Depp/Burton DARK SHADOWS Is In Release!!

Okay, we keep seeing figures now saying the movie's budget was anywhere between $100 million and $150 million.  When first announced, the budget was a more modest $60 million.  Did the budget really balloon that much?  Or is the budget now being talked about the combined production/distribution budget?  In the "old days" it seems I remember always hearing that a movie would need to bring in roughly twice the production budget in order to break even, because promotion and distribution would cost just as much as the production itself.  So are we talking maybe $60-70 million production and another $60-70 million or so promotion and distribution?

Since my first viewing was in a regular theater, I decided to check the movie out again in IMAX.  Also, since I knew the various plot twists, there were a few things I picked up on with the benefit of hindsight. 

First, IMAX added to my enjoyment of the film.  I don't know if some of the details I'd missed the first time were simply easier to see because of the clarity of the screen or the fact that I was paying better attention since I didn't need to worry about following the plot.  Having said that, I really enjoyed the crispness of the fall colors as the camera follows the train.  By the way, I'd be curious to see what Amtrak's logo and railcars looked like in 1972.  Both seemed a bit more modern than I recall. 

Now to some of the details.  I think Burton dropped a few hints about Carolyn's "curse."  The full moon in the painting that the painters refurbished is on the wall in the dining room, and there are several shots of Carolyn in that first meal where Victoria meets the family where the camera clearly has panned back to make it appear that Carolyn is right below the full moon.  I also think that Angelique's first interaction with Carolyn was worded quite carefully.  Angelique says something akin to (I don't have the benefit of the script) "You must be Carolyn.  You're becoming quite the ravishing creature."  Considering that we know Angelique was the one who turned her into a werewolf, that can't be an accident.  Finally, when Barnabas is in Carolyn's room, there's what appears to be a Polaroid picture of an animal that at least resembles a wolf pinned to the wall above her left shoulder.  In all, it was probably still far too subtle to not have her fate seem to come out of left field, but there were other hints than what I'd mentioned earlier. 

A few other details I hadn't particularly picked up on.  There's a scene where Julia walks into the breakfast room late and reacts VERY strongly to the sunlight glaring in.  While I simply took that as a result of her hangover, I think it was probably also intended to be a hint about what she was doing with Barnabas' blood.  I also found it interesting that they made Julia so vain.  Not only in her search for youth, but the way both Elizabeth (intentionally) and Barnabas (innocently, it seemed to me) so easily appealed to that vanity - Elizabeth by getting her to pipe down about her indignation and become "fascinated" with studying Barnabas and Barnabas' polite remark about how she must have been very beautiful if she gets half as pretty every day.   

Another thing I hadn't really appreciated as much was how Victoria's empathy for how he saw his mother's ghost was borne in part out of the fact that she had seen Josette's ghost her whole life.  In fact, they really made Josette a much more active driver of the outcome of this than I had picked up on.  Think back to what she says to Barnabas as they profess their love to one another in the beginning.  Again, I don't have the exact wording, but she says something like "Promise me we'll be together forever."  In fact, her last words to Barnabas were "Help me," which I found haunting since she repeats them to Victoria several times, and the last time Victoria speaks to Barnabas before going over Widow's Hill, I think we're meant to assume that Josette has already possessed her. 

I had seen somebody point out that one of the movie posters at the theater in Collinsport may have in fact been for House of Dark Shadows.  The night that Barnabas is released and walks through town, they show the theater and one of the posters does indeed look like the poster.  It went by so quickly that I couldn't be sure, but I will definitely look for it when I can stop the picture on DVD somewhere down the line. 

I hadn't picked up on it on my first viewing, but I think we're supposed to assume that Roger is fiending for cocaine in many of his scenes.  You can see his hand twitching, his jaw moving from side to side and his eyes blinking rapidly.  Since he clearly isn't opposed to drug use - he supplied the coat attendant with the pot she was smoking - it's not out of character.  The thing is, I was 10 and too oblivious to know about what drugs were readily available in 1972.  Was cocaine so readily available?  I remember it more as a late '70's drug. 

