Will Episode 2 gross over 400 million in the US?
For the US I doubt it. EPI only grossed slightly over 400 million and it was #1 at the box office for only 2 weeks, then it was over taken my Austin Powers, even though it was the most anticipated movie in history. I think that it will probally gross in the mid 300's.
DO NOT FORGET that TPM opened on FAR fewer cinemas than most big releases- less than half as many, because GL would only let it show at high-qualitiy cinemas.
I was telling my friends for AGES that this would affect the stupidly-high estimated opening figures for it, and GL was telling everyone that would listen as well.
Ep. II will likely follow the same format.
Now that I think of it, Titanic made so much dough because all those teenage girls were flocking to see Leo, and they were intrigued by the romantic story line. We'll isn't Episode 2 suppose to be romantic? and it has that new dude playing Anakin, who knows, maybe there will be more girls seeing this one then guys. P.S. L.A. still sucks!
No Star Wars movie- or indeed any conceivable movie at all- has a hope of beating Titanic. Titanic broke the demographic- the only film in recent histroy to do so. large amounts of people, who had never seen a film in their lives, went to the cinema purely to see Titanic, and not even ANH pulled that off.