Weekend Report: 'The Dark Knight Rises' stays atop with $62.1 million

After Friday’s Olympics opening ceremony and last week’s mass shooting, moviegoers returned to theaters, keeping The Dark Knight Rises’ on the top but left The Watch and Step Up Revolution in the dark. Because of the Olympics' opening on Friday, Saturday’s numbers were up for most films but the new Batman film had a strong 39.3% jump from Friday-to-Saturday, reinforcing its superhero status.

In its second weekend run, The Dark Knight Rises remained the top-winner of the weekend with an estimated $62.1 million that places its domestic haul at a great $287.1 million—the third highest 10-day gross. IMAX accounted for 14.5 percent of the weekend revenue which is higher than the 11.8 percent of its opening weekend. Even with a healthy second weekend, the superhero tentpole is still pacing behind its predecessor by a considerable 9 percent.  On its second weekend, The Dark Knight dropped 52.5 percent while Nolan’s bat-finale dropped 60.2 percent.  Recent polls and statistics suggested that 20%-25% of moviegoers are still hesitant to go to the theater. Assuming there is a direct proportionality to box office revenues, if 20% of The Dark Knight’s 2012-adjusted second weekend gross were removed, the film still passes the finale by more than 6.8 percent. Although the shooting and Olympic Ceremony has had its toll on The Dark Knight Rises, the film itself seems to be the problem; it seems to lack what its predecessor had. Even several critics conclude that although it may still shine as a film, it never meets the high standard set by its predecessor. Therefore, it is highly unlikely that the film will reach or pass its predecessors record breaking final domestic gross of $533.3 million. Expect a North American gross of $430-450 million.

In comparison to another finale, The Dark Knight Rises second weekend drop is below that of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2 (72.0 percent) which eventually grossed more than $375 million domestically. The Avengers, which was released earlier this year, broke many records, including opening weekend and second weekend records. The ensemble superhero film scored a record shattering $103.1 million second weekend gross and experienced a relatively good drop of 50.7 percent.

Unlike its domestic run, The Dark Knight Rises is doing great business overseas where it has already garnered $248.2 million, most of which is just less than 60% of the international market. Summing its domestic and international numbers, The Dark Knight Rises currently holds a powerful $537.3 cume. With this much enthusiasm both internationally and domestically, The Dark Knight Rises should easily pass the $1 billion mark sometime in the next 2 weeks.

Newcomers The Watch and Step Up: Revolution were easily fended off. The Watch, an ensemble comedy, opened to a flaccid $13.0 million, which is once again a disappointment for Ben Stiller. Tower Heist is another Ben Stiller comedy that failed this year. Compared to other R-rated comedies, The Watch loses most of its sight. For example, Ted, a month ago, opened to an incredible $54.4 million and has hitherto grossed $194 million, which is currently the fourth highest-grossing film for an R-rated comedy and the 11^th highest-grossing film for a R-rated film.

Step Up: Revolution, the fourth installment in the Summits’ dance club franchise—Step Up, grossed an underwhelming $11.8 million, which is 25.3 percent less than the $15.8 million debut of Step Up 3D. Its opening is also lower than all the other Step Up movies: Step Up opened to $20.7 million and Step Up 2 debuted to $18.9 million. Clearly, movie-goers, in this case mostly females, have lost interest in the dance moves of the Step Up franchise. With such an opening, Step Up 4 should become the lowest-grossing film in the Step Up franchise with anything around $32.5 million. Internationally, Step Up 3D grossed a decent $116.9 million  and now its only chance at success is if it grosses anywhere above $100 million.

                                                                                                                                 

'The Dark Knight Rises': Second Weekend Forecast

After the senseless tragedy that struck Colorado, many would think that no one would go watch The Dark Knight Rises, or any film in fact, but as did the opening weekend results show—fans, although plunged in sadness, flocked to the theaters to watch the “epic conclusion.” Even with newcomers, The Watch and Step Up: Revolution, Nolan’s bat-finale will “rise” to the occasion and remain in the number 1 seat.

The Dark Knight Rises, amidst the mass shooting, raked in a record $160.9 million over its opening weekend, marking the biggest-opening weekend for a 2D film and the third biggest-debut just behind Deathly Hallows – Part 2’s $169.2 million opening. Although a record, the superhero tentpole's opening was notably less than the range given by analysts, which was around the $175-$215 million range. Therefore, the shooting definitely had its toll on the film with some analysts suggesting a $10-$20 diminution. Now, the question is to what extent will the misfortune, which shocked many people, effect the film’s second weekend gross?

In 2008, The Dark Knight garnered $158.4 million over its opening weekend and when adjusted to 2012’s ticket prices its 3-day gross of $174.7 million soars past that of the sequel. Therefore, ticket sales were clearly lower by a considerable amount. On its second weekend, The Dark Knight dropped 52.5% to $75.2 million. If that same trend is followed, then The Dark Knight Rises should earn $76.4 million. However, the comparison is not that simple as much of The Dark Knight Rises' opening weekend came from prepaid tickets and The Dark Knight didn't open in the same ambiance.  Both Monday and Tuesday grosses still illustrate interest in the movie from many eager buffs, despite the shooting, which may suggest a good hold-up for next week. In terms of 5-day total comparison, The Dark Knight Rises has grossed $198.04 million and is currently pacing 3 percent behind the $203.77 million five-day start of The Dark Knight.

