It seems even in 1986 we saw popcorn action and franchises dominate the list. Genre adventures tend to be in the top, with the occasional raunchy comedy or romantic comedy

1993 was interesting with two legal thrillers on the list, and 1996 has "A Time To Kill" which of all the films listed probably the most unusual, lacking almost any action or thrills. Schindler's List is also notable, and "The Blind Side" is the only "feel-good drama" on any years list.

In 2001 8 of the 10 are big special effects romps, and the other two (Rush Hour 2 and Oceans 11) are zany cops-and-robbers fiascos.

In 2005 "Wedding Crashers" is the only non-special effects extravaganza, and 2007 goes 10/10.

While some trends can be noted it is difficult to quantify the 'quality' of films like "Crocodile Dundee" compared to "The Hangover" and to draw fair comparisons between the changing states of special effects between 1986's "Aliens" and 2005 "War of the Worlds."

The next step would be to increase the sample size to the Top 20 films over every year, and to make a time-graph of what types fo film are represented. It should stretch back to the early 80s, generally considered the era of the modern blockbuster movie.