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Box Office Update: KNIGHT Captures Box Office History for WB
Bats is the new All-Time Opening Champion. By
Jarrod Sarafin
July 21, 2008
Christian Bale returns as THE DARK KNIGHT(2008).
© Warner Bros.
Update: The previous estimates were actually low in comparison to the final numbers. The highly anticipated sequel took in more then its previously mentioned $155.4 mil. Check out below for the full report.
Original: The Dark Knight being one of the highest marketed and most anticipated sequels, there can be no doubt that this weekend was one of the most fan driven events of 2008. For months, we’ve had a constant stream of excited Mania discussion centering on the next installment of the caped crusader. It was never a question of if the film would be a success from the Bat Brigade led by fellow Maniacs including “Hanso”, “Wiseguy”, “Joeybaloney”, “Flint” and many others . It was more of a question of how much?
For the last few weeks, we’ve discussed the box office possibilities even within articles not relating to the Bat sequel so yes, there is no doubt that many fans were awaiting the estimates to come in this Sunday afternoon, wanting to see if it breaks box office expectations.
And it has on both counts.
The Dark Knight is the new reigning champion on the All-Time Best Opening list, toppling last summer’s Spider-Man 3. A lot of insiders put the movie’s debut in the $135-140 million range. They were wrong. I was wrong. It exceeded expectations and brought in a whopping $158.4 million for Warner Bros and director Christopher Nolan.
As said above, the previous record holder was Spider-Man 3 which brought in $151.1 million last May. The opening weekend isn’t the only record that the Gotham hero rescued this weekend. It began its debut by setting the highest Midnight Preview record with its $18.5 million dollar haul and it then went onto become the highest Friday debut with $66.4 million.
It also grabbed the highest IMAX debut of all time by showing up on 94 theaters and taking in $6.2 million, again, another record previously held by Spider-Man 3 ($4.7 mil). Since it’s the Highest Opening of All Time, numerous other records are now within the hero’s arsenal as well such as the Highest July opener.
As expected, with the Knight grabbing so much, there is a very large gap separating first place from second and the rest of this report’s top 10.
Universal took advantage of counter programming by debuting its musical Mamma Mia! this weekend as such, the studio enjoyed 2nd place with a $27.6 mil debut inside theaters in this report. The film opened up on 2,976 theaters across the nation so it averaged a respectable $9,275 per showing with audiences looking to check out something other than the Knight. Since the studio kept the budget relatively low at $52 mil, this debut marks the film as a virtual success over the next few weeks.
Meanwhile, Sony Pictures already has a success on their hands with the latest Will Smith vehicle Hancock landing in 3rd place and still doing very well. His superhero-fallen tale grabbed another $14.0 mil this weekend, a total which has its domestic gross sitting at $191.5 mil after just three weekends in theaters. When you count the fact that it’s budget is $150 mil and its worldwide gross is now at $371.3 million ($179.8 mil foreign), then it’s easy to see why Will Smith is still one of the biggest box office draws in Hollywood.
At the same time, New Line is enjoying a taste of the counter programming effort by attracting families with its 3-D remake Journey to the Center of the Earth. The remake debuted last weekend against Hellboy II: The Golden Army and here it is in 4th place ahead of Big Red in its second weekend of release because it only dropped 43.3 % and pulled in another $11.9 million at the box office. As with Mamma Mia!, New Line kept the budget low at $60 mil and it’s looking like a good move on their parts. In its first two weekends, it has $43.0 million in domestic grosses.
And now, it’s time to talk about a superhero falling 70.9% in its second weekend. Universal Pictures and director Guillermo del Toro played it smart by keeping their budget low at $85 mil, but I don’t think many expected the film to drop from 1st to 5th place in the span of seven days. Nor did they see it having a 70% drop. But that’s the situation as Hellboy II: The Golden Army grabbed only $10.0 mil this weekend on its 3,212 theaters across the nation. In its first two weekends of release, the sequel has grossed $56.4 mil at the box office. Not bad results for a budget of $85 but one has to wonder how much will the film grab domestically in the end if this drop is any indication of weeks to come. The film didn’t debut in foreign theaters last weekend so we still await those numbers tomorrow morning.
Pixar and Disney finally crossed their own budget lines on their fourth weekend of release. Their latest effort Wall-E moved into 6th place by taking in another $9.8 mil on its 3,310 theaters. This has it averaging $2,964 per showing with audiences after nearly a month in local distribution. The weekend’s gross has its domestic mark at $182.4 mil, just above their $180 mil price tag. The robot has yet to premiere in most foreign markets and its oversea tally is currently sitting at $3.1 mil, which means its worldwide gross is at $185.6 mil.
The final debut for this weekend is the Fox animation Space Chimps flying into 7th place. The film scored $7.3 mil on its first weekend of distribution by premiering in 2,511 theaters and averaging $2,927 per showing. No budget has been provided.
Universal follows with their graphic novel adaptation of Wanted dropping 3 spots to 8th place this weekend. The adaptation of the Mark Millar comic pulled in another $5.0 mil while still showing on 2,433 theaters across the nation. This is its fourth weekend of distribution and it’s already a success for the studio. The film has attracted a domestic gross of $123.3 mil against a price tag of $75 mil. If you include its $95.4 mil from foreign markets, the film has a worldwide gross of $218.7 million.