As of July 26, 2012, The Dark Knight Rises holds a stellar 93% approval rating from Flixter’s audience and a great 86% fresh rating from 253 critics.  Despite the loss of some of its fandom and normal moviegoers, The Dark Knight Rises will have no trouble grossing more than $50 million in its sophomore frame from Batman aficionado rewatches and any word of mouth appealed newcomers.

Expect The Dark Knight Rises to gross $68.3 million over its second weekend run.

Second Weekend Forecast: $68.3 million

The Dark Knight Rises: Weekend Forecast—Let the battle begin: The Avengers vs. The Dark Knight Rises

In 2005, Warner Bros. rebooted the Batman franchise with Christopher Nolan as director. The first installment in the Nolan-Bat trilogy—Batman Begins—opened to a mediocre $72.9 million over its 5-day opening. However, the film went on to gross $205.3 million; it was not close to Marvel’s Spider-Man but it still ignited the start of DC comics' superheroes again. The year after, DC and WB released Superman Returns, an alternate sequel to original Superman film series; it eventually scored a higher gross than Batman Begins, but was still a disappointment in the eyes of Warner Bros. In 2008, the Bat sequel finally hit theaters on July 18 and broke the record of highest-opening weekend with $158.4 million. It astonished many people including Warner Bros. and reinforced the fact that DC comics still had hard-core fans and was prominent throughout North America.  On top of a staggering opening weekend, The Dark Knight went on to become the second-highest grossing film just behind Titanic with $533.3 million. Soon enough Marvel’s The Avengers grabbed most of its records and became a formidable opponent for the finale of Nolan’s Batman trilogy—one of the most anticipated films of 2012. What makes The Avengers a worthy opponent is its ostensibly insurmountable $207.4 million debut. However, it had the advantage of 3D premiums that boosted its opening weekend with $35 million. Equivalently, The Dark Knight Rises has the advantage of IMAX, but the question is: Will it be good enough?

In the last decade, many finales have been greatly successful. The three most notable finales of the last decade are The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2. A comparison of the opening weekend for each of the respective predecessors illustrates that there was a note-worthy increase: a 22% increase from Two Towers to The Return of the King; a 44% improvement from Star Wars: Episode II to Episode III; and a 35% escalation from Part 1 to Part 2 of the Harry Potter finale. However, The Dark Knight Rises has one advantage the other two finales did not—a cryptic ending. Unlike Lord of the Rings 3 and Harry Potter 8, Nolan’s superhero film is not based on a book thereby making the ending a mystery. This “darkness” effectively creates a higher level of anticipation and hype. An example of the hype is the attack on negative reviewers on the review aggregator site, Rotten Tomatoes, for the final “Batman” tentpole. Such an increased interest over the internet would reflect the ticket sales of the film.

Although the film’s marketing campaign has not grown gradually from film-to-film as it has for The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises’ promotion has been steadily building up for four years, starting with a viral campaign and ending with the pre-release of the Hans Zimmer soundtrack. The introduction of the soundtrack effectively creates more enthusiasm as it allows the fans to envision what is to come in the film.

Both the trailers and the posters have belabored the tagline—“The Legend Ends”—in order to highlight finality of the series thereby making the movie a must-see attraction. Along with this tagline, the previews have focused on the action and the IMAX aspects—the film features more than 70 minutes of IMAX footage. The two previous films mainly attracted male adults and the promotion of the film was targeted for this demographic. As a means to widen the audience, most of the trailers focus on Catwoman—the femininity of the film—who is popular in the female world. The ball and dance scene with Catwoman also presents a mysterious relationship between Batman and Catwoman—one that will surely attract many females. 

With the absence of the Joker in this film, another villain that is probably even stronger than Wayne was needed to create fear in much of the audience; the best choice was Bane. Even one of the posters depicts a shattered Batman mask on the ground, which may suggest the death of Batman. The possibility that Batman may die, not only heightens the alacrity of fans, but also invokes a variety of emotions in the audience. The ultimate question in this marketing move is “Will Batman die?”

Other than the 3D downside, Nolan’s finale suffers from a near- 3 hour runtime that is challenging theater owners in meeting all the demand. One of the solutions is to screen the film continuously for 24-72 hours at some of the location. The chain, along with AMC Theaters, offers 3:30 a.m.- 4 a.m. show times on Friday. It is also opening in a record-breaking 332 IMAX locations that will surely accommodate the IMAX demands. It is possible this move will lead to the biggest-opening day; Deathly Hallows - Part 2's opening day record is at stake!

Opening in a superhero record 4,404 locations, The Dark Knight Rises will have no trouble garnering more than $180 million over its 3-day debut. Expect a record shattering $210.5 million.

Pros:

1. IMAX surcharge
2. Wide Release—4,404 locations and 332 IMAX locations, each of which is more than that of The Avengers.
3. Release Date—Its summer time: No school, everyone is out and running.
4. The sense of closure: The Dark Knight Rises is a finale, a must-see film.

