Cineliteracy: What You Need to Know about 2004 as Movie Year
My Pioneering Oscar Book (first published 1986)
Top-Grossing Films of 2004:
Rank Title Distributor Worldwide gros
1 Shrek 2 DreamWorks $935,454,538
2 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban Warner Bros. $798,076,924
3 Spider-Man 2 Sony Pictures $783,766,341
4 The Incredibles Buena Vista $631,442,092
5 The Passion of the Christ Icon / Newmarket $611,486,736
6 The Day After Tomorrow 20th Century Fox $552,639,571
7 Meet the Fockers Universal / DreamWorks $522,657,936
8 Troy Warner Bros. $497,409,852
9 Shark Tale DreamWorks $374,583,879
10 Ocean’s Twelve Warner, $362,744,280
Shrek 2 set new record by animated film, the highest-grossing animated film of all time. The record was later surpassed by Toy Story 3 in 2010. It also remained the highest-grossing non-Disney animated until surpassed by Despicable Me 2 in 2013 and the highest-grossing non Disney or Universal animated film until surpassed by Ne Zha 2 in 2025.
On July 7, Spider-Man 2 reached $200 million domestic gross in record time of 8 days. On July 18, after 19 days, Spider-Man 2 reached $300 million domestically in another record time.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, the highest international revenue of $546 million compared to Shrek 2’s $487.5 million.
The Passion of the Christ, directed by Mel Gibson, the first blockbuster picture of 2004, and highest grossing R-rated film domestically.
Meet the Fockers beat 2003’s Bruce Almighty record for highest-grossing comedy; both were released by Universal.
Events
Month Day Event
Jan 27 Academy Awards nominations announced, leading films are:
11: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
10: Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
7: Cold Mountain
7: Seabiscuit
6: Mystic River
Jan 22
Screen Actors Guild Awards: Charlize Theron, Best Female Actor, Johnny Depp, Best Male Actor, Tim Robbins, Best Male Supporting Actor, Renée Zellweger, The Actor for Best Female Supporting Actor.
Jan 23
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the second film in history to gross more than $1 billion in worldwide box office.
Jan 25
The Passion of the Christ, Mel Gibson’s major motion picture about the last days of Jesus’s life on Earth, opens huge in time for Lent.
28 Gigli dominates the Golden Raspberry, with 6 awards, including Worst Picture, Worst Actress (Jennifer Lopez), Worst Actor (Ben Affleck), Worst Director (Martin Brest), Worst Screenplay (Brest) and worst couple (Lopez and Affleck).
Worst supporting acting awards went to Demi Moore for Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle and Sylvester Stallone for Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over.
29 76th Academy Awards:
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King wins picture and director awards as well as nine others for a total of 11 Academy Awards, a tie for the most ever won by a single film.
May 22
Fahrenheit 9/11, a controversial documentary by Michael Moore wins the top prize, the Palme d’Or, at the Cannes Film Festival.
June 5
The 2004 MTV Movie Awards held at Sony Pictures, hosted by Lindsay Lohan.
May 27
Fahrenheit 9/11 breaks record for highest opening-weekend earnings in US for documentary, earning $23.9 million; over $119M in domestic box office.
July 1
Marlon Brando, the greatest actor of all time, dies at 80 from respiratory failure at the UCLA Medical Center.
October 27
DreamWorks Animation is spun off into separate company.
29 Voices of Iraq released, the first “wikified” documentary created by sending multiple DV cameras to participants.
21 The Academy announces 7 films eligible for Visual Effects Oscars.
The Aviator
The Day After Tomorrow
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
I, Robot
Lemony Snicket’s a Series of Unfortunate Events
Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Spider-Man 2
28
Academy: 267 films in 2004 eligible for the Best Picture Oscar.
