2003 in film

See also: 2002 in film, other events of 2003, 2004 in film and the list of 'years in film\'

Table of contents

1 Events
2 Top-Grossing Films of the Year
3 Deaths
4 Wide-Release Movies in 2003
5 Other Movies Released in 2003

Events

February 3 - Legendary record producer Phil Spector is arrested for investigation of homicide after the body of actress Lana Clarkson was found at his home in Alhambra, California. Police responded to the 911 phone call from one of Spector's neighbors and discovered Clarkson's body who was suffering from a gun shot wound. Clarkson pronounced dead at the scene.
February 24 - The Pianist, directed by Roman Polanski, wins 7 Cesar Awards: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Sound, Best Production Design, Best Music and Best Cinematography).
November 17: Russell Crowe attended the London premiere of his movie Master and Commander. [1]
November 17: Arnold Schwarzenegger sworn in as Governor of California.
December 22: Both of the movies from the Matrix series released in 2003 were shut out of visual effects Oscar consideration by the Visual Effects Award Nominating Committee.
December 31 The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences mails nomination ballots in which it qualifies 254 films released in 2003 as eligible for Oscar consideration.

Top-Grossing Films of the Year

Please note that these are the top grossing films that were first released in 2003; because they may have made most of their income in a later year, they may not be the top-grossing films for calendar year 2003.

Movies reaching blockbuster motion picture status were led by Disney's Finding Nemo. These are the worldwide top 10 grossing films as of January 11, 2004:

2003 Rank Title Studio/Distributor International
Box Office Gross North American
Box Office Gross'''

1. Finding Nemo Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar $821,300,000 $339,714,978
2. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King New Line $782,500,000 $315,555,000
3. The Matrix Reloaded Warner Bros $738,000,000 $281,576,461

4. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Walt Disney Pictures $653,400,000 $305,413,918
5. Bruce Almighty Universal $474,700,000 $242,829,261
6. Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines Warner Bros $433,100,000 $150,371,112
7. The Matrix Revolutions Warner Bros $420,800,000 $138,491,786
8. 20th Century Fox $406,400,000 $214,949,694
9. Bad Boys II Columbia Pictures $272,300,000 $138,608,444
10. Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle Columbia Pictures $259,200,000 $100,830,111

2003 Rank	Title	Studio/Distributor	International Box Office Gross	North American Box Office Gross'''
1.	Finding Nemo	Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar	$821,300,000	$339,714,978
2.	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	New Line	$782,500,000	$315,555,000
3.	The Matrix Reloaded	Warner Bros	$738,000,000	$281,576,461
4.	Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl	Walt Disney Pictures	$653,400,000	$305,413,918
5.	Bruce Almighty	Universal	$474,700,000	$242,829,261
6.	Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines	Warner Bros	$433,100,000	$150,371,112
7.	The Matrix Revolutions	Warner Bros	$420,800,000	$138,491,786
8.		20th Century Fox	$406,400,000	$214,949,694
9.	Bad Boys II	Columbia Pictures	$272,300,000	$138,608,444
10.	Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle	Columbia Pictures	$259,200,000	$100,830,111

In North America, 26 films grossed more than $100 million, six films grossed more than $200 million, and three films grossed more than $300 million.

For a complete list of 2003's top-grossing films, follow this link:

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/yearly/chart/?yr=2003&p=.htm

