1997 in film

The year 1997 in film involved many significant films, including Titanic, and the beginning of the film studio DreamWorks.

Highest-grossing films
The top ten films released in 1997 by worldwide gross are as follows:

Events
Academy Awards
 * The original Star Wars trilogy Special Editions are released.
 * The Fifth Element is released, becoming a global box office success. It will go on to become the top grossing French film of all time, a record it will hold for 11 years until the release of The Intouchables in 2011
 * Titanic becomes the first film to gross US$1 billion at the box office making it the highest-grossing film in history until Avatar broke the record in 2010.
 * The Lost World: Jurassic Park grosses a record $90,161,880 on Memorial Day Weekend.

Golden Globe Awards

Palme d'Or (Cannes Film Festival):
 * Taste of Cherry (طعم گيلاس, Ta'm-e gilass), directed by Abbas Kiarostami, Iran / France
 * The Eel (うなぎ, Unagi), directed by Shohei Imamura, Japan

Golden Lion (Venice Film Festival):
 * Hana-bi (Fireworks), directed by Takeshi Kitano, Japan

Golden Bear (Berlin Film Festival):
 * The People vs. Larry Flynt, directed by Miloš Forman, Canada / United States

Award ceremonies

 * 2nd Empire Awards

Notable films released in 1997
U.S.A. unless stated

A–D
A B C D
 * Absolute Power, directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, with Gene Hackman, Ed Harris, Laura Linney, Judy Davis, Dennis Haysbert, Scott Glenn, E. G. Marshall
 * Addicted to Love, starring Meg Ryan and Matthew Broderick
 * Airbag – (Spain)
 * Air Bud
 * Air Force One, starring Harrison Ford, Glenn Close, Gary Oldman
 * The Alarmist, starring David Arquette and Stanley Tucci
 * Albino Alligator, directed by Kevin Spacey, starring Matt Dillon, Gary Sinise, Viggo Mortensen
 * Alien Resurrection, starring Sigourney Weaver, Winona Ryder
 * All Over Me
 * An American Werewolf in Paris, starring Tom Everett Scott
 * American Vampfire, starring Carmen Electra
 * Amistad, directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Morgan Freeman, Anthony Hopkins, Djimon Hounsou
 * Anaconda, starring Jennifer Lopez, Eric Stoltz, Jon Voight
 * Anastasia, directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman
 * Another Day in Paradise, starring Melanie Griffith, Natasha Gregson Wagner, James Woods
 * The Apostle, directed by and starring Robert Duvall, with Miranda Richardson, Farrah Fawcett
 * As Good as It Gets, directed by James L. Brooks, starring Jack Nicholson, Helen Hunt, Greg Kinnear – Golden Globe Award for Best Picture (Musical or Comedy)
 * The Assignment
 * Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, directed by Jay Roach and starring Mike Myers, Elizabeth Hurley, Mimi Rogers, Michael York
 * Bang
 * Batman & Robin, starring George Clooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Chris O'Donnell, Uma Thurman
 * Bean, directed by Mel Smith, starring Rowan Atkinson – (UK)
 * Bent, starring Clive Owen – (UK), rated NC-17
 * Best Men, starring Dean Cain, Sean Patrick Flanery, Drew Barrymore, Fred Ward, Andy Dick
 * Beverly Hills Ninja, starring Chris Farley
 * Blackrock, starring Heath Ledger – (Australia)
 * Boogie Nights, directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, starring Mark Wahlberg, Burt Reynolds, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, William H. Macy, John C. Reilly, Don Cheadle
 * Booty Call, starring Jamie Foxx
 * Bounty Hunters 2: Hardball
 * The Borrowers, starring John Goodman
 * Le Bossu (The Hunchback), starring Daniel Auteuil – (France)
 * The Boxer, starring Daniel Day-Lewis
 * Breakdown, starring Kurt Russell, Kathleen Quinlan, J. T. Walsh
 * Brother (Brat) – (Russia)
 * Buddy, starring Rene Russo
 * The Butcher Boy, directed by Neil Jordan – (Ireland)
 * Buud Yam – (Burkina Faso)
 * Campfire Tales
 * Career Girls, directed by Mike Leigh – (UK)
 * The Castle – (Australia)
 * Cats Don't Dance, directed by Mark Dindal
 * Character (Karakter) – (Netherlands/Belgium) – Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
 * Chasing Amy, directed by Kevin Smith, starring Ben Affleck
 * Children of Heaven (بچه‌های آسمان), directed by Majid Majidi – (Iran) – first Iranian film to be nominated for an Oscar
 * City of Industry, directed by John Sayles
 * Clockwatchers, starring Toni Collette, Parker Posey, Lisa Kudrow
 * Commandments, starring Courteney Cox
 * Con Air, starring John Cusack, Nicolas Cage, John Malkovich, Steve Buscemi
 * Conspiracy Theory, directed by Richard Donner, starring Mel Gibson and Julia Roberts
 * Contact, directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Skerritt, James Woods, John Hurt
 * Cop Land, directed by James Mangold, starring Sylvester Stallone, Harvey Keitel, Ray Liotta, Robert De Niro
 * Crayola Kids Adventures: Tales of Gulliver's Travels
 * Cube – (Canada)
 * Dakan (Destiny) (Guinea)
 * Dangerous Ground, starring Ice Cube
 * Dante's Peak, starring Pierce Brosnan and Linda Hamilton
 * Deconstructing Harry, directed by and starring Woody Allen
 * Def Jam's How to Be a Player
 * Defying Gravity
 * The Devil's Advocate, starring Keanu Reeves and Al Pacino
 * The Devil's Own, directed by Alan J. Pakula, starring Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt
 * Different Strokes, starring Dana Plato and Bentley Mitchum
 * Dogtown, starring Mary Stuart Masterson, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Jon Favreau
 * Donnie Brasco, directed by Mike Newell, starring Al Pacino and Johnny Depp
 * Double Team, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme and Mickey Rourke
 * Dream with the Fishes

