The Numbers News - November 2014
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Limited Releases: The Real Deal
November 28, 2014
It isn't a terribly busy week for limited releases, but there are a few earning great reviews. The Babadook is earning the best reviews on this week's list, but it is a horror film, so its box office chances are minimal. The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness is also earning excellent reviews, but documentaries rarely find an audience outside of art house theaters. That leaves The Imitation Game as the likely winner on the Per Theater Chart.
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Contest: Short Trip
November 27, 2014
Next weekend is the weekend after Thanksgiving weekend, which is historically one of the two worst weekends of the year to release a new film. (The other is the weekend after Labor Day.) This year, there is only one wide release, The Pyramid, which I'm not 100% sure is opening truly wide. Even so, it is the only real 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 The Pyramid.
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 The Hundred-Foot Journey on DVD, I think. It might be on Blu-ray. I wasn't able to confirm which format it was and it's Thanksgiving, so they are closed till Monday. I will update the contest then with the format.
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 DVD or Blu-ray.
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: Thanksgiving Means Leftovers
November 27, 2014
It's Thanksgiving weekend and there are two films trying to take advantage of the boost to the box office. Penguins of Madagascar looks like it will top Horrible Bosses 2 at the box office, but neither really have a shot at dethroning The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 for top spot. In fact, it is possible both of them combined won't top last year's number one new release, Frozen. Additionally, Mockingjay, Part 1 very likely won't match Catching Fire by a significant margin, so November will end the month on a down note.
International Box Office: Mockingjay has $275 million Worldwide Weekend
November 27, 2014
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 opened in first place on the international chart with $154.3 million in 85 markets for a worldwide opening of $276.2 million. Its international opening was about 4% higher than the previously entry in the franchise. The film managed $19.8 million in the U.K. and $13.8 million in Germany. This was 5% and 9% higher than the previous film's debut in those two markets. Mockingjay, Part 1 opened 19% higher in Russia with $11.9 million. The film also topped $10 million in Mexico ($12 million) and Australia ($10.3 million).
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2014 - Holiday Gift Guide - Part I
November 26, 2014
This Thursday is Thanksgiving, which means this is Black Friday and Cyber Monday, and a ton of shopping. It also means the first installment of our Holiday Gift Guide. Over the next month, we will talk about TV on DVD releases, independent releases, foreign language releases, classics, etc. but this week we start with Major Movie Releases. These are first run releases, franchise box sets, etc. In some ways, this is better than last year, as there were a wider number of big releases that would make great gifts. However, in other ways it is much weaker. I can't think of a single big franchise box set that came out this year. There are some smaller ones, like the Halloween Box Set, but while the franchise has lasted ten installments and 30 years, how many can you really say are worth repeated viewing? Fortunately, there were plenty of great films to come out this year, starting with what is currently the biggest hit of the year.
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Contest: Silent Knight: Winning Announcement
November 26, 2014
The winners of our Silent Knight contest were determined and they are...
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Per Theater Chart: Mockingjay Makes a Mockery of the Per Theater Chart
November 26, 2014
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 not only earned first place on the overall box office, but it also led the way on the per theater chart with an average of $29,366. Foxcatcher earned an average of $19,764 in 24 theaters. It is nearly at $1 million and has room to grow further. The Theory of Everything expanded again, but still remained in the $10,000 club with an average of $10,798 in 141 theaters.
DVD and Blu-ray Releases for November 25th, 2014
November 25, 2014
It is the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, which means there are only a few days before Black Friday, which is one of the busiest shopping days of the season. At first glance, this might seem like a great day to release a DVD or Blu-ray; however, the massive sales will instead overshadow anything that comes out this week. This explains why there are so few interesting releases. The biggest release of the week is The Expendables 3 on DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack, but it might be so bad it killed the franchise. The best release is Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Turkey Day Collection (XXXI), which is the Pick of the Week. We also have a Puck of the Week for Rhymes for Young Ghouls on DVD, a Canadian film that deserves a wider audience.
