Year in Review: Mainstream Box Office (feat. Lupita, Queen Elsa, and lots of Superheroes)
Sunday, December 22, 2019 at 3:18PM 
Our Year in Review party is getting off to a bit of a slow start (we launched with 50 biggest documentary hits) but we hope to speed up now and what better festive topic during the holiday moviegoing season than an audience participation one? Herewith six "top ten-to-twenty" box office hit lists regarding various subgenres of the mainstream and what we can learn from them... at least in terms of moviegoers today.
We're starting with female-led pictures because this should not be regarded as a minority or special interest topic given that half of the world's population is female! Little Women was a major late-breaking success in this arena but it wasn't the only success from 2019. Let's look at that chart first.
🔺= the movie is still in over 100 theaters. Figures are as of March 12th, 2020
1. TOP GROSSING (LIVE-ACTION) FILMS WITH A FEMALE LEAD
(Excluding films where a male lead is just as prominent as his female co-star)
Captain Marvel
01 Captain Marvel $426.8 (Disney/Marvel, March 8th) starring Brie Larson
02 Us $175 (Universal, March 22nd) starring Lupita Nyong'o
03 Maleficent Mistress of Evil $113.9 (Disney, Oct 18th) starring Angelina Jolie
04 Little Women $108.0 (Columbia, Dec 25th) starring Saoirse Ronan
05 Hustlers $104.9 (STX, Sept 13th) starring Constance Wu & Jennifer Lopez...
06 Alita Battle Angel $85.7 (Fox, Feb 14th) starring Rosa Salazar
07 Annabelle Comes Home $72.6 (Warner Bros, June 26th) starring McKenna Grace & Madison Iseman
08 Dora and the Lost City of Gold $51.1 (Paramount, ) starring Isabela Moner
09 The Curse of La Llorona $54.7 (New Line, April 19th) starring Linda Cardellini
10 What Men Want $54.6 (Paramount, Feb 8th) starring Taraji P Henson
11 Isn't it Romantic? $48.7 (Warner Bros, Feb 13th) starring Rebel Wilson
12 Ma $45.3 (Universal, May 31st) starring Octavia Spencer
13 Harriet (Focus, Nov 1st) $43.0 starring Cynthia Erivo
14 Little (Universal, April 12th) $40.6 starring Regina Hall
What we learn from this list: The same rules that apply to men apply to women. Be in a superhero picture or a horror picture and you're more likely to be a success. We're also reminded here that Hollywood hasn't relied on "movie stars" in the traditional way for a long time, being more IP driven. Very few women who we traditionally think of as movie stars -- your Charlize Therons or Anne Hathaways, for example, made the list of top grossers. Indeed among the top 13 films above only Angelina Jolie and Jennifer Lopez are women you'd call traditional "movie stars" (i.e. regular headliner with glamourous it factor and constant media attention) though if you're feeling generous maybe Brie Larson and Taraji P Henson could apply. The others are newer actresses or unknowns, or have previously mostly been used (and/or wasted) in supporting roles. We hope that given the success of Us (Lupita Nyong'o's first leading role if you can believe it!!!) Hollywood will finally realize what the rest of us have known with utter certainty since Lupita took no prisoners on the red carpets in support of 12 Years a Slave six years ago: this woman is a major movie star. (Yes it took six years for someone to give her a great leading role after her deserved Oscar win in supporting *sigh*)
What about Constance Wu? This is the second year in a row where Constance Wu has led a $100+ million grosser. That fact gets lost in the JLo hoopla but it's kind of major, right? Is she bankable or was it JLo the second time around. We'll find out the next time she tries headlining a non-sequel.
Runners Up: No other female led films made over $40 million in domestic release but Little, Crawl, The Hustle, and Fighting With My Family topped $30 million, while Bombshell, MidSommar, Booksmart, and Judy topped $20 million
2. TOP TEN GROSSING ANIMATED FILMS
Toy Story 4
01 The Lion King $543.6 (Disney, July 19th)
02 Frozen 2 $477.3 (Disney, Nov 22nd)
03 Toy Story 4 $434 (Disney/Pixar, June 21st)
04 How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World $160.7 (Universal, Feb 22nd)
05 Secret Life of Pets 2 $158.2 (Universal, June 7th)
06 The Lego Movie 2 $105.8 (Warner Bros, Feb 8th)
07 The Addams Family $97.1 (UAR, Oct 11th)
08 Abominable $60.5 (Universal, Sept 27th)
09 Wonder Park $45.2 (Paramount, March 15th)
10 Angry Birds 2 $41.6 (Sony, Aug 13th)
11 Dragon Ball Super: Broly $30.7 (Funimation,Jan 16th)
12 Uglydolls $20.1 (STX, May 3rd)
What we learned from this list: Disney continues to be mighty in terms of box office successes. But it wasn't actually that great a year for animated features all told with many films flopping or wildly underperforming if you compare them to their predecessors since there were a lot of sequels. Animated pictures tend to have big budgets so not all of these films were all that profitable.
