DREAMGIRLS at the box office..

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 7:24pm

...from Entertainment Weekly:
"But those were nothing compared to Dreamgirls' stellar limited bow of $360,000 in just three venues — the 10th-best per-theater average of all time."

WOW! Congrats to the cast and crew of this phenomenal movie...can't wait to see how it will do once opened in wide release.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 7:37pm

Yep, I was just reading about that amazing 120 K per-site average.

Can't wait to see how it does in a wide release.

[ruprecht]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 7:39pm

That doesn't REALLY mean much. It hit its target audience right off the bat and charged a LOT in doing so.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 8:07pm

It's a very good sign when you compare it to the per-theater averages of other recent staggered-release musicals in their early days; The Producers and Phantom didn't do anywhere near as well in a handfull of theaters around their target audience. I think this will make, at the least, $80 million domestic now.

[musicalfandukie]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 8:16pm

even tho it cost 25 dollars for the tickets dreamgirls is showing 1 to 2 times a day rather than 4-5 times a day a normal movie would show so that kinda makes up for the 25 dollar price in the end..an awesome start for the movie!:)

[chernjam]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 8:42pm

That's a good point musicalfandukie that I hadnt thought about - that if it were playing 4-5 times a day the gross would be higher. Especially since in NY a regular movie ticket is 11 bucks already.

Jim

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 8:57pm

The people who walked out of the show this afternoon at the Ziegfeld were insanely positive when talking about the film. Word of mouth does much for films nowadays and great reviews (which DREAMGIRLS will most definitely garner at a more extreme level next week when it opens in wide release) don't hurt either.

This is a movie for so many different people and that's why it will be such a big hit. It can appeal to so many different types of people on so many different levels. It is insanely entertaining and the best film of the year and I think the final box office gross will undeinably reach over $100 million. It will probably also do phenomenally because it IS opening Christmas Day and people with nothing to do on New Year's Eve or over Christmas break will go to the movies and see it because it is such an escape from the world.

When the lights go down in DREAMGIRLS and the music begins to play, all is right with the world. And people will respond to that.

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 9:26pm

I attended a Road Show screening today, and the audience was equally enthusiastic. They broke into applause MANY times during the film, not just for "And I'm Telling You..."

I predict it will be a big, fat hit, when it opens nationwide.

[ChrisLovesShows]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 9:33pm

I really do think it will be a huge hit. It's an entertaining film and the music is much more accessible to a young audience of today than, say, POTO or The Producers. Plus, like Chicago, they have some true-blue, A-list stars.

On a side-note, I'm curious to see how the singles from the soundtrack will sell. "Listen" has been released as a single, right? (I rarely listen to pop stations, so I don't have many chances to hear it.)

[Raviolisun]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 9:42pm

A little OT, but somebody mentioned word of mouth.

Even though I won my tickets to an advance screening, I know I'm already influencing a ton of my friends to go see it, just because
I talk about it all the time. And that's exactly what all the other people going to advance screenings are going to do, because people love the movie so much. That's why these Roadshow screenings were such a good idea.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 12/18/06 at 1:26am

Beyonce has the song "Listen" on her album and she filmed a music video for it which is playing on MTV, I believe. I'm sure it will get an Oscar nom for "Best Song."

I can't wait to see this in a week when it's released here. I'm actually suprised that my friends want to see it, but I'm not complaining. First though, I have to see "The Pursuit of Happyness." It looks too good.

[jwsel]

Posted: 12/18/06 at 2:35am

I saw the Roadshow in L.A. tonight, and the audience also roared numerous times. They whooped at least twice during AITY, but also during Jimmy's Rap, Listen, and I Am Changing.

On the way out, everyone was raving. Sure it was the target audience, but bear in mind that such an audience was more likely than the average viewer to have high expectations and to be disappointed if the film didn't live up to them. One of the last shows I saw at that theater was an opening night showing of Godzilla (I swear it was a friend who was dying to see it). Before the show, people were chanting and cheering for it. By the end, they were screaming at the screen and booing. If Dreamgirls did not live up to expectations, the audience would not have been cheering wildly during the closing credits "curtain call."

[jv92]

Posted: 12/18/06 at 5:39pm

Unlike Chicago, this is being marketed really well. Remember how Chicago's soundtrack album wasn't released until nearly a month after its opening? Dreamgirls has been out for a week or so. Chicago's pictorial book (similar to Dreamgirls') was released after the Oscars. Dreamgirls' comes out tomorrow. Besides the marketing and merchandise, the audience reaction seems to be possitive. With the Oscar buzz (Murphy and Hudson will probably win, Best Picture seems likely too) this could be a seismic hit, bigger than Chicago probably.

