The Numbers News - September 2013

September 30, 2013

Final weekend numbers:
- 3-Day Weekend Friday-Sunday
- Friday Daily Numbers
- Saturday Daily Numbers
- Sunday Daily Numbers

We are now publishing our weekend and daily charts with updates as they are received from the studios. Most major studios, and many independent distributors report by about 1pm, Pacific Time and final numbers are available by 3.30pm. To be included in our charts, please send box office reports and release schedule updates to bodata@the-numbers.com. More...

Weekend Estimates: Meatballs Makes Tasty Debut

September 29, 2013

As expected, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 will be the comfortable winner of this weekend's box office race with a healthy $35 million beginning, according to Sony's Sunday estimate. That puts the film on course for the 4th-biggest weekend in September and is about $5 million ahead of the opening for the first film in the franchise. Given hopes of a $40 million debut, the film could be said to have underperformed slightly (and it will almost certainly not top the original's $124.8 million domestic total), but given the timing of the release, the studio will have reason for modest celebration in the midst of their worst year since 2005. The top of the chart in general has a middling-to-good-enough look to it this weekend. More...

Limited Releases Are What They Are

September 27, 2013

There are a lot of limited releases on this week's list, including a few earning stellar reviews. There are also a few with weak reviews or that are the wrong genre to thrive in limited release. One film fits into both ends of the spectrum, We Are What We Are, which is earning great reviews, but as a horror film, likely won't find an audience till the home market. Hopefully I am wrong. Inequality for All is earning even better reviews, but it is a documentary, so it have very little chance to expand. On the Job has the best reviews of the week, but it is a foreign-language action film, so it will likely not earn breakout success. More...

Contest: The Gravity of the Situation

September 27, 2013

Next week there are two wide releases, Gravity and Runner Runner. Gravity is not only earning much better reviews, it is also expected to dominate the box office. As such, it is the easy 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 Gravity. 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 new Girl: Season Two 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 new Girl: Season Two on DVD. Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

Weekend Predictions: Blue Skies Ahead

September 27, 2013

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 leads a group of four wide releases (three wide releases and a wide expansion, if you want to get technical). It should have no problem being the biggest hit of the weekend. It has a good chance of having the biggest opening weekend of the month. The other films coming out this week will be fighting for a smaller portion of the overall box office, but that's to weak competition, all should grab a spot in the top five. Last year, September ended with Hotel Transylvania, which debuted with $42.52 million; that's a good target for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. Second place went to Looper, which pulled in $20.80 million. That will top any of the other new releases coming out this week, but I'm hoping there will be better depth this year and 2013 can eke out a win. More...

Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: World War Z

September 26, 2013

World War Z was one of the most anticipated films of the summer, as it was based on a popular book and starred Brad Pitt, one of the biggest movie stars around. However, there were hints of problems, including extensive reshoots. In the end, it cost $190 million to make and while it pulled in more than $500 million worldwide, it will likely need a little help on the home market to break even. Will it break even on the home market? Or is it a flawed execution to a really good idea? More...

International Box Office: Facing Facts

September 25, 2013

There was an international film leading the way on the international chart this week. Gwansang jumped into first place internationally with $15.27 million on 1,239 screens in South Korea, lifting its total in that market to $46.58 million after just two weeks of release. It isn't the best South Korean film of the year, at least not yet, as Snowpiercer has made $62.1 million in that market. Meanwhile, Iron Man 3 earned about $65 million there. More...

Contest: Home and Alone: Winning Announcement

September 24, 2013

The winners of our Home and Alone contest were determined and they are... More...

Per Theater Chart: Enough is Never Enough

September 24, 2013

There were two major releases on the per theater chart with Enough Said pulling in an average of $58,200 in four theaters, while it has made $287,000 from Wednesday through Sunday. The only other film in the $10,000 club was Rush with an average of $37,458 in five theaters. This bodes well for it wide expansion on Friday. More...

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for September 24th, 2013

September 24, 2013

If I were to use a single world to describe this week's list of new releases, that world would be Iron Man 3. This film will dominate the DVD and Blu-ray sales chart by such a degree that practically none of the other releases matter. That's not to say there are no other releases that are worth picking up, it's just that they will be crushed on the sales chart. The best release of the week is Modern Family: Season Four, which is a clear contender for Pick of the Week. Unfortunately, I'm still waiting for the screener to arrive. This is also true for a number of new releases this week, but fortunately a late release is able to fill the void. Homeland: Season Two is clearly the best release on this week's list and the Blu-ray is the Pick of the Week. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Prisoners Lead Weakened Box Office

September 24, 2013

The top five at the box office lived up to expectations, more or less. Prisoners were on the high end of expectations, while Battle of the Year opened on the low end. Some holdovers, like Insidious Chapter 2, sank faster than expected, while Instructions Not Included defied all logic and returned to the top five. Overall, the box office fell 16% to $87 million. This was 4% lower than last year, ending 2013's impressive winning streak. Year-to-date, 2013 is still ahead of 2013 by just over $100 million at $7.77 billion to $7.66 billion. More...

Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Iron Man 3

September 23, 2013

Iron Man 3 was the first Marvel Comics movie since The Avengers broke records. Expectations for this film rose dramatically as a result of that film's box office success, not to mention its critical acclaim. Can Iron Man 3 live up to these expectations? Or has The Avengers set the bar too high? More...

Home Market Numbers: Host Makes the Most of the Home Market

September 23, 2013

There were a lot of new releases for the week of July 14th, 2013, but none of them were monster releases. In fact, The Host was the only film to sell more than 100,000 Blu-rays. Because of this, it should come as no surprise that the overall Blu-ray market was soft. Overall, 646,000 units were sold and $13.93 million in revenue was generated. This is a substantial increase from last week, up 19% in terms of units and 15% in terms of revenue. It was more or less flat compared last year, down 2% in terms of units, but up 9% in terms of revenue. The overall Blu-ray share rose to 24% in terms of units and 35% in terms of revenue. That will rise more when the summer blockbusters start coming out. More...

Blu-ray Sales: A Whole Host of New Releases

September 23, 2013

The week of July 14th, 2013 was a bit strange on the home market, as the Blu-ray sales chart and the DVD sales chart didn't line up very well. Granted, in both cases, new releases dominated, but unlike on DVD, The Host led the way on Blu-ray. It sold 103,000 units and generated $2.38 million for an opening week Blu-ray share of 42%, which isn't bad for a film with a decidedly weak box run. More...

DVD Sales: Lots of Tempting New Releases

September 23, 2013

There were a ton of new releases to reach the top 30 of the July 14th, 2013 edition of the DVD sales chart. This includes five films in the top six, which is impressive. (One could argue it is more a matter of quantity over quality.) Leading the way was Tyler Perry's Temptation, which sold 401,000 units and generated $2.97 million in revenue. This is a fine start, but nothing more. More...

Featured TV on DVD Review: South Park: Season 16

September 22, 2013

South Park is one of the longest running scripted shows on TV. It has been on the air for 16 years now, which is amazing. However, the past few seasons have been weaker than fans have come to expect. Can the show rebound this season? Or should we accept that the show's glory years are behind it and move on? More...

Weekend Estimates: Prisoners Starts Awards Season

September 22, 2013

Ever since Argo won the Oscar for Best Picture, the industry has been talking and thinking about the strategy of releasing a film ahead of all the other award hopefuls and building buzz through the season. The first test of this theory comes this weekend with one wide release and one platform release. The wide release, Prisoners, will comfortably top the chart with a very respectable $21.4 million from 3,260 theaters. While hardly in record-setting territory, it is very close to Argo's $19.5 million from 3,232 venues. Audience responses have been good (with 90% audience positive reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, for example), but next week's drop will be a big indicator of whether the film will have the chops for an awards run: Argo declined just 15% in its second weekend. Prisoners will need to do something similar before there's real talk of nominations to come. More...

Analysis: That Music You Hear? It's Probably By Hans Zimmer

September 22, 2013

Top-grossing people in technical roles

Last week I unveiled our new People Records section and talked about some of top performers across different types of acting, from the blockbusting superstars to the unsung heroes, to the cameo kings and queens. We've added some more charts to the record section this week, this time covering technical roles, and once more there's a lot of data to be mined. More...

Featured TV on DVD Review: Homeland: Season Two

September 21, 2013

In my opinion, Homeland was the best new release of last year. I am not alone in that opinion. In fact, given its performance at the Golden Globes and the Emmys, many, many people thought it was the best show, period. This is a double-edged sword, on the other hand, as it means there are incredible expectations for season two. Can it possibly live up to season one? Does it get even better? More...

