1970s in film was far less successful. "The Towering Inferno" teamed Steve McQueen and Paul Newman against a fire in a San Francisco skyscraper. The film cost a whopping $14 million to produce (expensive for its time), and won Academy Awards for Cinematography, Film Editing, and Best Original Song. The same year, the epic "Earthquake" featured questionable effects (camera shake and models) to achieve a destructive 9.9 earthquake in Los Angeles. Despite this, the film was one of the most successful of its time, earning $80 million at box office. By the late 1970s, the novelty had worn off and the disasters had
Earthquake (1974 film) who has regained consciousness. Released in the United States on November 15, 1974, "Earthquake" would become the third highest-grossing film of the year; its competition, "The Towering Inferno", was the highest. The disaster film trend reached a zenith in 1974 with the combined releases of "Airport 1975" (the first "Airport" sequel), "Earthquake" and "The Towering Inferno". The films enjoyed staggering success, with "The Towering Inferno" earning $55 million in rentals, "Earthquake" earning $36 million and "Airport 1975" earning $25 million. By 1976, the disaster film cycle had also left its mark on the list of all-time box office champions, with