The Iron Man 2 Box Office Prediction Thread

[MessiahDecoy123]

opening weekend - 125 m

total domestic gross - 345 m

total worldwide gross - 680 m

[topdog1]

opening weekend - 144 m

total domestic gross - 390 m

total worldwide gross - 707 m

[S.A.A.D.]

Domestic: 333,???,???
Foreign:338,???,???
WW: $671,???,???

[S.A.A.D.]

Has anyone heard what the tracking is for this movie? Opening week that,or is it too soon?

[Shivsguy616]

Why do people tend to bother with how much a film makes specifically in its own country? The total figure is all that actually matters, after all.

[matrix_ghost]

Dom : 400 million
WW : 800-900 million

[THE MR. TERRIFIC]

About 600-700M WW

[Juha]

I had to check the previous box office numbers...the first movie did better than I remembered!

When it comes to the sequel:
opening weekend 135 m
domestic gross 380 m + foreign gross 310 m
= worldwide gross 690 m

At minimum.

[dennisv]

Do the words "a f***ton" say something? Yeah, it's gonna make a f***ton.

[Spider-Vader]

Domestic- 400 million
World Wide- 600-900 million

[Ironfan72]

I think $800 Million is a good number, it may make more, but the hype is bigger this time and Iron Man now has a much bigger fan base, so that helps.

[Son of Coul]

Taking into account the first one made over 500 mil, the fact that sequels always make more, and how the media and mainstream celeb shows like ET and Access Hollywood are building this movie up, if only for its star power, I'd say just over 700 mil WW.

[Catman]

The first movie opened with $98.6 million, grossed $318.4 million total domestically, and $585.1 million worldwide.

The general assumption is that Iron Man 2 will gross more since it's a sequel. Just remember that it isn't always the case. Spider-Man 2 didn't outgross Spider-Man, for example. The real factor is competition. Iron Man didn't have any real competition for three weeks since Speed Racer and Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian underperformed. The same could happen with Robin Hood, Prince of Persia, and Sex and the City 2. But, then again, you never know.

So, just to play it safe, let's say its opening weekend is over $100 million. With hype and inflation that's very possible. But it'll slow down with Shrek Forever After since that's a family movie. The first three Shrek movies were very successful, so that could be repeated. So, let's just say that the final domestic gross is over $300 million but under $350 million with the worldwide gross between $600-700 million.

[Dark Victory]

Opening Weekend: $105,000,000
Domestic Total: $350,000,000
WW total: $700,000,000

[Doctor Jones]

Opening Weekend: $110,000,000 - $120,000,000
Domestic Total: $325,000,000
World Wide Total: $600,000,000 - $750,000,000

[FaT_tONle]

OW-160 million
Domestic-370 million
WW-680 million

[FaT_tONle]

OW-160 million
Domestic-370 million
WW-680 million

[Sentinel X]

OW: 140
Domestic: 400
WW: 800

[Chewy]

Exactly one month from Wednesday Tony Stark, Pepper Potts and the other personalities of "Iron Man" (http://ironmanmovie.marvel.com/)will return to make witty mayhem in the superhero sequel.

And exactly three days after that, we could have a new domestic box-office record.

Stark himself, never lacking in suave self-confidence, probably wouldn't make such a bold boast. But it's entirely feasible.

According to just-released tracking surveys, director Jon Favreau's second installment in the Marvel franchise is showing astonishing levels of interest and awareness well ahead of its three-day opening next month. There are enough statistical indications to think the first-weekend gross could top the $158.4-million "Dark Knight" haul, the current record-holder for the biggest (non inflation-adjusted) opening weekend.

Christopher Nolan's Batman sequel grossed that amount when it opened over a three-day weekend in July 2008. The same spring/summer period brought the release of "Iron Man." The character was new to mainstream audiences, star Robert Downey Jr. had yet to engineer his Hollywood comeback and Favreau was riding a cold streak ("Zathura: A Space Adventure," anyone?). The movie still opened to an impressive $98 million, and went on to gross more than $318 million domestically.

But this year's sequel opening on May 7 should pulverize that figure. Thanks in part to Downey, the Paramount-distributed film is drawing as much (strong) interest among women over 30 as it is among women in their 20s, the tracking surveys show. Males in their teens and 20s are so keen on the film they may as well dress up in an iron suit. About the only people who aren't fully sold are teen girls, but there are signs of robustness there too.

And all this doesn't even count the intangibles. The movie generated a titanic reception at last summer's Comic-Con International in San Diego, the kind that happens only once every few years, if that. The "Iron Man 2" trailers have practically shut down YouTube. And according to one rival studio, "Iron Man" is now among the most-liked franchises in Hollywood, right up there with "Spider-Man." (It also doesn't hurt that ticket prices have inched upward in the past two years, although the 2-D "Iron Man 2" likely won't touch the domestic record of $742.5 million set by last year's 3-D "Avatar.")

Of course, shattering a box-office record isn't the same as making a creative breakthrough. "Dark Knight" was a singular cultural phenomenon, adored by critics, loved by the public and regarded in the fan universe as the great example of superhero movies, the Giselle Bündchen of the form. Whether "Iron Man 2" will be similarly embraced remains to be seen. From the advance material, we're expecting more humor than we got in the Batman follow-up but not necessarily the same level of grit or complexity.

Still, a combination of pop-culture awareness, hugely appealing (and promotion-minded) actors and a smartly waged marketing campaign could send "Iron Man 2" on the path to a record. That is, for now -- "Batman 3," after all, is currently in development, and given the tendency of superhero sequels to expand audiences as they go, that movie could eventually land with even more box-office force. Your move, Nolan.SOURCE (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2010/04/iron-man-2-downey-dark-knight-box-office.html)

[topdog1]

SOURCE (http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/movies/2010/04/iron-man-2-downey-dark-knight-box-office.html)

Oh boy, I can smell the Nolanites and the batfanboys already starting to mount their anti-IM2 campaign. I bet a few of them have their canned "bad" reviews already typed up simply waiting to add a few details before they storm the net and try to bash the film. Trust me, it'll happen regardless of the film's quality.

[kedrell]

^Heh, screw them. This film is likely heading well north of $400M domestic(provided it's of the same or better caliber as the first movie, which so far looks to be true) and will probably settle in at the $800M - $1B range worldwide. I can easily see this setting a new opening weekend record. Beating TDK's domestic take will be quite a streach but is far from impossible. This is definitely the odds on frontrunner for biggest movie of the year. Not bad for a '2nd tier' superhero property.

[FaT_tONle]

Alice and Wonderland opened with what??? 120 million??? And some of you guys have it barely over a 100 mill. Big OW are to be expected these days so I think 150 has to be the minimum when you adjust for inflation and the works. 400 domestic isn't a huge stretch either, but it could fall short if the reception comes up a little short.

[War Party]

$161 million opening weekend!

[kedrell]

^That's about what I'm guessing.

[Venomfan]

how did the first movie do in comparison to Batman Begins? by all means Batman Begins should have made much more money since Iron Man was a nobody to most people, but i have a feeling Iron Man made more money. Going by that theres a chance it could beat TDK if its a real good movie

[batman44]

If Iron Man 2 does better than TDK then good for Favreau and the crew. I don't know why people get so caught up in "my movie did better then yours"

[Ajendo]

IM2 doing better than TDK is beside the point. IM2 needs to outperform the first movie in every way.

[Anita18]

Alice and Wonderland opened with what??? 120 million??? And some of you guys have it barely over a 100 mill. Big OW are to be expected these days so I think 150 has to be the minimum when you adjust for inflation and the works. 400 domestic isn't a huge stretch either, but it could fall short if the reception comes up a little short.
I know, right? :lmao:

And I don't get why everyone thinks TDK's opening records are that special anymore. I'm still surprised it made so much money in the first place considering how dark and serious it is, and it certainly was huge at that time, but TF2 almost beat TDK's 5-day record, and Harry Potter and then Twilight effin' New Moon beat its midnight opening. And then along came Avatar. :funny:

It's pretty safe to assume that box office records will be broken every year now. It's just one of those eras.

[mclay18]

Oh boy, I can smell the Nolanites and the batfanboys already starting to mount their anti-IM2 campaign. I bet a few of them have their canned "bad" reviews already typed up simply waiting to add a few details before they storm the net and try to bash the film. Trust me, it'll happen regardless of the film's quality.

I'm still seething over New Moon breaking TDK's record last November. I'm perfectly fine with IM2 possibly breaking that, since it'll just be so much better on principal (even if it turns out inferior to the first one) than... gag... Twilight.

[JeanVitchier]

If IM2 doesn't break TDK records, does it mean that it's a flop? Why all the hate towards IM2.

[matrix_ghost]

Alice and Wonderland opened with what??? 120 million??? And some of you guys have it barely over a 100 mill. Big OW are to be expected these days so I think 150 has to be the minimum when you adjust for inflation and the works. 400 domestic isn't a huge stretch either, but it could fall short if the reception comes up a little short.

Yeah but you have to factor in the 3-d which greatly helped the OW.
But yeah i do agree with the rest of your post. Iron Man will open huge and if the running time isn't too long , it has a very good chance of beating TDK's opening weekend.




Oh boy, I can smell the Nolanites and the batfanboys already starting to mount their anti-IM2 campaign. I bet a few of them have their canned "bad" reviews already typed up simply waiting to add a few details before they storm the net and try to bash the film. Trust me, it'll happen regardless of the film's quality.

And there will Iron Man 2 fans who will mount a anti-Batman 3 campaign if that movie break IM2 opening weekend.
In both cases those are dumbasses because they should realise
A) records are always meant to be broken
B) geeks , nerds & comic book fans all over the world should instead take pride in this singular achievement :
"Iron Man 2 is going to break the records set by that POS New Moon "

[matrix_ghost]

If IM2 doesn't break TDK records, does it mean that it's a flop? Why all the hate towards IM2.


Hardly.
I think it would definately be something to discuss about it Iron Man 2 made less then the first movie because all signs point out that the movie will ourgross the first movie.
Iron Man 2 has 2 weeks before Shrek 3 opens.
At the end of the first week TDK was at the $313,781,677 mark , at the end of the 2nd week $393,751,065.
I do think that IM2 must be able to hit 400 million given the performance of the first movie & hype that IM2 is getting

[Anita18]

I'm still seething over New Moon breaking TDK's record last November. I'm perfectly fine with IM2 possibly breaking that, since it'll just be so much better on principal (even if it turns out inferior to the first one) than... gag... Twilight.
One good thing is that that means there's actually crazier movie fans out there than TDK fans. :hehe:

And there will Iron Man 2 fans who will mount a anti-Batman 3 campaign if that movie break IM2 opening weekend.
In both cases those are dumbasses because they should realise
A) records are always meant to be broken
B) geeks , nerds & comic book fans all over the world should instead take pride in this singular achievement :
"Iron Man 2 is going to break the records set by that POS New Moon "
IM2 fanboys vs Twilight fangirls, FIGHT! :awesome:

[Tony Stark]

You guys are forgetting that ticket prices jumped 2% this year. I think opening weekend, it's almost guaranteed to break the records.

To beat TDK's total haul will be harder because TDK was a mid summer release so the weekday numbers will be stronger for TDK than they will be for IM2.

If the movie gets decent reviews and has legs, It's bound to be a 400 mill plus picture.

[Doctor Jones]

Whatever. I don't get why all of you are so concerned whether or not it beats anything. Who ****ing cares if Twlight beats TDK? It doesn't make it better, more people just saw it is all. Which means more people saw a worse film.

[jmc]

On behalf of the sane Batman fans I'll apologize in advance for any hate that may follow IM breaking TDK's opening record by the nutters.

[Son of Coul]

Whatever. I don't get why all of you are so concerned whether or not it beats anything. Who ****ing cares if Twlight beats TDK? It doesn't make it better, more people just saw it is all. Which means more people saw a worse film.
Yeah I never got the obsession with breaking box office records and bizarre fanboy wars over whose movie makes more. I don't give a **** if the only person in the world who pays to see it is me, as long as it's good.

[kedrell]

Whatever. I don't get why all of you are so concerned whether or not it beats anything. Who ****ing cares if Twlight beats TDK? It doesn't make it better, more people just saw it is all. Which means more people saw a worse film.

Might as well ask why sports fans get into fights about which team is better. The natural human competitive spirit is alive and kicking still.

[Son of Coul]

It can be kinda fun if you don't take the argument too seriously. Like when I went to a Giants/Jets preseason game and fans flinging jokes back and forth, but it was all in good fun.

[Sentinel X]

Whatever. I don't get why all of you are so concerned whether or not it beats anything. Who ****ing cares if Twlight beats TDK? It doesn't make it better, more people just saw it is all. Which means more people saw a worse film. I don't get posts like these. Do you want people to stop tracking box office or what?

Its fun watching your favorite movies break box office records. I don't see whats not to get.

[samsnee]

Imagine if this movie was in 3-d and higher ticket prices...it would def beat the record.

[Tony Stark]

Imagine if this movie was in 3-d and higher ticket prices...it would def beat the record.

Nah, Clash of the Titans proved that you can't do 3D post production. If you're going to do 3D it has to be pre-planned like Avatar, and right from the get-go.

Avatar might have started the 3D craze, but I think Clash of the Titans just killed it.

[FaT_tONle]

Clash without 3-D opens at what? 55 million? If that? That's decent, but considering the budget and the cast/effects, it's hardly impressive. If this was in 3-D then I could see it opening at 90 million opening day. Moon was what? 70 million? Then they end up dropping over 60% the next week in most cases. Just goes to show how these opening day/weekend records are meaningless.

[Chewy]

**** 3-D

3-D is what it is, and we don't need to see every big blockbuster in 3-D. If anything, I'm more excited that they're sticking to their guns and releasing the movie they wanted to make rather than doing a quick 3-D conversion for the added B.O.

[Deaths Head II]

Yes, I'm also really happy this isn't getting a 3D conversion. I like 3D but only the films that were made with 3D in mind and not just because 3D is the cool thing to do nowadays.

[Catman]

$400-420 million domestically. $850-900 million worldwide. Anyone gonna challenge that? :mad:

[StylishHokie21]

**** 3-D

3-D is what it is, and we don't need to see every big blockbuster in 3-D. If anything, I'm more excited that they're sticking to their guns and releasing the movie they wanted to make rather than doing a quick 3-D conversion for the added B.O.

Agreed. It's completely unnecessary. I love how they're making a third Step Up movie in ****ing 3D. Can you believe that?

[hatebox]

Hard to say for this movie. Massive opening weekend certainly , at least 130m, but then word of mouth and reviews will determine the rest.

I can't see it getting many more people who didn't see the first one, unlike, say TDK. The hype for IM2 is solid, but nothing about it suggests it'll be much different to its predecessor. They're basically saying: if you liked IM you'll like IM2. It's business as usual. Except there's another Iron Man-esque guy and Scarlett too.

I'm going to be conservative and guess high 300s for domestic. May openings are good to start off but harder to have legs because all the competition is ahead of you. It also depends on how well Robin Hood does, which doesn't have much hype but could still do damage opening a week later. As for WW? haven't got a clue.

[Superman]

Why is America getting this movie a week after the rest of the world?:huh::cmad:

It's an American movie based on an American comic book. America should get it first.:cmad:

[kedrell]

^That question's been asked elsewhere, believe me. Of course, the first movie opened like this as well.

[FlawlessVictory]

Avatar might have started the 3D craze, but I think Clash of the Titans just killed it.

I wish that were the case but I don't think so. WB is hellbent on releasing every major tentpole film in 3D, regardless of how terrible the quality of it is. The general public needs to realize what is going on here and not support these half-assed attempts. Hit the studio where it hurts most, the wallet. Only then will they learn to either do it right, or not at all.

**** 3-D

3-D is what it is, and we don't need to see every big blockbuster in 3-D. If anything, I'm more excited that they're sticking to their guns and releasing the movie they wanted to make rather than doing a quick 3-D conversion for the added B.O.

:up:



As for whether IM2 will break the OW record, of course it will. With how well IM opened, the public now being so aware of the character/franchise and the increase in ticket prices, I would go so far as to say it could be considered a bit of a disappointment if it didn't break the record. It seems like every year some BO record is going down, this year will be the OW record. Most likely IM2 breaks it, then the next Twilight will, Harry Potter, Spider-Man, Avengers, Batman 3 etc... And with 3D prices factored in to some of these movies, records will be going down left and right in the next few years.

[Nivek]

I think this will be the film to beat this year, I predict that it will be just under a billion WW.

[Catman]

I think this will be the film to beat this year

Not when you have the second-to-last Harry Potter film being released. And in 3D no less.

[MessiahDecoy123]

Not when you have the second-to-last Harry Potter film being released. And in 3D no less.
Iron Man 2 will probably beat Potter in the U.S. but not worldwide.

[Catman]

Iron Man 2 will probably beat Potter in the U.S. but not worldwide.

Normally, I'd agree but 3D is a factor this time. The last HP movie grossed $300 million domestically. So, it's safe to assume that the new installment will be inflated because of the higher ticket prices.

[Blitzkrieg Bop]

how did the first movie do in comparison to Batman Begins? by all means Batman Begins should have made much more money since Iron Man was a nobody to most people, but i have a feeling Iron Man made more money. Going by that theres a chance it could beat TDK if its a real good movie
Batman Begins had **** for brains marketing, 2005 was the year of Darth Vader. You hardly saw anything, especially compared to The Dark Knight. Plus, Batman Begins had to deal with being the first Batman movie since Batman and Robin.

[FlawlessVictory]

BULLETPROOF: 'Iron Man 2' Already Grosses $10M Overseas; $155M Predicted For North American Debut Weekend
By Nikki Finke | Friday April 30, 2010 @ 11:15am PDT

It doesn't matter if this sequel is any good. (Some early reviews are saying it disappoints although it has a 70+% positive on Rotten Tomatoes.) It doesn't matter that it's not in 3D. (Some fanboys are griping that it's only in 2D but ticket prices will be cheaper.) Because this Marvel comic book caper distributed by Paramount is still gonna make a mint even without lifting an armored finger. Maybe $135 million domestic its first 3-day weekend, or so rival studios predict. The original IM made $98.6M. Only some expect IM2 to break The Dark Knight's 3-day record of 158.4M.

Iron Man 2 opened internationally Wednesday early so as not to get in the way of the monthlong World Cup begining in South Africa on June 11th.) The pic immediately jumped to the top of the box office in 6 markets for a total $2.2 million. In France, the Jon Favreau-directed campfest ran 11% ahead of 2008's Iron Man bow there. On Thursday, Paramount continued its international rollout in 21 total countries (+17 markets) for a cume already of $10 million). Australia and Korea came in at $1.7 million (Down Under just ahead of where Spider-Man 3 opened in May 2007, and Russia $1.3 million, or 14% ahead of the Spidey threequel. Paramount rolls Iron Man 2 into 32 more territories today, or 6,450 theaters across 53 markets, which is 80% of international. China, Japan, Germany, Turkey, and India open over the next 4 weeks. The original Iron Man grossed $265 million internationally and $318.3 million domestically.

The online ticketseller Fandango reported Iron Man 2, which opens May 7th in North America, is a "Must See" by a 32% margin.http://www.deadline.com/2010/04/bulletproof-iron-man-2-already-grosses-10-million-overseas-155m-predicted-for-north-american-debut-weekend/

[Tony Stark]

I heard on the radio that Movietickets.com is reporting that online pre-sales are outgunning the original by 5-1 margin.

I don't know exactly how that translates, but I'm wondering with the increase in ticket prices since 2008, is it possible we could see the first 200 mil opening weekend?

[kedrell]

200M OW? Not very likely. Maybe if it was in 3-D.

[I SEE SPIDEY]

I don't see 200mil either but 175mil is doable. I'm predicting 167mil.

[Tony Stark]

I agree 200 mil is a stretch, but when I heard 5 to 1, I mean my goodness the first one did 100 mil in the opening weekend, and keep in mind most theater chains instituted a 5% increase in ticket prices, just this year.

Wheather this film does it or not, I'm telling you in the next 2-3 years a film will brake the 200 mil mark.

I dont' know that it means much because of inflationary reasons, but still that's a big number. I mean you consider that a film like Batman Begins made just over 200 mil over it's entire run only 5 years ago.

[jmc]

Soon films making a billion dollars will become the norm too. There's been like 5 films pass that mark to date, I expect this decade will produce at least 10 films that will pass the billion dollar mark, and probably with relative ease.

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Because of the outrageous 3D ticket prices alot of movies will be passing 1bil in just a few years.

And Tony I'd totally agree that a film will soon open with 200mil...I just don't think that IM2 will be that film. If A Nightmare on Elm Street fails to crack 30mil this weekend I might just up my prediction to 175-180mil because that will mean that people are probably waiting for the first summer movie to come out. Ofcourse my theory could easily be bulls**t but I'll predict those numbers anyway.

I still don't quite see it passing New Moon's opening day but it will undoubtedly have a better weekend multiplier. I mean I wouldn't be suprised if it had a bigger opening day than New Moon but for some reason I just think that it will miss it by a 1mil or so.

[kedrell]

If this film cracks the 170M barrier on OW then the 5 day record($203M) TDK holds will also likely fall, I predict. Otherwise it'll be hard since schools are still in session.

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Schools being in session didn't stop Spider-Man and Spider-Man 3 from getting the opening weekend record. If it doesn't put up those numbers it's not going to be because kids are in school.

[kedrell]

I was talking about the 5-day record. Monday & Tuesday are school days. And Sunday being Mother's Day is also an added factor in the mix that I'm not sure how it will play out.

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Unless a movie is released mid-week the five day record is pretty pointless.

[kedrell]

Well all these records are kinda pointless. What matters at the end of the day is the total. Avatar didn't break any opening weekend records.

[Tony Stark]

Because of the outrageous 3D ticket prices alot of movies will be passing 1bil in just a few years.

And Tony I'd totally agree that a film will soon open with 200mil...I just don't think that IM2 will be that film. If A Nightmare on Elm Street fails to crack 30mil this weekend I might just up my prediction to 175-180mil because that will mean that people are probably waiting for the first summer movie to come out. Ofcourse my theory could easily be bulls**t but I'll predict those numbers anyway.

I still don't quite see it passing New Moon's opening day but it will undoubtedly have a better weekend multiplier. I mean I wouldn't be suprised if it had a bigger opening day than New Moon but for some reason I just think that it will miss it by a 1mil or so.




Well it's definitely going to be between Iron Man 2 and Eclipse for the top summer movie I believe. All the Twilight movies do well because they have such a strong female demographic, although I read somwhere that for a Superhero movie IM2 tracked well among women.

Anyway, as people mentioned, with 3D prices and theaters in general increasing ticket prices, billion dollar movies will be common place and I can see the day where a 100 mil opening in the summer might be viewed as "bad".

Clearly Alice in Wonderland wouldn't have broken the March records had it not been in 3D.

[I SEE SPIDEY]

It would have opened to about 90mil instead of the 116mil it did so it still would have gotten the March opening weekend record. Atleast thats what boxoffice mojo said. It still would've been a huge hit, just not 328mil and counting huge.

[redfirebird2008]

I think a $170-180m opening weekend is likely. Tracking shows a very similar level of interest to TDK at the same point in time. It's been roughly 2 years since then, meaning 2 years of inflation (typically around 4% per year). This means TDK's opening weekend adjusts to around $170m. So if IM2 has the same level of interest, it should make somewhere in that neighborhood. Depending on screencount and so forth, it could certainly squeeze another $5-10m out of it to get in that $180m area.

Domestically I think its total will be $425-475m. Worldwide I expect $800-850m.

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Whatever it does domestically I think that it does atleast 50mil less internationally.

My total prediction for it is 455mil domestic and 385mil internationally. Thats 840mil total ofcourse.

[redfirebird2008]

Whatever it does domestically I think that it does atleast 50mil less internationally.

My total prediction for it is 455mil domestic and 385mil internationally. Thats 840mil total ofcourse.

Yep, it's not likely to make more overseas than domestic. Same deal as Batman and numerous other superhero movies. That's a pretty darn good prediction you have there IMHO.

[S.A.A.D.]

Box Office Mojo has it that Ironman 2 is on 4,000 screens.

[redfirebird2008]

Box Office Mojo has it that Ironman 2 is on 4,000 screens.

You mean theaters. Screen count is different from theater count. Spidey 3 was on 10,000 screens at 4,252 theaters. TDK was on 9,000 screens at 4,366 theaters. IM2 will probably be on 10,000+ screens since it's early May and there aren't many other movies that audiences want to see right now.

The first Iron Man opened in 4,105 theaters on 8,700 screens. The 4,000 theater thing is probably just an early estimate. I would think the actual theater count for IM2 will be more along the lines of TDK (nearly 4,400 theaters) while the screen count will be more along the lines of Spidey 3 (10,000+ screens).

