Review of the Year – The 2014 Review Issue

This is the first of a two-part special for Tuorhoth Movies that’ll conclude one year and kick off another. Tomorrow we’re discussing the mammoth releases of 2015 but this year’s given plenty to talk about, from the B-movie delights of Godzilla to the D’Movie horror of Mrs Brown. We’ll begin with the year’s financial countdown featuring the US, UK and international takings. These may not prove to be the definitive figures as Interstellar, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, Big Hero 6 and The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies are all still rising and last year Frozen proved us wrong by overtaking Iron Man 3. But for now these calculations are our most accurate.

US:

1. Guardians of the Galaxy – Director: James Gunn – Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Lee Pace, Karen Gillan – $332.9 million
2. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 – Francis Lawrence – Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson, Philip Seymour Hoffman – $311.3 million
3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Anthony and Joe Russo – Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Redford, Sebastian Stan, Samuel L Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Anthony Mackie – $259.8 million
4. The Lego Movie – Phil Lord, Chris Miller – Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson, Will Ferrell, Morgan Freeman, Will Arnett – $257.8 million
5. Transformers: Age of Extinction – Michael Bay – Mark Wahlberg, Kelsey Grammer, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor, Stanley Tucci – $245.4 million
6. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg – Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Lesley Manville, Sam Riley – $241.4 million
7. X-Men: Days of Future Past – Bryan Singer – Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Patrick Stewart, Peter Dinklage – $233.9 million
8. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – Matt Reeves – Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Toby Kebbell, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell – $208.5 million
9. Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams – Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, TJ Miller – $203.2 million
10. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – Marc Webb – Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan – $202.9 million
11. Godzilla – Gareth Edwards – Aaron Taylor Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston, Sally Hawkins – $200.7 million
12. 22 Jump Street – Phil Lord, Chris Miller – Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Wyatt Russell – $191.7 million
13. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Jonathan Liebesman – Megan Fox, William Fichtner, Will Arnett – $191.2 million
14. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – Peter Jackson – Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ian McKellen, Luke Evans, Aidan Turner, Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett – $183.5 million
15. Interstellar – Christopher Nolan – Matthew MacConaughey, Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, McKenzie Foy, Bill Irwin, Wes Bentley, David Gyasi, Casey Affleck – $178.8 million

UK:

1. The Lego Movie – Phil Lord, Chris Miller – Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson, Will Ferrell, Morgan Freeman, Will Arnett – £36.5 million
2. The Inbetweeners 2 – Damon Beesley, Iain Morris – Simon Bird, James Buckley, Blake Harrison, Joe Thomas – £35.8 million
3. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – Matt Reeves – Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Toby Kebbell, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell – £35.4 million
4. Guardians of the Galaxy – James Gunn – Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Lee Pace, Karen Gillan – £30.4 million
5. X-Men: Days of Future Past – Bryan Singer – Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Patrick Stewart, Peter Dinklage – £29.3 million
6. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 – Francis Lawrence – Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson, Philip Seymour Hoffman – £27.4 million
7. How to Train Your Dragon 2 – Dean DeBlois – Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Cate Blanchett, Jonah Hill – £26.6 million
8. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – Marc Webb – Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan – £26.1
9. The Wolf of Wall Street – Martin Scorcese – Leonardo Di Caprio, Jonah Hill, Matthew MacConaughey, Margot Robbie – £24 million
10. Gone Girl – David Fincher – Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Tyler Perry, Neil Patrick Harris – £24.2 million
11. Transformers: Age of Extinction – Michael Bay – Mark Wahlberg, Kelsey Grammer, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor, Stanley Tucci – £21.3 million
12. 12 Years a Slave – Steve McQueen – Chiwetel Ejiofor, Michael Fassbender, Benedict Cumberbatch, Lupita Nyong’o, Sarah Paulson, Paul Giamatti, Paul Dano, Brad Pitt – £21.2 million
13. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg – Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Lesley Manville, Sam Riley – £21 million
14. Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Anthony and Joe Russo – Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Redford, Sebastian Stan, Samuel L Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Anthony Mackie – £20.7 million
15. 22 Jump Street – Phil Lord, Chris Miller – Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Wyatt Russell – £20.2 million

Worldwide:

