Box Office Flashback: 2008

[claws]

2008 DOMESTIC GROSSES

#1–20

01. $533,345,358 - The Dark Knight
02. $318,412,101 - Iron Man
03. $317,101,119 - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
04. $227,946,274 - Hancock
05. $223,808,164 - WALL-E
06. $215,434,591 - Kung Fu Panda
07. $192,769,854 - Twilight
08. $180,010,950 - Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
09. $168,368,427 - Quantum of Solace
10. $154,529,439 - Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!

11. $152,647,258 - Sex and the City
12. $148,095,302 - Gran Torino
13. $144,130,063 - Mamma Mia!
14. $143,153,751 - Marley and Me
15. $141,621,490 - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
16. $141,319,928 - Slumdog Millionaire
17. $134,806,913 - The Incredible Hulk
18. $134,508,551 - Wanted
19. $130,319,208 - Get Smart
20. $127,509,326 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Only seen four (!). Least interested: Hancock.

[Mr. DS]

I saw the Dark Knight in the theater...and was let down.

[bob]

01. $533,345,358 - The Dark Knight - one of my favorites!
02. $318,412,101 - Iron Man - Really good, although I was disgusted by the blatant product placement for Burger King.
03. $317,101,119 - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - I really think this isn't as bad as its reputation, dar eI say it's underated and only as implausable for the most part (nuke the fridge) as the other Indiana Jones films.
09. $168,368,427 - Quantum of Solace - Extremely disappointed with this, the plot hole a mile wide didn't help.
16. $141,319,928 - Slumdog Millionaire - I've seen this a few times. Really good.

[akiratubo]

01. $533,345,358 - The Dark Knight
It's a whole lot better than Batman Begins, but so is being set on fire.  TDK is seriously one of the stupidest movies I've ever seen.  It's not even entertainingly stupid.

02. $318,412,101 - Iron Man
It was ok the first time I saw it, but I enjoyed it much less on the second viewing.  I don't care to ever see it again.

03. $317,101,119 - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Haven't seen.

04. $227,946,274 - Hancock
Haven't seen.

05. $223,808,164 - WALL-E
Remove the humans from the story and you'd have the best Pixar movie.

06. $215,434,591 - Kung Fu Panda
07. $192,769,854 - Twilight
08. $180,010,950 - Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa
09. $168,368,427 - Quantum of Solace
10. $154,529,439 - Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!
11. $152,647,258 - Sex and the City
Haven't seen.

12. $148,095,302 - Gran Torino
Excellent movie.

13. $144,130,063 - Mamma Mia!
14. $143,153,751 - Marley and Me
15. $141,621,490 - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
Haven't seen.

16. $141,319,928 - Slumdog Millionaire
Not a bad movie, but overly long and highly predictable.

17. $134,806,913 - The Incredible Hulk
Now this is how you make a Hulk movie!  Have the giant green man kick ass and smash things, and throw an opponent at him who's worthy to fight.

18. $134,508,551 - Wanted
19. $130,319,208 - Get Smart
Haven't seen.

20. $127,509,326 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Hits so many of the same plot beats as Forrest Gump it seems like an odd remake of it.  Once again, too damn long.

[El Misfit]

01. $533,345,358 - The Dark Knight- all right i guess
02. $318,412,101 - Iron Man- never saw
03. $317,101,119 - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull- don't understand why it got such a bad rep, think it was nitpicking people who bashed it.
04. $227,946,274 - Hancock- stupid as well as fun
05. $223,808,164 - WALL-E- great movie
06. $215,434,591 - Kung Fu Panda- never saw
07. $192,769,854 - Twilight- NO!
08. $180,010,950 - Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa- never saw
09. $168,368,427 - Quantum of Solace- dull
10. $154,529,439 - Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!-never saw

11. $152,647,258 - Sex and the City- never saw
12. $148,095,302 - Gran Torino-need to see it
13. $144,130,063 - Mamma Mia!- never saw
14. $143,153,751 - Marley and Me-never saw
15. $141,621,490 - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian- never saw
16. $141,319,928 - Slumdog Millionaire- great movie
17. $134,806,913 - The Incredible Hulk- never saw
18. $134,508,551 - Wanted-never saw
19. $130,319,208 - Get Smart-never saw
20. $127,509,326 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- great movie

[Jack]

Seen 2:  Quantum of solace, which I absolutely hated, and The Incredible Hulk, which was basically cool FX shots sprinkled throughout an absolutely awful movie.

