1997 in film

The year 1997 in film involved many significant films, including the blockbuster success Titanic.

Highest-grossing films

The top ten films released in 1997 by worldwide gross are as follows:

Events

• The original Star Wars trilogy's Special Editions are released.
• Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.
• Titanic becomes the first film to gross US$1,000,000,000 at the box office making it the highest grossing film in history until Avatar broke the record in 2010.
• The Lost World: Jurassic Park grosses a record $90,161,880 on Memorial Weekend.

Academy Awards

Golden Globe Awards

Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):

Taste of Cherry (طعم گيلاس, Ta'm-e gilass), directed by Abbas Kiarostami, Iran / France

The Eel (うなぎ, Unagi), directed by Shohei Imamura, Japan

Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival):

Hana-bi (Fireworks), directed by Takeshi Kitano, Japan

Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):

The People vs. Larry Flynt, directed by Miloš Forman, Canada / United States

Award ceremonies

• 2nd Empire Awards

Awards

1997 Wide-release movies

Januaryâ€"March

Aprilâ€"June

Julyâ€"September

Octoberâ€"December

Films released in 1997

A-D

A

• Absolute Power, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, with Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Judy Davis, Dennis Haysbert, Scott Glenn, E.G. Marshall
• Addicted to Love, starring Meg Ryan and Matthew Broderick
• Air Bud
• Air Force One, starring Harrison Ford, Glenn Close, Gary Oldman
• The Alarmist
• Albino Alligator, directed by Kevin Spacey, starring Matt Dillon, Gary Sinise, Viggo Mortensen
• Alien: Resurrection, starring Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder
• All Over Me
• An American Werewolf in Paris, starring Tom Everett Scott
• Amistad, directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, Djimon Hounsou
• Anaconda, starring Jennifer Lopez, Eric Stoltz, Jon Voight
• Anastasia, directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman
• Another Day in Paradise, starring Melanie Griffith and James Woods
• The Apostle, directed by and starring Robert Duvall, with Miranda Richardson, Farrah Fawcett
• As Good as It Gets, directed by James L. Brooks, starring Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear - Golden Globe Award for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy)
• The Assignment
• Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, directed by Jay Roach and starring Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley, Mimi Rogers, Michael York

B

• Bang
• Batman & Robin, starring George Clooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chris O'Donnell, Uma Thurman
• Bean, directed by Mel Smith, starring Rowan Atkinson
• Bent, starring Clive Owen
• Beverly Hills Ninja, starring Chris Farley
• Boogie Nights, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, starring Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, John C. Reilly, Don Cheadle
• Booty Call
• The Borrowers, starring John Goodman
• Le Bossu (The Hunchback), starring Daniel Auteuil
• The Boxer, starring Daniel Day-Lewis
• Breakdown, starring Kurt Russell, Kathleen Quinlan, J. T. Walsh
• Brother (Brat)
• Buddy, starring Rene Russo
• The Butcher Boy, directed by Neil Jordan
• Buud Yam

C

• Campfire Tales
• Career Girls, directed by Mike Leigh
• The Castle
• Cats Don't Dance, directed by Mark Dindal
• Character (Karakter) - Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
• Chasing Amy, directed by Kevin Smith, starring Ben Affleck
• Children of Heaven (بچه‌های آسمان), directed by Majid Majidi - first Iranian film to be nominated for an Oscar
• City of Industry, directed by John Sayles
• Clockwatchers, starring Toni Collette, Parker Posey, Lisa Kudrow
• Commandments, starring Courteney Cox
• Con Air, starring John Cusack, Nicolas Cage, John Malkovich, Steve Buscemi
• Conspiracy Theory, directed by Richard Donner, starring Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts
• Contact, directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Skerritt, James Woods, John Hurt
• Cop Land, directed by James Mangold, starring Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro
• Cube

D

• Dakan (Destiny) (Guinea)
• Dangerous Ground, starring Ice Cube
• Dante's Peak, starring Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton
• Deconstructing Harry, directed by and starring Woody Allen
• Def Jam's How to Be a Player
• Defying Gravity
• The Devil's Advocate, starring Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino
• The Devil's Own, directed by Alan J. Pakula, starring Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt
• Different Strokes, starring Dana Plato and Bentley Mitchum
• Dogtown
• Donnie Brasco, directed by Mike Newell, starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp
• Double Team, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Mickey Rourke
• Dream with the Fishes

E-K

E

• The Edge, starring Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin
• The Eel - Palme d'Or award
• The End of Evangelion (July 19 - Japan)
• Evangelion: Death and Rebirth (Japan)
• Event Horizon, starring Laurence Fishburne
• Eve's Bayou, starring Lynn Whitfield and Samuel L. Jackson
• Excess Baggage, starring Alicia Silverstone and Benicio del Toro

F

• Face, starring Robert Carlyle and Ray Winstone
• Face/Off, directed by John Woo, starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage
• Fathers' Day, starring Robin Williams and Billy Crystal
• FernGully 2: The Magical Rescue
• Fever Pitch, starring Colin Firth
• Fierce Creatures, starring John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin
• The Fifth Element, directed by Luc Besson, starring Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Milla Jovovich, Chris Tucker
• Fire Down Below, starring Steven Seagal
• ...First Do No Harm
• First Time Felon, starring Omar Epps and Delroy Lindo
• Flubber, directed by Les Mayfield, starring Robin Williams, Christopher McDonald, Clancy Brown, voices by Jodi Benson
• Fools Rush In, starring Salma Hayek and Matthew Perry
• For Richer or Poorer, starring Tim Allen and Kirstie Alley
• Free Willy 3: The Rescue, directed by Sam Pillsbury
• The Full Monty, directed by Peter Cattaneo and starring Robert Carlyle
• Funny Games, directed by Michael Haneke

G

• G.I. Jane, starring Demi Moore and Anne Bancroft
• The Game, directed by David Fincher, starring Michael Douglas and Sean Penn
• Gang Related, starring James Belushi, Dennis Quaid, Tupac Shakur
• Gattaca, starring Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law
• George of the Jungle, directed by Sam Weisman, starring Brendan Fraser, Leslie Mann, Thomas Haden Church, Richard Roundtree and John Cleese (voice only)
• Ghosts
• Gone Fishin', starring Joe Pesci and Danny Glover
• Good Burger
• Goodbye America
• Good Will Hunting, directed by Gus Van Sant, starring Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Minnie Driver, Ben Affleck
• Gridlock'd
• Grosse Pointe Blank, starring John Cusack, Minnie Driver, Dan Aykroyd

H

• Hacks, starring Stephen Rea, Illeana Douglas, John Ritter
• Hamam
• Hana-bi (Fireworks) - Palme d'Or award
• Heaven's Burning, starring Russell Crowe and Youki Kudoh
• Hercules
• Highball, starring Justine Bateman
• Hold You Tight
• Home Alone 3, starring Alex D. Linz and Scarlett Johansson
• Hoodlum, starring Laurence Fishburne
• The Hound
• Hugo Pool, starring Alyssa Milano
• Hurricane Streets

I

• I Know What You Did Last Summer, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe
• The Ice Storm, starring Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Tobey Maguire
• In & Out, starring Kevin Kline, Joan Cusack, Tom Selleck, Matt Dillon, Bob Newhart
• Incognito, starring Jason Patric
• Into Thin Air
• Inventing the Abbotts, starring Liv Tyler

J-K

• The Jackal, starring Bruce Willis and Richard Gere
• Jackie Brown, directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Samuel L. Jackson, Pam Grier, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, Robert Forster, Robert De Niro
• Jackie Chan's First Strike
• Josh and the Big Wall!
• Jungle 2 Jungle, starring Tim Allen
• Just Write, starring Jeremy Piven
• Kini and Adams
• Kiss the Girls, starring Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd
• Kull the Conqueror
• Kundun, directed by Martin Scorsese

L-Q

L

• L.A. Confidential, directed by Curtis Hanson, starring Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, James Cromwell
• Larry-Boy! And the Fib from Outer Space!
• Lawn Dogs, starring Sam Rockwell
• Leave It to Beaver, starring Christopher McDonald and Janine Turner
• Lewis and Clark and George
• Liar Liar, starring Jim Carrey
• Life is Beautiful, directed by and starring Roberto Benigni - Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
• A Life Less Ordinary, starring Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz
• Little City
• Live Flesh, directed by Pedro Almodóvar
• Lolita, starring Jeremy Irons
• Lost Highway, directed by David Lynch, starring Bill Pullman and Patricia Arquette
• The Lost World: Jurassic Park, directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Jeff Goldblum and Julianne Moore
• Love and Death on Long Island, starring John Hurt
• Love Jones
• Lovelife, starring Sherilyn Fenn and Carla Gugino

M

• Ma vie en rose (My Life in Pink) - Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film
• Mad City, starring Dustin Hoffman and John Travolta
• The Man Who Knew Too Little, starring Bill Murray
• Masterminds
• The MatchMaker
• Meet Wally Sparks, starring Rodney Dangerfield
• Men in Black, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith
• Metro, starring Eddie Murphy
• Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, directed by Clint Eastwood, starring Kevin Spacey and John Cusack
• Mimic, starring Mira Sorvino
• Money Talks, starring Chris Tucker
• Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
• Most Wanted
• MouseHunt, starring Nathan Lane
• Mr. Magoo, starring Leslie Nielsen
• Mrs. Brown, starring Judi Dench and Billy Connolly
• Mrs. Dalloway, starring Vanessa Redgrave
• Murder at 1600, starring Wesley Snipes
• My Best Friend's Wedding, starring Julia Roberts
• My Heart Is Mine Alone (Germany)
• Myself in the Distant Future

