r/boxoffice • u/SanderSo47 A24 • Oct 17 '22
Original Analysis CinemaScore Analysis – 1994 Edition
Link to the other editions:
1980s: 1982 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989
1990s: 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999
2000s: 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009
2010s: 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019
2020s: 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023
In this post, I kept track of every 1994 movie's CinemaScore (at least, the ones that got it). I plan to post for each subsequent year until 2022, one year per weekend. My intention is to see the evolution of each year and how the grades can either help or damage a movie's legs.
I plan to delve into each year and each movie that got a grade. While CinemaScore was founded in 1979, we didn't get a grade until 1982 and we didn't get full information until 1986.
Before starting, some notes:
This list is based on multipliers/legs. In this case, domestic total/domestic opening weekend = multiplier/legs.
If a movie opens on Saturday or Sunday (like on Christmas Day), I will use its first full weekend (Friday through Sunday).
The opening weekend is based on its first wide release (600+ theaters).
If a movie never makes it past 600 theaters, then its biggest weekend number will be used.
The figures are all taken from The Numbers and Box Office Mojo.
Despite that, there's some missing data on the number of weeks a movie spent in theaters. Some movies here stopped reporting weekend totals after just 2 weeks or even just one. Thankfully, their domestic totals are still intact so we still have their final domestic number. Just note that the amount of weeks do not fully represent the movie's run.
In 1994, 114 movies received CinemaScores (1993 had 123). How did it go?
A+
3 movies (2.63%) managed to get the rare A+. Generally, this indicates exceptional word of mouth and guarantees a long and healthy run. Of course, the bigger a movie opens, the weaker legs will turn out to be. These movies averaged a 9.23x multiplier. In comparison, 1993 had 4 movies with a 12.46x average multiplier.
Note #1: Forrest Gump's numbers included two small re-releases, which added around $700,000 to its total. If we exclude them and get its original $329,694,499, it has a 13.48x multiplier.
Note #2: The Lion King's numbers included two re-releases, which added $110 million to its total. If we exclude them and get its original $312,855,561, it has a 7.65x multiplier.
| No. | Movie | Date | Studio | Domestic Opening | Domestic Total | Budget | Weeks in theaters | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forrest Gump | Jul/6 | Paramount | $24,450,602 | $330,151,138 | $55M | 47 | 13.50x |
| 2 | The Lion King | Jun/15 | Disney | $40,888,194 | $421,785,283 | $45M | 75 | 10.32x |
| 3 | Iron Will | Jan/14 | Disney | $5,313,406 | $20,623,071 | N/A | 4 | 3.88x |
A
10 movies (8.77%) managed to get the grade. A step down from the rare A+, but it still indicates strong word of mouth. These movies averaged a 7.23x multiplier. In comparison, 1993 had 19 movies with a 7.24x average multiplier.
| No. | Movie | Date | Studio | Domestic Opening | Domestic Total | Budget | Weeks in theaters | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Shawshank Redemption | Sep/23 | Columbia | $2,402,549 | $28,341,469 | $25M | 27 | 11.79x |
| 2 | Nell | Dec/16 | Fox | $3,159,400 | $33,683,817 | $24.5M | 7 | 10.66x |
| 3 | Little Women | Dec/23 | Columbia | $5,303,288 | $50,003,303 | $18M | 20 | 9.42x |
| 4 | Speed | Jun/10 | Fox | $14,456,194 | $121,248,145 | $37M | 19 | 8.39x |
| 5 | Miracle on 34th Street | Nov/18 | Fox | $2,753,208 | $17,320,136 | N/A | 5 | 6.29x |
| 6 | Clear and Present Danger | Aug/3 | Paramount | $20,348,017 | $122,012,656 | $62M | 23 | 6.00x |
| 7 | True Lies | Jul/15 | Fox | $25,869,770 | $146,282,411 | $100M | 25 | 5.65x |
| 8 | Angels in the Outfield | Jul/15 | Disney | $8,916,463 | $50,236,831 | $31M | 15 | 5.63x |
| 9 | D2: The Mighty Ducks | Mar/25 | Disney | $10,356,748 | $45,604,206 | N/A | 17 | 4.40x |
| 10 | Baby's Day Out | Jul/1 | Fox | $4,044,662 | $16,827,402 | $48M | 3 | 4.16x |
A–
24 movies (21.05%) managed to get the grade. Generally, word of mouth will be good and indicates audiences like the movie, their expectations were met and nothing more. These movies averaged a 5.15x multiplier. In comparison, 1993 had 17 movies with a 5.06x average multiplier.