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Weekend Wrap-Up: Hunger Games Goes on a Diet
November 24, 2014
As expected, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 earned first place with ease pulling in more than the rest of the box office combined. On the downside, it was well below the optimistic expectations at just $121.90 million. ... It seems strange that an opening of $121.90 million is considered disappointing. Worse still, none of the other films in the top five topped predictions, so they couldn't help mitigate Mockingjay, Part 1's softer than anticipated opening. The overall box office still rose 38% from last weekend to $194 million, but this was 14% lower than the same weekend last year. There's really no way to spin that in a positive manner. Year-to-date, 2014 has earned $8.94 billion, which is 3.2% or $290 million lower than last year's pace. Again, it is hard to spin that number in a positive way.
Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Step Up All In
November 24, 2014
I've reviewed every film in the Step Up franchise, except Revolution. Step Up 3D is a prime example of the genre. The plot, and lead characters, take a back seat to the dancing. The latest installment of the franchise, Step Up All In, comes out on the home market this week. (Maybe. There seems to be some confusion on the release date over on Amazon.com.) Is it more of the same? Will that be enough for fans of the franchise?
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Weekend Estimates: Mockingjay Sets 2014 Record with Disappointing Debut
November 23, 2014
If you could sum up 2014 at the box office in one sentence, this weekend’s headline probably comes close. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1 is the film we’ve been waiting for all year: the third film in a franchise that has already topped $150 million on each of its previous two opening frames, with the weekend before Thanksgiving all to itself, and reviews that, if not stellar, are at least very respectable for a franchise tentpole. A weekend of $150 million plus seemed a very good bet, and something bigger still couldn’t be ruled out. But, come Sunday, Lionsgate is projecting a $123 million weekend, down about 20% from previous installments. That is, of course, a fantastic weekend by most measures: it’s the 15th-best weekend of all time, and easily the biggest opening weekend in 2014. But this will now be the first year since 2010 without a $150m+ weekend, and the debate about the waning influence of theater-going on the industry will undoubtedly be re-opened.
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Limited Releases: Pain in the... Mule
November 21, 2014
It is not a busy week as far as limited releases are concerned, which is good, because my computer crashed halfway through and I had to redo some of this column. (Save early, save often.) However, while there are not a lot of films on this week's list, many of them are earning overwhelmingly positive reviews. It is unlikely that all of them will be able to capitalize on their reviews. Bad Hair, A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, The King and the Mockingbird, The Mule, as well as a few documentaries all deserve to find audiences. Hopefully more than a couple of them actually do.
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Contest: Black and White
November 20, 2014
Next weekend is Thanksgiving weekend and there are two films hoping to not be crushed by The Hunger Games: Mockyingjay, Part 1, which will be in its second week of release. Penguins of Madagascar will likely beat out Horrible Bosses 2 for second place and as such, it is the 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 Penguins of Madagascar.
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 Jeff Dunham: All Over the Map 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 DVD or Blu-ray.
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: Will Hunger Games Leave Moviegoers Hungry?
November 20, 2014
There is only one wide release coming out this weekend, but it is the biggest release of the year. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 should have no trouble earning the biggest opening weekend of the year so far and it shouldn't take very long before it surpasses Guardians of the Galaxy for number one film of the year. As for the rest of the box office, there's not a lot to look forward to. Dumb and Dumber To will likely take a serious hit, while Big Hero 6 should overtake it over the weekend. This weekend last year, Catching Fire led the way with $158.07 million, which could be more than the entire box office earns this year. Hopefully that won't be the case, but I don't see how 2014 comes out ahead on the year-over-year comparison.
International Box Office: Century Weekend for Interstellar
November 20, 2014
Interstellar remained in first place with $107.9 million in 63 markets over the weekend for totals of $225.8 million internationally and $322.7 million worldwide. This might be enough to cover the film's production budget, but probably not. That said, by this time next week, its worldwide total will be close to $500 million, which should put the film in the black. This weekend the film opened in first place in China with $42.67 million during its five-day opening. Perhaps more impressively, the film grew by 6% in South Korea helping it remain in first place with $13.13 million on 1,410 screens over the weekend for a total of $35.24 million after two weeks of release. It didn't hold up quite as well in the U.K., but still remained in first place with $5.91 million on 576 screens over the weekend for a total of $19.11 million.
