Cinema in the the 1990s was notable for the expansion of the home video market; the emergence of new independent production companies; advancements in CGI technology and the birth of virtual cinematography; the resurgence of Disney; the rebirth of disaster films; and the rise and continued success of franchises.
To identify the most successful movies of the 1990s, 24/7 Tempo reviewed the domestic inflation-adjusted box office gross for the 3,332 movies with available data released during the 1990s according to The Numbers, an online movie database owned by Nash Information Services.
Our list includes films that made impressive use of CGI technology, among them “Terminator 2: Judgment Day,” “Jurassic Park,” and “Toy Story” – the last of which was the first feature film to be entirely computer animated. (These are the greatest animated movies of all time.)
Disney’s resurgence was reflected in the success of “Aladdin,” “The Lion King” (the original, animated, version), and “Beauty and the Beast.” Disaster films bounced back at the box office with hits such as “Twister,” “Titanic,” and “Armageddon.” Franchises – new and ongoing – found great success, among them “Home Alone,” “Men in Black,” and “Star Wars,” along with “Jurassic Park” and “Toy Story,” which placed two movies each on the list. (On the other hand, see the worst movie from every major franchise.)
Directors Chris Columbus and Steven Spielberg show up here three times apiece. The 1990s were very good for Tommy Lee Jones and Tom Hanks, each of whom is featured in four of the decade’s most successful films.
25. Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $383.7 million
> Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, Catherine O’Hara
> Directed by: Chris Columbus
> Run-time: 120 minutes
24. Pretty Woman (1990)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $387.7 million
> Starring: Richard Gere, Julia Roberts, Jason Alexander, Laura San Giacomo
> Directed by: Garry Marshall
> Run-time: 119 minutes
23. Batman Forever (1995)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $387.9 million
> Starring: Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole Kidman
> Directed by: Joel Schumacher
> Run-time: 122 minutes
22. Beauty and the Beast (1991)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $390.4 million
> Starring: Paige O’Hara, Robby Benson, Jesse Corti, Rex Everhart
> Directed by: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
> Run-time: 85 minutes
21. Armageddon (1998)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $394.1 million
> Starring: Bruce Willis, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, Liv Tyler
> Directed by: Michael Bay
> Run-time: 150 minutes
20. Dances with Wolves (1990)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $400.8 million
> Starring: Kevin Costner, Mary McDonnell, Graham Greene, Rodney A. Grant
> Directed by: Kevin Costner
> Run-time: 181 minutes
19. Toy Story (1995)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $403.5 million
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Don Rickles, Jim Varney
> Directed by: John Lasseter
> Run-time: 80 minutes
18. The Fugitive (1993)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $407.3 million
> Starring: Harrison Ford, Tommy Lee Jones, Sela Ward, Julianne Moore
> Directed by: Andrew Davis
> Run-time: 130 minutes
17. Saving Private Ryan (1998)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $419.1 million
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Edward Burns
> Directed by: Steven Spielberg
> Run-time: 169 minutes
16. Toy Story 2 (1999)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $440.0 million
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Kelsey Grammer
> Directed by: John Lasseter, Ash Brannon, Lee Unkrich
> Run-time: 92 minutes
15. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $441.3 million
> Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Edward Furlong, Robert Patrick
> Directed by: James Cameron
> Run-time: 136 minutes
14. The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $457.7 million
> Starring: Jeff Goldblum, Julianne Moore, Pete Postlethwaite, Vince Vaughn
> Directed by: Steven Spielberg
> Run-time: 134 minutes
13. Ghost (1990)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $472.9 million
> Starring: Patrick Swayze, Demi Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Goldwyn
> Directed by: Jerry Zucker
> Run-time: 127 minutes
12. Aladdin (1992)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $480.8 million
> Starring: Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman
> Directed by: Ron Clements, John Musker
> Run-time: 90 minutes
11. Mrs. Doubtfire (1993)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $488.7 million
> Starring: Robin Williams, Sally Field, Pierce Brosnan, Harvey Fierstein
> Directed by: Chris Columbus
> Run-time: 125 minutes
10. Men in Black (1997)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $500.8 million
> Starring: Tommy Lee Jones, Will Smith, Linda Fiorentino, Vincent D’Onofrio
> Directed by: Barry Sonnenfeld
> Run-time: 98 minutes
9. Twister (1996)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $501.4 million
> Starring: Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, Cary Elwes, Jami Gertz
> Directed by: Jan de Bont
> Run-time: 114 minutes
8. The Sixth Sense (1999)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $528.0 million
> Starring: Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette, Olivia Williams
> Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan
> Run-time: 108 minutes
7. Home Alone (1990)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $621.5 million
> Starring: Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Heard
> Directed by: Chris Columbus
> Run-time: 103 minutes
6. Independence Day (1996)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $635.2 million
> Starring: Will Smith, Bill Pullman, Jeff Goldblum, Mary McDonnell
> Directed by: Roland Emmerich
> Run-time: 145 minutes
5. Forrest Gump (1994)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $737.1 million
> Starring: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Gary Sinise, Sally Field
> Directed by: Robert Zemeckis
> Run-time: 142 minutes
4. Star Wars Ep. I: The Phantom Menace (1999)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $828.2 million
> Starring: Ewan McGregor, Liam Neeson, Natalie Portman, Jake Lloyd
> Directed by: George Lucas
> Run-time: 133 minutes
3. The Lion King (1994)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $833.0 million
> Starring: Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, James Earl Jones, Whoopi Goldberg
> Directed by: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
> Run-time: 87 minutes
2. Jurassic Park (1993)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $842.4 million
> Starring: Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough
> Directed by: Steven Spielberg
> Run-time: 126 minutes
1. Titanic (1997)
> Inflation-adjusted domestic box office: $1.2 billion
> Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates
> Directed by: James Cameron
> Run-time: 194 minutes