Runners up: No other animated titles crossed the $20 million mark though Laika's Golden Globe winning delight Missing Link made it to $16 million and four more crossed the $1 million mark: Ne Zha, Promare, Asterix The Secret of the Magic Potion, and Playmobil the Movie.
3. TOP GROSSING HORROR FILMS
or "horror adjacent"
Us
01 It Chapter Two $211.5 (Warner Bros, Sept 6th)
02 Us $175 (Universal, Mar 22nd)
03 Glass $111 (Universal, Jan 18th)
04 Annabelle Comes Home $74.1 (Warner Bros, June 26th )
09 Zombieland Double Tap $72.7 (Sony, October 18th)
05 Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark $68.9 (Lionsgate, Aug 9th)
06 Escape Room $57 (Sony, Jan 4th)
07 Pet Sematary $54.7 (Paramount, Apr 5th)
08 The Curse of La Llorona (New Line) $54.7 (Warner Bros, Apr 19th)
10 Ma $45.3 (Universal, May 31st)
11 Crawl $39 (Paramount, July 12th)
12 The Intruder $35.4 (Screen Gems, May 3rd )
What we Learn from this list: Horror is still the safest genre when it comes to having a sucess with an "original" property but their ceiling for success is limited and there are quite a few remakes and sequels within the genre too. The moral of the lesson being keep your budgets small and you can generally turn a profit with horror. Even some of the films which might best be described as modest grossers were profitable. Consider...
Runners up: Nothing else made over $30 million though Child's Play, Ready or Not, Happy Death Day 2 U, MidSommar and Countdown all came close and some of those proved profitable.
4. TOP GROSSING (LIVE-ACTION) COMEDIES
Shazam!
01 Aladdin $355.2 (Disney, May 24th)
02 Jumanji: The Next Level $316.4 (Sony, Dec 13th)
03 Knives Out $165.2 (Lionsgate, Nov 27th)
04 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood $142.5 (Sony, July 26th)
05 Shazam! $140.3 (Warner Bros, April 5th)
06 The Upside $108.2 (STX, Jan 11th)
07 Good Boys $83 (Universal, Aug 16th)
08 Men in Black International $79.8 (Sony, June 14th)
09 Yesterday $73.2 (Universal, June 28th)
10 Tyler Perry's A Madea Family Funeral $73.2 (Lionsgate, March 1st)
11 What Men Want $54.6 (Paramount, Feb 8th)
12 Isn't it Romantic? $48.7 (Warner Bros, Feb 13th)
13 Little $40.6 (Universal, Apr 12th)
What we learned from this list: Traditional comedies are still having a rough go at the box office despite producing so many megahits in other decades. Most comic hits now are comic in tone or nature but not "traditional" comedies, belonging more to the other genres they can call home like fantasy, sci-fi, or adventure. The only traditional comedy to cross $100 million this year is The Upside though Good Boys was definitely a bright spot for this currently troubled wing of moviemaking.
Runners up: No other comedies grossed $40 million though The Hustle and Long Shot crossed $30 and Booksmart and Shaft both inched past $20 million.
