Will 2011 be as successful for the movie industry as 2010?

[Dagger Dias]

We are now 4 full months into 2011. I have been keeping tabs on the financial success of various movies for the past couple of years. So far in 2011 we have yet to see a movie make a significantly high amount of money. Last year we saw many releases that did a whole lot better. That realization inspired this thread. I personally do not think that 2011 will be as good of a year for the film industry as 2010 was. Let’s take a look so far at how 2011 looks, with its list of the highest grossing films as of this week:

Highest-grossing films of 2011 - (As of April 23, 2011)
1 Rio $296,030,843
2 Rango $235,135,842
3 The Green Hornet $228,306,168
4 Just Go with It $205,604,000
5 Battle: Los Angeles $198,371,229
6 Gnomeo & Juliet $175,996,009
7 Hop $147,700,000
8 No Strings Attached $144,562,220
9 I Am Number Four $128,389,656
10 Unknown $127,359,000+



It doesn’t look too bad, and it had a tough year to follow. However, 2010 was a great year for movies. They had many movies make it into the top grossing films of all time list. This included the highest grossing animated movie of all time, Toy Story 3, which is in the top 5 of all time as well. Here is 2010’s highest grossing films list, to compare it to 2011’s so far:

Highest-grossing films of 2010
1 Toy Story 3 $1,063,171,911
2 Alice in Wonderland $1,024,299,904
3 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 $952,183,653
4 Inception $825,531,030
5 Shrek Forever After $750,164,311
6 The Twilight Saga: Eclipse $698,491,347
7 Iron Man 2 $622,056,974
8 Tangled $575,984,028
9 Despicable Me $544,513,985
10 How to Train Your Dragon $494,878,759


How is 2011 going to top a list like that? I'm not saying it cannot happen, but I doubt it will. Now, there are some movies coming out this summer that should make it to the top of 2011’s list such as the new Harry Potter or Green Lantern, but I just don’t see 2011 beating 2010 because there were so many good films that came out and made so much money in theaters. The year could end up proving me wrong, as we are only ¼ into the year. Only time will tell.



Discussion questions:

So do you think that 2011 still has a chance of being as successful for the film industry as 2010 was? Why or why not?

Which movies do you think will make it into 2011’s highest grossing films list, and why?


Discuss

 

[Mitch Henessey]

It's definitely possible, Dagger. There are a nice set of big blockbusters that will be hitting theaters this summer, and I'm sure they'll make a good amount of cash. Just take a look at some of the films that are set to hit theaters this summer:

Thor
Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
X-Men: First Class
Captain America: The First Avenger
Green Lantern
Fast Five
Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes
Cars 2
Kung Fu Panda 2
Transformers: Dark Of The Moon​

All of these films WILL draw good/great numbers at the box office. The Transformers franchise is a proven cash cow, and you can say the same thing about Pirates Of The Caribbean. The X-Men: First Class trailer looks like shit, but I'm sure plenty of people will want to see "how it all began." Also, the final Harry Potter film will hit theaters this summer. The Deathly Hallows Part 2 could grab the #1 spot for the highest grossing film of 2011, because Harry Potter is a worldwide phenomenon, and this will be the final film in the series. This film should have a HUGE opening weekend, and The Deathly Hallows Part 2 should dominate the #1 spot for a good amount of time. The only wild card for me is Cowboys & Aliens. The film looks kind of weird, and the story isn't too enticing, but Spielberg is attached to this one as a producer, and anything he touches usually makes tons of money.

I'll pick The Deathly Hallows Part 2 for the #1 grossing film of 2011, but the rest of the list is hard to predict. Transformers is sure to make a huge splash, and you can never count out Captain Jack Sparrow. There's going to be a lot big blockbuster films this year, so there should be some good competition at the box office in 2011.

So yeah, 2011 can be just as successful as 2010, and I wouldn't be surprised if 2011 beats 2010 in box office profits.

 

[Mike C.]

I'm kind of sad that I want to see a grand total of one blockbuster this summer, and really that's more out of curiosity for the Potter movies than my enjoyment for the series. I guess I'll probably see the Transformers movie because my wife liked the first one and I will eventually see Cars 2 and X-Men, but nothing this summer that I'm excited for.

 

[Stuntz]

I think this year stands a good chance of being as good as if not better than last year. There are several movies coming out that a lot of people are waiting for.

Thor
Captain America: The First Avenger
POTC: On Stranger Tides
Harry Potter 8
X-Men
Cars 2
Cowboys and Aliens
Transformers 3

These are just a few of the ones im predicting to big and i think at least 3 will hit 100 million on the first weekend they are out. Now as stated before bu Mitch Cowboys and Aliens is the wild card. What I see from this is the star power and the Spielberg name. Another issue i have is that its not like every other movie out there. Its original, and I personally am looking foward to this one for that simple reason.

 

[Mac Attack]

I think 2011 will ultimately beat 2010 in the movies. I'm not going to repeat the list of movies that are coming out but realize that is what I'm refrencing. ALl these movies are must see movies that I strongly believe will be making 2011 a bigger movie year. I think without a doubt that Harry Potter Part 2 will be the number one grossing movie. This movie ahs fans all over the world and I think can easily go down as one if not the most sucessful franchises in movie history. I know I will be there opening day and I am looking forward to it so much. I think that in comparison this year will ultimately be better. I think the better question is wheter or not 2012 will be better than 2010 and 2011.