August 21st, 2009
It's the final weekend in August and in many respects the final weekend of summer. Looking at potential number one films, we have two horror sequels both opening in an estimated 3,000 theaters.
That makes picking which one will be the target for in this week's Box Office Prediction Contest a bit of a toss-up. We're going with Halloween 2 since Halloween made more than any of the Final Destination films, so it should open first. Maybe. It might be tricky this week. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office of Halloween 2.
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 Soloist on Blu-ray.
Meanwhile, whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will win a copy of The Curious Case of Benjamin Buttons on 2-Disc DVD.
Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay!
More...
June 9th, 2009
New releases were a little more plentiful on the rental chart than they were on the sales chart, but a holdover still led the way.
Paul Blart - Mall Cop earned first place for the second week in a row, generating about 30% more rentals than Taken, which rose to second place.
More...
June 4th, 2009
There were not as many new releases to crack the top 30 on this week's rental chart as there were on this week's sales chart; however, the same film, Paul Blart - Mall Cop, topped both lists.
More...
May 27th, 2009
Taken wasn't the only new release to chart this week; in fact, there were nine that reached the top 30.
However, it was comfortably the best-selling with 2.31 million units and $37.96 million in consumer spending at retail.
It is already the tenth best-selling DVD of the year.
More...
May 27th, 2009
Just as it did on the sales chart, Taken led all new release and placed first overall.
More...
May 19th, 2009
There was only one major new release on DVD this week, and it comes as no surprise that it topped the sales chart. The movie was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and it sold 1.48 million units to generate $24.60 million in consumer spending at retail.
More...
May 19th, 2009
Just two new release charted this week, led by The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which had three times as many rentals as the second place Bride Wars.
More...
May 12th, 2009
Thanks to last week's computer crash, and the overabundance of spotlight reviews, the rest of the list will be a lot shorter than usual. Unless the DVD is a contender for DVD Pick of the Week, it will only get a few sentences at most. As for the best of the best, I would go with Galaxy Quest, the Deluxe 10th Anniversary Edition as my DVD Pick of the Week. Also worthy is Star Trek - Original Motion Picture Collection. A big list means we have to split it into two, and the second part can be found here
More...
May 8th, 2009
Another week, another potential monster hit. This time it is Angels & Demons, and to celebrate, it is the target film in this week's box office prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office of Angels & Demons.
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 Curious Case of Benjamin Button on DVD and Inside the Third Reich on DVD.
Meanwhile, 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 of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on DVD, as well as America Betrayed on DVD.
Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay!
More...
May 5th, 2009
The last of the Best Picture Oscar Nominees hits the home market this week. And while the Blu-ray arrived late, the Two-Disc DVD of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is worthy of the DVD Pick of the Week. On the other hand, no other release on this week's list came close to be a contender for that title, and overall it was a rather slow week. Still not so slow that I didn't have to split this week's column into two parts, with the second part found here.
More...
May 5th, 2009
The last of the Best Picture Oscar Nominees hits the home market this week. And while the Blu-ray arrived late, the Two-Disc DVD of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is worthy of the DVD Pick of the Week. On the other hand, no other release on this week's list came close to be a contender for that title, and overall it was a rather slow week. Still not so slow that I didn't have to split this week's column into two parts, with the second part found here.
More...
March 29th, 2009
Watchmen fell out of the top five with $6.35 million on 4965 screens in 53 markets for a total of $60.63 million. Unless it is a big hit in Japan over the weekend, $100 million internationally is likely out of the question, as is $200 million worldwide. Depending on how much it costs to advertise, it could still make enough to show a profit, but it could take quite a bit longer than the studio would have liked.
More...
March 22nd, 2009
Confessions Of A Shopaholic nearly doubled its weekend haul as it pulled in $6.78 million on 2023 screens in 26 markets for a total of $31.91 million after a month of release. The film opened in first place in Australia, no surprise there, as that's the home of Isla Fisher, with $1.89 million on 309 screens. It earned a nearly identical result of $1.84 million on 426 screens in Germany, but that was only enough for third place in that market. Next up for the film is South Korea and Spain at the end of this month, while it doesn't end its run till the end of May when it opens in Japan and France.
More...