I don't think I'll watch a third from that year   

[Psycho Circus]

Best film of 2008 for me was Rambo

I went to the cinema to see The Dark Knight and thought it was really good, then I was dragged to the cinema to see Sex & The City and was robbed of 145 mins of my life...

I also saw bits of Wanted, which I think is one of the worst films ever made.

Still need to watch Gran Torino.

Bad year.......again!

[Jim H]

01. $533,345,358 - The Dark Knight - An excellent film.  To date, the best superhero movie.
02. $318,412,101 - Iron Man - Entertaining film.  Great lead performance.
03. $317,101,119 - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - the weakest of the series, but still entertaining.
04. $227,946,274 - Hancock - Only seen some of it.  What I saw was OK.
05. $223,808,164 - WALL-E - Great film.  Great writing, great characters, great visuals.
06. $215,434,591 - Kung Fu Panda - Solid film.  Good action scenes, likable characters, very good animation and texture work.  Actually has a bit of a heart.
07. $192,769,854 - Twilight - Bland, but competently made.
08. $180,010,950 - Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - Not seen.
09. $168,368,427 - Quantum of Solace - Bad.  Terrible action scenes, boring villains, nothing memorable about the film in anyway.  The worst Bond film of my lifetime.
10. $154,529,439 - Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! - Ok from what I saw of it, but I've only seen about 20 minutes.

11. $152,647,258 - Sex and the City - Not seen.
12. $148,095,302 - Gran Torino - Very good lead performance, weak supporting performances.  Decent story.  Overall pretty good.
13. $144,130,063 - Mamma Mia! - Not seen
14. $143,153,751 - Marley and Me - Not seen
15. $141,621,490 - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian - Not seen.
16. $141,319,928 - Slumdog Millionaire - Excellent film all around, great cinematography, great use of music, generally really good acting and great editing.  Good story too.
17. $134,806,913 - The Incredible Hulk - Enjoyable enough, good characters and I like how it mostly skips reintroducing the Hulk/Banner.  Good film.
18. $134,508,551 - Wanted - Kind of stupid, but visually sound and has a few good action scenes.  Worth a watch.
19. $130,319,208 - Get Smart - Better than expected - funny, good characters, and some solid action scenes.
20. $127,509,326 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button - Not seen.

Overall, seems like a pretty solid year to me. 

I'd be curious to see what a good year is from some of you. 

[InformationGeek]

01. The Dark Knight (It better be number one with all that praise about it being one of the highest grossing movies around.  I love it, in the Top 5 of all time for me, enough said)
02. Iron Man (Saw it a while back and really enjoyed it.  It helped me get interested in the buildup for the Avengers film)
03. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (I like it.  You'll have to live with 4 haters.)
04. Hancock (Didn't see)
05. WALL-E (Love this one.  It's in my top 25 favorite films)
06. Kung Fu Panda (This was a suprise for me for just how good it was.)
07. Twilight (I'll catch it when the rest of the Twilight films are out.  I'll marathoning through all of them)
08. Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (Own it, never finished it.  Beats me why)
09. Quantum of Solace (Didn't see the first one, so why would I see the second one?)
10. Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! (I saw it and it wasn't bad.)
11. Sex and the City (My mom loves this, but me... I'm not removing my brain anytime soon, so I probably won't be watching this)
12. Gran Torino (People keep saying this is awesome, but I never get around to seeing it)
13. Mamma Mia! (I'll see this at some point.  I just have to know how bad of a singer Pierce Brosan is)
14. Marley and Me (I'm a dog lover, but I'm not interested in seeing this, especially knowing about the bad ending)
15. The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (I'll see this at some point)
16. Slumdog Millionaire (It's not the list to see, but if someone offers me to see it with them, I probably won't refuse)
17. The Incredible Hulk (It's on the list to see)
18. Wanted (I don't even like the comic, so why should I see this?)
19. Get Smart (No opinion.)
20. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (The amount of Oscar Bait smell that is coming off this film is keeping me far away from it)