| No. | Movie | Date | Studio | Domestic Opening | Domestic Total | Budget | Weeks in theaters | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Immortal Beloved | Dec/16 | Columbia | $1,169,419 | $9,914,409 | N/A | 7 | 8.47x |
| 2 | Disclosure | Dec/9 | Warner Bros. | $10,068,126 | $83,015,089 | $55M | 19 | 8.24x |
| 3 | Quiz Show | Sep/14 | Disney | $3,160,749 | $24,787,282 | $31M | 32 | 7.84x |
| 4 | The Santa Clause | Nov/11 | Disney | $19,321,992 | $145,539,357 | $22M | 22 | 7.53x |
| 5 | Richie Rich | Dec/21 | Warner Bros. | $5,830,302 | $38,087,756 | $40M | 16 | 6.53x |
| 6 | Ace Ventura: Pet Detective | Feb/4 | Warner Bros. | $12,115,105 | $72,217,396 | $15M | 17 | 5.96x |
| 7 | Maverick | May/20 | Warner Bros. | $17,248,545 | $101,631,272 | $75M | 19 | 5.89x |
| 8 | Blank Check | Feb/11 | Disney | $5,411,897 | $30,573,770 | $13M | 20 | 5.64x |
| 9 | Corrina, Corrina | Aug/12 | New Line Cinema | $3,811,258 | $20,164,171 | $22M | 8 | 5.29x |
| 10 | When a Man Loves a Woman | Apr/29 | Disney | $9,442,012 | $50,021,959 | N/A | 9 | 5.29x |
| 11 | The Little Rascals | Aug/5 | Universal | $10,028,065 | $51,764,950 | N/A | 15 | 5.16x |
| 12 | Legends of the Fall | Dec/23 | TriStar Pictures | $14,038,128 | $66,502,573 | $30M | 28 | 4.74x |
| 13 | With Honors | Apr/29 | Warner Bros. | $4,328,543 | $20,043,254 | N/A | 5 | 4.63x |
| 14 | The River Wild | Sep/30 | Universal | $10,214,450 | $46,815,000 | N/A | 18 | 4.58x |
| 15 | My Father the Hero | Feb/4 | Disney | $5,645,251 | $25,479,558 | N/A | 4 | 4.51x |
| 16 | Renaissance Man | Jun/3 | Disney | $5,557,590 | $24,172,899 | $40M | 20 | 4.35x |
| 17 | Little Giants | Oct/14 | Warner Bros. | $4,778,029 | $19,306,362 | $20M | 12 | 4.04x |
| 18 | The Air Up There | Jan/7 | Disney | $5,240,859 | $20,782,439 | $17M | 4 | 3.97x |
| 19 | Little Big League | Jun/29 | Columbia | $3,105,618 | $12,124,754 | $20M | 2 | 3.90x |
| 20 | City Slickers II: The Legend of Curly's Gold | Jun/10 | Columbia | $11,516,375 | $43,440,947 | $40M | 3 | 3.77x |
| 21 | A Low Down Dirty Shame | Nov/23 | Disney | $7,970,574 | $29,392,418 | N/A | 6 | 3.68x |
| 22 | Only You | Oct/7 | TriStar Pictures | $5,711,738 | $20,042,048 | N/A | 6 | 3.51x |
| 23 | White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf | Apr/14 | Disney | $2,692,624 | $8,752,399 | N/A | 2 | 3.25x |
| 24 | The Pagemaster | Nov/23 | Fox | $4,188,399 | $12,039,526 | N/A | 7 | 2.87x |
B+
31 movies (27.19%) managed to get the grade. This is where things get interesting. Generally, it indicates average word of mouth. The audience didn't love it, but didn't hate it. For some niche movies, this should be a fine score. But for IP-driven movies, this should be concerning as fans are more biased to the movie itself. These movies averaged a 4.18x multiplier. In comparison, 1993 had 35 movies with a 4.29x average multiplier.