Cons:

1. Absence of 3D
2. Long Runtime (164 minutes), so less showings.

Opening Weekend Forecast: $210.5 million

Forecast: Will the 'fourquel' have any luck?-Ice Age 4

The 3D animated PG rated film is back in another "Ice Age." The Ice Age franchise has seen a strong escalation in total revenue from the first Ice Age, which grossed $383 million worldwide, to the third Ice Age, which grossed $886 million. Now if that same rise applies to Ice Age 4, then it has a very high chance of passing the billion-dollar mark. However, Ice Age 3 was the first film in the franchise to be in 3D that enhanced the total revenue tremendously for the international market with $690 million (50% increase from Ice Age 2). The North American market, on the other hand, did not see a jump (0.006% increase from Ice Age 2, and 11% from Ice Age). It rarely happens that a fourth entry in a franchise experiences an increase. Shrek Forever After is an apt example of the situation, it ended its run with the lowest North American revenue in the franchise with $238.7 million .Therefore, Ice Age 4 will have no trouble grossing more than $150 million but anything more than $200 million is highly unlikely. This weekend does not seem to summon any new animated competitors but still Brave and Madagascar 3 are included in this weekend choice list for both parents and children.

Expect Ice Age: Continental Drift to take in $50.6 million this weekend.

Top three predictions for the July 13-15, 2012 weekend:

  1- Ice Age: Continental Drift - $49.6 million

        2-The Amazing Spider-Man - $31.4 million

        3- Ted (2012) - $22.1 million

'The Amazing Spider-Man' scores $62 million over its opening weekend

The Amazing-Spider Man topped the box office, this post-holiday weekend, with a modest $62 million, at 4,318 locations. The film has now raked in $137.0 million over its six-day debut. 3D sales accounted for 44% of the weekend gross while IMAX contributed 10%. Last year, another movie—Transformers: Dark of the Moon—was also promoted with high 3D effects similar to the Spider-man reboot, but it had a 60% 3D share. Yet, most films falls in the range of 40-50% notably Pirates 4, Cars 2, and Green Lantern. Therefore, 44% seems on par with other films.


In comparison to other Spider-Man films, Webb’s reboot ranks the lowest both in terms of opening weekend and in terms of six-day openings. Spider-Man, Spider-Man 2, and Spider-Man 3 pulled in $144.2 million, $180.1 million, and $176.2 million respectively over their six-day rollout. However, such a comparison isn't that simple as most of these films lived of the success of its predecessors. The only closest figure is Spider-Man’s $144 million six-day cume but then again the opening days were different. Even so, the 3D boost and 8-year inflation should have given the reboot a chance to shine but as most reboots present—they never perform like the original. 


Transformers, which opened on the same day in 2007, grossed $70.6 million over its opening weekend for a cumulative six-day gross of $155.4 million. That is notably 14% higher than The Amazing Spider-Man’s six-day debut. Both films are the first in their franchise, yet the new Spider-Man pic still earned less. What is even more inauspicious is the fact that Webb’s superhero tentpole scored the highest-Tuesday gross but experienced very steep drops, over 30%, in the following days. It is possible that this does not bode well-hold ups in the coming weeks. However, Sony seems to be proud with the new Superhero’s numbers with one executive stating, “In the world of reboots, it’s pretty spectacular.”

And it’s true in the world of reboots, The Amazing Spider-Man does seem to net its way to the top. Other remarkable reboots of successful franchises include Batman Begins (2005), Superman Returns (2006), and X-Men: First Class (2011). Opening on a Wednesday in June 2005, Batman Begins earned $48.8 million over its opening weekend, which is significantly less than the new Spider-Man reboot even when adjusted to inflation. Similarly, both Superman Returns' opening of $52.5 million and X-Men: First Class’ $55.1 million fall short compared to The Amazing Spider-Man’s opening gross. Batman Begins (2005), Superman Returns (2006), and X-Men: First Class (2011) each eventually grossed $205.3 million, $200.1 million, and $146.4 million respectively. What seems even more interesting is how the sequel to Batman Begins—The Dark Knight—became the third-highest grossing movie. As Columbia Pictures has already started the production of a sequel to the Spider-Man reboot, it portends good earnings for the upcoming sequel.

Although the Spider-Man brand has strong public appeal in North America, it will not be enough for The Amazing Spider-Man to rake in numbers similar to those of Rami’s films—Spider Man 1, 2, 3—each of which ultimately grossed more than $300 million. In North America, the film should make between $220-$270 million. Internationally, on the other hand, the movie is making strong debuts in much of Asia and already holds a $201.6 million haul.

North American Forecast: $257 million

'The Amazing Spider Man': Earns the Biggest Tuesday Gross

Current estimates by Sony place The Amazing Spider-Man's Tuesday earnings close to $35 million, surpassing Transformers’ $27.9 million gross to become the highest-grossing Tuesday opener. Although a record breaker, The Amazing Spider-Man did not have much competition in breaking this record as very few films of the same blockbuster level open on Tuesdays. The only other notable Tuesday-opener is Micheal Bay's Transformers, which opened in 2007—adjusting to both inflation and 3D premiums Transformers' opening will mount to somewhere around $35 million.

