-Size Me" and "Touching the Void."
The small indies were giants in 04 and made quick money for their distributors: "Sideways," "Saw," "Hero," "Napoleon Dynamite," "Open Water" and "Garden State."
Yet, Oscar buzz isn't setting off records for "Finding Neverland," "Ray," "Closer," "Kinsey," or "The Aviator" -- still, they've opened in very limited release.
As for the battle of the Bens, put your money on Ben Stiller, who earned nearly half a billion for his movies ("Along Came Polly," "Starsky and Hutch," "Dodgeball," "Anchorman" and "Meet the Fockers" this year), not not Ben Affleck, who's dogs "Surviving Christmas" and "Jersey Girl" together earned only $36 million.
