On This Day in 2005, the Masses Flocked to the Theaters To See Joaquin Phoenix Take On the Role of the Man in Black

Nowadays, music biopics seem to be released every couple of months. In the last decade, we’ve seen films about Elton John, Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, Freddie Mercury, Whitney Houston, and now Bruce Springsteen, with one on the way about Michael Jackson. To us, they come out a bit too often and seem kind of like a cash grab. Though in the 2000s and before, they were fundamentally great films released less frequently. Well, on this day, November 18, 2005, one of the best of them was released in the United States—Walk The Line, about Johnny Cash.

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On this day in 2005, the masses flocked to the theaters to see Joaquin Phoenix step into Johnny Cash’s shoes. Accompanying Phoenix were Reese Witherspoon as June Carter Cash, Ginnifer Goodwin as Vivian Cash, and Dallas Roberts as Sam Phillips.

Directed by James Mangold, many often consider it one of the greatest music biopics of all time. That is just not an opinion, but also roughly a fact, because this film has the proof to back it up.

The Sweeping Success of ‘Walk The Line’

It was a Friday when folks flocked to the theaters on November 18, 2005. Come Monday, November 21, the film grossed $22,347,341 from 2,961 theaters across the country. In total, the Johnny Cash story, Walk The Line, grossed $187 million with a budget of only $28 million. Needless to say, it was a box office hit, but opening weekend was only the start of this film’s success.

After the dust settled from the theater rush, the film received three Golden Globe and four Oscar nominations. Of those nominations, the film won four, with Reese Witherspoon taking home the Golden Globe and Oscar for Best Actress, and Joaquin Phoenix winning the Golden Globe for Best Actor.

Mentioning accolades is important, but they sometimes overshadow the artistic purpose of the art in question. Concerning Walk The Line, the artistic purpose was to retell the early career of Johnny Cash. A career that helped cement the country music industry as a major force in American pop culture, as well as define one of America’s most important singer/songwriters, Johnny Cash.

20 years after its release, many still view it as one of the greatest music biopics of all time. Between the story, the performances, production, and writing, we’d have to agree with them. If you have nothing to do tonight after work, you should give this film a revisit.

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