The morning after the bustling Christmas Eve dinner dawned quieter on the Hayes farm. The Texas air was cool and crisp. John's Navy buddies had headed home to their families, and Nancy's family – her parents, husband Edward, daughter Janet, and Edward's parents (Nancy's in-laws) – had driven back to their own place in Eagle Lake. Only Martha's parents remained, enjoying the peaceful holiday rhythm alongside John, Martha, and a happily babbling Sofia.
Seeking a moment to himself, Alex carried his coffee and the morning newspaper outside, settling into a sturdy armchair on the wide porch overlooking the dormant winter fields. He breathed in the clean country air, and opened the paper, turning, as always, to the business and entertainment sections to check the box office results.
He found the entry for 10 Things I Hate About You. The film remained a significant presence, but the latest figures confirmed the expected cooldown. According to the industry reports, the film had grossed $6.21 million domestically in its sixth week. Its seventh week saw a more noticeable drop, bringing in $4.27 million.
Alex did the math quickly in his head. Adding these figures to the previous total ($75.74M), the film's cumulative domestic gross now stood at $86.22 million after seven full weeks. Still a massive number, but the declining trend was becoming more pronounced.
The accompanying analysis in the paper highlighted this clear loss of momentum. After the strong performance in Week 5 ($8.89M), the drop to $6.21 million in Week 6 and then a steeper fall to $4.27 million in Week 7 indicated a significant slowdown. The article noted that while the film had appealed broadly, its core teen audience was likely already saturated. High school-oriented movies, even successful ones, tended to be front-loaded, earning the bulk of their money early on. The initial surge driven by Alex's existing star power and the unavoidable robbery publicity had clearly waned, and the film was now losing steam more rapidly.
The analysis concluded, echoing Alex's own assessment, that everything now hinged on the upcoming Christmas holiday weekend. Could families looking for entertainment provide the final push needed to cross the coveted $100 million domestic milestone? With the recent deceleration, hitting that target now seemed more challenging, making the holiday performance absolutely critical. Alex folded the paper, gazing out at the quiet fields, contemplating the unpredictable nature of the business he was in.
******
The crucial Christmas 1982 weekend arrived, representing a key test for 10 Things I Hate About You's staying power and its chances of hitting the coveted nine-figure mark. The results, when they came in, were solid, but perhaps a bit less than the most optimistic hopes spurred by the film's earlier performance.
Over the Christmas weekend itself (Friday-Sunday), the film grossed $3.26 million. While respectable, it didn't represent the significant holiday surge some analysts had predicted. The following four days added only $1.21 million to the total.
This brought the total gross for Week 8 to $4.47 million. Adding this to the previous total ($86.22M), the film's cumulative domestic gross reached $90.69 million by the end of its eighth week. It had successfully crossed the $90 million milestone, a significant achievement in itself. However, the relatively modest holiday boost made the path to $100 million look much longer and more dependent on continued audience interest and theater availability over the typically slower post-holiday weeks.
Reading these figures back in Texas, Alex felt a mix of pride and slight impatience. $90 million was fantastic, another undeniable success. But he really hoped it would cross the $100 million line. It wasn't just about the number itself. In the often brutal calculus of Hollywood, crossing nine figures domestically was a powerful statement. It could elevate an actor from being merely a bankable star to being firmly entrenched on the frontline of the A-list – the tier of actors who didn't just get offered great roles, but had the clout to get films made. Alex needed that status. He had ideas, ambitions, films he wanted to pursue, projects that might be riskier or less conventional. Reaching that $100 million milestone wasn't just a financial target; it represented leverage, power, and the creative freedom he increasingly craved.
As the calendar turned, marking the start of January 1983, 10 Things I Hate About You continued its theatrical run, holding onto screens and slowly adding to its already impressive total, though clearly past its peak earning weeks. The crucial Christmas boost hadn't been quite explosive enough to guarantee the $100 million milestone, but the film showed resilience.
Week 9 (Friday, Dec 31, 1982 - Thursday, Jan 6, 1983): Kicking off over the New Year's weekend, the film grossed $2.87 million. This brought its cumulative domestic total to $93.56 million. Week 10 (Friday, Jan 7 - Thursday, Jan 13, 1983): The film added $1.98 million, pushing its total to $95.54 million. Week 11 (Friday, Jan 14 - Thursday, Jan 20, 1983): Still finding an audience, it grossed $1.43 million, bringing the cumulative to $96.97 million. Week 12 (Friday, Jan 21 - Thursday, Jan 27, 1983): The film continued to play, earning $1.21 million.
By the end of its twelfth week in release (late January 1983), 10 Things I Hate About You had reached a domestic cumulative gross of $98.18 million. It was agonizingly close to the $100 million mark, a testament to its enduring popularity. Whether it could limp over that final threshold would depend on how many theaters kept it playing and for how much longer. For Alex, watching these numbers trickle in, that final milestone remained tantalizingly close, representing more than just money – it symbolized the A-list status he felt he needed for the next stage of his career.
10 Things I Hate About You clung to theaters through January and into February 1983, inching ever closer to the $100 million domestic goal. The grosses dwindled significantly as the film entered the later stages of its run, losing screens weekly.
Week 13 (Friday, Jan 28 - Thursday, Feb 3, 1983): The film added $0.72 million, bringing its total to $98.90 million. Week 14 (Friday, Feb 4 - Thursday, Feb 10, 1983): It grossed another $0.51 million, pushing the cumulative to $99.41 million – tantalizingly close.
Then came Week 15 (Friday, Feb 11 - Thursday, Feb 17, 1983). The Valentine's Day weekend provided a perfectly themed, if modest, boost. Boosted by couples seeking a romantic comedy, the film managed to gross $1.01 million for the week.
That final push was enough. At last, 10 Things I Hate About You officially crossed the $100 million mark domestically, finishing its run with a final domestic total of $100.42 million. It had also fared well in foreign markets, grossing $32.21 million internationally, bringing its impressive final worldwide total to $132.63 million.
Paramount executives were ecstatic. The film was a massive critical and commercial success, exceeding all expectations and solidifying Alex Hayes's status as a superstar who could open a film and sustain it. Buoyed by this success, they were eager to get their next project with Alex, Footloose, moving faster through pre-production.
Having fulfilled his promotional duties for 10 Things, Alex was already in Chicago, filming John Hughes's next project, Sixteen Candles. Footloose would have to wait until Alex's schedule cleared.