What boxoffice runs are unbelievable in retrospect?

[Blankments]

Easy to say that we understand its success now but Titanic's run was mind blowing.  We've covered a lot of this in the "Pretend it's 1997 all over again" thread but look at these  facts and figures.

 

Opened to 28 million dollars.  

When it first opened, Guru said that it could leg it's way to 150 mill because of the holidays.

Second weekend, it increase by almost 24%.

By the third weekend, it had passed Guru's optimistic projection.  Meaning in three weeks time, it already had a 5 multiplier. 

The most it decreased on the weekend in its first 8 weeks was 13.8%.

It's highest grossing DAY came 58 days into it's run, when it made 13 million on Valentine's Day.

It cleared 400 million on day 66

It cleared 500 million on day 98

It was making at least 1 million dollars a day consecutively for for 92 days.

It was until weekend 16 that it stopped making 1 million a weekend.

 

Titanic's run was ridiculous.

And it opened against a Bond movie!

 

(AKA my whole schtick in the "Pretend it's 1997 all over again" thread)

[filmlover]

My Big Fat Greek Wedding obviously takes the cake, although in retrospect it kind of makes sense. Timing had everything to do with it; "comfort food" comedy was in high demand for a nation that was still reeling from tragedy.

[John Marston]

Air Force One and The Firm adjust to over 300m

[SchumacherFTW]

Avatar was pretty nuts. The Dark Knight is another. A surprising one here, The Devil Inside. That was just special how quickly it imploded.

[lilmac]

Easy to say that we understand its success now but Titanic's run was mind blowing.  We've covered a lot of this in the "Pretend it's 1997 all over again" thread but look at these  facts and figures.

 

Opened to 28 million dollars.  

When it first opened, Guru said that it could leg it's way to 150 mill because of the holidays.

Second weekend, it increase by almost 24%.

By the third weekend, it had passed Guru's optimistic projection.  Meaning in three weeks time, it already had a 5 multiplier. 

The most it decreased on the weekend in its first 8 weeks was 13.8%.

It's highest grossing DAY came 58 days into it's run, when it made 13 million on Valentine's Day.

It cleared 400 million on day 66

It cleared 500 million on day 98

It was making at least 1 million dollars a day consecutively for for 92 days.

It was until weekend 16 that it stopped making 1 million a weekend.

 

Titanic's run was ridiculous.

 

 

Those of us in the boxoffice forums at the time weren't sure who would win: Tomorrow Never Dies or Titanic.

[lilmac]

My Big Fat Greek Wedding obviously takes the cake, although in retrospect it kind of makes sense. Timing had everything to do with it; "comfort food" comedy was in high demand for a nation that was still reeling from tragedy.

 

Initially it was overlooked on the new BOM forums then someone (maybe it was Lady Eowyn or Baumer) created a thread to the effect of "Ugh guys, there's this movie, MBFGW, which cracked the top 10 in its 15th week and isn't slowing down".  That thread blew up as MBFGW climbed the all-time ranks.  To this day, one of the top two runs of all time.  It's 26th weekend tally adjusts to $11+m.  That's insane. Titanic made $2.1m at the half-yr mark.   

[The Futurist]

1994 was pretty crazy, 2 monsters the same year, rarely happens.

Lion King and Forrest Gump

[miketheavenger]

Avatar

Frozen

Titanic

My Big Fat Greek Wedding

The Passion of the Christ

[grim22]

Three Men and a Baby is pretty shocking too. Over $167 million adjusted for a stupid little comedy about 3 guys being left alone with a baby. I guess that was funny in the 80s.

 

What are you talking about? That is a timeless premise  , "The Hangover" made 277M in 2009 using that as one of the selling points.

 

Speaking of which, The Hangover made 277M in 2009 after debuting with a 45M OW. No one saw that coming. It didn't drop more than 40% till weekend 11, and only dropped more than 30% twice in its first 10 weekends.

Edited January 12, 2015 by grim22

[lilmac]

What are you talking about? That is a timeless premise, "The Hangover" made 277M in 2009 using that as one of the selling points.

 

Speaking of which, The Hangover made 277M in 2009 after debuting with a 45M OW. No one saw that coming. It didn't drop more than 40% till weekend 11, and only dropped more than 30% twice in its first 10 weekends.

 

Wow, interesting stat.  Impressive.

[Ando918]

Pretty Woman's massive success probably had a lot to do with their being a limited number of starring roles for women that year.  I just looked at the box office in 1990 and saw only Pretty Woman and Driving Miss Daisy finished in the top 20.  Then movies like Mermaids and Misery show up around #25 and #30.  Women/girls who went to the movies were basically starved for anything about women so they saw it a bunch of times.

[baumer]

Pretty Woman's massive success probably had a lot to do with their being a limited number of starring roles for women that year.  I just looked at the box office in 1990 and saw only Pretty Woman and Driving Miss Daisy finished in the top 20.  Then movies like Mermaids and Misery show up around #25 and #30.  Women/girls who went to the movies were basically starved for anything about women so they saw it a bunch of times.

 

Yea, not quite.  Try again.  Ghost finished at number two.Three Men and a Little Lady finished at 15 and Bird on a Wire at 16.  All had a lot of female appeal.

[filmlover]

Pretty Woman's massive success probably had a lot to do with their being a limited number of starring roles for women that year.  I just looked at the box office in 1990 and saw only Pretty Woman and Driving Miss Daisy finished in the top 20.  Then movies like Mermaids and Misery show up around #25 and #30.  Women/girls who went to the movies were basically starved for anything about women so they saw it a bunch of times.

[grim22]

Pretty Woman's massive success probably had a lot to do with their being a limited number of starring roles for women that year.  I just looked at the box office in 1990 and saw only Pretty Woman and Driving Miss Daisy finished in the top 20.  Then movies like Mermaids and Misery show up around #25 and #30.  Women/girls who went to the movies were basically starved for anything about women so they saw it a bunch of times.

 

But what about the college going black audience?

[75Live]

It's amazing how many amazing runs I have been around for, but nothing tops Titanic.  There are some that are close, but to me, it will always be the best run

 

Geez, personally, I saw the movie 11 straight Fridays with my girl at the time so I am literally part of the run

Edited January 12, 2015 by 75live

[Superdeluxe]

Titantic.  How long that movie just kept on trucking in the theaters

 

 

Box-office totals that make you say "whaat?"

 

 

 

 

1. I find it hard to believe National Treasure 2 made $220 million (adjusts to $250m)!!
2. Meet the Fockers - $279m ($357m adj!!)
3. Anaconda adjusts to $120m
4. Big Hero 6 has been the most silent $200m earner of all-time.
5. Paul Blart adjusts to $165m

 

[filmlover]

Watching Titanic's run unfold as it actually did was so much fun.

[The Futurist]

Titanic made its run before the Internet went wrong and crazy.

A run like Titanic could not even happen today because of the leak issue.

[Ando918]

3 men and a little lady isn't a female lead.  It's a token female role.  Ghost might be a female lead.  Maybe.  Seemed like they spent the majority of the movie focusing on Patrick Swayze's character.  Demi and Whoopi kind of have to share the female screen time at different times.  Then there are a couple of supporting roles for dudes.  

Edited January 12, 2015 by Ando81

[Joel M]

Fahrenheit 9/11. I know the hype was big back then but 220 mil WW for a documentary is unbelievable.