Box office to hit all-time high in 2013

Image Credit: Disney

2013 was the year when all those big, expensive, flashy  flops dragged down the movie business, right?

Not quite. Despite all the worry over write-down-inducing failures like The Lone Ranger and 47 Ronin, 2013 was actually another boom year at the box office. In fact, it’s about to go in the record books as Hollywood’s all-time best: With two days left til the New Year, we’re just a few million shy of 2012′s record-setting $10.837 billion haul. 

So how did this happen? Despite its notable flops, summer actually saw an 11 percent increase over 2012 thanks to megahits like Despicable Me 2 ($367.7 million), Man of Steel ($291 million) and Monsters University($268.5 million) — not to mention the year’s number one movie, Iron Man 3 ($409 million), which ranks as the 13th highest-grossing movie of all time, not accounting for inflation. Then came the fall-winter season with blockbusters like The Hunger Games: Catching Fire ($391.1 million), Gravity ($254.6 million) and Frozen ($248.4 million). Overall, 2013 has seen 12 movies cross the $200 million mark domestically (2012 only had 11), and 31 movies top $100 million (2012 had the exact same number).Not quite. Despite all the worry over write-down-inducing failures like The Lone Ranger and 47 Ronin, 2013 was actually another boom year at the box office. In fact, it’s about to go in the record books as Hollywood’s all-time best: With two days left til the New Year, we’re just a few million shy of 2012′s record-setting $10.837 billion haul. 

Of course, this isn’t exactly earth-shaking news. The box office has set a new record in six of the last 10 years, partly thanks to economic factors like increased ticket prices, 3-D admissions, and inflation. But the fact that numbers are up at all is a sign of the industry’s bullishness, especially in the face of increased competition from streaming services and TV.

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. ”