The Dark Knight takes the route to 66
By Steven Zeitchik
Friday's numbers are still not official and probably won't be until Warners issues a release Saturday, but a number of reports (like this one from Steve Mason, via Jeffrey Wells) have the first-day totals clocking in at a superheroic $66 million ($48m if you exclude the midnight screenings).
The rampant sell-outs will also cause the per-screens to sail off-the-charts, possibly putting them in the $25k-$30k range. And with so much anecdotal evidence that moviegoers long ago booked Saturday and Sunday tix to ensure a seat on opening weekend, don't expect a big falloff as the weekend continues.
Since everyone else is guessing how many jellybeans are in the jar, we'll take a stab too and say the movie earns $168-$172 million by the time the weekend's out, ensuring it trounces the $151 million of previous record-holder "Spider-Man 3." Step right up and make your own predictions.
Sounds about right. I know a lot of people who are waiting until the crowds die down to go see it, which means the earnings will probably be steady for a few weeks.
Posted by: Liz | July 19, 2008 at 11:32 PM
I'm predicting $162 - $167 with a final gross around $420-$440.
Posted by: Brian | July 20, 2008 at 05:55 AM