Posted on 05/30/2006 12:24:57 AM PDT by Aussie Dasher
The media buildup of The Da Vinci Code is now history.
(Or, at least, should be; though, it was curious a week out—at the start of the Memorial Day weekend when everyone was relaxing at the beach, or the equivalent—to see all the Code coverage, including Dateline’s Dan Brown interview and Anderson Cooper’s 360º “decoding” feature.)
Now, it’s time to weigh the hype against the raw numbers.
(Which, no doubt, the media conglomerates are watching closely, as well, and may explain NBC’s and CNN’s renewed attention to yesterday’s news.)
According to IMDb Box Office figures, the “all time” top 10 grossing films “for USA” are:
Titanic (1997)—$601 million Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)—$461 million Shrek 2 (2004)—$436 million E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial (1982)—$435 million Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999)—$431 million Spider-Man (2002)—$404 million Star Wars: Episode III: The Revenge of the Sith (2005)—$380 million The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)—$377 million Spider-Man 2 (2004)—$373 million The Passion of the Christ (2004)—$370 million
Except for the sleeper hit ET, the top 10 films released at or around the same time of year as The Da Vinci Code, packed real punch in their first week—with U.S. box office totals ranging from $148.5 million for Shrek 2, released May 15, 2004—to $207 million (i.e., first eight days) for Star Wars: Episode I, released on May 21, 1999.
Star Wars: Episode III is, perhaps, a better comparison, given its release on May 19, 2005—exactly one year to the day before The Da Vinci Code. The week one U.S. take? A cool $191,363,000.
The Da Vinci Code, on the other hand, grossed a mere $102,481,037 (U.S.) its first week.
Now, $102.48 million is not exactly chump change. But, when you consider Ron Howard risked $125 million of Sony’s money making the film and another $125 million marketing the film, it’s underwhelming.
The comparison to The Passion of the Christ, dramatically depicting the last three days of Christ’s life on earth—faithful to the Gospels—is illustrative.
The Passion’s first week U.S. take was $144.6 million—a figure all the more impressive considering that it cost less than one-fourth (i.e., $30 million) what The Code cost to make and significantly less to market—much of the buzz generated under the radar screen among Christian communities across America, who, viewing the film, then sent out multitudinous e-mails to friends and family, encouraging them to see it. As with The Code, while The Passion’s impending release generated much free media, unlike The Code, that media was largely negative—not exactly a harbinger of a runaway hit. But, The Passion stands firm at No. 10 on the list of top grossing films.
But then Hollywood should know what Cecil B. DeMille, producer of The Ten Commandments, knew: Blasphemy doesn’t pay. For even now, this Memorial Day, The Da Vinci Code, IMDb reports, has now fallen to No. 2, behind X Men: The Last Stand and has grossed, as of Day 8, $145.5 million in U.S. sales, which falls well behind the compared films when, at the same point, sales all exceeded $150 million—most hovering around $200 million.
WAIT A SECOND???
$125 MILLION marketing the film?!
Can I get a source, so I can get rid of all the nincompoops on my threads saying, "But it has to be good, it made so much money!"
If this is true, than there is no way this film ends up in the black!
In their zeal to prove a Catholic Church conspiracy they have admitted what they have denied for years. To the point of turning Christmas into a Happy Holiday.
This movie has hurt the liberal cause, no matter what angle that you look at it.
BUMP
Save your money. It's awful. The characters basically go around explaning to each other what's going on through out the movie because it's incomprehesible. Read the book. My wife couldn't put it down.
Yikes, am I now a pagan?
Some times spin is all you've got. It's only a movie. And in spite of the hopes and prayers of a lot of people around here, it's a successful movie.
Like "X Men" and it's $130 million opening weekend?
I wonder when the code will end up in the $5.50 bin at Walmart? Any bets?
A year or two. If Wal-Mart will even carry it.
Opie gone dopie!
These are two different films seeking two different audiences.
I get the idea that people are upset with "Da Vinci Code." I get the idea that many find it herasey. I also get that many people feel that "Passion" deserved more attention...maybe so.
If you want the "Da Vinci Code" to go away, stop reprinting every single comment or posted article on this or any other site. All you do is keep the busy going. MORE people will see this movie because of the continued buzz, not less.
Take the "Last Temptation of Christ"...a mediocre film at best, and a film that would have died at the box office, had thousands of people kept circulating petitions to stop it from showing. Those petitions and that campaign probably added 15% or more to gross box office.
If I want to mock Liberal religion I have to say things like this:
Sex was meant for marriage between a man and a woman.
Babies have a right to be born.
If you're born with a penis, you're a man and you have sex with a woman. Otherwise, you're a woman and you have sex with a man.
We have laws in this nation, and everyone from the President to immigrants is expected to follow them.
You should spend your own money on the things you care about, not tax the middle class to do it.
There, do the Religious Left feel mocked?
Shalom.
Actually, X-3, the new X-men movie, trumped the "Code." I wouldn't read too much into that. I, for one, wouldn't put my trust in Wolverine or Cyclops over Jesus. :)
I don't think that's the point. I think everyone should see this movie, BUT with the understanding Dan Brown is performing histrionics and lying about factual documentation.
The Gnostic Gospels, which this whole concept is derived, have been more than debunked back in the first or second century. They hold no claim to truth, can not be backed up by other historical fact. It's just as important that people know the facts and use them accordingly.
The more people tell me this movie is bad, the more I want to see it.
You should! Even at 2.5 hours, it's not a bad movie. I read the book but, my Wife did not. We both really enjoyed it. WARNING: Closed minded religion-bots should avoid at all cost.
And also by that a**hole Abe Foxman.
Agreed.
Thanks for brightening my day. Hopefully it will drop like a rock.
He got three facts right at least. London is in England. Paris is in France. And Leonardo da Vinci was a painter.
Thank-you....very encouraging!
Ditto... a 50% drop for a movie that opened big is not unusual and it should end its run with more than $200mil in domestic theatrical sales alone. In the movie biz, that spells success.
I suppose "Closed minded religion-bots" is your hateful and bigoted reference to Christians.
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