Awards
Category/Organization 10th Critics’ Choice Awards
January 10, 2005 62nd Golden Globe Awards
January 16, 2005 Producers, Directors, Screen Actors, and Writers Guild Awards
Oscars: 77th Academy Awards, February 27, 2005
Best Film: Million Dollar Baby
Best Director: Clint Eastwood, Million Dollar Baby
Best Actor Jamie Foxx, Ray
Best Actress: Hilary Swank, Million Dollar Baby
Best Supporting Actor: Morgan Freeman, Million Dollar Baby
Best Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett, The Aviator
Best Screenplay, Adapted Sideways, Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor Sideways
Alexander Payne and Jim Taylor
Best Screenplay, Original Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
Charlie Kaufman, Michel Gondry, and Pierre Bismuth
Best Animated Film The Incredibles
Best Original Score
Best Original Song
Best Foreign Language Film: The Sea Inside
Festival Awards:
Palme d’Or (Cannes Film Fest): Fahrenheit 9/11, Michael Moore, US
Golden Lion (Venice Film Fest): Vera Drake, Mike Leigh, UK
Golden Bear (Berlin Film Fest): Head-On, Fatih Akın, Germany & Turkey
Deaths
Month Date Name Age Country Profession Notable films
January
Jan 2
Etta Moten Barnett 102 US Actress, Flying Down to Rio, Gold Diggers of 1933
Jan 4 Brian Gibson 59 UK Director, What’s Love Got to Do with It, Still Crazy
Jan 7
Ingrid Thulin 77 Sweden Actress, Wild Strawberries, Cries and Whispers
10 Spalding Gray 62 US Actor, Swimming to Cambodia
14 Uta Hagen 84 Germany Actress, acting coach, Reversal of Fortune, The Boys from Brazil
Jan 22
Ann Miller 83 US Actress, Dancer, On the Town, Mulholland Drive
February
Feb 13 Carole Eastman 69 US Screenwriter, Five Easy Pieces, Man Trouble
March
March 2
Mercedes McCambridge 87 US Actress, All the King’s Men, The Exorcist
March 7
Paul Winfield 64 US Actor, Sounder
21
Ludmilla Tchérina 79 France Actress, Choreographer, The Red Shoes, The Tales of Hoffmann
26
Jan Sterling 82 US Actress,m Ace in the Hole, The High and the Mighty
28
Peter Ustinov 82 UK Actor, Director, Spartacus, Topkapi (Oscar)
29 Charles Grenzbach 80 US Sound Engineer
April
Apr 1 Carrie Snodgress 58 US Actress, Diary of a Mad Housewife, Pale Rider
May 1
May 1 Nelson Gidding 84 US Screenwriter, I Want to Live! The Haunting
14
Anna Lee 91 UK Actress, The Sound of Music, How Green Was My Valley
17
Tony Randall 84 US Actor, Pillow Talk, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?
4 Charles Correll 60 US Cinematographer
Animal HouseStar Trek III: The Search for Spock
4 Nino Manfredi 83 Italy Actor, Director
Between MiraclesCafé Express
4 Anthony Steffen 73 Italy Actor
Django the BastardSodom and Gomorrah
5 Virginia North 58 UK Actress
On Her Majesty’s Secret ServiceThe Abominable Dr. Phibes
5 Mark Northover 54 UK Actor
WillowHardware
5 Ronald Reagan 93 US Actor, 40th President of the United States
Knute Rockne, All AmericanKings Row
6 Judy Campbell 88 UK Actress
ConvoyMr. Forbush and the Penguins
7
Donald Trumbull 95 US Visual Effects Artist, Star Wars, Close Encounters of Third Kind
10 Ray Charles 73 US Singer, Actor, The Blues Brothers, Spy Hard
9
Carlo Di Palma 79 Italy Cinematographer, Blowup, Bullets over Broadway
9 Isabel Sanford 86 US Actress
Guess Who’s Coming to DinnerLady Sings the Blues
11 Dorothy Hart 82 US Actress
The Naked CityTarzan’s Savage Fury
12 Jeff Morris 69 US Actor
The Blues BrothersKelly’s Heroes
13 George Mallaby 64 UK Actor
The Spy Who Loved MeEliza Fraser
17 Pat Roach 67 UK Actor
Raiders of the Lost ArkA Clockwork Orange
18 Richard Ney 87 US Actor, Mrs. Miniver, Ivy
21 Jerry Goldsmith 75 US Composer, Alien, Patton
22 Muriel Angelus 92 UK Actress
The Great McGintyThe Light That Failed
23 Serge Reggiani 82 Italy Actor, Singer
The LeopardLa terrazza
27 Sam Edwards 89 US Actor
Twelve O’Clock HighOperation Pacific
28 Eugene Roche 75 US Actor
The Late ShowFoul Play
31 Laura Betti 77 Italy Actress
Theorem1900
31 Virginia Grey 87 US Actress
All That Heaven AllowsThe Big Store
August 1 Vivian Austin 84 US Actress
