Box office roundup

[Xanthippe]

Maybe this isn't the right place to put this (if so my apologies) but I just rented Tristan & Isolde and I'm 2/3 of the way through.  I'm really enjoying it, and I had never heard of it before (the older I get the more that happens; I'm becoming culturally illiterate quickly).  Anyway, it's a period piece set during the Dark Ages.  And it's not totally stupid.

(People were apparently much better looking back then.  And they all have good teeth, no signs of malnutrition.  Overlooking those things - and who wants to watch a movie full of ugly people with bad teeth anyway? - it's a pretty good movie).

[WindupAtheist]

No, really. It is. Granted, $25m is not too bad, but a 47% drop in one week? That's death. That means word of mouth ain't glowing, and if it drops that much again next week, you're looking at it limping to about $110 million gross in about 5 weeks of screen time. AWFUL. DVD might get it to break even, but it will be terrible. And I want to see this movie, but the numbers look real bad.

As of right now it's up to $90m domestic and $128m foreign, meaning gross has already exceeded budget by $70m.  It could be doing better, but nobody is going to lose money on it.  And the dropoff percentage is, from what I understand, pretty much as expected and just a hair better than that of the prior MI movies.

[HaemishM]

My mistake then. It still doesn't sound like a big success. More like an SWG success.

[Broughden]

Maybe this isn't the right place to put this (if so my apologies) but I just rented Tristan & Isolde and I'm 2/3 of the way through.  I'm really enjoying it, and I had never heard of it before (the older I get the more that happens; I'm becoming culturally illiterate quickly).  Anyway, it's a period piece set during the Dark Ages.  And it's not totally stupid.

(People were apparently much better looking back then.  And they all have good teeth, no signs of malnutrition.  Overlooking those things - and who wants to watch a movie full of ugly people with bad teeth anyway? - it's a pretty good movie).

Dont feel to bad. I tend to watch TV and try to stay culturally aware and I dont think I had heard of it till it came out on DVD. I bought it and enjoyed it. Home you do as well.

[WindupAtheist]

T&I was one of those movies dumped into a quiet release during the post-holiday dead zone.  Got no publicity and made no money.  I get the impression they would just as soon have not released it at all.  Hell, the only reason I know about it is from doing threads like this.

[Xanthippe]

I finished watching it and enjoyed it very much.

I guess the only things that Hollywood spends money on advertising for are tired recycled concepts with big names.

Where is the TV thread?

[dusematic]

#1 - Mission Impossible 3, Week 2
Weekend gross: $25m (-47.6%)
Screen count: 4059 (+5)
Total gross: $85.1m
Budget: $150m

It's not doing awful, but neither I nor a lot of other people can quite shake the feeling that this isn't doing as well as it should. Then again, it is the third in the series. I know everyone is waiting to bury Tom Cruise, but this could just be a case of routine sequel fatigue.

No, really. It is. Granted, $25m is not too bad, but a 47% drop in one week? That's death. That means word of mouth ain't glowing, and if it drops that much again next week, you're looking at it limping to about $110 million gross in about 5 weeks of screen time. AWFUL. DVD might get it to break even, but it will be terrible. And I want to see this movie, but the numbers look real bad.

I thought a 47% drop from opening week is pretty standard for just about anything.  Anyhow, apparently this had a word wide release where according to some numbers I've heard it's already made $225mil+.

It's a good movie. I would recommend seeing it.

Everything Rasix just said is true.

[WindupAtheist]

I was totally going to skip last week's roundup, since WoW has been taking up a large portion of my idle PC time recently.  I had planned on doing this weekend's report today, but then I realized it's a three-day weekend and the numbers aren't going to be out yet.  So with no further ado, here's the BOR for the weekend of May 19 - 21.  I'll try and get the next one done at a reasonable time, really.

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#1 - The DaVinci Code, Week 1
Weekend gross: $77m
Screen count: 3735
Budget: $125m

I know the critics hated this movie, but come on.  It's Tom motherfucking Hanks.  He's one of the very few real old-school-style movie stars in Hollywood, and no pissant critics can stop him from opening an anticipated movie with big money.  Still, let's see how it holds up in week two.  I believe it had already cracked $100m during thw workweek though, so it'll probably do okay.

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#2 - Over the Hedge, Week 1
Weekend gross: $38.4m
Screen count: 4059
Budget: Not available

Animated Dreamworks bit about cute talking animals.  This opening is no disaster, but given the screen count and Bruce Willis as a voice actor, I have to imagine they were hoping for more.  The first Shrek opened bigger than this, five years ago.

