Whedonesque : Comments on 8316 : Monday's box office for Serenity.

Actually for a weekday, 732,000 isn't half bad really. All goes to the big total.

And more per cinema than Flightplan.

The more, the better. Can't wait to see this weekends numbers.

I went last night, took a friend with me. When I was in the lobby, two women came in looking for a movie. One mentioned Serenity and the other said "No, that has aliens in it." Of course, that was my cue. I chimed in, explaining that there were no aliens in it. They asked if it had gotten good reviews, and of course I had plenty of ammo for this question. Bottom line: they were convinced. I saw them in the theater later, but didn't get a chance after the movie to see if they liked it.

jam2 | October 05, 00:57 CET

ShowBizData was showing Serenity in 2nd place at 880,000 dollars (from what I can remember) for Monday but the site's gone down at the minute.

Simon | October 05, 01:02 CET

I went to see the BDM again on Monday afternoon. There was not more than 15 people in the theater for the 4:30pm showing. I could tell all 15 people loved the movie, lots of clapping and laughing in the right parts. No matter what the B.O. numbers are I feel Serenity is an unqualified success. Factor in all the people who will buy the series dvd after seeing the movie, then buying the movie dvd, sales will go on and on. I think this factors into Uni's plan for a sequel. Let's not forget Star Trek was a cancelled tv show and it wasn't untill twelve years or so after the cancellation that the first movie got made. Word of mouth takes some time. And I think this is a 'verse a lot more new fans will want to visit again. Even if it takes a few years, you can't stop the signal!

RiverKillsReavers | October 05, 01:03 CET

ComingSoon.net predicts 55% drop off next weekend placing Serenity 7th.

gossi | October 05, 01:05 CET

Scanning at some other movies, it seems that Tuesday returns see a small dip (about 10-15%) from the previous day, and Wednesday returns do the same as well, then they hold steady for Thursday. At this rate, Serenity should get another $2.5 million (including Monday) before next weekend.

Ronald_SF | October 05, 01:06 CET

Well just thought I'd add I've already recruited 15 people for Saturday, and believe me the number will rise, if I have to kill every single person I meet.

Apocalypse | October 05, 01:08 CET

Those are some decent weekday numbers :) Still think this weekend will be better than some are predicting.

ETA: LOL @ Apocalypse

[ edited by zeitgeist on 2005-10-04 23:09 ]

zeitgeist | October 05, 01:08 CET

Just Curious, but I notice that Box Office Mojo has Friday being the first day of paid showings. Does this mean that they're not adding in the 66 pre-screenings done over the summer? I mean, that's box-ofice take, even if it didn't happen on the opening weekend...And I'll bet the per screen average for those shows was gorram high!

Mick The Knife | October 05, 01:10 CET

ComingSoon.net predicts 55% drop off next weekend placing Serenity 7th.

Well, predictions were wrong opening weekend. Let's confound those bungers and exceed predictions next weekend.

jam2 | October 05, 01:11 CET

No tell a lie, ShowBizData is back up.

1. FLIGHTPLAN BUENA VISTA 3,424 1,080,000 315 47,416,000
2. SERENITY UNIVERSAL 2,188 885,000 404 10,906,000
3. HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, A NEW LINE 1,340 720,000 537 9,321,000

The big suprise is that History of Violence has really come from nowhere. Who would have thought last month that our biggest competition would be a Jodie Foster flick and a David Cronenberg comic book adaptation?

Simon | October 05, 01:12 CET

I think the (lower) boxofficemojo number is more reliable. At that site, the number for A History of Violence says "estimate" but Serenity's doesn't. Also, the showbizdata numbers are all in thousands (estimates?), while at boxofficemojo they go down to single dollars (actuals?).

jam2 | October 05, 01:19 CET

I dunno Simon. History of Violence is the only new movie with better reviews than Serenity. And women love Viggo.

