Whew, The Avengers kicked off the fantasy movie blockbuster season with a... well, vengeance. Joss Whedon's superb masterpiece received a 93% fresh rating over at Rotten Tomatoes, and earned a smooth $200 million in its opening weekend. Most of the other fantasy investors had questioned Matt's decision to spend $255 mil on the film, but at some point today, his investment has already passed into profit land. We at Studio Wars estimate that The Avengers will end up getting Matt a profit of slightly more than $200 mil, an ROI of 180%, and an SWF of 370, all amazing numbers for a blockbuster. In the only other release news of the opening week, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (BEMH) opened with a solid showing for only 27 theaters, already making back Darius' minimal $6 mil investment. With an utter lack of cinematic options outside of The Avengers and this week's only new wide release, Dark Shadows, the BEMH should continue to find strong appeal with older generations as it widens its release in the following weeks.
As for the aforementioned Dark Shadows, it stands as a bit of a mystery. Will it benefit significantly from being the only wide release this weekend, or will the shadow of The Avengers prove too all-encompassing a foe? If history is any indication, the combo of Johnny Depp, Tim Burton, and obscure fantasy has finished in the $50-100 mil range (Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride, and Sweeney Todd all come to mind). If it ends closer to the $50 mil mark, Jeremy will have chosen his first investment poorly. If, however, it hits $100 mil or beyond, his investment will have been a very solid one. For it to be a profitable investment, its opening weekend needs to be at least in the $35-45 range, particularly as late May releases promise to quickly eclipse the dark comedy.
