Thanks to a big, green ogre, a wall-walking web slinger and no less a presence than Jesus Christ himself, boxoffice soared to unprecedented heights.

If boxoffice returns were measured not in dollars but in water-cooler discussion, 2004’s most controversial entries — Mel Gibson’s Biblical epic "The Passion of the Christ" and Michael Moore’s political documentary "Fahrenheit 9/11" — undoubtedly would have emerged as the year’s top performers. Although both films generated mass amounts of media frenzy, only Gibson’s passion project could surpass all but two other titles to become the third-highest-grossing film of the year with $370 million in domestic theatrical revenue alone. Now that’s what some might call a miracle.

In the end, only franchise favorites with family appeal could compete against the seemingly unstoppable "Passion." DreamWorks’ rollicking "Shrek 2" capitalized on the tremendous popularity of its 2001 predecessor to top the boxoffice charts, earning upward of $400 million stateside, with Sony’s "Spider-Man 2" and its $300 million-plus domestic gross chasing not so far behind. Not to be discounted, Warner Bros. Pictures’ third installment in its fantasy franchise, "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," pulled its weight with $249 million in domestic boxoffice receipts. Altogether, the latest adventures of Shrek, Spidey and intrepid wizard Harry earned nearly $1 billion domestically, helping to push the boxoffice to a record $9.29 billion.

Overall, low-risk, special-effects-intensive films exhibiting big audience potential fared best, with three animated features placing in the year’s top 10. Apart from boxoffice champion "Shrek 2," Buena Vista continued its winning streak with Pixar Animation Studios’ Oscar winner for best animated feature, "The Incredibles" ($261 million). And solid word of mouth and a particularly lucrative IMAX run helped Warners’ "The Polar Express," directed by Robert Zemeckis and starring Tom Hanks, overcome a certain amount of negative reaction to its distinct visual to earn a whopping $162.7 million.

Although family fare — and breakout hits like Universal’s comedy "Meet the Fockers," which grossed a jaw-dropping $279 million — helped the boxoffice surpass 2003’s $9 billion haul, admissions were actually down, 1.53 billion to the previous year’s 1.57 billion. In reality, higher ticket prices, not higher attendance figures, were behind the boxoffice bump.

Total boxoffice for all movies surveyed in The Hollywood Reporter’s annual Film 500 reached $9.29 billion, up from 2003’s sum. The Film 500 takes a unique look at the industry, measuring the boxoffice gross of every movie released during a calendar year and tracking those titles throughout their domestic theatrical runs. This year’s survey looks at 478 films and provides detailed analysis into each distributor’s yearly performance, including its average-per-film revenue.

In a repeat of 2003, the same four studios — Warner Bros., Sony, Buena Vista and Universal — crossed the $1 billion mark, though in a different order than the previous year. (Despite having the year’s single highest-grossing film, DreamWorks placed fifth overall.)

While "Spider-Man 2" distributor Sony was thought to be the studio to beat in 2004, end-of-year films such as "Polar Express," Steven Soderbergh’s "Ocean’s Twelve" and best picture Oscar winner "Million Dollar Baby" added enough to Warners’ coffers to help that studio take the coveted lead position. With 22 films released, the Burbank-based company earned a tidy $1.3 billion. Sony instead placed second, releasing 18 films including such breakout hits as the Adam Sandler-Drew Barrymore romantic comedy "50 First Dates" ($121 million) and the Sarah Michelle Gellar horror-thriller "The Grudge" ($110 million). Buena Vista, which held the top slot among distributors for 2003 totals, released 20 films and placed third, bolstered by the fantastic performance of "Incredibles."

Universal released fewer films than the other top studios but still managed to cross the $1 billion mark. The company released only 14 films during the calendar year but generated an impressive average of $75.2 million per film, scoring with the phenomenally successful "Fockers" and "The Bourne Supremacy," which took in $176 million. Stephen Sommers’ May action-adventure "Van Helsing" was the only other Universal film to earn more than $100 million during its domestic theatrical run.

In terms of ratings, PG and PG-13 films garnered the most interest, with eight of the top 10 films carrying one of those ratings. "Polar Express" was the only G-rated film to make the cut; Newmarket’s "Passion" was the only R-rated film.

During the course of the year, "Shrek 2" was the lone title to surpass the $400 million benchmark, with "Spider-Man 2" and "Passion" both earning more than $300 million. Some 24 movies topped $100 million.