'Watchmen' Watch: Tallying the opening weekend grosses/damages
Mon Mar 09, 2009 @ 03:33PM PSTBy Eriq Gardner
Judging by a NYU's professor's regression model on how opening weekend box office numbers predict total movie grosses, and adjusting downward due to expected higher-than-normal opening weekend geek fandom, we'd expect this film to eventually gross about, or just above, $130 million domestically when all is said and done (Paramount holds overseas rights). Funny enough, that happens to be the same figure as the reported budget of the film.
Surely that won't be enough to trigger the full 8.5% payout, will it? Minimal profits means a limited payout,right?
"The better the film does, the more he could pocket as a profit participant but the more he might have to fork over to make Warners whole. That’s because Warners claims its agreements with Gordon contain an indemnity clause requiring the producer to reimburse it for unforeseen problems with the picture."
Funny enough, at the rate this film is going, Gordon may be lucky enough, or unlucky enough — depending on how one wants to see this — as not being caught up in any further litigation. But given this film's litigious history, the prospect of strife-free resolution seems unlikely.