First Trek To hit the 1/4 Billion mark!

[TJinPgh]

Well if money taken isn't a good indication, has anyone ever tracked actually how many tickets were sold?

Good question. I remember talking about this after the media gushed over how much money Casino Royale made in it's James Bond reboot.

Dollarwise, it made more than any other James Bond film. But, adjusted for inflation it wasn't even in the top 5.

Further, I remember coming across a website at the time that tracked actual ticket sales and Daniel Craig's Casino Royale ended up selling about one TENTH as many seats as some of the early Connery films. I don't remember the exact numbers but you get the point.

Star Trek has done very well dollarwise domestically (keep in mind that Angels and Demons pulled more foreign than Trek has done foreign total). But, since very few box office sources track how many seats are actually sold there is no way to compare it to the Trek movies of the original cast in actual popularity.

Also worth considering is production costs. Star Trek: TMP cost an inflation adjusted $102m to make and grossed over $200m worldwide for a profit of at least $100m.

Star Trek will probably make a similar profit when it's done but will be considered more successful. In the end, TMP will likely have sold far more tickets.

Like I said, nobody really tracks those things any more. All they care about is box office gross.

For comparison sake, I could go see TMP for about $1.50 matinee n 1979. Best I could find for Star Trek was $7 for matinee. So, the ticket prices have increased by a factor of 4.67 while inflation has increased by a factor of 3 or so. In other words, even adjusting for inflation it would take more people seeing TMP to make a profit of $100m than seeing ST.

 

[Trekker4747]

Trek XI achieving this august status over the other films is by no means a reflection of its "superior quality," simply a result of price inflation.

No it's a clear indication that people want to see this film. Via either advertising, word of mouth, or extremely positive reviews.

American Idol is one of the most watched shows on TV.

Quantity of film-goers does not equate quality of entertainment.

 

[indranee]

of course not.

still, TDK was widely watched, you have to admit

 

[Borgminister]

Yeah, silly argument trotted out time and again.

Of course the good die young and evil endures.

But not always.

 

[Jax]

The problem with talking about inflation...Well what if those films opened up today, would they make the same ? goes both ways.

 

[mswood]

While ticket sales are not uncommon for recent films the further back you go the less data is available (and thats just in the US, its probably worse when you consider all the various countries data would be taken from for World Wide figures).

So adjusted for inflation is the best data set we do get, though it is of course not 100% accurate (and really gets far murkier with World Wide figures).

But again it is the best indicator we do have.

Some one posted above about studios making 100% off its first two weeks, before theaters start getting their cut.

That is out and out false. Typically its between 65-85% of tickets sales during a movies first two weeks go to the theaters. The more anticipated your film is the higher your cut. So Transformers 2 for example is probably going to be sitting pretty with 85% or so. While Trek might be lower at 75%, and smaller movies tend to be lower, art house can even be lower then 50%.

And this data is almost never released to the public for each film.

As for its overseas gross it will easily clear 100 million (it will be very close to 90 by Monday or early this week). I would guess that after the few remaining countries get the film it will end overseas with 120-135 million. And for Trek that is indeed excellent. One of the reasons Motionless Picture did so well isn't because of being Star Trek but because it was marketed as another Star Wars, Close Encounters, ect. Needless to say looking at the next few Trek films did overseas show how much the overseas public did not get Star Trek.

Also another huge factor we must consider is that in the late seventies and the early eighties people watch far, far, far more film exclusively at the movies (the home market was still new). Now days more and more people are willing to wait for the home market (and way its such a big part of how a film earns money).

If this film manages to get to 230 - 250, that is huge. Because even with the dollar adjustment, Star Trek the Motion Picture would not get the same number of people in the theater. It would lose some of that to people wh would watch a few months later on DVD.

 

[RAMA]

So $278 million worldwide by the end of Monday! $18 million more than my total prediction. Only $120 million behind STTMP, adjusted for inflation. Remember though, back in the day, STTMP had multiple releases, and ST 09 made its money in 17 days!!!

RAMA

 

[indranee]

plus you've got to give TMP its due. the very first Star Trek movie released after a ten-year drought in which all people had was the show in syndication (only a three-year one, at that), conventions, fanzines, and novels.

come on, TMP was thirsted after like no other Trek movie ever.

 

[Blue_Trek]

The TMP sucked bad, I will bash that movie with out hesitation, and it was over 30 years ago now when people had to see it at a theater no dvd's, and VHS was just getting off the ground, how about relevance people. Now people can say I will just catch it on DVD.
Don't give me that inflation crap. That is the bashers last straw of hope. Dream on boys.

Get in the game or go home.

 

[Sector 7]

This is now up to 3.73 Nemesises ! Might get to 6 Nemesises when its finished!

I like your rating system!

DVD sales are also a factor. It is difficult to compare Fuji to Cameo apples...

I prefer a good Granny Smith, but you make a valid point.

I figure that's why it costs three times as much to eat in a movie theatre.

There is this familly owned theater in a town near I live. Its a one screen theater. Sometimes a movie opens there, sometimes it may be a week or sometimes two. (Some movies obviously don't get shown there). Star Trek just started this past friday. Well its only $5.00 adult ticket, $4.00 childrens. The concession stand prices are the lowest around. Candy is not that much more then if you would buy them in a supermarket or convient store.