E–K
E F G H I J–K
 * The Edge, starring Anthony Hopkins and Alec Baldwin
 * Ed Mort - (Brazil)
 * The Eel, directed by Shohei Imamura – (Japan) – Palme d'Or award
 * The End of Evangelion (July 19 – Japan)
 * Evangelion: Death and Rebirth – (Japan)
 * Event Horizon, starring Laurence Fishburne
 * Eve's Bayou, starring Lynn Whitfield and Samuel L. Jackson
 * Excess Baggage, starring Alicia Silverstone and Benicio del Toro
 * Face, starring Robert Carlyle and Ray Winstone – (UK)
 * Face/Off, directed by John Woo, starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage
 * Fathers' Day, starring Robin Williams and Billy Crystal
 * FernGully 2: The Magical Rescue
 * Fever Pitch, starring Colin Firth – (UK)
 * Fierce Creatures, starring John Cleese, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kevin Kline, Michael Palin – (UK/US)
 * The Fifth Element, directed by Luc Besson, starring Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Milla Jovovich, Chris Tucker – (France)
 * Fire Down Below, starring Steven Seagal
 * ...First Do No Harm, starring Meryl Streep, Fred Ward
 * First Time Felon, starring Omar Epps and Delroy Lindo
 * Floating, starring Norman Reedus
 * Flubber, directed by Les Mayfield, starring Robin Williams, Christopher McDonald, Clancy Brown, voices by Jodi Benson
 * Fools Rush In, starring Salma Hayek and Matthew Perry
 * For Richer or Poorer, starring Tim Allen and Kirstie Alley
 * Free Willy 3: The Rescue, directed by Sam Pillsbury
 * The Full Monty, directed by Peter Cattaneo and starring Robert Carlyle – (UK)
 * Funny Games, directed by Michael Haneke – (Austria)
 * G.I. Jane, starring Demi Moore and Anne Bancroft
 * The Game, directed by David Fincher, starring Michael Douglas and Sean Penn
 * Gang Related, starring James Belushi, Dennis Quaid, Tupac Shakur
 * Gattaca, starring Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law
 * George of the Jungle, directed by Sam Weisman, starring Brendan Fraser, Leslie Mann, Thomas Haden Church, Richard Roundtree and John Cleese (voice only)
 * Ghosts, a music short featuring Michael Jackson
 * Glam, starring William McNamara, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Tony Danza, Jon Cryer – rated NC-17
 * Gone Fishin' , starring Joe Pesci and Danny Glover
 * Good Burger, starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell
 * Good Will Hunting, directed by Gus Van Sant, starring Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Minnie Driver, Ben Affleck
 * Goodbye America – (Philippines/US)
 * Gridlock'd, starring Tim Roth and Tupac Shakur
 * Grosse Pointe Blank, starring John Cusack, Minnie Driver, Dan Aykroyd
 * Hacks, starring Stephen Rea, Illeana Douglas, John Ritter
 * Hamam – (Italy/Spain/Turkey)
 * Hana-bi (Fireworks), directed by and starring Takeshi Kitano – Palme d'Or award – (Japan)
 * Heaven's Burning, starring Russell Crowe and Youki Kudoh – (Australia)
 * Henry Fool, directed by Hal Hartley – winner of Best Screenplay Cannes Film Festival
 * Hercules
 * Highball, starring Justine Bateman
 * Hold You Tight, directed by Stanley Kwan – (Hong Kong)
 * Home Alone 3, starring Alex D. Linz and Scarlett Johansson
 * Hoodlum, starring Laurence Fishburne
 * The Hound
 * The House of Yes. starring Parker Posey, Tori Spelling, Freddie Prinze Jr.
 * Hugo Pool, starring Alyssa Milano, Patrick Dempsey, Robert Downey Jr.
 * Hurricane Streets
 * I Know What You Did Last Summer, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe
 * The Ice Storm, starring Kevin Kline, Joan Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Tobey Maguire
 * In & Out, starring Kevin Kline, Joan Cusack, Tom Selleck, Matt Dillon, Bob Newhart
 * In the Company of Men
 * Incognito, starring Jason Patric
 * Into Thin Air
 * Inventing the Abbotts, starring Liv Tyler, Joaquin Phoenix, Billy Crudup, Jennifer Connelly
 * The Jackal, starring Bruce Willis and Richard Gere
 * Jackie Brown, directed by Quentin Tarantino, starring Samuel L. Jackson, Pam Grier, Bridget Fonda, Michael Keaton, Robert Forster, Robert De Niro
 * Jackie Chan's First Strike – (Hong Kong)
 * Jack Frost
 * Joey – (Australia)
 * Josh and the Big Wall!
 * Joyride, starring Tobey Maguire and Benicio Del Toro
 * Jungle 2 Jungle, starring Tim Allen
 * Just Write, starring Jeremy Piven
 * Kini and Adams – (Burkina Faso)
 * Kiss or Kill – (Australia)
 * Kiss the Girls, starring Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd
 * Kiss & Tell, starring Heather Graham and Rose McGowan
 * Kitchen Party - (Canada)
 * Knockin' on Heaven's Door – (Germany)
 * Kull the Conqueror
 * Kundun, directed by Martin Scorsese