Deaths

January 4 Conrad Hall, Hollywood cinematographer, a two-time Academy Award-winner
January 8 Ron Goodwin, British film music composer and conductor
January 11 Maurice Pialat, French movie director
January 11 Anthony Havelock-Allan, British screenwriter
January 12 Maurice Gibb, of the Bee Gees, singer, composer, actor
January 13 Norman Panama, screenwriter and director
January 18 Richard Crenna, actor
January 23 Nell Carter, singer, actress
January 25 Robert Rockwell, actor
January 29 Peter Shaw, producer; husband of actress Angela Lansbury
February 9 Vera Hruba Ralston, actress
February 18 Jack Brodsky, movie producer and publicist
February 22 Daniel Taradash, former president of AMPAS; Oscar-winning screenwriter of "From Here to Eternity"
February 25 Alberto Sordi, Italian comedy film legend
March 3 Horst Buchholz, German actor
March 8 Karen Morley, actress
March 8 Adam Faith, British singer and actor
March 9 Stan Brakhage, filmmaker
March 12 Lynne Thigpen, actor
March 15 Dame Thora Hird, veteran British actress
March 24 Philip Yordan, screenwriter; won Oscar for "Broken Lance"
March 31 Michael Jeter, actor
April 1 Leslie Cheung, actor and singer
April 2 Michael Wayne, film producer; eldest son of John Wayne
April 12 Sydney Lassick, actor, best known playing asylum resident Cheswick in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
April 21 Nina Simone, jazz singer, "High Priestess of Soul"
April 26 Peter Stone, Oscar-and-(3-time)Tony-winning writer
April 27 Elaine Steinbeck, actress
May 3 Suzy Parker, actress, model
May 14 Dame Wendy Hiller, actress
May 14 Robert Stack, actor
May 28 Martha Scott, actress
June 2 Richard Cusack, 77, ad executive turned actor/screenwriter
June 7 Trevor Goddard, actor
June 7 Tony McAuley BBC Northern Ireland broadcaster & film-maker associated with traditional Irish music and arts
June 12 Gregory Peck, actor
June 15 Hume Cronyn, actor
June 29 Katharine Hepburn, actress
June 30 Buddy Hackett, comic, actor
July 1 N!xau, Namibian actor
July 6 Buddy Ebsen, actor
July 25 John Schlesinger, director
July 27 Bob Hope, comedian, actor
August 1 Marie Trintignant, French actress and daughter of actor Jean-Louis Trintignant.
August 2 Don Estelle, actor
August 9 Gregory Hines, actor, dancer.
August 30 Charles Bronson, actor
September 8 Leni Riefenstahl, German filmmaker
September 9 Larry Hovis, actor, played Carter on "Hogan's Heroes"
September 10 Harry Goz, cartoon voice actor.
September 11 John Ritter, American actor, played Jack Tripper on Three's Company
September 12 Johnny Cash, American country singer
September 16 Erich Hallhuber, Bavarian actor.
September 22 Gordon Jump, American actor.
September 27 Donald O'Connor, entertainer, actor
September 28 Elia Kazan, director
October 2 Gunther Philipp, Austrian actor
October 3 William Steig, American cartoonist and children's author; creator of Shrek
October 5 Denis Quilley, British actor
October 20 Jack Elam, American actor, 84 years
October 21 Fred Berry, American actor,
October 23 Tony Capstick, British actor, comedian, musician and broadcaster
November 4 Ken Gampu, South African actor
November 6 Eduardo Palomo, Mexican actor (41 years)
November 9 Art Carney, The Honeymooners actor (85 years)
November 12 Jonathan Brandis, actor, reportedly suicide (27 years)
November 12 Penny Singleton, actress (95 years)
November 13 Kellie Waymire, actress (35 years)
November 14 Gene Anthony Ray, actor and dancer
November 15 Dorothy Loudon, actress
November 18 Michael Kamen, composer
November 20 Kerem Yilmazer, Turkish actor (58 years)
November 20 Robert Addie, British actor (43 years)
November 27 Will Quadflieg, German actor
December 3 David Hemmings, actor
December 12 Keiko, orca of Reino Aventura and Free Willy fame (27 years)
December 14 Jeanne Crain, Oscar-nominated actress (78 years)
December 17 Ed Devereaux, Australian actor
December 19 Hope Lange, actress in Peyton Place
December 27 Sir Alan Bates, British actor
December 30 Anita Mui, 40, Hong Kong actress
December 30 John Gregory Dunne, 71, screenwriter

Wide-Release Movies in 2003

(Movies released in at least 1,000 North American theatres)