From 4,011 locations, Transformers eventually grossed $155.4 million in its Tuesday to Sunday run. Webb's reboot earned $7.5 million in its midnight showings, which is slightly less, than Transformers’ $8.8 million ($10.1 million, adjust. to infl.). With this trend, The Amazing Spider-Man can easily gross $166.1 million. However, the fact that some critics are panning it for being a derivative of the original Spider-Man film does not put the new Spider-Man in a better situation. At Flixter, 84% of the audience is fond of the movie, which counters the negative reviews from quite a few critics. Ultimately, the success of the film is contingent on the audience's opinion not that of the critics. Expect $143.0 million  for the films six-day debut. 


*News suggests that the success of the film has led way to a trilogy so a new Spider-Man franchise is not far away.

The Amazing Spider Man: International Forecast

Non-North American (International)

In the previous Spider-Man franchise, international earnings were always great; increasing from the first film to the last by over 32.6%. Spider Man 3 grossed $554.3 million, the highest international earning in all the franchise, while Spider Man grossed $418.0 million. It is clear that the Spider-Man franchise has strong market-holds in many international territories.

From 2007 to 2012, many non-North American markets would have grown, notably China—a flourishing territory in box office revenues—Russia, and Brazil. The Amazing Spider-Man should have no trouble earning more than $250 million internationally, considering the fact that it even has a 3D punch. All the previous Spider Man movies were released in 2D and at a time where IMAX theaters were not in huge numbers and less prevalent. Now, there are more than 580 IMAX venues internationally.

In 13 international markets, The Amazing Spider-Man opened on June 28-30, garnering a strong $50.2 million. The new reboot has already surpassed the opening of The Avengers in two countries—Korea where the new 3D reboot debuted to $13 million which is $3 million more than the opening of The Avengers, and India where it opened to  $6 million which is the biggest-opening for an American film. In Korea and India, The Avengers went on to gross more than $50 million and $13 million respectively. With these revenues, Webb's reboot.is on a propitious start.


Final International Forecast: $540 million

The Amazing Spider Man: Opening Weekend Forecast

North American
Ten years ago, the first Spider-man movie shocked box-office observers by earning more than $100 million over its opening weekend—a record than no other film had accomplished at the time. Out of all films, the super-hero film prevailed and amassed a huge number of fans to earn $114.8 million during its debut. Now, that number would seem weak compared to The Avengers’ staggering $207.4 million debut. However, it should be made clear that Avengers was boosted with 3D higher ticket premiums and 10-year inflation. Even with adjusting to inflation, Spider Man’s opening is $156.6 million, which still falls short next to The Avengers. Either way, if the new reboot, The Amazing Spider-Man, grosses that much then a new franchise is a foregone conclusion.

Our “Spidey” superhero is set hit theaters on July 3, 2012 with an “untold story.” Columbia Pictures decided to reboot the whole franchise only 5 years after the last Spider Man movie—Spider Man 3. The new reboot, with a new name, is being marketed as “The Untold Story.” Columbia marketing techniques are trying to make this new reboot outstand compare to Spider Man. A notable attempt is changing the name of the reboot to “The Amazing Spider-Man.” Although taken from a comic book title, this only serves to create a new atmosphere for the reboot. Most of the previews confirm this by illustrating a new look—a darker look—at Spider Man’s life. Even Sony realized that the “untold story” facet of the campaign wouldn’t suffice so they changed their tagline to something more congruous with the title—“Prepare to be Amazed.” Several non-amazed critics, on the other hand, believe that the so-called reboot is but a replay of the original film—this may indeed be true but could also cause fans to dismiss the movie as a mere reiteration and reportrayal of the original. Currently, the film holds a decent 77% approval rating on rotten tomatoes.  Sony pictures should have anticipated such a consequence in the production of the reboot so soon.

In better light Facebook, likes have increased for The Amazing Spider Man, running at around 1.5 million likes, which suggests interest in the movie by many fans. Considering the fact that it has not been released yet, it stands well compared to the original 2002 Spider Man movie that has approximately 4.1 million likes. Even with all the other blockbusters this year, the Spider-man reboot has acquired more than 53 million views on almost all trailers. The Dark Knight Rises has attained 97 million views which is in part due to a renowned director (Nolan) and a well-established franchise. Regardless, all these signs suggest a good interest in the movie and one that may indeed grow next week. However, only one worrying note seems to be the problem; it may pull in good numbers over the opening weekend but in the long-run interest may fade away mainly because of The Dark Knight Rises (which is set to be released 17 days after the Amazing Spider Man) and the common plot points of the 2002 film. If the film does truly mirror the original then it will cause fans to retract and a final North American gross of anything above $250 million will be improbable.

A similar reboot-type film released in recent years is X-Men: First Class , but this film wasn’t haunted by claims of “seen it and done it”. X-Men First Class debuted to $55.1 million while the first X-Men opened to $54.5 million. Adjusted to inflation, however, the first X-Men opened to $80.1 million. As seen in many other cases, reboots never truly out-perform the original.

