But one cannot deny that the film is divisive. Many fans love it, some feel disappointed by it, and some seem to have things that went right over their heads. So that is leading to a lot of attention on its second weekend. How big will the drop be?
It is now looking like the second weekend drop will be around 71% domestically. Part of this is a testament to the massive opening weekend, because the percentage is calculated based on that opening total. But Warner Brothers would have certainly liked to have seen something closer to the typical big blockbuster drop-off of around 65%. I would still say, however, that BvS is on track for a very successful run. Another WB picture, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part 2) opened very similarly to BvS ($169 Million domestic) and had an even bigger drop-off in the second weekend (72%). That movie still managed to pull in $1.3 Billion worldwide.
I do not think BvS will make it to $1.3 Billion, but the precedent set by HP8 should give some comfort to those who want to see it do well, and I think BvS clearing $1 Billion is still very possible. In other good news, it has a few more weeks without direct competition, until The Jungle Book comes out on April 15th. I wish it would beat Iron Man 3 at the box office because I think BvS is far superior, but it's currently tracking a little bit behind. So my original box office prediction at the beginning of the year probably won't work out.
It's a shame, really, that so many people were quick to let their prejudices and close-mind take over their judgement. That such a great film like this would receive such undeserved criticism that is slightly harming what should've been one of the most (if not THE most) successful superhero films ever.
ReplyDeleteBut I guess that is the price unconventional masterpieces that breaks cliches and defies expectations has to pay.
I feel the same way, that it's this great piece of art -- like literature but also with amazing action -- but people are just missing it. WB could have gone the crowd-pleasing route like Star Wars or Jurassic Park, but I feel like BvS is up on another level from that stuff. It's too bad the audience doesn't appreciate it more.
DeleteWith regard to your point about "unconventional masterpieces" I think it was Clay Enos (the BvS still-photographer) who said that creative works of genius like this that push the envelope are very often criticized when they first come out.
Revised estimates for BvS's second weekend have it now at a 68% drop instead of a 71% drop. Of the movies that opened above $100M domestically (36 movies), 4 had even bigger drops than BvS. The big question remains whether it will hit $1 Billion worldwide by the end of its run. I still think it will.
ReplyDeleteOkay, a couple days later and I'm going to reduce my probability for BvS hitting $1 Billion. The thing is that it dropped pretty drastically in China already, which means it won't keep pace with Furious 7 much longer. I still think $900 Million can happen, though.
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