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The Dark Knight Rises to Box Office Glory

The hotly anticipated The Dark Knight Rises easily claimed the top spot at the box office with a huge $160.9 million, good enough for the third-highest opening of all time (behind The Avengers and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2) and the best ever for a movie not available in 3D. 

Eyes had been on the bat-flick all weekend to see if it would outdo Marvel’s The Avengers, but considering the lack of surcharges and family appeal, it was a dubious wish at best. What is certain is Christopher Nolan’s conclusion to his trilogy opened lower than projections, and therefore the question remains as to how the horrific shooting in Colorado affecting its immediate returns.

This is unprecedented territory when it comes to analyzing how an event of this nature influences attendance, but it would be absurd to claim the attack had no affect on those willing to head out to cineplexes this weekend. We’ve seen blizzards and natural disasters slow front-loaded enthusiasm, but something so close to the film itself is a different matter all together. Only the future will tell if folks will be more willing to head out next weekend after the dust settles, or if the affects of the atrocity will be more lasting.

In happier news, the CinemaScore for the superhero flick was a superb A and the trajectory of the weekend did show great stabilization from Saturday to Sunday. In addition, overseas and in just 17 territories (or roughly a fifth of the international market), The Dark Knight Rises grabbed $88 million for a worldwide total of $248.8 million in three days. Regardless of its domestic prospects, expect “Rises” to beat the billion-dollar gross of The Dark Knight. 

The Top 10 

1. The Dark Knight Rises…$160.9M (weekend)…$160.9M (gross)
2. Ice Age: Continental Drift…$20.4M…$88.8M
3. The Amazing Spider-Man…$10.9M…$228.6M
4. Ted…$10.0M…$180.4M
5. Brave…$6.0M…$208.8M
6. Magic Mike…$4.3M…$101.9M
7. Savages…$3.4M…$40.1M
8. Tyler Perry's Madea's Witness Protection…$2.3M…$60.3M
9. Moonrise Kingdom…$1.8M…$36.1M
10. To Rome With Love…$1.4M…$11.1M

In light of Batman’s return, all sophomore films plummeted as theater screens were stolen away and attention turned elsewhere. Last week's champ Ice Age: Continental Drift tumbled 56 percent to $20.4 million and an $88.8 cume, though the number to note is the insane $529.3 million it has made worldwide. The Amazing Spider-Man crash landed in its third weekend (thanks no doubt to Batman) with a 69-percent drop.

 

In benchmark-breaking news, Pixar’s Brave crossed $200 million and has grossed $208.8 million, while Magic Mike danced past $100 million. That makes Channing Tatum the first actor in history to have three $100-million movies in one year (his other two hits being The Vow and 21 Jump Street). 

Next weekend, The Watch will try and lure out the comedy crowd and Step-Up: Revolution will try and cater to the young female demographic. Even though they are vastly different fare than The Dark Knight Rises, expect them to suffer like Dark Shadows, Battleship and The Dictator did in the shadow of The Avengers.


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