March 11th, 2009
Watchmen opened in top spot on the international charts, but with a weaker than expected figure. Much weaker in some markets. The film did top the charts in the U.K. with $4.52 million on 419 screens and in Australia with $2.29 million on 226, which is a great start for this time of year, but not a monster opening some were predicting. It placed first in Italy, but with a soft opening of $1.48 million on 344 screens, and the same was true in South Korea ($1.44 million on 397) and in Mexico ($722,000 on 417). The film had to settle for second place in Russia with $2.60 million on 554 screens and in France with $2.49 million on 517. Third was the best the movie could do in Germany ($2.03 million on 367 screens) and in Spain ($1.94 million on 426). Overall it did finish in first place with $26.63 million on 5,149 screens in 44 markets, but with only a couple of major markets left to open in, and the likelihood of massive drop-offs, this film will likely not match its domestic total, and might not top $100 million internationally. This is bad news for a movie that some have suggested cost $200 million to make, but that likely includes worldwide P&A, as well as the production budget. If it can make $300 million worldwide, then it will show a profit during its initial push on the home market. If it can make $200 million worldwide, then it will show a profit, eventually.
More...
March 4th, 2009
Slumdog Millionaire nearly doubled its weekend haul thanks to its Oscar wins, and a bit of expansion. For instance, the film opened in second place in Poland with $536,000 on 60 screens over the weekend for a total of $662,000. In the U.K. it rose from third into first place with $2.38 million on 447 screens over the weekend for a total of $36.74 million. Over in Spain it added $2.21 million on 250 screens, which was also enough for first place, while it has now made $6.00 million after three weeks of release. Overall the film made $16.94 million on 2,915 screens in 37 markets for a total of $99.71 million and will have reached the $100 million mark on Monday.
More...
March 3rd, 2009
It's been just over a week since Slumdog Millionaire won big at the Oscars, and it won again last weekend. It was the only one of the ten theatrical winners to show a significant bounce at the box office, as its theater count and per theater average both rose. This helped its box office climb by 43% to just over $12 million, the best weekend haul in its run.
More...
February 25th, 2009
No major, or midlevel openings left The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button down 30% this weekend; however, it still earned more than enough to remain in top spot on the international charts.
It earned $21.20 million on 5,516 screens over the weekend in 55 markets for a total of $153.15 million, which is the second best total for a David Fincher film.
(Only Se7en earned more.)
The film's best market was Italy where it added $3.10 million on 502 screens over the weekend for a total of $8.65 million after two.
It was also very strong in France adding $3.06 million on 584 screens, giving the film a three-week total of $14.72 million.
With no major openings left ahead, the film will have to rely on holdovers to grow its worldwide box office, but it is only $50 million away from overtaking Se7en and becoming the biggest hit in David Fincher's career.
This is great news, because it was an very, very expensive movie to make.
More...
February 22nd, 2009
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced their winners tonight in a star-studded gala. While there were plenty of winners, Slumdog Millionaire walked away with eight Oscars, easily the most of any film tonight.
More...
February 21st, 2009
With our annual Oscar Prediction contest under way, now is the best time to look at the nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. Today we look at Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role.
More...
February 20th, 2009
With our annual
Oscar Prediction contest under way, now is the best time to look at the
nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. Today we look at Best Female Actor in a Leading Role and Best Male Actor in a Leading Role.
More...
February 19th, 2009
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button isn't exactly bringing in the Benjamins, at least not internationally, but it is brining in the Euros and the Pounds, and the Wons. In total it made $30.49 million on 5669 screens in 49 markets for a total of $119.56 million internationally, which is nearly as much as the film has made domestically. The film opened in first place in Italy with $3.84 million on 477 screens, while it also topped the charts in South Korea with $1.84 million on 382 screens over the weekend for a total of $2.14 million. Holdovers were led by France, where the film added $4.19 million on 579 screens for a total of $10.87 million, while it climbed to first in Japan with $3.03 million on 426 screens over the weekend and $11.30 million after two. The film was solid in both the U.K. ($2.52 million on 419 screens) and in Germany ($2.49 million on 590 screens). The film now has totals of $7.27 million after two weeks in the former and $13.56 million after three weeks in the latter.
More...
February 19th, 2009
With our annual
Oscar Prediction contest underway, now is the best time to look at the
nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. Today we look at Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role.
More...
February 18th, 2009
With our annual Oscar Prediction contest under way, now is the best time to look at the nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. Today we will look at Best Writing - Original Screenplay and Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay.
More...