As for the 66 pre-screenings money. Is it possible they were included into Friday's box office and thats why we had such a huge dip from Friday to Saturday?

eddy | October 05, 01:19 CET

eddy - very possible. To be honest, if you do the math on the 66 pre-screenings - it's not actually that much money. 'bout $200k or so, and that's before expenses. (Cast, flying cast out etc).

gossi | October 05, 01:22 CET

Still, to clarity, nobody can accurately predict the drop off level at the weekend, as this is not a predictable movie. I think opening weekend proved that.

There's still a lot of flight left in this girl.

gossi | October 05, 01:34 CET

I'm growing a bit tired of all these doomsayers reports that all is lost with 'Serenity' because I feel it's too soon to state that as a fact. First, for the number of theaters it was shown, it actually did very well in the box office. Second, I'm pleased to see these numbers on a Monday (thanks for the report, nakedandarticulate). Again, I think we will get a better feel on 'Serenity's fate on the numbers this week-end. If she remains in good standing, then the movie will show some legs and we have a shot. If it takes a fall, then we're hurting...

Bottom line, lets everyone watch the movie again...and again. You get the point.

Madhatter | October 05, 01:38 CET

The big suprise is that History of Violence has really come from nowhere. Who would have thought last month that our biggest competition would be a Jodie Foster flick and a David Cronenberg comic book adaptation?

Also, History of Violence has had great buzz about it ever since Cannes. If I weren't a dedicated Whedon fan, I doubt I'd know anything about Serenity, and I'd probably write it off as a sci-fi popcorn flick that I didn't need to see. But I've been aware of A History of Violence for quite a while, the same way I've been aware of Jarhead, Good Night and Good luck, Brokeback Mountain, and Stephen Spielberg's Munich movie. So I don't think it's that surprising that History of Violence is doing well.
The fact the Flightplan is doing so well in its second week, depsite horrendous reviews, is beyond me, however.

I'm off to see Serenity for the first time (since the May preview, that is) tonight. Looking forward to it!

acp | October 05, 01:40 CET

There's still a lot of flight left in this girl.

Hey, gossi... dunno if you've noticed but the idea here is not to support Foster in Flightplan, you know... ;)

Le Comité | October 05, 01:42 CET

Since we're discussing numbers again, and heading towards the all-important second weekend, I have to ask: Who has spotted any new TV ads which pimp the great review quotes? Because I haven't, and I'm wondering where in the world that ad campaign is, exactly.

The One True b!X | October 05, 01:49 CET

First, for the number of theaters it was shown, it actually did very well in the box office.

In fact, the more I read things (bad or good) concerning these numbers, the more I realize something. There is only a specific group of people that can say if the numbers are "bad" or "good"; that's not the reviewers on different websites, and that's not us.

That's Uni execs. In the end, the "only" opinion that matter is theirs, since they are the ones to which these numbers mean something (getting back their money or not, greenlighting a sequel, etc...). They're "only" executives, but on this matter I don't think they'll lie on the results: if these results are good they'll tell it (and hopefully use it for sequels), and if they're bad they'll also tell it (not necessarily frankly, but by not greenlighting a sequel for example). Since it is in their interest to make a sequel if they seem it can be successful, I think we can trust them to "read" those numbers for us.

Le Comité | October 05, 01:52 CET

I haven't seen any, either, theonetruebix. Seems like pushing the many great reviews might sway some of the folks who wouldn't be inclined to go otherwise.

looking | October 05, 01:54 CET

If you can afford it - try to buy a ticket a day during the week even if you are not going. To keep the theatre numbers from dropping off.

RavenU | October 05, 01:55 CET

I haven't seen any, either, theonetruebix. Seems like pushing the many great reviews might sway some of the folks who wouldn't be inclined to go otherwise.

Well, that's the issue. It's an utter no-brainer to have reivew-quoting ads on the air, and it's now Tuesday and I still haven't seen any (we'll see if they placed any in the baseball playoff game airing on FOX later).

