Cineliteracy: What You Need to Know about 1995 as Movie Year
My Oscar Book:
Top-Grossing Films of 1995
Rank Title Distributor Worldwide gross
1 Die Hard with a Vengeance 20th Century Fox $366,101,666
2 Toy Story Buena Vista $363,007,140
3 Apollo 13 Universal $355,237,933
4 GoldenEye MGM $352,194,034
5 Pocahontas Buena Vista $346,079,773
6 Batman Forever Warner Bros. $336,529,144
7 Seven New Line $327,311,859
8 Casper Universal $287,928,194
9 Waterworld $264,218,220
10 Jumanji Sony Pictures $262,797,249
Box Office records
The Batman franchise became fifth film franchise to gross $1 billion with release of Batman Forever.
Batman Forever surpasses Jurassic Park for scoring the highest-opening weekend of all time, with total of $52.8 million.
Film Records
Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge has been playing in theatres in India for 30 ythe longest running film in cinema history,
Context
The box office of 1994 achieved record grosses, with 9 films earning more than $100 million and the highest attendance (1.29 billion) since 1960 (1.3 billion).
By 1995, however, the average cost of making and marketing a film had doubled since 1990, reaching $50.4 million. The rising salaryof actors was contributing factor; studios vied to secure popular actors such as Harrison Ford, Jim Carrey, Tom Cruise, and Arnold Schwarzenegger who could generally guarantee a minimum level of box-office success and held broad appeal outside of the US. If notable stars were unavailable, studios were forced to pay exorbitant salaries for less-well-known stars and pay other cast lower salaries to offset costs. In 1995, theatrical box-office revenue was falling; the first quarter was about $90 million lower than the same period in 1994.
Markets outside of the U.S. were growing, accounting for 41% of a film’s total revenue—including theatrical and home media profits—and outperformed the U.S. box offices for the first time in 1994. Anticipated films such as Batman Forever, Crimson Tide, and Pocahontas were released alongside Waterworld, the most-expensive film of its time.
Events
March 13 –
Dogme 95 movement is announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg.
May 12 – Crimson Tide kicks off the Summer box office season with critical and commercial success.
May 19 –
Die Hard with a Vengeance becomes the year’s highest-grossing film (Toy Story overtook it in re-releases in 2014).
May 24 – Braveheart is released to critical and commercial success. Directed by and starring Mel Gibson, it win 5 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director.
May 27 – Christopher Reeve (1952–2004) injured his spinal cord after falling off his horse in equestrian competition. The injury paralyzed him from shoulders down, and he depended on ventilator to breathe.
June 10 –
Pocahontas has the largest premiere ever for a film, premiering in Central Park, NY, with audience of 100,000 and free admission. The film received mixed reviews but was a commercial success at the box office.
June 16 –
Batman Forever scores the highest-opening weekend of all time, generating a total of $52.8 million.
November –
Carolco Pictures files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
November 17 – After 6 year hiatus, the James Bond film series resumes with GoldenEye with Pierce Brosnan as James Bond.
November 22 –
Toy Story, first feature film created completely using computer-generated imagery, is both a commercial and critical success, considered significant turning point in history.
