Box office

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advicky
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Box office

Post by advicky »

$8,800,000 on the first day. What do you think? I think it isn't bad, but I hope it will be better.
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advo
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Post by advo »

Variety.com reports that as good news but every other tracking site, news' sites etc. reports that as very bad news for The Golden Compass because it means an approx. 27 million which is considered a flop. New Line expected 30-40 million, people had said considering the huge budget it needed a 50+ million for New Line to profit. All I know, that I'm going to see it again, both too support it but also because I really want to, I really enjoyed the movie.
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Post by frick35cr »

for a movie this size, it's not very good. They were expecting Harry Potter/Spider Man/Pirates sorta numbers so yeah it would be considered a flop.
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advicky
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Post by advicky »

We have to say this isn't Daniel's fault. Some people think he is the star, but he has only about 10 minutes.
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Post by Germangirl »

Its up to about 27 Mill, when needed at least around 40 Mill for opening weekend. It will have an uphill battle worldwide to make this still successful enough for a sequel. :( :(

I only hope people are not considering this a failed DC film. He certainly is one of the good elements in it.
The top notch acting in the Weisz/Craig/Spall 'Betrayal' is emotionally true, often v funny and its beautifully staged with filmic qualities..

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Post by Anglophile »

Whoa guys, why so depressed? :shock: According to every site I checked today, the movie is at no.1 of the box office charts for Friday.

One article quotes the spokesman of a media tracking firm saying that "after Saturday and Sunday sales are factored in, the film will come in at No. 1 with about $28 million when the studios issue their weekend estimates on Sunday", which, should that number prove true, would be only 2 millions short of the high hopes of 30+ million that New Line had for the first weekend. Not too bad, or at least not sufficient to justify what that same article says next:
'The film represents another disappointment for Kidman, who had yet to headline a live-action $100 million movie. Her most recent successes were 2005's "The Interpreter" ($72 million) and 2003's "Cold Mountain" ($96 million). She and Craig co-starred in the summer release "The Invasion," which flopped with just $15 million.'
So this is their agenda: They wanted another flop for Nicole, so they just write it into existence no matter what the facts are.

More rubbish from the same source: 'Critics were also generally negative on the film, according to the web site Rotten Tomatoes which collates reviews.' - Firstly, go there and check it out, they're NOT generally negative, even though the reviews are mostly from the US. Secondly, since when is that a performance benchmark? They slammed the Da Vinci Code too, right?

Anyway, since His Dark Materials is by far less well-known than LOTR or Harry Potter, at least outside of the UK, you cannot compare their opening weekend results with those of TGC. A lot will depend on word of mouth, so let's hope a lot of kids will come out of the theatre and spread the word that this is a good movie. Most people have never heard of The Golden Compass before, so they weren't exactly waiting to see it on the big screen like they did with LOTR. The numbers that are getting published now are the box office returns from the US only, the European numbers aren't even out yet, and if you count the future DVD sales in, I'm quite sure it will gross enough money to yield a profit in the long run. I hope people will keep going to see it over Christmas.
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Post by Anglophile »

Just found this:


High UK Opening Day Figures

December 7, 2007 03:45 by Sachith Nilaweera

Variety reports that The Golden Compass pulled in US$1.9 million from its opening day on Wednesday. The film looks likely to be on course for a successful "opening five-day take of between £6 million ($12.3 million) and £7 million ($14.3 million) and a final gross of £30 million ($61.4 million)." The official blog also reports that: "In addition to the UK debut of $1.9 million, out-grossing The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’s opening day in 2005, The Golden Compass ranked #1 in seven territories: U.K., Spain, France, Finland, Norway, Thailand and the Philippines. The Golden Compass will be featured on 11,000 screens in 30 territories worldwide."


'Compass' points to big U.K. gross

New Line fantasy epic “The Golden Compass” got off to a fast start on opening day in Blighty, pulling in $1.9 million from 502 sites Wednesday.

First-day figure is the biggest for Entertainment Film Distributors outside “The Lord of the Rings” franchise.

Result compares with that of other fantasy pics, such as “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe,” which took $1.7 million off 380 sites on Dec. 8, 2005 -- a Thursday.

The “Compass” result was swelled by the popular Orange Wednesdays discount, which offers customers of cell phone operator Orange two cinema tickets for the price of one.

As a result, Thursday grosses are expected to be about 20% lower than the opening-day take.

“At this early stage, all looks good for ‘The Golden Compass’ -- the big December release,” said a London-based booker. “While it is too early to jump for joy, the opening-day figure puts it on course for an opening five-day take of between £6 million ($12.3 million) and £7 million ($14.3 million) and a final gross of £30 million ($61.4 million).”

