Button Is #1 At The Box Office

Don't let this "breaking news" keep you from reading today's other, much more elaborate post. But I was just checking The-Numbers.com and to my surprise and enjoyment found that "The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button" has finally taken the lead at the U.S. Box Office!

For the last week or so "Button" was holding up better than B.O. favorite "Marley & Me". Now it has finally taken the top spot and made just 1.000 bucks more than "Marley" nation-wide. That doesn't sound like a whole lot, but David Fincher's epic achieved this feat with fewer theaters (and thus, a higher per theater average). And it may just serve as a good marketing argument for oversea markets ... such as "number one at the U.S. Box Office!"

In case you care, check out the numbers:
http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2008/BBUTN.php

10 comments:

  1. I can hear the teeth of the haters grinding in resentful anger! I wonder how these people will react when it prevails in the Pictue, Director, Actor, Cinematography, Editing, VFX and Score categories at the Oscars.

    ReplyDelete
  2. More than half the budget in just 2 weeks... wow! Check out the more detailed numbers on BoxOfficeMojo.com, it's a better site: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=daily&id=curiouscaseofbenjaminbutton.htm

    ReplyDelete
  3. Does anyone know how it's fared worldwide? Brad Pitt is massive in the Asian territories so boffo bucks are a certainty there.

    I think it's safe to say though that Paramount is breathing a sigh of relief and their investment in Fincher has paid off. This probably mends the relationship a little since they unjustly lost money on Zodiac. If I were them I'd give him the Kubrick contract to ensure that all future David Fincher properties have a home at Paramount. Twenty years from now they could have exclusivity on a Fincher box set of classic films he made under their umbrella.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Face it, fanboys: This movie is and will be a financial disaster. With official budget 150 mil they need at least 300 mil to get their money back. Tanking big time! No more (expensive) movies from Fincher is what that means.

    P.S. I liked the movie. wasn't great, tho, as everyone tries hyping it. Tanked at GG as well.

    ReplyDelete
  5. That's what they said about Fight Club, Anonymous. And yet it turned out to be a classic and one of the longest and best selling DVDs for Fox, exceeding its even point by far.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Fuck ME! Button lost awards at the Golden Globes to flicks like Slumdog Millionaire and Vicky Christina Barcelona??! These award committees seem to get a kick out of ignoring Fincher. What the hell, he doesn't give a shit, and neither does the Fincher mob.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Tanking big time? Give me a break. By the time this message goes through it will probably have already crossed the century mark less than three weeks after its opening. It should end up with at least 150 stateside and, given Pitt's worldwide appeal, at least that much more worldwide. I guess anything that doesn't earn Dark Knight dolllars is branded a failure in the instant gratification age. A real illustration of a big time tank would've been if it opened below The Spirit and was already virtually gone from theatres. I'm glad you liked it Anonymous but calling it a financial disaster is preposterous.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yeah it's passed the 100 million mark already, and the foreign box office hasn't even kicked in yet. Booya!

    ReplyDelete
  9. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-fi-button23-2009jan23,0,1059094.story?track=rss

    ReplyDelete
  10. That's what she said.

    ReplyDelete