Just reading this after a busy weekend coping with all you (us!) Bond fans in the UK. I run a small three screen cinema and I can certainly vouch that ticket sales in terms of on the night sales and advance bookings were far in excess of DAD.
I was also lucky enough to obtain two prints allowing me to show the film up to eight times yesterday including a 10.30 showing which was quite well attended.
From the audience reaction I have seen and heard the film is going to attract a wide age range of customer. Those of you concerned with the certificate are correct that the film is quite strong and some careful thought will be needed by parents (my two eldest sons saw the film, aged 9 and 12)
I am well pleased with the Box Office so far. Bond has peaked high in the opening week before now so it remains to be seen if the film has "legs" as they say.
I hope you have all enjoyed it, I certainly did and after all the discussion it would seem that the Brosnan era is well and truly over with this film. MI6 report that Brosnan is being very gracious about Daniel Craig and I guess it must be a bit annoying for him at this time.
Looking forward to this time in 2008!
Best wishes to you all.:)
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,990Quartermasters
edited November 2006
My sons, Ian (age 11) and Alec (nearly 9), saw it with me on opening night, and it wasn't a problem. Alec did look at me with pie-tin sized eyes during the torture sequence, but he'd been given advance notice of its content, and---since he watches me writing scripts on the computer constantly---fully appreciates the difference between reality and cinematic make-believe. It really does depend on the child.
They both loved it, though I think the card game lost them a bit. When Bond lost that big hand, Ian looked at me and said, 'Uh oh.'
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
It's hard to say about kids and CR. I don't know what I would do (my kid's grown).
It is certainly more realistically violent and bloody than other Bond films, but the context of being in an adventure story tends to mute it. Kids can and have seen far, far worse at the movies.
It will obviously depend on the child and their sensitivities. I agree most of the action sequences would just go over most kids heads but I'm not sure about the torture scene.
My daughter has just been watching When Plastic Surgery Goes Wrong or something and didn't bat an eyelid, so I'm sure she would be ok but I think the story line is too mature. She would lose interest very quickly.
Harry Potter was a 12a and I didn't think twice about taking her to that but CR is most definitely boarder line. I would have done the same as Marjil and checked it out first, which tells me I'm not sure it has the right certificate.
I know the showing i went to was packed. I don't know how many the theater holds, but I bet only 20 to 30 seats were empty. I'm guessing the theater holds 100 people. I saw the movie on a Friday afternoon, early.
My town...every showing sold out for 5 days....you cant get in...
But it is fun with a packed house....the reactions are great...
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,990Quartermasters
My town...every showing sold out for 5 days....you cant get in...
Wow
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,990Quartermasters
edited November 2006
Oh, well. I figured the penguins would probably win...but at least Our Man made a valiant go at it :007)
Do they not take Sunday box office sales into consideration for the weekend take, or are they projecting today's ticket sales based on Friday and Saturday?
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
If an opening-weekend box-office triumph by dancing penguins will ease the panic of those who feel threatened by change, I hope they clobber CR. Sometimes it's best to give the screaming child their candy bar.
But I've never thought of this as a battle between Bond and penguins or space aliens or globe-trotting archaeologists or CIA spies, but between a fresh, vital, exciting James Bond and a tired, cliche-ridden, formulaic series. That's not a fight you'll see at the box office, but on the screen. And I think most of us can see that CR won that hands down.
I see $40 million as a solid opening. I imagine Sony/Eon would be relatively satisfied with that figure, if not exactly overjoyed. I hope the figures remain solid in the coming weeks. Casino Royale deserves to succeed at the box office.
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,990Quartermasters
If an opening-weekend box-office triumph by dancing penguins will ease the panic of those who feel threatened by change, I hope they clobber CR. Sometimes it's best to give the screaming child their candy bar.
But I've never thought of this as a battle between Bond and penguins or space aliens or globe-trotting archaeologists or CIA spies, but between a fresh, vital, exciting James Bond and a tired, cliche-ridden, formulaic series. That's not a fight you'll see at the box office, but on the screen. And I think most of us can see that CR won that hands down.
{[]
I hope that CR at least approaches DAD's overall take---and, based upon the opening weekend, it's not out of the question.
Rogue...remember our bet? Make that virtual keg of beer a Heineken :v
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
I hope that CR at least approaches DAD's overall take---and, based upon the opening weekend, it's not out of the question.
Don't forget it cost less to make and has a longer running time- so it may not be able to sell as many tickets in as short a time as DAD, but equally it doesn't need to as much as DAD did.
