Should be plenty of cash lying around.
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Studios' Summer a Smash
Paramount's triple play puts it ahead after this key movie season, even though 'The Dark Knight' from Warner Bros. grossed $492.7 million
By John Horn | Tribune Newspapers
August 29, 2008
It was a summer of sequels, remakes and knockoffs, but almost everything worked for Hollywood's studios during the record-breaking summer movie season.
Quality mattered, and no matter how hard the studios hammered away with bombastic television ads and deafening coming attractions previews, it was ultimately word of mouth, supported by critical raves, that propelled moviegoers to the multiplex. It was no fluke that the summer's two highest-grossing releases— Jon Favreau's " Iron Man" and Christopher Nolan's " The Dark Knight"—were among the year's best-reviewed studio films.
The school's-out movie season concludes this weekend, and domestic ticket sales so far total $3.9 billion, up a little more than 1 percent from last year's record summer, according to Media by Numbers. Year-to-date revenues stand at $6.7 billion, down slightly from 2007, but up from the three earlier years.
Higher ticket prices mean theaters are selling fewer total admissions, but few distributors and exhibitors are complaining.
Here's a ranking of the major studios this summer:
Paramount
How in the world is Paramount ranked ahead of Warner Bros., which released "The Dark Knight," now the second highest-grossing film of all time? Consistency.
No other studio claimed more than one movie grossing more than $200 million this summer, and Paramount had three: "Iron Man," " Kung Fu Panda" and " Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."
What's noteworthy about Paramount's summer is how few of its films were homegrown. "Iron Man" was made by Marvel Studios; " Indiana Jones" was co-produced by George Lucas' Lucasfilm; "Kung Fu Panda" came from DreamWorks Animation; and " Tropic Thunder" hails from DreamWorks' live-action unit. That leaves Paramount in sole custody of " The Love Guru," its one true bomb...(cont.)"
---------
Studios' Summer a Smash
Paramount's triple play puts it ahead after this key movie season, even though 'The Dark Knight' from Warner Bros. grossed $492.7 million
By John Horn | Tribune Newspapers
August 29, 2008
It was a summer of sequels, remakes and knockoffs, but almost everything worked for Hollywood's studios during the record-breaking summer movie season.
Quality mattered, and no matter how hard the studios hammered away with bombastic television ads and deafening coming attractions previews, it was ultimately word of mouth, supported by critical raves, that propelled moviegoers to the multiplex. It was no fluke that the summer's two highest-grossing releases— Jon Favreau's " Iron Man" and Christopher Nolan's " The Dark Knight"—were among the year's best-reviewed studio films.
The school's-out movie season concludes this weekend, and domestic ticket sales so far total $3.9 billion, up a little more than 1 percent from last year's record summer, according to Media by Numbers. Year-to-date revenues stand at $6.7 billion, down slightly from 2007, but up from the three earlier years.
Higher ticket prices mean theaters are selling fewer total admissions, but few distributors and exhibitors are complaining.
Here's a ranking of the major studios this summer:
Paramount
How in the world is Paramount ranked ahead of Warner Bros., which released "The Dark Knight," now the second highest-grossing film of all time? Consistency.
No other studio claimed more than one movie grossing more than $200 million this summer, and Paramount had three: "Iron Man," " Kung Fu Panda" and " Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."
What's noteworthy about Paramount's summer is how few of its films were homegrown. "Iron Man" was made by Marvel Studios; " Indiana Jones" was co-produced by George Lucas' Lucasfilm; "Kung Fu Panda" came from DreamWorks Animation; and " Tropic Thunder" hails from DreamWorks' live-action unit. That leaves Paramount in sole custody of " The Love Guru," its one true bomb...(cont.)"
