
Top-Grossing Movies of 2010: Photo Gallery
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- In 2010, movie sequels and remakes dominated the theaters as production companies relied on fan favorites to bring in strong box office results.
Time Warner's
(TWX)
Warner Bros. released the first part of the seventh and final installment of the
Harry Potter
movie franchise,
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
this year. The film grossed $125 million in its first weekend, earning more than either of its prequels in opening weekend box office sales.
A few months earlier, private production studio
Summit Entertainment
released
Eclipse
. The third movie of
The Twilight Saga
, based on the four supernatural romance fantasy novels by Stephenie Meyer, beat out both of its prequels by bringing in over $300 million in domestic ticket sales and over $693 million worldwide.
Walt Disney
(DIS) - Get Report
raked in billions of box office dollars with its releases of
Alice in Wonderland
in March,
Iron Man 2
in May and
Toy Story 3
in June.
The third movie of the Pixar
Toy Story
franchise came out in 2010, over a decade since the previous
Toy Story 2
hit theaters in 1999, and more than 15 years after the original
Toy Story
debuted in 1995.
The film brought in a total of $1.06 billion worldwide, ranking it the highest-grossing movie of 2010.
But those are just the trailers. Click through this gallery for a year's worth of images from the highest-grossing films of 2010 -- presented chronologically, the order in which they were released in theaters.
Alice in Wonderland
Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter
Distributed by:
Walt Disney
(DIS) - Get Report
Production Budget: $200 million (estimated)
Opening Weekend: $116.1 million
Based on the classic children's tale by Lewis Carroll,
Alice in Wonderland
came out in theaters on March 5. The film was directed by Tim Burton and was distributed in digital 3D as well as
Imax
(IMAX) - Get Report
3D by Disney's Buena Vista production division.
According to data from BoxOfficeMojo.com, the movie grossed a total of $334.2 million domestically, and brought in $1.02 billion worldwide, ranking as the second-highest worldwide grossing movie of 2010, behind Disney's
Toy Story 3
.
Australian actress Mia Wasikowska, who played the title role in the movie, was the highest grossing actress of 2010. Next year Wasikowska will star in a film adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's novel
Jane Eyre
, in which she plays the lead role.
In the second quarter, Disney reported that revenue from its studio entertainment segment was up 7% to $1.5 billion from $1.4 billion primarily due to the strong worldwide performance of
Alice in Wonderland
.
Shutter Island
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Emily Mortimer and Mark Ruffalo
Distributed by:
Viacom's
(VIA) - Get Report
Paramount Pictures
Production Budget: $80 million
Opening Weekend: $41.1 million
Paramount Pictures' mystery thriller film
Shutter Island
was released in theaters on March 19. The movie brought in $128 million domestically and grossed $294.8 million worldwide.
Shutter Island
became director Martin Scorsese's top grossing film, beating out his most recent feature film,
The Departed
, which grossed $290 million in 2006.
Viacom reported a decline in theatrical revenues in the first quarter ended March 31, 2010, due to lower revenues from films originally released in the fourth quarter, which were partially offset by the strength of
Shutter Island
. Revenue from its filmed entertainment division decreased 18.5% to $886 million from $1.1 million in the same period a year earlier.
Iron Man 2
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke and Gwyneth Paltrow
Distributed by: Paramount
Production Budget: $200 million
Opening Weekend: $128.1 million
The sequel to the first
Iron Man
installment in 2008 was released on May 7, 2010. The movie was produced by Marvel, which Disney bought in August 2009 for $4 billion, but was distributed by Paramount Pictures. Disney and Paramount had a contract through which Paramount was earning an 8% distribution fee on Marvel titles.
In October this year, Disney announced that it struck a $115 million deal to buy Paramount out of the last two movies of its six-film distribution agreement with Marvel.
Paramount will still release the upcoming
Thor
and
Captain America: The First Avenger
movies in 2011, but after that Disney will distribute following
Avengers
movies as well as a third
Iron Man
movie.
Iron Man 2
grossed $312.1 million domestically and $621.8 million worldwide, and boosted Disney's filmed entertainment revenue.
"The incredible box office performance of Disney's
Alice in Wonderland
and acquisition of Marvel, whose
Iron Man 2
has grossed $334 million in global box office in its first two weeks, clearly show the benefits of investing in high quality branded content," Disney president and CEO Robert Iger said in the company's second quarter earnings report.
Iron Man 3
is slated for release on May 3, 2013.
