Posted on 07/20/2008 3:15:21 PM PDT by Borges
Holy blockbuster, Batman! The Dark Knight grossed a behemoth $155.3 million from Friday through Sunday, according to early estimates, to score the biggest three-day opening in box-office history, while leading the way on a weekend for the record books.
The second Batman movie from star Christian Bale and director Christopher Nolan finished at No. 1 (as anticipated, duh!), and, assuming the early estimates hold, it set new standards in just about every category imaginable. It scored the biggest three-day opening weekend of all time (beating Spider-Man 3's $151.1 mil bow). It achieved the best opening day and single day in history ($66.4 mil, shattering Spider-Man 3's mark of $59.8 mil). It brought in the most money from Friday midnight shows of any release ever ($18.5 mil, passing Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith's $16.9 mil). It banked a record $6.2 mil from 94 IMAX venues over the weekend (Spider-Man 3 had the old record, $4.7 mil). And it did it all with the biggest theater count, 4,366 locations, of all time.
Oh, but for Bale, Nolan, costars Maggie Gyllenhaal and the late Heath Ledger, Warner Bros., DC Comics, and everybody else involved (all of whom scored career-best bows, naturally), things get even better. The Dark Knight is already more than three-quarters of the way to passing the $205.3 mil that 2005's Batman Begins earned during its entire domestic run. This followup film also drew raves from ticket buyers, scoring a solid A CinemaScore review from a crowd that skewed slightly male and older. And if you add that to the critical coos that The Dark Knight had already been earning, as well as the fact that it's really the last mega-blockbuster movie to hit the multiplex this summer, the film should continue its remarkable run for weeks to come.
As it happened, The Dark Knight wasn't the only record breaker at the box office this weekend. By coming in at No. 2 with $27.6 mil, Mamma Mia! set a new mark for the biggest premiere ever for a movie musical, if that early estimate holds (Hairspray banked $27.5 mil on its first weekend a year ago). That total also passes the $27.5 mil that star Meryl Streep's The Devil Wears Prada earned in its debut two summers back, and it can be credited to the same crowd: older women. Yep, a whopping three-quarters of the film's audience was ladies, and 64 percent was over the age of 30. But they loved Mamma Mia!, and along with the few fellas who also came to see Pierce Brosnan in the Broadway adaptation, they gave it a nice A- CinemaScore grade.
Mamma Mia! and The Dark Knight accounted for nearly 75 percent of all box-office revenue this weekend, so there was little money to go around for the rest of the movies in release. Hancock (No. 3) fell 56 percent to bank $14 mil. Journey to the Center of the Earth (No. 4) dropped an expected 43 percent to earn $11.9 mil. Hellboy II: The Golden Army fell a colossal 71 percent to earn just $10 mil, after bowing at No. 1 last time around. (That ranks among the 40 worst second-weekend declines in history, ouch!) And newcomer Space Chimps (No. 7) failed to take off, with a mere $7.4 mil.
The success stories continued in America's art houses where the Sundance thriller Transsiberian averaged a sweet $17,608 in two venues.
Overall, the cumulative box office set yet another record: The weekend's $253 mil total domestic gross was the biggest three-day sum in history (smashing the mark of $218 mil, from the first frame of July 2006, when Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest led the way). Needless to say, the box office was up an eye-popping 64 percent from a year ago. And, needless to say, with Batman protecting them even more than before, everyone in Hollywood will sleep well tonight.
What are you talking about?
Based on his report Mrs. Lurkin and I decided we will not go to see it. And despite her hints of interest - I'm confident we won't see “Mamma Mia” either!
I think he’s talking about Hollyweird.
gotta adjust these numbers for inflation, at the least..aside from raw dollars, this is nearly meaningless info aside from the fact the 8$ tickets are helping theaters and studios.
I'll probably check out a matinee this week, when there will hopefully be fewer ankle biters in the theater.
Man, I can’t wait to see this movie. All the showings were all sold out, so I’ll probably catch it when demand dies down a little. I have heard that this is not only the greatest superhero movie ever made, but one of the greatest overall movies as well. I’d never thought this would out-do Batman Begins, but I heard it did.
Steven Greydanus at Decentfilms.com liked it a LOT. If the upcoming, potentially-catastrophic, week is reasonably successful, maybe my two oldest (17 and 14) can see it on Friday.
It’s a passable time waster not much more. My vote for best superhero ever made goes to ‘Superman 2’.
Does anyone know of a website that lists ATTENDANCE, rather than GROSS RECEIPTS? Particularly concerning movies from the 30’s, 40’s & 50’s.
It really would be nice to compare Apples to Apples. After all, you could open a home movie with a total weekend attendance of 13 people in Zimbabwe and have the take be several billion! :-)
ROFL. You're kidding or smoking crack, right?
It’s a small masterpiece and is a much better film than the first Superman film and any other film of that sort I’ve seen since then.
