1997 passed quietly. Before people could sigh that time flew, the dawn of 1998 was already shrouded above their heads. The historical moment of the century was gradually approaching, making people start to become excited.

Although rumors about the "millennial insect" have gradually become popular, for most people, the rumors about the end of the world sound too far away. Relatively speaking, people are more keen to discuss in the past 1997, the world has turned upside down. It seems that there is no need to wait until the 20th century enters the 21st century, and the wheel of history has entered a new era with great success.

After the North American film industry ushered in a full-scale explosion in 1994, independent films led by "pulp novels" officially appeared on the stage of history; although the subsequent 1995 declined slightly, it could be regarded as a movie year; but the following 1996 became a year for film history with a "Independence Day". This year continued the glory of last year, truly announcing that the North American film market entered the "blockbuster era".

Since the emergence of "Independence Day", people have been curious about a question: is this the norm or an exception? Can computer special effects really bring the film industry into a new era? Is it a distortion to the art of film when the investment is getting higher and higher and more expensive? The most important thing is, can "North American box office 500 million" really become a dream within reach of every movie?

In the first three-quarters of 1997, or to be more precise, before the last week of 1997, the answers to these questions were negative, as if Independence Day had become a meteor, fleeting, leaving the glory of the film industry forever frozen in 1996, and could not get closer. But history is so interesting, and before 1997 was about to end, a completely different answer was handed over.

The emergence of the "Titanic" was not only a slap in the face by a media, but also a strong announcement of the era of blockbusters.

An unprecedented high investment cost of 200 million US dollars, while the "Titanic" exchanged for a box office of 600 million US dollars in North America, from 300 million to 500 million to 600 million. The North American box office market completed a triple jump in just three years, and its glorious momentum was almost shocking. "Titanic" not only easily surpassed the highest box office memory of "Independence Day" in film history, but also raised the original benchmark to a higher level and achieved supreme glory.

The great success of the "Titanic" has officially come to an end to the debate in the entire film industry. Even though only two works have created such glory, this is enough to attract major production companies to flock to them; even if the use of computer special effects is still not mature enough, the film companies are very willing to explore in depth.

Invest one million dollars in exchange for a box office of 100 million dollars; or invest 100 million dollars in exchange for a box office of 300 million dollars. In fact, this is an easy math problem. Everyone knows that the profit of the former is much higher than the latter. If it is said to be "interest first", then it is wise to choose the former; but business is not just a math problem, there are many additional factors, and most Hollywood film companies will choose the latter.

Because high investment represents a hot topic, this is a huge driving force for the entire company's personnel and the entire film industry chain, and its additional benefits are far higher than small-cost production; because although small profits can win a big victory, the probability of victory is too small, far from being able to compare the temptation of high investment and high returns. If a work of 100 million US dollars can produce a work of 300 million US dollars, then only 100 million works with a cost of less than 10 million US dollars can produce a work of 100 million US dollars.

Therefore, the success of "Independence Day" and "Titanic" have given major inspiration to the entire Hollywood. It is not only high investment and high returns, but also the film industry represented by computer special effects has entered a new stage. This is undoubtedly a shot of a heart-warming shot and has truly changed the operating model of the entire industry.

Carrying a powerful momentum of 600 million US dollars, "Titanic" undoubtedly became the annual box office champion in 1997, igniting all the enthusiasm of the North American film market for the second consecutive year. Even professional film critics who have no interest in box office numbers have to admit that the huge box office success of the first and last two works has brought the film market into an unprecedented prosperity. This is a good thing for the entire film industry, which can not only attract more funds to enter the industry, but also attract more talents to participate in the film industry, and stimulate more excellent genres. This is ultimately an ending where the benefits outweigh the disadvantages.

In addition to the "Titanic" leading the way, "Los Angeles Secret" is in the position of second place in the annual North American box office with a no less powerful attitude, which is even more shocking than the box office of $600 million.

