Cineliteracy: What You Need to Know about 1996 as Movie Year
My Oscar Book:
Top-Grossing Films of 1996
Rank Title Distributor Worldwide gross
1 Independence Day 20th Century Fox $817,400,891
2 Twister Warner Bros. / Universal $495,700,000
3 Mission: Impossible Paramount $457,696,359
4 The Rock Buena Vista $335,062,621
5 The Hunchback of Notre Dame $325,338,851
6 101 Dalmatians $320,689,294
7 Ransom $309,492,681
8 The Nutty Professor Universal $273,961,019
9 Jerry Maguire Sony Pictures / TriStar $273,552,592
10 Space Jam Warner Bros. $250,180,384
Box office records
Independence Day, the highest-grossing film of Will Smith’s career, up until it was surpassed by Aladdin (2019) which grossed $1.054 billion. However, adjusting for inflation, Independence Day in 2019 grossed $1.324 billion.
Rumble in the Bronx became Jackie Chan’s first major box office hit in the region, with its US box office over 20 times its budget.mIt was Chan’s biggest ever hit up until then.
The theatrical year of 1996 achieved a $5.8 billion domestic gross milestone and saw a record twelve films earning over $100 million by the end of December, with Independence Day earning over $300 million. However, the industry experienced surplus of releases between 1995 and 1996 that resulted in box office flops, studio bankruptcies and sales, and successful films struggling to turn in a profit.
The average cost of producing and marketing film rose to $60 million, 20% increase from the previous year, with a contributing factor being the record high-salaries for stars such as Sylvester Stallone, Tom Cruise, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mel Gibson, Jim Carrey, Harrison Ford, Michael Douglas, Sharon Stone, Julia Roberts, and Demi Moore. This resulted in studios having to cut their film slate by fifty percent to offset growing production and marketing costs and ensure more profits.
Events
June 19 –
The Hunchback of Notre Dame has one of largest premieres, at Superdome in New Orleans, with an audience of 65,000 people, and free admission. The film, which received generally positive reviews, was commercial success.
July 10 –
Nickelodeon releases its first feature, Harriet the Spy, a spy-comedy-drama based on the 1964 novel, launching the career of then-child actress Michelle Trachtenberg.
Mid-July –
Production begins on Cameron’s Titanic.
September 20 –
English actor Sir Dirk Bogarde,m75, has severe stroke, on wheelchair until death in 1999.
December 20 –
Scream, released to a surprised commercial success, hailed as influential landmark in the horror genre, revitalizing the declining slasher genre by satirizing the subgenre with characters well-versed in its clichés. Scream’s success lead to studios capitalizing on marketing horror films to teenage and young adult demographic.
Award ceremonies
1st Empire Awards
January 19, 1997 2nd Critics’ Choice Awards
January 20, 1997 Producers, Directors, Screen Actors, and Writers Guild
Oscars: 69th Academy Awards, March 24, 1997
Best Film: The English Patient
Best Director: Anthony Minghella, The English Patient
Best Actor: Geoffrey Rush, Shine
Jerry Maguire Geoffrey Rush
Best Actress: Frances McDormand, Fargo
Best Supporting Actor: Cuba Gooding, Jr., Jerry Maguire
Best Supporting Actress: Juliette Binoche, The English Patient
Best Screenplay, Adapted Anthony Minghella, The English Patient
Best Screenplay, Original Joel and Ethan Coen, Fargo
Best Original Score The English Patient
Gabriel Yared N/A N/A The English Patient
Gabriel Yared
Best Original Song “You Must Love Me”
Evita N/A N/A “You Must Love Me”
Evita N/A
Best Foreign Language Film: Kolya
Deaths
Month Date Name Age Country Profession Notable films
January 1 John Rodney 81 US Actor
Key Largo, Pursued
1 Virgil W. Vogel 76 US Director, Film Editor
The Mole PeopleTouch of Evil
Jan 7
William H. Clothier 92 US Cinematographer, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, The Alamo
Jan 19
Don Simpson 52 US Producer, Top Gun, The Rock
Jan 30
Guy Doleman 72 New Zealand Actor, Dial M for Murder, Thunderball
February 2 Shamus Culhane 87 US Animator, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio
Feb 2
Gene Kelly 83 US Actor, Dancer, Director, Singin’ in the Rain, American in Paris
3 Audrey Meadows 73 US Actress. That Touch of Mink, Take Her, She’s Mine
Feb 6
Guy Madison 74 US Actor, 5 Against the House, Jet Over the Atlantic
13
Martin Balsam 76 US Actor, Psycho, 12 Angry Men
13 Scott Beach 65 US Actor
Stand by MeMrs. Doubtfire
15 Tommy Rettig 54 US Actor
River of No ReturnThe 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.
15 McLean Stevenson 68 US Actor
The Cat from Outer SpaceThe Christian Licorice Store
16 Roger Bowen 63 US Actor
M*A*S*HWhat About Bob?
17 Evelyn Laye 95 UK Actress
Theatre of DeathPrincess Charming
19 Brenda Bruce 76 UK Actress
Peeping TomSplitting Heirs
20 Tōru Takemitsu 65 Japan Composer
HarakiriRan
23 Elisa Cegani 84 Italy Actress
Eleonora DuseLucky to Be a Woman
25 Haing S. Ngor 55 Cambodia Actor
The Killing FieldsMy Life
March 2 Lyle Talbot 94 US Actor
20,000 Years in Sing SingPlan 9 from Outer Space
3 Marguerite Duras 81 France Director, Screenwriter
Hiroshima mon amourThe Lorry
4 Whit Bissell 86 US Actor
HudThe Magnificent Seven
6 Simon Cadell 45 UK Actor
Watership DownMeteor
6 Tom McDermott 83 US Actor
GhostbustersThe Crucible
9 George Burns 100 US Actor, Comedian
Oh, God!The Sunshine Boys
10 Marc de Jonge 47 France Actor
Rambo IIIEmpire of the Sun
10 Ross Hunter 75 US Producer
AirportPillow Talk
11 Vince Edwards 67 US Actor
The Devil’s BrigadeThe Killing
13 Lucio Fulci 68 Italy Director, Screenwriter, Actor
Zombi 2City of the Living Dead
13 Krzysztof Kieślowski 55 Poland Director, Screenwriter
Three ColoursThe Double Life of Veronique
16 Charlie Barnett 41 US Actor, Comedian
D.C. CabNobody’s Fool
17 René Clément 82 France Director, Screenwriter
Purple NoonForbidden Games
24 Liam O’Brien 83 US Screenwriter
TrapezeThe Devil at 4 O’Clock
Mar 28
Barbara McLean 92 US Film Editor, All About Eve, Twelve O’Clock High
April
April 3 Herk Harvey 71 US Director, Carnival of Souls
5 Charlene Holt 67 US Actress
El DoradoMan’s Favorite Sport?
5 Norman Rockett 84 US Set Decorator
Planet of the ApesTora! Tora! Tora!
Apr 6
Greer Garson 91 UK Actress, Mrs. Miniver, Goodbye, Mr. Chips
Apr 8
Ben Johnson 77 US Actor, The Last Picture Show,The Wild Bunch
16 Lucille Bremer 79 US Actress
Meet Me in St. LouisZiegfeld Follies
21 Luigi Pistilli 66 Italy Actor
The Good, the Bad and the UglyFor a Few Dollars More
24 Donald Cammell 62 UK Director, Screenwriter
PerformanceDemon Seed
24 Preston Lockwood 83 UK Actor
Time BanditsHigh Spirits
25 Saul Bass 75 US Title Designer
GoodfellasPsycho
25 Dick Wesson 73 US Actor
Destination MoonCalamity Jane
26 Stirling Silliphant 78 US Screenwriter
In the Heat of the NightThe Poseidon Adventure
27 Adam Roarke 58 US Actor
Dirty Mary, Crazy LarryThe Stunt Man
27 Joan Sterndale-Bennett 82 UK Actress
Brighton RockWe Dive at Dawn
30 David Opatoshu 78 US Actor
Torn CurtainExodus
May 1 Luana Patten 57 US Actress
Song of the SouthHome from the Hill
3 Jack Weston 71 US Actor
The Thomas Crown AffairWait Until Dark
16 Barton Heyman 59 US Actor
The ExorcistRaising Cain
19 Margaret Rawlings 89 Japan Actress
Roman HolidayTwist of Fate
20 Jon Pertwee 76 UK Actor
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the ForumCarry On Screaming!
21 Lash LaRue 78 US Actor
Song of Old WyomingLaw of the Lash
23 Patrick Cargill 77 UK Actor
Father, Dear FatherHelp!