Posted: 12/18/06 at 5:49pm

well...since it has the largest per-screen revenue of any movie musical of all time. I think it's safe to say that it's way more popular then Chicago.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 12/21/06 at 5:22pm

I have reservations about whether it will pass Chicago's extremely impressive final gross still, but if the legs are really fantastic, it could. Chicago was really an exception to every commercial rule...

[Thesbijean]

Posted: 12/21/06 at 10:02pm

Anybody who thinks Dremagirls will do better business than CHICAGO is lyng to themselves.

Got bad news for all of you. Middle America isn't going to pay $8 or whatever to see Dreamgirls. We were lucky they did for CHICAGO, which, arguably, had much bigger mass appeal names and a more mainstream plot than this movie does.

It will do good business in most metropolitan areas. I don't forsee the domestic gross being bigger than $60 million. However, it may get a boost from Oscar nominations, but not enough to enable it to surpass Chicago.

PS - Also, remember, that all of the three marketed lead's recent movies (Foxx, Murphy, and Knowles) have all been huge flops. Foxx had Miami Vice, Jarhead, and Stealth. Beyonce had Pink Panther and Fighting Tempatations. And do I need to even mention Murphy's last few films (that weren't animated)? Updated On: 12/21/06 at 10:02 PM

[Michael Bennett]

Posted: 12/21/06 at 10:16pm

The marketing for CHICAGO was unbelievable. Especially in terms of the Oscar campaign waged by Miramax, who dominated the awards for years because of their savvy marketing of movies like SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE and CHICAGO, particularly in regards to promotion towards voting members of the Academy.

CHICAGO grossed $170 million dollars domestically, but Miramax easily spent $100 million on budget and advertising. Easily...

DREAMGIRLS is having fantastic word of mouth, is apparently scoring very highly with Academy members at industry screenings, and arguably has greater cross over demographic appeal than CHICAGO.

The potential is there for the movie to be a smash. I think the CHICAGO final tally is probably an unrealistic goal, but the film's numbers should be good enough to help undo the box office damage done to the film musical after the huge financial failures of RENT, THE PRODUCERS and PHANTOM.
Updated On: 12/21/06 at 10:16 PM

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 12/21/06 at 10:30pm

Well, the budget for Chicago was $45 million, so I could definitely believe they spend $100 million in production and marketing over-all. That was one big marketing campaign.

"PS - Also, remember, that all of the three marketed lead's recent movies (Foxx, Murphy, and Knowles) have all been huge flops. Foxx had Miami Vice, Jarhead, and Stealth. Beyonce had Pink Panther and Fighting Tempatations. And do I need to even mention Murphy's last few films (that weren't animated)?"

Those were all movies which had horrendous word-of-mouth.

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/21/06 at 11:46pm

Y'know what makes me laugh? Those that are getting their p@nties all up in a bunch over the obvious runaway success of the film that have to resort to grasping at straws and in the interim feel the need to post these "I've got news for you...." messages. Give me a break. The numbers don't lie. The movie is doing phenomenal business. Accept it. Move on.


Move, Move.....Move right outta my life! Updated On: 12/21/06 at 11:46 PM

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 12/22/06 at 8:52am

"Got bad news for all of you. Middle America isn't going to pay $8 or whatever to see Dreamgirls. We were lucky they did for CHICAGO, which, arguably, had much bigger mass appeal names and a more mainstream plot than this movie does."

I think Dreamgirl's take on The Supremes/Motown is MUCH more mainstream than Chicago's plot.

[Thesbijean]

Posted: 12/22/06 at 12:53pm

I think determining the future domestic financial success of Dreamgirls solely on grosses where tickets are $25 in the 3 cities where movies make the most money is ridiculous.

When it opens wide is when we will see. I think it will do respectable business.

[ljay889]

Posted: 12/22/06 at 5:25pm

When it opens wide is when we will see.

- Well it's not opening wide release until Jan 19. So we'll be waiting a couple weeks. I think some people are under confusion that Dec 25 is the opening everywhere. That's what I thought, but than I found out the wide release is Jan 19, and that's when my local theatre will be getting it. But I have no problem traveling 30-40 minutes to see it next week.

But anyway, I don't think it will top Chicago's final gross. Unlikely.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 12/27/06 at 11:00am

Wow! http://boxofficemojo.com/daily/chart/

Look at those 'per-theater averages'.

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 12/27/06 at 11:06am

It's the #3 highest grossing movie to open on Christmas Day.

[once a month]

Posted: 12/27/06 at 11:16am

Eight point seven million on Christmas Day is nothing to skoff at!

Loved it! I saw the original with Jennifer Holiday and all...this was emotionally superior to the stage show to me. The close ups made me care more for the characters than sitting in the balcony did. I was an emotional wreck...and I knew what was going to happen.