The Rocket

Issue date: 4/20/07 Section: Focus

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The spring movie season is almost over and it has been a record-breaking season, with five films breaking into the Top 30 spring opening weekends of all-time. "300," the top grossing film so far in 2007, made history with its more than $70 million opening weekend. Other films, like "TMNT," "Wild Hogs" and "Blades of Glory" all followed suit with great opening weekends.

Every year, the spring season is overshadowed by the hype and press of the upcoming summer movie season, but through the years, there have been some great spring films that not only opened big, but are also worth remembering. Here are my top five spring films-released in March and April-of all time.

5. "The Matrix"

Even though rumors have been spread about the Wachowski brothers stealing the idea for "The Matrix," the film is still sweet. When it burst onto the scene in 1999, it became a hit, earning more than $27 million in its opening weekend and becoming an instant pop culture phenomenon.

The fear that society has about technology taking over the world was realized, and people started to wonder how real their reality was. Its mediocre, flashy sequels often overshadow the quality and edginess of the first film, but in the spring of '99, nothing was cooler than "The Matrix."

4. "The Scorpion King"

In his first lead role, then-professional wrestling superstar The Rock exploded onto the big screen with a near-$40 million opening weekend in Spring 2002.

The WWE faithful flocked to the theaters to see their icon don a loincloth and wig as Mathayus the Scorpion King in the third installment of "The Mummy" franchise.

Now a proven box office draw, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson has evolved from a meathead pro wrestler into a true-blue actor. He has worked with superstars such as John Travolta, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Xzibit and Justin Timberlake, and also has projects booked for the next few years.

3. "Sin City"

Everything about this adaptation of the Frank Miller graphic novel-from the action to the acting-was cool. The look of a moving comic book was like nothing we'd ever seen before, and the violence and gore were delivered in perfectly bite-sized amounts instead of over-the-top bloody buffets.

Without the awesome look and feel of "Sin City," "300" probably doesn't get the green light to be as visually daring as it was. Also, because of the popularity of the first film, "Sin City" will be revisited with "Sin City 2," set to be released in 2008, probably in the spring.

2. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles"

In a time where past techniques of puppetry are forgotten with the flash of CGI, it is fun to reminisce with a film that features four people in turtle suits. Everything from Jedi to the fresh, new "TMNT" can be made in computers these days, so to go back and see how cool puppets used to look is always fun.

The turtles were a huge part of the 1990s and their first live-action feature solidified their flat-out awesomeness. "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" was dirty and dark. It was like a grown up version of these goofy, Saturday morning cartoon characters. The next two turtle films would be cleaner and more commercialized, but this first effort really stands the test of time.

Michelangelo always said, "Man, I love being a turtle," and a $25 million opening weekend made the spring of 1990 a great time to be a hero in a half shell.

1. "300"

What can I say? "300" is the reigning champion of spring flicks. Its $70 million opening was unprecedented for a spring-released film, especially a live-action spring-released film. Only one other film, the animated "Ice Age: The Meltdown," came close, earning $68 million in its opening weekend.

Springtime must love Frank Miller and his stylized violence. Moviegoers are still talking about "300" like it was released last week when it has actually been in theaters for more than a month.

The over-the-hill biker comedy "Wild Hogs," the Spike Lee Joint "Inside Man" and the remake "Dawn of the Dead" are all honorable mentions in the spring release category, but with studios pushing to be the first out of the gate with their big releases, springtime could get more and more interesting every year.

But for now, the spring is there for studios to take chances on movies like "300" and "Grindhouse." That makes springtime a great time to experiment with movies that would normally get lost in the hustle and bustle if they were released in the summer.

With summer approaching, we will soon find out if this record-breaking spring will transfer into an even bigger season for the sunnier months, with some huge releases coming soon to theaters.

Ivan Moore is a senior communication major and a regular contributor to The Rocket.

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