For the Illinois Film Office, 2004 was a very good year. Hollywood production returned to the Chicago area with a vengeance last year, dropping an estimated $75 million here — a 200 percent increase from 2003 — according to figures obtained from the IFO. Leading the way was “The Weather Man” ($20 million), starring NICOLAS CAGE, followed by HAROLD RAMIS’ “Ice Harvest” ($9.25 million), which stars JOHN CUSACK and BILLY BOB THORNTON, and “Batman Begins” ($9 million), starring CHRISTIAN BALE.
Who else raked in the green in 2004? Take a look.
Top-grossing movies
“Shrek 2”: $436.5 million
“Spider-Man 2”: $373.4 million
“The Passion of the Christ”: $370.3 million
“Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”: $249.4 million
“The Incredibles”: $237 million
“The Day After Tomorrow”: $186.7 million
“The Bourne Supremacy”: $176 million
“Shark Tale”: $159.3 million
“I, Robot”: $144.8 million
“National Treasure”: $141 million
Source: Exhibitor Relations Co.
Most-watched TV series
“American Idol” (Tuesday and Wednesday editions, Fox): 25 million
“Desperate Housewives” (ABC): 22.6 million
“CSI” (CBS): 21.6 million
“Survivor: All-Stars” (CBS): 21.5 million
“The Apprentice” (first season, NBC): 20.7 million
“Survivor: Vanuatu” (CBS): 19.6 million
“Friends” (NBC): 18.5 million
“CSI: Miami” (CBS): 17.3 million
“NFL Monday Night Football” (ABC): 16.4 million
“Without a Trace” (CBS): 16.2 million
Source: Nielsen Media Research (total average viewers per show)
Top-selling CDs
“Confessions”: Usher
“Speakerboxxx-The Love Below”: OutKast
“Closer”: Josh Groban
“The Diary of Alicia Keys”: Alicia Keys
“Feels Like Home”: Norah Jones
“Fallen”: Evanescence
“Shock’n Y’all”: Toby Keith
“In the Zone”: Britney Spears
“The Very Best of Sheryl Crow”: Sheryl Crow
“When the Sun Goes Down”: Kenny Chesney
Source: Billboard magazine
Top-grossing U.S. concerts
Prince: $87.4 million
Celine Dion: $80.4 million
Madonna: $79.5 million
Metallica: $60.5 million
Bette Midler: $59.4 million
Van Halen: $54.3 million
Kenny Chesney: $50.8 million
Sting: $50.1 million
Toby Keith: $43.7 million
Elton John: $43.3 million
Source: Pollstar
Bestselling books
1. “The Da Vinci Code” (Doubleday) by Dan Brown
2. “The Five People You Meet in Heaven” (Hyperion) by Mitch Albom
3. “The Last Juror” (Doubleday) by John Grisham
4. “Angels & Demons” (Atria) by Dan Brown
5. “The Rule of Four” (Dial) by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason
6. “The Glorious Appearing: The End of Days” (Tyndale House) by Tim Lahaye and Jerry B. Jenkins
7. “Trace” (Putnam) by Patricia Cornwell
8. “3rd Degree” (Little, Brown) by James Patterson and Andrew Gross
9. “Song of Susannah: The Dark Tower VI” (Donald M. Grant) by Stephen King
10. “Sam’s Letters to Jennifer” (Little, Brown) by James Patterson
Source: Nielsen BookScan
Top video moneymakers
1. “Shrek 2”: $355 million
2. “Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (special extended edition): $350 million
3. “The Passion of the Christ”: $250 million
4. “Star Wars Trilogy”: $245 million
5. “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban”: $225 million
6. “Spider-Man 2”: $220 million
7. “The Day After Tomorrow”: $205 million
8. “Elf”: $200 million
9. “Brother Bear”: $185 million
10. “American Wedding”: $180 million
Source: DVD Exclusive (includes all consumer spending on the purchase and rental of DVDs and videocassettes in 2004)
