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Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was the most successful film of 2005 in the UK, according to figures compiled by trade publication Screen International. The fourth Potter movie has made £43m - £4m more than the year's second biggest movie, Star Wars: Episode III. Tim Burton's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the Wallace and Gromit film Curse of the Were-Rabbit came next with £37.3m and £31.8m respectively. King Kong was in 19th place, but will feature higher by the end of the year. The same applies to The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, which as of 21 December was the eighth most successful film of 2005. UK'S TOP 10 FILMS OF 2005* 1. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (£43m) 2. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (£39.3m) 3. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (£37.3m) 4. Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (£31.8m) 5. War of the Worlds (£30.5m) 6. Meet the Fockers (£28.6m) 7. Madagascar (£22.6m) 8. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (£20.5m) 9. Hitch (£17.3m) 10. Nanny McPhee (£16.3m) Source: Screen International. *Figures correct to 21 December "I would expect to see Narnia in the top five and Kong in the Top 10 by year's end," said Robert Mitchell, Screen International's chief box-office analyst. Fantasy blockbusters feature prominently in the rundown, with Steven Spielberg's War of the Worlds at five, superhero prequel Batman Begins at 11 and comic-book adaptation Fantastic Four at 15. Animation has also proved popular with UK audiences, with animal caper Madagascar at seven, Robots at 17 and Valiant at 20. The only wholly British film in the Top 10 is Nanny McPhee in tenth place. Starring Emma Thompson as a magical governess, the family comedy took £16.3m. Pride and Prejudice and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - both Anglo-American co-productions - are at 12 and 18 respectively. King Kong distributor UIP has had a spectacular year, with combined takings from its seven Top 20 title sure to exceed £155m by the end of 2005. Sony Pictures, in contrast, only has one title in the rundown: Will Smith's comedy Hitch, which charts at nine with takings of £17.3m. Other comedies that have tickled the British public's funny bone over the last 12 months include Meet the Fockers and Wedding Crashers. Last year's box-office champion was Shrek 2, which made £48m in 2004. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban came second with £46m. Story from BBC NEWS: |
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| WORST FILMS OF 2005 (in no particular order, other than alphabetical) Aeon Flux; Alone in the Dark; Are We There Yet?; Be Cool; Bewitched; Boogeyman; The Cave; Cheaper By the Dozen 2; Cry Wolf; Cursed; D.E.B.S.; Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo; Dirty Love; dot the i; Elektra; Fantastic 4; The Fog; Fun with Dick and Jane; Guess Who; Herbie: Fully Loaded; Hide and Seek; The Honeymooners; House of D; Jiminy Glick in LaLaWood; Just Friends; King's Ransom; The Legend of Zorro; The Man; Man of the House; Mindhunters; Miss Congeniality 2; Must Love Dogs; The Pacifier; Rebound; The Ringer; Son of the Mask; A Sound of Thunder; Stealth; Venom; The Wedding Date; White Noise; XXX: State of the Union; Yours, Mine and Ours. My two biggest disappointments of 2005 were Casanova and Memoirs of a Geisha. They were probably the two most beautiful films I sat through in '05, and they both bored me to tears. I'd be happy to simply give Memoirs the Oscar for costumes today; it deserves it. But only if it meant I'd never have to watch it again. I'm still utterly perplexed by how today’s three most beautiful Asian actresses could so completely drain me of inspiration and interest in this film. As for Casanova, Heath Ledger's mumblings are laughable and the film's “poignant” message about equality of the sexes is dated and clumsy. Capone (aintitcool.com) |
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| Best Picture (English language) Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005) 26% Brokeback Mountain (2005) 13% King Kong (2005) 11% Sin City (2005) 10% Serenity (2005) 9% Batman Begins (2005) 7% Crash (2004) 7% Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005) 5% Munich (2005) 4% Walk the Line (2005) 4% |