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I Am Legend is going to kick so much ass...Figuratively AND Literally. It's going to kill at the box office, it's going to be an amazing film, and The Movie is going to actually come to life and beat up everyone who didn't see it and take their lunch money!

Now imagine if Orson Welles had directed I Am Legend or The Omega Man.

Why doesn't anyone remember The Last Man on Earth with the brilliantly creepy Vincent Price which is one of the first AND best zombie movies ever made? It's ridiculous.

How well I Am Legend does will depend heavily on its rating, I think. If it pulls an R rating, I can't see it going anywhere near $200M. Not because I don't think it deserves it, but when you limit your audience like that, it makes it tougher. Not many R-rated movies cross that threshold.

Passion of the Christ - $370 million
Saving Private Ryan - $216 million
300 - $210 million
Wedding Crashers - $209 million
Terminator 2 - $204 million
The Exorcist - $204 million (includes re-release in 2000)

I think that's all of them. Quite a disparate group, isn't it?

Shryke, you forgot:

- The Matrix Reloaded - $281 million
- Beverly Hills Cop - $234 million

Also, the figure I found said $232 million for The Exorcist.

Gladiator, at $187 million, is also noteworthy, I think.

Good work, there, Shrykester, dranscht. I'm in total agreement: I Am Legend's revenue ceiling will be limited (perhaps, only) by its rating.

I remain, as always...

Nico.

I think people are willing to see any movie that has Will Smith in it, regardless of ratings. Pretty much every movie that he has made in the past 10 years has grossed over $100 million in the US and $200 million worldwide.

Independence Day - $306 million
Men In Black - $250 million
Enemy of The State- $111 million
Wild Wild West - $113 million
Men in Black 2 - $190 million
Bad Boys 2 - $138 million
I, Robot - $145 million
Hitch - $178 million
The Pursuit of Happyness - $162 million

All those above are US totals. Bad Boys 2 and Enemy of The State were both 'R' rated and did pretty well. Granted they didn't make 200 million, but did well. Also, this doesn't include DVD sales.

I Am Legend will do well. They have tough competition, but people will go see it because it's Will Smith.

lillylovelost wrote:

I think people are willing to see any movie that has Will Smith in it, regardless of ratings. Pretty much every movie that he has made in the past 10 years has grossed over $100 million in the US and $200 million worldwide.

Independence Day - $306 million
Men In Black - $250 million
Enemy of The State- $111 million
Wild Wild West - $113 million
Men in Black 2 - $190 million
Bad Boys 2 - $138 million
I, Robot - $145 million
Hitch - $178 million
The Pursuit of Happyness - $162 million

All those above are US totals. Bad Boys 2 and Enemy of The State were both 'R' rated and did pretty well. Granted they didn't make 200 million, but did well. Also, this doesn't include DVD sales.

I Am Legend will do well. They have tough competition, but people will go see it because it's Will Smith.

All those films were great regardless of having Will Smith. He's a good actor and people like him but those films could have grossed similar even without him, they had great directing and storylines. The only one there that I don't think should have made so much was Hitch, I believe Smith kept it from falling. I'm not going to see I Am Legend because Smith is in it but it sure doesn't bother me, he's one of my favorites.

Hollywood,
I'm not so sure I agree with you on the Will Smith thing. I think it IS the will Smith name, image, and persona that sells a Will Smith movie. I mean, there are a few exceptions...Independence Day, Men In Black, Wild Wild West have pretty much a universal appeal. But Look at Bad Boys...I love it. But at first glance, without seeing the movie...It's your average everyday run-of-the-mill buddy cop action comedy. Same goes for Enemy of the State...it's just a chase thriller with political intrigue, not really anything new or exciting except for...Will Smith. Hell, even his artistic movie made mad bank! With anyone else, a Will Smith movie is just another movie. And I honestly don't think that right now there is an actor alive with bigger box office appeal.

Not even Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg could beat Will Smith and Michael Bay...Enough Said.

I think it depends on what category you need. Top 5 and imdb seems more likely for I Am Legend. PTA seems more likely for Bee Movie. Box office is sort of a toss-up since I see more downside risk for Bee Movie but I Am Legend only has three weekends to earn.