01. $533,345,358 - The Dark Knight
It's a whole lot better than Batman Begins, but so is being set on fire.  TDK is seriously one of the stupidest movies I've ever seen.  It's not even entertainingly stupid.

   If you compare Batman Begins to being set on fire, how would you compare Disaster Movie or Fred: The Movie in terms of pain?

[JaseSF]

2008 DOMESTIC GROSSES

#1–20

01. $533,345,358 - The Dark Knight - still haven't been able to finish it as of yet...
02. $318,412,101 - Iron Man - I liked it. Pretty solid adaptation I felt. 
03. $317,101,119 - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull- liked it more than most although it isn't up to the level of its predecessors.
04. $227,946,274 - Hancock - has some cool moments but ultimately disappointing.
05. $223,808,164 - WALL-E - really really good even if it reminds me a little of Short Circuit...
06. $215,434,591 - Kung Fu Panda- very enjoyable escapist fare. 
07. $192,769,854 - Twilight - haven't seen and have no plans to do so. Some some clips play on a TV on Wal-Mart and it looked AWFUL!
08. $180,010,950 - Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa - haven't seen but I liked the first one.
09. $168,368,427 - Quantum of Solace - haven't seen.
10. $154,529,439 - Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who! - haven't seen.

11. $152,647,258 - Sex and the City - haven't seen and don't plan to if I can help it.
12. $148,095,302 - Gran Torino - really good movie! 
13. $144,130,063 - Mamma Mia! - haven't seen and really don't want  to either...
14. $143,153,751 - Marley and Me - haven't seen.
15. $141,621,490 - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian- haven't seen.
16. $141,319,928 - Slumdog Millionaire- haven't seen.
17. $134,806,913 - The Incredible Hulk - pretty good movie. Better than the 2003 film anyways but not as good as Iron Man.
18. $134,508,551 - Wanted - haven't seen- seems like hohum same old same old actioner from trailer.
19. $130,319,208 - Get Smart - haven't seen.
20. $127,509,326 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button- haven't seen.

[akiratubo]

  If you compare Batman Begins to being set on fire, how would you compare Disaster Movie or Fred: The Movie in terms of pain?

Fred is just as painful but at least it has an excuse: there was no talent or money involved in the production.  Batman Begins was jam-packed with A-list talent, cost over $100 million to make, and it was still almost impossible to sit through.  Given the choice, I honestly think I'd rather watch Fred again.  I've never seen Disaster Movie.

[HappyGilmore]

01. $533,345,358 - The Dark Knight- I honestly think this is probably as good a Bat-flick we'll get.  Begins was a letdown and from what I read of Dark Knight Rises, that'll be a letdown too.

02. $318,412,101 - Iron Man- Enjoyable movie.  Downey was perfectly cast.  Great seeing somewhat of a B-Teamer given a chance to shine.

03. $317,101,119 - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull- I loathe all Jones flicks.

04. $227,946,274 - Hancock- It was okay.  Wouldn't buy the dvd, but if it's on cable I'll watch.

05. $223,808,164 - WALL-E- Only saw parts of it.  Good from what I saw, but it's always on when I'm getting ready for work and don't have time to watch all the way through.

06. $215,434,591 - Kung Fu Panda- Didn't see.  No interest.

07. $192,769,854 - Twilight- Eh.  Romance flick with Vampires and such.