In order to give the Marc Webb's reboot as much time as possible to drain its money from fans before the release of The Dark Knight Rises, Columbia Pictures decided to release the film 3 days before the usual Friday which in this case means July 3, 2012. With 17 days until it faces The Dark Knight Rises, The Amazing Spider Man can make quick money. A similar situation happened to Spider Man 2 but instead of opening on Tuesday it opened on a Wednesday.Therefore, it is unlikely even with higher ticket pricing, because of both the 3D and inflation, that The Amazing Spider Man will gross more than $114 million over its opening weekend. Expect a decent but not outstanding $65.6 million opening.

North American Opening Weekend Forecast: $65.6 million
North American Three-Day Opening Forecast: $71.2 million
Opening Week Forecast: $136.8 million

The Amazing Spider-Man: Box-Office expectations and forecast

Will the latest spider-man reboot live up to its predecessors?

Coming Soon

The Avengers once again rules the international box office and North American

In its third-weekend roll-out, The Avengers once again pulled in great numbers that kept it in the #1 seat for the third week straight. With two newcomers--Battleship and The Dictator--, the superhero juggernaut earned an estimated $55.1 million over its third weekend, marking the second-highest third weekend gross right behind Avatar which earned $68.5 million back in December 2009. From last weekend record breaking $103.1 million, the pic dropped a decent 46.6% which stands well compared to other superhero titles--Iron Man 2(49.3%), and Thor (55.5%). However, both The Dark Knight's and Spider-man's third-weekend drops were less with 43.2% and 36.9% respectively. However, with its $55.1 million The Avengers domestic cume now stands at a staggering $457.1 million which is the 6th highest gross of all time domestically;right behind Star Wars. What is more interesting is the celerity with which the film reached the $450 million threshold; a record 17 days which surpasses The Dark Knight's 27 day record by a significant 10 day difference. A North American gross above $540 million is guaranteed for Marvel's highest-grossing film of all-time--The Avengers.

Internationally, The Avengers also amassed a powerful $56.0 million from 54 territories(95% of int. market) which is a decent drop of 32.5% from last weekend's $93.8 million. The Avengers international haul is now at $723.3 million which is the #7 highest-grossing film of all time internationally. In Latin America, the superhero tent-pole has already earned $171 million, overcoming the total revenue of Avatar and Titanic to become the highest grossing film of all-time in that territory. With this much energy in overseas markets, The Avengers will have no problem passing the $800 million threshold and possibly the $900 million when it is released in Japan. Summing up both domestic and international numbers, The Avengers now has $1.180 billion globally--the 4th highest-grossing film of all time globally.

List of Records Set by The Avengers:
1. Biggest Opening Weekend ($207.8 million)
2. Biggest Opening Saturday and Sunday
3. Fastest Movie to reach $100, $200, $300, $400, $450 million
4. Highest 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th day gross.
5. Biggest second weekend of all time ($103.1 million)
6. Highest Grossing Disney film of all-time both globally and domestically
7. ...

Believe it or not, there were other films at the box office. However, The Avengers superhero power smashed any newcomers. Battleship debuted to a flaccid $25.3 million which is really off the anticipated $35-40 million range. At this stage, Battleship doesn't seem to have the power to pass the $70 million in the long run. Universal's so called new "Transformers franchise" didn't sum up to anything and opened less than John Carter, another box office flop that cost Disney many losses. However, international figures are better with $215.3 million which compensates for the production budget of $209 million.(excluding marketing costs and any other miscellaneous costs.)

The Dictator, an R rated film, also opened to an underwhelming $17.4 million that is no where close to other films of the same genre.

Updated: The Avengers Third Weekend Predictions

The Avengers' record streak is about to end as its third weekend gross falls below that of Avatar. Although  it is going to lose that record, it still has many other records to look for namely fastest film to $450 million and $500 million. In 2009, Avatar was huge hit and indeed an exceptional film, for that reason it isn't fair to compare The Avengers to Avatar. Moreover, the release date of Avatar and The Avengers was different; Avatar was released in December 2009 while Avengers was released in May 2012. Earning an approximate $15.308 million on Friday, The Avengers domestic cume is now $417 million, marking the highest-grossing film for Disney.

With $417 million in only 15 days, the box office juggernaut will remain in the #1 seat with a staggering $56.8 million, ranking as the second-highest third weekend gross.

Internationally, The Avengers raked an estimated $13.9 million on Friday placing its non-north american haul at $682.6 million and globally at $1.099 billion--6th highest grossing film of all-time. By Sunday, the superhero ensemble should become the 4th highest-grossing film of all-time globally.

Battleship, is expected to open to an underwhelming $27.6 million, due to a below par midnight gross and an estimated $9.5 million on Friday. With an opening of $27.6 million, Battleship will be lucky to earn more than $100 million as its final domestic revenue. Although domestic numbers aren't too good, Battleship has a solid international cume of $220 million covering a outlandish production budget of $209 million(not inclusive of marketing costs). Universal will suffer a slight blow, but not as bad as that which Disney experienced with John Carter. Luckily, The Avengers was there to save the day.

