"Mamma Mia" opens with "stunning" B.O. numbers

NEVER underestimate the transcendant appeal of ABBA.

From "Variety":

'Mamma' is queen overseas
Foreign box office in tune with Universal
By DAVE MCNARY

Universal's "Mamma Mia!" came out singing overseas ahead of its domestic launch, dominating in English-speaking markets with $24 million on just 1,368 screens in a dozen territories for a stunning $17,536 per-location average... .

I'm guessing that you don't get the significance of the $17G/per location average the movie accounted for when released on only 1,300 screens.

"The Dark Knight" is opening on 4,000 and boasts 100 sellouts.

One hundred.

The high-testosterone 17-25-year old male may get "The Dark Knight" out of the gate with what appears to be an insurmountable first-weekend lead but this is going to be a marathon not a sprint. Streep, alone, brought in $128,000,000 for "The Devil Wears Prada" and that had the shelf life of summer corn.

"Mamma Mia" is going to tap into the formidable market of the 25-40 year old women who made "Sex in the City" iconic and families, who, rather than watch their kids squirm as "The Dark Knight" grinds away for almost 70 minutes with dialogue and scenes that sound like they were written by Kierkegard, will pack up the SUV
and head for "Mamma Mia".

In excess of 30,000,000 people have seen "Mamma Mia!" the musical in venues as
far apart as Moscow and The Phillipines.

I'm guessing, conservatively, half of those people liked it enough to see the film.
(How many "The Dark Knight" soundtracks you think are going to be sold?)

As I said, "The Dark Knight" should break fastest of all from the gate but "Mamma Mia", just as ABBA has, will go chugging along as a cash cow of almost incomprehensible scope, when the high-testosterone crowd turns its fickle attention to the next Super-Hero du Jour blockbuster.

Updated On: 7/14/08 at 07:09 PM

Well said (and I couldn't agree more) Eagleman!

Uhm, okay. Sure, Eagleman. You think what you wanna think. Let's just forget about the fact that the Batman franchise has been thriving for over 70 years and how it has been monumental for so many generations.

Yeah, okay. Let's just forget about all that. ABBA wins.

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Oh, regarding the soundtracks to The Dark Knight?

http://uk.reuters.com/article/musicNews/idUKN1126265520080712

"The soundtrack to "Batman Begins" sold 79,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan, but this time out, the release of the "Dark Knight" score is getting a much bigger push than most soundtrack releases receive."

Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard are brilliant composers who've created a score as haunting as the film itself. I can say that I will definitely be buying more than one copy.

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The praise TDK is getting is nothing short of astonishing. It's even garnering oscar buzz for both the film itself and for Heath Legers performance.

I can't believe we're even having this discussion. As a future film major, I'm telling you that Christopher Nolan is one of the most brilliant directors of the last decade. The names that are attached to the project and the people working behind the scenes are the reason why The Dark Knight is going to be a masterpiece. The film hasn't even been publically released yet and there's been insane Oscar buzz for this film.

The Dark Knight goes beyond the "superhero" film genre, and is so much more than what you think of it. He is an Academy Award nominee directing a film that he co-wrote with his also Academy Award nominated brother, Jonathan Nolan. Every single film he has ever made (Memento, Insomnia, Batman Begins, The Prestige, etc) has topped thousands of critics' lists as some of the best films EVER MADE. Do you really think that ABBA can compete with that?

Yes, ABBA has made millions of dollars with their #1 hits, but the younger generations don't even know their name. I hope you realize that the only thing about ABBA that teenagers and 20-something adults know is that the A*TEENS sing covers of their songs.

Mamma Mia has been consistently receiving negative reviews.
The Dark Knight has been consistently receiving RAVE reviews.

Not only that, but movie musicals have a tendency to do very poorly with typical moviegoers. Sweeney Todd is one of the most well-known Broadway musicals and has been seen by millions of people over the years in so many different productions. Critically? It did very, very well. Financially? It was a flop. If I remember correctly it peaked at #5 in the box office, and then just....fell out of the top 10 altogether. Sure, it had a cult following, but you see my point. Same for RENT. Even Across the Universe flopped COMPLETELY and that used the music of The Beatles, the most famous musical group of all-time.

You think ABBA's music can do better than The Beatles?

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*applauds JP2* THANK YOU. At least somebody has some sense.

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You guys are out of your minds. "Mama Mia!" stands a very good chance of flopping financially in the U.S. for a number of reasons.

1) Mama Mia's up against THE most anticipated film of the summer (and dare I say it, the year).

2) Mama Mia's not doing especially well critically, and the musical movie genre is one of the few film categories where that actually counts (consider Chicago's raves and financial success vs. Rent's mediocre critical reception and flopping figures).

3) Mama Mia's target audiences are the most difficult markets possible with which to generate a hit. You've got women over 35 who stereotypically don't turn up at the movie theatres. And you've got theatre fans who have been proven to not be able to make a film a hit on their own.

You think ABBA's music can do better than The Beatles?

It did on broadway :)

I don't think the issue is which will gross more... undoubtedly The Dark Knight will, as it will obviously be a much better film than Mamma Mia! is. The point is Mamma Mia! will be a fun summer movie that will do well (albeit not as well as TDK) regardless. Does it really matter which movie grosses more? If Mamma Mia! gets over 100,000,000 that will be quite an achievement.

Updated On: 7/14/08 at 09:37 PM

Gobstopper, depends what you consider a flop ! You mean around 40-50 million in the US, by the end of its run ? Well, I strongly believe it will make more than a 100 million, so we'll just have to wait and see ! A movie's revenue is NOT only its opening weekend, that's why some are called SLEEPER Hits !

I disagree ! You said that the movie's demographic is women over 35 ! When was the last time they turned in droves on opening weekend ? But when word of mouth gets out from their friends, that they had a great time at this movie, they will go to see what's it all about ! And I have to add, after seeing the movie, that Amanda and Dominic will bring young women too ! It is the perfect movie for a mother-daughter night out, don't underestimate the power of that !

I can't believe we're even having this discussion. As a future film major, I'm telling you that Christopher Nolan is one of the most brilliant directors of the last decade.

Uh oh, guys. We've got a "future film major" here. I guess that puts us in our places. How could our opinions be anything close to as correct as titleofusername?

Anywho...let's not forget MAMMA MIA is the first musical to ever gross a billion dollars worldwide. While I think "The Dark Knight" will have a great first weekend, "Mamma Mia" has a more world-wide appeal. ABBA has fans all over the world ranging from old to young. Their music coupled with Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan should help this movie gross quite a bit of money.

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