The Numbers News - October 2014
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2014 Preview: November
October 31, 2014
October was a better than expected month with the overall box office keeping pace with October of 2013, for the most part. (The last weekend will be terrible, but that's because of Halloween.) We were able to close the gap somewhat in the year-over-year comparison, at least by a little bit. So how will November do compared to October. Let's put it this way. There are only seven films opening wide this month. Of those, Beyond the Lights will likely not make an impact at the box office. Every other film has at least a reasonable shot at $100 million. More than half the of the films opening this month could hit $200 million. Leading the way will be The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1, which could hit $400 million. The only problem is when book franchises split the final installment into two parts, the first part tends to be weaker at the box office. Interstellar is a big question mark. On the low end, it could make just over $100 million, while on the high end, just over $300 million is within reach. That's a wide range of expectations. On the downside, last November, there were two movies to reach $400 million: Catching Fire and Frozen. On the other hand, there was only one other movie to make more than $100 million, Thor: The Dark World, so perhaps the depth this year will help 2014 come out ahead in the year-over-year comparison.
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Limited Releases: From A to Z
October 31, 2014
It's a really bad week for limited releases. There are only three films earning overwhelmingly positive reviews, but two of them are documentaries and the other is an experimental 3D film, so their chances of earning some measure of mainstream success are nearly zero. The most prominent new release on this week's list is Horns, but its reviews, its genre, and the fact that it is playing on Video on Demand suggests it won't find an audience in theaters.
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Contest: Be the Hero
October 30, 2014
Next weekend, Interstellar and Big Hero 6 open wide. I think Interstellar will be the bigger film; however, it is opening on IMAX on Wednesday and I'm not sure if the studio will lump those figures into the weekend numbers and that's an added complication I don't want to deal with. Because of this, Big Hero 6 is the target film for this week's box office prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for Big Hero 6.
The prizes this week are codes for a UV digital HD download for The Blair Witch Project. There's actually only supposed to be one code as a prize and one is supposed to be going to me, but I already own the move on Blu-ray, so I thought I would give away both codes as prizes.
Weekend Predictions: Halloween Scares Away New Releases
October 30, 2014
Tomorrow is Halloween, which is one of the worst days of the year as far as box office numbers are concerned. I would argue only Christmas Eve is worse. Nightcrawler is the only truly wide release of the week, but it is not expected to be a hit. It will likely earn first place, but with only around $10 million. There are two other films of note: Before I Go to Sleep and the tenth anniversary release of Saw. Before I Go to Sleep is the third release from Clarius Entertainment whose first two releases bombed horribly. This one is expected to finish somewhere in-between the first two at the box office. The Saw franchise is the highest grossing horror franchise of all time, but will people really go to theaters to see it? I would assume fans of these movies likely own the film on Blu-ray, so staying at home would be more appealing. Worse still, this weekend last year was the first weekend of November and it shows. There were five films that earned more than $10 million, led by Ender's Game. This year, we might have no movies earning more than $10 million. Ouch.
International Box Office: Annabelle Takes Possession of Top Spot
October 29, 2014
Annabelle rose from fifth to first place on the international market with $26.5 million in 62 markets for an international total of $126.7 million after a month of release. Obviously there will be another installment in this franchise. This past weekend, the film dominated Latin America earning first place in Mexico with $7.61 million on 2,742 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $10.87 million. This was double the original film's opening in that market. The film also earned top spot in Argentina ($1.4 million on 202 screens) and in Peru ($1.3 million). The film was pushed into second place in Brazil, but still managed $2.13 million on 388 screens over the weekend for a three-week total of $11.35 million.
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Contest: Gunning for Top Prize: Winning Announcement
October 28, 2014
The winners of our Gunning for Top Prize contest were determined and they are...
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IMAX: Guardians Help IMAX Bounce Back
October 28, 2014
Last time, I mentioned IMAX needed a monster hit after a slow second quarter. Well, Guardians of the Galaxy turned out to be that monster hit and the film helped the third quarter numbers reach $169.0 million. This is down 22% from last quarter; however, this was 28% higher than the same quarter last year, which is the much more important figure. This growth was partially due to the increase in total IMAX screens (20 more were added this quarter alone) but the per theater average for the quarter also rose to $227,900 from $207,500.
