November 1st, 2011
The selection of home market releases is rather soft this week. Sure, Cars 2 was a major hit at the box office, but it is the only major hit on this week's list. The best selling TV on DVD release is Californication, which is a cable show, while the top ten selling titles according to Amazon.com include limited releases, catalogue titles and direct-to-DVD releases. There are more second-tier Christmas releases than any other type of release. There are far fewer titles that are worth picking up than last week, and the the Pick of the Week contenders are even more limited. Transformers: Beast Wars comes out on a Complete Series Collection and that could be Pick of the Week material, but I'm still waiting for the screener.
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October 31st, 2011
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan was directed by Wayne Wang, who first came to prominence when he made The Joy Luck Club. He also made several other independent films that explored the Asian-American experience. He went on to make a number of mainstream Hollywood films as well, like Maid in Manhattan and Because of Winn-Dixie. None of these films lived up to his earlier films. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan was seen as a possible return to form and the advance buzz was stronger than most limited releases are blessed with. Unfortunately, the hype didn't translate into ticket sales and it petered out after hitting $1 million in limited release. Limited release is always a risk, but did this film deserve better?
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August 9th, 2011
Just as it led the overall box office chart, Rise of the Planet of the Apes led the per theater chart with an average of $15,024. Gun Hill Road was in second place with an average of $12,609, which put it just ahead of El Bulli: Cooking in Progress's haul of $12,149 in its lone theater. Bellflower's amazing reviews helped it earn an average of $11,140 in two theaters. The final member of the $10,000 club was The Guard with an average of $10,209 in 19 theaters. It should still find room to expand while reaching at least one major milestone is likely.
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July 19th, 2011
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow, Part 2 added another record over the weekend earning the highest per theater average for a wide release with $38,672, surpassing the previous record holder, The Dark Knight. However, Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert Tour still holds the record for best per theater average for a number one film at $45,561. That record might not be broken till the $200 million opening weekend milestone is cracked. The only other member of the $10,000 club was Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness, which grew by a few percent to $20,998. Its ability to expand is untested, but growth is always a good sign.
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July 17th, 2011
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II will rewrite the record books this weekend with an opening of about $168.55 million, according to Warner Bros.' estimate released on Sunday. That's a remarkable $10 million more than The Dark Knight's debut in 2008 and more than $40 million more than the first weekend enjoyed by Deathly Hallows Part I last year. It's a fitting finish for the most successful franchise in film history, which broke the same records back in 2001 when Sorcerer's Stone posted a $90.3 million opening weekend and ushered in a new era for the industry.
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July 15th, 2011
It could be tough for limited releases this weekend. Not only is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 going to dominate the box office, but both new wide releases are earning Oscar-worthy reviews, so there's not a lot of room for limited releases to survive in. Fortunately, both wide releases are aimed at families, so perhaps a more dramatic film like Life, Above All or a documentary like Tabloid! can find a niche market.
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