Hmm…Maybe Time To Rethink That Opening Weekend Prediction for Dark Knight…
Author: AF Duncan
July 8th, 2008
I was originally in the $60m-$80m range, but wow, now people are talking round-the-clock screenings for Dark Knight. What the hell? When was the last time this happened? One of them Star Wars prequels? And this looks leagues better than those disasters… Would this craziness have happened if Heath Ledger were still alive?
In a frenzy, fans have bought so many late-night tickets for the July 18 opening of the next Batman movie that theaters in places like San Diego, Chicago, and even Eagan, Minn., are scheduling 6 a.m. screenings for those who can’t get in at midnight or 3 in the morning.
Movie theaters have sometimes opened their doors at odd hours for their most highly anticipated films, say, an entry in the “Star Wars” series, and midnight shows have become part of the summer blockbuster ritual.
But all-night sellouts far in advance of an opening have come only with the near ubiquity of online ticket sales. Fandango.com, for instance, reports well over 1,500 wee-hour showings for “The Dark Knight” in theaters that typically do not open their doors before about 10 a.m.
- Related Articles:
8 Responses to “Hmm…Maybe Time To Rethink That Opening Weekend Prediction for Dark Knight…”
July 9th, 2008 at 12:32 am
This doesn’t surprise me and only would if they didn’t have all night screenings.
I dont want to hype it anymore than it has but this will be the movie to beat for the year….and stay away from i09.com - their spoilers are too much and I decided their site is a no fly zone.
July 9th, 2008 at 5:32 am
That’s pretty crazy. If they do this in the sticks where I live, then I’ll know that it’s really big. I went with $60-$80m myself and I thought that was being generous. I’m sure Heath has a lot to do with this though. I know I want to see what the man’s last role was like, hoping he went out on a high note.
July 9th, 2008 at 5:36 am
I just checked IMDb and I guess The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus is Heath’s last role. I’m not sure if he was able to finish it or not but it’s in post-production. Seeing as that’s the first Terry Gilliam movie in forever, I’m sure that’ll be a good one for Ledger’s last film.
July 9th, 2008 at 6:19 am
He wasn’t able to finish “Parnassus,” but I believe the filmmakers inventively split his character into three different parts, so it’s like Ledger, J. Depp, and some other dude now — maybe Colin Farrel or Jude Law or something? — playing the same guy. If that makes sense.
July 9th, 2008 at 6:47 am
Wow - you guys really think its because Ledger died AFTER making this movie that it will do well? Sick, man! I don’t think death helped the BO for River Phoenix’s last movie…
I think its the package - complete and utter coolness: Nolan, Bale, Caine, Freeman, batpod, batmobile, no Katie Holmes, 2 Face, Joker and the fact that ‘Begins’ did so well and surprised alot of people (after B&R), and this will also be the reason why Quantum of Solace will do better BO than Casino Royale.
Face it people, Ben Stiller’s nephew on the MTV Movie Awards said it to Downey the best: “It was OK, until Dark Knight comes out and kicks your ass!”
July 10th, 2008 at 8:15 am
Yeah, but River’s last OFFICIAL flick on IMDb was something called Silent Tongue. I’ve never even heard of that. The movie before that was Even Cowgirls Get The Blues. Let’s be honest-neither of those is even close to the scale of Dark Knight.
I don’t think Heath’s death is the ONLY factor for most (or any) people going to see this flick. I do think it’s a partial factor for some people who already wanted to see the movie anyway. I doubt anyone’s going to see this just because he died. That would be pretty sick.
This was bound to be a huge summer blockbuster no matter what but you can’t underestimate the morbid curiosity of a public that is more interested in Britney’s latest meltdown than what’s going on in Afghanistan.
“We all know that crap is king
Give us dirty laundry!” -Don Henley
July 10th, 2008 at 8:35 am
If the movie breaks $100M, then I think it’s undeniable that the Ledger Factor had a large hand in the result. The biggest opening for any Batman film has been $55M, and even with the non-Ledger buzz around this one, it would defy logic and odds for this one to double that, especially on a non-holiday weekend.
I’m not hating on the flick - I’d love to see it do insanely well, if only because it might stem WB’s tendencies to crap all over their DC properties. I just have a hard time seeing it buck all historical trends so dramatically.
July 10th, 2008 at 10:26 am
This movie will hit 110-120 M opening weekend.
It’s mostly sold out where I live, and has been since SATURDAY!