The Sweeney Todd Box Office Tracking thread- Page 9

[luvcaroline]

Posted: 12/30/07 at 5:03pm

I can't imagine that there are many "Sondheads" (love that term, btw) in Tyler, TX, yet when I saw it there yesterday there were MANY reactions throughout the movie (but no hooping and hollering).

[Mamie]

Posted: 12/30/07 at 5:50pm

For what it's worth - I went to a 10 am showing yesterday and I was surprised to see around 30 people in the audience. I didn't expect that many for an early running of this show. And they DID laugh during "Priest" - quite a lot actually. The comments at the end were interesting.

"Oh my God"
"Whew"
"I don't know what to think"
"That was unbelievable!"
and the one that reflected my own feelings the most:
"I have GOT to see this movie again!"

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 12/30/07 at 6:37pm

"Are you a seer? It definitely will not be a loss for the studio? I think even the studio knows at this point it will be a loss - so bloody what?"

It is nearly impossible, all things considered, for this film to have not to turn a profit by the time it reaches DVD. It will almost certainly make over $100 million worldwide.

I care because it's interesting to me. Not just this film, but any film. Some people like football. A growing number of people are interested by box office. Just look over on the box office mojo forums.

It's also important for this or any film to do well if you want to see more like it.

[phantom8019]

Posted: 12/30/07 at 6:44pm

What's exciting for me is that I've seen it reel in quite a few people who are now discovering it for the first time.
The first time I went, I saw it with a friend who appreciates theatre but is not well-versed in it and had never heard of Seeeney Todd. He loved it.
Then I took my niece and she loved it... now she has the CD and is going to see it again with her father. And, this'll be her father's second time, because he caught it this week too.
And these are 3 people who didn't know a thing about Sweeney Todd this time last month.
I suspect this trend may be happening with many other people. And sure, I guess there are those who hated it too.
Updated On: 12/30/07 at 06:44 PM

[jackie]

Posted: 12/30/07 at 7:43pm

This is an analysis by Len Klady, an old pro without any particular bias:

National Treasure: Book of Secrets maintained top spot in the last weekend of 2007 with an estimated $35.8 million. The frame experienced double digit expansion with more than a few surprises as several new titles entered the fray in wide and limited release. Alvin, Will Smith and, unexpectedly, Juno contributed mightily to a positive tilt in weekend movie going.

A trio of freshmen titles debuted Christmas Day with varying results. Alien vs. Predator - Requiem offered a soupcon of counter-programming and ranked sixth overall for the weekend with an OK $9.9 million while the kid friendly The Water Horse generated a disappointing $9.1 million. The targeted-wide release of the uplifting drama The Great Debaters stepped out with an encouraging $6 million.

The situation was equally torrid among limited openers hoping to qualify for Oscars and such and strategically roll out in 2008. The star driven The Bucket List rang up close to a $20,000 theater average at 16 venues while the highly touted There Will Be Blood grossed a staggering $182,600 from two screens. A pair of unusual imports also had potent bows. The adult animated Persepolis (France's Oscar submission) was impressive with an $85,100 box office in seven situations and the chiller The Orphanage (the top grosser in Spain this year) did $232,000 in a first foray at 19 sites.

Overall weekend revenues topped $183 million to best Christmas weekend by 15% and better the 2006 tally by 14%. With just a day left in the year initial estimates peg 2007 to show an improvement somewhere between 5% and 6%. Admissions appear to be perhaps 1% improved but could well be flat with 2006 owing to considerable growth for high ticket large format items that include such recent films as I Am Legend and Beowulf.

The closing days of the year might best be dubbed as to have and have not. The plus side certainly embraces Alvin and the Chipmunks which had been viewed as commercially challenged but is now expected to push close to $200 million domestically. And despite a commercial rally, the high profile Charlie Wilson's War's commercial verdict is likely to be determined by international response.

The flip side has one unequivocal casualty in Walk Hard and a likely major write off with Sweeney Todd. The latter film despite critical support hasn't been able to overcome public resistance to a musical that tilts toward Grand Guignol extremes in grisly blood letting.

The session saw such features as The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The Kite Runner and Atonement holding up well in niche exposure. In a year where few prestige entries have been able to strategize platforms to the end, caution rather than boldness has set in and one can expect more of the same with this week's newcomers.

