*OFFICIAL* AotC at the Box Office Thread

Icebreaker wrote:
"I give Spider-Man credit for making so0o much money especially when the movie is pretty poor. The Critic reviews are Excellent for it...but the word-of-mouth is pretty damn bad, whereas AOTC Critic Reviews are VERY Poor and its word-of-mouth is Absolutely EXCELLENT."

Spiderman word-of-mouth poor? The best way of figuring out how good word-of-mouth from an objective (not everyone must think like me) viewpoint is to use audience exit-polls like the ones done by CinemaScore:

Spiderman's scores are A, A, A, A-, B+, B+, averaging to an A-.
AOTC's scores are A, A, A-, A-, B+, B+, averaging to an A-.

(As a side note, The Matrix, LOTR:FOTR, and TPM got A- as well)

As you can see, audiences give them both the same grade overall, with a slight edge to Spiderman. Do you have any evidence for your claim that Spiderman's word-of-mouth is "pretty damn bad"? Because the above poll, and the amazing legs of the movie so far, sure indicates otherwise.

 

If you compare the pace that AOTC has now with TPM back in 1999 then it is clear that it has a chance at breaking $400 Million...I think the ultimate decision can be made when we find out TODAYs Box-Office results, as to how much it will make in the long run. My predicition is that AOTC breaks $400 Million BARELY in the US and does very well overseas.

Spidey beats AOTC domestically but looses in the WORLD box-office tally. Am I wrong with my predictions?

 

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that MIB2 is going to be horrid, leaving AOTC and Spidey to race past $400 million over the summer.

 

I never followed those Exit-Polls because it is from people who actually WANT to see the movie...you know what I mean? Otherwise how in the hell could TPM get an A-?! (LoL) I am going by word-of-mouth around schools, work places and around the street. Trust me A LOT of people are not impressed with SPiDeY but surprisingly AOTC is getting good word-of-mouth.

The most surprising thing is that a lot of chikz actually digged AOTC! But like I said...Exit-Polls are a load of ***t cause they are usually done on OPENING NIGHT at a large theater, which means the people that saw the movie that day are HUGE fans and will not rate it low

 

I agree, but I think adults are more stoked about this film then the kids. I work in a middle school and most of the kids seem indifferent. They seem this way about most movies. I am not sure movies are making long terms fans of these kids. I can think of about 10 movies from the late 70's and 80's that still have a huge fan base.

 

I personally will be very upset if Spiderman breaks TPM box office.

If it TOUCHES ANH...then I think I would cry.

That movie cannot be held in the same class as ANH. I will be very dissappointed if it gets into the top 5...in my opinion...it sure doesnt deserve it. I would rather Titanic take all 10 spots.

 

Just to chime in, word-of-mouth around my town is very good as well. I haven't heard a bad thing yet about AoTC from any of the five people I've talked to about the movie. From what I recall reading in an article, word of mouth is what made A New Hope so successful.

On another note, AoTC cost a lot less to make than Spiderman if that helps alleviate any of the worrying. It just doesn't need to pull in all that much money for GL to have the money he needs to make Episode III the biggest Star Wars movie of all time.

I hope MiB2 cuts into just Spiderman's profits and not AoTC's.

I saw Spiderman, and while I wouldn't say it was poor, I really think it's an inferior movie when compared to AoTC.

I just have to get the rest of the country to agree with me and then we're set. -_-;;

 

Good Response Zanda...
Personally I will trust word-of-mouth on the street over exit-polls ANYTIME

 

Look at titanic....its all but forgotten other then its box office performance.

 

"I never followed those Exit-Polls because it is from people who actually WANT to see the movie...you know what I mean? Otherwise how in the hell could TPM get an A-?! (LoL) I am going by word-of-mouth around schools, work places and around the street."

But I could argue that I'm hearing nothing but great things about the movie from lots of friends who's taste I trust. (which I actually am) So who should be believed? Until you can provide anything more quantifiable than "this is what I hear", I'm afraid an exit poll is going to be more objective and accurate. And so is the legs of a movie. Case in point - A lot of SW fans said that they only heard bad things about "Titanic" from everyone. Well, the historic performance of the movie proved that its word-of-mouth was unprecedented, out of this world.

We all hear we want to hear (myself included), it is an unfortunate human weakness. But you can't argue with hard facts.