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,990Quartermasters
Casino is number 1 in 27 countries! They also reckon it's too close to call and will come down to real figures rather than estimates.
Thanks, em {[]
The penguin picture is almost an hour shorter in running time; with that many more screenings per theatre per day, it's fairly impressive that CR is as close as it is...
Great shot of Craigger meeting Her Majesty, as well B-).
EDIT: What you already said, re: running time ;%
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Casino is number 1 in 27 countries! They also reckon it's too close to call and will come down to real figures rather than estimates.
Thanks, em {[]
The penguin picture is almost an hour shorter in running time; with that many more screenings per theatre per day, it's fairly impressive that CR is as close as it is...
Great shot of Craigger meeting Her Majesty, as well B-).
EDIT: What you already said, re: running time ;%
I think the article Em posted spins the numbers a little. First off, DAD's run time is 2 hours 13 minutes, not 2 hours. CR is 2 hours 24 minutes, so in terms of number of showings a day, no difference. Also, CR is in a few more cinemas and as the writer mentioned, ticket prices are 12% higher than when DAD played. So in comparison, DAD had a far better opening.
As far as the comparison with Happy Feet goes, I think CR did well. CR's per screen average was much higher than Happy Feet. As mentioned previously, Happy Feet had a much shorter run time and was in many more cinemas so a slight overall box office lead would be expected. What will be interesting to see is if CR has legs. In the States the Thanksgiving weekend is huge for the movie business. As part of that business Barry and his whole family will be seeing CR, Thanksgiving Thursday. I promise an open mind. Nice to hear Caterina does a good job, I knew she looked like a Bond girl, happy she played the role well.
I think the article Em posted spins the numbers a little. First off, DAD's run time is 2 hours 13 minutes, not 2 hours. CR is 2 hours 24 minutes, so in terms of number of showings a day, no difference. Also, CR is in a few more cinemas and as the writer mentioned, ticket prices are 12% higher than when DAD played. So in comparison, DAD had a far better opening.
As far as the comparison with Happy Feet goes, I think CR did well. CR's per screen average was much higher than Happy Feet. As mentioned previously, Happy Feet had a much shorter run time and was in many more cinemas so a slight overall box office lead would be expected. What will be interesting to see is if CR has legs. In the States the Thanksgiving weekend is huge for the movie business. As part of that business Barry and his whole family will be seeing CR, Thanksgiving Thursday. I promise an open mind. Nice to hear Caterina does a good job, I knew she looked like a Bond girl, happy she played the role well.
Who gives a toss about box office? All that matters is how good the film is. In my case at least, I've been given what is, IMO, the best Bond film and the best Bond I've ever seen, so I really don't give a toss how much money a bunch of f***ing penguins make.
Who gives a toss about box office? All that matters is how good the film is. In my case at least, I've been given what is, IMO, the best Bond film and the best Bond I've ever seen, so I really don't give a toss how much money a bunch of f***ing penguins make.
Well feel free to 'not' read or contribute to topics where the 'interest' is clearly specified in the title, and leave everyone else in the world that doesn't revolve around you, to contribute, without having to read your non-contributions cluttering up the otherwise intelligent discussions.
I am disappointed to see Bond lose to an animated penguin. Oh well. I plan to take my parents to go see it when I visit them for Thanksgiving. Hopefully, that will boost the movie's second week ranking.
Folks -- X-( I feel stupid even posting in a thread dedicated to arguing over the box office, because the opening means exactly "nothing," especially in the case of CR and the penguins. Moreover, it's the horserace aspect of Hollywood that is ruining movies. It's the reason so little originality escapes from that God-forsaken town.
However, I will lower myself:
Comparing a Bond picture's take to the penguins' take is asinine for the following reason:
1) Most of the people filling the theater to see the penguin movie didn't spend a dime at the box office. Their mommies and daddies did. And I'll bet not a few of those kids would have picked CR if they'd had a choice. It's like when my mother dragged me to see "Mary Poppins." Talk about child abuse.
2)The overwhelming majority of the people who saw CR either a) paid for their tickets b) do unspeakable things in the dark with the person who did c) are the result of those unspeakable doings sometime in the past ... One way or another, they chose to be there.
3) The mommies and daddies -- and some kids -- who got stuck with the penguins this weekend will be seeing CR later.
Wake up!!!!!! You're comparing apples and oranges.
Wake up!!!!!! You're comparing apples and oranges.
You're quite right HH, but unfortunately that's what most "entertainment news" (an oxymoron if ever there was one) sites do. Case in point, the headline from E! Online's story on the weekend boxoffice:
News outlets don't care about what genre the movies are; all that matters to them is the bottom line and which one came out on top. Of course, Bond used to be more family friendly and the slightly diminished box office shows that with CR Bond doesn't quite fit that bill anymore.
