Tuesday, February 28, 2017
Monday, February 27, 2017
Sunday, February 26, 2017
Saturday, February 25, 2017
Friday, February 24, 2017
Thursday, February 23, 2017
#1 Film in 1937: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
It was the first project that would be derided as "Disney's Folly"- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Everyone in Hollywood knew that it would fail and that nobody would watch a feature length cartoon. Many people thought that Walt Disney would be ruined. Of course, the film was a runaway success, bolstering the mini major studio and allowing Walt Disney to follow more of his dreams.
Wednesday, February 22, 2017
#1 Film in 1936: San Francisco
1936's big film was San Francisco. The film was a fictional story set in the real life events of the 1906 earthquake. The film grossed $5,500,000 ($96,000,000 in today's dollars) and was another feather in MGM's cap.
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
#1 Film in 1935: Mutiny on the Bounty
MGM took the top spot again in 1935 with another big budget film Mutiny on the Bounty. The film made $5,000,000 ($89,000,000 in today's money.) The film would win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.
Monday, February 20, 2017
Sunday, February 19, 2017
Saturday, February 18, 2017
Friday, February 17, 2017
#1 Film in 1934: Viva Villa
Imagine the life of Pancho Villa, retold by someone who had read a news article about him and acted by a cast of non-Mexicans and you'd get MGM's Viva Villa! In a departure for MGM, the film was actually shot on location in Mexico, which makes its lack of Mexican leading actors all the more jarring. Filmed away from MGM's assembly line in Culver City, the pricy film made $1.1 Million (about $54 Million today) at the box office, but its high cost only produced a razor thin profit for MGM.
Thursday, February 16, 2017
#1 Film in 1933: Queen Christina
MGM took the top spot in 1933 with Greta Garbo's Queen Christina. The film grossed $3 Million ($56 Million in today's funds) in another down year at the box office. The film's lavish budget meant that it barely squeaked out a profit. Louis B. Mayer's efficient operations at MGM assured a profitable year overall, however.
Wednesday, February 15, 2017
#1 Film in 1932: "Shanghai Express"
1932 was the first year in which theaters were affected by the Great Depression. Paramount Pictures reclaimed the number one spot with Marlene Dietrich in Shanghai Express, which earned just $4,000,000 ($70,000,000 adjusted for inflation.) While the film made a profit and was the number one film of the year, it was a huge drop from the number one film of the previous year.
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
#1 Film in 1931: Frankenstein
Universal Pictures took the top spot in 1931 with the classic Frankenstein. The film grossed $11 Million in its day, (about $180 Million in today's dollars) a monster hit for the studio on the chicken ranch. The success of the film and its fellow 1931 release Dracula would cement Universal Pictures as the place to go for horror themed films.
Monday, February 13, 2017
#1 Film in 1930
The number one film from 1930 was Paramount Pictures' Tom Sawyer. Based on the book by Mark Twain and starring the legendary Jackie Coogan, the film made a staggering $11,000,000 in the depths of the depression. (Adjusted for inflation, it would be $150 Million today.) based on the unexpected success of this film, Paramount would green light Huckleberry Finn.
Sunday, February 12, 2017
Saturday, February 11, 2017
Friday, February 10, 2017
Thursday, February 9, 2017
Wednesday, February 8, 2017
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Monday, February 6, 2017
Sunday, February 5, 2017
Saturday, February 4, 2017
Friday, February 3, 2017
Thursday, February 2, 2017
Wednesday, February 1, 2017
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