box office (43 posts)
No Such Thing as Bad News for Dark Knight
Warner Bros. Entertainment.com
Can anything stop the Batman?
With The Dark Knight having blown past $200 million on Tuesday, just five days into its release, the answer apparently is no.
Steve Mason, lead box-office analyst for FantasyMoguls.com, said he thinks the movie will pick up another $70 million-$80 million this coming weekend, helping it blow past $300 million in less than 10 days.
"There's never been anything like it," Mason says via email.
The seemingly endless record grosses are coming despite a pair of offscreen incidents that, individually, have helped kill lesser movies: (1) the shocking death of one star and (2) the criminal allegations against another.
The Batman Box-Office Legend Grows
Stephen Vaughan / DC Comics
Within days, The Dark Knight will have made as much money, and maybe more, than Batman Begins made during its entire four-month theatrical run.
A record-shattering debut will help you perform a superhuman feat like that.
Final numbers released today show The Dark Knight amassed $158.4 million in its opening weekend, up $3.1 million from Sunday's estimates.
The movie's first three days broke down like this, per Exhibitor Relations Co.:
Update
The Dark Knight Reigns: $155.3 Mil Weekend
Stephen Vaughan/Warner Bros. Entertainment
Spider-Man Batman forever.
The Dark Knight chased Spider-Man 3 from the record books with a $155.3 opening weekend gross, per Exhibitor Relations Co. estimates today.
The figure capped three days of eye-popping figures for the Christopher Nolan film. The highlights:
- The Dark Knight made more money in Friday midnight screenings ($18.5 million) than its predecessor, Batman Begins, made in any one day.
- The Dark Knight made more money in one day ($66.4 million on Friday) than Batman Begins made in any one weekend.
- The Dark Knight made about as much money in its second-biggest day ($48 million on Saturday) as Batman Begins made in its biggest weekend ($48.7 million).
Holy $66 Million Debut, Batman!
Warner Bros. Pictures
In a made-up word: Bat-tastic.
The Dark Knight pulled in an astonishing $66 million Friday, and looked to be on pace for a record opening weekend, Exhibitor Relations Co. estimated today.
Spider-Man 3, we hardly knew ye.
As of Dark Knight's $66 million debut, Spider-Man 3, which opened with $59.8 million last year, lost its titles as the biggest-ever opener and biggest-ever single-day grosser.
By Sunday, Exhibitor Relations said, The Dark Knight could boast a three-day weekend take of $155 million, a number that would best Spider-Man 3's $151.1 million, and trump the latter movie's last remaining glamour record.
Dark Knight's Record Midnight Madness
Stephen Vaughan/Warner Bros. Entertainment
So goes Plano, Texas, so goes the movie nation: The Dark Knight is one hot ticket.
The latest Batman movie, inspiring thousands of sold-out screenings and countless desperate hunts for seats, grossed a record $18.5 million at midnight screenings, studio estimates said today.
"That's just a portion of the day," marveled Media by the Numbers' box-office analyst Paul Dergarabedian.
"I think this could break a lot of records," he said. "Yesterday, I was hedging my bets, but now all bets are off."
Beat Ben @ the Box Office: A Giant Gotham Gross?
Stephen Vaughan/Warner Bros. Entertainment
Finally! It's here! Starting tonight, The Dark Knight invades more than 4,300 screens—many of them IMAX—bringing the return of Batman, one of the most beloved characters in American pop culture.
After Christopher Nolan teamed with Christian Bale to relaunch the franchise in 2005, there's been new interest in the billionaire vigilante. And that, combined with the truly breathtaking performance from the late Heath Ledger as the Joker, has created a hysteria around the film. Midnight screenings are sold out and theaters are adding hourly showings from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m.
So look for The Dark Knight to pull in a weekend total of $112 million. Only reason I'm not calling it higher is because it's not a holiday, kids are still away at camp, and Hancock, Hellboy II and WALL-E will still put up strong numbers.
What do you think? Can Bruce Wayne close an even bigger deal? Drop your numbers in the comments!
