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2022 has been a year of in-cinema movies. With restrictions fully eased and movie-going returning as a favourite activity, there seemed to be some movies that Singaporean audiences love more than others, and they all belong to the House of Mouse.
Of the top 10 titles in 2022, four belong to Disney, with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. as top grossing of 2022. Disney also had the largest share of total Global Box Office, and in Singapore, in 2022.
The Benedict Cumberbatch and Elizabeth Olsen-led movie grossed S$9.6 million in total after its May 4th release. James Cameron’s sci-fi epic Avatar: The Way of Water takes the second spot with S$8.8 million whilst Top Gun: Maverick comes in third with S$8.2 million (via Box Office Mojo).
Further down the list is Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (S$7.9 million), Thor: Love and Thunder (S$7.6 million), Jurassic World: Dominion (S$6.9 million) and Minions: The Rise of Gru (S$4.8 million). Rounding out the bottom of the top 10 list is Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (S$1.6 million) and Sonic the Hedgehog 2 (S$1.5 million). There was only one release that wasn’t by a major movie studio, and that was Michelle Yeoh’s Everything Everywhere All At Once (S$1 million) taking the 10th spot.
The list doesn’t stray too far from the Worldwide Top Movies of 2022, with a few exceptions in arrangement and titles.
Globally, Top Gun: Maverick is the most successful movie of the year, soaring high with S$1.998 billion at the worldwide box office. Following behind Maverick is The Way of Water, Dominion, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness, The Rise of Gru, Wakanda Forever and The Batman. Spots eight to 10 on the list go to Thor: Love and Thunder, Water Gate Bridge and Moon Man respectively.
From the numbers alone, it is telling that 2022 was the year of franchises and sequels, with Marvel superhero flicks being the main pull to cinemas for Singaporean viewers. Nostalgia and long-awaited sequels also succeeded in Singapore as seen in Avatar‘s 13-year-long sequel, Top Gun: Maverick‘s 36-year-long gap and director Colin Trevorrow‘s move to bring back Jurassic Park cast Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum and Laura Dern for Dominion.
When it comes to movie genres, Singaporeans skew towards action and sci-fi/fantasy. Popular horror films Smile, The Menu, Nope, Scream, The Black Phone and Halloween Ends did not do as well, holding spots 14, 17, 18, 21, 22 and 25 respectively in comparison to the global box office chart.
Indie films struggle to make it to the top 50 spots in Singapore – Everything Everywhere All At Once being the exception – as Parallel Mothers and Liquorice Pizza crawl their way to the bottom of the list.
With 2023 also being an action-packed, sequel-filled year with Marvel’s Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumanium, The Marvels, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, DC’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and films like Dune: Part 2, Fast X, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and John Wick: Chapter 4, it is likely that many of these sequels will fill up the spots in Singapore’s top movies of 2023 too.
That said, there are plenty of other films that could very well change the game. 2023 will see the debut of solo comic book films including DC’s The Flash and Blue Beetle and Sony’s Kraven the Hunter. Beloved IPs receiving big-screen movie treatment like Barbie, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, The Little Mermaid and The Super Mario Bros. Movie also have a fighting chance.
The year has just begun and time will tell whether viewing habits have changed. Until then, 2022 was a joyous return to normalcy in cinemas. Unless another pandemic breaks out, the 2023 box office will likely see even bigger numbers and hits.
Don’t judge a book by its cover, for behind all this makeup, is a geek just like you. To simply put it, superheroes, Star Wars, Harry Potter and all things gore and creepy makes this girly girl swoon.
Natalie
