The Numbers News - January 2014
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2014 Preview: February
January 31, 2014
After a weak start, January rebounded and a couple of films on last month's preview cracked $100 million at the box office. Granted, Lone Survivor is technically a December release, but Ride Along will become one of the rare January releases to reach the century mark. Unfortunately, there doesn't appear to be too many February releases that have a real shot at $100 million. It is very likely that The Lego Movie will reach that milestone, but most of the rest of the movies will be lucky if they reach $50 million. Last February was very similar. We had one surprise $100 million hit, Identity Thief, plus a couple of solid midlevel hits, Warm Bodies, for instance. However, for the most part, the month was one miss after another. This means 2014 could continue its winning ways, or at the very least, shouldn't fall behind 2013's pace.
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Limited Releases: Best Week Ever?
January 31, 2014
It's a rather busy week for limited releases, but not a good week. There are a couple of films that are earning overwhelmingly good reviews, 12 O'Clock Boys and Tim's Vermeer, but there are more films earning terrible reviews. The limited release I'm most interested in are the 2014 Oscar Shorts. This year they are split into four films (live action, animated, and two for the documentaries) and should easily be the biggest limited release of the weekend. The total combined reviews are 30 positive and only 4 negative.
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Contest: Wings and a Prayer
January 30, 2014
While there are three wide releases next weekend, only one of them has a real shot at first place: The LEGO Movie. It is the only real choice for the target film for this week's box office prediction contest. In order to win, simply predict the opening weekend box office figure for The LEGO Movie.
Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win the a copy of Wings 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 win a copy of Care Bears: Care-A-Thon Games on DVD.
Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay!
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Weekend Predictions: New Releases are Far from Super
January 30, 2014
It's the Super Bowl weekend, so needless to say, the new releases are looking rather weak. Why would any studio want to release a film against what is the largest single sporting event of the year? There are two wide releases coming out, but neither is expected to make much of an impact. That Awkward Moment is the bigger of the two wide releases, but its reviews are terrible. It should still earn first place, because there's no competition to speak of. Labor Day's reviews are slightly better and its target demographic has very little crossover appeal with the Super Bowl. Even so, most think it will miss the top five. This weekend last year, Warm Bodies earned first place with just over $20 million. If That Awkward Moment earns $20 million, I will be shocked. It might not earn too much more than half of that.
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International Box Office: Wolf Rolling in the Money
January 29, 2014
The Wolf of Wall Street remained in first place with $35.27 million on 5,472 screens in 40 markets for an international total of $125.49 million. This is already substantially more than the film has pulled in domestically, plus it has a number of major market debuts ahead. This past weekend, the film opened in first place in Australia with $4.46 million on 325 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $4.68 million. Meanwhile, it remained in first place in the U.K. with $5.95 million on 506 screens over the weekend for a total of $17.94 million after two weeks of release. It had a very similar weekend at the box office in Germany with $5.49 million on 597 screens, while it is $14.11 million in that market, also after two weeks of release.
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Contest: Frankenprize: Winning Announcement
January 28, 2014
The winners of our Frankenprize contest were determined and they are...
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Per Theater Chart: Glory to Gloria
January 28, 2014
There were not a lot of new releases to do well on the per theater chart this week, but one of them, Gloria, led the way with an average of $19.592 in three theaters. A long-time release, The Great Beauty, returned to the $10,000 club with an average of $13,121 in nine theaters.
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DVD and Blu-ray Releases for January 28th, 2014
January 28, 2014
There are a large number of first run releases coming out this week on the home market, five in total. This is a huge amount. This week, the latest season of Downton Abby also comes out on the home market, and it is the best selling new release of the week, at least according to Amazon.com. So at the top, it is a really busy week. On the other hand, there's very little depth. Beyond those six releases, there's not a lot to talk about. Out of all of the movies on this week's list, Rush is the best movie, but the DVD and Blu-ray Combo Pack are only good and not great. On the other hand, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 on Blu-ray or 3D Blu-ray is the best total package. Meanwhile, I finally got a chance to review Carrie (the screener arrived late) and it was better than I thought it would be and the Blu-ray Combo Pack is worth picking up, especially if you haven't seen the original movie.
