TOP 10: Movie Grosses of 2013

It was a strong year at the box office for Hollywood, posting record box office receipts of just under $11 billion. Of the top ten films, just two were not a sequel or prequel. Originality took a back seat and the audiences didn't mind.

Here are the top 10 grossing movies from 2013, based on data collected by Box Office Mojo.

10) OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL: ($234.9 million)
Released March 8 - There have been quite a few attempts to recapture the magic of 1939's THE WIZARD OF OZ, but almost all have failed. The only standout until 2013 is the 70's musical version THE WIZ, featuring Michael Jackson, Flip Wilson and Diana Ross. 1985's RETURN TO OZ was a huge flop for Disney. But, with the big budgets of today, OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL gave fans a new story to embrace along with the 1939 original.

9) FAST FURIOUS 6: ($238.7 million)
Released May 24 - By the 7th movie of any movie franchise, the format and story have become stale and the latest release is just a shadow of the original. but this is not true for FAST & FURIOUS.  The guilty pleasure action film kept up with the big boys for one of the best performing movies of the franchise.

8) THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG: ($249.3 million)
Released December 13 - The second movie of THE HOBBIT franchise and the 5th of the world of the LORD OF THE RINGS. Many felt this was an unnecessary chapter of the franchise, but it still managed to be the 8th highest grossing movie of the year.

7) GRAVITY: ($255.1 million)
Released October 4 - Perhaps one of the best movies of the year and is just one of two on this list to not have a summer of holiday release date. GRAVITY is also one of just two "Original" movies in the top 10. If you have not seen the movie, especially in theaters, do it! Do it now!

6) MONSTERS UNIVERSITY: ($268.5 million)
Released June 21 - A prequel movie to the 2001 Pixar hit, starring the voices of Billy Crystal and John Goodman. The film also continues Pixar's unbeaten streak. Hopefully we don't need to wait another dozen years before another fim featuring our favorite monsters.

5) FROZEN: ($277.1 million)
Released November 22 - A bit of a surprise top 5 movie and as 2014 continues, it is on pace to pass DESPCIABLE ME 2. Not bad for a Disney Animation film that is not a sequel.Going into it's fourth week in 2014, FROZEN is still a strong player in the box office receipts.

4) MAN OF STEEL: ($291.0 million)
Released June 14 - DC Comics and Warner Brothers finally give us a great Superman movie. Great casting, writing and effects. This was one of my  most anticipated movies of the year. I Can't wait until 2016 for the BATMAN vs SUPERMAN movie, but without Christopher Nolan involved, it does give me a bit of hesitation on my expectations.

3) DESPICABLE ME 2: ($368.1 million)
Released July 3 -This sequel became the top animated movie of 2013 and is up for an Oscar for best animated movie. The second movie of the franchise out performed the first movie by about 50%. look for DM3 sometime in 2016, but I would love to see a spin-off TV series featuring the Minions.

2) THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE: ($400.1 million)
Released November 22 - The second of four movies planed for the book series based franchise, CATCHING FIRE almost overtook IRON MAN 3 before the end of the year. As the film continued into January 2014, it will over take the superhero movie for top 2013 released theatrical films.

1) IRON MAN 3: ($409.0 million)
Released May 3 -One of the strongest and highest grossing franchises of the last ten years. Wheo would have ever thought a second tier Marvel superhero would end up being bigger than both BATMAN and SUPERMAN. We may not get a IRON MAN 4 anytime soon, but we will get our fix via the AVENGERS Movies over the next few years.