2022s Box Office Top 10

At the time of writing these are the top 10 highest-grossing films at the worldwide box office in 2022 according to Box Office Mojo. 

10. Moon Man (Over $460,237,600)

9. Water Gate Bridge (Over $626,571,600)

8. Thor: Love and Thunder (Over $760,928,000)

7. The Batman (Over $770,945,500)

6. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (Over $831,942,300)

5. Minions: The Rise of Gru (Over $939,628,200)

4. Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (Over $955,775,800)

3. Jurassic World: Dominion (Over $1,001,978,000)

2. Top Gun: Maverick (Over $1,488,732,800)

1. Avatar: The Way of Water (Over $1,749,253,900)

In total the top 10 highest-grossing films earned over $9,587,993,700. There were 2 non-English language films in the top 10 (Moon Man and Water Gate Bridge). 4 of the big earners were produced by companies owned by Disney (Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness came from Marvel Studios while Avatar: The Way of Water was from 20th Century Studios), 2 had some involvement from Universal (Minions: The Rise of Gru and Jurassic World: Dominion), 1 was distributed by Paramount (Top Gun: Maverick) and 1 came from Warner Bros (The Batman).

The 2020s At The Box Office

How does this list and its revenue look when viewed next to the rest of the 2020s? Well, comparatively, 2022 was a very solid year. With pandemic restrictions firmly relaxed across many countries cinema-goers have returned to the theatres in good numbers. The top 10 movies this year earned almost 3 times what 2020’s top 10 earned. It even managed to outperform 2021’s top 10 by around $1.9 billion. This year also saw 3 movies cross the $1 billion mark and all 3 came from different studios. Interestingly, this also marked the first year since 2015 (excluding 2020 and 2021 because of the pandemic) when the year’s two highest-grossing films were not affiliated with Disney.

But what does this box office top 10 tell us about the industry and what the future potentially holds? 

Lessons From 2022

2022 showed us primarily that franchises continue to be the big audience draw. So franchises are still likely to produce the biggest hits going forward. However, Top Gun: Maverick and even Avatar: The Way of Water have proven that smaller franchises still have the possibility to attract huge box office numbers. Additionally, the top 3 have shown that non-Disney-made films may have a chance to earn greater attention than in the pre-covid landscape.

Secondly, while international language pictures may be struggling in the box office rankings post-covid, with only 2 non-English films in this year’s top 10 (2021 had 3 and 2020 had 5), 2022 showed they still have potential to pull in good earnings in the future with Chinese language films proving to be a particularly big draw recently with growing interest in international releases. We could possibly see more big international hits if they are given better worldwide distribution.

Finally, while these figures prove the industry has certainly not reached pre-pandemic box office levels it is still in a healthy spot. This year’s top 10 managed to outperform 2016s (over $9,320,848,700) and while it is a way off from 2018s and 2019s numbers those movies were dominated by highly anticipated franchise entries, like the conclusion to Marvel’s Infinity Saga, which will be hard to immediately replicate. Thus 2022 showcases that the industry is on the road to recovery. Hopefully, 2023 will yield even more interesting and healthy box office results.

Also Read: Time To Rethink The Box Office Film Charts?

The post Box Office 2022: Returning To Cinemas appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

Love and Thunder

Phase 4’s box office was disappointing compared to Phases 2 and 3 but the dip is explainable. Firstly, Phase 4 had fewer films than Phase 3. Marvel’s 2021 film releases also had to entice people back to cinemas after the pandemic. Even with that disadvantage Black Widow, Shang-Chi and Eternals all did respectable business. And Spider-Man: No Way Home became Marvel’s third highest-grossing film. Meanwhile, 2022s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness outperformed its predecessor. Thor: Love and Thunder also did well for a more modestly performing subseries.

Regarding critic and fan reactions 2 Phase 4 projects (at the time of writing) have rotten RT ratings (Eternals and She-Hulk). While this represents an increased negative reaction to prior phases, which had 3 rotten ratings across 34 projects, it hasn’t increased by much. On IMDb 4/6 Phase 4 films are rated below 7 stars. The most of any phase. Additionally, only 1 of this phase’s 8 shows is rated above 8 stars (Loki). These are harsh reactions, but the site also shows that Marvel’s series are generally divisive. Only 3 of their 18 shows have ratings above 8 stars. And while Phase 4’s films were generally disliked, they were only disliked slightly more than Phase 1. Which has 3/6 films rated below 7 stars. So Phase 4 when judged in context is hardly a complete loss.

Age of Trolls

One other thing to bear in mind is that several Phase 4 projects were review-bombed and targeted for negative criticism before even being released for focusing on telling socially conscious stories with more diverse casts. Slightly compromising review site data.

This makes it harder to review Phase 4’s impact because it’s blighted by such toxic discourse. And, just to restate the obvious, telling socially conscious stories based around diverse, marginalized voices is not the problem with the MCU. Anyone who thinks it is has no place in any discussion about media.

Far From Perfect

There are however legitimate criticisms that could explain some audience dissatisfaction. One common complaint is the MCU’s recent oversaturation. With 14 big projects released from 2021-2022, there simply hasn’t been enough room to let fans breathe before another project comes along. Which could have resulted in franchise fatigue.

Additionally, the sheer number of projects, straddling different genres, characters and timelines, has made it harder for fans to identify their purpose in relation to the Multiverse Saga’s overarching narrative. Although prior phases had confusing moments each project felt like a contained story that slowly progressed the overarching plot. But the sheer volume of new elements being sprawled across different mediums in such a short time may be making it harder to keep audiences invested.