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Weekend Wrap-Up: Frankenstein's Debut isn't Lively
January 27, 2014
I, Frankenstein died at the box office, as it missed the top five entirely. This gave Ride Along an easy road to first place over the weekend. Meanwhile, the rest of the top five all matched expectations, or came within a rounding error of doing so. This helped the overall box office somewhat. It was still a post-holiday frame and the total box office fell 34% to $117 million, but it could have been worse. Compared to last year, the overall box office was 4% higher, which is good news early in the year. 2014 has extended its lead over 2013 to 9% at $823 million to $754 million.
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Featured 3D Blu-ray / DVD Review: Argento's Dracula
January 27, 2014
Dario Argento is a master of the horror genre. In fact, he helped change the genre and his influence is still felt today. However, it has been nearly 20 years since a film of his has earned overall positive reviews, and nearly 30 years since his last great movie. Will Argento's Dracula be the film that turns his recent streak around? Or is it more of the same weak releases he's put out in the past two decades?
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Featured DVD Review: The April Fools and The War Between Men and Women
January 26, 2014
Jack Lemmon starred in some of the greatest movies ever made. That is not a hyperbole. Some Like it Hot is arguably the greatest comedy every made. The Odd Couple, The Apartment, Grumpy Old Men, Glengarry Glen Ross, etc. The list of great movies he was in goes on and on and on. This week, two of his lesser known movies come out on DVD for the first time. To give you some perspective, neither The April Fools nor The War Between Men and Women have any reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. They have clearly faded from public memory. Do they deserve to be rediscovered? Or is there a reason they didn't get a DVD release till now?
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2014 Awards Season: DGA: Gravity adds Weight to its Oscar Chances
January 26, 2014
The Directors Guild of America handed out the awards over the weekend, including two for theatrical releases. There were no true upsets, but it didn't go exactly as I anticipated it would go.
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Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Carrie
January 26, 2014
Carrie is a remake of of the 1976 film of the same name. The original Carrie is considered a classic horror film and the movie that brought Stephen King immense fame. Horror remakes have done poorly recently and this film was no different. However, was it a bad remake? Or has the public perception of horror remakes unfairly hurt this film at the box office? Does it do enough new to make it worth watching? Or is it yet another unnecessary remake?
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Weekend Projections: Frankenstein D.O.A.
January 26, 2014
After tracking poorly for months, Lionsgate's I, Frankenstein arrived in theaters this weekend with a disappointing projected $8.275 million, according to the distributor, enough for only 6th place on a box office chart that's a jumble of Oscar hopefuls and less ambitious January fare. Ride Along tops the list with $21.1 million projected for the weekend by Universal, which also lays claim to this weekend's number two spot with Lone Survivor's $12.6 million.
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Limited Releases: Shelter From the Storm
January 24, 2014
There are a number of releases on this week's list that are worth checking out. This includes Gloria, the official Oscar selection from Chile; Stranger by the Lake, an erotic thriller with a gay protagonist; and Our Man in Tehran, a Canadian documentary that tells the story of what happened in Argo. There are also some less serious films that I think I will like more than the average critic: 3 Night Stand and Knights of Badassdom. On the other hand, the widest release is Gimme Shelter, which might do well if it can tap into the churchgoing demographic; however, it could also miss the Mendoza Line.
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Contest: Starved of Attention
January 23, 2014
Next weekend is the last weekend of January / first weekend of February and there are two films that are opening wide: That Awkward Moment and Labor Day. Unfortunately, neither of them are expected to be big hits and it is possible neither of other will open with more than $10 million. That said, we still have to pick a target film for this week's box office prediction contest, and I'm not 100% sure Labor Day will open 100% wide, so let's go with That Awkward Moment as the target film for this week's box office prediction contest. In order to win, simply predict the opening weekend box office figure for That Awkward Moment.
Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win the a copy of The Starving Games 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 Starving Games on DVD.
Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay!
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Weekend Predictions: Will Frankenstein be Taken for a Ride?
January 23, 2014
After a record-breaking weekend, it's a letdown this weekend. I, Frankenstein is the only wide release of the week and there's very little chance it will be a major hit at the box office. It might overtake Ride Along for top spot, but I wouldn't bet on it. Last year Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters was the biggest release of the week earning $19.69 million over the weekend, while it and Mama were the only two films to earn more than $10 million. We should have four films earning more than $10 million over the weekend, so 2014 should win in the year-over-year comparison.
