Marquee History
Mid/Late June 2017
By Max Braden
July 4, 2017
BoxOfficeProphets.com

Look, it's a guy no millennial has ever heard of!

Welcome to another edition of Marquee History, taking you back to a time when you - or your parents - were younger.  Prepare to become nostalgic (and shocked) at how much time has passed when you recall what was new in theaters 10, 15, 20...even 35 years ago.

Comic book heroes and sci-fi are featured prominently in June’s movie anniversaries, but the real gem is the little alien that swept America in the summer of 1982.

Here are the movies that premiered on theater marquees…
 
 
10 YEARS AGO
 
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer - June 15, 2007
Two years after the first film, Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans and Michael Chiklis return as the Marvel superheroes Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch and The Thing.  This time, they’re forced to ally with their nemesis Dr. Doom to stop the alien Silver Surfer from destroying the planet.  The sequel performed slightly better with its opening weekend, taking first at the box office with $58 million from 3,959 theaters over the weekend.  It failed to match the domestic total of the first film, earning only $131 million compared to $154 million for its predecessor.  In 2015, the franchise was rebooted with a younger cast featuring Miles Teller, Kata Mara, Michael B. Jordan, and Jamie Bell, with disappointing box office results.
 
Evan Almighty - June 22, 2007
Jim Carrey’s $242 million success with Bruce Almighty in 2003 made a sequel likely, but this one focuses on his news station colleague (now Congressman) Evan Baxter.  Morgan Freeman returns as God and puts Evan in the position of being the new Noah and dealing with a horde of animals.  Steve Carell was riding high on the success of The 40-Year-Old Virgin and awards for The Office as he took on this role.  Evan Almighty opened at #1 with $31.1 million from 3,604 theaters, but only grossed $100 million in the U.S. against a whopping $175 million budget.

1408 - June 22, 2007
This intensely haunting tale was based on a Stephen King short story.  John Cusack plays a writer and debunker of haunted locales, who books a stay in the “evil” room 1408 of The Dolphin Hotel.  The film earned great reviews from critics and audiences, who put it at #2 at the box office with $20.6 million.  It ended up grossing $71 million on a budget of just $25 million, and as of 2017 is still the second-highest grossing film based on a Stephen King story, behind The Green Mile.

Ratatouille - June 29, 2007 - HWDYK quiz
Ratatouille stars Patton Oswalt as Remy, a Parisian rat who wants to be a chef for humans.    Reviews were excellent, and the film went on to win the Oscar for Best Animated Picture in addition to nominations for Best Writing, Best Music, Best Sound Mixing and Sound Editing. Ratatouille opened at #1 with $47 million from 3,940 theaters and went on to gross $206 million domestically.

Live Free or Die Hard - June 27, 2007 - HWDYK quiz
The fourth film chronicling the super bad luck of detective John McClane has him stumbling onto a plot to ransom the nation’s electronic networks.  Timothy Olyphant plays the bad guy, Bruce Willis the good guy, and Justin Long the comic relief.  Mary Elizabeth Winstead appears as McClane’s daughter Lucy, and Kevin Smith plays a hacker. With a mid-week opening, Live Free or Die Hard pulled in $48 million by the Sunday before July 4th.  Its $134 million gross is still the peak of the series.  It’s also the only PG-13 film of the five released as of 2017.

 
15 YEARS AGO

Scooby-Doo - June 14, 2002
This live-action adaptation of the animated television series stars Matthew Lillard as Shaggy, Freddie Prinze Jr. as Fred, Sarah Michelle Gellar as Daphne, and Linda Cardellini as Velma.  The Mystery Machine gang travels to Spooky Island to solve a case of possession. Scooby-Doo’s $54 million opening was the second-best June weekend ever, after Austin Powers.  It went on to gross $153 million and spawn a sequel in 2004 that earned just over half of this film’s numbers.
 
