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TUESDAY AM: 8TH UPDATE: Full weekend wrapup coming… Refresh for latest…
Christmas Day box office numbers for North America are up +60% compared to New Years Eve for the new holiday releases and as much as +86% for the weekend frontrunner Paramount’s Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, and +104% for Warner Bros’ Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows 
in second place. As for the No. 1 movie, director Brad Bird’s Tom Cruise-Jeremy Renner starrer is definitely going to outgross the M:I franchise’s last actioner which did $135M domestic and $270M overseas. My sources say M:I4 is heading to $175M domestic and $400M overseas — with a budget estimated at $145M. Also, Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-buzzed War Horse for DreamWorks/Disney opened in 2,376 theaters today and is overperforming with nearly $7.5M jumping into 3rd place. And that’s despite its 2-hour, 26-minute running time which means fewer screenings. Also opening today is New Regency/Summit Entertainment’s sci-fi thriller The Darkest Hour which debuted today in 2,324 theaters with $2.5M. Fox’s Alvin And The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked falls to 6th place, while the studio’s We Bought A Zoo moves up a notch to 5th, and Paramount’s The Adventures Of Tintin drops to 7th. More later.
As predicted, Christmas Eve grosses were very soft. (And many international theaters particularly in Europe close early on Christmas Eve and on Christmas.) Paramount’s Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol is still having the holiday season’s strongest start for #1. Either Tom Cruise’s career is back from the brink or else moviegoers are in the mood for a full-frills actionfest with heartstopping stunts — or both. The fourquel is showing that this franchise has freshened successfully. Warner Bros’ Sherlock Holmes: Game Of Shadows is holding in 2nd place, but it was supposed to win the weekend. Guy Ritchie’s thriller just wasn’t thrilling enough for audiences. And its disappointing start shows how fickle fans can be when it comes to movie stars like Robert Downey Jr. Another big surprise is the underperformance of Twentieth Century Fox’s family fare threequel Alvin And The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked which may show more life over the next week. Sony Pictures’ The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo 
is the only major studio wide release that’s R-rated this holiday period. So its lackluster grosses are such a surprise (especially because adults are flocking to specialty box office hits like Fox Searchlight’s The Descendants and The Weinstein Co’s The Artist). Maybe fans of the Steig Larsson novel were satisfied by last year’s Swedish film and weren’t feeling David Fincher’s Hollywood version. But business could pick up next week. Paramount/Sony’s The Adventure Of Tintin is already a hit overseas. But these domestic grosses underwhelm for a Steven Spielberg/Peter Jackson collaboration. Then again, Americans don’t have a clue who the Belgian boy hero is. Twentieth Century Fox suffered yet another disappointing debut when its holiday heartwarmer We Bought A Zoo opened really weak despite stars Matt Damon-Scarlett Johansson and director Cameron Crowe and heavy TV advertising and two rounds of national sneaks to build word of mouth. You’d think all those animals would have put more people in seats, like the studio’s previous hit Marley & Me, especially with an ‘A’ CinemaScore. Speaking of animals, Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-buzzed War Horse from DreamWorks/Disney opens Sunday in 2,376 theaters and is projected to make $4.5M on Sunday and $8M Monday. Its 2-hour, 26-minute running time means fewer screenings. Question is whether this is family or adult fare.
But just when the Grinch stole Hollywood’s moviegoers comes the stat that overall box office this 3-day weekend is -22% compared to last year. But the 4-day wholiday looks to be up 3% vs last year which also included Christmas Eve. Monday is a U.S. national holiday so look for better box office. That’s when we’ll see clarity on whether the entire holiday period will bring out moviegoers for what is now the very important New Year’s weekend which may lead to much better multiples and totals than usual. Latest Top 10 (order determined by weekend gross):
1. Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol (Paramount) Week 2 [3,448 Runs]
Debuted Friday December 16 in limited release; Expanded Tuesday night December 20; Officially went wide Wednesday December 21
Tuesday $1.7M, Wednesday $8.9M (including $2M midnights), Thursday $6.2M, Friday $9.7M, Saturday $6.1M
3-Day Weekend $26.5M, 4-day Holiday $40.2M
Domestic Cume $72.6M, International Cume $130M (from 50 markets)
2. Sherlock Holmes: Game Of Shadows (Warner Bros) Week 2 [3,703 Runs]
Opened wide Friday December 16
Wednesday $4.2M, Thursday $4.8M, Friday $6.7M, Saturday $5M
3-Day Weekend $17.8M (-55%), 4-Day Holiday $25M
Domestic Cume $83.8M, International Cume $46.1M (from 25 markets)
3. Alvin & The Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (Fox) Week 2 [3,726 Runs]
Opened wide Friday December 16
