Jennifer Aniston finally has a reason to smile: After four years of the public being interested in her mainly as a cog in the Jolie-Pitt household, the Friends star finally proved that she's as much of a draw as her ex-husband. Revenge!
Aniston's family flick, Marley & Me, took the top spot at the box office this Christmas, followed by Pitt's Curious Case of Benjamin Button. No one was expecting Button to do very well, as artsy films don't get much love during the family friendly weekend. So it was curious (heh) that Pitt was able to beat out the Disney/Sandler vehicle Bedtime Stories, which came in third.
So a win for Fincher's dark Button vehicle, as it made more than expected, and a win for Jennifer for being in a number one movie that no one knows anything about except that it involves a dead dog.Which got us thinking: Sure, people say they love a feel good Christmas film to drag the screaming tots to during the holiday weekend, but what do the box office numbers each year really show?
We look to the top Christmas earners from years past for a connective thread.
2007: National Treasure: Book of Secrets
Why did it do so well: Unknown. Nicolas Cage's later years have been box office poison, yet for some reason, these damn National Treasure movies just keep on making money. Seriously, try even watching the outtakes from this film (at right) and tell me it's not Christmas miracle that Cage is still making money.
Christmas spirit: Meh, not so much. Sure, it's a Disney film, but it also has heaaaathen Indiana Jones-esque mysteries and international espionage.
2001-2003: Lord of the Rings Trilogy*
Why did it do so well: Technically, Peter Jackson's hobbit epic opened the weekend before Christmas for each segment. Nevertheless, LOTR still held the number one slot on Christmas from 2001-2003, beating out such Christmas weeked openers as Catch Me if You Can, Ocean's Eleven and Cheaper By the Dozen. People may love Christmas all right, but they love their dorky elf versus orc fanfiction more. And no one could resist the love between Sam and Frodo.
Christmas spirit: Um, Middle Earth doesn't have a Christmas ::pushes glasses up nose::
1998: Patch Adams
Why did it do so well: Patch Adams has come to represent the turning point in Robin Williams' career, where he went from raunchy to super-saccharine. Sure, for most of the 90s, Williams had been playing audience favorites in Hook, Mrs. Doubtfire and Aladdin. But it was really Patch Adams where Robin went to the phone, dialed up his agent, and went, "Give me something where I cure cancer through laughter." 1998 was a great year for heart-warmers, because number two in the box office that week was Stepmom, another dramedy about cancer, laughter, and the power of blegggh.
Christmas spirit: The spirit is strong within this one. While not necessarily involving Christmas in any way, Patch Adams confirms the long held belief that most families want to watch something as mind-numbingly sweet on the holidays as they do mind-numbingly violent the rest of the year.
1984: Beverly Hills Cop
Why did it do so well: Another famous foul-mouthed 70s comedian, Eddie Murphy was still riding high on his adult-comedy fame when Beverley Hills Cop came out in 1984. So how did a raunchy R-rated caper film full of sex, violence, and the F-bomb do so well on the holidays? Um, catchy theme song?
Christmas spirit: None. There's not even any snow in Beverly Hills.
1978: Superman
Why did it do so well: The first major superhero film to hit theaters and start a trend that would span decades, Christopher Reeve's portrayal of the indestructible son of Krypton had audiences filling the seats to see how well Reeve's could fill out those tight briefs.
Christmas spirit: Not very much. No Christmas themes there except maybe in the merchandising. But then again, what's Christmas all about if not the promotional tie-ins, box figures, and collectors memorabilia. If you managed to hold onto any mint condition Superman toys from the original film, you'd be having a very merry Christmas in 2008 indeed.
Looking through these numbers, a strong pattern emerges here from the late 70s onward: the common rhetoric of feel good Christmas movies making box-office magic holds true, provided that there isn't a big budget action/comedy also coming out that weekend. So here's the scary thought to leave you with: Marley & Me may have actually succeeded off its own merits, instead of any Christmas boost.
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