08. $180,010,950 - Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa- No interest in it. 

09. $168,368,427 - Quantum of Solace- James Bond? No.  Dislike Bond.

10. $154,529,439 - Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!- Probably the best Seuss adaption over the past ten years.

11. $152,647,258 - Sex and the City- I get the reasoning behind the film, but it didn't need to be so long.

12. $148,095,302 - Gran Torino- Never saw.

13. $144,130,063 - Mamma Mia!- Saw some of it.  Not really my thing but if you like Meryl Streep singing Abba songs, it's for you.

14. $143,153,751 - Marley and Me- Great movie.  But the ending rips your heart out.  I am far from an emotional guy, and movies generally don't leave me feeling anything afterwards.  But I saw this thing, cried for 25 minutes afterwards, and grabbed my cat and hugged it for five minutes.

15. $141,621,490 - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian- I like the books but have zero interest in the films.

16. $141,319,928 - Slumdog Millionaire- I had no interest in it, and still don't.

17. $134,806,913 - The Incredible Hulk- As great a Hulk movie as we'll get.  Great fun.

18. $134,508,551 - Wanted- Don't recall this one.

19. $130,319,208 - Get Smart- Okay I guess.

20. $127,509,326 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

[Jack]

The Incredible Hulk, which was basically cool FX shots sprinkled throughout an absolutely awful movie.

Oops, I didn't realize there were two of those Hulk movies.  I was talking about the one from 2003.  Never seen the 2008 one.

Never mind   

[Hammock Rider]

2008 DOMESTIC GROSSES

#1–20

01. $533,345,358 - The Dark Knight...I'm one of those guys that thought that Heath Ledger did a great job and a really interesting take on the Joker, but thought the rest of the film was mediocre at best.

02. $318,412,101 - Iron Man...This might be my favorite super hero movie. I thought it was funny, well acted and at times exciting. It could have used a little more action.

03. $317,101,119 - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull....You survive a nuclear explosion by hiding in a refridgerator? Wow, the gov't could have saved a fortune if they knew this. Plus, Shia swinging with the monkeys? For shame Mr. Spielberg, for shame!

04. $227,946,274 - Hancock...I liekd the beginning, but thought the ending was as dumb as they come.

05. $223,808,164 - WALL-E...missed it

06. $215,434,591 - Kung Fu Panda....missed it by accident

07. $192,769,854 - Twilight....Hahahahaha

08. $180,010,950 - Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa...Cute for the kids. The penguins are actually funny.

09. $168,368,427 - Quantum of Solace...Possibly the biggest let down of the year.

10. $154,529,439 - Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who!....nope

11. $152,647,258 - Sex and the City......Twilight for the "cougar" crowd

12. $148,095,302 - Gran Torino....I liked it. People said his character was an aging Dirty Harry and I liked that too.

13. $144,130,063 - Mamma Mia!...Nope

14. $143,153,751 - Marley and Me....The only way I would see this is if I was forced too, which I was.

15. $141,621,490 - The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian....Never got into the Narnia scene.

16. $141,319,928 - Slumdog Millionaire....Wow this was a great movie. Impressive.

17. $134,806,913 - The Incredible Hulk...Ah, a much better film that the Ang Lee version.

18. $134,508,551 - Wanted....As a stand alone movie this was lame(Loom of Fate my a$$. But as an adaptation of a fun graphic novel, it was just sad.

19. $130,319,208 - Get Smart...i'm a fan of the original series so I checked it out. It was better than I expected.

20. $127,509,326 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button....No thanks.

[Flick James]

12. Gran Torino (People keep saying this is awesome, but I never get around to seeing it)

You need to get on that. It is good. Jim H said the supporting performances were weak, and many of them were. I didn't think they were all bad, though. The priest was the worst of the bunch in my opinion. I can take the weak performances from most of the rest of the cast, but this character was pretty important.

However, Clint's performance is so great and badass that it more than makes up for any shortcomings in the supporting cast.