Top 10 Box Office Success Stories in 2013

It’s easy to pick out the highest-grossing movies of the year. It’s more interesting, though, to highlight what the biggest success stories are. That list includes over-performing blockbusters like Iron Man 3 and Despicable Me 2, along with surprise hits like We're the Millers and Lee Daniels' The Butler. – Ray Subers, Box Office Mojo

1) Iron Man 3

 Iron Man 3 was the top movie of the year at the domestic box office (over $409 million), the real upside was overseas, where its $806 million haul was more than double that of its predecessor. Worldwide, the movie's $1.2 billion total ranks fifth all-time. ”


2) Despicable Me 2

one of the most successful animated movies ever. Domestically, it earned over $366 million, which is $115 million more than its predecessor. It saw even bigger gains at the overseas box office, where it is ending its run with over $551 million. ”


3)“The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Expectations were high for Hunger Games sequel Catching Fire, and it did not disappoint. Its opening weekend was a bit higher than The Hunger Games, and thanks to a strong Thanksgiving weekend it should ultimately top its predecessor’s $408 million domestic total. It’s also making major gains overseas, and should wrap up with over $800 million worldwide. ”


4) Gravity

While it seems like a no-brainer now, Gravity could very easily have been a flop: two actors, both over the age of 45, alone in space isn’t exactly a slam dunk at the box office. But director Alfonso Cuaron made a must-see movie, and Warner Bros. delivered a strong marketing campaign. With nearly $250 million at the domestic box office – and over $615 million worldwide -- Gravity is by far the most successful original movie of the year.


5) The Heat

In a summer packed with successful comedies, the biggest of them was June’s The Heat ($159.6 million). Starring Sandra Bullock (appearing twice on this list thanks to Gravity) and Melissa McCarthy, and directed by Bridesmaids helmer Paul Feig, The Heat wound up being a great option for under-served female moviegoers. ”


6) We're the Millers

Benefiting from good scheduling and a strong premise, road trip comedy We’re the Millers got off to a solid start in early August. The movie then held well thanks to strong word-of-mouth, and ultimately became the highest-grossing movie of August 2013. To date, it has earned over $150 million at the domestic box office. ”  

7)  The Conjuring

 
 With a confident, aggressive marketing effort, The Conjuring kicked off its run with $41.9 million, which is the highest opening ever for an original R-rated horror movie. From there, word-of-mouth was so strong that it managed to overcome the horror genre's front-loading problems, and consistently had weekend drops below 50 percent. The Conjuring wrapped up its domestic run with $137.4 million, which made it the top supernatural horror movie in over a decade. ”


8)  Now You See Me: 

Opening on the heels of a handful of high-profile sequels, it seemed like Now You See Me was going to get lost in the shuffle. Instead, what appeared to be a scheduling disadvantage turned out to be the opposite: tired of big-budget franchise movies, audiences flocked to this original magician thriller. By the end of its run, Now You See Me had earned $117.7 million at the domestic box office and over $234 million overseas, which makes it Lionsgate/Summit's highest-grossing movie ever outside of the Twilight and Hunger Games franchises.



9) Lee Daniels' The Butler: 

Recognizing that there was nothing to fill the mid-August adult counterprogramming slot, The Weinstein Company moved Lee Daniels’ The Butler up from October. That turned out to be a shrewd move, as The Butler dominated the box office during the second half of August. It continued well in to September, and will close with around $116 million. ”

10)  Instructions Not Included: 

Spanish-language comedy Instructions Not Included opened at just 348 locations, which is a fraction of a typical major release’s theater count. Regardless, it was a huge draw with Hispanic audiences, and wound up earning over $10 million over Labor Day weekend. Instructions has now grossed $44.4 million, which makes it the top Spanish-language movie ever in the U.S. ”