I know we'd talked about potential corporate sponsorship in the movie.  It seems reasonable to assume Shell and Coca Cola paid to have signage represented in Collinsport.  I had also originally assumed that Chevy might have paid to have the joke about "we don't have horses, we have a Chevy."  I also think Angelique was driving a 1972 Chevy Corvette convertible.  But since other makes were shown, including multiple VW vans, I'm not sure.  However, I chuckled to see that the car they used to haul Maggie off to Windcliff (I hadn't noticed the Windcliff name on my first viewing) was a Ford.  Maybe Chevy indeed snuck that in, so the "bad guys" were driving a rival car.  In the early seasons of 24, the good guys all used Apple computers while the bad guys all used PCs.

I was paying attention to the cameo scene.  I hadn't picked up that right before their first appearance, Carolyn laments that Alice Cooper wasn't there, and Barnabas suggests she check out the evening's entertainment.  Then Barnabas turns to the door as the four of them arrive.  Not only does TLATKLS say "Thank you for having us," but Jonathan Frid says at the same time "Good evening."  In the other scenes, I think it's supposed to be inferred that Frid is behind Elizabeth, since the other three are clearly seen with what amounts to a person-sized void between them and obscured by Elizabeth. 

More details if I think of them...

Okay, we keep seeing figures now saying the movie's budget was anywhere between $100 million and $150 million.  When first announced, the budget was a more modest $60 million.  Did the budget really balloon that much?

I have been wondering this, too.  Today when I was looking up the box office stuff on Box Office Mojo, I clicked on DS and saw that it lists a budget of $150M and thought, wow, that can't be right.  I seem to recall hearing it having inched up to about $100.  I can't think why it would've cost $150.  Johnny is a coproducer and while I'm sure he's going to get a decent salary, I was kind of thinking that he'd probably be taking most of it on the back end, just to help the film get made.  I could be wrong, though.  I can't imagine the other stars demanding a particularly huge salary.  Of course, the sets were very elaborate, but Burton had built whole towns for both Sleepy Hollow and Sweeney Todd, and the budget wasn't nearly so much for those.  And Burton keeps saying that the special effects were pretty modest.  I think that Alice in Wonderland cost a lot more to make because there was SO much CGI involved, and also of course the 3D-- good thing it made a billion!    There was also almost nothing of DS done on location, and that was one of the major reasons why Johnny's current film, Lone Ranger, was originally over $200M (and now cut back to I think something like $180).  Also, Lone Ranger is casting tons of extras, whereas I think DS had a pretty modest-sized cast.  But who knows...

BTW usffan, I agree that the IMAX really looked wonderful- very crisp and sharp.  I certainly plan to see this again, and I will want to see it on IMAX again.

Cocaine would no doubt have been available to someone in their social standing. Angelique could have got him hooked on it. Perhaps that's why Roger is helping himself to people's valuables.

Most if not all of the results of a Google search regarding the budget of the movie say that the film's budget was 150 million, for what it's worth.

There's a scene where Julia walks into the breakfast room late and reacts VERY strongly to the sunlight glaring in.  While I simply took that as a result of her hangover, I think it was probably also intended to be a hint about what she was doing with Barnabas' blood.

Thanks for pointing this out. I hadn't even considered that possibility when I saw the film, and I'll pay closer attention to it when I see it again this week.

All of the things you pointed out were definitely very subtle clues throughout the film that, once realized, really do add a level of integrity to the story and makes it a little less lacking.

Don't forget that Angelique when she first comes to Collinwood  she comments on Carolyn, " She has grown into a lovely creature" or something to that effect. I didn't make much of it until the end! 

Okay, so I saw the film.  I will write more later, but I have to say I was not disappointed like I thought I would be.  It was a decent movie.  I love how the movie was broken up by the crashing waves...  Episode breaks.  Probably the biggest homage to the original in there.  Barnabas's verbatim line to Victoria = love.  Wish there could have been more.  Less humor, less sex and it would have been golden.  (There were seriously awkward moments in this film that everyone in the theater was made uncomfortable by...  And I can say everyone, because there were only 9, and they were all sitting around me.  Two people left in the middle of the picture.  But I didn't find anything so offensive that I would have to leave.  The sex-related material was not overplayed.  There was just a little too much of it... like every other scene for awhile there.  And I think this couple had enough of it.)  More later...  3/5 stars. 

