Movies

I poked around a bit and some interesting info is turning up as Avatar gets people to actually do some research.

Gone With the Wind has been touted as the all time "adjusted for inflation" #1 movie, but recently a lot of the numbers used have become suspect, from the actual boxoffice and when the various parts of its total were earned (money made in 1968 has to be adjusted for 1968, not lumped in with 1939), to the estimates of ticket prices in 1939 (it turns out there was premium pricing for GWTW tickets, much like Avatars 3D pricing, although an even higher %.

From boxofficemojo:

http://boxofficemojo.com/forums/viewtopic.htm?t=82668&sid=632d11ce1cc179b02320a9131bb2091f

GWTW-NEW ADJUSTED GROSS-UNDER $1BILLION

These are part of articles from the New York Times from the 1940's. I have to pay to get more(USD15.95 for 10 aticles)- Summary at the end-

SECOND 'WIND'; Some Reasons For and Thoughts Upon Seeing 'GWTW' Over Again
By BOSLEY CROWTHER

January 26, 1941, Sunday

Section: DRAMA SCREEN MUSIC DANCE ART RADIO, Page X5, 1198 words

MAYBE you have already heard of a picture called "Gone With the Wind." Vaguely we seem to recollect that it was somewhat in the news about a year ago, and reports have come to us that during the past twelve months it has reaped a modest harvest of something like $23,000,000 in box-office grosses throughout the land.


'GONE WITH WIND' BACK; Film Will Return to Broadway for Third Time on March 31

March 17, 1942, Tuesday

Section: AMUSEMENTS, Page 25, 162 words

"Gone With the Wind" will return to Broadway for a third time on March 31, when the David O. Selznick production will open a continuous-run popular-price engagement at the Astor Theatre. The film, which already has grossed $30,000,000, the biggest business ever to be recorded by any picture, has played to more than 52,000,000 paid admissions in more than 12,500 engagements, according to Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the distributors. [ END OF FIRST PARAGRAPH ]

BY WAY OF REPORT
E-MAIL
By THOMAS M. PRYOR

March 22, 1942, Sunday

Section: DRAMA SCREEN MUSIC DANCE ART RADIO, Page X3, 718 words

THE fact that 52,000,000 persons already have paid more than $30,000,000 for the privilege of viewing "Gone With the Wind" in its first two rounds of the nation's theatres is no deterrent to either David O. Selznick, its producer, or Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the contented distributors. [ END OF FIRST PARAGRAPH ]

By LLOYD SHEARER

October 26, 1947, Sunday

Section: Magazine, Page SM22, 2638 words

HOLLYWOOD. "GONE WITH THE WIND," which is currently being shown throughout the United States for the fourth time, is the most successful motion picture ever made -- at least from the standpoint of popularity. In theatres scattered from the Atlantic to the Pacific it is enjoying a revival unequaled in the annals of the film industry.

FIFTH TIME AROUND; Critic Hails Return of 'Gone With the Wind'
By BOSLEY CROWTHER

June 6, 1954, Sunday

By RICHARD GRIFFITH

November 22, 1959, Sunday

Page BR7, 1337 words

CECIL BLOUNT De MILLE died Jan. 21, 1959. By August 12, which would have been his seventy-eighth birthday, "The Ten Commandments" had grossed, according to Paramount, $83,600,000, more than twice as much as "Gone With The Wind."

WIND' RERUN EARNS $15-MILLION SO FAR
E-MAIL

February 15, 1968, Thursday

Page 46, 167 words

Moviegoers have paid approximately $15-million thus far to see "Gone With the Wind" in its engagements in 82 theaters around the country since the new, wide-screen version of the Civil War spectacle began its revival run in Atlanta on Oct. 4.


Info from the UK-

'GONE WITH WIND' A LONDON SUCCESS; Record Advance Ticket Sale of 10,000 Reached at Three Theatres Showing Film 20,000 A WEEK FORESEEN Britain Hopes Non-Exportable Profits Will Be Reinvested --Critics Enthusiastic
Wireless to THE NEW YORK TIMES.

