"Star Trek" = the biggest box office hit of 2009

[Dream]

There's more robots and more robots fighting in the new Transformers. And the real Devastator (well, minus dead Bonecrusher and plus a couple robots who weren't part of the original combination)! And Megan Fox! What's not to look forward to?

The good script?

 

[Lynn Minmay]

Spin it any way you want. This movie has surpassed all expectations.

This also means expectations for the sequel will be insanely high.

 

[MvRojo]

Am I the only one slightly skeptical about the potential box office of Transformers II? It looks like the kinda flick that gets a huge opening weekend but drops off quick (like Wolverine), not a solid movie that people are going to keep coming back to again and again.

Well the first one ended up with $317 million, and didn't drop off quickly. I think this is the most anticipated movie of the summer for a lot of people.

 

[Aike]

Am I the only one slightly skeptical about the potential box office of Transformers II? It looks like the kinda flick that gets a huge opening weekend but drops off quick (like Wolverine), not a solid movie that people are going to keep coming back to again and again.

I think it will be huge. I didn´t like the idea of Transformers movie since I thought the toy line was boring, but I loved the movie when I bought it back in January (wanted to see a movie written by Orci and Kurtzman). I will definitely be there in June. Sure, I´m only one person, but I think there are lots of people like me that saw in on DVD and will see the sequel in the cinema.

 

[Borgminister]

Transformers will be huge. Unless my son wants to go, though, I'll probably skip it...

 

[ALF]

I just went to the Barnes & Noble to buy the Star Trek magazine souvenir issue, whereupon the grandmotherly clerk began effusing excitedly about the movie, which she had seen only yesterday for the first time. She absolutely loved it.

This is why the new Trek movies will be successful. It appeals.

 

[CorporalClegg]

I admit I was one of those nay sayers.

I have seen the light.

 

[indranee]

welcome to Landru. you are of the body.

 

[VOODOOXI]

Am I the only one slightly skeptical about the potential box office of Transformers II? It looks like the kinda flick that gets a huge opening weekend but drops off quick (like Wolverine), not a solid movie that people are going to keep coming back to again and again.

Transformers is going to be "the hit" of the summer of 2009.

The floor for this movie is $300 million.

 

[Basil]

The real test will be how profitable the film is. At $150 million to make, doubling that to include marketing, it has to get past the $300 million mark to begin earning a profit.

No, and no.

People do continue to love that formulation, though.

Yeah, this book explanation seems to suggest it could be even higher than double the production cost to get to the breakeven point:

http://books.google.com/books?id=xx...=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#PPA72,M1

But I'd always heard the double rule of thumb, on this board and elsewhere.

 

[Basil]

The real test will be how profitable the film is. At $150 million to make, doubling that to include marketing, it has to get past the $300 million mark to begin earning a profit. It will, but how much, and how much this appears as a percentage compared to other films, will be the true measure of its financial success.

Ticket and DVD sales are not the only source of income. I read a couple of weeks ago that the FX channel secured the broadcasting rights to Trek XI for 24 million.

Very true.

 

[Basil]

But anyway my original point was all about how successful Star Trek is. I don't think simply looking at box office receipts tells us that.

True. Variables change from one generation to the next.

As others have pointed out, too, there are other revenue streams, and, of course, DVD sales and TV airings will go on for years.

 

[Blue_Trek]

Trek will do very well but Transformers is going to do better.

http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transformers06.htm
Awesome robots and Megan fox, is just too much for Trek.

And Harry Potter is VERY strong in the international markets
http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=harrypotter5.htm

WOW! Almost $650 million internationally, sorry to say but it will crush Trek.

Realistic hope is now third place, worldwide could be different too.

 

[Jeri]

I notice at those links above that BOM readers gave Transformers and Harry Potter each a B+ rating, and Star Trek an A rating.

 

[photon70]

The real test will be how profitable the film is. At $150 million to make, doubling that to include marketing, it has to get past the $300 million mark to begin earning a profit.

No, and no.

People do continue to love that formulation, though.

Yeah, this book explanation seems to suggest it could be even higher than double the production cost to get to the breakeven point:

http://books.google.com/books?id=xx...=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#PPA72,M1

But I'd always heard the double rule of thumb, on this board and elsewhere.

Yup, double the production cost is the usual rule of thumb.

Nobody know what the real costs are.

And the studios aren't dumb enough to tell anyone on account of minimising their tax burden.

In any case, really really profitable movies will suddenly see their advertising costs and other overheads rise in an effort to keep the tax man away.

That is why actors/directors etc who get a cut of the profits ALWAYS ask for a cut of the gross profits, ie, the box office taking, ie, the only thing that can be quantified about any movie.

 

[Phily B]

Harry Potter will crush Trek, but Domestically I can see Transformers -only- doing about 300-350m. It'll be interesting to see what numbers Avatar pulls in.

 

[VOODOOXI]

From Box Office Guru.com

http://www.boxofficeguru.com/weekend.htm

Posting another strong performance was the sci-fi smash Star Trek which took in an estimated $29.4M over the Friday-to-Monday span lifting the cume to a robust $191M after 18 days of release. The three-day portion stood at $22.8M for a 47% drop which was encouraging given the arrival of competing sci-fi franchise flick Terminator. Trek now looks set to finish its domestic run in the neighborhood of $250M making it the seventh biggest blockbuster in company history for Paramount. Unless Smithsonian has incredible legs, Kirk and company will remain the most popular summer smash for the time being. By Tuesday it will surpass studio stablemate Monsters vs. Aliens to become the top-grossing film of 2009. Trek's overseas tally to date has climbed to $87.5M putting the global gross at $278.5M.

 

[indranee]

mmm... Trek's got sexy, sexy legs

 

[VOODOOXI]

Star Trek lives!!!
2009 DOMESTIC GROSSES

1/Star Trek Par. $194,828,380
2/Monsters Vs. Aliens $193,972,168
3/X-Men Origins: Wolverine $166,381,907
4/Fast and Furious $153,673,510
5/Paul Blart: Mall Cop $146,336,178

Kirk + Spock = box office

 

[Tulin]

How the hell can that Blart movie make so much?!?

God, I hate people.