Indiana Jones Will Be The Top Movie Of 2008

As a life long Indiana Jones fan, it wasn’t that long ago that after being burned for almost 20 years by false promises and dashed hopes, that I predicted they would never actually do another Indiana Jones movie. I had always hoped… nay… DREAMED that they would do it, but nearly 20 years of on again, off again… we’re almost ready… we’re ready… we’re not quite ready… we have a script… we’re working on a script… we’re talking to new writers… yadda yadda yadda… finally turned me off and I gave up all hope that it would ever actually get done.
Well, it is getting done, and make no mistake about it my international friends, Indiana Jones 4 will end up being the #1 film of 2008 (box office wise anyway). Some people are putting their money on the new Batman film… but they’re wrong (it will probably end up being a BETTER film).

Indiana Jones transcends the generational barriers in a way no other film this year has the power to do. Indiana Jones 4 obviously will appeal to the older crowd better than, say… Batman will. The only question is will Indiana Jones be able to capture the imaginations of the younger audience? Well… the answer appears to be a resounding YES! The folks at Yahoo Movies give us this:

The trailer for the May 22 release has drawn highly enthusiastic responses in theaters. But it may have had its biggest impact online, on a younger audience that may not think of Ford, 65, as equal to today’s spry action heroes. After premiering Feb. 14 on “Good Morning America,” Lucasfilm and Viacom Inc.’s Paramount Pictures sent the trailer to the Web, plus movie theaters and TV stations around the world. Paramount estimates the trailer was seen more than 200 million times worldwide in the first week alone.

Paramount is reporting these numbers are a record, and that it blows away the number of times The Transformers trailer was viewed in its first week. The younger audience is indeed excited about Indy returning… people who weren’t even alive when he first went after the Ark of the Covenant.

When all is said and done, Indiana Jones 4 may end up sucking as much as Phantom Menace, or be as amazing as Raiders of the Lost Ark… we simply don’t know yet. But what we can say is that theaters will be beyond packed as we all race to the theater to find out the answer to that question. Young and Old are on board the Indy train, and nothing in 2008 is going to touch its performance at the box office, simply because too many people are waiting, and HAVE BEEN waiting nearly 20 years for this damn thing to come out. Other films may be better this year, but nothing will come close to the anticipation level of this project. We can only hope it will be worth the wait.

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32 thoughts on “Indiana Jones Will Be The Top Movie Of 2008

  1. I work with a bunch of 20-somethings. They’re not as interested with Indiana Jones as they are with Batman or even Iron Man for that matter. I believe that with the competition out there, Indy Jones as the top movie for ’08 will be a tall order.

  2. @Foxy

    No doubt about Hancock doing very well. Big Willie brings in the crowds, especially during the summer, but I think that Indy will outgross it. Will Indy be the biggest of the year? I’m still not completely sold on that idea.

  3. jones will be big but harry potters worldwide gross will be bigger than indiana jones.

    and as for the hate towards batman begins most people I know loved it….

    the dark knight will definitely make a lot more money than BB….BB had a huge hurdle to get over in that Batman and Robin was not all that long ago and was still fresh in peoples minds…a lot of folks found BB on dvd…

    and john slippe din a little reminder that superman returns made more money than BB and while that is true in terms of the films actual quality they are not even on the same planet.

    one was a flat, boring, depressing, wasted, turgid, ugly. badly acted and badly written glorified fan film.

    the other was batman begins

    oh and just for good measure…there will not be another brandon routh/brian singer superman film. its quite obvious now. its over. if warners wanted another one does anyone really think they would be taking this long to get it going??maybe we will see a hulk style reboot but not an official continuation. I think warners will want to relaunch superman off justice league but bye bye blandy boy routh…niced try and see ya later singer..next concentrate on making a film and not rouths taut tight beautiful buttocks.