And this saga’s reduced time frame (five years, compared to the Infinity saga’s eleven) has led to Marvel putting more pressure on their workers. Which results in many things feeling rushed, undercooked or unfocused. 

New MCU Order

Overall Marvel’s Phase 4 was affected by many factors, such as the pandemic fallout and targeted hate campaigns, making it hard to claim the era is a total dud from audience and box office perspectives.

Of course, Marvel does have problems. Its brand oversaturation, scattershot approach to storytelling and reduced timescale have resulted in much less polished productions in a universe that feels less comprehensively thought out and has created a sense of fatigue which failed to invest many in future projects. If left unresolved these issues could produce even worse results for audiences and workers.

If Marvel is to regain its footing it must focus on quality over quantity and give its workers more time to produce better work. Though Phase 5’s schedule makes that seem unlikely. For those unhappy with the way Marvel has been going (for legitimate reasons) vote with your wallet, encourage others to do likewise, and support the workers campaigning for better conditions. Don’t let Marvel take its workers or audience for granted.

Also Read: Has The Marvel Cinematic Universe Reached Its Peak?

The post The MCU Phase 4: Dividing Audiences? appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.

It’s therefore interesting that according to the UK Cinema Association, UK cinema attendance in 2018 was at its highest since 1970, with 177 million admissions. This is impressive considering all the factors going against cinema in 2018, including a boiling summer and competition from the World Cup.

But why did cinema attendance decline during the 1970s? And what was it about this past year that encouraged people to return in larger numbers? Well, join me as we dive down the rabbit hole and try to find out.

1970: Starting to decline

1970 was the year the UK saw the general release of many perennial favourites, including Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Kes and many others. It was also the year when cinema audiences began to decline dramatically in numbers, going from 193 million admissions in 1970 to 176 million in 1971. By the end of 1980, admissions only reached 110 million.

Many blame the expansion of television and the video recorder for the decline. And with Hollywood going through major changes at the time due to several large flops, the big crowd-pleasing spectacles that had been largely used to showcase its superiority to home viewing quickly dropped off. These pictures then took a back seat in the UK, replaced by a mix of personal and experimental projects that appealed to niche audiences as well as television adaptations and sex comedies. From there, although attendance was not always in continual decline, and tentpole blockbusters returned, the audience figures never reached the numbers they once had – until 2018!

In 2018, attendance numbers rose with huge hits like Bohemian Rhapsody, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again, Avengers: Infinity War and Black Panther.

2018: What has changed?

There are, of course, many factors that could have contributed to the rise in cinema attendance. Some insiders put it down to the value of the cinema experience. Going to the cinema is not just about the film anymore; it’s about the communal experience. The ability to buy food, drink, alcohol and enjoy a film with your family and friends on a large screen with luxury seating without having to spend as much as you would for a night at the opera or a football match.

The number of venues dedicated to showing films across the UK is also growing, in different geographical areas. This means that it is easier for audiences to get to cinemas, no doubt helping to encourage repeat visits.

On the other hand, the rise could be a result of Hollywood using its old hit formulas with a new approach. The big hits of 1970, M*A*S*H, Love Storyand Airport all had pre-existing fanbases, all being based on novels (some specially written to drum up interest for the movie) and stars with name recognition. Airport, starring Burt Lancaster and Dean Martin,M*A*S*H has Donald Sutherland and Love Story having Ali MacGraw and Ryan O’Neal. Hollywood often used these tactics in the past, but these films also covered a range of genres: disaster, romance, war/comedy and demonstrated an attempt to appeal to different tastes. Airport focused on Hollywood spectacle, Love Story on personal character drama and M*A*S*H on anti-establishment humour rampant at the time. Helping to attract different audiences.

All these elements can be seen in the big hits of 2018. The genres range from musical to superhero and biopic. And all demonstrate a commitment to bringing in broad audiences through either brand recognition or having a big name attached to the project.

But these films also tackle modern issues that help them appeal to different audiences. Instead of focusing exclusively on white straight men, we now have stories about black superheroes, LGBTQ icons and women exploring their sexuality and coming to terms with their own identities. With a lot of money spent on these projects, it must be an attractive prospect for underrepresented groups to see representation on the big screen. All the aforementioned films are also rated 12a. And with cinemas being more easily accessible, it makes it easier for every member of the family to watch these diverse tales. The issues of today are being told with old school Hollywood spectacle, which seems to have struck a chord with people, regardless of their opinions on the films.

A long way to go

But despite rising attendance figures, these must be viewed within context. Comparing the populations of the times, the average person in 1970 would have visited the cinema around 3.5 times a year. In comparison, in the higher population, the average person will only visit the cinema around 2.7 times a year. This makes a difference when considering box office takings.

With the average ticket price in the 1970s being £6.83 (45p, adjusted for inflation) the total box office takings of 1970 reached £1,318,190,000. Beating 2018’s takings of £1,277,122,327 despite the higher average ticket price and higher number of cinemas.

The average viewer just does not visit the cinema enough to equal the 1970 numbers. So, if cinema is to return to the high attendances it once had, there is still a long way to go. And with the predicted continuing increase of the population, cinemas will need to do all they can to encourage visitors to return or attendance will continue to fall. This could result in cinema closures or another rise in the average ticket price.

What now?

Despite this, the high attendance figures of the past few years indicate that if cinemas continue to appeal to audiences, through showcasing big films that can be viewed by diverse audiences at affordable prices, then maybe we will reach the attendance figures of cinema’s heyday again.

The post How Cinema Attendance Hit Record Levels In 2018 appeared first on Big Picture Film Club.