17 thoughts on “Top Grossing 2009 Movies”

1. Hey Steve….Systems’ critic review has been lowered. That was a movie that WoC put into the database….but she only used IMDb as the rating criteria. It currently does have a 9.5 on IMDb but it only had about 95 votes so far. Rotten Tomatoes does not even list the movie….so I had to go deep into my movie books to find a second opinion……that second opinion was not nearly as nice as the 95 votes on IMDb….so the critical rating took a deep tumble. Thanks for noticing that movie being so high in the rankings.

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2. 352 films! Your lists are getting longer! That’s almost a new film every day that year.

   I’ve seen 92 of the 352. Dan, in his post below, has seen 91 films in the cinema! I don’t think I saw more than a dozen on the big screen that year. The most memorable being Avatar, it got me hooked on 3D for a while and I still watch 3D at home on occasion.

   Looking at my files I have 126 films from 2009 in my movie collection.

   Favorites include –

   Astro Boy
   Avatar
   A Christmas Carol
   Cirque du Freak – The Vampire’s Assistant
   Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
   Crank 2
   District 9
   Fantastic Mr. Fox
   Fast and the Furious 4
   Final Destination 4
   GI Joe – Rise of Cobra
   The Hangover
   Harry Brown
   Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
   Ice Age 3 – Dawn of the Dinosaurs
   Inglourious Basterds
   Knowing
   Monsters vs Aliens
   Moon
   Night at the Museum 2
   Nine (animated)
   Ninja Assassin
   Observe and Report
   Pandorum
   Push
   Sherlock Holmes
   Star Trek
   Terminator 4 – Salvation
   Transformers 2 Revenge of the Fallen
   2012
   Up
   Watchmen
   X-Men Origins – Wolverine
   Zombieland
   zz-China – Blood the Last Vampire
   zz-Japan Anime – Redline
   zz-Japan Anime – Space Battleship Yamato – Resurrection
   zz-Japan Anime – Summer Wars

   Avatar is king but Avengers Endgame is fast catching up, 2.2 billion at time of writing. It may not beat it in adjusted dollars and tickets sold. I wonder if James Cameron is worried he might be dethroned? He has 4 sequels to Avatar planned over this coming decade.

   Highest rated film on the chart I haven’t seen is Systems, never even heard of that one. An obscure foreign movie Bruce? [whispers] Give it the boot and let Up have the top spot. Not nice?

   Good to see Star Trek so high up. I think it was no.1 on my 2000-2009 top sci-fi video.

   Another super epic movie year page Bruce. Nice work. Won’t be long before you start dividing them into months instead of years. [Wink] Vote Up!

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   1. Hey Steve….I agree….there are a lot of movies on this page. WoC has done a lot of research on these years….as she has inputed a huge amount of the movies seen here. That would include Systems….which like you I have never heard of. I will do some research on that one and figure out why it is so high. I agree 96% seems very very high.

      Yep…Dan’s total of 91 seen in movie theaters would represent about a decade of movie going for me. I would imagine I see a movie in theaters about once a month. In 2019….4 months in…..and I am at 4 movies seen in theaters….Glass, Shazam, Avengers Endgame and Long Shot.

      Good to see you mention Michael Caine’s Harry Brown….that is the first time I ever noticed Sean Harris…..Harris who went on to Mission Impossible fame has a very memorable but brief role in Harry Brown. Caine has said Harris blew him away when they acted together.

      Avatar and The Hangover are my favorite two movies from 2009…..so good to see both on your favorites list….that also includes Star Trek which is also very high on my list as well.

      As for Endgame…..I feel it will catch Avatar in actual gross….but no way it gets either Avatar or Titanic in adjusted worldwide gross….but a 3 billion and change worldwide gross is just insane. Good stuff as always.

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3. After I got married in October 2001, my moviegoing dropped off substantially from 2002 to 2009. I only saw 91 films in cinemas that year. My best film of 2009 was Knowing and my worst was Where the Wild Things Are. These are the 91 I saw.

