An ACCURATE history of cinema
by MrGroovilicious | created - 6 months ago | updated - 6 months ago | PublicA history of popular trends in the history of cinema, sorted by decade. To be clear, these are not the BEST or most well REGARDED films of each decade, or even which ones stood the test of time or became classics. Many of those weren't even popular or well known back in their respective decades or years of release, and only became well known years later.
Rather, these are the ones that were actually the MOST POPULAR OR HYPED films back when they originally came out... even if no one still talks about them today. Hence many of these titles faded into total obscurity, and are completely unknown outside of the original generation of audience members who saw them.
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1. The Arrival of a Train (1896)
Not Rated | 1 min | Documentary, Short
A train arrives at La Ciotat station.
Directors: Auguste Lumière, Louis Lumière | Stars: Madeleine Koehler, Marcel Koehler, Mrs. Auguste Lumiere, Jeanne-Joséphine Lumière
Votes: 12,874
[1895-1899]: Most popular genre... ACTUALITIES
MOST HYPED BY YEAR:
1895 - Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory
1896 - The Arrival of a Train
1897 - The Haverstraw Tunnel
1898 - Wreck of the Battleship 'Maine'
1899 - A Kiss in the Tunnel
2. A Trip to the Moon (1902)
TV-G | 13 min | Short, Action, Adventure
A group of astronomers go on an expedition to the Moon.
Director: Georges Méliès | Stars: Georges Méliès, Victor André, Bleuette Bernon, Brunnet
Votes: 55,811
[1900-1909]: Most popular genre... ADVENTURE FILMS
MOST HYPED BY YEAR:
1900 - Joan of Arc
1901 - The Man with the Rubber Head
1902 - A Trip to the Moon
1903 - The Kingdom of Fairies
1904 - The Impossible Voyage
1905 - The Tango
1906 - The Story of the Kelly Gang
1907 - Tunneling the English Channel
1908 - Fantasmagorie
1909 - Airship Destroyer
3. City Lights (1931)
G | 87 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
With the aid of a wealthy erratic tippler, a dewy-eyed tramp who has fallen in love with a sightless flower girl accumulates money to be able to help her medically.
Director: Charles Chaplin | Stars: Charles Chaplin, Virginia Cherrill, Florence Lee, Harry Myers
Votes: 196,107 | Gross: $0.02M
[1930-1939]: Most popular genre... COMEDIES
MOST HYPED BY YEAR:
1930 - All Quiet on the Western Front
1931 - City Lights
1932 - Tarzan the Ape Man
1933 - Gold Diggers of 1933
1934 - It Happened One Night
1935 - Mutiny of the Bounty
1936 - San Francisco
1937 - Maytime
1938 - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
1939 - Gone with the Wind
4. Sergeant York (1941)
Passed | 134 min | Biography, Drama, History
A Tennessee farmer and marksman is drafted in World War I, and struggles with his pacifist inclinations before becoming one of the most celebrated war heroes.
Director: Howard Hawks | Stars: Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan, Joan Leslie, George Tobias
Votes: 19,793 | Gross: $16.40M
[1940-1949]: Most popular genre... WAR FILMS
MOST HYPED BY YEAR:
1940 - Boom Town
1941 - Sergeant York
1942 - Mrs. Miniver
1943 - This is the Army
1944 - Meet Me in St. Louis
1945 - Mom and Dad
1946 - The Best Years of Our Lives
1947 - Welcome Stranger
1948 - The Snake Pit
1949 - Battleground
5. I Love Lucy (1951–1957)
TV-Y | 30 min | Comedy, Family
The wife of a band leader constantly tries to become a star - in spite of her having no talent, and gets herself (along with her best friend) into the funniest predicaments.
Stars: Lucille Ball, Desi Arnaz, Vivian Vance, William Frawley
Votes: 28,927
[1950-1959]: Most popular genre... COMEDY SHOWS
MOST HYPED BY YEAR:
1950 - Samson and Deliliah
1951 - Arthur Godfrey's Talent Scouts (Season 4)
1952 - I Love Lucy (Season 2)
1953 - I Love Lucy (Season 3)
1954 - I Love Lucy (Season 4)
1955 - The $64,000 Question (Season 1)
1956 - I Love Lucy (Season 6)
1957 - Cinderella (TV Movie)
1958 - The Bridge on the River Kwai
1959 - Gunsmoke (Season 5)
6. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)
Approved | 218 min | Adventure, Biography, Drama
The story of T.E. Lawrence, the English officer who successfully united and led the diverse, often warring, Arab tribes during World War I in order to fight the Turks.