Problem with Bee Movie is that it's going to have some competition right off the bat. It might not even win its opening weekend versus American Gangster. Then comes Fred Claus the next weekend, followed by Beowulf and Mr Magorium, then Enchanted and Hitman; Barry the Bee may only pick up 7 top 5 points. And lots of kiddie films are in there!

I Am Legend, unless it bombs and registers under Golden Compass, will almost certainly get 13 top 5 points by finishing first its opening weekend and 2nd behind National Treasure the next two. Heck, it could even beat National Treasure.

But December is full of Oscar bait which will make it tougher to pick up PTA points for I Am Legend. Bee Movie only has Darfur Now its opening weekend while I Am Legend gets Kite Runner, Redacted, and Youth Without Youth.

And with Box Office, they'll both probably kill but I'd be concerned with a downside to Bee Movie (looks underwhelming quality-wise, lots of competition in its time/demographic) despite I Am Legend's limited earning time.

Finally, Bee Movie is $4 cheaper and every dollar helps.

Hell, I say build your slate minus the blockbuster and see what category you're light in. Or let everyone else in your league commit and you can react depending on how Bee Movie does. I'm always wary about committing so much of my budget to the first weekend anyway.

stnman5, I have seen The Last Man on earth and I agree that it is one of the best end of the world/ zombies I have ever seen. It is definitely one of the better and more unique horror/ B-movies I have seen.

I miss Vincent Price. Your posting made me realize how much I miss his consistancy, watchability, and unique acting persona. Does anyone out there know who would be the Vincent Price of our generation? The closest choice I could think of is Samuel L Jackson. There are few established high rep actors out in the industry now who star in as many films as he does with a consistant quality of acting.

jameydunne
-I'm not fully certain of this, but I think Will Smith is probably the best box office actor in the world right now.

Lilylove, Will Smith is a big box office draw, but out of all those will smith movies, the only two with R ratings had the some of the lowest grossing on the list. Also, you have to consider that I Am Legend is a horror movie, which has a smaller audience than, say, action movies like Bad Boys 2. Now don't get me wrong, I am way more excited about I Am Legend than Bee Movie. I just saw the trailer and it looks friggin' awesome. But Bee Movie is a family friendly film and computer generated. It's box office gold, so you just can;t help but bet your money on the Bee over the vampire slayer.

I wouldn't be so sure about that, wasn't Everybody's Hero computer generated?

It probobly was, but I don't remember it, which means that it didn't have the kind of publicity or star power that Bees does. Excluding that, take a look at recent computer animated movies, the Shrek series, Madagascar, Cars, Rattatoiue (however you spell it), Sharks Tale, Nemo, Open Season, Over the Hedge, even the cheeply made Hoodwinked did well. Yes, there will be your Happily N'Ever After's and your The Wild's, but in general, CG films are shown to be pretty big hits. Just don't make a rehash of a previous one, which is what Happily (Hoodwinked and Shrek) and The Wild (Madagascar) did.

mooreland wrote:

Lilylove, Will Smith is a big box office draw, but out of all those will smith movies, the only two with R ratings had the some of the lowest grossing on the list. Also, you have to consider that I Am Legend is a horror movie, which has a smaller audience than, say, action movies like Bad Boys 2. Now don't get me wrong, I am way more excited about I Am Legend than Bee Movie. I just saw the trailer and it looks friggin' awesome. But Bee Movie is a family friendly film and computer generated. It's box office gold, so you just can;t help but bet your money on the Bee over the vampire slayer.

I feel ya, mooreland, every fiber of my being tells me Bee Movie is crap, but it seems poised to make a whole lotta $ based on starved family audiences. For some reason, I feel like "I am Legend" can draw some strong comparisons to "War of the Worlds". Both featured bankable stars in sci-fi/horror roles that were darker than anything they'd ever done before. And both feature main characters who are pretty much isolated from the rest of humanity as a result of freak occurrences. WotW opened with $64 million, but WotW also had the benefits of a lean 2-hour running time, Steven Spielberg's name attached, and a PG-13 rating. Still, I'm optimistic about "Legend" and Will Smith's been a box-office beast in the last couple of years. In terms of bankability, I think he's the new Tom Cruise.

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