Did Star Wars ruin movies?

December 29, 2017 | EdnaMode

[EdnaMode]

Did Star Wars ruin movies? Prior to the 1977 blockbuster, a variety of dramas, comedies, animated movies, and musicals were among the top ticket sellers of all-time. Since Star Wars' release, special effects blockbusters dominate the box office.

Here is a comparison between the top 25 ticket sellers (domestic) prior to 1977, and the top 25 ticket sellers from 1977 present. The difference between the two lists is noticeable. In the first group, 16 of the top 25 were nominated for Best Picture. In the second group, only 7 were nominated for Best Picture.

The top 25 movies based on estimated tickets sold (Domestic)

Pre 1977:

1. Gone With the Wind (1939): 202 million tickets sold 2. The Sound of Music (1965): 142.4 3. The Ten Commandments (1956): 131 4. Jaws (1975): 128.1 5. Doctor Zhivago (1965): 124.1 6. The Exorcist (1973): 110.6 7. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937): 109 8. 101 Dalmatians (1961): 100 9. Ben-Hur (1959): 98 10. The Sting (1973): 89.1 11. The Graduate (1967): 85.6 12. Fantasia (1941): 83 13. The Godfather (1972): 78.9 14. Mary Poppins (1964): 78.2 15. Grease (1978): 77 16. Thunderball (1965): 74.8 17. The Jungle Book (1967): 73.7 18. Sleeping Beauty (1959): 72.7 19. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969): 70.6 20. Love Story (1970): 70 21. Pinocchio (1940): 67.4 22. Cleopatra (1963): 67.2 23. Goldfinger (1964) 66.3 24. Airport (1970): 66.1 25. American Graffiti (1973): 65.7

Top 25 ticket selling movies that came out 1977 to the present:

1. Star Wars: 178.1 million tickets sold 2. ET: The Extra Terrestrial (1982): 141.9 3. Titanic (1997): 135.6 4. The Force Awakens (2015): 108.1 5. The Empire Strikes Back (1980): 98.2 6. Avatar (2009): 97.3 7. Return of the Jedi (1983): 94.1 8. Jurassic Park (1993): 91.9 9. The Phantom Menace (1999): 90.3 10. The Lion King (1994): 89.1 11. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): 88.5 12. Jurassic World (2015): 79 13. Forrest Gump (1994): 78.6 14. Marvel's The Avengers (2012): 76.9 15. The Dark Knight (2008): 74.5 16. Ghostbusters (1984): 71.2 17: Shrek 2 (2004): 71.1 18. Spider-Man (2004): 69.5 19. Independence Day (1996): 69.3 20. Home Alone (1990): 67.7 21. Beverly Hills Cop (1984): 67.2 22. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006): 64.6 23. Batman (1989): 63 24. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003): 61.6 25. Finding Nemo (2003): 61.6

Source: Box Office Mojo http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm?adjust_yr=1&p=.htm (Set to ticket sales)

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

Are you serious? LOL LOL!

[GCFADG]

My last trip to a theater was for “Gran Torino.”

[gundog]

No,. Vince Vaughn did.

[Eagles Field]

130.9 million (1939) US Population

[BwanaNdege]

And think about ticket sales vs. population.

(Using the numbers from the article)

Movie	Year	Ticket Sales	Population	Tickets PerCapita
1. Gone With the Wind (1939): 202	1939	202	130.88	1.54
7. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937): 109	1937	109	128.82	0.85
1. Star Wars (1977): 178.1	1977	178.1	220.24	0.81
3. The Ten Commandments (1956): 131	1956	131	168.9	0.78
2. The Sound of Music (1965): 142.4	1965	142.4	194.3	0.73
5. Doctor Zhivago (1965): 124.1	1965	124.1	194.3	0.64
12. Fantasia (1941): 83	1941	83	133.4	0.62
2. ET: The Extra Terrestrial (1982): 141.9	1982	141.9	231.66	0.61
4. Jaws (1975): 128.1	1975	128.1	215.97	0.59
9. Ben-Hur (1959): 98	1959	98	177.83	0.55
8. 101 Dalmatians (1961): 100	1961	100	183.69	0.54
6. The Exorcist (1973): 110.6	1973	110.6	211.91	0.52
21. Pinocchio (1940): 67.4	1940	67.4	132.12	0.51
3. Titanic (1997): 135.6	1997	135.6	272.65	0.50
5. The Empire Strikes Back (1980): 98.2	1980	98.2	227.22	0.43
11. The Graduate (1967): 85.6	1967	85.6	198.71	0.43
10. The Sting (1973): 89.1	1973	89.1	211.91	0.42
18. Sleeping Beauty (1959): 72.7	1959	72.7	177.83	0.41
14. Mary Poppins (1964): 78.2	1964	78.2	191.89	0.41
7. Return of the Jedi (1983): 94.1	1983	94.1	233.79	0.40
11. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): 88.5	1981	88.5	229.47	0.39
16. Thunderball (1965): 74.8	1965	74.8	194.3	0.38
13. The Godfather (1972): 78.9	1972	78.9	209.9	0.38
17. The Jungle Book (1967): 73.7	1967	73.7	198.71	0.37
22. Cleopatra (1963): 67.2	1963	67.2	189.24	0.36
8. Jurassic Park (1993): 91.9	1993	91.9	259.92	0.35
19. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid (1969): 70.6	1969	70.6	202.68	0.35
15. Grease (1978): 77	1978	77	222.58	0.35
23. Goldfinger (1964) 66.3	1964	66.3	191.89	0.35
20. Love Story (1970): 70	1970	70	205.05	0.34
10. The Lion King (1994): 89.1	1994	89.1	263.13	0.34
4. The Force Awakens (2015): 108.1	2015	108.1	320.9	0.34
9. The Phantom Menace (1999): 90.3	1999	90.3	279.04	0.32
24. Airport (1970): 66.1	1970	66.1	205.05	0.32
6. Avatar (2009): 97.3	2009	97.3	306.77	0.32
25. American Graffiti (1973): 65.7	1973	65.7	211.91	0.31
16. Ghostbusters (1984): 71.2	1984	71.2	235.82	0.30
13. Forrest Gump (1994): 78.6	1994	78.6	263.13	0.30
21. Beverly Hills Cop (1984): 67.2	1984	67.2	235.82	0.28
20. Home Alone (1990): 67.7	1990	67.7	249.62	0.27
19. Independence Day (1996): 69.3	1996	69.3	269.39	0.26
23. Batman (1989): 63	1989	63	246.82	0.26
12. Jurassic World (2015): 79	2015	79	320.9	0.25
15. The Dark Knight (2008): 74.5	2008	74.5	304.09	0.24
14. Marvel's The Avengers (2012): 76.9	2012	76.9	314	0.24
17: Shrek 2 (2004): 71.1	2004	71.1	292.81	0.24
18. Spider-Man (2004): 69.5	2004	69.5	292.81	0.24
22. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (2006): 64.6	2006	64.6	298.38	0.22
24. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003): 61.6	2003	61.6	290.11	0.21
25. Finding Nemo (2003): 61.6	2003	61.6	290.11	0.21

