The Greatest Showman - #1033: Box Office BombThe Greatest Showman - #1033: Box Office Bomb

"Renly Hall? Yes, I've heard that name for a while now. Finally getting to see his work on the big screen, so I'm here out of curiosity."

"Renly, the youngest Oscar winner in history? Yes, I've heard of him, though I haven't seen his films before. But this one's been getting great reviews, so I made a point of coming to see it."

"I originally planned to watch Edge of Tomorrow, but all the tickets for the good showtimes were sold out. Did I miss something? Why is the summer movie schedule selling out already? I'm a bit confused."

"Ah, Edge of Tomorrow—I've heard the buzz around it. And yes, the lead actor, Renly Hall, I know him from Love Crazy and Cancer Me. I'm curious to see how he does in this one. I've been hearing good things about it."

"No, no, I'm here for Prometheus—I'm a huge fan of the Alien series. But before it starts, I'm catching Edge of Tomorrow. I've always been interested in Eastern philosophy, and the whole reincarnation theme sounds intriguing. I'm curious how it'll turn out."

"Master, Master, Master, of course! That's the only reason I need to watch this movie. Do I need any other explanation?"

The atmosphere at North American theaters on Friday was buzzing—vibrant, full of energy. Since The Avengers broke box office records, the market had been sluggish, with films like Small Shadow, Battleship, Men in Black 3, and Snow White and the Huntsman all underperforming. It seemed as though the Avengers effect had drained the market of enthusiasm.

But now, the industry was recovering. The summer blockbusters were bringing moviegoers back in droves, with audiences eager to get in on the action. The second wave of filmgoers was even starting to surpass the energy of The Avengers' opening weekend.

This was great news for film companies. The three films in the summer slate were primed to do well, and many hoped for a win-win situation. However, the reality was that one film would likely come out on top.

Fox TV conducted interviews with moviegoers in major theaters in Los Angeles and New York and discovered something unexpected: Edge of Tomorrow was dominating. Not only were the screenings packed at lunchtime, but after-work showtimes were selling out as well. It was a rare occurrence in the summer, given that screenings are typically abundant.

Looking at the theater breakdown, Madagascar 3 had the most screens, with 4,300 across the country, making it second only to The Avengers among all summer releases. The broad appeal of the animated film to families gave it a competitive advantage.

Prometheus was in 3,400 theaters, a moderate distribution plan, given its niche audience of Alien fans. Edge of Tomorrow occupied 3,500 theaters, similar to Prometheus, but with a strategic focus on daytime screenings, catering to younger audiences who were on summer break.

The weekend lineup had nearly equal theater distributions for all three films. Yet, Edge of Tomorrow was already outselling its competition, particularly among office workers, who had scooped up tickets for early screenings. The film's momentum was undeniable.

In a sample survey conducted by Fox, over 70% of moviegoers chose Edge of Tomorrow, 18% picked Madagascar 3, and just under 7% opted for Prometheus.

The box office numbers were released that Friday, and they were staggering. The North American film market had just set a new all-time high for a single day: over $110 million. The surge in ticket sales, especially from the blockbuster trio, brought energy to the market, and it was evident that the film industry was back in action.

For Edge of Tomorrow, the numbers were astounding. The film pulled in $55 million on its opening day, accounting for 50% of the day's box office. It had wiped the floor with its competition—Prometheus ($21.5 million) and Madagascar 3 ($20.6 million).

This was an unexpected victory for Edge of Tomorrow, a film that had been met with skepticism before release. Critics had predicted a box office struggle, with estimates as low as $20-25 million. But the movie had proven them wrong, easily topping expectations.

By Friday's box office alone, Edge of Tomorrow had already surpassed the opening weekend totals of several major films from the previous year, including Soul Shadow, Super Battleship, and Men in Black 3. The excitement around the film had reached a fever pitch, and it was clear that Edge of Tomorrow had become the box office champion of the weekend.

What made this even more remarkable was the fact that this was Renly's second commercial film and his first major leading role. The success of Edge of Tomorrow shattered expectations, and Renly had just set a new personal box office record, surpassing Fast and Furious 5's $37 million opening day.

This marked a significant milestone in Renly's career. The youngest Oscar winner in history was now establishing himself as a bankable star in the commercial film world. After Edge of Tomorrow, his salary would undoubtedly rise, solidifying his place among Hollywood's top earners.

Looking back, Warner Bros.' decision to pay Renly $10 million was a masterstroke. In contrast, Universal had missed the boat.

Now, the real question remained: how high could the opening weekend numbers for Edge of Tomorrow climb? The sky seemed to be the limit.