Subj : Re: Serentiy Garners $10.1M weekend
To   : alt.tv.farscape
From : Trouble
Date : Mon Oct 03 2005 12:54:43

From Newsgroup: alt.tv.farscape

weirdwolf wrote:

> Trouble wrote:
>> Steve Brooks wrote:
>>> Trouble wrote:

>>>> http://www.boxofficeguru.com/weekend.htm

>>>> "Generating the best opening among all the new films was the science
>>>> fiction adventure Serenity with an estimated $10.1M. Launching
>>>> moderately in 2,188 locations, the PG-13 film averaged a respectable
>>>> $4,635 for Universal. Directed by Joss Whedon, Serenity connected
>>>> with a sci-fi fan base of those who followed Whedon's short-lived
>>>> Fox television series Firefly. However, the crowd was not big enough
>>>> to push the film to impressive heights. The $39M production appealed
>>>> to an adult male audience with 52% of the crowd being age 30 and
>>>> older and a very high 61% being men. Exit polls were encouraging as
>>>> 88% of those polled marked the space flick "excellent" or "very
>>>> good." As expected for a sci-fi flick, Serenity was the only picture
>>>> in the top ten to see Saturday sales fall from Friday."
 
>>>> 10.1 of 39 in one weekend... they're sure to make some of that back
>>>> on DVD sales.
 
>>>> Also note the parts on the site about historic box office lows, bad
>>>> quarters year over year etc... and in that context our movie is
>>>> doing pretty well.
 
>>> It's great that a $39M SF movie can gross a third of its production
>>> costs on the first weekend. Maybe we'll get a year or two where some
>>> of the suits in Hollywood get their heads round the idea that a good
>>> script is as valuable as expensive SFX and even more expensive star
>>> actors when it comes to turning a profit. Hell, maybe JMS will get
>>> another chance to make TMoS. 
 
>> Is it even out in the UK yet?

>  Thursday. I've just booked a ticket for the  just past one oclock 
> showing. What count's as good figures for a movie like this? Whats 
> TMoS?

The Middle of Space? some B5 movie or something I assume

As for what's good, well that's the thing Flightplan the Jodie Foster 
flick just opened for $15M, A History of Violence $8M, apparently the 
fall is a weak quarter with few holidays, kids movies, x-mas movies, and 
summer blockbusters. Next weekend is a kind of sort of three day weekend 
so box office might be higher as Oct 10th is a govt holiday, Columbus Day 
observed. 

Its also worth noting that ticket sales are down 26% from a year ago.

The other thing it doesn't mention is the 20+ theaters showing the early 
release screenings all over the place, but if it was only making $4,635 
per theater then that's just maybe $0.1M that doesn't count for the 
weekend but counts towards the total.

Also I wonder what the cost of getting the Trailer on TiVo was? I like 
that feature a lot because I don't have to go download anything to see 
it. And the timing is such that if I had forgotten about a movie coming 
out I would have time to change my plans.

I'm not so happy with the Land Rover ads, but then I just never open 
them.

-- 
"Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the wise.
Seek what they sought."
--Basho

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