Still, $41 million is nothing to sneer at; it's a great opening considering the radical changes to the formula and the unconventional casting choices. Even a hardened dissenter like myself will happily concede that. The real question going forward is if CR will have the legs to keep the momentum going, especially in America where many movies do as much as 50% of their business in that first weekend.
Wake up!!!!!! You're comparing apples and oranges.
You're quite right HH, but unfortunately that's what most "entertainment news" (an oxymoron if ever there was one) sites do. Case in point, the headline from E! Online's story on the weekend boxoffice:
News outlets don't care about what genre the movies are; all that matters to them is the bottom line and which one came out on top. Of course, Bond used to be more family friendly and the slightly diminished box office shows that with CR Bond doesn't quite fit that bill anymore.
Still, $41 million is nothing to sneer at; it's a great opening considering the radical changes to the formula and the unconventional casting choices. Even a hardened dissenter like myself will happily concede that. The real question going forward is if CR will have the legs to keep the momentum going, especially in America where many movies do as much as 50% of their business in that first weekend.
The "story" is a headline-writers dream, no doubt. And that's true about the first weekend. But that's an average that includes all films. A hit will continue to post big numbers for a long time, although one would expect a gradual decline. Titanic was making millions a year after its release. I don't think CR will do that, but there's every reason to think a lot of parents who had to go to the penguin movie because their kids were too young for CR will go to CR at a later date. CR and Craig have gotten a lot of good press and people are going to want to know what the fuss is about. Maybe even those who stopped going to Bond films because they figured they knew what to expect will check it out just out of curiosity.
But really, the whole box office thing is awful for movies, especially when it's been shown time and time again that if a film is good, people will go see it at the theater if you give them a chance. I can't tell you how many times I've rented a video of a movie that didn't last a week in the theaters and just been blown away by how good it was. And hearing the same thing from other people.
I think the article Em posted spins the numbers a little. First off, DAD's run time is 2 hours 13 minutes, not 2 hours. CR is 2 hours 24 minutes, so in terms of number of showings a day, no difference. Also, CR is in a few more cinemas and as the writer mentioned, ticket prices are 12% higher than when DAD played. So in comparison, DAD had a far better opening.
Maybe- I can't pretend to understand any of this; bear in mind also that DAD cost $10 mill more to make (I think); and that's not even adjusting for inflation, which would make its cost even bigger than CR.
I believe the word going aroung is that it cost Sony and MGM $150 million to make and promote. So it needs to make $300 million just to break even.
The $300 million Spectre is quoting comes from the convention sometimes used in Hollywood that a movie needs to make twice what it cost in order to be considered profitable. Of course, with the advent of DVD, cable and satellite deals, merchandising tie ins and so on, it does get more foggy as to when a movie is considered profitable.
As to the budget, I don't belive that $150 million includes Sony's marketing expenses.
It's wonderful news that CR is doing well in the opening weekend. But what decides the sales over time should be word of mouth, I guess. If the overvelming majority critics are right, the movie is very good. If the audience agrees the word of mout will be good and the box office will be good too!
CR hasn't opened in Norway yet, but I will go and see it next friday!
Just as a point of discussion and because movies are a business, as well as an art, the following is the comparison of DAD and CR opening weekend box office in the States. CR opened to $40,600,000 in 3,434 theaters. An average $11,822 per screen. DAD opened to $47,072,040 in 3,314 theaters. An average of $14,203 per screen. Personally I would attribute the difference to the star power DAD had (Halle Berry and a well known Pierce Brosnan) vs the lack of star names in CR.
Now for those of you who think the box office numbers mean nothing, only the quality of the film matters. The overall grade given to CR by members of boxofficemojo.com was an A, while DAD received a B.
A little something for everyone.
One thing I know for sure, we will have a Bond 22 and that is a good thing.
Just as a point of discussion and because movies are a business, as well as an art, the following is the comparison of DAD and CR opening weekend box office in the States. CR opened to $40,600,000 in 3,434 theaters. An average $11,822 per screen. DAD opened to $47,072,040 in 3,314 theaters. An average of $14,203 per screen. Personally I would attribute the difference to the star power DAD had (Halle Berry and a well known Pierce Brosnan) vs the lack of star names in CR.