Rush Out to See Limited Releases this Weekend

September 20, 2013

There are a few films on this week's list earning overwhelmingly positive reviews, including the The Wizard of Oz 3D re-release. This film might do well enough to reach the top ten. Rush opens in two theaters before expanding wide next weekend, so its per theater average is not as important, but could still do well. Enough Said is the big limited release hit of the week. The film has a lot of buzz, a sad real world story, and amazing reviews. It will likely come out on top. More...

Contest: Take a Chance, Again

September 20, 2013

Next week we have three wide releases, and another film expanding wide. However, only one of those films has a shot at earning first place, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. Since there's only one choice for the target film for this week's box office prediction contest, it was actually more difficult coming up with a name for the contest. (In the end, I just used the name I used for the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and added "Again" at the end.) In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 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 Nashville: Season One 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 Nashville: Season One on DVD. Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

Weekend Predictions: Prisoners Free to Capture Top Spot

September 20, 2013

There might be a close race at the box office this weekend. The buzz surrounding Prisoners is growing enough that it should earn first place, but Insidious Chapter 2 might hold on well enough to challenge the newcomer for top spot. The other new release for the week is Battle of the Year, which is opening in fewer theaters than I thought it would and with much worse reviews. It likely won't be a factor. In fact, there's a slim chance that the 3-D re-release of The Wizard of Oz will earn more this weekend than Battle of the Year will. The best new releases from this week last year was End of Watch, which only managed $13.15 million. This is close to what it cost to make, but it is low for a number one film. On the other hand, last year had much better depth than this year will have, so 2013's winning streak might come to an end. More...

Contest: Fortified Prizes: Winning Announcement

September 20, 2013

The winners of our Fortified Prizes contest were determined and they are... More...

International Box Office: Little Smurfs, Big Bucks

September 19, 2013

The Smurfs 2 rose to first place on the international chart with $17.52 million on 12,965 screens in 70 markets for totals of $219.56 million internationally and $288.51 million worldwide. It opened in first place in China with $9.93 million on 8,053 screens. It also opened in first place in Australia with $1.89 million on 462 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $2.04 million. More...

Home Market Numbers: Home Market Really is Despicable

September 19, 2013

As I mentioned last week, the new releases were terrible, so it is not a surprise that the overall home market numbers were so poor the week of July 7th. The best-selling new release on Blu-ray was An American Girl: Saige Paints the Sky, and it didn't even reach the top ten. Compared to the previous week, 16% fewer units were sold in total, 22% less revenue was generated, and the final figures were just 544,000 units / $12.08 million. Compared to last year, there were 20% fewer units sold, while the total revenue was 11% lower. The overall Blu-ray sunk even further to just 23% in terms of units and 31% in terms of revenue. Hopefully these numbers will bounce back once the summer blockbusters hit the home market. Unfortunately, TV on DVD releases will dominate for the next few weeks, so Blu-ray will suffer for a while. More...

Blu-ray Sales: Despicable Has Virtuous Result

September 19, 2013

New releases were even worse on the July 7th, 2013 edition of the Blu-ray sales chart than they were on the DVD sales chart. Leading the way was Despicable Me with 88,000 units / $1.23 million for the week and 2.35 million units / $58.37 million after more than two-and-a-half years of release. This puts it just outside of the top 20 on the All-Time Blu-ray Chart, and it has already made it there as of the writing of this column. More...

DVD Sales: New Releases Feel Despicable

September 19, 2013

The new releases were terrible this week with only two of them reaching the top 30 and none of them reached the top 5 on the July 7th, 2013 DVD sales chart. Despicable Me rose to first place with 196,000 units / $2.19 million for the week for totals of 8.96 million units / $147.10 million. More...

Per Theater Chart: Mother of God!

September 18, 2013

It was a busy week in terms of limited releases, not only with number of new releases, but the success of most of these releases. Mother of George was the top film with $22,456 in one theater. Final: The Rapture earned an average of $15,942 in two theaters, which is an impressive opening for a film with no reviews. It will be interesting to see where it goes from here. Wadjda opened in three theaters, earning an average of $13,751. This film has some Oscar buzz going for it, so it might last in theaters longer than most similar releases. Blue Caprice also has some Oscar buzz and its opening of $13,400 in one theater might help it thrive as well. The overall box office leader, Insidious Chapter 2, opened in fifth place on the per theater chart with an average of $13,208. GMO OMG earned $13,000 in its lone theater, but its reviews are only mixed, so it likely won't last long. Salinger fell 48% to $11,252, while still playing in four theaters. It is likely it won't be able to expand significantly given this decline. More...

