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They aren’t sequels, prequels, remakes, or adaptations of novels, comic books, or fairy tales — but they did make money.
This weekend, Out of the Furnace — an original film co-written by Brad Ingelsby and director Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart) and based on nothing other than the ideas in their heads — opened with just $5.3 million, one of the worst wide opening weekends of the year. It was so bad, in fact, that the film’s studio, Relativity Media, felt compelled to release a statement saying, “There’s no better swing for a studio to take than one with a daring story from a renowned director and an award-winning cast.”
Unfortunately, Hollywood rarely takes that kind of swing any more.
This same weekend, moviegoing audiences could also buy tickets to see, in wide release, the sequel to an adaptation of a popular YA novel series, an animated musical version of a classic fairy tale, a sequel to an adaptation of a popular comic book, a remake of a successful French-Canadian comedy, an adaptation of a popular pulp crime novel, a sequel to a popular romantic comedy, and an adaptation of a popular historical novel. The only other technically original film to crack the top 10 at the box office, in fact, was Dallas Buyers Club, a film based on real events — i.e., not an original story solely from the filmmakers’ imagination, even if the screenplay itself is not “based” on any pre-existing material — and in a semi-limited release of 734 theaters.
In 2013, only one truly original film (Gravity) even cracked the top 10 grossing films of the year. Ten years ago, in 2003, there were three original films in the top 10 of the year — Finding Nemo, Bruce Almighty, and Elf. Just five years before that, the top five highest-grossing films of 1998 were all original stories — Saving Private Ryan, Armageddon, There’s Something About Mary, The Waterboy, and A Bug’s Life.
To be clear, there were still original films that made an impact at the box office this year, but you have to scan pretty far down the year’s full box office list before you can round up even 15 of them.
1. Gravity
Warner Bros.
Total domestic gross: $251,515,000
Total global gross: $617,115,000
Rank for all 2013 domestic box office: 6
This isn’t just an original film — it’s wildly, epically, historically original, featuring just two on camera speaking roles and literally reinventing what it even means to set a modern feature film in space. A serious Oscar contender, Gravity may still rank lower than Iron Man 3, Despicable Me 2, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Man of Steel, and Monsters University at the box office, but it is the only one of those films to be No. 1 at the box office for three weekends in a row.
2. The Croods
DreamWorks Animation
Total domestic gross: $187,168,425
Total global gross: $587,204,668
Rank for all 2013 domestic box office: 12
Released way back in March, this film about a family of cave people was just a mid-range performer for DreamWorks Animation, but it was good enough to be the second highest-grossing original film of the year.
3. The Heat
20th Century Fox
Total domestic gross: $159,572,717
Total global gross: $229,711,871
Rank for all 2013 domestic box office: 13
Comedy is the last refuge for the original film, and no comedy was bigger this year in the U.S. than this one. And it starred two women. Hollywood, are you paying attention?
4. We’re the Millers
Warner Bros.
Total domestic gross: $150,394,119
Total global gross: $269,194,119
Rank for all 2013 domestic box office: 14
It only opened with $26.4 million in August, but this film just kept playing strongly for the next eight weeks, ultimately becoming Jennifer Aniston’s best-grossing film since 2003’s Bruce Almighty. We’re the Millers even did better than The Heat overseas.
5. Identity Thief
Universal Pictures
Total domestic gross: $134,506,920
Total global gross: $173,965,010
Rank for all 2013 domestic box office: 17
Yet another comedy! And it should be no surprise that both Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock have two films on this list. In fact, these two stars helped to bring in over $500 million in the domestic box office.
6. Now You See Me
Lionsgate
Total domestic gross: $117,723,989
Total global gross: $351,723,989
Rank for all 2013 domestic box office: 22
One of the biggest surprises of the year, this mega-twisty magician thriller will be known for all time as the film that bested Will and Jaden Smith.
7. Pacific Rim
Warner Bros.
Total domestic gross: $101,802,906
Total global gross: $407,602,906
Rank for all 2013 domestic box office: 28
Co-writer-director Guillermo Del Toro’s big-budget homage to the low-budget giant, rampaging monster movies of his childhood was a box office disappointment in the U.S., but it pulled in three times its domestic take overseas — including a whopping $111 million in China. That’s right: This film made more at the box office in China than it did in the U.S. And that’s only going to happen more often in the years ahead.
8. This Is the End
Columbia Pictures
Total domestic gross: $101,470,202
Total global gross: $124,888,161
Rank for all 2013 domestic box office: 29
With a reported budget of $32 million, this apocalyptic meta-comedy is one of the most profitable studio releases of the year.
9. Olympus Has Fallen
FilmDistrict
Total domestic gross: $98,925,640
Total global gross: $161,025,640
Rank for all 2013 domestic box office: 31
This is when things begin to get a little…sad. Yes, this derivative Die-Hard-at-the-White-House thriller is one of the top 10 grossing original movies of the year.
