Box Office Mojo, the website where movie obsessives go to pour over box office returns, returned to the internet as mysteriously as it vanished. As of this writing, the site hasn’t given an explanation for its brief, albeit alarming, disappearance.
For those of you who missed the news, Box Office Mojo momentarily blinked out of existence on Friday. Instead of giving folks an abundance of industry-related data, the site simply redirected users to Internet Movie Database. Not surprisingly, this led some to believe that IMDb had decided to shutter the site it purchased back in 2008.
Disgruntled Box Office Mojo fans began dispensing an array of conspiracy theories and unfounded accusations on social media as they choked back tears of rage and bitter disappointment. Thankfully, it would appear that the site is officially back in working order.
As you can tell, people were quite irritated about the situation.
if @JeffBezosAmazon plans to wring more money out of @boxofficemojo then I’d like to remind him we know of other places to buy books online
— Ryan Adams (@filmystic) October 11, 2014
Dear @IMDb where is @boxofficemojo ? Some of us it every day. Like me. And @EricDSnider . And all smart movie nerds. Hellloooo?!?
— Scott Weinberg (@scottEweinberg) October 11, 2014
According to Variety , Box Office Mojo returned Saturday evening as though nothing had happened. In fact, the website’s parent company, Amazon, hasn’t issued a statement about the mysterious disappearance just yet. However, BOM’s return proves that IMDb wasn’t plotting the site’s demise after all. Extinguish your torches — the riot has ended.
Variety offers up a bit of history regarding the site.
“The free Box Office Mojo site has been widely used by the movie industry for up-to-date box office results along with historical data and release dates of upcoming titles. It was founded in 1999 by Brandon Gray and was acquired by Amazon in 2008, when it was operated in a Los Angeles office by Gray and Sean Saulsbury.”
The Hollywood Reporter remarks that Box Office Mojo’s social media accounts have remained strangely silent about the disappearance and unexpected the redirect to Internet Movie Database. Although the outlet contacted Amazon for comment , BOM’s parent company has thus far remained tight-lipped about the situation.
Not surprisingly, quite a few people are thrilled about Box Office Mojo’s return.
Great news everyone: @boxofficemojo is back. Looks like the reports that the site was killed off/absorbed into @imdb may be wrong ?
— Peter Sciretta (@slashfilm) October 12, 2014
Are you glad Box Office Mojo has returned? Were you deeply concerned that IMDb had decided to absorb BOM in a blatant attempt to grab more money?
[Lead image via Fansshare ]
