The Expansion of 3-D and IMAX Releases
The decade of the 2000s saw advancements in 3D and an explosion of releases of both 3-D films and IMAX films. And with many more theatres converted to the 3D format, that meant increased demand and bookings (and ticket prices) for 3D films.
The DreamWorks sci-fi spoof of 50s monster movies Monsters vs. Aliens (2009) was the first computer-animated feature film to be shot directly in stereoscopic 3-D — dubbed the Ultimate 3-D. Previously, 3-D CGI films were made in a non-3-D version and then dimensionalized. (For example, for the 3D re-release of the 1993 film The Nightmare Before Christmas, Walt Disney Pictures scanned each original frame and manipulated them to produce left-eye and right-eye versions.)
GENRES
Horror Films:
Remakes: Studios realized that lucrative profits could be scored by cheaply remaking, adapting, or ‘re-treading’ classic TV shows or most prominently – horror films. Horror became one of the most profitable genre franchises in the new century – these films were low cost to produce; didn’t require much originality, big-name (and salary) actors or extensive marketing (because of brand-name recognition); and they were capable of attracting large audiences, often ready-made legions of faithful horror-film devotees. Examples included:
- the remade The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) (based on the 1974 film of the same name) (bigger budget detracted!)
- the Nightmare on Elm Street/Friday the 13th hybrid Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
- Zack Snyder’s remake-adaptation of the Romero film Dawn of the Dead (2004)
WATCH: Awesome opening scene!
George Romero’s own continuation of a string of zombie films, his 4th-6th entries: Land of the Dead (2005), Diary of the Dead (2007) and Survival of the Dead (2010)
- the crossover film Alien vs. Predator (2004)
- director Patrick Lussier’s 100% live-action remake My Bloody Valentine 3-D (2009) – the first R-rated film to be projected in Real D technology
WATCH: My Bloody Valentine 3D trailer
My Bloody Valentine trailer – CC
Remaking Japanese Horror Films (“J-Horror’)
The most effective, intelligent, and stylish horror film of the new decade was Gore Verbinski’s The Ring (2002) – a modern-day, gothic horror classic, a remake of the Japanese horror flick Ringu (1998). Other horror films were retreads of successful foreign classics (i.e., The Grudge (2004) (with two sequels in 2006 and 2009) and Dark Water (2005)).
WATCH: Original Japanese Shutter trailer
WATCH: Really good American remake
The Growth of ‘Torture/Gore-Porn’ subgenre
James Wan’s grisly Saw (2004) (with lucrative sequels in 2005-2009) featured a sadistic serial killer named Jigsaw who devised maddening, diabolical deathtraps for his victims. (The gory series of 6 Saw films with a total domestic gross of $370.2 million, was neck-to-neck with the Friday the 13th series of 12 films (with a total domestic gross of $380.6 million) to become most successful horror genre in film history
By mid-decade, the proliferation of low-budget horror films with grisly torture as their main theme, e.g., Hostel (2005), Wolf Creek (2005), The Devil’s Rejects (2005), Saw I (2004) and Saw II (2005) were reflective of the wartime era’s main concerns (the global war on terror, waterboarding, torture in Iraq’s Abu Ghraib prison and Guantanamo, etc.).
WATCH: Trailer for 2017 Jigsaw (better than the film itself!)
Science fiction
In 2005 Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, was released, and eventually made approximately $380 million (domestic) and $848.7 million (worldwide). Its four-day opening take was a record $158.4 million. It was the # 1 highest-grossing (domestic) film of 2005… It was the first of the films to receive a PG-13 rating, and was considered too grim, dark, and intense for young fans. Filmmaker George Lucas was criticized for merchandising toys and other related products to younger consumers, while denying them the ability to see the film.
ANIMATION
Pixar’s Ascendancy as Feature-Film Animator:
In 2003, Disney announced that it would no longer be producing traditionally-hand-drawn animated feature films, but switching to the 3-D, full-CGI style originally popularized by Pixar. In early 2006, the Walt Disney Co. bought longtime partner Pixar Animation Studios Inc. for $7.4 billion in stock, after a twelve-year relationship in which Disney co-financed and distributed Pixar’s animated films and split the profits. Of the ten, highly acclaimed and award-winning CGI films released by Pixar since 1995, seven were released in the decade (averaging almost one each year), and the second sequel Toy Story 3 (2010) debuted in 2010:
- Monsters, Inc. (2001)
- Finding Nemo (2003)– This wildly successful, breakthrough animation was the highest-grossing G-rated computer-animated film ever. It won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film!
