‘Dark Knight Rises’ Recovers For $537.2M Worldwide And Starts To Set Records; But ‘The Watch’ And ‘Step Up Revolution’ Weak

COMMENTS (171)

• The big loser? Savages. That’s a bad beat all round. That’s WE ARE NEVER DOING THIS AGAIN bad.
  Tyler Perry still made money I see, bearing in mind he rents all his own crew and equipment to himself. His hard cost on Medea was probably only 10M. When your forgettable films are putting 15-20M in your pocket, that’s good business.

  Comment by marklondon — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 1:53am PDT  Reply to this post

• By the end of next week, TDKR will be approaching close to $400 million. I think this movie will make $450 million if not more. More than the last Harry Potter and more than any Marvel film except for The Avengers, and this is WITHOUT the 3D ticket price which has a surcharge.

  Comment by boxofficer — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 2:29am PDT  Reply to this post

  • $450 million is fine — but that would be over $100 million less than the last film, even with it being released 4 years ago. It would be considered, to some degree, a let down for Warners.

    Comment by Doc Michaels — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 7:20am PDT  Reply to this post

    • No it wouldn’t.

      Comment by Anonymous — Sunday July 29, 2012 @ 3:26pm PDT  Reply to this post

• Its got nothing to do with the shooting. It has EVERYTHING to do with the opening ceremony of the olympics. THAT is the only reason for the drop off. Not ONE person I know hasn’t seen TDKR because of the shooting. If they haven’t seen it yet its because they haven’t had the time. People will get to it.

  Comment by steve — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 4:35am PDT  Reply to this post

• Twenty to 25 percent is huge. 60 million would have been 12 million more. And really who is not affected by the tragedy? I still went last weekend but with some hesitation but pushed through any fear I had and guess what– it was fine. We cannot live in fear nor let this psycho win.

  Comment by Jake — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 5:17am PDT  Reply to this post

• Both The Watch and Step Up will do better when they are release on DVD. You got to love the actor who is starring in the film and the format in the Step up. I hope that will something new to tell why both film bomb. Good luck to the future.

  Comment by CHARLES DAVID HASKELL — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 5:29am PDT  Reply to this post

• The heavy drop for TDKR is in no small way due to the fact it’s the weakest film of the series, word of mouth is NOT spectacular and it isn’t going to have the rewatchability that TDK and even Batman Begins enjoyed.

  The shooting may have had an impact last week but there has clearly been no rebound as some predicted. And it’s because of the film itself playing a part. Like it or not even Nolan has proven he is not immune to the third film in a trilogy curse.

  Comment by Esquire — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 5:40am PDT  Reply to this post

  • “it isn’t going to have the rewatchability that TDK and even Batman Begins enjoyed.”

    How do you know that? The audience reactions (Metacritic and Cinemascore) are very impressive.

    Comment by Alan — Sunday July 29, 2012 @ 5:59pm PDT  Reply to this post

• I know I was home watching the opening ceremony for the Olympics last night with friends.
  Why would I miss a spectacular live show like that rather than watch really bad films like The Watch or Step Up?

  I haven’t seen DKR yet.. not because I’m afraid, but because I dislike crowded theaters with all the talkers and misbehaving yahoos. I’ll go this week sometime and see it.

  Comment by Mimi — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 5:48am PDT  Reply to this post

• I expected TDKR to drop off pretty notably, but not that badly. The word of mouth & online reactions I’ve run into have been very mixed. Some really liked it (of course), but others not so much. In fact, of the (few) people I’ve talked to who’ve seen both TDKR & Spider-Man, they all liked Spidey better (these are all knowledgeable moviegoers, btw).

  I agree with those who question the Aurora effect. It may affect some people, but I doubt its 25%.

  I don’t think TDKR will equal TDK’s grosses. Doubt it comes close. People don’t like it at as much, and it doesn’t have Heath Ledger.

  Comment by captain media — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 6:15am PDT  Reply to this post

• People just aren’t digging The Dark Knight Rises. Too long, too bloated, too many outrageous plot holes – hence the 78% plummet. I expect it to drop another 70-80% next weekend. People are getting bored of gloomy doomy Nolan movies. Joss Whedon is the king.

  Comment by Anonymous — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 6:24am PDT  Reply to this post

  • oh yeah ‘cabin in the woods’ was a real hollywood musical of a film. I loved it & I loved the Avengers but Whedon knows how to go dark when he wants to. hell i even loved Serenity.

    also, just because a movie has the word “dark” in it doesnt make is SAW VIII.

    TDKR as well as the whole trilogy is based on as much hope as it is “dark” ness. Name one scene where blood splattered? no body parts were flying around like in ‘cabin in the woods’.

    I thought all of the superhero movies this summer were some of the best ever. Both AMSpider-Man & Bats are better then the previous installments. Spidey was much better than Spiderman3 and frankly on think whereas ledger was miles better than all the other actors in TDK, in TDKR everyone acted at the top if their game. And Nolan’s directing & his writing(along with his bro & Goyer) was perfect. I wish someone would mention to me plot holes. I didnt experience any.

    Plot holes are things that cannot be disputed. Don’t confuse your distaste for writing, character development, or character decisions in a movie for plot holes.

    Comment by Dark Rabbit — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 7:32pm PDT  Reply to this post

  • I’m no Nolan fanboy which is why I can say that The Dark Knight had at least as many plotholes as The Dark Knight Rises (or Inception) but apparently it wasn’t a big problem for people then. The Avengers was pretty awful for its last 2 thirds, filled with plotholes and reminded me of nothing so much as the Transformers films (also monster hits, lest we forget). Whatever the reason is that The Dark Knight Rises isn’t doing as well at The Dark Knight the objective qualities of the movie itself are not a factor.

    I wish I could come to this website one day without having to constantly read anti-fans attempts to explain movie failures on the basis of *what* they don’t like about certain films e.g. that the it was too political, that people don’t like political actors, that people are tired of sequels, that people are tired of remakes, that Jennifer Aniston was in it or most laughably, that it was a bad film. Never in the history of Hollywood has a movies “badness” stopped it from making money.

    Comment by er_what — Sunday July 29, 2012 @ 7:06am PDT  Reply to this post

• This year was definitely a bad year for movies. Except The Avengers and Hunger Games. Dark Knight Rises is doin good, but not what I thought it would be doin because of the colorado shooting and the olympics. Then, in November, I bet you The Twilight Saga:Breaking Dawn Part 2 won’t be doin what we expect either because of Kristen Stewart cheating.

  Comment by Kissan — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 6:29am PDT  Reply to this post

• My husband and I went to see TDKR last night. Fantastic movie, but there was no one there at our friendly neighborhood multiplex here in northern Virginia. I have never seen that theatre so dead on a Friday night. I really hope everyone was home watching the Olympics, and we haven’t become a society of wimps. We DVR’d the opening ceremonies like normal Americans!

  Comment by Karen K — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 6:34am PDT  Reply to this post

• $278M after 10 days is a GREAT achievement. Come on, it’s the third best 10-day gross of all time behind Avengers($373M) and Dark Knight($313M). Your expections were too hight for this film.

  Thanks to Avengers, people now think $300M+ 10-day gross is easy. It’s not. $160M opening weekend, $55M second weekend….sounds like a huge hit to me. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 had a $169M opening weekend but only $47M second weekend.

  Comment by Tony — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 7:04am PDT  Reply to this post

  • True indeed, some people thought because “The Avengers” did what it did TDKR could do the same, they did’nt really take the time to think and realize that what “The Avengers” did and at the pace it did it was never seen before. I’ve never seen anything like it before, i know it did’nt quite catch “Avatar” but in some ways some of the feats it accomplished we’re even more impressive in my opinion. As far as TDKR goes, it’s now projected to reach 65M this weekend, which would be almost 20M more than “HPDH2″ did in it’s second week, pretty impressive.

    Comment by orlando — Sunday July 29, 2012 @ 4:25am PDT  Reply to this post

  • Hey, Tony…

    160 + 55 = 215

    169 + 47 = 215

    Comment by Dack Rouleau — Monday July 30, 2012 @ 12:25pm PDT  Reply to this post

• Anyone that doesn’t think the shooting hasn’t had SOME IMPACT on the overall box-office is delusional. Look at the entire box-office numbers last weekend, and again from Friday’s projections. Yes, the Olympics were FRIDAY night, and yes, Step Up and The Watch aren’t exactly world-beaters — but the numbers are appreciable declines. A 77% Friday-to-Friday drop for Batman in just its second weekend is eye-opening, it just is.

  Comment by Doc Michaels — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 7:19am PDT  Reply to this post

• As a story, TED is a terrible movie, it’s attempt to hit all the trappings of a conventional plot is transparent and embarrassing.

  HOWEVER, the bear is f’in hilarious — and America knows it. Even mothers, apparently, are showing up in droves and bringing their kids. Why? Because it’s like nothing we’ve seen in a long time. O-R-I-G-I-N-A-L.

  Execs in the bizz are saying: “Ah, it’s just Seth, that’s why it’s a success. Only he can crack a script like that. No point in going after an original script unless he’s behind it.”

  Of course, that’s portion of it, but it’s lazy, as it implies that no writer or producer in this business is as talented as he. Bullshit! He ain’t Charlie Chaplin. Ted succeeded because it’s an IMAGINATIVE movie. It ain’t a comic book, it ain’t a toy from the 80′s, it ain’t a comedy starring Vince Vaughn.

  Please, CE’s, SVPs, Studio chiefs, agents, manager, producers, and the mot important of them all, assistants — go after original material. Yes, you’ll have some failures, but the successes will far exceed the crap you’ve been buying.

  In the end, it’s like building a garden. It’s only a matter of time before your guests start to find your plastic plants a little tacky. Get your goddamn hands dirty and start planting some seeds. If you put something on display that’s fake and came out of a box [while coughing], “The Watch,”], people will start to wonder if you haven’t died a little inside perhaps, that your half-ass, quick-fix, catalogue-perusing approach toward replicating nature speaks volumes about your lack of passion, your dearth of vitality.

  People WILL arrive if the product is alive!

  Comment by Stop Making Dead Movies! — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 8:04am PDT  Reply to this post

• After being in the movie exhibition business for the past 30 something years, I have seen many a Summer Olympics kill the August film business. Not sure if the audience is skittish, or just sitting at home watching NBC. After all it had the highest overnight ratings of any non-USA opening. That took a few million people out of going to the movies. I remember the 98 Olympics killed business until Charlie’s Angels was released in October. That was one bad fall.

  Comment by allen — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 8:13am PDT  Reply to this post

• People are deluding themselves in thinking Colorado has no effect. This should’ve cleared 350 by now. I’ve talked to people and to put it quite bluntly they’re scared. They not only feel frightened by potential copycats, but guilty of just supporting something that facilitated a massacre. Which to me is such a Damn shame because TDKR is actually a pretty great movie. To those who havent seen it are really missing out. I can’t believe this nut loser has an effect on so many people. We really have become a nation of wusses.

  Comment by Alboone — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 9:25am PDT  Reply to this post

  • Wusses? Fear is part of being human. It is instinctual for some very good reasons. Some people feel it more strongly than others. You have to respect that.

    Comment by tsuru — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 5:19pm PDT  Reply to this post

    • I would also say wusses. people are wusses. yep.

      I personally think this psycho was paid to keep people from seeing the TDKR.

      It is a powerful and moving picture & there are people in power who dont want people seeing this film, especially in an election year.

      Comment by Dark Rabbit — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 7:38pm PDT  Reply to this post

      • Hahaha, paid to commit the massacre? Do you happen to be a 9/11 conspiracy theorist too??? Insane.

        Comment by Justin Poppiti, Esq. — Sunday July 29, 2012 @ 5:13am PDT  Reply to this post

      • Stupidest thing I’ve read on here in a long time. That’s not an easy accomplishment. Bravo.

        Comment by College Student — Sunday July 29, 2012 @ 3:36pm PDT  Reply to this post

    • Yeah, you are a wuss if you’re afraid to go to the movies after Aurora. It was an isolated incident and the man was arrested. How much safer can you really feel?

      Comment by Dack Rouleau — Monday July 30, 2012 @ 12:27pm PDT  Reply to this post

• Dack err Ben… The Watch trailers might be the worst trailers ever cut. Stiller and company shovel more shit in this town than anybody except for Sandler. Glad people are finally figuring this out.

  Comment by Lep — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 10:13am PDT  Reply to this post

• Aurora has had an effecton DKR for sure, but word of mouth isn’t helping it either. Outside of the true-believers, the general reaction is “It’s okay” . . . A bad combination.

  Comment by Chuck — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 10:21am PDT  Reply to this post

  • thats total bs. a great majority of people are saying its great. but a psycho slaughtering 12 people and injuring over 50 at a midnight showing has nothing to do with it? do you actual think that the massacre has nothing to do with the lower than predicted totals? thats pathetic. yu are sick.

    what source can you even quote to back up your comments?

    Comment by Dark Rabbit — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 7:41pm PDT  Reply to this post

• It’s hard to pretend Aurora isn’t having an effect with a 76% drop. However, I don’t think it’s fear so much as people simply feeling bummed out about the whole thing.

  Not everyone who went to see The Dark Knight or The Avengers was a huge fan of the comics or franchise, which is why those movies were such runaway juggernauts. You had people going simply because everyone else was talking about them.

  In the case of The Dark Knight Rises, no one really wants to think about it anymore because of the tragedy. If someone’s only connection to the film is what they hear about it in the news, then small wonder they aren’t getting involved this time.

  Comment by bree — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 10:32am PDT  Reply to this post

• “I think this movie will make $450 million if not more.”

  That would take a 3rd, 4th week resurgence in the face of some pretty stiff competition. I don’t even think 400M is assured at this point.

  Comment by jj9126 — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 10:48am PDT  Reply to this post

• The Watch was awful. All that talent in front of the camera. What a waste. PG-13 would have been much smarter but wouldn’t change the fact Akiva Schaffer needs to stick to 3 minute shorts.

  Comment by Anonymous — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 11:55am PDT  Reply to this post

• It wouldn’t be because all the movies are crap. This has been the most pathetic summer I could remember. Just awful.

  Comment by BRAD — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 12:37pm PDT  Reply to this post

  • Not all the movies are crap man, come on now. Yes, there have been some awful films this summer indeed, but i don’t recall a summer that did’nt have awful movies, some more than others. I’ve caught a few gems this summer.

    Comment by orlando — Sunday July 29, 2012 @ 4:30am PDT  Reply to this post

    • Can you please name those gems because I haven’t seen any.

      Last year was a weak crop but at least the indie cinemas gave us ‘Midnight in Paris.’

      Comment by College Student — Sunday July 29, 2012 @ 3:40pm PDT  Reply to this post

• Akiva scharfer’s videos have amassed over a billion views on YouTube. The fact that he kept the production together at all given who he was wrangling is a minor miracle

  Comment by Kris — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 12:44pm PDT  Reply to this post

• If I had been able to do the movie I wanted instead of what an unnamed producer did, it would have been a MUCH better movie.

  Comment by McNulty — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 12:45pm PDT  Reply to this post

• Another swing and a miss f

  Comment by Regime change — Saturday July 28, 2012 @ 1:05pm PDT  Reply to this post