
Well. It’s official. As of June 20, I turn 25 years old and I’m experiencing what can only be referred to as a quarter-life crisis. So I have found comfort and inspiration in successful 25 year old films.
Here’s a list of the highest-grossing ones that were released in 1993:
Jurassic Park
$914,691,118 (worldwide gross)
June 1993
—
With special effects unlike anything seen before (at the time of release), Jurassic Park took the cake by a mile – look how much they made! These dinosaurs recently made a return to the big screen for the fifth time with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Just goes to show how obsessed we are with the franchise – even 25 years later.
Mrs. Doubtfire
$441,286,195
November 1993
—
A family-friendly film that still lives on today. A Robin Williams classic, with Forrest Gump’s mother and little Matilda featured too. Mrs. Doubtfire recently made my Top 10 Best Dads in Film list, so it’s certainly a film that we still think about today. I imagine there are a lot of people who reminisce fondly about this movie.
The Fugitive
$368,875,760
August 1993
—
I do believe I have seen this before; my dad probably owns a copy. Got to love Harrison Ford! What a guy. A classic suspenseful action about a fugitive and his journey to remain hidden while figuring out a way to prove his innocence.
Schindler’s List
$321,306,305
December 1993
—
We studied this film in Media Studies class at high school, so even though I’ve seen it a thousand times I’m afraid I can’t say I remember a huge amount of it. But I know it’s an iconic film that wasn’t exactly a barrel of laughs. I appreciate it’s an important film about a particular person in the holocaust, but I’d like to never watch it again please and thank you. It’s just too realistic and too heavy.
The Firm
$270,248,367
June 1993
—
I have never seen The Firm before, but I’d never pass up a Tom Cruise thriller! It’s about a high-flying lawyer who begins to uncover murders in the company he works for. It seems his salary is being paid by criminals, and he might be the next to die if he doesn’t fall in line.
Indecent Proposal
$266,614,059
April 1993
—
Demi Moore’s character is married to Woody Harrelson’s character, but Robert Redford’s character offers them a million dollars in exchange for sleeping with Demi Moore’s character… Bit raunchy isn’t it?
Cliffhanger
$255,000,211
May 1993
—
A heist gone wrong results in various people scouring a snowy mountain range in search for the cash. The trailer didn’t do a lot for me, but it’s an action/adventure film that may peek the interests of some.
Sleepless in Seattle
$227,799,884
June 1993
—
This is my kind of film! Although, I forever get this mixed up with You’ve Got Mail, which also stars Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks – and is also about falling in love with a total stranger. Nevertheless, it’s one of those heartwarming 90s rom-coms that is easy to watch.
Philadelphia
$206,678,440
December 1993
—
Another Hanks film, and one I’ve seen too. It’s about a lawyer who is fired from a very successful position because he is a homosexual diagnosed with AIDs. He hires an excellent lawyer (Denzel Washington) to take his employers to court. I remember being disappointed because I was expecting more lively courtroom scenes like in A Few Good Men. It had the potential to be heart-racing, but lacked smart courtroom tactics and intensity.
The Pelican Brief
$195,268,056
December 1993
—
Another personal favourite of mine – we studied this film relentlessly at high school. It’s cleverly made, featuring Denzel Washington, an investigative journalist, and Julia Roberts, a law student who is being targeted for digging too deep into a case that powerful people want buried. If you can stay tuned into the slower pace of 90s thrillers, you’ll find it’s a brilliant film with lots of twists.
—
I guess 1993 was big on legal thrillers – we’ve got three films that feature a lawyer as the main character! (Although, two of those are based on John Grisham novels.) Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington were popular actors this year, who are still going strong today.
I am relieved to see that 25 year old things are still cool today. I hope to take a page out of these quarter-century-old films and also be successful and make a ton of dough.

“Yeah sure you have – your old D-A-D! You know I’ll always be there to love you and support you no matter what kind of pickle you’re in… Obviously.” –Mac MacGuff
“I admire that honesty, Natalie, that’s a noble quality. Never lose that, because it often disappears with age, or entering politics.” –Daniel Hillard/Mrs. Doubtfire
“Hey. Don’t ever let somebody tell you… You can’t do something. Not even me. All right?” –Chris Gardner
“Probably just as well. He would have told it wrong anyway. All the facts and none of the flavour.” –Ed Bloom
“I used to think a wedding was a simple affair. Boy and girl meet, they fall in love, he buys a ring, she buys a dress, they say I do. I was wrong.” –George Banks
“Now Harry, you must know all about muggles. Tell me, what exactly is the function of a rubber duck?” –Arthur Weasley
“I love you. I’ve always loved you.” –Lee Abbott
“If you let my daughter go now, that’ll be the end of it. I will not look for you, I will not pursue you. But if you don’t: I will look for you. I will find you. And I will kill you.” –
“You’re not perfect, sport, and let me save you the suspense: this girl you’ve met, she’s not perfect either. But the question is whether or not you’re perfect for each other.” – Sean
“Is everything all right? It sounds like you’re having sex in here, which I know can’t be true due to the fact that you have a homosexual boyfriend.” –Dill
