Meryl Streep + Sandra Bullock Have Best Box Office Year

Meryl Streep in It’s Complicated: Banner year for the two-time Academy Award winner.

Meryl Streep & Sandra Bullock (& James Cameron) have great year at domestic box office; Rob Marshall & Daniel Day-Lewis not so much

Featuring its lead actors – Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver – at least some of time hidden under blue digital makeup, James Cameron’s global blockbuster Avatar has passed the $1 billion box office milestone worldwide.

Screenwriter-director James Cameron’s mix of action, adventure, and fantasy – with a soupçon of environmental conscience – is the box office story of late 2009/early 2010; yet let’s not forget another good story about last year’s hits: The remarkable appeal of no less than five movies centered on women. A rarity these days – and, really, most days in the last four decades or so.

Most notably, four of these five releases feature middle-aged female characters in key roles: Julie & Julia (Meryl Streep [along with the younger Amy Adams]), It’s Complicated (Streep again), The Proposal (Sandra Bullock), and The Blind Side (Bullock again). The first three titles, by the way, were also directed by women: Nora Ephron, Nancy Meyers, and Anne Fletcher, respectively.

The fifth female-centered title is, of course, Chris Weitz’s The Twilight Saga: New Moon, starring teenager Kristen Stewart. Its unexpected box office prowess – current cume: $288 million – has already been discussed on this site.

The impressive grosses of both It’s Complicated and The Blind Side – two of the Top Five movies this past weekend, Jan. 1–3, are briefly contextualized further below. And so is the box office failure of one of the most anticipated releases of the (by now past) year: Rob Marshall’s costly all-star musical Nine, with Daniel Day-Lewis at its center.

Keep reading.

Update: This year’s Top Ten domestic hits.

Sherlock Holmes barely ahead of The Squeakquel

On the first weekend of 2010, Avatar comfortably held on to the top spot at the North American (U.S. and Canada) box office, collecting $68.5 million (cume: $352.1 million) as per studio figures found at boxofficemojo.com.

At no. 2, Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes, starring Robert Downey Jr. and Jude Law in the old Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce roles, brought in $36.6. million (cume: $138.7 million). Rachel McAdams is the London-set period actioner’s nominal leading woman.

Gnawing on Sherlock Holmes’ heels, Betty Thomas’ Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel took in $35.2 million (cume: $155.9 million). For comparison’s sake, Thomas’ Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) finished its domestic run with $217.3 million. Ultimately, the sequel should be able to squeak past its predecessor (bad pun intended).

And at no. 4 we get to Meryl Streep and Nancy Meyers (the second woman director among the weekend’s Top Five domestic hits).

It’s Complicated with Meryl Streep and Steve Martin: One of Streep’s biggest box office hits. In Nancy Meyers’ romantic comedy, the two-time Oscar winner plays a bakery owner who, while having a hush-hush affair with ex-husband Alec Baldwin, falls for architect Steve Martin.

It’s Complicated to become one of Meryl Streep’s biggest hits

An adult-oriented Hollywood comedy – in that regard, about as rare as live-action, female-centered domestic box office hits – It’s Complicated took in $18.8 million this past weekend. Total to date: $59.2 million.

Screenwriter-director Nancy Meyers’ movie is, for all purposes, an acting ensemble: Academy Award nominee Alec Baldwin (The Cooler, 2003), Steve Martin, Lake Bell, Mary Kay Place, John Krasinski, Hunter Parrish, Rita Wilson, et al. But at its core, It’s Complicated belongs to one cast member: Two-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep (Kramer vs. Kramer, 1979; Sophie’s Choice, 1982), who just happens to be 60 years old.

Even though it won’t be breaking any domestic box office records, It’s Complicated is bound to pass the $100 million mark, thus becoming one of Streep’s top three star vehicles ever, trailing only Phyllida Lloyd’s Mamma Mia! ($144.1 million, 2008) and David Frankel’s The Devil Wears Prada ($124.7 million, 2006).

Out of Africa & Kramer vs. Kramer still on top

When adjusting for inflation – the more accurate/honest way of comparing box office grosses from different years/decades – Streep’s most popular star vehicle in the domestic market easily remains Sydney Pollack’s 1985 Best Picture Oscar winner Out of Africa ($87 million at the time; approx. $176 million today), co-starring Robert Redford.

Along the same inflation-adjusted lines, the most successful film featuring Meryl Streep is Robert Benton’s 1979 Best Picture winner Kramer vs. Kramer, a Dustin Hoffman star vehicle with Streep in a key supporting role ($106.3 million domestically; approx. $322 million today).

Now, what makes It’s Complicated even more noteworthy is that, as mentioned further up, it’s Meryl Streep’s second 2009 release to become a sizable box office hit. Back in the summer, Julie & Julia grossed $94.1 million in the U.S. and Canada.

International hit

Update: The Meryl Streep star vehicle It’s Complicated ultimately scored $112.7 million domestically and $106.4 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $219 million.

Its top international markets were Australia ($14.2 million), the United Kingdom/Ireland ($13.9 million), Germany ($9.8 million), Spain ($6.4 million), France ($6.3 million), Italy ($5 million), Brazil ($4.7 million), and Japan ($4.5 million).

Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side, with Quinton Aaron.

The Blind Side breaks Sandra Bullock’s box office record

Trailing It’s Complicated this past weekend was another movie revolving around a middle-aged female character. Starring Sandra Bullock, 45, John Lee Hancock’s sleeper blockbuster The Blind Side added $11.9 million, reaching $208.5 million – and thus passing the $200 million mark after 43 days (on Friday, Jan. 1, it reached $201.1 million).

