Forbes: "2010's Summer Box Office Winners"

[JamesG]

Toy Story 3
$895 million


It has been 11 years since Toy Story 2 earned $485 million at the global box office, and fans' love for Woody and the gang hasn't diminished at all.

The third movie, which was filmed in 3-D, is now the highest grossing of the franchise. It is also Pixar's biggest earner of all time.









Shrek Forever After
$663 million


The fourth and final installment of the Shrek franchise was initially seen as a disappointment because domestically it is the lowest grossing of all the Shrek films despite being shown in ticket-boosting 3-D.

The film fares slightly better when you add in international box office, but it still lags behind Shrek 2 and Shrek The Third.









The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
$650 million


The third Twilight movie (and the first to be released in the summer) is lagging behind the second Twilight film, New Moon, which earned $710 million at the global box office last November.

Although one would expect the teen-sensation films to perform better in the summer, that doesn't seem to be the case. Summit will release the next two movies in November of 2011 and 2012.









Iron Man 2
$622 million


Iron Man 2 couldn't live up to the first Iron Man film in the eyes of critics, receiving a 57 rating on Metacritic, compared to a 79 for the original. But that didn't bother audiences.

The sequel has earned $37 million more than the original. Expect to see Iron Man pop up in upcoming Marvel films.









Inception
$478 million


Warner Bros. took a risk with Inception, a twisty dream within a dream within a dream movie with a $160 million budget.

That risk has paid off as audiences have rushed to see something truly original in a summer full of sequels. Does that mean more studios will take similar chances? It's unlikely.









Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time
$327 million


Pundits have rushed to call the Jerry Bruckheimer-produced film a failure because it earned only $90 million in the U.S. But 72% of the film's total earnings have come from overseas.

Still, considering the film cost an estimated $200 million to produce, don't expect a sequel.









Robin Hood
$310 million


The Universal film is another movie that looked like a disappointment by U.S. standards, with only $105 million in earnings at the domestic box office. But the movie's international earnings paint a brighter picture.

A full 66% of Robin Hood's box office take came from overseas.









Sex and the City 2
$284 million


The first Sex and the City movie was a phenomenon in 2008, earning $415 million at the global box office on an estimated budget of $65 million.

A sequel was inevitable but it didn't perform up to the first movie's standards. Sex and the City 2 earned less than $100 million in the U.S.









The Karate Kid
$268 million


Remaking the 1984 original turned out to be a great idea for Sony. The film, which was produced for an estimated $40 million, turned into one of the summer's biggest hits.

Will Smith's son, Jaden, is now well on his way to becoming a movie star in his own right.









Despicable Me
$253 million


The animated 3-D movie from Universal Pictures did not seem to have the makings of a hit when it first came out. The advertising mostly featured some cute corn-pop shaped creatures called the minions.

But with an estimated budget of $70 million it has turned out to be one of 2010's biggest success stories.


http://www.forbes.com/2010/08/10/toy...s_slide_2.html