The Numbers News - March 2017

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Thursday Night Previews: Ghost Haunts Previews with $1.8 million

March 31, 2017

Ghost in the Shell

Ghost in the Shell led the way on Thursday night with $1.8 million in advance earnings. This was better than the $1.2 million The Boss Baby managed, and on par with what Get Out’s $1.8 million earlier this year. However, Get Out had legs that most movies would kill for, so it is not a good predictor. John Wick: Chapter Two, which started out with $2.2 million on Thursday night, is arguably a much better comparison. Granted, John Wick earned much better reviews, but it was also a sequel and those tend to be a lot more front-loaded. Using this film as a guide gives Ghost in the Shell a $25 million opening weekend, which is well below our prediction. This isn’t a disaster, but it is a weak start for a film that cost $110 million to make. More...

Paris Can Wait Trailer

March 31, 2017

Comedy starring Diane Lane, Alec Baldwin, and Arnuad Viard, written and directed by Eleanor Coppola opens May 12 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Zookeeper and Others are Having a Wild Time

March 31, 2017

The Blackcoat’s Daughter

It’s one of those weeks. There are a number of films earning good reviews, and some are earning great reviews. However, none of them are earning loud enough buzz to suggest they will escape the art house circuit. Worse still, there are many like The Blackcoat’s Daughter that are opening simultaneously on Video on Demand, which will all but kill their box office chances. More...

Contest: Smurf to the Smurf

March 31, 2017

Smurfs: The Lost Village

There are three wide releases opening next weekend, but only Smurfs: The Lost Village has a shot at topping the chart. Going in Style would be happy with a total of $50 million domestically, while The Case for Christ might not even open truly wide. Because of this, Smurfs: The Lost Village is the best choice for the 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 Smurfs: The Lost Village.

April 1st is on Saturday, so we are starting our April Fools contests this week. Two of our winners will get movies from our prize pool, while one will be chosen at random to be the fool and receive an HD-DVD release.

Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win one of two previously reviewed movies, or be the winner of the Fool’s Prize. Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will also be a potential winner of two previously reviewed movies, or the winner of the Fool’s Prize. Finally, we will be choosing an entrant from the group of people who haven't won, or haven't won recently, and they will win either the final of two previously reviewed movies, or be the winner of the Fool’s Prize.

Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

Weekend Predictions: Will New Releases be the Boss of the Beast?

March 30, 2017

The Boss Baby

Two new wide releases attempt to dethrone Beauty and the Beast this weekend, but I wouldn’t bet on either of them doing it. Earlier this week, it looked like Ghost in the Shell was a potential $100 million hit. Then its reviews collapsed. The Boss Baby, on the other hand, started with terrible reviews, but its buzz is growing despite this. This weekend last year, the best new release was God’s Not Dead 2, which opened with $7.6 million, and 2017 is in an excellent position to gain ground as a result. Granted, the top film that weekend was Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with over $50 million and no film this week will match that, but the top three films last year earned just over $80 million, while the top three films this year should earn more than $100 million. More...

Theater Counts (updated): Ghost and Boss Baby Open Wide, But Beauty Rules

March 30, 2017

Beauty and the Beast

The Boss Baby will be the widest new release this weekend, with a debut in 3,773 theaters, and Ghost in the Shell opens in a sizable 3,440 locations, but it will be Beauty and the Beast that stays dominant in theaters. Disney’s fairytale story will most likely continue at the top of the charts, and its theater count remains stable at 4,210 for the third weekend in a row. More...

War for the Planet of the Apes Trailer

March 30, 2017

Sci-fi actioner starring Andy Serkis and Woody Harrelson opens July 14 ... Full Movie Details. More...

International Box Office: Beauty Holds Off King Kong with $119.2 million

March 30, 2017

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast remained in first place on the international chart with $119.2 million in 50 markets for totals of $373.3 million internationally and $692.3 million worldwide. The film had two major market openings this past weekend scoring first place in Australia with $10.02 million on 706 screens, including previews. It also topped the chart in France with $7.9 million over the weekend, $8.4 million including previews. Its biggest market overall was the U.K., where it added $15.41 million in 636 theaters over the weekend for a two-week total of $49.82 million. At the end of the weekend, Disney’s share of the worldwide box office was just over $300 million, so unless the movie cost more to advertise than it did to make, it has broken even. Furthermore, even if the film had no more major markets left to open in, it would be on pace to reach $1 billion to $1.1 billion worldwide. With Japan and a few more smaller markets left, it could top $1.2 billion. More...

Contest: Power On: Winning Announcement

March 30, 2017

Power Rangers

The winners of our Power On contest were determined and the entrants with the closest predictions for Power Rangers’s opening weekend were... More...

