Back in Action: July 1991
A look at the major new action movie releases (and trends) of July 1991 and July 2026
This year, I’m taking a month-by-month look at the action movies released globally in 1991, talking about the trends and individual titles that made the year in the genre and comparing them to the releases in 2026. You can read the previous entries here.
Let’s take a look at the state of action in July 1991 and July 2026, with expanded thoughts on specific movies at the bottom for paid subscribers.
The numbers
In July 1991, I found 44 action movies from 10 filmmaking nations. (Here’s a Letterboxd list.)
In July 2026, I found 41 action movies from 10 filmmaking nations. (Here’s another Letterboxd list.)
The number of action movies per month stayed around the same level in the summer of 1991, but July 2026 saw a big increase in new action movies (earlier this summer we were seeing about 30-35 per month). The major players stay the same: India, Hong Kong, USA, Japan and the Philippines in 1991; USA, China, and India in 2026.
Crime was once again the most popular sub-genre for action movies in July 1991, with just over half of the 44 movies falling into that category (and revenge thrillers a particularly popular sub-category, with six). In July 2026, thriller was the most popular sub-genre, but in general there was more variety: There were multiple action comedies, crime movies, fantasy action movies, action dramas, historical action movies, sci-fi actioners, military movies, action-horror movies – you get the picture.
Unfortunately, July 2026 also saw even more action movies made with generative AI. The Chinese and Indian industries seem to be embracing the technology more quickly than the rest of the movie-making world, and in India even some of the biggest blockbusters have been using it pretty extensively for VFX sequences.
Who were we fighting?
In July 1991, cops (12) and criminals (8) were the most common action movie protagonist type, with athlete (4) as the only other archetype with more than two examples. The most unique action hero role is probably “rock band”, from the Japanese animated movie Ziggy: Soreyuke! R&R Band. The most common antagonist type was criminal (23), with corrupt officials (7) and supernatural forces (4) as the next most popular.
July 2026’s most common action movie protagonist type was warrior (7), with quite a few new fantasy movies (including two renditions of The Odyssey). Other common protagonist types were criminal (6), cop (6), and soldier (5, and I’d accept an argument to combine this category with warrior). The most unique action hero roles were life guard (Water Park Sharks), nightclub worker (Samson and Delilah), and YouTuber (The Saltiz Movie – 100th Vlog). The most common antagonist type was criminal (14), with corrupt officials (5) and soldiers (5) also fairly popular. Also of note: two different action movies with water sharks (Water Park Sharks and Above & Below) and one with a loan shark (Thailand’s The Debt Collector)!
In July 1991, 75% of action heroes had a background in violence, while 25% didn’t. The ratio in July 2026 was similar: 74% had a background in violence, 26% didn’t.
In July 1991, 86% of action heroes were men, and 14% were women. In July 2026, 74% were men, and 26% were women.
America
July 1991
Three notable box office hits came out in July 1991: The parody movie Hot Shots!, Kathryn Bigelow’s surfer heist bromance Point Break, and the biggest hit of the year, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, from Bigelow’s at-the-time husband James Cameron. The action-packed sequel changed the industry forever, as the advances in special effects significantly led to the overall transition from practical effects to computer effects for Hollywood blockbusters. Judgment Day made over $500 million worldwide (at the time behind only Star Wars and E.T.), and won Academy Awards for Best Makeup, Best Sound, Best Sound Effects Editing, and Best Visual Effects.
July 2026
July was also a major month for the action genre at the box office in 2026. After a sluggish start in theaters (Angel Studios’ Young Washington), the month was rescued by massive hits The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which are well on pace to become the fourth and fifth movies of the year to eclipse $1 billion at the worldwide box office. There are few things as reliable at the box office these days as Christopher Nolan and Spider-Man.
Also of note: new movies from decorated DTV action directors William Kaufman (the military thriller Man of War) and Jesse V. Johnson (the shark movie/crime thriller Above & Below), Asylum’s much cheaper version of The Odyssey, and the new Airbender movie Avatar Aang: The Last Airbender, which Paramount sent to streaming purgatory despite a diehard fanbase, positive reviews, and a steep $80 million budget.
