The Dark Knight Rises The Box Office Thread

[MagnarTheGreat]

Looking at the list of highest grossing films worldwide, every single film that passed TDK since its release in 2008 had 3D ticket sales. It gave them extra gas for the fire that TDKR will not have

1 Avatar (2009)
3 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2011)
4 Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011)
7 Toy Story 3 (2010)
8 Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011)
10 Alice in Wonderland (2010)
11 The Avengers (2012)
12 The Dark Knight (2008)

Put simply, TDK was the last highest-grossing 2D-only film ever made to the present time.

TDKR luckily has the prestige of following a highly regarded sequel, and it will ride the wave of the previous film to a certain extent. OTOH, it also looks like the darkest bleakest film after TDK on this list since 2008. Parents brought their little kids multiple times to see some of these films, and TDKR will not benefit as much from that.

Domestically in the U.S., only Avatar has passed TDK since 2008.

 

[BatLobster]

I have to agree with the sentiment that TDKR's hype level could definitely blow the roof off of this entire summer once the anticipation reaches a fever pitch in the mainstream.

My line of thinking is similar to Rocketman's. Just how many films as massively successful as TDK have gotten sequels? Very few. When you factor in Nolan's newly won popularity and the fact that it's Batman, currently the most popular superhero...crazy things become possible.

 

[Mysteryman]

Just curious if other trailers have trended 5th or better on twitter.

 

[Rocketman]

Just think about it for a second. Everyone saw how popular AVENGERS was on twitter opening weekend. Millions just gushing about the movie. It was what, the 3rd most popular trending topic on twittier for its opening week?

TDKR trailer was 5th.

The TRAILER.

Just think about it.

It will be one of those things like "Im on FB, everyone is going to see batman at midnight" or "there are 200000 tweets about how good batman is, wanna see it?".

Again, TDKR is just on entirely different levels than anything thats opened in a while.

I didn't know that.

That just further solidifies how huge TDKR is.

And I'll offer this: If TDKR is one of the most anticipated movies ever (I'd argue it's in the top 5 ever), was The Avengers one of the most anticipated ever? I'd say no. The Avengers wasn't as anticipated then as TDKR is now.

So, like I said, we've got an insane bomb dropping in July.

 

[Reek]

well I'm officially unsubscribing... next we will be saying 'well the batboards have 20 more people on them right now, so yea TDKR will win'.

*smoke bomb*

 

[DoomsdayApex]

No it didn't. That's talking about cumulative viewings which Avengers never released statistics for. Avengers held the iTunes download record (and still does). TDKR had higher You Tube viewings because the trailer wasn't available on iTunes until later. Apple was slow about getting the trailer up (who knows why), but you're comparing apples and oranges (no pun intended).

It doesn't matter much anyway, other than another pissing contest for Avengers vs. TDKR, which the mods have been pretty clear to stay away from.

I think both films have proven that they have a very wide audience.

Yes it was (YouTube viewings). A few of your fellow posters promoted the stats on the boards, and TDKR trailer 2 topped The Avengers trailer 2 by seven million viewings (I think) in the first 48 hours because it wasn't available on Apple. Once again, it's not a big deal considering they're just YouTube viewings, but that's my point to those who say TDKR won't match The Avengers audience-wise. It won't matter if TDKR is darker than The Avengers, it's still Batman with Christopher Nolan's name attached, and a direct sequel to TDK.

 

[Fenrir]

OTOH, it also looks like the darkest bleakest film after TDK on this list since 2008. Parents brought their little kids multiple times to see some of these films, and TDKR will not benefit as much from that.

I keep seeing this point brought up a lot that it is too dark and won't be a hit with the families which will affect TDKR's gross, and I think people are looking at only one side of the equation. TDKR is going to generate a lot of repeat business with the demographic that aren't too interested or enthusiastic about comic book movies or even airheaded summer blockbusters in general. That is one advantage Nolan's Batman films have over every single superhero flick to date. A strong female character doing all sorts of badass stuff (read: Neytiri) is going to draw in a lot more female audiences than The Avengers which was essentially one big bromance with Black Widow sidelined to a relatively insignificant role. Grown-ups will keep coming back again and again because Nolan's films are so layered that they simply demand repeat viewings. And of course, kids are going to see it at least once because, let's face it, it's the goddamn Batman and this is his big sendoff party.

 

[Mysteryman]

I didn't know that.

That just further solidifies how huge TDKR is.

And I'll offer this: Is TDKR is one of the most anticipated movies ever (I'd argue it's in the top 5 ever), was The Avengers one of the most anticipated ever? I'd say no. The Avengers wasn't as anticipated then as TDKR is now.

So, like I said, we've got an insane bomb dropping in July.

Well, the new TDKR trailer was attached to The Avengers .
At the very least, that had a little bit to do with it .
And , do you really believe people all over this country just discovered The Avengers on May 4th?
Given the box office results of the past couple of weeks ,
I think it is at least possible that TA was a bit more highly anticipated a film than you think it was .

 

[Mysteryman]

I keep seeing this point brought up a lot that it is too dark and won't be a hit with the families which will affect TDKR's gross, and I think people are looking at only one side of the equation. TDKR is going to generate a lot of repeat business with the demographic that aren't too interested or enthusiastic about comic book movies or even airheaded summer blockbusters in general. That is one advantage Nolan's Batman films have over every single superhero flick to date. A strong female character doing all sorts of badass stuff (read: Neytiri) is going to draw in a lot more female audiences than The Avengers which was essentially one big bromance with Black Widow sidelined to a relatively insignificant role. Grown-ups will keep coming back again and again because Nolan's films are so layered that they simply demand repeat viewings. And of course, kids are going to see it at least once because, let's face it, it's the goddamn Batman and this is his big sendoff party.

Neytiri?
Not familiar with this reference .
Just curious .

 

[Liam_H]

Avatar, the only interesting character in the movie IMO.

 

[Fenrir]

Neytiri? Not familiar with this reference. Just curious .

Zoe Saldana's character in Avatar?

By the way, search Youtube for "Kevin Smith on: The Avengers vs The Dark Knight Rises" (can't post direct link due to the language, a very good listen too despite Kevin Smith splooging his pants over The Avengers [BLACKOUT]...and to some extent his excitement is understandable)[/BLACKOUT]and listen to 28:26 onwards to see my point about female audiences and The Dark Knight Rises. Oh and you absolutely must listen to 25:00-25:10 - his reenactment of the Bane chant absolutely had me in stitches.

 

[Mysteryman]

Ah .
I only saw Avatar once and in 2D.
Thanks.

 

[joker1524]

avatar has no interesting characters period

 

[Iceman]

I keep seeing this point brought up a lot that it is too dark and won't be a hit with the families which will affect TDKR's gross, and I think people are looking at only one side of the equation. TDKR is going to generate a lot of repeat business with the demographic that aren't too interested or enthusiastic about comic book movies or even airheaded summer blockbusters in general. That is one advantage Nolan's Batman films have over every single superhero flick to date. A strong female character doing all sorts of badass stuff (read: Neytiri) is going to draw in a lot more female audiences than The Avengers which was essentially one big bromance with Black Widow sidelined to a relatively insignificant role. Grown-ups will keep coming back again and again because Nolan's films are so layered that they simply demand repeat viewings. And of course, kids are going to see it at least once because, let's face it, it's the goddamn Batman and this is his big sendoff party.

TDK & probably TDKR aren't suitable for very young kids though, like 5 year olds. If I had a 5yr old he wouldn't be watching TDK until he was mature enough to handle it, & then he'd be forced to watch it 20 times and write an essay on why it's awesome if he wants pocket money ever again. More lighthearted comic films like Spider-man I would take them to as many times as they wanted. I don't think TDKR's audience is as broad as many other films. It just totally maximises the returns from the audience it does have.

 

[Revenant]

Zoe Saldana's character in Avatar?

By the way, search Youtube for "Kevin Smith on: The Avengers vs The Dark Knight Rises" (can't post direct link due to the language, a very good listen too despite Kevin Smith splooging his pants over The Avengers [BLACKOUT]...and to some extent his excitement is understandable)[/BLACKOUT]and listen to 28:26 onwards to see my point about female audiences and The Dark Knight Rises. Oh and you absolutely must listen to 25:00-25:10 - his reenactment of the Bane chant absolutely had me in stitches.

Kevin Smith is a fat bastard. He gives good looking comic book guys like me a bad name. He is such a cliche it isn't even funny.

 

[Mysteryman]

Zoe Saldana's character in Avatar?

By the way, search Youtube for "Kevin Smith on: The Avengers vs The Dark Knight Rises" (can't post direct link due to the language, a very good listen too despite Kevin Smith splooging his pants over The Avengers [BLACKOUT]...and to some extent his excitement is understandable)[/BLACKOUT]and listen to 28:26 onwards to see my point about female audiences and The Dark Knight Rises. Oh and you absolutely must listen to 25:00-25:10 - his reenactment of the Bane chant absolutely had me in stitches.

Thanks for the tip.
I enjoyed Listening to Kevin Smith.