[rashad]

BOM is reliable when it comes to stuff like that. The 4,000
TC may or maynot change. http://boxofficemojo.com/counts/chart/?yr=2010&wk=19&sort=theaters&order=DESC&p=.htm

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Yep, it's not likely to make more overseas than domestic. Same deal as Batman and numerous other superhero movies. That's a pretty darn good prediction you have there IMHO.Thanks. I hope I'm right because I hate being wrong when I predict the boxoffice.

[Anita18]

Thanks. I hope I'm right because I hate being wrong when I predict the boxoffice.
After Avatar, I just throw my hands up and go, "Whatever!" :funny:

[redfirebird2008]

BOM is reliable when it comes to stuff like that. The 4,000
TC may or maynot change. http://boxofficemojo.com/counts/chart/?yr=2010&wk=19&sort=theaters&order=DESC&p=.htm


I wasn't saying they aren't reliable. I'm merely saying that it is an estimate. I follow BOM frequently and post on their forums. They do not have the actual theater count until the Thursday before an opening Friday. Go take a look at this week's theater count for Friday openers:

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/counts/chart/?yr=2010&wk=18&p=.htm

Take a look at the part where it says "updated Thursday afternoons." We will not find out IM2's actual theater count until next Thursday. The 4,000 number is just an estimate, a conservative one. They underestimated TDK's theater count by a few hundred if I remember right.

[I SEE SPIDEY]

After Avatar, I just throw my hands up and go, "Whatever!" :funny:lol Yeah, that movie came out of nowhere and just killed it.

[hatebox]

I'm lowering my box office expectations slightly due to the influx of middling reviews. It'll open massively as befits a huge May sequel, but I'm not sure it sounds like the kind of film that'll get a lot of repeat viewing, not to menion attract an audience that would never see a superhero film which TDK seemed to manage.

[I SEE SPIDEY]

Comparing it to the TDK is unfair anyhow.

No matter how much people fight me on it I still say that the Heath Ledger death story mixed in with one of the most popular villains of all time gave that movie an advantage. Ofcourse the movie made most of it's money off of being good because people saw it again but it did have advantages.

Now thats the last I speak of it because I don't want to argue and this is a thread about Iron Man's boxoffice numbers.

[hatebox]

http://www.deadline.com/2010/05/bulletproof-iron-man-2-already-grosses-10-million-overseas-155m-predicted-for-north-american-debut-weekend/

[redfirebird2008]

http://www.deadline.com/2010/05/bulletproof-iron-man-2-already-grosses-10-million-overseas-155m-predicted-for-north-american-debut-weekend/

The first one made almost $100m during its first weekend overseas, so this is not the best of starts. Certainly by Sunday evening that figure is going to be higher but I was expecting this movie to be bigger overseas than its predecessor.

[bapi]

Oh, OS numbers don't look so great. Transformers 2 had 12% increase against TF1 and it looks like IM 2 will have similar. So it's gonna be hard to cross even 300. That's not great.

[hatebox]

I've no idea whether those numbers are good or bad but I'm guessing it's only been released in a few countries rather than at the same time everywhere like the last one? Or is it pretty much only the US that doesn't have it now?

[bapi]

I've no idea whether those numbers are good or bad but I'm guessing it's only been released in a few countries rather than at the same time everywhere like the last one? Or is it pretty much only the US that doesn't have it now?

It's in 80% now. IM1 had 90 or 95%.

[Mauser9910]

For what it's worth, in France, on opening day IM2 sold almost 204.500 tickets and comparing the numbers of the first screening of IM2 in Paris on opening day and the same for IM, it was up 28%...

[hatebox]

Apparently it's brought in $100m so far but I'm not sure what date that's up to, it could be the prediction for this weekend. The weather in the UK was terrible this weekend so that probably helped.

[Mauser9910]

I guess it covers Wednesday->Friday or Saturday at best.

[JP]

It's 5 days, as in Wednesday to Today.

[redfirebird2008]

Apparently it's brought in $100m so far but I'm not sure what date that's up to, it could be the prediction for this weekend. The weather in the UK was terrible this weekend so that probably helped.

I'm thinking it'll make around $350-400m overseas, which is what I expected before the release. I think it will make at least $425m domestic, so it has a pretty good shot at $800m worldwide.

[hatebox]

Just out of curiosity has a May release, which has to contend with the rest of the summer competition, ever made more than $400m domestic?

Edit - nvm, I see that SM1 and Phantom Menace did.

[redfirebird2008]

Just out of curiosity has a May release, which has to contend with the rest of the summer competition, ever made more than $400m domestic?

Spider-Man did it in 2002 and that was with Star Wars II on its tail later in May. Spidey made nearly $404 million in 2002 dollars. That number adjusts to $521 million in 2009 dollars due to inflation. Shrek 2 was a May release that made $441 million in 2004 dollars. That number adjusts to nearly $533 million in 2009 dollars. Star Wars I came out in May and made $431 million in 1999 dollars. That number adjusts to $636 million in 2009 dollars. Here is the adjusted chart:

http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm?adjust_yr=2009&p=.htm

[MessiahDecoy123]

Just out of curiosity has a May release, which has to contend with the rest of the summer competition, ever made more than $400m domestic?
Only three out of ten movies that grossed over 400 million came out in May: Spider-man, Shrek 2, and The Phantom Menace.

But Iron Man 2 doesn't have that much direct competition. Only Prince of Persia and that comes out three weeks later.

[rashad]

Should do about 350M OS.

[Tony Stark]

Only three out of ten movies that grossed over 400 million came out in May: Spider-man, Shrek 2, and The Phantom Menace.

But Iron Man 2 doesn't have that much direct competition. Only Prince of Persia and that comes out three weeks later.

And who knows how Prince of Persia will do. To me it looks like it's got "bomb" written all over it. Not too many movies based on video games have been successful. The first Tomb raider barely made back production costs, and the second one bombed out big time. Jake Gylenhaal to me is not an actor who can carry a film. He's pretty much bombed out in everything he's tried to be a leading man in.

Robin Hood will be interesting. This movie has potential to be a big suprise, well see.

IM2 may not face any real competition until Eclipse which if IM breaks TDK's records, there a chance Eclipse might break IM2's. I hope not because I can't stand the Twilight series. Still you can't deny the power of the tween friendly love fest.

The biggest joke of the summer to me looks like Jonah Hex, which could have been a very cool film. But they decided to take one of this generations best actors in Josh Brolin, and paired him with one of this generations worst in Megan Fox. Fitting though that she's playing a whore. Yeah she is hot, but that's the only reason she's employed in Hollywood.

[shuffleboard]

Edited: This will finish $350-400M.

[FaT_tONle]

Guess 400 is the new 300, which was in serious doubt for the first film. Can't expect to strike gold twice.

[redfirebird2008]

Guess 400 is the new 300, which was in serious doubt for the first film. Can't expect to strike gold twice.

Yes, $400m is no longer anywhere near as difficult as it was a number of years ago due to inflation. That's why TDK's domestic box office is pretty similar in achievement to Spidey 1's. It would be nice if they just did this stuff in ticket sales instead of nominal dollars. Hollywood gets to hide behind inflation. The music industry, however, simply tracks units sold and there's no way of hiding the declines that have gone on over the years.

[FaT_tONle]

Yes, $400m is no longer anywhere near as difficult as it was a number of years ago due to inflation. That's why TDK's domestic box office is pretty similar in achievement to Spidey 1's. It would be nice if they just did this stuff in ticket sales instead of nominal dollars. Hollywood gets to hide behind inflation. The music industry, however, simply tracks units sold and there's no way of hiding the declines that have gone on over the years.

Not to open up a can of worms, but the movie industry is pretty much heading there. It's pretty much, sequel, CB movie, remakes, where they make their doe and most of the leftovers make next to nothing. Eventually they will be repeating the cycle for the third and fourth times with some properties. Inflation can't mask it forever.

[redfirebird2008]

Not to open up a can of worms, but the movie industry is pretty much heading there. It's pretty much, sequel, CB movie, remakes, where they make their doe and most of the leftovers make next to nothing. Eventually they will be repeating the cycle for the third and fourth times with some properties. Inflation can't mask it forever.

The thing is, they are making plenty of money relative to their budgets. They'll keep making unoriginal movies as long as the public continues lapping them up, which doesn't look like it's going to go away any time soon. The music industry has been destroyed by the Internet. The movie industry can still offer a product on a superficial level (big screen and surround sound) that cannot be enjoyed on a computer or iPod.

[FaT_tONle]

The thing is, they are making plenty of money relative to their budgets. They'll keep making unoriginal movies as long as the public continues lapping them up, which doesn't look like it's going to go away any time soon. The music industry has been destroyed by the Internet. The movie industry can still offer a product on a superficial level (big screen and surround sound) that cannot be enjoyed on a computer or iPod.

Yeah Hollywood can always become the next Bollywood that's not an issue. But eventually the home technology will catch up. And if they want to throw in this 3-D gimmick, that will only buy themselves a little more time before 100 inch 3-D flats start appearing readily in large enough house holds. Eventually, going to a summer tentpole needs to feel like going to Universal Studios or something, or else people will just revert to the internet to provide most of their films, or dirt cheap rental services that are at least legal. Hollywood needs to constantly stay ahead of the game and that only comes with technology, because whatever has been done with only pen and paper has already been repeated a million times.

[Superhero 101]

100.2 million in five days that's a good sign

[terry78]

If it did that well overseas, I'm scared at the **** it's gonna generate this weekend.

[redfirebird2008]

If it did that well overseas, I'm scared at the **** it's gonna generate this weekend.

$170-180m domestic opening weekend. Get ready for it. :cwink:

[Abraham]

700-800 m WW

my prediction

[TheVileOne]

It will have a strong opening weekend.

You have to understand guys, people want escapist entertainment right now. Iron Man 2 is going to be like the biggest escapist entertainment of the summer. But it's not just that. Kids are all up into Iron Man right now. He's become a Spider-man like figure. Why do you think the womanizing and the alcoholism has been played down in these movies? Because this needs to be a movie appropriate for the kiddies, like it or not.

Look at Clash of The Titans, one of the biggest POS's of all time, still made a ton of money. Lots more of these movies are cleaning up these days because of the horrible job market and bad economy people want to get away from the hard realities of the world and just enjoy themselves.

[hatebox]

Do we have anything to compare these OS grosses to? I mean, is this an Earth shattering amount for the number of territories it was released in or pretty much what was expected?

[jmc]

According to box office mojo film one opened with around $99 million so it's about on par.

[DarkKnight88]

Yes, $400m is no longer anywhere near as difficult as it was a number of years ago due to inflation. That's why TDK's domestic box office is pretty similar in achievement to Spidey 1's. It would be nice if they just did this stuff in ticket sales instead of nominal dollars. Hollywood gets to hide behind inflation.

Inflation doesn't work either, though. We're living in a completely different world than 10 years ago. Piracy, downloads, blu-rays, home theater systems, shorter theatre to dvd changeover time, amount of competition, other mediums people are spending on (video games for one). Inflation might seem like it's easier to achieve yet it's also more difficult. Ticket sales aren't an accurate comparison anymore.

[redfirebird2008]

Inflation doesn't work either, though. We're living in a completely different world than 10 years ago. Piracy, downloads, blu-rays, home theater systems, shorter theatre to dvd changeover time, amount of competition, other mediums people are spending on (video games for one). Inflation might seem like it's easier to achieve yet it's also more difficult. Ticket sales aren't an accurate comparison anymore.

Transformers 2 says "hello." That movie had it a hell of a lot easier to reach $400m than the likes of Spider-Man. They made practically the same thing, but I have some beachfront property in Arizona with your name on it if you really think TF2 was just as popular as Spider-Man.

As for piracy, I said it before and I'll say it again: the music industry does not hide behind inflation like the movie industry despite the fact that the music industry has undoubtedly been hit much harder by piracy than the movie industry.

[DarkKnight88]

Transformers 2 says "hello." That movie had it a hell of a lot easier to reach $400m than the likes of Spider-Man. As for piracy, I said it before and I'll say it again: the music industry does not hide behind inflation like the movie industry and the music industry has undoubtedly been hit much harder by piracy than the movie industry.

Debatable. Simple fact is inflation isn't accurate to gauge what Spider-Man would've done in 2010. Or what Transformers 2 would've done in 2002. Different worlds. Different times.

[redfirebird2008]

Debatable. Simple fact is inflation isn't accurate to gauge what Spider-Man would've done in 2010. Or what Transformers 2 would've done in 2002. Different worlds. Different times.