5. TOP GROSSING ORIGINALS
NOT PRE-EXISTING: NO SEQUELS, MAJOR ADAPTATIONS*, SPIN-OFFS, REMAKES, ETC
Hustlers
01 Us $175 (Universal, Mar 22nd)
02 Knives Out $165.2 (Lionsgate, Nov 27th)
03 1917 $158.9 (Universal, Dec 25th)
04 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood $142.5 (Sony, July 26th)
05 Ford V Ferrari $117.6 (Fox, Nov 13th)
06 Hustlers $104.9 (STX, Sept 12th) *adapted from a magazine article
07 Rocketman $96.3 (Paramount, May 31st)
08 Good Boys $83.4 (Universal, Aug 16th)
09 Yesterday $73.2 (Universal, June 28th)
10 A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood $61.7 (Sony, Nov 22nd) *adapted from a magazine article
11 Escape Room $57 (Sony, Jan 4th)
12 Midway $56.8 (Lionsgate, Nov 8th)
13 Parasite $53.1 (Neon, October 11th)
14 Ad Astra $50.1 (Fox, Sept 18th)
15 Uncut Gems $50 (A24, Dec 15th)
What we learn from this list: If you're going to be "original" it helps to be either from a super familiar genre (like horror or all-star whodunnit), be led by a massive star or two, or be based on something so familiar that it's already a franchise (of sorts) before it ever becomes a movie - like music catalogues, true stories, mythological legends, or biopics.
Runners up: No other originals made over $50 million but several made over $40 (Queen & Slim, Isn't It Romantic?, Gemini Man, Wonder Park, Ma, Harriet, and Little). Crawl, The Intruder, Fighting With My Family and Long Shot, all crossed $30 million, Ready or Not, 21 Bridges, and MidSommar came close. No other originals made more than $25 million.
6. TOP TWENTY BOX OFFICE HITS - ALL CATEGORIES
Avengers: Endgame
01 Avengers Endgame $858.3 (Disney/Marvel) April 26th
02 Lion King (Disney) $543.6
03 Star Wars Episode IX - Rise of Skywalker $515.1 (Disney, Dec 20th)
04 Frozen 2 $477.3 (Disney, Nov 22nd)
05 Toy Story 4 $434 (Disney) June 21st
06 Captain Marvel $426.8 (Disney/Marvel) Spinoff/Franchise Launch. Mar 8th
07 Spider-Man Far From Home $390.5 (Sony) July 2nd
08 Aladdin $355.5 (Disney) May 24th
09 Joker 335.4 (Warner Bros, October 4th)
10 Jumanji: The Next Level $316.4 (Sony)
11 It Chapter Two $211.5 (Warner Bros, Sept 6th )
12 Us $175 (Universal, Mar 22nd)
13 Hobbs & Shaw $173.8 (Universal, August 2nd)
14 John Wick Chapter 3 - Parabellum $171 (Lionsgate, May 17th)
15 Knives Out $165.2(Lionsgate, November 27th)
16 How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World $160.7 (Universal) Sequel. Feb 22nd
17 1917 $158.9 (Universal, Dec 25th)
18 The Secret Life of Pets 2 $158.2 (Universal) June 7th
19 Pokemon Detective Pikachu $144.1(Warner Bros) May 10th
20 Once Upon a Time in Hollywood $142.5 (Sony, July 26th)
21 Shazam! $140.3 (Warner Bros, April 5th)
What we learn from the top 20. It's super hard to 'make it' if you aren't part of a franchise (only Us and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood managed that difficult feat.) It's easy to make it if you're a superhero picture. Of the top 20 a full 25% are superhero pictures and of the remaining 75% of the movies many of their protagonists also have superpowers like Elsa in Frozen II, or Rey in Rise of Skywalker to cite obvious examples.
Runners up: The only other films that grossed over $100 million were Dumbo, Maleficent Mistress of Evil, Glass, Godzilla: King of Monsters, The Upside, Little Women, The Lego Movie Part 2, Ford V Ferrari, and Hustlers. Coming very close to doing it? That'd be only two more: Downton Abbey and Rocketman which both made over $95 million.
What do you make of these top tens?
Reader Comments (22)
So 8 out of 10 top ten all categories are from Disney right? That is a LOT of money
Banking ca 3.6 billion dollars before the final Star Wars movie and the rest of the Disney empiri outing this year
It does sadden me having grown in the 80's and 90's there are less and less real consistently successful Movie Stars appearing in original vehicles when there name only was used to sell it.
Bring back erotic thrillers!!!
I'm....disgusted. The fact that the honest-to-God fucking EMBARRASSMENT to cinema that is the 2019 Lion King has grossed over $1B worldwide, yet genius works such as Once Upon A Time..., Us and Hustlers couldn't even break the top 10 (top 20 in the latter's case) domestically?! BITCH THE ACTUAL FUCK.
