2008 at the Box Office (1 Viewer)

[TerryRL]

Weekend Estimates

#1 "Kung Fu Panda" $60.0 million
#2 "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" $40.0 million
#3 "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" $22.8 million ($253.0 million) -49%
#4 "Sex and the City" $21.3 million ($99.3 million) -63%
#5 "The Strangers" $9.3 million ($37.6 million) -56%
#6 "Iron Man" $7.5 million ($288.9 million) -45%
#7 "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" $5.5 million ($125.8 million) -57%
#8 "What Happens in Vegas" $3.4 million ($72.2 million) -49%
#9 "Baby Mama" $779K ($57.9 million) -65%
#10 "Made of Honor" $775K ($44.7 million) -60%
#11 "The Visitor" $503K ($6.0 million) -9%
#12 "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" $475K ($61.5 million) -55%

The industry enjoyed a stellar session of business as the top twelve films pulled in $172.4 million, earning the second best first weekend mark ever for the month of June (its also the second best top twelve tally in the history of the month), trailing only the $182.7 million haul from 2004 which saw "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" get off to a record start that weekend ($93.7 million). Business was up by more than 32% compared to last year, as well as being 20% stronger than this frame in '06, giving the suits even more to be pleased about.

2008's year-to-date domestic haul now stands at $3.942 billion, which is just ahead of last year's tally ($3.935 billion), up 6% compared to '06 ($3.710 billion), 10% stronger than '05 ($3.579 billion), and about even with '04 ($3.936 billion). Looks like '08 is going to set the fastest time to the $4 billion mark. This year has already broken records in getting to the $1 billion and $2 billion plateaus, while tying last year's pace to $3 billion.

DreamWorks/Paramount's "Kung Fu Panda" easily dominated the landscape this weekend as it opened with $60 million, earning the third best debut of the year, as well as the ninth highest ever for an animated movie. The big launch also ranks as the fourth best for the month of June and the strongest non-'Shrek' opening DreamWorks has ever had. The film earned a stellar per-theater average of $14,584 from its 4,111 locations. DreamWorks Animation expects this one to go on to become a very big hit this summer, eventually making the Paramount the first studio to release back-to-back-back $200 million-plus domestic earners.

Comedian Adam Sandler earned his seventh $30 million-plus opening out of his last twelve outings as the headlining star. Sony's "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" earned about $40 million this weekend, giving the star the fifth biggest opening mark of his career. 'Zohan' looks to become the actor's eighth $100 million-plus domestic performer (the sixth out of his last eight movies). Sandler's current streak at the box office is second only to that of megastar Will Smith, which is why these guys get the big bucks. 'Zohan' should go on to earn at least as much as Sandler's last film, "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry", pulled in last year ($120.1 million).

Lucasfilm/Paramount's "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" fell one slot to third this weekend as it took a moderate 49% decline. The film was able to pass the $250 million plateau this weekend (it has now tallied $253.0 million) and will no doubt found its way well past the triple-century mark.

New Line/WB's "Sex and the City" took a nearly 63% hit in business this weekend. The fall was worse than the studio anticipated, but the film will still pass the century mark tomorrow. A final domestic haul in the neighborhood of $150 million is now expected, which was a lot more than the studio thought the movie would make. And yes, there is talk of a sequel.

Rogue Pictures' "The Strangers" lost close to 57% of its business from last weekend, but the film has already proved to be a very profitable hit since it cost only $9 million to make. This one looks headed for a final mark in the area of $60 million.

Next weekend will see the releases of Marvel/Universal's "The Incredible Hulk" and Fox's "The Happening". The tracking currently has 'Hulk' opening north of the $50 million mark, which would give '08 an unprecedented seventh consecutive weekend where the #1 film topped the $50 million mark. "The Happening" is expected to earn more than $20 million and there is hope from the studio that it'll soar a bit higher.

This was exactly the kind of start that the industry hoped for in regards to June and this could end up being a record-breaking month of business at the box office. We'll see what happens.

 

[EricW]

so gas prices surge and unemployment reports are through the roof, yet the box office was sky high. the next time the BO dips in the same circumstance, i hope they don't blame the economy. everytime the weekends come in low, people seem to look for an excuse other than 'the movie was crap'...

 

[Holadem]

That's not good enough. Shrek rulez -- totally.

--
H

 

[Pete-D]

Really great business for the industry thus far, but I think June and July are now where 2008 is really going to flex its muscles.

I expect Kung Fu Panda to have strong legs.

SATC tumbled, but I think overall the studio is extremely pleased. It seems to have played very strong through the weekdays too. Women are a bit harder to gauge in terms of box office trends I think.

Indy IV has played well, I think I underestimated the appeal of people who were teenagers when Raiders came out who are now parents and taking their kids with them for KoTCS.

 

[TerryRL]

Sex Tops Overseas, Panda Scores BIG!

'Sex' on top overseas

Women power exerted itself internationally as "Sex and the City" edged out "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" over the weekend, claiming the No. 1 spot with an estimated $38.2 million from about 5,645 screens in 40 markets.

