Thursday, June 23, 2011

Could Midnight in Paris end up as Woody Allen's highest grossing film ever?

The Hollywood Reporter breaks down its chances:

Midnight in Paris now has the potential to become Woody Allen’s top-grossing film of all time at the domestic box office, as well as Sony Pictures Classics’ biggest title after Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.

Either Wednesday night or Thursday, Midnight in Paris will eclipse the $23.2 million grossed each by Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Match Point and become Allen’s best performing movie since Hannah and Her Sisters 25 years ago. Hannah earned $40.1 million domestically, a career record for Allen.

Not only that, box office observers believe Midnight in Paris -- with a domestic cume of $22.7 million through Tuesday -- will ultimately surpass Hannah and Her Sisters.

Midnight in Paris, with a diverse cast including Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Marion Cotillard and Kathy Bates, is one of those rare specialty films that expands beyond the art house crowd to general audiences. The movie opened in only six theaters May 20 to score one of the best location averages of all time ($99,834) at the domestic box office. Now, it’s playing in more than 1,000 theaters.

In the film, Wilson’s character discovers an alternate reality while in Paris with his wife. Observers believe there are several reasons the film is resonating.

For one, the movie embraces Paris in a way that appeals to anyone who has either visited the city or wants to visit. And Wilson plays the sort of “everyman” character that moviegoers tend to see in more mainstream films, versus in art house titles (or in an Allen’s film). It also helps that critics across the country -- and not just in New York -- have given Midnight in Paris great reviews.

Midnight in Paris is a sizable victory for Sony Classics and its toppers Michael Barker and Tom Bernard. The company’s highest grosser of all time is 2000's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, which grossed $128.1 million at the domestic box office, followed by 2005's Capote, which earned $28.8 million.

Midnight in Paris should overtake Capote and hit $30 million by July 1. Sony Classics expects it to be a popular choice among adults over the July 4th weekend, a lucrative time for moviegoing.

Allen’s movie will compete for older eyeballs with Universal’s Larry Crowne, directed by and starring Tom Hanks opposite Julia Roberts.

-Joey's Two Cents: I'm greatly enjoying seeing one of Allen's best films catching on with a wide audience...thoughts?

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