Pic faces little meaningful competition at the Brit B.O. this weekend -- most releases are indies aimed at arthouse auds. Reviews from U.K. critics have been positive to mixed.

The Nov. 27 world premiere of “The Golden Compass” was attended by director Chris Weitz and stars Daniel Craig, Nicole Kidman, Eva Green, Freddie Highmore and Dakota Blue Richards.

Philip Pullman’s book “Northern Lights,” on which the pic is based, is a family fave in the U.K.

http://www.hisdarkmaterials.org/news/th ... ay-figures

:D :D :D
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Post by Germangirl »

From what I found, its very mixed.
Certainly not at all satisfying in the US with 27 Mill, when they were hoping for more. The rest of the world proved to be better and there are still hopes, that the film will be ok and good enough for the sequels, although it seems by selling the film etx. the studio pretty much already has covered its costs :D

here is some more:

'Compass' charts not-so-golden bow
New Line fantasy brings in less than expected
By PAMELA MCCLINTOCK

'The Golden Compass' only brought in $26.1 million.
New Line’s pricey fantasy epic “The Golden Compass” endured a $26.1 million opening at the domestic box office from 3,528 theaters, a soft debut considering the tentpole’s production budget of at least $180 million.
“Compass,” the only new wide release of the frame, easily came in at No. 1, although New Line had expected the pic to open at between $30 million and $40 million.
New Line, which has been touting the film for months as the studio’s next big franchise, didn’t try to veil its disappointment but shifted the focus away from the domestic perf to the overseas box office, where “Compass” grossed $55 million from 25 territories in its day-and-date release. Studio sold off international territories.

'Compass' takes Europe by storm
Fantasy epic faces little opposition
By ARCHIE THOMAS
LONDON — New Line’s fantasy epic “The Golden Compass” looks to strike gold at the European box office this weekend with openings in major territories U.K., Germany, France, Spain and Russia.
Only major territory not getting “Compass” this weekend is Italy, where pic opens Dec. 14.
Initial indications are certainly positive for Chris Weitz’s pic.
In Blighty, the pic has taken $3.1 million at 505 sites in its first two days (Wednesday and Thursday) via Entertainment Film Distributors. First day haul ($1.9 million) was bigger than December 2005 release “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”
Local bookers have welcomed the solid first two-day “Compass” take and predict it is set for a boffo Friday-Sunday haul given the next biggest opener — Mexican thriller “KM 31” — debuts on just 31 sites. The U.K. marketplace is wide open for a big opener and “Compass” looks to be heading in the right direction.
In France, “Compass” has also got off to a quick start. Pic pulled a big opening day, surpassing Metropolitan’s already high expectations. Epic fantasy based on Philip Pullman’s bestselling novel, toplining Nicole Kidman and local girl made good Eva Green, took in $841,600 on 767.

New Line seems to stay positive on the subject:”We were hoping for a little better domestically, but the international numbers were solid,” said Rolf Mittweg, New Line’s president and chief operating officer of worldwide distribution and marketing.


While soft, this isn’t a disastrous opening, and doesn’t preclude the possibility of sequels.
In any case, the film will not face much direct competition over the holiday season in the family fantasy genre. Traditionally, such titles perform very well for months, and have held the holiday B.O. crown for most of this decade. TGC was hurt by the backlash, and wasn’t as well-known as LOTR or Narnia; but it will have very good word of mouth, and this means staying power. Provided theatres don’t drop it too soon (which is where New Line’s muscle kicks in).
I’m pretty sure it will do over a hundred million in the US, and more than recoup its costs internationally, where the reception doesn’t suffer from the same hangups.

……The film also earned $55 million from 25 international territories, including No. 1 starts in Britain ($18 million), Spain ($10 million) and France ($5 million), all after five days of release.
But Mittweg said New Line sold off the foreign rights, with proceeds covering about 60 percent of the film's budget. Taking into account outside investors and tax breaks, he said New Line was covered for about 70 to 80 percent of the budget, and the film would be profitable for the studio.
The top notch acting in the Weisz/Craig/Spall 'Betrayal' is emotionally true, often v funny and its beautifully staged with filmic qualities..

