The 8 Biggest Movies of 1997, and Whether They Were Any Good

1997 threw money at everything. These are the eight biggest worldwide grosses, next to the movie.guru scores that say which ones deserved it.

Number one is the movie everyone loves to hate, and I'm defending it.

1. 8
   Batman & Robin (1997)1.5

   Proof that money buys ice puns, not a good movie.

   A 1.5 movie.guru score, 11% on Rotten Tomatoes, and still $238 million worldwide. Clooney looks like he's waiting for his ride. Schwarzenegger reads every ice pun like a hostage note.
2. 7
   Face/Off (1997)7.9

   The best movie here that nobody ever calls the best.

   93% on Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic 82, a 7.9 movie.guru score. John Woo made Travolta play Nicolas Cage, and it's the funniest acting of 1997. Only $246 million worldwide, somehow.
3. 6
   The Fifth Element (1997)6.2

   Critics shrugged. Everyone who watched it twice was right.

   Metacritic 52, but IMDb 7.6 from 553,285 voters. It beat 40% of movies with critics, 71% with audiences. Chris Tucker is the best or worst part, and that's the point.
4. 5
   Liar Liar (1997)6.9

   A one-sentence premise Jim Carrey's face stretched into $302 million.

   $181 million domestic on a reported $45 to 65 million budget, plus an A− CinemaScore. The script has one joke. Carrey's face does every other job on set.
5. 4
   As Good as It Gets (1997)7.8

   Great acting, fine movie, title writes a check it can't cash.

   $314 million worldwide on a reported $50 million, 7.8 movie.guru score. Nicholson is a menace with a charm license. Guru's Take is 7.0 because the romance needs a generous viewer.
6. 3
   Men in Black (1997)7.3

   The most rewatchable movie of 1997. Not Titanic. This.

   $589 million worldwide, 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, 673,958 IMDb votes. Tommy Lee Jones plays it dead straight next to Will Smith, and that's the whole trick. Guru's Take: 7.8.
7. 2
   The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)4.6

   Spielberg's weakest dinosaur movie, and it made $618 million anyway.

   A 4.6 movie.guru score, Below Average. Critics and audiences both beat only 40% of movies. Goldblum is great. The script runs from him like every extra in the film.
8. 1
   Titanic (1997)8.4

   Biggest movie of the year and the best. Deal with it.

   $2.26 billion worldwide, A+ CinemaScore, 8.4 movie.guru score, Guru's Take 8.9. Yes, Billy Zane twirls an invisible mustache. Yes, the dialogue creaks. You still cried at the end.

$1,153 says somebody in the comments defends Batman & Robin with a completely straight face.

Share it: X | Facebook | Copy link

Current mood: ready to fight about it