Does that mean that opening night/weekend exit polls prove everything? Of course not - You are correct in that they mostly sample the fans and immediate target audience. But it is still an objective scientific survey, and so it means *something*.

"Personally I will trust word-of-mouth on the street over exit-polls ANYTIME"

So would I - *IF* that "word of mouth" was collected in in an objective and statistically sound manner. I have yet seen any real and objective evidence of "pretty damn bad" word-of-mouth for the movie.

In my experience, the drop-off rate from week to week is least flawed measurment there is of the word-of-mouth effect of a movie. And even though I despise TPM, I have to grudgingly accept that it had good word-of-mouth.

 

Darth-Euro:
I am merely saying what I am hearing and I am not in any way overly objective towards AOTC because I could really care-less what other people think about it (whether they love it or hate it) I am going by what my community thinks...

I thought TiTanic was a pretty bad movie, but I will admit that the word-of-mouth I heard was ALL POSITIVE and far more positve then any other Star Wars movie. So0o I am not lying when I say Spidey is not as loved as the media would like you to think. They are creating a hype and getting loads of people into the theaters but when they come out of it they aren't as in love with the movie as they make it sound..

I agree with your statement that the Exit-Polls do mean *Something* but they dont mean as much to me (and a lot of other people) as good old fashion word from the street. Personally I think everyone that is GOING to see Spidey HAS seen it and that it will have an unexpectedly LARGE drop-off this weekend. Of course I dont have any "Scientific" way to prove this, so I guess we will just have to wait and see this weekend.

I am not a "proffesional" Box-Office critic but I think I am fairly accurate (HeHe) so I guess we will just have to wait and see this weekend like I said above!

 

"I am not a "proffesional" Box-Office critic but I think I am fairly accurate (HeHe) so I guess we will just have to wait and see this weekend like I said above!"

Neither am I, heh... I just enjoy discussing this stuff! I agree that this coming weekend will be quite telling...

 

HeHe...well at least we agree on ONE thing! I really didn't think this week as the determining one because Spidey was only in its third week and Star Wars opened on a strange day. However this upcoming "Memorial Day" weekend is REALLY gonna show us who the Box-Office champ will be!

 

I am a huge Spidey fan, or was, and I couldn't really care less about the movie. And I've already seen AOTC five times.

That being said, for heaven's sake, it's nothing to get upset about.

AOTC will at the very least make it to 300 million, and probably do a lot more. That is great. Very great. Totally respectable.

Like someone said, the only way you can compare the two is if we all just wait around and see how Spider-Man 5 does at the box office.

It's extraordinary how popular Star Wars is, and let's just leave it at that.

I mean, discuss all you want, but rest assured SW is going to be with us culturally for a long, long time.

 

I want AOTC to beat Spider-Man.
Sorry to the fans of Spidey,but I found the movie overratted.I fell asleep at several points during SM and left the theatre wishing I had not contributed to it's success.
I've seen all the Batman and Superman movies too and while I'm not a HUGE fan I find them entertaining enough,but unfortunately with Superheroes I feel if you've seen one you've seen em' all.That's why I don't read comics.They're all the same.Guys with superpowers dressed in tights and/or armor beating the crap out of other guys who fit the exact same description.The only superhero I've ever remotely cared about is The Vision,but he's an android and I like that kind of stuff
Of course you can argue that Star Wars is the exact same thing.Guys with extraordinary powers who go around kicking ass.I've heard that argument before and it couldn't be more wrong.
Star Wars is not a one note story.It has so much more going on.So many different characters to get to know.You have the Jedi,you have alien characters like Jar Jar and Chewbacca.You have the Droids and seemingly ordinary folk like Han Solo and Lando.I've always said that no matter who you are,there's someone in Star Wars for you to Identify with.And I truly believe that's why it has lasted so long.

 

Well, here in Australia, AOTC had the highest opening weekend ever, beating out the previous title holder, FOTR. It pulled in nearly 12 million..not bad for a country with a population of only about 18 million.

 

I would have too disagree with you. I grew up loving comics books and could not wait until they hit the big screen. While I was a bit letdown by Spiderman, I do not wish the worst for it. I am hoping the next one does better(story wise). Just being straight without any Star Wars bias......I don't think it will beat Spiderman. Spiderman is the golden boy on the scene. People in the press have been writing glowing articles about this movie. It can do no wrong in many peoples eyes. I wonder if it has anything too do with the 80 million dollar marketing campaign. Nooo way...........press and publicty are not bought by the ole mighty dollar.