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Per Theater Chart: Birdman Still Soars
October 28, 2014
Despite growing its theater count to 50, Birdman was able to remain in top spot on the per theater chart with a powerful average of $27,593. Next up was CitizenFour, which was really close behind with an average of $25,264 in five theaters. This is excellent for a documentary, but as a documentary, it's chances of expanding significantly are limited. Laggies will likely expand somewhat after opening with an average of $14,828, also in five theaters. It has a much more mainstream appeal, so it if does expand, it could do well. Then again, this is never an easy strategy and I'm sure the studio will be happy with a strong home market run. Force Majeure was the final film in the $10,000 club with an average of $11,655 in two theaters.
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Weekend Wrap-Up: Ouija Wins, But Stars Softer Than Expected
October 28, 2014
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As expected, Ouija won the race for first place, but it finished on the very low end of expectations. On the other hand, John Wick beat expectations earning second place. Overall, these two results balanced out, but this still resulted in the box office falling 12% from last weekend to $116 million. More importantly, it was 13% higher than the same weekend last year. 2014 is still behind 2013, but it is chipping away at the deficit, which has fallen to under $300 million at $8.20 billion to $8.49 billion. 2014 is still behind last year's pace by 3.4%, but if it can close that gap by the same amount in November and December, then at least by the end of the year, it will have closed the gap enough to call it a spiritual victory.
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DVD and Blu-ray Releases for October 28th, 2014
October 27, 2014
It's a terrible week on the home market with no major releases. The biggest theatrical release is Begin Again, which earned excellent reviews, but opened in limited release and never expanded truly wide. The best new release on the list is the limited edition Breaking Bad: The Complete Series 2014 Barrel, but it costs more than $200, so it is out of the price range of most people. Besides those two releases, there's more filler than releases worth talking about. Begin Again wins Pick of the Week, practically by default, as it is the only release I can enthusiastically recommend.
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Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Alan Partridge
October 26, 2014
In Alan Partridge, Steve Coogan plays Alan Partridge, a character he first played more than 20 years ago. However, for most people here, this will be their first introduction to the character. Will this be a problem? Are there too many inside jokes? Or will the humor be appreciated by even those who have never heard of Alan Partridge before?
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Featured TV on DVD Review: Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1
October 26, 2014
Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was a risky show to make, for a couple of reasons. Mostly it was risky because of the public's perception of what a super hero show should be like. When the public's expectations are not met, they tend to react negatively, even if the movie / TV show is good. For example, Drive was sold as an high-octane action film, but it was a slow burning drama. The critics loved it, but a lot of people attacked the movie for not living up to expectations. A little closer to home, The Tick was a live action TV series that could be described as, "Seinfeld, but the four main characters are super heroes." This is a great idea and I loved the show. However, a lot of people were disappointed as it wasn't a super hero action movie. Of course it's not a super hero action movie. You can't make a super hero action movie on a TV budget. Even today, you can't make a super hero action movie on a TV budget. Unfortunately, a lot of people were expecting Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to be just that, so while the ratings were huge the first night, they quickly dropped off. Were those who stuck with the show rewarded? Should those who stopped watching start again?
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Weekend Estimates: Ouija Tops Wick
October 26, 2014
Teen horror movie Ouija will win this weekend at the box office with a solid $20 million debut and $7,000 theater average. With a budget reported at just $5 million, the movie is a sure-fire money maker for Universal, even with a shelf life of exactly eight days. By comparison, John Wick, which marks a return to form for Keanu Reeves, should have a longer run, based on its current reviews and word of mouth, but will have some ground to make up after opening with around $14 million.
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Limited Releases: Lagging Behind the Competition
October 24, 2014
Last weekend, Birdman opened with Oscar-worthy reviews and it wasn't the only film that was expected to be a hit at the box office. This weekend, there are no such films. CitizenFour and Force Majeure are both earning Oscar buzz, but one's a documentary and the other is a foreign-language film, so neither are likely to expand significantly. This leaves Laggies as the film with the loudest buzz, even if its reviews suggest it might not thrive in limited release.
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Weekend Predictions: Ouija Will Win, But By How Much?
