Hollywood's Super Blockbusters Quiz

Answer: Walt Disney

Disney's "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" seemed to catch the Motion Picture Academy by surprise. This full length animated feature featured a young maiden hiding from a wicked queen in the company of seven dwarfs. The kiss of Prince Charming awakened her after she had been put to sleep by the wicked Queen's poison apple. The film's significance, both financial and cinematic, was readily apparent, but it was difficult to find a category in which to acknowledge an animated film's particular variety of excellence. When Disney released what would become Hollywood's third super blockbuster, "Fantasia" in 1941, it again received only honorary Oscars. Disney's third and final animated super blockbuster, "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" (released in 1961), did not even receive an Oscar nomination.

Although animated features now abound, and the Academy seems better prepared to acknowledge them, "One Hundred and One Dalmatians" marks a decline in Hollywood's animated blockbusters - this after animated features accounted for three of the first six super blockbusters. One could argue that the popularity of animated features has grown to the point that no one film can capture the market to the extent that Disney could. One could equally argue that the missing ingredient is Walt Disney himself.

Answer: Gone with the Wind

David O. Selznick began planning what would become the most lucrative film of the twentieth century in 1936, three years before its release. He assembled many of what would become common features of super blockbusters: an epic plot with romantic interest, big stars and dramatic effects. He paid $50,000 for film rights to the novel only three months after it was published. It was the most ever paid for movie rights to that point. In order to gain access to Clark Gable and to pay one half of production costs, Selznick surrendered 65% of the movie's gross to MGM and its parent company, an amount that would equal a staggering one billion dollars adjusted for inflation. "Gone with the Wind" opened in Atlanta on December 15, 1939 with a three-day celebration. The movie, in epic fashion, told the story of a romance between a selfish Southern belle and an unprincipled scoundrel in the setting of the American civil war.

A comparison between the highest earning films and "Time Magazine's" "All-Time 100 Movies" list ("http://www.time.com/time/2005/100movies/") highlights the well-known discrepancy between earning potential and critical acclaim. Time movie critics Richard Schickel and Richard Corliss compiled the list which contained only two super blockbusters: "E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial" and "The Godfather". ("Gone with the Wind" was in fourth place in the American Film Institute top 100 list.) On balance, one could advise a prospective maker of a super blockbuster to think twice before consulting film critics about his project.

Answer: Being awarded more than 10 Oscars

After Walt Disney paired the famous works of eight composers with eight animated sequences to produce "Fantasia" in 1941, there was a fifteen year span before Cecile B. DeMille produced "The Ten Commandments in 1956. In "The Ten Commandments" Heston became Moses and led the Jews out of Egypt into the promised. In "Ben-Hur", Charlton Heston portrayed a Jewish Prince sold into slavery who became involved in the life of Christ.

As many as nine of the twenty-three super blockbusters of the 20th century might be considered epics: two or three romantic historical epics ("Gone with the Wind", "Doctor Zhivago" and possibly "Titanic"), two Biblical epics ("The Ten Commandments" and "Ben-Hur") and George Lucas's four science fiction/fantasy epics. These first four epic super blockbusters netted a total of 42 Academy Award nominations and 25 Oscars between them (this despite "The Ten Commandments" receiving only one Oscar). The shortest of them ran three hours and thirty-seven minutes. After "Dr. Zhivago's" release in 1965, it would be thirty-two years before another similar epic would achieve super blockbuster status.

Answer: All of these

In 1964, Disney released "Mary Poppins", the studio's fourth super blockbuster of the twentieth century. The film melded musical numbers and animation with live action. The well-known stage actress Julie Andrews and comedian Dick Van Dyke were featured. The film told of the many magical adventures that the two Banks' children had in the company of their nanny Mary Poppins. The Motion Picture Academy nominated the film for 12 Oscars and presented it with six.

In the same year, Audrey Hepburn was cast in the role of Eliza Doolittle for "My Fair Lady", despite the fact that Julie Andrews had originated the part on Broadway. Each was nominated for an Academy Award for their respective films. Ironically, the Best Actress award went to Julie Andrews for "Mary Poppins".