There's a bit of that, of appealing less to a kiddie market, of a longer running time (even an extra ten minutes means five or six screenings in a day will take an hour longer than it took to show the equivalent number of showings of DAD, which may push it past a cinema's closing time, meaning possibly losing one screening), more competition etc. There are all sorts of factors and I doubt CR doing less business is much of a surprise to anyone- even I was expecting it. Plus, DAD wasn't the norm in terms of performance; more the exception; and I'm not sure if anyone knows why particularly- it's hard to second guess these things entirely.
LoeffelholzThe United States, With LovePosts: 8,990Quartermasters
I think CR has earned another 40-something million in the UK and other countries thus far---80-something million total---almost a third of the way to breaking even after one weekend This would seem to bode well.
Check out my Amazon author page!Mark Loeffelholz
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Comments
I was also lucky enough to obtain two prints allowing me to show the film up to eight times yesterday including a 10.30 showing which was quite well attended.
From the audience reaction I have seen and heard the film is going to attract a wide age range of customer. Those of you concerned with the certificate are correct that the film is quite strong and some careful thought will be needed by parents (my two eldest sons saw the film, aged 9 and 12)
I am well pleased with the Box Office so far. Bond has peaked high in the opening week before now so it remains to be seen if the film has "legs" as they say.
I hope you have all enjoyed it, I certainly did and after all the discussion it would seem that the Brosnan era is well and truly over with this film. MI6 report that Brosnan is being very gracious about Daniel Craig and I guess it must be a bit annoying for him at this time.
Looking forward to this time in 2008!
Best wishes to you all.:)
They both loved it, though I think the card game lost them a bit. When Bond lost that big hand, Ian looked at me and said, 'Uh oh.'
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
It will obviously depend on the child and their sensitivities. I agree most of the action sequences would just go over most kids heads but I'm not sure about the torture scene.
My daughter has just been watching When Plastic Surgery Goes Wrong or something and didn't bat an eyelid, so I'm sure she would be ok but I think the story line is too mature. She would lose interest very quickly.
Harry Potter was a 12a and I didn't think twice about taking her to that but CR is most definitely boarder line. I would have done the same as Marjil and checked it out first, which tells me I'm not sure it has the right certificate.
My town...every showing sold out for 5 days....you cant get in...
But it is fun with a packed house....the reactions are great...
Wow
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Do they not take Sunday box office sales into consideration for the weekend take, or are they projecting today's ticket sales based on Friday and Saturday?
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
Indeed- shame that. Odd they don't until the actual Sunday take, but I'm sure they know what their on about.
Bear in mind that Bond has taken $40 million more than Happy Feet globally so I doubt anyone's crying into their beer.
http://www.showbizdata.com/
With Casino on $47.2 million and Feet on $44.6 million.
I don't know how they work this out
But I've never thought of this as a battle between Bond and penguins or space aliens or globe-trotting archaeologists or CIA spies, but between a fresh, vital, exciting James Bond and a tired, cliche-ridden, formulaic series. That's not a fight you'll see at the box office, but on the screen. And I think most of us can see that CR won that hands down.
I see $40 million as a solid opening. I imagine Sony/Eon would be relatively satisfied with that figure, if not exactly overjoyed. I hope the figures remain solid in the coming weeks. Casino Royale deserves to succeed at the box office.
{[]
I hope that CR at least approaches DAD's overall take---and, based upon the opening weekend, it's not out of the question.
Rogue...remember our bet? Make that virtual keg of beer a Heineken :v
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
http://www.deadlinehollywooddaily.com/
Casino is number 1 in 27 countries! They also reckon it's too close to call and will come down to real figures rather than estimates.
Don't forget it cost less to make and has a longer running time- so it may not be able to sell as many tickets in as short a time as DAD, but equally it doesn't need to as much as DAD did.
Thanks, em {[]
The penguin picture is almost an hour shorter in running time; with that many more screenings per theatre per day, it's fairly impressive that CR is as close as it is...
Great shot of Craigger meeting Her Majesty, as well B-).
EDIT: What you already said, re: running time ;%
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM
http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page1730.asp
I think the article Em posted spins the numbers a little. First off, DAD's run time is 2 hours 13 minutes, not 2 hours. CR is 2 hours 24 minutes, so in terms of number of showings a day, no difference. Also, CR is in a few more cinemas and as the writer mentioned, ticket prices are 12% higher than when DAD played. So in comparison, DAD had a far better opening.
As far as the comparison with Happy Feet goes, I think CR did well. CR's per screen average was much higher than Happy Feet. As mentioned previously, Happy Feet had a much shorter run time and was in many more cinemas so a slight overall box office lead would be expected. What will be interesting to see is if CR has legs. In the States the Thanksgiving weekend is huge for the movie business. As part of that business Barry and his whole family will be seeing CR, Thanksgiving Thursday. I promise an open mind. Nice to hear Caterina does a good job, I knew she looked like a Bond girl, happy she played the role well.
