Okay, I assume it will. Ticket prices are getting higher, it’s only a matter of time. But I think it’s going to be an awfully long time.
I figured Phantom Menace was a shoo-in to beat it. It was perhaps the most anticipated movie of all time. It had people all over the country camped out to see it. It had tons of free publicity from all the news stories, talk shows, web sites, etc. The merchandise just added to it. I don’t think another movie will come close to the hype TPM had, not even Episode II or LOTR.
But TPM didn’t even come within $150 million of Titanic ($600m vs 430m). Many people didn’t consider TPM that great a movie and a tad overhyped, but Titanic wasn’t (and isn’t) that critically acclaimed either.
Certainly not to outdistance TPM (with all it’s advantages) by nearly 30%.
Well, Titanic had the “repeat business” factor going for it. Any movie that’s gonna beat it will have to have a big “repeat” factor, too.
Titanic had teenage girls seeing the damn thing multiple times to see Leo. Titanic came out around Christmas, so people stuck with there families had a seemingly safe movie to take everyone to. It was a good “date” movie, too. Many who saw it the first time decided to make a return around Valentine’s Day.
For the most part, people saw TPM once, and left unsatisfied. Maybe if they’s put Leo in there instead of Jar-Jar… Hmmmmmm…
Earlier this summer, the “trades” were all aflutter with analysis of the new, unalterable trend in the Box Office: the amazing disappearing blockbuster. Flicks like “Planet of the Apes” open at #1, but can’t hold on for more than one week. Lately, any movie that can hold on to the top B.O. spot for a second week accomplishes a rare feat – though that’s usually because its premiere is followed by a slow week.
“Titanic” was not only among the last of the multi-week top-grossers, but was truly anomolous in itself. IIRC, it was #1 for, what, 15 or 16 weeks? And was in theaters for a full 6 months (I know, because I saw it June 19th, 1998 while it was still in its first run, though it left theaters shortly afterward).
You must be reading different critics than I have. Those 11 Oscars must have been an aberration, too. And just this past week, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed Titanic’s goodness:
Yes, TITANIC will eventually be surpassed, because of rising ticket prices if nothing else (in the same way that GONE WITH THE WIND was long ago surpassed in terms of dollars even though it still has sold more tickets than any other movie in history).
But the failure of PHANTOM MENACE to surpass TITANIC is in no way a mysterious phenomenon. The film was a collasal disappointment which made most of its money based on the loyalty of fanatics blinded to the poor quality of the film. Had this film been the first in the STAR WARS saga, rather than the fourth, with a built-in audience, it would not have made nearly the money it did.
What will it take to surpass TITANIC? Another film that (for whatever reason) clicks with a broad spectrum of the audience (men and women, yound and old) and satisfies them in such a way that the film becomes a cultural phenomenon that you have to see just because you don’t want to be the only one who hasn’t seen it.
I don’t have official figures to hand, but for some time now over here in Brit-land we’ve heard that advance bookings for the Harry Potter flick are easily surpassing all previous records. Whether this translates into largest-grossing movie of course remains to be seen. Interesting aside… according to a friend I was talking to today, although of course lots of kids do want to see the movie, that’s not the reason for the huge advance ticket sales. The main reason is… corporate block-bookings! Seems a lot of companies have decided it makes a nice, silly choice for a Christmas company treat. Given that lots of office xmas parties happen in the first week of December, I find this strangely credible.
As 23skiddo pointed out a picture needs repeat business to get into the top grossing tier. The Hollywood term for this is “legs.”
I’m willing to bet the Potter franchise has legs.
That’s step one.
I suppose it is inevitable that Titanic will be beaten, but I really think it is a great movie. Still, toward the end of its in-theater-first-run life I said to myself, “Sheesh. Still?” I mean it was good, but it wasn’t that good.
I can’t think of a movie that is that good. 'Cept maybe “True Romance.”
i’m gonna side with ianzin and Doug about Harry Potter. you know every kid in america and england is gonna see it at least once, probably a few times. heck, i’m 20 and i can see myself buying a ticket a couple times.
Wow, my first though after reading this was “no way.” It’s true though. According to IMDb, Titanic grossed a whopping $1,835,300,000 worldwide. Coming in at #2 is The Phantom Menance with roughly half that much.
Titanic’s domestic record actually has a decent chance of being toppled this year. Both Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings have huge pre-sold audiences who will spread word of mouth and provide repeat viewers. If Harry Potter crosses over to adults or if Lord of the Rings crosses over to kids, Titanic’s record is toast.
Teenagers are the flies in the ointment. Lord of the Rings is what their parents read, and Harry Potter is what their younger siblings read. It’s possible teenagers will decide both movies are uncool, thereby nixing their chances.
International grosses are an even harder call. Will Japanese schoolgirls go wild over Harry Potter or Frodo Baggins? I have no idea.
(All of this assumes that these are decent movies, which was the sticking point for TPM.)
The first one who dares make a movie about the WTC will get it.
But it could take many years. You need enough distance to get a good novel. That was true for the Titanic, and Gone With The Wind.
Titanic gets an 86% favorable rating on Rotton Tomatoes. It’ll be surpassed in terms of absolute box office eventually, but when adjusted for inflation, depending on the source, it’s 5-7. Every site I perused listed the top three as Gone With the Wind, Star Wars, The Sound of Music, ET. This site uses the tickets sold method.