One of them was undoubtedly more popular in its day than the other in its day. One of them was a phenomenon that caused the industry to ratchet up its production of a particular genre. You can't directly compare how an older movie would do today or how a newer movie would do years ago, but you can compare their impact on the culture. Spidey had a much bigger impact.

[terry78]

It will have a strong opening weekend.

You have to understand guys, people want escapist entertainment right now. Iron Man 2 is going to be like the biggest escapist entertainment of the summer. But it's not just that. Kids are all up into Iron Man right now. He's become a Spider-man like figure. Why do you think the womanizing and the alcoholism has been played down in these movies? Because this needs to be a movie appropriate for the kiddies, like it or not.

Look at Clash of The Titans, one of the biggest POS's of all time, still made a ton of money. Lots more of these movies are cleaning up these days because of the horrible job market and bad economy people want to get away from the hard realities of the world and just enjoy themselves.

Yeah, I went by the theatre yesterday to pick up a gift card for my parent's anniversary, and some kids in line with their parents were already asking constantly when Iron Man was coming out.

[Tony Stark]

Debatable. Simple fact is inflation isn't accurate to gauge what Spider-Man would've done in 2010. Or what Transformers 2 would've done in 2002. Different worlds. Different times.

I think that's true to some extent. For example I believe adjusted for inflation Gone With the Wind is the no. 1 movie ever. Well this was released in an era before Television, before Beta Max and VHS, Before the internet, before DVD and Blue Ray. You can't really make a one to one correltation.

However, between Spider-Man and Iron Man, there was only a 7 year gap and a 9 year gap to now. While many things have changed, in that time, it's a more similar time frame.

Spider-Man was released on alot of screens for it's time, around 3800, but still far fewer that TDK which had the widest release on record at 4366 screens, IM2 will be inbetween at 4000, which seems rather odd that it's not more, so I expect alot of sell outs.

Still overall you make a good point.

[Crook]

One of them was undoubtedly more popular in its day than the other in its day. One of them was a phenomenon that caused the industry to ratchet up its production of a particular genre.
I know you were referring to Spidey, but there's been a high influx of remaking 70s/80s shows...

[redfirebird2008]

Spider-Man was released on alot of screens for it's time, around 3800, but still far fewer that TDK which had the widest release on record at 4366 screens, IM2 will be inbetween at 4000, which seems rather odd that it's not more, so I expect alot of sell outs.

Still overall you make a good point.

You are confusing screen count and theater count. The screen count is much higher than that on these movies. Spidey 1 was on 7,500 screens, TDK was on 9,000 screens, and SM3 was on 10,000 screens. I actually think IM2 will have a higher screen count than TDK despite the smaller theater count. It has less competition, meaning it will get more screens at each theater. SM3 also had a smaller theater count than TDK but faced pretty much zero competition so it ended up with 1,000 more screens than TDK. Check out these articles:

http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=1157&p=.htm



Swinging into 3,615 theaters, the $130 million Marvel Comics adaptation ranked as the third-widest release ever after Harry Potter's 3,672 and Mission: Impossible 2's 3,653, and it played on an estimated 7,500 screens, a bit shy of Harry Potter's 8,200 record. Nonetheless, Spidey swooped past Harry Potter's $90.3 million to claim the opening weekend crown, and posted the highest per theater average ever for an ultra-wide release—a staggering $31,769.



http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2308&p=.htm



Landing on the same early May slot as the original, Spider-Man 3 spun $151.1 million on over 10,000 screens at 4,252 locations, the biggest opening weekend and widest release ever.



http://boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=2504&p=.htm



Over the weekend alone, The Dark Knight captured a whopping $158.4 million on over 9,000 screens at 4,366 theaters, breaking Spider-Man 3's benchmark of $151.1 million.

[GhostPoet]

So, i'm surprised. Iron Man 2 is already sold out at the largest theater in my area (and it's a big one!!) Yet...I was able to buy tickets 2 days in advance before Avatar came out...but a week in advance Iron Man 2 is already sold out? dang....

[hatebox]

Avatar didn't have a big opening weekend in fairness.

[Anita18]

Avatar didn't have a big opening weekend in fairness.
Yup. And the question isn't whether a movie is sold out, the question is how many more screens will they open up to meet the demand, cause that means more money. :hehe:

I was stuck at work on TDK's release date, and in the meantime I was checking my large local theater online, watching new midnight screens pop up and disappear. :funny: In the end, it sold out 14 out of 16 screens, and one of the unused screens was reserved for Mamma Mia. :funny:

I don't want to imagine how insane Harry Potter and Twilight were.

[TheVileOne]

I think the opening weekend will be bigger than Iron Man. Worldwide I predict Iron Man 2 will make more than Iron Man. Domestically, not so sure.

Just remember, Spider-man 3 made more money worldwide than both Spider-man and Spider-man 2.

[danoyse]

I was stuck at work on TDK's release date, and in the meantime I was checking my large local theater online, watching new midnight screens pop up and disappear. :funny: In the end, it sold out 14 out of 16 screens, and one of the unused screens was reserved for Mamma Mia. :funny:

I passed the AMC on 42nd St in NYC at around 1:45am on TDK's first Friday night on my way home from a concert, and there was a line of well over 200 people stretched around the block waiting for the 2:30am show. :wow:

I think they just ran it 24 hours straight for the next week or so.

Just got my IM2 tickets for the IMAX on Friday night. :up:

[hatebox]

The film made £7.6 on its debut weekend in the UK. Very solid, but far from record breaking.

[Tony Stark]

I think the opening weekend will be bigger than Iron Man. Worldwide I predict Iron Man 2 will make more than Iron Man. Domestically, not so sure.

Just remember, Spider-man 3 made more money worldwide than both Spider-man and Spider-man 2.

No this film is almost guaranteed to make 400 million domestic. You're looking at 150 or better opening weekend if not significantly higher, and from there it will easily cruise to 400. The first film made it to 300 mill with a 100 mil opening weekend and much tougher competition over the first 4 weeks.

If Prince of Persia bombs out, IM could be the no. 1 movie until Eclipse comes out.

[TheVileOne]

Prince of Persia doesn't come out until Memorial Day.

What comes out May 14 and May 21?

[danoyse]

Prince of Persia doesn't come out until Memorial Day.

What comes out May 14 and May 21?

Robin Hood comes out May 14.

[Tony Stark]

Prince of Persia doesn't come out until Memorial Day.

What comes out May 14 and May 21?

I'm not sure about Robin Hood, but I don't think it's going to be a huge blockbuster. Perhaps like a Kingdom of Heaven type film, I don't see it as a Gladiator, but it's hard to get a read on it.

Shrek 4, is 4 times a charm, or have they gone to the well one too many times. Shrek 3 was awful, but it did have a big opening. It is in 3D which could be a draw.

Definitely much weaker competition than IM1 which had to go against Prince Caspian and Indy 4.

[FaT_tONle]

I think Persia will do decent. People will eat it up like Pirates. Gemma in that outfit is going to get those 15 year old teens in theatres with their pants down and tissues at hand. Looks like a total popcorn cheese fest though. I may pay for IM2 again and sneak in if I catch it.

[TheVileOne]

Robin Hood is a disaster that will bomb. I predict Iron Man will go #1 2 weekends in a row like in 2008.

Fat Toni, Gemma Arterton despite being hot is not a draw

[Eraserhead]

$153 million OW

About $430 domestic

About $800 WW

[hatebox]

Prince of Persia should do ok. Like the game I've read it's pretty much all out action, and after some complaints levelled at IM2 not having enough action that could be the antidote for some. But it isn't direct competition for IM2 anyway.

[terry78]

Yeah, Robin Hood...while it looks gritty and action-filled, doesn't have that whimsy that the other versions did. It looks depressing as ****.

[S.A.A.D.]

http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=ironman2.htm

Total Lifetime Grosses
Domestic: n/a 0.0% + Foreign: (http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=ironman2.htm) $121,106,342 100.0% = Worldwide: $121,106,342

[Anita18]

Nikki Finke at Deadline Hollywood Daily says IM2 will take the record of widest release, with 4380 theaters. TDK had 4366. I think Paramount is gunning for the OW record. :funny:

It definitely would have achieved it if it was released in 3-D, being the cash cow that it is. :oldrazz:

[FaT_tONle]

Yeah, Robin Hood...while it looks gritty and action-filled, doesn't have that whimsy that the other versions did. It looks depressing as ****.

It's PG-13, and it does look like been there done that. I wish Crowe would bother getting into shape for a change. Guy does Gangster and Body of Lies and his body never recovered. Can't blame Sienna Miller for walking off the set. I think IM2 is good for #1 for two weeks by FAR. I think it will just be edged out by Persia, but JUST edged.

[kedrell]

I read over on LA Times that the budget for this one was around $170M + $75M marketing/prints/etc. So with roughly a $250M overall budget to make back this will beome profitable after the exhibitors get their share at around the $387M mark world wide. No problemo. We're already 1/3 of the way there pretty much.

[hatebox]

EW predicts it'll just fall short of the OW record:

http://hollywoodinsider.ew.com/2010/05/06/box-office-preview-iron-man-2/#comment-127447

[kedrell]

They predicted a $70M OW for IM1. It made around a hundred. Just sayin'.

[MessiahDecoy123]

Iron Man 2 made 7.5 million from midnight shows.

http://www.deadline.com/hollywood (http://www.deadline.com/hollywood)

[kedrell]

Yep, saw that linked on BOM. The theater count for the midnight screenings was pitifully low. Paramount phones it in again. I guess they don't care so much since this really doesn't belong to them.

[Anita18]

Yep, saw that linked on BOM. The theater count for the midnight screenings was pitifully low. Paramount phones it in again. I guess they don't care so much since this really doesn't belong to them.
Well they still have the widest release record going. They probably just didn't care about the midnights since they figured they weren't gonna beat TDK, Harry Potter, or Twilight. :funny:

[kedrell]

Well they still have the widest release record going. They probably just didn't care about the midnights since they figured they weren't gonna beat TDK, Harry Potter, or Twilight. :funny:


True but it's still lazy on their part and could have helped the OW total. Should have got around 10M midnights if they hadn't dropped the ball. I know my IMAX was packed as were about 4-5 other screens at the theater I went to. And they have a big(I mean BIG) parking lot outside and when I went to the 9pm showing of IM1 there were only a couple dozen cars there(about 5% of the parking lot area) and only about 10 people in the 500-seat theater. When I left the theater between movies at about 11:20pm that place was bananas with no parking spots left.

[Anita18]

True but it's still lazy on their part and could have helped the OW total. Should have got around 10M midnights if they hadn't dropped the ball. I know my IMAX was packed as were about 4-5 other screens at the theater I went to. And they have a big(I mean BIG) parking lot outside and when I went to the 9pm showing of IM1 there were only a couple dozen cars there(about 5% of the parking lot area) and only about 10 people in the 500-seat theater. When I left the theater between movies at about 11:20pm that place was bananas with no parking spots left.
At BOM they're saying that the theaters who had midnights mostly didn't sell out.

It's also in the middle of finals time, so unless you're Harry Potter or Twilight, a lot of the casual fans who came out for TDK and TF2 for fun aren't going to be there.

[kedrell]

Well my IMAX did as well as the regular screens but that's all I can confirm.

[FaT_tONle]

How many screens was it on last night?

[kedrell]

I don't know whether it was screen count or theater count but I heard the 2500 number thrown around.

[Anita18]

I don't know whether it was screen count or theater count but I heard the 2500 number thrown around.
That number's theater count, for sure.

I'd say the demand wasn't there. Apparently HP5 did $12m in midnights with 2100 theaters.

[kedrell]

HP has the most rabid fanbase out there. Batman, Spidey, X-Men etc. are nothing compared to Potter when it comes to midnights. The only thing sort of comparable is Twilight. I wouldn't worry. I expect it to have a much more evenly distributed total over the 3 days.

[Tony Stark]

7.5 mill for midnight is a good number for this time of year. Star Trek last year only opened with 4 million and they had several Thursday showings. I'm not sure what Spider-man 3 did in midnight showings.

[kedrell]

SM3 was 10M, but with more venues open. IM1 did about 3.5M

[Tony Stark]

Yeah it was dumb of Paramount to not open more venues, especially when the film was tracking that well. Part of the problem may have been shifting weeks to the 7th, the film was originally supposed to open WW on the 30th, but when Chronicles of Narnia moved to november Iron Man 2 moved up a week.

[Anita18]

Yeah it was dumb of Paramount to not open more venues, especially when the film was tracking that well. Part of the problem may have been shifting weeks to the 7th, the film was originally supposed to open WW on the 30th, but when Chronicles of Narnia moved to november Iron Man 2 moved up a week.
Well HP5 managed more in midnights with less theaters, so I just don't think the demand was there.