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for September 17th, 2013

September 17, 2013

It's kind of a bad week for screeners, as there are four or so that either didn't arrive on time, or still are not here. This includes the biggest release of the week, World War Z, as well as a number of other releases I'm really looking forward to (Behind the Candelabra, Nashville: The Complete First Season, Sofia the First: Ready to Be a Princess, etc.). World War Z should lead the charts, both on DVD and on Blu-ray, but I'm not sure if I will agree with the pros or the cons on this one. Fortunately, some screeners did arrive, including the final season of Leverage. While I'm not happy this is the final season of the show, I'm very happy with the quality level for Season Five and it is the Pick of the Week. More...

Featured TV on DVD Review: Slugterra: Slug Power!

September 17, 2013

This is the third time I've reviewed Slugterra. It one of a crowded genre of cartoons about dueling that is based on a real world toy. It focuses on a young hero whose father was involved in a dueling world, but who disappeared, so he's thrust into this world unprepared. His allies include a big but gentle guy, a girl, and comic relief. It's not unique in its setup. That said, can it rise above the competition? And will fans want to pick it up? More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Insidious Scores September Record

September 17, 2013

Both new releases topped expectations and even though a couple of the holdovers struggled a little bit, the overall box office was still fantastic. Insidious Chapter 2 broke a September record that has been held for more than a decade on its way to a $40 million opening. The Family was well back in second place, but still on the high end of expectations. Overall, the box office pulled in $103 million. This was 21% more than last week and 19% more than the same weekend last year. In fact, Insidious Chapter 2 made more than Resident Evil: Retribution and Finding Nemo 3D made combined last year. Year-to-date, 2013 has pulled in $7.66 billion compared to $7.55 billion at this point in 2012. More...

Featured TV on DVD Review: Adventure Time: Jake the Dad

September 16, 2013

Adventure Time began in 2010 (2008 if you go by the pilot) and very quickly became very popular, and not just with young kids. It's part of a wave of cartoons that have plenty of adults fans. This is not the first DVD release for the show, but it is the first that I received. So how does the show compare to other similar cartoons like My Little Pony, Phineas and Ferb, and others? More...

Final Weekend Numbers

September 16, 2013

Final weekend numbers:
- 3-Day Weekend Friday-Sunday
- Friday Daily Numbers
- Saturday Daily Numbers
- Sunday Daily Numbers

Weekend Estimates: Insidious Number Two September Opener

September 15, 2013

Going into the weekend, Insidious Chapter 2 was widely expected to enjoy a comfortable win at the box office, but almost no-one thought it would open with over $40 million. It will do just that though, with FilmDistrict projecting a $41.05 million debut -- comfortably a record for the studio, ahead of the $30.3 million opening enjoyed by Olympus Has Fallen in another off-season spot (March 22). It'll also be the second-biggest September weekend at the box office, just behind Hotel Transylvania's $42.5 million last year. More...

Featured TV on DVD Review: Leverage: Season Five

September 15, 2013

Leverage's ended its run after five years, so it is a bittersweet time for fans. Sure, they get to complete their DVD collection of the show, but they also know there will be no more episodes in the future. Did the show at least go out on a high note? Do we get a satisfactory ending? Or does it just sort of fade away? More...

Analysis: Superstars, Side Kicks and Cameo Kings

September 14, 2013

Top-grossing actors and actresses in leading roles

Over the past two or so years, we've been working on one of the biggest projects we've ever undertaken: building out our database of acting and technical credits to include complete information on every acting role and significant technical credit for movies for which we have box office information. While work on this vast task continues (and will, of course, continue as long as films are being made), we have enough coverage of the industry now to start doing some serious analysis. Over the next month or two, I'll be looking at some of the things we've found and we'll be rolling out new features at The Numbers that take advantage of the dataset. This week, I'll look into how we are categorizing acting roles, and discuss the first charts in our new People Records section. More...

Featured TV on DVD Review: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: Season Eight

September 14, 2013

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is a low-budget comedy show that started in 2005 and has since become quite a hit on the FX and now the FXX cable channels. It is very rare for a show to last eight seasons, it is even rarer for a show to still be entertaining after eight years. Will fans still enjoy the show? Or is it beginning to become tired? More...

