Fans rushed to the early showings of 300, drawing sell-out crowds. Imax reported that all 57 of its 12:01 a.m. Friday screenings had sold out as its advance ticket sales for the weekend hit a new record for the month of March. And many of the rest of the nation’s 600 theaters with early morning shows also played to capacity crowds. The movie opens today on 3,100 screens.
Fan websites are hoping that the movie will beat the R-Rated opening weekend reccord held by The Matrix Reloaded. Serious box-office analysts are predicting a $40-$50 million opening weekend, far below the $91 million record. But the studio itself is claiming a weekend gross in the mid-$30 million range is “a more accurate estimate of where things are going to go.” But may-be they are just downplaying the numbers?
Fandango is reporting that advanced sales are twice the rate of Ghost Rider, which opened two weekends ago with $45.4 million.
So even if the film does defy expectations, the only record it has a chance of beating is the March opening held by Ice Age: The Meltdown, which grossed $68 million.
March 9th, 2007 at 8:56 pm
I am going with you on this one Peter — as much as I loved 300, I think it will land somewhere in the $40-$70 million range. As much as I would love to see it draw in $100 million, I am not naive to the fact that it is really a fanboy flick…
But you never know, the drawing power of ripped dudes in skimpy Spartan uni’s could play well in the female 45-60 demographic. I know my mom is planning on seeing it.
March 10th, 2007 at 5:09 pm
Obviously you were WRONG! It made $27.8 on Friday alone - meaning it WILL break records at least for March opening weekend, but that might be it. WB’s predictions were just downplaying it so they would make it much more prolific in the end.
Where did you come up with your predictions?! Were you BLIND, the buzz on this was HUGE! How do people predict so poorly?!?
March 10th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
Monthly records are not taken seriously within in the industry. They are only for press releases.
Your article claimed it would break the R-Rated weekend, it will not.
Everyone predicted 50 million (except the studio, which almost always downplays the number for a dramatic reveal.) The film will preform close to 50 (possibly 60 at most). FAR below your 90 million prediction. So I don’t understand how you claim that the predictions were low? they were accurate.
March 10th, 2007 at 5:42 pm
Alex — As much as I would love to agree with you, I can’t say that it will break $90 million. That is a bit extreme. We all know that the fanboys are always out in force on Friday, thus the $27 mil. first day. I don’t know if it will hold up.
On Monday morning, if it clears $90 mil. I will be happy to eat my words. If not, I will only be able to say that I told you so. For now though, I am going to agree with my friend Peter and say $40-$60.
March 11th, 2007 at 10:34 am
guess you will have to both eat your words now, I passed 60 million, est. at 70 million now when the numbers are revealed Monday. Older people need to grow down.
March 11th, 2007 at 10:50 am
Justin — $70 million is a great opening weekend. But last time I took basic math (13 years ago in Elementary School — do the math, then tell me to “grow down”), $70 doesn’t equal $90.
We will see what the final numbers are tomorrow, but either way this film was very successful — that is something we can agree on.
March 11th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
All you guys are idiots arguing about this nonsense. I just came to check out the reviews and i i see are clowns arguing about how much its going to make…. Why do y’all even care? Damn Idiots
March 11th, 2007 at 2:55 pm
Pretty easy to fling shit from behind a nice safe internet connection and a fake name, eh Hater? =)
March 11th, 2007 at 5:37 pm
I will agree with you on the Neil. The movie was great and it made more than expected. WB was dumbing down the numbers to make it seem like “wow we made more than expected!!!* And no Hater we weren’t arguing I was just trying to make a point that finally a good movie came out and got all the credit it deserved and made the money it deserved. The grow down comment was towards the older people who didn’t grow up with what us 20-somethings have had since we started puberty! GO SEE THIS MOVIE!
March 25th, 2007 at 5:55 am
What do think now naysayers? Keep your opinions the numbers speak for themselves
April 6th, 2007 at 2:56 am
Hehe… Funniest thing I’ve seen all day. 300 opening figures Ownes the author of this blog.
April 14th, 2007 at 9:58 am
What was that $77 million opening weekend I saw? Did I just imagine that?