What was the first number one movie of the 1990s?
Regardless of what anyone says, the 1990s were an excellent era for film.
It might get overlooked from time to time because of the so-called golden age eras, like the classical Hollywood period or the one that gave us more cult movies than we can count, the 1980s. But how many of those match up to some of the greatest ‘90s gems, really? Romeo + Juliet, Pulp Fiction, My Own Private Idaho, The Shawshank Redemption, Titanic… where would the world of cinema be without them?
That there are far too many classics to discuss in one breath means that it’s also one of the best years for diversity in storytelling, so much so that even the most credible critics struggle to condense it. After all, it would take a while to compile a list of the greatest-ever ‘90s movies in the drama category alone, meaning that, when it comes to spotlighting new perspectives, voices, and challenging the common consensus when it comes to important social topics, you really can’t get better than the ‘90s.
Of course, the decade had its share of bombs, too. While a classic now, Dumb and Dumber wasn’t exactly a popular choice upon release, and wasn’t even believed to be a good film among the cast and crew at the time. The budget was modest, but it grossed over $247million, making its returns far exceed what any of those involved could have expected.
Some others weren’t so lucky, and many that came out at the dawn of the decade ended up being swallowed up by other, more popular box office hits that set the tone for the years to come. In the first week of 1990, for instance, one clear winner set the bar high for all others that followed suit.
What was the first number one movie of the 1990s?
Upon its first week in 1989, Oliver Stone’s war epic Born on the Fourth of July did pretty well. Over $172,021 in its first weekend on limited release is pretty impressive, even more so the following weekend when it nudged upwards of $900,000, primed and ready for its third week, the first of the 1990s, when it reached $11,023,650.
This was especially impressive considering it remained a steady position among other major titles, including The Little Mermaid, Back to the Future II, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and Look Who’s Talking. Those who did better than those weren’t as impactful, surprisingly, with other titles like comedy thriller The War of the Roses grossing over $7million and buddy cop comedy Tango & Cash following closely in third position.
All things considered, however, there’s an obvious reason why Stone’s anti-war sentiment did the best, and it’s mainly down to the depth of Tom Cruise’s performance, which was credited by many as the main driving force behind the entire movie. In fact, it’s the subtleties in his performance that carry many of the film’s themes and messages, with a delivery that people still discuss as one of the best of all time.
Beyond the serious tone was also an undertone of complexity, especially with the parts that Cruise wanted to ensure hinged on the multitude of emotions that people experience in real life. That’s ultimately what gave it its longevity. As Cruise explained to BFI, “Even in Born on the Fourth of July, with its dark humour, you know what I’m saying, where there’s that point where you hold an audience, and how do you release the audience to have them engage in those things? You know, we laugh at illogics.”