The Blind Side has yet to open internationally, but on the domestic front it has already “officially” broken box office records as far as Sandra Bullock is concerned: Not adjusting for inflation, the “inspirational” family drama – a major draw in American small towns and in “conservative” suburban areas – has become Bullock’s biggest box office hit ever.

Adjusted for inflation, Jan de Bont’s 1994 action thriller Speed, in which Bullock got paired up with Keanu Reeves, remains her biggest domestic blockbuster: $121.2 million at the time of its release, or approx. $217 million today. But keep your eyes open, as the fast-moving The Blind Side will surely be surpassing the inflation-adjusted Speed in the next few days.

Besides Sandra Bullock, The Blind Side features the following: Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron, Jae Head, Lily Collins, and Oscar winner Kathy Bates (Misery, 1990).

Domestic blockbuster, international disappointment

Update: The Blind Side ultimately took in nearly $256 million at the U.S. and Canada box office, thus becoming Sandra Bullock’s de facto biggest domestic hit ever.

Far less popular internationally, The Blind Side scored a relatively modest $53.2 million (likely incomplete). Worldwide total: 309.2 million.

Its top international markets were Australia ($12.3 million), the United Kingdom/Ireland ($9.1 million), Germany ($6.3 million), Mexico ($4.1 million), Brazil ($3 million), Spain ($2.5 million), and South Korea ($2.2 million). (Figures for France, Italy, Russia/CIS, and Japan are missing from the Box Office Mojo chart.)

Nine is no. 10 on domestic chart

One of this awards season’s great – dashed – hopes, The Weinstein Company’s Rob Marshall-directed Nine won’t be shattering any box office records. After earning only $3.9 million in the no. 10 slot this past weekend, the star-studded musical with Daniel Day-Lewis at its center has reached a paltry $13.7 million in North America.

Less-than-enthusiastic reviews certainly haven’t helped this $80 million big-screen adaptation of Mario Fratti, Mary Weston, and Arthur Kopit’s 1982 Tony Award-winning Broadway musical (729 performances), itself a musicalized adaptation of Federico Fellini’s 1963 film classic 8½. Daniel Day-Lewis has the old Marcello Mastroianni role (Raul Julia – and, more recently, Antonio Banderas – on stage).

Nine has received a number of mentions and nominations this awards season, but so far they haven’t made much (any?) of a difference to its commercial prospects. Having said that, if this Marshall/Day-Lewis collaboration manages to win the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture Comedy or Musical (not all that likely) or if it receives multiple Oscar nominations (a possibility), box office returns may get a – however moderate – boost in the coming weeks.

In the Oscar-pedigreed Nine cast:

The aforementioned Daniel Day-Lewis, a two-time Best Actor winner (My Left Foot, 1989; There Will Be Blood, 2007).

Best Actress winner Nicole Kidman (The Hours, 2002).

Best Actress winner Marion Cotillard (La Vie en Rose, 2007).

Best Supporting Actress winner Penélope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona, 2008).

Best Actress winner Sophia Loren (Two Women / La ciociara, 1961).

Best Supporting Actress winner Judi Dench (Shakespeare in Love, 1998).

Best Supporting Actress nominee Kate Hudson (Almost Famous, 2000).

In addition to:

Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Grammy nominee Fergie (“Big Girls Don’t Cry,” 2008).

Berlin Film Festival Best Director Silver Bear co-winner Ricky Tognazzi (Ultrà, 1991; tied with Jonathan Demme for The Silence of the Lambs).

Best Actor David di Donatello winner Elio Germano (My Brother Is an Only Child / Mio fratello è figlio unico, 2007).

“Meryl Streep + Sandra Bullock Box Office” endnotes

Unless otherwise noted, “Meryl Streep + Sandra Bullock Have Best Box Office Year” box office information via Box Office Mojo. Budget info – which should be taken with a grain of salt – via BOM and/or other sources (e.g., the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Screen Daily, The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, Deadline.com, etc.).

Comments about Avatar, It’s Complicated, The Blind Side, Nine, and other titles being hits/profitable or flops/money-losers at the box office (see paragraph below) are based on the available data about their production budget, additional marketing and distribution expenses (as a general rule of thumb, around 50 percent of the production cost), and worldwide gross (as a general rule of thumb when it comes to the Hollywood studios, around 50–55 percent of the domestic gross and 40 percent of the international gross goes to the distributing/producing companies).

Bear in mind that data regarding rebates, domestic/international sales/pre-sales, and other credits and/or contractual details that help to alleviate/split production costs and apportion revenues are oftentimes unavailable, and that reported international grosses may be incomplete (i.e., not every territory is fully – or even partially – accounted for).

Also bear in mind that ancillary revenues (domestic/global television rights, home video sales, streaming, merchandising, etc.) can represent anywhere between 40–70 percent of a movie’s total take. However, these revenues and their apportionment are only infrequently made public.

Lastly, although a more accurate reflection of a film’s popularity (i.e., its number of tickets sold), inflation-adjusted estimates should be taken with extreme caution. For instance, they’re based on average domestic ticket prices (via the National Association of Theater Owners, unless otherwise noted) whereas numerous major releases scored a large chunk of their box office take at top-priced venues.

Steve Martin and Meryl Streep It’s Complicated movie images: Melinda Sue Gordon | Universal Pictures.

Quinton Aaron and Sandra Bullock The Blind Side movie image: Ralph Nelson | Warner Bros.

“Meryl Streep + Sandra Bullock Have Best Box Office Year” last updated in October 2022.