Depp/Burton DARK SHADOWS Is In Release!!

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Does that include tonight's receipts??

It includes today's estimates. Every weekend what is widely reported are just estimates. However, and I have no idea how they do it so accurately, but the estimates are more often than not extremely close to the actual figures which come out on Monday afternoons. 

2 days 18 hours 40 minutes 8 seconds since the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows has been in release(ET)!!

[David]

Taeylor: yes, right now these are projected grosses that will be updated tonight, but Box Office Mojo is run by industry insiders who know their stuff. The projected figures are usually correct by a 2% margin.

BTW: the Reelz Channel special Dark Shadows: Beyond the Grave is quite good. Brand new interviews with Depp, Burton, Pfeiffer, Green, Heathcoate, Moretz & Carter, a nice nod to the TV series, and a look back at all the Burton/Depp films. It'll be on twice more tonight.

[madscntst]

Good points Brandon, though I would leave Sweeney Todd out of the mix, as it was rated R (therefore not really directed at the younger set) and it also barely cleared $50 million.  (Don't get me wrong, Sweeney Todd is probably my personal favorite Depp/Burton collaboration, but the combination of a horror musical gorefest was admittedly a tough sell).

In general, we must remember that Johnny does not guarantee a huge box office, even if he does have a lot of young fans.  His last film before this, The Rum Diary, did quite badly (Edited to add- egad, it was even worse than I thought- it only made a TOTAL of $13 million- less than half of what DS made domestically this weekend alone), but luckily, unlike DS, it had a small budget. 

In any case, while I understand the need to market everything these days toward a younger market, I do feel it couldn't have hurt to have at least one trailer directed to a bit of an older audience (and maybe showing more of the dramatic aspects of the film, to balance out the comedy-centric trailers).  But what do I know- I'm a ticket buyer but I'm too old to be relevant as far as most big businesses are concerned 

[Nancy]

The marketing of this film sucked beyond belief.  I wonder why the decision was made to release it against The Avengers?

[neiljohnson]

Marketing toward the younger demographic for the past 25 years has ruined -- nearly destroyed -- U.S. soap-operas.  I just hope the same mistaken tactic hasn't hurt this film. 

[Taeylor Collins]

Don't forget to watch MAD MEN tonight ep is entitled DARK SHADOWS and it's now confirmed to have DS in the show per Shadowgram!!!  Perhaps this will help.  Maybe there will be spots during the show.

However, no one could forecast how big THE AVENGERS would be. I think the money made so far is respectable and I know many people going next week and weekend!  So lets continue to hold out hope. I know I am going again...

[David]

I suspect the marketing was done by 25 year old hipster suits who have no idea what DS is.

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Maybe there will be spots during the show.

The reviews spots are still running because I've already seen two tonight. And at least one new reviews spot ran last night during ABC's showing of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. I don't know if any others ran because last night I only scanned through the first hour of that and I haven't gotten back to it.

2 days 20 hours 24 minutes 27 seconds since the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows has been in release(ET)!!

[Brandon Collins]

Good points Brandon, though I would leave Sweeney Todd out of the mix, as it was rated R (therefore not really directed at the younger set) and it also barely cleared $50 million.  (Don't get me wrong, Sweeney Todd is probably my personal favorite Depp/Burton collaboration, but the combination of a horror musical gorefest was admittedly a tough sell).

In general, we must remember that Johnny does not guarantee a huge box office, even if he does have a lot of young fans.  His last film before this, The Rum Diary, did quite badly (Edited to add- egad, it was even worse than I thought- it only made a TOTAL of $13 million- less than half of what DS made domestically this weekend alone), but luckily, unlike DS, it had a small budget. 

Sweeney Todd was definitely one of my favorites of Burton/Depp's as well!

As for The Rum Diary, when that film was released and even when it was being advertised before its release, I thought it looked quite bad and had no desire to see it whatsoever. Perhaps what I should have said is that, especially for the younger crowd, the roles where Depp plays a quirky, not-so-normal character tend to draw more of an audience than his regular, everyday characters do. It would be something very interesting to explore--why do the majority of people prefer Depp's quirky roles to his more normal ones? Is it because without these off kilter characters to prop him up his acting is simply boring? Or is it because audiences are becoming so accustomed to fantastical situations in films that the classic drama is steadily losing an audience? Or a combination of both?

I'll be 25 this June, so I'm right on the cusp of being both desirable and undesirable to advertisers. Perhaps I should prepare myself now to feel unwanted and undervalued in the grand scheme of Hollywood big wigs.

In any event, I'm intrigued by the various responses I've seen to this new DS movie. It seems as if there are only two options: you either love it, or you thought it was an overall bore, in terms of general consensus. I actually searched DS on Twitter last night and most of what popped up fit easily into one of these two categories. There were a lot of posts about how people were excited to go see it, then tons from people who seemingly were let down and wanted their time and money back.

I can't wait to see it again this week so I can really digest it and formulate my final opinion. And I kind of wish that I was removed from the fandom so I could experience the film on its own, as an unknowing movie goer to see how it plays out differently.

[jimbo]

How DS did in several key overseas markets: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/news/?id=3443&p=.htm

[Mysterious Benefactor]

Wow - it's that far ahead of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?! 

Thanks for the link, jimbo. 

2 days 20 hours 43 minutes 44 seconds since the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows has been in release(ET)!!

[neiljohnson]

Brandon, you may have over-looked my post -- because, I neither loved it nor found it a bore. 

I (unexpectedly) liked it.  But, I didn't love it.  It certainly wasn't a bore. 

[michael c]

same here,

i didn't love it. it certainly wasn't a bore.

i enjoyed a large chunk of the movie. the ending just sort of ruined it for me.

[jimbo]

Brief statement from WB: "We were on the low side of expectations for the weekend, but it's hard for me to really digest where we're going when you're up against the second weekend of a blockbuster like 'The Avengers'," said Dan Fellman, Warner Bros.' president of domestic distribution. The movie performed best in the Midwest and the South, he said, adding: "I think that has to do with 'The Avengers' doing staggering business in big cities. So the old vampire got a bite from 'The Avengers,' and there's no recourse except to ride out the storm." http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-boxoffice-20120514,0,2665259.story

[Uncle Roger]

I can see the ending being the start of a burst of fan fiction.