1. Transformers: Age of Extinction – Michael Bay – Mark Wahlberg, Kelsey Grammer, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor, Stanley Tucci – $1.1 billion
2. Guardians of the Galaxy – James Gunn – Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Lee Pace, Karen Gillan – $772.5 million
3. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg – Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Lesley Manville, Sam Riley – $757.8 million
4. X-Men: Days of Future Past – Bryan Singer – Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, James McAvoy, Patrick Stewart, Peter Dinklage – $746 million
5. Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Anthony and Joe Russo – Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Robert Redford, Sebastian Stan, Samuel L Jackson, Cobie Smulders, Anthony Mackie – $714.1 million
6. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – Marc Webb – Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan – $709 million
7. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – Matt Reeves – Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Toby Kebbell, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell – $708.3 million
8. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 – Francis Lawrence – Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Josh Hutcherson, Julianne Moore, Woody Harrelson, Philip Seymour Hoffman – $676.2 million
9. Interstellar – Christopher Nolan – Matthew MacConaughey, Jessica Chastain, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, McKenzie Foy, Bill Irwin, Wes Bentley, David Gyasi, Casey Affleck – $650.1 million
10. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – Peter Jackson – Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Ian McKellen, Luke Evans, Aidan Turner, Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom, Cate Blanchett – $628.8 million
11. How to Train Your Dragon 2 – Dean DeBlois – Jay Baruchel, Gerard Butler, Cate Blanchett, Jonah Hill – $618.9 million
12. Godzilla – Gareth Edwards – Aaron Taylor Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston, Sally Hawkins – $525 million
13. Rio 2 – Carlos Saldanha – Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Jemaine Clement, Jamie Foxx – $498.8 million
14. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Jonathan Liebesman – Megan Fox, William Fichtner, Will Arnett – $477.2 million
15. The Lego Movie – Phil Lord, Chris Miller – Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson, Will Ferrell, Morgan Freeman, Will Arnett – $468.1 million
16. Lucy – Luc Besson – Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman – $458.9 million
17. Edge of Tomorrow – Doug Liman – Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson – $369.2 million
18. Noah – Darren Aronofsky – Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Logan Lerman, Emma Watson, Ray Winstone, Douglas Booth, Anthony Hopkins – $362.6 million
19. Gone Girl – David Fincher – Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Tyler Perry, Neil Patrick Harris – $356.6 million
20. The Maze Runner – Wes Ball – Dylan O’Brien, Will Poulter, Kaya Scodelario – $339.8 million
21. 22 Jump Street – Phil Lord, Chris Miller – Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Wyatt Russell – $331.3 million
22. 300: Rise of an Empire – Noam Murro – Sullivan Stapleton, Eva Green, Lena Headey, David Wenham, Jack O’Connell – $331.1 million
23. Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams – Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, TJ Miller – $325.5 million
24. The Fault in Our Stars – Josh Boone – Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort, Nat Wolff, Laura Dern, Willem Dafoe – $304.2 million
25. Divergent – Neil Burger – Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet, Ashley Judd, Miles Teller, Jai Courtney, Zoe Kravitz, Ansel Elgort – $288.7 million

In an era where billion dollar movies are a fairly regular recurrence, 2014’s claim of one film to have accomplished this feat is a slump from previous years (2010 – Toy Story 3, Alice in Wonderland; 2011 – Harry Potter 8, Transformers 3, Pirates 4; 2012 – The Avengers, Skyfall, The Dark Knight Rises, The Hobbit; 2013 – Frozen, Iron Man 3) and nearly all new entries are failing to cross the $800 million mark but this is still an overall lucrative year for film.

Interstellar is the only original property to feature in the top 10 and the top 25 only includes Edge of Tomorrow, Lucy and The Lego Movie (also perhaps the very loosely adapted Noah). Godzilla, Maleficent and TMNT are all revivals or remakes of previous material and the only non-sequel adaptations are Guardians of the Galaxy, The Maze Runner, Divergent, The Fault in Our Stars and Gone Girl.

The return of stalwart franchises Planet of the Apes, The Hunger Games, Transformers and The Hobbit dominated but Marvel Comics have most obviously triumphed. The rebooted Spidey’s second outing was actually a slip up from the first but the X-Men’s goliath comeback made it the first time they’d graced the annual top 10 since 2006’s The Last Stand.

While Chris Pine (Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit) and Jennifer Lawrence (Serena) have struggled, stars to have consistently impressed this year include Michael Keaton (Birdman), Matthew MacConaughey (Interstellar), Scarlett Johansson (Under the Skin), Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl), Channing Tatum (Foxcatcher), Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game), David Oyelowo (Selma), Tom Hardy (Locke), Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything), Jack Gyllenhaal (Nightcrawler), Domhnall Gleeson (Frank) and Jack O’Connell (Unbroken, ’71, Starred Up).

However our own heroes of the year are Phil Lord and Chris Miller. The duo (behind Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs and 21 Jump Street) brought us a pair of smash hits this year: the first was the greatly dreaded release of The Lego Movie, the year’s most charmingly brilliant film. Comedy sequels seem to never turn out well but Lord and Miller’s follow up to Jump Street outdid the original’s impact. We’re still distraught they they didn’t get the Ghostbusters gig as it’s hard to imagine anyone more perfect for the film.

We now advance to our main feature, the top ten (or twelve) best films of the year. This ought not to be confused with the upcoming Tuorhoth Awards which may include the late entries The Theory of Everything, Into the Woods, Jupiter Ascending, Kingsman: The Secret Service, Paddington and Exodus: Gods and Kings. For now, we feel the need to highlight the releases that almost made the cut, Mr Turner, The Boxtrolls, The Maze Runner, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and Noah.

12) The Imitation Game

Director: Morten Tyldum
Writer: Graham Moore/Andrew Hodges
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Allen Leech, Matthew Goode, Charles Dance, Rory Kinnear, Mark Strong
Why It Was Great: This harrowing WW2 story may thrill quite as much as its “race-against-time” pitch suggests but Cumberbatch, Knightley and Dance’s truly thought provoking performances all engage.

11) The Grand Budapest Hotel

Director: Wes Anderson
Writers: Wes Anderson, Hugo Guiness
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori, Saoirse Ronan, Willem Dafoe, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Jeff Goldblum, Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, Jude Law, Tom Wilkinson, F Murray Abraham
Why It Was Great: The often tedious Anderson brings us a genuinely hilarious caper. As loveable as Revolori’s Zero is, Fiennes (tied with Channing Tatum) is the comedy revelation of the decade.

10) The Two Faces of January

Director: Hossein Amini
Writer: Hossein Amini/Patricia Highsmith
Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Oscar Isaac, Kirsten Dunst
Why It Was Great: Amini’s directorial debut is gorgeously shot and Isaac and Mortensen’s roles are stunningly intense.

9) Edge of Tomorrow

Director: Doug Liman
Writers: Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth/Hiroshi Sakurazaka
Starring: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, Bill Paxton
Why It Was Great: Maybe a career best for Cruise, this sci-fi flick was excellent in concept and execution via Liman’s thrilling action and Blunt’s reinvention as an action star.

8) Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Director: Anthony and Joe Russo
Writers: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Ed Brubaker
Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Redford, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L Jackson, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Cobie Smulders
Why It Was Great: Marvel’s back to basics premise slips up in the OTT finale but the Bourne like quality of action was astonishing. Evans proves Cap’ as more than the patriotic stereotype.

7) The Lego Movie

Director: Phil Lord, Chris Miller
Writers: Phil Lord, Chris Miller, Dan Hageman, Kevin Hageman
Starring: Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Arnett, Morgan Freeman, Will Ferrell, Nick Offerman, Alison Brie, Charlie Day
Why It Was Awesome: Consistent in gags and created on of the greatest on screen Batmans. Freeman’s Vitruvius is a delight.

6) The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Director: Peter Jackson
Writers: Peter Jackson, Guillermo Del Toro, Frank Walsh, Philippa Boyens/JRR Tolkien
Starring: Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Orlando Bloom, Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Aidan Turner, Ken Stott, Graham McTavish, James Nesbitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Cate Blanchett
Why It Was Great: A slip up from previous instalments but it’s still a phenomenally crafted fantasy adventure.

5) Godzilla

Director: Gareth Edwards
Writers: Max Borenstein, Dave Callaham
Starring: Aaron Taylor Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston, Sally Hawkins, Juliette Binoche
Why It Was Great: An British indie director steps up to the big leagues as he helms a multi-million blockbuster that has all the same style, suspense and human drama of his previous work (Monsters) while still being the ultimate homage to a screen legend.

4) X-Men: Days of Future Past

Director: Bryan Singer
Writers: Simon Kinberg, Jane Goldman, Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Hugh Jackman, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, Peter Dinklage, Evan Peters, Patrick Stewart, Halle Berry, Nicholas Hoult, Ellen Page, Shawn Ashmore
Why It Was Great: A masterful marketing strategy landed the film on nearly double the series’ previous peak but this time-setting crossover delivers for fans as the most emotionally battering superhero film yet.

3) Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Director: Matt Reeves
Writers: Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver/Pierre Boulle
Starring: Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Toby Kebbell, Keri Russell, Kodi Smit McPhee, Gary Oldman
Why It Was Great: Serkis is simply brilliant as Caesar, Reeves direction is sharp and stunning and there are APES ON HORSES. What’s not to love?

2) Guardians of the Galaxy

Director: James Gunn
Writers: James Gunn, Nicole Perlman/Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Lee Pace, Karen Gillan, Benicio Del Toro, Michael Rooker, Djimon Hounsou, Glenn Close, John C Reilly
Why It Was Great: The return of the one liner (“We’re just like Kevin Bacon”), thrilling, fantastical action and antiheroes to become enduring icons of the decade.

1) Interstellar

Director: Christopher Nolan
Writers: Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan
Starring: Matthew MacConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessican Chastain, Mackenzie Foy, Michael Caine, David Gyasi, Wes Bentley, Bill Irwin, Casey Affleck, Topher Grace, John Lithgow, Ellen Burstyn
Why It Was Great: If not his greatest, this is Nolan’s grandest picture yet. The visual effects are on a level previously unrealised on film while the performances are numbingly raw and the altogether result is truly beautiful.

Coming Soon – The 2015 Preview Issue

The Top 10 Internet-Buzzed Films of 2014

Defining success is a difficult thing to categorise: critically, the likes of Boyhood, Birdman, The Imitation Game, Foxcatcher and Gone Girl lead the pack; commercially, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Guardians of Galaxy, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay and Maleficent thrived. A digital word of mouth is another interesting definition and Google Trend’s end of year report publishes the most searched, and perhaps most popular, releases of 2014.