Walt Disney died in 1966, and "Mary Poppins" would prove to be the last Disney movie to net more than ½ billion inflation adjusted dollars in the twentieth century. One might attribute this drought to a change in public taste, but I am more inclined to attribute it to the absence of input from Walt Disney.

Answer: The Sound of Music

"The Sound of Music" was the third highest earning motion picture of the twentieth century, trailing only "Gone with the Wind" and "Star Wars". The film was chosen Best Picture, received the Oscar for Best Director and was awarded a total of ten Oscar nominations and five Oscars.

The musical received especial acclaim in Britain. Its sound track was selected to be played after a nuclear attack, to boost morale. When it was revived in London in 1981, the "Sound of Music's" advance ticket sales were the highest to that date.

"The Sound of Music" cast Julie Andrews in the role of governess of seven children. She fell in love with the children's widower father and the family escaped from Nazi dominated Austria to Switzerland. "West Side Story" featured the incomparable music of Leonard Bernstein and lyrics of Stephen Sondheim in a modern retelling of "Romeo and Juliet", the warring families represented by rival New York gangs. "My Fair Lady" told of an eccentric linguist's experiment in training a cockney girl to participate in genteel society, falling in love with her in the process. "Grease" told a musical story of teenage love set in the 1950s replete with drag racing and dance competitions.

Answer: Doctor Zhivago

"Doctor Zhivago" and "The Sound of Music both achieved super blockbuster status in 1965, one of only two years in which this has occurred. The film received ten Oscar nominations and won five Oscars, coincidentally matching the number that the "The Sound of Music" received.

In the mid 1960s, films were beginning to reflect what was being called "the sexual revolution". "Doctor Zhivago" director David Lean received such criticism for the romantic content of the film that he vowed to never make another film. In fact, he directed one additional movie, "Ryan's Daughter".

"Doctor Zhivago" recounted the life story of a Russian doctor during the Russian revolution focusing particularly on his love affair with "Lara". In "The Graduate", a young man newly graduated from college carried on an affair with a predatory older woman only to fall in love with her daughter.

Answer: Both

In fact, the next two super blockbusters - "The Exorcist" and "The Godfather" - both earned R ratings. How then did these films become super blockbusters? Although I can't claim to know the answer to the question I posed, I think there were several mitigating factors. First, in the 1970s, a large portion of the restricted age group was under 12 and paid less than half the adult price for tickets. Therefore, the loss was less than it would have been had full price ticket sales been lost. Second, a parent or older sibling could bring a younger child to the movie; and I suspect that due to the immense appeal of "horror" to adolescents, most teens (and probably many pre-teens) who were highly motivated to see "The Exorcist" found a person to accompany them to the film. In the case of "The Godfather", I think that the superb quality of the film and its overwhelming appeal to adults allowed it to overcome the handicap of not having a "child" audience.

Do ratings influence a film's chances to achieve super blockbuster status? Since 1973, eleven films have earned more than ½ billion dollars and not one has carried an R rating. It would seem that in most cases the limitation of audience imposed by an R rating is a significant hindrance. But another rating seems to impose a greater encumbrance. Not a single super blockbuster released after 1965 has been rated "G" for general exhibition.

"The Godfather" focused on the travails of the Corleone crime family as the aging "Godfather" Don Vito Corleone dealt with his sons and rival Mafia families. In "The Exorcist", when a twelve year old girl began to behave strangely and other treatments failed, her family resorted to relying on a Catholic priest to perform an exorcism.

Answer: More of the top ten highest earning films were made after 1967.

Five of the top 10 highest earning blockbusters were made in each time period and the earlier films earned about 8% more on average per film in 2005 adjusted dollars. The later super blockbusters were, on average, twenty minutes shorter than the films made before 1968. Before 1968, ten films earned 42 Oscars compared to 50 Oscars for the 13 films after.

More importantly, animated and fantasy films earned far fewer Oscars on average than their more reality-based counterparts. One could also argue that fantasy films replaced animation after 1967 and speculate that the vast improvement in generating special effects allowed them to do so.

