14 DAY TRIAL // 2010 was the year of the cartoon and family-oriented movies, Forbes magazine says in a recent piece. The top 10 of the biggest movies of the year reveal that 4 releases from the list are animations, with “Toy Story 3” coming in as the biggest grosser.
The Disney / Pixar release was preceded by some hype but it managed to take everyone by surprise, both in terms of box office success and critical acclaim.
The third installment in the popular franchise brought in $1.06 billion in ticket sales, based on numbers compiled by Box Office Mojo, which were the main source used by Forbes to comprise the poll.
“Toy Story 3 tops the list with $1.06 billion at the box office. Not only does that make Toy Story 3 the highest-grossing film of the year but the highest-grossing animated film of all time (on an unadjusted basis),” Forbes says.
With commercial success also comes critical success, which is a rare thing these days, let alone in an animated film.
“It’s also one of the best-reviewed movies of the year. It receives an almost perfect 99 out of 100 on Rotten Tomatoes. Disney is also pushing the film for a Best Picture Oscar instead of just hoping for a Best Animated feature win,” says the mag.
Tim Burton’s “Alice In Wonderland” lands in at number 2, with a gross of $1.02 billion at the international box office. Since it’s also been released by Disney, it marks a new record for the studio, which rounds up the year as the most successful studio of 2010.
“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1” is at number 3, with $831 million, which prompts speculation of whether it could have taken the number 1 spot had it been released earlier in the year. It probably would have, industry insiders estimate.
“Inception” is next with $825 million. Chris Nolan’s film also boasts the feat of being the only film in top 10 that isn’t animated, a sequel or a remake, while also standing out for being quite a risky move on part of movie studio Time Warner. With it, Hollywood proves originality can still make a killing.
“The twisty dream within a dream story isn’t based on a comic book or an older movie, Hollywood’s current preferred building blocks for blockbusters. It wasn’t made in 3-D, and it has a decidedly ambiguous ending,” Forbes points out.
The rest of the top 10 highest-grossing movies is as follows: “Shrek Forever,” “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” “Iron Man 2,” “Despicable Me,” “Clash of Titans” and “How to Train Your Dragon.”
