Home > Internet Casino News > Fans think Darth Vader can out duel Spider-Man

Fans think Darth Vader can out duel Spider-Man

Betting trends show fans are optimistic about Star Wars' success at box office
5/13/2005 3:33:59 PM

LOS ANGELES, May 13, 2005 -- Less than 24 hours since Sportsbook.com posted odds on the opening weekend gross for the upcoming Star Wars release, fans have overwhelmingly placed their bets "over" the estimated gross. This trend suggests the film will be more successful at the box office than industry insiders had predicted and has caused Sportsbook.com to change its odds to reflect the betting patterns.

Sportsbook.com posted over/under odds on both the total opening three-day weekend gross and on the highest single day gross of the opening weekend. In both cases, fans have wagered their money on the over. The revised odds have the total 3-day weekend gross over/under $88.5 million and $36 million for the highest single day gross.

"The huge response from bettors in such a short amount of time has been quite phenomenal and really speaks to the popularity of the film and of online gambling," said Alex Czajkowski, Marketing Director, Sportsbook.com. "It seems industry analysts may have underestimated the potential success of the film, given that the previous Star Wars release was somewhat of a disappointment its opening weekend."

If Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith eclipses the $88.5 mark, it will rank in the top six all time for opening weekend successes, ahead of the first installment of the prequel, Star Wars: Attack of the Clones. That film currently sits tenth all-time with an opening weekend gross of $80,027,814. The opening weekend record is held by Spider-Man, which grossed $114,844,116 when it hit theatres in May of 2002.

Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith - Opening Weekend Odds

-----------------------------------------------------

Total opening weekend gross: Over/Under $88.5 million
Highest grossing day for the opening weekend: Over/Under $36.0 million

Top Grossing Opening Weekends:

------------------------------

1. Spider-Man: $114,844,116
2. Shrek 2: $108,037,878
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: $ 93,687,367
4. The Matrix Reloaded: $ 91,774,413
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: $ 90,294,621
6. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets: $ 88,357,488
7. Spider-Man 2: $ 88,156,227
8. X2: X-Men United: $ 85,558,731
9. The Passion of the Christ: $ 83,848,082
10. Star Wars: Attack of the Clones: $ 80,027,814
21. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: $ 64,810,970

For more information, please visit www.sportsbook.com.

About Sportsbook.com

Sportsbook.com is the largest sportsbook and casino on the planet, offering numerous products including sports betting, horse racing, poker, casino and virtual games. It is the flagship brand for Sportingbet PLC, (UK:SBT), the world's largest publicly traded online betting, gambling and gaming company.

SOURCE: Sportsbook.com

Patrick Erlich, Sportsbook.com, sportsbook@mediaprofile.com, 1-866-505-2900