US Box Office is Less Relevant Than Ever

While many have finally come to the realization that the DVD/Rental market is where most films end up finally turning a profit (and not in theaters), this revelation from Variety and Warner Bros. is a brand new step:

"After its strong start in Japan last week, The Golden Compass is on course to make box office history as the first film to gross $300 million in foreign while failing to reach $100 million in North America."

I tracked box office data for almost 10 years before claiming statistic fatigue, and I have never seen anything like this.

However, the news isn't all "glass half full" for the Hollywood studio.  In fact, they're probably slapping their foreheads pretty darn hard with a "Doh!":

"As with all its films, New Line sold off the international rights to Golden Compass to a patchwork of foreign indies plus a couple of local Warner arms, in order to pay for the $180 million official budget. So it will reap little reward from the international success, while retaining maximum downside from the pic's paltry $70 million domestic gross."