Is The Curse Still Applicable?

[PowderedToastMan]

OphaClyde said:
Do not forget that nearly 20 million of TMP's budget was due to Star Trek: Phase II's development for TV that never happened.

I know all about it, but much of that money went to things used in the movie anyway. Bottom line is Paramount viewed the film as a failure...making the statement that it was the 'biggest financial success' inaccurate.

and as I said there is no doubt Paramount did not view it as a huge succcess. Here is what Nick Meyer told me regarding TMP and Paramount:

Barry Diller said to me that one of his most wrenching moments as head of Paramount, was seeing lines around the block for Star Trek The Motion Picture and knowing that in his opinion the movie didn’t deliver. The movie made a profit not withstanding that it was a runaway production at the time…it went up to $45million in 1979. So my mandate was to make a movie for a lot less money. That was the only mandate that I had.

Paramount were hoping they had a Star Wars on their hands and spent accordingly...especially on a huge marketing campaign (remember all those Orson Wells commercials?). Yet in the end the film made about a third of what Star Wars did.

So no, TMP is not the biggest financial success

 

[Stardate]

So no, TMP is not the biggest financial success

Yes it was, box office numbers if you take into account inflation, b; sold tickets c, both world and domestic ranking TMP tops others 9 Star Trek movies. Numbers not lie period.
Paramount viewed TMP as a failure because it didn't measure up to Star Wars. So was every film next 15 years with exception of perhaps E.T. and much latter Jurassic Park

 

[Turbo]

Vejur said:

So no, TMP is not the biggest financial success

Yes it was, box office numbers if you take into account inflation, b; sold tickets c, both world and domestic ranking TMP tops others 9 Star Trek movies. Numbers not lie period.
Paramount viewed TMP as a failure because it didn't measure up to Star Wars. So was every film next 15 years with exception of perhaps E.T. and much latter Jurassic Park

No, because you have to take into account the budget, and adjust both the gross sales and the budget for inflation.

In 1986 dollars, TMP cost $69.49 million and grossed $134.57 million in the US, for a net of $55.11 million. TWOK cost $12.54 million, grossed $90.06 million, and had a net of $77.52 million. TVH cost $25 million, grossed $110 million, and had a net of $85 million.

Even though TMP made the most money at the box office, TVH was still the clear financial winner. It made the most money overall.

 

[Holytomato]

I've never bought into "The Curse".

My grandmother told me...
Oh...wait...this isn't the menstruation forum.

Oh, you mean that odd versus even nonsense. Blech. I remember when that cr*p started. (Yes I'm *That* Old.)

All the Star Trek movies are garbage. Galaxy Quest is the only Star Trek movie that works. And its not canon! Long Live Not Canon! :applause:

 

[Jack Bauer]

I always thought the curse was garbage because I always thought that Star Trek III was pretty damn good.

 

[PowderedToastMan]

Turbo said:

Vejur said:

So no, TMP is not the biggest financial success

Yes it was, box office numbers if you take into account inflation, b; sold tickets c, both world and domestic ranking TMP tops others 9 Star Trek movies. Numbers not lie period.
Paramount viewed TMP as a failure because it didn't measure up to Star Wars. So was every film next 15 years with exception of perhaps E.T. and much latter Jurassic Park

No, because you have to take into account the budget, and adjust both the gross sales and the budget for inflation.

In 1986 dollars, TMP cost $69.49 million and grossed $134.57 million in the US, for a net of $55.11 million. TWOK cost $12.54 million, grossed $90.06 million, and had a net of $77.52 million. TVH cost $25 million, grossed $110 million, and had a net of $85 million.

Even though TMP made the most money at the box office, TVH was still the clear financial winner. It made the most money overall.

you are on the right track to look beyond just the domestic gross, but bear in mind that studios do not get the gross. They get about 55% of the domestic and about half (or less) the international. The exact numbers depends on which week they got the money and which markets it is playing in. They also get additional revenue from the home market. Both the home and international markets are larger now then back then. Trek performs well in the home market but generally poorly internationally compared to other genre products. There is also the additional cost associated with marketing. So the math is a lot more complex than us gross-production budget.

but yes in the end STIV netted the studio the most...much more than TMP.

 

[Dale]

Jack Bauer said:
I always thought the curse was garbage because I always thought that Star Trek III was pretty damn good.

AMEN!

 

[Stardate]

Turbo said:

Vejur said:

So no, TMP is not the biggest financial success

Yes it was, box office numbers if you take into account inflation, b; sold tickets c, both world and domestic ranking TMP tops others 9 Star Trek movies. Numbers not lie period.
Paramount viewed TMP as a failure because it didn't measure up to Star Wars. So was every film next 15 years with exception of perhaps E.T. and much latter Jurassic Park

No, because you have to take into account the budget, and adjust both the gross sales and the budget for inflation.

In 1986 dollars, TMP cost $69.49 million and grossed $134.57 million in the US, for a net of $55.11 million. TWOK cost $12.54 million, grossed $90.06 million, and had a net of $77.52 million. TVH cost $25 million, grossed $110 million, and had a net of $85 million.

Even though TMP made the most money at the box office, TVH was still the clear financial winner. It made the most money overall.

ITS all in eye of beholder. You claim TMP cost was $69.49 million if you take into inflation in 1986, but what figure did you use was it Paramount's bookkeeping, Star Trek: The Motion Picture cost $44 million to make in 1978(did you use this figure?). But remember, Paramount is including the costs of development of the unfinished Star Trek: Phase II TV series. Much of the TV series elements were not used for the film itself. Only $26 million was spent on the film itself. Most sources place the film's budget at $35 million when including the cost of the usable elements of Phase II.
I am quoting from this site http://www.geocities.com/phineasbg/trekcom.html?20056
If we use this data without inflation. TMP(112million) and TVH(110million) made very smillier USA Gross.
However TMP(63million) made almost twice as TVH(37million) in International Gross. TMP is closer to 175 million compare to TVH 147 million.
If we take into account 2005 inflation, TMP made ca:435 million in total gross and TVH made 250 million.
TMP ranked second place in World ranking while TVH ranked only 6th place year they were released.
This data if accurate put TMP as biggest financial success and TVH in second place.