- The Incredibles (2004) – director/screenwriter Brad Bird’s ingenious action-adventure animation won the Best Animated Feature Oscar. It was the first computer-generated animation to successfully show believable human figures or characters, instead of the traditional animal, toy, and creature characters of previous animations. It was also the first Pixar computer-animated feature film to receive a PG-rating in the US.
- Cars (2006)
- Ratatouille (2007) – won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film.
- WALL-E (2008) – this was the ninth Pixar film and another Best Animated Feature Film Oscar winner.
- Up (2009) – the 10th Pixar film (and another Best Animated Feature Film Oscar winner). It was the first CG-animated Best Picture nominee, and the first to receive a Best Picture nomination since animated films received their own category in 2001.
COMEDY
The independently produced ‘ugly duckling’ romantic comedy My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002), with an unknown cast and a simple premise, became one of the most profitable movies of all time (through word-of-mouth advertising), earning $241.4 million at the box office, while costing only about $5 million to make.
The Successful Return of Adult-Oriented, R-Rated Comedies, Rom-Coms, Teen Sex Comedies, and ‘Bromances’: One of the significant commercial trends in the film industry, exemplified by these films, was to release ‘unrated’ versions of R-rated (and PG 13-rated) films on DVD and videocassette, often with additional racy content that would have undoubtedly changed their original MPAA ratings. ex. American Pie sequels, The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005), Wedding Crashers (2005), The Hangover (2009), Anchorman (2004), The low-budget comedy Superbad (2007) went on to become the highest grossing (domestic) high school teen comedy of all time.
Major Stars of the Decade and Declining Star Power:
One of the major trends of the decade was that there were fewer A-list star-driven hits, from the likes of Julia Roberts and Tom Cruise, due to the rise of pre-established franchises and the emergence of often younger or unknown stars.
Even though Erin Brockovich (2000) brought mega-star actress Julia Roberts her first Best Actress Oscar, and she became the highest-paid actress (and one of the most powerful actresses) in Hollywood at the time, according to Forbes Magazine and other publications (she was the first female to crash the $20 million salary barrier for her role in the film), her star-drawing film power and earnings potential slightly declined during the decade. However, she could still generate millions for herself – in early 2010, she signed a contract with cosmetics giant Lancôme to become its ‘latest face’ – a deal reportedly worth $20 million.
Mission: Impossible III (2006) failed to be the action-thriller blockbuster that it was destined to be – it had a $47.7 million opening weekend at U.S. theaters, below the $65 million to $70 million that had been projected by some box office trackers. Speculation arose that this was, in part, due to cocky mega-star Tom Cruise’s erratic behavior and off-screen public relations disasters, evidenced on NBC’s Today Show with Matt Lauer, and the couch-jumping incident on the Oprah Winfrey Show. His strident Scientology advocacy and his denouncements in May 2005 against Brooke Shields regarding her use of anti-depressants for post-partum depression were also the focus of criticisms. At one time, 44-year-old Cruise was the industry’s most successful and best-paid actor but was dropped by parent company Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone and by his film studio, Paramount Pictures for his “unacceptable conduct” – after a 14 year production pact. However, Cruise still had considerable appeal and box-office clout — from 1986 to 2008, he appeared in the most $100 million dollar-grossing films (15 blockbusters), making him the most ‘over-paid’ actor in big-budget movies.
In 2008, Will Smith was the highest-paid Hollywood actor earning $80 million, while second place went to Johnny Depp with earnings of $72 million. Will Smith was the first (and only) actor to have eight consecutive movies take in more than $100 million at the domestic box office (his fifth for a July 4th release), with the release of Hancock (2008). However, the box office star’s appearance in the drama Seven Pounds (2008) fell far short – the $55 million-budgeted film took in only $70 million in domestic earnings.
In 2006, 57-year-old Meryl Streep received her incredible fourteenth Oscar nomination, her first since Adaptation (2002). She was honored with a Best Actress nomination for her role as ruthless and tyrannical style-magazine editor Miranda Priestly (a thinly veiled caricature of real-life Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour) in The Devil Wears Prada (2006). Two-time Oscar winner Streep’s 14th nomination padded her record as the most-nominated performer ever, ahead of both Katharine Hepburn and Jack Nicholson with 12 nominations.
At the end of 2009, the domestic yearly box-office gross total topped the $10 billion mark (at $10.6) for the first time ever.