The Bourne Identity - June 14, 2002 - HWDYK quiz
Prior to Bourne, the only super spy worth talking about was James Bond.  Director Doug Liman and star Matt Damon not only gave us an American version, but they changed the standard for modern action choreography and arguably forced Craig’s 007 to adopt a grittier, more realistic style.  The Bourne Identity opened at #2 with $27.1 million and kept going to $121 million.  It spawned four successful sequels as of 2017, three with Damon and one starring Jeremy Renner.
 
Windtalkers - June 14, 2002
Nicolas Cage and Adam Beach star in this World War II tribute to the Navajo code talkers who were vital for transmitting coded messages.  Despite the actual heroic history, the film received weak reviews and failed at the box office.  Windtalkers opened at  #3 with $14.5 million and  grossed just $40.9 million in the U.S.

Minority Report - June 21, 2002
Tom Cruise plays a police officer who relies on visions of “precog” humans in order to arrest citizens before they even commit a crime. This thriller from director Steven Spielberg, based on a story by Philip K. Dick, injected the term PreCrime into public policy debate, and even depicted direct advertising to consumers ahead of its time. Minority Report opened at #1 with $35.6 million, grossed $132 million in the U.S. and another $226 million abroad. A sequel television series ran for one season in 2015.

Lilo & Stitch - June 21, 2002 - HWDYK quiz
This original story from Disney Animation features a young girl in Hawaii and her new dog-like alien companion, Stitch.  Central to the theme is the term “ohana,” meaning family.  The film received great reviews and later earned an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Feature.  Lilo & Stitch nearly tied Minority Report with $35.2 million and went on to gross $145 million.  It was followed by three direct-to-video sequels and a television series that ran for two seasons on the Disney Channel.

Mr. Deeds - June 28, 2002
Adam Sandler stars in this farcical remake of Mr. Deeds Goes to Town, as a decent small-town inheritor of a vast empire and target of corporate cutthroats.  Mr. Deeds opened at #1 with $37.1 million from 3,231 theaters and finished with $126 million, Sandler’s third $100+ million hit.
 
 
20 YEARS AGO

Speed 2: Cruise Control - June 13, 1997
Pop quiz: You have a runaway hit film and concept, what do you do next?  How about make a bomb of a sequel Sandra Bullock returns without Keanu Reeves for some slow-speed thrills on a cruise ship hijacked by Willem Dafoe.  Despite dismal reviews, Speed 2 managed to open at #1 with $16.1 million from 2,615 theaters, and grossed $48.6 million.  But compared to its $160 million budget and the first film’s $121 million gross, this sequel was a flop.  It also "won" the Raspberry Award for Worst Remake or Sequel.
 
Ulee’s Gold - June 13, 1997
Though this drama only received limited release and a $9.1 million gross, it’s notable for earning Peter Fonda his first and only Best Actor nomination at the Academy Awards.
 
Batman & Robin - June 20, 1997
George Clooney took over from Val Kilmer in the second over-the-top Batman film by director Joel Schumacher. Chris O'Donnell returns as Robin, Arnold Schwarzenegger plays the villain Mr. Freeze, with Uma Thurman as Poison Ivy, and Alicia Silverstone as Batgirl. Predictably bad one-liners and poor reviews weren’t enough to keep audiences away, so Batman & Robin scored the #1 weekend box office spot with $42.8 million from 2,932 theaters - a decline from Batman Returns and Batman Forever.  Batman & Robin’s $107 million gross was also the lowest of the series by a large margin.  Christopher Nolan rectified things by rebooting the series in 2005.  

My Best Friend’s Wedding - June 20, 1997
This is, of course, a Julia Roberts comedy, but it was also a boost for Cameron Diaz, who plays  the wife-to-be of Julia’s lifelong friend, played by Dermot Mulroney.  My Best Friend’s Wedding opened at #2 with $21.6 million and went on to gross $127 million in the U.S.  This was the second highest grossing film for Julia Roberts to date, after Pretty Woman’s $178 million total.

Face/Off - June 27, 1997
John Woo’s thriller features a stretch of a concept: John Travolta’s FBI agent and Nicolas Cage’s terrorist swap faces following surgery.  The casting here was perfect.  Face/Off opened at #1 with $23.3 million from 2,621 theaters and grossed $112 million, beating the total for Cage’s Con Air, which was at #5 in its fourth weekend of release.

