Mystic River Box Office Opening Day

[karldotcom]

I just pulled a current report off the WB site...

Mystic River has grossed $35.142 million domestic cumulative, is currently playing on 1551 screens, and is averaging a little over $500k per day.

Matrix Revolutions opened on 3502 screens, and did $24.1 million (domestic) Wednesday.

It's competing with the largest movies now in two or three thousand theaters, and it doesn't even have 1,500 theaters.

[AKA23]

Thanks for those stats, Karldot! It's nice to see a post from you. I've been wondering where you've been and how you've been doing. I had been checking on boxofficemojo a few days ago and other sites for the theater numbers, and those might have been out of step with Warners latest numbers, which I presume should be the most accurate, so thank you for the update. Perhaps it's in an adequate number of theaters right now, but I think that even with the 1551 or so, it could benefit from being in more theaters. I can tell you that in Santa Cruz a bit ago the only theater that was showing it stopped showing it, so if you haven't seen it in Santa Cruz yet, you're basically out of luck. There is probably a similar situation going on in other parts of the state and country, as well.

[MC]

For those keeping tabs, Mystic River had another solid weekend at the box office, tallying $4.8 million the weekend of Nov. 7-9 and slipping only one spot, to #7. The weekend gross was down less than 23 percent from the previous week, a very good number.

Total gross to date is $40.5 million, according to the Internet Movie Database.

http://www.imdb.com

[Christopher]

According to Box Office Mojo.com, Mystic River's production budget was $25 million, and marketing was $15 million. So if they could hit $80 million, I think everyone concerned would regard it as a great success.

By that, this means that it has pretty well broken even at this point. Good sign!

[KC]

The figures reported on sites like Box Office Mojo are grosses, and include the share that is paid the exhibiting theaters. The film would have to gross at least $80,000,000 before reaching the break even point. It's around halfway there. ($40,435,817 as of Nov. 9, according to Box Office Mojo.)

[Gant]

It seems to me that considering it's somewhat difficult subject matter Mystic River is doing very well at the boxoffice so far. This is great news...
But could someone please explain to me how it's possible that this star studed movie apparently cost so much less to make than Bloodwork.  

[Hammerhead]

Didn't the actors agree to work for scale or something?

[AKA23]

I think Eastwood took the Director's Guild minimum, and was hoping to make some money if the picture did well. I think the other actors got paid substantially more, but must have compensated to work with Eastwood in terms of getting less than they'd usually get on a picture. I don't think that the actors worked for scale, though. I've never heard that, but perhaps they did. I don't know conclusively.

Christopher, as KC implied, the picture has grossed 41 million or so, but this doesn't all go to Warners themselves. Much of it goes to the theaters individually, and to other places, not to the studio. Therefore, although Mystic River is currently a large critical success, commercially, at least at this point, the film is a financial loss for Warner Bros and Eastwood. The company has not yet made back what they've spent on the film, and this is probably not likely to change. Unless Oscar nominations and such keep this going in theaters for a long time and motivate a lot of people who wouldn't ordinarily see the fillm to see it, I don't see the film making 40 or 50 million dollars more in order to break even, or 100 million or so in order to be considered a financial breakthrough.

 

[Doug]

Christopher, as KC implied, the picture has grossed 41 million or so, but this doesn't all go to Warners themselves. Much of it goes to the theaters individually, and to other places, not to the studio. Therefore, although Mystic River is currently a large critical success, commercially, at least at this point, the film is a financial loss for Warner Bros and Eastwood. The company has not yet made back what they've spent on the film, and this is probably not likely to change. Unless Oscar nominations and such keep this going in theaters for a long time and motivate a lot of people who wouldn't ordinarily see the fillm to see it, I don't see the film making 40 or 50 million dollars more in order to break even, or 100 million or so in order to be considered a financial breakthrough.

 

What are you an accountant for WB now, AKA?  
Don't forget there's rental and video sales still to go.  And this movie is most definitely doing far better than anyone at WB could have imagined at the outset.  Nobody at WB is crying over this film's grosses.  

[KC]

It's also grossed at least 10 million overseas (and it hasn't even opened in all markets yet). It'll probably at least break even. And it's virtually certain to get major Oscar nominations, which will keep it in the theaters or return it to them if its first run is over by then.

[AKA23]

For those keeping up with this, according to Box Office Mojo, Mystic River total grosses as of Nov. 16th are $45,624,000. Estimates put the film at tenth on the box office charts for the weekend, coming in with 3.3 million.

[MC]

Also, it dipped 31 percent from the previous weekend, its biggest perecentage dropoff since opening (but still a lower-than-average decrease). It now appears to be on pace for a total U.S. gross of $53-$57 million.

Of course, year-end awards and nominations could play a major role in pushing this total higher...

[dane with no name]

It's also grossed at least 10 million overseas (and it hasn't even opened in all markets yet).

D**n right KC. IT DOESNT OPEN IN DENMARK (and scandinavia) UNTO 5, DECEMBER!!!   *aaarrrgghhh*  

[vik]

didn't last long in the uk  

i never got to see it again

[Hammerhead]

didn't last long in the uk  

i never got to see it again

According to boxofficemojo.com, it made $2,537,805 (£1,494,345). Pretty disappointing considering the amount of publicity that Clint did for it over here.

Mind you, to put things in perspective, Blood Work took $266,386 across the UK.

[Brendan]

Mystic River took in $2,040,000 this past weekend, and moved back up to fourteenth.

It has brought in $50,960,000 so far (North American).

So since studios get about 55% of the final take, I'd say, so far, the WB has gotten about $29 million. So it brought back in it's budget, roughly.

And since it will continue with more business, and combined with product placements, DVD/VHS sales and rentals and
cable TV syndication, I figure River will do well for Warners.