Hey, filmmakers. Welcome to Going Bionic #218. Today we’re examining what Edge of Tomorrow tells us about the strength of the international marketplace. But first, let me say how happy I am that the Los Angeles Kings are up three games to zero against the New York Rangers in the Stanley Cup Final. Just one more win out of the next four games, and my hometown Kings will raise the Stanley Cup for the second time in three years. It’s not a done deal yet, but it’s damn close!
Now back to our regularly scheduled article….
Time and time again, I find myself telling my filmmaker friends to pay attention international sales, since the income earned overseas usually surpasses the money their film will make domestically. Most filmmakers, however, prefer to focus their attention on North America, since it’s the biggest territory on the planet. Sure, having a hit in North America will trigger sales in other countries, and your value as a filmmaker will rocket its way to the highest of tax brackets, but, when all the box office receipts, VOD, TV, cable, and DVD deals are tallied, it’s more than likely that your beloved celluloid dream will make more money overseas than it does in North America.
That brings us to today’s topic: What ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ tells us Today. While the recent Tom Cruise Sci-Fi action stumbled out of the gates stateside, it became a huge hit overseas this past weekend. So, without further ado, let’s detail the domestic fall and international rise of Edge of Tomorrow.
The Domestic Numbers
Edge of Tomorrow earned $28,760,246 on 3,490 screens on its opening weekend, which is a less-than-stellar $8,241 per screen average. Furthermore, the picture earned third-place at the weekend box-office, which is concerning based n the film’s $178 million dollar production budget. Even with an 89% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the film couldn’t even come close to the numbers Tom Cruise’s last Sci-Fi film made (Oblivion earned $37,045,485 on 3,792 screens over its opening weekend last year from June 27-29).
The International Numbers
While the domestic take for Edge of Tomorrow as cause for concern, the stellar foreign box-office gives the film a whopping $82 million internationally over the weekend. The picture was released on over 19,000 screens worldwide in 63 territories, including $25 million in China alone. Other key territories included $16.6 million in South Korea, $8.6 million in Russia and $3.2 million in France, to name a few. Couple those numbers with the $20.1 million earned overseas during its first weekend of release, (May 28-30) and Edge of Tomorrow has earned over $111 million outside of North America, giving it a current worldwide total of $139,760,246.
Edge of Tomorrow’s Most Important Number so far
The most important stat of the night is 79.4%, which is the percentage of Edge of Tomorrow’s worldwide box office total that come from territories outside of North America. Thus, in the case of Edge of Tomorrow, the international box office is clearly more important than its domestic release.
In Conclusion
Edge of Tomorrow has a decent shot at becoming profitable, but only if it grows “legs” in key international territories. That itself exemplifies the reason why all of you filmmakers out there should keep an eye on your film’s rollout internationally.
Okay, filmmakers. That’s what I have for you today. Thank you again for lending me your eyes, and I look forward to borrowing them again next Tuesday. Until then, have a great week! I can be followed on Twitter @Lonelyseal.