1. Frozen – Directors: Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee – Starring: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad
2. Interstellar – Christopher Nolan – Matthew MacConaughey, Mackenzie Foy, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Casey Affleck, Michael Caine
3. Divergent – Neil Burger – Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Kate Winslet, Jai Courtney, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort
4. Gone Girl – David Fincher – Ben Affleck, Rosamund Pike, Tyler Perry, Neil Patrick Harris
5. Lone Survivor – Peter Berg – Mark Wahlberg, Emile Hirsch, Taylor Kitsch, Ben Foster
6. Godzilla – Gareth Edwards – Bryan Cranston, Aaron Taylor Johnson, Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, Elizabeth Olsen
7. 22 Jump Street – Phil Lord and Chris Miller – Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube, Wyatt Russell
8. Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams – Ryan Potter, Scott Adsit, TJ Miller, Maya Rudolph, Alan Tudyk
9. Annabelle – John R Leonetti – Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton
10. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg – Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sam Riley, Juno Temple, Imelda Staunton, Sharlto Copley

The most surprising entry hear is Annabelle, a low budget and universally trashed horror flick that’s beaten off the likes of The Fault in Our Stars, The Lego Movie, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Edge of Tomorrow, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay. Marvel’s four smash hits (Guardians of the Galaxy, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, X-Men: Days of Future Past) has conceded to a Disney triple bill (Maleficent, Big Hero 6, Frozen).

Weekend box-office – 5th to 11th of July 2014 – will Transformers face its Extinction?

So far this year, not one film has managed the coveted spot of $100 million in its US box-office opening weekend or gone onto $1 billion worldwide (although only 18 films ever have), Maleficent and 22 Jump Street managed about $60 million on their debuts while X-Men 7, Captain America 2, Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Godzilla edged towards $90 million. Despite the fact that all but one of them have been terrible, Michael Bay’s fourth robot adventure Transformers: Age of Extinction is set to roar in its opening weekend. Last week, we predicted that the film would go top but, for the sake of cinema, we sincerely hope it doesn’t.

US:

1. Transformers: Age of Extinction – Director: Michael Bay – $100 million
2. 22 Jump Street – Phil Lord, Chris Miller – $15.4 million
3. How to Train Your Dragon 2 – Dean DeBlois – $13.1 million
4. Think Like a Man Too – Tim Story – $10.4 million
5. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg – $8.2 million

UK:

1. Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie – Ben Kellett – £4.3 million
2. The Fault in Our Stars – Josh Boone – £1.7 million
3. 22 Jump Street – Phil Lord, Chris Miller – £1.2 million
4. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg – £0.8 million
5. Chef – Jon Favreau – £0.6 million

Well my attempts to boycott Transformers have drastically failed but at least it’s taken less than its franchise predecessors. I’d be greatly surprised if it doesn’t go on to surpass $800 million at least. Animation, fantasy sequel How to Train Your Dragon 2 underperformed on its debut but it is recovering with its financial long livety while Maleficent continues its impressive run by storming past the $600 million mark. In the UK, the critically shunned, Irish TV adaptation Mrs Brown’s Boys has topped the box-office, mainly due to its massive success in Ireland while teen weepie, which dropped down to fifth in its second week in the US, has slipped up only one place this time round. This week I’ve scored a disappointing 3/10.

US:

1. Transformers: Age of Extinction – Michael Bay
2. Deliver Us From Evil – Scott Derickson
3. 22 Jump Street – Phil Lord, Chris Miller
4. Tammy – Ben Falcone
5. How to Train Your Dragon 2 – Dean DeBlois

UK:

1. Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie – Ben Kellett
2. 22 Jump Street – Phil Lord, Chris Miller
3. The Fault in Our Stars – Josh Boone
4. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg
5. Tammy – Ben Falcone

Peter Cullen in Transformers: Age of Extinction, this week’s US number one.

Brendan O’Carroll in Mrs Brown’s Boys D’Movie, this week’s UK number one

The Best Films of 2014 – the Half-Way Point

Looking at any annual film schedule, its evident that the first half of the year can never quite live up to the second and 2014 is no exception. This year really did get off to a rotten start with 47 Ronin, The Legend of Hercules and I Frankenstein dragging their heals at the box-office but this did pave a way for others; The Wolf of Wall Street and Ride Along both enjoyed three consecutive weeks at the top of the UK and US box-office respectively. Following that came some genuine surprises. Wes Anderson’s ensemble comedy The Grand Budapest Hotel reached 1st and 3rd in the UK and US against all odds and The Lego Movie, one of the most poorly marketed films in recent years, was an unexpected treat and certainly and future cult classic.

The biblical format seemed to increase in popularity around Easter with the low-key Christian dramas Heaven is For Real, Son of God and God’s Not Dead taking nearly thirty times their micro-budgets but these religious flicks aren’t proving successful outside of America, besides Aronofsky’s star-driven epic Noah. The “Katniss-effect” of The Hunger Games has evidently given studios the faith to put stronger female characters into the fray of action and adventure with Angelina Jolie’s Maleficent and Shailene Woodley’s Divergent winning out over Johnny Depp’s Transcendence or Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Sabotage financially. Edge of Tomorrow even managed it to the extent of Tom Cruise needing saving from Emily Blunt’s ultimate warrior.

