Top 10 Box Office Hits @ New Wolf Creative

Top 10 All-Time Box-Office Hits

1	"Star Wars" (1977) George Lucas' sci-fi blockbuster is really an old western set in space, complete with dogfights copied shot-for-shot from old war movies. The film's protagonist, Luke Skywalker, follows Joseph Campbell's classic hero's journey as he rises from young farm hand on the lonely desert outpost Tatooine to savior of a Rebel Alliance fighting the dark Galactic Empire. Lovable sidekick robots C-3PO and R2D2 made "droids" an everyday reality. This is also the film that spawned the idea of a "used future." Fun, funny, simple stuff.	learn more! buy the book!
2	"E.T. the Extraterrestrial" (1982) Spielberg had two childhood fantasies, aliens and dinosaurs (and if you think about, dinosaurs are aliens, too). Originally titled "A Boy's Life," this is the story of Elliot, a young boy who befriends an awkward, turtle-like alien accidentally stranded on Earth. The film is heavy on kitch and humor, with liberal doses of Spielberg's trademark faceless bureaucrats, and E.T. himself is a fairly crude creation, but as a piece of escapist fantasy it soars and succeeds. John William's memorable score won an Oscar®.
3	"Jurassic Park" (1993) After paleobiologists learn how to clone dinosaurs from prehistoric DNA drawn from Jurassic mosquitos trapped in amber (tree sap), billionaire Dr. John Hammond builds a theme park on a remote island. Based on a (typically) stilted novel by Michael Crichton, the film is saddled with unbelievable characters interacting in thoroughly unconvincing ways. Fortunately, with Spielberg at the helm, it doesn't matter: this is the film that brought CGI animation to maturity. Some of the dinosaur scenes are so realistic, you'll ask for nothing more.	learn more! buy the book!
4	"Forrest Gump" (1994) Based on the excellent satiric novel by Winston Groom, this is a very American movie about a good-hearted, half-witted child blessed with good fortune no matter where life takes him (and take him it does, through the 50s, 60s, and 70s, where Forrest Gump manages to be an integral part of our nation's most-significant and memorable history). Ably directed by Robert Zemekis, the film is a tour-de-force of digital wizardry, with Gump (Tom Hanks) seamlessly inserted into scene after scene of otherwise-familiar archival footage.	learn more! buy the book!
5	"The Lion King" (1994) The first animated film ever nominated for Best Picture, this is, in many ways, one of Disney's poorer outings: the tale of a lion cub, Simba, whose pre-destined rise to King of the Jungle is thwarted by an evil, conniving uncle, forcing him to spend years in the wilderness before discovering his proper place in the "circle of life." The animation is splintered in several mismatched styles, some very clean and computer-animated, some more reminiscent of "Fantasia's" A Night on Bald Mountain. The film's success is its score.	learn more! buy the book!
6	"Return of the Jedi" (1983) The third and final installment in the "middle trilogy" of George Lucas' 9-part space epic, "Star Wars," this is a very complex piece of storytelling, breezily cutting back-and-forth between distant parts of the galaxy as the Rebel Alliance takes a final stand against the ever-menacing Empire. The space battle effects have become routine by this time, so the film goes for "cute" instead, spending too much time with a tribe of tenacious teddy bears called "Ewoks." After victory is achieved the story has nowhere to go, and gets pretty sickly-sweet.	learn more! buy the book!
7	"Independence Day" (1996) Blatantly stolen from classics such as "V" and "Childhood's End," this is the tale of mankind's last stand against an army of invading aliens. One of the most over-rated and over-bloated films of recent years, it's a slip-shod effort that tries to be an epic but never rises above b-movie scripting and direction. Poor casting doesn't help, and the effects, while occasionally interesting (because they're ambitious), are sub-par for the modern era. Would have been more successful if it was set in the 50s.	learn more! buy the book!
8	"The Empire Strikes Back" (1980) The second film in the "middle trilogy" of George Lucas' 9-part space epic, "Star Wars," this outing manages to top the first in almost every way. The characters are better drawn, the script is tenser and funnier, and Luke Skywalker learns the truth about Darth Vader in epic fashion. Expert direction by Irvin Kershner keeps the story moving at a brisk pace. This is the film that introduced Yoda (the first time a "puppet" was a believable character all its own) and gave meaning to the phrase "May the Force be With You."	learn more! buy the book!
9	"Home Alone" (1990) An everyday little comedy about a lonely boy all but lost in a big, noisy family until they traipse off to Paris, accidentally leaving him behind -- all alone. The comedy is funny and efficient, with a terrific cast delivering on cue. That a cartoon farce made it to the all-time Top 10 list is amazing in itself (it means the average viewer saw this film 3 times). This is the film that made -- and broke -- John Hughes' career, leaving him to wonder: "If it's that popular, how come I've never been nominated for an Oscar®?"	learn more! buy the book!
10	"Jaws" (1975) A exciting, seat-of-your-pants yarn about a New England seaside community terrorized by a great white shark, this is the film that kept people away from the beach in droves. Brilliantly directed by Spielberg from Peter Benchley's sparse novel, this was a monster of a film to make, with most of the action taking place in the water. It's a shame that a film this good will have to drop off the all-time Top 10 list, but it's a testament to its holding power that it's remained among lofty company for a dozen years.	learn more! buy the book!