| No. | Movie | Date | Studio | Domestic Opening | Domestic Total | Budget | Weeks in theaters | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pulp Fiction | Oct/14 | Miramax | $9,311,882 | $107,928,762 | $8M | 46 | 11.59x |
| 2 | Bullets Over Broadway | Oct/14 | Miramax | $1,393,709 | $13,383,747 | $20M | 4 | 9.60x |
| 3 | The Paper | Mar/18 | Universal | $7,005,640 | $38,824,341 | N/A | 13 | 5.54x |
| 4 | Nobody's Fool | Dec/23 | Paramount | $7,142,691 | $39,491,975 | $20M | 12 | 5.52x |
| 5 | The Client | Jul/20 | Warner Bros. | $17,174,262 | $92,115,211 | $45M | 20 | 5.36x |
| 6 | The Mask | Jul/29 | New Line Cinema | $23,117,068 | $119,920,129 | $23M | 28 | 5.19x |
| 7 | It Could Happen to You | Jul/29 | TriStar Pictures | $8,112,822 | $37,784,369 | $20M | 14 | 4.66x |
| 8 | Drop Zone | Dec/9 | Paramount | $6,143,566 | $28,607,015 | $45M | 20 | 4.66x |
| 9 | Stargate | Oct/28 | MGM | $16,651,018 | $71,567,262 | $55M | 7 | 4.29x |
| 10 | The Cowboy Way | Jun/3 | Universal | $5,048,640 | $19,731,505 | N/A | 4 | 3.91x |
| 11 | Naked Gun 33 1⁄3: The Final Insult | Mar/18 | Paramount | $13,216,531 | $51,041,856 | $30M | 18 | 3.86x |
| 12 | Guarding Tess | Mar/11 | TriStar Pictures | $7,065,213 | $27,023,278 | $20M | 4 | 3.82x |
| 13 | Junior | Nov/23 | Universal | $9,803,145 | $36,763,355 | $60M | 16 | 3.75x |
| 14 | The Ref | Mar/11 | Disney | $3,044,097 | $11,325,885 | N/A | 2 | 3.72x |
| 15 | Timecop | Sep/16 | Universal | $12,064,625 | $44,853,581 | $28M | 14 | 3.72x |
| 16 | Threesome | Apr/8 | TriStar Pictures | $4,001,024 | $14,793,701 | $10M | 3 | 3.70x |
| 17 | The Flintstones | May/27 | Universal | $37,182,745 | $130,531,208 | $46M | 12 | 3.51x |
| 18 | The Next Karate Kid | Sep/9 | Columbia | $2,620,484 | $8,914,777 | $12M | 3 | 3.40x |
| 19 | Love Affair | Oct/21 | Warner Bros. | $5,438,758 | $18,272,894 | $60M | 11 | 3.36x |
| 20 | Reality Bites | Feb/18 | Universal | $6,003,525 | $20,079,850 | $11.5M | 3 | 3.34x |
| 21 | Wyatt Earp | Jun/24 | Universal | $7,543,504 | $25,052,000 | $63M | 3 | 3.32x |
| 22 | My Girl 2 | Feb/11 | Columbia | $5,012,295 | $16,559,100 | N/A | 2 | 3.30x |
| 23 | Star Trek Generations | Nov/18 | Paramount | $23,116,394 | $75,671,262 | $35M | 19 | 3.27x |
| 24 | The War | Nov/4 | Universal | $5,203,275 | $16,480,770 | $34M | 7 | 3.17x |
| 25 | Milk Money | Aug/31 | Paramount | $5,846,533 | $18,137,661 | $20M | 4 | 3.10x |
| 26 | Ed Wood | Sep/30 | Disney | $1,903,768 | $5,887,457 | $18M | 4 | 3.09x |
| 27 | On Deadly Ground | Feb/18 | Warner Bros. | $12,679,573 | $38,590,458 | $50M | 4 | 3.04x |
| 28 | Princess Caraboo | Sep/16 | TriStar Pictures | $1,005,287 | $3,062,530 | N/A | 3 | 3.04x |
| 29 | Interview with the Vampire | Nov/11 | Warner Bros. | $36,389,705 | $105,264,608 | $60M | 17 | 2.89x |