L–Q
L M N–O P–Q
 * L.A. Confidential, directed by Curtis Hanson, starring Kevin Spacey, Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, Kim Basinger, Danny DeVito, James Cromwell
 * Larry-Boy! And the Fib from Outer Space!
 * The Last Time I Committed Suicide, starring Thomas Jane and Keanu Reeves
 * Lawn Dogs, starring Sam Rockwell
 * Leave It to Beaver, starring Christopher McDonald and Janine Turner
 * Lewis and Clark and George
 * Liar Liar, starring Jim Carrey
 * Life is Beautiful, directed by and starring Roberto Benigni – (Italy) – Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
 * A Life Less Ordinary, starring Ewan McGregor and Cameron Diaz – (UK/US)
 * Little Boy Blue, starring Ryan Phillippe and Nastassja Kinski
 * Little City, starring Jon Bon Jovi
 * Live Flesh, directed by Pedro Almodóvar, starring Javier Bardem – (Spain)
 * Lolita, starring Jeremy Irons
 * Lost Highway, directed by David Lynch, starring Bill Pullman and Patricia Arquette
 * The Lost World: Jurassic Park, directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Jeff Goldblum and Julianne Moore
 * Love and Death on Long Island, starring John Hurt – (Canada/UK)
 * Love Jones
 * Lovelife, starring Sherilyn Fenn and Carla Gugino
 * Ma vie en rose (My Life in Pink) – (Belgium) – Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film
 * Mad City, starring Dustin Hoffman and John Travolta
 * The Man Who Knew Too Little, starring Bill Murray
 * Masterminds, starring Patrick Stewart
 * The MatchMaker, starring Janeane Garofalo – (Ireland)
 * Meet Wally Sparks, starring Rodney Dangerfield
 * Men in Black, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld, starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith
 * Metro, starring Eddie Murphy
 * Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, directed by Clint Eastwood, starring Kevin Spacey and John Cusack
 * Mimic, starring Mira Sorvino
 * Money Talks, starring Chris Tucker
 * Mortal Kombat: Annihilation
 * Most Wanted
 * Mouse Hunt, starring Nathan Lane
 * Mr. Magoo, starring Leslie Nielsen
 * Mrs Brown, starring Judi Dench and Billy Connolly – (UK)
 * Mrs. Dalloway, starring Vanessa Redgrave – (UK)
 * Murder at 1600, starring Wesley Snipes
 * My Best Friend's Wedding, starring Julia Roberts
 * My Heart Is Mine Alone – (Germany)
 * Myself in the Distant Future – (North Korea)
 * Nevada, starring Amy Brenneman
 * Night Falls on Manhattan, directed by Sidney Lumet, starring Andy García
 * The Night Flier, starring Miguel Ferrer
 * Night of the Demons 3
 * Nightwatch, starting Ewan McGregor, Josh Brolin, Nick Nolte
 * Nil by Mouth, directed by Gary Oldman, starring Ray Winstone – (UK)
 * Nothing to Lose, starring Martin Lawrence and Tim Robbins
 * Nowhere
 * Office Killer, starring Molly Ringwald
 * The Old Lady and the Pigeons – (France)
 * 187, starring Samuel L. Jackson
 * One Night Stand, starring Wesley Snipes
 * Orgazmo starring Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Dian Bachar, rated NC-17
 * Ossos (Portugal)
 * Out to Sea, starring Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon
 * Paws, starring Heath Ledger – (Australia)
 * The Peacemaker, starring George Clooney and Nicole Kidman
 * Perdita Durango, starring Javier Bardem and Rosie Perez – (Spain)
 * The Perfect Circle (Savršeni krug), directed by Ademir Kenović – (Bosnia and Herzogovina)
 * Picture Perfect, starring Jennifer Aniston
 * Pippi Longstocking – (Sweden)
 * Playing God, starring David Duchovny
 * Plump Fiction
 * The Postman, directed by and starring Kevin Costner
 * Prefontaine, starring Jared Leto
 * Pride Divide
 * Princess Mononoke (Mononoke Hime) – (Japan)
 * Private Parts, starring Howard Stern
 * Quiet Days in Hollywood, starring Hilary Swank, Chad Lowe, Natasha Gregson Wagner - (Germany)