 

[Rocketman]

Kevin Smith, is, well, Kevin Smith... so I wouldn't put stock in anything he says.

 

[BatLobster]

I usually enjoy Kevin's take on things, but he was a bit obnoxious in that video, never letting the girl get a word in.

That said, he'd be the first guy to admit he was wrong in a self-deprecating manner if TDKR breaks Avengers' record(s). I do find his lack of faith a tad disturbing though

 

[DoomsdayApex]

He flip flops all the time. Smith is worse than John McCain.

Watch him backtrack if TDKR breaks the OW record.

 

[Fenrir]

TDK & probably TDKR aren't suitable for very young kids though, like 5 year olds. If I had a 5yr old he wouldn't be watching TDK until he was mature enough to handle it, & then he'd be forced to watch it 20 times and write an essay on why it's awesome if he wants pocket money ever again. More lighthearted comic films like Spider-man I would take them to as many times as they wanted. I don't think TDKR's audience is as broad as many other films. It just totally maximises the returns from the audience it does have.

Like I said, what TDKR loses with very young viewers, it gains with viewers who are not fans of superhero/big-loud-summer action films such as lot of the female and elderly audiences. It may not be a broader audience, but it certainly has a different one compared to other comic book movies. And let's not forget, Avengers has to deal with MIB3 and Prometheus the following weekends, while there is absolutely no major competition for TDKR whatsoever all the way until Skyfall hits in November. Even the IMAX corporation has not committed to any other films until September to give all their screens to TDKR, and I am pretty sure it's a no-brainer for them to extend that even further considering there are no other suitable subsequent releases for IMAX and how the public responds to TDKR will decide the future of the format. Total Recall, The Bourne Legacy and The Expendables 2 are simply not big enough to make a dent in Batman's run and will get steamrolled over if they try.

 

[Bruce Malone]

The Dark Knight Rises is going to attract almost the exact same demos that came to see the avengers perhaps as some have mentioned maybe not the very young child demo but again it will attract the demo that tdk did, of people who usually don't even see comic book films.

 

[jb007]

Talked to a friend of mine who went to the Avengers over the weekend. He said when the people (full house) saw there was no TDKR trailer they booed and did catcalls.

This movie as I said before is gaining speed.

 

[redhawk23]

TDK & probably TDKR aren't suitable for very young kids though, like 5 year olds. If I had a 5yr old he wouldn't be watching TDK until he was mature enough to handle it, & then he'd be forced to watch it 20 times and write an essay on why it's awesome if he wants pocket money ever again. More lighthearted comic films like Spider-man I would take them to as many times as they wanted. I don't think TDKR's audience is as broad as many other films. It just totally maximises the returns from the audience it does have.

The little ones were totally down with TDK though. There were tons of TDK shirts and other merchandise and cereals for kids.

In october of 08 I was working facepainting at a carnival in my hometown. I saw quite a few kids just that day wearing TDK swag. Old style batman symbol was one of the designs we were offering. One kid though, about 7, asked if I could do the newer symbol (its actually way easer to paint). Soon after I actually had a line of little dudes wanting the Begins/TDK batsymbol. I'd wager a solid chunk of them had gotten to see the movie.

There are certainly some questions of appropriateness I guess but I'm sure many people just see BATMAN assume its ok.


*On a side note, and somewhat undercutting my point, I have a friend who despite owning pretty much every Jurassic Park toy from all three films, never got to see Jurassic Park until his 13th birthday. It was very bizarre when I found that out.

 

[redhawk23]

Like I said, what TDKR loses with very young viewers, it gains with viewers who are not fans of superhero/big-loud-summer action films such as lot of the female and elderly audiences. It may not be a broader audience, but it certainly has a different one compared to other comic book movies. And let's not forget, Avengers has to deal with MIB3 and Prometheus the following weekends, while there is absolutely no major competition for TDKR whatsoever all the way until Skyfall hits in November. Even the IMAX corporation has not committed to any other films until September to give all their screens to TDKR, and I am pretty sure it's a no-brainer for them to extend that even further considering there are no other suitable subsequent releases for IMAX and how the public responds to TDKR will decide the future of the format. Total Recall, The Bourne Legacy and The Expendables 2 are simply not big enough to make a dent in Batman's run and will get steamrolled over if they try.

Avengers also had pretty much no competition from the preceding weeks as well though, where as Spider-man is coming out just 2 weeks before TDKR

 

[Octoberist]

He flip flops all the time. Smith is worse than John McCain.

Watch him backtrack if TDKR breaks the OW record.

That's my issue with Smith too. He's very funny as a person, and he comes off as down to earth, but he also comes off as highly sensitive and fickle despite his demeanor.