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets Trailer

March 29, 2017

Sci-fi adventure starring Dane DeHaan and Cara Delevingne, written and directed by Luc Besson opens July 21 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Theater Averages: Beast’s Reign Continues with $21,479

March 29, 2017

Beauty and the Beast

It was a bad week for limited releases, as the only two films to top $10,000 on the per theater chart were also the two biggest hits on the weekend chart. Beauty and the Beast remained in first place with an average of $21,479, while Power Rangers were well back with an average of $10,913. More...

Home Market Releases for March 28th, 2017

March 29, 2017

MST3K

It’s a good week for Pick of the Week contenders, as there are seven such releases on this week’s list. Unfortunately, none of them really scream out as The Pick of the Week. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is by far the biggest, but it is only out on Video on Demand right now, while Hidden Figures is the best, but again, it is only on VOD this week. There are also a couple of busted Oscar-bait films, Archer: Season Seven is only getting a DVD release, while the previous seasons came out on Blu-ray. In the end, I went with Mystery Science Theater 3000: Volume XXXVIII, partially to celebrate the return of the show. More...

Ferdinand Trailer

March 28, 2017

Animated adventure with the voice of John Cena opens December 15 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Beast Blows Past $300 million with $90.43 million Weekend

March 27, 2017

Beauty and the Beast

Our predictions for Beauty and the Beast was higher than average, but even we underestimated the film’s weekend box office numbers. It fell just 48% to $90.43 million, which was more than double the second place film, Power Rangers. This one-two punch helped the overall box office earn $202 million, but this was 23% lower than last weekend. It was also 20% lower than the same weekend last year. Granted, this weekend last year was the weekend Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice debuted, so a decline like this was expected. Year-to-date, 2017 has earned $2.75 billion, putting it 6.7% or $170 million ahead of last year’s pace. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

March 27, 2017

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

Rogue One: A Star Wars Story is the first in a series of standalone movies movies Disney is planning for the Star Wars franchise. There were some who questioned whether or not audiences would show up to a Star Wars movie if it wasn’t directly part of the overall story. Turns out the answer to that question is yes, to the tune of over $1 billion worldwide. This was nearly 50% less than The Force Awakens earned, but is it also much weaker in terms of quality? More...

Justice League Trailer

March 27, 2017

Super hero action movie starring Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Gal Gadot, Amy Adams, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, and Ray Fisher opens November 17 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Weekend Estimates: Beauty and the Beast Beats Strong Power Rangers Start

March 26, 2017

Beauty and the Beast

An impressive 49% second-weekend drop for Beauty and the Beast will be more than enough to secure its place at the top of the box office chart once more, but that doesn’t diminish the achievement of Power Rangers in debuting with an estimated $40.5 million. With two strong movies powering box office receipts, a weekend that was expected to be down substantially from the comparable weekend last year, when Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice launched with $166 million, will actually be off just 20%, and 2017 remains 5% ahead of 2016 year-to-date. More...

Friday Estimates: Rangers, $14.96 million, Can’t Overpower the Beast, $23.56 million

March 25, 2017

Power Rangers

Most people were expecting Beauty and the Beast to retain first place on Friday with around $20 million. The consensus appeared to be $19 million, but my prediction was based on a little more than $21 million. In reality, it earned $23.56 million. This will help it to just over $90 million during the weekend and the film’s box office will blow past $300 million by Sunday. On the other hand, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice earned $81.58 million on its opening Friday alone, so 2017 is still likely going to lose in the year-over-year comparison. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Rangers Power Up with $3.6 million

March 24, 2017

Power Rangers

Power Rangers easily dominated the other two new releases during Thursday previews earning $3.6 million. In fact, this is barely lower than the $3.7 million Kong: Skull Island earned just a couple of weeks ago. Does this mean Power Rangers will open with a similar amount, say $60 million? No. The film’s reviews are much weaker and the film has a much stronger Fanboy Effect. It does have a real shot at $40 million over the weekend, but our $37 million prediction seems like a safe bet at the moment. If the film is earning better legs, we will adjust this figure tomorrow. More...

Leap! Trailer

March 24, 2017

Animated adventure with the voices of Elle Fanning and Nat Wolff opens April 21 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Previewing Prevenge and Others

March 24, 2017

Prevenge

It is not a great week for limited releases. Granted, there are several that are earning excellent reviews, films like Dig Two Graves, I Called Him Morgan, The Levelling, and A Woman, A Part. However, none of them look like they will be box office hits. The film I’m most interested in seeing is Prevenge and this film could be a hit, when it hits the home market. More...