I think Paramount guessed right. No use in opening more theaters if the demand isn't there. Although it wasn't the smartest of them to open it in the middle of many students' finals. :oldrazz:

[hatebox]

Is the OW record still expected for this film? The Deadline crew didn't really give any analysis of the midnight numbers. Obviously the screencount was less than it will be now but even TDK scored over $18m on its first midnight. [nb. TDK is only being used as a numerical reference. This is not to start a flame war]

[rashad]

7.5 mill for midnight is a good number for this time of year. Star Trek last year only opened with 4 million and they had several Thursday showings. I'm not sure what Spider-man 3 did in midnight showings.

1) New Moon - 26.7 11/20/09
2) HP6 - 22.2M 7/15/09
3) TDK - 18.5M midnights 7/18/08
4) Sith - 16.9M midnights 5/19/05
5) TF2 - ROTF - 16.8M 6/24/09
6) OOTP - 12M midnights 7/11/07
7) SM3 - 10M midnights 5/4/07
8 DMC- 9M midnights 7/7/06
9) LOTR - ROTK - 8M 12/18/03
10)SM1 - 7m 5/3/02
10)Twilight - 7m 11/21/08
10)TPM - 7M 5/19/99
13)GoF - 6m 11/18/05
13)AOTC - 6m 5/16/02
15)X3 - 5.9M midnights 5/2/03
16)Wolverine - 5M midnights. 5/1/09
17)Watchmen - 4.55M midnights. 3/6/09
18 FOTR - 4m 12/19/01
18 TTT - 4m 12/18/02
20)Terminator Salvation - 3M 5/21/09

[Tony Stark]

1) New Moon - 26.7 11/20/09
2) HP6 - 22.2M 7/15/09
3) TDK - 18.5M midnights 7/18/08
4) Sith - 16.9M midnights 5/19/05
5) TF2 - ROTF - 16.8M 6/24/09
6) OOTP - 12M midnights 7/11/07
7) SM3 - 10M midnights 5/4/07
8 DMC- 9M midnights 7/7/06
9) LOTR - ROTK - 8M 12/18/03
10)SM1 - 7m 5/3/02
10)Twilight - 7m 11/21/08
10)TPM - 7M 5/19/99
13)GoF - 6m 11/18/05
13)AOTC - 6m 5/16/02
15)X3 - 5.9M midnights 5/2/03
16)Wolverine - 5M midnights. 5/1/09
17)Watchmen - 4.55M midnights. 3/6/09
18 FOTR - 4m 12/19/01
18 TTT - 4m 12/18/02
20)Terminator Salvation - 3M 5/21/09


Did you read what I said? I said 7.5 is a good opening "for this time of year". Basically only Spider-man 3 topped it in that respect, and I think we all agree Paramount should have had more screens.

[Tony Stark]

Well HP5 managed more in midnights with less theaters, so I just don't think the demand was there.

I think Paramount guessed right. No use in opening more theaters if the demand isn't there. Although it wasn't the smartest of them to open it in the middle of many students' finals. :oldrazz:

I dont' know what the screens were based on what SM3's number of screens. For a first week of May opening, this was probably about expected, maybe a little less.

I don't know how many of the midnight showings were in IMAX which is probably going to be a high demand draw this weekend.

If you look as any buisness would which is year over year, this is a boost from the same weekend last year, of 3.5 million, and as I mentioned Star Trek had several Thursday showings, not just midnight.

[Anita18]

Is the OW record still expected for this film? The Deadline crew didn't really give any analysis of the midnight numbers. Obviously the screencount was less than it will be now but even TDK scored over $18m on its first midnight. [nb. TDK is only being used as a numerical reference. This is not to start a flame war]
They're still not giving a lot of analysis, but updated numbers on the site show a preliminary $55m OD. I think it's lower than what a lot of people expected, but it's not bad...

[Tony Stark]

They're still not giving a lot of analysis, but updated numbers on the site show a preliminary $55m OD. I think it's lower than what a lot of people expected, but it's not bad...

That will probably put it in the top 4 or 5 opening weekends probably above DMC. Which unfortunately means that the film that will break TDK's record will be Eclipse, ugh!

At least I hope IM2 finishes above New Moon. We'll see...

[FaT_tONle]

They needed an extra 10 mill more from midnight. Good news I'll say, I think most people are skipping Robin Hood in theatres. Persia looks really meh to people going by those reactions to the trailer, like a Narnia movie in the summer (we know how that turned out). So either the kids are saving their allowances and parents are cheap, or people will keep watching IM2 until what, Shrek 4 or Toy Story 3? Certainly not if they are looking for live action. A-team looks decent but still a month away.

[Tony Stark]

Well, like I said earlier, you really have to look at these numbers year over year. Last year Star Trek, which got rave reviews opened at 75 mil, which was down 25% from the previous year. So if the numbers listed above are correct, we're looking at 135-145, or thereabout, so you're talking a huge boost over this same weekend last year.

We'll get the final numbers tomorrow, but even if it's 55 million that's excellent, and it will probably cross the 400 mil mark, or better, depending on how Robin Hood and Shrek 4 go.

[Superhero 101]

I just want it to make 400 million domestic

[TheVileOne]

It's got a shot. No one is going to see that DOA Robin Hood movie next week.

I think it easily breaks $100 million this weekend alone. That will already put it at like $250 million worldwide in like 2 weekends.

[redfirebird2008]

It should cruise past $400m domestic. It's getting good word of mouth.

[hatebox]

If it is then Americans would seem to like it a lot more than Europeans. I'm not saying that to be funny, just an observation.

[redfirebird2008]

If it is then Americans would seem to like it a lot more than Europeans. I'm not saying that to be funny, just an observation.

That's pretty much the superhero box office rule. Spider-Man is the only one that has broken the mold.

[redfirebird2008]

Dang, the estimate went from $55m down to $52m. :(

[hatebox]

It'll have to have a killer Saturday to avoid being quite a bit lower than expectations - Sundays always have a bigger drop. I wonder if this has anything to do with the critical reaction? I mean, it could have made a $10m or so difference ...

[redfirebird2008]

It'll have to have a killer Saturday to avoid being quite a bit lower than expectations - Sundays always have a bigger drop. I wonder if this has anything to do with the critical reaction? I mean, it could have made a $10m or so difference ...

Frankly, I think the marketing wasn't as good as it could have been. I still haven't seen the movie yet, but the trailers just weren't that great. They weren't "holy crap" awesome like SM3 and TDK's trailers. The first Iron Man had a far stronger trailer IMHO.

But to keep this in perspective, if it makes around $135m this weekend it will have sold roughly 25% more tickets than IM1 did over its opening weekend (including the Thursday previews). That's a pretty sweet increase coming from a movie that already made a big opening to begin with. That being said, the WOM is going to need to be pretty good to make what I was expecting ($425ish million).

[hatebox]

Reflecting on the $7.5m midnight showing, Boxofficemojo noted that the marketing for IM2 did 'rest on its laurels' a bit - rather than convey the direction of the story or highlight the antagonists they thought the trailers relied a bit too much on goodwill from the first one, and the RDJ factor. Can't really blame Paramount too mcuh for that move, but I see the concern.

Time will tell..

[FaT_tONle]

Dang, the estimate went from $55m down to $52m. :(

Anyone somehow hoping that Iron Man 2 would flop at the box office this weekend, give up-- Friday's early numbers are in, and it's a certified hit. But anyone rooting for The Dark Knight to hang on to its opening-weekend box office record, you're a winner. Deadline Hollywood (http://www.deadline.com/2010/05/iron-man-2-widest-release-in-history/) is projecting that, based on the estimated $52 million Iron Man 2 pulled in last night, it will boast a $130 million or so opening weekend, well below The Dark Knight's $158 million record.

It's also worth noting that Iron Man 2 had the largest release of any in history, appearing at 4,308 theaters around the country. You can practically hear Paramount regretting that they didn't just slap on the thing and go ahead and claim the crown-- though hopefully louder are all the fans eternally grateful they didn't have to wear glasses for this one. Iron Man 2's opening weekend will best Iron Man's $102 million by a whole lot, but as we've discussed before, the rules are different for sequels. It's a little awkward that many people, including Marvel President Kevin Feige, were openly hoping to snag the record, but hey, $130 million will help him keep a roof over his head, so who's complaining.

If you're curious, it looks like Nightmare on Elm Street will be at #2 with less than 10% of Iron Man 2's gross. We'll have lots more on the weekend box office in our wrap-up on Sunday night. http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Iron-Man-2-Won-t-Break-Records-With-130-Million-Opening-Weekend-18489.html

It's not the impressive IMO. Basically a Revenge of the Sith number five years later. And the 3 day is expected to be less than DMC and Twilight. I think its the reception and less the marketing. People on the cusp weren't exactly gushing over it.

[Tony Stark]

I still think it will pull 135, or possibly 140. 130 million puts it into the top 5 openings all time, so there's really nothing to complain about.

I thought it could best 150 million, but it will be the 2nd largest May opening.

[Tony Stark]

It's not the impressive IMO. Basically a Revenge of the Sith number five years later. And the 3 day is expected to be less than DMC and Twilight. I think its the reception and less the marketing. People on the cusp weren't exactly gushing over it.

Um, it's 22 million more than Sith. Maybe adjusted for inflation, but it's a top 5 opening and you're saying it's not impressive?

[FaT_tONle]

Can't imagine what Twilight 3 will do in the middle of the summer. I am not sure what the fan reception was to the last film or what they think of the book, but it could easily pull in 160 for the fact that it is summer alone. As for IM, once we see the daily's and if there is only a 50-55% drop next week, it will be fine.

Um, it's 22 million more than Sith. Maybe adjusted for inflation, but it's a top 5 opening and you're saying it's not impressive?

I was talking about opening day, which was around 50 million. Obviously the fanbase ain't as large as Star Wars but just regarding opening day.

[hatebox]

Um, it's 22 million more than Sith. Maybe adjusted for inflation, but it's a top 5 opening and you're saying it's not impressive?

It's all about expectations though. Paramount, and some analyists, will be slightly disappointed if the figure holds.

[Anita18]

It's all about expectations though. Paramount, and some analyists, will be slightly disappointed if the figure holds.
It really is. Tracking showed all week that it would be up there with TDK. I think Paramount did the best they could - TV spots galore, widest release ever. It's just one of those things you can't really predict, that's why box office is so exciting.

[FaT_tONle]

Yeah the idea that Paramount mailed it in because their days as the distributor are numbered in nonsense. I don't know for sure how much money they put into it, but if they make 10%, that's basically 75-80 million gross (if the movie does 750-800 of course). So if they put in a few dozen million marketing it they can essentially double their investment if the movie does decent enough.

[Spider-Fan]

I think 135-140 mil is still quite good. Yes, it won't beat TDK, but did it really have to? I think Marvel will be happy with this figure.

[Excelsior.]

Eclipse will break the record. I am 95% sure.

Anyway, look at the brightside, if IM2 did indeed break the record it would've been eclisped (:oldrazz:) by Eclipse anyway.

[MessiahDecoy123]

If Iron Man 2 gets 140 million opening weekend it will be the fourth highest in history.

How is that bad?

Anyone expecting this to beat TDK was just being unrealistic. The hype for IM2 was nowhere as huge as the hype for The Dark Knight.

[Iron_Stark]

130 million in the top 5, not bad for a character that was a B- or C-lister just 2.5 years ago.

The only movie I want it to beat out is Bayformers 2: WTF.

[Spider-Fan]

I think this will be a case of Marvel is happy with the figure, but fans wanted more. Iron Man 2 is going to make huge bank for Marvel, so I don't see them whining it didn't beat the biggest opening ever.

[Tony Stark]

Eclipse will break the record. I am 95% sure.

Anyway, look at the brightside, if IM2 did indeed break the record it would've been eclisped (:oldrazz:) by Eclipse anyway.

Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of. Not a big twilight fan myself, all seems too teeny bopper to me, but to each his/her own.

[Nightmare]

Interesting to see how the final numbers come out.

[FaT_tONle]

130 million in the top 5, not bad for a character that was a B- or C-lister just 2.5 years ago.

The only movie I want it to beat out is Bayformers 2: WTF.

That's the thing. It's sad that a piss poor movie pulls in that kind of money. I guess if Iron Man came out with the concept of giant machines bashing one another, it would have come off as even more novel. I just felt the film series could have pulled Iron Man perhaps ahead of Spidey and possibly on equal terms with Batman. But at the end of the day, you can't wipe out 50-60 years of character history and change all that with a few successful films. Hulk is still the second most popular Marvel character IMO.

[Anita18]

I think this will be a case of Marvel is happy with the figure, but fans wanted more. Iron Man 2 is going to make huge bank for Marvel, so I don't see them whining it didn't beat the biggest opening ever.
Oh, I think Paramount wanted more. Otherwise they would have opened it in less theaters, had some 8/10pm Thursday preview showings, and/or lowballed the tracking. Even WB officially lowballed the tracking for TDK, saying they were expecting "$110m-$130m" even though everyone knew it was going to be more.

I don't think anyone's going to whine to Nikki Finke, though. That would be bad publicity. :funny:

[Spider-Fan]

Paramount is a distributor, though. Of course they wanted more, lol. I just don't think Marvel is going to be sad it ONLY made 135-140 mil ;)

[danoyse]

Eclipse will break the record. I am 95% sure.

Anyway, look at the brightside, if IM2 did indeed break the record it would've been eclisped (:oldrazz:) by Eclipse anyway.

LOL...the whole audience booed at the trailer when I saw IM2 last night. :funny:

But yeah, that movie is going to make a ton of money. :dry:

[Anita18]

Paramount is a distributor, though. Of course they wanted more, lol. I just don't think Marvel is going to be sad it ONLY made 135-140 mil ;)
Heh, good point.

LOL...the whole audience booed at the trailer when I saw IM2 last night. :funny:

But yeah, that movie is going to make a ton of money. :dry:
:funny: Whatever, it rocks some people's boats. I bet a lot of them don't really take it that seriously either.

Also, what will be REALLY fun to watch is how fast it crashes and burns after the opening weekend. The last one has the biggest single day ever, but it didn't even break $300m. That's just pathetic. :lmao:

[Spider-Fan]

Heh, good point.



This film will have grossed almost more in 3 days than their last theatrical release did in its entire theatrical run, LOL!

Though I still loved TIH :o

[danoyse]

Paramount is a distributor, though. Of course they wanted more, lol. I just don't think Marvel is going to be sad it ONLY made 135-140 mil ;)

I don't think Disney will be too upset either.

[terry78]

52 mil last night is not shabby to be honest.

[samsnee]

Paramount is a distributor, though. Of course they wanted more, lol. I just don't think Marvel is going to be sad it ONLY made 135-140 mil ;)

Let's face it. Unless this movie broke opening records, impregnated every woman who saw it, turned water into wine, cured cancer, and beat Michael Phelps in a swim race, there was no way it wasn't going to end up as Gigli 2.

[FaT_tONle]

Let's face it. Unless this movie broke opening records, impregnated every woman who saw it, turned water into wine, cured cancer, and beat Michael Phelps in a swim race, there was no way it wasn't going to end up as Gigli 2.

Nice to see that Hypsters still have some practicality.

[Leenie]

Continuing to compare this movie to TDK is pointless, unnecessary, and annoying.

God, I'm becoming jaded about TDK. EVERYONE has to compare EVERYTHING to it. I'm so sick to death of it.

Iron Man 2 has a great first day and it's going to have a great opening weekend. Rock on, Iron Man! :)

[DACrowe]

That's the thing. It's sad that a piss poor movie pulls in that kind of money. I guess if Iron Man came out with the concept of giant machines bashing one another, it would have come off as even more novel. I just felt the film series could have pulled Iron Man perhaps ahead of Spidey and possibly on equal terms with Batman. But at the end of the day, you can't wipe out 50-60 years of character history and change all that with a few successful films. Hulk is still the second most popular Marvel character IMO.

How'd you get that? I guess in the '80s he may have been due to the TV show. But most well known I don't think makes most popular. Everyone knows who Superman is more than any other superhero today. But I would bet top dollar that Batman and Spidey are more popular overall (because of so much Supes apathy).

Since the '90s cartoon, I thought it has been clear that Wolverine is the second most popular Marvel character. Iron Man, due to these films, I think just surpassed that for the time being.

[DACrowe]

That's the thing. It's sad that a piss poor movie pulls in that kind of money. I guess if Iron Man came out with the concept of giant machines bashing one another, it would have come off as even more novel. I just felt the film series could have pulled Iron Man perhaps ahead of Spidey and possibly on equal terms with Batman. But at the end of the day, you can't wipe out 50-60 years of character history and change all that with a few successful films. Hulk is still the second most popular Marvel character IMO.

How'd you get that? I guess in the '80s he may have been due to the TV show. But most well known I don't think makes most popular. Everyone knows who Superman is more than any other superhero today. But I would bet top dollar that Batman and Spidey are more popular overall (because of so much Supes apathy).

Since the '90s cartoon, I thought it has been clear that Wolverine is the second most popular Marvel character. Iron Man, due to these films, I think just surpassed that for the time being.

[Anita18]

Continuing to compare this movie to TDK is pointless, unnecessary, and annoying.

God, I'm becoming jaded about TDK. EVERYONE has to compare EVERYTHING to it. I'm so sick to death of it.

Iron Man 2 has a great first day and it's going to have a great opening weekend. Rock on, Iron Man! :)
Well, it's actually relevant to opening-weekend box office talk because many reporters had it tracking at $150-$160m, so the question was if it could take the opening weekend record. Which is held by...TDK. :oldrazz:

Once the official numbers come in, I think people will start comparing it to IM1 or SM3, whichever movie it happens to end up closest to this weekend.

[FaT_tONle]

How'd you get that? I guess in the '80s he may have been due to the TV show. But most well known I don't think makes most popular. Everyone knows who Superman is more than any other superhero today. But I would bet top dollar that Batman and Spidey are more popular overall (because of so much Supes apathy).

Since the '90s cartoon, I thought it has been clear that Wolverine is the second most popular Marvel character. Iron Man, due to these films, I think just surpassed that for the time being.

Hulk has been around forever. Anyone can pretty much identify the character instantly and he's ingrained in the culture as that symbol for inner, sub-conscious rage we all have. Any dude that lifts and takes his body seriously enough to impress is pretty much compared to the Hulk. It's a shame the movies ****ed it up. I guess you can go Wolverine too, but only crazed fanboys actually spike the hair to the sides and stick knives between their fingers on days other than Halloween. Doesn't really resonate as well. Plus I don't think people will give a **** about Iron Man once RDJ hangs it up. Maybe the same will be true for Wolverine/Jackman too although less likely. At least Banner isn't locked up to one guy. Hulk needs to make a comeback in Avengers in a big way and I think he will.

[Ironfan72]

Honestly as a Iron Man fan, I am thrilled with the numbers, its another blockbuster, 2 in a row, so that ain't shabby for a character few knew a couple years ago.
I have had the oppurtunity now to talk with several co-workers, my brother and the guys who own and work at the comic shop I go to, all have seen it and all have loved it, as they said to a person, it fun, action filled, great acting and chemistry, they have all heard the complaints from people about it dragging and the like and all disagree, as they said, its a summer movie, they all gave it either a 8 or 9 each and a couple gave it a 10, but no one had a complaint about it, at all.
As for it beating TDK, I honestly don't care, these movies are released at different times of the year, for IM2 school is still in session for one, so alot of kids who would have seen it Thursday and Friday were in school so thats a huge disadvantage, TDK was released in like June I think, so school was out for everyone, except summer school and yes this will piss people off and I don't care, a huge draw for TDK was not Batman, but the unfortunate passing of Heath Ledger, it was his last great performance and people went to see that as much or more than seeing Batman, sorry, but it has been a source of discussion with friends and family and all agree that played a huge part in the films success.
All I know, Iron Man 2 will make a ton of money, it will be considered one of the better comic films by many, not all, and will garner a sequal, and as a shellhead fan, thats all I want.

[nimrod]

Heh, good point.



Also, what will be REALLY fun to watch is how fast it crashes and burns after the opening weekend. The last one has the biggest single day ever, but it didn't even break $300m. That's just pathetic. :lmao:


Really. Pathetic?? You do realize Twilight's budget is (only)50 million.

I'm no fan of Twilight /(New Moon) but in terms of BO, pathetic is not a word to use.

Iron Man is being seriously compared to TDK in terms of BO. That's an achievement in itself.
That another superhero can come close to the BO of Spidey and Batman was not really expected by fans. But Iron Man is in the same league as them.

Iron Man is amazing. Nuff said.

[Anita18]

Really. Pathetic?? You do realize Twilight's budget is (only)50 million.

I'm no fan of Twilight /(New Moon) but in terms of BO, pathetic is not a word to use.
It's pathetic because it utterly crashed and burned after the first weekend. Sure it makes a lot of money for its budget, but slap "Twilight" onto anything and the fans will come running no matter how bad it is.

[Rumpy Bulge Dubz]

yes this will piss people off and I don't care, a huge draw for TDK was not Batman, but the unfortunate passing of Heath Ledger, it was his last great performance and people went to see that as much or more than seeing Batman, sorry, but it has been a source of discussion with friends and family and all agree that played a huge part in the films success.


you're right, that will piss a lot of people off. Fortunately, those people are blind ass hats that don't mean a damn. I for one, agree with this whole heartedly. It's the SAME EXACT RULE that applies to the music business, when an artist passes, his work becomes MORE POPULAR. This is true for actors as well, so those of you who don't think so, well simply you're a moron. Most of the TDK's success can be attributed to Heath's passing (was he on the rise before hand, yes, and that only helped it out that much more). You take a popular actor, add the passing of popular actor with his FINAL movie, and you have........$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[Milkman95]

Blind? Hilarious, MOST of TDK's success is attributed to it being a good film, NOT because of Heath's passing. Yes, it helped on opening weekend, and I will say Heath's passing created more buzz, but saying the film was successful MOSTLY because of that? NO. It carried to $1 Billion worldwide because it was a good film.

Gotta love jealous Marvel fanboys.

[spider-neil]

I wouldn't say heath's death was 'the' reason for TDK success but anyone who thinks it wasn't at least a factor is deluded. the nolan franchise went from 400m WW with batman begins to over 1B WW with TDK. IM2 isn't going to do over 1B, 'yeah, but BB was good AND TDK was good unlike IM2' okay, why didn't SM2 do over a billion?

[Doctor Jones]

I'm not surprised it didn't beat TDK's opening day. But it's still a great number and will no doubt make more than the first film opening weekend.

I also think it should do fine this month. It has the same situation it had in 2008.

[Rumpy Bulge Dubz]

Gotta love jealous Marvel fanboys.

gotta love people who make "assumptions" without facts

as if anyone here is a "jealous marvel fanboy"

and if that was directed toward me, sorry to dissapoint ya, I'm a fan of various company's, I don't take sides. If anything, I'm a bigger fan of D.C. anyway

so yea, you're way off. Nice try though

good luck walking blind :cwink:

[Ironfan72]

Honestly, it amazes me when people take offense to truth, as I said, TDK was an ok movie, not great not the best of all time, nothing in the film was anything different than I had seen in a thousand batman cartoons. It was simply that there was a large group of people who went to see Heaths last performance, to say otherwise is neive and short sited.
I know many of my friends who went to the film said if not for his passing they would not have seen the film, they were not comicbook fans or even cared about Batman, it was Ledgers last performance, there was a morbid curiuosity there that people wanted to see his last performance, yes he made a great joker, but that said it wasn't enough to make TDK a success it turned out to be.
Of the friends, family and co-workers I spoke with about why they saw TDK, a hand full were DC fans and some said yeah Batman was a reason but again Heath's passing played in role in it.
Using the tired old Marvel fanboy jealously excuse is as always boring and narrow minded, and clearly living a fantasy world.

[drax]

Honestly, it amazes me when people take offense to truth, as I said, TDK was an ok movie, not great not the best of all time, nothing in the film was anything different than I had seen in a thousand batman cartoons. It was simply that there was a large group of people who went to see Heaths last performance, to say otherwise is neive and short sited.
I know many of my friends who went to the film said if not for his passing they would not have seen the film, they were not comicbook fans or even cared about Batman, it was Ledgers last performance, there was a morbid curiuosity there that people wanted to see his last performance, yes he made a great joker, but that said it wasn't enough to make TDK a success it turned out to be.
Of the friends, family and co-workers I spoke with about why they saw TDK, a hand full were DC fans and some said yeah Batman was a reason but again Heath's passing played in role in it.
Using the tired old Marvel fanboy jealously excuse is as always boring and narrow minded, and clearly living a fantasy world.

So true, it was also the same thing when Brandon Lee have passed away, before that, he was not really a big actor, some cool action movies time to time, now, lot of peoples see him like a legend with his morbid death during the crow.

