Top Grossing Movies 1999

Wednesday, March 24, 2010 at 1:17 pm

As part of our continuing series on the biggest box office earners of each year, I proudly present the top grossing movies 1999. That’s right, we’re talking about the dawn of the new millennium, and everyone was either heading to the theaters or wearing out their copy of Prince’s 1999. Luckily, Y2K didn’t destroy civilization as we know it, so we’re still around to enjoy the films on this list…at least until 2012.

Thanks to the miracle of Netflix, all of the films on this list are available for rental online. With just a few clicks of your mouse, all the movies of your choice will be speeding towards your home via USPS, or you can choose to stream them on your PC, TV or mobile device. And the prices…I defy you to find lower prices. In fact, you can even sign up for a free trial Netflix membership. Yes, we do get a small commission for sending you there, but it doesn’t add to your cost (and I’m a loyal Netflix customer, myself).

The top grossing movies of 1999 are listed from one to ten, and each film’s worldwide gross has been included in parentheses.

Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace ($924,317,558) – George Lucas came roaring back to box office life with this tale of the early years of Darth Vader aka Anakin Skywalker. While many fanboys bitched and complained about cinema’s greatest villain being reduced to a little kid, they still lined up to help build another solid gold swimming pool for Skywalker Ranch. And, of course, the name Jar Jar Binks will forever live in infamy.

The Sixth Sense ($672,806,292) – Haley Joel Osment saw dead people in this surprise hit from director M. Night Shyamalan. Bruce Willis co-starred as a morose child psychologist dedicated to helping the lad, but with plenty of problems of his own. There was a big twist down the stretch, something that Shyamalan has come to rely on far too much since then. Toni Collette gives a strong performance as a worried mother driven to the breaking point.

Toy Story 2 ($485,015,179) – When Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks) gets stolen by a toy collector, he faces the prospect of being sold to a museum on Tokyo. While this idea doesn’t appeal to him at first, he eventually comes to accept it after realizing that his rightful owner will one day tire of him. But while Woody dwells on such existential matters, the heroic Buzz Lightyear (voiced by Tim Allen) gathers together a team to rescue his plastic pal. Fun for the entire family from Pixar, with the voices of Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer, Don Rickles, John Ratzenberger and many more.

The Matrix ($460,379,930) – Keanu Reeves plays a lowly office drone whose eyes are opened by a visit from the sage-like Morpheus (Laurence Fishburne). Realizing that his whole life has only been an illusion, Neo (Reeves) learns kung-fu, arms himself with some impressive firepower, and teams up with the leather-clad Trinity (Carrie-Ann Moss) to dish out some payback against the world’s shadowy manipulators. Hugo Weaving first caught the eye of American audiences by playing the villainous Agent Smith.

Tarzan ($448,191,819) – The most expensive animated movie ever made by Disney, this film was adapted from the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs and featured the voice talents of Tony Goldwyn, Minnie Driver, Glenn Close and Lance Henriksen. After being orphaned in Africa, a human infant is taken in by a female gorilla and raised as her own. Years later, the young orphan (named Tarzan), encounters human explorers and becomes smitten with the beautiful Jane. As the two grow closer together, and she teaches Tarzan to speak English, another member of her party plots to capture all of Tarzan’s animal friends and sell them for a high price in England.

The Mummy ($415,933,406) – When a mummified Egyptian priest (Arnold Vosloo) comes back to life, it’s up to an American adventurer (Brendan Fraser) and a British Egyptologist (Rachel Weisz) to stop him. Along the way, they’ll encounter greedy treasure hunters, a secret order dedicated to guarding the resting place of the mummy, and lots and lots of flesh-eating scarabs. Popular with modern audiences, the film still manages to retain the old school feel of a film from the 1930s.

Notting Hill ($363,889,678) – Hugh Grant stars as the owner of an independent book store in the Notting Hill section of London. When a famous American actress (Julia Roberts) comes in to buy a book, it launches a series of events that lead to romance, heartache, and plenty of laughs. Grant and Roberts demonstrate an easy chemistry, and it’s little doubt as to why the film was such a hit. The soundtrack isn’t bad, either.

The World Is Not Enough ($361,832,400) – In the nineteenth James Bond film, Pierce Brosnan returns as 007 and seeks to protect Elektra King (Sophie Marceau), the daughter of an oil tycoon, from the Soviet terrorist (Robert Carlyle) who murdered her father. Denise Richards plays Dr. Christmas Jones, a nuclear physicist (yeah, right) who assists and romances Bond.

American Beauty ($356,296,601) – Kevin Spacey plays a likable suburbanite who goes middle-age crazy, quits his job, buys a sports car, smokes pot, and fantasizes about his daughter’s best friend (Mena Suvari). Meanwhile his wife (Annette Benning) carries on an affair, and his daughter gets involved with a troubled young man (Wes Bentley) who likes to film debris blowing in the wind. And Chris Cooper’s angry ex-soldier proves to be the most disturbed of them all. A great film that certainly deserved its Best Picture Oscar win (as well as a Best Actor for Spacey).

Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me ($312,016,858) – When Dr. Evil (Mike Myers) steals his mojo, superspy Austin Powers (Myers) finds himself unable to perform in bed. To make matters worse, his new wife turns out to be a killer robot, and his arch-nemesis gains a diminutive double named Mini-Me (Verne Troyer). Luckily, he’s got sexy CIA operative Felicity Shagwell (Heather Graham) to help him out. Also starring Michael York, Robert Wagner, Rob Lowe and Seth Green, the second film is a libido-filled romp that lovingly spoofs the James Bond franchise.

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If you’ve enjoyed taking a look back at the top grossing movies 1999, you’ll also want to give these a shot:

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 24th, 2010 at 1:17 pm and is filed under Good Movies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “Top Grossing Movies 1999”

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April 7, 2010

Percy Medbery

I really like your site

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