Good Top 10 Highest Grossing Movies And Prime Time TV Shows Essay Example

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All Time USA Box Office:

Grossing $760,505,847 at the USA box office, Avatar is the highest grossing movie in the US and is directed by James Cameron. The movie follows the story of a paraplegic marine who is sent to another moon, Pandora, for a mission. The mission is jeopardized when the marine is torn between following orders and doing what is right. “The movie talks of imperialism and militarism to show how the US government is not reluctant to use force to get what they want.” (Yamamoto, 2014)
At number two, we have the 1997 film Titanic James Cameron($658,672,302) which is quite often known as the greatest love story of its generation. In the movie, a seventeen-year-old aristocrat, engaged to a rich man, boards the ill-fated RMS Titanicandfalls in love with a twenty-one-year-old poor boy. A major issue covered by the movie is class distinction. It begins with how the rich get better accommodations and develops into how they can pay for their survival when the ship goes down.
2012’s Avengers Assemble is the third highest grossing US movie of all time at $623,279,547. Produced by Marvel and directed by Joss Whedon, it brings together some of Marvel’s most popular superheroes to save Earth. The superheroes in the film are Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow, The Hulk, and Hawkeye.The character of Loki shows how, sometimes, powerful people can think they are above nature’s power. When he is ultimately put down, one sees the ultimate win of good over evil.
The Dark Knight, released in 2008, comes in at number four with $533,316,061. Directed by Christopher Nolan, this Batman flick is often called the best superhero movie of all time. The movie starred Christian Bale, but it was Heath Ledger’s role as the joker that people talked about the most. “The movie covers issues of class warfare, terrorism, insurgency and justice. It teaches us how redemption can help overcome pain and fear.” (IMDb Staff, 2015). It also covers the corruption of the political system.
1999’s Star Wars Episode I – The Phantom Menace is in at number five. It made $474,544,677 at the box office globally. Written and directed by George Lucas, it follows the story of two Jedi knights who escape a blockade and discover a young boy who, they believe, can bring balance to The Force. The movie shows the theme of selflessness by portraying people who only think of themselves versus those who think about others too.
In at number six is another Star Wars movie. Star Wars Episode IV – A New Hope, released in 1977, scored around $460,935,665 at the box office. It follows the story of Luke Skywalker who joins forces with a Jedi knight, two droids, a pilot and a Wookiee to save the Empire’s destructive battle station from Darth Vader. The movie shows the superiority of nature over technology – a lesson much needed for youngsters of our time.
The sequel to The Dark Knight released in 2012 was titled The Dark Knight Rises, and it grossed $448,130,642. Once again, it was directed by Christopher Nolan and starred Christian Bale as Batman. The film featured popular comic character Bane as the main villain.Batman has been cast out as a villain but by the end of the movie, he is a hero. It shows how our actions, rather than our words, define us. It teaches us to fight for people we care about.
Everyone’s favorite Ogre Shrek (2) comes in at number eight with about $436,471,036 at the box office. Shrek is invited to Princess Fiona’s parents’ place to celebrate their marriage. However, a shocking twist occurs when Fiona’s parents discover that the two are now permanently ogres. “The movie tells us how we judge people too harshly on their appearances and how, sometimes, we do not know what is best for us (Shrek continues to misjudge Donkey in the film).” (Yamamoto, 2014).
Everyone’s favorite alien movie The Extra-Terrestrial, or E.T. as it is popularly known, is the ninth biggest movie of all time. It grossed about $434,949,459 after its 1982 release. Starring, Henry Thomas, Drew Barrymore and Peter Coyote, it was directed by Steven Spielberg. A courageous young boy helpsET get back to his planet. The focus is on how estranged marriages often make children feel alone and friendless. They tend to find connections in often dangerous places.
Katniss Everdeen and her signature bow and arrow make an appearance here too. 2013’s The Hunger Games: Catching Fire grossed $424,645,577 and became the first movie with a female lead character to enter the top ten list. It follows the story of Katniss and Peeta after their victory in The Hunger Games makes them a target of the Capitol as it sparked a rebellion across the Districts. “The themes of social oppression by what we have come to call the 1% are present. It shows how we only need a little hope to free ourselves from cruelty.” (IMDb Staff, 2015).

