It's extremely likely that she has the exact same sources that we all have: the various guesstimates on Web sites like Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Box Office Mojo, etc. And as I've said in the past, when it comes to these articles, whether they be at Forbes, Entertainment Weekly, or dozens of other Web sites, it's so easy to pick the guesstimate that most serves the agenda the writer wants to put forth. (Remember how I mentioned last year that the people who wanted to claim
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance was a huge flop picked the high end guesstimates of its budget, and the ones who wanted to stress that it did indeed make a profit picked the guesstimates on the low end? So who was right? Who knows?) And like I've also said, secrecy rules at the studios. (Remember that vault buried miles under the earth with the topside moat filled with piranha?
) People who work at the studios aren't slipping out the real budget/accounting figures for any film. If they were even suspected of doing so, they'd be kicked out on their asses faster than they knew what hit them.
As for the DS film, yes, more than one source has reported that the film made a profit. So it all depends on who you want to believe. Though at least when it comes to Burton as a source, he was presumably close enough to the film to know, unlike the people who are pulling guesstimates out of a hat and spinning whatever agenda they want to from there.
And as far as the profitability of any film goes, many use the 2X to 2.5X rule, meaning a film doesn't become profitable from box office alone until it's made back 2 to 2.5 times its budget. That's why I've been saying that for the DS film to have already been profitable when Burton said it was, the budget for the film has to have been much closer to the $100 million guesstimate than the $175 million one.
The Depp/Burton Dark Shadows played in US theaters for at least 161 days/23 weeks!!
The Depp/Burton Dark Shadows is now out on DVD/Blu-ray!!