In the last six months, certain individuals are lighting up the box-office left, right and centre. Former comedian Kevin Hart has lead a trio of success, Ride Along, About Last Night and Think Like a Man Too, while the Jump Street quartet (director Phil Lord and Chris Miller/stars Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill) have a cinematic Midas-touch. It’s evident that Lego’s Chris Pratt can do no wrong and, with Jurassic World and Guardians of the Galaxy coming soon, he’s well on his way to man-of-the-year status. The biggest winners of the year have to be Marvel. Even though their heroes are divided across Sony, Fox and Disney, Stan Lee’s creations of Spider-Man, Captain America (kind-of) and the X-Men are currently the three biggest films of the year so far and they’ll only continue to grow bigger.

Below you can find the international box-office top ten followed by our own personal picks of the year so far as well as the ten to look for in the rest of 2014:

International Box-office Top 10:

1. Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Director: Anthony and Joe Russo – Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Robert Redford, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily Van Camp, Samuel L Jackson, Hayley Attwell, Toby Jones – Box-office: $710.8 million
2. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – Marc Webb – Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Dane DeHaan, Jamie Foxx, Colm Feore, Felicity Jones, Paul Giamatti, Sally Field, Chris Cooper – $703.3 million
3. X-Men: Days of Future Past – Bryan Singer – Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, Peter Dinklage, Ellen Page, Evan Peters, Shawn Ashmore, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Josh Helman, Omar Sy, Fan Bingbing, Adan Canto, Booboo Stewart, Lucas Till – $700 million
4. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg – Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, Lesley Manville – $531.8 million
5. Godzilla – Gareth Edwards – Aaron Taylor Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe, Bryan Cranston, Sally Hawkins, Juliette Binoche – $478.7 million
6. Rio 2 – Carlos Saldanha – Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Leslie Mann, Bruno Mars, Jemaine Clement, Jamie Foxx, will.i.am – $469.4 million
7. The Lego Movie – Phil Lord, Chris Miller – Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell, Will Arnett, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Charlie Day, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Cobie Smulders – $467.2 million
8. Noah – Darren Aronofsky – Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, Emma Watson, Logan Lerman, Douglas Booth, Anthony Hopkins – $356.2 million
9. 300: Rise of an Empire – Noam Murro – Eva Green, Sullivan Stapleton, Lena Headey, Jack O’Connell, Rodrigo Santoro, Callan Mulvey, David Wenham – $331.1 million
10. Edge of Tomorrow – Doug Liman – Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, Jonas Armstrong – $298.8 million

Tuorhoth’s Top 10:

1. X-Men: Days of Future Past – Bryan Singer – Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender, Nicholas Hoult, Peter Dinklage, Ellen Page, Evan Peters, Shawn Ashmore, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Josh Helman, Omar Sy, Fan Bingbing, Adan Canto, Booboo Stewart, Lucas Till
2. Godzilla – Gareth Edwards – Aaron Taylor Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Ken Watanabe, Bryan Cranston, Sally Hawkins, Juliette Binoche
3. The Lego Movie – Phil Lord, Chris Miller – Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Will Ferrell, Will Arnett, Liam Neeson, Morgan Freeman, Alison Brie, Nick Offerman, Charlie Day, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Cobie Smulders
4. Captain America: The Winter Soldier – Anthony and Joe Russo – Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Robert Redford, Cobie Smulders, Frank Grillo, Emily Van Camp, Samuel L Jackson, Hayley Attwell, Toby Jones
5. Edge of Tomorrow – Doug Liman – Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton, Brendan Gleeson, Jonas Armstrong
6. The Two Faces of January – Hossein Amini – Viggo Mortensen, Oscar Isaac, Kirsten Dunst
7. Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom – Justin Chadwick – Idris Elba, Naomi Harris
8. Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit – Kenneth Branagh – Chris Pine, Keira Knightley, Kenneth Branagh, Kevin Costner, Nonso Anozie, Gemma Chan
9. RoboCop – Jose Padilha – Gary Oldman, Joel Kinnaman, Abbie Cornish, Michael Keaton, Jay Baruchel, Jennifer Ehle, Jackie Earle Haley, Aimee Garcia, Michael K Williams, Samuel L Jackson
10. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – Marc Webb – Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Dane DeHaan, Jamie Foxx, Colm Feore, Felicity Jones, Paul Giamatti, Sally Field, Chris Cooper

Top 10 Anticipated:

1. Interstellar – Christopher Nolan – Matthew MacConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Topher Grace, Casey Affleck, David Oyelowo, John Lithgow, Matt Damon
2. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies – Peter Jackson – Martin Freeman, Ian McKellen, Richard Armitage, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Cate Blanchett, Orlando Bloom, Aidan Turner, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Sylvester McCoy, Lee Pace, Manu Bennett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Hugo Weaving, Christopher Lee
3. Gone Girl – David Fincher – Ben Affleck, Neil Patrick Harris, Rosamund Pike
4. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn – Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Michael Caine, Samuel L Jackson, Mark Hamill, Mark Strong
5. Guardians of the Galaxy – James Gunn – Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Lee Pace, Karen Gillan, Djimon Hounsou, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, John C Reilly
6. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes – Matt Reeves – Jason Clarke, Andy Serkis, James Franco, Judy Greer, Gary Oldman, Toby Kebbell, Kodi Smit McPhee
7. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 – Francis Lawrence – Jennifer Lawrence, Donald Sutherland, Woody Harrelson, Julianne Moore, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Jena Malone, Sam Clafin, Elizabeth Banks, Stanley Tucci, Toby Jones, Natalie Dormer, Philip Seymour, Hoffman
8. Fury – David Ayer – Brad Pitt, Logan Lerman, Jason Isaacs, Michael Pena, Shia LeBeouf
9. Exodus: Gods and Kings – Ridley Scott – Christian Bale, Aaron Paul, Sigourney Weaver, Joel Edgerton, Ben Kingsley
10. The Judge – David Dobkin – Robert Downey Jr, Robert Duvall, Billy Bob Thornton, Vera Farmiga

Weekend box-office – 28th of June to 4th of July 2014 – can Jump Street take Dragon and Think Like a Man too?

It’s not usual for a box-office showdown to be contended by three comedy sequels but that exact battle is taking place in the US this weekend. First off is How to Train Your Dragon 2 which was left slightly deflated by its second place entry last week but was hoping for the legs that often tread with films aimed at younger audiences. Next up was 22 Jump Street whose combination of modern wit and knowing with supreme ’80s silliness is proving massively popular for the 15+ male audience. Finally, brushing off its critical thrashing and hoping the US can look past that is Think Like A Man Too which could thrive off the largely empty weekend and Kevin Hart’s popularity. Last week we predicted that Dragon would creep up one place to the top but last find out what really went down.

US:

1. Think Like a Man Too – Director: Tim Story – $29.2 million
2. 22 Jump Street – Phil Lord, Chris Miller – $27.5 million
3. How to Train Your Dragon 2 – Dean DeBlois – $24.7 million
4. Jersey Boys – Clint Eastwood – $13.3 million
5. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg – $13 million

UK:

1. The Fault in Our Stars – Josh Boone – £3.4 million
2. 22 Jump Street – Phil Lord, Chris Miller – £1.5 million
3. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg – £1 million
4. X-Men: Days of Future Past – Bryan Singer – £0.6 million
5. Edge of Tomorrow – Doug Liman – £0.5 million

Think Like a Man has inexplicably defeated a pair of rare critically lauded comedy sequels but any further success will be shunted down by next week’s big release. Lord and Miller meanwhile are on fine form with the two biggest comedy hits of the year (Jump Street and Lego Movie) but we’ll have to wait and see if Dreamworks’ Dragon sequel can make a worldwide impact. Clint Eastwood’s musical flick Jersey Boys made a flat entry but in the UK teen drama Fault in Our Stars has has proved to be a modest success. This week I scored a disappointing 2/10.

US:

1. Transformers: Age of Extinction – Michael Bay
2. How to Train Your Dragon 2 – Dean DeBlois
3. 22 Jump Street – Phil Lord, Chris Miller
4. Think Like a Man Too – Tim Story
5. Snowpiercer – Joon-ho Bong

UK:

1. The Fault in Our Stars – Josh Boone
2. 22 Jump Street – Phil Lord, Chris Miller
3. Chef – Jon Favreau
4. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg
5. X-Men: Days of Future Past – Bryan Singer

Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodley in The Fault in Our Stars, this week’s UK number one.

Kevin Hart in Think Like a Man Too, this week’s US number one.

Weekened box-office – 21st to 27th of June 2014 – will 22 Jump Street arrest How to Train Your Dragon 2?

Two huge but very different comedy sequels are going head to head in this week’s box-office in the biggest clash of the year so far. We’re experiencing a showdown between the follow up to the modern classic buddy cop infiltration 21 Jump Street and sequel to the massively successful fantasy animation How to Train Your Dragon. Meanwhile in the UK, the lack of major openings could allow Jump Street to extend its run and lo-fi horror Oculus to break the top 5. Last week, we predicted that the Dragons would rule but let’s find us what really went down.

US:

1. 22 Jump Street – Directors: Phil Lord, Chris Miller – $60 million
2. How to Train Your Dragon – Dean DeBlois – $50 million
3. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg – $19 million
4. Edge of Tomorrow – Doug Liman – $16.2 million
5. The Fault in Our Stars – Josh Boone – $15.7 million

UK:

1. 22 Jump Street – Phil Lord, Chris Miller – £2.3 million
2. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg – £1.6 million
3. X-Men: Days of Future Past – Bryan Singer – £0.9 million
4. Edge of Tomorrow – Doug Liman – £0.7 million
5. Oculus – Mike Flanagan – £0.4 million

Much to our surprise, 22 Jump Street is proving hugely popular and has triumphed over How to Train Your Dragon. Lord/Miller/Tatum/Hill are proving to be the greatest comedy quartet of the decade. Dreamworks might be slightly disappointed with Dragon 2’s second place debut but its still taken a huge lump of money. Sci-fi thriller Edge of Tomorrow is holding up better than expected but teen romance The Fault in Our Stars has dropped remarkably far this week, putting serious doubt on its financial legs. Meanwhile in the UK, Oculus has fully capitalised on the empty weekend but it’ll be glad to come away with something. This week’s shocks have score me a dismal 2/10, taking my running total to 165/330.