North American Release Date	Title	Studio/Distributor	North American Box Office Gross	Notable Cast/Crew
January 10	Just Married	20th Century Fox	$56,127,162
January 17	Kangaroo Jack	Warner Brothers	$66,924,790
January 17	National Security	Sony Pictures	$36,288,951	Martin Lawrence, Steve Zahn
January 17	A Guy Thing	MGM	$15,545,431
January 24	Darkness Falls	Revolution Studios	$32,539,681
January 31	The Recruit	Walt Disney Pictures	$52,802,140
January 31	Biker Boyz	DreamWorks	$21,989,492
February 7	How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days	Paramount Pictures	$105,813,373
February 7	Shanghai Knights	Walt Disney Pictures	$60,476,872	Jackie Chan, Owen Wilson
February 7	Deliver Us from Eva	Focus	$17,573,594
February 14	Daredevil	20th Century Fox	$102,543,518	Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner, Michael Clarke Duncan, Colin Farrell
February 14	The Jungle Book 2	Walt Disney Pictures	$47,901,582
February 21	Old School	DreamWorks	$75,585,093
February 21	The Life of David Gale	Universal Studios	$19,955,598
February 21	Gods and Generals	Warner Brothers	$12,882,934
February 21	Dark Blue	United Artists	$9,245,932
February 28	Cradle 2 the Grave	Warner Bros	$34,612,814
March 7	Bringing Down the House	Walt Disney Pictures	$132,716,677
March 7	Tears of the Sun	Sony Pictures	$43,632,458
March 14	Agent Cody Banks	MGM	$47,810,938	Frankie Mu�iz, Hilary Duff
March 14	The Hunted	Paramount Pictures	$34,244,097
March 14	Willard	New Line	$6,882,696
March 21	Dreamcatcher	Warner Bros	$33,700,070
March 21	View from the Top	Miramax	$15,614,000
March 21	Piglet's Big Movie	Walt Disney Pictures	$23,103,423
March 21	Boat Trip	Artisan	$8,600,126
March 28	Head of State	DreamWorks	$38,111,412
March 28	The Core	Paramount Pictures	$31,118,819
March 28	Basic	Sony Pictures	$26,599,248
April 4	Phone Booth	20th Century Fox	$46,566,212
April 4	What a Girl Wants	Warner Bros	$36,093,584	Amanda Bynes, Colin Firth
April 4	A Man Apart	New Line	$26,671,549
April 11	Anger Management	Revolution Studios	$135,645,823
April 11	House of 1,000 Corpses	Lions Gate	$12,620,318	Rob Zombie (director)
April 16	Bulletproof Monk	MGM	$23,346,068	Chow Yun-Fat
April 18	Holes	Walt Disney Pictures	$67,383,924	Shia LaBeouf, Sigourney Weaver
April 18	Malibu's Most Wanted	Warner Bros	$34,370,863
April 25	Identity	Sony Pictures	$52,138,971	John Cusack, Ray Liotta, Amanda Peet, Alfred Molina
April 25	Confidence	Lions Gate	$12,217,840
April 25	It Runs in the Family	MGM	$7,488,566
April 25	The Real Cancun	New Line	$3,816,594
May 2		20th Century Fox	$214,949,694
May 2	The Lizzie McGuire Movie	Walt Disney Pictures	$42,717,939	Hilary Duff
May 9	Daddy Day Care	Revolution Studios	$104,148,781	Eddie Murphy, Jeff Garlin
May 15	The Matrix Reloaded	Warner Bros	$281,576,461
May 23	Bruce Almighty	Universal Studios	$242,829,261
May 23	The In-Laws	Warner Bros	$20,453,431
May 30	Finding Nemo	Walt Disney Pictures/Pixar	$339,714,978
May 30	The Italian Job	Paramount Pictures	$106,128,601
May 30	Wrong Turn	20th Century Fox	$15,418,790
June 6	2 Fast 2 Furious	Universal Studios	$127,154,901	Paul Walker, Tyrese
June 13	Rugrats Go Wild	Paramount Pictures	$39,402,572
June 13	Hollywood Homicide	Revolution Studios	$30,207,785
June 13	Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd	New Line	$26,214,846
June 20	The Hulk	Universal Studios	$132,177,234	Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly
June 20	Alex and Emma	Warner Bros	$14,218,698	Kate Hudson, Luke Wilson
June 20	From Justin to Kelly	20th Century Fox	$4,928,883
June 27	Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle	Sony Pictures	$100,814,328
June 27	28 Days Later	Fox Searchlight	$45,064,915
July 2	Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines	Warner Bros	$150,371,112
July 2	Legally Blonde 2 Red, White and Blonde	MGM	$90,168,825	Reese Witherspoon
July 2	Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas	DreamWorks	$26,466,286
July 9	Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl	Walt Disney Pictures	$305,388,685*
July 9	The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen	20th Century Fox	$66,465,204	Sean Connery
July 18	Bad Boys II	Sony Pictures	$138,608,444
July 18	Johnny English	Universal Studios	$28,082,366	Rowan Atkinson
July 18	How to Deal	New Line	$14,144,112
July 25	Spy Kids 3D: Game Over	Dimension	$111,610,328
July 25	Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life	Paramount Pictures	$65,660,198	Angelina Jolie
July 25	Seabiscuit	Universal Studios	$120,211,436
August 1	American Wedding	Universal Studios	$104,492,461	Jason Biggs, Seann William Scott
August 1	Gigli	Revolution Studios	$6,068,735
August 6	Freaky Friday	Walt Disney Pictures	$110,042,380	Lindsay Lohan
August 8	S.W.A.T	Sony Pictures	$116,934,650	Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell
August 15	Freddy vs. Jason	New Line	$82,556,855	Robert Englund, Ken Kirzinger
August 15	Open Range	Walt Disney Pictures	$58,331,254
August 15	Uptown Girls	MGM	$37,095,657	Brittany Murphy, Dakota Fanning
August 15	Grind	Warner Bros	$5,123,696
August 22	The Medallion	Screen Gems	$22,108,977	Jackie Chan
August 22	My Boss's Daughter	Dimension	$15,550,605
August 22	Marci X	Paramount Pictures	$1,648,818	Lisa Kudrow, Damon Wayans
August 29	Jeepers Creepers 2	United Artists	$35,623,801	Ray Wise, Jonathan Breck
September 5	Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star	Paramount Pictures	$22,741,671	David Spade
September 5	The Order	20th Century Fox	$7,660,806
September 12	Once Upon a Time in Mexico	Sony Pictures	$56,292,921
September 12	Matchstick Men	Warner Bros	$36,886,006
September 12	Cabin Fever	Lions Gate	$21,158,188
September 19	Underworld	Screen Gems	$51,741,634	Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman
September 19	The Fighting Temptations	Paramount Pictures	$30,221,738	Cuba Gooding, Jr, Beyonc� Knowles, Jonathan Lynn (director)
September 19	Secondhand Lions	New Line	$41,988,596
September 19	Cold Creek Manor	Walt Disney Pictures	$21,386,011	Dennis Quaid, Sharon Stone
September 19	Anything Else	DreamWorks	$3,212,310
September 26	The Rundown	Universal Studios	$47,678,160	The Rock (Dwayne Johnson), Seann William Scott
September 26	Under the Tuscan Sun	Walt Disney Pictures	$43,095,548
September 26	Duplex	Miramax	$9,670,651	Ben Stiller, Drew Barrymore
October 3	School of Rock	Paramount Pictures	$79,757,618	Jack Black
October 3	Out of Time	MGM	$40,998,687	Denzel Washington
October 10	Kill Bill Vol. 1	Miramax	$69,577,340	Uma Thurman, Quentin Tarantino (writer, director)
October 10	Good Boy	MGM	$37,627,217
October 10	Intolerable Cruelty	Universal Studios	$35,254,176	George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones
October 10	House of the Dead	Artisan Entertainment	$10,211,633
October 10	Mystic River	Warner Bros	$53,619,415	Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, Kevin Bacon, Clint Eastwood (director)
October 17	The Texas Chainsaw Massacre	New Line	$80,213,803*
October 17	Runaway Jury	20th Century Fox	$48,905,518	John Cusack, Gene Hackman, Dustin Hoffman, Rachel Weisz
October 24	Brother Bear	Walt Disney Pictures	$82,256,636*
October 24	Scary Movie 3	Dimension	$109,061,000	Anna Faris, Charlie Sheen, Tim Stack
October 24	Radio	Sony Pictures	$51,422,388	Cuba Gooding, Jr, Ed Harris
October 24	Beyond Borders	Paramount Pictures	$4,430,101	Angelina Jolie
November 5	The Matrix Revolutions	Warner Bros	$137,941,003*
November 7	Elf	New Line	$165,580,000*	Will Ferrell, James Caan
November 7	Love Actually	Universal Studios	$56,070,880*
November 14	Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World	20th Century Fox	$80,943,916*	Russell Crowe
November 14	Looney Tunes: Back in Action	Warner Bros	$20,264,659*	Brendan Fraser, Jenna Elfman, Heather Locklear, Steve Martin
November 21	The Cat in the Hat	Universal Studios	$97,356,155*	Mike Myers, Spencer Breslin, Dakota Fanning, Kelly Preston
November 21	Gothika	Warner Bros	$57,562,178*	Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr, Pen�lope Cruz
November 26	The Haunted Mansion	Walt Disney Pictures	$65,475,698*	Eddie Murphy
November 26	Bad Santa	Dimension	$51,733,000*	Billy Bob Thornton
November 26	The Missing	Revolution Studios	$25,904,967*	Tommy Lee Jones, Cate Blanchett
November 26	Timeline	Paramount Pictures	$19,052,570	Paul Walker
December 5	The Last Samurai	Warner Bros	$76,102,930*	Tom Cruise, Ken Watanabe
December 5	Honey	Universal Studios	$26,919,855*	Jessica Alba, Lil' Romeo, Mekhi Phifer
December 10	Big Fish	Sony Pictures	$14,101,000*	Billy Crudup, Albert Finney, Ewan McGregor, Tim Burton (director)
December 12	Something's Gotta Give	Sony Pictures	$58,467,387*	Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton, Keanu Reeves
December 12	Stuck on You	20th Century Fox	$25,239,795*	Matt Damon, Greg Kinnear
December 12	Love Don't Cost a Thing	Warner Bros	$16,894,166*	Nick Cannon, Christina Milian
December 17	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	New Line	$232,254,000*	Elijah Wood, Sean Astin, Ian McKellen, Orlando Bloom, Liv Tyler, Peter Jackson (director)
December 19	Mona Lisa Smile	Sony Pictures	$33,742,836*	Julia Roberts
December 25	Cheaper by the Dozen	20th Century Fox	$42,001,052*	Steve Martin, Bonnie Hunt
December 25	Cold Mountain	Mirimax	$21,825,000*	Nicole Kidman, Jude Law
December 25	Paycheck	Paramount Pictures	$20,818,771*	Ben Affleck, Uma Thurman
December 25	Peter Pan	Universal Studios	$17,173,380*	Jeremy Sumpter, Ludivine Sagnier, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Jason Isaacs, P. J. Hogan (director)