East Asia
July 1991
Hong Kong had a massive hit of its own in Stephen Chow’s Fight Back to School, the latest mega-hit from an actor who was quickly becoming the industry’s biggest star. At the time the highest-grossing movie in Hong Kong history (surpassed the following year by two more Stephen Chow movies), it was nominated for four Hong Kong Film Awards and is still #28 on the all-time Hong Kong box office ranking. Also notable from Hong Kong this month: the final movie from the A Chinese Ghost Story trilogy (this time starring Tony Leung Chiu-wai).
In Japan, the fifth Dragon Ball Z movie, Cooler’s Revenge, came out, as well as a few V-cinema movies and some TV movies.
July 2026
In China, Stephen Chow himself came back with another big hit, Kung Fu Soccer (not a direct successor to Shaolin Soccer, but more of a spiritual sequel). The animated fantasy adventure All Wishes Come True! also made a big splash. Also of note: a new movie in the Ip Man franchise (not the Donnie Yen Ip Man franchise; the other one), a few DTV police and crime thrillers, and an AI-generated animated movie.
In Japan, the fifth movie in the Kingdom franchise came out and did fairly well at the box office. It’s third among Japanese movies at the domestic box office this year, behind Until We Meet Again and the massive hit Detective Conan: Fallen Angel of the Highway (still #1 overall at the Japanese box office this year).
South and Southeast Asia
July 1991
The Indian action movies of the month were led by big hits in the Hindi and Malayalam industries. The action epic Narsimha ended up as one of the top 10 movies at the Hindi box office in 1991, while the big Malayalam hit Abhimanyu delivered at the box office and also secured critical praise, winning three Kerala State film Awards including Best Actor for Mohanlal.
Also notable: Rajinikanth’s fifth movie of the year so far (Phool Bane Angaray), and another movie about infamous forest bandit Veerappan (the second so far in 1991).
July 2026
India’s action releases saw a few notable hits. After censorship drama delayed its release by nearly a year, Jana Nayagan, the final film for mega-star (and newly-elected chief minister of Tamil Nadu) Vijay, failed to reach the high highs of some of his earlier hits. It still pulled in enough audience members to rank second at the Kollywood box office this year so far, however. Meanwhile, Hindi action comedy Dhamaal 4 pulled in about $22 million, which ranks it fourth at the Bollywood box office this year and significantly ahead of the new star-studded spy blockbuster Alpha, which hasn’t yet made back its hefty budget. Also of note: Lenin, a romantic action drama that is sixth at the Tollywood box office this year so far.
A trend worth keeping an eye on: multiple new Indian releases seem to have heavily used generative AI for VFX sequences, including Jana Nayagan, Dhamaal 4, and Nagabandham: The Secret Treasure. It’s something we’d seen earlier in the year out of Indian action movies, but not quite to this degree.
Best poster:
I’m a sucker for a painted poster, and I love this one for the Soviet action/crime-thriller To the Last Limit.
For paid subscribers, I’ve written some thoughts about all the action movies I watched from July 1991 (Fight Back to School, A Chinese Ghost Story III, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Abhimanyu, and Point Break). I’m also keeping lists ranking the 1991 action movies and 2026 action movies I’ve watched while doing this project. And here’s a preview of the movies I’ll be looking at for August 1991.
July 1991 action movies
Fight Back to School
Where to watch: Free with ads on YouTube, Fawesome
Fight Back to School is another zany Stephen Chow action comedy, with the thinnest of possible plots as an excuse for 21 Jump Street-style “undercover cop at a high school” antics. Chow plays a police officer on the verge of being dismissed who is given an important job from a superior – find a stolen gun at a high school. Chow spends approximately zero seconds looking for that gun, and instead has to avoid failing school and getting in trouble with students and teachers alike.