DestinyPhilo Vance Returns
3 Geraldine Peroni 51 US Film Editor
Brokeback MountainThe Player
8 Paul Garner 95 US Actor
RhinestoneSaturday the 14th
8 Fay Wray 96 Canada Actress
King KongThe Most Dangerous Game
9 David Raksin 92 US Composer
LauraThe Bad and the Beautiful
12 Peter Woodthorpe 72 UK Actor
The Lord of the RingsThe Madness of King George
16 Mildred “Acquanetta” Davenport 83 US Actress
Tarzan and the Leopard WomanCaptive Wild Woman
18 Elmer Bernstein 82 US Composer
GhostbustersTo Kill a Mockingbird
18 Hugh Manning 83 UK Actor
The Elephant ManThe Dam Busters
22 Daniel Petrie 83 Canada Director
A Raisin in the SunCocoon: The Return
25 Donald M. Ashton 85 UK Production Designer
The Bridge on the River KwaiIndiscreet
26
David Myers 90 US Cinematographer
THX 1138Woodstock
27 William Pierson 78 US Actor
Stalag 17Corvette Summer
30 Bob Sherman 63 US Actor
HellboyThe Spy Who Loved Me
September 8 Frank Thomas 92 US Animator
Lady and the TrampThe Aristocats
9 Caitlin Clarke 52 US Actress
Crocodile DundeeBlown Away
10 O. L. Duke 51 US Actor
Malcolm XAntwone Fisher
11 Michael A. Carter 77 UK Sound Engineer
AliensEyes Wide Shut
11 Fred Ebb 76 US Lyricist
ChicagoNew York, New York
15 Bernard Gribble 77 UK Film Editor
Top Secret!Death Wish
17 Evi Rauer 88 Estonia Actress
Libahunt
Sep 18
Russ Meyer 82 US Director, Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! Beyond Valley of Dolls
October
Oct 3
Janet Leigh 77 US Actress, Psycho, Touch of Evil
5 Rodney Dangerfield 82 US Actor, Comedian
Back to SchoolCaddyshack
8 Irina Demick 67 France Actress
The Longest Day, Prudence and the Pill
Oct 10
Christopher Reeve 52 US Actor, Superman, The Remains of the Day
November
7 Howard Keel 85 US Actor
Seven Brides for Seven BrothersShow Boat
9 Ed Kemmer 83 US Actor
Earth vs. the SpiderThe Crowded Sky
12 Norman Rose 87 US Actor
The FrontThe Anderson Tapes
13 Carlo Rustichelli 87 Italy Composer
Avanti!Alfredo, Alfredo
13 Don Sharpe 75 UK Sound Engineer
AliensBatman
14 Michel Colombier 65 France Composer
White NightsPurple Rain
19 Helmut Griem 72 Germany Actor
CabaretVoyage of the Damned
26 Philippe de Broca 71 France Director, Screenwriter, That Man from Rio, King of Hearts
27 John Drew Barrymore 72 US Actor, Pontius Pilate, Guerra di Troia
December
9 Jean Tournier 78 France Cinematographer
The Day of the JackalMoonraker
10 John Monks Jr. 94 US Screenwriter
Knock on Any DoorThe People Against O’Hara
15 Maria Perschy 66 Austria Actress
Man’s Favorite Sport?The Password is Courage
16 Stefano Madia 49 Italy Actor
Dear FatherThe Palermo Connection
20 Howard Feuer 56 US Casting Director
The Silence of the LambsMoonstruck
21 Richard Hamilton 83 US Actor
Men in BlackPale Rider
28 Jerry Orbach 69 US Actor
Beauty and the BeastDirty Dancing
29 William Boyett 77 US Actor
When a Stranger CallsNewsies
29 Liddy Holloway 57 New Zealand Actress
Without a PaddleQueen City Rocker
Film Debuts
Marian Álvarez – Swindled
Ivana Baquero – Romasanta
Emily Blunt – My Summer of Love
Yvette Nicole Brown – Little Black Book
Eddie Cahill – Miracle
Josh Duhamel – The Picture of Dorian Gray
Brian F. Durkin – Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius
Alice Eve – Stage Beauty
Will Forte – Around the World in 80 Days
Rupert Friend – The Libertine
Nick Frost – Shaun of the Dead
David Harbour – Kinsey
Amber Heard – Friday Night Lights
Jon Heder – Napoleon Dynamite
Ed Helms – Blackballed: The Bobby Dukes Story
Jonah Hill – I Heart Huckabees
Cheryl Hines – Along Came Polly
Arielle Kebbel – Soul Plane
Toby Kebbell – Dead Man’s Shoes
Rebekah Kochan – Eating Out
Riki Lindhome – Seeing Other People
Jason Mantzoukas – Terrorists
Joel McHale – Spider-Man 2
Denis Ménochet – Automne
Mircea Monroe – Cellular
Chris Pine – The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Alba Rohrwacher – An Italian Romance
Belén Rueda – The Sea Inside
Catalina Sandino Moreno – Maria Full of Grace
Amanda Seyfried – Mean Girls
Claudia Traisac – The 7th Day
Olivia Wilde – The Girl Next Door
Patrick Wilson – The Alamo
