Money is awesome because it buys you happiness, if happiness means paying your rent and your insurance bill. Hollywood loves money too. In fact, Hollywood loves money more Smeagol loves his Precious. Which is why the producers of John Carter are probably ecstatic to hear that their film, released one month ago, has finally earned its keep.
BoxOffice Mojo reports that John Carter has grossed $254.5 million, a $4.5 million over its budget—currently not technically a profit, considering its advertising budget, but it’s far better than the epic loss that many had feared.
Unsurprisingly, most of this coin has come from overseas. While John Carter earned over $66 million here in the United States, international markets have pulled in over $188 million. Film Buff Online writes that John Carter was #1 in box office receipts for two weeks in a row in China. This profit will keep increasing, as John Carter has yet to be released in Japan, where it will surely put the movie several million dollars in the black.
Then there are DVD/Blu-Ray sales. Film Buff Online said,
[I]f we need any more proof of the true popularity of the film, we have to look no farther than Amazon.com. Amazon shoppers who signed up for e-mails to alert them of DVD & Blu-Ray new releases were informed that they were able to pre-order John Carter on video today. As of this writing, the Blu-Ray 3-D/Blu-Ray/DVD/Digital Copy was the #1 selling item in Amazon’s Science-Fiction Movie list, and ranked #2 in the Action & Adventure and Fantasy Categories…. It ranks #13 over all in the Movies & TV Blu-Ray list.
If you recall, Waterworld had cost $175 million to make yet only earned $88 million in North America. But according to Yahoo Voices, “Overseas sales along with VHS and DVD sales allowed the movie to recoup” its losses. Ultimately, Waterworld earned $264 million.
If DVD/Blu-Ray sales are strong, it could very well catapult John Carter into the kind of success that give Hollywood executives sweaty dreams and encourage them to marry trophy wives.