Friday Report: The Avengers grosses $29.124 million on Friday, Dark Shadows underperforms

With $29.124 million in the bank on Friday, The Avengers is on track to dethrone Avatar's record of biggest-second weekend gross of $75.6 million. Obliterating the $200 million barrier in only 3 days , The Avengers is going to break another barrier and garner a smashing $102.8 million over its second weekend, making it the first and only movie to earn that much. By Sunday, the superhero ensemble movie would have broken another 2 records, namely fastest film to $300 million and fastest film to $350 million accomplishing each in a mere 8(9*) days and 10 days respectively.

The Avengers' $29.124 million Friday compares well to other superhero movies and big-box office hits. In 2008, The Dark Knight grossed $23.3 million on its second Friday, but those numbers weren't boosted by 3D premiums. The movie's second Friday is even 26% more than that of Avatar(3D) which ultimately grossed $750 million in North America. The superhero tentpole's 8-day cume is 14% ahead of The Dark Knight's $261.8 million, and 70% ahead of Iron Man 2's $159.2 million

Look for the The Avengers to stay at #1 spot again with $102.8 million which that by itself stands as the 18th highest-opening weekend.

Internationally, the Avengers has pulled in decent numbers on Friday with $21 million, placing its international haul at $555.2 million. As of now, the worldwide revenue is $854.3 million. The Avengers has already become the highest-grossing superhero title of all time internationally.

Final Domestic Forecast: $579.3 million
Final Worldwide Forecast: $1.34 billion

*As Friday's gross is an estimate, there is room for error so a higher/lower Friday gross is possible. Actual grosses will be revealed on Monday.

The Avengers Second Weekend Projections (Updated)

With the Dark Shadows opening this week at an approximate 3,700 places, The Avengers should be drastically affected considering the fact that such films suffer a steep drop the following week. However, the superhero tentpole still has enough firepower in it to stay in the #1 seat with a predicted $90+ million. The Avengers should break the record of biggest-second weekend gross and surpass Avatar's $75.6 million over its second weekend.

Breaking records each day, The Avengers also boasts a powerful A+ Cinema Score and 96% on Flixer ratings. Not only is the word of mouth good among fans, but also among critics who are lauding Mark Ruffalo's depictive acting techniques. Standing as the 32nd highest-grossing film of all time in only 17 days with $803.3 million, the ensemble movie will most certainly pass the $1 billion dollar threshold. Currently, The Avengers accounts for 84% of daily sales portending a really good hold-up for this week.

Expect the Avengers to shatter everything again with a second-weekend gross of $105.8 million, a drop of 49.1%.

The Dark Shadows will suffer The Avengers' "smashing" power, and open to a decent $32 million.

The Avengers smashes opening records

The Avengers amassed  a staggering $200.3 million over its opening weekend, obliterating Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2's previous record of $169.2 million by a large margin...

The Avengers: Opening Weekend Predictions

The John Whedon extravaganza is expected to debut to $170 million+. Opening to staggering $80.5 million on Friday, The Avengers broke opening day records for a superhero film and now stands as the second-biggest opening day of all time. With $80.5 million already, The Avengers is poised to surpass the $169.2 million opening weekend record set by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows--Part 2 last July.

The superhero tentpole is almost surely expected to gross more than The Dark Knight on its opening weekend($158.1 million). However, it doesn't seem fair because The Avengers has 3D premiums to "show off" which places it at an advantage. With a record-breaking opening day of $80.5 million, The Avengers is on track to out-gross Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 over the weekend with a predicted $180.4 million. Although the opening day is considerably less than Harry Potter, a few factors must be taken into consideration: HP8 opened in July and teenagers had no school. For the Avengers, however, its opening in May is a powerful month for superhero films. Moreover, 3D showings accounted for 60% of the Friday's opening, suggesting relatively good interest in 3D in this genre of movies.

Expect a $180.4 million opening debut that will surely dethrone the Harry Potter finale.

The Avengers: Worldwide Forecast (Updated) $400+ million??

After an incredible April with The Hunger Games passing the $360 line mark, May is also going to be a stellar month with The Avengers on the top list. After eight films from the Avengers, five of them are now going to merge to make The Avengers. The ensemble movie is a very good candidate for the billion-dollar club since it encompasses four different series in the Marvel Comic. Iron Man 2 is the highest-grossing Avengers film that amassed about $624 million globally. The merging of four different films should attract fans of all four series, leading to more ticket sales. On Facebook, Iron Man has 8 million likes whereas Thor, Captain America have around 2.6 million fans each. The least of all is the Incredible Hulk with 1.2 million likes. Such a merging should call in many fans and thereby increasing ticket sales. Early reviews are also almost universally positive among critics with a 96% approval rating. Not only are critics pleased by the movie, but also many early watchers are calling it the "best-super hero movie yet." Such positive reviews portend good hold ups after its upcoming debut.

 Disney did a good job focusing on Iron Man and Thor in the trailers, as they are the most popular characters in the Avenger series. Even from now, the Disney superhero extravaganza is generating bigger prerelease interest than The Dark Knight or The Hunger Games both of which opened to more than $150 million. With this trend, The Avengers could score one of the biggest domestic openings of all time for a superhero film. After amassing $80.5 million on its opening day (Friday)—the second biggest opening of all-time—, it currently is on track to open north of $170 million over its opening weekend setting the highest-opening weekend of all-time. Beware; Harry Potter’s biggest-opening weekend is at stake. Expect a North American revenue of $398 million.

