What Was the Last Non Disney or MCU Movie That Was a Huge Phenomenon

[Blade Hoarder]

Yes. But it was also non-existent for the demographic that posts the most on the internet. It was a boomer sensation.

 

[-Arya-]

I too miss the days of movies as cultural events. The speed and frequency of blockbusters these days is unparalleled so that feeling no longer exists.

 

[Prison Mike]

I was in middle school when The Sixth Sense came out. That movie had everyone talking in the hallways.

 

[:eek:]

Harry Potter?

 

[MadVillainy]

No Time To Die was pretty notable for

Spoiler

killing James Bond

and was the highest grossing movie of the pandemic prior to No Way Home.

But for me, and it's anecdotal, wasn't a movie constantly spoken about by people in my circle (friends, coworkers, family, etc.)
Even with Bond's death.

Aquaman also made $1B and that wasn't long ago.

Also, Bridgerton on Netflix was all anyone talked about for a while when it was released. Rege-Jean Page even hosted SNL!

As I said in the OP, it's not about what made the most money. It's about the discussion. Get Out and Spider-Verse made way less money than Aquaman, but were spoken about more.

And Bridgerton was a TV show. The title says "movie"

 

[Batgirl0202]

The Matrix was also a left-field, out of nowhere cultural phenomenon in 1999. The first one was literally inescapable...

Come to think of it, 1999 was a good year for this movie-as-a-phenomenon concept. Besides the above we also had Austin Powers, American Pie, Blair Witch Project, Eyes Wide Shut, Sixth Sense, American Beauty, Fight Club, Green Mile. I know some of these went on to become franchises, but that doesn't change the fact that the original movies were cultural juggernauts...

This whole phenomenon seemed to die out somewhat in the '00s. Just look at the volume of films that were released to theatres in 1999. Studios were more willing to take chances in those days. Corporate/blockbuster filmmaking really started to become the norm as the new millennium rolled along...

 

[psylockolussus]

Harry Potter?

The Hunger Games?

 

[Punisher_MAX]

I remember how much 300 was talked about when it came out. Never seen so many boys actively wanting to be more active/in the gym when it came out.

 

[MadVillainy]

I remember how much 300 was talked about when it came out. Never seen so many boys actively wanting to be more active/in the gym when it came out.

I was 14 when 300 came out... Waking up every morning doing sit ups and push ups. And I know everyone at school was doing the same thing. Nerds, jocks, stoners, etc.
I'm sure "300 workout" was in every boy's Google search history

Now that was a phenom

 

[MadVillainy]

I too miss the days of movies as cultural events. The speed and frequency of blockbusters these days is unparalleled so that feeling no longer exists.

Yeah Anthony Mackie spoke about this a while back and that popped in my head which is why I made the thread.

I really had a hard time coming up with an answer that wasn't Disney related/a property owned by Disney. Get Out is the closest.

I don't know why that is. But yeah I can't really think of many examples. Some people listed some good ones within the last 5-10 years

 

[MadVillainy]

Bird Box might be one. I mean it was a fad. Burned bright and quick but at least with the memes it was talked about a lot if that counts. I don't think anyone cared about the movie itself though

 

[psylockolussus]

Despicable Me / Minions

Now that's a real phenomenon, as I haven't seen it but it was popular

 

[Web-Head]

Everything Everywhere All at Once has been getting a lot of buzz. A Quiet Place was a bit of a phenomenon too.

 

[MadVillainy]

Everything Everywhere All at Once has been getting a lot of buzz. A Quiet Place was a bit of a phenomenon too.

Neither of those would I consider phenomenons. Great movies. In the case of Quiet Place a popular movie.
But just because something is popular doesn't mean it's on the tip of everyone's tongues/fingertips, dominates memes and water-cooler conversations, and/or gets people who normally don't see movies to go to the theaters.

Nothing against those movies, but they're not phenomenons.

 

[MadVillainy]

It's early but Top Gun Maverick seems to be doing something. Not as much as the original in the 80s but still. This is the first non Disney related movie I've seen a lot of people talk across demographics at this level

 

[MadVillainy]

I think I can safely say Top Gun Maverick is firmly in the phenomenon camp. Minions 2 probably also.

 

[Kahran Ramsus]

Top Gun definitely is.

 

[DarkKnight88]

Yeah, I can see Minions are now to a certain generation Bugs Bunny or Donald Duck. It’ll be interesting if 50 years from now they’ll still be making cartoons of them.

 

[NotNickFury]

Yeah, I can see Minions are now to a certain generation Bugs Bunny or Donald Duck. It’ll be interesting if 50 years from now they’ll still be making cartoons of them.

Don't give Universal any ideas...

 

[Prison Mike]

I agree about Top Gun, not sure about Minions though.

 

[P Supreme]

bridesmaids was huge when it dropped

 

[Kane52630]

Yeah, I can see Minions are now to a certain generation Bugs Bunny or Donald Duck. It’ll be interesting if 50 years from now they’ll still be making cartoons of them.

 

[Iceman]

Maverick definitely fits this - hopefully there will now be more with studios having seen that it is possible without using the Disney model.

 

[Batgirl0202]

Maverick is actually the first one that comes to mind off the top of my head since Avatar. The question is, will Top Gun go down in history as a statistical anomaly or is it the beginning of the next phase of pop culture phenomenon films?

I was thinking The Dark Knight probably qualifies too. The MCU was still in its embryonic stage in 2008, and I remember TDK being inescapable that summer.

And sure it was a sequel, but so too is Top Gun...

 

[fredboyd]

Avatar & The Shape of Water - is a totally out of imagination movie, both movies show a connection between humans and outside world creatures, and how humans put their efforts to save from powerful and greedy people. Shows a bond of love, and trust between humans and aliens like. Both films won Oscar awards. They have a huge fan following - just because they give you some best cinematic experiences beyond our imagination.