By now, anyone who cares about box office figures knows that "The Dark Knight" exceeded even the sky-high preliminary estimates to earn a record-shattering $158.3 million over its first three days (the old record was last year's "Spider-Man 3" with $151 million).
I can't recall a movie earning such a strong combination of stellar reviews (you can check out Jeffrey & Alison's review by clicking here) and tremendous word-of-mouth from audiences. I had friends -- some comics geeks, others people who wouldn't know Two-Face from Clayface -- email me all weekend long raving about the film. I would say "Iron Man's" reign as the year's top grossing film (currently at $314 mil) is in serious jeopardy. TDK is on pace for much higher numbers. That extended time in theaters can only help the possible Oscar campaign for the late Heath Ledger and the film itself.
Lost in the Bat-mania (all the hoopla over TDK really did remind me of the fanfare surrounding 1989's "Batman") was that Hollywood had its busiest non-holiday weekend EVER.
That's largely due to TDK but also because of the surprisingly strong debut of "Mamma Mia!" It posted the best opening numbers of any movie musical in history with $27.6M. Fans of the smash hit Broadway show and ABBA in general obviously wanted a break from the superhero infestation at the multiplex, making Universal's counter-programming gamble pay off bigtime.
Third place was Will Smith's tireless "Hancock" with $14M ($191M total).
In fourth was "Journey to the Center of the Earth" with $11.9M in its sophomore weekend ($43M total), while fifth place went to "Hellboy II: The Golden Army." But Universal's not thrilled that the film dropped 70% in its second frame, earning $10M for a $56.4M total. Doesn't take a genius to figure out most of its intended audience went to see TDK instead but still, that's an enormous drop that could jeopardize chances of a third Hellboy movie.
Next week, Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly return with more silliness in "Step Brothers," while Scully and Mulder return in "The X-Files: I Want To Believe."
Comments
I guess it goes to show; never underestimate the power of the bat!
Hellboy's 70% drop is really shocking. I think that puts it among some of the worst second-week declines in history (company shared by Hulk, and Freddy vs Jason, among others).
Obviously the demographic went to see TDK, but also I think the movie not being very good added to that a little. (Really, it's nothing but fantastical creatures, and no story, as Allison pointed out. Jeffrey assumed it's audience is a simple, easy to please lot, with no standards and low expectations. There you go.)
As for Batman, we're taking the exact same genre, and showing that we don't have to settle for CG-ridden nonsense. Bravo, Nolan and company for creating a mature crime drama that is far to good to even be called a superhero film!
By now, anyone who cares about box office figures knows that "The Dark Knight" exceeded even the sky-high preliminary estimates to earn a record-shattering $158.3 million over its first three days (the old record was last year's "Spider-Man 3" with $151 million).
In fourth was "Journey to the Center of the Earth" with $11.9M in its sophomore weekend ($43M total), while fifth place went to "Hellboy II: The Golden Army." But Universal's not thrilled that the film dropped 70% in its second frame, earning $10M for a $56.4M total. Doesn't take a genius to figure out most of its intended audience went to see TDK instead but still, that's an enormous drop that could jeopardize chances of a third Hellboy movie.