I’m guessing Paramount will be OK with this: the box office for the opening weekend of “Star Trek Into Darkness” is down domestically compared to its predecessor, but up 80 percent worldwide to $164.5 million http://ow.ly/lblzE
(Source: deadline.com)
Deadline’s Nikki Finke says after Friday’s somewhat slower returns, the weekend box office projections are all over place, but “Into Darkness” won’t beat the first J.J. Abrams “Star Trek” film’s debut. That said, it’s still going to do pretty darned good.
http://www.deadline.com/2013/05/star-trek-into-darkness-3d-opens-to-2m-late-night-and-imax/
So, who’s planning to see it this weekend? If you’ve seen it, what did you think?
“Star Trek Into Darkness” is taking off at the box office like a, well, rocket, headed toward something like $100 million for its extended debut weekend, Deadline founder Nikki Finke reports.
She has all the details on the auspicious launch of J.J. Abrams’ second take on the Trek universe here:
http://www.deadline.com/2013/05/star-trek-into-darkness-3d-opens-to-2m-late-night-and-imax/
“Ticket sales show no signs of flagging across the country” for “The Great Gatsby” as the female-friendly blockbuster heads into Mother’s Day, Nikki Finke reports:
http://www.deadline.com/2013/05/the-great-gatsby-overperforms-for-3-250-late-shows-breaking-record-for-female-driven-films/
Could be even more reasons for Jay Gatsby to party.
Of course, for folks who care about things like this, even a splendid +$50 million weekend still leaves “Gatsby” revving the Duesenberg behind the still very considerable second weekend for “Iron Man 3,” which is nearing $1 billion in grosses worldwide.
But “Gatsby,” a big romantic story that attracts females and contrasts sharply with all the month’s superhero/sci-fi action films, may prove to be the kind of long-fuse success that propelled another little film starring Leo DiCaprio: “Titanic.” We’ll see, but Warner Bros. is definitely enjoying some champagne this weekend.
Strong overnight and Friday matinee numbers have even rival studios saying “The Great Gatsby” film could roll up enough box office to challenge heavyweight “Iron Man 3” for the weekend box office championship, reports Deadline Editor in Chief Nikki Finke: http://www.deadline.com/2013/05/the-great-gatsby-overperforms-for-3-250-late-shows-breaking-record-for-female-driven-films/
For a film designed to appeal to a strongly female audience, going against the second week of a gigantic opener such as “Iron Man 3,” which had the No. 2 all-time debut last weekend, is saying something.
What do you think? Are you going to see Gatsby, Iron Man or anything else this weekend?
That little art-house flick “Iron Man 3” appears headed toward “very good but not record-breaking” grosses its first weekend in U.S. theaters, Deadline founder Nikki Finke reports in her latest update to this weekend’s box office story (she‘ll be updating all weekend here: http://ow.ly/kHabi ).
So, it turns out that “very good” means that worldwide, the film should accumulate something like $650 million this first several days onscreen. As “very good” goes, that seems, um, very good.
Have you seen the film yet? If so, what did you think?
(Source: deadline.com)
Just as “Iron Man 3” is kicking off the summer movie season by mashing through box offices around the globe, along comes an analyst’s report looking at “a glutted market.”
What’s that going to mean for all the big, expensive movies that will be arriving each weekend for the next three months? Some fast writedowns, and worse ignominy, on as many as eight major pictures that just won’t be able to compete with other high-profile offerings on the same or nearby weekends. Candidates for trouble include Paramount’s “World War Z,” which had a troubled production, and another big pic that we won’t name here (hint: William Tell Overture).
Read David Lieberman’s story here: http://www.deadline.com/2013/05/summer-tentpole-movies-bomb/
What do you think? Is the analyst right? Or will some of these films manage to attract enough ticket buyers to pay off their huge production costs?
Oh, and David and I will be talking about this issue, among others, when we do our podcast later today, so you may want to download and listen to it.
That sound of 1,000 trains roaring toward you? No, it’s not the tornado next door. It’s the sound of “Iron Man 3,” the summer movie season’s first big popcorn flick, roaring through box offices around the globe, reports Deadline’s Nikki Finke here:
http://www.deadline.com/2013/05/iron-man-3-21-5m-in-china-breaks-all-opening-day-records-263-6m-international-total-without-may-day-yet-u-s-canada-165m-180m-debut-expected-this-weekend/
“Iron Man,” which opens in the U.S. tonight (more or less after midnight, though as Nikki points out, distributors increasingly are doing screenings before the traditional Friday debuts for big movies), has already racked up $300 million worldwide and is on target this weekend to pile up more than half that again just in the United States.
Oh, and Deadline’s Pete Hammond talks with me in today’s “Deadline Awards Watch” about “Iron Man” and what he likes about it (hint: they were really smart in the guy they cast as Tony Stark). That podcast should be posting any time now, so keep your eyes peeled, will you?
It’s been mostly pain and not a lot of gain so far in the weekend box office returns for two R-rated newcomers, says Deadline founder Nikki Finke in her latest update here: http://www.deadline.com/2013/04/michael-bays-pain-gain-750k-late-night/
Michael Bay’s “little” movie had a decent Friday, especially given how modest the film’s budget was, but “The Big Wedding” is having a very small debut, in line with a pic whose studios didn’t screen it for critics ahead of its debut.
And as Nikki notes, those who think the target demo for “The Big Wedding,” young women, are more likely to come in subsequent weekends, well, she says she has some “Palm Springs swampland” available for your purchase. Ouch.
Despite so-so moviegoer ratings and the understandable distractions of the Boston manhunt, plenty of fans are flocking to “Oblivion,” says Deadline founder and editor in chief Nikki Finke here:http://www.deadline.com/2013/04/tom-cruises-oblivion-late-shows-gross-1-1m/
In fact, it’s on track to be one of star Tom Cruise’s biggest openings ever (if you throw in a lot of caveats).
Did you see any movies this weekend? What did you like?
Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
Film still with stop motion animation
Directed by Don Chaffey (1917 - 1990), animated by Ray Harryhausen (1920 -...
Our last Wednesday Workshop focused, in part, on ways to get readers more involved in our stories. When news of last week’s...
Sharks and Fish
Via The Warholian.
