Capes, cowls, aliens, asteroids, time travel, dinosaurs and robots.
The July 4th weekend has historically marked the absolute height of the summer movie season, when studios typically roll out their big-budget blockbusters to coincide with the Independence Day long weekend in the United States. Films released on this date tend to clean up at the box office, as movie-lovers flock to theatres to see the latest special effects spectacle.
It’s traditionally been one of the biggest movie release dates of the year, though it’s been eclipsed in the last decade or so by the U.S. Memorial Day weekend, which comes in the first week of May.
Still, if you’ve ever gone to the cinema at this time of year, or if you’ve even gone channel surfing at home, chances are you’ve at least caught a glimpse of the big-time summer blockbusters listed below.
All of the films listed here were financial juggernauts, ranking at or near the top of the box office charts in the years they came out (all numbers courtesy of Box Office Mojo).
So buckle your seatbelt for a journey into cinema history, as we flash back to some of the most successful blockbuster movies ever to debut on this weekend in years past. And don't worry: Where we're going, we don't need roads.
1985: Back to the Future
"Great Scott!"
On this day in 1985, Marty McFly drove Doc Brown's Delorian at 88 miles per hour and travelled back in time. And on this day in 1955, Marty McFly taught his dad how to punch while fending off romantic advances from his mom, all in an effort to make sure they'd get together and he'd be born in the future.
Yes, July 3, 1985 was the release date for "Back to the Future," the Robert Zemeckis-directed blockbuster that would become the highest-grossing film of the year. "Back to the Future" raked in $210 million in gross revenues and launched two successful sequels, including "Back to the Future II," which sent Marty forward in time to Oct. 21, 2015.
1989: Batman
On this day in 1989, Tim Burton's "Batman" set a record at the box office as the quickest film to earn $100 million, eclipsing that mark just 10 days after its premiere. Burton's dark, gothic take on Batman reinvigorated the character on screen, after Adam West made him a punch line in the campy 1960s television series.
Burton's Batman (played by Michael Keaton) was anything but campy. His version of the character spoke in a menacing voice, threatened to drop criminals off buildings, and travelled around in Bat-vehicles armed to the teeth with guns.
But the real star of Burton's film was Jack Nicholson, the Oscar-winning actor who put in a legendary performance as Batman's nemesis, the Joker. Nicholson's gleefully villainous portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime helped comic book movies become mainstream, as the film took in $251 million at the box office.
Burton's film continues to resonate today, 26 years after its debut. Blockbuster superhero films now earn huge money at the box office, and Batman and the Joker are set for a third silver screen reboot in the upcoming films "Suicide Squad" and "Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice."
1991: Terminator 2: Judgment Day
"My mission is to protect you."
Seven years after Arnold Schwarzenegger starred as a killer robot from the future in "The Terminator," he returned to the franchise as a good guy in Canadian director James Cameron's "Terminator 2: Judgment Day."
"T2" saw the now-outdated Arnold Terminator travel back in time again, this time to protect teenaged saviour-of-the-future John Connor from a liquid metal assassin called the T-1000. Arnold and John (played by Edward Furlong) develop a bond over the course of the movie, as the Terminator learns what it means to become human.
And, of course, Arnie drops several of his famous one-liners along the way.
The film also re-introduces John's mother, Sarah Connor (played by Linda Hamilton), who has transformed herself from a waitress into a warrior since the events of the first film. Hamilton's Sarah Connor continued the tradition of tough leading women in James Cameron films, in the same vein as Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) in the film "Aliens."
"Terminator 2: Judgment Day" debuted on July 3, 1991, and made just shy of $205 million at the box office. Three sequels followed, including this summer's "Terminator: Genisys."
1994: Forrest Gump
The slice-of-life sensation "Forrest Gump" arrived a little late to the movie scene in 1994, debuting two days after July 4.
But that didn't slow it down at all, as it snagged a whopping $330 million at the box office before landing six Oscars, including Best Picture honours and a Best Director nod for Robert Zemeckis.
"Forrest Gump" remains an oddity on this list of big summer movies in that it was well-received by both audiences and critics. It also wasn't as flashy with its special effects as many of the other films on this list.
Still, the film boasted considerable star power in Hanks, who was then at the height of his popularity. It also appealed to a broad audience, with a non-threatening, simple-minded protagonist who managed to amusingly pop up at several key moments in American and world history.
1996: Independence Day
On this day in 1996, French director Roland Emmerich released the hands-down best Independence Day-themed movie of all-time: "Independence Day."
Granted, there aren't many July 4-themed films out there, but Emmerich's aliens-versus-America disaster film really took the cake back in 1996, when it raked in $306 million at the box office. The film starred Jeff Goldblum in his acting heyday, alongside up-and-coming sensation Will Smith, who catapulted into superstardom off the strength of "ID4."
In the film, alien invaders blow up the White House and threaten to destroy the entire planet, but Jeff Goldblum and Will Smith manage to stop the invasion by giving the aliens a computer virus.
Somewhere in there, Bill Pullman's President of the United States delivers a ridiculous "Ra! Ra!" speech to his troops before they go to war, in a scene that still makes the rounds on Twitter every July 4.
"Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!"
Emmerich is slated to release a follow-up to the film on its 20th anniversary, titled "Independence Day 2: Resurgence."
1997: Men in Black
Apparently, Will Smith plus aliens equals box office gold.
One year after he saved the world from White House-destroying invaders, Will Smith did it again as a glorified border patrol agent in "Men in Black." In the film, Smith plays a wise-cracking detective-turned-alien investigator, alongside his straight-laced partner, played by Tommy Lee Jones. The two of them are tasked with investigating the murder of an alien prince by a cockroach-like alien that wears human skin.
The film had its fair share of gross-out moments, but it still managed to take in more than $250 million at the box office after its release on July 2, 1997.
Sony released a sequel to the film in 2002, followed by a third film in 2012.
1998: Armageddon
Question: What's the best way to destroy an asteroid on a collision course with Earth?
Answer: Send a bunch of oil drillers into space to blow it up with a nuclear bomb, of course.
Moviegoers didn't mind Michael Bay's ridiculous premise in the summer of 1998, as they turned out in droves to watch his star-studded disaster film, "Armageddon." The filmed starred Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck as oil rig workers who must rally their team of roughnecks for the biggest job of their lives: drilling a hole in an asteroid.
The oil rig workers essentially get a crash-course in space travel, before they get blasted off Earth in shuttles on their way to destroy the asteroid.
Spoiler: they don't all make it back.
The film also includes one of the most cringe-worthy romantic scenes you’ll probably ever see in a summer movie, as Ben Affleck uses animal crackers in foreplay with his girlfriend, played by Liv Tyler. The scene is rendered all the more bizarre by the Aerosmith song playing over it, sung by Tyler’s real-life father, Steven Tyler.
The high-stakes melodrama and flashy special effects of "Armageddon" saw it earn more than $201 million at the box office that year.