Hellboy, Hancock Hot; Meet Dave Not
Universal Pictures
Hellboy had a good weekend. Will Smith had an impressive one. Brendan Fraser had an okay one. Eddie Murphy didn't. Have any of the above.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army topped the Friday-Sunday box office with $35.9 million, according to Exhibitor Relations estimates today.
In its second weekend, Smith's Hancock slipped to No. 2, but definitively proved its bad reviews were no match for its star's appeal and moviegoers' taste. The superhero tale grossed another $33 million, and scored the modern box office's ultimate compliment—ticket sales fell less than 50 percent.
Fraser's Journey to the Center of the Earth, a 3-D remake of the classic Jules Verne adventure, opened in third, with $20.6 million.
Murphy's Meet Dave, meanwhile, looked like it was in for a brief, unpleasant run.
Beat Ben @ the Box Office: One Hell of a Hero
Universal Pictures
Haven't you noticed? It's the Summer of the Fanboy, with Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Wanted and next week's The Dark Knight bringing all kinds of superhero action. Now comes the return of visionary director Guillermo del Toro, with his twist on the genre, Hellboy II: The Golden Army.
The first film was a modest success in 2004 ($60 million domestic, with a $23 million opening weekend), and del Toro has since blown up huge: His Pan's Labyrinth scored six Oscar noms (and three wins), and he recently landed the gig directing two movies based on The Hobbit.
So look for Hellboy II: The Golden Army to surprise the industry and pull in $32.5 million this weekend. The first one has been huge on DVD, and heroes rule the summer.
Plus, does anybody care about a little Eddie Murphy inside Eddie Murphy? Gimme a break. Put your numbers up in the comments, and we'll see who's really, like, super.
Same Bat Time? Not Quite
Stephen Vaughan / DC Comics
Just call him the Crack of Dawn Knight.
Movie theaters are adding 6 a.m. opening-day showings of The Dark Knight to meet demand created by sold-out midnight and 3 a.m. screenings.
"It's normal for movies like to this start at midnight," says Chad Hartigan, a box office analyst for Exhibitor Relations Co.
But 6 a.m. screenings?
"That's not normal," Hartigan says.
What's the Matter With the Hulk?
Universal Pictures
Meet the new Hulk, same as the old Hulk.
Good reviews, solid buzz and all, The Incredible Hulk is virtually tied with the box-office performance of 2003's Hulk, bad reviews, worse buzz and all.
Through Sunday, at the end of its fourth weekend, The Incredible Hulk's domestic take stood at $124.8 million. At the same point in its run, Hulk had grossed $124.7 million.
What's going on? Why hasn't the new and improved movie put more distance between itself and the old movie?
Time to review the suspects:
Will Smith's Superpowers Still Work, Hancock Scores
Sony Pictures
Will Smith did Hancock a solid.
Smith has star-powered the poorly reviewed superhero hybrid to a $66 million opening weekend, and a No. 1 finish, according to Exhibitor Relations estimates today.
WALL-E, last weekend's champ, stayed strong, grossing another $33.4 million, but finished a distant second.
Hancock goes down as Smith's seventh straight movie to open No. 1. If you count Shark Tale, the 2004 animated comedy, as a Smith movie, his streak stands at eight straight.
Overall, Hancock has grossed $107.3 million since "previewing" on Tuesday night and "opening" on Wednesday.
Beat Ben @ the Box Office: Big Willie Weekend
Frank Masi / Sony Pictures
It's that time of year: Will Smith season. And the the King of July 4th has another smash hit on his hands with Hancock, costarring Oscar winner Charlize Theron and funnyman Jason Bateman. This is the only major release at the box office over the holiday weekend, and every studio clears a path because, no doubt about it, he's the No. 1 movie star in the world.
In a summer of superheroes, you also have to admire actor-turned-director Peter Berg for bringing us an entirely new character, who doesn't have to cater to both fanboys and mass audiences, or worry about staying true to the source material.
So look for Hancock to bank $127 million over the five-day weekend. Smith goes all-out, and the guy even performed a 45-minute set at his own premiere. (I got a little emotional when he introduced DJ Jazzy Jeff and did "Summertime.")
Don't think Hancock can save the day at the box office this weekend? Then drop your numbers in the comments!
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