Hercules - June 27, 1997
Disney’s animated adventure had actually premiered on June 15th, but went wide this weekend.  Tate Donovan voices the Greek mythological hero, with Danny DeVito, James Woods, and Rip Torn providing additional voices. Hercules took in $21.4 million to place second this weekend, and earned $99 million overall, roughly equal to the gross for The Hunchback of Notre Dame the previous summer.
 
 
25 YEARS AGO

Housesitter - June 12, 1992
In a sort of reverse Overboard, Goldie Hawn stars as a random woman who convinces everyone that she’s the wife of a reserved architect played by Steve Martin.  Housesitter opened at #3 with $9.1 million, and earned a total of $58.5 million, down from Father of the Bride’s gross the previous year.

Batman Returns - June 19, 1992 - HWDYK quiz
Michael Keaton returned under the direction of Tim Burton again, this time facing off against Christopher Walken as Max Shreck, Danny DeVito as the Penguin, and Michelle Pfeiffer as Catwoman.  Batman Returns took the opening weekend record from the first Batman (and held it for a year until Jurassic Park’s opening) with $45.6 million from 2,644 theaters.  Its domestic total of $162 million was the third highest of the year.

Unlawful Entry - June 26, 1992
This creepy stalker thriller starred Kurt Russell and Madeleine Stowe as a couple fending off a twisted cop played by Ray Liotta.  Good reviews helped land it in the #2 spot with $10.0 million and strong per-theater average, leading up to a domestic total of $57 million.
 

 
30 YEARS AGO

Predator - June 12, 1987 - HWDYK quiz
After a false start with Jean-Claude Van Damme in a goofy lobster costume (look it up, it’s a great story), Stan Winston nailed the design for one of modern cinema’s greatest monsters.  And although reviews weren’t great at release, this film has become a fan classic. Predator opened at #1 with $12 million and earned a profitable $59.7 million.  A sequel without Schwarzenegger was released in 1990, followed by two Alien crossover projects in 2004 and 2007 and the Adrien Brody offshoot Predators in 2010.  The next Predator film is scheduled for release in late summer 2018.
 
The Witches of Eastwick - June 12, 1987
This comedy was adapted from the novel by John Updike and stars Jack Nicholson as the devil incarnate in a contemporary town, where he seduces Cher, Susan Sarandon, and Michelle Pfeiffer.  Good reviews put The Witches of Eastwick at #2 for the weekend with $9.4 million.  It beat Predator’s per-theater and final gross, earning $63.7 million.
 
Roxanne - June 19, 1987
Steve Martin gets romantic alongside Daryl Hannah in this adaptation of Cyrano de Bergerac.  His screenplay won a Writers Guild Award that year. Roxanne opened at #5 with $4.5 million from 847 theaters (the second-best per-theater average of the weekend) and eventually earned $40 million, his best result since The Jerk.

Dragnet - June 26, 1987
Dan Aykroyd and Tom Hanks team up to save the virgin Connie Swail from a P.A.G.A.N. cult in this contemporary comedy based on the 1950s radio and television drama about the LAPD.  Dragnet opened at #1 with $10.5 million from 1,337 theaters and went on to earn $57.3 million.

Spaceballs - June 24, 1987 - HWDYK quiz
A classic for 1980s fans, Mel Brooks spoofed Star Wars with absurdly quotable lines and sight gags.  Bull Pullman’s Lone Starr faces of against Rick Moranis as Dark Helmet.  Spaceballs was the best box office result for Brooks since his early 1970s hits, opening at #2 with $6.6 million from a Wednesday opening and finishing with $38.1 million.

Full Metal Jacket - June 26, 1987 - HWDYK quiz
Stanley Kubrick’s Vietnam war drama opened in limited release this weekend at 215 theaters and then expanded wide in the second week of July.  Though it starred Matthew Modine and Vincent D’Onofrio, the standout performance was by R. Lee Ermey as the sharp tongued drill instructor Gunnery Sergeant Hartman.   Ermey was passed over by the Academy, but the critical acclaim helped launch his long acting career.  Full Metal Jacket eventually earned $46.3 million.
 
