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Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Film Transforming Numbers
Posted By Matt Brunson on Wed, Jul 11, 2007 at 9:33 AM
When summer began, it was pretty much agreed by the pundits that the battle for the title for the season's top grosser would be between the third entries to Spider-Man, Shrek and Pirates of the Caribbean. At this point, with weekly takes for all three films trickling out, it looks as if Spider-Man 3 will snag the title; to date, it’s grossed $334 million, followed by Shrek the Third at $316 million and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End with $301 million.
But not so fast. Talking with various theater personnel who had seen Transformers before anyone else (even critics), their feeling was that the Michael Bay action flick could conceivably sweep past The Big 3 and make off with the box office crown. And now, after witnessing its opening during the July 4th week, that could very well happen: In its first six days, Transformers grossed a massive $152 million, and depending on how well it holds up, it might catch up to and even surpass the high-profile summer sequels. What’s more, with a budget of $150 million, the movie has already turned a profit and will continue to score heavy bank over the weeks to come. (By contrast, it took longer for Spider-Man 3 to domestically recoup its $258 million budget, while Pirates just this past weekend — in its seventh week of release — earned back its whopping $300 million price tag.)
My feeling? Transformers will come close, but it won’t have the momentum to make it to #1. After all, attendance is sure to be drastically down with today’s opening of another family-friendly flick: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, another movie certain to give the summer crown its best shot.
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