1997 vs 2017 Summer Box Office

(photo via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rcvahLFLVU)

(photo via IGN.com)

Ahh, 1997. I remember it like it was yesterday. Granted I had just reached the ripe old age of 1 years old but I feel like I get the vibe. Regardless of my personal memories of the year, I believe there is a lot to be gained from analyzing the summer box office of yesteryear, and comparing it to this years now that summer is over.

A lot can change in an industry in 20 years but some things have stayed constant. Studios still release their money makers in the summer months. Convinced of the notion that having students off of school means they will spend their free time at the movies. This also means that movies released in the summer cost the most money. Summer is a time for big action, big excitement and HUGE budgets. This is reflected in the highest grossing summer films from 1997 and 2017.

In 1997 it was Men In Black. A smart new take on an alien movie. The movie was a fun vehicle for Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith to play off of each other. This dynamic proved so popular it spawned 2 sequels. The movie was not without critical acclaim, it received an Oscar for best makeup and holds a 92% score on film review website Rotten Tomatoes. Its gross that summer was just over 250 million dollars against a budget of 90 million dollars.

2017’s highest grossing summer movie was Wonder Woman. In true summer fashion it is a large budget superhero movie. What sets Wonder Woman apart was its protagonist. A female superhero. Strange as it may sound studios are often apprehensive about having a female lead their movies. Women lead stories are not typically blockbusters. Female protagonists are pigeonholed as rom-com leads or sidekicks to the more important male character. Wonder Woman proved this doesn’t have to be the case. People will line up to see a woman kick ass. Audiences are clamoring for stories like this. What differentiates it from it’s 1997 counter part is not only its content but also its earnings. In general due to inflation and changes in the industry movies today make more money than they did 20 years ago. Wonder Woman earned over 400 million dollars against its budget of 149 million dollars.

Summer is also a time for sequels. Studios like betting on something that has a history of working. That is why sequels can get such big budgets. Audiences already know and like these characters so it only makes sense they would go out and see them again. This is reflected on the number two earners for both 1997 and 2017.

In 1997 it was Jurassic Park: The Lost World. This was a sequel to 1993’s Jurassic Park. The sequel was marginally less successful earning only 229 million dollars compared to Jurassic Park’s 357 million. In 2017 we saw the return of the Guardians of the Galaxy. The original movie grossed 333 million dollars and its sequel Gaurdians of the Galaxy: Vol 2 earned 389 million. This tells us a couple things. First it is nearly impossible for a sequel to earn as much or more than the original. The originals earn sequels for a reason, people love them and wanted to see them. Sequels are often met with less acclaim. Also it is interesting to note that the turn around from the original to sequel in the 90s was four years, whereas now it was only 3 years.

Through looking at theatre trends throughout the last 20 years there is a lot to be gained. It is always interesting to note how much things change how often they stay the same.