StemCell Therapy

It may be back to the future at the box office.

In the 70s, 80s, and into the 90s, films used to debut with much lower grosses, but spending far longer in theaters. In 1977, the original Star Wars debuted in only 32 theaters before gradually expanding nationwide, a phenomenon unthinkable for a blockbuster today.

In the 90s and 21st century, the takeover of the multiplex meant films could debut nationwide starting on day one. The rise of the gargantuan opening weekend meant films box office became far more front-loaded. The first $100 million opening weekend belonged to Spider-Man in 2002. The feat now occurs regularly, including six times last year alone.

Those 70s, 80s, and 90s titles traded lower debuts for lengthier theatrical runs, at a level that would be unfathomable today. E.T. spent 44 weekends in the box office top 10. Other unstoppable films of that era included Top Gun(27 weekends in the top 10), Titanic (26),Forrest Gump (26),Home Alone (25), andBack to the Future (24).

It seemed nothing would stop the 21st centurys era of monster openings paired with faster dropoffs until now.

Once cinemas return nationwide, a combination of social distancing measures and enforced auditorium seating limits will likely result in lower opening weekends. Simultaneously, studios sparser release calendars for months to come due to postponements, reschedulings, and a few films getting removed from theatrical release entirely in favor of streaming exclusivity will likely result in longer theatrical runs. These two factors in combination seem poised to return the box office to an old-fashioned path to profitability: debuting low but remaining in cinemas for months.

Though spending months in the top ten is a phenomenon mostly reserved for films of the 20th century, a few releases from the past decade also managed long stays in the top tier. What tends to set these films apart is positive word of mouth. Audiences will only turn out for a movie two and a half months after release if buzz remains strong, regardless of blockbuster opening weekends; Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, for example, are two films with massive openings that dropped relatively quickly.

Below are the 17 films from the past decade which spent 11 in 10: at least 11 weekends in the box office top 10.

Sci-fi and fantasy blockbusters, like Tenet and Wonder Woman 1984, will be among the first major studio releases to debut on the big screen once movie theaters open their doors, making the following box office champs apt comparisons for the initial wave of post-pandemic releases.

Musicals often experience theatrical longevity, with audiences wanting to hear their favorite songs multiple times. 2002s Chicagospent 16 weekends in the top 10, the second-most of any 2000s film, behind only My Big Fat Greek Wedding with 19.

With the awards season lasting for months, these films are often ripe for theatrical longevity.

Last but not least, theres one more film from the past decade which qualifies, but didnt quite fit any of the three above categories. Spending 13 weekends in the top 10: Disneys animated Zootopia.

Read the rest here:
Which Movies Have Spent the Longest in the Box Office Top Ten? - Boxoffice Pro

This entry was posted on May 25, 2020 at 8:50 pm and is filed under Longevity. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. |