Awards
1st Critics’ Choice Awards 1, January 22, 1996
Producers, Directors, Screen Actors, and Writers Guild Awards
68th Academy (Oscar) Award, April 23, 1996
Best Film: Braveheart Sense and Sensibility
Best Director Mel Gibson, Braveheart
Best Actor Nicolas Cage, Leaving Las Vegas
Best Actress: Susan Sarandon, Dead Man Walking
Best Supporting Actor: Kevin Spacey, The Usual Suspects
Best Supporting Actress: Mira Sorvino, Mighty Aphrodite
Best Screenplay, Adapted Emma Thompson, Sense and Sensibility
Best Screenplay, Christopher McQuarrie, The Usual Suspects
Best Original Score:
Best Original Song:
Best Foreign Language Film: Antonia (Netherands)
Deaths
Month Date Name Age Country Profession Notable films
January 2 Nancy Kelly 73 US Actress
The Bad SeedJesse James
2 Frances E. Williams 89 US Actress
Lying LipsThe Jerk
4 Dorothy Granger 82 US Actress
The DentistWhen the Daltons Rode
7 Ted Tetzlaff 91 US Cinematographer
NotoriousMy Man Godfrey
9 Peter Cook 57 UK Actor
The Princess BrideBedazzled
10 Roy Ashton 85 Australia Makeup Artist
DraculaThe Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
11 Onat Kutlar 58 Turkey Producer, Screenwriter
A Season in Hakkari
12 Kay Aldridge 77 US Actress
Daredevils of the WestDown Argentine Way
24 Edward Colman 89 US Cinematographer
Mary PoppinsThe Absent-Minded Professor
25 John Smith 63 US Actor
Circus WorldHot Rod Girl
25 William Sylvester 72 US Actor
2001: A Space OdysseyDevil Doll
26 Gordon Oliver 84 US Actor
Seven Days AshoreThe Spiral Staircase
26 Pat Welsh 79 US Actress
E.T. the Extra-TerrestrialReturn of the Jedi
27 Robert Totten 57 US Director
The Quick and the DeadThe Wild Country
31 George Abbott 107 US Director
Damn YankeesThe Pajama Game
February 2 Phillip Borsos 41 Australia Director
The Grey FoxBethune: The Making of a Hero
2 Donald Pleasence 75 UK Actor
HalloweenThe Great Escape
2 Willard Waterman 80 US Actor
The ApartmentMystery Street
4 Abel Santa Cruz 79 Argentina Screenwriter
Al Compás de tu MentiraThe Age of Love
5 Doug McClure 59 US Actor
The Enemy BelowThe Land That Time Forgot
8 Rachel Thomas 89 UK Actress
The Proud ValleyUnder Milk Wood
9 David Wayne 81 US Actor
The Andromeda StrainAdam’s Rib
14 Michael V. Gazzo 71 US Actor
The Godfather Part IIA Hatful of Rain
16 Lois Wilde 87 US Actress
Undersea KingdomThe Singing Cowboy
19 John Howard 81 US Actor
The Philadelphia StoryBulldog Drummond’s Secret Police
21 Robert Bolt 79 UK Screenwriter, Director
Lawrence of ArabiaDoctor Zhivago
21 Calder Willingham 72 US Screenwriter
The GraduatePaths of Glory
22 Ed Flanders 60 US Actor
The Exorcist IIIMacArthur
22 Nicholas Pennell 56 UK Actor
Battle of BritainIsadora
23 John Paul 73 UK Actor
CromwellDoomwatch
24 John J. Carney 54 UK Actor
A Clockwork OrangeTop Secret!
26 Jack Clayton 73 UK Director
Room at the TopThe Pumpkin Eater
27 Ann Ayars 76 US Singer, Actress
The Tales of HoffmannDr. Kildare’s Victory
March 1 Herb Meadow 83 US Screenwriter
The Strange WomanThe Master of Ballantrae
3 Al Christy 76 US Actor
When Harry Met Sally…In Cold Blood
3 Douglas Stewart 75 US Film Editor
The Right StuffInvasion of the Body Snatchers
5 Nancy O’Neil 83 Australia Actress
Twelve Good MenThere Was a Young Man
10 Irene Tedrow 87 US Actress
The Ten CommandmentsThe Parent Trap
12 Juanin Clay 45 US Actress
WarGamesThe Legend of the Lone Ranger
15 Albert Hackett 95 US Screenwriter
It’s a Wonderful LifeFather of the Bride
17 Rick Aviles 42 US Actor
GhostWaterworld
20 Big John Studd 47 US Actor
