Paul_SD

Sorry, but the only aspect here I agree with is the 'memorial album' factor of TDK's massive BO.

B&R, along with the three underwhelming over hyped films preceding it, absolutely did affect the BO of Begins. Almost no one outside of die hard Batman fans was interested in seeing the film- until good word of mouth kept coming it. Begins started off slow, but the one of the big stories that summer (in terms of BO) was that the film showed unexpected legs. It was in the theaters much longer than professional forecasters were anticipating based on the opening weekend. It's stature only grew with the reception on home video. Warner was very heartened by it's performance, which is a big reason they gave Nolan so much deference in making TDK.

I also wouldn't be surprised if the lowered BO for TDKR actually was impacted by the shooting. Not for security or saftey reasons, but because of the associated after taste with all the negative publicity at the moment. Given the length of the film and the lack of the Ledger memorial/pop icon villain aspect, I NEVER expected the film to really challenge TDK- no matter how good or satisfying it was on it's own merits. But the shooting no doubt dampened some of the enthusiasm from normal people for seeing a (somewhat violent) downer action film. And if the BO comes in considerably lower than TDK, not just as was expected lower, then a good case could be made the carnage did negatively affect brand perception.

I've never been shy about criticizing Nolan (which his most ardent, uncritical fanboys usually take as a personal affront) but let's keep things in perspective. Sometimes things are out of an artists control.

Dr. DVD

I wouldn't be surprised if TDKR has a healthy second weekend, as the people who might have been frightened this weekend might make it out then. I don't see Stiller, Vaughn, and Hill scaring up that much business unless their movie gets great reviews.

Nick Martin

To add to that, the film has such a pleasantly upbeat ending to it that people will walk out of it (if they enjoy it) smiling. It's a dark, downbeat film with a happy ending.

davidh777

Thanks for the minor spoiler

Dr. DVD

Any word if they will revise the numbers down a bit further? My regular showing was about half full, but that could be due to the fact that it was playing on four different screens. From what I've read, almost all IMAX showings are selling out (authentic IMAX).

Giles

as they should. I'm trying to disuade a friend from seeing this in 35mm.

bluetoast

Where'd you see it Giles? DC Air and Space for me.

xage

After effects of this dude?

Dragon Tattoo

Can someone stop xage from posting the same thing in every fucking thread?

JTH182

I personally did not see Batman Begins in the theater because of the bad taste B&R left in my mouth. Big mistake by me.


and yes, can xage be suspended or something? It's friggin' annoying

raven56706

Movie theater where i was at had low lines during the day...at night, it was out the door packed

Nick Martin

In my case, it was 35mm or not at all. IMAX showings are sold out for the immediate future at the only theater I can go to.

Obey The D

Clifton Commons? Went to Rockaway yesterday for the 320pm IMAX show and couldn't believe how packed it was. Showed up 35 minutes early and it was a chore for me and my brother to find a decent seat.

DthRdrX

I saw it on opening weekend and was surprised how empty the place was, but remember telling my friend people could probably care less after Batman and Robin. People were clapping for the movie during the credits though.

AnonomusBob15

the incident will help the b.o., this film will play into September, and nothing else good is coming out. Publicity is publicity, not trying to be insensitive.

DthRdrX

I have to agree. I can't wait to hear what the drop is the next two weeks. A month ago I heard that they polled public awareness of the movie at around 13-15% of the public. Probably a lot higher now.

Why So Blu?

They're guestimating 165 million for the weekend.

Mondo Kane

If anything, morbid curiosity might set in for viewers who will keep an eye out for a "Gun-Fire" scene that occurs 20 minutes into the movie.
But I've noticed that all the media outlets have only been mentioning, "Joker,Joker,Joker". And he's nowhere to be seen in this movie.

People now have to certainly have applaud Nolan for denying Joker's presence in this installment for good reason.

raven56706

yea clifton.... clifton had barely any lines for the early showings (except imax)... then at 8 pm.. it was around the building packed...

Ash Ketchum

I'm confused. Why would you dissuade a friend from seeing this in 35mm? What are you persuading him to see it in? What are the options?

Wazootyman

So, were they so unhappy with the results of Begins that they greenlighted a second movie with a higher budget? That'll definitely show that Nolan and his money making ways!

Guru Askew

Well, TDK saw a $35 million budget increase whereas TDKR had a further increase of $65 million, or a full $100 million increase from beginning to end.

Yesterday I was reading a Box Office Mojo article in which a Warner Bros. admits disappointment in the box office while still saying that the opening weekend was enough to greenlight a sequel.

It's just one of those crazy Hollywood accounting things. You can see the budget increase was actually pretty modest compared to the increased budget they provided after TDK was a full-blown hit.

If you look at TDK through the eyes of a cautious-but-optimistic studio trying to squeeze a little more money out BB's performance it's not the craziest thing in the world. You have a film that actually seems smaller in scope (none of the setpieces, for example, are as grand as the climax of the first film, and you have stuff like the boat scene that is essentially an implied setpiece that never has to make good due to the story) and you have the IMAX stuff which could certainly be seen as a pre-3D-boom attempt at milking a little extra money out of ticket buyers using a gimmick.

As far as the villains go the 2nd film also played it extremely safe going from two obscure ones (which I feel hurt the film more than B&R) to two villains included in the two most-successful previous Batman films. Casting-wise Ledger and Eckhart were coming off of acclaimed performances but were still unproven as box office draws and as such were undoubtedly secured for reasonable rates.

I'll always call Batman Begins a box office disappointment because it undeniably was one. I won't call it a bomb or a flop because it wasn't. It was well-received by critics and the people who did see it and by all accounts it's done well on video (though the end-of-the-year sales indicate a similar slow burn, it wasn't, for example, pulling in the kind of sales Star Wars was) and its apparent to me that Warner was simply willing to let Nolan finish what he started, and in doing so they've actually successfully perpetuated the myth of "Batman Begins as blockbuster" which they couldn't spin on the poorly-received but comparably-successful "Superman Returns."

Setzer

No 3D and the Colorado shooting....that figure seems about right.

sauce07

At a very popular northern Virginia movie theater right now, the place is a ghost town. I'm in their "IMAX" theater 15 min out from showtime and it's 20% full. I wouldn't be surprised to see it end up around $150 mil.

Shannon Nutt

New York Times just reported $162 million. But those are still estimates.