The second weekend (the Monday through Thursday will be helped by school holidays but hurt by even more outside distractions) for a big release, particularly when Dec. What would that suggest for its total gross? (Keep in mind that “Force” is helped by its shorter running time than these earlier juggernauts and other than “Avatar” is the only one with 3D ticket supplements adding to its haul.) Let’s stay on the conservative side and say its gross by Sunday night is $170 million (equal to “LotR:RotK” after five days). So enters Episode VII of the “Star Wars” saga, still the biggest film of the past 40 years (its adjusted total gross in its initial release is nearly $1.2 billion, with re-releases nearing $1.5 billion). So the instinct to go immediately is at its lowest ebb right about now. 25, many people are traveling, shopping, partying or otherwise occupied with the full knowledge that just ahead will be plenty of days for moviegoing. The problem with the pre-Christmas date, particularly when the calendar places the week before Friday at or around the 18th is that coming this close to Dec. $84 million), while “Titanic” - hurt by its length and far fewer screens available in 1997- is only the ninth best pre-Christmas weekend opener over the last 20 years. The first “Hobbit” movie is actually ahead of “Avatar”‘s debut ($88 vs. The biggest (adjusted) December opener for the three days is “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring” ($110 million), with “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King” just behind at $100 million (though with a Wednesday opening it had grossed $170 million by the end of pre-holiday Sunday). And last year the weekend before Christmas was only the 30th biggest of the whole year, showing the date’s normal relative weakness. “Titanic” is the third biggest grosser since 1975 (only the first “Star Wars” and “E.T.” are bigger “Avatar” is sixth biggest in the last 40 years). And both opened on Friday, December 18, the same as “Force Awakens,” except without the Thursday component. But where it gets weird, if you look back over the past 20 years, the two biggest films of all (using ticket-price adjusted grosses to provide an accurate and level comparison) the two biggest were actually Christmas films. So “The Force Awakens” enters the picture as something of an anomaly. (An added risk is the lurking fear in many parts of the country that a wintry blast could curtail irreplaceable business.) The result has been for studios to place their biggest films at times other than Christmas. (Hence Disney’s “Force Awakens” knocked out Weinstein Co.’s 70mm roadshow opening of “The Hateful Eight” at LA’s Cinerama Dome.) A top summer film often has a much better chance of corralling more capacity than even the biggest one at Christmas, certainly beyond the first week before the holiday. The narrow window for the best grosses means the most fierce competition for screen and seating space. That’s not possible at Christmas, where even with increased audiences films easily cannibalize each other. When an anticipated blockbuster opens in the summer, usually most other companies avoid the opening week and place their biggest films some distance apart. Since the potential grosses are so high, it is the only time of the year when all of the major companies, plus several specialized ones, open new films. 'Glass Onion' and 'Avatar: The Way of Water' Enter a Sequel-Heavy Best Adapted Screenplay Race.Oscars 2023: Best Visual Effects Predictions.Yes, Adults Still Go to the Movies - but Now They're Less Interested in Oscar Nominees.Everything Coming to Disney+ in March 2023.That’s a brief window, even if every day in that period plays like a Saturday. 25 (irrespective of the day of the week) through either January 1 or the last Sunday after (or Monday if New Years falls on a Sunday). Christmas, though it is an intensely lucrative season, only pops during the short intense stretch starting Dec. Since the dawn of the modern wide release opening era, 21 of the 25 biggest releases have opened in the May to August period. Summer reigns as the home of the biggest blockbusters. Expectations for the three days plus Thursday are hovering around the $200-million mark.Ĭhristmas for the movie business is unlike any other period of the year. (And this despite the upcoming pre- Christmas weekend not normally being considered ideal for opening top blockbusters.) These advance sales alone suggest a record breaking pre-Christmas opening (though a portion of these sales are for showings after this weekend). Hours before the initial U.S./Canada shows were to start at North American theaters for Disney’s “ Star Wars: The Force Awakens,”Fandango announced that tickets sold so far have already exceeded those bought in the entire run of any other film in the history of the non-exclusive service: $100 million.
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