MovieWes wrote:I'm beginning to believe that this could be the first year in which we could see (at least) 5 $300 million grossers in one year. We already have 3 with Alice in Wonderland, Iron Man 2, and Toy Story 3, and I can totally see Inception, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I, and Tron Legacy all earning north of the $300 million milestone. It is also not impossible for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse to reach it either.
You think TRON LEGACY is going to break $300 m? I would love for that to be true, but I think it will do about the same business as STAR TREK -- around $250 m.
Then again, I thought AVATAR was going to make around $250 m, so what the fuck do I know about what the idiot masses want out of a movie. :p
Hopefully INCEPTION and TRON LEGACY will not be too intelligent for the average moviegoer.
"When it comes to the subject of torture, I trust a woman who was married to James Cameron for three years."
-- Amy Poehler in praise of Zero Dark Thirty director Kathryn Bigelow
I'm beginning to believe that this could be the first year in which we could see (at least) 5 $300 million grossers in one year. We already have 3 with Alice in Wonderland, Iron Man 2, and Toy Story 3, and I can totally see Inception, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I, and Tron Legacy all earning north of the $300 million milestone. It is also not impossible for The Twilight Saga: Eclipse to reach it either.
"Young men make wars and the virtues of war are the virtues of young men: courage and hope for the future. Then old men make the peace, and the vices of peace are the vices of old men: mistrust and caution." -- Alec Guinness (Lawrence of Arabia)
Eclipse on track for $80 million week-end
Bloomberg.com
“The Twilight Saga: Eclipse,” the latest film in the teen-vampire series, had sales of $28.6 million yesterday, putting it on track to make about $80.2 million in its opening weekend July 2-4, Hollywood.com Box- Office said.
The movie, from Summit Entertainment LLC, is the third in a series based on Stephenie Meyer’s books and is opening in a record 4,416 theaters. The first two “Twilight” films earned more than $1.1 billion in global ticket sales, according to research Box Office Mojo.
The weekly film rankings are based off receipts for the Friday-Saturday-Sunday period.
Summit opened “Eclipse” on June 30, and sales since Wednesday have totaled $121.3 million. It had sales of $68.5 million on Wednesday, according to box-office tracker Hollywood.com Box-Office, and a record $30 million in midnight showings that day.
Summit plans two more movies based on Meyer’s fourth book, “Breaking Dawn.”
The films focus on Bella Swan, a teenager whose move to a small town puts her in the company of vampires and werewolves. In “Eclipse,” Swan, played by Kristen Stewart, must choose between two suitors, vampire Edward Cullen and werewolf Jacob Black.
OscarGuy wrote:It was a piece of shit news with Harry Potter, it's a piece of shit move with The Hobbit and it's definitely a piece of shit move with Twilight.
In the case of Harry Potter, the material is kind of dense. There's so much plot and story to cover so that one's a tad more understandable.
Except that the seventh book is lacking in density. It's mostly filler. There are whole swaths of forest-walking/waiting that could have been excised completely. The only way they do this justice is to go into detail of the final battle in a way the sixth film failed to do.
Wesley Lovell
"Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both." - Benjamin Franklin
Vulture: Have you read the reviews for The Last Airbender?
M. Night Shyamalan: No, I haven't.
Vulture: Well, are you aware of the reviews?
Shyamalan: No, actually.
Vulture: Well, for the most part, critics have not been kind. Are you just ignoring them? Will you read them this weekend? Have you just not had time?
Shyamalan: Are you saying that in general they didn't dig it?
Vulture: In general, no. Roger Ebert, who liked The Happening, did not. The first line of his review is, "The Last Airbender is an agonizing experience in every category that I can think of and others still waiting to be invented." How do you react to something like that?
Shyamalan: I don't know what to say to that stuff. I bring as much integrity to the table as humanly possible. It must be a language thing, in terms of a particular accent, a storytelling accent. I can only see it this certain way and I don't know how to think in another language. I think these are exactly the visions that are in my head, so I don't know how to adjust it without being me. It would be like asking a painter to change to a completely different style. I don't know.
Vulture: Critics haven't been kind to your last couple of films. Do you still worry about reviews?
Shyamalan: I think of it as an art form. So it's something I approach as sort of immovable integrity within each of the stages. So if you walk through the process with me, there's not a moment where I won't treat with great respect. So it's sacred to me, the whole process of making a movie. I would hope that some people see that I approach this field with that kind of respect, and that it's not a job.
I have such mixed emotions about the bad reviews and box-office possibilities for THE LAST AIRBENDER.
I love the cartoon this movie is based on. It is pretty much the greatest cartoon TV show ever. In his review, Ebert compared the show to Miyazaki, and I have to say that is quite acurate. The show is funny, smart, emotional, imaginative, and beautiful to look at.
Shyamalan was the wrong choice for this material, but the reviews suggest he failed here even more than anyone feared possible. Not since TRANSFORMERS 2 have I read reviews dripping with such contempt. I think these reviews top what even SEX AND THE CITY 2 received.
The movie has a very loyal fanbase, so there is no way it can be a major flop like THE ISLAND or STEALTH. It could be a minor flop like PRINCE OF PERSIA, and will probably do better overseas much like that film.
I am thinking maybe a $30 m opening with maybe $90 m overall. Overseas could be as much as $250 m.
Like I said, I have mixed emotions. I was hoping a great movie could be made from such a great show, but the "talent" behind and in front of the camera seemed to have doomed it to us fans wondering what could have been.
The one upside is that with how bankrupt Hollywood is for good ideas, the reboot is probably only a few years away. Maybe they will get it right the second time around.
"When it comes to the subject of torture, I trust a woman who was married to James Cameron for three years."
-- Amy Poehler in praise of Zero Dark Thirty director Kathryn Bigelow
OscarGuy wrote:It was a piece of shit news with Harry Potter, it's a piece of shit move with The Hobbit and it's definitely a piece of shit move with Twilight.
In the case of Harry Potter, the material is kind of dense. There's so much plot and story to cover so that one's a tad more understandable.
'Eclipse' Breaks Wednesday Record But Falls Short of 'New Moon'
by Brandon Gray
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse drained more of its opening day demand with its midnight opening than The Twilight Saga: New Moon did. Despite setting the midnight record with over $30 million, Eclipse's full day came in at an estimated $68.5 million, falling short of New Moon's $72.7 million record ($26.3 million of which from its midnight launch).
Playing on approximately 8,000 screens at an opening-record 4,416 locations, Eclipse still had a phenomenal debut, setting two other records. The vampire romance sequel boasted the largest Wednesday gross of all time, surpassing Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen's $62 million. It also logged the top-grossing summer day ever, surpassing The Dark Knight's $67.2 million.
Overall, Eclipse posted the second highest-grossing single day of all time, behind only its predecessor.
The last time June 30 landed on Wednesday and Independence Day landed on Sunday was in 2004. That's when Spider-Man 2 established the record for that holiday. It made $40.4 million on its Wednesday opening, or the equivalent of around $52 million adjusted for ticket price inflation. By its sixth day, it had pulled in $180.1 million, or more than $230 million adjusted.
"Young men make wars and the virtues of war are the virtues of young men: courage and hope for the future. Then old men make the peace, and the vices of peace are the vices of old men: mistrust and caution." -- Alec Guinness (Lawrence of Arabia)
'Eclipse' Rises with Record Midnight Launch
by Brandon Gray
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse ripped into the record books with its midnight launch, grossing over $30 million at more than 4,000 theaters. That surpassed The Twilight Saga: New Moon's previous benchmark of $26.3 million. Included in Eclipse's sum was a new IMAX midnight milestone of over $1 million at 192 venues, topping Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen's $959,000. Additionally, the first Twilight and New Moon had a one-off double-feature re-issue Thursday night at 2,037 theaters and made $2.4 million.
The vampre romance sequel had already cast the widest opening net ever, biting into a whopping 4,416 locations on Wednesday (more theaters are expected to be added on Friday). Iron Man 2 previously held that title with 4,380 locations, while Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince holds the overall record for highest location count ever at 4,455. Eclipse's count includes 193 IMAX venues, which is just shy of Shrek Forever After's 194 record.
Though it may have fewer screens than New Moon's estimated 8,500 due to a more competitive market, Eclipse is packing more than enough showings to satisfy demand over the Independence Day holiday session, which will span six days, from Wednesday through Monday. New Moon shattered the opening day record last November, grossing $72.7 million in its Friday debut (which included its $26.3 million midnight start), and had racked up $178.9 million through its sixth day. It flamed out quickly and ultimately tallied $296.6 million, greatly improving on the first Twilight's already stellar $192.8 million. Due to burning off demand on Wednesday and Thursday and other factors, Eclipse is not likely to top New Moon's $142.8 million opening weekend.
The last time Independence Day fell on a Sunday was in 2004. Spider-Man 2 was the hotly-anticipated release, and it broke the holiday record, one that stands to this day. Its Wednesday, June 30, opening day came in at $40.4 million, or the equivalent of around $52 million adjusted for ticket price inflation. By its sixth day, it had pulled in $180.1 million, or more than $230 million adjusted. However, it was the follow-up to Spider-Man, which was a far superior blockbuster to New Moon, and there had been a two-year wait, not seven months like for Eclipse.
With franchises performing at these lofty levels, comparisons are hard to come by. The other key current franchise with a literary basis, Harry Potter, shifted from November to the summer for its third entry, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (though it had a year and a half wait after the second movie). It scored a then series high opening gross, but wound up being the lowest-grossing entry, despite being based on a fan favorite book, like Eclipse.