Because "Los Angeles Secret" has won super high support as a suspense plot movie, with almost no computer special effects bonus, relying entirely on the meticulous script and the excellence of the characters. This can be said to be a work that has promoted retro traditional movies, making people deeply realize that the reason why movies can entertain the public while also bringing ideological shock is because the movie itself is an artistic flat!

What's even more terrifying is that "Los Angeles Secret" was released in the autumn period, which will inevitably become another miracle in film history and truly ignite the popularity of the autumn period.

The third place in the North American box office list of the year was "Men in Black". This work unexpectedly surpassed many competitors. With a score of 250 million US dollars, it was only behind "Los Angeles City Secret"'s final box office score of 10 million, and climbed to the third place at the end of the year. It was really a huge surprise. This also made Will Smith appear in the North American market as a "box office superstar".

"Jurassic Park 2: The Lost World" was not able to refresh history under the expectations and regretfully ended up in the palace. Although his performance was still outstanding, he was still less unexpected than the stunning performance of the previous work. Despite this, it was said that Universal Pictures still submitted the plan for the third episode to the desktop, but whether Steven Spielberg will return is temporarily unknown.

After that, Jim Carrey's "King of Talk", Harrison Ford's "Air Force One", Jack Nicholson's "Fine Perfection", Matt Damon's "Spirit Catcher", and "Star Wars" re-release, "My Best Friend's Wedding" occupy the remaining six positions in the top ten respectively.

There are many interesting things to see above the top ten in the year-end box office rankings in North America. First of all, although there are as many as seventeen works with a box office of over 100 million in North America this year, and as many as four works exceed 200 million US dollars, both of which have set new records in film history, but the high-profile works such as "007: Empire of Tomorrow", "Face Change", and "Prison in the Sky" have all been downgraded. Their performances are far from meeting expectations, and they are not even able to reach the top ten of the year. In particular, the aggressive "Batman and Robin" finally only earned $107 million in box office, ranking 14th on the year-end list, which is a big disappointment.

The second is that George Clooney's rise plan failed. Both works, "Batman and Robin" and "Peacemaker", encountered Waterloo. While the media was constantly sought after, they failed to achieve corresponding results. They eventually returned to the field of TV dramas in shame and found psychological balance on small screens.

The star-making plan has never been that simple.

But after unintentionally, Will Smith and Matt Damon two newcomers relied on their outstanding performance in their starring works, not only ranked among the top ten in the year-end box office list, but also became a top-tier actor who was enough to hit the top. In particular, Will was deeply impressed by playing a small role on "Independence Day" last year, and this year it soared to the sky. He has vaguely surpassed George and became the most preferred candidate to challenge Hugo, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and others.

However, Leonardo DiCaprio, the handsome young man who soared into the sky with the "Titanic", can be said to be very popular. During the New Year, even Hugo could not compete with Leonardo. His super high popularity allowed Leonardo to reach the top almost quickly with a sweep, becoming one of the top actors, and even surpassed Brad, who had not been able to go further for a long time, forming a new iron triangle with Tom and Hugo.

This is really a huge surprise. The competition in the North American film market has changed again, and no one can predict whether Leonardo can continue to be strong in the next development curve? Can Brad return strongly? What kind of results will Tom and Hugo deliver? In addition to Hugo, who currently has a superior lead, the showdown between Tom, Leonardo and Brad is becoming more and more passionate! All of this makes people excited.

Then there is the strong return of a group of veteran actors. Jin Carrey relies on his outstanding performance among the "King of Talks" to wipe out the decline. Harrison Ford's "Air Force One" once again proves that he is immortal. After five years of silence, Julia Roberts rejoined the top actresses with "My Best Friend's Wedding" and Cameron Diaz's successful rise to the top spot was also an unexpected surprise, which also made the American sweetheart's seat open again to compete.

In addition, Robin Williams, Jack Nicholson, Steven Spielberg and others have always maintained their usual super-high standards, continuing their previous strong performances, and once again occupying a favorable position in the year-end list.
Chapter completed!