Shrek Forever After
Starring: Mike Myers, Cameron Diaz and Eddie Murphy
Distributed by: Paramount
Production Budget: $165 million
Opening Weekend: $70.8 million
On May 21, Paramount released the
DreamWorks Animation
(DWA)
movie
Shrek Forever After
.
The film contributed $51.8 million of revenue in DreamWorks' second quarter through its domestic box office performance as well as merchandising and licensing activities.
"Our strong second quarter was driven primarily by the blockbuster performances of
Shrek Forever After
and
How to Train Your Dragon
, two of the top 10 films of 2010 on both a domestic and a worldwide basis," DreamWorks CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg said in the company's second-quarter report. "We have once again surpassed $1 billion in worldwide box office."
The movie brought in $238.4 million domestically and came in as the fifth highest worldwide grossing movie of the year, with $739.8 million in global ticket sales.
How to Train Your Dragon
, which came out on March 26, was ranked the ninth highest grossing film in 2010.
Sex and the City 2
Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall and Kristin Davis
Distributed by:
Time Warner's
(TWX)
New Line Cinema
Production Budget: $100 million
Opening Weekend: $36.8 million
Sex and the City 2
was released on May 27, just in time for 2010 Memorial Day weekend. The sequel brought in $36.8 million domestically during its four-day opening weekend, down from the first movie, which made $57 million in its first three-day weekend.
Overall movie business was down 14% during this year's Memorial Day weekend from the same period last year. The movie ended up grossing a total of $95.3 million domestically and $288.3 million worldwide.
Warner Bros. exit polling showed that 90% of
Sex and the City 2's
audience was female, while 54% was under the age of 35.
Toy Story 3
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack
Distributed by: Disney Pixar
Production Budget: $200 million
Opening Weekend: $110.3 million
Disney Pixar's
Toy Story 3
came in as the highest worldwide grossing movie of 2010 with $1.06 billion in global ticket sales.
On June 18, the third installment of the
Toy Story
franchise was released in theaters. The previous movie in the series,
Toy Story 2
hit theaters over a decade earlier in 1999 while the original
Toy Story
debuted more than 15 years ago in 1995.
Disney, which bought Pixar in 2006, saw
strong gains in revenue in the fourth quarter
due to the excellent international performance of the film. Revenue from its studio entertainment segment increased 6.4% while its operating income skyrocketed.
"The 2010 fiscal year was a financial and strategic success for the Walt Disney company with performance driven by great content like
Toy Story 3
and the way we benefited from that content across our many businesses," Disney CEO Iger said in the company's fourth quarter report.
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner
Distributed by:
Summit Entertainment
Production Budget: $68 million
Opening Weekend: $64.8 million
The
Twilight
series movies, which are based on the four supernatural romance fantasy novels by Stephenie Meyer, have grossed more than $792.3 million in theaters worldwide.
The first installment of the
Twilight Saga
came out in theaters on Nov. 21, 2008, followed by the second film titled
New Moon
on Nov. 20 in 2009.
The third movie,
Eclipse
, was released on June 30, 2010 and as the first film of the franchise to be released in Imax, it grossed more than either of its prequels. The film brought in over $300.5 million in domestic ticket sales and nearly $693.5 worldwide.
The fourth book of the series, titled
Breaking Dawn
, will be broken up into two movies, the first of which is set for release on Nov. 18, 2011. Part 2 is scheduled for theater debut on Nov. 16, 2012.
Despicable Me
Starring: Steve Carell, Jason Segel and Russell Brand
Distributed by: Universal Studios
Production Budget: $69 million
Opening Weekend: $56.4 million
This animated film came out on July 9 and raked in $56.4 million in ticket sales in its first weekend.
Despicable Me
ended up grossing $250.8 million in the U.S. and $540.2 million globally.
Universal Studios is a division of NBC Universal, which is currently owned by
General Electric
(GE) - Get Report
.
Comcast
(CMCSA) - Get Report
is hoping to complete its projected joint venture with NBC U by early 2011.
The companies are
still waiting on regulatory approval of the transaction
, which calls for Comcast to acquire 51% of NBC U from GE.
A sequel for
Despicable Me
is in production and is slated for release in 2013.
Inception
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page
Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures
Production Budget: $160 million
Opening Weekend: $62.8 million
Inception
was released on July 16 and brought in $62.8 million in its opening weekend. The film grossed more than $292.5 million domestically and over $825.4 million worldwide.
The movie was ranked as the fourth highest grossing film of 2010 around the world, directly behind part one of
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
, which was also released by Warner Bros.