In just 12 days out overseas, the New Line Cinema release of the feature version of the hit HBO TV series has accumulated $91.3 million in total international boxoffice. Paramount's "Crystal Skull" has accumulated overseas boxoffice of $326 million over a 19-day period, thanks to an estimated $36 million over the weekend from 8,352 sites in 60 territories.

Worldwide, "Crystal Skull" has a cume to date of $579 million. "Sex and the City," meanwhile, has racked up $190.6 million globally.

The No. 1 domestic title, DreamWorks/Paramount's "Kung Fu Panda," debuted day-and-date in nine overseas markets for an animated $20.7 million from 1,398 screens for a muscular $14,806 per-screen average. It ranks third on the weekend followed closely by Disney's "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian."

"Panda," the action saga of an overweight panda (voiced by Jack Black), set boxoffice records for an animation title in Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines and grossed a stunning $9.2 million from 569 locations in Russia, as well as $7.5 million from 550 screens in South Korea.

Another weekend newcomer was "You Don't Mess With the Zohan," the Adam Sandler comedy, which tallied $2 million from 406 screens in Mexico and Iceland. The Sony release was No. 1 in Mexico, the best opening to date of a Sandler title in a market where his film play particularly well.

No. 5 on the weekend was Fox's romantic comedy "What Happens in Vegas," which logged an estimated $7.8 million from about 3,000 screens in 62 markets, hiking its overseas cume past the $100 million mark ($107.9 million).

"Sex" broke out in 25 fresh markets after its limited opening last weekend. It finished No. 1 in 13 of the new territories, with Australia leading the pack with a stunning $7.7 million from 452 sites for a per-screen average of $17,129. South Korea, Denmark, Mexico and Greece all provided weekend grosses of at least $1 million.

"Crystal Skull," which ranked No. 1 overseas for the previous two weekends, dropped almost 50% from its prior frame. Its numbers might have been adversely affected by the opening of the European Cup soccer championship season, which might have drained part of its male audience in Europe. Nonetheless, "Crystal Skull" held well in France, Spain, Germany and the U.K., where it tallied $5.6 million from 522 sites for a market cume of $65.2 million.

Buoyed by No. 1 openings in eight territories, "Caspian" bounced up 12% from last weekend, recording $20.3 million from about 5,500 screens in 28 markets and hiking its international gross total past the $100 million mark to $102.2 million.

The biggest of the debuts was Australia, where the tally was $3.8 million from 265 sites for a lusty $14,340 per-screen average. "Caspian's" China bow provided $3.2 million from 500 screens, 40% more than the comparable gross in the market for 2005's "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe."

"Caspian," which so far has not played in major European markets, has rolled up a worldwide total of $227 million.

Marvel Prods.' "Iron Man" drew $4.8 million, with $3.7 million coming from territories handled by Paramount. Its overseas cume stands at $249 million.

Sony's gambling-themed drama "21" opened in five territories, including France, where it ranked No. 3, for an estimated $4.4 million from 1,575 screens in 50 markets, pushing its overall cume to $59.3 million.

Sony's romantic comedy "Made of Honor" drew $2.9 million from 1,645 screens in 34 markets, raising its cume to $35 million. Meanwhile, Sony's "Prom Night" scared $2 million out of 780 sites in 23 territories for a cume of $6.8 million.

Miramax/Disney opened actor-director Ben Affleck's "Gone Baby Gone" at 250 screens in the U.K. for an estimated $900,000, finishing No. 5 in the market. In France, "A Christmas Tale" with Catherine Deneuve has rolled up a cume of $3 million over three weeks, while smash hit "Bienvenue Chez Les Ch'tis" has accumulated $183.5 million over 15 weeks in the market.

Assorted international cumes: Warners' "The Bucket List," $79 million; Universal's "Leatherheads," $8.6 million; Summit/Universal's "Nim's Island," $31 million; Fox's "27 Dresses," $81.5 million; and Universal's "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," $24.7 million.

 

[DavidPla]

Indy has a good shot at being the #1 film of the summer.. maybe the year. I can only see WALL-E posing a threat.

 

[James_Kiang]

These numbers have probably already been brought up, and correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't there a sparcity of HUGE box-office hits last year? How many 200 mil and 300 mil+ films were there? Already this year it's looking like there are 2 300+ performers and we still have some major summer releases to come.

 

[Patrick Sun]

Last year:

4 films took in more than $300 million (all spring/summer):
Spider-Man 3
Shrek the Third
Transformers
and Pirates 3

7 films took in more than $200 million (3 spring/summer, the rest in fall/winter):
Harry Potter 5
I Am Legend
The Bourne Ultimatum
National Treasure 2
Alvin and the Chipmunks
300
Ratatouille

 

[Brandon Conway]

Excellent!

 

[TerryRL]

Last summer got off to a sizzling start with the record May releases (Spidey 3, Shrek 3, and Pirates 3). June pulled in very disappointing numbers, but both July and August pulled in record box office performances. Last summer was the biggest on record (in terms of box office), but had June performed better it also would've challenged 2002's attendance records (nearly 630 million admissions were sold that summer compared to the 597 million sold last summer).