Contest: Give Up the Ghost

March 23, 2017

Ghost in the Shell

There are only two wide releases next weekend, as The Zookeeper’s Wife has been dropped to limited release. Both The Boss Baby and Ghost in the Shell have shots at $100 million in total. I don’t think both of them will get there, but both at least have a shot. If we assume both films have an equal shot at $100 million, Ghost in the Shell would still likely get off to a faster start, as it is an action film vs. a family film. Because of this, it is the best choice for the 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 Ghost in the Shell.

April 1st is next Saturday, so we are starting our April Fools contests this week. Two of our winners will get movies from our prize pool, while one will be chosen at random to be the fool and receive an HD-DVD release.

Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will be a potential winner of two previously reviewed movies, or the winner of the Fool’s Prize. Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will also be a potential winner of two previously reviewed movies, or the winner of the Fool’s Prize. Finally, we will be choosing an entrant from the group of people who haven't won, or haven't won recently, and they will be the final potential winner of two previously reviewed movies, or the winner of the Fool’s Prize.

Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

Theater Counts: Power Rangers Unleash in 3,693 Theaters

March 23, 2017

Kong: Skull Island

The consensus is that nothing can topple Beauty and the Beast from the top of the box office chart this weekend, but Lionsgate are at least going to give it a shot. The studio announced that Power Rangers (or Saban’s Power Rangers, as they’ve taken to calling it) will debut in a mighty 3,693 theaters this weekend. With B’n’B holding in 4,210 theaters, it will still have a distinct advantage, and it would take something truly special for Power Rangers to pull off a win. More...

Dean Trailer

March 23, 2017

Drama written and directed by, and starring Demetri Martin, with Kevin Kline, Gillian Jacobs, and Mary Steenburgen opens June 2 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Weekend Predictions: Can the Rangers Power Their Way to the Top?

March 23, 2017

Power Rangers

There are three wide releases this week, but none of them have a shot at topping Beauty and the Beast at the box office. In fact, all three films combined won’t make as much as Beauty and the Beast does this weekend. Of the three wide releases, Power Rangers has the best chance of box office success and it does have a shot at $100 million domestically. Life could become a midlevel hit and since it likely cost a lot less to make, it could be a bigger financial success. Finally there’s CHiPs, which has gained no traction with audiences. It will likely miss the top five. This weekend last year, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opened with a then March record of $166.01 million. Nothing playing this weekend will match that. Beauty and the Beast might not make half that. Fortunately, 2017 has a $100 million lead on 2016, so one bad weekend in the year-over-year comparison won’t do too much damage. More...

International Box Office: Beast Mode Engaged as Beauty earns $180.0 million

March 22, 2017

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast dominated the international chart even more than it dominated the domestic one earning $180.0 million in 44 markets. The film’s worldwide opening was the second best for March, behind only Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice; however, BvS opened truly worldwide, while Beauty and the Beast only opened in about two thirds of the international market. Unsurprisingly, the film’s biggest single market was China, where it pulled in $44.72 million over the weekend, $45.01 million including Thursday’s previews. It was also a monster hit in the U.K., where it earned $24.37 million in 567 theaters, which was the biggest March opening of all time in that market. The next biggest market was South Korea with $10.68 million on 1,625 screens over the weekend and $11.88 million in total. It also cracked $10 million in Mexico ($11.6 million); Germany ($10.7 million), and Brazil ($10.4 million). At this point, getting to $1 billion worldwide seems like a safe bet, especially with openings in France, Australia, Japan, and other markets left to go. We will of course track its progress there. More...

Contest: Beauty and the Best: Winning Announcement

March 22, 2017

Beauty and the Beast

The winners of our Beauty and the Best contest were determined and the entrants with the closest predictions for Beauty and the Beast’s opening weekend were... More...

Wish Upon Trailer

March 22, 2017

Horror movie starring Joey King and Ryan Phillippe opens June 30 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Theater Averages: Beauty Outshines all Competition with Average of $41,508

March 21, 2017

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast had the best theater average of 2017, so far, at $41,508. This puts it just ahead of Kedi, which opened with $40,103 in its lone theater. The second best average of the week was earned by T2: Trainspotting at $34,115 in five theaters, which is the third best average of the year so far. Song to Song was the only other film to earn an average above $10,000 over the weekend, pulling in $12,640 in four theaters. While Frantz didn’t quite get into the $10,000 club over the weekend, it came close with an average of $9,373. Furthermore, it was a Wednesday release and earned a five-date average of $11,470. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Beast Smashes Record with a Beautiful $174.75 million Opening

March 21, 2017

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast was expected to break records during its opening weekend, but its final tally of $174.75 million is still impressive, even compared to the expectations. The rest of the box office wasn’t hurt as badly as one would predict given the explosive hit at the top and that helped the overall box office grow by 59% to $261 million. This is almost double what it was this weekend last year. More importantly, this was enough to put 2017 in the lead in the year-over-year comparison. At the end of the weekend, 2017 had earned $2.39 billion, compared to $2.30 billion for 2016. Granted, this is partially due to a misalignment of monster hits, as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice opened the following weekend last year. That said, I really don’t think 2017 will fall behind given its current $95 million lead. More...

