"Indiana Jones" Rakes In $311 Million Worldwide, Loses To "Pirates"

LOS ANGELES — The most recent Indiana Jones film more than recouped its big budget with an estimated $311 million in global box office sales through the long weekend, according to studio estimates Monday.

Families went in droves to catch "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," a PG-13 adventure starring Harrison Ford as the whip-cracking archaeologist who took 19 years to return to the big screen.

Paramount Pictures estimated the action sequel made $151.1 million in the U.S. and Canada from Thursday to the holiday Monday and $160 million overseas.

It marked the second biggest Memorial Day weekend opening ever, behind only "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End," which made $153 million domestically from Thursday to Monday last year.

Nearly a third of the domestic audience was made up of parents with their children, said Rob Moore, president of Paramount Worldwide Distribution.

"Adults really drove this opening. This is one of their favorite franchises and they couldn't wait to take their kids with them," Moore said.

The film cost a reported $185 million to make, even with the principal talent _ Ford, director Steven Spielberg and writer George Lucas _ deferring their usual fees for a greater share of the profits.

The first three Indy movies raked in $1.2 billion worldwide.

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Marketing costs were undisclosed, although the latest "Indiana Jones" received a major push from Paramount. DVDs of the first three movies were re-released, they aired on TV days before the opening and huge billboards sprung up.

The final trailer for the movie rolled before the opening of Marvel Studios' "Iron Man," which was also distributed by Paramount, three weeks earlier.

"It's been a pretty good month," Moore said. "We started the month with 'Iron Man' and finished with 'Indiana Jones.'"

Other movies' receipts over the long weekend paled by comparison.

Disney's "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" slashed its way to $28.6 million, for a total $96.7 million over two weeks. "Iron Man" locked up third with $25.7 million in its third week for a total of $257.8 million.

The Wachowski brothers flick "Speed Racer," distributed by Warner Bros., crawled closer to the finish line with $5.2 million for fifth, bringing its domestic total to $37.4 million. It brought in $30 million overseas, and had yet to be released in major markets France, Russia, Japan and Australia.

The studio said it was not ready to wave the checkered flag on the film, which cost $120 million to make.

"If I had my druthers I'd have it in theaters for weeks and months to come," said Jeff Goldstein, Warner Bros.' executive vice president of distribution.

For the year so far, domestic movie revenues are down more than 4 percent at $3.4 billion, with attendance off nearly 7 percent.

Estimated ticket sales for Friday through Monday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers LLC. Final figures will be released Tuesday.

1. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," $126 million (plus $25.1 million on Thursday).

2. "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian," $28.6 million.

3. "Iron Man," $25.7 million.

4. "What Happens in Vegas," $11.2 million.

5. "Speed Racer," $5.2 million.

6. "Made of Honor," $4.2 million.

7. "Baby Mama," $4.2 million.

8. "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," $2.2 million.

9. "Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay," $1.2 million.

10. "The Visitor," $917,000.

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Universal Pictures and Focus Features are owned by NBC Universal, a joint venture of General Electric Co. and Vivendi Universal; Sony Pictures, Sony Screen Gems and Sony Pictures Classics are units of Sony Corp.; DreamWorks, Paramount and Paramount Vantage are divisions of Viacom Inc.; Disney's parent is The Walt Disney Co.; Miramax is a division of The Walt Disney Co.; 20th Century Fox and Fox Searchlight Pictures are owned by News Corp.; Warner Bros., New Line, Warner Independent and Picturehouse are units of Time Warner Inc.; MGM is owned by a consortium of Providence Equity Partners, Texas Pacific Group, Sony Corp., Comcast Corp., DLJ Merchant Banking Partners and Quadrangle Group; Lionsgate is owned by Lionsgate Entertainment Corp.; IFC Films is owned by Rainbow Media Holdings, a subsidiary of Cablevision Systems Corp.; Marvel Studios is a division of Marvel Entertainment Inc.

Comments

[Dantana]

It's sad when this passes for entertainment in America. Ideas that have been made into movies over and over. Seems like we would all be better off as a society to learn about other cultures at the movies, The Kite Runner was excellent.

[STORMATSEA]

I'm sorry, but I really had alot of fun at this movie. It was silly, exciting, camp and fun, fun, fun!

[Apples]

The problem with Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull is that it couldn't possibly live up to expectations. You can almost hear the film creaking under the weight of heavy marketing, not to mention the hyperbole mouthed by announcers on shows like Entertainment Tonight and Extra.

For the sake of enjoyment - and I want to add that I really wanted to enjoy this film - going in I made the decision to overlook obvious flaws. After all, an Indiana Jones movie needs a certain amount of disbelief in order for it to work, but I knew we were in trouble when the central characters survive not one but three enormous, death-defying waterfalls, one after another, without so much of a bruise, let alone a broken bone or two.

The good news is that the film is strong on characterization. It's good to see Harrison Ford cracking the whip again, but even better to see the return of Karen Allen, plus there's a satisfying conclusion to their volatile relationship. The bad news is the script. It's not that the screenplay is a complete failure - it's not, the setup is perfectly fine - it's just that a certain amount of clarity is missing.

There's no doubt, the Crystal Skull is a lot of fun, the production values are high and so is its sense of humor, but the truth is it's no Raiders. With a plot as murky as this, how could it be?

[UncleJimbo]

I Hate Critics! Mr. Sour Apples!

[aristippe]

Strong on characterization? Are you kidding? This movie was total trash. I'm sorry I wasted my hard earned cash. Heartening to see that the average five-year-old enjoying it, but anyone one over 16 needs to have their head examined.

[littlepuffycloud]

Guess I'm in the minority because I enjoyed the movie; but I've loved every Indiana Jones movie. I love Harrison Ford in the role and thought it was adorable that Karen Allen returned to bring Marion back into Indy's life. Shia LaBouf was a good pick for Indy II. It's INDIANA JONES, for pete's sake...we all know what we're going to get. Can't people just enjoy it for what it is?

[Nyk]

You and me both. Its not high art people, its silly campy fun. And it delivered on that note and delivered well. We have to 40 somethings an almost 13 yo and two tween (9 and 7) and we all loved it. It was worth the money we spent and I can't say that for most of the drivel out there nowadays. We go to the movies once or twice a year and have never taken the kids on opening weekend before so its not like we're big spenders. I suspect the main reason it didn't do as well as Pirates is the economy. Lots of people are in more dire straits than they were last year. Luckily its not us.

[DoctorDonut]

Saw it. Spielberg. Lucas. Money. Grubbing Whores. Shame. Lazy, script. What a shame.

http://www.theweeklydonut.com/index.php/category/crystal-dull/

[ibivi]

Spielberg & Lucas can crank this stuff out in their sleep. Not surprised at the grosses. People want to see the story continue. They should have resisted the pressure.

[MikeDu]

From what I hear cranking it out in their sleep was pretty much the impression some people got from the film. Explosions and special effects, stilted dialog and impossible plot twists. Ho hum, where have we seen all this before? At least it can't be as bad as Jurassic Park 3. Initial box office is only a gauge of the pre-release media blitz.

[tombollocks]

Went yesterday at the urging of a friend. What a waste of time and money. This movie was pointless and boring beyond belief. "Indiana" seemed very tired and uninspired throughout the movie (unlike Sean Connery previously).

Lucas has always been a no-talent hack. Recently I watched the original three Star Wars movies that I loved as a child. Worthless tripe. I hope a tauntaun eats him.