Home Market Releases for September 5th, 2017

September 5th, 2017

There are a few first-run releases coming out this week, but none of them did well enough in theaters and / or with critics to bother with above the fold, so to speak. There is one exception, The Big Sick, but it is only coming out on VOD this week. I’m hoping a Blu-ray screener is on its way. As for the Pick of the Week contenders, they are, in alphabetical order, Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas on DVD, Mr. Mom on Blu-ray, and Rebecca: Criterion Collection on Blu-ray. In the end, I went with the Alfred Hitchcock classic as the Pick of the Week. More...

Theater Averages: Beatriz Fills Up with Average of $28,392

June 13th, 2017

Beatriz at Dinner led the way on the theater average chart with an average of $28,392 in five theaters. Last week’s winner, Wonder Woman, was pushed into second place with a still impressive average of $14,050. The final film in the $10,000 club was The Hero with an average of $11,329 in four theaters. More...

Theater Averages: Long, Strange, and Profitable

May 31st, 2017

Long Strange Trip topped the theater chart with an average of $21,739 in two theaters over the weekend. (The film also had a special engagement on Thursday in 50 theaters.) This is more impressive, because of how long the movie is, which limited the number of screenings per day. The only other film to reach the $10,000 club was Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales with an average of $14,729. However, Restless Creature: Wendy Whelan came very close with an average of $9,940 in two theaters, plus it was a Wednesday release. More...

Theater Averages: Abacus Counts its Blessing with $12,528

May 24th, 2017

The only film in the $10,000 club was Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, which earned $12,528 in its lone theater during its opening weekend. The only other film that came close was Alien: Covenant, which earned an average of $9,615. More...

Theater Averages: Audiences Didn’t Wait to See Paris

May 16th, 2017

Paris Can Wait topped the theater average chart earning nearly $100,000 in just 4 theaters for an average of $24,713. The overall number one film, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, landed in second place with $15,013. The only other film in the $10,000 club was Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe, which earned $11,729 in its lone theater. Manifesto just missed the mark with $9,628 also in one theaters. However, it was a Wednesday release and managed $11,824 during its five-day opening. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Guardians Matches Original’s Hold Earning $65.26 million

May 16th, 2017

As expected, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 crushed the competition this weekend earning more than Snatched and King Arthur: Legend of the Sword’s combined openings. However, it held on better than expected down 55% to $65.26 million. The overall box office still fell by 30% from last weekend to $136 million. This is 3.8% higher than the same weekend last year. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 held on better than Captain America: Civil War did during its sophomore stint, but it was strong depth that helped 2017 win the year-over-year comparison. It didn’t win by much, so the overall lead still shrunk to 3.4% at $4.07 billion to $3.93 billion, but any lead is good news. More...

Weekend Estimates: Second Place Snatched from King Arthur

May 14th, 2017

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword has proved to be a costly bet gone wrong for Warner Bros. and Village Roadshow. The film had a long gestation period, and ended up costing $175 million to make. Once another $100 million or so of marketing is added in, that makes for a target of at least $550 million at the global box office before anyone starts recouping anything from the film. A domestic opening of $14.7 million, and $29.1 million overseas, makes that a laughably-distant prospect. Adding to the embarrassment, King Arthur will start out in third place, behind Mothers Day-play Snatched, and even that film isn’t doing particularly well, when all is said and done. More...

Friday Estimates: New Releases are Feeling Low as Guardians Dominates with $16.43 million

May 13th, 2017

The Friday box office had a couple of surprises, but not at the top. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 easily won the race for number one with $16.43 million. This is 70% lower than its opening Friday, which is distressing. Granted, Sunday is Mother’s Day, so it could bounce back more than it would during the average weekend, and our prediction of just over $60 million is still a solid bet. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Farewell to Loved Limited Releases

May 12th, 2017

It is a busy week for limited releases. Not only are there are lot of films coming out, but most of them have a sizable number of reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, suggesting there is at least some buzz. Unfortunately, a number of these movies are earning reviews that are mixed, or worse. Furthermore, there are many that are playing in too many theaters for limited release or playing on VOD, neither of which will help their box office chances. As for top picks, I would see Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe in theaters or Hounds of Love on Video on Demand. More...