One notable exception is Juno that added 693 playdates to bring it to 998 theaters this weekend and maintain a very sturdy $10,000 plus engagement average. The film's initial surge boils down a sleight-of-hand in addressing teen pregnancy with candor and humor that has appeal to both sophisticated and blue collar audiences. It could well emerge as an even bigger success than Little Miss Sunshine.
- Leonard Klady

[bk]

Posted: 12/30/07 at 8:19pm

Jackie, no one on this board wants to hear it. Not from experts, not from me, not from you. And that's fine. They'll all think what they want to think and the world goes round and round and round.

I think Juno could be a surprise winner, and certainly the movie every single person I know in the business thought would tank, Alvin and the Chipmunks, has turned out to be the real success story here.

I simply don't understand why people can't simply love the film and not worry about the box-office. I understand that it's this generation's obsession, but that's about all I understand.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 12/31/07 at 11:49am

Juno is a big success, it's been tracking well for months, people have been wanting to see it for a long time. obviously, Alvin in the Chipmunks is a commercial success beyond anything it deserves or anyone saw coming. But that doesn't affect Sweeney Todd. I don't understand why people see a smaller number and automatically assume it's a flop. Dreamworks and WB knew what they were getting into. It's an "awards" film, and they couldn't have expected a huge opening. If they did, then they would've opened it wide. As it is, they are getting nearly as many people in each theater it's playing in as are seeing the current blockbusters in that theater.

Right now, the story is this: it opened so-so and held extremely well throughout the holidays. It still has not expanded into a major wide release.

There is no clear bottom line, but saying that it will be a loss for the studio is absurd at this rate. There is very little chance that, worldwide, this film will not gross enough for the studio to pay for its pretty small budget and its advertising.

Remember, the studio is getting a larger cut of this particular film's gross than usual (which is why that one small theater chain isn't carrying it).

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 1/1/08 at 4:16pm

5-day estimates bring the total to est. $30,501,000

[bk]

Posted: 1/1/08 at 4:17pm

"Estimates." Keep trying, old stick.

[ray-andallthatjazz86]

Posted: 1/1/08 at 4:29pm

Honestly, the two main reasons I wanted it to do well was 1. It would make it easier for other movie musicals to get green-lit, 2. It's always nice seeing something you love, being enjoyed by most people as well.
The fact that the movie flopped (if it did) means nothing though, it's such a fantastic film. I've seen it three times, only gets better. Can't wait for the fourth time.

[zooxanthellae]

Posted: 1/1/08 at 4:30pm

I woudln't say its doing terrible... its certainly doing better than some people on here predicted.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 1/1/08 at 4:37pm

""Estimates." Keep trying, old stick."

What is that supposed to mean? Estimates are the numbers that come out every weekend. They are what people read in the newspaper every monday morning. They are almost always nearly exact. They are released by the studios. Final numbers take a while later to come out.

[rosscoe(au)]

Posted: 1/1/08 at 4:42pm

"Alvin in the Chipmunks"

Is this a sexual thing?

[ljay889]

Posted: 1/1/08 at 4:42pm

Don't even start with Bk, Warhol. He believes the estimates are all inflated and fake.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 1/1/08 at 4:44pm

Thanks. I hope he realzies that studios actually tend to under-state estimates on purpose to make the final numbers look better...

[BrianIdol]

Posted: 1/1/08 at 7:25pm

The movie just passed $26 million in 10 days.....seems like that's just fine to me.

[Brick]

Posted: 1/1/08 at 9:12pm

This is from Gold Derby, concerning the Best Actress race:

""Sweeney Todd" continues to be a curious wild card, which means Helena Bonham Carter does, too. Ten days after opening, it's still pulling in more than $2 million per day despite being a bizarre, R-rated musical that invites its audience to cheer on cannibalism and a razor-wielding murderer. It's not catching on as a wild hit, but that may not matter if it continues to hold on in theaters, picking up repeat viewers and word-of-mouth late-comers. Then it'll still be considered a success, "Sweeney" will remain in the best-pic race and Carter will benefit."

[bk]

Posted: 1/1/08 at 9:21pm

"What is that supposed to mean? Estimates are the numbers that come out every weekend. They are what people read in the newspaper every monday morning. They are almost always nearly exact. They are released by the studios. Final numbers take a while later to come out."

