The summer box office movie bracket returns, with the time machine welcoming us to the glorious summer of 1993.
Steven Spielberg gave audiences the gift of dinosaurs 30 years ago at the box office.
Life-sized, breathing, living creatures of yore, based off the hit book of the same name by Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park was a hit from the get-go. It was a family fun event with a blend of action, adventure, drama, and Jeff Goldblum that was director Spielberg at his finest.
The film not only owned the box office that summer but all of 1993 and beyond, holding off November releases Mrs. Doubtfire and Aladdin to win the battle of the box office involving films released in '93. Jurassic Park grossed $338,929,640 that calendar year. Currently, the film has grossed at the domestic box office upwards of 404 million dollars, placing in the top-50 highest grossing films of all-time (not adjusted for inflation).
Jurassic Park eventually spawned a franchise, adding two more films to complete an original trilogy. The franchise relaunched in 2015 with Jurassic World (et al.) but these high-grossing films centered around Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, and a Velociraptor named Blue can't touch the original (and are mostly forgettable).
That all lay ahead in the future. In 1993, Jurassic Park was the talk of the town but plenty of other notable films hit the market that summer. Thirteen other films released in '93 currently have grossed 100 million dollars or more, with six of them released in the summer (May thru August, for this tournament). Films from that summer gave us quotable comedies and modern classics, timeless romances and notable duds. And everything between.
Where do those films rank in our hearts now? The perfect question leading to the perfect time to bring back the summer box office tournament. Voting will take place on Twitter over the coming weeks to crown a champion. In the past, it's been a standard 64-film tournament but the numbers were a little light in some regions. First-round will be slightly different, than the final 32 will return to standard fare. So, in the words of the great Samuel L. Jackson, "Hold onto your butts."
May region
Thirteen films will represent this region. Thirteen films that saw dinosaurs in the future and tried to get a head start in capturing the attention of the audience. Cliffhanger is the top seed in the May region; the only region without a film grossing over 100 million dollars. This Sylvester Stallone - John Lithgow thriller raked in just over 84 million, and will compete against a couple of plumbers, a martial arts master, and a Carnosaur, among others, to determine who advances.
The first three films in this region receive a bye into the round of 32.
Byes: (1) Cliffhanger (2) Dave (3) Made in America
- 8) Much Ado About Nothing
- 9) Super Mario Bros
- 5) Sliver
- 12) Happily Ever After
- 4) Hot Shots: Part Deux
- 13) Carnosaur
- 6) Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story
- 11) Lost in Yonkers
- 7) Menace II Society
- 10) Posse
June region
The June 1993 region had the lightest of release schedules. Maybe it was because Hollywood saw the writing on the wall with Jurassic Park getting the call. Common knowledge dictates you just down mess with Spielberg and a summer release.
Only nine films will be representing this region, with only one match in the first-round. But, there are some stellar films in this region and, much like the ultimate Christmas song bracket in 2020, upsets via social media can always happen. Plus, with Sleepless in Seattle, this region had two films cross the 100 million dollar mark.
- 1) Jurassic Park
- 2) Sleepless in Seattle
- 3) Dennis the Menace
- 4) Last Action Hero
- 5) What's Love Got to Do with It
- 6) Guilty as Sin
- 7) Life with Mikey
- 8) Once Upon a Forest vs 9) Orlando
July region
The July region, while not booked with 16 films, holds the distinction of me having seen every film within in this region. Some, only once, while others were staples (see: Henry Rowengartner) on my television throughout those late junior high, early high school years.
July had two films (The Firm, In the Line of Fire) reach the once-magical 100 million mark but Free Willy made one bajillion dollars in my heart. These first two films noted will receive first-round byes. (*Note: Due to my own discretion, I did not include the re-release of 1933's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Do with that what you will.)
Byes: (1) The Firm (2) In the Line of Fire
- 8) Robin Hood: Men in Tights
- 9) Poetic Justice
- 5) Rookie of the Year
- 12) Weekend at Bernie's II
- 4) Rising Sun
- 13) So I Married an Axe Murderer
- 6) Hocus Pocus
- 11) Another Stakeout
- 7) Son in Law
- 10) Coneheads
August region
In August, a full complement of films provides eight first-round matchups. In what was once considered, especially in the latter part of the month, a dumping ground of sorts for films, August '93 did produced the second-highest grossing film of the summer. The Fugitive is August's top seed heading into this tournament and an interesting match could be on the horizon in the round of 16, where the Clint Eastwood classic Unforgiven could make some noise. (The film made only ~26 million in the calendar year but has a total domestic gross of over 101 million, hence the fourth-seed).
A special nod to Son of the Pink Panther, which finished in 17th-place for August and on the outside looking in.
- 1) The Fugitive
- 16) Only the Strong
- 8) Needful Things
- 9) Manhattan Murder Mystery
- 5) The Man Without a Face
- 12) The Wedding Banquet
- 4) Unforgiven
- 13) Surf Ninjas
- 3) The Secret Garden
- 14) Father Hood
- 6) Heart and Souls
- 11) Searching for Bobby Fischer
- 7) Jason Goes to Hell
- 10) The Meteor Man
- 2) Hard Target
- 15) My Boyfriend's Back
Stay up-to-date over the coming weeks in crowning a champion from the summer box office of 1993. Follow along here, or via Twitter (jasonrh_78)
Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons
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