N-O

• Nevada, starring Amy Brenneman
• Night Falls on Manhattan, directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Andy García
• Nil by Mouth, directed by Gary Oldman, starring Ray Winstone
• Nothing to Lose, starring Martin Lawrence and Tim Robbins
• Nowhere
• 187, starring Samuel L. Jackson
• One Night Stand, starring Wesley Snipes
• Orgazmo
• Ossos (Portugal)
• Out to Sea, starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon

P-Q

• The Peacemaker, starring George Clooney and Nicole Kidman
• Perdita Durango
• The Perfect Circle (SavrÅ¡eni krug), directed by Ademir Kenović
• Picture Perfect, starring Jennifer Aniston
• Pippi Longstocking
• Playing God
• The Postman, directed by and starring Kevin Costner
• Prefontaine, starring Jared Leto
• Pride Divide
• Princess Mononoke (Mononoke Hime) (Japan)
• Private Parts, starring Howard Stern

R-Z

R

• The Rainmaker, directed by Francis Coppola, starring Matt Damon, Danny DeVito, Claire Danes, Jon Voight
• Red Corner, starring Richard Gere
• The Relic, starring Penelope Ann Miller
• A River Made to Drown In
• RocketMan
• Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, starring Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino
• Rosewood, directed by John Singleton, starring Ving Rhames

S

• The Saint, starring Val Kilmer
• Scream 2, starring Neve Campbell
• Selena, starring Jennifer Lopez
• Seven Years in Tibet, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, starring Brad Pitt
• She's So Lovely, starring Sean Penn, Robin Wright Penn, John Travolta
• Shooting Fish
• The 6th Man, starring Marlon Wayans
• Soul Food, starring Vanessa L. Williams and Vivica A. Fox
• Space Marines
• Spaceman
• The Spanish Prisoner, directed by David Mamet, starring Campbell Scott and Steve Martin
• Spawn, starring Michael Jai White, John Leguizamo, Frank Welker and Martin Sheen
• Speed 2: Cruise Control, starring Sandra Bullock
• Spice World
• Star Wars Trilogy (Special Edition)
• Starship Troopers, directed by Paul Verhoeven
• Steel, starring Shaquille O'Neal
• Strawberry Fields
• Suicide Kings, starring Christopher Walken
• Sunday
• Super Speedway
• The Sweet Hereafter, starring Ian Holm
• Switchback, starring Danny Glover and Dennis Quaid

T

• Taste of Cherry - Palme d'Or award
• That Old Feeling, starring Bette Midler and Dennis Farina
• Titanic, directed by James Cameron, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet - Academy and Golden Globe (drama) Awards for Best Picture
• Tomorrow Never Dies, starring Pierce Brosnan (as James Bond), Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher, Judi Dench
• Trojan War
• Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie
• Turbulence, starring Ray Liotta and Lauren Holly

U-V

• U Turn, directed by Oliver Stone, starring Sean Penn, Jennifer Lopez, Nick Nolte
• Under the Lighthouse Dancing
• Ulee's Gold, starring Peter Fonda
• Vegas Vacation, starring Chevy Chase
• Volcano, starring Tommy Lee Jones

W

• Wag the Dog, directed by Barry Levinson, starring Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman
• Waiting for Guffman, directed by Christopher Guest
• Warriors of Virtue
• Welcome to Sarajevo, starring Woody Harrelson
• The Wiggles Movie
• Wild America
• The Wings of the Dove, starring Helena Bonham Carter
• Wishmaster
• The Wrong Guy, starring Dave Foley

X-Z

• Year of the Horse
• Zeus and Roxanne

Births

• January 24 - Jonah Bobo, American actor
• February 10 - Chloë Grace Moretz, American actress
• April 15 - Maisie Williams, British actress
• August 5 - Olivia Holt, American teen actress and singer

Notable deaths

Film debuts

• Shannon Elizabeth - Blast
• Mena Suvari - Nowhere
• Mischa Barton - Lawn Dogs
• Olivia Williams - Gaston's War
• Gerard Butler - Mrs. Brown
• Orlando Bloom - Wilde
• Katie Holmes - The Ice Storm
• Adrian Grenier - Arresting Gena
• Ioan Gruffudd - Wilde
• Jennifer Garner - Deconstructing Harry

References