The Bobby Bones Show: MOVIE MIKE – Movie Mike’s Movie Podcast November 29, 2025 – “What Actor Had The Best Single Year Run? + Wicked: For Good Review + Trailer Park: Super Mario Galaxy”
Episode Overview
In this episode, Movie Mike explores a fascinating question for movie lovers: Which actor has had the best single-year run at the box office? He analyzes milestone years for major stars, fact-checks viral movie trivia, and debates what qualifies as a true “best year” for an actor. Mike also provides a spoiler-free review of the highly anticipated sequel "Wicked: For Good," comparing it to the Broadway stage version, and rounds out the episode with a breakdown of the "Super Mario Galaxy" trailer and his top five most anticipated video game adaptations.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The “Best Single Year Run” for an Actor (03:31–32:23)
- Setting Up the Topic:
- Viral claim: Only two actors ever had three #1 movies in a year.
- Mike questions the validity: “That sounded crazy to me. I saw this headline everywhere... I thought that sounds like a record that could be broken.” (03:31)
The Gold Standard: Jim Carrey, 1994 (05:10–06:20)
- Movies: The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, Ace Ventura
- “1994 is historically one of the best years for film of all time... Jim Carrey was responsible for three number one movies that year.” (03:52)
- “Dumb and Dumber is my favorite comedy of all time.” (04:32)
- Highlights the range and cultural impact of Carrey’s roles.
The Modern Case: Mason Thames, 2025 (06:31–10:30)
- Movies: How to Train Your Dragon (live action), Black Phone 2, Regretting You
- Asterisks over box office stats: “Even when I saw the reports... everybody said Regretting You was a number one movie... Black Phone 2 ended up beating it out... but the numbers I looked up still say Regretting You... made 8.1 million and Black Phone 2 made 8 million. So it’s really close.” (09:35)
- “Mason Thames wins because he was in both... and is quietly having one of the best years in Hollywood.” (10:23)
Other Notable Contenders
- Zendaya, 2021: Space Jam: A New Legacy, Dune Part 1, Spider-Man: No Way Home—though technicalities about lead vs. supporting roles obscure recognition. (11:16)
- Ben Stiller, 2004: Along Came Polly, Dodgeball, Meet the Fockers (all #1 openings), plus Starsky & Hutch and cameo in Anchorman.
- “I am here to say justice for Ben Stiller.” (13:12)
- Scarlett Johansson, 2019: Avengers: Endgame, Jojo Rabbit, Marriage Story, plus cameo in Captain Marvel.
- “With those three movies, Scarlett Johansson tops the Forbes list of the 10 highest paid actors of the year, making $56 million.” (15:26)
- Pedro Pascal, 2025: Materialists, Eddington, Fantastic Four (2 of 3 hit, not all #1s). “Pedro Pascal this year has really infiltrated the minds of people. So much so that some people are sick of him.” (17:16)
- Josh Brolin, 2025: Close run with Weapons, The Running Man, new Knives Out film.
- Jennifer Lawrence: Multiple dominant years—2012 (The Hunger Games, Silver Linings Playbook, House at the End of the Street) to 2014 (Mockingjay, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Serena).
- Ryan Gosling, 2011: Crazy, Stupid, Love, Drive, The Ides of March.
- Jack Nicholson, 1975: The Passenger, The Fortune, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
- Other Notables: Leonardo DiCaprio (2013), Will Ferrell (2003), Orlando Bloom (2003), Nicole Kidman (2001), Tom Hanks (1993), Timothée Chalamet (2017), Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (2013), Samuel L. Jackson (2019).
Reflection on Movie Stardom & Box Office Success
- “We are obsessed with financial success. Sometimes... the expectation that every big project will be a box office hit is unfair.” (19:30)
- “Cult classics are harder to make now, when failure at the box office instantly labels a movie as bad.” (20:50)
How Modern Actors Stack Up
- “Actors just have one big movie a year now... Leonardo DiCaprio, even Jennifer Lawrence, now have shifted to basically doing one big movie a year.” (24:31)
- “If Samuel L. Jackson cannot get this recognition, who else has a chance?” (29:38)
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Run (1982–2000) (30:38–32:23)
- Lists a near-unbroken streak of hits—Conan, Terminator, Predator, Twins, True Lies, Jingle All the Way, etc.
- “That is a historic run. You could argue there’s a solid seven years in there... [with] so many standouts of both the 80s and the 90s.” (31:50)
2. Movie Review: “Wicked: For Good” (35:56–46:12)
Overall Experience & Crowd Energy
- Mike describes the palpable excitement and vibrant theater atmosphere:
- “I can always tell how successful a movie is going to be based on how packed the parking lot is... the theater basically just has to put one on every 30 minutes.” (36:30)
- “There are people there of all different walks of life. It just brings everybody out. I love that about the Wicked franchise. That is what the box office needs right now.” (37:22)
Plot Setup
- Picks up with Elphaba in exile and Glenda in Emerald City, torn between fame and loyalty.
- “If you go into part two without seeing part one fairly recently, you will be a little bit confused.” (36:11)
What Mike Loved
- The buzz, live energy, and communal experience in theaters: “It felt as close as you can get to a live show in the movie theater.” (38:14)
- High marks for production values: “The movie feels unlike anything that you can go see in the theater right now because it has texture, real sets, them singing live... that level of texture, that level of depth in all these frames...” (41:50)
- Respect for the artistry and practical sets, especially with ties to "The Wizard of Oz."
