What boxoffice runs are unbelievable in retrospect?

[Maxmoser3]

We"re The Millers funny movie but at the time I was thinking around 70 not 150 million

[Jessie]

We"re The Millers funny movie but at the time I was thinking around 70 not 150 million

 

its a very funny movie so im not surprised at the legs it had. One of the funniest comedies ive seen in years to be fair

 

'fuck off real life flanders'

[lilmac]

We"re The Millers funny movie but at the time I was thinking around 70 not 150 million

 

That's a good one.

 

How did Snakes on a Plane make over $30million?!  

Edited January 19, 2015 by lilmac

[Blankments]

It's been a day and I think American Sniper is pretty unbelievable in retrospect

[Maxmoser3]

That's a good one.

How did Snakes on a Plane make over $30million?!

well that was a flop and probably New Line tried squeezing it out to give it a boost since it was hyped up (as said earlier) disappointment

[TServo2049]

How did Snakes on a Plane make over $30million?!

Just checking, is that a joke?

I remember that Snakes was expected to do better than it did, after it became an Internet meme. The assumption was that the online viral popularity would translate into BO success.

Was Snakes the first film to demonstrate the "this is gonna be an instant cult classic" fallacy? (see also: Kick-Ass, Scott Pilgrim, Machete)

[DeeCee]

It's been a day and I think American Sniper is pretty unbelievable in retrospect

Looking back on it now with the perspective of history I would have to agree.

[Mattrek]

I think we're starting to get into talking about box office runs that were only "unexpected".

[Jandrew]

The Blind Side.

[TServo2049]

Have there been any other instances besides New Moon/Blind Side of two films opening wide on the same weekend, and the lower opener being so leggy/the higher opener so frontloaded that the gap between the two closed considerably by the end of their runs? (And I mean big hit films.)

This is happening in Japan with Yokai Watch / Big Hero 6, but has it happened any other times domestically?

Edited January 19, 2015 by TServo2049

[Jake Gittes]

Breaking Dawn 2 and Lincoln

I Am Legend and Alvin and the Chipmunks

Wild Hogs and Zodiac... no wait that's me dreaming.

[BadAtGender]

Have there been any other instances besides Mew Moon/Blind Side of two films opening wide on the same weekend, and the lower opener being so leggy/the higher opener so frontloaded that the gap between the two closed considerably by the end of their runs? (And I mean big hit films.)

This is happening in Japan with Yokai Watch / Big Hero 6, but has it happened any other times domestically?

 

Wedding Crashers / Charlie and the Chocolate Factory comes to mind.

[TServo2049]

I Am Legend and Alvin and the Chipmunks

Actually, the gap between their final grosses is $6m larger than the gap between their OWs.

Wedding Crashers leapfrogging Charlie is a great example. From a $22m gap in favor of Charlie to a $6m gap in favor of Wedding Crashers. Though Blind Side closing from a $109m gap with New Moon down to a $40m gap is still the most astounding catchup ever.

The biggest catchup in terms of ticket sales was My Best Friend's Wedding vs. Batman and Robin; the lead MBFW had over B&R at the end of their runs was about equal to the lead B&R had over MBFW after their first weekend, a complete flip.

But even though it was probably a surprise that a Julia Roberts romcom completely overtook Batman, it was still a Julia Roberts romcom at the height of her popularity. It wasn't a weepy inspirational drama starring Sandra Bullock (didn't her career seem to be on the skids only a few years prior?) legging to $255m and ending up only $40m short of New Moon. Which was itself a shocking opening (and an equally spectacular flame-out - I wasn't following the box office back then, but even I heard murmurs about it somewhere, back in a time when 6 of the top 10 openers got better than a 3x multiplier off their first weekend.)

Edited January 19, 2015 by TServo2049

[CloneWars]

I think we're starting to get into talking about box office runs that were only "unexpected".

I find AS opening both unbelievable and unexpected. Like if you bet me a $100 that AS would open to $89m, I would have bet against you and lost $100. The title says unbelievable BO runs and AS OW is unbelievable. 

[cory]

I'm still finding AS's opening unbelievable, the factors in play only seem to get it to $60-70m. The other 20 is a true mystery, especially without 3D.

[2041758]

Still trying to figure out how Hunger Games opened to 152 a few years ago. Thought it was astoundingly bland for such a colossal hit. Even before I saw it, though... trailer looked weak, female protagonist, obvious Twilight-wannabe. Dumbfounded to this day that 40-45% of its audience was male and that the series has basically become the new Harry Potter.

 

I never looked at the books' sales. I guess the answer is in those.

Edited January 19, 2015 by 2041758

[Mattrek]

I find AS opening both unbelievable and unexpected. Like if you bet me a $100 that AS would open to $89m, I would have bet against you and lost $100. The title says unbelievable BO runs and AS OW is unbelievable.

I was more talking about We're The Millers and a few other films. American Sniper is most definitely unbelievable and I have a feeling the legs on this are going the way of the energizer bunny.

[Murgatroyd]

Have there been any other instances besides New Moon/Blind Side of two films opening wide on the same weekend, and the lower opener being so leggy/the higher opener so frontloaded that the gap between the two closed considerably by the end of their runs? (And I mean big hit films.)

This is happening in Japan with Yokai Watch / Big Hero 6, but has it happened any other times domestically?

 

Last year, 300: Rise of an Empire opened to $45M the same weekend Mr. Peabody and Sherman opened to $32M.  The former closed with $106M, the latter with $111M. I don't know if you'd count those as "big hit films".

[TServo2049]

That one is probably the smallest example of that (especially with adjustment for inflation).

The biggest catch-up in terms of admissions was actually not My Best Friend's Wedding overtaking Batman & Robin, like I said before. It was The Santa Clause overtaking Interview with the Vampire. The deficit Santa closed against Interview, plus the amount Santa ended up ahead of Interview by, adds up to an adjusted $109m. My Best Friend's Wedding's catch-up and passing of B&R adjusts to $72m. The Blind Side's partial catch-up to New Moon was $70m. Then there was Elf passing The Matrix Revolutions, Wedding Crashers overtaking Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Inspector Gadget passing The Haunting.

Anybody think The Santa Clause adjusting to $278m is also unbelievable in retrospect?

One that's unbelievable for me now: Night at the Museum adjusting to $299 million.

Edited January 20, 2015 by TServo2049

[Maxmoser3]

World War Z's opening weekend (66 million) because of it's delayed production, people on the forums talking about how this was going to the next 13th Warrior and Brad Pitt and zombies didn't look appealing and opening against a kids movie didn't help either