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#3 - Mission Impossible 3, Week 3
Weekend gross: $11.3m (-54.6%)
Screen count: 3450 (-609)
Total gross: $103.5m
Budget: $150

Mister Cruise, keep this shit up and you'll be handing in your official movie star decoder ring.  Yes, I know that the overseas take has already put this movie well into the black.  That's fine, for the studio.  But you're Tom Cruise.  People don't pay you obscene amounts of money to star in movies so they can do mediocre domestic business and then rely upon foreign grosses to turn a profit.  They can hire any asshole to do that.

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#4 - Poseidon, Week 2
Weekend gross: $9.2m (-58.4%)
Screen count: 3555 (+0)
Total gross: $36.8m
Budget: $160

What's worse than an opening weekend around 1/8th of your budget and almost non-existent foreign business?  All of that plus a dropoff of nearly sixty percent!  Holy shit!  Now even the most deluded corporate spinmeister (Titanic had a low opening too!  And they both have boats!) can do nothing but admit that this is a failure and a money-sink of truly epic proportions.

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#5 - RV, Week 4
Weekend gross: $5m (-49.7%)
Screen count: 2925 (-611)
Total gross: $50.3m
Budget: $50m

God damned motherfucking son of a bitch.  It's reached its budget.  Yes, I know there are marekting costs and other shit to recoup before a movie becomes truly profitable, but still.  This looks like the biggest pile of felch-vomit to come down the pipe in ages, and yet it has made fifty million dollars and recouped it's basic production costs.  With a couple more weeks of lingering around the charts and then DVD sales and whatnot, it will have turned out to be a downright profitable venture.  And you thought there was a god.

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Rank - Name - weekend/total/budget - (Putdown)

#6 - See No Evil - 4.5/4.5/8 - (Cheapy horror flick, just opened.  Who keeps seeing these?)
#7 - Just My Luck - 3/10/? - (Lindsay Lohan vehicle drops dead in 2nd week.  Whore.)
#8 - An American Haunting - 1.5/13.5/14 - (Limping to budget is abject failure, when it's this small.)
#9 - United 93 - 1.4/28/15 - (I give up.  You try thinking of a 9/11 joke.)
#10 - Akeelah and the Bee - 1/15.7/? - (I still don't give a shit.)

[WindupAtheist]

Okay, I'm actually on the ball this week in terms of getting it out there in a timely fashion.  I'll ditch the preamble and get right to the meat.  Numbers from www.boxofficemojo.com as always, and note that I'm using the three-day weekend figures.

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#1 - X-Men: The Last Stand, Week 1
Weekend gross: $103.1m
Theater count: 3690
Budget: $210m

Remember when the first story elements leaked, and everyone figured this movie was going to suck ass?  That all went away after we started seeing trailers, and from what I hear the film has lived up to them.  Still, after a huge holiday opening like this, it pretty much HAS to take a large dropoff in the second weekend.  And look at that motherfucking budget, a hundred million dollars more than X2.  Oh they'll make a fat profit in the end, but come on.  There's no reason it should have cost this much.

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#2 - The DaVinci Code, Week 2
Weekend gross: $34m (-55.9%)
Theater count: 3754 (+19)
Total domestic gross: $136.4m
Budget: $125m

The dropoff was over fifty percent in the face of X3, but who cares?  They're already breezing past their production costs on domestic box-office alone.  And get this:  The film has made an additional three-hundred and ninteen million dollars overseas, leaving them only thirty-six short of the half-billion mark.  In two weeks.  Way to go, Catholic protestors.  You sure showed Hollywood.

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#3 - Over the Hedge, Week 2
Weekend gross: $26.8m (-30.1%)
Theater count: 4093 (+34)
Total domestic gross: $75.9m
Budget: Unknown

Shrek 2 cost $75m to make.  Assuming this picture cost around the same, it'll turn a profit.  Still, this is pretty lackluster for Dreamworks.  If Cars does decent business for Pixar, they can fairly claim to have trounced their rival in this round.  Keep in mind that dropoff percentages are nerfed downward this week thanks to the extended weekend.