October 23, 2014
It is not a good week at the box office for new releases. There are only two films opening wide, one of which is earning terrible reviews and the other is earning terrible buzz. At the moment, Ouija's Tomatometer Score is barely in the double-digits. That said, it is a horror film opening the week before Halloween, so it should make at least $20 million at the box office. On the other hand, John Wick's reviews are Award-worthy... but the buzz is so quiet, I doubt many award voters will see it. This weekend last year was led by Bad Grandpa, which opened in first place with $32.06. Maybe if Ouija is a surprise hit, it will match that figure. However, while 2013 looked better at the top, it had really weak depth beyond the top five, so 2014 will likely win in the year-over-year comparison.
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Contest: Hand Over the Prizes
October 23, 2014
Next Friday is Halloween, which is a bad day to release a movie. The only movie opening wide is Nightcrawler, although in this case "wide" is best said with air quotes. That said, it is the only movie to choose from, so it is the only choice for the target film for this week's box office prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for Nightcrawler.
The prize this week is supplied by the folks who made The Devil's Hand, which is currently on Video on Demand. I will be reviewing the film when it comes out on DVD.
Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a $15 coupon for iTunes.
Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will win a previously reviewed B-movie horror film.
Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay!
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International Box Office: Guardians Have Double-Milestone Weekend
October 22, 2014
Not only did Guardians of the Galaxy return to top spot on the international chart this past weekend, it reached two major milestones along the way. Over the weekend, it pulled in $23.1 million in 22 markets for totals of $404.8 million internationally and $732.6 million worldwide. The film earned $37.97 million in China, but that was for the full week, giving it $69.04 million after ten days of release. The film has yet to open in Italy and it might have a shot at $800 million worldwide by the time it ends its run there.
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Contest: More than a Penny and Not Dreadful: Winning Announcement
October 22, 2014
The winners of our More than a Penny and Not Dreadful contest were determined and they are...
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Per Theater Chart: Bird is the Word, and that Word is Awards Season
October 21, 2014
Birdman debuted in first place on the Per Theater Chart with an amazing average of $106,099. This is the best per theater average since The Grand Budapest Hotel opened with just over $200,000 for its per theater average. It wasn't the only film in the $10,000 club, as Dear White People opened with an average of $31,633 in eleven theaters. The Tale of Princess Kaguya was surprisingly strong during its opening weekend earning an average of $18,305 in three theaters. God the Father earned $15,037 in one theater. The final film in the $10,000 club was Listen Up Philip, which earned an average of $11,642 in two theaters. Diplomacy might have made it in the $10,000 club if it opened on Friday. However, it opened on Wednesday earning $8,518 in one theater over the weekend for a total opening of $12,750.
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DVD and Blu-ray Releases for October 21st, 2014
October 21, 2014
Like last week, it is not a very busy week on the home market. However, unlike last week, there are not a lot of prime releases. The second to last DVD / Blu-ray release for Mad Men tops the list. Well, it is the second to last release, until the Full Season Megaset comes out. The biggest theatrical release is The Purge: Anarchy, which was a huge hit, given its budget, but not a monster hit. As for the Pick of the Week contenders, it's Mad Men and Snowpiercer on DVD or Blu-ray. In the end I had to flip a coin to decide. I came up heads. Then I realized I should probably decide which movie is heads before I flipped the coin. Let's try that again. Snowpiercer is the Pick of the Week.
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Weekend Wrap-Up: Fury et al are a Little Calmer than Expected
October 21, 2014
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The weekend box office was a little softer than expected, with Fury earning first place, but with much less than some were expecting. I was a little more conservative and I was still off by close to $10 million. The rest of the top five, on the whole, were also not quite as strong as expected, so the overall box office fell 11% from last weekend. However, it was 26% higher than the same weekend last year, which is the much more important figure. 2014 is still behind 2013 by more than $300 million, or 3.6%, at $8.05 billion to $8.36 billion, but if we can close the gap a little bit each week, we can at least make it a respectable race in the end.
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Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Life After Beth
October 20, 2014
Life After Beth opened with strong buzz, especially for a limited release, but the reviews were mixed and it struggled to find an audience in theaters. It also debuted on Video on Demand, so that didn't help its box office numbers. Now that it is out on the home market, is it worth a look? And is the Blu-ray worth picking up?
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Featured TV on DVD Review: Perry Mason: Movie Collection: Volume 4
October 19, 2014
We are getting close to the end of the Perry Mason TV movies. There's just one more release and this series is done. This week, I finally get to Volume Four, which came out at the beginning of the month. (In my defense, the screener didn't arrive till Thursday, along with a ton of late screeners.) How do these mysteries compare to the original TV show? Are they better than the previous TV movies? Or is the quality dropping?