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Post by magch »

Germangirl wrote:From what I found, its very mixed.
Certainly not at all satisfying in the US with 27 Mill, when they were hoping for more. The rest of the world proved to be better and there are still hopes, that the film will be ok and good enough for the sequels, although it seems by selling the film etx. the studio pretty much already has covered its costs :D
I am also not that worried. We cannot judge the box office on the U.S. number alone. Didn't Casino Royale lost out to Happy Feet when it first came out? I remember the news made fun of Bond because it lost to penguins in the opening weekend in the U.S. However, in the end, Casino Royale became a success internationally. It will take actually a few months for more conclusive box office result.
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Post by Ang »

I'm always amazed when box office figures are so high before Christmas! Everyone I know who has kids is too rushed off their feet doing Christmas shopping to go to the cinema. My sister says she's taking the kids in the New Year so I wouldn't be surprised if the film's business steadily grows. I just hope that if they do get to make the next two books they make a better job of it. The second book is my favourite and I hate to see it be given a hatchet job!
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Post by Anglophile »

Compass opening is almost golden, depending on who you ask

New Line’s adaptation of the first installment of Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series, The Golden Compass, finished first at the box office with $26.1 million for the weekend, but some box office analysts are considering the film a disappointment considering its reported $180 million budget. While the Nicole Kidman-Daniel Craig fantasy is nearly in line with last year’s similarly soft $30 million opening for the smash Night at the Museum, The Golden Compass has been plagued with bad buzz from religious groups who see the film’s source material as anti-religion to studio watchdogs who believe New Line overspent (possibly to the tune of $250 million) to create another Lord of the Rings.
http://news.premiere.com/blog/2007/12/b ... -deep.html
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Post by Anglophile »

'Golden Compass' points overseas

The film is No. 1 at the box office with a lower-than-expected $26.1 million, but its worldwide welcome is warmer.
By Josh Friedman, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
December 10, 2007
"The Golden Compass" topped the weekend box office with an estimated $26.1 million in U.S. and Canadian ticket sales, New Line Cinema said Sunday, although the costly fantasy film struck less gold than the studio had expected.

The picture, seen as the start of a potential blockbuster franchise in the "Lord of the Rings" vein, got a warmer welcome overseas, pulling in $55 million abroad for a worldwide total of $81 million, New Line said.

"We were hoping for a little better domestically but the international numbers were solid," said Rolf Mittweg, New Line's president and chief operating officer of worldwide distribution and marketing.

As of last week, the studio had been looking for a North American opening in the range of $30 million to $40 million for the film from writer-director Chris Weitz.

The PG-13 movie, based on the first book in British author Philip Pullman's acclaimed "His Dark Materials" trilogy, was the only wide release to hit the marketplace, and it set the pace for another dismal weekend at the box office overall.

Results were down from the corresponding weekend in 2006 for the fifth straight time, according to Media by Numbers. It was not the kind of news Hollywood was hoping for in the face of an increasingly bitter writers strike that looks as though it could drag on for months.

[...]

New Line acknowledges spending $180 million to make "The Golden Compass," starring Nicole Kidman, Daniel Craig and newcomer Dakota Blue Richards, although industry sources speculate that the picture's true cost soared above $200 million in postproduction.

Reviews have been mixed for the film, about a 12-year-old girl who journeys to a parallel universe to save her best friend and other kidnapped children from experiments conducted by a mysterious organization.

Whatever the picture's cost, New Line hedged its bets by selling off foreign distribution rights, the same strategy the studio has used with "The Lord of the Rings" and, for that matter, most of its major productions.

Mittweg said that between those foreign territory sales and the eventual revenue from the DVD and television markets, New Line could turn a profit on the picture. "It looks like we're going to come out ahead," he said.

Even so, Mittweg was noncommittal about the studio's tentative plans to make two sequels, "The Subtle Knife" and "The Amber Spyglass," based on the rest of Pullman's series.

"It's impossible for us to talk about sequels at this point," he said. "It all depends on the grosses."

He noted that "The Golden Compass" had yet to open in 30 foreign territories, including Japan, Italy and Australia.


Still, "Compass" will soon face fierce competition for broad audiences.

Several big holiday season movies are coming, including the Will Smith thriller "I Am Legend" this Friday and the Nicolas Cage sequel "National Treasure: Book of Secrets" on Dec. 21.

If "Compass" falls off sharply, it could end up generating less than $100 million in domestic ticket sales -- a result that would be seen as a major embarrassment for New Line.

But if the movie holds up respectably, especially overseas, it could rake in about $400 million worldwide. That wouldn't make it a blockbuster like "The Chronicles of Narnia" or the "Lord of the Rings" or "Harry Potter" films, but it would be far from disastrous.

Despite New Line's two hits this year with the musical "Hairspray" and the action-comedy "Rush Hour 3," the studio has struggled with most of its slate.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-b ... &cset=true
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Post by Germangirl »

Thanks Anglo, there is both - hope and worry included in these reports.
I guess, it will all depend on how long the films legs will be.
The top notch acting in the Weisz/Craig/Spall 'Betrayal' is emotionally true, often v funny and its beautifully staged with filmic qualities..

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Post by Anglophile »

Germangirl wrote:Thanks Anglo, there is both - hope and worry included in these reports.
I guess, it will all depend on how long the films legs will be.
Yeah... since everyone else is emphasising the worry, I thought I'd point out the hope. :wink:
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