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#4 - Mission Impossible 3, Week 4
Weekend gross: $6.7m (-41%)
Theater count: 3053 (-397)
Total domestic gross: $113.9m
Budget: $150

See, everyone wonders why I harp on the mythical "domestic gross > production budget" mark, since it's not always all that relevant from a business perspective.  But it is signifigant in an emotional penis-waving sort of way, and that can count in Hollywood.  For example, MI3 has already made $279m worldwide, putting it solidly in the black.  And yet, the fact that Tom Cruise made a $150m flick that has put only $113m worth of American asses in seats after a full month does reflect negatively upon him.

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#5 - Poseidon, Week 3
Weekend gross: $5.5m (-40%)
Theater count: 3245 (-310)
Total domestic gross: $45.1m
Budget: $160m

At least Cruise can take comfort at not having been in Poseidon, the biggest fucking failure I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing since I started doing these posts.  It'll be lucky to limp to $60m domestically, and overseas business is absofuckinglutely dead, totalling less than $10m to date.

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Rank - Name - weekend/total/budget - (Putdown)

#6 - RV - 4/56/50 - (Smallest dropoff of anything in major release this week!  WTF!)
#7 - See No Evil - 2.6/8.5/8 - (Should have called it Please See Evil, people are obeying the title.)
#8 - Just My Luck - 1.8/13.4/? - (Porno title: Just My Fuck, starring Lindsay Blowhan.)
#9 - United 93 - 0.8/29.6/15 - (Only movie this week not to move a spot.)
#10 - An American Haunting - 0.7/14.6/14 - (Fuck horror movies already.)

[SpaceDrake]

#3 - Over the Hedge, Week 2
Weekend gross: $26.8m (-30.1%)
Theater count: 4093 (+34)
Total domestic gross: $75.9m
Budget: Unknown

Shrek 2 cost $75m to make.  Assuming this picture cost around the same, it'll turn a profit.  Still, this is pretty lackluster for Dreamworks.  If Cars does decent business for Pixar, they can fairly claim to have trounced their rival in this round.  Keep in mind that dropoff percentages are nerfed downward this week thanks to the extended weekend.

Actually, I'm going to make a bit of a prediction here. Expect the dropoff for this one to be slow. I went to see it, and while it doesn't quite have the depth of humor of, say, the original Shrek, it's still very amusing and has quite a few legitimately funny moments for both parents and kids. This one is going to have a lot of word-of-mouth power. If I had more money, I might actually go see it again.

[Jeff Kelly]

At least Cruise can take comfort at not having been in Poseidon, the biggest fucking failure I've ever had the pleasure of witnessing since I started doing these posts.  It'll be lucky to limp to $60m domestically, and overseas business is absofuckinglutely dead, totalling less than $10m to date.

Well that might be because it wasn't actually released overseas yet. The release date for poseidon in germany is the 7/13/06 and since most movies are released simultaneously in western europe I assume that it will be released in the UK and other western european countries on the same date. Worldwide releases are more common than a few years ago but for most movies it still takes anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 months until they are released outside the US.

It might break even however since the latest Petersen films were more popular outside of the US than in the US (perfect storm for example) but by the time it is released here the bad word of mouth will already have swapped over from the US so I wouldn't count on it. Why anyone would do a superfluous remake of a second rate 70's disaster movie is beyond me however. This spells bad business decision.

Quite frankly I disagree with the sentiment that domestic gross is all that counts. Take King Kong for example. It has grossed nearly 548 million dollar worldwide and is currently number 34 on the list of the top 50 grosses of all time worldwide. It is still regarded as a failure however because it didn't meet expectations and "only" grossed 218 million domestic (at roughly a 200 million budget)

[HaemishM]

#4 - Mission Impossible 3, Week 4
Weekend gross: $6.7m (-41%)
Theater count: 3053 (-397)
Total domestic gross: $113.9m
Budget: $150

See, everyone wonders why I harp on the mythical "domestic gross > production budget" mark, since it's not always all that relevant from a business perspective.  But it is signifigant in an emotional penis-waving sort of way, and that can count in Hollywood.  For example, MI3 has already made $279m worldwide, putting it solidly in the black.  And yet, the fact that Tom Cruise made a $150m flick that has put only $113m worth of American asses in seats after a full month does reflect negatively upon him.

If nothing else, it should make execs sit up and take notice when Cruise asks for a big payoff to star in a movie from now on. But they won't, because then he'll tell them about the history of movie-making.

[shiznitz]

"You don't know the history of douchebaggery. Ido!"

