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Tim Burton, new King of the World

Kim Hollis: We've also discussed whether or not certain directors impact box office. Based on this weekend's results, are you ready to say that Tim Burton does? Why or why not?

Shalimar Sahota: Tim Burton already did impact the box office and still does. Lest we forget that this is the guy whose Batman films are the ones that set opening weekend records when released. He's now joined the club of $100 million openers. Disney must also think he's a big deal, hence putting "A film by Tim Burton" above the title in the trailer and on some of the posters for Alice in Wonderland.

Jason Lee: Burton will always, always, ALWAYS come up with a visually stunning film. He'll put together a lot of eye candy that'll look great in posters, 30-second commercials and three minute trailers. I think many of his films fall into the "you got what you thought you were buying" in terms of the look and story of his films, which leads to little disappointment and disenchantment (I think most people have caught on that storytelling will never be Burton's forte). Put this all together, and I think you have one of the more reliable BO draws among directors nowadays.

Josh Spiegel: Burton's definitely a sign to box-office success, depending on the movie. Big Fish and Sweeney Todd didn't do nearly as well as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory or even Planet of the Apes. Burton's presence guarantees a unique visual atmosphere, but unless he's directing something that is solidly well-known to audiences, as opposed to a horror musical or tall tales in the South, he's not a guarantee like Depp.





Kim Hollis: Though again, without Burton's name attached to them, how big would Big Fish or Sweeney Todd have been? Chances are they would have both been art house releases at best. He's the rare director who can take an iffy film concept and turn it into dollars.

Reagen Sulewski: I think Burton's biggest impact is that he has a particular and recognizable style. You know more or less what you're going to get out of his films, and it might be the rare case of Art Direction being a box office draw.

David Mumpower: I agree with Reagen and I would note that the film that is most comparable to this is Planet of the Apes, a dodgy remake in theory whose dynamic visuals lured consumers into theaters. That one inflation adjusts to about $91 million according to current average NATO ticket pricing, a number I do not feel accurately reflects the 3D phenomenon. As such, I strongly suspect that Planet of the Apes sold about as many tickets in 2001 as Alice in Wonderland did this past weekend. This is the type of films consumers WANT Tim Burton to make.

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