Tommy’s Honour Trailer

March 21, 2017

Historical drama starring Peter Mullan, Jack Lowden, and Ophelia Lovibond opens April 14 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Home Market Releases for March 21st, 2017

March 21, 2017

Sing

It is an interesting week on the home market with Rogue One: A Star Wars Story dominating the competition. However, it is only coming out on Video on Demand and doesn’t come out till Friday. As for Tuesday releases, there are a few contenders, but no film that immediately jumps out as the Pick of the Week. If you go with quality, extras, and overall audience appeal, then Sing on Blu-ray Combo Pack comes out on top. I would also definitely checkout Insecure: Season One and Lifeboat, if you don’t already own the latter. More...

The Promise Trailer

March 20, 2017

Historical drama starring Oscar Isaac, Charlotte Le Bon, and Christian Bale opens April 21 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Sing

March 19, 2017

Sing

Sing was the last big animated film released in 2016 and it was a good year for animated films. Both Zootopia and Finding Dory earned stunnign reviews and more than $1 billion worldwide. Sing couldn’t compete with those box office numbers, but is it at least close in terms of quality? More...

Weekend Estimates: Beauty and the Beast Sets New March Record

March 19, 2017

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast set out this weekend to show that it’s not just super heroes who can deliver big openings at the box office, and it’s doing so in some style. Disney is projecting a $170 million opening weekend for the live action fairytale, and the film is setting records around the world. At home, it’ll have the biggest March weekend of all time, and the fourth-best Saturday of all time. The studio is projecting it will have the sixth-best Sunday in history, although my money would be on it slightly outperforming today, for the fifth-best Sunday, and that it will challenge Iron Man 3’s $174 million for the sixth-best opening of all time. Only Star Wars, super heroes, and dinosaur-themed movies have done better on opening weekend. More...

Friday Estimates: Beast Knocks Out Kong with $63.79 million

March 18, 2017

Beauty and the Beast

As expected, Beauty and the Beast earned first place on Friday. Its performance was a little better than expected, with Disney’s movie earning $63.79 million. To put this into perspective, this is more than Kong: Skull Island earned during its opening weekend. There are some confusing elements to deal with. Firstly, the reviews improved to 71% positive, which is still lower than anticipated, but good enough to not hurt the film’s legs. Additionally, it earned a solid A from CinemaScore. Strangely, the demographics changed, with women representing 72% of Friday’s audiences. That’s up from just under 60% during Thursday’s previews and a lot of times it goes in the other direction. So what does this mean for the future? The film just needs an internal multiplier above 2.6 to become the biggest March opening of all time. That seems very likely at this point. In fact, anything less than $175 million will be seen as a little disappointing. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Can you Spot any Hits?

March 17, 2017

T2: Trainspotting

Beauty and the Beast scared away most of the wide-release competition and there are not many limited releases either this weekend. T2: Trainspotting is by far the biggest in terms of buzz. We also have a few like Mean Dreams, which have good reviews, but are playing on VOD. Or foreign-language films like Frantz. More...

The Lost City of Z Trailer

March 17, 2017

Historical adventure starring Charlie Hunnam, Robert Pattinson, and Sienna Miller opens April 14 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Contest: Power On

March 17, 2017

Power Rangers

There are three wide releases next weekend: Power Rangers, Life, and CHiPs. However, none of them are expected to match Beauty and the Beast’s second weekend of release. That said, Power Rangers is widely expected to be the biggest of the three films and it is the best choice for the 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 Power Rangers.

Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a Frankenprise consisting of their choice of either one TV on DVD release, two movies, or a kids package (could be a theatrical release, a couple of single-disc TV on DVD releases, or a full season TV on DVD release). 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, as described above. Finally, we will be choosing an entrant from the group of people who haven't won, or haven't won recently, and they will win the final Frankenprize, as described above.

Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

Thursday Night Previews: Beast’s Start is a Beauty, with $16.3 million in Previews

March 17, 2017

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast had the best previews of the year so far, earning $16.3 million during midnight shows last night. This tops Logan’s $9.5 million, which was the previous record holder. More impressively, it is better than Cinderella’s, The Jungle Book’s, and Maleficent’s combined previews of $10.7 million. Judging where it goes from here is a little tougher, on the other hand. Its reviews are good, but not amazing, while its demographics are more balanced than I expected. The audience was mostly women, but less than 60% overall. Cinderella had a 77% female audience. Also, there was a wide range of age groups among the audience, meaning it wasn’t just families going with their kids, but adults who grew up on the original movie. We predicted $168 million for the weekend, and that could be a little too conservative after this result. I’m not going to change the prediction just yet, but if Friday is big, then we will be forced to readjust our outlook. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Beauty have a Beastly Opening?

