❗Let's close the gap: We still need your help to raise $40,000 by April 1. Donate now

How to predict box office numbers for movies like "Captain Marvel"?

Renata Sago Mar 8, 2019
HTML EMBED:
COPY
In this file photo taken on March 4, 2019 US actress Brie Larson attends the world premiere of "Captain Marvel" in Hollywood, California. Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images

How to predict box office numbers for movies like "Captain Marvel"?

Renata Sago Mar 8, 2019
In this file photo taken on March 4, 2019 US actress Brie Larson attends the world premiere of "Captain Marvel" in Hollywood, California. Robyn Beck/AFP/Getty Images
HTML EMBED:
COPY

The new action movie “Captain Marvel” hits theaters today. Some analysts have spent months predicting how well the film might do. Box Office Media, a company which projects and tracks opening numbers, expects the superhero movie could bring in more than $160 million dollars in its first weekend. But just how do box-office tracking companies make these predictions well before anybody sets foot in a movie theater?

Click the audio player above to hear the full story.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.