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New at The Numbers: Trending Movies and People, and More
October 19, 2014
We’re pleased to make announcements today about some new features on the site, and our future plans. We’ve received a recent spike in traffic at The Numbers, which has allowed us to hire some extra development and research people, and they are hard at work implementing the features that we’ve been asked for most over the years. The early fruits of their labors have hit the site with new trending movies, most anticipated movies, and trending people pages; and (huge) new lists of production companies and home video distributors.
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Weekend Estimates: Fury an Unspectacular First
October 19, 2014
Fury will top the box office chart this weekend with a solid, but unspectacular, $23.5 million, according to Sony’s Sunday morning estimate. Pre-weekend projections had the film closer to $30 million, and with an $80 million price tag, and Brad Pitt starring, the film is really underperforming at this point. By way of comparison, Gone Girl opened with $37.5 million three weeks ago. Fury will need really good legs, or a really strong performance overseas, to post a profit.
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Limited Releases: Bird is the Word
October 17, 2014
It's an excellent week for limited releases with several films earning overwhelmingly positive reviews. This includes a couple that are also earning really loud buzz. Of these, Birdman is probably going to win the weekend race on the Per Theater Chart, while Dear White People should also be a hit. Diplomacy, Housebound, The Tale of Princess Kaguya, and others also deserve to find audiences, but not all will do so for various reasons (wrong genre, opening in Video on Demand, etc.).
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Contest: Gunning For Top Prize
October 17, 2014
Next week, John Wick and Ouija both open wide, but Ouija is expected to make more during its opening weekend than John Wick is expected to make during its entire run. As such, it is the clear choice for the target film for this week's box office prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for Ouija.
Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a copy of Annie Oakley: The Complete TV Series on DVD.
Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will win a previously reviewed TV on DVD release.
Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay!
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Weekend Predictions: Are the New Releases All Wind and Fury?
October 16, 2014
Three wide releases are trying to fight for box office dollars, including Fury, which could be the biggest hit of the month. Its reviews are excellent and the buzz is strong enough that is should have no trouble earning first place. The Book of Life is a family friendly animated horror film opening near Halloween. That should be a combination that spells box office success, but while the reviews are strong, the buzz is not as loud as I would like. Finally, there's The Best of Me, the latest from Nicholas Sparks, but I think the shine has come off his career. Its early reviews are terrible, which isn't surprising. The buzz is rather quiet, which is a little more surprising. This weekend last year, Gravity completed the hat-trick earning just over $30 million. I think Fury will top that. The best new release last year was Carrie, which earned just over $16 million earning third place in the process. It looks like there are a couple of films that will earn a similar amount this year. Additionally, the depth again appears to be better than last year, so 2014 should find itself on top of the chart, again. This is a surprise, as at the beginning of the month, it looked like 2014 would be in an extended slump by this point.
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International Box Office: Guardians Hit Gold in China, but Dracula Tops Chart
October 16, 2014
Dracula Untold rose to first place with $33.9 million in 42 markets for a two-week total of $62.6 million. This week's biggest new market was Russia, where it pulled in first place with $9.81 million on 1,068 screens. It opened in second place in South Korea with $2.65 million on 477 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $4.29 million. Mexico led the holdovers with $2.78 million on 1,624 screens over the weekend for a two-week total of $9.30 million in that market.
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Contest: Reserve Your Judgment: Winning Announcement
October 16, 2014
The winners of our Reserve Your Judgment contest were determined and they are...
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Per Theater Chart: Whiplash has a Saintly Opening
October 15, 2014
There were a trio of new limited releases topping the per theater chart, led by St. Vincent with an average of $27,470 in four theaters. Whiplash was close behind with an average of $22,565 in six theaters. The final film in the $10,000 club was Awake: The Life of Yogananda with an opening of $18,885 in one theater.
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DVD and Blu-ray Releases for October 14th, 2014
October 14, 2014
In some ways, it is a great week on the home market, as there are several excellent releases worth picking up. In other ways, it is an even better week, because there are so few releases and almost no filler. The only downside is trying to select a release for Pick of the Week, as there are a number of competitors. One of the biggest releases of the week is X-Men: Days of Future Past on DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack and it is also one of the best. Other contenders include Mr. Peabody & Sherman on DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, 3D Combo Pack, Fargo: Season One on DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack, and Witching and Bitching on DVD. Strangely, I'm still waiting for the screeners for all four films. In the end, I literally rolled a dice to determine the winner and it was X-Men: Days of Future Past.