Should Eclipse exceed New Moon in the long run if not its opening, then it would buck the trend of closely-timed serialized sequels, joining the ranks of the exceptionally-performing Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings franchises. When a second movie explodes with anticipation after the first movie's success, a certain amount of disappointment is inevitable and it becomes incredibly difficult for the third movie to maintain the momentum, especially when it hasn't had the time to stock more pent-up demand. That's how The Matrix and Pirates of the Caribbean series played out.
Summit Entertainment hasn't rested on its laurels, which is evident from the number of theaters they secured as well as a marketing campaign that has upped the action ante, suggesting that what was set up in the first two movies is finally coming to a head. On Wednesday, Summit said that they were expecting Eclipse to gross $150 million in its first six days, including $60 million for the Friday-to-Sunday period. Females both young and old are predictably the driving force, and Summit reported that male interest is about the same as it was for New Moon.
With Box Office Mojo readers, Eclipse has not fared as well as New Moon: 26 percent of respondents voted to see Eclipse in its opening versus 32 percent for New Moon at the same point (though results may be skewed due to Eclipse's Wednesday start). Anticipation may have been lowered by the reception to New Moon: Box Office Mojo readers graded New Moon a "C+," compared to the first Twilight's "B," while the IMDb User Rating for New Moon was 4.6 (out of 10), compared to 5.7 for Twilight.
Meanwhile, The Last Airbender is the other nationwide debut for the Independence Day holiday session, opening at over 3,000 locations on Thursday. It's the live-action adaptation of the popular animated television show Avatar: The Last Airbender, and writer-director M. Night Shyamalan and company are aiming to reach beyond the fan base. To that end, Last Airbender's marketing has tried to dazzle with its supernatural action spectacle. However, ads have been light on story and character, and what can be gleamed by the uninitiated may be an unrelatable fantasy world: aside from Lord of the Rings, the top-performing fantasies have had a basis in the real world, including Harry Potter and Narnia.
There is a danger of The Last Airbender appealing like a more polished version of Dragonball Evolution, but the track record of similar fare generally points to a solid run, albeit not in the blockbuster realm. Box Office Mojo readers have expressed a decent amount of interest: in polling, 35 percent have voted to see Last Airbender in its opening, which is nearly a rung above Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time and Speed Racer among comparable titles.
"Young men make wars and the virtues of war are the virtues of young men: courage and hope for the future. Then old men make the peace, and the vices of peace are the vices of old men: mistrust and caution." -- Alec Guinness (Lawrence of Arabia)
Well, the Twipocalypse is upon us. I would say I was as caught as much by surprise as anyone here when the first one opened to $69 m and ended less than $8 m shy of $200 m. Even though I knew the second one was going to be big, I never expected it to break the single day record ($72 m) or come in 3 on the opening weekend record ($142 m), then end with less than $4 m shy of $300 m.
So by now I have learned my lesson and am expecting huge returns on the third film. Factoring into my predictions is the fact that ECLIPSE has been getting relatively good reviews. Also, the film will really appeal to the fans since it is based on the favorite book (so I am told by a Twi-hard co-worker); but the non-fans (mostly boyfriends, husbands, and fathers of the Twi-hards) may enjoy this one as well since it has a few action scenes.
This is the first in the series to open in the summer. I am not sure if that will help or hinder its box-office success. Sequels to end of the year blockbusters which are released in the summer can often struggle (NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2, PRINCE CASPIAN). Also, releasing a sequel so closely to the first film can also mean diminishing return since there is no build-up of excitement from anticipation (THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 3).
Twi-hards, however, are different than fan-boys and family audiences. Something tells me this movie could be shot in black-and-white and have all the dialogue in French and it would still make quite a bit of money.
ECLIPSE has already set the record for widest release with 4,416 theatres. It is opening on a Wednesday, so it most likely will not be breaking any weekend records. TRANSFORMERS 2 currently holds the record for Wed opening ($62 m), but ECLIPSE will most likely meet or surpass slightly its own opening day record (so somewhere around $70 m). Its second day will probably be around $30 m, and then it will probably do around $70 m for its weekend. With the 4th of July falling on Sunday, many folks will be eating BBQs and watching fireworks. However, many people have that Monday off, so ECLIPSE will probably make around $20 m and pass $200 m in 6 days.
The last film dropped 70% on its second weekend. Even with ECLIPSE making so much its first weekend, I do not think it will surpass a 70% drop. With little competition in theatres right now and nothing big opening until two weekends later, I would say ECLIPSE will make around $350 m. The second film made $413 m overseas, and it would not surprise me if ECLIPSE came within striking distance of $1 b worldwide.
"When it comes to the subject of torture, I trust a woman who was married to James Cameron for three years."
-- Amy Poehler in praise of Zero Dark Thirty director Kathryn Bigelow
