Weekend Estimates: Focus Steals a Modest Win

March 1st, 2015

Will Smith remains a top 20 force on The Numbers Bankability Index, thanks mainly to his leading turns in tentpoles and franchise films. His draw in smaller movies has always been less of a sure thing, even in his heyday. The performance of Focus this weekend is perhaps not as much of a surprise, with Warner Bros. projecting an OK $19.1 million debut for the film—not a terrible number for the time of year, and broadly in line with the openings for Seven Pounds ($14.8m), The Pursuit of Happyness ($26.5m) and Ali ($14.7m). More...

2015 Preview: March

March 1st, 2015

February was strong thanks to The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water and Fifty Shades of Grey, both of which beat expectations. This March could actually be even better, as there are three or four films that have a decent shot at earning $100 million or more. The top film will likely be Cinderella, which has a real shot at $200 million. Insurgent will almost assuredly get beyond the $100 million mark, while Get Hard, Home, and perhaps Chappie will also get to the century mark. Last March, there were four $100 million hits, led by Divergent, which pulled in $150 million. While this March should be better than February, I'm not sure it will be better than last March. I don't think March 2015 will be much worse than last year, but I think its percentage lead will be chipped away at by the end of the month. More...

Spy! Trailer

February 27th, 2015

Comedy starring Melissa McCarthy and Jude Law, directed by Paul Feig opens May 22... Full movie details... More...

Limited Releases: Summer of '71

February 27th, 2015

There are a number of limited releases that are earning excellent reviews, including '71, which might be the biggest hit of the week. Or there might not be any limited release that will become a hit. Maps to the Stars has a great cast, but its reviews are only good. Plus is is playong on Video on Demand. Likewise, Wild Canaries is earning excellent reviews, but it is also playing on Video on Demand. More...

Contest: Easy Breezy

February 27th, 2015

Next weekend, there are three wide releases, including Chappie, which should lead the way on the box office chart over the weekend. (The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and Unfinished Business could be midlevel hits, but nothing more.) Because Chappie's box office potential is about twice that of the two other new releases, it is the only real choice for target target film in this week's box office prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for Chappie.

Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a Frankenprize, including Life's a Breeze on DVD. Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will also win a Frankenprize, including Life's a Breeze on DVD. Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

Weekend Predictions: New Releases are Not In Focus

February 26th, 2015

The month ends with two wide releases: Focus and The Lazarus Effect. Neither film is expected to be a big hit, but at least Focus is expected to earn first place overtaking Fifty Shades of Grey. Overall, I think the box office will drop when compared to last week. Worse still, the box office looks weak when compared to last year. Last year, the box office was led by Non-Stop, while three films earned more than $20 million over the weekend. This year, there's a chance no film will earn $20 million. 2015 is very likely going to lose in the year-over-year comparison ending 2015's winning streak. More...

Tomorrowland Trailer

February 26th, 2015

Sci-fi adventure starring Britt Robertson and George Clooney, directed by Brad Bird opens May 22... Full movie details... More...

Pitch Perfect 2 Trailer

February 25th, 2015

Musical comedy starring Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson and Brittany Snow opens May 15... Full movie details... More...

International Box Office: $400 million for 50 Shades

February 25th, 2015

Fifty Shades of Grey remained in first place internationally with $68.1 million on 10,323 screens in 58 markets for totals of $280.5 million internationally and $409.7 million worldwide. The film had no major market openings this weekend, but it does open in South Korea this weekend. It is already the biggest hit of the year after just ten days of release and it has made enough to justify a sequel. However, its legs are definitely weak and I'm don't think the sequel will match its box office dominance. More...

Contest: Time and Time Again: Winning Announcement

February 25th, 2015

The winners of our Time and Time Again contest were determined and the entrants with the closest predictions for Hot Tub Time Machine 2 opening weekend were... More...