Home Alone

Dirty Dancing

Stepping on toes and tangling with rejection, the women behind this "girl's movie" touched millions despite co-star tension and a meager budget.

Mix a "comedy machine" with a novice director. Add a shutdown threat, rotating robbers and terrifying stunts to home in on a ho-ho-ho holiday megahit.

Ghostbusters

A rickety script, tight timeline and effects issues almost busted this comedy. But thanks to Dan Aykroyd and company, the slimy shenanigans took off.

Die Hard

This box office titan took action movies to the next level, decked out with a relatable hero, a humorous rewrite and a well-played "yippee-ki-yay."

Back to the Future

Vroom or bust: It took a sweet ride and a rising star — or two — to build a blockbuster from a half-baked idea and the ashes of multiple flops.

Pretty Woman

Turning an unknown into a superstar and revamping the rom-com rules amid many rewrites, this megahit's success still leaves insiders pretty shocked.

Jurassic Park

Crunch the numbers, then make way for a chubby T. rex and visual effects bad boys. This box office heavyweight disrupted the way movies are made.

Forrest Gump

Life is like a box of chocolates — or a charming script unearthed by chance. Despite casting and budget woes, this humble tale became a '90s classic.

Halloween

It took a young team's blood, sweat and tears — and a triple-threat visionary — to make this bloodless yet scarily influential horror masterpiece.

Friday the 13th

What began as a bald rip-off made a bloody splash as a splatter classic. Now the unlikely crew spills its guts about the highs, lows and gory effects.

A Nightmare on Elm Street

With a studio on the line, an imaginative director in the pocket and an actorly demon in tow, this supernatural slasher hit raked in a surreal profit.

Robocop

A painfully tight suit and budget, a passionate European auteur and on-set tensions fueled this blockbuster takedown of cutthroat corporate America.

Aliens

A hard-driving director, stressed crew, great expectations — and a tiny budget — made for a difficult birth in the case of this mother of all sequels.

Coming to America

The happily ever after? It's on screen. Behind the scenes, this litigious, loveless foray involved fisticuffs, Nostradamus — and iconic Black talent.

Nightmare Before Christmas

The unlikely holiday classic, and stop-motion first, comes to ghoulish life with persistent vision — and nimble work by a ragtag bunch of misfits.

Despite its gifted cast and wonderland of effects, this endearing Christmas comedy is sold short by the studio — till it scores big with moviegoers.

Nightmare on Elm Street

The Movies That Made Us

These blockbusters brought us together and gave us the time of our lives. Meet the actors, directors and industry insiders who made them happen.

The Movies That Made Us

2019