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International Box Office: Wolf Leads the Pack
January 23, 2014
The Wolf of Wall Street rocketed from fifth place to first place with $32.84 million in 4,446 screens in 36 markets for an international total of $80.86 million over four weeks of release. The film opened in first place in the U.K. with $7.65 million on 500 screens, while in Germany it earned first place with $6.66 million on 502 screens. Meanwhile, it made $3.62 million on 327 screens in Spain, earning first place in that market as well.
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Contest: All the Presidents' Prizes: Winning Announcement
January 23, 2014
The winner of our All the Presidents' Prizes contest was determined and it is...
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Per Theater Chart: Along for the Ride
January 22, 2014
The only film to top $10,000 on this week's per theater chart was Ride Along, which earned an average of $15,590. This is an amazing result for a January release. In fact, it would have been amazing for a limited release.
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Weekend Wrap-Up: Ride Cruises to the Finish Line
January 21, 2014
It was a record-breaking weekend with Ride Along earning the biggest January opening weekend and the biggest MLK long weekend. Needless to say, it crushed expectations. Additionally, The Nut Job overcame terrible reviews to earn a solid opening, at least according to estimates. Overall, the box office pulled in $176 million over the three-day weekend, which is 26% more than the three-day weekend last week and last year. Over the four-day weekend, the box office pulled in $211 million, or 28% more than last year's MLK long weekend. That's great news, as 2014 was below 2013's pace. In fact, after this weekend, 2014 has pulled ahead of 2013 by 8% at $671 million to $621 million.
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DVD and Blu-ray Releases for January 21st, 2014
January 20, 2014
The home market picks up steam this week, sort of. We are starting to get some of the Awards Season hopefuls coming out, which is great news for fans of great movies. However, there's not a lot of depth to go with the award-worthy movies. The two films that were the main contenders for Pick of the Week were Captain Phillips on DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack and In a World... on DVD or Blu-ray. It was a close decision, but in the end, I went with In a World...
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2014 Awards Season: PGA Produces a Rare Tie
January 20, 2014
Producers Guild of America handed out their awards last night and while there were no real upsets, there was certainly a surprise for the top prize.
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Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Best Man Down
January 19, 2014
Best Man Down opened in the heart of Awards Season, but it wasn't aiming for Oscars. It's simply an Indie Dramedy that got lost in the crowd, in part due to its release date, but also in part due to its reviews. Does it deserve to find an audience in limited release? Or would this film have faded away no matter when it debuted?
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Weekend Projections: Ride Along Sets January Opening Record
January 19, 2014
What could have been a close run thing at the box office this weekend has turned into a romp to victory for Ride Along, with the comedy set to break Cloverfield's record for biggest opening weekend in January with estimated three-day $41.2 million. The performance is all the more impressive for being delivered from just 2,663 theaters, and marks Universal's third consecutive MLK weekend win, following Mama last year and Contraband in 2012. With the studio's holdover, Lone Survivor, holding on to second place with $23.2 million in its second weekend the other three wide openers range from 3rd to 6th place in the charts.
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2014 Awards Season: SAG is a Buyer's Market
January 19, 2014
SAG handed out their awards last night, and while there were not many surprises, there was one major upset, at least in my mind. Dallas Buyers Club led the way with two wins, making it the new Oscar favorite.
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2014 Awards Season: PGA Buries the Lead
January 19, 2014
Producers Guild of America announce the winners tonight, but it seems I forgot to upload the story when they announced their nominations. In my defense, they announced them on January 2nd. You don't make an announcement on January 2nd, not unless you are trying to bury a story. As for the actual nominations, there are very few differences between this group and others, except when it comes to documentaries. Then again, that's been the norm this year. No one seems to agree on what the best documentaries were.
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Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Instructions Not Included
January 18, 2014
One could argue that Instructions Not Included was the biggest surprise hit of the year. In a year in which Iron Man 3 earned $1.2 million billion worldwide, doubling the franchise average, a small movie from Mexico is still arguably the biggest surprise hit of the year. While Iron Man 3 was the follow-up to one of the biggest hits of all time, Instructions Not Included came out of nowhere to become the biggest Spanish-language hit of all time. Is it as good as its box office numbers would indicate? Or it is more right place, right time?
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Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Machete Kills
January 17, 2014
Machete had one of the strangest origins. It began as a fake trailer in Grindhouse, but the fake trailer was so popular they turned it into a real movie. Unfortunately, while that movie earned good reviews, the target audience for Grindhouse cinema is too small to thrive in theaters. It must have done well enough to justify a sequel in someone's mind, albeit a sequel with a greatly reduced production budget being released by a smaller studio. But can the sequel live up to its predecessor?
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Limited Releases: Big Bad Limited Releases
January 17, 2014
It's the weekend after the Oscar nominations were announced and it is closing in on Sundance, so it is not a good time to release a film in limited release, as art house aficionados are focuses elsewhere. Unfortunately, there are lots of limited releases on this week's list, most of which are earning weak, or really weak reviews. There are a few that are earning good reviews, Big Bad Wolves, G.B.F., Like Father, Like Son, etc., but with the competition, I can practically guarantee that most of them will get lost in the crowd.
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Contest: Frankenprize
January 17, 2014
There is only one new wide release debuting next weekend, I, Frankenstein, which is debuting in an estimated 2,700 theaters. Since it is the only new wide release, it is clearly 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 I, Frankenstein. It's good to get the target film out of the way quickly, because the prizes are a little more complicated. I've been reviewing DVDs and Blu-rays for nearly a decade now and in that time I've amassed more than 60 banker boxes of movies and TV on DVD releases. I have to get rid of some of them. Late last year we had a contest with a surprise prize and it was actually a little more popular than the average, so we are going to do that again. Each winner will win either a random TV on DVD full season set (or volume, depending on how the set was sold), or two movies, or three single-disc TV on DVD releases (usually kids shows). Because the prize is a combination of unrelated releases, it's a Frankenprize!
Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win the first random prize pack. Meanwhile, whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will win the second random prize pack.
Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay!
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Weekend Predictions: Will Jack Ryan Win or is it just Along for the Ride
January 17, 2014
At the beginning of the month, I thought this weekend would be a close race between Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit and Ride Along. That might still be the case, but it is increasingly unlikely, as Jack Ryan's buzz hasn't kept pace with the buzz for Ride Along. Additionally, Jack Ryan has direct competition from Lone Survivor, which nearly set the January record last weekend and should remain potent this weekend. This weekend last year, Mama won the weekend with $28.40 million and I don't think Ride Along will top that. On the other hand, last year there were only three films that topped $10 million, while this year there could be as many as seven or eight. (All four wide releases have a shot at $10 million, but it is likely not all will get there. There are two holdovers that will earn more than $10 million. Finally, American Hustle and The Wolf of Wall Street might get an Oscar bounce back to $10 million.) Even in the worst case scenario, four films will crack $10 million. 2014 should win for the first time in the week-over-week comparison.
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2014 Awards Season: Oscars Understand the Gravity of the Situation
January 16, 2014
The Oscar nominations were announced this morning and there are some surprises mixed in with the predictable results. Gravity and American Hustle led the way with ten nominations each while 12 Years a Slave was right behind with nine. The fact that 12 Years a Slave wasn't the leader is the first of the surprises.
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International Box Office: Frozen Fights Its Way to the Top
January 15, 2014
After being in second place for a long time, Frozen finally scored first place with $27.8 million in 50 markets for totals of $394.6 million internationally and $711.9 million worldwide. The film had no major market openings this past weekend, but it opens this weekend in South Korea and in Japan in March.
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Contest: Powering Up: Winning Announcement
January 14, 2014
The winner of our Powering Up contest was determined and it is...
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Per Theater Chart: Still Lonely
January 14, 2014
There was only one film in the $10,000 club, but that's one more than a lot of people thought there would be. Lone Survivor expanded wide earning $37.85 million in 2,876 theaters for an average of $13,161. That's awesome, especially for this time of year.