| 30 | Greedy | Mar/4 | Universal | $4,805,115 | $13,137,484 | $23M | 3 | 2.73x |
| 31 | A Simple Twist of Fate | Sep/2 | Disney | $1,404,904 | $3,404,935 | N/A | 2 | 2.42x |
B
23 movies (20.17%) managed to get the grade. Another step down, which indicates word of mouth to be below average or middling. It could still hold on pretty well, but it's not guaranteed. These movies averaged a 3.52x multiplier. In comparison, 1993 had 21 movies with a 3.68x average multiplier.
| No. | Movie | Date | Studio | Domestic Opening | Domestic Total | Budget | Weeks in theaters | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dumb and Dumber | Dec/16 | New Line Cinema | $16,363,442 | $127,175,374 | $17M | 31 | 7.77x |
| 2 | The Hudsucker Proxy | Mar/11 | Warner Bros. | $470,949 | $2,816,518 | $25M | 3 | 5.98x |
| 3 | Speechless | Dec/16 | MGM | $3,969,048 | $20,564,705 | $38M | 11 | 5.18x |
| 4 | In the Army Now | Aug/12 | Disney | $6,367,194 | $28,881,266 | N/A | 21 | 4.54x |
| 5 | Major League II | Mar/30 | Warner Bros. | $7,040,777 | $30,626,182 | $25M | 4 | 4.35x |
| 6 | I.Q. | Dec/25 | Columbia | $6,379,611 | $26,381,221 | $25M | 5 | 4.13x |
| 7 | I Love Trouble | Jun/29 | Disney | $7,827,002 | $30,806,194 | $45M | 4 | 3.94x |
| 8 | Camp Nowhere | Aug/26 | Disney | $2,755,661 | $10,442,641 | N/A | 16 | 3.79x |
| 9 | Léon: The Professional | Nov/18 | Columbia | $5,306,558 | $19,501,238 | $16M | 4 | 3.67x |
| 10 | Wolf | Jun/17 | Universal | $17,911,366 | $65,011,757 | $70M | 5 | 3.63x |
| 11 | Angie | Mar/4 | Disney | $2,779,640 | $9,252,349 | $26M | 2 | 3.33x |
| 12 | Getting Even with Dad | Jun/17 | MGM | $5,579,480 | $18,195,538 | $30M | 2 | 3.26x |
| 13 | Crooklyn | May/13 | Universal | $4,209,475 | $13,024,170 | $14M | 4 | 3.09x |
| 14 | Terminal Velocity | Sep/23 | Disney | $5,500,404 | $16,487,349 | $50M | 3 | 2.99x |
| 15 | Blown Away | Jul/1 | MGM | $10,424,873 | $30,133,002 | $28M | 3 | 2.89x |
| 16 | Beverly Hills Cop III | May/25 | Paramount | $15,276,224 | $42,586,861 | $50M | 4 | 2.79x |
| 17 | The Shadow | Jul/1 | Universal | $11,713,845 | $31,835,600 | $40M | 4 | 2.72x |
| 18 | The Getaway | Feb/11 | Universal | $5,806,515 | $15,545,115 | $37M | 2 | 2.68x |
| 19 | Clean Slate | May/6 | MGM | $3,136,130 | $7,352,116 | N/A | 3 | 2.34x |
| 20 | Blue Chips | Feb/18 | Paramount | $10,123,605 | $22,359,041 | $35M | 3 | 2.21x |
| 21 | Silent Fall | Oct/28 | Warner Bros. | $1,531,244 | $3,180,674 | $30M | 2 | 2.07x |
| 22 | Blankman | Aug/19 | Columbia | $3,715,480 | $7,395,486 | N/A | 2 | 1.99x |
| 23 | The Scout | Sep/30 | Fox | $1,458,837 | $2,667,163 | $20M | 2 | 1.83x |
B–
13 movies (11.40%) managed to get the grade. Word of mouth is now extremely below average and indicates audiences are more disliking it. These movies averaged a 2.80x multiplier. In comparison, 1993 had 11 movies with a 2.80x average multiplier.
