How WWII Mints Money For Hollywood

It may have lasted six years, but on our screens, it has stretched for another 70. Hollywood’s obsession with films set in the World War II era is not too surprising with the Nazis fitting the bill of the ultimate bad boys, ever the liberal world’s champion, America, sweeping in to save Europe from the clutches of fascism and the scope for romanticism of war with ingredients like heroism, courage, sacrifice and all that is idolised.

These films are huge money makers too. The 1998 Tom Hanks and Matt Damon starrer, Saving Private Ryan, apart from being omnipresent in best movie lists, is the top grossing World War II film of all time, is the top grossing war film, pulling in a lifetime collection of $216,540,909 (Rs 1429 crore approx.). The man responsible for this, of course, is Steven Spielberg.

With massively successful flicks like cult classic Schindler’s List, War Horse and Empire of the Sun, it is no secret that Spielberg’s preoccupation with stories and events surrounding the Second World War has culminated into films that have solidified his reputation as an iconic filmmaker as well as, chipped-in to his position as the highest grossing director in history.

WW II films, produced/directed by Spielberg, together have raked in $592,086,334 (around Rs 4,000 crore). It’s also worth remembering that a majority of these films were produced in the 90s and haven’t been adjusted for inflation.

2014 was a particularly good year for the WW II genre with films that include critically and commercially successful Fury and The Imitation Game. While Fury took audiences to the frontline, starring Brad Pitt (who can be considered a celluloid war veteran in his own right) as a battle hardened US sergeant leading the final Allied push into Germany, The Imitation Game focused on the intelligence side of the hustle with Benedict Cumberbatch playing Nazi code cracking mathematician Alan Turing. Fury made $211.8 million and The Imitation Game made $227.8 million, assuming the slot of the most profitable independent film of the year.

This year at least a dozen WW II based films hit the screens in different parts of the world, including Suite Francaisse, Little Boy, 13 Minutes and War Pigs. Next year, too, promises its mandatory dose of WW II films with Quentin Tarantino’s Killer Crow which may start production, an untitled romantic thriller starring Brad Pitt (of course) and Marion Cotillard and Mel Gibson directed Hacksaw Ridge.

What is clear that our obsession with 1939 to 1945 will never die and filmmakers will keep satiating this want and making bank off it. This is simply because no other conflict provides the kind of wealth of inspiration and material, clarity of intent and a clear winner and loser like the World War. It also allows the imagination of storytellers to come in with films like Inglorious Basterds (again, Brad Pitt) blowing up Hitler and Micheal Bay’s slightly cringeworthy and overly dramatic, but financially super successful, Pearl Harbour.

So based on fact or fiction, based on events or merely a backdrop, the flow of movies based on this cinematically bankable period won’t stop rolling out of Hollywood’s production houses anytime soon.