Box Office GROSS: The Top 50 Hit Films of 2006

Revisiting the top 50 highest-grossing films of 2006 with the hindsight of twenty years, looking into the mostly-forgotten films that made the most money, why they were hits in their moment, and why they did or (more likely) did not endure in the popular culture.

Box Office GROSS: The Top 50 Hit Films of 2006 is a tv podcast hosted by Brian Schmid, with 84 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Brian Schmid hosts Box Office GROSS: The Top 50 Hit Films of 2006, a tv show with 84 episodes published.

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  Box Office GROSS: The Top 50 Hit Films of 2006

  2006, Ep. 29: "TALLADEGA NIGHTS: THE BALLAD OF RICKY BOBBY" (with Willow Catelyn Maclay!)

  Aug 16, 20262h 12m

  BOOGITY BOOGITY BOOGITY folks, let's go podcasting! Our wonderful transportation maven Willow Catelyn Maclay returns to provide us her NASCAR expertise for the film that won the Academy Award for Best Movie Ever Made, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby ! We discuss Will Ferrell's first true blank check post-superstardom, and the powerful shadows of Tony Scott and Dale Earnhardt hanging over the proceedings, as well as the comedic dominance of John C. Reilly and the interesting balance of gentle, goofball humor and the cataclysmic mortality of NASCAR as a television experience, as well as the wide imbalance of montage vs. riffing. We also get into the fascinating place this film occupies in an LGBTQ context, since it's a film with a lot of gay jokes but also a film with a provocational intimacy that drew boos from audiences in NASCAR country, pulling at traditional queer stereotypes in a way that, rare for the era, is not aggressively mean-spirited. Other topics include the nightmare of DVD-era extended cuts, Clickhole garbage sons, George W. Bush cardboard cutouts, invisible fire, putting that evil on me, the greatest of Gary Cole, Amy Adams' Oscar speech, the fundamental ridiculousness of America, NASCAR Thunder 2004 and the BEST NAMES IN NASCAR HISTORY. There's some DOOZIES. We love Willow, and it was a thrill to have her back again, check it out! The 2001 Pepsi 400 - Freakazoid: "Bounjour Lobey" : Brian's Bluesky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rob’s Bluesky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rob’s Linktree: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/ROBDUNSON⁠⁠⁠⁠ Willow's Bluesky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/willowcatelyn.bsky.social⁠ Willow's Patreon: ⁠https://www.patreon.com/willowcatelynmaclay⁠ ⁠⁠ Corpses, Fools and Monsters: The History and Future of Transness in Cinema by ⁠⁠Willow Maclay⁠⁠ (Author), ⁠⁠Caden Gardner⁠⁠ (Author) - ⁠⁠https://www.amazon.com/Corpses-Fools-Monsters-Examination-Images/dp/1914420586⁠ Theme Song: "Any Day Can Be Bicycle Day" by Ether Driver ( ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://etherdiver.bandcamp.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ )

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  Box Office GROSS: The Top 50 Hit Films of 2006

  2006, Ep. 28: "MIAMI VICE" (with Daniel Gorman & Peter Labuza!)

  Aug 9, 20262h 15m

  For one last time I need y'all to ROAR! CINEPHILES GATHER ROUND, we've retained the services of beloved BOG legends Daniel Gorman ( Underworld: Evolution, Sky High, Amityville Horror ) and Peter Labuza ( Poseidon ) to dive into the deep cloudy seas of Michael Mann's MIAMI VICE ., a film described on this very episode as "the best film we've ever covered" and "the best film of the 21st century", an experimental cinematic explosion released into three thousand theaters. We discuss the church of Michael Mann, a film ahead of its time that has only grown in stature, a film so potent it's near-impossible to avoid bodies-in-space lyricism, a film that synergizes avant-garde and USA Up All Night into a mesmerizing digital jumble, a film that eschews both ends of its title to envelop the viewer in existential abstraction and extreme specifics in logistics and procedure to make an overwhelming whole. A film with such a vivid look and backstory that it feels like you're experiencing the film and the making of film simultaneously, Symbiopsychotaxiplasm style. This is one of those Movies Of The Life, and Daniel and Peter are both passionate, experienced and erudite in exactly the ways we needed. This was an absolute blast, and it was a privilege to be able to cover something that doesn't take any cajoling to make interesting or worthwhile. CHECK IT OUT Brian's Bluesky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rob’s Bluesky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rob’s Linktree: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/ROBDUNSON⁠⁠⁠⁠ Peter's Bluesky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/labuzamovies.com Daniel's Twitter: ⁠⁠⁠https://x.com/DanielGorman20⁠⁠⁠ Daniel's Bluesky: ⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/danielgorman20.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠ Theme Song: "Any Day Can Be Bicycle Day" by Ether Driver ( ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://etherdiver.bandcamp.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ )

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  Box Office GROSS: The Top 50 Hit Films of 2006

  2006, Ep. 27: "YOU, ME & DUPREE" (with Chris Bell!)