   9
   2012
   (500) DAYS OF SUMMER
   17 AGAIN
   ALIENS IN THE ATTIC
   ALL ABOUT STEVE
   ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKQUEL
   AMELIA
   ANGELS & DEMONS
   ASTRO BOY
   AVATAR
   BLIND SIDE
   BOX, THE
   BRIDE WARS
   BRUNO
   CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY
   CHRISTMAS CAROL
   CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC
   CORALINE
   COUPLES RETREAT
   CRANK: HIGH VOLTAGE
   CRAZY HEART
   DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THE MORGANS
   DISTRICT 9
   DUE DATE
   DUPLICITY
   EARTH
   FANTASTIC MR. FOX
   FAST & FURIOUS
   FIGHTING
   FIRED UP
   FRIDAY THE 13TH
   G FORCE
   GOODS: LIVE HARD, SELL HARD
   HANNAH MONTANA: THE MOVIE
   HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF BLOOD PRINCE
   HAUEUNDAE (KOR.)
   HE’S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU
   HOTEL FOR DOGS
   I LOVE YOU BETH COOPER
   I LOVE YOU, MAN
   ICE AGE: DAWN OF THE DINOSAURS
   INFORMANT, THE!
   INGLORIOUS BASTERDS
   INKHEART
   INVENTION OF LYING
   INVICTUS
   IT’S COMPLICATED
   JULIE AND JULIA
   KNOWING
   LAND OF THE LOST
   LOVE HAPPENS
   LOVELY BONES
   MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS
   MICHAEL JACKSON: THIS IS IT (DOC.)
   MONSTERS VS. ALIENS
   MY SISTER’S KEEPER
   NEW IN TOWN
   NEXT DAY AIR
   NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN
   NINJA ASSASSIN
   OBSERVE AND REPORT
   OCEANS
   OLD DOGS
   PALL BLART MALL COP
   PINK PANTHER 2
   PLANET 51
   PROPOSAL, THE
   PUBLIC ENEMIES
   PUSH
   RACE TO WITCH MOUNTAIN
   SHERLOCK HOLMES
   SOLOLIST, THE
   STAR TREK
   STEPFATHER, THE
   SURROGATES
   TAKE OFF (KOR.)
   TAKING OF PELHAM 1, 2, 3
   TAKING WOODSTOCK
   TERMINATOR: SALVATION
   TIME TRAVELER’S WIFE
   TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN
   TWILIGHT SAGA: NEW MOON
   UGLY TRUTH
   UNDERWORLD: RISE OF THE LYCANS
   UP
   UP IN THE AIR
   WATCHMEN
   WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE
   WHIP IT
   WHITEOUT

   The following 152 2009 films I saw within a year of their release on DVD;

