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Next week there’s a little film called Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull .
You may have heard of it.
If not you’re either just back from Mars or you’ve just woken up from a fifteen year coma.
Well we are almost there folks and I can’t wait - however I won’t be there on opening night - I’m checking out a screening of Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Conformist. I know, I know I should be at Indy - but that’s life!
However, you can bet your backside that I’ll be there on Friday night, popcorn in hand just like I was in 1989 when I watched The Last Crusade but enough about me - you want to know about Indiana Jones.
Indiana Jones is going to be a hit, we all know that. It won’t be a hit like Speed Racer was going to be a hit, it will be a solid gold hit - a “blockbuster” in the true sense of the word.
In case you don’t know, before it became corrupted by the studio marketing folks the term “blockbuster” was a film that had people literally queued around the block - it was therefore busting the block. These days films are pitched as being blockbusters before they are filmed - they are just big budget films that the studios hope will be hits.
Anyway, how big a hit will Indy 4 be?
Some are saying “Star Wars” big!
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Studio tracking for the film is running better for Indy than for Prince Caspian, a film that opens this weekend! Hollywood.com states that:
“Definite Interest for the new Indy is a staggering 63 percent, and it has an overall First Choice of 28 percent. This is all a way of saying that the movie cannot miss.”
The site predicts that the film will make between $41-$44 million, on Friday, $32-$34 million on Saturday and on Sunday it should ring up around $34-$36 million and then on Memorial Monday it might bank $22-$24million. Therefore the film’s total five day opening should be somewhere between $162 and $172 million.
Not a bad little earner.
This would have it beating George Lucas’ other little franchise film Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.
What makes this even more amazing is that the Indiana Jones films haven’t had the huge fan base of the Star Wars films, but over the years the movies have become more and more iconic. I blame the Internet and people like me.
It’s not bad for a sequel considering that the last film in the franchise was released 19 years ago and it’s starring a 65 year old man who isn’t big with the young demographic!
It’s good that there is now an event film for “older” people, a film that has even my dad excited!
Let’s just hope that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is just as good as the previous three films and that my hard earned wages are well spent.
George, Harry and Steven - I’m not worried. I have faith.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull opens next Thursday - May 22. Like I needed to tell you!
Source: Hollywood.com



32 Comments
Over at IMDB somebody posted that the Indy marathon On USA was the most watched program on cable last week!
the public wants more Indy!
Yeah, it’ll be fun to see just how much this bad boy brings in over it’s 4 day opening.
Vic
Don’t blame the Internet, it will come and tell you off!
I have to wonder if the internet hurt Speed Racer. Rotten Tomattoes to be exact.
Now that the words out and it dosnt totally suck, I’m hoping it will pick up and surpase that forgettable vegas “film”.
I’m also curious to see how Prince Nards does this weekend. Personally I hate the film but I’m curious to see what it pulls in against still Hot Iron Man.
Indy is a safe bet to break 120 mil for the 4 day weekend.
Did anyone notice they re-released the films on dvd.
With extra bonus features nothing much else. There selling for more than the old Box set. ???
Milk it baby.
Yeah I noticed the dvd release. I am not normally one to buy into that sort of thing, but I am now the owner of the indy series on dvd.
definitely not enough bonus features to justify the price hike.
Haha Stan, I picked up the original box set when the trailer came out about 3 months ago.
I was surprised they didn’t add the new bonus features with the older disc. My collection has a TON of bonus stuff. Takes up a complete disc.
the young indianna jones series is next on my list. it is rather outrageous also.
Yeah I’ve seen that. I think there’s two sets and there both around 50 bucks.
They should rerun that show on Fox or whatever network. It would do well after this Indy 4 tidalwave coming at us.
790, I have that same box set. I think I bought it the day it came out since the Indy trilogy is one of my faves. I also own all 3 on VHS. Some day I will probably own them all on Blu-Ray, too. LOL.
I think that Indy is easily going to be the biggest movie of the summer. My butt is going to be there on opening night.
$162 and $172 million? Never happen.
It will be south of $100 mill. Maybe 120.
Most movie-goers between 25 and 13 - the largest movie going demo, don’t even know who Indy is.
BTW Vic, is your source still standing behind his claim that at ST XI trailer will be shown in front of Indy?
Are you kidding, everyone knows Indy. I wouldn’t be suprised if this made something close to $200 mil. I mean my girlfriend’s brothers who are all 3 between the age of 12 and 16 love Indiana Jones to death. Like every single person I have every known (in person) in existence has grown up on Indiana Jones.
Indy is one of those things perfectly suited to no matter what generation is watching.
Indy wasn’t THAT big before, I guess it’s all those screenings of Indy on cable and satellite TV all these years that gradually made it a cult classic, even to the younger generation who didn’t watch the earlier films in their youth.
Indy 4 might be big mainly because it’s a cult classic. I don’t see any hyping or massive promotions behind it.
I’ll definitely catch it when it opens over here, ’cause the Indiana Jones franchise is one of my favorites, with all that adventurous swashbuckling and witty humor.
On IMDB.COM, a UK reviewer claims to have seen the film and says it’s the 2nd best in the series (assuming he refers to Raiders as the best).
I don’t know if this one will beat Iron Man numbers, but it will at least come close. It is a shame that the curator? (Denholm Elliot) from the last film and the first won’t be in it; he always made me laugh. It also looks like John Rhys-Davies won’t be in it either. Too bad.
Niall, I just looked for “The onformist” on imdb. Guys, THIS IS NOT EVEN A NEW MOVIE!!! I vote we should tar and feather Niall! :o)
Niall, I just looked for “The Conformist” on imdb. Guys, THIS IS NOT EVEN A NEW MOVIE!!! I vote we should tar and feather Niall! :o)
Sorry for the hiccup. :o)
Typical Klingon response.
Tar & feather, that’s sooo 1876.
Lol.
Lou, you’re nuts if you think this movie will be under $100M opening weekend.
I haven’t had an update on the Trek trailer story, so I guess we’ll have to see.
Vic
Ack! My bad. I meant north of $100 mill not south.
But more the $120 mill? That I doubt.
Don’t forget this is a (Indy) 4 day weekend.
Only Speilberg could have planned this so perfectly.