Who gives a toss about box office? All that matters is how good the film is. In my case at least, I've been given what is, IMO, the best Bond film and the best Bond I've ever seen, so I really don't give a toss how much money a bunch of f***ing penguins make.
Well feel free to 'not' read or contribute to topics where the 'interest' is clearly specified in the title, and leave everyone else in the world that doesn't revolve around you, to contribute, without having to read your non-contributions cluttering up the otherwise intelligent discussions.
However, I will lower myself:
Comparing a Bond picture's take to the penguins' take is asinine for the following reason:
1) Most of the people filling the theater to see the penguin movie didn't spend a dime at the box office. Their mommies and daddies did. And I'll bet not a few of those kids would have picked CR if they'd had a choice. It's like when my mother dragged me to see "Mary Poppins." Talk about child abuse.
2)The overwhelming majority of the people who saw CR either a) paid for their tickets b) do unspeakable things in the dark with the person who did c) are the result of those unspeakable doings sometime in the past ... One way or another, they chose to be there.
3) The mommies and daddies -- and some kids -- who got stuck with the penguins this weekend will be seeing CR later.
Wake up!!!!!! You're comparing apples and oranges.
You're quite right HH, but unfortunately that's what most "entertainment news" (an oxymoron if ever there was one) sites do. Case in point, the headline from E! Online's story on the weekend boxoffice:
http://www.eonline.com/news/article/index.jsp?uuid=f3a7755d-6c6f-43e9-bba0-1bacc1d4ba62
News outlets don't care about what genre the movies are; all that matters to them is the bottom line and which one came out on top. Of course, Bond used to be more family friendly and the slightly diminished box office shows that with CR Bond doesn't quite fit that bill anymore.
Still, $41 million is nothing to sneer at; it's a great opening considering the radical changes to the formula and the unconventional casting choices. Even a hardened dissenter like myself will happily concede that. The real question going forward is if CR will have the legs to keep the momentum going, especially in America where many movies do as much as 50% of their business in that first weekend.
The "story" is a headline-writers dream, no doubt. And that's true about the first weekend. But that's an average that includes all films. A hit will continue to post big numbers for a long time, although one would expect a gradual decline. Titanic was making millions a year after its release. I don't think CR will do that, but there's every reason to think a lot of parents who had to go to the penguin movie because their kids were too young for CR will go to CR at a later date. CR and Craig have gotten a lot of good press and people are going to want to know what the fuss is about. Maybe even those who stopped going to Bond films because they figured they knew what to expect will check it out just out of curiosity.
But really, the whole box office thing is awful for movies, especially when it's been shown time and time again that if a film is good, people will go see it at the theater if you give them a chance. I can't tell you how many times I've rented a video of a movie that didn't last a week in the theaters and just been blown away by how good it was. And hearing the same thing from other people.
Maybe- I can't pretend to understand any of this; bear in mind also that DAD cost $10 mill more to make (I think); and that's not even adjusting for inflation, which would make its cost even bigger than CR.
The $300 million Spectre is quoting comes from the convention sometimes used in Hollywood that a movie needs to make twice what it cost in order to be considered profitable. Of course, with the advent of DVD, cable and satellite deals, merchandising tie ins and so on, it does get more foggy as to when a movie is considered profitable.
As to the budget, I don't belive that $150 million includes Sony's marketing expenses.
CR hasn't opened in Norway yet, but I will go and see it next friday!
Now for those of you who think the box office numbers mean nothing, only the quality of the film matters. The overall grade given to CR by members of boxofficemojo.com was an A, while DAD received a B.
A little something for everyone.
One thing I know for sure, we will have a Bond 22 and that is a good thing.
There's a bit of that, of appealing less to a kiddie market, of a longer running time (even an extra ten minutes means five or six screenings in a day will take an hour longer than it took to show the equivalent number of showings of DAD, which may push it past a cinema's closing time, meaning possibly losing one screening), more competition etc. There are all sorts of factors and I doubt CR doing less business is much of a surprise to anyone- even I was expecting it. Plus, DAD wasn't the norm in terms of performance; more the exception; and I'm not sure if anyone knows why particularly- it's hard to second guess these things entirely.
"I am not an entrant in the Shakespeare Stakes." - Ian Fleming
"Screw 'em." - Daniel Craig, The Best James Bond EverTM