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Weekend Wrap-Up: Survivor Does More than Survive
January 14, 2014
As expected, Lone Survivor won the race to first place on the box office this past weekend. However, it crushed predictions to an astounding degree. It wasn't enough. The overall box office was down to $140 million. Granted, that was less than 1% lower than last weekend and just over 1% lower than the same weekend last year, but it is still frustrating. Besides the number one film, there's not a lot of positive news to report. Year-to-date, 2014 is a little behind 2013 at $413 million to $436 million. Granted, it is far too soon to talk about end of year results, but you obviously would want a fast start rather than a slow start.
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2014 Awards Season: DGA: Telling Stories about Documentaries
January 14, 2014
The Directors Guild of America finished its theatrical nominations yesterday with the Documentary category. I'm of two minds with the list of nominees. On the one hand, I feel like I should be surprised, because a number of documentaries thought to be Oscar favorites were left off the list. On the other hand, they've been left off the list a number of times. I think it is time to rethink who is and is not an Oscar favorite.
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DVD and Blu-ray Releases for January 14th, 2014
January 13, 2014
There are a few first-run releases on this week's list of new DVD and Blu-ray releases. Riddick is the biggest, while You're Next is the best in terms of reviews. However, neither is truly Pick of the Week material. There are some contenders there, and in a strange coincidence, the two best feature Brie Larson: Short Term 12 on DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack and The Spectacular Now on DVD or Blu-ray. It literally came down to a coin toss, but The Spectacular Now won.
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2014 Awards Season: Golden Globes: All American Night
January 13, 2014
Hollywood Foreign Press Association handed out the Golden Globe awards last night, and there were a few surprises in the mix. American Hustle led the way with three wins, which isn't a real surprise, but I think many thought another film would lead with three or more wins. The only other film to earn more than one award was Dallas Buyers Club at just two. That might give you a hint at what the big surprise was.
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Weekend Projections: Lone Survivor Posts Fifth-Best January Weekend
January 12, 2014
2014 has its first bona fide hit this weekend, with Lone Survivor posting an impressive $38.5 million, according to Universal's weekend estimate. That's the fifth-best January weekend in history, and the second-best by a film that wasn't already playing wide over the holidays (Avatar holds the top three spots in the chart and Cloverfield remains the record-holding new release). Unfortunately, the success of Lone Survivor was in part to blame for a weak debut by The Legend of Hercules, which will end in 4th or 5th place for the weekend.
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Featured TV on DVD Review: Archer: Season Four
January 12, 2014
I've reviewed every season of Archer and from the first episode I was hooked. Personally I think the show has gotten better each season, last season even had good extras. Can the show continue to improve? Is the DVD or the Blu-ray loaded with extras?
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Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: You're Next
January 11, 2014
You're Next opened in late August, which is a dumping ground for bad movies. This film was actually earning some strong pre-release buzz. Unfortunately, it wasn't able to turn that buzz into box office success. (To be fair, it reportedly only cost $1 million to make, so it made enough to cover that opening day. It will still need to pay off its P&A budget, on the other hand.) Is the film as good as its pre-release buzz? Or is it as bad as its release date suggests?
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Limited Releases: Rocket, Man.
January 10, 2014
It's a relatively busy week for new releases, but sadly, almost none of them are earning overall positive reviews. Banshee Chapter is one exception, but it is the wrong genre for limited release. On the other hand, The Rocket is earning the best reviews and it is the kind of film that can thrive in limited release. Perhaps it can be an early year success story.
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Contest: All The Presidents' Prizes
January 10, 2014
Next weekend is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and there are four wide releases trying to take advantage of the early year holiday. Granted, Devil's Due and The Nut Job will likely be a footnote at the box office. On the other hand, both Ride Along and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit could be in a tight race for top spot for the month. While both films should do well, I think Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit has the advantage over the opening weekend. As such, it is 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 Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit.
Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), regardless if they go over or not, will win a copy of The Ultimate Guide to the Presidents on DVD.
Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay!
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Weekend Predictions: Will Survivor Be Lonely At the Top?