Raiders of the Lost Ark was all out at 3 different video stores here. I had to get it in another town when picking up the lady.
Anyways, this movie will be redonkulous. I’m not sure if it will be a huge opening but I think it’ll have many STRONG weekends as alot of the older folk who this movie will also appeal to will not be in a rush to see it open with the loudmouth teenagers
I read an earlier post that the previous installments weren’t as lucrative as people thought but if you convert the final box office tally of Raiders to todays dollars it put a lot of arses in a lot of seats and is one of the biggest money makers of all time..Indy will be huge!!
Older Folks like us are still putting cash into the 15-25 year old pockets because the gen Y’s can’t look after the bottom line. Don’t be so quick to call us older folks. When you get to be the 30-50 somethings you will not feel old. State of mind grasshopper…state of mind.
I’m 40 and sometimes I feel like a retard.
So look forward to that….
So ummm,
How’s this? Lucas blabbering on about Indy 5??? CAN WE JUST HAVE A CHANCE TO SEE IF IT’S EVEN WORTH DOING A 5TH??!?!?!??!?!
I’m so sick of directors, talking about how they’re already thinking about another movie when the first one didn’t even hit the theaters!!!
Give me a break!
AND, his constant moaning about how we don’t get him is getting a bit too much.
Is this, his way of promoting his films?
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,356282,00.html#2
I wonder what Spielberg is thinking about all of this…
Let’s not say anything till we see how the film does with the fans who made it a hit. Fans, you know, people like you and me, who thought it was good enough to keep talking about long after the movie was over and done with.
Unlike Star Wars, which isn’t really such a hot topic anymore.

But Lucas still thinks he’s in 1993, juuuust before he started to go mental with the digital Jabba Version 1.01 (I hear Version 1.00 was just deplorable… let’s not even talk about the beta builds… )
Hey Stephen, if you read between the lines in that (Lucas interview) you can clearly tell that, here is a man that’s seen the industry change from slow paced franchises like Star Wars and Indiana Jones go to instant blockbuster franchises like Pixar films or LOTR in 3 or 4 days.
Now days films have one weekend, thats it to win or loose. Its all mathmatically designed there’s only so many seats and theaters and there’s a new film coming every week.
Movies that tank like Speed Racer only get 2 weeks to stay in most theaters, where as in the past it might have stayed in theaters for months.
I remember when you would get maybe 1 new movie every 2 weeks, not 3 or 5 in a weekend year round.
The movie going experince is becoming such an instant gratification event, that people just expect greatness all the time, they go online and expect everything at high speed…they want all the spoilers so they can be ahead of everyone else. Aaaaahhhh!
The internet and computers are changing the very nature of humanity. Where it takes us..who knows.? We are the..b
I think that’s the frustration I hear in Lucas. He seems upset with the fans that scream out “this sucks or Jar Jar must die”. I’m sure he’s a little stunned that people live and die with these charaters. (I am).
I mean hey I’m a huge fan of Star Wars but to sit outside the Manns Chinese Theater in downtown dirty/homeless infested Hollywood for 30 days so you could watch Star Wars ep 1.?!
Wtf says it all.
You’re right my friend 790..

I just don’t want him to talk between the lines if you take my meaning… say it the way it is… if it bothers him so much… talk about it… let us know him the way he is.
Not the way the media puts him together.
I love the old Star Wars… the new ones? not so much… but they are bette when you add RiffTrax to them!

Take care all… I’m going to bed.
Been a long day…
Yeah Lucas can be pretty cryptic, but to me the interview wasn’t too bad.
You never really get more out of the guy.
I get the feeling he gets tired of (opening his mouth and forming words) to some of the same ole questions over and over again. Lol.
It sure would be interesting to hear what Ford, Lucas and Speilberg all talk about on the set.
You know somebody has that on tape…..
Although I’m a big fan of Indiana Jones I watched Harrison Ford recently in an interview and thought to myself: “Why didn’t anyone ask him to do another 3-4 Indy-movies ever since Last Crusade?” Because they (actor, director, producer) all wanted to “grow up” and do “serious” movies? Did this go like Sean Connery who doesn’t want to talk about James Bond anymore?
And what are chances that we see another one in the near future - even if this one is a big success? Ford is not growing any younger and I most certainly don’t want to see a “passing of the torch” to Shia LaBeouf! It’s Ford or bust!
ZAR.
http://screenrant.com/archives/weekend-movie-news-wrap-up-may-1650.html
Niall
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