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'Dark Knight' Passes $400 Million, We Crunch More Numbers

whysoserious2.jpg Slashfilm consulted Media By Numbers for the latest Dark Knight box office, and solely because we've covered every theatrical heartbeat of that film, we wanted to pass along that it has reportedly cleared $400 million, and has done so in nearly 30 days faster than the previous record.

In 18 days, The Dark Knight has done what it took Shrek 2 over 40 days to accomplish. The Media By Numbers estimate also gives a presumed Monday total of $6.3 million or so, good enough for a domestic gross of $400,031,000. Now, because it's an unofficial estimate and that number is so close to not being $400 million, there's as good a chance that today's box office will actually be the one that puts it over. Then again, that estimate might be a touch low, as well.

The point is: Less than three weeks versus six weeks and a day for Shrek 2.

We raised some peoples' ire last week with our math projecting where The Dark Knight would eventually end up. In case you missed it, we used a fairly standard 40% drop for every week Monday-Thursday and for the weekends we took the exact percentages from Pirates 2. That movie, like Dark Knight, zoomed out of the gates and set a opening weekend record, it opened in July, and it had a lot of competition. So its weekly performance seemed to be the best fit. And we took the numbers out 13 weeks, adding a little more pop on Labor Day and Halloween (when I think Warner Bros. would be wise to briefly expand the run of the film once again).

Even without the spikes on the holidays, using only the 40% drop per week and the Pirates box office numbers as our guides, we arrived at about $545 million. I don't believe it will continue to perform at this level for the next nine or ten weeks, though, so I personally don't even believe my own experiment. However, up to a point - and we'll choose Labor Day weekend as that point - the numbers should be fairly consistent with Pirates, within probably $10 million or so of our original projections.

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Posted on Tuesday, August 5, 2008 at 12:08PM by Registered CommenterColin Boyd in , , , , , , , , | Comments20 Comments

'Terminator Salvation': The Updates Begin

The Comic Con crowds absolutely devoured Terminator Salvation last month, where they were treated to new footage and a panel discussion led by director McG, who I'm told by the brothers at MoviePulse displayed plenty of "self-assuredness" during his time on the dais. One fan who couldn't make it to Comic Con was California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, but I guess if Arnold wants to see what you're working on, you set that up for him.

So the Los Angeles Times reports that Arnie had a private screening of Terminator Salvation footage, and the odds are he saw the same thing the Comic Con fans did. But he sounds a little unimpressed.

"I still don't know how it will play out with this one," said Schwarzenegger. "They showed me some footage, but I don't have a feel for the movie. I didn't see enough. I wasn't sure who the Terminator was. I don't know if there is one or if he's the star or the hero. These are the things that determine the success and how the strong the movie will be."

Geez, dude, pay attention. Christian Bale is John Connor, and one of the Terminators is your old workout buddy, Roland Kickinger. He was probably too busy laying off 10,000 state workers when the Kickinger news broke. It happens.

But he remains optimistic, kind of. "With Batman and Terminator, those big movies, there's a certain expectation and if you don't live up to it, if the movie is not a 10, then the business will be soft," continued Arnold.. "If [Salvation] is pushing it forward, it will be breaking records all the time. If [director McG] has the T4 and the kind of shots that has the audience thinking, 'Now how did he do that?' -- then it is Terminator and you can blow everyone away and every record at the box office."

In other Terminews, it's been announced that the first full trailer will be attached to Quantum of Solace, the new James Bond movie. That movie opens on November 7th, which means you'll probably be able to find the trailer online by October 30th. Terminator Salvation opens on May 22, 2009. Based on what I've seen of this film, Watchmen, and Wolverine, the first big blockbusters of the year look pretty good. Now we just need some Star Trek updates and we're set through Memorial Day.

Posted on Tuesday, August 5, 2008 at 10:14AM by Registered CommenterColin Boyd in , , , , | Comments3 Comments

Box Office - 'Dark Knight' Rallies, Wins Again

If anything speaks to the staying power of The Dark Knight, it's the impressive rally it displayed on Saturday and Sunday, which according to the latest estimates released by Box Office Mojo, will be enough to give the film its third straight victory at the U.S. box office.

That didn't seem likely when we learned Friday's numbers, which indicated that The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor had staked out a $3 million lead. But the new release was unable to sustain that momentum, slipping behind The Dark Knight on both Saturday and Sunday. Remember, though, that these numbers are estimates, and the distance between the films is around a million dollars, so it's possible that The Mummy could still be crowned the weekend's champ when the actual amounts are released Monday.

Step Brothers performed well for audiences wanting something other than heroes and villains, finishing third and already doubled the output of Ferrell's previous comedy, Semi-Pro. Mamma Mia! is now with $15 million of $100 million and is destined to hit around $120 million or more before it's all said and done, although it's really counting on international box office, where it has already made $140 million. Kevin Costner's Swing Vote finished out of the top five, managing only $6.3 million.

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Posted on Sunday, August 3, 2008 at 10:54AM by Registered CommenterColin Boyd in , , , , , , , , , , | Comments1 Comment

More Batman Rumors: Depp as The Riddler, Hoffman as The Penguin

I think we're going to see a few more of these rumors over the next few months, but could you imagine if all of them are real? First it was Angelina Jolie for Catwoman and now London's Daily Telegraph says Warner Bros. is eyeing Johnny Depp for The Riddler and Philip Seymour Hoffman for The Penguin as key villains in the next Batman movie.

