While the entirety of the 1990s was an incredible, ground-breaking time for movies, 1993 stands out, not just as the best year for films that decade — but potentially as the best year for movies ever. The era of the modern blockbuster began to take shape in the 1980s, but the highest-grossing movies of the 1990s were revolutionary when it came to what films would look like for the next 30 years. And considering the wide range of movies that appealed to all audience types, 1993 can be considered a watershed year for cinema.
Whether audiences were interested in huge spectacle blockbusters, side-splitting comedies, exciting thrillers, or highbrow dramas, 1993 had multiple entries that fit the bill. In many ways, 1993 changed how audiences watched movies. From cutting-edge technology to creative cinematography, every weekend at the box office featured some style or spectacle never before seen by audiences. Combine these ideas with the golden age of Hollywood superstars and several auteurs entering the height of their craft, and it made 1993 an amazing year for cinema.
1993 Was An Amazing Year For Movies
1993 was defined by the blockbuster smash hit Jurassic Park, a movie that helped redefine the summer blockbuster. However, the diversity of popular and niche films that year was unmatched. There are tentpole movies every year, and 1993 was no different. But that year also saw Hollywood pivot into movies that were more intellectual, substantive, and emotional — and that appealed to mass audiences. Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List was one such film, but others, including The Remains of the Day, The Piano, and The Crying Game, all did well at the box office while having deep themes and motifs.
That’s not to say that the top of the box office struggled at all. If you include the money Aladdin made in the first few weeks of 1994, the 1993 box office saw eight films reach $100 million domestically (via Box Office Mojo). That was the first time that many films reached $100 million since 1990 and was just the second time it had ever been accomplished. Numerous films also reached $70 million domestically in 1993, an impressive feat for the time. Each of these movies was a blockbuster in its own right and showed the massive depth of popular films that year:
Movie | Domestic Box Office |
|---|---|
Jurassic Park | $338,929,640 |
The Fugitive | $176,469,222 |
The Firm | $158,348,367 |
Sleepless in Seattle | $126,680,884 |
Mrs. Doubtfire | $109,086,478 (in 1993) |
Indecent Proposal | $106,614,059 |
In The Line Of Fire | $102,314,823 |
Aladdin | $99,919,569 (in 1993) |
Cliffhanger | $84,049,211 |
A Few Good Men | $78,211,341 |
Free Willy | $77,698,625 |
Groundhog Day | $70,906,793 |
How 1993’s Movies Compares To The Rest Of The ’90s
There is a strong argument that 1994 is the best movie year ever, or at least of the 1990s. That year featured mega-blockbusters like The Lion King, True Lies, Forrest Gump, and Speed. It introduced classic, Oscar-winning films like The Shawshank Redemption, Philadelphia, and Pulp Fiction. The year 1994 might also be one of the best ever for family movies with The Lion King, The Santa Clause, The Flinstones, and The Sandlot all releasing.
Many other years of that decade also saw signature films that defined the movie-going experience hit theaters, such as Independence Day in 1996, Men in Black in 1997, or Titanic in late 1997. While all of these years had strong top-lines for the best movies of the year, none can compare to the depth and ground-breaking achievements of 1993. It would be five years before another movie (Titanic, the first movie to make $1 billion) would topple Jurassic Park‘s domestic box office total, and no year could bring down the sheer volume of iconic and memorable projects from 1993.
Was 1993 The Best Year For Movies In History?
There certainly has been stiff competition over the past few decades, but considering the expansive options available to appeal to all tastes and sheer number of industry-altering blockbusters, 1993 stands alone as the best year ever for movies. Jurassic Park became the gold standard for how special effects in Hollywood would evolve. Schindler’s List proved to be a historical storytelling masterpiece, and even genre-bending films like The Nightmare Before Christmas and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape stood the test of time.
With action, drama, science-fiction, thrillers, comedies, and historical movies, 1993 really did have it all — and it was all released at a high quality. Contrasted with the 1980s and early 1990s, 1993 became a turning point in Hollywood where everything, including the spectacle, heart, and intellect all became bigger. The next year certainly rivaled 1993 with its strong contenders, but 1993 still stood out as the most game-changing year for the movie industry — and for people who love movies.