Contest: Smart and Smarter: Winning Announcement
November 19, 2014
The winners of our Smart and Smarter contest were determined and they are...
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Per Theater Chart: None of the Competition could Catch Foxcatcher
November 19, 2014
Foxcatcher was the latest Oscar-hopeful to top the per theater chart earning an average of $45,146 in six theaters. This practically guarantees some measure of mainstream success; however, unless it can earn some Awards Season nominations, it likely won't expand truly wide. Likewise, The Theory of Everything expanded to 41 theaters earning an average of $17,937. It also reached its first major milestone over the weekend and will earn more in the future. The overall number one film, Dumb and Dumber To, was next with an average of $11,450, while The Homesman was right behind with an average of $11,358 in four theaters.
DVD and Blu-ray Releases for November 18th, 2014
November 19, 2014
There are no summer tentpole releases making their home market debuts this week, but that doesn't mean it is a bad week on the home market. 22 Jump Street is leading the way, while there are four other first run releases among the new releases, ranging from If I Stay to Sin City: A Dame to Kill For in terms of box office numbers. Not only that, but this week there are a trio of Hayao Miyazak releases, including his more recent film, The Wind Rises, which is coming out on DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack. That film, along with the double-shot, are the Picks of the Week. However, they are not the only films worth picking up. If you like horror / comedy, give Housebound on DVD or Blu-ray a try.
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Weekend Wrap-Up: Dumb Leaves the Competition Smarting
November 18, 2014
There was some good news and bad news over the weekend. The good news was Dumb and Dumber To, which managed a stronger than expected opening, despite its reviews. The bad news was Beyond the Lights, which couldn't turn its reviews into box office success. That said, the good outweighed the bad and overall the box office was quite strong. It was still down 11% from last weekend to $140 million, but that's still 12% more than the same weekend last year. 2014 remains behind 2013's pace by 3.4% or $310 million at $8.72 billion to $9.03 billion, but every little victory will help soften the blow at the end of the year.
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Featured Blu-ray Review: Hayao Miyazak Blu-ray Double-Shot: Kiki's Delivery Service and Princess Mononoke
November 18, 2014
To coincide with the home market release of The Wind Rises, two other Hayao Miyazak films are making their debut on Blu-ray this week. I've combined these reviews into one, partially because I've already reviewed one of the movies. Are they worth picking up? Are they worth the double-dip?
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Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: The Wind Rises
November 17, 2014
Hayao Miyazak has retired a number of times in the past and he keeps coming back. That said, this time he swears that The Wind Rises is his last film. If so, did he go out on a high note? And is the Blu-ray worth picking up for his fans here?
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Featured Blu-ray Review: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
November 17, 2014
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari turns 95 years old in a few months. It is I believe the oldest film I've ever reviewed, beating out the previous record holder, Wings. This film is widely considered the best silent horror movie of all time. That sets up really high expectations. Can the film live up to them? And how does a nearly 100-year old film look on Blu-ray?
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Featured TV on DVD Review: Power Rangers: Megaforce: The Robo Knight Before Christmas
November 16, 2014
I have no idea how many Power Rangers DVDs I've reviewed over the years. The latest is a Christmas special called The Robo Knight Before Christmas. Is it worth picking up for fans of the show?
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Weekend Estimates: Dumb and Dumber Top
November 16, 2014
The box office chart is starting to take on a decidedly seasonal look, with a comedy sequel topping the chart, a smattering of Oscar hopefuls doing well in limited release, and not a single top 10 film dropping by more than 50% from last weekend. The comedy sequel, Dumb and Dumber To, will narrowly win the weekend with a shade over $38 million, per Universal’s Sunday estimate. That’s $2 million more than Big Hero 6 will post in its second weekend in release. The animated adventure will be off just 36% from last weekend. Also posting an impressive hold from a big opening weekend is Interstellar, with $29.1 million—39% below its opening frame.