If they don't place these ads to run this week, that's the point at which I will begin imagining tha Universal has made up their mind that this film is going nowhere.

The One True b!X | October 05, 01:58 CET

I have not seen any ads since Saturday in my area on TV, which does not bode well for the second weekend numbers, I have seen more for History and Flightplan, heck I have even see one for Corpse Bride.

RavenU | October 05, 02:03 CET

I don't know how long it takes to produce those ads, in any case maybe Universal wants to position them closer to the weekend. I won't panic if they don't have them today, but they'd better have them by tomorrow!

jam2 | October 05, 02:05 CET

We can make our own ads for Serenity, at very little cost. It doesn't have to be a great-looking ad for people to take it seriously. Just make a document with the Serenity logo at the top (you can get this from the internet) and a couple good quotes about the movie. Then print the document out, make copies of it at the store, and post it at a bunch of bulletin boards in public places (libraries, schools, stores, work) in your community. If each of us does this, imagine how many ads people will see. Our influence can reach far without buying super-expensive ads in magazines and newspapers (Though a few of those wouldn't hurt).

vampire dan | October 05, 02:16 CET

I've seen the new ad 3 times since Friday, on TV, and it included pull-quotes from reviews. I've only watched, like *maybe* 2 hours of television in that span of time, so they're clearly out there.

I went again last night, with 5 friends. There were about 50 people in the theater, and they were quite appreciative of the film. And, I'm planning on going Thursday, (depending on how I'm feeling after surgery) and possibly this weekend (again depending on what I'm up for).

k8cre8 | October 05, 02:25 CET

believe me the number will rise, if I have to kill every single person I meet.

Hmm, that'll only help if the people you kill were going to see Flightplan...

And women love Viggo

I'm pretty certain I'm the only woman who doesn't see the appeal...

And if House is being pre-empted for baseball, I better at least see a Serenity ad during the game...

Rogue Slayer | October 05, 02:28 CET

I've seen the TV ad (with the newspaper quotes) at least 5 times since Friday, so it is out there.

SpookyRiverFan | October 05, 02:35 CET

Viggo Mortensen(sp?) looks weird. I saw him on The Daily Show and he looks weird maybe because I associate him with that long hair and he has a high voice (not teeny tiny high). He's an elf...

I've seen the TV ad (with the newspaper quotes) at least 5 times since Friday, so it is out there.

That's the commercial talking about the buzz probably. No TV spot with quotes here and I pretty much watch primetime tv since saturday.

Mr Universe | October 05, 02:50 CET

I've seen the new ad 3 times since Friday, on TV, and it included pull-quotes from reviews. I've only watched, like *maybe* 2 hours of television in that span of time, so they're clearly out there.

Where, when, and what specifically did they say?

The One True b!X | October 05, 03:02 CET

Simon, actually I mentioned a while back on, I think, this here site that "History" might be a concern if it got a major release -- based on the dynamite clip that Cronenberg brought to Comicon and, of course, the Viggo factor.

Hmmm. Memo to Joss...Maybe Viggo can be persuaded to be the celebrity guest villain in the sequel...

bobster | October 05, 03:04 CET

Saw me some Viggo on the Daily Show too, but as a woman, would prefer to see some Nathan/Adam/Sean/Alan/Ron. Oh, and the female cast as well :) I don't watch Oprah much, but a lot of women do, as well as Ellen and other talk shows. I have heard and read interviews on the radio and in print, but the lack of TV interviews just stymies me. That is such a crucial part of marketing movies, and this movie has such a great story behind it (with pretty people, to boot). Didn't Joss say himself we're fighting viewer apathy and people staying home with DVDs/TV? If that's where people are, don't we need to invade homes (and preferably avoid break-ins?)

That said, I agree the film is a success already, and DVD sales will be great. I just wish there could be an extra push that could really get people into the theater. Cause, baseball? Bored now. And now my horse is officially beaten to death.