Answer: Schindler's List

Empire Magazine named Steven Spielberg "best director of all time" ahead of such highly regarded directors as Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick, Akira Kurosawa, Orson Welles and Woody Allen. He has directed a diverse list of films including "The Color Purple", "The Minority Report" and "1941". His ability to succeed in such diverse types of films would make him my personal pick to direct my fledgling super blockbuster.

"Schindler's List" recounted the transformation of Oskar Schindler from a profiteer exploiting Jewish slave labor in his factory to an altruist using his factory to protect them from the Nazis. "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" told how a group of children collaborated to save a stranded alien and help him return home." In "Jurassic Park" genetically resurrected dinosaurs terrorized humans on an island which their creator hoped to transform into a dinosaur theme park. "Raiders of the Lost Ark" was the first film to feature Harrison Ford in the role of "Indiana Jones", a hunter of archaeological treasures. In this first film, "Indie" was trying to beat the Nazis to the Jewish Ark of the Covenant.

Answer: No

Not a single animated or science fiction/fantasy super blockbuster has received either a Best Director or Best Picture Oscar. Oscar recognition for these genres is largely limited to the technical aspects of filmmaking.

Just as Disney dominated the first 30 years of super blockbuster history with animation, so George Lucas dominated the next 30 years with his epic fantasies. And just as Disney Studios had one only partially animated film (Mary Poppins) to complement their other four super blockbusters, so too Lucasfilm Ltd. produced one non-"Star Wars" super blockbuster ("Raiders of the Lost Ark"). In 2005, Forbes magazine estimated that the total income generated from "Star Wars" related sales topped $20 billion. It is perhaps worth noting that Spielberg directed the one non-"Star Wars" feature that reached super blockbuster status.

"Star Wars" was the first of a planned nine movie series relating the battle between the "Republic" and the "Evil Empire" that supplanted it. Lucas's ambitions were later tempered and a two trilogy set of movies produced, the last on released in 2005. In "Star Wars" Luke Skywalker tok up his crusade for the Republic in the company of Obi-wan Kenobi, two robots, Princess Leia and the adventurer Han Solo.

Answer: All of them

That "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" could earn more than ½ billion inflation adjusted dollars - more than earned by such films as "My Fair Lady", "Ghostbusters", "Rocky" and "Mash" - is testimony to the power of marketing and fan loyalty. Poor critical reviews and fan disappointment failed to discourage moviegoers (or this quiz author) from plunking down the ticket price for this film. However, "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" was the lowest earning of the first four "Star Wars" epics and neither of the last two films has achieved super blockbuster status. It would seem that the public's loyalty to the "Star War's" epic and their confidence in Lucas's ability to entertain, allowed a disappointing film to be a super blockbuster.

"The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi" are the final two installments in the first "Star Wars" trilogy. In the ongoing conflict Luke learned that Darth Vader was his father, Anakin Skywalker. The conflict between the two was resolved in the final episode in which Darth Vader redeemed himself, saving his son from the evil emperor. "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" was the first of the second trilogy of "Star Wars" films. It returned in time to tell of the early life and adventures of Anakin Skywalker in which he came under the tutelage of Obi-wan Kenobi.

Answer: Jurassic Park

For 21 years, only George Lucas and Steven Spielberg produced super blockbusters. It is no wonder that "Raiders of the Lost Ark" on which they collaborated is one of the twenty-three films on the list.

When one combines the four films involving Disney with the eight involving Lucas and Spielberg we see that the creative genius of three men has contributed to over 50% of Hollywood's super blockbusters. Can their genius be ascribed to "giving the public what it wants"? I would argue not; that in fact, their genius for producing widely entertaining films ends up conditioning public taste. "Snow White", after all, was outside the public's known taste. "Fantasia" remains one of the most original animated films of all time. George Lucas created the first wildly successful science fiction/fantasy at a time when the genre was held to have narrow public appeal. Spielberg has demonstrated his ability to capture the public imagination with a variety of topics and in a variety of genres. Lucas, Spielberg and Disney, I think, have determined public taste to a greater extent than they have been led by it.

Answer: Forrest Gump

"Forrest Gump" is atypical of super blockbusters in a number of ways. It relies almost entirely on its humor, its characters and its storyline. There are no aliens or spectacular special effects. However, it also shares features with a number of its predecessors. It incorporates history and fantasy and it features an Oscar winning performance by its star Tom Hanks. In its own way, it is as emotionally evocative as "Gone with the Wind" and as whimsical as "The Sting".