You have a rare find in that theater. I can't believe the prices people pay for a movie on this board. Matinee is $4.50 and night ticket is $7.50 here. Perhaps I should stop complaining about ticket prices where I live.

 

[Trekker4747]

The TMP sucked bad, I will bash that movie with out hesitation, and it was over 30 years ago now when people had to see it at a theater no dvd's, and VHS was just getting off the ground, how about relevance people. Now people can say I will just catch it on DVD.
Don't give me that inflation crap. That is the bashers last straw of hope. Dream on boys.

Get in the game or go home.

I would say the "gushers" are being just as obtuse and silly with their lauding of this movie with statements of "1/4 Billion Mark"

I mean, why not just say, "Star Trek has made .0025% of a TRILLION DOLLARS!"

Because, apparently, just saying "250 Million" isn't good enough.

 

[Sector 7]

^...or too positive to please the "haters"?!

 

[Ovation]

All the inflation adjustment is largely irrelevant before the advent of VCRs and plentiful home rentals on VHS/Beta (then VHS alone). More people went to the theatre to see films because that's where you had to go. That's no longer the case and business models have evolved accordingly. The most useful measure of relative success is to judge how well, relative to other films (in genre or generally, depending on what you are trying to argue), each Trek film performed at the box office in the year it came out.

 

[Blue_Trek]

I would say the "gushers" are being just as obtuse and silly with their lauding of this movie with statements of "1/4 Billion Mark"

I mean, why not just say, "Star Trek has made .0025% of a TRILLION DOLLARS!"

Because, apparently, just saying "250 Million" isn't good enough.

NOPE, because we have the critics many of whom are not Star Trek gushers on our side this time out.

I dealt with this type of fan on the SW boards when the prequels came out, this type of fan has exactly the same MO, living in the past dreaming about the good old days, of the old movies. To all of them I say put in TMP in your DVD and have I good cry in your beer then

And quit raining on your fellow fans parade threads, it comes close to trolling

 

[CoveTom]

Here's my extremely scientific analysis of the whole situation:

- Star Trek XI has made a 'really good amount' of money, particularly for a Star Trek film, and is obviously popular.

- Some other Trek films, like TMP and TVH, have also made a 'really good amount' of money.

- Other Trek films, like TFF and Nemesis, have made a 'really bad amount' of money.

- To try and quantify their relative success or failure beyond that is probably pretty much impossible.

There. Debate solved. Now can we move on to more important things, like discussing whether or not the deflector dish should have had moving parts?

 

[dougkeenan]

Is the total of Trek anywhere close to the total of Star Wars? If so, sweet. If not, we got work to do.

 

[Trekker4747]

Is the total of Trek anywhere close to the total of Star Wars? If so, sweet. If not, we got work to do.

Just movies? No.

Movies and TV and other merchandise?

Probably still not.

 

[CoveTom]

^ Given that Trek has done, what, 28 seasons worth of television -- 30 if you count the animated series -- I would find it difficult to believe that Trek has not well surpassed Star Wars' total revenue when TV revenues are taken into account.

 

[Major Chord]

I figure that's why it costs three times as much to eat in a movie theatre.

There is this familly owned theater in a town near I live. Its a one screen theater. Sometimes a movie opens there, sometimes it may be a week or sometimes two. (Some movies obviously don't get shown there). Star Trek just started this past friday. Well its only $5.00 adult ticket, $4.00 childrens. The concession stand prices are the lowest around. Candy is not that much more then if you would buy them in a supermarket or convient store.

Slightly off topic...but that reminds me of a theater near me as well. Based off of your given location, might you be referring to the Palace? I can't wait for Trek to open there. I plan to drag some friends who have never seen Trek before to see it. I've already seen it twice...a third time can't hurt...

Anyway, back to the topic at hand. I'm pretty excited that this movie has made what it's made. If it doesn't beat TMP, oh well...I really don't care. To me, this movie was about re-invigorating the series, and getting a whole new bunch of people to become interested in the franchise. SO, I'm quite happy with what it's currently made. I've had friends who would never see a Trek film before this tell me that they loved this movie! What more can I ask for?
Back on topic

 

[Jimmy_C]

All these numbers you are referring Blue Trek is unadjusted for inflation.This is the most INACCURATE comparison of the box office success of each Trek film. Here is some more accurate info http://boxoffice.com/featured_stories/2009/05/the-history-of-trek.php

As you will see from this, This Trek has gone where no Trek has gone before.

Actually the Motion Picture worldwide gross adjusted for inflation surpassed 1/4 billion mark in 1979-80. Star Trek is second.

According to my data, The Motion Picture didn't surpass the 1/4 billion mark. I took the numbers from Box Office Mojo and used an online inflation adjuster to come up with these numbers:

1. Star Trek: The Motion Picture: $241,608,721.18
2. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home: $213,460,111.93
3. Star Trek: $183,585,000
4. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: $174,377,204.46
5. Star Trek III: The Search for Spock: $163,103,039.93
6. Star Trek: First Contact: $125,073,466.14
7. Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country: $117,249,115.32
8. Star Trek: Generations: $108,880,638.97
9. Star Trek: Insurrection: $91,820,958.23
10. Star Trek V: The Final Frontier: $ 89,784,442.33
11. Star Trek: Nemesis: $51,270,540.16

So the new movie is currently #3. I'm guessing those are domestic numbers.