TDK - money machine

[Dr Mordrid]

Dark Knight domestic total: $395 million, the highest grossing movie in Warner Brothers history

Worldwide: $597,387,000

Weeks at #1: 3

$400 million domestic: tomorrow, 18 days after release.

Previous record to $400 million: Shrek 2 @ 43 days

Current "highest gross" rank: #8

Likely rank next week: #6, passing "Spider Man" and "Dead Mans Chest", after which "ET" ($435m) and "Star Wars: Episode 1" ($441m) are within easy reach.

IF TDK earns another $62 million it'll be the #2 domestic grossing movie of all time passing "Star Wars" ($461m)

Sounds easy to me at the rate it's raking in money.

Next stop: Titanic @ $600 million, the current #1.

Any bets?

[GT98]

With how well the TDK is doing, I got this feeling is no matter how well they do with the 3rd movie, its going to be a major letdown...

[Nowhere]

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-darkknight28-2008jul28,0,2249127,full.story

And they still don't get it. Not only, according to them, it suceeded largery because of antipiracy efforts, and not BECAUSE IT'S A GREAT MOVIE.

They are determined to use this tactics as extensivelly as possible in the future to prevent bad word of mouth publicity about poor movies, so they'll still be able to make a handy profit...

[Dr Mordrid]

I don't blame them for trying to protect their $180m investment. I would too, especially if I had a damned near guaranteed box office bonanza on my hands.

Still, it continues to pile up repeat views way past that 38 hour window and the fact that it's been online 90% of its run so far, and I can just imagine the first weeks DVD sales.

[Nowhere]

I blame them for wrong reasons for protecting their investment. Nothing explicitly wrong with the act itself, however it starts to be borderline when you apply this to all movies, poor ones also.

Oh well, will serve them right for treating customers as one time income source which must be milked (vs. building their loyalty) when the audience will start to be fed up with flops shovelled down their throats... (with movies I wouldn't even waste bandwith for)

Ultimatelly what they're trying to do is game free market...bad movies should flop. They should bring losses.

[Dr Mordrid]

Seen the last 3 months worth of stinkers? Most of them have flopped at the box office, even those with big studio backing and frequently during the first weekend. Viewers are smarter than you're giving them credit for.

[Nowhere]

Yes, they flopped. Yes, viewers knew better.

Point is - from the article it seems like MPAA/etc. is thinking how to put an end to current OK situation, mostly by at least trying to prevent bad word of mouth during the first two days or so.

[Dr Mordrid]

$400,038,494 in 18 days - a new record

This past weekend (8-1 to 8-3): $42.656 million
Monday only (8-4): $6.287 million

Sheeessshhhh....

[Dr Mordrid]

The Dark Knight was #1 at the box office for a 4th straight week.

It is now #3 on the all time domestic list after earning another $26 million just this weekend.

The list now stands;

1 Titanic: $600,788,188
2 Star Wars: $460,998,007
3 Dark Knight: $441,541,000

Most estimates are that TDK will pass Star Wars by the end of next weekend, perhaps sooner, putting it in range of "Titanic".

[Evildead666]

And this is all US domestic, yes ?

Worldwide it must be a whole lot better

Comes out the day after tomorrow here.
All of my collegues are going to see it, and I think i'll be going to the cinema for the first time in about 7 or 8 years...

And yes, its making money because it is a bloody good film.
Not because of some really poor attempt at anti-piracy.

In fact, its an excellent film. There are soooooooo many good actors in there, giving some of their best performances...

edit : One of my collegues at work has been to see some of the latest summer "blockbusters" and has basically told me not to bother so far...lol

[Mehen]

Yes thats only US (or US and Canada, not sure). I read somewhere that they project it to go to about $510-520 million.

Star Wars adjusted for inflation raked in something like 1.2 billion - and I think Gone With the Wind has the all-time inflation adjusted record.

[Dr Mordrid]

Worldwide as of Aug 10, 2008: $705,128,497