This summer is off to a great start as May pulled in the second biggest haul ever for the month ($947.7 million), while matching May 2007's ticket sales (more than 135 million). With June getting off to a such a blistering start last weekend, the industry is now very confident that Summer '08 will end up being the biggest on record and among the top 2 or 3 in terms of attendance.

 

[Michael Elliott]

I'm not sure if this is the right thread but has anyone ever heard a theater charging more for movies in the top 5 at the box office? I just got back from seeing THE STRANGERS at a matinee showing and was informed that matinee prices don't count for movies in the top 5 so I had to pay full price.

 

[Chuck Mayer]

Never heard of that, and I'd never go back to a theater that told me that. I'd also contact their national management.

 

[taco]

Never heard of that either. What theater was it?

 

[Michael Elliott]

Great Escape 14 in Wilder, KY. Everything up here is pretty backwards as my girlfriend lives out in the sticks but I know the Louisville, KY never did anything like this. I called the manager and he said that they raised the evening prices $2 a ticket for all the movies but the "popular" movies also have a higher price during the matinee and he said this was based on the box office. I really didn't grill him on the subject but I wasn't sure if theaters could charge more for a popular movie just to put more money in their pockets.

 

[Malcolm R]

As an unregulated, private business, I suppose they can charge whatever they want. But I wonder if they're somehow violating their rental agreement with the studio (Universal) if they're reporting these as matinee admissions, but charging the higher price, then pocketing the difference?

You might want to contact Universal and tell them what happened. To send them an email, you can click the link below, then select "Movies in Theaters" under the "Entertainment" option.

Universal Studios | Contact Us

EDIT: I just looked around the Great Escape theaters website and there's nothing there that indicates matinee pricing depends on the popularity of the film. So either the theater is ripping you off, or whoever was working in the box office that day had quite a scam going to pad their personal paycheck (did your ticket stub actually reflect the higher price?).

 

[JediFonger]

beh, just as i predicted, indy4 won't be huger than 300mil or somn or will have a tough time reaching it. i knew sex was going to sell . now... whether or not it has legs to last through the summer remains to be seen.

terry, is this the FIRST TIME that adam sandler has been beaten @opening weekend (by an animated feature no less)? i always assumed that he is bankable and that there are enough audiences that luv fart jokes (myself included) in the world to ensure that he gets #1 every weekend that he opens a movie. i'm not surprised but i'm wondering about the spread between the kung fu panda flick and zohan. did this surprise the industry expectations?

this weekend will see hulk and happening. i think it'll be one of those weekends where the money will spread across multiple different movie offerings! not everyone wants to see the newest, so it's possible hulk and happening both competing against older releases.

 

[Holadem]

Yeah, I would imagine that a tiered pricing system violates the rental agreement since it favors some films over others. If the practice became standard, it would seriously screw box office receipts and trends.

--
H

 

[TerryRL]

During the Memorial Day holiday frame in '05, Sandler's "The Longest Yard" barely edged "Madagascar" during the three-day portion of the weekend ($47.6 million vs. $47.2 million), but came in behind the animated pic in the four-day numbers ($61.0 million vs. $58.6 million).

Since Sandler's breakout hit "The Wedding Singer" ($80.2 million) back in 1998, the actor/comedian has seen 7 of his 15 films (where he's the headlining attraction) open #1 at the box office. "The Waterboy", "Big Daddy", "Mr. Deeds", "Anger Management", "50 First Dates", "Click", and "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry" all were #1 releases, while "The Wedding Singer" (#2 to "Titanic"), "Little Nicky" (#2 to "Charlie's Angels"), "The Longest Yard" (#2 to 'Revenge of the Sith'), and "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" all opened in the #2 slots on their respective weekends.

"Eight Crazy Nights" opened at #5, "Punch-Drunk Love" played primarily in a limited amount of theaters, "Spanglish" debuted at #3, while "Reign Over Me" launched in the #8 position of its weekend.

Concerning industry expectations, the tracking had been telling everyone for a few weeks that "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" would have a solid opening, but would come in second to "Kung Fu Panda". What surprised many was just how potent a debut KFP had. Initially, the general consensus was that KFP would open with about $45 million compared to the $35-$40 mil that 'Zohan' would launch with. DreamWorks did a fantastic job marketing KFP and interest in the movie escalated as a result, leading to the $60.2 million debut.

This weekend the audience will once again have a lot to choose from as 'Hulk' and 'Happening' hit theaters. If memory serves, this could mark the first time in history that the industry has had back-to-back weekends where the top four films all topped the $20 million mark. 'Hulk' is expected to open in the area of $45-$55 million, "The Happening" should pull in more than $20 million, KFP should have a solid sophomore frame, while 'Zohan' could also top that mark if it doesn't take too big of a percentage hit.

 

[JediFonger]

so basically, don't open opposite animated and other hugeass versions.

PS this thing with "first time" box office records is kinda' unfair given $ inflation isn't it?

is it not better to track things by admission count?

 

[TerryRL]

Tracking admissions is a better indicator of a film's overall popularity, but studios often don't make official numbers available, only estimates. The studios would much rather judge the dollar count than the actual number of "asses in the seats".