While that is better than The Mummy it is not as good as its sequel. What this means is anyone's guess.
While Van Helsing's number would be outstanding in a month like February, March, or April, I am sure the studio wanted them to be North of $70 million, since the general consensus of the public is that this movie "sucks nuts" and will take a major hit by Troy next weekend. That is of course assuming that DVDTalk is representative of the general public. ;)
That said, I seem to notice that Sunday's numbers are always significantly lower for a movie than those on Friday or Saturday. Why is that so often the case?
While Van Helsing will most likely not make back its budget domestically, the DVD, game, and overseas will help it in the long run I feel.
Now to the next big thing...TROY!!! I honestly think that WB needs this to open North of $70 million to even consider making back its budget. Given its R rating, that might prove difficult.
Rammsteinfan
05-09-04, 02:08 PM
If TROY can do business like Gladiator then it might and I guess it would have to do a little better... I have a feeling they will have to rely on overseas as well.
Sessa17
05-09-04, 02:10 PM
While certainly not a bad opening, in today's modern movie market, I think this means a definite dissapointment for this movie. With Troy opening next weekend & not exactly overwhelmingly positive word of mouth, this movie will plumet fast, & with Shrek 2 opening in two weeks, be it a different audience, Van Helsing will quickly fade out of everyone's mind. Probably not much more than $110 million domestic take.
With DVDs sales & overseas, the movie will indeed make it's obsurdl budget back, but giving that they already had plans for 2 sequels, a TV series, & massive amusement park tie-ins before this movie was even released, I think the end box office gross will not warrent any of that, thus making Van Helsing a pretty bid dissapointment.
troystiffler
05-09-04, 02:11 PM
Troy is R? That surprises me. Very cool. I was thinking it was going to have 'pretty' battles and what-not.
I still see Van Helsing making upwards of $120mil. I mean, not many people (critics and audiences) liked The Mummy Returns. But it still made some good bank.
I see Troy making $45+ even though it's R. I think Van Helsing will bring in another $25-$30 next weekend, putting it around $95.
devilshalo
05-09-04, 02:29 PM
Glad Mean Girls is doing good :up:
Goldberg74
05-09-04, 02:33 PM
The funny thing is New York Minute opened at #4 with only $6.4M. That's gotta hurt...
Top 5:
1. Van Helsing - $54.2M ($54.2M/1)
2. Mean Girls - $14M ($42.3M/2)
3. Man On Fire - $7.9M ($56M/3)
4. New York Minute - $6.2M ($6.2M/1)
5. 13 Going on 30 - $5.5M ($42.6M/3)
Seantn
05-09-04, 02:34 PM
The funny thing is New York Minute opened at #4 with only $6.4M. That's gotta hurt...
Yeah, cause the Olsen's are so strapped for cash...
Matthew Chmiel
05-09-04, 02:40 PM
I predict in the end, Van Helsing will have a domestic take of around $140 million. If the film drops 50% every weekend, it'll still take in around $105 million. And that's without how much the film takes in during weekdays (which should be somewhere between $20 - 30 million).
I honestly think Troy will guarantee a $40 million gross next weekend. While the film will take away a huge audience of who would go and see Van Helsing in it's second weekend, the question is will it do more than a $40 million weekend? The females will be there for the males (Bana, Bloom, and Pitt) and the guys will be there for the action sequences. Too bad Warner couldn't choose to show this in IMAX and yet they're putting Catwoman in the format.
While Gladiator made $50 million it's opening weekend four years ago, I could see this doing around the same.
Van Helsing will take a 50% drop and will make around $25 million next weekend.
Dr. DVD
05-09-04, 02:40 PM
Maybe if Van Helsing had the Olsen's as two of the brides it would have broken $60 mil. ;)
Both Mummy movies made their money and then some, but neither of them had to worry about a major release coming out against it the next week. I think that if Troy were not coming out this weekend, Van Helsing would still have a fighting chance. You never know, it being PG-13 might help it catch some spillover from those too young to see Troy.
That said, I really don't see why they had so much tied in to Van Helsing. While I liked the movie, I don't see how it merited any of its event spin offs.
Matthew Chmiel
05-09-04, 02:44 PM
Both Mummy movies made their money and then some, but neither of them had to worry about a major release coming out against it the next week.
Uh. No.
The only reason The Mummy made as much as it did was that it had a little film called Star Wars - Episode 1: The Phantom Menace opening a little bit shortly after The Mummy did. When people were turned away as TPM was sold out, they went and saw The Mummy instead.
People expected the same out of Spider-man/Star Wars - Episode 2: Attack of the Clones, but nobody expected Spider-man to be the phenomenon it was ($120 million opening weekend).