Top Rated Prime-time TV broadcasts:

M*A*S*H Special ranks number one with a rating of 60.2. It was broadcast on February 28, 1983 on CBS. The episode was titled "Goodbye, Farewell, and Amen". The two and a half hour long episode had 125 million viewers. The series is the best-known version of the M*A*S*H works and is more popular than both the movie and the book. “The show used the Korean War as a metaphor to depict changes in sexual frankness, feminism, antiwar stirrings and the lost innocence of the 70s’ kids.” (Hu, 2014)
In at number two is Dallas’ 1980 episode “Who Done It” which has a rating of 53.3. The show was broadcast on CBS and ran for a total of fourteen seasons. In the episode mentioned here, it was revealed who shot J.R. Ewing in the cliffhanger seen in the third season’s finale. “The show covers how the business and investment often includes corruption, violence, sex and other criminal activities. The focus here is on the oil business.” (Yeo, 2014).
Roots Part VIII by ABC is in at number three with a rating of 51.1. The miniseries’ finale is most watched episode ever for the series. It was ninety minutes long and covers the approximate time period of 1865–1870. The series shows LeVar Burton in the role of KuntaKnite and the said episode stars Olivia Cole, Chuck Connors and Scatman Crothers. “Focusing on African-American civil rights, the series shows the evolution of these rights with Kinte’s enslavement to his descendant’s liberation.” (IMDb Staff, 2015).
The 1982 Super Bowl Game XVI between the Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers is the most viewed American sporting event broadcast ever. It was shown by CBS in America and had a rating of 49.1. Both the teams in the final were making their very first Super Bowl appearance and at the end of the game, the 49ers defeated the Bengals 26 – 21 and won their very first Super Bowl. The ratings show how people often tend to root for underdogs and how their wins can be more entertaining.
Next up, we had another Super Bowl Game – the XVII in 1983. This time, the game was broadcasted on NBC and holds a rating of 48.6. This time, the Miami Dolphins were up against the Washington Redskins. The end result had the Redskins defeating the Dolphins by 27 – 17 and winning their first ever Super Bowl. It reflects the US’s never ending interest in football.
The XVII Winter Olympics come in at number six with a rating of 48.5. The games were broadcast on CBS on February 23, 1996. The games were held in Norway. Sixty-seven nations and 1,737 sportspersons partook in six sports and sixty-one proceedings. Most people remember the games because of the brutal beating of Kerrigan by Harding’s goons. The plan was unsuccessful, and Kerrigan went on to win the silver medal. The incident reflected how, in sports, the use of illegal means is common.
Broadcasted on NBC, the Super Bowl Game XX comes in at seven with a rating of 48.3. It was broadcasted on January 26, 1986. The game took place between the Chicago Bears and the New England Patriots. The Bears won by defeating the Patriots by 46 – 10.The American obsession with football is still quite strong, and people continue to love the sport.
The national broadcast of one of the biggest movies in Hollywood, Gone With The Wind, on NBC, enjoyed a rating of 47.7 and was broadcasted on November 7, 1976. When the film first released, TV sets were not known of but the movie was hugely popular. Starring Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable as Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler respectively, the movie is two hundred and thirty-eight minutes long due to which it was shown in two parts on NBC. The story follows Scarlett as her perfect life as a Southern belle is overturned by the Civil War, and she is forced to do things she never imagined having to do before the War – just to survive. “The movie teaches us how, when we have to survive, we need to let go of a lot of things we may hold dear; like traditions, values, and even grudges.” (IMDb Staff, 2015).
The second part of the movie scored a rating of 47.4 and was broadcasted on NBC a day later on November 8, 1976.
We end the list with another Super Bowl Game – XII broadcasted on CBS on January 15, 1978. It scored a rating of 47.2 and took place between the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos. Cowboys defeated the Broncos 27 – 10.

References

Hu, P. (2014). A Qualitative Study of US TV Shows Success in China.
Yeo, J. (2014). The Day of the Week Effects in Television Viewership and Primetime Television Scheduling.
Yamamoto, K. (2014). A simple view of the heavy-tailed sales distributions and application to the box-office grosses of US movies. EPL (Europhysics Letters), 108(6), 68004.
IMDb Staff (Last updated: 17 March 2015). All-Time USA Box office. [ONLINE] Available at: www.imdb.com/boxoffice/alltimegross. [Last Accessed March 18, 2015].