 Since the superhero ensemble film is going to be released in 3D, the international revenue should see a note-worthy increase. Iron Man 2 grossed $331 million internationally without 3D. Considering the fact that the international market has grown over the years, an international gross of $450+ million would not be a surprise. Transformers: The Dark of the Moon, also, contains a destructive scene similar to that of The Avengers. Transformers went on to gross $771 million internationally. With this week’s news to wait for, an international forecast of $549 million seems on par with what films in this situation would unfold. Expect the superhero extravaganza to gross north of $900 million worldwide.

 Worldwide Forecast (Box office gross): $947 million

The Avengers: Can it gross more than $1 billion?

Smashing records in many markets and opening #1 in virtually every market, The Avengers has already grossed $218.2 million internationally(including its $185.1 million international debut) and is a good contender to pass the $1 billion mark.   More coverage coming soon

The Avengers May 4, 2012

Coming Soon

Titanic 3D: Opening weekend

With three strong movies this weekend, Titanic is expected to be the victor. Considering the fact that Titanic is set to be released a few days before American Reunion, it gives the James Cameron's spectacle a good chance to score more money. On its opening day, the 3D release is expected to kick off The Hunger Games from the #1 seat with approximately $6 million. As of now, Fandago is reporting that Titanic is responsible for 50% of daily sales including 3D theaters. Expect Titanic 3D to garner $49 million from  its Wednesday to Sunday debut frame.

Opening in virtually all markets across the world, Titanic has the chance to bewitch fans again. Titanic in 1998 grossed more than $1.2 billion internationally and now with the chance to cruise in theaters Titanic is poised to gross more than $90 million internationally. With good presales in China, interest in other Asia  countries should also follow. Japan will also remain the most interesting market as it is the second highest-grossing market in global terms with $201 million in the bank. Expect a final international gross of $110 million.

Titanic 3D: Worldwide Forecast

Titanic 3D re-release(6 April, 2012)

Revisiting theaters after 15 years, Titanic—the highest-grossing non-3D film—is expected to debut to a staggering re-release opening both in North America and non-North American Markets. With Lion King’s (3D) impressive worldwide revenue, 3D re-releases have been appealing and lucrative for movie companies. Considering that Titanic is more popular than Lion King, James Cameron’s spectacle has a higher chance to gross above $157 million and pass the $2 billion mark. The trailer of the re-release evokes the same suspense and thrill the original film had but with a new flavor. Although the total number of trailer views are low, facebook likes have increased(by 7 million) over the months suggesting an interest among adults rather than teenagers.

Titanic finished its run in 1998 after the video of the film was actually released. With the chance of being released again, Titanic can easily gross more than $185 million worldwide. Expect it to be the second film to pass the $2 billion mark.

Worldwide Forecast: $175-210 million

Check out the trailer:

The Hunger Games: Second Weekend Predictions & Wrath of the Titans Opening Weekend

After a record-setting debut for The Hunger Games, Gary Ross's book-to-film adaptation will remain in the number one spot for the upcoming weekend. Although there are notable new-comers, The Hunger Games’ popularity will hold well. An indication of the films on-going popularity is a good 4% Monday-to-Tuesday decrease that is significantly lower than Alice in Wonderland’s 11% decrease. In addition to the film's great amassing power, early word of mouth seems to be quite strong given the film's A rating on CinemaScore. Expect the Hunger Games to rake in $73.7 million this weekend. It is also a good contender for the all-time biggest second weekend gross which is currently held by Avatar with $75.62 million. However, due to both the cut-down in IMAX theatres and the introduction of new popular movies this week, The Hunger Games will have a hard time grossing anywhere above $75 million.

Scene from the latest film in the Clash of the Titans franchise

Competing against The Hunger Games, Wrath of the Titans doesn't seem to have the same wrath of its predecessor. With a weak start in twitter feeds and comment activity, the sequel of Clash of the Titans will have a low chance to make the same amount of money as the first film in the Titan franchise. Although the film has never been powerful in North-America, it still is an important element for the total revenue.

Warner's Clash of the Titans debuted to $61.24 million in its opening weekend. However, during the first film's debut frame competition wasn't similar to that which WoT is in. Look for Wrath of the Titans to gross a below par $38.7 million over its opening weekend.

Movie Updates

·         The Hangover Part III and an untitled ‘300’ sequel are in production for a release date of May 24, 2013 and August 2, 2013 respectively.

·         Transformers 4 is set to be released on July 27, 2014. Michael Bay is expected to reprise his role as director, but Shia La Beouf will not return to the Transformers series. Although “Sam Witwicky” is out of the coming picture, some stars from the previous films can still play a role in the upcoming Transformers.

·         The new official release year for Avatar 2 is 2016, a delay of 2 years from 2014. News suggests that James Cameron’s high tech equipment will need time for the sublime oceans of Pandora.

