Twenty Highest Grossing Films Chart - A Summary

The graph I have made is of the twenty highest grossing films in the U.S. of 2014 thus far.

I have explained to Alex Johnston (a fellow roommate of mine) about what the data is supposed to represent.

On the x side of the graph we have the amount that the movies made, while on the y side we have the names of the movies themselves.

The intent of this graph was to show the current trends in movies. What kinds of films are popular, and what tends to draw moviegoers in.

Of the twenty highest grossing films of 2014, thus far only three of them were original properties (not directly based off a preexisting brand or movie), those being Neighbors and Ride Along (both comedies) and Lucy (a sci-fi film). This means that the 17 remaining films were either based off already pre-existing properties (The Lego Movie, Maleficent, Godzilla, Mr. Peabody and Sherman etc…) or were sequels (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Transformers: Age of Extinction, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, 22 Jump Street etc…) to already popular franchises.

Compare to this a previous year such as 1995, where of the 20 highest grossing films of the year, only seven of the highest grossing films were based off pre-existing properties or sequels.

Additionally this chart shows that comic book movies are the most popular type of film out there, as of the 20 highest grossing films six of them were based off comic books. Those being Guardians of The Galaxy (the highest grossing film of the year), Captain America: The Winter Soldier, X-Men: Days of Future’s Past, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and 300: Rise of an Empire.

Of note is that the three highest grossing “original” films were sold on star power (the main actors who tend to star in more hits than flops and are considered box office draws by the major studios).
What this research and graph tells me, is that this most moviegoers are tending to play it more “safe” these days when it comes to going to the theaters. Speaking with their wallets the average moviegoer is going to sequels and films based off pre-existing properties that they liked previously, because the effort to go the movie theater just isn’t worth it any more due to rising ticket prices.

Based off this graph and chart, Hollywood will continue to rely on franchises and sequels for years to come, as well films based off star-power. Most original movies will likely come from independent studios and filmmakers instead.