Following behind is the WB led adaptation of the 60’s television series Get Smart. The Steve Carell film is also one of the surprise highlights (outside of Bats) for the studio. It landed in 9th place in its fifth weekend of distribution by pulling in another $4.0 mil while still showing on 2,135 theaters. In domestic grosses, the film has pulled in $119.5 mil against a price tag of just $85 mil. It also has another $56.0 mil in foreign sales so it’s sitting up there worldwide with a $175.5 mil tally.
And grabbing the final 10th place for this Knight-focused box report is that martial arts expert Kung Fu Panda for DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures. In its seventh weekend of distribution, the Jack Black-led animation pulled in another $1.7 mil in its 1,505 theaters across the nation. The film is already a major success for the studio, having tallied up $206.5 mil domestically and another $154.1 mil in foreign territories. It has a budget of $125 mil so the studios have their areas covered with a worldwide gross of $360.6 million.
| Rank | Movie | Weekend | Theaters | Average | Total | Budget |
| 1 | The Dark Knight | $158.4 mil | 4,366 | $35,579 | $158.4 mil | $180 |
| 2 | Mamma Mia! | $27.6 mil | 2,976 | $9,275 | $27.6 mil | $52 |
| 3 | Hancock | $14.0 mil | 3,776 | $3,707 | $191.5 mil | $150 |
| 4 | Journey to the Center of the Earth | $11.9 mil | 2,830 | $4,208 | $43.0 mil | $60 |
| 5 | Hellboy II: The Golden Army | $10.0 mil | 3,212 | $3,125 | $56.4 mil | $85 |
| 6 | Wall-E | $9.8 mil | 3,310 | $2,964 | $182.4 mil | $180 |
| 7 | Space Chimps | $7.3 mil | 2,511 | $2,927 | $7.3 mil | ---- |
| 8 | Wanted | $5.0 mil | 2,433 | $2,094 | $123.3 mil | $75 |
| 9 | Get Smart | $4.0 mil | 2,135 | $1,913 | $119.5 | $80 |
| 10 | Kung Fu Panda | $1.7 mil | 1,505 | $1,162 | $206.5 | $130 |
Overall Numbers for Summer 2008 Tent Poles
Indiana Jones 4 Numbers:
Budget: $185 mil
Opening: $100.1 mil
Domestic: $312.5 mil
Foreign: $430.0 mil
Worldwide: $742.6 mil
Iron Man Numbers:
Budget: $140 mil
Opening: $98.6 mil
Domestic: $314.3 mil
Foreign: $251.7 mil
Worldwide: $566.0 mil
Sex and the City Numbers:
Budget: $65 mil
Opening: $57.0 mil
Domestic: $149.8 mil
Foreign: $221.6 mil
Worldwide: $371.5 mil
Hancock Numbers:
Budget: $150 mil
Opening: $62.6 mil
Domestic: $191.5 mil
Foreign: $179.8 mil
Worldwide: $371.3 mil
Kung Fu Panda Numbers:
Budget: $130 mil
Opening: $60.2 mil
Domestic: $206.5 mil
Foreign: $154.1 mil
Worldwide: $360.6 mil
Prince Caspian Numbers:
Budget: $200 mil
Opening: $55.0 mil
Domestic: $139.5 mil
Foreign: $161.5 mil
Worldwide: $301.0 mil
The Incredible Hulk Numbers:
Budget: $150 mil
Opening: $55.4 mil
Domestic: $131.7 mil
Foreign: $95.1 mil
Worldwide: $226.9 mil
Wanted Numbers
Budget: $75 mil
Opening: $50.9 mil
Domestic: $123.3 mil
Foreign: $95.4 mil
Worldwide: $218.7 mil
The Dark Knight Numbers:
Budget: $180 mil
Opening: $158.4 mil
Domestic: $155.3 mil
Foreign: $40.0 mil
Worldwide: $198.4 mil
Wall-E Numbers:
Budget: $180 mil
Opening: $63.0 mil
Domestic: $182.4 mil
Foreign: $3.1 mil
Worldwide: $185.6 mil
Get Smart Numbers:
Budget: $80 mil
Opening: $38.6 mil
Domestic: $119.5 mil
Foreign: $56.0 mil
Worldwide: $175.5 mil
The Happening Numbers:
Budget: $60 mil
Opening: $30.5 mil
Domestic: $63.5 mil
Foreign: $78.9 mil
Worldwide: $142.5 mil
Speed Racer Numbers:
Budget: $120 mil
Opening: $18.5 mil
Domestic: $43.6 mil
Foreign: $42.2 mil
Worldwide: $85.8 mil
Hellboy II: The Golden Army Numbers:
Budget: $85 mil
Opening: $34.5 mil
Domestic: $56.4 mil
Foreign: N/A yet
Worldwide: $56.4 mil
And now that the Dark Knight is enjoying a massive amount of success, the next attractions for the summer season of 2008 is the upcoming sequel X-Files: I Want to Believe and the comedy Step Brothers, both hitting theaters with around 3,000 prints next weekend.
Will they step up to the plate or will Bats swoop in from above and capture more villains in box office dominating fashion?
Friday July 25, 2008 Releases:
Wide
X-Files: I Want to Believe (3,100 theaters)
Step Brothers (2,800+ theaters)
Limited
Brideshead Revisited
CSNY: Déjà vu
American Teen
Boy A
Henry Poole Is Here
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