[Yegolev]

This is probably as good a place as any to mention that I watched Alien³ with deleted scenes this past weekend, and I found it rather understandable with the extra 30 minutes of film.  Unfortunately I ruined it by watching Alien: Resurrection.  I took back a bit of sanity by TiVoing Ghostbusters and finally assuing myself that I didn't imagine seeing Sigourney's nipple after all.

I don't plan on seeing any of the movies mentioned in the roundup.  I'll watch Alien³ again before that.  So there.

[RhyssaFireheart]

T&I was one of those movies dumped into a quiet release during the post-holiday dead zone.  Got no publicity and made no money.  I get the impression they would just as soon have not released it at all.  Hell, the only reason I know about it is from doing threads like this.

A friend and I saw this in the theatres when it came out.  We'd originally picked Hoodwinked (which we enjoyed, but were ticked off that it was only just over an hour long) and decided to theatre hop to see T&I.  It wasn't bad, but we were both glad we hadn't paid anything to see it, if that helps.  James Franco does nothing for me.  If there is going to be some hot, star-crossed lovers story going on, then I want the man to at least be someone I can fantasize about.

[UD_Delt]

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#2 - The DaVinci Code, Week 2
Weekend gross: $34m (-55.9%)
Theater count: 3754 (+19)
Total domestic gross: $136.4m
Budget: $125m

The dropoff was over fifty percent in the face of X3, but who cares?  They're already breezing past their production costs on domestic box-office alone.  And get this:  The film has made an additional three-hundred and ninteen million dollars overseas, leaving them only thirty-six short of the half-billion mark.  In two weeks.  Way to go, Catholic protestors.  You sure showed Hollywood.

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Went and saw this last night and we should have listened to the critics. The movie sucked. It's rare that the wife and I both aggree that a movie was bad but on this one we did. They made some changes from the book and it just threw off the entire logic of the movie. The ending was entirely illogical because of it.

[Ironwood]

Hollywood needs to quit it with the remakes.

[Merusk]

Hollywood needs to quit it with the remakes.

But, but, but... then they'd have to come up with new ideas!  There's OODLES of movies the ADD-addled masses haven't seen yet becuase the movie is 10 years old or older.  Just THINK of the possiblities, man!  In 15 years we can remake Titanic and get gobs of money AGAIN!

[Viin]

Hollywood needs to quit it with the remakes.

And movies based on comic book characters.

[tazelbain]

And profitable movies.

[Velorath]

Come on WUA, I know you have to have something to say about Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Fucking Drift making $24 million in its opening weekend.  I don't know how much they spent on that thing but that's still a lot more than it deserved.

[schild]

But it has Vin Diesel in it...He lives life a quarter mile at a time. DO YOU?

[HaemishM]

Come on WUA, I know you have to have something to say about Fast & the Furious: Tokyo Fucking Drift making $24 million in its opening weekend.  I don't know how much they spent on that thing but that's still a lot more than it deserved.

Are you fucking kidding me? Are homes passing out retard candy at Halloween? I lost IQ points just watching the trailer.

[Ironwood]

"Sometimes to be in control, you have to LOSE CONTROL!!!"


Zomg.

[Strazos]

And what's funny is that drifting takes an incredible amount of control. Damn kids.

[Yegolev]

I saw enough drifting in Cars already.

[tazelbain]

I thought we had a Snakes on a Plane thread, but I couldn't find it.

http://www.henryjenkins.org/2006/06/the_snakes_on_a_plane_phenomen.html

[Righ]

I think that there were three of four of them in Useless News.

[Margalis]

They must have spent TONS of money marketing Tokyo Drift because I saw a bazillion trailers and ads for it.

[schild]

They spent their money a quarter million at a time.

[WindupAtheist]

I'll do a special BOR "Here's everything I missed while I was busy/lazy!" retrospective next time I have a day off, which should be sometime next week.

[Megrim]

They spent their money a quarter million at a time.

I hope Vin Diesel sits on you.

[Cheddar]

They spent their money a quarter million at a time.

roofles.

[Yegolev]

This past weekend, I thoroughly enjoyed El Espinazo del Diablo (The Devil's Backbone).  It is beautiful in pretty much every way you can think of.  Previously, we watched The Eye which was enjoyable and did that thing I love where you can see spooky shit in the background if you are paying attention.  I'm glad my wife got onto this foreign horror film kick, it's helping me like movies again.

[Bunk]

Ebert gave Tokyo Drift a thumbs up. Mind you, he did the same for the new Garfield. I'm starting to worry about the old boy.