George Clooney and Ben Affleck's Argo is making box office history as it hits $200 million in worldwide ticket sales

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Warner Bros. Pictures

The awards darling is making a brave comeback at the box office as Warner Bros. promises, "We'll keep it in theaters right through the Oscars."

BERLIN -- Ben Affleck's Argo is making box office history as it hits $200 million in worldwide ticket sales.

The Oscar best picture contender, picking up one trophy after another, has earned nearly $124 million domestically and $76.1 million internationally.

Over the weekend, Warner Bros. upped Argo's theater count from roughly 900 locations to 1,405, almost unheard of in a film's 18th week in release (Argo opened Oct. 12). The film grossed $2.4 million to land back on the top 10 chart in the No. 8 slot.

On the eve of the Oscar nominations and Golden Globe ceremony in early January, Argo was playing in only 302 theaters, but Warners slowly started adding locations. Argo won the Globe for best motion picture in the drama category, while Affleck won for best director. The accolades have continued in force, topped off by Sunday's BAFTA wins for best director and best picture.

"It's very cool. We've grossed $14 million since the Academy Award nominations, and for a film that's been out that long, that's really a terrific result," said Warners president of domestic distribution Dan Fellman. "We'll keep Argo in theaters right through the Oscars."

Argo's strength at the box office also underscores the boost a film can enjoy when receiving an A+ CinemaScore.

The movie won't be released on DVD until after the Feb. 24 Oscar ceremony.

Lakin460 wrote:Ticket sales - is that the "backside" that I've heard George refer to in interviews; not taking an initial fee, but making money on the backside?