Hats off to Nathaniel R over at Film Experience Blog who beat me to the punch today. I mean, I know math and stuff is hard since we’re all so busy watching The Hills and Living Lohan, but why is everyone in the industry so happy that the new Hulk film opened to $55 million with a $150 budget, while the so-called Ang Lee bomb from a few years ago opened to $62 million with a lower ($137 million) budget?
To recap, here’s a handy table:
| The Incredible Hulk | Hulk | |
| Year | 2008 | 2003 |
| Director | Louis Leterrier | Ang Lee |
| Stars | Ed Norton, Liv Tyler, Tim Roth | Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly |
| Production Budget | $150 million | $137 million |
| Opening Weekend | $55.4 million | $62.1 million |
| Per Screen Average | $15,810 | $16,974 |
| Industry Buzz | Yay! | Boo! |
Yes, opening weekend is just one measure of success, as the 2003 Hulk suffered a severe drop off and bad word of mouth, but can we all stop salivating and crying a sigh of relief when the numbers are clearly worse?
Expectations must have been god awful to celebrate this way…
Oh, and as David Poland rightfully points out, the new Hulk film “faces Wall-E, Wanted, and Hancock while Hulk faced Charlie’s Angels 2, Legally Blonde 2, and Terminator 3.”
Let’s not break our arms patting ourselves on the back, shall we?
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