The Dark Knight = $158.4 million

ComingSoon.net has reported that the final tally for The Dark Knight is actually $158.4 million. This was due to the Sunday estimate actually being higher than they predicted. As far as I can read, The Dark Knight beat all the records across the board as far as 1,2,3 day totals. Sunday total's, midnight total and it also beat the IMAX theater record total.

certain types of numbers sound impressive, but you also have to a take a good, hard look at the data. we're talking about money, which is usually worth less and less as time passes.

box-office "records" will continue to fall year after year, but when you adjust figures for inflation, then it's apparent that movies are making less and less money as home video, cable, the internet, and other diversions chip away at the number of tickets sold (which is a better indicator of attendance than box-office gross since one person is one person no matter what while the price of a ticket can be different depending on the age of the buyer and the buyer's geographical location).

Not only that but where I live its 12 for IMAX, 9 for digital, and 8 for standard.

In regard to what Eddie just said, here's a link to the highest-grossing films of all time, adjusted for inflation (according to Box Office Mojo):

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/alltime/adjusted.htm

Often, people think of "Titanic" as the all-time moneymaker, but adjusted for inflation it's only at number six.

John

To add to what Eddie said you also have to remember that movies now open on many more screens. Then they did years ago. 20 + years ago theaters had maybe one or two screens, which limits showings. Now Multiplexes have 16+ screens. Makes it a lot easier to make a high gross if the movie is playing every half hour as opposed to every three hours.

I think you also have to account for how long a film stays at #1 in the box office. I remember Titantic was the #1 film for several weeks when it was released, and we really have not seen any film sustain that long in the box office in many years. Even with Titantic placing #6, you begin to realize in order to beat the all time high, most likely any movie would have to stay at #1 for at lest six-months or longer. And if there isn't anything worthy for the public to see over & over, it just isn't going to happen. It's too bad "Gone with the Wind" takes the prize because that movie is so freaking long and boring . . . and quite frankly, I don't give a damn!

This is also only North American box office. If you add up the figures worldwide, it would bring Titanic up quite a bit.

Quote:
. I remember Titantic was the #1 film for several weeks when it was released, and we really have not seen any film sustain that long in the box office in many years

Try several months Tim. 3 months at #1 to be exact. No movie in history has ever been #1 for that long, and most likely no movie ever again will reach that plateau.

Does anybody know what other "big" releases there were during Titanic's run at holding #1?

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=titanic.htm

depression,

click on the above link. on that page, click on each weekend to see the movies that opened when "titanic" was in theatres.

eddie

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[Post edited by posters5 on Jul 23, 2008]

Yea and I can remember back in the day (1975) when movies like JAWS stayed in the theaters for 3-4 months or even longer. In todays day, with all the money to be made on the aftermarket(SD DVD / Blu Ray DVD) you see blockbusters like Iron Man being yanked out of the theater and released on DVD four months later. So to compare what was to what is now, well thats not a good comparison.
Bottom line, whatever amout TDK makes, it is no doubt one of the best movies ever made hands down. But thats just my opinion.

Dark Knight will make killer money when it comes out on DVD, Bluray, etc. It should easily dethrone this years top DVD seller I Am Legend. I wonder how much DK will make in total by years end.

Hell, everything was different in the old days. I didn't see JAWS until the next summer in a mom & pop, local theatre in downtown Vancouver, WA. My mother wouldn't let me go because of the R rating and she figured it would be too scary for me.

So yes, back in the old days it was common to re-release the good blockbusters the next summer in smaller venues. Of course, VHS was still years away so it was the only avenue you had to see a repeat viewing. I sometimes miss those old times, because no matter what you were always going to see a repeat movie on the big screen.

Now days we are all spoiled rotten with our own big-screen, hi-def TVs. Sure, it's always better to watch a film at home and save yourself the trouble of restless, noisy crowds, but there was something very special about going to the old dollar theatres of the day. Plus, no cell phones in those times, so the crowd wasn't as bad. It does have some sentimental value, IMO, but long gone are the days of seeing your favorite BB years later on the big-screen. Well, Lucas did re-release his updated Star Wars in the theatre years ago, but it just wasn't the same.

Yes Tim it was a great time back in the day. I can remember(and this is why I think that I am a movie freak) my sister worked at a local theater called the Cinema. And it was common to find me hanging out there watching movies like JAWS over and over again. I think I sall JAWS 26 times that summer. It was a one screen lavish movie theater with a full balcony, remember those, crush velvet drapperies down the sides. It had a a HUGE lobby and a winding staircase that led to the balcony. And best of all I got in for free. Popcorn was way cheep and all the classic candies were there. There were no sandwiches or nachos or french fries to be had. Just sno caps rasinettes and ju ju b's. And every year during the holidays, they would bring back movies like A Christmas That Almost Was'nt. And how about the classical double or triple feature, where you went with your buds and spent a whole day in front of that massive screen. We would come out of the theater after the martial arts movies pretending to be Bruce Lee.
Yea Tim that was a GREAT time, ahhhhhhh the MEMORIES.

Ah yes, the full balcony theatre was the best! There were many of those in Portland and many of them still operate in downtown. The movie experience itself has changed so much from those days. In the old times it was all about beautiful decore and double features! Remeber double features? Now days the seats got more comfortable, but the 19th Century decore expereince has gone to the dogs. I wish I was a millionaire just so I could build a retro style theatre based on those old style movies houses we used to attened. I'd even make sure there was a cartoon short after the previews!

Well said, Tony. Succinct. Concise. To the point. A man of few words.

John

john,

i know that you want to go to the metreon to get your ears blown out by the IMAX speakers.

eddie

Fastest to 200 million (5 days).

Thats 3 days faster than Pirates 2.

The previous record for 5 days was 31 million less at 172 million held by Star Wars Revenge of the Sith.