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Limited Release: Foxy Releases
November 14, 2014
It's a long list this week, but you could eliminate nearly all of the films and concentrate on just Foxcatcher and Rosewater. These two films are earning the vast majority of the buzz. They are not the only films worth seeing, Red Army looks particularly good, but I worry no other film will thrive.
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Contest: Silent Knight
November 13, 2014
Next weekend, the only wide release is The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 and as such, 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 The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1.
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 Power Rangers Megaforce Robo Knight Before Christmas 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 previous Power Rangers Christmas Special, Power Rangers Samurai: Christmas Together, Friends Forever on DVD.
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: Does it Pay to be Dumb?
November 13, 2014
It is a slower weekend at the box office than last weekend. Granted, there are two films opening wide, but neither of them are expected to be a huge hit. Dumb and Dumber To is earning terrible reviews, but it is expecting to earn first place at the box office. Beyond the Lights is earning much better reviews, but it will likely only become a midlevel hit at best. As far as holdovers are concerned, both Big Hero 6 and Interstellar will continue to be big factors at the box office, but only these four films have a shot at $10 million or more at the box office. This weekend last year, Thor: The Dark World led the way with $36.59 million while The Best Man Holiday opened in second place with $30.11 million. I think the one-two punch this year will be better, plus we will have a lot more depth leading to 2014 earning a win in the year-over-year comparison.
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International Box Office: Interstellar Reaches for the Stars
November 13, 2014
As expected, Interstellar opened in first place on the international chart earning $82.90 million on 14,800 screens in 62 markets during its opening weekend. As you may or may not know, we introduced a new comprehensive look at the international numbers, so there's little more than needs to be said here. I will point out that the film's opening in South Korea was particularly strong at $12.46 million on 1,310 screens over the weekend, for a total opening of $14.21 million. The film also opened in first place in the U.K., with $8.53 million on 1,298 screens, which is about on par with its domestic opening, given the relative size of the two markets. Russia was close behind with $8.00 million on 1,800 screens. The film opened in China this week and those numbers should help the film remain in first place next weekend.
Contest: Be the Hero: Winning Announcement
November 12, 2014
The winners of our Be the Hero contest were determined and they are...
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Per Theater Chart: Everything Above All Others
November 12, 2014
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There were four films in the $10,000 club, including The Theory of Everything, which led the way with an average of $41,753 in five theaters. This is high enough to make some measure of mainstream success nearly inevitable. Up next were a pair of wide releases. Big Hero 6 earned an average of $14,947, while Interstellar was right behind with an average of $13,342. The final film in the $10,000 club was National Gallery, which earned $10,049 in one theater over the weekend for a total opening of $13,165.
Weekend Wrap-Up: Hero had a Big Opening
November 10, 2014
We had two potential monster hits go at it over the weekend and it appears the competition was a little too much and neither Big Hero 6 nor Interstellar lived up to lofty expectations, although Big Hero 6 was close. Combined the two movies earned more than $100 million over the weekend, which is reason to celebrate, even if the rest of the box office barely registered. Overall, the box office rose 65% from last weekend reaching $157 million. Wow. Unfortunately, this was still 6.5% lower than the same weekend last year. Had Interstellar matched expectations, 2014 would have come out on top of the year-over-year comparison. Hopefully it will have better legs than Thor: The Dark World did, or this weekend could be another loss. I'm hopeful, because The Dark World was a pretty big Fanboy film.
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Introducing Comprehensive International Tracking
November 10, 2014
We’re pleased to announce another new feature at The Numbers today: comprehensive international box office tracking. This new coverage will include detailed breakdowns of the international performance of leading films, including weekend-by-weekend coverage in each territory, with updates as soon as we receive numbers from sources worldwide. Our tracking differs from other sources in a number of key aspects, all designed to provide the most comprehensive, timely, and accurate breakdown of the international performance of films in theaters (more on that below the fold). The first film we’ll be tracking is Interstellar, and we’ll be adding new movies regularly.
