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'Super 8' previews earn $1 million; will it rule the weekend?
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The Twitter-fueled sneak previews of "Super 8" on Thursday (June 9) kick-started the movie's box-office weekend with a $1 million haul.The movie played in 324 theaters across the country on Thursday as part of a promotion Paramount ran with Twitter. It earned $1 million, but maybe more important put the movie in front of about 100,000 people who, the studio hopes, will talk up "Super 8" the rest of the weekend.
"It was a great result, especially since there was no consumer marketing," Paramount vice chairman Rob Moore tells The Hollywood Reporter.
Midnight screenings of "Super 8" (which weren't part of the promotion) earned an additional $500,00, a fairly modest number compared to recent midnight openers like "X-Men: First Class" and "Thor," both of which made more than $3 million in their midnight openings.
Most forecasts for "Super 8's" opening weekend have it making in the neighborhood of $30 million. That's not blockbuster territory, but considering the film only cost a reported $50 million to make and isn't a pre-sold franchise, it would still be a pretty decent return.
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Photo/Video credit: Paramount Pictures
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"...but considering the film only cost a reported $50 million to make and isn't a pre-sold franchise, it would still be a pretty decent return..."
Any movie that hack JJ is associated with is essentially a pre-sold franchise. One can't help but wonder how many good movies aren't made in order to make slots available for crap that they can market as "written by" and/or "directed by" JJ.
By the way, you neglected to point out that the reviews so for for Super-8 aren't all that great (compared to the hype we've been subjected to for months).
What a surprise.
I went and saw it last night. I liked it. Pretty good movie really.
yeah im quite surprised!! very impressive
Super 8 has an 82% fresh rating at RT and a 72/100 metacritic rating. That is in-line with the best of the summer blockbuster releases every year, so I'm not sure what J.L. is trying to say.
His other argument, that "a J.J Abrhams release is pre-sold because it's a J.J film" contradicts his point. It's an original film that has backing because of who's backing it - not unlike Lost or Fringe from the television side.
You wanna know where that money would have went if not to him? To a sequel or an adaptation. Because JJ is bankable, he gets to do original screenplays. The money isn't there in Hollywood to risk on new IPs right now. Good for JJ for making a truly original summer film.
Though I'm no fan of how this was marketed.