   $5 A DAY
   12 ROUNDS
   ACCIDENTS HAPPEN (AUSTRALIA – U.K.)
   ADVENTURELAND
   AGORA
   AMERICAN AFFAIR
   ARMORED
   ART OF WAR III: RETRIBUTION
   AWAY WE GO
   BAD LIEUTENAT: PORT OF CALL NEW ORLEANS
   BANGKOK ADRENALINE
   BATTLE FOR TERRA
   BIG FAN
   BROTHERS
   BROTHERS BLOOM
   CHARLIE & BOOTS
   CHICAGO OVERCOAT
   CHOCOLATE
   CIRQUE DE FREAK: THE VAMPIRE’S ASSISTANT
   CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS
   COCO BEFORE CHANEL (FR.)
   COLD SOULS
   COLLAPSE (DOC.)
   COUNTDOWN: ARMAGEDDON
   CROSSING OVER
   CURIOUS GEORGE 2: FOLLOW THAT MONKEY!
   DANCE FLICK
   DEVIL’S TOMB
   DORIAN GRAY (U.K.)
   DOWNLOADING NANCY
   DRAG ME TO HELL
   ECHILON CONSPIRACY
   EDUCATION, AN
   EVERYBODY’S FINE
   EVERYMAN’S WAR
   EX TERMINATORS
   FINAL DESTINATION, THE
   FOOD INC. (DOC.)
   FOURTH KIND
   FRAGMENTS
   FUNNY PEOPLE
   G.I. JOE: THE RISE OF COBRA
   GAMER
   GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO (SWE.)
   GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE
   GOOD HAIR
   GRETA
   HALLOWEEN II
   HAUNTING IN CONNECTICUT
   HOUSE BROKEN
   HURT LOCKER
   I HATE VALENTINE’S DAY
   IMAGINARIUM OF DOCTOR PARNASSUS
   IMAGINE THAT
   IN THE ELECTRIC MIST
   IN THE LOOP
   INTERNATIONAL, THE
   IRON MAIDEN: FLIGHT 666
   JENNIFER’S BODY
   JOB, THE
   JONAS BROTHERS: THE 3D CONCERT EXPERIENCE
   KILLSHOT
   KNUT & FRIENDS (DOC.)
   LAND THAT TIME FORGOT
   LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT
   LAST STATION
   LAW ABIDING CITIZEN
   LIMITS OF CONTROL
   LONELY STREET
   MADEA GOES TO JAIL
   MAIDEN HEIST
   MANAGEMENT
   ME AND ORSON WELLES
   MESSENGER, THE
   MISS MARCH
   MOON
   MORE THAN A GAME
   MOTHERHOOD
   MUTANT CHRONICLES
   MY BLOODY VALENTINE
   MY LIFE IN RUINS
   MY ONE AND ONLY
   MYSTERIES OF PITTSBURGH
   NEIGHBOR
   NEW DAUGHTER
   NEW YORK I LOVE YOU
   NINE
   NINJA
   NOT FORGOTTEN
   NOTORIOUS
   OBSESSED
   ONG BAK 2 (THAI)
   OPEN ROAD
   ORPHAN
   OTHER MAN
   OUTLANDER
   PANDORUM
   PAPER MAN
   PARANORMAL ACTIVITY
   PERFECT GETAWAY
   PHOEBE IN WONDERLAND
   PIRATE RADIO
   POWDER BLUE
   PRECIOUS
   PRINCESS AND THE FROG
   PRIVATE LIVES OF PIPPA LEE
   RED RIDING: IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD 1974 (U.K.)
   ROAD, THE
   SAW VI
   SECRET OF MOONACRE
   SERIOUS MAN
   SHADOWHEART
   SHINJUKO INCIDENT (H.K.)
   SHORTS
   SHRINK
   SINGLE MAN
   SOLOMON KANE (FR-CZ-U.K.)
   SORORITY ROW
   SPACE BUDDIES
   SPREAD
   SPRING BREAKDOWN
   STAN HELSING
   STATE OF PLAY
   STILL WAITING
   STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE MOVIE: THE SKY’S THE LIMIT
   STREETFIGHTER: THE LEGEND OF OPUN-LI
   SUNSHINE CLEANING
   SUPER CAPERS
   SURVEILLANCE
   TAKEN
   TELL TALE
   THICK AS THIEVES
   TINKER BELL AND THE LOST TREASURE
   TOURNAMENT, THE
   TRANSMORPHERS: FALL OF MAN
   TRIAGE
   TWO LOVERS
   TYLER PERRY’S I CAN DO BAD ALL BY MYSELF
   ULTIMATE HEIST (FR-GER)
   UNBORN, THE
   UNCHARTED
   UNDER THE MOUNTAIN (N.Z.)
   UNINVITED, THE
   UNIVERSAL SOLDIER: REGENERATION
   WAR BOYS
   WHATEVER WORKS
   WILD CHERRY
   WONDER WOMAN (cartoon)
   WORLD’S GREATEST DAD
   YEAR ONE
   YOUNG VICTORIA
   ZOMBIELAND

   The following 124 2009 films I have seen since 2011:

