Quietest blockbuster ever…

Updated on May 24, 2010 By Ken Begg 17 Comments

I knew Time Burton’s Alice in Wonderland was a hit, but I had no idea at all that it has earned at the worldwide box office quite nearly ONE BILLION DOLLARS. ($996,589,000 so far, according to Boxofficemojo.com.) Two thirds of that came from overseas. That theatrical take makes AiW the 6th biggest box office champion of all time, currently. Also, one imagines the film will add a bit more profit from home video, etc.

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  • I’m sure most of that had to do with Johnny Depp. Not to mention the fact those insane kind of flicks tend to play well overseas (I still can’t get over the “hopping, arms-outstretched Chinese vampire flicks I’m constantly subject to. Cable movies are really weird in the Philippines!). Anyway, I’m racking my brain trying to think of any other movie that surprised the box office like that…

  • I think it’s the combination of Depp and Burton. Aside from the Pirates movies, most of Depp’s hits have been with Burton. Of course, that covers most of his work for a while, except for Public Enemies, which didn’t do that well. But yeah, I had NO idea that AiW had done anywhere near that well. Sixth biggest movie ever!

  • Rose

    YAY! That means MORE Burton films on the way: starring Johnny Depp, his ugly wife, and a score by Danny Elfman, of course!

    GET A NEW SHTICK, YOU HACK!

  • Ericb

    Sure he has a schtick but he’s generally pretty good at pulling it off and his shtick is infinately more interesting to most of the other shticks out there so more power to him (I’m not a fan myself and haven’t actually seen any of his films but even I can see he’s a pretty unique film maker even if he works in a very narrow range).

  • Ericb

    Scratch that, I did see Planet of the Apes and even though it was a weak film (and the ending made no sense whatsoever) it was visually stunning. Hmmm, that sounds like a recent blockbuster that needs no mention to be recognized, one that was generally praised a lot more than any Burton film.

  • TongoRad

    I kinda liked Big Fish, myself- the best of his (non-animated) films that I’ve seen (although, admittedly, that number isn’t very high). I don’t think I’ll be seing Alice, though- from the commercials it looks like the tone is a bit off. Plus my kids aren’t interested, and that can be a big determining factor for me.

  • Pip

    I wanna see Burton do something ooky like Lovecraft’s “The Case of Charles Dexter Ward”. “Dreams in the Witch-House” would probably be too scary/gory for me.

  • BeckoningChasm

    Dan O’Bannon did a pretty nifty version of Charles Dexter Ward, called “The Resurrected.”

    As for “Alice,” I have zero interest. Burton’s biggest schtick seems to be remakes, and I’m sick of remakes, sequels, unimaginative film-making.

    A friend of mine has a theory that these movies aren’t really making all that money, that they’re being used for money-laundering. I don’t buy it, but on the other hand when films make a billion dollars and no one bats an eye, who knows?

  • Ericb

    Money Laundering? Hmmm … that may explain Nicole Kidman’s career.

  • Brandi

    Huh. And here I found it a rather disappointing film– Burton’s weaknesses (picking scripts) finally overcame his strengths (visuals).

  • I don’t know, I think it’s more likely that Burton’s considered kind of ‘old hat’ now, and that the film made two-thirds of it’s money overseas, so that it didn’t register as a big hit, particularly. Also (again partially because of the overseas take) it took a while to rake in its money, as opposed to making it all in the first couple of weeks.

    For whatever reason, it basically made twice as much as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

  • Rock Baker

    Can’t call myself a big fan of Burton. I liked Ed Wood and Batman 1989 has grown on me, but most everything else I’ve seen from him sort of weirds me out. Burton’s films, more than any other director’s work I’ve seen, seem to pull you deep into his psyche and it’s a strange, oft-depressing world. After I saw Ed Wood, I used to joke that it was the only Burton film I’d seen that didn’t make me want to kill myself. I just can’t seem to jump on board with Burton.
    One good reason for that is Mars Attacks! Man, I waited so long for that to come out, and then I went to see it…. Rarely have I felt so ripped off by a movie. If Burton had only played it straight, it could’ve been a spooky epic, but he felt inclined to make it a showcase for that weird sense of humor of his.
    Still, if he’s pulling in that kind of lucre he must be doing something right.

  • John Nowak

    >After I saw Ed Wood, I used to joke that it was the only Burton film I’d seen that didn’t make me want to kill myself.

    Which is particularly bizarre, because an honest biopic of Ed Wood should make you want to kill yourself. It’s one of my favorites, but Ed Wood the film was considerably less depressing than Ed Wood the life.

  • There are several Burton films I love dearly, but I kind of have had the feeling that Sleepy Hallow was going to be the last one. I hope I’m wrong.

  • Rock Baker

    I think what makes Ed Wood such a fun movie is the fact that its about the making of movies during an era before unions got more powerful and structured the current system where 300 guys do the work once done by 20 guys. Stories about the production of low budget movies from ‘the old days’ tend to be interesting, even when the people involved are wackos. (I doubt I’d let David Freidman in my house, but his recounting the behind the scenes action on his films is still fun to hear)

  • Marsden

    I thought Johnny Depp was pretty good in Secret Window. I saw it in the drive in with 13th Warrior, I thought that was cool and it bombed, so eh.

  • Elizabeth

    Welcome to what I like to call the Hot Topic Factor. Do you have any idea how much merch they still sell for The Nightmare Before Christmas?

    If it’s got the right mixture of creepy and cute, and it coordinates well with stripey thigh-high socks and a t-shirt about the voices in your head, the cookie-cutter-goth merch addicts of my generation will slap down the credit card for it and then complain on Facebook about how they don’t have enough money to make rent — but hey, at least I have my new BluRay player and the deluxe five-disc edition of Alice in Wonderland featuring a commentary track consisting entirely of Johnny Depp blowing Gauloise smoke into the mic, he’s such a rebel just like me!