The sizzling summer box office captured a record $4.1B (when not adjusted for inflation or ticket prices), led by Sony's SPIDER-MAN 3 with $336.5M (containing bar-raising vfx from Sony Pictures Imageworks). Second place belonged to Paramount/DreamWorks' SHREK THE THIRD, with $321M, the fourth best in animation history, the third best among CG animation contenders and second best for DreamWorks Animation. Paramount/DreamWorks' TRANSFORMERS (with innovative vfx from ILM) followed in third with $310.5M. Buena Vista's PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END (with more stunning vfx from ILM and added support from Digital Domain and others) finished fourth with $308.6M. Warner Bros.' HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX (with great vfx from Double Negative, Framestore CFC, ILM, Cinesite, MPC and Rising Sun) took fifth place honors with $286.8M, third best in the popular franchise. Universal's THE BOURNE ULTIMATUM, the third and most successful in the lucrative spy franchise (with vfx from The Senate, Lip Sync Post and Snow Business), scored sixth with $202.8M. Disney/Pixar's RATATOUILLE came in seventh by whipping up $201.2M, 11th best in animation history, ninth best among CG animation contenders and sixth best in the Pixar canon. In finishing eighth, Fox's THE SIMPSONS MOVIE stirred up $178.5M, 16th on animation's all-time best. Ninth place went to Universal's KNOCKED UP $148.1M, fourth on the list of R-rated youth comedies. And 10th place went to Fox's LIVE FREE OR DIE HARD with $133.6M, tops in the Bruce Willis-starring franchise (with primary vfx from Digital Dimension and The Orphanage). Box office information obtained from boxofficemojo.com.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