@Volvagia-Seriously like those Fifty Shades movies? AW HELL NO!!! They were crap. I'll stick with 90s softcore films. They were more imaginative and a lot sexier.
No I mean like Disclosure, Basic Instinct etc. 50 shades wasn’t a thriller it was just a sleeved up drama
Of these lists, I’ve seen:
8 Female Lead
1 Animated (“Frozen 2”)
1 Horror (“Us”)
5 Comedies
6 Original
9 Top 20
Of the ones I saw, I either mostly enjoyed or really liked them. The ones I didn’t see, I have mostly no interest in.
What I’d like to see that I’ve missed are the female lead indies.
Of the Top 20, there are some eye rollers and sighs there. BUT that list doesn’t fill me with the same contempt I have for the Oscars predictions lists, with their dudesville slants and their only male stories are serious stories, and their fawning over actors I loathe.
Maybe because box office actually includes women who go to the movies, while critics are mainly white males who love men’s stories. The Top 20 may skew middle brow, but it isn’t nearly as ugly to me as the boring endless self-congratulatory male stories vaunted by the critics as the only serious ones.
a) Leonardo DiCaprio's ability to get buts-in-seats for original/non--franchise films is insane to me. The highest grossing films Tarantino, Scorsese, Luhrmann and Innaritu all star him.
b) I've seen 2 of the overall top 20 and none of the overall top ten. adri's comment intrigues me because I don't know how you look at that top 20 and compare it to the top 20 most critically acclaimed movies of the year (or even the top 20 most widely predicted films for above the line nominations) and see that these twenty films are of broader range (a quick comparison of Nathaniel's listed best picture contenders has a higher percentage of women-driven films as well as a higher percentage of films driven by non-white leads.
Wouldn’t you consider Knives Out female led? Or is it too much in the ensemble space for that.
So the comment approvals have been turned off and you guys go at each other again. Mature.
The comment moderation has had to be turned back on. SIGH. Y'all. I do not have time for this. Wouldn't you rather I work on new content than constantly having to check on this and make sure people are behaving and not attacking each other or pretending to be each other? It's exhausting.
stop trying to make a website that's always been about the fun of loving movies into a non-fun place.
@Volvagia-Oh... OK... I can go for that.
RV -- yeah, i think it's too much of an ensemble picture. Does not remotely feel like the Ana de Armas show though she's very good in it.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is an adaptation. A great one, but still an adaptation of a popular children's series of short stories.
These lists are always fascinating, and I'm glad to see Us pop up so much. Any time an original horror succeeds from a major studio, other major studios are willing to take the risk of producing or distributing original horror stories.
Interesting that very few films on the 'comedies' list feel like outright comedies.
And doesn't $100m+ for THE UPSIDE still seem like an aberration? Was it Kevin Hart's popularity that got people into theatres? Positive word of mouth? Of course if it was released five years earlier, it would probably also be a multiple Oscar nominee.
Isn't The Curse of La Llorona part of the Conjuring franchise?
Isn’t Scary Stories a major adaptation from a beloved series of books?
Re: Constance Wu.. I think her achievement is to be celebrated, I certainly find her immensely watchable and charismatic in anything I’ve seen her in. The internet was so savage in iit’s outrage about her ill advised reaction to FOTB renewal... hope she comes out unscathed with many more interesting projects in the future.
What a bummer Top Grossers (all categories) list! Of them, I only saw Us, It Chapter 2, & Once Upon a Time. I didn't want to see any of the others.
Sorry for all the trolls, Nathaniel, but I'm glad you're moderating to screen them out. I was getting more than a little tired of the imposters and their general obnoxiousness. Hopefully they'll go away before too long and leave you and your site in peace.
To be clear, I love Nathaniel’s lists.
The Film Bitch Awards are my favourite awards.
I love the way Nathaniel is so curious, appreciative, thoughtful, and painstaking in searching out the wonderful artistry displayed each year.
Just make a twitter account and copy/paste your comments there as well (30 seconds in another opened tab maybe) and use the Author URL option. First one to do so claiming to be Peggy Sue can have the handle and can crosscheck. If the comment isn't on the twitter it ain't a genuine Peggy Sue. Or just let it run it's course. From what I've heard there's going to be a rebranding from the alleged targets on new years anyway. Plus we get Kieran Scarlett Blocked Me back. Win Win.
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