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Weekend Wrap-Up: Untold Nearly Undoes the Competition, But Gone Remains
October 14, 2014
There were four new releases in the top ten, plus another that just missed that mark. Despite the competition, Gone Girl remained in first place and it earned a little more than expected. The biggest surprise was Dracula Untold, which earned first place on Friday and nearly took first place over the weekend. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day grabbed third place, while there were other reasons to celebrate lower on the chart as well. Overall, the box office was on par with last weekend at $147 million. It was technically higher, but by 0.2%. Compared to last year, the box office was 26% higher, which was much better than anticipated. 2014 is still well behind 2013 by more than $300 million at $7.87 billion to $8.18 million, but every little bit helps. At this point, we are more concerned about limiting the losses than we are worried about completing the comeback.
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Featured DVD Review: Locked In
October 13, 2014
Locked In was shot in 2009 and made its debut in 2010 at the Boston Film Festival. It is only getting a regular release now, and it is being dumped direct-to-DVD. That's a really bad sign. Is it a good movie that fell between the cracks? Or is there a good reason it failed to find a distributor for so long?
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Featured Blu-ray Review: Kingpin
October 12, 2014
Kingpin was not a hit when it was first released nearly 20 years ago. It earned mixed reviews and barely matched its production budget domestically. However, it became a huge cult hit on the home market. This week it comes out on Blu-ray for the first time. It is also the first time I've seen it. Was it worth the wait? Or was I smart skipping it the first time it came out?
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Weekend Estimates: Dracula Nearly Gets Girl
October 12, 2014
What was largely expected to be a fairly comfortable win for Gone Girl this weekend turned out to be a bit of a squeaker, thanks to a better-than-expected $23.46 million estimated opening for Dracula Untold. The vampire actioner won the day on Friday, but couldn’t maintain its pace, with $8.7 million on Saturday, against Gone Girl’s $11.3 million. Projections for today have it potentially falling into third place behind Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day on Sunday, which doesn’t bode well for its legs long-term.
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Featured TV on DVD Review: Penny Dreadful: Season One
October 12, 2014
Penny Dreadful debuted on Showtime in May with its first season ending at the end of June. Normally, TV on DVD releases come out just in time for the next season to begin, but it is coming out now, likely to take advantage of the Christmas shopping season. Was this a smart move? Is it worth checking out? Or is the competition for TV on DVD releases much too strong at this time of year?
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Friday Estimates: Dracula Wins Friday, Gone Girl Will Win Weekend
October 11, 2014
Dracula Untold enjoyed a better-than-expected opening day, and will top the chart for Friday. Saturday morning reports have it doing $8.9 million, well ahead of Gone Girl, which will land on $8.15 million. Dracula looks set for a weekend between $20 million and $25 million, which won’t be enough for an overall win. Gone Girl should end up between $25 million and $27 million for the weekend, down just 30% from its opening frame, and will be close to $80 million by Monday morning.
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Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: White Christmas
October 11, 2014
I previously reviewed White Christmas the first time it came out on Blu-ray. I have nothing new to say about the movie, but last time I only got the DVD to review. How does the film look and sound on High Definition? And is the Blu-ray worth picking up if you missed it the first time like I did?
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Limited Releases: Whipped into Shape
October 10, 2014
We have a rather long list of limited releases this week, but sadly only three of them are earning overwhelmingly positive reviews. Unfortunately, two of these films will likely not do well in theaters. Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead is a horror film, which is one strike against it, while it is also playing on Video on Demand. I Am Ali is a documentary, so it could do well in art house circuits, but its chances of expanding significantly are very limited. Finally there's Whiplash, which could lead the way on the Per Theater Chart.
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Contest: More than a Penny and Not Dreadful
October 10, 2014
Next week Fury is opening wide. It isn't the only wide release of the week, but it is widely expected to dominate the box office, while it might become the biggest hit of the month. As such, it is the clear choice for the target film for this week's box office prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for Fury.
Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a copy of Penny Dreadful: Season One on Blu-ray.
Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will win a previously reviewed TV on DVD release.
Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay!
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Weekend Predictions: Are the New Releases Terrible, Horrible, No Good, and Very Bad?
