A MIDSUMMER STUDIO’S REPORT CARD: Paramount

 With a summer movie season bracketed by the first weekend in May on one end, and Labor Day on the other, we’ve reached the midpoint of 2011’s array of blockbusters, and for the next week, here at SHOWBUZZDAILY, we’ll be providing our judgments on how the studios are doing.  US Grosses are as of July 4, 2011; Overseas Grosses are as of July 3,2011.

Overseas Gross:  $237,359,667

Even with a $200M production cost plus another $150M or so for worldwide marketing, THOR should turn a comfortable profit (the sequel’s opening date has already been set for July 26, 2013).  However, it was self-financed by Marvel Studios, leaving Paramount with a distribution fee that’s good to have but not the same as ownership.  (And now that Disney owns Marvel, Paramount’s own studio competitor will reap those benefits in the long-term.)

Similarly, KUNG FU PANDA 2 is a DreamWorks Animation production that’s merely distributed by Paramount.  Even with 3D ticket premiums, the US gross won’t measure up to the original Kung Fu‘s $215M earnings, but as with other franchises, the overseas revenues may more than make up for that.  However, Paramount again will only have a slice of those monies as distributor.

SUPER 8 was produced by Paramount, and on a budget (they claim $50M, although it’d be hard to find many non-employees who believe that).  More realistically, the combination of production and marketing costs probably comes to around $200M.  With its US theatrical release almost done, the picture will need some healthy overseas business to show much profit, and Paramount is rolling it out slowly, so we’re probably weeks away from knowing whether the ultimate ink will be black.  In any case, it won’t be a box-office bonanza.

Like, for example, TRANSFORMERS:  DARK OF THE MOON.  It’s possible Transformers 3 will “only” make $350M domestically, but it has an excellent chance of overperforming internationally, and getting to at least the $835M worldwide level of Transformers 2.  It’s a co-production with DreamWorks, and not only does that mean a profit split, but doubtless the studios have to give large chunks of the back-end to director Michael Bay and Executive Producer Steven Spielberg; this, however, is what’s called a “good” problem.  Not only that, but the franchise is sure to continue, and it’s much less tied to casting than, say, Pirates of the Caribbean (in other words, would anyone miss Shia LaBoeuf if he weren’t there?).  So those robots could keep crunching each other for many installments to come.

Click HERE to read the other studio report cards.