I know how it works. Estimates are estimates and are most certainly not always nearly exact. Which is why there was one estimate on the Friday it opened (for the three-day weekend), and another revised estimate when the film took a 25% drop in its second day, which NO ONE was predicting.

Look, as I keep saying all along, it will do what it will do and why people here have to have this fervid hope that it is somehow doing better than it's doing continues to baffle me. People keep quoting non-existent sources when they say "it's not doing terrible." Who has said it's doing "terrible?" Certainly not I. It is doing decent if unexceptional business. There's no way to spin it any other way, much as people seem to want to. It's really that simple. Just be happy that the film is good and that you obsessives can see it five or six times and cheer to your heart's content. As I said, with some minor caveats, I really liked it a lot. That doesn't mean I have to spin things in a way that make no sense. Sorry if that rankles people.

And a Happy New Year to all!

[Holbee]

Posted: 1/1/08 at 11:25pm

Sweeney Todd was finally made into a film. A truly WONDERFUL film. No matter how badly it does, nothing will ever take that away. True, I'd love Burton and cast to recieve the accolades and box office they deserve for so lovingly rendering the stage piece into such an outstanding film. The only thing the box office takes away are:

The movie versions of "Nine" and "Follies". Perhaps a "Les Miz". I know we'll probably eventually have "Wicked" and other tween films, but the risky, dramatic movie musical is dead for awhile.

Now, I don't know if "Nine and "Follies" have been put in turn around as yet, but I'm pretty sure their creators will be soon told that they're over...

[zooxanthellae]

Posted: 1/2/08 at 12:30am

I doubt this would effect Les Mis' chance at a movie... I mean the name is enough to sell it! Everyone and their mother will go see the movie because they loved the musical... Although it still needs to be done well and get good reviews/word of mouth because the same thing could have been said about Phantom's name selling it.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 1/2/08 at 3:11pm

"I know how it works. Estimates are estimates and are most certainly not always nearly exact. Which is why there was one estimate on the Friday it opened (for the three-day weekend), and another revised estimate when the film took a 25% drop in its second day, which NO ONE was predicting."

Those couldn't have been official studio estimates. They never project more than one day. Those were probably from Fantasy Mogul, they conjur up all kinds of numbers.

I'm equally baffled. I mean, it's obviously not doing spectacular, runaway business, but I never thought I'd be sitting through yet another discussion on the various levels and definitions of success.

This isn't a situation like The Producers, where people were dilusionally thinking it was doing better than it was, or even Phantom, where people were arguing whether it was a success or not when the film was pulling in only around $1 million every day over the holidays. The Phantom film ended up doing pretty darn decent worldwide in the end, and it can't really be argued that it was a flop.

So I'm confused why there seems to be just as much debate about Sweeney, which is doing significantly better numbers so far domestically and has a much smaller budget.
Updated On: 1/2/08 at 03:11 PM

[bk]

Posted: 1/2/08 at 3:26pm

First of all, it doesn't have a much smaller budget than Phantom - with overruns Sweeney's estimated budget came out at about sixty-five. With overruns, Phantom came out at eighty.

Second of all, Sweeney is not doing much better than Phantom did in its opening weeks. In a similar time frame, Phantom had done close to 21mil in half the number of theaters. And everyone kept saying that when Phantom went wide it would be a hit. Didn't happen.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 1/2/08 at 3:35pm

Phantom had made just over $16 million at the end of New Years, with about the same amount of time in release, with much lower per-site averages than Sweeney is currently racking up (even though it was in fewer theaters than Sweeney is now). Phantom also never really went wide. It's final theater count was barely more than Sweeney has now. Now, I don't think that Sweeney expanding will bring much of an increase in business, just help to keep it steady. Of course, it should've opened wide to begin with...

The official budgets for Phantom and Sweeney were $70 million and $50 million, respectively. Like you said, though, there was probably over-run on each.
Updated On: 1/2/08 at 03:35 PM

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 1/3/08 at 3:18pm

Final numbers for the five-day weekend are in, Sweeney grossed $11,890,622. The actual total is $30,609,858, or about $100,000 more than estimates had pegged.

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 1/3/08 at 3:43pm

Like every other film, Sweeney was hurt severely on Wednesday when the holiday season ended for most people. It managed to rake in another $1.3 million.