   ADAM
   AGAINST THE CURRENT
   AUTOPSY
   AUTUMN (CAN.)
   BABY ON BOARD
   BART GOT A ROOM
   BLACK DYNAMITE
   BOONDOCK SAINTS II: ALL SAINTS DAY
   BORDER TOWN
   BRAILLE (AUSTRALIA)
   BREAKING POINT
   BRIGHT STAR (U.K.-FR-AUSTRALIAN)
   BROKEN EMBRACES (SP.)
   BURNING PLAIN
   BUTTERFLY EFFECT 3: REVALATIONS
   CABIN FEVER 2: SPRING FEVER
   CARRIERS
   CASINO JOB
   CELL 2
   COLLECTOR, THE
   CONTRACT KILLERS
   CROPSEY (DOC.)
   DEAD LIKE ME: LIFE AFTER DEATH
   DEAD OUTSIDE (U.K.)
   DESCENT: PART 2
   DESDEMONA: A LOVE STORY
   DINNER PARTY
   DIRECT CONTACT
   DOLAN’S CADILLAC (U.K. – CAN)
   DOUBLE IDENTITY
   DRAGONQUEST
   DRIFTER: HENRY LEE LUCAS
   DYNASTY (DOC.)
   EYEBORGS
   FEAR CHAMBER
   FORGET ME NOT
   FRAME OF MIND
   FRANKENHOOD
   FRENEMY
   FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT TIME TRAVEL (U.K.)
   FRIDAY AT DEWAYNE’S
   FROM MEXICO WITH LOVE
   GENTLEMEN BRONCOS
   GHOST STORIES 3: CONVERSATIONS WITH THE DEAD (DOC.)
   GIRL WHO PLAYED WITH FIRE (SW-DEN-GER.)
   GRAVES
   HACHI: A DOG’S TALE
   HALLETSVILLE
   HARDWIRED
   HAUNTED WORLD OF EL SUPERBEAST
   HAUNTING OF WINCHESTER HOUSE
   HE WHO FINDS A WIFE
   HELLBINDERS
   HESSEN CONSPIRACY (BEL-CAN)
   HORSEMEN
   HURT
   INFESTATION
   INTO THE BLUE 2: THE REEF
   JAILHOUSE, THE
   JANKY PROMOTERS
   LAMB OF GOD
   LAST LOVECRAFT: RELIC OF CHUDHO
   LEGALLY BLONDES
   LESBIAN VAMPIRE KILLERS (U.K.)
   LIFE 101: APRIL’S SECRET
   LODGER, THE
   LONDON BETTY
   LOOKING FOR JACKIE (CAN.)
   LOVE AIN’T SUPPOSED TO HURT 2: THE WEDDING
   MADE FOR EACH OTHER
   MAKEOVER, THE (AUSTRALIA)
   MARC PENSE EXPERIENCE
   MARINE 2
   MEGA SHARK GIANT OCTOPUS
   MERCY
   MOONLIGHT SERENADE
   MYSTERY TEAM
   NOLLYWOOD BABYLON (DOC.)
   NOT EASILY BROKEN
   ONE WEEK (CAN.)
   OWNED
   PARANORMAL ENTITY
   PASSENGERS
   PERKINS ’14
   PERSONAL EFFECTS
   PLAY THE GAME
   PONYO (JAP.)
   POST GRAD
   PRINCESS OF MARS
   RAPPAS
   RED SANDS
   ROBBIN’ IN THE HOOD
   SAM STEELE AND THE JUNIOR DETECTIVE AGENCY
   SCOTT WALKER 30 CENTURY MAN (DOC.)
   SCRATCH, THE
   SEA SNAKES
   SEAMSTRESS, THE
   SHADOW BILLIONAIRE (DOC.)
   SHADOWHEART
   SILENT SAM (CAN.)
   SPINE TINGLER: THE WILLIAM CASTLE STORY
   ST. TRINIAN’S (U.K.)
   STATEN ISLAND
   STAY COOL
   STREETS OF BLOOD
   SUMMER’S MOON (CAN.)
   T.A.C.T.I.C.A.L.
   TAKING CHANCES
   TELLING, THE
   TENDERNESS
   TENURE
   TERMINATORS, THE
   THAW, THE (CAN.)
   THREE INVESTIGATORS AND THE SECRET OF TERROR CASTLE (GER – S. AFR.)
   TOMMY AND THE COOL MULE
   TRUCKER
   VELVETEEN RABBIT
   WALLED IN
   WAY OF WAR
   WEATHER GIRL
   WILD STALLION
   WINNING SEASON
   WINTER OF FROZEN DREAMS
   WRONG TURN AT TAHOE