US:

1. How to Train Your Dragon 2 – Dean Deblois
2. 22 Jump Street – Phil Lord, Chris Miller
3. Jersey Boys – Clint Eastwood
4. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg
5. Think Like a Man Too – Tim Story

UK:

1. The Fault in Our Stars – Josh Boone
2. 22 Jump Street – Phil Lord, Chris Miller
3. Jersey Boys – Clint Eastwood
4. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg
5. X-Men: Days of Future Past – Bryan Singer

Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill in 22 Jump Street, this week’s US and UK number one.

Weekend box-office – 14th to 20th of June 2014 – will Edge of Tomorrow find the fault in Our Stars?

A few years ago, if we pitched you this weekend’s box office battle there’d be a clear winner. Donning the gloves are sci-fi thriller Edge of Tomorrow starring the biggest movie of the past 25 years (Tom Cruise) and soppy teen-romance novel adaptation The Fault in Our Stars. However the times they are a changing and now young adult romances such as Twilight are big money, even without critical approval. In today’s box-office, both would be considered equals but let’s find out who was victorious in the US while we discover what impact comedy sequel 22 Jump Street will be making in the UK ahead of its big debut in America next week. Find last week’s predictions here.

US:

1. The Fault in Our Stars – Director: Josh Boone – $48.2 million
2. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg – $33.5 million
3. Edge of Tomorrow – Doug Liman – $29.1 million
4. X-Men: Days of Future Past – Bryan Singer – $14.7 million
5. A Million Ways to Die in the West – Seth MacFarlane – $7.2 million

UK:

1. 22 Jump Street – Phil Lord, Chris Miller – £4.9 million
2. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg – £2.6 million
3. X-Men: Days of Future Past – Bryan Singer – £1.8 million
4. Edge of Tomorrow – Doug Liman – £1.2 million
5. A Million Ways to Die in the West – Seth MacFarlane – £0.5 million

The Fault in Our Stars has definitely surpassed financial expectation but it may be following the trait of masses of fan viewings on the opening weekend before dropping off quickly but these kinds of films can thrive on repeat viewings. Cruise’s actioner Edge of Tomorrow’s takings have been a little underwhelming but it might have box-office legs to come; it’s proving popular internationally and could well reach around its target of $350 million. X-Men 7 and Maleficent are continuing to display impressive numbers while MacFarlane’s Ted follow up A Million Ways to Die in the West in yet another Western comedy disaster. This week’s score of 7/10 has taken my running total to 163/320.

US:

1. How to Train Your Dragon – Dean DeBlois
2. 22 Jump Street – Phil Lord, Chris Miller
3. The Fault in Our Stars – Josh Boone
4. Edge of Tomorrow – Doug Liman
5. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg

UK:

1. 22 Jump Street – Phil Lord, Chris Miller
2. Oculus – Mike Flanagan
3. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg
4. X-Men: Days of Future Past – Bryan Singer
5. Edge of Tomorrow – Doug Liman

Ansel Elgort and Shailene Woodley in The Fault in Our Stars, this week’s US number one.

Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum in 22 Jump Street, this week’s UK number one.

Weekend box-office – 7th to 13th of June 2014 – can Maleficent curse the X-Men or A Million Ways die in the West?

Many former indisputable Hollywood megastars have recently found themselves far behind the critical and commercial success of their earlier work, IE Tom Cruise, Eddy Murphy, Johnny Depp etc. After The Tourist and Salt failed to hit with critics, Angelina Jolie will be determined to make her new huge budget spectacle fantasy Maleficent elevated from the aforementioned group. However, Jolie faces major competition from A Million Ways to Die in the West, a star studded western and follow up to the 2012 smash hit comedy Ted. Last week, we predicted that Maleficent would take the top spot but let’s see how it got on.

US:

1. Maleficent – Director: Robert Stromberg – $69.4 million
2. X-Men: Days of Future Past – Bryan Singer – $32.6 million
3. A Million Ways to Die in the West – Seth MacFarlane – $16.8 million
4. Godzilla – Gareth Edwards – $12 million
5. Blended – Frank Coraci – $8.1 million

UK:

1. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg – £6.6 million
2. X-Men: Days of Future Past – Bryan Singer – £3.5 million
3. Edge of Tomorrow – Doug Liman – $1.9 million
4. A Million Ways to Die in the West – Seth MacFarlane – £1.2 million
5. Godzilla – Gareth Edwards – £1 million

An iffy critical response hasn’t put audiences off Maleficent; the promise of a sinister Jolie and another Disney revival has brought fans in their millions to catch the film. It’ll likely surpass other recent Disney reboots such as Snow White and the Huntsman but Alice in Wonderland is likely out of reach. X-Men 7 is still managing to hold its own, now taking its tally past $500 million – the first in the series to do so. A Million Ways however is yet another comedy western flop, following the likes of Wild Wild West and The Lone Ranger, love for the genre has clearly faded since Blazing Saddles forty years ago. Tom Cruise’s new sci-fi action Edge of Tomorrow has still made some fair money under the competition but it’ll likely recoup with its US release. This week I’ve score 7/10 which takes my running total to 156/310.