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DVD and Blu-ray Releases for November 11th, 2014
November 10, 2014
It is not a very deep week on the home market. Leading the way is How to Train Your Dragon 2 on DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack or 3D Combo Pack. The film failed to live up to high expectations at the box office, but it earned Oscar-worthy reviews. If it doesn't at least earn a nomination for Best Feature-Length Animated Film, I would be shocked. So it should come as no surprise that the Pick of the Week is The Compleat Al, which is making its DVD debut this week.
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Featured TV on DVD Review: Star Wars: The Clone Wars: The Lost Missions
November 9, 2014
Star Wars: The Clone Wars was a digitally animated TV series that took place inbetween Episode II and Episode III. It lasted five seasons before being canceled. It was than revived by Netflix roughly 30 seconds later. (There were many episodes completed or nearly completed at the time the show was canceled.) These 13 episodes are being released on DVD or Blu-ray this week. Are they worth checking out for fans of the show? Or was there a reason the show was canceled before these could be shown?
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Weekend Estimates: Big Hero Tops Interstellar
November 9, 2014
With studios cutting down on tentpole releases, and ever-more careful grooming of release schedules, it’s getting rarer to have a genuine head-to-head battle for top spot at the box office. But that’s exactly what we had this weekend, and, although both studios will rightly claim to be very happy with the outcome, execs at Disney will have the slightly bigger grins this Sunday. They are predicting a $56.2 million opening weekend for Big Hero 6, making it a clear winner over Interstellar, which Paramount says will post a round $50 million.
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Featured TV on DVD Review: Phineas and Ferb: Star Wars
November 8, 2014
It has been a year since I last reviewed a Phineas and Ferb DVD. This week, their Star Wars crossover special comes out on DVD. How is the special? Will it appeal to fans of both Phineas and Ferb and Star Wars? And is the DVD worth picking up?
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Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Mr. Peabody & Sherman
November 7, 2014
Another late review, but there are special circumstances here. Fox has gone with a digital delivery system for their screeners, which means I have to stream the movie or TV show. Here's the problem with that. At any given time, I'm working on two or three projects for work and Firefox tends to quickly suck up a lot of resources, which cause me to restart the browser rather frequently to free up the RAM. (It's not uncommon for Firefox to be using more than 2 gigs of RAM at a time.) This is fine when all I'm doing is reading box office data or cast lists. But it makes it nearly impossible to stream something. Oh if only I had a separate machine I could use to watch movies. ... Oh that's right, it's called a Blu-ray player and I have one right under my computer desk. Anyhow, so after trying and failing to get the streaming to work, I just decided to buy a few of the screeners for movies and TV shows that I previously signed up to receive a physical copy. Of course, I only did this for films and TV shows I thought were going to be good, because it's my money. The first to arrive was Mr. Peabody & Sherman. I loved the original cartoons, but was the adaptation into a feature-length movie a success? Or do these characters work better in a five-minute format?
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Everything is a Limited Release
November 7, 2014
Contest: Smart and Smarter
November 7, 2014
Next weekend, Beyond the Lights and Dumb and Dumber To open wide. Dumb and Dumber To is widely expected to dominate Beyond the Lights, although it might not open in first place. Regardless if it debuts in first, second, or possibly third, it is still 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 Dumb and Dumber To.
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 consisting of two previously reviewed movies or one previously reviewed TV on DVD release or three previously reviewed single-disc kids shows.
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 consisting of two previously reviewed movies or one previously reviewed TV on DVD release or three previously reviewed single-disc kids shows.
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: Will we have Stellar New Releases?