24 John Abbott 90 UK Actor
29 Jennings Lang 81 US Producer
High Plains DrifterEarthquake
29 Jeremy Sinden 45 UK Actor
Star WarsChariots of Fire
29 Tamara Toumanova 77 Russia Dancer, Actress
Invitation to the DanceTorn Curtain
30 Natividad Vacío 83 US Actor
The Magnificent SevenThe Man with Two Brains
June 1 Michael Fox 75 US Actor
What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?The Longest Yard
2 John Alton 94 Hungary Cinematographer
An American in ParisFather of the Bride
3 Veniero Colasanti 85 Italy Costume Designer, Production Designer
El CidThe Fall of the Roman Empire
3 Peter Glenville 82 UK Director
BecketThe Comedians
5 Vito Scotti 78 US Actor
The GodfatherThe Aristocats
6 Mary Lee 71 US Actress
Nancy Drew… ReporterCowboy and the Senorita
7 Saul David 74 US Producer
Logan’s RunFantastic Voyage
7 Max Factor, Jr. 91 US Makeup Artist
The Wizard of OzThe Ten Commandments
10 Jo Van Fleet 81 US Actress
East of EdenCool Hand Luke
11 Lonne Elder III 68 US Screenwriter
SounderMelinda
11 Brigitte Helm 90 Germany Actress
MetropolisL’Argent
12 Mary Field 87 US Actress
Ball of FireLife with Father
12 Lillian Yarbo 91 US Actress[11][12][13]
Wives Under SuspicionYou Can’t Take It With You
15 Ella Fitzgerald 79 US Singer, Actress
Pete Kelly’s BluesRide ‘Em Cowboy
23 Pasqualino De Santis 69 Italy Cinematographer
Romeo and JulietA Special Day
27 Albert R. Broccoli 87 US Producer
James BondChitty Chitty Bang Bang
July 1 Margaux Hemingway 42 US Actress
LipstickOver the Brooklyn Bridge
July 1
Steve Tesich 53 Serbia Screenwriter, Breaking Away, Eyewitness
8 Irene Prador 84 Austria Actress
The Battle of the River PlateTo the Devil a Daughter
9 Christopher Casson 84 UK Actor
ZardozEducating Rita
10 Paul King 69 US Screenwriter
Operation PetticoatWild Heritage
13 Pandro S. Berman 91 US Producer
Father of the BrideTop Hat
15 Dana Hill 32 US Actress
National Lampoon’s European VacationCross Creek
20 Randy Stuart 71 US Actress
All About EveThe Incredible Shrinking Man
21 Luana Anders 58 US Actress
The Pit and the PendulumDementia 13
21 Herb Edelman 62 US Actor
The Odd CoupleCalifornia Suite
21 Wolfe Morris 71 UK Actor
Ill Met by MoonlightThe House That Dripped Blood
23 Jean Muir 85 US Actress
And One Was BeautifulThe Outcasts of Poker Flat
24 Virginia Christine 76 US Actress
Guess Who’s Coming to DinnerJudgment at Nuremberg
28 Bryant Haliday 68 US Actor
The Projected ManTower of Evil
29 Hilary Pritchard 53 Isle of Man Actress
A Touch of the SunUnder the Doctor
July 30
Claudette Colbert 92 France Actress, It Happened One Night, Since You Went Away
30 Anthony Peck 49 US Actor
The Hunt for Red OctoberDie Hard with a Vengeance
30 Magda Schneider 87 Germany Actress
Tell Me TonightSissi
August 3 Guido Alberti 86 Italy Actor
8½Saving Grace
11 Charles McGregor 73 US Actor
Blazing SaddlesSuper Fly
14 Bob Hannah 57 US Actor
Driving Miss DaisyThe Prince of Tides
14 Camilla Horn 93 Germany Actress
FaustTempest
15 Joe Seneca 77 US Actor
CrossroadsThe Verdict
16 Miles Goodman 46 US Composer
Little Shop of HorrorsWhat About Bob?
30 Christine Pascal 42 France Actress, Director, Screenwriter
Le Petit Prince a ditRound Midnight
September 4 Victor Aaron 39 US Actor
BulletproofGeronimo: An American Legend
5 Anthony Mendleson 81 UK Costume Designer
A Bridge Too FarKrull
6 Salman Shah 24 Bangladesh Actor
Keyamat Theke KeyamatSujan Sakhi
7 Bibi Besch 56 Austria Actress
Star Trek II: The Wrath of KhanSteel Magnolias
7 Joseph F. Biroc 93 US Cinematographer
It’s a Wonderful LifeAirplane!
