I don't like saying it's the "biggest opening ever," because I paid $9.25 at a discount matinee in L.A. yesterday, and when the Sound of Music opened in the mid-'60s, tickets were 75 cents each.
Hairspray has made a lot of money in its opening weekend, but ticket prices are also up dramatically in recent years. That's why I don't like the "all time ever" gloating and strutting stuff.
It would be better to keep the marketing spinning in the proper perspective.
Be glad it's doing well, sure... but it isn't drawing Sound of Music movie crowds, the likes of which we will probably never see again.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
Comparing box office numbers versus older movies will always be apples versus oranges. The world is a different place; besides the obvious change in ticket prices, there are several other factors to consider. For example, DVDs didn't exist in the 60s; so, if you wanted to see The Sound of Music, you HAD TO go to theater, or wait YEARS for an abridged version to be shown on your (possibly black & white, 19 inch) TV.
"It does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are 20 gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
-- Thomas Jefferson
"Zac is sweet as can be. He's very much just a sweet kid from California who happens to have a face that looks like it was drawn by Michelangelo, (if Michelangelo did anime)." -Adam Shankman.
"I haven't left this building since Windows 3.1!"
"Celebrating a birthday this week: Rene Descartes is 412! Do you know who he is? Then why are you watching this show? You could probably get into college and even get one of those job things. As for the rest of us; Amanda Bynes is 22! Yay!" -E!'s "The Soup"
The only substantial newcomer overseas is the weekend's No. 5 title, New Line Cinema's "Hairspray," which made its overseas debut in just one market, the U.K. The John Waters-inspired musical comedy grossed an estimated $4 million from 350 screens, finishing No. 2 in the territory behind "Phoenix." Early "Hairspray" worldwide cume stands at $31.8 million.
"No.5 title" I think means ranked on international sales.
4 million on 350 screens ain't bad.
I wonder what the Canadian box office was like.
"Zac is sweet as can be. He's very much just a sweet kid from California who happens to have a face that looks like it was drawn by Michelangelo, (if Michelangelo did anime)." -Adam Shankman.
"I haven't left this building since Windows 3.1!"
"Celebrating a birthday this week: Rene Descartes is 412! Do you know who he is? Then why are you watching this show? You could probably get into college and even get one of those job things. As for the rest of us; Amanda Bynes is 22! Yay!" -E!'s "The Soup"
"Zac is sweet as can be. He's very much just a sweet kid from California who happens to have a face that looks like it was drawn by Michelangelo, (if Michelangelo did anime)." -Adam Shankman.
"I haven't left this building since Windows 3.1!"
"Celebrating a birthday this week: Rene Descartes is 412! Do you know who he is? Then why are you watching this show? You could probably get into college and even get one of those job things. As for the rest of us; Amanda Bynes is 22! Yay!" -E!'s "The Soup"
It's a bit fallacious to say that Hairspray had the best movie opening ever, when the Dreamgirls opening they're counting was when they were doing a sneak peek in only 3 theatres...I'm pretty sure Dreamgirl's first full weekend was bigger....like 34 million.
Hairspray was the biggest movie in NY this weekend
"Zac is sweet as can be. He's very much just a sweet kid from California who happens to have a face that looks like it was drawn by Michelangelo, (if Michelangelo did anime)." -Adam Shankman.
"I haven't left this building since Windows 3.1!"
"Celebrating a birthday this week: Rene Descartes is 412! Do you know who he is? Then why are you watching this show? You could probably get into college and even get one of those job things. As for the rest of us; Amanda Bynes is 22! Yay!" -E!'s "The Soup"
I love that they are predicting a higher chart number.
"Zac is sweet as can be. He's very much just a sweet kid from California who happens to have a face that looks like it was drawn by Michelangelo, (if Michelangelo did anime)." -Adam Shankman.
"I haven't left this building since Windows 3.1!"
"Celebrating a birthday this week: Rene Descartes is 412! Do you know who he is? Then why are you watching this show? You could probably get into college and even get one of those job things. As for the rest of us; Amanda Bynes is 22! Yay!" -E!'s "The Soup"
Good world of mouth should bring in nice numbers this weekend, while bad word of mouth and the fact that another comedy (Simpsons) is coming out should make C&L drop. Updated On: 7/24/07 at 01:59 PM
Their estimation for The Simpsons seems a lil low- Id imagine more people will go to that.
I'm not one of them- but most people I know like The Simpsons.
Where are all the Hairspray TV ads? I know they are expensive- so may be they will wait till friday to air them.. I just dont think the ad campaigns should stop.
"Zac is sweet as can be. He's very much just a sweet kid from California who happens to have a face that looks like it was drawn by Michelangelo, (if Michelangelo did anime)." -Adam Shankman.
"I haven't left this building since Windows 3.1!"
"Celebrating a birthday this week: Rene Descartes is 412! Do you know who he is? Then why are you watching this show? You could probably get into college and even get one of those job things. As for the rest of us; Amanda Bynes is 22! Yay!" -E!'s "The Soup"
When they start counting the number of tickets/bodies and not the overpricing for them, then we'll know how many people are actually seeing this (or any other) movie.
I stand by my statement that it's nowhere NEAR the crowds that saw The Sound of Music, which played for over two years, nationwide, in its original run, and single-handedly saved 20th Century Fox.
"Jaws is the Citizen Kane of movies."
blocked: logan2, Diamonds3, Hamilton22
Plus, two of the biggest movie musicals of the past years, Chicago and Dreamgirls, opened in limited release.
I am a firm believer in serendipity- all the random pieces coming together in one wonderful moment, when suddenly you see what their purpose was all along.
That was a phenomenon - Hairspray isn't nor ever will be a commercial, cultural success like Sound of Music and the rest of the Rodgers and Hammerstein lot.
"Zac is sweet as can be. He's very much just a sweet kid from California who happens to have a face that looks like it was drawn by Michelangelo, (if Michelangelo did anime)." -Adam Shankman.
"I haven't left this building since Windows 3.1!"
"Celebrating a birthday this week: Rene Descartes is 412! Do you know who he is? Then why are you watching this show? You could probably get into college and even get one of those job things. As for the rest of us; Amanda Bynes is 22! Yay!" -E!'s "The Soup"
According to boxofficemojo, box office through Thursday is $43,757,397. For the last few days, Hairspray has been neck-and-neck with Potter and C&L, with only a couple of hundred thousand dollars separating the three (though Hairspray has been third each day).
"It does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are 20 gods or no god. It neither picks my pocket, nor breaks my leg."
-- Thomas Jefferson
I can't believe C&L is still holding on....you'd think word of mouth would kill it. I haven't heard ANYONE talk about C&L, but everyone's talking about Hairspray.
"Word of advice: Be who you are, wear what you want---just learn how to run real fast." Marc, UGLY BETTY