There are now fourteen films that have passed the $1 billion mark at the worldwide box-office (unadjusted for inflation), making it the new benchmark for a big blockbuster. Skyfall is the latest to pass the ten-figure mark, joining Avatar, Titanic, Avengers, Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part Two, Transformers: Dark Of The Moon, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, The Dark Knight Rises, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Toy Story 3, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace, Alice In Wonderland and The Dark Knight. So what do all these films have in common? Here's what we've learned about the billion-dollar club... WORDS HELEN O'HARA
How To Make A Billion Dollars At The Box Office 1. Make A Fantasy Film
With the admittedly glaring exception of the number two film, Titanic, and the possible exception of Skyfall (come on, we all know that Bond is fantasy really) all of the billion-dollar club members are either science fiction or fantasy films. In fact, with the exception of Titanic the top 40 is entirely composed of sci-fi and fantasy films, and you have to go down to Mamma Mia! at number 65 to find a 'real life' film that doesn't feature nonsensical conspiracy theories, debatable religious figures or Tom Hanks as an improbably successful idiot. And in real life, people don't usually break into song so regularly as they do in the Abba blockbuster, so that might qualify as "fantasy" too. Ken Loach, in other words, will probably never enter this company, and that pasty-looking character who used to sit reading books with dragons on the cover during lunch hour should become your new best mate.
Have Your Say
Agree with our tips? What other essential ingredients do you think are required to make a $1 billion movie? Register or login now to have your say.
Your Comments
1
RE:
Posted on Monday May 28, 2012, 13:34 by Rebecca Juan
Posted on Thursday May 24, 2012, 23:32 by Evil_Bob
may be a historical event - but the movie is basically female fantasy. Repressed girl meets guy who opens her horizons and helps her to become the person she wants to be. They engage in a brief but passionate romance. Then he dies (meaning his memory will never be tarnished) and she struggles on becoming a better and deeper person as a result. PURE. FEMALE. FANTASY. f thats how you're definining it then there isn't a film on the entire All time box office list from 1-1000 that isn't fantasty to some description.
You know right well what they're talking about with calling Titanic non-fantasy. Apart from the obvious historical settings it features characters that have no magical powers, no extraordinary abilities, are clearly human, not animated, non-extra terrestrial and have events happen to them that while unlikely are not beyond the realm of possibility.
As saccharine as it sounds people do fall in love every day and people do have tumultuos relationships, often rendered diffiRead More
3
RE: Puny film snobs.
Posted on Thursday May 24, 2012, 17:21 by Whistler
Posted on Thursday May 24, 2012, 13:39 by Evil_Bob
"Debatable religious figures"
Presuming of course that we are talking about Jesus and The Passion of the Christ (just sneaked in as well at number 64) I would like to point out that its not debatable that Jesus is a religious figure.
He is.
Whether he existed or not is also not debatable.
He did.
What is debatable is whether he was the son of God and performed miracles etc etc
He didn't
Either way I appreciate the sentiment. I had lolz. Read More
5
RE:
Posted on Thursday January 7, 2010, 16:04 by Chrisseh
L: lona_no_friends
So basically make a film that doesn't aspire to tell a decent story or conform to any of those rules for actually making a heartfelt film and go for something that idiots will love. Good
o sh!t sherlock. This isn't a how to make a fantastic film article, its a how to make a crap load of money article. Not everyone in the world is a keen eye movie critic.
Read More
