(This article was originally published at Money Central, the Money section blog at The Times website, 26 February 2013. For the original please press here)
Skyfall made the list.
What makes us so inclined to watch the Oscars every year? Maybe its the small window it opens (through our TV screens) into the world of luxury and money that is the American film industry.
Here are the blockbusters that made the most money in 2012 worldwide. If only we could all earn so much.
1 Avengers Assemble
$1.5 billion (£988 million)
“I have an idea” shouted a CEO in Marvel studios “let’s take all the popular movie characters we have and squeeze them all together in one big show of intense action”. Now he or she is probably seen as a superhero by their colleagues thanks to the $1.5 billion generated worldwide. Captain America, Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Hawkeye and the Black Widow punched and kicked their way to the top, making this the biggest grossing film of 2012. Poor Spiderman was left out and had his own less successful film (see below).
2 Skyfall
$1.1 billion
The latest Bond made a worldwide profit of $1.1 billion with about $88 million on the opening week. Daniel Craig’s captivating performance branded Skyfall as one of the best Bond movies ever, leaving audiences across the world shaken and stirred. It was nominated for five Oscars and won two for Sound Editing and Original Song by Adele.
3 Dark Knight Rises
$1 billion
The Dark Knight franchise based on the popular DC comics character has got more and more successful since the first film of the trilogy (Batman Begins) in 2005. Last year’s outing for the caped crusader generated $431.5 million in the US and about $574 million internationally totalling $1 billion. It even topped the success of 2008′s The Dark Knight, the third highest grossing film in movie history. Director Christopher Nolan was strongly against the use of 3D technology which many producers and directors have used lately to generate bucks at the box office.
4 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
$980 million
Following the successful formula set by Lord of the Rings and adding the latest technology CGI effects, the Hobbit, directed by Peter Jackson, generated about $980 million worldwide and got three Academy Award nominations. Sparking a debate before its release about whether or not it should stay faithful to the popular Tolkien novel it left everyone disappointed – not least because it covered only one-third of the story. Two more sequels are coming up and are expected to emulate the box office success. Clever clever Peter…
5 The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn part 2
$829 million
There were two types of audiences who paid tickets to see this at cinemas worldwide: teenage girls excited about vampires and werewolves and guys dragged by their excited girlfriends to the screening rooms. The female viewers helped the film take $829 million.
6 Amazing Spiderman
$752 million
A remake of the initial Spiderman franchise which began in 2002 with the imaginatively titled Spiderman and ended with the dreadful Spiderman 3 in 2007. This reboot plays up dark teenage angst, while Rhys Ifans turns into a giant lizard-crocodile thing – not very different from his role in Notting Hill.
7 The Hunger Games
$687 million
Fans argued that the whole thing was copied from the most successful Japanese cult film Battle Royale where a group of teenagers are left on an island and fight each other for survival.
8 Brave
$535 million
What Pixar is famous for is the cute fluffiness of all its animated characters. The particular cute fluffy ginger Scottish princess starring in this latest collaboration of Pixar with Disney generated about $535 million worldwide. Unlike conventional Disney films that involve beautiful princesses who marry handsome princes, Brave follows the opposite scenario. Princess Merida (cute fluffy princess mentioned above) fights with bow and arrow for an independent free life away from marriage and social bonds – a symbol of change in the 21st Century.
9 Django Unchained
$380 million
Tarantino’s movies tend to have so much shooting, blood and action that they might as well be branded as modern westerns. Well, now he has made one with actual cowboys and a box office profit of $380 million.
10 Les Miserables
$395 million
Last on the list but still in the top 10, Les Miserables only generated $395 million in 2012 ($27 million on its opening weekend). Which goes to prove that eight Oscar nominations including three wins for sound, makeup and best supporting actress (not to mention Anne Hathaway’s cuteness) does not necessarily mean the best rates at the box office.
Source: Box Office Mojo/Imdb
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