Top Domestic Movies of 2014 - Q2 Report

Who's made the most box dough so far in 2014? Read on to find out!

In April, we reported on the health of the domestic box office, reporting that while revenues had dropped 10%, we were already gifted with two $100m pictures: Ride Along and The LEGO Movie. And while we worried that the overall health of the market had declined - with fewer films being expected to carry heavier loads - we hoped that Q2 would right that ship.

Note: The Spring Season is defined as the first Friday in March through the Thursday before the first Friday in May.

According to our friends at BoxOfficeMojo.com, Quarter 2 of 2014 took in an estimated $1474.1 billion, as compared to 2013's take of $1.4184 billion. That's an improvement of 3.9%, but does that mean we have a healthier overall market? Possibly. Here's a breakdown of the top films as of May 1, 2014 (with reviews included):
1. The LEGO Movie $252,877,964
2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier $229,381,211
3. Divergent $140,486,726
4. Ride Along $134,202,565
5. Mr. Peabody & Sherman $108,145,101
6. 300: Rise of An Empire $105,915,135
7. Rio 2 $98,870,276
8. Noah $98,124,749
9. Non-Stop $90,563,670
10. The Monuments Men $77,732,967

Let's look at how 2013 was performing by the same date:
1. Oz The Great and Powerful $226,745,932
2. The Croods $164,518,159
3. Identity Thief $133,250,395
4. G.I. Joe: Retaliation $117,482,316
5. Olympus Has Fallen $94,179,879
6. 42 $72,125,770
7. Mama $71,628,180
8. Safe Haven $71,134,566
9. Oblivion $70,171,915
10. A Good Day to Die Hard $67,252,596

We see that the top $200m picture in 2014 beat out the top from 2013, and that there are more titles that have $100m by May 1. Even the bottom of the top 10 looks better, with the under-$100m crowd higher than they were last year. Even when you compare the number of $100m pictures in the quarter alone - as opposed to taking the entire year for comparison - that number is higher (3 in 2013, 6 in 2014). That 3.9% increase might seem small, but Hollywood will take it.

There are still Q2 stinkers out there which have surprised even us: Muppets Most Wanted and Transcendence didn't even finish in the top 10 for the quarter, and never saw the light of day. If those had even made their budgets back, we would be talking about one addition to the $100m club and another close to it.

An Interesting Summer Approaches

With the market seemingly better off, Summer will be interesting to document: will a period known for long lines at the popcorn stand and jammed theaters push Hollywood into even better territory? With films like Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Godzilla, The Amazing Spider-man 2, X-Men: Days of Future Past, and Transformers: Age of Extinction on the way, we could be seeing a very nice period for Hollywood. We'll be watching the highly lucrative foreign market as well, which has now overtaken the American one and seeks to establish itself in the long-term plans of many future Hollywood productions.

Stick with us as we wait to see if Summer 2014 is actually better than we originally thought - read our original 2014 preview story.
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