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15 years ago

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - June 15, 2001
Angelina Jolie takes on the iconic video game adventurer in this big budget action film. After some award-winning roles, Jolie was part of the blockbuster Gone in 60 Seconds the previous summer. This Tomb Raider plot involves a device called the “Triangle of Light,” a planetary alignment, and an Illuminati conspiracy. Jolie’s real life father Jon Voight plays Croft’s father in the film, and Daniel Craig co-stars with an American accent at a time when he was largely unknown to American audiences.

Reviews were poor, with Jolie later earning a Razzie Award nomination, but box office was the prize here. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider opened at #1 with $47 million from 3,308 theaters, the third biggest opening for a June release as of 2001. Its $131 million domestic gross is still the highest for a video game adaptation as of 2016. Jolie returned for a sequel in 2003. In April 2016, Alicia Vikander was named as the next Lara Croft.

Atlantis: The Lost Empire - June 8, 2001
Opening on June 8th at just two theaters, Atlantis expanded to over 3,000 theaters this weekend. Along with Lara Croft, this film made it a big weekend for fantasy archaeology adventures. Disney’s animated film features Michael J. Fox as the voice of Milo Thatch, a Smithsonian Institute scientist who leads a team to uncover the ancient submerged city in 1914. Regardless of fair reviews, this film did not match up at the box office to Disney’s past decade of traditionally animated hits nor more recent CGI animated hits. Atlantis took the #2 spot at the box office with $20.3 million, taking in $84 million in the U.S. and another $101 million from foreign markets.

Sexy Beast - June 8, 2001
Opening in limited release this weekend, this British crime drama eventually earned $6.9 million from a peak distribution of less than 200 theaters. Ray Winstone stars as a safe-cracker, but the real draw was the performance of Ben Kingsley as a fiercely intimidating criminal who insists that Winstone’s character help him rob a bank, with the backing of a character played by Ian McShane. Kingsley later received the third Oscar nomination of his career for his supporting role.

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