  4. Of course there are other films which no one has taken into account! There are other films apart from Indy and batman which could do well!!
    Films like ‘Hancock’ (which I put my money on as being one of the biggest films of the year) will rake in money big time!! Alot like ‘Bruce Almighty’ which did very well at the box office. But as far as the most money earnt at the box office, I think it will be indy although batman will do very well aswell. Only time will tell

  5. i know of no masses that dislike the new direction batman has taken,begins is better than any other batman movie because it is far superior, it has the grittier,darker, more noirish feel that a character like batman needs,dark knight is going to be even greater with the joker being done as a complete psychopath,and as far as can be told by the previews heath ledger’s performance might just fall into the genius category, BUT…
    Indy 4 takes the cake AND eats it too, standing up to that is too much to ask of any movie coming out in the same year

  6. Somehow I don’t it will come to that. Maybe I’m going out on a rope bridge here…And as good as the “new” Bond has been touted Connery WAS the epitome of the character.
    There was some blatantly sluggish years post-Connery after all. Can we ever forget (god, we’re really trying here!) “A View to a Kill”???

  7. I think it will be huge, as it will in all liklihood be the last of the series. Spielberg and Lucas do not want the final chapter to leave a bad taste in everyone’s mouth ala “Temple of Doom”.
    I refuse to buy the current boxed set simply because that 2nd film is in there! I’m hoping Paramount will re-release each film individually so we humble consumers can have a choice. Kate Capshaw is attractive and an o.k. actress, but the screaming…unnngghhh!
    In closing, all the negative “fan-chatterA’ is draining and misses the forest for the trees. Like Roger Waters once remarked on listener’s impressions on Pink Floyd, “It’s fairly simple, if they hear the music and they don’t like it, they don’t come back.” – (Live at Pompeii).
    I think S&L wants to present a film that will be timeless and bring folks back for repeat viewings. Lets all take a deep breath ‘kay? ‘kay!

  8. I never got into the Indiana Jones Series so I dont know how this movie will be but I am hoping that Batman The Dark Night will be the number 1 movie of the year. If Batman is not number 1 it will definetly be in the top 3, guaranteed!

  9. There’s some great assessments up top, but John, I think you’re wrong on this one. Here’s a bet for ya:

    Top Worldwide Box Office Movie (released in 2008): Harry Potter
    Top North American Box Office Movie: Iron Man
    Four movies to beat Indy at the box office: Wall E, Iron Man, Batman, and Harry Potter.

    Take your pick, John. I got 100 bux for ya if I’m wrong.

  10. “When all is said and done, Indiana Jones 4 may end up sucking as much as Phantom Menace, or be as amazing as Raiders of the Lost Ark…”

    In my opinion Spielberg has never directed a bad movie so I can safely say that IJ4 will deliver something better than Phantom menace.

    “Some people are putting their money on the new Batman film… but they’re wrong (it will probably end up being a BETTER film)”

    I detect a strong bias here. Anyway…

    …IJ4 might no finish #1 by years end but it will thrash Dark Knight. The masses just don’t like the new direction the Batman has taken. Alot of people thinks it has a low budget feel to it and I would agree. Batman Begins which cost 150 mil has very unimpressive domestic #’s(205 mil) and only managed to gather 166 mill overseas.
    The anticipation just isn’t there to beat a Spielberg directed action adventure.

  11. Ehhhhhh i’m not so sure- Over the years I’m not sure Indy has the momentum it used to. Look at the Dark Knight, it has tons of momentum and I’m sorry to say… with the death of Heath Ledger has gained a whole lot of press. I think it might give Indy a run for it’s money

  12. It’ll be the biggest film of the summer no doubt, but i think it’ll only end up with $800-850 million worldwide. Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince will hit $900 million by the end of the year, mark my words.