This weekend, Out of the Furnace — an original film co-written by Brad Ingelsby and director Scott Cooper (Crazy Heart) and based on nothing other than the ideas in their heads — opened with just $5.3 million, one of the worst wide opening weekends of the year. It was so bad, in fact, that the film’s studio, Relativity Media, felt compelled to release a statement saying, “There’s no better swing for a studio to take than one with a daring story from a renowned director and an award-winning cast.”
Unfortunately, Hollywood rarely takes that kind of swing any more.
This same weekend, moviegoing audiences could also buy tickets to see, in wide release, the sequel to an adaptation of a popular YA novel series, an animated musical version of a classic fairy tale, a sequel to an adaptation of a popular comic book, a remake of a successful French-Canadian comedy, an adaptation of a popular pulp crime novel, a sequel to a popular romantic comedy, and an adaptation of a popular historical novel. The only other technically original film to crack the top 10 at the box office, in fact, was Dallas Buyers Club, a film based on real events — i.e., not an original story solely from the filmmakers’ imagination, even if the screenplay itself is not “based” on any pre-existing material — and in a semi-limited release of 734 theaters.
In 2013, only one truly original film (Gravity) even cracked the top 10 grossing films of the year. Ten years ago, in 2003, there were three original films in the top 10 of the year — Finding Nemo, Bruce Almighty, and Elf. Just five years before that, the top five highest-grossing films of 1998 were all original stories — Saving Private Ryan, Armageddon, There’s Something About Mary, The Waterboy, and A Bug’s Life.
To be clear, there were still original films that made an impact at the box office this year, but you have to scan pretty far down the year’s full box office list before you can round up even 15 of them.
1. Gravity
Warner Bros.
Total domestic gross: $251,515,000
Total global gross: $617,115,000
Rank for all 2013 domestic box office: 6
This isn’t just an original film — it’s wildly, epically, historically original, featuring just two on camera speaking roles and literally reinventing what it even means to set a modern feature film in space. A serious Oscar contender, Gravity may still rank lower than Iron Man 3, Despicable Me 2, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Man of Steel, and Monsters University at the box office, but it is the only one of those films to be No. 1 at the box office for three weekends in a row.
2. The Croods
DreamWorks Animation
Total domestic gross: $187,168,425
Total global gross: $587,204,668
Rank for all 2013 domestic box office: 12
Released way back in March, this film about a family of cave people was just a mid-range performer for DreamWorks Animation, but it was good enough to be the second highest-grossing original film of the year.
3. The Heat
20th Century Fox
Total domestic gross: $159,572,717
Total global gross: $229,711,871
Rank for all 2013 domestic box office: 13
Comedy is the last refuge for the original film, and no comedy was bigger this year in the U.S. than this one. And it starred two women. Hollywood, are you paying attention?
4. We’re the Millers
Warner Bros.
Total domestic gross: $150,394,119
Total global gross: $269,194,119
Rank for all 2013 domestic box office: 14
It only opened with $26.4 million in August, but this film just kept playing strongly for the next eight weeks, ultimately becoming Jennifer Aniston’s best-grossing film since 2003’s Bruce Almighty. We’re the Millers even did better than The Heat overseas.
5. Identity Thief
Universal Pictures
Total domestic gross: $134,506,920
Total global gross: $173,965,010
Rank for all 2013 domestic box office: 17
Yet another comedy! And it should be no surprise that both Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock have two films on this list. In fact, these two stars helped to bring in over $500 million in the domestic box office.
6. Now You See Me
Lionsgate
Total domestic gross: $117,723,989
Total global gross: $351,723,989
Rank for all 2013 domestic box office: 22
One of the biggest surprises of the year, this mega-twisty magician thriller will be known for all time as the film that bested Will and Jaden Smith.
7. Pacific Rim
Warner Bros.
Total domestic gross: $101,802,906
Total global gross: $407,602,906
Rank for all 2013 domestic box office: 28
Co-writer-director Guillermo Del Toro’s big-budget homage to the low-budget giant, rampaging monster movies of his childhood was a box office disappointment in the U.S., but it pulled in three times its domestic take overseas — including a whopping $111 million in China. That’s right: This film made more at the box office in China than it did in the U.S. And that’s only going to happen more often in the years ahead.
8. This Is the End
Columbia Pictures
Total domestic gross: $101,470,202
Total global gross: $124,888,161
Rank for all 2013 domestic box office: 29
With a reported budget of $32 million, this apocalyptic meta-comedy is one of the most profitable studio releases of the year.
9. Olympus Has Fallen
FilmDistrict
Total domestic gross: $98,925,640
Total global gross: $161,025,640
Rank for all 2013 domestic box office: 31
This is when things begin to get a little…sad. Yes, this derivative Die-Hard-at-the-White-House thriller is one of the top 10 grossing original movies of the year.
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