1996 in film

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The year 1996 involved many significant films. The major releases this year included Scream, Independence Day, Fargo, Trainspotting, The Rock, The English Patient, Twister, Space Jam, Mission: Impossible, Mars Attacks!, Jerry Maguire and a film version of the musical Evita.

Highest-grossing films[edit]

The top 10 films released in 1996 by worldwide gross are as follows:[1]

Highest-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[edit]

  • Independence Day became the highest-grossing film of Will Smith's career, up until it was surpassed by Aladdin (2019).[2]
  • Rumble in the Bronx was released in North America, becoming Jackie Chan's first major box office hit in the region, with its US box office alone earning over 20 times its budget.[3] It was Chan's biggest ever hit up until then.[4]

Context[edit]

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 film industry experienced a surplus of releases between 1995 and 1996 that resulted in several box office flops, studio bankruptcies and sales, and otherwise successful films struggling to turn in a profit. The average cost of producing and marketing film rose to $60 million, a 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 that became the subject of industry scrutiny following several high profile flops that were released in between 1995 and 1996. This resulted in studios having to cut their film slate by fifty percent to offset growing production and marketing costs and ensure more profits.[5][6][7][8][9]

Events[edit]

  • July 10 – Nickelodeon releases its first feature film, Harriet the Spy, a spy-comedy-drama film based on the 1964 novel of the same name. It also launches the career of then-child actress Michelle Trachtenberg.
  • Mid-July – Production begins on Titanic.
  • September 20 – 75-year-old English actor Sir Dirk Bogarde has a severe stroke. He continued to need a wheelchair until his death in 1999.
  • December 20 - Scream is released to a surprised commercial success. Hailed as a influential landmark in the horror genre, it revitalized the declining slasher genre by satirizing the subgenre with characters that are well-versed in its clichés. Scream’s success lead to studios capitalizing especially on marketing horror films towards the teenage and young adult demographic.

Award ceremonies[edit]

Awards[edit]

Category/Organization 54th Golden Globe Awards
January 19, 1997
2nd Critics' Choice Awards
January 20, 1997
Producers, Directors, Screen Actors, and Writers Guild Awards 69th Academy Awards
March 24, 1997
50th BAFTA Awards
April 29, 1997
Drama Musical or Comedy
Best Film The English Patient Evita Fargo The English Patient
Best Director Miloš Forman
The People vs. Larry Flynt
Anthony Minghella
The English Patient
Joel Coen
Fargo
Best Actor Geoffrey Rush
Shine
Tom Cruise
Jerry Maguire
Geoffrey Rush
Shine
Best Actress Brenda Blethyn
Secrets & Lies
Madonna
Evita
Frances McDormand
Fargo
Brenda Blethyn
Secrets & Lies
Best Supporting Actor Edward Norton
Primal Fear
Cuba Gooding, Jr.
Jerry Maguire
Paul Scofield
The Crucible
Best Supporting Actress Lauren Bacall
The Mirror Has Two Faces
Joan Allen
The Crucible
Lauren Bacall
The Mirror Has Two Faces
Juliette Binoche
The English Patient
Best Screenplay, Adapted Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski
The People vs. Larry Flynt
Anthony Minghella
The English Patient
Billy Bob Thornton
Sling Blade
Anthony Minghella
The English Patient
Best Screenplay, Original Joel and Ethan Coen
Fargo
Mike Leigh
Secrets & Lies
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 Ridicule N/A Kolya Ridicule

1996 films[edit]

By country/region[edit]

By genre/medium[edit]

Births[edit]

Deaths[edit]