9 Ruggero Mastroianni 66 Italy Film Editor
Death in VeniceAmarcord
10 Joanne Dru 74 US Actress
All the King’s MenShe Wore a Yellow Ribbon
11 Brenda Forbes 87 UK Actress
Mrs. MiniverThe White Cliffs of Dover
13 Jane Baxter 87 UK Actress
Murder Will OutConfidential Lady
13 Tupac Shakur 25 US Rapper, Actor
JuicePoetic Justice
14 Juliet Prowse 59 US Actress, Dancer
G.I. BluesCan-Can
16 Gene Nelson 76 US Actor, Director
Oklahoma!Kissin’ Cousins
16 Joan Perry 85 US Actress
Strange AlibiBullets for O’Hara
18 Annabella 89 France Actress
Le Million13 Rue Madeleine
22 Dorothy Lamour 81 US Actress
Road to MoroccoThe Greatest Show on Earth
30 George Zuckerman 80 US Screenwriter
Written on the Wind, The Tarnished Angels
October
Oct 4 Stephen J. Friedman 59 US Producer, The Last Picture Show, Slap Shot
4 Masaki Kobayashi 80 Japan Director
Harakiri, The Human Condition
5 Judith Allen 85 US Actress
Telephone OperatorThe Thundering Herd
6 Ted Bessell 61 US Actor
Don’t Drink the WaterBillie
8 Francis D. Lyon 91 US Director, Film Editor
Body and SoulThe Oklahoman
8 William Prince 83 US Actor
NetworkFamily Plot
9 Harvey Vernon 69 US Actor
Teen WolfAll of Me
13 Beryl Reid 77 UK Actress
The Killing of Sister GeorgeJoseph Andrews
14 Laura La Plante 91 US Actress
Man of the MomentArizona
16 Jason Bernard 58 US Actor
Liar LiarWhile You Were Sleeping
27 Morey Amsterdam 87 US Actor, Comedian
Machine-Gun KellyMuscle Beach Party
27 Harry Woolman 87 US Stuntman, Special Effects Artist
The Sword and the SorcererLaserblast
30 John Young 80 UK Actor
Monty Python and the Holy GrailChariots of Fire
Oct 31
Marcel Carné 90 France Director, Children of Paradise (gay)
Nov 29
Jordan Cronenweth 61 US Cinematographer, Blade Runner, Peggy Sue Got Married
Dec 8
Howard E. Rollins, Jr. 46 US Actor, Ragtime, A Soldier’s Story (Oscar)
Dec 19
Marcello Mastroianni 72 Italy Actor, 8½, La Dolce Vita
Dec 30
Lew Ayres 88 US Actor, All Quiet on the Western Front,m Johnny Belinda
Dec 30
Jack Nance 53 US Actor,mBlue Velvet, Eraserhead (Lynch)
Film Debuts
Wes Anderson (director) – Bottle Rocket
Michael Angarano – Childhood’s End
Will Arnett – Close Up
Carlos Bardem – Not Love, Just Frenzy
Dee Bradley Baker – Space Jam
Eric Balfour – Shattered Image
Boyd Banks – Black Sheep
Selma Blair – The Broccoli Theory
Bobby Cannavale – Night Falls on Manhattan
Billy Crudup – Sleepers
Viola Davis – The Substance of Fire
Clea DuVall – Little Witches
Joel Edgerton – Race the Sun
Kimberly Elise – Set It Off
Aunjanue Ellis – Girls Town
Anna Faris – Eden
Joseph Fiennes – Stealing Beauty
Ben Foster – Kounterfeit
Laura Fraser – Small Faces
Ryan Gosling – Frankenstein and Me
Olivier Gourmet – La Promesse
Tom Hollander – Some Mother’s Son
Nicholas Hoult – Intimate Relations
Rhys Ifans – August
Eddie Izzard – The Secret Agent
Kelly Macdonald – Trainspotting
Heike Makatsch – Jailbirds
Fele Martínez – Thesis
Natascha McElhone – Surviving Picasso
Kevin McKidd – Trainspotting
Mads Mikkelsen – Pusher
Radha Mitchell – Love and Other Catastrophes
Gretchen Mol – Girl 6
Joel David Moore – Foxfire
Tracy Morgan – A Thin Line Between Love and Hate
Emily Mortimer – The Ghost and the Darkness
Edward Norton – Primal Fear
Timothy Olyphant – The First Wives Club
Patton Oswalt – Down Periscope
Chris Parnell – Jingle All the Way
Jaime Pressly – Mercenary
Freddie Prinze, Jr. – To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday
Missi Pyle – The Cottonwood
Mary Lynn Rajskub – The Truth About Cats & Dogs
Tom Everett Scott – That Thing You Do!
John Slattery – City Hall
Octavia Spencer – A Time to Kill
Julia Stiles – I Love You, I Love You Not
Oleg Taktarov – Total Force
David Tennant – Jude
Justin Theroux – I Shot Andy Warhol
Sam Trammell – Childhood’s End
Donnie Wahlberg – Bullet
Emily Watson – Breaking the Waves (Oscar)
Michael Kenneth Williams – Bullet
Luke Wilson – Bottle Rocket
Owen Wilson – Bottle Rocket
