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Dark Knight recently became the fastest movie to earn $400 million. Opening weekend, the flick filled seats for 3 a.m. and 6 a.m. screenings and fans on Craigslist were paying two, four and ten times more than face value for tickets. At just over two and a half hours, the movie even tops other Batman movies in length! Despite all this success, though the Dark Knight cannot win it all. Here are a few records it won’t be breaking:
1) Summer revenue abroad
The Mummy is burying Dark Knight in weekly box office sales outside the US. Oddly enough, if the summer Olympics had taken place in New York City instead of Beijing, Gotham City might have reigned worldwide.
2) New Zealand’s top spot
There’s simply no budging Frodo and friends from holding onto the opening weekend record in the country where the Lord of the Rings series was filmed. The country was so cuckoo for Tolkien that it temporarily renamed the capital city of Wellington as Middle Earth.
3) Top domestic revenue
(At least, not yet.) Titanic still reigns as the top grossing movie of all time in the US, breaking the $600 million mark. While Dark Knight is certainly moving up the chart, in the past ten years, no movie has come close to sinking this ship’s record.
4) Video game success
Spider-man 3, Shrek 3 and other top movies released video games at the same time that they hit the theaters. So far, Dark Knight hasn’t issued a video game version, and with it, has lost as much as $100 million in revenue.
5) Most expensive movie
In recent years, Spider-Man 3 clocked in at $258 million in production costs. If you adjust for inflation, 1963’s $44 million Cleopatra would have cost nearly $300 million. By that measure, Dark Knight seems like a bargain at an estimated $185 million.
6) Most Prince-ly soundtrack
While Prince recorded one of the two soundtracks for the 1989’s Batman, and appeared in music videos, including Batdance and Partyman, he was noticeably absent from the new movie’s soundtrack. Sorry, Dark Knight!
Comments (15)
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Just like there is no room for the supernatural in the Nolan Batman movies, there is no room for Prince. Personally I prefer it that way.
posted by jopari on 8-8-2008 at 8:34 am
I’m kinda shocked by how popular The Mummy is overseas.
posted by Lynn on 8-8-2008 at 8:41 am
The Olympics would have to be in Chicago. Metropolis=New York, Gotham City=Chicago. Ever see a “lower 5th” where you drive under other city streets in New York?
posted by PragmaticCynic on 8-8-2008 at 10:09 am
I know you cited the Hollywood Reporter story as proof that it won’t win abroad… but it doesn’t say that. It says it is beating it this week, the week of its premiere.
Overall, Batman has made 203 million internationally while Mummy is only at about 60 million. Indy 4 and Iron Man both have a higher international take than both, but I’m certain Batman will bring those down to (although Indy’s 430 mil might be harder)
posted by Kevin on 8-8-2008 at 10:44 am
Wow, I’m surprised at the Mummy walking over the Dark Knight in revenue – I’d also be interested in actually how much sway the Olympics have had on that stat.
If the Mummy doesn’t have Christian Bale’s incredibly annoying “Batman” voice, that could be a contributing factor. ;)
posted by John Young | We Have Contact on 8-8-2008 at 2:19 pm
Hey guys, here’s some possible corrections:
1) The Mummy was released in almost every country worldwide at the same time. TDK isn’t even in a lot of major markets right now, including Japan! We’ll have to wait a few months to see which one truly does better overseas (I have a feeling that The Mummy box office will drop off more quickly, even if its initial numbers are stronger)
2)Adjusted for inflation, Titanic sits at over 1 billion domestic dollars – and still ranks only #6 overall (Gone With the Wind is the real #1 movie of all time). TDK, at $410 million, is still at #58. You’re right, it will never, ever, ever truly reach Titanic or even come close to the #1 spot. But I think it will make it to $600 million, easy. It just won’t mean much because it will have only sold 2/3 as many tickets as Titanic.
posted by Pat on 8-8-2008 at 2:23 pm
It’s the opening week for Mummy 3, I can pretty much tell you that there will be a 50% drop off rate in revenue for it overseas. I prefer no video game. Most games that are based off recent movies are horrible and have nothing to do with the movie and are far from the original universe. I know TDK will not beat some records but nobody in the beginning said it was going to until it blew up in the theaters right.
posted by moviereign on 8-8-2008 at 2:23 pm
The last three points have nothing to do with a films success. the most expensive movie title just makes it harder for the studio to make a profit. They made a movie that is ten times better than spiderman and at a fraction of the cost. I say they won that one. Prince-ly soundtrack? Who cares. and as far as the video game is concerned. I’m glad EA didn’t rush some crap game for the movie release. Maybe they will take the time to create a good game that the movie deserves.
posted by Austin on 8-8-2008 at 2:52 pm
Another record “The Dark Knight” will not break: hitting safely in 57 straight games.
posted by harold on 8-8-2008 at 3:19 pm
@John Young
I totally agree about the voice thing. Ugh!
posted by gibson8or on 8-8-2008 at 3:57 pm
Interesting stats but is it really a subtle effort to diminish an incredible quality movie like Dark Knight? Who cares if it does or doesn’t catch Titanic? I think Titanic was just the story of a couple of horny kids. Batman has alot more for you to think about! Nuff said
posted by the Flatulator on 8-8-2008 at 4:52 pm
Ahh, Batdance!! I have an ex boyfriend who always used to ask me, “Ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?” That song brings back memories.
posted by Cassie on 8-8-2008 at 9:44 pm
Hooray for not getting number 4. The movies that release games at the same time of the movie seem to have scenes in that movie designed to be copied in game versions.
Look at Star Wars episodes 1-3, crap movies designed for computer game creation!
posted by Michael on 8-9-2008 at 6:05 pm
Dark Knight isn’t about breaking records. It’s about storytelling. And RICO.
posted by Jonathan Nolan on 8-9-2008 at 11:25 pm
Perhaps from an aesthetic viewpoint Bale’s Batman voice isn’t great, but really, is he to just speak as he normally does and expect the audience to believe no one in Gotham recognizes Bruce Wayne’s voice?
And no video game is a good thing. Remember the one thrown out during Superman Return’s opening? Neither do I.
posted by Johan Liebert on 8-11-2008 at 6:33 am