December 16th, 2014
It is getting very close to Christmas and while this means there are more and more people shopping, it also means the new releases are less likely to stand out in a sea of sales. The biggest release of the week is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which is coming out on a 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack. However, it is also one of the worst big releases of the year. There are some releases that are contenders for Pick of the week, including Extant: Season 1 on DVD or Blu-ray, Tootsie on Blu-ray, and The Americans: Season 2 on DVD. In the end, I went with The Skeleton Twins on Blu-ray.
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December 16th, 2014
The Skeleton Twins is the fifth film I reviewed this week and it is the only one that earned impressive reviews. This does raise expectations, but is that a mistake? Or does this film truly deserve the critical praise it has received?
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November 5th, 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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October 15th, 2014
There were a trio of new limited releases topping the per theater chart, led by St. Vincent with an average of $27,470 in four theaters. Whiplash was close behind with an average of $22,565 in six theaters. The final film in the $10,000 club was Awake: The Life of Yogananda with an opening of $18,885 in one theater.
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October 7th, 2014
Keep On Keepin' On had the best weekend of its run earning an average of $13,291 in two theaters. Gone Girl earned an average of $12,446 in just over 3,000 theaters. Annabelle was very close behind with an average of $11,659 in close to 3,200 theaters.
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October 1st, 2014
There were only three films in the $10,000 club and it was a holdover leading the way. Not Cool pulled in $24,964 in one theater for a two-weekend total of $35,688. The best new release was Pride with an average of $13,662 in six theaters. The final film in the $10,000 club was also the number one film on the overall box office, The Equalizer, with an average of $10,549.
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September 21st, 2014
The Maze Runner will be the first film to top $30 million at the box office in six weeks, bringing a welcome boost to the industry at the beginning of the Fall season. With $32.5 million projected for the weekend, and overall positive reviews, Fox could have a modest new franchise on its hands. Things look less rosy for the weekend’s other wide releases. A Walk Among the Tombstones will have a disappointing debut around $13 million—the worst result for a wide release starring Liam Neeson since K-19: The Widowmaker back in 2002, or, if one takes inflation into account, the 1998 version of Les Miserables. This is Where I Leave You lands with a projected $11.86 million, and reviews that aren’t good enough to give it much hope of redemption via word of mouth.
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September 17th, 2014
There were a number of films in the $10,000 club this weekend, led by The Skeleton Twins, which earned an average of $25,379 in 15 theaters. The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby was next up with an average of $19,295 in four theaters. Both of these films have lots of room to expand. My Old Lady also did well with an average of $11,335 in 11 theaters, which is more impressive, because it was a Wednesday release. On the other hand, its reviews are merely good and likely not good enough to thrive in limited release. No Good Deed was right behind with an average of $11,150 in nearly 2,200 theaters.
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September 14th, 2014
Movie fans are ignoring the critics this weekend and turning out in big numbers to see No Good Deed. The thriller, starring Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson will easily win the weekend with an estimated $24.5 million, in spite of earning only 17% positive reviews from critics. Audiences are giving the film a 71% positive score so far, which represents a huge difference of opinion. Dolphin Tale 2, which was considered the more likely weekend winner, and is enjoying excellent reviews from critics and moviegoers alike, is under-performing at the box office and should make about $16.5 million according to Warner Bros., down from the $19.2 million opening for the first film in the franchise.
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September 12th, 2014
There's a large number of limited releases, including a few that are earning good reviews and strong buzz. One of these is The Drop, but it is opening in too many theaters and I think that will hurt it at the box office. If I were to guess, The Skeleton Twins will be the biggest hit on this week's list.
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