 

You guys have got to be complete and utter fools, if you think that Spider-Man doesn't have great word-of-mouth, the movie has broken every possible record faster than any movie, in its short time of 18 days. He made 45 million on his 3rd week at the Box Office, going toe to toe with a newly released Star Wars flick. Star Wars didn't even double Spider-Man's Box Office take, making a mere 80 million for its first weekend.

Oh and I should add Spider-Man's 45 million, made on its 3rd weekend...you guessed it...it's another record. No film in the history of cinema has ever made 45m on its 3rd weekend.

Spider-Man is about to set yet another record in a few days, making it the fasted movie to make 300 million in about 24 days, held by Star Wars:TPM which did it in 28 days.

If there was ever a movie, that showed the world it has legs and great word-of-mouth, while going toe to toe with Star Wars in its 3rd week...it's SPIDER-MAN.

You can't make this kind of phenomenal money at the Box Office without great word-of-mouth, if 90% of the people didn't like Spidey's movie (which they do--the @ss breaking records proves that) no one would be returning time after time after time (which people are doing in droves).

When are you Star Wars fanboys are going to wake up, Spider-Man is a gigantic movie, it seems each time some tries to put this movie down, it breaks another record.

One more thing, now that the new tally at the Box Office are in, with AOTC making $110 million in 4 days and Spider-Man's record breaking $114 in 3 days. Star Wars had an entire day to make an extra 30 million bucks and it still fell short of Spidey's record by 4 million+. You can use that excuse about how many screens each movie was on, because Star Wars had an extra 30 million added to its Box Office take.

 

Kawkaw...

Spidey had NO competition!! SW made $110 million, with Spidey competition and on less screens!! Nuff said!!

SW blew Spidey out of the THEATER!! Spidey was okay at best! I was at opening night for both..and SW had the most excited crowd I'd ever seen!! Spidey's crowd was disappointed to say the least!

Nevermind...Spidey sucks!

Face it Spidey fans....you are jealous of Star Wars! Now go away!

 

Oh for Christs sake, can we give this Spider-man vs AOTC BS a rest! Some people carry on like it's a matter of life and death! Anyone would think some of the people here had money invested in this. So what if Spidey broke records? Does that take away from the fact that AOTC is immensly popular, and a great movie? Of course not. I'm just glad Spidey is a good movie...now it's set the bar for future superhero movies.

 

spiderman did suck bad!

 

Well the fact that AOTC opened on a thursday is a HUGE difference. I'm not saying Spider-Man didn't make a spectacular amount of money and I'm not saying it's a bad movie. If AOTC opened on as many screens as Spidey, when there were no other blockbusters out, on a Friday, it would've come EXTREMELY close to what Spidey made. Comparing the opening numbers of the two is a very unfair comparison.

 

Yea but a great movie...come on. Original....no way. I grew up with and still love the character Spiderman, but this movie was not mind blowing. I thinks its like Titanic; great for its day, but I am not sure it will hold up. Watch Superman, that movie has ten times more heart then Spiderman.(yes it has cheesy lines) Lotr has more heart as well. Spiderman comes across like a bad cliche.....even the Green Goblin reminded me of another movie and character.....Jack Nicholsons "Joker". Spiderman was good but not special....I dont care how many people go too see it, the magic was not there for me.

 

When are you Star Wars fanboys are going to wake up, Spider-Man is a gigantic movie, it seems each time some tries to put this movie down, it breaks another record.

This certainly proves your manhood and intelligence, doesn't it.

For proof that box office numbers don't equate to film quality, please see The Mummy and The Mummy Returns.

Oh, and I would also go to a Spiderman forum and rip on the movie on message boards, but I choose not to, because that would be, well, lame.

 

Ugh, this rivalry is disgusting. I seriously hope AOTC and Spiderman make TONS of money this year, that would be a great boon to fans of genre films. I really think that Clones and Spidey will be a billion dollar duo that will dwarf everything else this year.

I'm sick of hearing how Spidey sucks, or Clones has no heart. I never realized that "sucks" and "heart" are legitimate terms for reviewing a film, but whatever.