R–Z
R S T U–V W X–Z
 * The Rainmaker, directed by Francis Coppola, starring Matt Damon, Danny DeVito, Claire Danes, Jon Voight
 * The Rage, starring Gary Busey and Lorenzo Lamas
 * Red Corner, starring Richard Gere
 * Regeneration, starring Jonathan Pryce – (UK)
 * The Relic, starring Penelope Ann Miller
 * Retroactive
 * A River Made to Drown In
 * RocketMan
 * Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, starring Lisa Kudrow and Mira Sorvino
 * Rosewood, directed by John Singleton, starring Ving Rhames
 * The Saint, starring Val Kilmer
 * Scream 2, starring Neve Campbell
 * Selena, starring Jennifer Lopez
 * Seven Years in Tibet, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, starring Brad Pitt – (US/UK)
 * She's So Lovely, starring Sean Penn, Robin Wright Penn, John Travolta
 * Shooting Fish – (UK)
 * The Sixth Man, starring Marlon Wayans
 * Soul Food, starring Vanessa L. Williams and Vivica A. Fox
 * The Soong Sisters, starring Maggie Cheung, Michelle Yeoh and Vivian Wu – (Hong Kong)
 * Space Marines
 * Spaceman
 * The Spanish Prisoner, directed by David Mamet, starring Campbell Scott and Steve Martin
 * Spawn, starring Michael Jai White, John Leguizamo, Frank Welker and Martin Sheen
 * Speed 2: Cruise Control, starring Sandra Bullock
 * Spice World, featuring The Spice Girls and Richard E. Grant – (UK/US)
 * Stag
 * Star Wars Trilogy (Special Edition)
 * Starship Troopers, directed by Paul Verhoeven
 * Steel, starring Shaquille O'Neal
 * Strawberry Fields
 * Suicide Kings, starring Christopher Walken
 * Sunday
 * Super Speedway
 * The Sweet Hereafter, starring Ian Holm – (Canada)
 * Switchback, starring Danny Glover and Dennis Quaid
 * Taste of Cherry, directed by Abbas Kiarostami – (Iran) – Palme d'Or award
 * That Old Feeling, starring Bette Midler and Dennis Farina
 * The Thief (vor) – (Russia)
 * This World, Then the Fireworks, starring Billy Zane and Gina Gershon
 * Time Under Fire
 * Titanic, directed by James Cameron, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet – Academy and Golden Globe (drama) Awards for Best Picture
 * Tomorrow Never Dies, starring Pierce Brosnan (as James Bond), Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher, Judi Dench – (UK)
 * Trojan War
 * Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie
 * Turbulence, starring Ray Liotta and Lauren Holly
 * Two Girls and a Guy, starring Robert Downey Jr., Heather Graham, Natasha Gregson Wagner
 * U Turn, directed by Oliver Stone, starring Sean Penn, Jennifer Lopez, Nick Nolte
 * Under the Lighthouse Dancing – (Australia)
 * Ulee's Gold, starring Peter Fonda
 * Vegas Vacation, starring Chevy Chase
 * Volcano, starring Tommy Lee Jones
 * Wag the Dog, directed by Barry Levinson, starring Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman
 * Waiting for Guffman, directed by Christopher Guest
 * Warriors of Virtue – (US/China)
 * Welcome to Sarajevo, starring Woody Harrelson
 * The Wiggles Movie – (Australia)
 * Wild America
 * The Wings of the Dove, starring Helena Bonham Carter – (UK/US)
 * Wishmaster
 * The Wrong Guy, starring Dave Foley – (Canada)
 * Year of the Dogs – (Australia)
 * Year of the Horse, a documentary film about Neil Young directed by Jim Jarmusch
 * Zeus and Roxanne, starring Steve Guttenberg and Kathleen Quinlan

