Top Ten Movies Of 2006

30-12-2006 12:11

With the fabulous variety of films hitting our screens, everyone and anyone could find something to see and enjoy.

Action lovers were thrilled by several box office hits like 'Mission: Impossible III' or 'X-Men: The Last Stand'.Comedy and lighter entertainment fans kicked back with the latest swashbuckling adventure 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' or had some cuddly raccoon laughs with animated feel-good adventure 'Over The Hedge'.And 2006 was also a top year for superhero lovers. 'Superman Returns' saw the Man of Steel back on the big screen after 28 years and 007 fans flocked to see their favourite spy's latest venture in 'Casino Royale'.With film budgets constantly on the increase and the audiences growing more and more demanding, Hollywood is working harder than ever to deliver the best entertainment imaginable.

Here is a countdown of the biggest grossing and most popular films of 2006.

1. 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' stormed box offices around the world, grossing a whopping $1,065,396,812.

The swashbuckling adventure - which followed the 2003 blockbuster 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl' - saw Johnny Depp reprise his role as eccentric pirate Captain Jack Sparrow, Orlando Bloom return as heartthrob Will Turner and Keira Knightly bring back to life damsel-in-distress Elizabeth Swann.
Despite the success of the first two pirate adventures, fans were left disappointed this year when screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio announced the third instalment, 'Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End' due to hit screens in 2007, will be the last in the series.
Elliot said: "'At World's End' is a fairly apt title. There is the idea of an end of an era - the golden age of piracy coming to a close."
The announcement came soon after Knightley revealed she did not want to reprise her role for a third time.
She said: "I've been playing this girl since I was 17. I'm now 21 and onto different things."

2. 'The Da Vinci Code' was probably one of the most anticipated and definitely controversial films of 2006

. Starring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou as Professor Robert Langdon and cryptologist Sophie Neveau, the gripping story raised daring interpretations of the history of Christianity and questioned the credibility of the Roman Catholic Church.
The film - based on the bestselling novel by Dan Brown - caused outcry from religious protesters worldwide and it was banned from a number of countries including Pakistan and Samoa.
The controversy only seemed to help ticket sales and the blockbuster earned $756,663,137 worldwide and experienced the second biggest opening weekend in history, after 'Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith'.

3. It was never a surprise 'Ice Age 2: The Meltdown' was going to be a success after the stir caused by its 2002 prequel 'Ice Age'.

The 2006 adventure sees beloved characters Manny the mammoth, Sid the synocnus and Diego the smilodon embarking on a dangerous run for safety, after the ice in their valley starts to quickly melt.
Manny is also devastated by the thought of being the only mammoth left, until he meets Ellie, a female mammoth.
A host of celebrities lent their voices to the much-loved characters.
Ray Ramono brought to life cynical Manny, while Queen Latifah became the voice of Ellie.
Scrat, the saber-toothed squirrel, also has his own adventures, which eventually lead to an unexpected finale.
Breath-taking animation, celebrity voices and top entertainment value helped the film make a whopping $647,246,162 worldwide.

4. Animated movie 'Cars' follows the adventures of young race car, Lightning McQueen, during the last competition of the season.

The hotshot - voiced by Owen Wilson - finds himself lost in the little town of Radiator Springs on Route 66, and there he meets a host of other cars and slowly discovers that happiness is not about winning races and trophies but about love and friendship.
The film - produced by Pixar Animation Studios - was the latest masterpiece of director John Lasseter, who has previously been behind hits like 'Toy Story' and 'A Bug's Life'.
Apart from Wilson, a host of other stars including Paul Newman and Bonnie Hunt lent their voices to the movie.
Newman's involvement was especially welcomed by the creators, due to his personal passion for car racing.
John Lasseter said: "Paul Newman is an acting and racing legend."
The film also featured voices of motoring royalty including Formula 1 world champion Michael Schumacher.
'Cars' opened in June and took $461,801,982 worldwide.