March 17, 2017

Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast was always expected to be the biggest hit of the month. Now the prevailing wisdom has the film becoming the biggest March opening of all time. Even if it doesn’t match the high end of expectations, it is widely expected to earn more than the entire box office did this weekend last year. On the downside, The Belko Experiment isn’t expected to open in the top five, in fact, it could miss the Mendoza Line. Furthermore, holdovers like Kong: Skull Island and Logan will take a beating at the box office. Overall, the news looks great and 2017 should actually get ahead of 2016 for the first time all year. More...

International Box Office: Kong Just as Tall on the International Chart with $81.6 million

March 16, 2017

Kong: Skull Island

Kong: Skull Island opened in first place on the international chart with $85.1 million in 65 markets, which is more than $3 million higher than Sunday’s estimates. The film’s biggest market was the U.K., where it earned $7.58 million in 567 theaters. It also did well in Mexico ($5.58 million); in Russia ($4.87 million on 1,283 screens); and in Australia ($3.55 million on 523). Impressively, the film broke the record for biggest opening in Vietnam with $2.2 million on 377 screens. More...

Contest: King of Predictions: Winning Announcement

March 16, 2017

Kong: Skull Island

The winners of our King of Predictions contest were determined and the entrants with the closest predictions for Kong: Skull Island’s opening weekend were... More...

Theater Counts (Updated): Beauty and the Beast Dances into a Monster 4,210 Theaters

March 16, 2017

Kong: Skull Island

Beauty and the Beast will lay claim to the coveted 28th spot on the all-time list of widest opening weekends, according to Disney’s announcement today. That’s thanks to a monster launch in 4,210 theaters, which would be the most ever for a March release if it wasn’t for Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which opened in 4,242 movie houses on the last weekend of March last year. More...

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul Trailer

March 16, 2017

Family comedy starring Jason Ian Drucker, Tom Everett Scott and Alicia Silverstone opens May 19 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Theater Averages: Shopper Goes on Buying Spree with $19,794

March 15, 2017

Personal Shopper

Personal Shopper had the best theater average this past weekend earning an average of $19,794 in four theaters. The overall box office champ, Kong: Skull Island, earned $15,867. Raw was the only other film in the $10,000 club with an average of $12,413 in two theaters. Meanwhile, The Sense of an Ending just missed the mark with an average of $9,923 in four theaters. More...

Norman Trailer

March 15, 2017

Comedy starring Richard Gere opens April 14 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Home Market Releases for March 14th, 2017

March 15, 2017

The Love Witch

There are a few Oscar-nominated films on this week’s list. However, it was still hard to come up with a Pick of the Week release. Most of them were like Elle with great reviews and weak extras. The DVD for Drunk History: Season Four has more than two hours of extras, but I admit it is an acquired taste. Fortunately, we do have a clear winner: The Love Witch on Blu-ray. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Kong Climbs to the Top of the Box Office with $61.03 million

March 14, 2017

Kong: Skull Island

Kong: Skull Island dominated the box office earning $61.03 million over the weekend. This is much better than predicted and this if reports are true, this is because it was a huge hit with families. Skull Island’s success hurt Logan, which fell to second place with $38.11 million over the weekend. Overall, the box office fell 13% from last weekend, but that’s still 22% more than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date is even more impressive. Back-to-back wins for 2017 has cut 2016’s lead to 0.8% at just $17 million. If Beauty and the Beast does as well as some expect it to do, 2017 could take the lead by the end of this coming weekend. More...

Despicable Me 3 Trailer

March 14, 2017

Animated adventure with the voice of Steve Carell opens June 30 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Teeth Related Mayhem - Short Delay

March 13, 2017

Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem

I mentioned last week that I had to go to the dentist and I did so. Unfortunately, the dentist appointment turned into a referral and I have a consultation Tuesday morning and hopefully surgery on Thursday. I really want this all finished by the end of the week. In the meantime, some stories will be late and / or a little shorter than usual. I’ll try to keep the disruption to a minimum; however, I have been warned that I might need some strong painkillers after the surgery. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Jackie

March 13, 2017

Jackie

Jackie is Oscar-bait, there’s no denying that. It has all of the hallmarks of an Oscar-bait release. It is based on historical events, it was released in the heart of Awards Season, and it features a powerhouse performance. The film did earn three Oscar Nominations, but wasn’t able to convert any of those into wins. Is the film busted Oscar-bait? Or did it deserve to win at least one Oscar? More...