Actor Leonardo DiCaprio was named the highest grossing actor of 2010 by
Forbes
after he starred in two blockbusters this year:
Shutter Island
and
Inception
.
Time Warner's filmed entertainment revenue was up 7.8% in the third quarter to $2.52 billion from $2.33 billion after
Inception
ranked No. 1 at the domestic box office for three straight weekends and grossed over $360 million worldwide from its July 16 opening through Aug. 1.
The Social Network
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Andrew Garfield and Justin Timberlake
Distributed by: Columbia Pictures
Production Budget: $50 million
Opening Weekend: $22.4 million
The drama about the founding of the popular social networking Web site Facebook was adapted from Ben Mezrich's 2009 book,
The Accidental Billionaires
.
The film was released on Oct. 1, by Columbia Pictures, a subsidiary of
Sony
(SNE) - Get Report
pictures entertainment. In its opening weekend, the movie brought in $22.4 million and ended up grossing a total of $192.4 million worldwide.
In October, Facebook founder and CEO Zuckerberg appeared as a guest on
The Oprah Winfrey Show
to announce his
$100 million contribution to Newark public schools
. The donation, perhaps not coincidentally, came on the same day of the premiere of
The Social Network
, which depicts Zuckerberg in a poor light.
>>'Social Network' - Humanizing Zuckerberg
In an interview with
Mashable
, Zuckerberg revealed that he wasn't afraid of the potential bad press that he would receive as a result of the film. "We build products that 500 million people see," he was quoted saying. "If 5 million people see a movie, it doesn't really matter that much."
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint
Distributed by: Warner Bro. Pictures
Opening Weekend: $125 million
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
, the seventh and final installment of the
Harry Potter
film series, is broken up into two parts. Part one was released on Nov. 19 and grossed $125 million in its first weekend, beating out every other
Harry Potter
film premiere prior.
So far the movie has grossed an approximate $861.4 million worldwide. The entire series, which is based on the set of
Harry Potter
novels written by J. K. Rowling, has grossed almost $2 billion domestically and more than $6 billion worldwide.
Part two of the movie, which will also be the final film of the series, is set to be released in 3D on July 15, 2011.
Black Swan
Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis and Vincent Cassel
Distributed by: Fox Searchlight Pictures
Production Budget: $13 million
Opening Weekends: $9.8 million
On Dec. 3, Black Swan opened in 18 theaters in the U.S. and drew $1.4 million in ticket sales over the weekend. On Dec. 17, the movie was released in over 950 theaters nationwide and grossed $8.4 million in the weekend.
The drama thriller has grossed a total of $31.1 million domestically and has yet to be released in Australia.
The film has been nominated for a Golden Globe award for best drama. Natalie Portman, who plays the lead role in the movie, has been nominated for best performance by an actress in a drama while her costar Mila Kunis has been nominated for best performance by an actress in a supporting role.
Its distributor, Fox Searchlight Pictures, is a film division of Fox, which is a subsidiary of Rupert Murdoch's media company,
News Corporation
(NWSA) - Get Report
.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
Starring: Ben Barnes, Skandar Keynes and Georgie Henley
Distributed by: Twentieth Century Fox
Production Budget: $155 million
Opening Weekend: $24 million
The third movie of the
Chronicles of Narnia
series, based on the fantasy books written by C.S. Lewis, was released this year on Dec. 10.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
brought in $24.5 million in ticket sales during its opening weekend for Fox, a division of News Corporation.
>> Narnia Sequel Falls Short for News Corp.
In comparison, the first
Narnia
movie,
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
, brought in $65.6 million in its opening weekend in the U.S. in 2005. The second movie,
Prince Caspian
, opened in 2008 and brought in $55 million. The first two films of the series were distributed by Walt Disney.
Narnia producer
Walden Media
entered a non-exclusive production arrangement with Disney in 2002 through which Disney financed and distributed the first two films. However in Dec. 2008, Disney said it would not finance the third
Narnia
film, citing "budgetary and logistical reasons," according to
The Hollywood Reporter
.
After Disney refused to work with Walden on the third installment of the franchise, the
Narnia
producer struck a deal with News Corp.'s Twentieth Century Fox to back the next film.
There are seven books in
The Chronicles of Narnia
series. While each book could potentially become a feature film, many speculate that there will not be another
Narnia
film as the franchise has run out of steam.
--Written by Theresa McCabe in Boston.
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Disclosure: TheStreet's editorial policy prohibits staff editors and reporters from holding positions in any individual stocks.