A Sampling of Limited Releases

September 13, 2013

The list of new limited releases is shorter than it was last week, but there are more films earning Award-worthy reviews this week than there were last week. Wadjda, Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction, Sample This, and Blue Caprice are all either above 90%, or very close to it. Of those four, Blue Caprice has the best shot at breakout success, but I hope they all thrive in limited release. More...

Contest: Home and Alone

September 13, 2013

While there is only one truly wide release coming out next weekend, Prisoners, we've accidentally double-booked prizes for the week. (Battle of the Year is also opening, but in under 2,000 theaters.) Because it is the only film opening truly wide, 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 Prisoners. Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a both Homeland: Season Two on Blu-ray and Slightly Single in L.A. 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 also win a copy of Homeland: Season Two on Blu-ray and Slightly Single in L.A. on Blu-ray. Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Insidious have a Family Friendly Opening?

September 13, 2013

This week there are two films opening in saturation level theater counts (3,000 or more theaters). However, the two have very different outlooks. Insidious Chapter 2 is expected to cruise to the top, perhaps with well over $30 million. The Family's outlook is a lot weaker and some analysts don't expect it to reach $10 million. Last year the number one film was Resident Evil: Retribution, which opened with $21.05 million, while Finding Nemo 3D was in second place with $16.69 million. There's a chance the top two films this weekend will beat those two combined, but even if that doesn't happen, last year's depth was pathetic, to put it mildly. 2013 should have an easy time coming away with a win. More...

International Box Office: Elysium On Top, But White House Moves Up

September 13, 2013

Elysium remained in first place with $21.31 million on 10,731 screens in 52 markets for totals of $127.46 million internationally and $212.57 million worldwide. Of that, $11.75 million came from 6,253 screens in China, which was enough for first place there. Not this weekend, but next weekend, the film opens in Japan, Brazil, Mexico, and other markets, so it should be a player on the international market for a few weeks, but it will need help on the home market to break even. More...

Home Market Numbers: Home Market is No Giant

September 12, 2013

As expected, the overall home market was not as good. The best new release for the week of June 30th, 2013, The Call, only managed third place on Blu-ray. Needless to say, the overall Blu-ray market fell 20% in terms of units an 21% in terms of revenue when compared to last week. The totals were 656,000 units and $15.70 million, which was 31% lower in terms of units and 25% lower in terms of revenue, when compared to last year. The overall Blu-ray share sank to 27% in terms of units and 35% in terms of revenue. This is a bad result, but the new releases have been bad for a while now. More...

Blu-ray Sales: Holdovers Slay New Releases

September 12, 2013

There were only three new releases to chart on the June 30th, 2013 edition of the Blu-ray sales chart, but all three of them reached the top ten. That said, Jack the Giant Killer remained in first place with 90,000 units / $2.24 million over the week for a total of 313,000 units / $7.40 million after two. More...

DVD Sales: Calling New Releases

September 12, 2013

There was a quartet of new releases spread throughout the June 30th, 2013 edition of the DVD sales chart. None were major hits, but at least The Call earned first place with 225,000 units / $3.88 million during its first week of release. It was only a midlevel hit at the box office, so this opening is on par with expectations, given the current state of the overall DVD market. More...

Contest: One for the Road: Winning Announcement

September 12, 2013

The winner of our Always Sunny for Riddick contest was determined and she is... More...

Reclusive Per Theater Chart

September 11, 2013

The buzz surrounding Salinger helped it earn first place on the Per Theater Chart with an average of $21,739 in four theaters. However, given its reviews, I don't think it will last long. Instructions Not Included remained in the $10,000 club with an average of $11,366 in more than 700 theaters. It could still expand further, given its per theater average. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Box Office was Left in the Dark

September 10, 2013

We have good news and bad news. Riddick only managed to reach the low end of expectations, while the overall box office was down nearly $40 million, or 32%, from last week. On the positive side, Instructions Not Included finished on the high end of expectations, while the overall box office was $85 million, which was 26% higher than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2013 has earned $7.54 billion, or 1.2% higher than last year's pace. More...

