[LotR:TTT] Sets record, blah blah blah

Barendd Nobeard · Dec 20, 2002

From CNN:

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- J.R.R. Tolkien's diminutive hobbits are box office giants all over again, as the second installment in the "Lord of the Rings" movie trilogy set a record December one-day gross of $26 million in U.S. theaters.

The debut of "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers" shattered the previous all-time box office benchmark for a single day in December, set last year by its precursor, "The Fellowship of the Ring," at full story...

Bhaal · Dec 20, 2002

26 million in one day? Wow.

The scary part is this record only has a lifespan of 364 days

Barendd Nobeard · Dec 20, 2002

Bhaal said:
26 million in one day? Wow.

The scary part is this record only has a lifespan of 364 days

LOL! Exactly! My kids went this year; may have to drag the wife next year, too, to make sure the record is shattered.

KenM · Dec 20, 2002

From what I understand, FELLOWSHIP made almost 890 milion in theaters, not counting DVD and video sales. It cost like 325 million to make all 3 movies. A movie usally has to make twice as what it cost to make to be considered profitable.That means everything else pulled in money wise for new line is profit.

Morrus · Dec 20, 2002

KenM said:
A movie usally has to make twice as what it cost to make to be considered profitable.

Huh?

ColonelHardisson · Dec 20, 2002

Morrus said:
Huh?

Basically that's true. The cost of publicity for a film often matches or exceeds the cost of production.

jdavis · Dec 20, 2002

A total cost on a movie is alot more than just the cost to make it, not to mention only a percentage of what a movie makes is what the studio makes, part goes to the theater. I don't know the percentages off hand, and I think they change from movie to movie.

Fast Learner · Dec 20, 2002

Bah! I hate box office records. Of course the records are broken nearly every year: tickets cost more every year. Big shocker.

I want to see records of tickets sold. That would be meaningful.

ColonelHardisson · Dec 20, 2002

jdavis said:
A total cost on a movie is alot more than just the cost to make it, not to mention only a percentage of what a movie makes is what the studio makes, part goes to the theater. I don't know the percentages off hand, and I think they change from movie to movie.

I studied film for 5 years, so I know a little about this. Theaters make most of their money from concessions. The percentage they keep from the actual take fom the film is surprisingly small, almost nil, at least in the first few weeks. The longer a film remains in the theater, the larger the percentage of the take the theater keeps. However, since most films nowadays don't stay long in the theater, one can see that theaters don't make much off them. And you can also see why movie theater food is so expensive, and why they don't want you bringing in your own. Plus, it's also the reason why commercials are now shown in theaters, and why theaters often have arcades or souvenir shops.

Zappo · Dec 20, 2002

Fast Learner said:
Bah! I hate box office records. Of course the records are broken nearly every year: tickets cost more every year. Big shocker.

I want to see records of tickets sold. That would be meaningful.

You're right, but you could adjust the gross for a normalized ticket price to get a fairly good comparison.