Out of respect for the victims of the midnight-movie shooting in Aurora, Colorado, Warner Bros. delayed reporting of its box office numbers until after the weekend so as to avoid celebration in the wake of a tragedy. But Nikki Finke of Deadline had the scoop all weekend! In a post updated 14 times throughout the weekend, Ms. Finke tracked in granular detail the vicissitudes of ticket sales, writing after the shooting Friday morning: “Now no one in the movie business knows how this terrible event will affect box office today.” Midday Friday, she reported: “Warner Bros sources tell me now they’re seeing no decrease in movie ticket grosses for The Dark Knight Rises.” (Sites like The Hollywood Reporter tracked the box office, as well.)
Her justification for continuing to update, posted yesterday morning?
“It may seem callous to post about less-than-packed theaters around the country and North American and worldwide box office this weekend after the Colorado movie theater tragedy. And of course our hearts go out to those killed and wounded. (I stayed up all Friday post-midnight/pre-dawn reporting on the shooting as the horrendous event unfolded.) But this is an entertainment business website that tracks movie grosses.”
Ms. Finke, currently squaring off against author Bret Easton Ellis, has already posted a full box-office report for the weekend.
