"Sith" Happens at 2005 Box Office
by Joal Ryan
Hollywood suffered an off year at the box office. George Lucas did not.
Lucas' Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith, charting the death of Anakin Skywalker and the birth of Darth Vader, was 2005's top-grossing movie, tapping loyalists for $380.3 million, according to the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations.
The film was the only $300 million-plus grosser in a year in which, Exhibitor Relations said, overall movie attendance fell about 7 percent, and ticket sales dipped about 5 percent.
Sith, ostensibly the final chapter in the Skywalker saga, seemed unaffected by the bad box-office vibes. It now stands seventh among the all-time box-office champs, per the stats at BoxOfficeMojo.com.
With Sith leading the way, Hollywood made a lot of money ($8.9 billion) and sold a lot of tickets (1.4 billion) in 2005, per Exhibitor Relations. It just didn't make as much money ($9.4 billion) or sell as many tickets (1.5 billion) as it did in 2004.
Exacerbating the angina among the executive suite set are stats like these: lowest yearly gross since 2001; lowest attendance since 1997; worst ever opening for a Jim Carrey comedy since Ace Ventura: Pet Detective made him a star.
Here's a complete look at 2005's top 10 moneymakers, according to figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations:
1. Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith, $380.3 million
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, $277.1 million
3. War of the Worlds, $234.3 million
4. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, $225.7 million
5. Wedding Crashers, $209.2 million
6. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, $206.5 million
7. Batman Begins, $205.3 million
8. Madagascar, $193.1 million
9. Mr. & Mrs. Smith, $186.3 million
10. Hitch, $177.6 million
E! Online
by Joal Ryan
Hollywood suffered an off year at the box office. George Lucas did not.
Lucas' Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith, charting the death of Anakin Skywalker and the birth of Darth Vader, was 2005's top-grossing movie, tapping loyalists for $380.3 million, according to the box-office tracking firm Exhibitor Relations.
The film was the only $300 million-plus grosser in a year in which, Exhibitor Relations said, overall movie attendance fell about 7 percent, and ticket sales dipped about 5 percent.
Sith, ostensibly the final chapter in the Skywalker saga, seemed unaffected by the bad box-office vibes. It now stands seventh among the all-time box-office champs, per the stats at BoxOfficeMojo.com.
With Sith leading the way, Hollywood made a lot of money ($8.9 billion) and sold a lot of tickets (1.4 billion) in 2005, per Exhibitor Relations. It just didn't make as much money ($9.4 billion) or sell as many tickets (1.5 billion) as it did in 2004.
Exacerbating the angina among the executive suite set are stats like these: lowest yearly gross since 2001; lowest attendance since 1997; worst ever opening for a Jim Carrey comedy since Ace Ventura: Pet Detective made him a star.
Here's a complete look at 2005's top 10 moneymakers, according to figures compiled by Exhibitor Relations:
1. Star Wars: Episode III--Revenge of the Sith, $380.3 million
2. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, $277.1 million
3. War of the Worlds, $234.3 million
4. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, $225.7 million
5. Wedding Crashers, $209.2 million
6. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, $206.5 million
7. Batman Begins, $205.3 million
8. Madagascar, $193.1 million
9. Mr. & Mrs. Smith, $186.3 million
10. Hitch, $177.6 million
E! Online