February 11th, 2009
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button earned first place on the international chart with $32.57 million on 4,939 screens in 42 markets for a total of $75.41 million. The film opened in first place in four major markets, led by France where it made $5.45 million on 566 screens, while it made $5.05 million on 459 screens in Spain. It was not as potent in the U.K. with $3.29 million on 425 screens and in Russia with $1.62 million. It had to settle for second place in Japan, but earned a strong $3.42 million on 427 screens. As for holdovers, the film remained in first place in Germany with $3.82 million on 605 screens over the weekend for a total of $10.27 million after two weeks of release. Benjamin Button isn't done yet and it will hit $200 million worldwide shortly, if it hasn't already, while it should top its domestic total before too long.
More...
February 5th, 2009
Valkyrie remained in first place with $19.37 million on 4,298 screens in 25 markets for a total of $38.88 million internationally. The film opened in first place in Spain with $3.25 million on 397 screens and in Russia with $2.02 million on 520 screens. On the other hand, it had to settle for second place in Italy ($2.31 million on 394 screens) and in France ($2.17 million on 450). As for holdovers, the film fell from first to third in Germany, but still added $2.44 million on 695 screens over the weekend for a total of $7.39 million after two.
More...
February 2nd, 2009
The Very Best Film 2, the sequel to The Very Best Film opened in Russia and a handful of other markets this past weekend. It scored first place in its native land with $8.38 million on 948 screens, while it earned sixth place in total with $9.29 million on 1072 screens in 4 markets. This is a serious decline from its predecessor's opening weekend, but still a strong start otherwise.
More...
January 25th, 2009
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa fell from second to sixth with $9.07 million on 5601 screens in 48 markets for a total of $380.42 million. No openings hurt the film this past weekend, and its only $1 million markets this past weekend were South Korea at $1.20 million on 432 screens and Poland at $1.09 million on 130. The film has made $3.76 million after two weeks in the former and $7.72 million after three weeks in the latter.
More...
January 25th, 2009
The theatrical market continued to perform strongly this weekend, with Sony in particular having good reason to cheer.
Paul Blart: Mall Cop followed up its amazing opening weekend with a very solid hold, down just 33% to an estimated $21.5 million for the weekend and $64.8 million after two.
Underworld 3: Rise of the Lycans couldn't top that performance, but did a creditable $20.7 million, which will almost certainly translate into a continuation of the franchise.
Inkheart was the biggest disappointment of the weekend, earning $7.725 million for seventh place.
More...
January 22nd, 2009
For a year without an obvious front-runner for the Oscar race, there were not a whole lot of surprises when it came to the nominations. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced their nominations today and leading the way was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with thirteen while Slumdog Millionaire was second with ten.
More...
January 20th, 2009
One film on Thursday's prediction column missed expectations; just one. This explains while, despite the fact that the number one film this year was well behind the number one film last year, the overall box office saw amazing growth to $193 million over three days, and $231 million over four. This was ahead of last year's Martin Luther King Jr. day long weekend by 25% and 24% respectively. Year-to-date, 2009 had brought in $668 million, which represents a 24% increase over last year's pace of $539 million.
More...
January 18th, 2009
Australia reached a major milestone this past weekend as it topped $100 million internationally. Over the weekend the film added $12.33 million on 4901 screens in 55 markets for a total of $103.30 million internationally and $151.06 million worldwide. Additionally, with openings in Italy, Brazil, China, Russia, and Japan still ahead, the film has a shot at $200 million worldwide. That would be enough to cover the film's production budget, after taking into account Australia's generous tax incentives.
More...
January 12th, 2009
Just like this weekend last year, the number one film was a limited release expanding wide. However, while that movie, and indeed practically every new release was a pleasant surprise, the holdovers fell faster than expected to leave the box office down 4.4% from last week at $146 million. That is still a whopping 13% more than the same weekend last year, and that gives 2009 an early 25% lead over 2008. The key word is "early." It is far too soon to tell if 2009 is going to finish ahead of 2008, while any expectations that it can maintain this pace are completely unreasonable.
More...
January 11th, 2009
The Day the Earth Stood Still fell out of the top five, as it was down 46% to $10.91 million on 5008 screens in 42 markets for a total of $129.59 million internationally and $204.01 million worldwide. The film's best market was Japan, where it remained in second place with $2.71 million on 642 screens over the weekend for a total of $19.19 million after three.
More...
