Global warming movies are taking the box office by storm, so to speak. Feature films, such as sci-fi epics and so-called disaster movies “Waterworld,” “The Day After Tomorrow," and "2012," sell drama to preach messages of climate change doom. Documentaries are also increasingly populating multiplexes and the film festival circuit.
Because many of these films feature big-name stars and larger-than-life special effects, they often do well at the box office.
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“They put a recognizable, individual face on a complex, systemic phenomenon like climate change and therefore make the issue connect with audiences, engaging them on the issue and potentially mobilizing them to take action,” said Declan Fahy, an associate professor at American University’s school of communication, in an interview with the
Climate News Network.
In the nonfiction realm, there’s been a new crop of climate change documentaries featuring celebrities and politicians. Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” is probably the most renowned while smaller budget films, like the docudrama “The Age of Stupid,” are gaining recognition.
Newer documentaries that have been receiving critical acclaim include “Thin Ice,” which has received numerous international film festival awards, and “Chasing Ice," which won an Emmy. Another documentary with a more focused angle is “Are Your Listening,” a Bangledeshi film about a community’s struggle with rising sea levels.
Box Office Mojo published a list of the top-grossing global warming movies.
For example, “The Day After Tomorrow,” starring Dennis Quaid, has grossed almost $187 million since it opened in 2004. “Waterworld,” the Kevin Costner vehicle, has grossed almost $90 million since 1995. “An Inconvenient Truth,” though not a major feature film, has brought in over $24 million.
“Interstellar," the hotly anticipated release from director Christopher Nolan starring Matthew McConaughey about time/space travelers who seek out fertile land for crops after climate change destroys the earth’s agriculture, opened with $47 million.
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