Director: David Lean | Stars: Peter O'Toole, Alec Guinness, Anthony Quinn, Jack Hawkins
Votes: 314,495 | Gross: $44.82M
[1960-1969]: Most popular genre... HISTORICAL EPICS
MOST HYPED BY YEAR:
1960 - Ben-Hur
1961 - West Side Story
1962 - Lawrence of Arabia
1963 - Cleopatra
1964 - Mary Poppins
1965 - The Sound of Music
1966 - The Bible: In the Beginning...
1967 - The Graduate
1968 - Funny Girl
1969 - Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
7. A Clockwork Orange (1971)
R | 136 min | Crime, Sci-Fi
In the future, a sadistic gang leader is imprisoned and volunteers for a conduct-aversion experiment, but it doesn't go as planned.
Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Malcolm McDowell, Patrick Magee, Michael Bates, Warren Clarke
Votes: 881,583 | Gross: $6.21M
[1970-1979]: Most popular genre... DRAMAS
MOST HYPED BY YEAR:
1970 - Love Story
1971 - A Clockwork Orange
1972 - The Godfather
1973 - The Exorcist
1974 - The Towering Inferno
1975 - Jaws
1976 - Rocky
1977 - Star Wars
1978 - Superman: The Movie
1979 - Kramer vs Kramer
8. Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
PG | 124 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
After the Rebel Alliance are overpowered by the Empire, Luke Skywalker begins his Jedi training with Yoda, while his friends are pursued across the galaxy by Darth Vader and bounty hunter Boba Fett.
Director: Irvin Kershner | Stars: Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams
Votes: 1,380,312 | Gross: $290.48M
[1980-1989]: Most popular genre... ACTION
MOST HYPED BY YEAR:
1980 - Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
1981 - Raiders of the Lost Ark
1982 - E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
1983 - Star Wars: Return of the Jedi
1984 - Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
1985 - Back to the Future
1986 - Top Gun
1987 - Fatal Attraction
1988 - Who Framed Roger Rabbit
1989 - Batman
9. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
R | 137 min | Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi
A cyborg, identical to the one who failed to kill Sarah Connor, must now protect her ten year old son John from an even more advanced and powerful cyborg.
Director: James Cameron | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick
Votes: 1,174,603 | Gross: $204.84M
[1900-1999]: Most popular genre... DISASTER FILMS
MOST HYPED BY YEAR:
1990 - Ghost
1991 - Terminator 2: Judgement Day
1992 - Aladdin
1993 - Jurassic Park
1994 - The Lion King
1995 - Die Hard: With a Vengeance
1996 - Independence Day
1997 - The Lost World: Jurassic Park
1998 - Titanic
1999 - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace
10. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (2001)
PG | 152 min | Adventure, Family, Fantasy
An orphaned boy enrolls in a school of wizardry, where he learns the truth about himself, his family and the terrible evil that haunts the magical world.
Director: Chris Columbus | Stars: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Richard Harris
Votes: 856,391 | Gross: $317.58M
[2000-2009]: Most popular genre... BOOK TO FILM ADAPTATIONS
MOST HYPED BY YEAR:
2000 - Mission: Impossible 2
2001 - Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
2002 - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
2003 - The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2004 - Shrek 2
2005 - Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
2006 - The Da Vinci Code
2007 - Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
2008 - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
2009 - Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
11. The Avengers (2012)
PG-13 | 143 min | Action, Sci-Fi
Earth's mightiest heroes must come together and learn to fight as a team if they are going to stop the mischievous Loki and his alien army from enslaving humanity.
Director: Joss Whedon | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner
Votes: 1,459,795 | Gross: $623.28M
[2010-2019]: Most popular genre... SUPERHERO FILMS
MOST HYPED BY YEAR:
2010 - Avatar
2011 - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
2012 - The Avengers
2013 - Frozen
2014 - Guardians of the Galaxy
2015 - Star Wars: The Force Awakens
2016 - Captain America: Civil War
2017 - Star Wars: The Last Jedi
2018 - Avengers: Infinity War
2019 - Avengers: Endgame
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