January 9th, 2009
The final guild nominations were recently announced, and there are several theatrical categories to get to. The three guilds, DGA, PGA, and WGA, announced out eight nominations in total, which really help to fill in the gaps for prediction the Oscar nods. Or in some cases, just make matters more confusing.
More...
January 6th, 2009
The first weekend of the year starts well with practically every film in the top five having at least something to cheer about. Overall the box office pulled in $153 million, which is 24% less than last weekend; however, it's a post-holiday weekend, so that decline is understandable. Compared to the first weekend of 2008, 2009 is off to a great start up just shy of 10% over last year. And more importantly, last year got off to a great start, so we are looking at a fantastic start.
More...
January 5th, 2009
Ghajini was a surprise entry in the top five as the Indian film earned $12.85 million on 1347 screens in 22 markets, which is more than enough to be considered a monster hit. In fact, it set records in its native market and could break the record set by Dhoom 2 worldwide.
More...
January 1st, 2009
As is customary for the first weekend of the year, there are no new releases to deal with. However, there are plenty of high profile holdovers to entertain moviegoers, including several that at least have a shot at reaching $100 million before they leave theaters. In fact, every film in the top five has at least a shot at reaching that milestone.
More...
December 30th, 2008
Not every film lived up to expectations over the weekend, but more than enough did that we can safely say 2008 ended on a high note. Over the past three days, the box office pulled in $201 million, which was more than double last week's haul of $90 million. It was also close to 8% better than the same weekend last year, however, that's not enough for 2008 to recover, and it is still almost 1% behind last year's pace $9.55 billion to $9.63 billion. Ticket sales were off by more than 5%, which is the second worst decline in more than a decade. That said, nearly $10 billion in ticket sales is still huge, and as long as production budgets don't get out of hand, the industry is healthy.
More...
December 28th, 2008
The Screen Actors Guild nominations were announced last Friday, but in the holiday rush, they fell through the cracks. Perhaps that's because most SAG talk these days revolves around possible strike action. The big player here is undoubtedly Doubt, which picked up four individual nods and one for its primary cast.
More...
December 28th, 2008
Fox emerged from the Christmas holiday weekend victorious thanks to an impressive opening by Marley & Me, which opened with an estimated $14.675 million on Christmas Day (an all-time record Christmas Day opening) and finished the weekend with $51.675 million, including $37 million over the three-day weekend Friday-Sunday.
Studio estimates gave second and third places to The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Bedtime Stories, which both also broke the previous record for biggest Christmas Day opening.
Bedtime Stories finished the weekend with $38.6 million in total earnings and Button finished with $39 million.
The two movies traded second and third spots through the long weekend, and we'll only know which movie finished top once we have final numbers on Monday.
More...
December 28th, 2008
There are almost as many wide releases this week as there were total release last week. However, while there are several effective sites, and none that feel sub-standard, none rise to the level of the Weekly Website Award.
More...
December 24th, 2008
There are five films opening wide tomorrow, as well as a limited release expanding into more than 1000 theaters, which could be enough to propel it into the top ten. Given the weak new releases for the past few weeks, there is a chance all five wide releases will place in the top five, while it is unlikely any will bomb completely (even the two saddled with negative buzz). Compared to last Christmas, the box office could see some growth, which will help the year end on a positive note.
More...
December 12th, 2008
The latest set of Awards Season nominations were handed out today as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced their nominations. There was not much in the way of surprises, and it is hard to look at one film and say it was the big winner, but Frost/Nixon and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button come the closest.
More...
December 1st, 2008
We end the year with a winning streak, one that will hopefully continue right through the New Year holiday. It seems nearly every film released this month is either an Oscar contender or a potential $100 million hit. Sometimes both. If all six films with box office potentials of $100 million or more reach that milestone, and Bolt and Four Christmases have the legs to make it there as well, we could set the record for most $100 million released in a single year. (It is currently at 29 films set in 2003.)
More...
August 24th, 2008
This week's round of new movie release information contains release dates for The International, Youth in Revolt, Fame and more!
More...
March 28th, 2008
This week's round of new casting information contains updates for Crazy on the Outside, Two Lovers, W., and more!
More...
February 17th, 2008
This week's round of new movie release information contains release dates for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Four Christmases, Star Trek XI and more!
More...
June 3rd, 2007
This week's round of new movie release information contains release dates for Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and more.
More...