Month Date Name Age Country Profession Notable films
January 1 John Rodney 81 US Actor
1 Virgil W. Vogel 76 US Director, Film Editor
7 William H. Clothier 92 US Cinematographer
7 Aaron Stell 84 US Film Editor
10 Al Silvani 85 US Actor
13 Mark Herron 67 US Actor
15 Les Baxter 73 US Composer
17 Harry Robertson 63 UK Composer
19 Don Simpson 52 US Producer
29 Jamie Uys 74 South Africa Director
30 Guy Doleman 72 New Zealand Actor
February 2 Shamus Culhane 87 US Animator
2 Gene Kelly 83 US Actor, Dancer, Director
2 Aline Towne 76 US Actress
3 Audrey Meadows 73 US Actress
6 Guy Madison 74 US Actor
6 Patsy Smart 77 UK Actress
11 William F. Claxton 81 US Director
13 Martin Balsam 76 US Actor
13 Scott Beach 65 US Actor
15 Tommy Rettig 54 US Actor
15 McLean Stevenson 68 US Actor
16 Roger Bowen 63 US Actor
17 Evelyn Laye 95 UK Actress
19 Brenda Bruce 76 UK Actress
20 Tōru Takemitsu 65 Japan Composer
23 Elisa Cegani 84 Italy Actress
25 Haing S. Ngor 55 Cambodia Actor
March 2 Lyle Talbot 94 US Actor
3 Marguerite Duras 81 France Director, Screenwriter
4 Whit Bissell 86 US Actor
6 Simon Cadell 45 UK Actor
6 Tom McDermott 83 US Actor
9 George Burns 100 US Actor, Comedian
10 Marc de Jonge 47 France Actor
10 Ross Hunter 75 US Producer
11 Vince Edwards 67 US Actor
13 Lucio Fulci 68 Italy Director, Screenwriter, Actor
13 Krzysztof Kieślowski 55 Poland Director, Screenwriter
16 Charlie Barnett 41 US Actor, Comedian
17 René Clément 82 France Director, Screenwriter
24 Liam O'Brien 83 US Screenwriter
28 Barbara McLean 92 US Film Editor
April 3 Herk Harvey 71 US Director
5 Charlene Holt 67 US Actress
5 Norman Rockett 84 US Set Decorator
6 Greer Garson 91 UK Actress
8 Ben Johnson 77 US Actor
11 Wanda McKay 80 US Actress
16 Lucille Bremer 79 US Actress
21 Luigi Pistilli 66 Italy Actor
24 Donald Cammell 62 UK Director, Screenwriter
24 Preston Lockwood 83 UK Actor
25 Saul Bass 75 US Title Designer
25 Dick Wesson 73 US Actor
26 Stirling Silliphant 78 US Screenwriter
27 Adam Roarke 58 US Actor
27 Joan Sterndale-Bennett 82 UK Actress
30 David Opatoshu 78 US Actor
May 1 Luana Patten 57 US Actress
3 Jack Weston 71 US Actor
16 Barton Heyman 59 US Actor
19 Margaret Rawlings 89 Japan Actress
20 Jon Pertwee 76 UK Actor
21 Lash LaRue 78 US Actor
23 Patrick Cargill 77 UK Actor
29 Jennings Lang 81 US Producer
29 Jeremy Sinden 45 UK Actor
29 Tamara Toumanova 77 Russia Dancer, Actress
30 Natividad Vacío 83 US Actor
June 1 Michael Fox 75 US Actor
2 John Alton 94 Hungary Cinematographer
3 Veniero Colasanti 85 Italy Costume Designer, Production Designer
3 Peter Glenville 82 UK Director
5 Vito Scotti 78 US Actor
6 Mary Lee 71 US Actress
7 Saul David 74 US Producer
7 Max Factor, Jr. 91 US Makeup Artist
10 Jo Van Fleet 81 US Actress
11 Lonne Elder III 68 US Screenwriter
11 Brigitte Helm 90 Germany Actress
12 Mary Field 87 US Actress
12 Lillian Yarbo 91 US Actress[10][11][12]
15 Ella Fitzgerald 79 US Singer, Actress
23 Pasqualino De Santis 69 Italy Cinematographer
27 Albert R. Broccoli 87 US Producer
July 1 Margaux Hemingway 42 US Actress
1 Steve Tesich 53 Serbia Screenwriter
8 Irene Prador 84 Austria Actress
9 Christopher Casson 84 UK Actor
10 Paul King 69 US Screenwriter
13 Pandro S. Berman 91 US Producer
15 Dana Hill 32 US Actress
20 Randy Stuart 71 US Actress
21 Luana Anders 58 US Actress
21 Herb Edelman 62 US Actor
21 Wolfe Morris 71 UK Actor
23 Jean Muir 85 US Actress
24 Virginia Christine 76 US Actress
28 Bryant Haliday 68 US Actor
29 Hilary Pritchard 53 Isle of Man Actress
30 Claudette Colbert 92 France Actress
30 Anthony Peck 49 US Actor
30 Magda Schneider 87 Germany Actress
August 3 Guido Alberti 86 Italy Actor
11 Charles McGregor 73 US Actor
14 Bob Hannah 57 US Actor
14 Camilla Horn 93 Germany Actress
15 Joe Seneca 77 US Actor
16 Miles Goodman 46 US Composer
30 Christine Pascal 42 France Actress, Director, Screenwriter
September 4 Victor Aaron 39 US Actor
5 Anthony Mendleson 81 UK Costume Designer
6 Salman Shah 24 Bangladesh Actor
7 Bibi Besch 56 Austria Actress
7 Joseph F. Biroc 93 US Cinematographer
9 Ruggero Mastroianni 66 Italy Film Editor
10 Joanne Dru 74 US Actress
11 Brenda Forbes 87 UK Actress
13 Jane Baxter 87 UK Actress
13 Tupac Shakur 25 US Rapper, Actor
14 Juliet Prowse 59 US Actress, Dancer
16 Gene Nelson 76 US Actor, Director
16 Joan Perry 85 US Actress
18 Annabella 89 France Actress
22 Dorothy Lamour 81 US Actress
30 George Zuckerman 80 US Screenwriter
October 4 Stephen J. Friedman 59 US Producer
4 Masaki Kobayashi 80 Japan Director
5 Judith Allen 85 US Actress
6 Ted Bessell 61 US Actor
8 Francis D. Lyon 91 US Director, Film Editor
8 William Prince 83 US Actor
9 Harvey Vernon 69 US Actor
13 Beryl Reid 77 UK Actress
14 Laura La Plante 91 US Actress
16 Jason Bernard 58 US Actor
27 Morey Amsterdam 87 US Actor, Comedian
27 Harry Woolman 87 US Stuntman, Special Effects Artist
30 John Young 80 UK Actor
31 Marcel Carné 90 France Director
31 Arthur Peterson 83 US Actor
November 12 Peter Leeds 79 US Actor
13 June Gale 85 US Actress
14 Virginia Cherrill 88 US Actress
15 Lila Finn 86 US Stuntwoman
22 Stephanie Bachelor 84 US Actress
22 Mark Lenard 72 US Actor
23 George Nicholas 85 US Animator
26 Michael Bentine 74 UK Actor, Screenwriter
29 Jordan Cronenweth 61 US Cinematographer
December 4 Willard Parker 84 US Actor
7 Phillip Reed 88 US Actor
8 Paulene Myers 83 US Actress
8 Howard E. Rollins, Jr. 46 US Actor
8 Douglas Webb 74 UK Still Photographer
9 Diana Morgan 86 UK Screenwriter
11 William Rushton 59 UK Actor
12 Larry Gates 81 US Actor
19 Ronald Howard 78 UK Actor
19 Marcello Mastroianni 72 Italy Actor
28 Edward Carfagno 67 US Art Director
30 Lew Ayres 88 US Actor, Director
30 Jack Nance 53 US Actor
30 Keith Walker 61 US Screenwriter, Actor
31 Wesley Addy 83 US Actor

