Indy digs up $311 million globally
“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” unearthed an estimated $311 million in global box office sales over Memorial Day weekend, according to studio estimates reported Monday by the Associated Press.
With that huge take, the fourth film in the mega-hit franchise more than recouped its blockbuster budget.
Families were a huge part of the audience for “Crystal Skull” even though the latest paranormal adventure of intrepid archaeologist Indiana Jones was rated PG-13. Nearly a third of the domestic audience consisted of parents with their children, Rob Moore, president of Paramount Worldwide Distribution, told the AP.
“Adults really drove this opening. This is one of their favorite franchises and they couldn’t wait to take their kids with them,” he said in the AP story.
Interestingly, concerns over the violent content in the second installment of the franchise, 1984’s “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom,” helped usher in the PG-13 rating.
Paramount estimated that “Crystal Skull” dug up $151.1 million in the U.S. and Canada from Thursday to the holiday Monday. It also whipped up $160 million overseas in that time frame.
The film, which came out 19 years after the third in the series, “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” tallied the second biggest Memorial Day weekend opening in history. The top spot on the list belongs to “Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End,” which made $153 million domestically last year.
“Crystal Skull” cost a reported $185 million to make, but it could have cost more. The three principals – star Harrison Ford, director Steven Spielberg and writer George Lucas – deferred their usual fees for a greater share of the profits, according to the AP story.
The first three Indy movies raked in $1.2 billion worldwide.
-BAM
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Well, it may have made money like the first three, but I wish it had made more sense. I won’t talk about the plot, lest I spoil it for anyone. Let’s just say that Iron Man was the better reviewed film for a reason.