October 9, 2014
This weekend there are four new wide releases; however, none of them are expected to be big hits. In fact, Gone Girl is widely expected to repeat in first place, while Annabelle might have a shot at second place. Three of the new releases will likely finish in the midteens with Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day currently on track to become the best of the bad bunch of new films. The Judge has taken a huge tumble as far as analysts are concerned. Dracula Untold is in the mix and might earn second place, but it might also earn fifth. Regardless, it won't do well enough for a film that cost $100 million to make. Then there's Addicted, a movie whose buzz is so quiet I forgot it was opening this week. This weekend last year, Gravity again led the way with $43.19 million, while Captain Phillips opened in second place with $25.72 million. There's no chance any film will match Gravity. In fact, the top film this week will very likely be behind Captain Phillips. On the other hand, last year only one other film earned more than $4 million, so the depth was terrible. I think the depth this week should be enough to eke out a win.
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International Box Office: Breakup Breaks the Competition
October 9, 2014
Breakup Buddies led the way in China and overall with a weekend total of $38.0 million over the weekend for a six-day total of $94.13 million. That's fantastic start for a local film in this market.
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Contest: Get These Prizes Before they are Gone: Winning Announcement
October 8, 2014
The winners of our Get These Prizes Before they are Gone contest were determined and they are...
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Per Theater Chart: Wide Releases are Keepin' On
October 7, 2014
Keep On Keepin' On had the best weekend of its run earning an average of $13,291 in two theaters. Gone Girl earned an average of $12,446 in just over 3,000 theaters. Annabelle was very close behind with an average of $11,659 in close to 3,200 theaters.
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DVD and Blu-ray Releases for October 7th, 2014
October 7, 2014
The biggest release of the week is Edge of Tomorrow, which is coming out on DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, or 3D Combo Pack. However, while the reviews are excellent, the extras are not quite up to the Pick of the Week level. The same is true of the To Be Takei DVD, but fortunately there is a winner out there. Adventure Time: Season Four is better than the previous seasons and the DVD or Blu-ray have enough extras to be the best release of the week. Meanwhile, The Grand Seduction on DVD earns the Puck of the Week for best Canadian release.
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Weekend Wrap-Up: Gone Girl Arrives and Annabelle Scares the Competition
October 7, 2014
As expected, Gone Girl won the race for top spot on the box office chart this weekend. However, while it earned more than expected, Annabelle still managed to make it a really close race. These two films, as well as the rest of the top five, all beat predictions and this lead to the overall box office growing 38% to $147 million. More impressively, this was 16% better than the same weekend last year. I was not expected 2014 to come out ahead on the year-over-year comparison, which makes this win so much more spectacular. Year-to-date, 2014 is still behind 2013 by a substantial margin of $370 million or 4.6% at $8.05 billion to $7.68 billion.
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Featured TV on DVD Review: Houdini
October 6, 2014
Houdini is a two-part TV mini-series that first aired at the beginning of last month. This week, it hits the home market on DVD or Blu-ray. Is it worth checking out for those who are interesting in the life of Harry Houdini? Is it worth checking out for those who know little about Harry Houdini?
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Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Sharknado 2: The Second One
October 5, 2014
Sharknado came out last year and immediately earned a "so bad, it's good" buzz. Amazingly, it earned excellent reviews and many critics said it was highly entertaining, in part because it was so low-budget and cheesy. It should come as no surprise that they made a sequel, Sharknado 2: The Second One, but will it live up to the first installment?
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Featured TV on DVD Review: Adventure Time: Season Four
October 5, 2014
This is going to be a shorter review than normal, the third shorter review in a row. The reason for this is simple. I've previously reviewed the Jake the Dad DVD and many of the shorts on that DVD are included on this Blu-ray. There's no need to repeat myself here, so instead I will concentrate on the few episodes that are new to me and that were highlights or lowlights. Is this Blu-ray better than the mixed DVD release in terms of quality? Is it worth picking even if you already own many of these shorts?
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Featured TV on DVD Review: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Complete First Season
October 4, 2014
This is the fourth Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV series and the third animated series. Season three has already started airing on TV and the first season was previously released on three separate volumes, while I reviewed the first DVD release from Season Two. Yeah, it's a bit of a mess. Since this DVD has been released previously, the real question is whether or not it is worth the double-dip? Or if it is worth picking up for those who missed it the first time.
