Release Date: July 21, 1995
Box Office: $56.6 million
Why: A teen comedy starring "that girl from the Aerosmith videos" winds up out-grossing heavily hyped summer competition from Sylvester Stallone ("Judge Dredd"), Richard Gere and Sean Connery ("First Knight"), Toys R Us ("Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers") and sequels to popular hits ("Under Siege 2," "Free Willy 2")? As if! But that's exactly what happened thanks to a clever and quotable WGA-nominated script by writer-director Amy Heckerling, who added another high school hit to her resume alongside "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and made a star -- at least briefly -- out of Alicia Silverstone.

- Geoff Berkshire