2015 Box Office Challenge Round I

Thanks Neiba.

I just need Zotis to bomb either Neiba or Chypmunk and we are ready.

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Letterboxd

You might be right. As I said when I bombed you with it, I think it's make or break. I can't see it doing business in the US, so it's all going to be on the sci-fi pull internationallly.

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5-time MoFo Award winner.

I have no idea what to pick... I wanted to pick Peanuts but that's not coming out until like November.

Go with your gut, or better yet don't listen to me because I am the guy that gave out Lucy this summer.

I thought it would kill Luc Besson's career.

I'm going to give neiba Insurgent. I think it's going to flop, and they spent a lot of money making it.

Edit:

neiba, you picked Insurgent?

...

Okay then I'll give you... wait you picked Fifty Shades of Grey too?

Geeze... you're doomed already!

Okay then I'll give neiba Jupiter Ascending.

I will give Chypmunk Seventh Son and we are ready to roll. Good luck everyone.

I was considering giving American Sniper as a bomb. I've hear it's initial reception was mixed, some other sites predict it will bomb, and it's practically a sequel to Lone Survivor which technically makes it, Falling Down More Hills 2. I don't think giving it a better title is enough to trick a lot of people into seeing it, but it has started to get good advertising and it's budget apparently wasn't that big. So it's not likely to loose very much money if any.

Week 1:

$40,400,000

Calling this week 1 because none of us had anything released last week. Taken 3 had a good start for those of us that chose it. We all know January is a slow month so it will take a while to get this round rolling. I will post the weekend box office every week though. It is in the second post on the first page.

We are off and running. Good luck everyone.

Yeah, that's s good opening. Very happy with that.

Did you see the results for Woman in Black 2?

You shouldn't be that happy with Taken. The film will make WIB2 deteriorate even faster.

True, but Taken 3 is already nearly in the black ($91m worldwide) and WIB2 has opened with $22m and that's just the US. Depending on its budget, it could pull over $100m profit.

If we can't get a budget for WIB2 we will go with the buget of the first as we have before. The first one was $15mil. HK should be fine, although it probably won't help him much.

I just saw this.

I almost picked Serena as one of my picks. I'm not very good at this though. I was just basing it on a Lawrence/Cooper pairing.

No matter what I think it's wrong. I figured a third Taken movie would have to tank. I almost picked it as a bomb. How many of these can go on before people stop going to see them?

Paranormal Activity 6 is also among the picks Godog. The answer is forever.

Yeah, I guess so. I'm even tired of the PA sequels and I really liked the first ones.

Maybe that Lost girl will have to have a family of her own so that they can get taken and she can become the person with a very specific set of skills to get them back.

Week 2:

$90,205,000

Raise your hand if you saw this one coming. Now put your hand down because the answer is none of us. Zotis even mentioned thinking of handing it out as a bomb. So the biggest January weekend ever goes for naught in our little challenge. Paddington is looking like a heck of a pick by Chypmunk. It is already at $142mil worldwide. Those of us who chose Taken 3 are also going to be in decent shape.

Box office is updated in second post.

Yes! I have no idea why people go for stuff like Taken 3, but they just do.

I'm surprised that Paddington is doing so well worldwide. When I made my picks it'd made back about half its budget in the UK, but I didn't have the confidence in it elsewhere to give it a go. Shame. And, like everyone else, I definitely didn't see American Sniper hitting like that. Even if I'd paid attention to the director, etc, I still don't think I'd have gone for it.

Wow American Sniper is a real shock. That's an insane number. That's Marvel-like numbers and without any 3D prices to boot. If it had done half that I'd have thought it was doing extremely well. I don't think I even considered it for a single second before moving on. I mean the Iraq/Afghanistan war films have barely done a thing up till now, Cooper I wouldn't consider a big star and despite his standing Eastwood's films don't generally do bumper business; hell American Sniper is already his 2nd biggest box office hit and it's only been out a week

Perhaps it had enough about it to appeal to a wide range of people. Its Conservative-minded patriotism was enough for the red state people and its clutch of Oscar nominations was enough to interest the blue state/Liberal people.

So I didn't consider Amerian Sniper whatsoever. I did give serous thought to Paddington however and may regret that one. It was already doing really well in the UK but doubted its ability to do anything anywhere else. So I thought at best it would only make a minimal profit

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