1994 in film explained

This is a list of films released in 1994. The top worldwide grosser was The Lion King, becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all-time, although it was slightly overtaken at the North American domestic box office by Forrest Gump, which won the Academy Award for Best Picture. The year is considered to be one of the best years for cinema during the post Golden Age Hollywood era and setting the standard for the movies of the modern era.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer celebrated its 70th anniversary in 1994.^[1]

Highest-grossing films

The top 10 films released in 1994 by worldwide gross are as follows:^[2]

Highest-grossing films of 1994
Rank	Title	Distributor	Worldwide gross
1	The Lion King	Buena Vista	$979,046,652
2	Forrest Gump	Paramount	$677,945,399
3	True Lies	20th Century Fox / Universal	$378,882,411
4	The Mask	New Line	$351,583,407
5	Speed	20th Century Fox	$350,448,145
6	The Flintstones	Universal	$341,631,208
7	Dumb and Dumber	New Line	$247,275,374
8	Four Weddings and a Funeral	Gramercy	$245,700,832
9	Interview with the Vampire	Warner Bros.	$223,664,608
10	Clear and Present Danger	Paramount	$215,887,717

Events

February 15 - Viacom acquired 50.1% of Paramount Communications Inc. for $9.75 billion, following a five-month battle with QVC.
March 4 - John Candy dies of a heart attack at the age of 43 while on location in Durango, Mexico for the film Wagons East.
March 21 - Steven Spielberg wins his first Academy Award for Best Director for Schindler's List.
April 14 - Gone with the Wind becomes the first movie ever to air on the cable channel Turner Classic Movies.
June 7 - Pierce Brosnan is officially announced as the fifth actor to play James Bond.
June 10 - Speed is released, becoming one of the top grossing films of the year. As well as launching Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock into superstardom.
June 24 - The Lion King is released and goes on to become Buena Vista's highest-grossing film and the highest-grossing animated film.
July 1 - Val Kilmer is officially announced^[3] as the next actor to portray Batman following the abrupt departure of Michael Keaton.^[4]
July 6 - Forrest Gump is released and becomes Paramount Pictures' highest-grossing film of all-time.
July 15 - 20th Century Fox unveils a new on-screen logo and fanfare composed by Bruce Broughton, which debuts True Lies.
October 12 - DreamWorks is founded by Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen.
December 29 - Buena Vista Pictures Distribution becomes the first distributor to have grosses in the United States and Canada in a year exceed $1 billion.

Awards

Category/Organization	52nd Golden Globe Awards January 21, 1995		Producers, Directors, Screen Actors, and Writers Guild Awards	67th Academy Awards March 27, 1995	48th BAFTA Awards April 22, 1995
Category/Organization	width=200	Drama !		67th Academy Awards March 27, 1995	48th BAFTA Awards April 22, 1995	Musical or Comedy
Best Film	Forrest Gump	The Lion King	Forrest Gump		Four Weddings and a Funeral
Best Director	Robert Zemeckis Forrest Gump				Mike Newell Four Weddings and a Funeral
Best Actor	Tom Hanks Forrest Gump	Hugh Grant Four Weddings and a Funeral	Tom Hanks Forrest Gump		Hugh Grant Four Weddings and a Funeral
Best Actress	Jessica Lange Blue Sky	Jamie Lee Curtis True Lies	Jodie Foster Nell	Jessica Lange Blue Sky	Susan Sarandon The Client
Best Supporting Actor	Martin Landau Ed Wood				Samuel L. Jackson Pulp Fiction
Best Supporting Actress	Dianne Wiest Bullets over Broadway				Kristin Scott Thomas Four Weddings and a Funeral
Best Screenplay, Adapted	Quentin Tarantino Pulp Fiction		Eric Roth Forrest Gump		Paul Attanasio Quiz Show
Best Screenplay, Original	Quentin Tarantino Pulp Fiction		Richard Curtis Four Weddings and a Funeral	Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary Pulp Fiction
Best Original Score			N/A		Backbeat Don Was
Best Original Song	"Can You Feel the Love Tonight" The Lion King		N/A	"Can You Feel the Love Tonight" The Lion King	N/A
Best Foreign Language Film	Farinelli		N/A	Burnt by the Sun	To Live

1994 films

By country/region

By genre/medium

List of action films of 1994
List of animated feature films of 1994
List of avant-garde films of 1994
List of crime films of 1994
List of comedy films of 1994
List of drama films of 1994
List of horror films of 1994
List of science fiction films of 1994
List of thriller films of 1994
List of western films of 1994

