Who Watches The Watchmen?

No one, if Fox has their way.

The whole thing smacks of pettiness on Fox's part. The idea that Fox executives would actually prefer blocking the film's release to getting a cut of the profits seems absurd, but then again, this is Fox. Even they can't be that stupid, though. Right? Personally, this seems like 1) Fox jumping at their first chance to get even over Warner Bros. snatching Bryan Singer off X-Men: The Last Stand to work on Superman Returns and 2) Fox being jealous of Warner Bros.' success this summer, while none of their movies have managed to pull jack shit during the blockbuster season. WB has done $934 million in ticket sales with movies that have been released since May, while Fox has done $216 million on titles released during the same period.

Even if there is some moron at Fox hell-bent on getting even with a rival studio, dollar signs usually trump all, so I wouldn't expect an actual delay on the release.

Stay On Target: The Dark Knight Has STAR WARS In Its Sights

Results as of 08/13/08 from Box Office Mojo:


By the time the opening weekend totals for STAR WARS: The Clone Wars are calculated, The Dark Knight will have surpassed the original film in domestic box office gross. That makes Batman bigger Luke Skywalker, Shrek, E.T., Jack Sparrow, Peter Parker, Hobbits, Jesus, dinosaurs, and Michael Baybots. I'm sure someone, somewhere (most likely in an office at Paramount), is thinking about how much bigger #20 could have been if it had been directed by a competent filmmaker and taken halfway seriously. I wonder if they're second-guessing any of their decisions on G.I. JOE right now?

Stay On Target: The Dark Knight Has STAR WARS In Its Sights