A source tells the paper, "Producers are convinced that the role of The Riddler is perfect for Depp. Johnny's a pro. He'll be able to take direction and still make the character his own. And what better Penguin is there than Philip Seymour Hoffman?"

I've got some issues with all this, even though speculation of this nature is certainly natural with a franchise with this high a profile. Since Warner Bros. is apparently painting bulls-eyes on people's back for Batman villains, if these rumors are to be believed, you have to wonder where that leaves the development of the next story for Christopher Nolan. Shouldn't the guy with the vision for the franchise be involved? Because these rumors are louder than Batman Begins and Dark Knight co-writer David Goyer has to say on the subject.  

"Batman has been published for 70 years. In the first movie, we used Ra’s Al Ghul and the Scarecrow, who had not been in the movies before, and had not been in the ’60s TV show before," Goyer told Digital Spy. “There are dozens if not hundreds of other characters that fit that bill. Everyone says it’s got to be the Penguin or Catwoman [in the next film]… well I completely disagree.”

Goyer makes a lot of sense, but the trouble is The Dark Knight has become so massive that Warner Bros. might be looking at loading the next film with stars and familiar villains to guarantee a better box office that can compare with the record-setting one this summer. But with Catwoman, The Riddler, and The Penguin, that movie would be incredibly busy and overpopulated by villains. Seriously, hasn't anyone seen Spider-Man 3? Too many villains = bad movie.

Although I buy Hoffman for The Penguin (I also like Paul Giamatti for the role, hypothetically), Depp seems less likely in my mind. It's not that he wouldn't or couldn't do it, but if Nolan had to acquiesce and give the studio the villains it wants at any cost, he may want to go a different direction in the casting out of principle. Also, let's not forget that Nolan hasn't exactly picked actors everyone would think are "perfect" for these roles. In fact, the series is kind of marked by that characteristic.

For the record, I hope none of it is true. I hope there's no Angelina, no Depp, no Catwoman, Riddler, or Joker. There are plenty of amazing dark alleys for this series to go down and I see no reason why it should revisit places it's been before.

Posted on Friday, August 1, 2008 at 09:32AM by Registered CommenterColin Boyd in , , , , , , , , , | Comments49 Comments | References1 Reference

Angelina Jolie as Catwoman?

In the considerable wake of The Dark Knight, Batman casting was a big topic here last week; we received a couple hundred comments on what villains should and shouldn't be in the third Batman movie. If they can't make a Two-Face story stick, then I vote for Black Mask, a terrific, sinister bad guy who fits the current look and concept of Gotham City. He's not the biggest name in town, true, but then again, Ra's al Guhl?

It didn't take long for the rumors to start flying about possible villains and possible casting choices. Here's one rumor that, much like Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter, has that feeling of being too good to be true: Angelina Jolie as Catwoman.

For a number of reasons, I don't think we'll see Catwoman in a Christopher Nolan Batman movie and I don't buy that there's much to this rumor. To begin with, does Bruce Wayne need a love interest at this point? I mean, they had to make one up out of thin air for the first two movies; Rachel Dawes doesn't exist before these movies. And it's not like that storyline stole the show in either film. So I don't buy the love interest thing, particularly for the most isolated, poorly-adjusted Bruce Wayne in the movies.

As a villain, Catwoman is OK. But It seems a fairly obvious choice, especially if the franchise will only be a trilogy. She's just not threatening enough to the rest of Gotham City as she is to Bruce Wayne. Plus, it's a lot heavier on the camp than anything we've seen in the new series of films. It just feels incongruent.

Having said that, if you're going to get a Catwoman, you may as well see if Angelina Jolie is interested, and according to the rumor mill, into which IGN dipped its cup, she is. She's probably too big a name and too much of a tabloid attraction, given the fervor over TomKat with Batman Begins and the unending Heath Ledger stories this year. But physically, psychologically, and acting..ling...ly, Jolie is a natural fit: 5'8", looks amazing in a catsuit, seductive as hell, and she's the best female action movie star in the world. Plus, I'm a Julie Newmar guy when it comes to Catwoman, and Jolie could do that in her sleep.

I wouldn't pick her because it's so obvious, but she could definitely take the character to places a Michelle Pfeiffer or a Halle Berry could not.

Now last week, people were making all sorts of picks for the role, Angelina among them. But when I heard stuff like Alyssa Milano it kind of made me laugh, because she's less an actor and more a hockey groupie who's been on TV for years. If you're seriously thinking about Catwoman, and you examine the acting chops of the four villains to the point (and while you're at it, the monumental accomplishments of Christian Bale, Michael Caine, and Morgan Freeman), there aren't too many women who could fill that role as instinctively or as dangerously as Angelina Jolie.

So, leaving out the Milanos and Cuthberts of the world for the sake of discussion, who's a better pick for Catwoman than Angelina Jolie?

Posted on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 at 02:57PM by Registered CommenterColin Boyd in , , , , , , , , | Comments79 Comments
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