August 15th, 2013
We are entering the beginning of TV on DVD season on the home market. As the fall schedule ramps up, more and more TV on DVD releases will come out. This week we have Once Upon A Time: The Complete Second Season on DVD and Blu-ray, as well as Girls: The Complete Second Season, also on DVD and Blu-ray Combo Pack. Both are worth checking out, but I'm waiting for the screeners for both, so I don't want to award either the Pick of the Week. Instead, I'm giving that honor to The Muppet Movie: The Nearly 35th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray. Meanwhile, What Maisie Knew on DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack is a close second.
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April 9th, 2013
The buzz certainly helped Trance, as it earned first place on the per theater chart with an average of $32,786 in four theaters. This is not quite as good as Danny Boyle's previous two limited releases, but if it doesn't reach at least one major milestone, I would be shocked. Upstream Color rode the best reviews of the week to second place with $28,649 in its lone theater. The Company You Keep was right behind with an average of $26,344 in five theaters. Mixed reviews will likely hold down its potential to expand. The Place Beyond the Pines was the only holdover to reach the $10,000 mark. It expanded to 30 theaters, but still managed an impressive average of $23,446.
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March 20th, 2013
Spring Breakers dominated the per theater chart earning the best per theater average for any film of 2013. It opened with an average of $87,667 in three theaters. Had it opened with a total of $87,667 in three theaters, it would have been a great start. A fellow A24 release, Ginger & Rosa, was next with an average of $14,279, also in three theaters. Somebody Up There Likes Me fell 64%, but still earned a spot in the $10,000 club with $12,310 in its one theater. Oz the Great and Powerful was the final film to earn more than $10,000 on the per theater chart with an average of $10,545.
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March 13th, 2013
There were a trio of films to top the $10,000 mark on the per theater chart. Somebody Up There Likes Me earned first place with $34,362 in its one theater. The overall number one film, Oz the Great and Powerful, earned second place with an average of $20,223 in nearly 4,000 theaters. The final film in the $10,000 club was The We and the I, which managed $10,774 in one theater.
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March 10th, 2013
After a dismal showing for Jack the Giant Slayer last weekend, and generally soft box office all year, the industry has been in need of a boost. And it is getting one this weekend, with Oz The Great and Powerful opening to a robust $80.3 million, according to Disney's Sunday estimate. That's the third-biggest March weekend of all time, which is an impressive number of course. But the two films above it, The Hunger Games ($152 million) and Alice in Wonderland ($116 million), show what a true March blowout looks like, and this debut is much closer to The Lorax, which debuted with $70 million this time last year. That film went on to make $214 million domestically, and Oz will likely end up somewhere around that mark. Unless it delivers massive international numbers -- the studio has it at a very solid $69.9 million this weekend -- the film will end up basically a break-even proposition for the studio.
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March 8th, 2013
Last week, the film with the most buzz was Stoker, but it only had good not great reviews. It still started very well at the box office, thanks in part to the buzz. This week, the film with the most buzz is The ABCs of Death; however, its reviews are really bad. There are some films earning great reviews, like Electrick Children, but none have really loud buzz. Maybe there will be a surprise hit, but it could be a slow week for limited releases. There are also two Canadian films opening this week, Hit 'n Strum and Ferocious. Check the First Weekend Club for more details.
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