| No. | Movie | Date | Studio | Domestic Opening | Domestic Total | Budget | Weeks in theaters | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Natural Born Killers | Aug/26 | Warner Bros. | $11,166,687 | $50,282,766 | $34M | 19 | 4.50x |
| 2 | The Specialist | Oct/7 | Warner Bros. | $14,317,765 | $57,362,581 | $45M | 18 | 4.01x |
| 3 | Street Fighter | Dec/23 | Universal | $9,508,030 | $33,423,000 | $23M | 13 | 3.52x |
| 4 | Cops & Robbersons | Apr/15 | TriStar Pictures | $3,724,254 | $11,363,618 | N/A | 2 | 3.05x |
| 5 | Bad Girls | Apr/22 | Fox | $5,012,200 | $15,187,851 | $35M | 4 | 3.03x |
| 6 | Clifford | Apr/1 | Orion Pictures | $2,541,043 | $7,347,669 | N/A | 2 | 2.89x |
| 7 | Airheads | Aug/5 | Fox | $1,911,739 | $5,021,868 | $11.2M | 2 | 2.63x |
| 8 | The Chase | Mar/4 | Fox | $3,421,028 | $7,836,488 | N/A | 2 | 2.29x |
| 9 | I'll Do Anything | Feb/4 | Columbia | $4,702,625 | $10,209,111 | $40M | 2 | 2.17x |
| 10 | North | Jul/20 | Columbia | $3,036,050 | $6,583,223 | $40M | 2 | 2.17x |
| 11 | The Puppet Masters | Oct/21 | Disney | $4,069,057 | $8,579,626 | N/A | 9 | 2.11x |
| 12 | The Favor | Apr/29 | Orion Pictures | $1,487,238 | $3,098,590 | $12M | 2 | 2.08x |
| 13 | Mary Shelley's Frankenstein | Nov/4 | TriStar Pictures | $11,212,889 | $22,006,296 | $45M | 7 | 1.96x |
C+
5 movies (4.38%) managed to get the grade. This is where generally horror movies get their ratings. For non-horror movies tho, you better hope it has a compelling premise or it will heavily drop. These movies averaged a 2.67x multiplier. In comparison, 1993 had 7 movies with a 2.55x average multiplier.
| No. | Movie | Date | Studio | Domestic Opening | Domestic Total | Budget | Weeks in theaters | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sugar Hill | Feb/25 | Fox | $5,712,485 | $18,272,447 | $10M | 16 | 3.20x |
| 2 | Mixed Nuts | Dec/21 | TriStar Pictures | $2,307,850 | $6,670,176 | $20M | 3 | 2.89x |
| 3 | Intersection | Jan/21 | Paramount | $7,818,502 | $20,643,034 | $45M | 3 | 2.64x |
| 4 | Trial by Jury | Sep/9 | Warner Bros. | $2,855,852 | $6,971,777 | N/A | 2 | 2.44x |
| 5 | Trapped in Paradise | Dec/2 | Fox | $2,744,653 | $6,017,509 | N/A | 5 | 2.19x |
C
3 movies (2.63%) managed to get the grade. Even worse word of mouth, but these movies had some middling to outright terrible response. These movies averaged a 2.67x multiplier. In comparison, 1993 had 5 movies with a 2.18x average multiplier.