January 10, 2014
There is only one truly new wide release this weekend: The Legend of Hercules. This film is earning zero positive reviews and most analysts think it will miss the top five. Fortunately, there are a couple of limited releases expanding wide this weekend that should help compensate. Lone Survivor is the most obviously mainstream hit and it has been doing surprisingly well in limited release. Meanwhile, Her is probably too out there to be a mainstream hit, but its reviews suggest it should at least do well with those looking for Oscar-quality films. This weekend last year was the weekend Zero Dark Thirty expanded wide. It pulled in $24.44 million over the weekend, which is a figure Lone Survivor might match. Unfortunately for 2014, 2013 had much better depth at the box office, so even if the Lone Survivor does get to $25 million or beyond, it still looks like the year will continue lower than last year.
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Contest: Sign Me Up: Winning Announcement
January 10, 2014
The winners of our Sign Me Up contest were determined and it is...
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Contest: Not So Family Friendly Prizes: Winning Announcement
January 10, 2014
The winners of our Not So Family Friendly Prizes contest were determined and they are...
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International Box Office: Hobbit Hits Half a Billion
January 9, 2014
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug began 2014 the same way it ended 2013, on top. This weekend it pulled in $58 million in 62 markets for totals of $527 million internationally and $756 million worldwide. The film had no major market openings this past weekend, but did remain in fourth place in Russia with $9.6 million on 1,378 screens for a total of $42 million after three weeks of release. It was able to remain in top spot in Germany for the fourth weekend in a row with $8.6 million on 1,40 screens for a total of $75.1 million there. Granted, the film won't match An Unexpected Journey's debut, but it will end its run with well over $800 million worldwide, possibly even $900 million worldwide. There's no way to look at that figure and not call the movie a smashing success.
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Featured TV on DVD Review: Power Rangers: Megaforce: The Mysterious Robo Knight
January 8, 2014
Megaforce is the follow-up to Super Samurai and the latest incarnation of the Power Rangers. I was never a fan of this franchise growing up, but there have been some installments that I liked. (Most notable would be RPM.) Can this version improve upon the Super Samurai installment? Can it approach RPM in terms of quality?
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2014 Awards Season: DGA Dips into Nominations
January 7, 2014
The Directors Guild of America handed out their nominations for Feature Films today and will do the same for Documentaries next week. I have no idea why they do this, but it makes my job harder. Usually, I just wait till the Documentary nominations are announced, but this year I will do two stories. Next week will be mostly cut and paste job.
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Featured TV on DVD Review: SpongeBob and Friends: Patrick SquarePants
January 7, 2014
It has been almost a full year since I last reviewed a SpongeBob SquarePants DVD. The latest release is SpongeBob and Friends: Patrick SquarePants. Like previous releases, there are a number of stories, starting with...
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Per Theater Chart: Holdovers Feeling Lonely
January 7, 2014
It was a slow week for new releases as none topped $10,000 on the per theater chart. There were some holdovers that performed well, led by Lone Survivor, which pulled in an average of $42,429 in two theaters. This is compared to $45,436 during its opening weekend. Such a small decline is great news for its upcoming wide expansion. August: Osage County was next with an average of $27,983 in five theaters, which is 22% lower than its opening average of $35,860. Its running tally is already at nearly half a million and it has potential to expand, especially if it continues to do well during Awards Season. The final film in the $10,000 club was Her with an average of $15,378 in 47 theaters. It is already at nearly $3 million after three weeks of release and it expands wide this weekend.
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Weekend Wrap-Up: Box Office Goes Cold
January 7, 2014
The box office wasn't as boisterous as anticipated and this is partially due to the seasonal storm that hit the east coast. This is also partially due to weaker than expected numbers for Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones, which only managed second place in its debut. This allowed Frozen to return to top spot on the chart, even though it was a little weaker than expected. The overall box office fell 27% from last weekend down to $141 million. Compared to last year, the box office was down 4%, which isn't a good result, but it is also not terrible. Had The Marked Ones merely matched expectations, it would have been a virtual tie.
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DVD and Blu-ray Releases for January 7th, 2014
January 5, 2014
It is a relatively slow week this week. That's not to say there are no releases worth picking up, in fact, there's a close race for Pick of the Week. It's just none of the releases were monster hits at the theaters. This includes a couple of documentaries, The Act of Killing and Inequality for All, as well as a couple of TV on DVD releases, Archer: Season Four and Being Human: Complete Third Season. However, in the end, I went with We Are What We Are on DVD or Blu-ray for Pick of the Week. Meanwhile, Being Human: Complete Third Season on DVD or Blu-ray earns Puck of the Week, for the best Canadian release.
