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TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2010
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26

Top-Grossing Films of the Decade

The list is populated with sequels, adaptations, remakes

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(Newser) – Thanks to a Wikipedia contributor who put together a list of the 50 highest-grossing films of the decade, it’s easy to see Hollywood’s—and, apparently, America’s—obsession with rehashing old material. As The Wrap points out, only nine aren't sequels or adaptations, and you have to reach No. 15 before finding an original. Gawker says "only five are not terrible." The first 15:

  1. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: $1.12 billion
  2. Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest: $1.07 billion
  3. The Dark Knight: $1 billion
  4. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone: $974.7 million
  5. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End: $960.9 million
  6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: $938.2 million
  7. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince: $929 million
  8. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: $925.3 million
  9. Shrek 2: $919.9 million
  10. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: $895.9 million
  11. Spider-Man 3: $890.9 million
  12. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: $878.6 million
  13. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs: $878.6 million
  14. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: $870.8 million
  15. Finding Nemo: $864.6 million
For the complete list, click the link at right.

In this 2004 file photo, a man checks out at an advertisement for
In this 2004 file photo, a man checks out at an advertisement for "Spider- Man."   (AP Photo/John McConnico, file)
Keira Knightley attends the Irish premiere of
Keira Knightley attends the Irish premiere of "Pirates of the Caribbean" at UGC Cinema August 5, 2003, in Dublin.   (Getty Images)
Two young fans enjoy the premiere of
Two young fans enjoy the premiere of "Shrek 2" at the Empire Leicester Square on June 28, 2004, in London.   (Getty Images)
The
The "Lord of the Rings" gang.   (AP Photo/New Line Productions, Pierre Vinet)
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26 comments
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Jayster999
Nov 17, 09 4:26 PM CST
Weird that LOTR3 was #1 and the first one was all the way down at #14. I guess there must have been lots of peeps who watched the first two on DVD and finally made it to the theater for the last one. Reply
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davjc09
Nov 17, 09 4:30 PM CST
Good point. There might be more of people like me than I would expect. I love the series LOTR but I didn't see it in theaters until the third. I like to know what happens and not have to wait very long. Likewise with my favorite TV shows, I TiVo them or buy the DVDS and watch them once the full season is already aired.
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Reader64481089
Nov 17, 09 4:48 PM CST
I suppose I was/am a die hard LOTR fan as I saw all three on opening nights for each and had read and reread the books often for many years before the movie was even a dream...... Love LOTR
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divetrader
Nov 17, 09 4:50 PM CST
Even DVD rentals are part of a movies gross profit. How do you think Waterworld ended up making money? It seems more likely that some people don't watch the original movies, but do watch the sequels.
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embersyc
Nov 17, 09 5:20 PM CST
Top 13 are sequels, guess original material has a rough time reaching the masses. Reply
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