CB glad you went to see the movie. When I went to see it again I did pick up on the various discussed clues.

American Pie:Reunion performed better in the U.K. than the DS movie. Unacceptable. http://www.nme.com/filmandtv/news/avengers-assemble-holds-uk-box-office-number-one/268547

Here is a nice little piece about an extra from the film. 

David shares set with Jonny Depp

I'll have to see if I can spot him next time I see the film (which unfortunately will probably not be this coming weekend, so hopefully the weekend after).  I'm glad to hear he had a nice experience on the set.  I wonder why Hugo was so unpleasant- was it just a more hectic shoot, was Scorcese difficult, was it because of the 3D...  but I'm glad DS was pleasant!   

Very interesting. It's nice to hear that working on DS was so pleasant. The main actors have been saying that - but it's nice to hear that it was as pleasant for the extras as well, which isn't always the case. And yes, his remarks definitely make one wonder what it was about Hugo that wasn't so pleasant.

Thanks so much for the link, madscntst. 

5 days 14 hours 6 minutes 26 seconds since the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows has been in release(ET)!!

DS did even better on Tuesday with $2,611,208, bringing its current domestic gross to $34,607,937.

Tuesday Box Office

Unfortunately though, with The Dictator opening today, this is probably the last time we'll see DS in second place.

5 days 15 hours 35 minutes 45 seconds since the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows has been in release(ET)!!

Thanks for the links. Are they going to be reducing the amount of non IMAX screens for the DS movie because of the new movies being released?

It's interesting about American Reunion because DS is actually doing comparatively better in the US than that film did in its first 5 days because AR had only grossed $26,046,725 - and it didn't have anything like the box office competition that DS has with The Avengers. Yes, AR was dealing with The Hunger Games - but that film was starting to wind down pulling a combined $40,548,057 for the weekend and Monday and Tuesday. DS has had to contend with The Avengers bringing in $119,453,917 in DS' first 5 days.

But it just goes to show how different films do differently in different countries...

5 days 15 hours 52 minutes 48 seconds since the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows has been in release(ET)!!

Are they going to be reducing the amount of non IMAX screens for the DS movie because of the new movies being released?

I don't know. All I've seen is that DS will be playing in IMAX through the 31st. But at the same time, in the article that I saw there was no mention of any other films opening in IMAX before June 1st.

5 days 15 hours 54 minutes 10 seconds since the Depp/Burton Dark Shadows has been in release(ET)!!

Thanks MB. I'll paste the article here because some people can't view Variety's articles. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118054140
Posted: Wed., May. 16, 2012, 11:48am PT
'The Dictator' draws $600K in midnights
Matches 'Dark Shadows' take on half the screens
By ANDREW STEWART
Paramount's "The Dictator" opened Tuesday to $600,000 in midnight screenings -- similar to the start of last week's "Dark Shadows" but at half the locations.
"Dictator" screened at 800 midnight playdates vs. approximately 1,600 for "Shadows" last Thursday, which grossed $550,000.

Par incorporated roughly 300 single promotional screenings before midnight into the pic's latenight gross.

"Dark Shadows" wound up grossing $29 million in three days -- affected by the holdover presence of "The Avengers." Latter pic should impact "Dictator" as well. But based on its midnight perf, "Dictator" could overperform five-day estimates in the low-to-mid $20 millions.

"Dictator" will likely build word of mouth going into the weekend, but it'll face competition not just from "Avengers" but also from Universal's "Battleship" and Lionsgate's "What to Expect When You're Expecting," both bowing nationwide on Friday.

"The Dictator" launches wide today at 3,003 Stateside engagements; pic also unspools day-and-date in 29 overseas markets.

Contact Andrew Stewart at andrew.stewart@variety.com