Gifted Trailer

March 13, 2017

Drama starring Chris Evans, Lindsay Duncan, McKenna Grace, Jenny Slate, and Octavia Spencer opens April 7 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Weekend Estimates: Skull Island Breaks King Kong Opening Weekend Record

March 12, 2017

Kong: Skull Island

Kong: Skull Island is reigning over movie theaters this weekend, with Warner Bros. predicting a $61 million opening for the monster movie. This is a franchise that’s been rebooted so many times that it’s meaningful to compare this outing’s opening with previous incarnations. And I’m pleased to report that this is the best ever weekend for a reboot of a King Kong movie, topping King Kong’s $50.1 million, and King Kong’s $7 million. The bad news is that this outing doesn’t look so great when adjusted for inflation. The 2005 King Kong opened with an inflation-adjusted $65 million, and the 1933 original went on to make an inflation-adjusted $366 million at the box office… a number that’s a very distant prospect this time. In fact, once adjusted for inflation, this will probably be the lowest-grossing film to start a King Kong franchise, and the only one to miss $200 million at the domestic box office. More...

Friday Estimates: Kong Grows Larger with $20.2 million

March 11, 2017

Kong: Skull Island

Friday was a great day for Kong: Skull Island, as it pulled in $20.2 million. This is better than predicted and certainly better than its Thursday previews would indicate. It could be a sign of long legs in theaters. On the one hand, the film’s reviews are 78% positive, which is good for a special effects driven blockbuster like this, but not amazing. Additionally, its CinemaScore was only a B plus. That’s not bad, but it is also not great. It is right on the border between hurting and helping a film’s legs. It would take a serious collapse on Saturday for Skull Island to miss $50 million over the weekend, while more than $55 million is a real possibility. Let’s go with $53 million. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Getting Personal

March 10, 2017

Personal Shopper

It is not a particularly busy week for limited releases, but there are a few that are earning good reviews and louder buzz. My Scientology Movie, Personal Shopper, and Raw all fit that description, but Personal Shopper probably has the best shot at box office success. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Kong is a Little Short in its Debut with $3.7 million

March 10, 2017

Kong: Skull Island

Kong: Skull Island is the only wide release of the week, so it is the only release that had previews last night. The results were… okay. The film earned $3.7 million, which is the third-best preview result for 2017 so far. However, it is a far cry from the $9.5 million Logan earned just last week. Granted, Logan was the latest installment of two franchises, so the Fanboy Effect was in full force, but Logan also earned better reviews and that helped its legs. Kong’s number is slightly better than than $3.6 million Pacific Rim earned during its previews, but it is low enough that I think we should adjust our prediction for the weekend down to about $42 million. We will have a better idea where it will end up tomorrow once we have Friday’s estimates. More...

Song to Song Trailer

March 10, 2017

Drama starring Michael Fassbender, Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, and Natalie Portman, written and directed by Terrence Malick opens March 17 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Contest: Beauty and the Best

March 9, 2017

Beauty and the Beast

Like this weekend, there is only one truly wide release next weekend: Beauty and the Beast. The Belko Experiment is opening in just 1,200 theaters and it looks like T2: Transpotting is opening in even fewer theaters, 5 to be exact. Because it is the only truly wide release of the week, it is the only choice for the 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 Beauty and the Beast.

Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a Frankenprise consisting of their choice of either one TV on DVD release, two movies, or a kids package (could be a theatrical release, a couple of single-disc TV on DVD releases, or a full season TV on DVD release). 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, as described above. Finally, we will be choosing an entrant from the group of people who haven't won, or haven't won recently, and they will win the final Frankenprize, as described above.

Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Kong be King of the Box Office?

March 9, 2017

Kong: Skull Island

There’s only one new release this week, Kong: Skull Island, which should earn first place on the box office chart. Probably. Logan isn’t too far back as far as box office tracking and might repeat in first place. In order to do this, Logan would either have to hold on a lot better than most comic book movies do and / or Kong would have to miss expectations. This weekend last year, there were four wide releases; however, they only managed a little more than $35 million combined. Kong: Skull Island should top that with ease and that’s good news for 2017. Unfortunately, Zootopia earned more than $50 million and that will likely be out of reach for Kong, so 2017 will need to rely on its depth to win in the year-over-year competition. I’m optimistic that will happen. More...

Theater Counts (Updated): Kong Takes on Logan in 3,846 Locations

March 9, 2017

Kong: Skull Island

The first big head-to-head battle of the year will take place in movie houses across the country this weekend, as Kong: Skull Island attempts to wrest top spot at the box office from Logan. The big ape movie will have a challenge ahead of it, with Logan having posted the 4th-biggest weekend in March last weekend with $88.4 million, and continuing to play in 4,071 theaters. Kong, meanwhile, opens in 3,846 venues, and will most likely need to average more than $10,000 in each of them to come close to a victory. More...