Births

January 17 – Lucy Boynton, English actress
January 18 - Sam Strike, English actor
January 19 – Kristi Lauren, American actress
January 21 – Booboo Stewart, American actor and singer
January 28 - Maluma, Colombian singer-songwriter and actor
February 1
- Julia Garner, American actress
- Harry Styles, English singer and actor
February 6 - Charlie Heaton, English actor
February 10
- Seulgi, South Korean singer, dancer and actress
- Makenzie Vega, American actress
February 11 - Dylan Arnold, American actor
February 14
- Allie Grant, American actress
- Paul Butcher, American actor
February 15 - Corinne Foxx, American model, actress and producer
February 16 - Matthew Knight, Canadian actor
February 21 –
- Hayley Orrantia, actress
- Wendy, South Korean singer, voice actress and radio host
February 23
- Little Simz, British rapper, singer and actress
- Dakota Fanning, American actress
- James Paxton, American actor
March 3 – Lee David, South Korean actor
March 12
- Christina Grimmie, American singer-songwriter, musician, actress and YouTuber (d. 2016)
- Tyler Patrick Jones, American actor
March 14 – Ansel Elgort, American actor and singer
March 21 - Jasmin Savoy Brown, American actress
April 6 - Fabien Frankel, British actor
April 11 - Dakota Blue Richards, English actress
April 12 – Saoirse Ronan, Irish actress
April 16 - Liliana Mumy, American actress
April 18 – Moisés Arias, American actor
April 24 - Jordan Fisher, American actor, singer and musician
May 2 - Sara Forsberg, Finnish singer-songwriter, YouTube personality, television presenter and actress
May 4 – Alexander Gould, American actor
May 11 - David Alvarez, Canadian dancer and actor
May 24 - Cayden Boyd, American actor
May 29 - Paloma Kwiatkowski, Canadian actress
June 2 - Jemma McKenzie-Brown, English actress and singer
June 4 - Mandela Van Peebles, American actor and producer
June 7 - Andi Matichak, American actress
June 8 - Anthony Boyle, Irish actor
June 11 - Ivana Baquero, Spanish actress
June 23 - Connor Jessup, Canadian actor, writer and director
June 24 – Erin Moriarty, American actress
June 29 - Camila Mendes, American actress
June 30 - Josh Rojas, American Baseball Player
July 6 – Camilla and Rebecca Rosso, English twin actresses
July 16 – Mark Indelicato, American actor
July 18
- Clerence Chyntia Audry, Indonesian actress (d. 2022)
- Lamar Johnson, Canadian actor
- Lee Yoo-mi, South Korean actress
July 23 – Kelvin Harrison Jr., American actor
July 24 - Jaboukie Young-White, American stand-up comedian, actor and writer
August 2 – Angus Imrie, English actor
August 9 – Forrest Landis, American actor
August 10 - Brigette Lundy-Paine, American actor
August 17 – Taissa Farmiga, American actress
August 18 - Madelaine Petsch, American actress and YouTuber
August 21 - Jacqueline Emerson, American actress and singer
August 22 - Israel Broussard, American actor
August 23 - Francesca Reale, American actress
August 25
- Josh Flitter, American actor
- Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Australian actress and model
August 29 - Eduardo Franco, American actor and comedian
September 3 - María Mercedes Coroy, Guatemalan actress of Kaqchikel Maya descent
September 4 - Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Australian actress
September 7 - Kento Yamazaki, Japanese actor
September 11 – Jordi El Niño Polla, Spanish adult film actor
September 20 - Mathilde Ollivier, French actress and model
September 21 - Khin Wint Wah, Burmese actress
September 23 - Aurora Perrineau, American actress and model
September 25 – Jansen Panettiere, American actor (d. 2023)
September 29
- Halsey, American singer and actress
- Clara Mamet, American actress and musician
- Nicholas Galitzine, British actor
September 30 - Raphaël Coleman, English actor (d. 2020)
October 9 - Jodelle Ferland, Canadian actress
October 10
- Kyle Allen, American actor
- Bae Suzy, South Korean actress and singer
October 23 – Margaret Qualley, American actress
November 10 – Zoey Deutch, American actress
November 11 – Connor Price, Canadian-American actor
November 15 - Emma Dumont, American actress and model
November 17 – Raquel Castro, American actress
November 22 – Dacre Montgomery, Australian actor
November 24 - Holly Mae Brood, Dutch actress
November 29 - Sarah Roach, American voice actress
December 3 – Jake T. Austin, American actor
December 10 – Kayli Mills, American voice actress
December 11 – Gabriel Basso, American actor
December 15 – Emma Lockhart, American journalist & former actress
December 17 – Nat Wolff, American actor and singer
December 26 – Samantha Boscarino, actress

Deaths

Month	Date	Name	Age	Country	Profession
January	1		86	US	Actor
3		58	UK	Actress
7		52	Italy	Actor
7		92	UK	Actor
8		78	US	Actor
9		75	Australia	Actress
12		85	Moldova	Producer
14		91	US	Actress
19		72	US	Producer, Production Manager
22		83	France	Actor
22		73	US	Actress
22		72	US	Actor
23		75	US	Production Designer
27		67	US	Actor
28		77	US	Actor, Voice Actor
February	1		84	US	Actor
6	Harold Schneider	55	US	Producer
6		88	US	Actor
6		66	UK	Actress
9		86	Czech Republic	Singer, Actress
11		64	US	Actor
11		73	US	Actor, Producer
15		86	US	Actor
19		52	UK	Director, Screenwriter
24		76	US	Singer, Actress
28		67	Italy	Actor
March	2		50	US	Actress
4		43	Canada	Actor
6		73	Greece	Actress
8		66	Australia	Actor
9		76	Spain	Actor
17		68	Sweden	Actress
21		81	US	Actor
21		89	France	Actress
21		52	US	Actor
22		94	US	Animator
23		73	Italy	Actress
23		93	US	Actress
29		72	UK	Actor
April	2		78	US	Actress
3		62	US	Studio Executive
4		80	US	Singer, Actress
12		82	US	Cinematographer
16		76	Canada	Actor
16		45	US	Actor
20		46	US	Actor
27		39	UK	Actress
30		41	US	Set Decorator
30		53	Italy	Production Designer
May	6		67	US	Actor
7		80	UK	Cinematographer
8		65	US	Actor
8		90	US	Sound Engineer
11		65	US	Actor
15		71	US	Actor
15		88	Mexico	Actor
16		85	France	Actor
19		79	US	Actor
24		81	US	Screenwriter
29		78	Italy	Producer
31		86	UK	Director, Screenwriter
June	2		84	US	Screenwriter, Director
4		80	US	Actor
4		41	Italy	Actor, Director, Screenwriter
6		80	US	Actor
6		81	US	Actor
7		59	UK	Screenwriter
11		77	US	Actor
12		44	US	Actor
13		70	Romania	Actress
13		74	US	Actress
14		70	US	Composer
16		82	UK	Actress
20		77	US	Actress
21		83	US	Screenwriter
22		80	UK	Screenwriter
July	1	Dominic Lucero	26	US	Dancer, Actor
6		75	US	Actor
8		75	US	Cinematographer
8		64	US	Actor
14		84	US	Actor
14		64	Italy	Actor
19		83	Germany	Director
20	Gregg Fonseca	41	US	Production Designer
23		71	Italy	Actor
23		98	Austria	Composer
30		80	US	Actress
August	2		74	US	Actor
3		50	US	Actor
7		74	US	Actor
11		81	UK	Actor
11	Red Mitchell	33	US	Actor
14		87	UK	Screenwriter, Producer
16		73	US	Actor
21		40	US	Actress
26		74	UK	Cinematographer
26		47-54	India	Actor
30		71	UK	Director
September	6		72	Australia	Screenwriter, Director
6		67	Italian	Director, Screenwriter
7		85	US	Actor
7		71	Israel	Actor
7		79	China	Director
9		80	US	Screenwriter
9		66	US	Actor
10		76	US	Actor
11		85	UK	Actress
12		85	US	Actor
15		77	US	Actor
16		63	US	Actor
17		82	US	Actress
18	Wayne Finkelman	47	US	Costume Designer
20		88	UK	Songwriter, Composer
21		84	US	Studio Executive
23		77	US	Screenwriter
28		78	Canada	Producer
30		87	US	Actress
30		73	US	Actress
October	1		81	US	Actress
2		85	US	Actress
3		77	US	Actress
3		87	US	Actor
7		75	UK	Director
8		81	UK	Actress
16		61	UK	Actor
17		83	Russia	Screenwriter, Producer
17		78	US	Actress
20		80	US	Actor
23		66	US	Actor
24		54	Puerto Rico	Actor
25		89	US	Actress
26		87	Norway	Actress
November	1		81	US	Actor
7		89	US	Actor
8		54	US	Screenwriter, Actor
9		87	UK	Actor
9		54	US	Actor
11		82	UK	Actor
14		40	US	Actor
18		86	US	Actor, Singer
24		83	US	Orchestrator
27		63	Russia	Actress
30		86	US	Actor
December	5		54	US	Sound Engineer
5		84	Czech Republic	Production Designer, Director
5		68	Germany	Actor
6		61	Italy	Actor
11		90	Russia	Director, Screenwriter
18		98	Hungary	Actress
23		78	US	Dialogue Coach, Actress
23		89	UK	Actor
24		78	Italy	Actor
24		84	US	Actress
24		65	UK	Actor, Screenwriter
26		81	US	Actor
26		61	Yugoslavia	Actress
27		81	UK	Actor
29		68	Australia	Actor
31		80	US	Actor

External links

List of 1994 films at IMDb
1994 Domestic Grosses at Box Office Mojo
List of 1994 deaths at IMDb
List of 1994 births at IMDb

Notes and References

News: Turan . Kenneth . The Lion Will Roar at LACMA . Los Angeles Times . January 4, 1994 . May 17, 2022 . May 18, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220518041249/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-01-04-ca-8380-story.html . live . limited.
Web site: 1994 Worldwide Box Office . Box Office Mojo. IMDb. March 7, 2020.
Gordinier . Jeff . July 15, 1994 . Val Kilmer takes over Batman Forever. Entertainment Weekly .
News: July 1, 1994 . Keaton quits new 'Batman' movie . .