2016: A year of variety at the box office

From action to animated, 2016 brought a lot to the box office

Zach Fries '17, Sports Editor|October 4, 2016

photo from newyorker.com Deadpool proved to be a box office hit when in came out in February of 2016

This year is going by fast and it has been an intriguing one at the box office. There were a handful of records shattered.

Finding Dory became the fastest animated film to reach 300 million dollars. Additionally, Suicide Squad broke Guardians of the Galaxy’s record for the highest weekend debut in the month of August. Also, Deadpool became the highest grossing R-rated film of all time at the worldwide box office.

Personally, I only saw a few movies that came out in 2016, but I would say Deadpool was my favorite. Ryan Reynolds did a great job and the blend of action and comedy made it a terrific film.

I asked senior Luke Greely about his favorite film of 2016.

“The only movie I saw this year was The Purge: Election Year. It was a four out of ten because it lacked a solid plot line,” said Luke. “To be honest, I’m more of a Netflix guy,” he added.

I also talked to Adam Keller, Digital Visualizations Editor of The Purple Quill, about his favorite movie of the year, “The best movie that I saw in 2016 has to be Jason Bourne. I thought the movie really paid tribute to the old movies along with adding another chapter to an already great series,” said Keller.

There are also a few movies currently out in theaters that are based on true stories. Snowden is based on the story of a government advisor named Edward Snowden who leaked out information about the National Security Agency. Some view him as a traitor, yet others classify him as a hero.

Sully is another film that is currently in theaters that is based on a true story. US Airways flight 1549 hit a flock of geese and needed to make an emergency landing. Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot, successfully landed the plane in the Hudson River and all of the passengers survived. Many Americans viewed him as a hero, but his career is in jeopardy after he is investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.

There is one movie in mind that has yet to come out in 2016 is Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Once again, I spoke with Adam Keller.

Keller, an avid Star Wars fan, had a lot to say about the upcoming film, “Since I was a kid I have loved all the Star Wars movies. The newest release: Star Wars: The Force Awakens was the a major success at the box office and personally one of the better of the seven movies. Although, that may be because the public hadn’t seen a new Star Wars movie with the characters from the first trilogy in 30 years. Personally, I haven’t had the same feeling with Rogue One that I did with the Force Awakens. I think Rogue One will be great movie, but it may sit in the shadow of The Force Awakens,” stated Keller.

All in all, It’s been a solid year at the box office, but there is still time to go out and catch a good movie. Also, don’t forget the 2017 Academy Awards take place on February 26th, 2017 to celebrate the movies of 2016.