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   1. Hey Dan…only 91 movies seen in theaters in 2009….what a slacker….lol. That number still almost beats my total by almost 10 times. A total of 367 movies….I imagine your percentage is close to 99% when looking at wide release movies and about 60% when looking at every movie ever made in 2009. Truly impressive.

      My older boys and I used to read Where The Wild Things Are every night….we were all excited about the movie….saw in on opening night….and like you…..all three of us were very disappointed in that movie. Way too dark of a movie….but it got great reviews…..just not in the Cogerson and Dan households. Terminator Salvation was another disappointing movie I saw in theaters. Huge mistake focusing on a new character versus Bale as John Connor. Heck they made Bale a supporting character in that one.

      Knowing is a fun movie. I like how the puzzle played out…even with the ending being somewhat of a downer. Some lesser known favorites of mine would include Moon with Sam Rockwell, The Prophet…a brutal prison movie and Middle Men. Good feedback as always.

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4. It would appear that by 2009 I had largely lost interest in the kind of movies that they were producing, such as these to me endless boring franchises, the Harry Potter series for example holding no attraction for me whatsoever.

   Accordingly I have seen only 5 of the Top 20 highest grossing films in the tables above, and 4 of them I attended only because my grandchildren wanted to see them –

   Up
   The Blind Side
   Monster v Aliens
   Ice Age
   Night at the Museum.

   Nevertheless I warmly welcome this annual review with a “Vote Up” as I will always have a keen academic interest in the stats and there is no doubt that this is another commendably comprehensive rundown of the movie marketplace in the year concerned.

   Also these reviews never fail to bring back to me some nostalgic memory or other. For example I fondly recall going to see Coraline with my grandson, my granddaughter being too young at only 1 year old.

   I remember that so well because it was on the Sunday that Roger won the French Open for the first time and also equalled Pete Sampras’ then all-time record of 14 tennis grand slams. The following month Fed BROKE the record by winning Wimbledon for the 5th time Today Roger has 20 slams in the bag, which once nobody thought would EVER happen.

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   1. Hey Bob….thanks for checking out our 2009 page. The yearly gap is now down to 1996 to 2008……getting excited about finishing this bridge. Looking at the 5 box office ones you saw….you can easily tell that small children were involved in the selection of those movies. I saw 4 of those movies for the same exact reasons. Only The Blind Side escaped the “kids pick the movie” situation. Good stuff about Coraline and your grandchildren and the Roger trivia. Good feedback as always.

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5. I had just finished college in 2009. I went to the theater many times in 2009. I think I saw Avatar 4 or 5 times in theaters. The 3D was the best I had seen and have seen. Others I saw in theaters would include The Hangover, The Taking of Pelham 123, Star Trek and Nine. Nine was the last movie I saw with my mom’s mom. She passed away pretty quickly after seeing that movie, so that movie has a bittersweet memory for me. My biggest question is. Has ten years really gone by since I feel in love the Na’vi people and the planet Pandora? Keep up the good work, sorry you have been frustrated lately.

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   1. Hey Helakoski…Avatar in theaters 4 or 5 times? You must have really enjoyed that movie. I only saw that one once in theater..but have seen many times on Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray. I agree with you about the 3D….it is our “demo” dvd when we are showing off our 3D system. I loved The Hangover….a comedy classic that got ruined somewhat by the two really bad sequels…but the original is comedy gold. Thanks for sharing the memory of Nine and your mom’s mom. Thanks for the positive words….good to hear from you.

      Reply

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