| No. | Movie | Date | Studio | Domestic Opening | Domestic Total | Budget | Weeks in theaters | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Color of Night | Aug/19 | Disney | $6,610,488 | $19,750,470 | $40M | 23 | 2.99x |
| 2 | Jimmy Hollywood | Apr/1 | Paramount | $1,451,000 | $3,783,003 | $30M | 2 | 2.99x |
| 3 | PCU | Apr/29 | Fox | $2,129,483 | $4,333,569 | $8M | 2 | 2.04x |
C–
2 movies (3.25%) managed to get the grade. The future is not bright here. This movie averaged a 2.47x multiplier. In comparison, 1993 had 4 movies with a 2.41x average multiplier.
| No. | Movie | Date | Studio | Domestic Opening | Domestic Total | Budget | Weeks in theaters | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Road to Wellville | Oct/28 | Columbia | $2,580,108 | $6,487,257 | $25M | 8 | 2.51x |
| 2 | Wagons East! | Aug/26 | Columbia | $1,802,878 | $4,412,297 | N/A | 2 | 2.44x |
1994 DOMESTIC TOP TEN
As previously mentioned, The Lion King added $110 million through many re-releases. If we exclude them and get its original $312,855,561, it was the second highest grossing of the year.
| No. | Movie | Date | Studio | Domestic Opening | Domestic Total | Budget | Grade | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Lion King | Jun/15 | Disney | $40,888,194 | $421,785,283 | $45M | A+ | 10.32x |
| 2 | Forrest Gump | Jul/6 | Paramount | $24,450,602 | $330,151,138 | $55M | A+ | 13.50x |
| 3 | True Lies | Jul/15 | Fox | $25,869,770 | $146,282,411 | $100M | A | 5.65x |
| 4 | The Santa Clause | Nov/11 | Disney | $19,321,992 | $145,539,357 | $22M | A– | 7.53x |
| 5 | The Flintstones | May/27 | Universal | $37,182,745 | $130,531,208 | $46M | B+ | 3.51x |
| 6 | Dumb and Dumber | Dec/16 | New Line Cinema | $16,363,442 | $127,175,374 | $17M | B | 7.77x |
| 7 | Clear and Present Danger | Aug/3 | Paramount | $20,348,017 | $122,012,656 | $62M | A | 6.00x |
| 8 | Speed | Jun/10 | Fox | $14,456,194 | $121,248,145 | $37M | A | 8.39x |
| 9 | The Mask | Jul/29 | New Line Cinema | $23,117,068 | $119,920,129 | $23M | B+ | 5.19x |
| 10 | Pulp Fiction | Oct/14 | Miramax | $9,311,882 | $107,928,762 | $8M | B+ | 11.59x |
See you next weekend for the 1995 Edition.
5
u/hellbilly69101 Oct 17 '22
Man, I'm just looking at this thinking, if these movies came out in 2004, movies like Pulp Fiction and Shawshank Redemption would have been an A+. While Forrest Gump probably would have been an A-. If in 2014, Pulp Fiction, Forrest Gump and Shawshank Redemption would have each been B+, while the Mask and Lion King would been A's due to the Disney movies coming out around 2014. It shows different times, different attitudes.
5
u/Chaisa Oct 17 '22
Interesting that Pulp Fiction CinemaScore was so comparatively low. Also interesting that despite that it still had pretty amazing legs.
2
•
u/AutoModerator Dec 12 '22
Reminder that this is a subreddit about numbers, not necessarily about the quality (or lack thereof) of a particular movie. Unless it is related to the box office performance of a movie, please keep opinions/arguments/thoughts about the quality under this post. Posts not related to box office may be removed otherwise.
I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.