In this age of superhero movies, we rarely see a blockbuster take over the conversation in pop culture. Yes, I know there is Top Gun: Maverick, Barbie, and Oppenheimer but the true era of blockbusters is long gone and so are the movie stars there were times when blockbusters were all the rage and in this list, we are talking about that time, 1990s. Countless films were released in the 1990s and several of them became blockbusters but now many people don’t even remember them and even if they do they are not talking about them. So, we took it upon ourselves to create a list of the best 10 forgotten blockbusters that were released in the 1990s.
Air Force One (Rent on Prime Video)
Box Office: $315.2 Million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 79%
Air Force One is a political action thriller film directed by Wolfgang Peterson from a screenplay by Andrew W. Marlowe. The 1997 film follows U.S. President James Marshall on the Air Force One plane returning home from Moscow as the plane gets hijacked and held until a General is released. Now, the President of the United States is in a do-or-die situation and must fight against the hijackers. Air Force One stars Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman, Glenn Close, Wendy Crewson, Liesel Matthews, William H. Macy, Xander Berkeley, Dean Stockwell, and Tom Everett.
Con Air (Rent on Prime Video)
Box Office: $224 Million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 58%
Con Air is an action crime thriller drama film directed by Simon West from a screenplay by Scott Rosenberg. The 1997 film follows Cameron, a wrongfully convicted prisoner who is about to be released but when his transport plane is hijacked by other criminals he must take control of the plane to return home. Con Air stars Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, John Malkovich, Steve Buscemi, Monica Potter, and Danny Trejo.
Dangerous Minds (Rent on Prime Video)
Box Office: $179.5 Million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 34%
Dangerous Minds is a biographical thriller drama film directed by John N. Smith from a screenplay by Ronald Bass. Based on the 1992 autobiography My Posse Don’t Do Homework by LouAnne Johnson, the 1995 film follows LouAnne, a retired US marine who takes on the job of a California high school teacher but her mostly Latino and black students don’t easily embrace her. Dangerous Minds stars Michelle Pfeiffer, George Dzundza, Courtney B. Vance, Robin Bartlett, Bruklin Harris, and Renoly Santiago.
Clear and Present Danger (Max & Rent on Prime Video)
Box Office: $215.9 Million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 81%
Clear and Present Danger is an action thriller drama film directed by Phillip Noyce from a screenplay co-written by John Milius, Donald E. Stewart, and Steven Zaillian. Based on the 1989 novel of the same name by author Tom Clancy, the 1994 film follows Jack Ryan, a CIA analyst who uncovers an illegal operation against the drug cartels in the CIA, and now he has to risk his life and career to stop these people. Clear and Present Danger stars Harrison Ford, Willem Dafoe, Anne Archer, James Earl Jones, Raymond Cruz, and Benjamin Bratt.
Big Daddy (Netflix & Rent on Prime Video)
Box Office: $234.8 Million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 39%
Big Daddy is a comedy-drama film directed by Dennis Dugan from a screenplay co-written by Steve Franks, Tim Herlihy, and Adam Sandler. The 1999 film follows Sonny Koufax, an irresponsible man who is dumped by his girlfriend for an older man and to prove that he is responsible he adopts a five-year-old boy who shows up out of nowhere and claims to be the son of Sonny’s friend. Big Daddy stars Adam Sandler, Cole Sprouse, Dylan Sprouse, Rob Schneider, Allen Covert, Leslie Mann, Jon Stewart, Steve Buscemi, and Joey Lauren Adams.
The Firm (Prime Video & MGM+)
Box Office: $270.2 Million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 76%
The Firm is a legal thriller drama film directed by Sydney Pollack from a screenplay co-written by David Rabe, Robert Towne, and David Rayfiel. Based on the 1991 novel of the same name by John Grisham, the 1993 film follows Mitch, a lawyer who is seduced by the perks of his new job at a big law firm but he soon learns that his bosses are working to keep him quiet about his firm and a Chicago mafia family’s illegal mafia family. The Firm stars Tom Cruise, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Holly Hunter, Hal Holbrook, and David Strathairn.
The Pelican Brief (Rent on Prime Video)
Box Office: $195.3 Million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 54%
The Pelican Brief is a legal thriller drama film written and directed by Alan J. Pakula. Based on the 1992 novel of the same name by author John Grisham, the 1993 film sees two Supreme Court justices killed and when a student comes in possession of a brief that could reveal the identity of the killer, she becomes a target and seeks help from an investigative journalist. The Pelican Brief stars Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, Sam Shepard, John Heard, Tony Goldwyn, James B. Sikking, William Atherton, Stanley Tucci, Robert Culp, and John Lithgow.
Double Jeopardy (Paramount+ & Rent on Prime Video)
Box Office: $177.8 Million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 28%
Double Jeopardy is a crime thriller drama film directed by Bruce Beresford from a screenplay co-written by David Weisberg and Douglas Cook. The 1999 film follows a woman who was wrongfully convicted of killing her husband but she thinks that he isn’t dead and has deceitfully framed her. So, when she gets out of prison she tries to find her supposedly dead husband to actually kill him. Double Jeopardy stars Ashley Judd, Tommy Lee Jones, Bruce Greenwood, Benjamin Weir, Spencer Treat Clark, Annabeth Gish, and Romma Maffia.
Kindergarten Cop (Rent on Prime Video)
Box Office: $202 Million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 54%
Kindergarten Cop is an action comedy film directed by Ivan Reitman from a screenplay co-written by Murray Salem, Herschel Weingrod, and Timothy Harris. The 1990 film follows Detective John Kimble, a tough LAPD detective tasked with going undercover as a kindergarten teacher so that he can track down a convicted drug dealer. Kindergarten Cop stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Penelope Ann Miller, Pamela Reed, Linda Hunt, Richard Tyson, and Carroll Baker.
Eraser (Prime Video Add-On)
Box Office: $242 Million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 43%
Eraser is an action thriller film directed by Charles Russell from a screenplay co-written by Tony Puryear and Walon Green. The 1996 film follows John, a U.S. Marshal of WITSEC who is tasked with protecting Lee Cullen, a witness in an illegal arms dealer. But when it is revealed that a member of WITSEC is a mole for the enemy he must fight to survive and protect Lee Cullen. Eraser stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Caan, Vanessa Williams, James Coburn, Mark Rolston, and Tommy J. Huff.
Backdraft (Rent on Prime Video)
Box Office: $152 Million
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 73%
Backdraft is an action thriller film directed by Ron Howard from a screenplay by Gregory Widen. The 1991 film follows a rookie firefighter who tries to impress his big brother and fellow firemen as all of them unite to fight against deadly fires to save the people. Backdraft stars Kurt Russell, William Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Rebecca De Mornay, Donald Sutherland, and Robert De Niro.