Saturday, November 21, 2009

OFFICIAL: “New Moon” takes in $72.7M to break all-time single day box office record


OFFICIAL: “New Moon” takes in $72.7M to break all-time single day box office record

FRIDAY NUMBERS: Summit Entertainment has announced that The Twilight Saga: New Moon took in $72.7M on Friday, setting a new all-time single day box office record.

Friday's number includes the previously reported all-time record $26.27M in midnight screenings. This one-day total is also not far below the $85M 3-day weekend estimate originally proffered by Summit and accepted by many industry insiders. Few expected the film to approach the $100M mark. My personal guess, which I made last Tuesday, was $110M. Based on the numbers already in, advance sales, and tracking polls, some are now predicting a $125M weekend. That wouldn't top The Dark Knight's $158.4M opening but would be the biggest non-summer 3-day opening weekend of all time.

This number far surpasses that of The Dark Knight, which took in $67.17M on July 18, 2008 (including $18.4M from midnights). That film's take dropped 29.1% from Friday to Saturday to bring in another $47.65M, and ended with $43.6M on Sunday for an opening weekend total of $158.4M.

As I've been saying all week on my Twitter, [@larry411] though, the key to the total weekend box office will be the percentage drop (or increase) from Friday to Saturday. One year ago this weekend, Twilight dropped 40.8% from Friday to Saturday. As terrific as that film's opening day's numbers were, they didn't hold up. So that's the key to this weekend. No matter how well New Moon did on Friday it won't surpass 3-day record holder The Dark Knight if there's a significant decline today. This one day total, by the way, surpasses Twilight's total opening weekend take of $69.6M one year ago.

No matter what the totals turn out to be, this will be the biggest opening of all time for an independent film. The top four places are held by major Hollywood studio films: The Dark Knight (Warner Bros.) at $158.4M, Spider-Man 3 (Sony/Columbia) at $151.1M, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (Disney/Buena Vista) at $135.6M, and Shrek the Third (Paramount/Dreamworks) at $121.6M.

UPDATE FRIDAY 2:00 PM:

Summit has announced that The Twilight Saga: New Moon has officially set a new all-time midnight box office record, taking in $26.27M from 3514 theaters.

This shatters The Dark Knight's $18.4M midnight debut for a 3-day weekend. It also easily surpasses the all-time record for midnight showings which was held by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which took in $22.2M on a Tuesday night on its way to a 5-day weekend total of $158M. The Dark Knight went on to take in $67.17M that opening day, dropped 29.1% from Friday to Saturday to bring in another $47.65M, and ended with $43.6M on Sunday for an opening weekend total of $158.4M.

UPDATE FRIDAY 12:00 NOON:

Unofficial reports say The Twilight Saga: New Moon has shattered The Dark Knight's $18.4M midnight debut for a 3-day weekend. Sources put the total at $23-24M. This would also surpass Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, whose 5-day weekend began with $22.2M on a Tuesday night. Summit has not yet released official numbers.

UPDATE FRIDAY 8:00 AM:

The early word this Friday morning from industry sources is that The Twilight Saga: New Moon may be on its way to breaking the all-time midnight screening record set by The Dark Knight (for a 3-day weekend). That film grossed $18.4M from 3040 showings. It went on to take in $67.17M that opening day, dropped 29.1% from Friday to Saturday to bring in another $47.65M, and ended with $43.6M on Sunday for an opening weekend total of $158.4M.

In contrast, New Moon played 3514 midnight screenings last night, 474 more than The Dark Knight. This would certainly indicate that it's headed for a new midnight record as it only needs to break $18.4M to do so. It might also be on its way to an all-time opening day record, although the film plays at 4024 theaters this weekend vs. The Dark Knight's 4366 locations.

As I've been saying all week on my Twitter, though, the key to the total weekend box office will be the percentage drop (or increase) from Friday to Saturday. One year ago this weekend, Twilight dropped 40.8% from Friday to Saturday. As terrific as that film's opening day's numbers were, they didn't hold up. So that's the key to this weekend. No matter how well New Moon does today it won't matter if there's a precipitous decline tomorrow.

Reports from theaters all over the country indicate a mix of tweens and older women, with a decent amount of boys and older men. Males are the key to success for this film to overtake The Dark Knight. The all-time record for midnight showings is held by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which took in $22.2M on a Tuesday night on its way to a 5-day weekend total of $158M.

I remember people saying "Don't pre-buy tickets for Harry Potter it will over sell and New Moon won't beat it out" ha ha ha - I knew that was NEVER going to be an issue - this is the BIGGEST thing EVER - and just wait for Eclipse!

Source

No comments: