The 1990s was a banner decade for cinema in general, and the period produced a slew of movies that earned a surprising amount of cash at the box office. Though it was also a period of amazing growth in the indie sector, the ’90s will always be remembered for its record-smashing blockbusters.
Films like Titanic completely changed the paradigm, and the era of the billion-dollar movie was born. However, James Cameron’s epic wasn’t the only record-smashing film to come out during the ’90s, and each year produced several hits that became all-time blockbuster classics. Even if a movie underperformed, it could still be a financial success on home video.
The ’90s was an era of great prosperity at the box office, and many films became absolute smashes despite their unassuming nature. Decades later, there are box office hits from the ’90s that have completely faded into the background, while some have been completely forgotten. Good or bad, it seemed as if every movie was a hit during the 1990s.
Presumed Innocent (1990)
Topping out as the eighth highest-grossing movie of 1990, Presumed Innocent was a bona fide box office smash. The Harrison Ford legal thriller sees him play a likable lawyer who is accused of the murder of his colleague who also happens to be his mistress. The Scott Turrow adaptation got decent reviews, thanks largely to its stellar cast.
Though mostly overshadowed in Harrison Ford’s illustrious catalog, Presumed Innocent raked in $220 million (via Box Office Mojo). The film is a shining example of the courtroom drama genre, but has been lost to time somewhat. The same story was successfully adapted into a TV series by Apple TV+, which helped to draw attention to the underrated early ’90s gem.
Sleeping With The Enemy (1991)
Julia Roberts was box office gold in the 1990s, and Sleeping with the Enemy continued her hot streak after 1990’s Pretty Woman. Roberts stars as a woman who escapes from her abusive husband and assumes a new identity, only for her husband to track her down once again. Though poorly-reviewed, the thriller was quintessential ’90s.
Sleeping with the Enemy set the new record for the largest opening for a female-led film on its way to grossing over $170 million (Box Office Mojo). The movie’s success can be placed squarely on the shoulders of Roberts, who had plenty of momentum in 1991. Compared to Roberts’ other movies, Sleeping with the Enemy is one blockbuster worth forgetting.
Boomerang (1992)
The 1990s were uneven for Eddie Murphy. Nevertheless, 1992’s Boomerang still succeeded at the box office. A womanizing business executive (played by Murphy) finds himself on the other side of the equation when his new boss is a woman with an even more callous approach to love. With tired romantic comedy tropes, Boomerang felt like a relic.
The movie completely wasted Eddie Murphy’s talents, and missed an opportunity to tell a great story in the process. It got middling reviews, but grossed $130 million (Box Office Mojo). Boomerang started a skid that wouldn’t stop until The Nutty Professor, when Murphy’s box office appeal returned. Had Boomerang been released later in the ’90s, it likely would have flopped.
Indecent Proposal (1993)
Erotic thrillers were all the rage in the mid-’90s, and Indecent Proposal made a bunch of money while riding that wave of popularity. A young couple is put in a moral quandary when an eccentric rich man offers them a million dollars to sleep with the wife. Critics saw right through the movie’s flimsy premise, and it got poor reviews.
Despite that, Indecent Proposal cracked the top 10 highest-grossing movies of 1993. The Demi Moore, Robert Redford, and Woody Harrelson vehicle made $266 million (Box Office Mojo). However, it was a genuinely hollow viewing experience with very questionable morals, and was arguably one of the worst examples of the erotic thriller genre.
The Client (1994)
Hollywood discovered novelist John Grisham, and his books were spun into box office juggernauts. The Client is one such example, and concerns a young boy who is a witness against the mafia, who turns to a lawyer to protect him from the mob and the FBI. Gripping yet accessible, The Client had everything that made ’90s thrillers so exciting.
Audiences flocked to see the film in droves, and it scored nearly $120 million (Box Office Mojo). While The Client isn’t the best legal thriller from the ’90s, it’s still an underrated gem that doesn’t deserve to be forgotten. Over three decades later, though, it hasn’t had the same re-watch value of its contemporaries.
Crimson Tide (1995)
Crimson Tide might not be the most forgotten film of the ’90s, but its success is sometimes overlooked in favor of its blockbuster contemporaries. Aboard a nuclear submarine, a first officer stages a mutiny when his captain plans to open fire without proper orders. As a tense character drama, Crimson Tide is one of the best films of the 1990s.
Movies set aboard submarines usually follow a very similar structure, and Crimson Tide succeeds because it takes common tropes and expands upon them with brilliant performances. It made a tidy $150 million (Box Office Mojo), but isn’t usually remembered among other ’90s blockbusters. However, modern reassessments have increased its standing in recent years.
Michael (1996)
Writer/director Nora Ephron delivered her strangest film to date with 1996’s Michael, and it remains a head-scratcher to this day. John Travolta stars as the Archangel Michael, who touches the lives of various people when he spends some time on Earth. Picked apart by critics for its abundant cheese, Michael is an undeniably corny film.
Despite getting poor reviews, Michael made $120 million (Box Office Mojo) and continued John Travolta’s box office success in the 1990s. Considering all the other great films Nora Ephron made in her career, Michael is best left forgotten. It’s not terrible, but there’s nothing about the film that would indicate its blockbuster success.
Conspiracy Theory (1997)
Director Richard Donner had previously teamed with Mel Gibson on Lethal Weapon, but Conspiracy Theory was their overlooked pairing. Gibson plays a cab driver whose obsession with conspiracy theories brings him face to face with a real conspiracy. Though it mostly misses the mark, Conspiracy Theory is a serviceable thriller with lots of star power.
With Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts leading the cast, Conspiracy Theory was bound to make money. It grossed $137 million against an $80 million budget (Box Office Mojo) and could narrowly be called a hit. Like its middling reviews and modest box office returns, Conspiracy Theory is mostly forgotten. Both Gibson and Roberts made much better movies in the 1990s.
Stepmom (1998)
The days of a movie like Stepmom making over $100 million are long gone, and it showed the power of dramedy in the 1990s. Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon lead a film about a terminally ill woman who must deal with her ex-husband’s new partner. Exuberant and glossy, director Christopher Columbus’ fingerprints are all over the movie.
Grossing nearly $160 million (Box Office Mojo), Stepmom made a ton of money. In the late 1990s, such success was not particularly surprising, especially with Roberts and Sarandon. In retrospect, the film is quite enjoyable for what it is, and the heartfelt sappiness feels refreshing in the modern age of cynicism.
Double Jeopardy (1999)
Though the film is called Double Jeopardy, the 1999 blockbuster gets literally everything wrong about its titular legal principle. Ashley Judd plays a woman falsely convicted of her husband’s murder, who breaks free to prove he’s actually still alive. Critics hated its cheesiness, but audiences weren’t dissuaded by its abundant bad reviews.
Double Jeopardy made over $170 million against its $40 million budget (Box Office Mojo), and it spent three weeks at number one. However, the negative reviews were a more accurate assessment of the film than its financial returns, and it’s a lackluster thriller all around. As is often the case, the box office doesn’t tell the whole story.