  13. One thing that Indy has going for it that TDK or Iron Man don’t is it will be a more family friendly film, which is where the money often goes. You also have a number of adults out there who grew up with the Indy films and now have children of their own, I’m one of them. Then with the inclusion of Shia in the film you draw in some of the younger generation.
    My kid and I will be lined up for all the comic films this year, but I’m also not as strict as a lot of parents. I think TDK’s darker material will keep it from ultimately beating out Indy at the box office.

  14. I agree with the above post – I didn’t think Batman Begins was all that great either. I liked it, to be sure, but I thought it was way overrated. I actually know a person who’s a Batman nut who DESPISED Batman Begins with a passion. Then again, I know more people who love that movie.

    I honestly have no idea what to think about Indiana Jones. The trailer didn’t show much promise but that’s not to say the movie itself is bad. I just can’t get excited about it.

    However, I definitely will see it opening day and I’d see an Indiana Jones film ANY day over Batman, including the new Batman coming out.

  15. The last Batman wasn’t as good as everyone makes it out to be. The ninja stuff was retarded. Of course you all loved it. You like Transformers (puke). Batman Begins was only good because it was better then all the other bat flicks, which isn’t saying much. I would rather read a good Batman comic or watch some Bat toons then watch any of those movies ever again. Hollywood gets Batman wrong 99% of the time. Go back and read Miller’s year one and tell me which story would have made a better “Begins” movie. You would be a fool to say the movie version.
    Indy 4 will be great. Iron Man looks like it will kick Batmans ass. I do want to see the Ledger (RIP) Joker which is the only reason that film will do well. That first five minutes were awesome so I do have some hope.
    JONES 4 WILL RULE THEM ALL no matter what! I just hope LaBeef dosen’t ruin it!!

  16. The competition will be stiff with Dark Knight and after seeing the new trailer, Iron Man could be the unexpected winner.

    Or it could be Harry Potter in November.

  17. I still don’t think it will be as HUGE as some folks predict. Oh, it’ll be a big hit, no doubt, but younger people really aren’t into Indy, and they’re the audience you need to make your movie massive. I’ve been wrong before, and if Indy turns out to be this year’s biggie, I’ll gladly eat crow. I just think that younger folks aren’t really feeling Indy.

  18. It will certainly have one of the biggest openings in history but the overall quality of the movie will determine if it’s the biggest movie of the year. If it blows, people won’t see it again. If it rocks, people will see it again and again and again. Repeat viewers are where records are made (see “Titanic”). It’s too early to call it the biggest movie of ’08 but it has to be the favorite at this point.

  19. Hard to say if it will be a great movie at this point, but John, you are right, this will be the biggest movie of 2008.

    Unless of course and yes, I am aware that this is deeply cynical, DARK KNIGHT starring a dead Heath Ledger will top the beloved old man with the hat.

  20. i don’t think spielberg will let it suck. no matter what george wants to do with it.

    IJ4 will seriously rock. i wonder if spielberg will have it tie into ‘close encounters’ in some way?

  21. @RonSalon,

    The Star Trek XI script is actually awesome! There are a few Top Gun elements to Kirk’s cadet years but other than that it kicks serious ass.

  22. I also have to agree with SaraBean and John, but I personally want Star Trek to be the biggest movie of 2008. If it does well; there will be another.

  23. @Serba

    To be fair to john, he’s basically right 95% of the time. And to his credit, I’ve never read anyone who brings up the times he’s wrong as much as he does. Like he did in this post. Most people hide their wrong predictions and pretend like they don’t exist. John almost flaunts it. Then again, he flaunts his correct ones too.

    Personally, I have no doubt this movie will rule.

  24. Indiana Jones Will Be The Top Movie Of 2008, Juno will win best movie and here’s why, There will be no Indiana Jones… yeah! you can surely predict the future John!

  25. I think we do have an idea of how it will be. It will be cloying and knowing and relying too much on cartoony CGI.

    I will go see it, but the trailer didn’t work for me at all. If it wasn’t for the Indy theme I would have been completely indifferent to it. I don’t have high hopes.

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