The Hunger Games Worldwide Forecast

The Hunger Games opened to a staggering $152 million for its opening weekend. It's opening weekend currently ranks as the third biggest opening weekend and the biggest opening weekend for a non-sequel. Compared to Twilight, the gender percentage was 69% female(31% male) which was relatively higher than Twilight's usual 80% female audience. A sign of a varied audience and good Flixter ratings(87%) portends strong-holds for the weeks to come. Moreover, the fact that it didn't open in 3D and scored such a high opening suggests that 2D is still capable of pulling in big numbers. The Hunger Games is better compared to Harry Potter in North American terms and may even surpass the ultimate Harry Potter film. Expect a North American gross of $348 million.

In an international view, The Hunger Games was less interesting and garnered a mediocre $59.25 million--second biggest international debut of 2012--from 69 markets for the #1 seat this weekend. A low opening internationally is expected as the book is less known overseas and the marketing efforts of Lion Gate were effete and powerless compared to its efficacious and powerful domestic promotion. However, if a sequel is to be made(which is very likely), higher international grosses wouldn't be a surprise. In present time, nonetheless, The Hunger Games, wouldn't have much trouble to aim north of $234 million from non-North American markets.

Worldwide Forecast: $582 million
UPDATE:*Catching Fire sequel is in works as announced by Lionsgate.
This week is going to be interesting to see how much the film drops...

'Hunger Games' Sequel 'Catching Fire': Is it going to happen?

Considering the spectacular debut of the Hunger Games a sequel would only seem logical and profitable. Read The Hunger Games Worldwide Forecast for more information about the "odds" of  having a sequel--Catching Fire.
Official Release Date: November 22, 2013 (redolent of Harry Potter???)

Wrath of the Titans: Worldwide Forecast

1.   Wrath of the Titans In 3D (29 March, 2012)

Wrath of the Titans Banner

The sequel of Clash of the Titans is poised to kick-start the year with the largest- international opening weekend of 2012. The second film in the Clash of the Titans franchise, distributed by Warner's Bros., will star Sam Worthington and Liam Neeson. The predecessor brought in $493 million globally while most critics disparaged its 3D post-conversion. The sequel is also supposed to be released in 3D.

 However, in order to avoid any 3D-conversion criticism, producer Basil Iwanyk, was meticulous in post-converting the film to 3D. The studio also claims that  quality of conversion was far superior than that of Clash of the Titans. WoT should gross more money in non-north America markets than its predecessor. However, in North America, it's less likely that it will make a huge increase due to the lack of interest in 3D and sequels. Expect it to gross around $485 million worldwide.

Worldwide Forecast: $490 million


Comments: Definitely an improvement over Clash of the Titans--going deeper into the mythology of the Greeks and the characters. However, all this is plastered with garish action effects and a plot that has the potential to be great but lacks any logical sequence.

21 Jump Street:

For the coming week, ticket sales are expected to be calm and normal. Benefiting greatly from being the only wide release film, 21 Jump Street is expected to dethrone The Lorax with a typical $32.2 million in North American box office business. The early approval rating for the new action-comedy is oddly enough a really good one. It currently hold a 86% fresh rating on the critical-news aggregator, Rotten Tomatoes.

Next week, however, The Hunger Games is expected to kick-start the year with a huge box-office debut. More News will be available soon.(~March 18, 2012)

John Carter International Results

As expected John Carter performed well overseas(non-North American Markets) and its strong holds came from Russia and Asia. It opened internationally to $70.6 million for a total $101.2 million. With such a trend it is on track to gross more than $280 million worldwide. However, with its $300 million budget(including marketing), profitability is minimal. 

John Carter opening weekend

'THE LORAX' STAYS #1; 'JOHN CARTER' HOLD TIGHT WITH $30.603 MILLION

Studio Weekend Estimates (Domestic)FRI, MAR. 9 - SUN, MAR. 11

#	TITLE	WEEKEND	Change	LOCATIONS		AVG.	TOTAL
1	Dr. Seuss' The Lorax	$39,108,240	-44%	3,746	17	$10,440	$121,987,070
2	John Carter	$30,603,000	--	3,749	--	$8,163	$30,603,000
3	Project X (2012)	$11,550,000	-45%	3,055	0	$3,781	$40,124,995
4	Silent House (2012)	$7,010,024	--	2,124	--	$3,300	$7,010,024
5	Act of Valor	$7,000,000	-48%	2,951	-102	$2,372	$56,100,597
6	A Thousand Words	$6,350,000	--	1,890	--	$3,360	$6,350,000
7	Safe House	$4,952,640	-33%	2,144	-409	$2,310	$115,756,455
8	The Vow	$4,000,000	-33%	2,478	-348	$1,614	$117,613,746
9	This Means War	$3,750,000	-33%	1,949	-393	$1,924	$46,889,350
10	Journey 2: The Mysterious Island	$3,685,000	-44%	2,525	-535	$1,459	$90,715,611
11	Tyler Perry's Good Deeds	$3,000,000	-57%	1,516	-616	$1,979	$30,542,449
12	The Artist	$2,304,000	-36%	1,505	-251	$1,531	$40,459,023
13	Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance	$1,965,000	-58%	1,804	-683	$1,089	$48,065,147
14	Wanderlust	$1,726,300	-55%	1,220	-782	$1,415	$15,590,420
15	Gone	$906,000	-70%	1,144	-1042	$792	$10,737,282