I saw it last night and it was pretty good. There was no reason, though, for Batman to have copped to the 5 murders that Dent committed. In order that the people of Gothago not lose confidence in their officials? As though with all the crime in Gotham no cops or aldermen had ever been corrupted. Better that they have the example of a dead corrupted Dent and a live incorruptible Batman than the other way around. Batman and Commissioner Gordon were discussing how it was important that the people have someone they can believe in and then finished by saying that the people needed a bad guy to believe in and that bad guy was Batman because he could take it. That was a bit weak, though it left things open to a sequel. Too bad Ledger died; he was a GREAT bad guy.
Terrence Stamp was the best thing about Superman 2. KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!!!
Gary Oldman is at his best when he takes an understated role like (soon to be) Commissioner Gordon. Nevertheless, his best role was his rather outlandish performance in “The Professional.”
The ex-lover of late Batman star Heath Ledger has gone into hiding as his final film makes its cinema debut, according to a report.
Actress Michelle Williams has told friends that she cannot cope with the huge hype surrounding The Dark Knight, which sees Ledger taking on the role of Batman’s nemesis The Joker. Michelle has also become increasingly concerned as tension mounts over Heath’s fortune.
She and their two-year-old daughter Matilda may lose out as Ledger’s will was made before they met. Williams’ father Larry has already made a public demand for Heath’s dad Kim to be open about his late son’s assets.
In a statement, Larry said: “It’s real simple: Just come clean with everything. It’s so easy to resolve this, he just has to say where the income went and where the assets are.”
A friend of Michelle told the Sunday Mirror: “The last few weeks have been particularly hard on Michelle because Heath’s face has been plastered all over TV and on billboards. It’s been extraordinarily difficult as she tries to somehow come to terms with his death and what that means for little Matilda.
“Then there is the awful, festering issue of what he was worth, where the money has gone and what there is going to be in the estate for Matilda.”
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/showbiz/a113179/ledgers-ex-lover-goes-into-hiding.html
That and the great Richard Lester making another one of many terrific films.
The best news is that nobody is going to see “Hancock” anymore. The sooner the world is rid of Will Smith, the better (although I wish him a happy and lucrative retirement).
I’m partial to his performance in True Romance. About as outlandish as it gets.
He also nailed a Russian accent in ‘Air Force One’.
WOW! That was quick!
Thanks, that link confirmed my suspicions.
thanks, that does answer the question!
It doesn't really have an agenda other than being the best Batman movie they could make. I am free to not attend a movie that I don't like, but I will reward Hollywood for a film I think is well done. This one was well done.
Gosh, you think? Poor dear - the though of living on her own income must be absolutely devastating.
Box Office Mojo has a list that takes inflation into account.
Here it is:
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm
It’s too early for the Dark Knight to be listed. It hasn’t made enough money, yet.
Fascinating!
Saw it this morning and I would agree.
It's not the greatest movie ever (there were several things that I found unintentionally hysterical), but it is good.
LOL! I’m sure he meant “Superman 4”
Superman 4 was awful.
Good Art is ageless. S2 still feels like something human is at stake. Unlike this film.
My wife and I saw it Friday night, and if you’re a hardcore Batman fan (like me) then you will enjoy it. BUT, it is a rough movie to watch and should have been rated R. It is NOT a kids movie, but a deep, troubling exploration of human morality.
And yeah, Heath Ledger surprised me by playing the Joker exceptionally well as probably the most chaotically evil dude to ever appear on screen.
Oh, I know, believe me, I was just having some fun.
I enjoyed “Superman 2” but it doesn’t hold a candle to “Batman Begins” or “The Dark Knight” or “X-Men” or “X-men 2” or “Spiderman” or “Spiderman 2” or “Superman Returns” or “Blade” or “Sin City.”
The bar has been raised considerably since the early ‘80s.
She does have a daughter to consider, who if I understand correctly is the dead actor’s child with her.
So the marriage certificate would have helped here.
I saw Mamma Mia online. Yes, already! It was a snorefest and I like ABBA!
Are your criteria production values and/or special effects? Then yes every next CGI-festooned thrill fest is the best ever made. My criteria are human drama.
I just caught part of the '89 "Batman." It does--it's pretty sad. Next to Ledger's performance, Nicholson's Joker looks like a troublesome scamp.
Did you see Gary Oldman in True Romance?
He played Drexel Spivey...a badass pimp.
Classic scene when he confronts Clarence [Christian Slater].
I find it very surprising that Heath’s family would not want Matilda very well taken care of. I bet Heath would want his fortune to go to his daughter. Is their sore feelings toward Michelle?
Okay, their = there!
A great deal, yes. Nonetheless, she made more on Brokebutt Mountain that my husband makes in five years. If she can't support her child, nobody to blame but herself.
Nope. Human drama, faithfulness to the original material, pacing, performances. Pretty much whatever makes any movie a good movie. The original “Superman” was outstanding in those (the dated effects now kind of remove you from the action, but that’s to be expected), which is why it was such a great idea to make “Superman Returns” a “pseudo-sequel” to the first two Donner films.
bump for later read
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