Harley Davidson and the Marlboro ManMicki & Maude
21 Robert Urquhart 73 UK Actor
The Dogs of WarThe Curse of Frankenstein
27 Paul Brinegar 77 US Actor
MaverickHigh Plains Drifter
April 4 Priscilla Lane 79 US Actress, Singer
SaboteurArsenic and Old Lace
12 Philip H. Lathrop 82 US Cinematographer
The Pink PantherThey Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
14 Burl Ives 85 US Actor, Singer
Cat on a Hot Tin RoofEast of Eden
16 Cy Endfield 80 US Director, Screenwriter
ZuluNight of the Demon
16 Arthur English 75 UK Actor
Are You Being Served?The Boys in Blue
16 Alfred Ryder 79 US Actor
True GritInvitation to a Gunfighter
21 Tessie O’Shea 82 UK Actress
Bedknobs and BroomsticksThe Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming
25 Art Fleming 70 US Actor
Airplane II: The SequelMacArthur
25 Alexander Knox 88 Canada Actor, Screenwriter, Director
Sister KennyThe Longest Day
25 Ginger Rogers 83 US Actress, Dancer
Top HatKitty Foyle
27 Katherine DeMille 83 Canada Actress
Charlie Chan at the OlympicsUnconquered
30 Christopher Chadman 47 US Actor
The Muppets Take ManhattanThe Flamingo Kid
30 Michael Graham Cox 57 UK Actor
A Bridge Too FarThe Lord of the Rings
May 2 Don Brockett 65 US Actor
The Silence of the LambsFlashdance
2 Michael Hordern 83 UK Actor
GandhiThe Wind in the Willows
11 John Philips 80 UK Actor
QuadropheniaBecket
12 Arthur Lubin 96 US Director
Phantom of the OperaRhubarb
13 Alan Maley 64 UK Visual Effects Artist, Matte Painter
Raiders of the Lost ArkThe Spy Who Loved Me
18 Elisha Cook Jr. 91 US Actor
ShaneThe Maltese Falcon
18 Alexander Godunov 45 Russia Actor, Dancer
Die HardWitness
18 Elizabeth Montgomery 62 US Actress
Johnny CoolThe Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell
22 Robert Flemyng 83 UK Actor
Funny FaceThe Man Who Never Was
25 Alice Day 89 US Actress
Hot CurvesThe Lady from Nowhere
25 Dany Robin 68 France Actress
TopazDon’t Lose Your Head
26 Tony Azito 46 US Actor
The Addams FamilyMoonstruck
26 Friz Freleng 89 US Animator, Director, Producer
The Pink PantherThe Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie
27 Severn Darden 65 US Actor
The President’s AnalystVanishing Point
28 Daniela Rocca 57 Italy Actress
Divorce, Italian StyleEsther and the King
June 3 Dilys Powell 93 UK Film Critic None; critiqued films for The Sunday Times
5 Patricia Dane 75 US Actress
Grand Central MurderJohnny Eager
6 Savely Kramarov 60 Russia Actor
2010: The Year We Make ContactMoscow on the Hudson
10 Bruno Lawrence 54 UK Actor
The Quiet EarthSpotswood
15 Charles Bennett 95 UK Screenwriter
The Man Who Knew Too MuchThe Big Circus
17 Clarence Greene 81 US Screenwriter
D.O.A.Pillow Talk
18 Arthur Howard 85 UK Actor
MoonrakerSteptoe and Son
20 Julian Blaustein 82 US Producer
The Day the Earth Stood StillBell, Book and Candle
27 Yoni Chen 41 Israel Actor
The BandDizengoff 99
29 Roy Rowland 84 US Director
Our Vines Have Tender GrapesHit the Deck
29 Lana Turner 74 US Actress
The Bad and the BeautifulThe Postman Always Rings Twice
30 Gale Gordon 89 US Actor
Don’t Give Up the ShipSpeedway
July 1 Wolfman Jack 57 US Actor
American GraffitiMotel Hell
2 John C. Higgins 87 Canada Screenwriter
Raw DealT-Men
4 Eva Gabor 76 Hungary Actress
GigiThe Rescuers
12 Gordon Flemyng 61 UK Director
Dr. Who and the DaleksThe Split
17 Harry Guardino 69 US Actor
Dirty HarryAny Which Way You Can
27 Miklós Rózsa 88 Hungary Composer
SpellboundBen-Hur
31 Genevieve Tobin 95 US Actress
One Hour with YouThe Petrified Forest
August 1 Phyllis Brooks 80 US Actress
Little Miss BroadwayIn Old Chicago
1 Esther Muir 92 US Actress
A Day at the RacesFury
2 Al Adamson 66 US Director
Dracula vs. FrankensteinBlack Samurai
3 Ida Lupino 77 UK Actress, Director
High SierraThey Drive by Night
7 David Begelman 73 US Studio Executive
8 Carol Hughes 85 US Actress
Flash Gordon Conquers the UniverseGold Mine in the Sky
9 Peter Carew 72 US Actor
Scent of a WomanBlue Velvet
10 Donald Bisset 84 UK Actor
Warlords of AtlantisRagtime
11 Phil Harris 91 US Actor
The Jungle BookThe High and the Mighty
11 Howard Koch 93 US Screenwriter
CasablancaSergeant York
16 Walter Cartier 71 US Actor
Day of the FightSomebody Up There Likes Me
17 Helen Christie 80 UK Actress
Rasputin the Mad MonkLust for a Vampire
18 James Maxwell 66 US Actor
OtleyFar from the Madding Crowd
21 Nanni Loy 69 Italy Director, Screenwriter
The Four Days of NaplesCafé Express
24 Gary Crosby 62 US Actor
Girl HappyMardi Gras
27 Mary Beth Hughes 75 US Actress
The Ox-Bow IncidentThe Great Profile
29 Frank Perry 65 US Producer, Director
Mommie DearestDavid and Lisa
31 Mildred Coles 75 US Actress
Lady ScarfacePlay Girl
31 David Farrar 87 UK Actor
Black NarcissusSolomon and Sheba
September 1 Benay Venuta 84 US Actress
Annie Get Your GunBullets Over Broadway
5 John Megna 42 US Actor
To Kill a MockingbirdSmokey and the Bandit II
6 Ralph Rosenblum 69 US Film Editor
Annie HallThe Producers
9 Ron Talsky 60 US Costume Designer
The Three MusketeersThe Deep
9 Keith Wayne 50 US Actor
Night of the Living Dead
10 Derek Meddings 64 UK Visual Effects Artist
BatmanSuperman
12 Jeremy Brett 61 UK Actor
My Fair LadyWar and Peace
12 Tom Helmore 91 UK Actor
VertigoThe Time Machine
17 Grady Sutton 89 US Actor
Alice AdamsThe Bank Dick
29 Susan Fleetwood 51 UK Actress
Clash of the TitansYoung Sherlock Holmes
October 5 Linda Gary 50 US Voice Actress
Pinocchio and the Emperor of the NightHappily Ever After
6 Anthony Newlands 69 UK Actor
Room at the TopScream and Scream Again
9 Armin Ganz 47 US Production Designer
Bull DurhamTucker: The Man and His Dream
12 Gary Bond 55 UK Actor
ZuluAnne of the Thousand Days
15 Claudio Brook 68 Mexico Actor
AlucardaLicence to Kill
20 Christopher Stone 53 US Actor
CujoThe Howling
21 Maxene Andrews 79 US Singer, Actress
Buck PrivatesIn the Navy
21 Jack Rose 83 Poland Screenwriter
HouseboatThe Great Muppet Caper
22 Mary Wickes 85 US Actress
Sister ActLittle Women
25 David Healy 66 US Actor
PattonLabyrinth
25 Viveca Lindfors 74 Sweden Actress
StargateThe Way We Were
29 Jean Heather 79 US Actress
Double IndemnityGoing My Way
29 Terry Southern 71 US Screenwriter
Dr. StrangeloveEasy Rider
30 Brian Easdale 86 UK Composer
Peeping TomThe Red Shoes
30 Paul Ferris 54 UK Composer
Witchfinder GeneralThe Creeping Flesh
31 Rosalind Cash 56 US Actress
The Omega ManThe New Centurions
November 3 John Orchard 66 UK Actor
Bedknobs and BroomsticksThe Thomas Crown Affair
4 Paul Eddington 68 UK Actor
The Devil Rides OutThe Amazing Mr. Blunden
4 Eddie Egan 65 US Actor
The French ConnectionPrime Cut
6 Aneta Corsaut 62 US Actress
The BlobThe Toolbox Murders
7 John Patrick 90 US Screenwriter
The Shoes of the FishermanSome Came Running
9 Robert O. Cook 92 US Sound Engineer
The Jungle BookMary Poppins
10 Arthur Loew Jr. 69 US Producer
The Affairs of Dobie GillisPenelope
12 Robert Stephens 64 UK Actor
The Prime of Miss Jean BrodieThe Private Life of Sherlock Holmes
13 Ralph Blane 81 US Composer, Lyricist
Meet Me in St. LouisGood News
21 Dorothy Jeakins 81 US Costume Designer
The Sound of MusicTrue Grit
22 Ronald Kinnoch 85 UK Producer, Screenwriter
Village of the DamnedDevil Doll
23 Louis Malle 63 France Director
Atlantic CityElevator to the Gallows
24 Jeffrey Lynn 86 US Actor
A Letter to Three WivesThe Roaring Twenties
December 3 Jimmy Jewel 85 UK Actor
The KraysAmerican Friends
4 Robert Parrish 79 US Director, Actor
Casino RoyaleFire Down Below
7 Harry Cordwell 73 UK Set Decorator
Empire of the SunVictor Victoria
7 Kathleen Harrison 103 UK Actress
ScroogeCast a Dark Shadow
8 George J. Lewis 91 US Actor
CasablancaShane
9 Vivian Blaine 74 US Actress, Singer
Guys and DollsState Fair
10 Paul Lohmann 69 US Cinematographer
NashvilleSilent Movie
11 Arthur Mullard 85 UK Actor
101 DalmatiansChitty Chitty Bang Bang
17 Lexie Bigham 27 US Actor
SevenDave
19 Jack Hively 85 US Director, Film Editor
Father Takes a WifeThe Saint in Palm Springs
20 Madge Sinclair 57 Jamaica Actor
The Lion King, Coming to America
Nov 22
Butterfly McQueen 84 US Actress, Gone with the Wind, Mildred Pierce
Nov 23
Patric Knowles 84 UK Actor, The Adventures of Robin Hood, How Green Was My Valley
Dec 25
Dean Martin 78 US Singer, Actor, Ocean’s 11, Rio Bravo
Film Debuts
Casey Affleck – To Die For
Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje – Congo
Michael Bay (director) – Bad Boys
Drake Bell – Drifting School
Camilla Belle – A Little Princess
Connie Britton – The Brothers McMullen
Edward Burns – The Brothers McMullen
Scott Caan – A Boy Called Hate
Emmanuelle Chriqui – The Donor
Hayden Christensen – In the Mouth of Madness
Rachael Leigh Cook – The Baby-Sitters Club
Jennifer Coolidge – Love and Happiness
David Cross – Destiny Turns on the Radio
Rosario Dawson – Kids
Peter Dinklage – Living in Oblivion
Colman Domingo – Timepiece
Jeffrey Donovan – Throwing Down
Minnie Driver – Circle of Friends
Michael Clarke Duncan – Friday
Peter Facinelli – Angela
John Farley – Tommy Boy
Colin Farrell – Frankie Starlight
Will Ferrell – Criminal Hearts
Leo Fitzpatrick – Kids
Tommy Flanagan – Braveheart
Shawn Hatosy – Home for the Holidays
Jessica Hecht – Joe’s Rotten World
Natasha Henstridge – Species
Aldis Hodge – Die Hard with a Vengeance
Hassan Johnson – Clockers
Tamala Jones – How to Make an American Quilt
Keira Knightley – Innocent Lies
Johnny Knoxville – Desert Blues
David Koechner – It’s Now… or NEVER!
Jared Leto – How to Make an American Quilt
Ken Leung – Pictures of Baby Jane Doe
Chad Lindberg – Born to be Wild
Norm Macdonald – Billy Madison
Heather Matarazzo – Welcome to the Dollhouse
James McAvoy – The Near Room
Debra Messing – A Walk in the Clouds
Ivana Miličević – Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest
Jay Mohr – For Better or Worse
Miguel Ángel Muñoz – The Lame Pigeon
Nicole Ari Parker – The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love
Paula Jai Parker – Friday
Amanda Peet – Animal Room
Mekhi Phifer – Clockers
Ryan Phillippe – Crimson Tide
Geoff Pierson – Two Bits
Franka Potente – After Five in the Forest Primeval
James Purefoy – Feast of July
Jeremy Renner – National Lampoon’s Senior Trip
Giovanni Ribisi – Mind Ripper
Paul Rudd – Clueless
Peter Sarsgaard – Dead Man Walking
Steve Schirripa – Casino
Élie Semoun – The Three Brothers
Chloë Sevigny – Kids
Brendan Sexton III – Welcome to the Dollhouse
Michael Sheen – Othello
Ethan Suplee – Mallrats
Saïd Taghmaoui – La Haine
Charlize Theron – Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest
James Van Der Beek – Angus
Dominic West – Richard III