Jackskeleton
05-09-04, 02:51 PM
Originally posted by Seantn
Yeah, cause the Olsen's are so strapped for cash...
It's not going to hurt in the pocket book, it's going to hurt them in their career. BACK TO DIRECT TO VIDEO'S FOR THE BOTH OF THEM!
Matthew Chmiel
05-09-04, 02:54 PM
BACK TO DIRECT TO VIDEO'S FOR THE BOTH OF THEM!
Sweet. Maybe they can pull a Disney and release It Takes Two 2.
Wazootyman
05-09-04, 02:56 PM
Originally posted by Matthew Chmiel
Uh. No.
The only reason The Mummy made as much as it did was that it had a little film called Star Wars - Episode 1: The Phantom Menace opening a little bit shortly after The Mummy did. When people were turned away as TPM was sold out, they went and saw The Mummy instead.
People expected the same out of Spider-man/Star Wars - Episode 2: Attack of the Clones, but nobody expected Spider-man to be the phenomenon it was ($120 million opening weekend).
Uh. No.
The only reason The Mummy made as much as it did is because it opened relatively big (43 million, 5 years ago) and then proceeded to drop roughly 50% every weekend. It wasn't until it's 3rd weekend that it contended with The Phantom Menace, and by then it had already made half of it gross
Matthew Chmiel
05-09-04, 02:59 PM
Originally posted by Wazootyman
Uh. No.
The only reason The Mummy made as much as it did is because it opened relatively big (43 million, 5 years ago) and then proceeded to drop roughly 50% every weekend. It wasn't until it's 3rd weekend that it contended with The Phantom Menace, and by then it had already made half of it gross
The Mummy dropped 40% after released. Once TPM started making millions, the drops became less (what was once 40% drops, became 20-25% drops).
scott shelton
05-09-04, 04:25 PM
Chmiel is right.
jaeufraser
05-09-04, 04:32 PM
Originally posted by Matthew Chmiel
The Mummy dropped 40% after released. Once TPM started making millions, the drops became less (what was once 40% drops, became 20-25% drops).
How does this matter? The drops became less because of Phantom Menace? or perhaps the drop offs became less because the film was making a LOT less money at that point, where drop offs usually reduce anyway.
The Mummy opened at 43 million. Universal knew it had a hit opening weekend. And The Mummy had grossed 100 million by the day Phantom Menace opened. With a final gross of 155 million, you're trying to tell me it's because of Star Wars that The Mummy was a big hit? Even though it made 2/3rd of its gross before it came out? I might agree some people wanted a movie in anticipation of Star Wars, but I don't think it had much else effect.
Now Van Helsing...I think it'll end up grossing around what The Mummy did, or possibly lower in the 120s. I haven't seen it yet, but I'll be back to bash or praise it lata.
Matthew Chmiel
05-09-04, 04:50 PM
If Star Wars never opened, the drops would've continued at 40%, if not more. The fact that TPM opened up let The Mummy get a little bit more of an audience. Due to TPM more people were exposed to The Mummy (and then due to the huge DVD/VHS rentals and sales which guaranteed The Mummy Returns).
If it wasn't for Star Wars, The Mummy probably would've only had a final domestic gross of around $120-125 million.
P.S. And I would say The Mummy was not a hit, but profitable when in theaters. The production budget for the film was estimated somewhere in between $80 - 120 million. Add advertising and distrubution into the mix, and the film mostly broke even. It didn't achieve "hit" status until it made a killing on video.
fumanstan
05-09-04, 04:53 PM
I don't see how Phantom Menace had any effect on the success of the Mummy. I agree with jaeufraser here.
DodgingCars
05-09-04, 05:01 PM
Originally posted by fumanstan
I don't see how Phantom Menace had any effect on the success of the Mummy. I agree with jaeufraser here.
The theory is that there were only two big movies out when TPM was released. The Mummy and TPM. Because TPM was selling out and generally crowded, people went to see another big movie instead (wait for TPM crowds to die down) -- and they went to see The Mummy.
Wazootyman
05-09-04, 05:02 PM
I remember watching some behind the scenes thing on The Mummy, and Sommers said "On the Saturday after it was released, Universal called me up and said "Your movie is going to make $40 million this weekend, what are your plans for a sequel?"
Also, aside from the $155 million domestic, it made $250 at the international box office. It was a hit long before it got to video.
Terrell
05-09-04, 05:12 PM
Add advertising and distrubution into the mix, and the film mostly broke even.
Yeah, but with video sales nowadays, all movies are profitable and most become hits because of DVD.
Shannon Nutt
05-09-04, 05:13 PM
Troy is going to have trouble making money...the film is 2 hours and 45 minutes long (or close to that). This means only three shows per day in most theaters. Plus it's rated R. I'm expecting about a $30 to $35 million take next weekend...probably only outdoing the second week of Van Helsing by about $5 million or so.
Groucho
05-09-04, 05:13 PM
Originally posted by DodgingCars
The theory is that there were only two big movies out when TPM was released. The Mummy and TPM. Because TPM was selling out and generally crowded, people went to see another big movie instead (wait for TPM crowds to die down) -- and they went to see The Mummy. I hear that theory bandied about a lot here, but it really doesn't work that way. Movies that are out at the same time as a huge blockbuster get a small boost, but not enough to turn them into a big hit themselves.
Most people, when confronted with a sold-out show, tend to come back later. Especially when it comes to something like Star Wars.
Matthew Chmiel
05-09-04, 05:16 PM
Yeah, but with video sales nowadays, all movies are profitable and most become hits because of DVD.
Yeah I know, but I was talking about while the film was in theaters. Yes, with DVD, most films are now profitable (mostly for the fact people buy DVDs more than they rent thanks due to no rental window). But the studios like their films to at least break even when they're released to theaters. ;) The Mummy did that domestically (and as Wazootyman said, it also made $250 million profit (basically) when released internationally).
Neeb
05-09-04, 05:56 PM
>>It's not going to hurt in the pocket book, it's going to hurt them in their career. BACK TO DIRECT TO VIDEO'S FOR THE BOTH OF THEM!<<
The problem with the Olsen Twins movies is that it was being touted as the film that would break them out of the pre-preteen audience and make them a force to be reckoned with in the Entertainment industry rather than a (very) lucrative also-ran.
As of now, the only ones interested in them are sick perverts and eight-year olds.
antennaball
05-09-04, 05:58 PM
Originally posted by Neeb
As of now, the only ones interested in them are sick perverts and eight-year olds.
Still not sure why thinking that two girls who are 17 (legal in many states) and turning 18 in a month or two (legal everywhere) are hot makes one a "sick pervert".
matome
05-09-04, 06:00 PM
Yep, call me when they get nekkid in a film.
DodgingCars
05-09-04, 06:06 PM
Originally posted by antennaball
Still not sure why thinking that two girls who are 17 (legal in many states) and turning 18 in a month or two (legal everywhere) are hot makes one a "sick pervert".
You are a sick pervert for another month. You're just going to have to accept that!
Groucho
05-09-04, 06:31 PM
Originally posted by Neeb
As of now, the only ones interested in them are sick perverts and eight-year olds. You've just described the entire posting population of DVDTalk.
Matthew Chmiel
05-09-04, 06:33 PM
Originally posted by Groucho
You've just described the entire posting population of DVDTalk.
There are no sick perverts on DVDTalk. Eight year olds, yes... but no sick perverts.
Sierra Disc
05-09-04, 08:18 PM
I'm an eight-year-old sick pervert. I multitask.
Artman
05-09-04, 08:21 PM
Originally posted by Matthew Chmiel
[
While Gladiator made $50 million it's opening weekend four years ago, I could see this doing around the same.
I see TROY somewhere around there or maybe a tad higher at 40ish. Although it certainly will not have the longevity...
Groucho
05-09-04, 08:28 PM
Gladiator: $34,819,017
Matthew Chmiel
05-09-04, 08:39 PM
Gladiator's opening wknd - $34,819,017 - 2,938 (screens) - $11,851 (avg)
Wow. I originally thought it made $50 million it's opening weekend. My bad. :(
I remember it quite packed when I saw it at a late Sunday night showing it's opening weekend.
antennaball
05-09-04, 08:56 PM
Originally posted by DodgingCars
You are a sick pervert for another month. You're just going to have to accept that!
Not in Texas, bub. :)
fumanstan
05-09-04, 09:48 PM
Originally posted by antennaball
Not in Texas, bub. :)
Originally posted by Dr. DVD
That said, I seem to notice that Sunday's numbers are always significantly lower for a movie than those on Friday or Saturday. Why is that so often the case?
I'd guess it's the "date night" factor. Less folks seeing anything other than a matinee...what with work and school the next day.
Dr. DVD
05-10-04, 07:40 PM
I read an article in today's USAToday saying that given the major budgets of movies like Van Helsing and Troy, studios have pretty much accepted that they will not be making back their money on a domestic run.
I can understand. In this day and age of international runs, video games, and DVD, the domestic run of a movie is just one step in its life. When its all over, Universal allegedly thinks that Van Helsing will be a moneymaker and WB believes Troy will also turn profit as well.
Buy: