Hollywood 2011 made its mark on the history of cinema through 3 unique aspects that were vividly highlighted through most films released in this year.
The first being, this year recorded maximum number of sequels released – 28 sequels! Out of the top 10 highest grossing films, 8 were sequels. The second unique aspect of film making in 2011 was that this year recorded the maximum number of films in 3D production. The final stand out for 2011 was that 14 films were released based on super heroes making 'comic book action heroes' the most widely used theme and genre for Hollywood films.
The 3 stand out pointers for Hollywood 2011 showed how much the film industry has grown and taken an outward step towards new techniques and approaches to making films.
2011, created history by releasing maximum number of film sequels in a single year. Out of the 28 notable sequels the ones that were the highest grossing films in Hollywood were Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow: Part 2, Transformers: Dark side of the Moon, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Kung Fu Panda 2, The Hangover 2 and Cars 2.
The year has been regarded as a year for most notable sequels and also the year of films with the highest worldwide earnings in US dollars. Not only did these films earn the highest grossing films of all times but also achieved super high single day gross ratings of all times.
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides grossed $1,043,871,802 becoming the eighth film to have surpassed the billion dollar mark. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 grossed $1,328,111,219, becoming the ninth film to have surpassed the billion dollar mark, the 3rd highest-grossing film of all time, the highest-grossing film in the Harry Potter franchise and the highest earning film of 2011 as a whole.
Harry Potter's finale enthralled the box office as it grossed $91,071,119 on its first day of release, achieving the biggest single-day gross of all time, also breaking The Dark Knight's 2008 record for the highest weekend opening in the United States. Transformers: Dark of the Moon grossed $1,123,746,996 and became the 4th highest grossing film of all time. This year was also the first year when three major Hollywood films grossed more than $1 billion worldwide. The films being - Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 and Transformers: Dark of the Moon. Kung Fu Panda 2 stood at the 49th rank in terms of highest grossing film of all time.
As the producers of the 2011 sequels made thunderous profits from their investments, Hollywood also faced loud disappoints from a series of flop movies that were expected to hit the box office with huge success stories. To everybody's surprise these films, most of which were listed as 2011's much awaited films, majorly flopped in terms of grossing and rating.
These films included, 'Your Highness', 'Hoodwinked: Hood v/s Evil', 'Prom', 'Priest', 'Mars Needs Moms', 'Judy Moody: Not the Bummer Summer', 'Sucker Punch', 'Arthur', The Beaver' and 'Green Lantern'.
In terms of mixed reactions for films barring only one exception 'Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part One', all of the highest grossing Hollywood films did brilliantly in terms of viewer reviews and ratings as well and those that flopped at the box office, flopped at the critics desk as well. The only bomber was The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 distributed by Summit Entertainment which made $652,934,000 even though critics and reviewers destroyed its ratings.
A film that did not do exceptionally well at the box office was 'The Adventures of Tintin' which grossed $1.4 million in it's opening weekend, However, it did exceptionally well in the critic books and received positive reviews as high as an 'enjoyable watch with spectacular set-pieces, lavish visuals and fine motion-capture performances'. It was among the world top ten best films in the HITFx, New York Times and UK lists, unlike all the highest grossing films.
'Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol' grossed $86,163,000 from America and $169,313,497 from international markets. Even though these numbers may seem huge, they were nowhere close to the mark on the box office to films above the $ 1 billion mark. However, in terms of critical appreciation and reviews audiences regarded Brad Bird as the new animation wizard and the film to brim with action scenes. Despite the film hype and much awaited craze, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol favored as an average at the box office and the critics desk, even though many international audiences deny so.
The most outstanding films in terms of plot, direction, screenplay and actors included 'The Descendants', 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo', 'The Help', 'Hugo', 'J. Edgar', 'Midnight In Paris', 'Money ball', 'The Tree Of Life' and 'War Horse'. These films, according to the American Film fraternity were 2011's best advances in the art of moving imagery. They enhanced the rich cultural heritage of America's art form and inspired audiences and artists alike to make a mark on American society. The themes for these films varied from political dramas to cultural plot, however, all the stories shared a common trend, and they were based on the life of a single character and showcased a typical American society.
2011, has indeed been a year of breakthrough films and highest grossing records. It has been a '3D and sequel' filled year. But most importantly, 2011 stands as a representative to the splurge in the number of US, Canadian, Australian and UK films coming together and releasing Hollywood films in the superhero genre and creating smashing hits!