Weekend Box Office Report

[bob_barron 0]

Someone had to start it.

 

1) The Dark Knight, $43.8 million

2) The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon, $42.5 million

3) Step Brothers, $16.3 million

4) Mamma Mia!, $13.1 million

5) Journey to the Center of the Earth, $6.9 million

6) Swing Vote, $6.3 million

7) Hancock, $5.2 million

8) WALL-E, $4.7 million

9) The X-Files: I Want to Believe, $3.4 million

10) Space Chimps, $2.8 million

[bobobrazil1984 0]

43 million in its third week of release. That's just ridiculous.

 

The word of mouth out there for The Dark Knight is just crazy (good crazy). People who I never thought would see a Batman film, when I mention this, are all saying how eager they are to see it because everyone's telling them it's amazing. I of course joined in the chorus so I'm helping to fulfill the prophecy I guess. But the movie really is the best one I've seen all year. Eckhart is great, Batman is badass, and Ledger is phenomenal as Joker.

[bob_barron 0]

43 million is second all-time behind Spider-Man.

 

Adjusted for inflation- Titanic and Phantom Menace also beat it.

[bob_barron 0]

Midnight Meat Train opened to a PSA of only $331, though to be fair, it was playing at second-run theatres.

 

If I have time, I'll try to compile 2008's list of under $1,000 PSAers.

[RedJed 0]

Midnight Meat Train opened to a PSA of only $331, though to be fair, it was playing at second-run theatres.

 

If I have time, I'll try to compile 2008's list of under $1,000 PSAers.

 

I've never heard of such a downsizing for a film released by a major distributor (Lions Gate) such as this. I remember, earlier in the year, I saw the trailer for this in front of a ton of films. Then it was supposed to be released sometime around May, I think, got pulled to August, and then from there, a SEVERE cutting of distribution. That's really weird that they aren't even putting it in first run theaters at all, just throwing it into dollar theaters, and at that, only about 100 of them supposedly. The movie's website isn't even updated so as much as to say "now playing" or anything, it still says "coming soon" and just has the trailer there and nothing more. Very odd, there has to have been some politics behind this one, I know there was company execs not thrilled with the title, but that shouldn't have been the reason this all happened.

 

Oh well, at least this will make a quick move to DVD, I'm assuming. Looking forward to seeing it, since it's impossible to around here.

[King Kamala 0]

That's a really odd way to bury a movie too. You think they'd just throw it Straight To DVD or just throw it in a few theaters but putting it in a bunch of second run theaters? I've never heard of a studio doing that. Has that ever happened before?

[MarvinisaLunatic 0]

Wired Article

 

Think "midnight movie," and John Waters' Pink Flamingos or David Lynch's Eraserhead likely springs to mind. These '70s experimental flicks — deemed too raw and weird for mainstream audiences — flopped on initial theatrical release only to creep back as late-night fare. Now there's a new crop of films taking the express route to cultdom. Rather than banking on big box-office draw, these movies are playing up their fringe appeal with witching-hour screenings. Among them is the Quentin Tarantino-produced biker bloodbath homage Hell Ride, starring Larry Bishop, Dennis Hopper, and Michael Madsen (out August 8). "The thing you don't want," says writer-director Bishop, "is people walking out of the theater and going, 'That was nice.' This movie is not nice." Here's the next wave of outlandish night-frights invading a theater near you.

 

Midnight Meat Train is one of the 4 movies featured in the Article along with Hell Ride and a couple of Japanese movies.

[bob_barron 0]

I really want to see Hell Ride, but I don't know if it open around here.

 

Bloody-Disgusting.com has been covering the Midnght Meat Train debacle. The closest its playing for me is 4 hours away. A bit too far for me.

[Youth N Asia 0]

Batman is at $394m...that's awesome

[imajackoff? 0]

So, it held off the Mummy. Word of mouth will kill that film next week.

 

Does The Dark Knight hold of Pineapple Express next weekend?

[Anakin Flair 0]

I think Tropic Thunder will beat out Pineapple Express, though Pineapple should do fairly well. Thunder also has a good chance of knocking TDK off the top spot. Robert Downey JR. look freakin' hillarious in the trailers.

[Anakin Flair 0]

A little info about the Midnight Meat Train burial... from the New York Sun: http://www.nysun.com/arts/midnight-meat-tr...chers-its/83002

 

'Midnight Meat Train': Lionsgate Nearly Butchers Its Own Horror Film

By GRADY HENDRIX | August 1, 2008

 

Sometimes the sizzle is better than the steak, and sometimes the drama swirling around a film's release is a lot more interesting than the film itself. Case in point: this week's release of "The Midnight Meat Train," an R-rated horror movie based on a short story by Clive Barker, the acclaimed horror writer who wrote and directed the now-classic horror flick "Hellraiser," which like "The Midnight Meat Train" was based on a short story in his 1984 collection, "Books of Blood."