Critiques & Disappointments
- Dislikes splitting stories into two films: “I have a problem when one story gets split up into two movies... Part one has it all. It has the beginning, the middle, and the end... I wasn’t expecting Part two to really just be Glenda’s story.” (39:37)
- “Cynthia Erivo’s best performance was in Part one, and I don’t feel like Ariana Grande stepped it up to her level in Part two to really justify this movie being split up into two.” (41:00)
- “All the best songs were in Part one. All the best set design also...” (41:19)
- Felt less emotionally engaged and compared it unfavorably to the Broadway show: “Watching it live in person, you feel like you went to Oz. I don’t feel like I went to Oz while watching this movie.” (43:13)
Notable Quotes
- “There were some moments that Cynthia Revo really felt like a superhero to me... all the flying action sequences were amazing... that was my favorite part of the movie.” (44:30)
- “It is weird for me to say that I enjoy the musical more than the movie. I never thought I would be that guy.” (42:55)
Final Verdict
- “Still a really great movie. One of the best of the year for Wicked: For Good. I give it 4 out of 5 bubbles.” (45:54)
3. Trailer Park: “Super Mario Galaxy” Trailer & Video Game Adaptations (49:46–62:57)
Super Mario Galaxy Impressions
- “They have more money to play with in this sequel because if you look at the character design, it looks so fantastic... you can see the level of detail on Bowser’s skin.” (49:54)
- “I do love that this franchise spans several generations... they are banking on all the millennials and Gen X who grew up with these video games...” (50:53)
- Story picks up directly from the first film, new villain Bowser Jr. and larger scale adventure.
Voice Cast Commentary
- Chris Pratt returns as Mario—Mike is supportive: "You don't want Mario to sound like the video game character for a 90-plus minute movie. I think he actually works." (53:55)
- “Charlie Day is probably the best voice actor out of anybody... Jack Black is returning as Bowser... Brie Larson coming in as Rosalina. I like Brie Larson as an actor.” (54:50)
- Praises the film for giving female characters like Princess Peach and Rosalina empowerment: "The more inspiring characters, especially to young kids, are a Princess Peach... that is really inspiring for a young generation." (56:42)
Top 5 Most Anticipated Video Game Movies
- Legend of Zelda (May 7, 2027) – “I have no idea what to expect. If they get it right... really opens itself up for Nintendo to make all different types of movies...” (58:45)
- Super Mario Galaxy (April 3, next year)
- Street Fighter (October 16, next year)
- Five Nights at Freddy's 2 (December 5, next month)
- Mortal Kombat 2 (Next year; “major upgrade from the Mortal Kombat movies back from the 90s... hilariously cheesy and still entertaining.” (57:32))
- Honorable Mentions: Sonic the Hedgehog 4, Resident Evil, Return to Silent Hill.
- On the future of adaptations: “If they get another smash hit with this one, it’s going to prove to Illumination... they can stretch their wings out a little bit.” (52:19)
4. Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments
On Fact-Checking Movie Trivia:
- "I don't know why the Internet is lying to you, but let's get into it." (03:45)
On Ben Stiller’s 2004 Run:
- “That is undeniable. I do not know why he is not in this conversation. So I am here to say justice for Ben Stiller.” (13:12)
On the Fragility of Modern Cult Classics:
- "I just don't think we could have cult classics anymore... If a movie does bad at the box office, people now just see it as bad." (20:50)
On Splitting Films Into Two:
- “If you know me from this podcast, I have a problem when one story gets split up into two movies.” (39:37)
On Modern Movie Theater Magic:
- “To create an environment like this is something I’ve only really seen two or three times in the last maybe three to four years — Barbie, Oppenheimer weekend... That is the energy I crave.” (37:46)
Timestamps to Important Segments
- 03:31 — Topic Introduction: The “best one-year run” for actors
- 05:10 — Jim Carrey’s 1994 run
- 06:31 — Mason Thames 2025: recent record
- 11:16 — Zendaya 2021 and other contenders
- 13:12 — Ben Stiller’s 2004 breakdown
- 15:26 — Scarlett Johansson’s 2019
- 17:16 — Pedro Pascal and 2025
- 29:38 — Samuel L. Jackson’s 2019 output
- 30:38 — Arnold Schwarzenegger’s 80s–90s streak
- 35:56 — Wicked: For Good (Spoiler-Free Review)
- 41:50 — On set design, artistry, and the Wizard of Oz legacy
- 45:54 — Final Rating: Wicked: For Good (4/5 bubbles)
- 49:46 — Super Mario Galaxy trailer breakdown
- 56:42 — Praise for Mario movie female characters
- 57:32 — Top 5 anticipated video game movies
- 58:45 — Anticipation for The Legend of Zelda
- 62:57 — Segment Wrap
Closing Thoughts
Movie Mike delivers a comprehensive (and nostalgic) episode packed with film history, contemporary commentary, and analysis of box office trends. He cuts through social media myths about “record-breaking years,” champions the unsung runs of actors like Ben Stiller, and reflects on what makes a single year truly great for a star. His “Wicked: For Good” review balances enthusiasm for moviegoing culture with sharp, honest critique, all delivered in a lively, deeply fan-oriented tone.
Who had the best single year at the box office? Mike wants your take—reach out and join the conversation!