19 Responses for "Tally ho!"

1. Jake January 21st, 2009 at 5:39 pm 1

   Nice quote! I’m a bit surprised by how well Gran Torino is performing at the box office, but I’m very happy for it. It was my number 2 movie of last year, behind, of course, The Dark Knight.

2. Red January 21st, 2009 at 5:43 pm 2

   It’s funny how Titanic and ROTK were at identical levels pre-nom.

3. Ryan Adams January 21st, 2009 at 5:44 pm 3

   “Tally ho? Who you callin’ a tally ho’?!”
   ~ Cassidy, The Wrestler

4. Rahulio January 21st, 2009 at 5:47 pm 4

   You know what sucks? Rachel Getting Married made more money than the insufferable and heavily-advertised Frost/Nixon and has been relatively shut out of most of the major races.

   Infuriating really.

5. Sasha Stone January 21st, 2009 at 5:49 pm 5

   I think most of them are in limited release, though, aren’t they?

6. Ryan Adams January 21st, 2009 at 5:55 pm 6

   yeah, I hadn’t noticed that before, Red.
   I think ROTK had a week longer in theaters than Titanic.
   Didn’t Titanic open Christmas Day?

   nope, wait. I’m not taking into consideration the different Awards cycles
   Here we go:

   TTNC hit $338 mil in 53 days
   ROTK hit $338 mil in 42 days
   TDK hit $338 mil in (gulp) 13 days

7. Nick K. January 21st, 2009 at 5:56 pm 7

   Thanks a lot, Ryan! You made me think of the Wrestler. I’m gonna go cry now for poor Randy and the living fuck-up he is.

   :’(

8. Zinc January 21st, 2009 at 5:56 pm 8

   Jesus H., I never knew Million Dollar Baby made so little. Anyway, Slumdog will win.

9. Ryan Adams January 21st, 2009 at 6:01 pm 9

   True, Sasha. That’s part of the reason I went back a few years to see if any other eventual winners were in limited release pre-nom. Only M$B went on to win after such a late wide-release.

   TWBB was in the same position last year. It went from $8 mil pre-nom to $35 mil pre-awards. And only $5 mil more post-awards. There’s a narrow window of money-making opportunity for nominees that don’t win big.

   And it seems risky biz to go into nominations month when you’re still in limited release.

10. Ryan Adams January 21st, 2009 at 6:05 pm 10

    Zinc, M$B earned another $56 mil between nominations and awards. And another $35 after it won best picture. A tidy $100 mil overall.

11. Matthew January 21st, 2009 at 7:01 pm 11

    What network is airing the nominations tomorrow morning?

12. Bob W January 21st, 2009 at 7:13 pm 12

    i think it’s QUITE likely that had Gran Torino’s box office exploded BEFORE the nomination ballots were due, it would be making a stronger showing tomorrow.

13. Evan January 21st, 2009 at 7:26 pm 13

    The Dark Knight opened in the most theaters in history: 4,366 theaters

14. Sally in Chicago January 21st, 2009 at 8:08 pm 14

    Are these domestic or worldwide figures?

15. Sally in Chicago January 21st, 2009 at 8:09 pm 15

    What is the problem with the Wrestler (a hellof a movie) not being on more screens? Doesn’t Darren and Fox have “pull”?

16. Ryan Adams January 21st, 2009 at 8:29 pm 16

    Sally in Chicago, Domestic only. Worldwide would have an even more misleading imbalance since some of these movies are barely screening statewide.

    Here’s my theory: Ever since Clint invented the, “hey, look at this movie I found in my back pocket” late-release sleight-of-hand, studio execs might have the impression that this trick enables them to win Oscars based on nothing more than passing around some screeners to a circle of close friends. To heck with those pesky bloggers and, you know, those messy unpredictable audiences.

    Two problems with trying to replicate that magic:
    Clint Eastwood isn’t connected to any of these peek-a-boo movies.
    To properly hide your light under a bushel, first better be sure it’s lit.

    I will add, this new strategy has worked a couple of times, and that’s why it’ll keep happening — until it starts to fail. It worked for M$B and it worked like a charm last year for There Will Be Blood. (see comment #9 above).

    It’ll end when studios get stung a few times and are left holding a slack sack of meager box-office returns for a movie that cost $40 mil and fizzles out on the coasts before it ever gets a chance to open wide. The very charming little pregnancy fairy-tale, Waitress, was every bit as adorable and fly-over-state-friendly as Juno — but it never played in middle America. It was an inexpensive film to throw away — only cost a couple million — but it coulda been a contender, instead of a blip, which is what it was, on the radar.

17. Pierre de Plume January 22nd, 2009 at 1:15 am 17

    I hadn’t realized Benjamin Button has made so much money.

18. Gentle Benj January 22nd, 2009 at 1:19 am 18

    It’s funny how Titanic and ROTK were at identical levels pre-nom.

    And they each won 11 Oscars! So according to my calculations, The Dark Knight will win 17.

    What? It’s math.

19. “It’s not about the money. It’s about sending a message!” | Obsessed With Film January 22nd, 2009 at 3:28 am 19

    [...] Awards Daily have posted this very cool little table of domestic grosses for the movies expected to be in with a shout at Oscar nominations today… [...]