Their Finest Trailer

March 9, 2017

War-time drama starring Gemma Arterton and Sam Claflin opens April 7 ... Full Movie Details. More...

The Sense of an Ending Trailer

March 8, 2017

Drama starring Jim Broadbent and Charlotte Rampling opens on Friday ... Full Movie Details. More...

International Box Office: Logan Scored Nearly $250 million Worldwide in Opening Weekend

March 8, 2017

Logan

Logan dominated the international box office chart with $152.7 million in 81 markets for a worldwide opening of $240.9 million. This is almost twice as much as the film cost to make, so it has nearly paid for its entire production budget during the film’s opening weekend. Assuming it has any legs, it will break even before it reaches the home market. China was the biggest single market, as it earned $45.60 million over the weekend for a total opening of $46.38 million, including Thursday previews. The U.K. was well back with an opening of $11.48 million in 602 theaters. Up next is Brazil, which earned $8.2 million, while the film had a total opening of $8.16 million on 954 screens in South Korea, while it earned $8.02 million on 1,200 screens in Russia. The film doesn’t open in Japan until June and it could have over $500 million worldwide by then. More...

Contest: The X-Factor: Winning Announcement

March 8, 2017

Logan

The winners of our The X-Factor contest were determined and the entrants with the closest predictions to Logan’s opening weekend were... More...

Theater Averages: Logan is Lonely on Top with $21,717

March 7, 2017

Logan

Logan was the only film in the $10,000 club with an average of $21,717. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Logan’s $88.41 million Start Suggests Long Legs

March 7, 2017

Logan

The weekend belonged to Logan, as it opened with $88.41 million and easily earned first place. Second place went to Get Out, which held on far better than anticipated, while The Shack is on pace to become a midlevel hit. There was almost nothing but good news. Almost. Overall, the box office rose 53% from last weekend, earning $189 million. More importantly, the it was 16% higher than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2017 is still behind 2016; however, that gap was nearly cut in half from its peak just a couple of weeks ago. 2017 is now behind by 2.7% at $1.92 billion to $1.97 billion. If 2017 can put together a few more weeks like this, then it could climb into the lead before April begins. That is a big “if” and I would be satisfied with cutting the gap in half by the end of the month. More...

The Wall Trailer

March 7, 2017

Iraq war thriller starring Aaron Taylor-Johnson and John Cena, directed by Doug Liman opens May 12 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Kong: Skull Island’s Final Trailer

March 6, 2017

Big ape adventure with an ensemble cast led by Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson and John C. Reilly opens on Friday ... Full Movie Details. More...

Home Market Releases for March 7th, 2017

March 6, 2017

Moana

There are not a lot of releases on this week’s list for two major reasons. Firstly, it is a very, very shallow week. Secondly... Dental Surgery. By the time you read this, I might still be at the dentist. There are only two contenders for Pick of the Week, Jackie on Blu-ray and Moana on Blu-ray Combo Pack. It wasn’t particularly close and Moana is easily the Pick of the Week. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Moana

March 5, 2017

Moana

Moana was the third animated film distributed by Disney this year. All three earned excellent reviews, but Moana was by far the weakest at the box office. Is it also the weakest in terms of quality? More...

Weekend Estimates: Logan’s $85.3 Million is Fourth-Biggest Weekend in March

March 5, 2017

Logan

Logan is turning out to be everything Fox hoped for this weekend, with excellent reviews and a massive $85.3 million opening to kick off the Spring box office season. The film’s debut is a notable $20 million ahead of X-Men: Apocalypse’s $65.8 million last Summer. The only way to make it look anything less than stellar is to match it up against giants like Deadpool (which opened with $132 million in February last year), and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which holds the March weekend record of $166 million. More...

Friday Estimates: Logan Leaps to the Top with $33 million

March 4, 2017

Logan

Logan started off with $33 million on Friday. This is a little lower than predictions / previews suggested, but is still the fourth-biggest opening day in March. The film’s reviews are 94% positive, and it earned an A minus from CinemaScore, so it could bounce back over the weekend, but at this moment, an $80 million opening weekend is more likely than $85 million. This would still be the fourth-best opening weekend in March, but it will be very close and any further weakness will give Oz The Great and Powerful the edge on that chart. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Cry for Help

March 3, 2017

Donald-Cried-1-News.jpg

It is not a particularly good week for limited releases with lots of films earning mixed reviews, or worse. There are a few that are earning good reviews, like Catfight or Donald Cried, but none are likely to be box office hits. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Logan Surpasses Strange, but not as Lively as Deadpool with $9.5 million

March 3, 2017

Logan

As expected, Logan got off to a fast start, earning $9.5 million from its Thursday preview shows. This is better than the most recent super hero movie managed, as Doctor Strange pulled in $9.4 million during its previews last November. However, it is weaker than the $12.7 million Deadpool earned around this time last year. This is almost perfectly in line with expectations and with 93% positive reviews, an $85 million opening seems likely at this point. More...

Contest: King of Predictions

March 3, 2017

Kong: Skull Island

Next weekend, there is only one wide release: Kong: Skull Island. Unless something goes horribly wrong, it will open in first place. Because it is the only new release of the week, it is the only choice for the 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 Kong: Skull Island.

Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a Frankenprise consisting of their choice of either one TV on DVD release, two movies, or a kids package (could be a theatrical release, a couple of single-disc TV on DVD releases, or a full season TV on DVD release). 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, as described above. Finally, we will be choosing an entrant from the group of people who haven't won, or haven't won recently, and they will win the final Frankenprize, as described above.

Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

Weekend Predictions: Logan is set to Skewer the Competition

March 2, 2017

Logan

The first weekend of March has three wide releases, but the one everyone is talking about is Logan. It should become the biggest hit of the year so far. The other two releases are The Shack, a faith-based film, and Before I Fall, which is essentially Groundhog Day set in high school. Neither film is expected to compete for top spot. In fact, it would be a surprise if both landed in the top five. As far as holdovers are concerned, only Get Out has a shot at $20 million, while only The Lego Batman Movie will earn more than $10 million. This weekend last year, Zootopia led the way with just over $75 million, while the other two new releases earned less than $30 million combined. 2017 will be bigger on top, won’t have as strong new releases overall, but should have about the same depth. More...

Theater Counts (updated): Logan Opens in 4,071 Locations, Moonlight Cashes In

March 2, 2017

Logan

Oscar season is over, and it’s time for Hollywood to start rolling out its pre-Summer/Easter/Spring Break blockbusters. First out the gate is Logan, which debuts in 4,071 theaters, per Fox’s Thursday lunchtime announcement. That makes it the 4th-widest release in the month of March (see full list here), behind the likes of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, The Hunger Games, and Monsters vs. Aliens, all of which opened on the last weekend of the month. That’s a big show of confidence from the studio. More...

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Trailer 3

March 2, 2017

Sci-fi super hero adventure with Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana opens May 5, 2017 ... Full Movie Details.More...

International Box Office: Resident Evil here to Stay with $96.67 million

March 2, 2017

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter

Resident Evil: The Final Chapter rocketed to the top of the chart of the international chart with $96.67 million on 24,465 screens in 75 markets for totals of $211.87 million internationally and $238.52 million worldwide. The film opened in China over the weekend earning $90.76 million over the weekend and $92.98 million including Thursday previews. At this point, the studio’s share of the worldwide box office is approximately $80 million, or twice as much as it cost to make. If the film hasn’t already broken even, it will do so shortly. I know the film is called The Final Chapter, but I can see the franchise continuing, focusing almost entirely on the foreign market. More...

Contest: Straight Outta Suburbia: Winning Announcement

March 2, 2017

Get Out

The winners of our Straight Outta Suburbia contest were determined and the entrants with the closest predictions for Get Out’s opening weekend were... More...

Alien: Covenant Trailer

March 1, 2017

Sci-fi horror movie directed by Ridley Scott opens May 19 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Theater Averages: From A to Zucchini

March 1, 2017

My Life as a Zucchini

My Life as a Zucchini topped the per theater chart with an average of $14,529 in two theaters. The only other film in the $10,000 club was the overall number one film, Get Out, which earned an average of $12,002. More...

2017 Preview: March

March 1, 2017

Beauty and the Beast

February was an okay month. The films that missed expectations were mostly balanced by the films that were pleasant surprises. Unfortunately, last February was amazing as Deadpool dominated the chart, so 2017 has fallen further behind 2016 and 2016’s lead is now about $100 million. It is not so bad that a good March won’t help 2017 back into the lead. Will that happen? We have some good news and some bad news. Good news: Every week there is one movie that has at least a shot at $100 million. Two of them, Logan and Beauty and the Beast, could reach $200 million or a lot more. Bad News: last March, both Zootopia and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice earned more than $300 million. That’s a really powerful one-two punch and I don’t think we can replicate that this time around. On the other hand, last March, the third best film of the month was 10 Cloverfield Lane, while there were four films that were expected to open wide that earned less than $10 million at the box office. 2017 likely won’t be as good at the top, but I also don’t think it will have as many bombs either. If Beauty and the Beast reaches the very high end of expectations, then 2017 could even close the gap with 2016 entirely. I’ll be happy getting halfway there. More...