Deathlife

I could be wrong but if this movie had better reviews just before release, I think this would have opened north of $200m. This movie's marketing and fan base of both Batman and Superman should have been enough to take it over $200m. I had $175m as the floor and it looks like it'll probably get around that. That being said, the movie is still going to have one of the biggest openings in history and that's nothing to sniff at. All in all, WB should be pleased at this result.

So, it's not getting up to $175m? Huh.....I guess I over predicted.

Lol...Good Friday is a pretty well celebrated Christian holiday. Its the day Jesus was crucified. Its a pretty big deal here in South Africa.

It's gonna open huge worldwide because good Friday is a holiday in most Christian and secular countries. I'm surprised it's not a complete holiday in the US. Do Americans love work that much?

This movie will be huge this weekend. The hype up till Wednesday was unreal. The promotion for the movie was unreal (WB must have spent a crap ton marketing this movie), even mainstream news outlets had BvS adverts. Internationally, I suspect it will make very, very strong numbers. Honestly, I was convinced it was going above $200m this weekend domestically until the reviews dulled the excitement a little. That being said, I don't see it going below $175m domestically this weekend. Personally, all the mixed to negative reviews have made me want to see it more. I can't imagine it's the trainwreck that it's been described as.

I absolutely read reviews before I watch some movies. These days, I'm very hesitant at watching movies that get bad to middling/lukewarm reviews. Such movies I can wait for home video and/or cable tv to decide whether they're good or not. I have responsibilities and really can't spend money (and time) like I used to. There was a time I used to watch all sorts of movies in the cinema but when I got married and started a family, I realized I don't just have that time anymore. Frankly, there are tons of people like this who don't just spend money on things because "they look good", we actually rely on certain reviews (and friends comments) before we spend. Obviously I'll see BvS regardless of the reviews (that's because I'm still into geek culture, marriage be damned) however a whole lot of people aren't and won't want to just spend their time and money and like that.

Good point. It does seem there is a growing correlation between critical acclaim and movie performance. I honestly don't believe that movies like Deadpool and The Avengers would have blown up the way they did if they weren't as strongly reviewed as they were. The last Transformers and Pirates movies didn't perform particularly well domestically because people "seem" to be far more sensitive to seeing crap on screen than some years back (when massive CG carnage was still a thing). That being said, BvS will probably still open huge but how does in subsequent weekends is questionable. There are somethings I've read about the movie (particularly about the pacing) that might really turn off the general audience.

I still feel $175m is the floor. I was thinking $200m but the hype has been dulled a bit. However, people are still going to see rush out and see it this weekend. It would probably have blown up higher if it had gotten a better critical reception.

Yeah, Deadpool is a massive hit, commercially and critically. I'm not entirely surprised because the marketing of this movie was entirely on point. Not to mention the fact that outside of the marketing. Apparently, the current regime at Fox not investing too much in the movie really helped the film makers go crazy and literally bring the comics to life. I'm really happy for Deadpool (in the comics, Marvel has really thrown their full weight behind the character even when his comics weren't selling) and Ryan Reynolds, he's a charming guy that Hollywood just didn't know how to utilize.

Is there a way to block the word "disappointing" in the TFA domestic thread? It simply does not make any sense to refer to this historic run as disappointing.

Did the TFA have flaws? yes. But every movie does. Does the film lean heavily on nostalgia? yes. Does the movie work in its own right and entertain you as it should? Hell yes! The movie is FUN and that's what all the Star Wars movies are intended to be. TFA (just like other insanely successful and well received movies like Indiana Jones, Jaws, Avengers, Jurassic Park, Avatar etc) achieved exactly what it was designed to do and that's why people love it so much. Sure, not everybody can love the same thing but that's just the way of the world. TFA was a very good Star Wars movie. That's why people (myself included) have watched it so many times.

When the discussion shifts to "tickets sold" and "adjusting for inflation", you know the movie in question is smashing all the relevant records.

This a million times. I've (and most of us here) have never see a box office run like TFA before particularly during Xmas. I would be fooling myself if I referred to any of the figures we're seeing regarding the movie as "disappointing". That simply doesn't make any sense. At this point, we have to just sit back and watch and try to analyze as best we can because this movie is going to break records on a level we've never seen before.

Or maybe Rey is Palpatine's grand daughter. Maybe the Emperor was getting it on when he was still a dashing youngling. And they both have British accents.

Wow, this is crazy. I hadn't fully recovered from Jurassic World breaking my brain before this came along.

This movie is the beast incarnate. Brock Lesnar's got nothing on this. (Wrestling fans get the reference).

I don't really follow the Xmas box office but it does seem this movie will take down Avatar in the US. International will be a lot more complicated because Avatar's 3-D share was pretty much 100% in many territories (there weren't any 2-D showings in my corner of South Africa at all). The Force Awakens doesn't have that advantage.

I finally saw the movie. It was very good (not Mad Max Fury Road good) and folks were really into it. Heck, they clapped at the end (which is pretty rare here in South Africa). I have some criticisms of the movie (particularly Rey and Finn) but I'll save those for 18 months later and after we've seen Episode VIII. Adam Driver was very,very good in it though. He succesfully portrayed what Hayden Christensen was trying to do with Anakin Skywalker in the prequel trilogy. The low points of the movie was the alien thing that attacked Han Solo and the gangs. The part of the movie seemed out of place. Overall, I would give it 7.5/10.

Lol...people are disappointed by a $120m opening day? Damn, I thought I had seen it all....

Lol, Star Wars...the king of movie franchises is back. There's no franchise that cuts across generations and geekdom like Star Wars.

Agreed. This was what said some weeks ago. Some people will call one of the biggest openings in history just "alright" if it doesn't hit absolutely ridiculous numbers.

Haven't been following the numbers very much lately (getting married and having a kid almost immediately is life consuming) but how are the Creed numbers? I'm really rooting for that movie because I'm a big MBJ and Rocky fan.

To some extent, yes. I can only speak for myself but i really don't have much interest in any other movies until Star Wars. It's not so much a matter of people saving their money for SW7 as much as it is "the movie" of the year (or maybe decade). Everything else seems like "little leagues" compared it. I didn't see Spectre until its third weekend (its lukewarm reviews didn't help) and I might not even see MJ2 at all (breaking the last part into two movies didn't really connect with me at all and it kind of killed me interest in it).

I heard about a survey that said that MJ part 2 was the most anticipated movie of the Xmas. I knew it was absolute nonsense when I heard it. Star Wars pre-sales is already at 50% of MJ 2's opening weekend. That says it all.

Very, very happy for Compton. Hip hop culture is pretty huge in the U.S so I'm not entirely suprised.