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#Flashback2019: From “Avengers: Endgame”, “Joker”, “The Lion King”, “Spider-Man: Far From Home” and “Captain Marvel” to “Jumanji: The Next Level”, 2019 was Hollywood’s big year for superhero films and big franchises.
It was a year to break records and make new history in Hollywood, with “Avengers: Endgame” ending the decade-long reign of “Avatar” by emerging the world’s highest-grossing film of all time, and “Joker” becoming the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time.
There were some anticipated follow ups including “X-Men: Dark Phoenix”, the revamped version of “Charlie’s Angels”, the musical “Cats” and “Men In Black: International”, which turned out to be duds.
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Despite the misses, hits were plenty and made it up for the duds. Robert Downey Jr bid farewell to his Iron Man avatar while breaking hearts and cinematic records, actor Joaquin Phoenix turned the story of a mentally unstable loner and failed comedian Arthur Fleck, who picks violence to find calmness in his life, into a blockbuster.
Before the year ends, IANS takes a look back at the hits of Hollywood.
AVENGERS: ENDGAME
It was an epic conclusion of an era and a historic achievement for Marvel. Every Marvel superhero from Iron Man and Thor to Captain America and Black Widow, assembled one last time to save the world from the supervillain Thanos with “Avengers: Endgame”, which shattered several box office records. Helmed by the Russo Brothers, Joe and Anthony, the film marked the end of the third Marvel phase.
It was an emotional affair for the fans as they lost some of their favourite heroes, with Iron Man sacrificing his life for the world, Captain America (essayed by Chris Evans) passing on the shield to Sam Wilson, aka Falcon and Black Widow giving her life so that Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) could secure the Soul Stone. It opened in April.
The film’s star-studded cast also includes Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Bradley Cooper and Josh Brolin. In July, “Avengers: Endgame” dethroned “Avatar” to become the world’s highest-grossing film of all time.
JOKER
Joaquin Phoenix as the new Joker had a good laugh at the box office. From the way he uses violence to fight his inner demons to his chaotic laugh to his illusions to his revelrous dance, Phoenix won plaudits for transforming into the mentally unstable loner Arthur Fleck in the comic book drama. It narrated his journey of becoming supervillain Joker.
The 45-year-old star is being considered as a contender of Best Actor Oscar this year for the Warner Bros. project, which has become the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all time, and has crossed the $ 1 billion mark at the worldwide box office. In fact, the impact is deep as it has sparked conversation around mental health. A follow-up to film is also in the works.
SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME
Tom Holland came back on the big screen as the iconic webslinger Spider-Man along with his friends to rule the box office. The Jon Watts directorial follows the aftermath of “Avengers: Endgame”, with Iron Man having a strong influence on the narrative despite his death.
From Holland’s Peter Parker/Spider-Man grieving the death of Iron Man and trying to move on by going on a school trip to the world mourning the demise of their enigmatic superhero — Iron Man comes back to life in the film — through his persona, legacy and technological inventions. Along with some imprints from the past, the film brought forward another adventure and enemy for Spider-Man in form of Mysterio (actor Jake Gyllenhaal).
Globally, the film swung past the $1 billion mark, becoming the first instalment in the franchise to do so. It’s also the first “Spider-Man” film to reach the milestone, and Sony’s second film to do so after “Skfall”.
CAPTAIN MARVEL
Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson’s “Captain Marvel” had a smooth take-off in the superhero universe. The project introduced the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) first standalone, female-franchise title character, Carol Danvers aka Captain Marvel, essayed by Larson. It follows Danvers’ journey as she becomes one of the universe’s most powerful heroes. It was released in March.
Breaking the misconception that female superheroes can’t hold strong on their own at the box office, the film joined its superhero counterparts (“Avengers: Infinity War”, “Black Panther”, “The Avengers”, “Captain America: Civil War”, “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Iron Man 3”) in the ‘billion dollar’ club in April.
ALADDIN
Disney’s live action film “Aladdin” brought back nostalgia, weaving a success story with the thrilling and vibrant adaptation of the loved animated classic movie, which took the world by storm in 1992 and established a legendary status amongst fans, especially with its blockbuster music.
In the film, directed by Guy Ritchie, Will Smith stepped in the shoes of late Robin Williams by taking on the role of larger-than-life Genie. Mena Massoud was seen as Aladdin, Naomi Scott as Jasmine and Marwan Kenzari as Jafar. It was yet another Disney project to enter the $1 billion club this year.