What boxoffice runs are unbelievable in retrospect?

[baumer]

I saw Robin Hood Prince of Thieves for the first time not too long ago and it's fucking astounding it reached almost 400 mil WW and was #2 of that year... outgrossing even Beauty and the Beast. What the hell, 1991.

 

Robin Hood POT was fucking great.  Plus it had a great cast and that Sean Connery cameo and Bryan Adams song was number one for something like 458 weeks in row in 1991, or something like that.

[Murgatroyd]

Looking a bit more closely, it would be fair to say that Avatar had a Titanic-like run (with slightly worse drops) for about six weeks.

 

 

After that, it looks a lot more like other "normal" huge movies, just with bigger numbers.

 

 

(Note that this is on a log scale: equal slope = equal % drop)

[vc2002]

Looking a bit more closely, it would be fair to say that Avatar had a Titanic-like run (with slightly worse drops) for about six weeks.

 

 

After that, it looks a lot more like other "normal" huge movies, just with bigger numbers.

 

 

(Note that this is on a log scale: equal slope = equal % drop)

 

Films opened to 77m and had the first 6-week run like Titanic did, can not be called "had a normal-shaped" run.

[baumer]

Looking a bit more closely, it would be fair to say that Avatar had a Titanic-like run (with slightly worse drops) for about six weeks.

 

 

After that, it looks a lot more like other "normal" huge movies, just with bigger numbers.

 

 

(Note that this is on a log scale: equal slope = equal % drop)

 

But why compare that film to the one film in the modern era that had a better run than it?  Why not compare it to ID4 or some other blockbuster?  

 

To open to 77 mill and have close to a 10X is insane.

[vc2002]

About this Avatar vs. Titanic thing, I feel like quoting my own post from the last page.  You can't expect any film to have a Titanic run in this era, but if putting into perspective, Avatar to this era is Titanic to its time.

 

"Just because Arnold doesn't look as big as Wilt Chamberlain, doesnt mean we could say Arnold had a normal-shaped body lol

 

 

"

Edited January 15, 2015 by vc2002

[baumer]

That's amazing.  Arnold looks puny standing next to Andre and Wilt.

[Plain Old Tele]

That's amazing.  Arnold looks puny standing next to Andre and Wilt.

 

It's like they shrunk him down to 60% size.

[grim22]

It's like they shrunk him down to 60% size.

 

 

Beer can for scale

 

Edited January 15, 2015 by grim22

[vc2002]

Here's a similar photo.

 

 

Who's the guy in the middle? He looks tiny. Must be having a normal-shaped body.

Edited January 15, 2015 by vc2002

[Murgatroyd]

But why compare that film to the one film in the modern era that had a better run than it?  Why not compare it to ID4 or some other blockbuster?  

 

To open to 77 mill and have close to a 10X is insane.

 

Because of posts like these:

 

 

- Avatar: James Cameron does it again with another Titanic like run in 2009 which ushered in the era of 3D.

Avatar just happened 6 years ago.

 

[Moviedweeb]

You beat me to it.

That was state of the art SPFX back then and the flying cow generated all kinds of buzz.  I know it doesn't seem like much but it really did.  

 

Look, we take for granted everything we see in movies now.  SPFX have spoiled us but 20 years ago, it was different.  Twister was truly one of a kind at that point.

It is also an excellent adventure film that really holds up and focuses on character and story even more than the action. I watched it somewhat recently and it really reminded me about what is lacking in certain blockbusters. The 90s were a great time for film.

[sfran43]

Robin Hood POT was fucking great.  Plus it had a great cast and that Sean Connery cameo and Bryan Adams song was number one for something like 458 weeks in row in 1991, or something like that.

 

 

And let's not forget, besides Morgan Freeman, the best part of the movie was Sheriff Alan Rickman. God, I was around nine or ten when I first saw this movie. And my friends and I would quote all of his lines every time we saw this.

 

 

Edited January 15, 2015 by sfran43

[peludo]

 

And let's not forget, besides Morgan Freeman, the best part of the movie was Sheriff Alan Rickman. God, I was around nine or ten when I first saw this movie. And my friends and I would quote all of his lines every time we saw this.

