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
Disaster film survivors' attempts at escaping a sinking ocean liner overturned by a giant wave triggered by an earthquake. "The Poseidon Adventure" was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actress for Shelley Winters and winning for Original Song and receiving a Special Achievement Award for visual effects. The trend reached its zenith in 1974 with the release of "The Towering Inferno", "Earthquake" and "Airport 1975" (the first "Airport" sequel). The competing films enjoyed staggering success at the box office, with "The Towering Inferno" earning $116 million - 548 million in 2017 adjusted dollars, "Earthquake" $79 million - 376 million in