January: Hollywood's Dumpster Month
Apologies if this phenomenon has been addressed earlier.
It's no secret that January to early March, and sometimes September, have been the go-to times for releasing films that don't check the boxes for a summer blockbuster hit or an Oscar contender.
Distributors unceremoniously dump titles in the "off-season" b/c they either have suspect commercial possibilities, contractual obligations w/ creators, or they're just difficult to promote.
As far as can be detected, this practice has been going on since at least the late 1970s. Thought we may want to assess the January slate of years past to see how effective this strategy is, and to separate the wheat from the chaff. There have been surprise hits from Januarys past (like The Hand that Rocks the Cradle and M3GAN), and even at least one Oscar winner (Nomadland).
Participants are asked to kindly peruse this list of Jan. North American major releases and choose a Top 10, or post anything else related.
As always, thank you and cheers!
1977 - The Sentinel, Pumping Iron, The Late Show, Providence
1978 - Coma, The Boys in Company C, September 30, 1955, Get Out Your Handkerchiefs, Renaldo and Clara
1979 - Richard Pryor: Live in Concert, The First Great Train Robbery, Agatha, Hardcore
1980 - Just Tell Me What You Want, Windows, American Gigolo
1981 - Scanners, Blood Beach, Zombie 2, The Incredible Shrinking Woman
1982 - Butterfly, Shoot the Moon, Vice Squad, The Seduction, The Border
1983 - The Entity, Xtro, Treasure of the Four Crowns, Videodrome
1984 - Angel, Hot Dog The Movie, And The Ship Sails On, Broadway Danny Rose, The Lonely Guy, El Norte
1985 - Avenging Angel, Fantasia (re-release), Rockin’ Road Trip, Tuff Turf, Blood Simple, The Falcon and the Snowman
1986 - Black Moon Rising, Head Office, The Clan of the Cave Bear, Iron Eagle, Troll, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, My Chauffeur, The Best of Times, Power, Youngblood
1987 - Outrageous Fortune, Radio Days, The Stepfather, Wanted: Dead or Alive, The Bedroom Window, The Color Purple (re-release)
1988 - The Serpent and the Rainbow, Braddock: Missing in Action III, The Couch Trip, Cop
1989 - The January Man, Deepstar Six, Gleaming the Cube, Physical Evidence, Three Fugitives, Kinjite: Forbidden Subjects
1990 - Internal Affairs, Leatherface: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, Sweetie, Tremors
1991 - White Fang, Once Around, Flight of the Intruder, Eve of Destruction, Warlock, Lionheart
1992 - Freejack, The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, Kuffs, Shining Through, Into the Sun, Juice, Love Crimes
1993 - Matinee, Alive, Leprechaun, Sniper, Nowhere to Run, Aspen Extreme, Body of Evidence
1994 - Cabin Boy, The Air Up There, The Scent of Green Papaya, Car 54 Where Are You?, Body Snatchers, Intersection, House Party 3
1995 - Before Sunrise, Higher Learning, Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, Houseguest, Murder in the First, Miami Rhapsody, Highlander: The Final Dimension
1996 - Bio-Dome, Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood, Lawnmower Man 2, From Dusk till Dawn, Angels & Insects, Bed of Roses
1997 - Waiting for Guffman, Meet Wally Sparks, Shadow Conspiracy, Star Wars: Special Edition (re-release), Gridlock’d, Fierce Creatures, Metro, Beverly Hills Ninja, Turbulence, The Relic
1998 - Half Baked, Fallen, Hard Rain, Spice World, The Gingerbread Man, Phantoms, Star Kid, Deep Rising, Great Expectations
1999 - Varsity Blues, Gloria, She’s All That, Virus, Payback
2000 - The Boondock Saints, Down to You, Supernova, Play It to the Bone, My Dog Skip, Next Friday, Isn’t She Great
2001 - Save the Last Dance, The Pledge, The Wedding Planner, Sugar & Spice
2002 - Orange County, Snow Dogs, Kung Pow! Enter the Fist, The Count of Monte Cristo, State Property, Storytelling, The Mothman Prophecies
2003 - City of God, Just Married, Kangaroo Jack, National Security, Biker Boyz, Final Destination 2, The Recruit
2004 - Along Came Polly, Torque, The Butterfly Effect, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!, You Got Served, Barbershop 2: Back in Business
2005 - White Noise, Elektra, Racing Stripes, Coach Carter, Assault on Precinct 13, Alone in the Dark, The Phantom of the Opera, Are We There Yet?
2006 - BloodRayne, Grandma’s Boy, Hostel, Glory Road, Hoodwinked!. Last Holiday, Tristan and Isolde, Annapolis, Big Momma’s House 2, Nanny McPhee, Underworld: Evolution
2007 - Freedom Writers, Alpha Dog, Primeval, Stomp the Yard, The Hitcher, Epic Movie, Smokin’ Aces
2008 - In the Name of the King, One Missed Call, 27 Dresses, Cassandra’s Dream, Cloverfield, Mad Money, How She Move, Rambo, Untraceable
2009 - Bride Wars, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, My Bloody Valentine 3D, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans
2010 - Leap Year, Youth in Revolt, The Book of Eli, Extraordinary Measures, Legion, Tooth Fairy, Edge of Darkness, When in Rome, Saint John of Las Vegas
2011 - Season of the Witch, The Dilemma, The Green Hornet, No Strings Attached, The Mechanic
2012 - The Devil Inside, Contraband, Joyful Noise, One for the Money, Man on a Ledge, The Grey, W.E., Coriolanus, Underworld: Awakening, Red Tails, Haywire
2013 - Gangster Squad, Texas Chainsaw 3D, Broken City, The Last Stand, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, John Dies at the End, Parker, Movie 43
2014 - Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, The Legend of Hercules, Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit, Ride Along, I, Frankenstein, That Awkward Moment
2015 - The Boy Next Door, Blackhat, The Woman in Black: Angel of Death, The Wedding Ringer, Mortdecai
2016 - Ride Along 2, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, Dirty Grandpa, Kung Fu Panda 3, Fifty Shades of Black, Jane Got a Gun
2017 - Split, Underworld: Blood Wars, Sleepless, XXX: Return of Xander Cage, Resident Evil: The Final Chapter
2018 - Insidious: The Last Key, Proud Mary, 12 Strong, Den of Thieves
2019 - Escape Room, Replicas, Glass, Serenity, Rust Creek, A Dog’s Way Home
2020 - The Grudge, Like a Boss, Bad Boys for Life, Dolittle, The Rhythm Section
2021 - Nomadland, Wrong Turn, The Marksman, Locked Down
2022 - The 355, The Legend of La Llorona, Scream
2023 - M3GAN, Plane, House Party, The Son, Shotgun Wedding, Maybe I Do
2024 - The Bricklayer, The Beekeeper, Mean Girls, The Book of Clarence, Hundreds of Beavers
2025 - Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, Flight Risk, Presence, Dog Man
(2026 - Greenland 2: Migration, 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple, Madagascar (re-release), Mercy, Return to Silent Hill, H is for Hawk, Send Help, Shelter)
personal Top 10:
1. Waiting for Guffman (1997)
2. Sweetie (1990)
3. Blood Simple (1985)
4. The Scent of Green Papaya (1994)
5. Videodrome (1983)
6. Shoot the Moon (1982)
7. The Grey (2011)
8. The Pledge (2001)
9. Before Sunrise (1995)
10. American Gigolo (1980)
Honorable Mentions: The Stepfather (1987), Richard Pryor: Live in Concert (1979), Internal Affairs (1990). Cabin Boy (1994), Angels & insects (1996), Proud Mary (2018).