Ask questions to The Digital Bits team (Bill Hunt, Jeff Kleist et.al.)

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by merrick97

Well the boxoffice record for Titanic is going to fall. Its just a question of how much further Avatar will go.

it has fallen Fox announced it today

[Jeff Kleist]

Lost is not a gauge by which to judge how something will do

It's incredibly popular with the Blu-ray demographic
It's incredilby pretty
It's a current show people are already in the habit of buying in large numbers on DVD

So when Lost does well on Blu, no one takes that as an indication of anything other than "Lost sells well on Blu-ray"

[Objectivity]

Originally Posted by Jeff Kleist

So when Lost does well on Blu, no one takes that as an indication of anything other than "Lost sells well on Blu-ray"

I get that. But doesn't it give a good indication of whether there is enough of a base to release additional items?

Obviously, Lost is going to have far greater appeal than the Joanie Loves Chachi Blu-Ray, but does the success of Lost make it more likely that shows that also have crossover demographics will have an easier time in the future - FlashForward, V, etc. being the ones we might see come summer?

Since I'm already posting, anything more to that West Wing Blu rumor from about six months ago?

[Jeff Kleist]

I get that. But doesn't it give a good indication of whether there is enough of a base to release additional items?

No because it's an exceptional title, not a typical. Anyone making decisions based on number will look broad. The number and titles of shows being released has pretty much depended on individual studio strategies more than anything else

[PeterTHX]

Condolences to Bill...I just watched the Vikings beat the Vikings.

[Bobby Henderson]

I love it. I've been rooting for New Orleans all season. Although it's obvious to conclude the Vikings did a lot to beat themselves, this is still a very sweet and long overdue victory for the New Orleans Saints and their long suffering fans.

I lived in New Orleans back in the early 1980s and have followed the team ever since. It was pure torture watching them come up short in the late 1980s when they had that truly scary "dome patrol" defense (and an under-performing offense). It's great to see the "aints" take one more step of shedding the paper bags over the head image. I hope they stomp the Colts, even with Peyton Manning's dad being a Saints hero.

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by Bobby Henderson

I hope they stomp the Colts, even with Peyton Manning's dad being a Saints hero.

Opposite here. Reggie Bush needs a big fat bite of humble pie (and anyone who dates Kim Kardashian deserves no respect).

[horseflesh]

Jeff, considering the strong possibility that Disney will omit a Japanese lossless track on Ponyo, do you know the difference between these two items:
Ponyo 1-Disc
Ponyo 3-Disc

Is it safe to presume that the second one is essentially the disc from the first one with "added value" extras? (or junk as I like to call it )

[SpaceDog]

It is impressive, but in adjusted terms, it has a ways to go to unseat Titanic:

26 Avatar Fox $559,512,300 $552,797,000 2009
6 Titanic Par. $943,342,300 $600,788,188 1997
1 Gone with the Wind MGM $1,485,028,000 $198,676,459 1939^

[Bobby Henderson]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Reggie Bush needs a big fat bite of humble pie.

Reggie Bush isn't the entire New Orleans Saints team. Drew Brees is more than enough of a class act to offset any silly things Bush has done. Brees is by far the top star on that team, not Bush. Even guys like Jeremy Shockey are more popular and arguably more productive.

BTW, Bush had been eating a lot of humble pie over the last few years given he's not the Saints top running back and has a propensity to put the ball on the ground (like the muffed punt he gave up last night).

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by SpaceDog

It is impressive, but in adjusted terms, it has a ways to go to unseat Titanic:

26 Avatar Fox $559,512,300 $552,797,000 2009
6 Titanic Par. $943,342,300 $600,788,188 1997
1 Gone with the Wind MGM $1,485,028,000 $198,676,459 1939^

I think movie rankings are at the most unfair levels in the history of cinema--I mean come on.... most every ticket has a frickin' $3.00 surcharge for 3-D glasses!!!!!!!

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by Bobby Henderson

Reggie Bush isn't the entire New Orleans Saints team. Drew Brees is more than enough of a class act to offset any silly things Bush has done. Brees is by far the top star on that team, not Bush. Even guys like Jeremy Shockey are more popular and arguably more productive.

Drew Brees' class doesn't offset all the late hits on the quarterback I saw last night. Just plain terrible.

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by AKORIS

I think movie rankings are at the most unfair levels in the history of cinema--I mean come on.... most every ticket has a frickin' $3.00 surcharge for 3-D glasses!!!!!!!

What's unfair about that? All movies have associated costs and associated consumer pricing.

[DJ Manyak]

Originally Posted by SpaceDog

It is impressive, but in adjusted terms, it has a ways to go to unseat Titanic:

26 Avatar Fox $559,512,300 $552,797,000 2009
6 Titanic Par. $943,342,300 $600,788,188 1997
1 Gone with the Wind MGM $1,485,028,000 $198,676,459 1939^

how in the world did gone with the wind ever make that much money ? are these lifetime numbers ?

[AKORIS]

Originally Posted by Doctorossi

What's unfair about that? All movies have associated costs and associated consumer pricing.

please see the prior post-- seems obvious to me...

[Doctorossi]

Originally Posted by AKORIS

please see the prior post-- seems obvious to me...

It would be one thing if the charge was for an unrelated product you were required to purchase with a ticket- a soundtrack CD, for example. However, the glasses are only required to enable the movie-watching experience, same as the ticket price.

[SpaceDog]

Originally Posted by computergeek

how in the world did gone with the wind ever make that much money ? are these lifetime numbers ?

These are numbers adjusted for inflation. In other words, if all of the Gone With The Wind tickets sold were sold at today's ticket prices - that's how much it would have made.

Similarly, if all of Titanic's tickets were sold at today's ticket prices, it would have earned much more than $600m.

This chart makes no accomodation for 3D, not 3D.

The bold figure is the adjusted for inflation figure. The following figure is the actual contemporary gross for each film.

[Jeff Kleist]

You know what I hate almost as much as Ron Moore's Space show? The thing that murdered the show he ACTUALLY "re-imagined" Space Above and Beyond, and at least a dozen other dead bodies behind it (even if Futurama is zombie-ing back), football.

[MerrickG]

Originally Posted by SpaceDog

These are numbers adjusted for inflation. In other words, if all of the Gone With The Wind tickets sold were sold at today's ticket prices - that's how much it would have made.

Similarly, if all of Titanic's tickets were sold at today's ticket prices, it would have earned much more than $600m.

This chart makes no accomodation for 3D, not 3D.

The bold figure is the adjusted for inflation figure. The following figure is the actual contemporary gross for each film.

I think the inflation cost is pointless because you also have to consider the budget these films cost have to be taken into consideration. $200 mill from 1997 is a whole lot more today. I think the true way to gauge success is how much profit the film made.

When considering those things its probably safe to say that Avatar does deserve to be called the most successful film of all time. It could still be making respectable numbers by the end of February.

But I dunno. Either way, I never imagined there would be a film that could take down allmighty Titanic and here we are.

I do wonder what Avatar 2 will make. Cameron did say the budget would be quite a bit cheaper for the 2nd and 3rd. We shall see.

[SpaceDog]

There is no way that Avatar is the most profitable film either, based on the way profit works. Again, you still have to adjust for inflation, but more importantly there are plenty of films with much smaller budgets that made a much larger percentage of their budget in profit.

Blair Witch? Paranormal Activity? My Big Fat Greek Wedding?

Believe me, I'm not dismissing that Avatar has great numbers, but it's disingenuous to call it the all time greatest most profitable movie without actually researching the numbers involved beyond the headline. Other films have had a greater profit percentage. Other films have had a greater profit adjusted for inflation.