Film debuts[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "1996 Worldwide Box Office". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
  2. ^ "Will Smith Movie Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 6 July 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  3. ^ Brownstein, Bill (27 January 1997). "Jackie Chan rules – on ledgers, too: Rumble in the Bronx earned more than 20 times its cost". The Gazette. p. 15. Retrieved 18 April 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ Klady, Leonard (February 19, 1996). "B.O. with a vengeance: $9.1 billion worldwide". Variety. p. 1.
  5. ^ Philip Sledge (2020-06-07). "Looking Back On Independence Day And The Highest Grossing Movies Of 1996". CINEMABLEND. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  6. ^ Weinraub, Bernard (1996-07-30). "Hollywood Reeling As Many Blockbusters Become Quick Busts". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  7. ^ Weinraub, Bernard (1996-06-17). "Film Glut Prompts Disney to Halve Production". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  8. ^ "Study: Film stars are overpaid - UPI Archives". UPI. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  9. ^ Dutka, Elaine (1996-12-31). "The Money's Where the Action Is". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2023-03-03.
  10. ^ Smallwood, Bill (March 16, 1947). "Delightful Side". Los Angeles Sentinel. p. 17. ProQuest 562108876. Billye [sic] Yarbo and Nat Cole both birthday on the 17th.
  11. ^ 1940 United States Federal Census Year: 1940; Census Place: Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; Roll: m-t0627-00416; Page: 12A; Enumeration District: 60-362
  12. ^ "Washington Death Index, 1965-2014," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QLWM-FFV7 : 13 July 2017), Lillian M Yarbo, 12 Jun 1996, King, Washington, United States; from the Department of Health, Death Index, 1907-1960; 1965-2014, Washington State Archives, Digital Archives (https://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/Collections/TitleInfo/472 : n.d.); Citing Washington State Department of Health.

External links[edit]