US:

1. The Fault in Our Stars – Josh Boone
2. Edge of Tomorrow – Doug Liman
3. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg
4. X-Men: Days of Future Past – Bryan Singer
5. A Million Ways to Die in the West – Seth MacFarlane

UK:

1. 22 Jump Street – Phil Lord, Chris Miller
2. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg
3. X-Men: Days of Future Past – Bryan Singer
4. Edge of Tomorrow – Doug Liman
5. Fruitvale Station – Ryan Coogler

Angelina Jolie in Maleficent, this week’s US and UK number one.

Weekend box-office – 31st of May to 6th June 2014 – will Adam Sandler get Blended by the X-Men?

It’s been long established that Fox’s X-Men are far behind other Marvel instalments such as Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Avengers and Spider-Man. While those I’ve mentioned tend to edge towards the billion dollar mark (Avengers and Iron Man even surpassing it, the mutants have never steered an instalment past $500 million. The series’ next chapter Days of Future Past is set to be the one to take the franchise the MCU’s heights but, it its opening weekend, it faces tough competition from the rebirth of Japanese legend Godzilla and the comedic combination of Sandler and Barrymore in Blended. Last week, we predicted that the X-Men would top the box office but let’s see how it got on.

US:

1. X-Men: Days of Future Past – Director: Bryan Singer – $90.8 million
2. Godzilla – Gareth Edwards – $30.9 million
3. Blended – Frank Coraci – $14.3 million
4. Bad Neighbours – Nicholas Stoller – $14 million
5. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – Marc Webb – $7.8 million

UK:

1. X-Men: Days of Future Past – Bryan Singer – $9.1 million
2. Godzilla – Gareth Edwards – £2.7 million
3. Bad Neighbours – Nicholas Stoller – £1.2 million
4. Postman Pat: The Movie – Mike Disa – £0.8 million
5. Blended – Frank Coraci – £0.7 million

Days of Future Past has done hugely impressive numbers; in the US it’s gained the fourth biggest opening of the year (only slightly behind The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Godzilla and Captain America: The Winter Soldier) while it’s the best debut of the year in the UK. Godzilla is continuing to take in monstrous amounts of money worldwide while it has slipped a fair bit in the States. Adam Sandler’s new comedy Blended is set to become yet another financial flop, following closely after That’s My Boy and Jack and Jill – he’s sank a long way since Happy Gilmore and The Wedding Singer. Fratboy comedy Bad Neighbours has stayed in the top 5 for a good long while but it’s unlikely to go to far beyond the $200 million mark. This week I’ve scored a surprising 7/10 taking my running total to 149/300.

US:

1. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg
2. X-Men: Days of Future Past – Bryan Singer
3. A Million Ways to Die in the West – Seth MacFarlane
4. Godzilla – Gareth Edwards
5. Bad Neighbours – Nicholas Stoller

UK:

1. Edge of Tomorrow – Doug Liman
2. X-Men: Days of Future Past – Bryan Singer
3. Maleficent – Robert Stromberg
4. A Million Ways to Die in the West – Seth MacFarlane
5. Godzilla – Gareth Edwards

Nicholas Hoult, James McAvoy and Hugh Jackman in X-Men: Days of Future Past, this week’s UK and US number one.

New Maleficent poster and Jon Favreau confirmed for Vince Vaughn’s Term Life

Today, we’re kicking off with the chilling new poster from Disney’s haunting revival of their animation Sleeping Beauty. This comes in the form of a transformed Angelina Jolie taking the sinister role of Maleficent. The outcast returns to her home and curses the young Aurora into an eternal sleep. Director Robert Stromberg also adds Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Juno Temple, Miranda Richardson, Sam Riley, Imelda Staunton, Lesley Manville and Peter Capaldi to his cast. Don’t be confused by Disney’s presence; this’ll be an exciting watch.

Since their classic pairing in Swingers, Jon Favreau (Iron Man, Elf) and Vince Vaughn (Dogeball, The Internship) have gone their separate ways; Vaughn departed to form the immortal Vaughn/Owen Wilson duo with Wedding Crashers while Robert Downey Jr and Favreau formed a multi billion combo in the Iron Man trilogy. They are set to reunite however now that Favreau has signed on for the new thriller Term Life.

Term Life sees heist planner and criminal trick writer Nick Barrow who comes to the epiphany that nearly every vengeful mob boss is after him after the numerous times he’s foiled their plans. He attempts to reconcile with his estranged daughter (Hailee Steinfeld) and reconstruct his life but that itself may have hours left. The film, directed by Peter Billingsley (Couples Retreat – another Favreau/Vaughn production), also stars Bill Paxton, Shea Whigham, Anna Colwell and Jonathan Barks.

Term Life – 2015

Maleficent – May 30th