The first place I went after Warner announced that The Dark Knight will be re-released in 35mm and IMAX on Jan. 23, 2009, was to Box Office Mojo.
All-time domestic grosses?
1 Titanic Par. $600,788,188 1997
2 The Dark Knight WB $530,353,467 2008
A $70 million difference. With potential Oscar noms behind it, TDK could sink Titanic’s record. Do I have enough conviction? Sure. Why not? TDK will sink Titanic’s record.
"It's okay. We still have a billion dollar international lead."
The silly-to-the-point-of-being-quaint non-story about The Dark Knight’s chances of taking on Titanic’s #1 spot on the all-time highest grossing domestic/international box office (which Sean O’Connell and David Poland nicely let the air out of) begs the question: What movie could take on the giant?
Off the top of my head, a meticulously constructed (i.e. not this) Justice League film might conceivably merge enough audiences to give it a go, especially if you cast it to appeal to as broad a demographic as possible (which might interfere with the “meticulously constructed” part).
If you adjust for inflation, Gone With the Wind and Sound of Music both outrank Cameron’s boat flick, suggesting that something with an epic scope could, in today’s dollars, take the lead. Star Wars and E.T. also outgross Titanic in adjusted dollars, so the Next Great Sci-Fi Film has potential, if it appeals to families.
But the fact of the matter is that no one saw Titanic coming, so it’s just as likely if it ever does fall, it will be to an underestimated contender.
The Titanic vs. Dark Knight debate has been limited to the box office, as pundits debate whether Chris Nolan’s sequel will surpass the record-holding $600 million earned by James Cameron’s 1997 Oscar winner. (It won’t, for the record, though it should surpass Star Wars for the No. 2 slot.)
But it also got me wondering: How will Nolan follow up what has become his most financially successful film? And more importantly, how long will it take?
Avatar ... not coming Summer 2009
Titanic’s critical and financial success elevated Cameron’s industry status (and fattened his bank account). But the world still awaits his follow up more than a decade later. I’m not counting the documentaries he allowed to be filmed as he hid on the bottom of the sea. We want a feature, with a story and, preferably, live actors (tone down the CGI, Jim).
Cameron has said Avatar will reach theaters in December 2009. But it has been pushed back before. I’m almost willing to bet the gun-shy director - an admitted perfectionist - never releases another film.
To put this into perspective, Nolan has made all six of his films since Cameron last made a full-length feature.
Where will Nolan go next? The masses, of course, want a third Batman. Rumors have swirled about certain actors playing potential villains. But they are just that: Rumors. Nolan himself hasn’t committed to a third film. And chances are he’d try and squeeze a different project in before a required trip back to Gotham (let’s pray it’s as good as The Prestige, which followed Batman Begins). Whatever Nolan’s next project, I just hope he avoids Cameron’s career path and decides on it soon.
Taking a point made in our comments sections and running with it, David Poland of MovieCityNews.com runs the numbers on Titanic’s international figures in comparison to The Dark Knight … and subsequently lets the air out of the TDK debate.
So says Poland:
No Batman film has ever even matched the level internationally that it reached at home. But let’s give The Dark Knight that. $500 million at home and $500 million overseas. You’re $850 million away from Titanic.
But let’s give it more. International at 60%! So… $500 million at home, $750 million internationally. And we’re still almost $600 million away from Titanic’s number.
Do you want to believe in miracles? How about $600 million domestic and $900 million worldwide? You’re still almost $350 million away from Titanic.
Put in that perspective, it looks like Batman won’t come close. For a deeper, in-depth discussion, click here.
Taking a point we made yesterday and running with it, The L.A. Times puts The Dark Knight in Titanic territory (though admits that Nolan’s film likely will cross $500 mill but fall short of James Cameron’s opus).
So long as TDK surpasses Star Wars, I’ll be pleased.
Speaking of The Dark Knight, how much money will this thing make?
After its second weekend, TDK sits at $314.2 million domestic. That’s the highest 10-day gross, ahead of Pirates of the Caribbean 2: Dead Man’s Chest ($258.3 million) and Spider-Man 3 ($240.2 million).
Time to start thinking big picture. According to BoxOfficeMojo, TDK is the 23rd-highest-grossing film of all time. It’s about to pass Transformers, The Lion King and Forrest Gump. Probably by Friday.
What’s next? How about the original Spider-Man, which sits at the lofty $403.7M? TDK should pass that in two weeks. Could it challenge George Lucas’ Star Wars, currently the No. 2 highest-grossing film at $460.9M? Could it make a run at the untouchable Titanic, with $600.7M?!?!
Unlikely. But it’s possible. TDK has reached Titanic’s halfway point in 10 days! And nothing is on the horizon that might steal TDK’s thunder. When all is said and done, Warner’s decision to release this blockbuster sequel at the end of July - when all the event movies had come and gone - might have been its wisest move yet.