1990s in film

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The decade of the 1990s in film involved many significant developments in the industry of cinema.^[1] Numerous feature-length movies were specifically filmed or edited to be displayed not only on theater screens but also the smaller TV screens, like showing more close-ups and less wide shots during dialogue scenes. Moreover, the home video market grew into being a major factor on the total revenue of a theatrical film, often doubling the amount. An example of both cases is Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, which was initially planned to have a direct-to-video release.

Trends

These particular ten years are notable for milestone advancements in CGI technology, seen in such motion pictures as Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Jurassic Park, and Forrest Gump courtesy of Industrial Light & Magic. 1995's Toy Story by Pixar became the first feature film to be completely computer-animated, heralding the use of 3D graphics as a tool for filmmakers to achieve new visuals on-screen.
Stemming from the tail end of the 1980s, the mainstream successes of low-budget directors like Quentin Tarantino, Robert Rodriguez, Kevin Smith, Paul Thomas Anderson, Gus Van Sant, Richard Linklater, Steven Soderbergh, and the Coen brothers; alongside the increased prominence of independent movie studios such as New Line Cinema, Miramax Films, and Gramercy Pictures; gave rise to a boom period of highly profitable indie films that include Pulp Fiction, Fargo, Boogie Nights, Good Will Hunting, The Big Lebowski, and The Blair Witch Project.
The Disney Renaissance began in late 1989 with The Little Mermaid, reached peak popularity with The Lion King in 1994, and ended in 1999 with Tarzan. During its influential run, the mass appeal of animated musicals got exceptionally rejuvenated (as opposed to The Rescuers Down Under in 1990, which contains no original songs and has been generally deemed a commercial disappointment even compared to its 1977 predecessor), resulting in supposed emulations from similar production companies. However, merely three of said attempts proved to be lucrative, namely The Nightmare Before Christmas by Skellington, Anastasia by Fox, and The Prince of Egypt by DreamWorks. Around six months prior to the decade's conclusion, Comedy Central's South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut prospered in part through parodying the conventions of this trend.
1988's Die Hard had established what became a common plot scenario for many 1990s action films, which is the matchup of an everyman hero against a colorful villain who is threatening the lives of innocents in an isolated setting, though with certain variations. Features of this kind, and the sequels that followed some of them, are often referred to as "Die Hard on a _____": Under Siege (battleship), Cliffhanger (mountain), Speed (bus), The Rock (prison island), Con Air (prison plane), Air Force One (presidential plane), and so on.
A resurgence of disaster films dominated the box office with blockbusters such as Twister, Independence Day, Titanic, and Armageddon.
Several leading figures of 1980s to mid-1990s Hong Kong action cinema migrated to Hollywood with varying success: Jackie Chan, Jet Li, Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh, John Woo, Yuen Woo-ping, Tsui Hark, Ringo Lam, etc. Updating martial arts and gunfight choreography in American motion pictures with such releases as Broken Arrow, Face/Off, Tomorrow Never Dies, Lethal Weapon 4, Rush Hour, and The Matrix. Three Western world directorial debuts of established Eastern filmmakers were for Jean-Claude Van Damme star vehicles, though these collaborations only performed moderately en masse at the global market.
Wes Craven's Scream revitalized the declining interest in slasher films through satirizing the subgenre with characters that are well-versed in its clichés. Leading to studios capitalizing especially on the high school to college age demographic with the likes of I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream 2, Urban Legend, and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer. The three biggest hits among these movies were written or adapted by Kevin Williamson, who also co-wrote the sci-fi horror The Faculty, which targeted the same audience as well.