Another recent post mortem success, there are Michael Jackson, I have always been a huge fan of him (specially during his career of 70's-late 80's area), but he has no more reputation since the 90's (before the trial too), he was no more popular (specially with the rumors around him etc...), but now since his death, everybody see him like a saint and his success is again really huge.

I think it's the same thing for TDK, there are of course a big influence from Ledger death, see the comparaison between BB and TDK about box-office, there are huge difference and I think their respective box-office talk for themselves.

[bapi]

Official estimate: 133.6

[hatebox]

Honestly, it amazes me when people take offense to truth, as I said, TDK was an ok movie, not great not the best of all time, nothing in the film was anything different than I had seen in a thousand batman cartoons. It was simply that there was a large group of people who went to see Heaths last performance, to say otherwise is neive and short sited.



:doh:


People are comparing it to TDK on a BOX OFFICE thread because it's the most comparable blockbuster and many analyists were predicting IM2 would beat its OW. Enough with the moronic fanboy wars. It's happening on both sides.

[Excelsior.]

And Avatar only made money because of 3D AM I RITE ? :whatever:

[JeetKuneDo]

you're right, that will piss a lot of people off. Fortunately, those people are blind ass hats that don't mean a damn. I for one, agree with this whole heartedly. It's the SAME EXACT RULE that applies to the music business, when an artist passes, his work becomes MORE POPULAR. This is true for actors as well, so those of you who don't think so, well simply you're a moron. Most of the TDK's success can be attributed to Heath's passing (was he on the rise before hand, yes, and that only helped it out that much more). You take a popular actor, add the passing of popular actor with his FINAL movie, and you have........$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

Ledger's death was huge. E! network was in almost non-stop Ledger/TDK promotion mode for months before it was released. Just like a car wreck on the freeway, everyone had to stop to look. The "poor tortured artist" angle was there. Insinuations that playing the character of the Joker had somehow damaged Ledger. That was too delicious for people to resist.

But there is also the Joker angle. If you look at all the Batman movies....the ones with the Joker make a LOT more than the ones without the Joker. It's not even close. Batman really isn't that popular...the Joker is.

And of course, if you look at the movies that have exploded at the box office in recent times, you'll get a sense of the herd mentality that accompanies them. Avatar, Titanic, and TDK....anyone going to suggest they are really the three best movies of the last 20 years? I like the Cameron movies a lot...but I'm not fooling myself into believing they are that good. After a certain point, they became "events". "Everyone is going to see this...I have to go too". How many just went to see Avatar because they felt they "had to go"? Each one of those had a specific set of circumstances that led to a perception that it was a "must see".

[JeetKuneDo]

So true, it was also the same thing when Brandon Lee have passed away, before that, he was not really a big actor, some cool action movies time to time, now, lot of peoples see him like a legend with his morbid death during the crow.

Another recent post mortem success, there are Michael Jackson, I have always been a huge fan of him (specially during his career of 70's-late 80's area), but he has no more reputation since the 90's (before the trial too), he was no more popular (specially with the rumors around him etc...), but now since his death, everybody see him like a saint and his success is again really huge.

I think it's the same thing for TDK, there are of course a big influence from Ledger death, see the comparaison between BB and TDK about box-office, there are huge difference and I think their respective box-office talk for themselves.

Going back further...James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. I doubt either would be talked about very much today if not for the "tragic death at a young age" angle. Bruce Lee also benefited from this.

And you're right about MJ. Last year he didn't even make the top 100 on the Forbes earnings list...this year he jumped up to the top 5. Wonder how that happened? :)

[hatebox]

The Ledger death arguments are ridiculous. Factors that were far bigger in determining the film's success include:

1) Batman vs the Joker (this is patently obvious)
2) Excellent marketing combined with a perfect release date
3) Great reviews and word of mouth resulting in healthy drop offs - people who would never see a superhero film were seeing TDK
4) Goodwill from Batman Begins
5) People heard Ledger was really, really good. That's far more reason to see a film than him just dying. That's what makes a movie a billion dollars. Not imagined 'macabre curiosity'.

[Superhero 101]

Wow 133 million not bad i am sure it will easily make 300 domestically

[redfirebird2008]

Wow, my $170-175m prediction was way off. Damn. :(

[Anita18]

I know many of my friends who went to the film said if not for his passing they would not have seen the film, they were not comicbook fans or even cared about Batman, it was Ledgers last performance, there was a morbid curiuosity there that people wanted to see his last performance, yes he made a great joker, but that said it wasn't enough to make TDK a success it turned out to be.
Thing is that TDK was NOT Ledger's last role. His final completed role, yes, but Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus was the last movie where he appears, and they even billed his name in the trailers which TDK did not do. And how much did that movie make? :o

Bernie Mac's last movie made bupkiss at the box office too.

It wasn't JUST Ledger's death. Of course playing the TDK trailer ad nauseum in January 2008 certainly helped, as well as the Oscar buzz around Heath. But just the fact that he died was not enough to make it a phenomenon. Heck, I'd say it was mostly the Oscar buzz that helped most in regards to the bump. The death just made it more poetic.

Wow, my $170-175m prediction was way off. Damn. :(
You're not the only one, considering how many people are feeling burned at BOM or WoKJ. :funny:

But yeah, $170m was rather bold.

[drax]

Going back further...James Dean and Marilyn Monroe. I doubt either would be talked about very much today if not for the "tragic death at a young age" angle. Bruce Lee also benefited from this.

And you're right about MJ. Last year he didn't even make the top 100 on the Forbes earnings list...this year he jumped up to the top 5. Wonder how that happened? :)

Yes, sadly the death of stars is an huge marketing (I'm a really big fan of Bruce Lee too "JeetKuneDo":cwink:), these companies take lot of advantage about this situation, and logically, Warner have taken the opportunity to promote the Dark Knight with Ledger death, and it was a really big part of the success.

For the Dark Knight, there are also the fact that we don't have seen the Joker since the first Batman movie who have a huge reputation among the fans, with his death, it was another important point for the huge success of the movie, Joker is iconic, probably one of the most well know comics character, the tragic death of a young actor in the iconic last role, it's simply an important, if not the most important commercial aspect for this movie.

For Iron Man box office, I think his success is more important that the others superheroes movies, simply because, unlike the others popular franchise superheroes, nobody knew him before his movie.

Batman, the X-men, Spider-man, Superman, Hulk, each of this characters was really well-known in the pop culture (with TV show, cartoon etc...), but Iron Man, nobody know him, in France before this movie, nobody, except some comicbook fans, knew who he was or who was Tony Stark, in other hand, everybody know Batman and Spider-man.

So I think that Iron Man was the most successful because he was near nobody in term of popularity, but now he is maybe, after Spider-man, the most well-known Marvel character.

[Anita18]

Yes, sadly the death of stars is an huge marketing (I'm a really big fan of Bruce Lee too "JeetKuneDo":cwink:), these companies take lot of advantage about this situation, and logically, Warner have taken the opportunity to promote the Dark Knight with Ledger death, and it was a really big part of the success.
Show me one TDK trailer or TV spot where Ledger's name is billed. Show me one poster where his name is first billed. Good luck.

WB was smartly silent on NOT overtly marketing Ledger's name after his death. The entertainment news media did it for them 1000x over, so they didn't have to do anything.

I know that most companies would take ANY opportunity to hawk their wares, but acting like WB was gleeful that Ledger died and officially marketed the fact it was "LEDGER'S LAST MOVIE! OMG! DID WE MENTION IT WAS LEDGER'S LAST MOVIE?" is beyond the pale. They didn't do anything of the sort. It certainly happened, but it was beyond WB's control. They let the news media borrow footage from the trailers but that was it.

[spider-neil]

so heath's death had nothing to do with the success of TDK? nothing at all? wasn't even a factor? the movie would have made eactly the same numbers if ledger had lived? okay, fair enough.

[Anita18]

so heath's death had nothing to do with the success of TDK? nothing at all? wasn't even a factor? the movie would have made eactly the same numbers if ledger had lived? okay, fair enough.
Read my post a few posts up:

It wasn't JUST Ledger's death. Of course playing the TDK trailer ad nauseum in January 2008 certainly helped, as well as the Oscar buzz around Heath. But just the fact that he died was not enough to make it a phenomenon. Heck, I'd say it was mostly the Oscar buzz that helped most in regards to the bump. The death just made it more poetic.

If he had died and there was NO Oscar buzz, I don't think there would have been a bump. It was the combination of Oscar and death that made a bump, and it's hard to say how much that "tribute" bump was. I heard a couple of strangers talking about TDK shortly after it was released and one of them had no idea Ledger was in it the first time he went to go see it.

Not everyone watches entertainment news shows, you know. Sometimes you want to see something because it's cool, and the trailers and TV spots certainly made it look cool. It was a combination of things, as it usually is.

[S.A.A.D.]

Worldwide: $327,600,000

Domestic: $133,600,000
Foreign: $194,000,000

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=ironman2.htm

[rashad]

Nice. Should finish around 700-800M WW.

[spider-neil]

Worldwide: $327,600,000

Domestic: $133,600,000
Foreign: $194,000,000

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=ironman2.htm

pretty darn impressive

[drax]

Show me one TDK trailer or TV spot where Ledger's name is billed. Show me one poster where his name is first billed. Good luck.

Of course, WB is not so insensitive to exploit his death directly, but it's the same thing for Michael Jackson or the others death stars, but they know how to use that, the media and the studio work together to promote a movie, and the commercial aspect of a recently dead actor is subtil and can't be done too directly.

WB was smartly silent on NOT overtly marketing Ledger's name after his death. The entertainment news media did it for them 1000x over, so they didn't have to do anything.Why the media have done that ? It's WB (or other studios) who ask them to promote the death of an actor in this sense, there are a strong like between the big studios and the media, they need each others to promote their movie and they give them their exclusivity.

Why every media have boycotted Michael Jackson music when he was alive ? Now since his death, every media show his music, because Sony ask them to promote him in this way.



I know that most companies would take ANY opportunity to hawk their wares, but acting like WB was gleeful that Ledger died and officially marketed the fact it was "LEDGER'S LAST MOVIE! OMG! DID WE MENTION IT WAS LEDGER'S LAST MOVIE?" is beyond the pale. They didn't do anything of the sort. It certainly happened, but it was beyond WB's control. They let the news media borrow footage from the trailers but that was it.It was probably not beyond WB control, if you read for example Peter Biskind book about just Independant cinema (Miramax etc...), you could see that, at their level, they have a huge control about the publicity around their movie, so a really powerful studio like WB, with another powerful entity behind them, AOL Time Warner (one of the biggest company in the world), who own lot of media, let imagine you the control that they have when they promote their movies (sorry for my english).

A tragic death of an young actor is very rare, and there are lot of money to do about that, every Studio know that and know how to use that.

[S.A.A.D.]

Nice. Should finish around 700-800M WW.

No offense,but I still think expecting those box office numbers is a little too optimistic. But we'll see of course.

[SLYspyder]

The Ledger death arguments are ridiculous. Factors that were far bigger in determining the film's success include:

1) Batman vs the Joker (this is patently obvious)
2) Excellent marketing combined with a perfect release date
3) Great reviews and word of mouth resulting in healthy drop offs - people who would never see a superhero film were seeing TDK
4) Goodwill from Batman Begins
5) People heard Ledger was really, really good. That's far more reason to see a film than him just dying. That's what makes a movie a billion dollars. Not imagined 'macabre curiosity'.

Yup, the non stop marketing for months due to Ledger's death was the definitely the least contributing factor. :whatever:

[SLYspyder]

$133 is damn impressive. That's up $35M from Iron Man!

Remember, this is Iron Man we're talking about, Marvel could've only dreamed of that character being this much of a success.

Not sure why anyone thought it would break opening weekend record. The next known contenders for that record in order are Spider-Man 4, Batman 3, and The Avengers.

[akfj]

Of course, WB is not so insensitive to exploit his death directly, but it's the same thing for Michael Jackson or the others death stars, but they know how to use that, the media and the studio work together to promote a movie, and the commercial aspect of a recently dead actor is subtil and can't be done too directly.

Why the media have done that ? It's WB (or other studios) who ask them to promote the death of an actor in this sense, there are a strong like between the big studios and the media, they need each others to promote their movie and they give them their exclusivity.

You have no proof the media and WB were in cahoots. WB didn't need to force the media to talk about an Oscar-nominated actor who passed away before his prime.

$133 is damn impressive. That's up $35M from Iron Man!

Remember, this is Iron Man we're talking about, Marvel could've only dreamed of that character being this much of a success.

Not sure why anyone thought it would break opening weekend record. The next known contenders for that record in order are Spider-Man 4, Batman 3, and The Avengers.

There is no Spider-Man 4. We'll have to see how much hype the reboot generates.

[FaT_tONle]

I think the Ledger debate will settle once we see the hype for BB3, because obviously Joker won't carry the film. Even with Catwoman, the villain hype won't be close to what it was with TDK, unless they get Hoffman for Penguin, DiCpario for Black Mask, Depp for Riddler, etc. If it still breaks records and grosses 500 million then we will all agree Ledger wasn't the main reason. If not, then, its either a worse movie or Ledger was a draw.

[spider-neil]

I think the Ledger debate will settle once we see the hype for BB3, because obviously Joker won't carry the film. Even with Catwoman, the villain hype won't be close to what it was with TDK, unless they get Hoffman for Penguin, DiCpario for Black Mask, Depp for Riddler, etc. If it still breaks records and grosses 500 million then we will all agree Ledger wasn't the main reason. If not, then, its either a worse movie or Ledger was a draw.

that's not true. TDK2 will have the good will from BB/TDK and also inception (if it does well) so will do massive numbers. the people who wouldn't normally have seen a superhero movie and went because of morbid curiousity from HL death with now want to see how the trilogy plays out.

the villian for TDK2 could be killer moth and people will STILL see TDK2 now

[JeetKuneDo]

For Iron Man box office, I think his success is more important that the others superheroes movies, simply because, unlike the others popular franchise superheroes, nobody knew him before his movie.

Batman, the X-men, Spider-man, Superman, Hulk, each of this characters was really well-known in the pop culture (with TV show, cartoon etc...), but Iron Man, nobody know him, in France before this movie, nobody, except some comicbook fans, knew who he was or who was Tony Stark, in other hand, everybody know Batman and Spider-man.

So I think that Iron Man was the most successful because he was near nobody in term of popularity, but now he is maybe, after Spider-man, the most well-known Marvel character.

Good point. Iron Man came in with an even lower profile than the X Men and blew up at the box office. It had none of the advantages that Spider-Man, Batman, and Superman movies have. We expect those to have huge numbers because they are a part of pop culture. Iron Man? Not in the same galaxy....but it still raked it in.

Thing is that TDK was NOT Ledger's last role. His final completed role, yes, but Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus was the last movie where he appears, and they even billed his name in the trailers which TDK did not do. And how much did that movie make? :o

Bernie Mac's last movie made bupkiss at the box office too.

Probably not very accurate to compare a super hero movie that was going to make over 200 million no matter what to movies that would be lucky to make 30 million.

[BenReilly]

Not sure why anyone thought it would break opening weekend record. The next known contenders for that record in order are Spider-Man 4, Batman 3, and The Avengers.

I'm optimistic about Spidey but it's opening on a Tuesday (4th of July release), so it won't be a contender for the opening weekend record.

Great start for Iron Man 2, though. Marvel should be extremely happy with these numbers. Not to mention the flick scored high on exit polling this weekend, so it should have good word of mouth, to carry it through.

[JeetKuneDo]

I think the Ledger debate will settle once we see the hype for BB3, because obviously Joker won't carry the film. Even with Catwoman, the villain hype won't be close to what it was with TDK, unless they get Hoffman for Penguin, DiCpario for Black Mask, Depp for Riddler, etc. If it still breaks records and grosses 500 million then we will all agree Ledger wasn't the main reason. If not, then, its either a worse movie or Ledger was a draw.

The next Batman movie should tell us a lot. Looking at the other non-Joker Batman movies doesn't make me believe this will get close to TDK's gross. Similar to how the first Batman movie (featuring the Joker) went crazy at the box office and the 2nd one made almost 100 million less 3 years later. No Joker...no incredible box office. Batman himself is kinda...boring.

[hatebox]

Of course Batman 3 won't make TDK's domestic gross, but again: that's because it won't have the Joker in it, not because someone proably won't die beforehand.

There are a few genuine reasons to criticize TDK, but putting its billion dollar success down to a death is lazy and inane. If Ledger wasn't great as the Joker in the first place no-one would give a damn.

[blueblazer2]

Of course Batman 3 won't make TDK's domestic gross, but again: that's because it won't have the Joker in it, not because someone proably won't die beforehand.

There are a few genuine reasons to criticize TDK, but putting its billion dollar success down to a death is lazy and inane. If Ledger wasn't great as the Joker in the first place no-one would give a damn.


Nolan has never ruled out the possibility of the return of the Joker . We do not know who will be the main villian.

[hatebox]

If the Joker returns in any significant capacity in the next film I'll eat my house.

[Tony Stark]

133 is a good number, and might even come in a little higher after the actuals come in.

As an Iron Man fan, I was just pleased they were going to try and make the movies, I never expected him to become Marvel's no. 2 franchise, taking over X-men.

It's not suprising that he comes behind Spider-man, as he's more a "kid friendly" character than Iron Man.

I am very suprised Paramount and Marvel Studios didn't try to promote the movie more. The first trailer only came out with Sherlock Holmes which was released Christmas day.

I'm wondering if there is some bad blood between Paramount and Marvel on the Disney aquisition. Was Paramount/Viacom possibly trying to make a bid?

I immagine Disney will release Avengers under their own studio name, so this could be bad for Paramount in the long run.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see what happens next week. I don't know what to make of Robin Hood. Is it the next Gladiator or the next Kingdom of Heaven?

If IM2 can remain no 1 next week and have under 50% drop, I think it can make it to 400 million or possibly more.

[Anita18]

It was probably not beyond WB control, if you read for example Peter Biskind book about just Independant cinema (Miramax etc...), you could see that, at their level, they have a huge control about the publicity around their movie, so a really powerful studio like WB, with another powerful entity behind them, AOL Time Warner (one of the biggest company in the world), who own lot of media, let imagine you the control that they have when they promote their movies (sorry for my english).

A tragic death of an young actor is very rare, and there are lot of money to do about that, every Studio know that and know how to use that.
Okay I'll give you that, but from reading some posts here (and elsewhere) it comes across as though studios are gleeful when a famous actor dies because it'll be so much easier to market the movie. I think marketing depts will do what they can, especially when their first job is to market the movie, but nobody is happy when anyone in a production dies.

I talked with the people who did TDK's viral marketing and everyone was every bit as upset about Ledger as we were. I take offense on their behalf if anyone claims otherwise.

Not sure why anyone thought it would break opening weekend record. The next known contenders for that record in order are Spider-Man 4, Batman 3, and The Avengers.
Judging from what I've been reading on BOM and WoKJ, many people expected more because of TF2. That movie did gangbusters and almost matched TDK in 5-day grosses, so everyone assumed that it was "easy" for any big event action movie to do gangbusters as well.

Plus tracking showed that it would at least get close. But tracking can definitely be off more often than not...

I think the Ledger debate will settle once we see the hype for BB3, because obviously Joker won't carry the film. Even with Catwoman, the villain hype won't be close to what it was with TDK, unless they get Hoffman for Penguin, DiCpario for Black Mask, Depp for Riddler, etc. If it still breaks records and grosses 500 million then we will all agree Ledger wasn't the main reason. If not, then, its either a worse movie or Ledger was a draw.
Well like many people have already mentioned, it'll be hard to parse out either way. There's not only Ledger's death, but Oscar buzz around Ledger's role and the fact he was playing the friggin' Joker. :funny:

I don't think it'll ever be settled. We'll believe what we want to believe. :cwink:

Probably not very accurate to compare a super hero movie that was going to make over 200 million no matter what to movies that would be lucky to make 30 million.
Right, but there some of the opinions here (and elsewhere) were that all you need for a movie to be a box-office phenomenon is to have one of your high-profile actors die, which is obviously not the case.

[hatebox]

Sort of on topic - Empire just gave Robin Hood 4 stars. There's not nearly enough hype to stop IM2 getting a second number 1 week (surely?), but if the film is really well reviewed it might prove to be more competetive than some, including myself, thought.

[Sharkboy]

i came to talk about iron man box office and all i see is people attributing TDK's success to heath's death, rather the fact it was a superior film, had much better word of mouth and a much better marketing plan to go for it. Sigh

[drax]

You have no proof the media and WB were in cahoots. WB didn't need to force the media to talk about an Oscar-nominated actor who passed away before his prime.

It's very well known that studio work with the big media for to promote their movie and the situation, see the example of Michael Jackson for the music world with Sony and how he promote him since his death, before that, they don't have promoted the singer correctly since the early 90's, see the book of Peter Biskind about the so-called indie movie word and their relation with the media, see the power of WB with AOL Time Warner and all the media who are under this group.

There are nothing weird about these relation between the big companies and the media, it's perfectly normal, it's just the commercial aspect of the situation, I don't have said that they are happy when someone passed away, I just say that they use that in a commercial perspective and that make lot of money, lot more that during a normal situation.

It's very well known that a star or an actor with some popularity can give lot of money when he die, lot more in general that when he is alive (Bruce and Brandon Lee, Marylin Monroe, James Dean etc...).

[dark_b]

I think the Ledger debate will settle once we see the hype for BB3, because obviously Joker won't carry the film. Even with Catwoman, the villain hype won't be close to what it was with TDK, unless they get Hoffman for Penguin, DiCpario for Black Mask, Depp for Riddler, etc. If it still breaks records and grosses 500 million then we will all agree Ledger wasn't the main reason. If not, then, its either a worse movie or Ledger was a draw.its not that simple IMO

i think Ledger was not the main reason. but i do think that the character Joker was a big reason for the BO.

so i dont expect big hype and buzz for a character like catwoman ,black mask or Riddler. Joker is the biggest character when it comes to the masses.

[akfj]

It's very well known that studio work with the big media for to promote their movie and the situation, see the example of Michael Jackson for the music world with Sony and how he promote him since his death, see the book of Peter Biskind about the so-called indie movie word and their relation with the media, see the power of WB with AOL Time Warner and all the media who are under this group.

There are nothing weird about these relation between the big companies and the media, it's perfectly normal, it's just the commercial aspect of the situation, I don't have said that they are happy when someone passed away, I just say that they use that in a commercial perspective and that make lot of money, lot more that during a normal situation.

It's very well known that a star or an actor with some popularity can give lot of money when he die, lot more in general that when he is alive (Bruce and Brandon Lee, Marylin Monroe, James Dean etc...).

You're still not showing me any proof of what WB did in conjunction with the media's treatment of Ledger's death. It's nothing but hearsay.

[FaT_tONle]

The next Batman movie should tell us a lot. Looking at the other non-Joker Batman movies doesn't make me believe this will get close to TDK's gross. Similar to how the first Batman movie (featuring the Joker) went crazy at the box office and the 2nd one made almost 100 million less 3 years later. No Joker...no incredible box office. Batman himself is kinda...boring.

I agree. No one is going to see Batman if they market Black Mask as the only villain. They need Catwoman or Riddler if not both, and if not, a REALLY big time name for a regular mob boss. Batman with his new mansion and Batmobile will still do numbers, but he is also dependent on supporting characters and love interests like anyone else. I am thinking if the movie is mediocre, 350 at the box office. If its really good it may eclipse 450 but definitely not 500.

[Rumpy Bulge Dubz]

Look, TDK still would have been a success regardless if Heath passed or not. It still would have done better than Batman Begins, and heath still would have been a contributing factor to it, among other things. But there is not a snowball's chance in hell it would be as successful as it currently is, if Heath hadn't passed. Dead Celebrity's make cashola, no.....beating.....around.....THAT.....bush, not at all

[hatebox]

Look, TDK still would have been a success regardless if Heath passed or not. It still would have done better than Batman Begins, and heath still would have been a contributing factor to it, among other things. But there is not a snowball's chance in hell it would be as successful as it currently is, if Heath hadn't passed. Dead Celebrity's make cashola, no.....beating.....around.....THAT.....bush, not at all


This topic is getting very boring, but time and again we've seen celebrities who have died that haven't translated into 'cashola'. Bernie Mack was much loved in America, but his posthumous movie made bugger all at the box office. Likewise Ledger's very own last movie. People talk like this theory is a given: it isn't.

But as Anita said, we'll all believe what we want to believe. Me included I suppose.

[FaT_tONle]

Mac is more a comedian... not a movie star. If Comedy Central had some Bernie Mac specials, or never before seen stand ups, I am sure that would have gotten a ton of viewership on TV or DVD or whatever they could come up with.

[The Guardian]

Great numbers, I'm glad it's doing so well, it's a great movie, I'm actually leaving to see it for the 3rd time in about an hour, good times!!!:awesome::up: