The biggest movie of the year set it sights this weekend on becoming the biggest movie of the decade. The Dark Knight narrowly defeated The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor for the number one spot this weekend, but that's no small feat since Dark Knight is on its third week out.
Mummy 3 banked $42 million this weekend, a less than stellar opening for a film in the hole for nearly $150 million. When you roll in international cash the movie opened to the tune of almost $100 million, but that still leaves a pretty narrow window for profit once marketing costs are added in.
Meanwhile Batman neared the $400 million mark for domestic sales and $600 million international. The only thing standing in his way of being the most lucrative movie in the last ten years is Shrek 2, which earned $441 million in 2004. If he can break $460 million he'll top the number two all time moneymaker, Star Wars.
Swing Vote, which was banking on a chance to get at audiences in the light of the up coming elections, floundered under the shadow of the Joker and a mummy. With $6 million it slunk into sixth place. With a $21 million budget and nearly no hope of any international attention (what with it being about American's voting), it's going to struggle to break even on its shoe string $21 million budget. A shame, too, since it's one of the few intelligent movies to make it into theaters this year.
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE TOP TEN
August 1 - 3, 2008 |
LW = Last Week WR = Weeks Released
THTRS = Number of Screens
* Denotes new release.
Click on title to read CB Review |
| 1. | The Dark Knight | $43,800,000 - Total: $394,887,000 | LW: 1 WR: 3 THTRS: 4266 |
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| 3. | Step Brothers | $16,300,000 - Total: $62,966,000 | LW: 2 WR: 2 THTRS: 3094 |
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| 4. | Mamma Mia! | $13,121,000 - Total: $87,975,000 | LW: 3 WR: 3 THTRS: 3062 |
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| 6. | Swing Vote * | $6,300,000 - Total: $6,300,000 | LW: N WR: 1 THTRS: 2213 |
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| 7. | Hancock | $5,200,000 - Total: $215,995,000 | LW: 6 WR: 5 THTRS: 2782 |
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| 8. | Wall-E | $4,747,000 - Total: $204,222,000 | LW: 7 WR: 6 THTRS: 2555 |
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| 10. | Space Chimps | $2,840,000 - Total: $22,091,000 | LW: 9 WR: 3 THTRS: 2134 |
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