*Estimated as of Dec. 29, 2003

Other Movies Released in 2003

21 Grams, starring Sean Penn and Benicio del Toro
Alien (re-release, was released in 1979)
Blizzard
The Brown Bunny
Calendar Girls, starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters
The Company, starring Neve Campbell
The Cooler, starring William H. Macy and Alec Baldwin
Elephant
Final Destination 2
Foolproof, starring Ryan Reynolds and Kristin Booth
Gerry
Girl with a Pearl Earring, starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth
Good bye, Lenin, a German comedy, released internationally
Grand Theft Parsons, starring Johnny Knoxville and Christina Applegate''
The Guru, starring Jimi Mistry and Heather Graham
House of Sand and Fog, starring Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingsley
The Human Stain, starring Anthony Hopkins and Nicole Kidman
In America
In the Cut, starring Meg Ryan and Mark Ruffalo
Irr�versible
Kart Racer
Les Invasions barbares (Barbarian Invasions) written and directed by Denys Arcand
L'homme du train (The Man on the Train) - directed by Patrice Leconte, starring Jean Rochefort and Johnny Hallyday
Millennium Actress (USA release date, was released in Japan in 2001)
Monster, starring Charlize Theron and Christina Ricci
My Life Without Me, starring Sarah Polley
Prey for Rock & Roll
Shattered Glass, starring Hayden Christensen
Spider
The Station Agent, starring Peter Dinklage
The Statement, starring Michael Caine
The Triplets of Belleville (originally released in France)
Tupac: Resurrection, starring Tupac Shakur
Veronica Guerin, starring Cate Blanchett
Whale Rider
Wonderland, starring Val Kilmer
Young Black Stallion