"Forrest Gump" was a fanciful tale of an apparently mentally impaired man who achieved phenomenal personal success and had a knack for becoming involved in historical events. "The Lion King" was Disney Studios animated story of the adventures that befell the son of the lion "King" of an area of Africa. In "Mrs. Doubtfire", Robin Williams became a frumpy nanny in order to regain access to his children after his divorce. "Independence Day" recounted an alien invasion foiled by an unlikely combination of heroes that included an air force pilot, an alcoholic and the President of the United States.

Answer: Westerns

Only three Westerns even made it into the top 100 grossing pictures of all time, and two were very atypical of the genre as a whole: "Blazing Saddles" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid". Only "Duel in the Sun" was a classic Western, and it snuck in at #85 on the all time top grossing movie list. Also conspicuously absent from the super blockbuster list are spy films. If you're looking to produce a super blockbuster, you'll probably want to keep James Bond and horses out of it.

Fantasy, spectacle or both were features of all but two super blockbusters ("The Sting" and "The Sound of Music".) One could argue that fantasy and spectacle are difficult to include in a western and that it is hard to produce a super blockbuster without them. Significantly, the two movies that lack both fantasy and spectacle earned an Oscar for Best Director and benefited from enormously popular stars - Julie Andrews in "The Sound of Music" - Robert Redford and Paul Newman in "The Sting". Of perhaps greater significance is the fact that the top-grossing western of all time, "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid", shared the same director (George Roy Hill) and leading actors as "The Sting". Once again the importance of fine direction is underscored.

Answer: Titanic

One can't help but wonder what the future will be for the super blockbuster. While "Titanic" has had success, only "Shrek 2", released in 2004, has come close, having earned $440,000,000 dollars. There has not been a gap as long as six years between super blockbusters in nearly fifty years. Perhaps even more ominous, neither a Lucas or a Spielberg project has earned ½ billion dollars since 1999. Time will tell whether the super blockbuster was a 20th century phenomenon.

"Titanic" told the tale of the sinking of the the great ship in the context of a romance between a rich young woman and a monetarily challenged young man.

Monetary figures for this quiz were taken from "boxofficemojo.com". The list and an explanation of their method of inflation adjustment can be found at "http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm". The fact that the list on "filmsite.org" largely parallels this list (with the biggest discrepancy being with "Fantasia") supports the validity of the rankings, if not the exact dollar amounts. A third inflation adjusted listing at "www.teako170.com" has Disney's "The Jungle Book" at #9 but otherwise has all the same movies in virtually the same order. Other sites used for general information included "imdb.com", "wikipedia.com", and "bbc.co.uk."

Here is a copy of the basic data used in formulating this quiz:

Rank Title Adjusted Gross Year MPAA rating
1 Gone with the Wind $1,293,085,600 1939 G
2 Star Wars $1,139,965,400 1977 PG
3 The Sound of Music $911,458,400 1965 G
4 E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial $907,867,700 1982 PG
5 The Ten Commandments $838,400,000 1956 ---
6 Titanic $821,413,700 1997 PG-13
7 Jaws 85 $819,704,400 1975 PG
8 Doctor Zhivago $794,466,900 1965 PG-13
9 The Exorcist $707,639,500 1973 R
10 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs $697,600,000 1937 G
11 101 Dalmatians $639,470,400 1961 G
12 The Empire Strikes Back $628,356,100 1980 PG
13 Ben-Hur $627,200,000 1959 G
14 Return of the Jedi $601,980,200 1983 PG
15 The Sting $570,514,300 1973 PG
16 Raiders of the Lost Ark $564,107,900 1981 PG
17 Jurassic Park $551,717,400 1993 PG-13
18 The Graduate $547,295,400 1967 PG
19 Star Wars: The Phantom Menace $542,885,200 1999 PG
20 Fantasia $531,478,300 1941 G
21 The Godfather $505,104,400 1972 R
22 Forrest Gump $502,691,900 1994 PG-13
23 Mary Poppins $500,363,600 1964 G