[RinaseaofDs]

Based on your recommendation, I might see Rogue One. I had heard something a little different and didn’t want to ruin my whole Star Wars upbringing. Last Jedi was excellent. I had some doubts for a while, but the end tied it all up nicely.

The one meme that Last Jedi seemed to push was that the age of the confident male expert was over.

[Cowboy Bob]

Amazing job you did!

[BwanaNdege]

“Amazing job you did!”

Thanks!

Sometimes, I like to parse data, just to see if I still have the knack. Like you, I too like to see things in perspective.

I used Excel to parse & clean the data, then grabbed Population data here: http://www.multpl.com/united-states-population/table;

http://tableizer.journalistopia.com/ is great for converting Excel to an HTML table.

[Kirkwood]

I do know that Adam Sandler ruined comedies.

[NurdlyPeon]

Eric Cartman is who I want to be when I grow up.

[Freedom_Is_Not_Free]

Star Wars did not ruin movies. Not even close.

Star Wars has a plot. A simple plot but a plot.

Star Wars is not wall to wall action.

Star Wars was not filled with explosions. When something exploded, it was rational and advanced the story, not gratuitous for its own sake. Oh, the action was phenomenal, but it was not gratuitious like modern movies where the wall to wall action supercedes any written plot or dialogue.

The Star Wars dialogue was wonderful. The the theme of a guiding force binding all humanity when used, and threatening all humanity when abused, is based on universal human themes.

Today you have gratuitous violence, an explosion every 5 minutes, CGI dominating the budged, writers are non existent at least good ones, plots don’t matter.

I have no clue why the spoiled young brats running the studios have ruined movies over the past 20 years. They have no clue how to make a good movie. Almost nothing that has come out since 2000 could be considered a classic in any way shape or form.

Once in a while a fabulous movie sneaks out and it is brilliantly noteworthy as the exception to the rule.

Young spoiled brat hollywood liberals spewing PC and having no clue how to tell a story or even how to recognize a good story, with no conception of what constitutes true human drama and conflict — that is what ruined movies.

Not Star Wars.

Speaking of which, the Disney installment is simply unwatchable. I will not watch the Last Jedi or any other Star Wars movie as long as Disney is making them. They have compounded what Lucas started with Jar Jar Binks and finished destroying the franchise.

A Pox on all their ilk.

[EdnaMode]

I love the original Star Wars trilogy. A lot of modern blockbusters likely wouldn’t have been possible without them. That’s what I meant by the article. But the original Star Wars was great.

[HotHunt]

And now all Hollywood seems to make is movie versions of comic books.

But I did manage to see "Darkest Hour", a movie documentary about Winston Churchill's decision as Britain's new prime minister, to fight the Germans or appease them and go for the negotiated diplomacy of Neville Chamberlain.

I was very well-done and insightful as to how Churchill went about making his decision.

Gary Oldman, the actor who portrays Churchill, will have a good chance of winning an Oscar for Best Actor with his performance.

I could not for the life of me see Gary Oldman in this character. His portrayal for Winston Churchill is so good, you think you were seeing the real man brought back alive. Very believable.

I highly recommend it to the FR crowd.

[democratsaremyenemy]

Mine last trip was for Forrest Gump. Probably if I would have known that Tom Hanks was such a flaming leftist I wouldn’t have gone then. I don’t think I have missed much. I have never watched any of the Star Wars movies. Ted Turner may have not done a whole lot of positive things , but TCM is the best. I especially like movies made in the 40s. Pretty damned good. NO special effects to mention and great plots. Of course they also had real movie stars back then also. Liberal Hollywood ruined movies. Political correctness ruined movies.

[GCFADG]

I’m a fan of 40s movies — film noir. There are a few contemporary filmmakers I like, e.g., the Coen Brothers. I just prefer to watch at home in peace and comfort.

[Verginius Rufus]

I would have thought that the flying monkeys in “The Wizard of Oz” were special effects. Maybe they used real flying monkeys.

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

Yep, it's a superhero on South park show.....

[Overtaxed]

Rifftrax....some movies have it coming.

[EdnaMode]

Thanks for posting this.

[Ruy Dias de Bivar]

Which reminds me, anyone remember a cartoon movie COONSKIN?

I just checked it out at Wikipedia and IMDB. Both show different posters. Wik shows the original, IMDB shows a white girl in a flag suit.