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2014 Awards Season: WGA: Nominees Have Stories to Tell
January 5, 2014
WGAs announced their nominations this weekend and there were a couple of surprises to talk about. The top of that list is 12 Years a Slave, which was deemed ineligible because it wasn't written under WGA jurisdiction. This makes using the WGAs as an Oscar guide less reliable. On the other hand, several Oscar favorites showed up as well, including American Hustle, Nebraska, and others that have picked up major nominations this year.
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Weekend Projections: Marked Ones Frozen Out
January 5, 2014
Given the weather conditions in half the country, this weekend couldn't have a more appropriate winner at the box office. Disney's Frozen takes top honors again in its 7th weekend in release after previously topping the chart the weekend of December 6th. The film is projected to earn $20.72 million this weekend, making it only the fourth film ever to earn more than $20 million at this stage in its theatrical run. Avatar, Titanic and Home Alone are the other three (and see full list of 7th weekends here). Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones was pushed into second spot with a decent $18.2 million opening.
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Limited Releases: Early Year Doldrums
January 3, 2014
In order to qualify for the Oscars, a film has to open before the end of the year, so every year the weekend before New Years Eve has a few films trying to get into theaters just under the wire. This also means that the weekend after New Years Eve is a terrible time to release a movie in limited release. Art house theaters are loaded with Oscar hopefuls and it is very unlikely any of the new releases have the reviews to compete with those movies. That is certainly the case this year.
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Contest: Powering Up
January 3, 2014
Technically, there's only one wide release next week, The Legend of Hercules. Unfortunately, it is expected to bomb. Fortunately, there are two limited releases expanding wide next week, Her and Lone Survivor. Lone Survivor is by far the most mainstream of these three films and as such, it is 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 Lone Survivor.
Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), regardless if they go over or not, will win a copy of Power Rangers Megaforce: The Mysterious Robo Knight on DVD.
Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay!
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Weekend Predictions: Will the New Releases Win the New Year?
January 2, 2014
Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones is the only wide release opening on the first weekend of the year. The long running franchise will have to battle a weaker release date, franchise fatigue, and several holdovers that are still going strong. It still has a good shot at first place, as does Frozen. Frozen could win the weekend, with the help of families going out to the movies one last time before school starts again. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug probably won't extend its winning streak, but it should still be pull in quite a bit of money over the weekend. Last year the year started with Texas Chainsaw 3D earning more than $20 million. Django Unchained also topped $20 million over the weekend, albeit by the tiniest margin. We might have two $20 million films this weekend as well, with as many as five additional films earning more than $10 million. If 2014 doesn't win in the year-over-year comparison, it should at least be close.
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International Box Office: Hobbit Ends the Year On Top
January 1, 2014
As it has the past couple of weeks, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug topped the international chart earning $99.7 million on 15,782 screens in 61 markets for totals of $424.8 million internationally and $615.1 million worldwide. The film opened in Australia on Boxing Day, but due to the holidays earning first place with a total opening of $12.9 million on 629 screens; however, this was a little behind An Unexpected Journey's debut there. On the other hand, the film set the record for biggest total opening in Poland with $5.6 million on 425 screens.
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2014 Preview: January
January 1, 2014
It's the first month of the new year, but the biggest hit might be a film released in December. Last month ended on a slow note with all five Christmas day releases failing to become hits, some more than others. (It's a little too soon to tell if The Wolf of Wall Street or The Secret Life of Walter Mitty will do well enough to break even any time soon, but neither is a serious hit.) There are still some December releases that will likely remain on the charts through the opening weekends of January, while there are some films that opened in limited release last month with a scheduled wide release this month. Of the purely January releases, I would guess Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit will be the biggest hit. Even then, it won't live up to the previous films in the franchise, even if you don't take inflation into account. Most of the rest of the new releases will be happy if they can become midlevel hits. Last January was led by Mama, which earned more than $70 million. I think Shadow Recruit will top that figure at the box office, while there are a similar number of likely box office bombs opening this year as there were last year. 2014 could start out ahead of 2013's pace, but it likely won't be a huge difference either way.
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