I do like your idea, Vampire Dan, about putting up flyers.

And I second the question about the TV spots: where and when are they on?

Cygnet | October 05, 03:11 CET

TV interviews - the most famous cast member was the pirate on Dodgeball. Wonder why they've gone for Viggo?

gossi | October 05, 04:04 CET

Haha, it took a really long time for my friend to stop calling Wash "the pirate" (when she saw the first episode.) I saw a commercial that said "The NY Times, USA Today, and some other names I can't recall...are all raving that Serenity is the next great sci-fi." I think it said something like that. It shows a picture of Joss too...:)

MySerenity | October 05, 04:07 CET

That's the old ad, not refering to reviews, but to stories about "the buzz". We need new ads with "two thumbs up", "NYT says better than Star Wars".

jam2 | October 05, 04:09 CET

What jam2 said. I am, however, coming to agree with the premise that if the ads started on Wednesday, little is lost, because that's probably when people start making their weekend plans.

That said, if 'Versal didn't buy an ad in tonight's nationally-broadcast ALDS game on FOX (coverage of which only just began), that'd be a mistake.

The One True b!X | October 05, 04:16 CET

Yes, jam2, those are the 2 quotes we need, plus one saying "It's a thrill ride!" or something like that. Can SOMEBODY call Universal now, find out if they're planning a late-week push?? I go to Universal Studios' website and it's just an email form (I hate those!)

Ronald_SF | October 05, 04:26 CET

I guess 'Versal put their baseball money into ads for DOOM. Oy.

The One True b!X | October 05, 05:15 CET

I'd rather see any Serenity man over Viggo right now, but yes. The Viggo factor is there and it's a huge deal. Maybe one must be closer to his age but he actually incites women to swoon.

I haven't seen the ads yet but haven't been watching loads of tv, either. So glad to hear they are running! I have a Whedon fan classmate who I made PROMISE he would see Serenity by Sunday. With friends. (He loves Buffy/Angel but hasn't seen Firefly.) Isn't it interesting the only person I talked to outside lit class turned out to be a rabid Buffy-but-more-Faith fan?

WhoIsOmega? | October 05, 07:08 CET

I plan to go see the film again this weekend with a friend... who if he likes it would get 6 or 7 other people to see it next week. He didn't want to see it the first time because he didn't like the two episodes of Buffy and ANgel he saw, and avoided Firefly because of the crappy ads, as such he wasn't sure he would "get it."

However, this guy, if he watched it would totally LOVE the show. He watches Smallville, and enjoys all the parts of Smallville which make it like a "lesser Buffy", plus he has a sense of humour very simialar to Joss. Like most people I've gotten into the shows, out of xontext Buffy/Angel viewing seems to leave bad impressions.

[ edited by rabid on 2005-10-05 05:38 ]

rabid | October 05, 07:37 CET

The Numbers has figures yet different from the two previous sites mentioned. Why do all these sites differ so much?

chickenbird | October 05, 07:38 CET

Actually, The Numbers' numbers apear to be exactly the same, at least by total take, as Box Office Mojo.

Where the ShowBizData site gets its estimates, I have no idea.

The One True b!X | October 05, 08:26 CET

The Numbers and ShowBizData each estimate A History of Violence at 720,000. Box Office Mojo shows it at 740,000, pushing Serenity to 3rd.

Why is it that A History of Violence is the only movie that still relies on estimates? Even the weekend figures are still estimates.

rkayn | October 05, 16:51 CET

theonetruebix (probably too late now), the ads were on during Supernatural, The Simpsons (in syndication, with the local Fox affiliate in Denver), and I'm not remembering what the third slot was. The had quotes about this being the new Sci-fi franchise, better than Star Wars. On Friday's ad they mentioned Ebert's review specifically, but, as the second thumb hadn't been aired yet, that wasn't out yet.

k8cre8 | October 14, 23:05 CET

October 05 2005