Box office bashes are often cinematic events on their own. While audiences are much more conscious about where their films come from and where their loyalties lie, there were times when films from multiple A-list actors would battle it out at the box office.
Tom Hanks, John Travolta, and Morgan Freeman are some of the best actors in the business, and each has delivered some of the greatest films to come out of the industry. While nowadays these actors have found themselves attached to franchises in a bid to stay relevant, there was a time when there was more for them to do with the films that they put out, which also butt heads at the box office.
Tom Hanks, John Travolta, and Morgan Freeman saw their best films play out in 1994
1994 was a year unlike any other for Hollywood. Between July and October of that year, three of Hollywood’s most influential films came out in quick succession, a feat that might not be something the modern landscape of the industry could have churned out.
Forrest Gump, Pulp Fiction, and The Shawshank Redemption came out over a span of four months, becoming some films that are routinely cited as some of the best works of fiction to come out of Hollywood.
All these films were the respective high points for the actors that were involved in the films, also being some of the most lucrative films of the year. Against a budget of $25 million (according to Entertainment Weekly), Shawshank Redemption managed to bring in $73.3 million, which remained the lease turnover among the three films discussed in this article. Pulp Fiction ended up making a whopping 213.9 million on a budget of a meager $8.5 million (as reported by Box Office Mojo), while Forrest Gump (according to Box Office Mojo) turned a $55 million investment into a $678.2 million paycheck.
Are franchise films the only way to go in Modern Hollywood?
At the time when the films were released, franchise films were just taking off in the way that we understand them today. In the current landscape of Hollywood, franchise films, whether it be sequels, reboots, or remakes, original films like The Shawshank Redemption, Forrest Gump, and Pulp Fiction seem to firmly be a thing of the past. While there are groundbreaking artistic and narrative films that have found homes on streaming, the box office is rarely kind to these types of films.
While the future seems to still be on its way to favoring franchise films, nonfranchise entries into the box office are still finding a lot of support in online forums. Thanks to streaming, while these films are not receiving a lot of support at the box office, they are reaching a wider audience that is ready to view the cookie-cutter franchise offering that doesn’t look all that impressive on the small screen when compared to the big screen.
The Shawshank Redemption can be bought/rented on Apple TV.
Pulp Fiction can be streamed on Prime Video and Paramount+.
Forrest Gump can be streamed on Paramount+.
