2007 at the Box Office (1 Viewer)

[Lee Ford]

I count one (Shrek 2). Maybe you meant top 10? DMC is at number six, and Spider-man is seven.

 

[Adam_S]

wow I hadn't been paying attention to domestic grossers, I didn't realize there were now seven plus 400 million films.

 

[Brian W. Ralston]

There is/was a court injunction filed to stop the release of the movie due to its subject matter dealing with a case that is still pending trial in court. I do not know the end result yet...but it is possible that this movie will not get released by court order so as to not taint a potential jury pool for the real life trial. The film portrays the real life individual and the events leading to that trial.

 

[Malcolm R]

I don't understand it either. A summer-long run is a fairy tale in current box office practice, so I don't know why they'd even entertain that fantasy. Even the most successful films have a relevant shelf life of only 4-6 weeks. And piling them all on top of each other is just asking for that window to be even shorter.

On the personal side, I guess it means I won't have to attend the movies at all next summer during June or July. After "Pirates 3" there's nothing I care about until "Bourne".

 

[TerryRL]

Brian, thanks for the 411 on "Alpha Dog".

Adam_S, here are the top ten domestic grossers...

#1 "Titanic" (Fox/Paramount) $600.7 million
#2 "Star Wars" (Lucasfilm/Fox) $460.9 million
#3 "Shrek 2" (DreamWorks) $441.2 million
#4 "E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" (Universal) $435.1 million
#5 "Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace" (Lucasfilm/Fox) $431.0 million
#6 "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" (Disney) $421.5 million
#7 "Spider-Man" (Sony) $403.7 million
#8 "Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith" (Lucasfilm/Fox) $380.2 million
#9 "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" (New Line) $377.0 million
#10 "Spider-Man 2" (Sony) $373.5 million

Regarding the releases of Spidey 3 and Pirates 3, I think the 21 day gap between their releases is enough (especially in this climate of moviegoers having short attention spans). Spidey jump-starts the summer, while Pirates 3 launches on Memorial Day Weekend three weeks later. Along with "Shrek the Third", the industry should enjoy the biggest May ever at the box office next year, as well as benefitting from what could be three of the biggest opening weekends in history.

 

[Brian Sheffield]

Next years slate of blockbusters is much more interesting than this years.

It looks to me like it will be a record year for the industry.

 

[Josh.C]

Does anyone have any info on Beowulf? Love the story, but know nothing about the movie, and haven't seen it mentioned here on anyones watch list.

 

[DavidPla]

It comes out November 16 2007. Can't wait to see some footage from it. It also reunites Robert Zemeckis with Crispin Glover! I believe it's being done with CG the same way as "The Polar Express" was done.

 

[Josh.C]

Then it is officially on my list. Zemeckis is one of my favorite directors. Very uderrated IMO.

Can't believe I missed this one. Thanks for the info David

 

[Rakesh.S]

There was already a Beowulf movie starring gerard butler...and that went straight to video.

I seriously doubt that the zemeckis version will do that well.

 

[TerryRL]

Zemeckis is in the midst of a pretty impressive streak. His last five movies have all earned more than $100 million, four of which topped the $150 million plateau. Paramount is expecting "Beowulf" to be one of next year's bigger holiday hits. As David already pointed out, the movie will be CG animated ala "The Polar Express" (which earned $173.6 million domestically).

Crispin Glover will be playing Grendel by the way (nearly perfect casting). I think the movie has a solid shot at becoming a decent sized hit next November. Zemeckis could also become the first director to helm six consecutive $100 million-plus earners if the movie performs to Paramount's expectations.

 

[Malcolm R]

 

[Josh.C]

There have been plenty of remakes that have hit it big the second time around, after a lackluster first attempt. Usually, (as will probably be in this case) the first try didn''t have the money or clout to do the movie justice. I don't buy the point that this one will flop because some other poor effort to potray the story failed. The story is the key, and this is a good one IMO. Advertising and timing also play a big role in the success of a movie.

So I guess we will agree to disagree, and wait for next November to see what happens.

 

[TerryRL]

Thanks for the heads up Malcolm, its been fixed.

I think Zemeckis will deliver the goods with "Beowulf". It may not be as big a hit as "The Polar Express" was, but I think it'll find a nice sized audience.

 

[Adam_S]

If Neil Gaiman's short story "The Monarch of the Glen" is any indication, the screenplay for Beowulf should be phenomenal

 

[JediFonger]

if i were still playing hsx, i would invest heavily in 300. i really think g. butler's stock is going to go way up =D. the trailer really has captured the intended audience from films like borat and the departed. if the marketing really works, i think it's going to be 2007's first big hit. it almost certainly looks like a critical darling already. just watched 300 spartains from the 60s, miller lifted some dialogue from the film and this new adaptation lifts it from miller and creates their own take on it.

 

[TerryRL]

I agree, "300" could very well be the first breakout hit of the year when its released ten weeks from now. Still, I'm a little biased. I'm a huge fan of Frank Miller's graphic novel and from the images shown in the trailers, Zack Snyder's $60 million epic could be this year's "Sin City". I'm actually hoping its this year's "Gladiator" in terms of its success, but we'll see what happens.

 

[Brian Sheffield]

I think the intended audience is excited for 300, but non-genre fans I've spoken to are put off by excessive use of green screen backgrounds.

300 will have a hard time getting interest from those who did not like the artistic sensibility of films like Sky Captain and Sin City.

 

[Nathan V]

I don't think the public is going to avoid the film because of greenscreens- I doubt most people are even aware of their (substantial) presence in this film, although it might be obvious to people like us.

The bottom line is, the movie looks kinetic as all hell. The trailer is certainly the best I've seen in a long time. That it bears very little resemblance to other recent sword/sandal pics will work in its favor as well. The crowds should turn up.

Regards,
Nathan

 

[TerryRL]

A good opening weekend followed by the movie being carried by strong word-of-mouth is what most are really expecting for "300". WB execs will be happy if the movie is as successful as "Sin City" was. That movie pulled in $74 million in '05. If "300" earns anything over that amount than WB execs will be over the moon.