SpectatorBytes

The Associated Press has been reporting on the box-office success of the Dark Knight (See here). One the most interesting points that the AP made in their coverage is the following:

However, the numbers reflect today’s higher admission prices, and “The Dark Knight” will not approach “Star Wars” or “Titanic” in terms of actual number of tickets sold. Taking inflation into account, “The Dark Knight” would need to pull in about $900 million to match the number of tickets sold for “Titanic” and about $1.2 billion to equal “Star Wars.”

Here is a more detailed analysis I put together to put The Dark Knight’s numbers in perspective.

These data (sourced from the MPAA and the AP) indicates The Dark Night has been seen by 62M people while Titanic attracted 131M and Star Wars attracted 207M.

These numbers suggests that many people are waiting for other windows (DVD, Pay Per View, etc.) to consume film content. Consumers seem to be opting to experience movies at home rather than at theaters. The home theater experience has certainly improved over the past few years with the growth in penetration of large TV sets, digital television and personal devices.

One can also suggest that audience fragmentation due to the proliferation of content and distribution platforms may also have played a role in this lower number. However, one would have to wait until the final sales figures of DVD and PPV come out for the movie to make this a conclusion. I will be paying attention.