This Weekend at the Boxoffice: 2006.07.24

[Mistwell]

Clerks could not even break the top 5

Clerks did FANTASTICALLY well this weekend. It couldn't have physically broken the top 5 box office, as it was not in nearly enough theatres or screens to do so. But it BLEW AWAY the expectations for this film. In fact it nearly doubled it's production cost in a single weekend.

My Super Ex-Girlfriend could be showing us that it is about the end of Superhero's at the boxoffice.

It isn't a superhero movie actually but a movie about a one-shot made-for-movies superhero romantic comedy with no actual fan following. I don't think you can track the performance of this movie to all superhero movies.

In fact I think it's one of the safest bets we've seen in hollywood for a long time that superhero (from actual comic books) will continue to dominate the box office with movies like Spiderman 3 (and Iron Man and Ghost Rider and Wonder Woman and even movies like 300) for the foreseeable future.

 

[Mistwell]

Hmm. Its looking like Superman will not break 200M in US sales. This has to be seen as a failure by the studio. Oh they will make money when you add in foreign boxoffice, which still isn't that much from what I read, and DVD sales, but the next Spiderman franchise this isn't. Hopefully that means a movie with more comic action than domestic drama next time.

Superman Returns has made $288,427,000 so far, and it cost $200,000,000 to make, despite the rumors to the contrary (see below). That's a good profit, and it isn't even done in the theatres and nowhere near the DVD release yet, not to mention broadcast rights and merchandising sales both of which will also be big. This was a hugely profitable movie already, and that is why they already greenlighted another movie with this same cast and director for 2009.

People keep counting the cost of prior scripts and prior pay-or-play directors for this film in the total cost (which is why you keep seeing numbers like $300M), but that isn't fair, and it isn't how other movie costs are counted. That other $100M was sunk well before this movie, over a long period of time (like a decade). Other movies also go through a costly development hell and we never even hear about it much less count those costs towards the actual movie that eventually gets made. Those are general studio costs usually...but somehow for this one single movie the news reports lumped it all together and proclaimed it a failure to make a sexy (but false) headline.

Is it Spiderman, the now second most profitable blockbuster in history? No. But is it a success? Definitely yes.

 

[Chain Lightning]

Pirates still number 1, nothing else really close, Clerks could not even break the top 5 and My Super Ex-Girlfriend could be showing us that it is about the end of Superhero's at the boxoffice.

I hope not. But I don't count "spoofs" as part of the same genre it is "spoofing". I just put it under Comedy.

 

[Hand of Evil]

I am just glad to see interest in these threads, some times the thread is never replyed too.

 

[Flexor the Mighty!]

Superman Returns has made $288,427,000 so far, and it cost $200,000,000 to make, despite the rumors to the contrary (see below). That's a good profit, and it isn't even done in the theatres and nowhere near the DVD release yet, not to mention broadcast rights and merchandising sales both of which will also be big. This was a hugely profitable movie already, and that is why they already greenlighted another movie with this same cast and director for 2009.

People keep counting the cost of prior scripts and prior pay-or-play directors for this film in the total cost (which is why you keep seeing numbers like $300M), but that isn't fair, and it isn't how other movie costs are counted. That other $100M was sunk well before this movie, over a long period of time (like a decade). Other movies also go through a costly development hell and we never even hear about it much less count those costs towards the actual movie that eventually gets made. Those are general studio costs usually...but somehow for this one single movie the news reports lumped it all together and proclaimed it a failure to make a sexy (but false) headline.

Is it Spiderman, the now second most profitable blockbuster in history? No. But is it a success? Definitely yes.

Just going by the budget listed on Boxofficemojo. I'm not sure this movie is hugely profitable as you claim. I did say it would make money overall when you add in everything. Usually movies in the US are judged primarly by their domestic box office, which is why I was referring to the studio seeing it as somewhat of a failure. I'm sure that opinion is changing more and more though due to overseas and more importantly DVD sales.

I read that about the sequal too, Too bad. I was hoping for some really fun Superman movies, instead we got...well we got the Singer vision of Superman. Oh well. There is always the next Spidey to look forward to.

 

[Desdichado]

I am just glad to see interest in these threads, some times the thread is never replyed too.

Well, that's what happens when you make a controversial opening statement, sir!

I read that about the sequal too, Too bad. I was hoping for some really fun Superman movies, instead we got...well we got the Singer vision of Superman. Oh well. There is always the next Spidey to look forward to.

I'm still not quite sure what Singer added to it that was uniquely him. The movie felt extremely deja vu to me; like I was watching a too-reverent remake of the first movie with a slightly tweaked script.

 

[Hand of Evil]

On Clerks 2, I thought the take would have been better, I may not like KS but a lot and I mean a lot of people do. Plus the word of mouth, which yes is from the fans of KS but it has been good, B on boxofficemojo. Was thinking it would be 14 to 17 range but it may not drop much in the coming weeks.