Introduction
Alongside art, comedy, and music, cinema is one of the most subjective forms of media. However, since you have joined us here on this particular site, it’s also the most subjective. And that’s why it remains the most entertaining and inspiring! One hotly, and affectionately debated topic is what was the best year for cinema. We are celebrating the thirtieth anniversary of one of the forerunners, 1994. Cinema Scholars continues to present a monthly retrospective, that focuses on a pick of the cinematic talking points of this truly golden trip around the sun.
It’s clear, the big winners of the summer of 2024 were Messrs Wilson and Logan (and arguably Feige and Iger) with Deadpool and Wolverine crossing the $1.2 billion mark and still rising, while also rejuvenating the MCU and starting a meme dance frenzy.
Pixar, now, has the highest-grossing animated film of all time on their books with $1.4 billion for Inside Out 2. Señior Alvarez may also be considered a runner-up with his highly successful ‘midquel’ in the Alien franchise with Alien: Romulus. While a big loser, Borderlands is already headed to streaming services, with The Crow reboot possibly not far behind it? But how did the Box Office look 30 years ago?
Welcome to 1994 – Part Eight: August – Top 5 Box Office Review.
5. The Lion King: August Gross: $41,938,630, Total Gross: $312,855,561 ($658, 211,192 today)
The Lion King, amid Disney’s 90s golden era, was a beautiful, epic phenomenon. It approached perfection through superb animation, casting, characterization, musical numbers, score, scope, storytelling (built on Shakespeare’s Hamlet), and heart. Academy/Golden Globe Awards, Broadway and West End shows, sequels and spin-offs, and billion-dollar CGI remake/sequels would follow. However, the original is still a shining diamond in Disney’s animation crown. See our June 1994 retrospective for more.
4. True Lies: August Gross: $47,299,990, Total Gross: $146,282,411 ($307,760,935 today)
Long before James Cameron went to Pandora, or the bottom of the ocean to make movies, came this ‘Top Tier Arnie Actioner’. In retrospect, True Lies feels out of place within Cameron’s filmography. It did not necessarily push any barriers or break any ground in filmmaking. It didn’t turn fresh faces into superstars and none of the protagonists died, which had almost become the norm before and after for the writer/director (see The Abyss, The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Titanic, Avatar).
However, all involved (Schwarzenegger, Jamie Lee Curtis, Tom Arnold, Tia Carrere, and the late great Bill Paxton and Charlton Heston) seem to be having a ton of fun in this combination James Bond parody/homage (tux under the swimsuit opening), domestic comedy and 90s actioner, which seemingly translated to box office receipts.
3. The Mask: August Gross: $76,743,503, Total Gross: $119,938,730 ($252,336,939 today)
If Ace Ventura: Pet Detective was Jim Carrey politely knocking on Hollywood’s door, then The Mask was him smashing it to smithereens and tornadoing through. The second of his trio of outings in 1994, following the aforementioned Ace Ventura, and arguably leading the way to the must-see status of Autumn release, Dumb and Dumber, The Mask not only made Carrey a superstar but also introduced the world to Cameron Diaz.
What The Mask did right that many CGI fests neglect today is that it made its leads extremely likable and empathetic. The supporting cast of characters are fun (including scene stealer, Milo the Dog) or are an actual threat, and the amazing special effects supplement the story as opposed to replacing it: Stanley remains front and center, not The Mask. And crowds loved both!
2. Clear and Present Danger: August Gross: $87,850,526, Total Gross: $122,187,717 ($257,068,542 today)
The most mature entry in the Top 5 sees Harrison Ford still on a winning streak, dating back to 1977. He returns in his second and final outing as Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, before handing the baton to Ben Affleck. It’s a tightly constructed political thriller, condensing Clancy’s doorstopper into a tense, exceptionally well-acted, intelligent action film. With the triple threat of Ford-Ryan-Clancy, this was always going to be a hit. But with James Earl Jones, Willem Dafoe, and Anne Archer in support, thrilling action set pieces, and an adult approach to storytelling, Clear and Present Danger became a classic of its genre.
Before we reveal what was number one at the August 1994 Box Office, let’s have a glance at which titles completed the Top 10:
10. Angels in the Outfield:
‘When a boy prays for a chance to have a family if the California Angels win the pennant, angels are assigned to make that possible.’ Anyone? Anyone? Nope.
9. In the Army Now:
‘Two misguided youths join the reserves to make some money for their entrepreneurial dreams. No sooner than they finish basic training are they called up to do their part to save the free world.’ Anyone? Anyone? Nope.
8. It Could Happen to You:
‘A police officer (Nicolas Cage) promises to share his lottery ticket with a waitress (Bridget Fonda) in place of a tip.’ That’s more like it!
7. The Little Rascals:
‘The update of the 1920-30s classics sees Alfalfa wooing Darla and his “He-Man-Woman-Hating” friends attempt to sabotage the relationship.’ Described as a comedy.
6. The Client:
‘A young boy who witnessed the suicide of a mafia lawyer hires an attorney to protect him when the District Attorney tries to use him to take down a mob family.’ A solid John Grisham adaptation with Tommy Lee Jones still in Sam Gerard mode and Susan Sarandon in Susan Sarandon mode.
And at the peak of the box office in August 1994 was:
1. Forrest Gump August Gross: $90,040,957, Total Gross: $329,694,499 ($693,638,332 today):
Check out our July 1994 retrospective as to why Forrest Gump became the hit it was. We concluded that Forrest Gump rode the waves of the box office for three solid months. it’s difficult to recall a film like this (with a similar narrative) having lasting legs in theatres, specifically a summer release. We’ve gone through the era of disposable summer blockbusters, established the awards-baiting seasons, and are in the midst of streaming wars and franchise fodder. There was and is nothing quite like Forrest Gump.
Conclusion
In 1994, we had a comic book movie, an animation, a political thriller, an action-adventure, and a whimsical slice of Americana. Going to print, our current domestic Top 5 consists of a comic book movie, a horror, a domestic violence drama, an affluence thriller, and a biblical drama. Variety is still the spice of life.