Births

 * January 21 – Jeremy Shada, American actor and musician
 * January 24
 * Jonah Bobo, American actor
 * Dylan Riley Snyder, American actor
 * February 10 – Chloë Grace Moretz, American actress
 * February 25 – Isabelle Fuhrman, American actress
 * April 2 - Stefan Movie Flix Tomasi, Canadian actor
 * April 15 – Maisie Williams, British actress
 * May 11 – Lana Condor, American actress
 * May 30 – Jake Short, American actor
 * June 16 – Camila Morrone, American model and actress
 * June 17 – KJ Apa, New Zealand actor
 * June 18 – Max Records, American actor
 * July 13 – Leo Howard, American actor and martial artist
 * July 22 – Field Cate, American actor
 * August 5
 * Olivia Holt, American teen actress and singer
 * Adam Irigoyen, American actor
 * August 25 – Bryana Salaz, American actress and singer
 * August 28 – Emilia McCarthy, Canadian actress
 * August 30 – Dana Gaier, American actress
 * September 16 – Elena Kampouris, American actress
 * October 7 – Kira Kosarin, American actress
 * October 8 – Bella Thorne, singer, model and actress
 * October 10 – Grace Rolek, American actress and voice actress
 * October 23 – Zach Callison, American actor and voice actor
 * October 28 – Sierra McCormick, American actress
 * November 1
 * Max Burkholder, American actor
 * Alex Wolff, American actor and musician
 * November 26 – Aubrey Joseph, American actor and rapper
 * December 11 – Taylor Hickson, Canadian actress
 * December 15 – Maude Apatow, American actress

Film debuts

 * Eric Bana - The Castle
 * Mischa Barton - Lawn Dogs
 * Paul Bettany - Bent
 * Leslie Bibb - Private Parts
 * Jessica Biel - Ulee's Gold
 * Cate Blanchett - Paradise Road
 * Orlando Bloom - Wilde
 * Gerard Butler - Mrs Brown
 * Chiwetel Ejiofor - Amistad
 * Shannon Elizabeth - Blast
 * Tom Felton - The Borrowers
 * Jennifer Garner - Deconstructing Harry
 * Ryan Gosling - Frankenstein and Me
 * Adrian Grenier - Arresting Gena
 * Ioan Gruffudd - Wilde
 * Katie Holmes - The Ice Storm
 * Samantha Morton - This Is the Sea
 * Sara Paxton - Liar Liar
 * Jaime Pressly - Poison Ivy: The New Seduction
 * Norman Reedus - Mimic
 * Maya Rudolph - Gattaca
 * Amy Smart - The Last Time I Committed Suicide
 * Leelee Sobieski - Jungle 2 Jungle
 * Mena Suvari - Nowhere
 * Olivia Williams - Gaston's War