Wednesday $3.5M, Thursday $3.9M, Friday $5.4M, Saturday $2.8M
3-Day Weekend $13.3M (-43%), 4-Day Holiday $21.1M
Domestic Cume $58.1M, International Cume $42.1M (from 52 markets)
4. The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Sony) NEW [2,914 Runs]
Debuted Tuesday night December 20; Opened Wednesday December 21
Tuesday $1.6M, Wednesday $5M, Thursday $3.1M, Friday $4.6M, Saturday $2.5M
3-Day Weekend $13M, 4-Day Holiday $20M
Domestic Cume $28.5M, International Cume $950K
5. The Adventures Of Tintin 3D (Paramount) NEW [3,087 Runs]
Opened Wednesday December 21
Wednesday $2.3M, Thursday $2.4M, Friday $3.5M, Saturday $2.4M
3-Day Weekend $9.1M, 4-Day Holiday $14.3M
Domestic Cume $22.3M, International Cume (Sony) $240M
6. We Bought A Zoo (Fox) NEW [3,117 Runs]
Friday $3M, Saturday $1.9M
3-Day Weekend $7.8M, 4-Day Holiday $11.7M
International Cume $1.1M (from 6 markets)
7. New Year’s Eve (Warner Bros) Week 3 [2,585 Runs]
Friday $1.3M, Saturday $505K
3-Day Weekend $3M, 4-Day Holiday $5.4M, Cume $34.8M
8. Arthur Christmas (Sony) Week 5 [1,804 Runs]
Friday $1M, Saturday $745K
3-Day Weekend $2.7M, 4-Day Holiday $4M
Domestic Cume $45.5M, International Cume $90M (from 74 markets)
9. Hugo 3D (Paramount) Week 5 [1,236 Runs]
Friday $712K, Saturday $583K
3-Day Weekend $2M, 4-Day Holiday $3M
Domestic Cume $44.6M
10. The Muppets (Disney) Week 5 [1,859 Runs]
Friday $930K, Saturday $607K
3-Day Weekend $2M, 4-Day Holiday $3.6M
Domestic Cume $77.2M
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Tom Cruise, who never really left, is back!
Great actor, great charisma, and fun movies. Glad he survived the miserable storm of bad press a few years ago because I don’t think he deserved it.
I wholeheartedly agree. That guy has been unfairly attacked for acts far less egregious than many of Hollywood’s far less talented “celebrities.” I’ve seen every film he has appeared in and will continue that tradition this weekend. He is one of the few true stars left in the movie business. Please Tom, stay off the Hollywood soapbox and keep your political beliefs a private affair—your fans will be loyal and will love you for it.
…and religious beliefs.
A little Tebowing every now and then we could live with.
He got the bad press because he is part of a criminal enterprise. Would you expect John Gotti to get good press if he were in Top Gun or War of the Worlds? Scientology is not a religion. It is not even a cult. It is a criminal enterprise. Most people don’t know the truth behind his “religion”. Google Operation Freakout and Operation Snow White. Those are just what the public knows about this “church”.
It would all depend on Gotti’s publicist.
Say what you want about Cruise’s crazy beliefs, but it’s the old guard like him that still know how to promote a movie. Matt Damon spent more time talking down Obama and giving lectures. Scarlett gave us her brand of attitude by telling us not to call her “ScarJo”. What did any of that tell us about We Bought a Zoo? The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo went overboard with viral marketing to the point that it isolated the audience. Only the too cool pretentious crowd welcome. Tinseltown managers should teach the basics. We, the audience, don’t want to hear you unless you’re selling us the movie. The top 5 is all expensive garbage.
When Tom Cruise made “Days of Thunder” which was financed by Exxon, he refused to take publicity pictures in front of a car with the Exxon insignia on it. Talk about an idiot. I’ve never seen a Tom Cruise since then and NEVER WILL.
A lot of large religious institutions can be called criminal enterprises by your definition. If the crimes of the Church of Scientology were to take up a single book, the crimes of the Roman Catholic Church would take up the equivalent of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Granted, the Catholics have nearly 2,000 years on the Scientologists, but…
I don’t recall the Scientologists being responsible for genocide. Or for willfully destroying entire cultures. (Take a tour of the American Museum of the American Indian at the Smithsonian for some examples of the Catholic Church doing just that.) Or maybe the historians just haven’t yet caught up with the worst acts of L. Ron’s minions.
So if you’re going to call out Cruise for being apart of what you call a criminal enterprise, why don’t you also call out Catholic stars as well.
Celebrities/movie stars just need to shut up and do the work. They are just pieces of meat. They alienate the viewing public with their “personal” opinions. It’s the old studio way and it works.
Love the poster upthread who is defending Exxon. Seriously?
GMAFB. MI4 is a sequel in an action series that’s done extremely well in the past so it’s not a true indicator of whether or not Tom Cruise is “back”. Knight & Day whiffed domestically and scored well internationally. A better test for Cruise will be a movie that’s not a sequel to a previous box office hit and isn’t based on a NY Times Best Seller book (ie, the Jack Reacher movie coming out next year). I don’t think Johnny Depp has to worry about vacating his throne just yet…or Will Smith either.
Because Johnny Depp doesnt rely on sequels? Pirates is on number what now?
And Will Smith? Just saw preview of new Men in Black…
As for Knight & Day, it stunk, but its not like Depp and Smith havent had their recent bombs. (Hancock, Seven Pounds, The Tourist)
Personal beliefs aside, Cruise has made some of the biggest and most iconic movies of the last 25 years (Top Gun, Rain Man, Jerry Maguire, Risky Business, A Few Good Men, Mission Impossible), along with many other very profitable movies.
Knight & Day made $261m worldwide
The Tourist made $278m worldwide
Hancock made $625m worldwide
Seven Pounds made $168m worldwide
All movies made more than 2x their respective budgets…
and RUM DIARY!
You mean the depp who hates america and lives in france but comes to the good old USA to make his money selling his movies to idiots like you.
Can you blame the guy? Sounds like he’s living the life!
Evidence that Johnny Depp hates America – other than the fact that he lives in another country, which is anyone’s right – in 3…2..1… no? don’t have anything? Then shut up.
100% agree!
Agreed. Cruise is a great actor. We saw MI4 last night and enjoyed. Can’t believe he did the tower stunt by himself. Wife is still laughing about some of the lines.
Seeing Sherlock tomorrow night. Great holiday week for movies. Thanks hollywood. You’re sometimes mildly annoying in real life but generate magic on the big screen.
Watching War of the Worlds now on tnt after wrapping gifts. That first scene with the robots coming out of the ground rocks.
(1) You’re clearly part of Tom Cruise’s publicity machine.
(2) You have no taste if you’re praising Sherlock 2.
Not only he`s back, but his movie is beating boxoffice darling RDJ (whom I love, don`t get me wrong) and boxoffice poison-groomed-to-be-boxoffice draw Daniel Craig (whom I can`t stand and by the look of his 4 flops this year, audiences feel the same).
That said, it`s nigh time to accept that Dragon Tattoo bombed hard. This is not a slowburn movie cause the hype was relentless. If people didn`t show up the first days, no matter how busy shopping they were, they never will. The numbers are simply terrible, no way to spin them differently. Especially since MI4 shows that if there`s interest, they`ll come. Rating has little to do with it opening week.
You do know Xenu was responsible for the Great Wall Incident, don’t you?
Scientology drones to the rescue in 3…2…1
Cruise never left??? this guys so far left he’s out of the park, maybe he should go back to Oprey and jump on her furniture – what a loser.
Completely agree.
Tom Cruise is box office poison.
The studio is lucky that MI/GP has enough stunts and effects going for it, that Tom’s role in the film won’t be enough to impact it’s success.
MI/GP has no legs. Massive advertising preceded it’s release.
As soon as the kids have seen it once, the film will drop like a rock.
Foreign sales and domestic DVDs will probably sell enough to make the file break even, but trust me Tom Cruise is NOT “back”
Any studio foolish enough to test this will find out what box office poison TC really is.
What a load of crap!! M:I4 stank compared to War Horse. We took the entire family to both back to back. The theater with War Horse was sold out all day at three screenings. If you weren’t there a half hour early, good luck finding two seats together. And for good reason, Great movie.
M:I4 was empty, I’ll bet less than half of the audience at the 6:30 pm showing as War Horse, and we went at the 3:40 showing!
I have not paid good money to go see this clown in years but to make the family happy I went. Now I remember why I will not waist my money on Cruise crap anymore. Completely unbelievable. I even heard my 11 year say “yea right” more than once during this drivel and she was three seats away from me.
Err… say what?
Mi4 was awesome. Have not seen Spielberg War Horse yet, but the Lincoln Center play/musical was bad — visually impressive, but with a story that was so simple and stunted that a B horror movie should be embarassed to have that weak of a story. Sounds like the movie was more of the same.
Dan comments that MI4 was crap and theatres empty (????) Where did all the box office takings come from, not just USA but internationally as well. Guess a stupid critic like him would say that all the Scientoligists in the world went to see MI 4. Guess with those numbers, they are taking over the Universe.
And re the 11 year old, like the father, does not comprehend that they are watching MOVIES….. War Horse as well.
Never read such a bunch of crap.
Don’t mind sensible criticism but engaging mouth before mind is way off course. Perhaps the whole family should have left the empty (how could it be empty if they were in there, anyway) theatre and watched TV. It’s free.
“Sources tell me that Christmas Day box office numbers for North America are up +60% compared to New Years Eve for the new holiday releases and as much as +86% for the weekend frontrunner…”
Should “New Years Eve” be “Christmas Eve”?
Great actor? Wow, I always thought he was one of the worst.
Yeah, that’s why Tom Cruise is still acting since the early 1980′s?
Grow up! If he was that terrible, he would not be offered main parts and he would be unheard of now.
Jealous of his money and great life, eh????
Go mission impossible!!!! Guess its obivous that Tom Cruise is back now….
I kinda expected more from girl with a dragon tattoo ( kinda a neck and neck thing with mission impossible )Poor tintin…it’ll most likely pick up the pace over the weekend
I don’t think War Horse or Zoo are going to save the day… Scary
Not a surprise that movies are losing their luster for the public when half the articles and comments on web sites like this trash Hollywood’s films, filmmakers, each other, and the business in general, mostly for dark sport, for added user clicks, or for twisted self-agrandizement. Obviously film criticism by pros or amateurs can be constructive, but negative BS piles up, contributes a smell, unfairly, to a worthwhile business and great source of culture, worth preserving.
