Hoping for merry box office sales
TEXT OF STORY
Doug Krizner: Christmas Day, and it’s time for the movies.
December 25 is one of the most popular days for theaters. The studios release a lot of presumed crowd-pleasers and Oscar hopefuls at year end. As Sarah Gardner reports, the box office results may cheer a town made grumpy by the continuing writer’s strike.
Sarah Gardner: Monster ticket sales is what Hollywood wants for Christmas. The Aliens versus Predator sequel, Jack Nicholson’s “The Bucket List,” “Sweeney Todd” with Johnny Depp.
They’re among a slew of films the studios are releasing over the holidays. The closer to January’s Oscar nominations the better, goes the thinking. Plus, families are on vacation and have more time to catch a flick.
But don’t think you can see them all, says box office analyst Robert Bucksbaum.
Robert Bucksbaum: We actually worked it out so if somebody were to see all the new movies that are coming out, they’d have to spend I think 19 hours a day in theaters from now until the end of the year.
Bucksbaum predicts hotter box office sales this holiday season than last. The only movie in 2006 topping $100 million in December ticket sales was “Night at the Museum.” This year, Bucksbaum expects at least four movies to do that, including the sequel to “National Treasure.”
In Los Angeles, I’m Sarah Gardner for Marketplace.
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