DAVINCI Was Coded for Box Office Glory |
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It won't be long before every entertainment publication, print and Internet, publishes a post mortem on the year at the box office. The box office year, as well as the calendar year is less than eight weeks from being over. Last year, a marked slump in film attendance and revenue dominated box office headlines. So, did the downward spiral of 2005 continue in 2006, or is the box office slump a thing of the past?
Let me be the first to say, "2006 has been a pretty good year."
It was slow out of the gate. According to Nielsen Entertainment, 2006 kicked off with a Winter that lagged 1% behind the Winter 2005 box office. Given the low quality of early 2006 releases, that hardly seems surprising. Studios continue their practice of using January and February as dumping ground for product in which they have little or no faith. A January or February release date is one short step removed from a direct to video release.
Spring was a different story – a better story. Again, according to 
HOLLYWOODLAND Didn't Fly With MatchFlickers |
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Nielsen, Spring 2006 was a significant 14% better than the same season in 2005. Some might argue that the reason for the Spring box office bounce was simply the increase in the number of motion picture releases. In 2005, there were 50-something new nationwide releases by the time spring turned to summer. This year, by the end of April, 65 movies had been released. The number ballooned to more than 75 by the time spring said, "Goodbye."
No one, not even butt kissing studio representatives attribute the Spring Surprise to better movies. Of course, it should be noted that while box office grosses ascended, so did ticket prices. Only the geniuses in Hollywood would counter a slump in ticket sales by raising ticket prices, right? Of course, right.
Most probably because of some bona fide box office blockbusters, the Summer box office was up almost 6% over Summer of '05. Worldwide, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST, plundered its way to more than $1 billion in box office receipts. 
SUPERMAN Didn't Live Up to Expectations |
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The $756 million global gross of THE DA VINCI CODE was another box office treasure trove. ICE AGE: THE MELTDOWN added a torrid $650 million to the worldwide summer pot. And then there were X: THE LAST STAND and CARS, each kicking in about $450 million to the global cumulative total.. How sweet it was.
That brings us to fall. According to Nielsen EDI, thus far, fall 2006, lags 4% behind Autumn 2005. Let's face it, pre BORAT, nothing much has set the box office afire. Even the great and powerful Clint Eastwood, armed with a superlative cast and largely favorable reviews, has seen the gross for his FLAGS OF OUR FATHERS stall somewhere in the $25 million range. What more can you say about a box office when OPEN SEASON is the fall's big winner?
What remains? The Holiday Season is the only question mark in 2006's Box Office Year. MatchFlickers take heart. Even if the year ended today, the overall yearly box office is 5% ahead of 2005. Spectacular? No. Still and all, it's been a pretty good year.
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| The Business of Show |
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Does advertising, public taste, or overindulged stars determine a movie's box office fate? Christoper Stone explores what's going on behind the box office.
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| Christopher Stone |
Christopher Stone is the author of the international best seller Re-Creating Your Self. With Mary Sheldon, he co-authored three highly successful hardcover books of guided meditations.
He is a member of the Writers Guild of America, West.
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