Rickman was great. In fact, all of them were. I was 10 when I saw it for the first time. Since then I have seen it something like another 20 or 30 times. I love this movie. After nearly 25 years it is still extremely enjoyable. I had not realized that it had a so big success. Very well deserved.

[Asyulus]

I cant believe that Titanic was very similar to Avatar.

[peludo]

I cant believe that Titanic was very similar to Avatar.

Avatar was an astounding leggy movie in spite of its already big opening and there is not a possible comparison with any other blockbuster. A x10 multiplier from a over $70m opening is absurd. But Titanic was another thing. It goes beyond the absurd. It is unique. This is the showdown adjusted:

 

http://boxofficemojo.com/showdowns/chart/?view=weekend&adjust_yr=2015&adjust_mo=&id=alltimegrossvs.htm

 

Look at 10th weekend of each film. Titanic did $36m (God level legs), Avatar $16m (Superb legs). Then, Phantom Menace, another leggy film, with a great $6m weekend (great legs). And finally the "usual" blockbusters like TDK, Avengers or Shrek 2, making barely $2m or $3m (normal legs).

[terrestrial]

whats more unbelievable is he did it twice, Twice

 

TWICE

 

TWICE

 

In a way he did it thrice:

 

he started out of a $6.4m budgeted movie a really sucessful franchise. Really would love to get my hands on international home video... revenues for that franchise (incl. rentals and adjusted...) and other income...

 

And proofed that sequals can be ~ equals in quality too, especially 'even for action based' movies (Terminator 2 & Aliens)

 

Are people being aware about Cameron being the co-author to Rambo 2 too? That one was the highest crossing one

 

Adjusted for Ticket Price Inflation

Rank	Title (click to view)	Studio	Adjusted Gross	Unadjusted Gross	Release
1	Rambo: First Blood Part II	TriS	$342,354,000	$150,415,432	5/22/85
2	First Blood	Orion	$129,755,200	$47,212,904	10/22/82
3	Rambo III	TriS	$105,601,500	$53,715,611	5/25/88
4	Rambo	LGF	$48,113,300	$42,754,105	1/25/08

[baumer]

 

And let's not forget, besides Morgan Freeman, the best part of the movie was Sheriff Alan Rickman. God, I was around nine or ten when I first saw this movie. And my friends and I would quote all of his lines every time we saw this.

 

 

 

 

Great point.

 

You:  945

You: 10 oclock, bring a friend.

 

[Nemeres]

Robin Hood POT was fucking great.  Plus it had a great cast and that Sean Connery cameo and Bryan Adams song was number one for something like 458 weeks in row in 1991, or something like that.

 

Costner and Christian Slater playing Brits and a boring drab look puts it pretty far from great to me. I can imagine it has nostalgic value and Alan Rickman's fun, but it feels sloppy and run-of-the-mill for a first-timer. I've been reading about it and apparently it had a ton of production woes... which become evident once you rewatch. I call it surprising because it says a lot about the kind of films that reached mega-blockbuster status before CG started shifting things.

[TServo2049]

From what I understand, the Connery appearance was a big thing. They basically pulled a Samuel L. Jackson in Iron Man /

Matt Damon in Interstellar

and made absolutely no mention anywhere of the fact that he was going to show up in the film. Remember, Mel Brooks even lampooned it in Men in Tights by having Patrick Stewart show up as King Richard at the end (also without any advance publicity that he was going to be in it?)

Edited January 15, 2015 by TServo2049

[lilmac]

But why compare that film to the one film in the modern era that had a better run than it?  Why not compare it to ID4 or some other blockbuster?  

 

To open to 77 mill and have close to a 10X is insane.

 

Ah I get what you all are saying now. Fair point. You see, I used Titanic as the anchor for what is abnormal and Avatar looks normal by comparison (with Sixth Sense and MBFGW joining Titanic as abnormals).

 

If you instead use Avatar as the paradigm then yea, traditional summer blockbuster trajectories make Avatar look abnormal. You could do that with any film with great legs though.