November 6, 2014
November begins with a powerful one-two punch. Both Interstellar and Big Hero 6 are expected to open with more than $50 million. On the high end, they could both clear $60 million. Interstellar was expected to win by a sizable margin, but its Wednesday IMAX opening was not quite as strong as expected, so it could be a closer than expected weekend. Those two films should easily pull in more than $100 million over the weekend, but unfortunately the rest of the box office will be well back. This weekend last year was similarly top-heavy with Thor: The Dark World earning $85.74 million, which was more than the rest of the box office combined. It looks like the year-over-year competition could be quite close, but I have to give 2014 the edge.
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International Box Office: Turtles Take Over China
November 6, 2014
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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles roared into first place with $34.9 million in 31 markets over the weekend for a running tally of $244.2 million internationally and $434.7 million worldwide. This includes a first place, $26.52 million opening in China. This is the film's last major market opening until it debuts in Japan in February. The film is aiming for $500 million worldwide by that time, but it is hard to tell how long a film's legs in China will be.
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Contest: Hand Over the Prizes: Winning Announcement
November 6, 2014
The winners of our Hand Over the Prizes contest were determined and they are...
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Per Theater Chart: Birdman has the Skies to Himself
November 5, 2014
For the third weekend in a row, Birdman led the per theater chart. In fact, this week it was the only one in the $10,000 club earning an average of $10,348 in 231 screens. At this point, the film has already earned some measure of mainstream success, while it still has room to grow.
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DVD and Blu-ray Releases for November 4th, 2014
November 5, 2014
Christmas shopping season is definitely here. This week there is a flood of Christmas releases, as well as full-series TV on DVD Megasets. On the other hand, there isn't a flood of contenders for Pick of the Week. The biggest release of the week is Maleficent and I really liked the movie more than the average critic, but I don't think the DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack is Pick of the Week material. A Most Wanted Man is a better movie, but the DVD or Blu-ray release is weak. The same is true of Land Ho! on Blu-ray Combo Pack and The One I Love on DVD or Blu-ray. I haven't seen White Collar: Season 5 yet, but given the previous seasons, the DVD is Pick of the Week contender. I'm going with that selection and hopefully when the DVD arrives I won't regret that decision.
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Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: A Most Wanted Man
November 4, 2014
A Most Wanted Man is famous for a really negative reason. It is one of the last films starring Philip Seymour Hoffman released after his untimely death. It earned incredible reviews and did really well at the box office for a limited release, but it wasn't able to break into truly wide releases. Is the movie as good as its reviews? Or were critics quick to praise the film for its significance in Philip Seymour Hoffman's life?
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Weekend Wrap-Up: Ouija and Nightcrawler Lead Soft Halloween
November 3, 2014
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Halloween is over and the box office took a real hit. Ouija was the only film that was a pleasant surprise topping expectations and earning first place. Nightcrawler matched expectations, but due to the competition, landed in second place. The other two films of note: Before I Go to Sleep and Saw, were... well, the less said the better. Overall, the box office fell 18% to just $95 million. Worse still, this was 25% lower than the same weekend last year. There is mitigating circumstances, as this weekend last year was the first weekend of November and didn't have to suffer with Halloween landing on the Friday. Next weekend will bounce back, obviously, but 2014 is running out of time to catch up to 2013. Currently it is down by 3.3% at $8.33 billion to $8.62 billion.
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Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Maleficent
November 3, 2014
Maleficent opened this past summer earning mixed reviews, but was a massive hit at the box office earning just over $750 million worldwide. Was the film better than the reviews would indicate? Or was it just a really slow summer so there wasn't a lot of competition?
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Weekend Estimates: Ouija and Nightcrawler Tied at Top
November 2, 2014
Halloween weekend will be fought to the finish at the box office, with newcomer Nightcrawler and horror flick Ouija neck and neck, based on Sunday’s projections. Open Road’s 3-day projected number for Nightcrawler is $10,909,000, which technically gives it the edge over Universal’s $10,900,240 prediction for Ouija, but Ouija as of this morning, so it will all come down to whether Nightcrawler can win Sunday by a large enough margin to steal the race at the end. The tracking we’re seeing suggests that Ouija will just squeak out a win, but it could still go either way.
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