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Featured Blu-ray Review: Sleeping Beauty
October 4, 2014
This is not the first time I've reviewed Sleeping Beauty. It is not the first time I've reviewed the film on Blu-ray. The previous review was almost exactly six years ago. This review is less about the movie and more about the differences in the two Blu-ray releases.
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Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: A Million Ways to Die in The West
October 4, 2014
Seth MacFarlane wrote and directed Ted, a movie about a talking Teddy bear that earned more than half a billion dollars worldwide. For his next film, he was given free rein. He decided to make A Million Ways to Die in The West, which made less than $100 million worldwide. Did this film struggle at the box office because it is a bad movie? Or is it just too much of a Seth MacFarlane movie? Is it only for his hardcore fans?
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These Limited Releases are Good and That's No Lie
October 3, 2014
The list this week is less detailed than usual for reasons I'm not going to go into detail about. I'm just going to say two words, "Food poisoning", and leave it at that. There are not a lot of limited releases on this week's list that are earning good reviews and strong buzz. The Good Lie is the best limited release of the week in that regard, but I already talked about it on the weekend predictions, because I think it will reach the top ten. I don't think any of the films below will earn breakout success.
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Contest: Reserve Your Judgment
October 3, 2014
It appears there will be a two-way race for top spot next weekend between The Judge and Alexander and the Movie with the Really Long Name. I'm not 100% sure which film will earn first place, but I'm absolutely choosing The Judge as the target film for this week's box office prediction contest, because I don't want to type out Alexander and the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog several times in the rules. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for The Judge.
Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a copy of one of the three Perry Mason Movie Collection Double Feature from the Volume Two collection. Normally I would never take a single DVD from a collection like this and give it away, but there are two mitigating factors. Number one, they are sold separately as well as in a three-disc set. Number two, the individual DVDs are cheaper than the collections, so there's no reason to buy the collections.
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 copy one of the three Perry Mason Movie Collection Double Feature from the Volume Two collection.
Meanwhile, one other valid entrant will be chosen and they will win the final copy of one of the three Perry Mason Movie Collection Double Feature from the Volume Two collection.
Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay!
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Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Obvious Child
October 3, 2014
Obvious Child opened in limited release in June taking top spot on the per theater chart over its opening weekend. It wasn't able to expand truly wide, but it did finish with more than $3 million, which is still excellent for a limited release. Is it as good as its opening was? Or is there a reason it wasn't able to expand truly wide?
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Weekend Predictions: Are the Box Office Chances Going, Going, Gone?
October 2, 2014
The first weekend in October promises to be better than the average weekend in September was, but then again, it would practically have to. Gone Girl is aiming for first place and most analysts think it will get there. On the other, Annabelle has an outside shot at top spot over the weekend. That seems unlikely, but thanks to its genre, it has a better shot at earning first place on Friday's daily chart. The final wide release of the week is Left Behind, which as it turns out isn't opening truly wide. The buzz is so bad that some expect the film to open below the Mendoza Line. This weekend last year, Gravity opened in first place with $55.79 million. No film is going to open with that much money. In fact, all three wide releases combined might not make that much. 2014 is going to lose in the year-over-year comparison, but frankly we should all be used to that by now.
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International Box Office: Lost in a Maze
October 1, 2014
The Maze Runner easily won the race for top spot on the international chart with $28.8 million in 62 markets for a three-week total of $92.4 million. This is already enough to cover its production budget, so the studio should be very, very happy. The film remained in first place in South Korea with $4.37 million on 655 screens over the weekend for a total of $11.94 million after two weeks of release. It also topped the charts in Russia with $3.13 million on 1,486 screens for a two-week total of $10.49 million. The film has yet to open in Italy, the U.K., Germany, France, Japan, and others. It should surpass $200 million internationally and $300 million worldwide before it is done. That is excellent for a film that cost $34 million to make.
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Contest: All Things Being Equal: Winning Announcement
October 1, 2014
The winners of our All Things Being Equal contest were determined and they are...
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Per Theater Chart: Proud Result for Not Cool
October 1, 2014
There were only three films in the $10,000 club and it was a holdover leading the way. Not Cool pulled in $24,964 in one theater for a two-weekend total of $35,688. The best new release was Pride with an average of $13,662 in six theaters. The final film in the $10,000 club was also the number one film on the overall box office, The Equalizer, with an average of $10,549.
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