  Aug 2, 20261h 29m

  Our great filmmaker and great pal Chris Bell wheels the TV cart in to show us a film he says is better than The Breadwinner but not better than almost anything: YOU, ME, & DUPREE . Inexplicably hailing from the directors of the upcoming Avengers; Doomsday and odious MCU architect Russo Brothers, Dupree brings back a litany of actors we've already covered (Matt Dillon, Kate Hudson, Owen Wilson, even Seth Rogen) for an intolerable bro-rom-com with characters so maddeningly inconsistent that it feels like a spinning wheel of improv scenes staged among people with little comedic background, "a movie about an annoying guy", except the annoying guy changes every 20 minutes. THRILL to a film called "utterly despairing", "uncompromisingly mediocre", "rigorously inoffensive" and "absolute nothing save for a bad aftertaste". We discuss the film's synergy with other lazy and lackluster comedies of the period, dwelling on cultural fears of emasculation and being disrespected at corporate jobs, and I propose Michael Douglas's CEO as the secret hero of the film for doing everything he can to discourage and insult this loser from marrying his daughter. Other topics include inexplicably exotic location-shooting plane stunts, the baffling "Austin Powers' penis" level obfuscation of multiple female characters, if Nate Bargatze measures up to Vin Diesel, lightning patches, Asian fetish porn, high-level home repair, Boysweat Dave, Pills and Coke, the Zen of ClitSlayer420 and an incredible, possibly as-yet-unpublished discovery of distinctive stock footage. Chris was a blast to have on and we had such a fun time with this awful, awful film. CHECK IT OUT! Brian's Bluesky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rob’s Bluesky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rob’s Linktree: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/ROBDUNSON⁠⁠⁠⁠ Chris's Bluesky: ⁠https://bsky.app/profile/christopherbell.bsky.social Chris's Twitter: https://x.com/UpdateTheGrids Chris Bell at MeansTV - https://means.tv/authors/chrisbell Theme Song: "Any Day Can Be Bicycle Day" by Ether Driver ( ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://etherdiver.bandcamp.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ )

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  Box Office GROSS: The Top 50 Hit Films of 2006

  "The Prestige" / "The Odyssey" (with Cameron Kunzelman!) // a BONUS Christopher Nolan Double Feature Spectacular

  Jul 26, 20261h 57m

  Are you [ listening ] closely? Abracadabra! We perform the remarkable magic trick...of getting three men on a microphone to discuss the films of Christopher Nolan! A two-for-one special this week! Joined by the great, super smart Cameron Kunzelman of the Ranged Touch network of podcasts, we take a break from the financial bonanzas of 2006 to touch on a film with middling box office receipts but a significant cultural tail: Christopher Nolan's The Prestige , the last time (at least as of this episode's release) that a Christopher Nolan film wouldn't break into the top 20 of its given year, let alone the top 50. True to the dualism central to Nolan's project, we pair The Prestige with Nolan's latest work of adaptation, The Odyssey . That's right! Two movies in one episode! We get into our incredibly disparate opinions on the Nolan project, love and hate for Movies about Movies, The Prestige 's effectiveness on rewatch, if Christian Bale is A Good Actor or just Doing a Lot of Acting, Andy Serkis's cool and normal career, if The Odyssey needs to be seen on the biggest screen possible (and, given the controversies surrounding its production, if it SHOULD be seen on the big screen at all), if Memento is indeed "a movie told in reverse," how Nolan's literalism and materialism inform his interpretations of myth and fantasy, the alleged "messiness" of The Odyssey 's opening stretch, how The Odyssey inverts and reconfigures the interests and themes of Oppenheimer , and so so much more... Will Rob love the freedom and sophistication of discussing two big, dense, culturally significant movies in one two hour span, or will it drive him to want to become the Joker? Guess you'll just have to listen and find out! Note: Cameron touches on how The Odyssey 's production violated the cultural boycott of Morocco-occupied Western Sahara; you can find a lot more about this at some of the links shared below. Democracy Now report on the boycott of The Odyssey for filming in Morroco-occupied Western Sahara "Odyssey to Africa's last colony" by Eoghan Gilmartin (Africa is a Country blog) 3 Stolen Cameras, a short documentary about the occupation Nolan's CGI is really just INVISIBLE CGI video by The Movie Rabbit Hole Find Cameron: RangedTouch Realis and Path Apparatus on Backerkit Cameron's website on Twitter on Bluesky Find Brian: on Twitter on Bluesky on YouTube Find Rob: Linktree talking Kevin Smith on Dead Formats

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  Box Office GROSS: The Top 50 Hit Films of 2006

  2006, Ep. 26: "MONSTER HOUSE" (with Chris Plante!)

  Jul 19, 20261h 41m

  Our marvelous pal CHRIS PLANTE ( Post Games, The Besties ) has healed from laryngitis and is about to join us to discuss the spooky little horror vibes of MONSTER HOUSE ! We discuss the film's gorgeous proto-Laika digital animation, the echoes of Dante and Zemeckis in director Gil Kenan's otherwise stubby filmography, and the histrionic behind the scenes drama coming from the film's inexplicable screenwriter, a pre- Community DAN HARMON. We dig into the film's delightfully potent set-up, its bizarrely desolate setting, its quality voiceover work and its bewildering, lackluster second-act narrative turn that seems at odds with basically everything that came before it. Other topics include diluting antagonists with therapy speak, the really dicey state of animated film in 2006, personal grudges against My Super Ex-Girlfriend and Wikipedia plot synopsizers, Travis Bickle's favorite cartoons, disrespecting Game Boy Advance games, writing angry letters to children in the newspaper, making 260 movie references in a single scene, and most important of all, our annual preseason preview of the teams of the AFC West! We had an absolute blast with Chris, one of my favorite people working in all of media, and we hope you check it out! Brian's Bluesky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/schmanthonyp.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rob’s Bluesky: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://bsky.app/profile/wormsgreenrealm.bsky.social⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Rob’s Linktree: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/ROBDUNSON⁠⁠⁠ Chris's Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/plante.bsky.social Post Games : https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/post-games/id1815131711 The Besties : https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-besties/id505516789 Theme Song: "Any Day Can Be Bicycle Day" by Ether Driver ( ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://etherdiver.bandcamp.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ )

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