April 20, 1940, Saturday

Section: Amusements, Page 18, 336 words

LONDON, April 19--The movie criticisms over last night's premiere, "Gone With the Wind," having somewhat abated, the managements of three London theatres, the Palace, Empire and Ritz, where the gargantuan production is being shown simultaneously, today turned ... [ END OF FIRST PARAGRAPH ]

BRITAIN BOYCOTTS 'GONE WITH WIND'; 700 Theatres Refuse to Show Motion Picture Because of High Renta... [PDF]
LONDON, April 30--More than 700 British theatres boycotted "Gone With the Wind" today as Commons took time out to discuss why people of this country should be forced to pay a minimum of 70 cents in the afternoon and 90 cents at night to see that old gunru...View free preview

May 1, 1940 - Special Cable to THE NEW YORK TIMES. - Article

TV in 1939-

TELEVISION FOR PREMIERE; N.B.C. to Broadcast Prelude to 'Gone With the Wind' [PDF]
scenes at N Y C premiere to be televised...View free preview

December 12, 1939 - Article

SUMMARY-

1st Release: DEC1939 (USD23million in first 12 months)
2nd Release: JAN1941 (USD7million during 2nd release)
(Article says USD30million gross and 52million people have seen GWTW before MAR1942 at 12500 engagements)
3rd Release: MAR1942
4th Release: OCT1947
5th Release: JUN1954
(Article about Demille death in JAN1959 indicates that up to that date GWTW had grossed under USD41.8million. Subtractiong from USD30m suggests about USD10-12million during 3rd, 4th and 5th releases)
6th Release: APR1961 (could not find any info)
7th Release OCT1967-FEB1968: USD15million in 82 theaters

GWTW MADE UNDER USD400MILLION IN ITS FIRST 2 YEARS

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http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,763541,00.html

 As risk-laden as coins in a slot machine are Hollywood's top-budget pictures. Occasionally one hits the jackpot. Birth of a Nation hit it for the industry's all-time box-office gross: over $15,000,000 (in 25 years). Big Parade, Ben Hur hit it for over $10,000,000 each. Snow White hit it for better than $8,000,000 to date, is still going strong. But no picture ever grossed so much in so short a time as Gone With the Wind.

At the close of its eighth week last week GWTW, playing 156 theatres in 150 U. S. cities, had brought $5,567,000 to the box office. One of Producer Selznick's worries at the time of the premiere was how long it would take GWTW to make the $5,000,000 that it had to make before it began to earn any profits at all. Priced from 75¢ (matinee) to $2.20 (Manhattan's Astor), it had toppled house records almost everywhere. Produced for $3,850,000, it was expected to gross up to $20,000,000 in a year and a half (with foreign distribution). That would make a handsome profit for Distributor (and part owner) Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Producer David Selznick (Selznick International), who split a reputed 70% of the box-office gross. And since the book on which it was based was the fastest selling U. S. novel, it would also copper-rivet GWTW as the all-time hard-cash classic.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,763541,00.html#ixzz0e7HUNscl


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http://www.mcnblogs.com/thehotblog/archives/2010/01/actual_research.html

January 29, 2010
Actual Research Brings Asterisk To GWTW Numbers

I have pointed out repeatedly that the assumptions we make about old numbers can be very iffy. Box Office Mojo, in particular, is operating with a very narrow set of numbers from before its opening a few years ago, none of which it compiled on its own.

Some guy from Australia did some research - what a concept! - and found some issues with Mojo's much repeated Adjusted Gross chart. He use the NY Times search and found news stories from each time Gone With The Wind was in release and found that the estimates of ticket sales were iffy. You can read that here

Me being me, I am researching his research. And he's a little off base in some areas. But not all.

Still, if you want to understand why adjusted gross games and ticket sales guessing is a fool's errand, read the thread. And I'll offer more when I have gotten closer to real numbers.

You might also want to read this Time Magazine piece from 1940. While Mojo is estimating tickets sold at 23¢, the matinee price for the Avatar of 1939 was 75¢.

And I have to say, I am getting more and more angry about Box Office Mojo infecting a lot of smart people with sometimes bad, unsubstantiated information.