1998 Movie Guide 2
| BOSTON
FOUR-STAR FILMS OF 1998
Both Monitor critic and staff panel:
Gone With the Wind, 1939*
(not rated)
The Wizard of Oz, 1939*
(not rated)
Monitor critic David Sterritt:
The Bicycle Thief, 1948* (not rated)
The Birds, 1963* (not rated)
Brazil, 1985* (R)
Decalogue, 1988* (not rated)
The Disenchanted (R)
Grey Gardens, 1976* (not rated)
The Lady From Shanghai, 1948*
(not rated)
The Last Days of Disco (R)
Love and Death on Long Island (PG-13)
Mean Streets, 1973* (R)
Mother and Son (not rated)
Point of Order, 1954* (not rated)
Public Housing (not rated)
Rashomon, 1950* (not rated)
Rushmore (R)
La Sparation (not rated)
Shock Corridor, 1963* (not rated)
A Soldier's Daughter
Never Cries (R)
The Spanish Prisoner (R)
Taste of Cherry (not rated)
Touch of Evil, 1958* (not rated)
The Truman Show (PG)
Monitor staff panel:
The Big Chill*, 1983 (R)
A bug's life (G)
Ma Vie En Rose (not rated)
Madeline (PG)
* Reissued this year
TOP-GROSSING FILMS OF THE YEAR
(Ranked in order of US gross, as of Dec. 13)
1. Armageddon
(Buena Vista)
Opened: July 1
US Gross: $201,573,391
Foreign: $242,359,000
Opened US Gross Foreign Gross
2. Saving Private Ryan (DreamWorks) July 24 $190,373,184 $223,200,000
3. There's Something About Mary (Fox)July 15 $173,368,307 $138,399,998
4. Dr. Dolittle (Fox) June 26 $144,127,846 $127,778,382
5. Deep Impact (Paramount) May 8 $140,464,664 $206,877,777
6. The Waterboy (Buena Vista) Nov. 6 $136,625,024 Opens 1999
7. Godzilla (Sony) May 20 $136,036,753 $237,606,148
8. Rush Hour (New Line Cinema) Sept. 18 $132,785,204 $19,500,000
9. Lethal Weapon 4 (Warner Bros.) July 10 $129,734,803 not available
10. The Truman Show (Paramount) June 5 $125,603,360 $112,760,874
Source: Exhibitor Relations Co., Los Angeles.
FAMILY FILMS
Rated G:
Air Bud: Golden Receiver
Babe: Pig in the City
A bug's life
Mulan
Quest For Camelot
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer:
The Movie
The Rugrats Movie
Rated PG:
Antz
The Borrowers
I'll Be Home For Christmas
Madeline
Mighty Joe Young
My Giant
The Parent Trap
Paulie
The Prince of Egypt
Simon Birch
The Truman Show
You've Got Mail
Wide Awake
Not rated:
Amazon
Gone With the Wind (re-release)
The Wizard of Oz (re-release)
TOP-SELLING TV AND MOVIE SOUNDTRACKS FOR 1998
1. Titanic (Sony Classical)
2. City of Angels (Warner Sunset/Reprise)
3. Armageddon: The Album (Columbia)
4. Hope Floats (Capitol)
5. Dr. Dolittle: The Album (Blackground/Atlantic/AG)
6. The Wedding Singer (Maverick/Warner Bros.)
7. Godzilla: The Album (Epic)
8. Bulworth: The Soundtrack (Interscope)
9. Songs From Ally McBeal (550 Music/Epic)
10. Soul Food (LaFace/Arista)
1998 Billboard/BPI Communications Inc., and SoundScan Inc.
ANTS RULE!
It was a very big year for creature features, from a lizard with attitude to wisecracking guinea pigs. Here's how they did ...
+++ Antz ++1/2
+++ A Bug's Life ++++
+++ Babe: Pig in the City ++1/2
++ Mighty Joe Young ++1/2
+ Dr. Dolittle ++1/2
+ Godzilla ++
HOW MANY AND HOW MUCH
Of more than 300 major movies released in 1998, most fell into the 'R' category. But PG-13 movies earned the most total money and took in the most per film.
Rating No. Total box-office Average gross
movies gross per movie
G 11 $342 million $31 million
PG 33 $549 million $16 million
PG-13 63 $2.2 billion $35 million
R 177 $2 billion $11 million
Not rated 65 $69 million $1 million
Source: Exhibitor Relations
MOST POPULAR VIDEOS OF 1998
Top Video Rentals
1. Armageddon (Touchstone Home Video)
2. Deep Impact (Paramount Home Video)
3. Godzilla (Columbia TriStar)
4. Small Soldiers (Universal Studios)
5. Hope Floats (FoxVideo)
6. A Perfect Murder (Warner Home Video)
7. The Horse Whisperer (Touchstone Home Video)
8. Dr. Dolittle (FoxVideo)
9. City Of Angels (Warner Home Video)
10. The X-Files Movie (FoxVideo)
Top Video Sales
1. Armageddon (Touchstone Home Video)
2. Small Soldiers (Universal Studios)
3. Lion King II: Simba's Pride (Walt Disney Home Video)
4. Godzilla (Columbia TriStar)
5. Gone With The Wind (MGM/UA Home Video)
6. Dr. Dolittle (FoxVideo)
7. Titanic (Paramount Home Video)
8. The X-Files Movie (FoxVideo)
9. Cats (PolyGram Video)
10. South Park: 3-Pack Volume 2 (Rhino Home Video)
- Compiled from a national sample of sales reports by Billboard, SoundScan, and BDS
through Dec. 18, 1998
THE HABITS OF MOVIEGOERS
A recent study gave some insights into who goes to movies. ACNielsen EDI, which provides box office and other information to studios, theater chains, and media outlets, sampled 10,000 households. Some results:
20 percent of those asked were "heavy" moviegoers, meaning they attend at least one film per month.
18 percent were considered "medium" filmgoers (once every 2 to 3 months).
24 PERCENT fell in the "light" category (once every 4 to 6 months).
68 percent of moviegoers find out about show times from newspapers.
23 PERCENT use the phone to check movie schedules.
2 PERCENT use the Internet to check movie schedules.
81 percent say theaters should show three or fewer movie previews.
8 PERCENT said the number of previews should be five or more.
44 percent of teens ages 13 to 15 say they go to the movies at least once a month. Teens and adults in their early 20s are the most frequent moviegoers.
56 percent of frequent filmgoers say they usually go during the first week of a movie's run.
Source: Daily Variety
THE DUDS
Black Dog
Blade
Bride of Chucky
Burn Hollywood Burn
Caught Up
54
Half Baked
Jerry Springer: Ringmaster
Krippendorf's Tribe
Nightwatch
Nil By Mouth
Woo
These films earned the rating "Dud" from critic David Sterritt or the staff panel, who judged them the worst movies of 1998.
THE BOTTOM 10: THE LOWEST-GROSSING MOVIES OF 1998
Out of more than 300 films, these were
the most disappointing at the box office.
Yes, "Classified X" sold only $65 in tickets!
Classified X ($65)
Biker Dreams ($349)
Hallelujahi ($719)
Charlie Hoboken ($927)
Vietnam Long Time Coming ($951)
The Mighty Kong ($1,100)
Eden ($1,564)
When I Close My Eyes ($1,595)
David Searching ($1,759)
Courting Courting ($1,890)
Source: Exhibitor Relations Co. (Data through December 13.)