 

"The Midnight Meat Train" stars Bradley Cooper as Leon, a photographer who wants to be represented by a hip art dealer named Susan (a strangely angular Brooke Shields). She encourages him to put himself in dangerous situations to better photograph The Truth. So off Leon toddles to the subway where he meets The Truth in the form of a serial killer known only as Mahogany (Vinnie Jones). A professional butcher, Mahogany bashes in the skulls of solo subway riders with an enormous mallet on late-night trains, then hangs them from portable meat hooks and carves them up.

 

As Leon becomes increasingly obsessed with catching the butcher in the act, he begins to freak out his girlfriend, Maya (Leslie Bibb), who counters by tearing off her top in a vain effort to get him to photograph "things that make you happy."

 

But Leon turns out not to be a breast man and continues his nocturnal quest to photograph The Truth. Those who loathe the MTA will leap up and scream, "I told you so" when it turns out that the butchery is sanctioned by a cabal of city agencies for barely explained reasons that are abruptly divulged at the last minute. Gorehounds will be delighted with some of the sick set pieces from director Ryuhei Kitamura, one of Japan's flashiest filmmakers, but everyone else will be scratching their heads over this bloody muddle.

 

That's exactly what the film's distributors did when they saw it. Indeed, the behind-the-scenes story of how "The Midnight Meat Train" came to be is a better story than anything on offer in its script, because the distributor in question is Lionsgate — the company that just landed a $340 million credit line that it hopes to use to take over the entertainment world. Having begun life as a small, Canadian production company in the late 1970s, Lionsgate grew into a major player in the 1990s and 2000s by producing and distributing films that were considered too edgy for the big studios, such as Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" and Mary Harron's "American Psycho." But the company's bread and butter turned out to be lucrative horror films such as the "Saw" franchise, "The Grudge," and "Hostel." The longtime president of acquisitions at Lionsgate, Peter Block, was responsible for this programming, and he originally gave "The Midnight Meat Train" the green light.

 

Thanks, however, to its new money and mission, Lionsgate has, in recent years, been moving in a decidedly mainstream direction, producing such feel-good fare as the Jackie Chan/Jet Li vehicle "The Forbidden Kingdom" and the Tyler Perry films, including "Madea's Family Reunion" and "Diary of a Mad Black Woman."

 

When, late last year, Joe Drake came on board and assumed Mr. Block's responsibilities, the first thing he did, in time-honored Hollywood fashion, was throw his predecessor's remaining projects under the bus. First he moved around the release date for "The Midnight Meat Train"; then he announced that the film would only arrive on 100 screens before a quick video release.

 

Mr. Barker took subsequently to his Web site and wrote, "There have been signs for a long while that Lionsgate, the company releasing the movie, was going to screw around with it," before encouraging fans to contact Mr. Drake directly. Horror fans, who don't get much respect anyway, are feeling particularly persecuted these days as R-rated horror films regularly bomb at the box office and lightweight, PG-13-rated horror movies for teens gross buckets of cash. Their genre of choice was in danger, so the Lionsgate switchboards lit up.

 

The result? "The Midnight Meat Train" is still being released on 100 screens this week before going to video, probably in October. It's an indication that Lionsgate is no longer in the business of genre filmmaking and that, with its massive new credit line, it's aiming to join the ranks of the major studios. For horror fans, this is a sure sign that the landscape is changing and the "hard-R" horror movie is going the way of the dinosaur. With its digital blood, MTV camera movement, and "Se7en"-style set design, "The Midnight Meat Train" hasn't even been released and it's already a fossil.

 

[mfn 0]

I wouldn't be surprised if TDK beats out Pineapple Express... but from the way everyone is talking around here (Ohio State) everyone is going to be seeing the latter.

[Gary Floyd 0]

It's depressing really. Movies like "Midnight Meat Train" used to get more attention from Lionsgate. One of their slogans was "Horror has a home here." Now that's changed.

 

Also, "Midnight Meat Train" is a great story. The movie has been getting mixed reception though, which is probably why Lionsgate got cold feet. Still, it pisses me off. I'm amazed they are still doing "8 Films To Die For", especially after the last one tanked.

[King Kamala 0]

You know I'm mildly intrigued by this movie. You can't go wrong with a movie with a title like Midnight Meat Train and I love me some Vinnie Jones. Might have to rent it on DVD.

[bob_barron 0]

I really wanted to see the movie upon seeing the trailers. I love thrillers, and movies called Midnight Meat Train

[cabbageboy 0]

This is a very odd decision by Lionsgate if you ask me. I can see them wanting to move in a different direction, but why not do a variety of things? After all, Universal used to find a way to do monster movies, Deanna Durbin musicals, and WC Fields comedies all at once.