 
35 YEARS AGO

E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial - June 11, 1982
This family-friendly sci-fi adventure from Steven Spielberg and screenwriter Melissa Mathison was so successful and embraced that it became a national shared experience.  Unlike the creatures in Star Wars (the current box office champion) and other sci-fi adventures, E.T. was sweet, and vulnerable, and shared a bond with his young rescuer, played by Henry Thomas.  It opened at #1 with $11.8 million - big, but not a record - and then held that spot for five weeks, dropped to #2, but then returned to #1 over and over - even dropping to #5 in October but reclaiming #1 again at Thanksgiving.  In all, E.T. was #1 for 16 weekends, which is still the all-time record (Titanic is next at 15).  It didn’t fall out of the top 10 until the following January, and by the time it left theaters a year after release, it had set the all-time domestic box office record with $359 million.   Setting aside re-release earnings, E.T.’s first run record would stand for 15 years until it was broken by Titanic.  Finding someone who hadn’t seen this movie in the 1980s would have been as hard as finding an alien in a corn field.  At the Oscars, the film was nominated for Best Picture, Director, Writing, Cinematography, and Editing, and won Best Sound, Visual Effects, Sound Effects, and Original Score by John Williams.  Ironically, the 1983 video game based on the movie was so bad that Atari buried truckloads of unsold cartridges in a Texas landfill, where they were unearthed in 2014.
 
Grease 2 - June 11, 1982
Michelle Pfeiffer and Maxwell Caulfield starred in this musical sequel set in 1961. Grease was a huge $160 million hit in 1978, so you’d think there would be money to be made from a sequel.  For comparison, Grease made nearly $9 million in its opening weekend alone.  Grease 2 opened at #5 with $4.6 million and finished with $15.1 million in total.  It’s no wonder there wasn’t a third picture. That said, Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta’s re-teaming in 1983 with Two of a Kind was a bomb too.

Firefox - June 18, 1982
Clint Eastwood stars as a USAF pilot on a mission to steal a high-tech fictional fighter plane from inside the Soviet Union.  Among the plane’s nifty features is its control by thinking in Russian.  Firefox opened at #2 with $8.1 million from 881 theaters (compared to over 1500 for Star Trek II in its third weekend), and finished with $46.7 million, Eastwood’s best box office performance to date.

Blade Runner - June 25, 1982 - HWDYK quiz
Another of Philip K. Dick’s ideas became one of the most iconic science fiction movies of the modern era under the direction of Ridley Scott.  Harrison Ford stars in a role less charming than his Indy and Han Solo heroes, but fitting the film’s dark mood (set in the year 2019).  Thirty-five years later, Ford will be returning as Deckard alongside Ryan Gosling in the sequel, Blade Runner 2049, due in theaters this October.  Blade Runner opened at #2 with $6.1 million from 1,295 theaters and eventually earned $27.5 million.  

The Thing - June 25, 1982 - HWDYK quiz
Depicting a decidedly different angle on alien visitation, John Carpenter’s horror starred Kurt Russell as a helicopter pilot at an Antarctica research station under attack by a lethal doppelgänger. It received weak reviews at release but you might find it on some Best Horror Movies lists now.  The Thing opened at #8 with $3.1 million but held steady enough at the box office to earn a total of $19.6 million.

Megaforce - June 25, 1982
Megaforce was a flop at the box office for good reason, but I had to include it as one of those 1980s memories for a young kid.  The film was directed by stuntman and Burt Reynolds director Hal Needham, so naturally it featured cool futuristic motorcycles and vehicles.  Megaforce opened at #9 with $2.3 million and made only $5.6 million.  It still has a 0% RottenTomatoes.com score, but that’s just from the critics!  Movie fans of my generation remember this one more fondly.  If you can’t find this as a rental, look for it from RiffTrax.