1996 in film


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

The top 10 films released in 1996 by worldwide gross are as follows:
RankTitleDistributorWorldwide gross
1Independence Day20th Century Fox$817,400,891
2TwisterWarner Bros. / Universal$499,230,797
3Mission: ImpossibleParamount$457,696,359
4The RockBuena Vista$335,062,621
5The Hunchback of Notre DameBuena Vista$325,338,851
6101 DalmatiansBuena Vista$320,689,294
7RansomBuena Vista$309,492,681
8The Nutty ProfessorUniversal$273,961,019
9Jerry MaguireSony / TriStar$273,552,592
10Space JamWarner Bros.$250,180,384

Box office records

  • Independence Day became the highest-grossing film of Will Smith's career, up until it was surpassed by Aladdin which grossed $1.054 billion. However, adjusting for inflation, Independence Day in 2019 grossed $1.324 billion.
  • 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. It was Chan's biggest ever hit up until then.

    Context

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.

Events

  • June 19 – The Hunchback of Notre Dame has one of the largest premieres for a motion picture, taking place at the Superdome in New Orleans, with an audience of 65,000 people, as well as free admission. The film received generally positive reviews, and was a commercial success in box-office revenue.
  • 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 and after a slow start becomes a surprising box office hit, ultimately earning more than $100 million domestic sales. Hailed as an 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

  • 1st Empire Awards

    Awards

1996 films

By country/region