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for September 10th, 2013

September 10, 2013

The home market is looking to be a whole lot brighter this week with Star Trek into Darkness leading the way. It's not the only first-run release to come out this week, but it is by far the biggest. On the other hand, there are tons of TV on DVD releases, tons and tons of them. This includes Homeland: Season Two, which is a contender for Pick of the Week. However, the screener is on its way, so I'm going to hold off on that declaration. Instead, that honor goes to Castle: Season Five. Meanwhile, War Witch's DVD release earns the Puck of the Week for the best Canadian release. More...

Featured TV on DVD Review: Star Trek: The Original Series: Origins

September 10, 2013

Star Trek: The Original Series started nearly 50 years ago, while this week the latest movie, Into Darkness, comes out on the home market this week. To celebrate, a single-disc Blu-ray, Origins, comes out. So what episodes are found on the Blu-ray? And is it worth picking up? More...

Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Star Trek Into Darkness

September 9, 2013

Star Trek: The Original Series began nearly 50 years ago and created a TV and movie franchise that is still going on. The franchise has had its share of low points, but the 2009 reboot, Star Trek, revitalized the franchise at the box office. Star Trek into Darkness did even better at the box office. But did it deserve this box office success? Does it live up to franchise as a whole? More...

Final Weekend Numbers

September 9, 2013

Final weekend numbers:
- 3-Day Weekend Friday-Sunday
- Friday Daily Numbers
- Saturday Daily Numbers
- Sunday Daily Numbers

Featured TV on DVD Review: Blue Bloods: Season Three

September 9, 2013

Blue Bloods is the lowest rated show on CBS that earned a renewal. Compared to the network's average, the show's ratings were weak, even for a Friday night show. The viewership numbers are strong, but the average age is high enough that the large viewership doesn't translate into strong ratings in the prime demographic, which usually determines what shows stay and go. This one survived another year. Will fans celebrate this? Or has the quality slipped making cancellation inevitable? More...

Weekend Estimates: Riddick Tops Chart Packed with Indie Releases

September 8, 2013

The weekend after Labor Day is traditionally the slowest of the year in terms of ticket sales, but it is also potentially one of the more interesting in terms of movies because it can be the busiest weekend of the year for art house releases. This year, we have no less than 24 of them on our release schedule, and there's a good chance that we'll break the record for the most limited releases to report box office results (currently held by the weekend of September 10, 2010 with 16 -- there's an obscure movie stat for you). In fact, this weekend's chart looks very similar to that weekend three years ago. More...

Featured TV on DVD Review: Castle: Season Five

September 8, 2013

I've had a chance to review every season of Castle and so far I've loved every season. However, as it is with every show, the good times can't last forever. Is Season Five the season where quality starts to slip? More...

Limited Releases Go to Hell

September 6, 2013

As usual the weekend after Labor Day, it's a very busy week in limited release. Unfortunately, it is a case of quantity over quality. There are a couple of films earning good reviews: a foreign language film, Populaire, and a documentary, Red Obsession. It is unlikely either of them will find a large enough audience in limited release that they will be able to expand significantly. On the other hand, Awards Season is just around the corner, so fans of limited releases won't have to wait long before they will be flooded with options. More...

Contest: Fortified Prizes

September 6, 2013

There are two wide releases next weekend, but nearly everyone thinks Insidious Chapter 2 will top The Family. Because of this, Insidious Chapter 2 is 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 Insidious Chapter 2. Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win both Castle: Season Five on DVD and a copy of Deadly Heat, the book. 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 Deadly Heat, the book. Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Riddick Light Up the Charts?

September 6, 2013

The weekend after the Labor Day long weekend is historically the worst weekend of the year. Because of that, it should come as no surprise that there is only one wide release this weekend. After all, studios don't want to release a film if the weekend is practically cursed. However, that one film is Riddick, which is actually earning good buzz. It might crack $30 million over the weekend. Might. It would be a surprise, but you can't completely dismiss the possibility. The only other semi-new film to talk about is Instructions Not Included, which is doubling its theater count. However, it's a niche market film and these tend to have short legs, as the target audience rushes out to see them immediately. Fortunately, it doesn't really matter, because last year was a disaster. As long as Riddick tops $10 million, 2013 will come out ahead. More...

International Box Office: Elysium Returns to the Top

September 6, 2013

Elysium returned to first place with $17.89 million on 5,056 screens in 55 markets for an international total of $97.87 million. The film earned second place in South Korea with an estimated $5 million on 588 screens, including weekday numbers. It earned first place in Italy, albeit with a lower opening of $2.06 million on 404 screens. The film has yet to open in Japan, Brazil, Mexico, and other markets, but it will need a lot of help to break even any time soon. More...

