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Of course, the above analysis reflects hindsight. In reality, when Kim Hollis named The Hangover as the second biggest expected opener of June, people called her nuts. Frankly, I was one of them. In discussing this title with people from Warner Bros., they made it clear that they were hoping for the same sort of performance as Old School, an opening around $20 million and a final domestic take in the $75-$80 million range. Yes, there was hope that maybe they'd catch lightning in a bottle and ride out positive word of mouth to the tune of $110-$150 million or so a la Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Suberbad. The best case scenario result would have been following the trajectory of Wedding Crashers, a comedy featuring bigger leads in Owen Wilson and Vince Vaughn (who is quietly compiling a stellar box office resume). Of course, that would mean a $200 million domestic run and no one on God's green Earth would have taken that bet prior to release. $277.3 million later, we are all quite stunned at how this played out. The Hangover not only matched its best case scenario result along the way but easily surpassed Wedding Crashers' $209.2 million total. The raucous Vegas comedy is going to wind up as the fifth biggest film of 2009 (worst case scenario is sixth, depending on Sherlock Holmes). In addition, it has proven almost as appealing overseas, earning other $185 million internationally. Filmed on a budget of $35 million, The Hangover has a global box office total of $463 million. That's the eighth largest worldwide total among 2009 releases as well as the 83rd best performance of all time. Clearly, this is one of the most profitable films in the history of the industry as well as a borderline unintentional (?) franchise launch to boot.
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