Highest-grossing films

List of worldwide highest-grossing films
Rank	Title	Studios	Worldwide gross	Year	Ref.
1	Titanic	Paramount Pictures/20th Century Fox	$1,843,201,268	1997	^{[# 1]}
2	Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace	20th Century Fox	$924,317,558	1999	^{[# 2]}
3	Jurassic Park	Universal Pictures	$914,691,118	1993	^{[# 3]}
4	Independence Day	20th Century Fox	$817,400,891	1996	^{[# 4]}
5	The Lion King	Walt Disney Studios	$763,455,561	1994	^{[# 5]}
6	Forrest Gump	Paramount Pictures	$677,387,716	1994	^{[# 6]}
7	The Sixth Sense	Walt Disney Studios	$672,806,292	1999	^{[# 7]}
8	The Lost World: Jurassic Park	Universal Pictures	$618,638,999	1997	^{[# 8]}
9	Men in Black	Sony Pictures/Columbia Pictures	$589,390,539	1997	^{[# 9]}
10	Armageddon	Walt Disney Studios	$553,709,788	1998	^{[# 10]}
11	Terminator 2: Judgment Day	TriStar Pictures	$519,843,345	1991	^{[# 11]}
12	Ghost	Paramount Pictures	$505,702,588	1990	^{[# 12]}
13	Aladdin	Walt Disney Studios	$504,050,219	1992	^{[# 13]}
14	Twister	Warner Bros./Universal Pictures	$494,471,524	1996	^{[# 14]}
15	Toy Story 2	Walt Disney Studios	$485,015,179	1999	^{[# 15]}
16	Saving Private Ryan	DreamWorks Pictures/Paramount Pictures	$481,840,909	1998	^{[# 16]}
17	Home Alone	20th Century Fox	$476,684,675	1990	^{[# 17]}
18	The Matrix	Warner Bros.	$463,517,383	1999	^{[# 18]}
19	Pretty Woman	Walt Disney Studios	$463,406,268	1990	^{[# 19]}
20	Mission: Impossible	Paramount Pictures	$457,696,359	1996	^{[# 20]}
21	Tarzan	Walt Disney Studios	$448,191,819	1999	^{[# 21]}
22	Mrs. Doubtfire	20th Century Fox	$441,286,195	1993	^{[# 22]}
23	Dances with Wolves	Orion Pictures	$424,208,848	1990	^{[# 23]}
24	The Mummy	Universal Pictures	$415,933,406	1999	^{[# 24]}
25	The Bodyguard	Warner Bros.	$411,006,740	1992	^{[# 25]}
26	Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves	Warner Bros.	$390,493,908	1991	^{[# 26]}
27	Godzilla	TriStar Pictures	$379,014,294	1998	^{[# 27]}
28	True Lies	20th Century Fox	$378,882,411	1994	^{[# 28]}
29	Toy Story	Walt Disney Studios	$373,554,033	1995	^{[# 29]}
30	There's Something About Mary	20th Century Fox	$369,884,651	1998	^{[# 30]}
31	The Fugitive	Warner Bros.	$368,875,760	1993	^{[# 31]}
32	Die Hard with a Vengeance	20th Century Fox/Cinergi Pictures	$366,101,666	1995	^{[# 32]}
33	Notting Hill	PolyGram Filmed Entertainment	$363,889,678	1999	^{[# 33]}
34	A Bug's Life	Walt Disney Studios	$363,398,565	1998	^{[# 34]}
35	The World Is Not Enough	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures	$361,832,400	1999	^{[# 35]}
36	Home Alone 2: Lost in New York	20th Century Fox	$358,994,850	1992	^{[# 36]}
37	American Beauty	DreamWorks Pictures	$356,296,601	1999	^{[# 37]}
38	Apollo 13	Universal Pictures/Imagine Entertainment	$355,237,933	1995	^{[# 38]}
39	Basic Instinct	TriStar Pictures	$352,927,224	1992	^{[# 39]}
40	GoldenEye	MGM/United Artists	$352,194,034	1995	^{[# 40]}
41	The Mask	New Line Cinema	$351,583,407	1994	^{[# 41]}
42	Speed	20th Century Fox	$350,448,145	1994	^{[# 42]}
43	Deep Impact	Paramount Pictures/DreamWorks Pictures	$349,464,664	1998	^{[# 43]}
44	Beauty and the Beast	Walt Disney Studios	$346,317,207	1991	^{[# 44]}
45	Pocahontas	Walt Disney Studios	$346,079,773	1995	^{[# 45]}
46	The Flintstones	Universal Pictures	$341,631,208	1994	^{[# 46]}
47	Batman Forever	Warner Bros.	$336,529,144	1995	^{[# 47]}
48	The Rock	Walt Disney Studios	$335,062,621	1996	^{[# 48]}
49	Tomorrow Never Dies	MGM/United Artists	$333,011,068	1997	^{[# 49]}
50	Seven	New Line Cinema	$327,311,859	1995	^{[# 50]}

Accolades

The following films received the most acclaim at the Academy Awards during the 1990s.

Year	Ceremony	Most nominations	Most awards	Best Picture
1990	63rd	Dances with Wolves (12)	Dances with Wolves (7)	Dances with Wolves
1991	64th	Bugsy (10)	The Silence of the Lambs (5)	The Silence of the Lambs
1992	65th	Howards End and Unforgiven (9)	Unforgiven (4)	Unforgiven
1993	66th	Schindler's List (12)	Schindler's List (7)	Schindler's List
1994	67th	Forrest Gump (13)	Forrest Gump (6)	Forrest Gump
1995	68th	Braveheart (10)	Braveheart (5)	Braveheart
1996	69th	The English Patient (12)	The English Patient (9)	The English Patient
1997	70th	Titanic (14)	Titanic (11)	Titanic
1998	71st	Shakespeare in Love (13)	Shakespeare in Love (7)	Shakespeare in Love
1999	72nd	American Beauty (8)	American Beauty (5)	American Beauty

List of films

References

^ Dirks, Tim. "Film History of the 1990s". Filmsite.org. American Movie Classics Company LLC. Retrieved 6 March 2016.

^ "1997 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1999 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1993 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1996 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1994 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1994 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1999 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1997 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1997 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1998 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1991 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1990 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1992 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1996 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1999 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1998 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1990 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1999 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1990 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1996 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1999 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1993 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1990 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1999 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1992 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1991 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1998 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1994 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1995 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1998 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1993 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1995 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1999 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1998 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1999 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1992 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1999 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1995 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1992 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1995 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1994 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1994 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1998 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1991 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1995 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1994 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1995 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1996 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1997 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
^ "1995 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

External links

[1] Dirks, Tim. "Film History of the 1990s". Filmsite.org. American Movie Classics Company LLC. Retrieved 6 March 2016.

[2] "1997 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[3] "1999 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[4] "1993 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[5] "1996 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[6] "1994 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[7] "1994 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[8] "1999 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[9] "1997 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[10] "1997 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[11] "1998 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[12] "1991 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[13] "1990 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[14] "1992 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[15] "1996 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[16] "1999 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[17] "1998 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[18] "1990 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[19] "1999 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[20] "1990 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[21] "1996 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[22] "1999 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[23] "1993 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[24] "1990 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[25] "1999 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[26] "1992 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[27] "1991 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[28] "1998 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[29] "1994 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[30] "1995 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[31] "1998 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[32] "1993 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[33] "1995 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[34] "1999 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[35] "1998 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[36] "1999 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[37] "1992 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[38] "1999 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[39] "1995 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[40] "1992 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[41] "1995 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[42] "1994 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[43] "1994 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[44] "1998 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[45] "1991 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[46] "1995 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[47] "1994 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[48] "1995 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[49] "1996 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[50] "1997 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

[51] "1995 Worldwide Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2018-09-05.

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v t e 1990s
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