Contest: One for the Road: Winning Announcement

September 5, 2013

The winner of our One for the Road contest was determined and it is... More...

Per Theater Chart: Competition Not Included

September 4, 2013

It was a very lop-sided week on the per theater chart with a couple of films in the $10,000 club, but the rest of the new limited releases, and a couple of new wide releases, were floating around, or below, the Mendoza Line. Instructions Not Included was the best with an average of $22,547 in 348 theaters. Stunning. This result is simply stunning. Afternoon Delight was next with an average of $13,676 in two theaters. Neither film earned good reviews, so it will be interesting to see if either can capitalize on this start. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Summer Ends in an Upward Direction

September 4, 2013

The Labor Day long weekend is over and pre-weekend predictions were spot on, at least when it came to the top-two films. One Direction: This is Us opened in first place on Friday, but by Sunday had fallen to fifth place, allowing Lee Daniels' The Butler to remain on top, if you go by the four-day weekend. There were a few surprises this weekend, including Instructions Not Included. I hoped it would do well, but I never imaged it would do this well. Overall the weekend was strong at $125 million over the three-day weekend, which was 14% more than last weekend. Over four days, the total box office was $160 million. This was 21% higher than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2013 holds a 0.9% lead over 2012 at 7.44 billion to $7.37 billion. More...

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for September 3rd, 2013

September 3, 2013

It's a really slow week on the home market. There's only one first-run release of note, Now You See Me, while the best-selling TV on DVD release is from the CW, The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Fourth Season. That doesn't mean there are no new releases worth picking up. In fact, there are a couple of contenders for Pick of the Week. Blancanieves is one such contender, but while the DVD or Blu-ray is worth picking up, I think the target audience is a little too limited for Pick of the Week. Instead, that honor goes to From Up on Poppy Hill on Blu-ray Combo Pack. More...

Final Weekend Numbers

September 3, 2013

Final weekend numbers:
- 3-Day Weekend Friday-Sunday
- Friday Daily Numbers
- Saturday Daily Numbers
- Sunday Daily Numbers
- Holiday Monday Daily Numbers

Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Slightly Single in L.A.

September 3, 2013

Slightly Single in L.A. began filming in November of 2009, but it is only now getting a Direct-to-DVD release. There are no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic doesn't even have a page for the film. That's a lot of bad signs. Does it deserve to be known by more people? Or would it have faded away, even if it had more buzz surrounding it? More...

Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: From Up on Poppy Hill

September 2, 2013

From Up on Poppy Hill is the latest film from Studio Ghibli to reach our shores. The film opened in limited release earlier this year and became the first film released by GKIDS to cross $1 million. Can the film live up to Studio Ghibli's previous films? If not, is it still good in its own regard? More...

Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Epic

September 1, 2013

Epic was the first big digitally animated film of the summer, but it wasn't able to become a monster hit. In fact, it will need a bit of help on the home market to break even. Will it get that help? Or is it just a middling family film destined to be forgotten? More...

Weekend Estimates: One Direction Rounds Out Hollywood's Biggest Summer

September 1, 2013

Hollywood's Summer ends this weekend with a suitably back-to-school winner in the form of One Direction: This is Us. The 3D concert movie will pick up $17 million Friday-Sunday, largely on the back of an impressive $8.9 million gross on Saturday. While that won't set it up to challenge Justin Bieber or Miley Cyrus among the top grossers in this particular sub-genre, it does show the solid business model for 3D films that cater to pop fans. Performances among other films playing this weekend were more varied. More...

2013 Preview: September

September 1, 2013

August ended, and we should be very grateful for that. Lee Daniels' The Butler was a surprise hit, while We're the Millers did better than expected. However, most other films that were expected to be solid hits failed to live up to expectations. Fortunately, August of 2012 was even worse, so 2013 regained the lead on the year-to-year comparison during the month. Looking forward, there is exactly one film that will likely become more than a midlevel hit in September: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2. That film has a chance to reach $100 million in total. Most of the rest of the new releases will be lucky if they get halfway there. Fortunately, September of 2012 was even worse. Hotel Transylvania was a surprise hit, earning nearly $150 million, and there were a few others that topped $50 million, but there were also several outright bombs. If we can avoid those types of bombs, then 2013 should continue its winning streak. More...

The Numbers News - September 2013

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