Oh, calm down. And demand that Hollywood make better movies.
Is it too early to officially declare “TINTIN” an absolute disaster in the US?
Give it a few more days, might surprise you. That or it will just die a slow death, either way Tintin will be back in a sequel.
His public arguments with other stars (like Brooke Shields) were another distraction of his own making. Arguably one of the better things he did was his cameo in TROPIC THUNDER.However, would like to find match before Christmas day and you can celebrate together. Bla-ck-wh-ite’Pl-anet.C-0-MIt’s a person’als place where to- connect with beautiful and excellent people! a nice best place for bla-ck whit-e sin-gles, to interact with each other…no games or extremes in front of true love. All multiplexes are running full houses in Bangalore. Tom Cruise is synonymous with Hollywood Superstar in India and Asia. So I’m extremely pained and angry to read some insane gossip bloggers claiming that he hired fans to cheer him in MUMBAI.
.
Thats true. He did. Tom is considered a bit of a freak in Bollywood circles. An invented movie star. He’s not really respected in foreign markets like Hollywood movie stars of yore.
I agree. It’s one of those films that, given time, will most likely grow in popularity. It had a strong opening around the rest of the world because people were already familiar with Tintin – “familiar” being an understatement of course. But because the film’s so big in terms of special effects, people involved, etcetera, I think word of mouth is what’s going to save it.
But yes, it’s definitely too early to declare it a disaster. Even if it doesn’t perform amazingly in theatres, what about DVD and Blu-ray sales? How often has something started off generally unknown and then suddenly grows in popularity, either because of a plug or just slowly discovering it?
Besides, as long as a sequel’s promised (they’re working on the script now! Yay!) I couldn’t care less about what America does. If they want to watch singing chipmunks, that’s all good. Just give us our Tintin sequel and we’re content.
More singing chipmunk rockstars!
Yeah, but when’s the last time that happened? The last I can remember wasn’t even a movie, it was a TV show — “Family Guy”.
There really haven’t been too many of those DVD “resurrections” for films in recent years. If it flops in the theatres, then its going to flop on DVD too.
Yes, it is a little too early. Kids’ movies underperform right before Christmas, soar right after.
What in the hell does opened Wednesday, Dec. 21, FRI 2.5M mean?
way too early to tell if it’s a disaster or not. either way it will have a sequel like what has been said already. i saw it and i loved it. i hope it picks up which i wouldn’t be surprised if it did.
That’s an ouch for Tin Tin. Seems Alvin and the crapmunks is going to put the spanner in the wheels this week. The only real winner is going to be TC and MI4.
Is that a typo on “Tintin’s” international numbers? 241 million?
Nope.
Dang! I doublechecked the numbers on Boxoffice Mojo! That’s crazy numbers! Knock me out for ever second guessing Spielberg! Who needs domestic numbers with international numbers like that?
I’d love to see an article about the vast discrepancy between Tintin’s domestic numbers vs international!
That’s simple, the comic book series that Tintin is based on are beloved just about everywhere but here.
Congrats Brad Bird on MI4. Well directed.
agreed. big time. there was a lot of cheese sprinkled on those relationship arcs / backstories (what else would you expect from the overrated applebaum and nemec), but the action and the movie in general was so well directed that i just didn’t give a crap. it was completely awesome. very excited for brad, and let’s be honest, tom as well.
M:I-GP is doing extremely well in India. All multiplexes are running full houses in Bangalore. Tom Cruise is synonymous with Hollywood Superstar in India and Asia. So I’m extremely pained and angry to read some insane gossip bloggers claiming that he hired fans to cheer him in MUMBAI.
They are most likely all taking notes, for when they shamelessly rip it off in a year or so.
Would make a change from Hollywood shamelessly ripping off, remaking and cannabalising foreign cinema then.
When it’s not doing all those things from within it’s OWN geographical area, of course.
There’s a difference: when Hollywood does it, they actually BUY the rights first, whereas Bollywood changes some names, adds a dance routine or two, and calls it something original.
Clearly you haven’t been aware of any films created in the last 100 years, then. Good grief, even Shakespeare ripped off Italian plays.
Cruise never left, but he had not done his career much good in the last few years. The couch-jumping was the elast of his problems. His public arguments with other stars (like Brooke Shields) were another distraction of his own making. Arguably one of the better things he did was his cameo in TROPIC THUNDER.
M:IGP may help as long as Tommy doesn’t do another crap-fest like KNIGHT AND DAY.
And for Tommy, and Tim Tebow and other celebrities that are passionate abotu their faith, take heed from the SNL skit on the Jimmy Fallon-hosted episode. It’s really great you are religious and all but please take it down a notch and don’t get in everyone’s face about it.
I respect your comments and your point of view but ask that you reconsider using any SNL references to validate any of your arguments.
Yes, but that doesn’t make it wrong. Celebs and athletes, heep your religious (and political) opinions to yourself.
I, on the other hand, would love to see what would happen to his celebrity in India if he started going on about Scientology. I suppose since what we have mostly seen is leaked English-language footage, someone would have to translate.
As evidenced by the excellent comment from our friends Krishna and Ajji in Bangalore, many Indians speak/write English quite well. And being mostly Hindu, Indians are admirably tolerant of other faiths.
Hollywood’s product has to travel and succeed around the world, so it’s exciting that DEADLINE is drawing so many readers/commenters from overseas.
The cultists are so creepy. Do they really think this is how normal people sound?
Thank you. I needed a smile this morning.
No! Deadline is read by all the “movers and shakers,” right in Hollywood! The people who post here are all active in the film and television industry! So what if Nikki can’t get invited to the Oscars? India?? NO NO NO
I disagree with your points. The backlash from the “couch-jumping”, was justified; that was crazy. It resulted from his firing his long-time publicist and replacing him/her with his sister, who lacked perspective and let the whole world see the crazy Tom Cruise that was best kept under wraps. I’m sure there are many other actors who are just as crazy as Cruise, but they have highly skilled publicists who massage their image and don’t allow the crazy side to come out in public.
In terms of his “religious” beliefs, everyone knows that Scientology is not a religion. It was a money-making scam set up by L. Ron Hubbard, and they have mastered the art of exploiting celebrities for profit by appealing to their egos and taking advantage of their lack of critical thinking skills. So, like John Travolta and Kirstie Alley, Tom Cruise is a guy who is not terribly bright and was looking to fill an emotional and spiritual void in his life that fame and fortune had not filled.
So, in conclusion, I think that Cruise is A)somewhat crazy, just like the majority of hyper-famous celebrities and B) both unintelligent and emotionally damaged, once again just like the majority of actors. Neither of these facts have anything to do with the fact that he is an extremely talented film actor, supremely charismatic on the screen and one of the few remaining “movie stars”, in an era of Daniel Craig, Ryan Reynolds, and other faceless actors masquerading as stars.
Great post. 100% agreed.
This post is generally on the mark. I’d add that Scientology blackmails actors who are gay to shill for them.
Totally agree, except it’s not just actors who are somewhat crazy. It’s everyone.
Having seen TINTIN, I am not sure why it was necessary to animate this at all. The lead character looks more “normal” than the original Belgian comic, and given the advances in CGI, there was nothing that required animation except maybe to prove you still cannot animate convincingly-real characters (Hulk, Jar-Jar etc.).
TINTIN will under-perform in the US only because the American market has not widely embraced the source material, as European markets have.
Of course in Hollywood, today’s mistake can simply be remade in 2 or 3 years.
That is one of my problems with Tin Tin, I don’t get why it needs creepy CGI people. It looks like it should be live action. Maybe if it is that good it will find a life on DVD.
You know Hollywood is in real trouble when an inflated ‘$8M’ gross from a sequel is on top. Heads will roll come January…
‘Heads will roll?’ You must be joking. Hollywood is the most nepotistic industry in America. No one is going to get fired for a lackluster Xmas box office. They’ll blame everyone/everything but themselves. The only way to get a job in the Industry: know somebody, be very good looking (and willing to play the casting couch game), or prove yourself in some other industry (e.g. stand up comedy).
MI:4 was a great action movie. Very little downtime between action sequences. The Brit is annoying/unbelievable but that’s the only minor issue.
Everything about your post leads me to believe you a) don’t work in the “industry” and b) you are an ignorant, hateful whelp. Happy New Year!
Will the Scientologists who flood these boards with non-stop praise for Tom Cruise please give it a rest. You guys are creepy.
The film is actually running neck and neck with Girl With A Dragon Tattoo and may be surpassed at some point this weekend. It’s only number one because of the midnight showings. The latter is also rated R and not playing in IMAX theaters.
@puim
lmao nice try
neck and neck with GWTDT? Ye sure since that opened on wed, i.e., had 2900 screens whereas MI4 had a few hundred screens. Wait for the days where both have full screencount
I could care less about the creepiness of scientologists and other religious freaks like hardcore christians and muslims. If the movie is good, I’ll see it
Pretty slow day at the Scientology Center, huh?
$2 million of that came from MIDNIGHT SHOWINGS, meaning…
Wednesday was:
Mission Impossible $6 million
Girl With A Dragon Tattoo $5.7 million
Tuesday was:
Mission Impossible $1.7 million
A Girl With A Dragon Tattoo $1.6 million
That’s with Mission Impossible opening wide on Tuesday two hours earlier (5pm vs. 7pm), thus, allowing an extra showing.
This is hardly a runaway victory. Let’s see how things play out over the course of the weekend. It’s entirely possible that GWTDT can overtake M:I and finish first. Given that the latter is rated R and DIDN’T have an IMAX premium surcharge to inflate its numbers, i’m saying David Fincher for the win.
BTW, Xenu says hi.