[Yuna_Firerose 0]

Surprised M3 did so well. Getting very shitty reviews from what I see. I adore the first two but have no interest in seeing this. I'm guessing the draw is only Jet Li.

 

TDK will likely fade soon, sadly. Saw it this past Friday at 3:30pm and there was only ten or so people in the theater. Surprising.

 

Also some snobby jerk wrote an article in the recent EW about how it'll never beat Titanic. I'm hoping it does.

[bob_barron 0]

TDK will likely fade soon, sadly. Saw it this past Friday at 3:30pm and there was only ten or so people in the theater. Surprising.

 

Not really, given that it only fell 42 percent, despite facing a movie like the Mummy.

 

Also some snobby jerk wrote an article in the recent EW about how it'll never beat Titanic. I'm hoping it does.

 

All indications are that it will probably hit 500 million, but in the end, not beat Titanic. So that "snobby jerk" is most likely correct

[LivingLegendGaryColeman 0]

I think TDK will still be strong for a while. I went for my third viewing today and a 3:30 Sunday showing in the third week of release, there was not an empty seat in the theater. Pineapple may be the top in the box office this weekend, but TDK will still be putting up strong numbers for a while to come.

[King Kamala 0]

Looking at the slate of August releases, I think TDK should be in the Top 10 for at least the rest of the month and perhaps well into September.

 

And not that many people being at a showing of it on a Friday afternoon shouldn't be surprising. Friday afternoons are generally dead. Even when I went to a 3:15 showing of TDK on Opening Day, there were plenty of seats available

[Dandy 0]

I went to the 3:20 today and there were plenty of empty seats. However, there wasn't a lot of action in the 16 screen complex around that time. Sunday afternoons are slow for movies unless they are opening that weekend and a big hit to be.

 

I enjoyed getting lost in the story and characters more this time, and wasn't thinking about how well actors played their roles. Instead, it was like they were not actors at all, but the characters came to life. Jim Gordon fit that bill especially, as has been mentioned here before. I absolutely hated that there were a handful of loud 4-6 year olds that wouldn't shut the fuck up and their parents didn't do much to quit them down. Not to mention an older lady that was a loud laugher or gasper, and a 35-40 year old guy behind me that gave a wolf whistle when Harvey and Rachel kissed.

 

Are we going sans spoiler tags now? I observed a couple of other things this time around, but I'd rather not invoke a lot of blacked out replies.

[fazzle 0]

Batman: Gonna pull huge numbers.

 

Not gonna beat Titanic.

 

 

 

TDK has dropped 52.5 and 41.7% in it's 2nd and 3rd weekends. Granted, it's dropped from HUGE numbers that Titanic never got close to seeing in a single weekend, but even if Batman drops at just 40% per weekend from here on out, it'll be under $10 million by week 6. Titanic? It didn't drop below $10 million until it's *17th* weekend. It made about the same in it's NINTH weekend as it did in it's opening weekend.

 

 

TDK will probably end up as the #2 movie of all time. It's just not touching #1.

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

It's in week 3. Anyone who hasn't seen it yet shouldn't be reading this thread if they don't want to be spoiled at this point.

[Dandy 0]

Shit, I lost track and thought I was in the Dark Knight thread.

[fazzle 0]

It's in week 3. Anyone who hasn't seen it yet shouldn't be reading this thread if they don't want to be spoiled at this point.

 

 

Really? People should have to look out for spoilers in a box office report thread?

 

On the other hand, if people go into the actual TDK thread without seeing the movie, they're fucking retarded if they don't expect to see spoilers.

 

[The Ghost of bps21 0]

And I followed you right off the cliff.

[King Kamala 0]

and a 35-40 year old guy behind me that gave a wolf whistle when Harvey and Rachel kissed.

 

A wolf whistle? Did he think it was a live taping for Saved By The Bell? Who does that shit?

[bob_barron 0]

Someone did that for Anne Hathaway in Get Smart.

 

I'm up to March in my $1,000 PSA list. It's going to take a long time and be quite long

 

Should I post it in here, or start a thread?

[Yuna_Firerose 0]

I absolutely hated that there were a handful of loud 4-6 year olds that wouldn't shut the fuck up and their parents didn't do much to quit them down. Not to mention an older lady that was a loud laugher or gasper,

I feel your pain. The first time I watched saw it in theaters, there was this one eight year old. For the first half of the film, he was relatively quiet. Now and then making a noise, which is mother hushed. Then he started to get antsy, I guess, because his interruptions became more frequent. Just... random noises. Most annoying was that they were during all the best Joker scenes.

 

Personally I don't think a kid that young should be at this kinda thing, but whatever. Maybe the parents were expecting something like X-Men or Hulk.

 

Second viewing I would've preferred the kid. Nearly all the people behind us were talkers. Had this one lady who kept saying "Geez" in a disapproving way, with a click of her tongue, every time something exploded or the Joker was, y'know, murderous.