Apples n oranges my friend. Youre comparing wed IM4 to TOTAL tue+wed for Tatoo.
In the real world IM4 made 7 on wed and Tatoo 3.5. How is DOUBLE not a runaway?
Oh and I root for Tatoo vs IM4, I just prefer a level headed discussion and not biased ignorant rants like yours
Different films, different target audience.
If the movie is good, people are going to see it regardless of the ratings.
Don’t give that retarded “would’ve” “could’ve” “should’ve” attitude.
It never helps.
Calling people “retarded” always helps.
Mission: Impossible 4 was a big disappointment to me. Pacing problems, weak story (and villain), too many CG stunts, and Simon Pegg belonged in a different movie, a comedy.
I sort of enjoyed it, but yes, it was choppy, just one action sequence after another with no menacing villain (PHS was great in MI3).
It definitely didn’t deserve 93% on Rotten Tomatoes (which is why I was disappointed, my expectations were inflated) and I tend to think that Brad Bird got a lot of good will from the critics.
Your opinion but most seem to not agree with you.
actually, many do agree. box office is unimpressive, and this will likely be a disappointment in the end. the movie is flaccid. slightly better than the (awful) MI2, but significantly weaker than MI1 and MI3. Maybe this will be the last of the franchise, at least the last one with the vertically challenged cruise; maybe his diminutive stature could be explained psychoanalytically to the actor’s apparent obsession with rock climbing and jumping from helicopters. but of course, cruise does not believe in such theories.
“box office is unimpressive, and this will likely be a disappointment in the end”
eh what? It was #3 on 400 screens last week and will easily, I mean EASILY, be number 1 this weekend in arguably the most crowded weekend of the year. Also, it’s making a killing overseas. Zero chance this is the last in the series
CG effects? Yes, the storm, and some car crashes.
But when you know the actor (Cruise) himself is hanging off a building 1,700 feet off the ground (not a stuntman) you gain some real respect for as your describe “vertically challenged” principal’s love of his craft and commitment to deliver real action goods to his audience.
No one else in Hollywood has that kind of verve in today’s marketplace. They are too focused on making sure they have more perks than their counterpart.
The verve? Others are worried about their “counterparts” but Cruise is not? At least, try not to go overboard with the praise if you don’t want to sound like you work for Cruise’s PR team or for Scientology.
Here here. I agree, it was a week story. I like Tommy boy, his full court press on Scientology aside, but I left the movie with an empty feeling. Everything about MI4 was formulaic.
agrees, MI4 crap, the critics are stupid or drunk. TC is still hanging on the MI franchise since he doesn;t have anything else to hang on. People will see MI because its a brand TC or not TC. Brad shd go back making cartoons.
Spielberg is going to have back to back box office stinkers (in the US). He’s the David Gordon Green of the Christmas season.
This year, Spielberg also brought us (produced) ‘Super 8′, ‘Cowboys and Aliens’ and ‘Terra Nova.’
Unless ‘War Horse’ shatters all expectations then 2011 was definitely not his year…
SUPER 8 did just fine.
Tintin is getting close to $250 million outside the U.S & it still hasn’t been released in places that “get it” like The U.K & Australia.
It has been release in the UK.
At least he’ll have “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” money to add to his already massive bank account.
If he had a bad year, I want one just like his…
Good point and I don’t know why I forgot about ‘Transformers’, which performed worse than expected but still made a killing. ‘Super 8′ also did modestly, but no doubt underperformed relative to expectations.
Certainly not trying to say that Spielberg is done or anything absurd like that, but I definitely think that his brand took a hit in 2011.
I’d agree he’s attaching his ‘name’ a little too loosely of late and the films that he is thus attached to are too variable both in terms of financials and also reception.
Super 8 itself was a good film, but I think Paramount probably wanted more than they ended up getting with it. Transformers is just Paramount’s current tentpole (the third film’s take after the particularly toxic reception to the second film is actually quite impressive in an of itself) franchise.
Plus Terra Nova isn’t exactly setting the TV world on fire.
He’s spread himself a little too thinly. He maybe needs to reign in what he puts his name to a bit.
Super 8 was a decent movie and did well box office-wise against its gross. Cowboys & Aliens and Terra Nova, not so much.
He did produce Transformers 3 which surpassed $1.1 billion.
Super 8 was a hit
Have you EVER considered the possibility that people like Spielberg like to make movies because they want to tell a story and make a good film – and that the motivation is never “box office first”? I mean – do you even LIKE movies? Or are you an accountant?
i don’t think anyone thought tattoo and MI would be ‘neck-and-neck’ MI does have the IMAX screens..close to 500 which charge a higher ticket price…very shrewd move for paramount to snag those months out.
A absolutely loved TGWTDT the opening credits are spectacular but with a budget of 90-115 million how is it a hit if the gross is between 30-35 million over 5 days? I mean with the amount of Buzz and the clothing line selling out in seconds how is it a hit? I want it to be one but how is it? Can someone explain to me?
This movie is expected to be a worldwide hit. Clearing 100M in NA is plenty for a domestic gross if it can add another 200M worldwide.
I hope they weren’t expecting to gross much more than 100M in NA, it’s a dark, R rated, murder/mystery/thriller, those movies don’t typically earn 150+M.
Plus, they invested money in this film with the potential to make 2 more. So if they get a modest return on their investment here, they can build an audience and earn more money with the next 2 films.
Why is it expected to be a worldwide hit? I think a lot of people are wondering about that. The rest of the world loved the original which came out 2 years ago. I think it is very unsure whther the rest of the world gives a darn about seeing the same film this soon.
Well said, Steven! Took the words right outta my mouth.
The fact that it’s not in 3,000 theaters, and runs nearly 3 hours means that 35 million in the first 5 days is a strong start despite the budget. It also has an A cinemascore which means word-of-mouth could help it’s business.
With such a dearth of reassuring family escapism this season, Disney is really missing out on a boatload of cash by no longer reissuing the old Walt classics to theaters at holiday time. In this grim environment, who wouldn’t want to see “Lady and the Tramp,” “Cinderella” or “Song of the South” about now?
Why would you pick of all of Disney’s movies, Song of the South? Lady and the Tramp and Cinderella yes but Song of the South? How about Snow White, Pinocchio, ect? And note, they are releasing Beauty and the Beast next month, which, given The Lion King’s success, Im guessing will do ok.
You’re not familiar with the songs in “Song of the South”? There was some great stuff in there.
Disney is re-releasing “Beauty and the Beast” in January as a converted-to-3D money grab.
Disney has a stake in keeping the Beauty and the Beast brand alive. Theme park rides that attract business, merchandising, and reminding people that they like Disney. It’s about the business model more than a “moneygrab”, which implies issues of unsustainability, the very opposite of what Disney is trying to achieve.
Doesnt matter. Spielberg said: “There will be another Tintin movie in 2014.”
Awesome. I’ll enjoy watching that one bomb in the US as well. If we want to watch a dopey animated character stumble his way into one “adventure” after another with his dog sidekick, we’ve already got Scooby Doo.
Are you a generally unhappy person? I mean – do you even LIKE movies? Why are you here? I’ve never seen you give a positive comment about ANYTHING. Is the dampness in your mother’s basement starting to seep into your soul or something? Good grief.
Happy for MI4, it’s a pity MI3 didn’t have that success, it’s a better movie.
It was obviuos Tintin wasn’t going to be a hit but being a good movie is not fair. Americans, give Tintin a try.
TINTIN is the wrong movie at the wrong time. A non-existent franchise in this part of the world AND the fact that audiences have been overloaded with kids movies over the last month, many of which have underperformed? Anyone could see a poor box-office showing coming.
spielberg was in over his head with tin tin. maybe katzenberg could have made it a hit. maybe. but it is a weird unappealing story/character.
The problem is that it’s too smart. That may sound silly at first, but the fact is that kids in America can’t relate to an intelligent young boy as a journalist – American kids are so dumbed down at this point, the only thing they can relate to is a frickin’ FISH or a CAR WITH EYES ON IT. European children are much smarter and have a better education system. I’m sure the right wingers here will probably jump all over this comment because it’s filled with things called FACTS – but that’s why I think “Tintin”, as good a film as it is – won’t do giant numbers in the U.S., and is doing HUGE numbers in the foreign markets.
To those saying Tom Cruise is back… Hold on… Film is a franchise sequel with other actors involved. Mr. Cruise’s other films haven’t done well the last few years.
You have to take everything as a whole, not just one film. There’s other actors out there both more box office reliable.
True, but it might also show Tom Cruise hasn’t turned people off as much as alleged. And I’m not buying into Jeremy Renner as the next big box office star just yet (good actor though), so Cruise isn’t really getting help from his costars here.
Jeremy Renner may be a decent actor, but he’s no movie star. No way, no how.
Glad you said it becasue I’ve been thinking it. I’m dissappointed that he’s taking over the Bourne franchise.
Tom is getting the Help from Brad Bird the director
Who is more box office reliable than Tom Cruise at the moment? Even Johnny Depp failed miserably this year in the Rum Diary (JD is not reliable unless he is in a costume). Will Smith hasn’t made a film in a few years, we’ll see next year. TC is an international megastar who is world widely beloved. Who the hell gives a rats ass about his religion as long as he continues to have his charisma and turns a profit?
“World widely beloved”?!?! HAHAHAHAHA Oh you scientoid freaks are hilarious. Tom Cruise is widely ridiculed all over the world. But people are willing to tolerate him if his movies don’t suck too badly. He isn’t blacklisted or anything.
wait my friend,m frm india n so i have to say that tom cruise is the best known star here n not jst because of his looks its about his acting n stunts that make him a true star n evershining star all over d world…
It’s shocking and racist that the Scientologists think this comment adequately reflects Indians, or that others would be fooled by such Stepin Fetchit characterization.
depp is a special sort of actor he does the type roles he wants to do. while cruise sticks to what made him a star. but as a actor depp makes cruise look like lassie! arf-arf
by the way they are looking for a top gun sequal. dont know how but i am sure it will be done. the tom cat was replaced by the f-18 in the early 90′s.
Cruise is the face of the M:I franchise. People most definitely identify it as a Tom Cruise movie.
KNIGHT & DAY made @ $256 million worldwide. And it wasn’t a Mission Impossible movie. Mr. Cruise is in rare company. If you want to open a movie, there’s Cruise and Will Smith, and then pretty much everyone else is bringing up the rear. Sure, both Cruise and Smith have to play to their strengths — for instance, ROCK OF AGES will probably open to decent to middling box office, but it’s not meant to be a Cruise opening weekend juggernaut. MEN IN BLACK 3 should do boffo box office, though. That’s got Will Smith swagger and charisma written all over it. Mr. Smith knows how to market his particular brand. It’s why he, sadly, turned down the lead in DJANGO UNCHAINED. Would have loved to have seen him in a QT movie.
MI4 money comes from IMAX, compare it apple to apple. Without IMAX, how much is it?
I’m rooting for TINTIN, seeing it this weekend, but for every TV spot I see, I see three or four WAR HORSE spots. It’s TINTIN that needs the introduction and marketing support in the US, but it seems like Paramount has made a conscious decision not to go all out… and throw good money after bad.
I agree – it may have looked good on paper to advertise two Spielberg films at the same time, but to audiences, it’s a bit confusing as to which one they should see – and they’re most likely going to go for the live action choice.
I saw Tin Tin yesterday. The trailers fooled me. It was boring and bland. The one redeeming quality was it superb animation. I went to the first show and there were 3 people in the theater. MI4 is the best movie released in the last two months IMO , and I’ve seen every wide release.
While I don’t disagree with you that MI4 is the best movie released in the last 2 months….you actually took the time to watch Jack & Jill, New Years Eve, Breaking Dawn, Alvin & the Chipmunks, and Happy Feet 2? Why would you ever do that to yourself?? No one can hate themselves that much.
The Tintin problem (and I’ll be seeing it this week, so I’m not being cynical here) is not just that almost nobody in the US knows about it (how many are still calling him “Tin Tin” or “TinTin”?). It’s that, given that, people aren’t sure who this movie is for. Parents I know don’t think it’s for kids, adults I know think it’s for kids. Also, they waited so long to open it here, the barrage of trailers and poster peaked a while ago; it felt like it should have opened by now, and yet when it finally arrived, it felt like old news.
The fuck are we supposed to call him? Chester?
Have seen the Imax Dark Knight Rises prologue 3x now, but have not stayed for M:IGP, yet…walked into Sherlock 2, Young Adult, and Dragon Tattoo, instead. All 3 are quite good, but Dragon Tattoo is one of the 5 best of the year.
How considerate of the movie theatre(s) you frequent to start all their movies at the same time.
Every multiplex does that. What one screen theater backwater do you live in?
does your multiplex edit all the films, so they’re all the same length?
I think the bigger issue is you paid IMAX ticket prices three times to watch an advertisement.
Yeah, that makes sense. But I think the idea around that second part was to build up hype for the movie in other countries, especially countries that DO know who Tintin is, so that Americans would become curious.
It’s really amazing how much marketing makes a difference.
I’m really excited about these movies coming out. The day after Christmas I plan of seeing The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and then a day or two after that see MI:4. So at least there are a couple movies to get lost in over this holiday stretch.
Why is Dragon not opening stronger? Everyone has been falling all over the book?
Is it because they don’t need an “Americanized” film version?
I’m someone who highly anticipated the movie and read the book in preparation for it. I found the book to be a bit underwhelming– while an interesting mystery, I failed to see why it was earning such raves worldwide save perhaps some of the more salacious sexual content. The movie plays out almost exactly the same way: while I’d stop short of saying that David Fincher phoned this one in, it undeniably lacks the extra spark that makes a typical Fincher film. Just like the book, I’d call it enjoyable but underwhelming. It didn’t live up to the hype, in my mind.
I don’t know how many people will share that analysis, but it might be affecting the numbers. Being a Fincher fan, I just expected something more memorable.
I thought Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was mediocre. The pacing was extremely slow, and Rooney Mara was almost boring in a role that is not boring at all. Of course, I have Noomi Rapace to compare her with, but if you’re going to remake a movie that is all over Netflix streaming, that’s going to happen. Noomi was far more interesting in that role. I can see why the movie is not making money, which disappoints me, because I like Fincher.
“Tintin” has already made $240 million outside the U.S. since October, so they probably will make more.
To the folks who think it’s no big deal that TINTIN is underperforming (flopping?) here — if they do $16 mil this weekend, they’re going to be lucky to get to $300 mil worldwide, which would probably kill any hopes of a franchise. As GOLDEN COMPASS showed, regardless of your foreign in-take, if you don’t have a domestic audience it’s not going to happen.
Doc,
As I recall the reason foreign didn’t help Golden Compass was that the foreign distribution was pre-sold cheap to offset production costs, which turned out to be a big mistake.
If sequels were part of that deal it would explain everything.