The Numbers News - August 2017

August 31, 2017

Next week, It hits theaters. There are more films than this one opening, but it is on track to be the biggest hit of the month, so it is the only film that really matters. Because of this, it is the only real choice for the target film in this week’s box office prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening three-day weekend box office number for It.

Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film’s opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a Frankenprize consisting of their choice of either one TV on DVD release, two movies, or a kids package (could be a theatrical release, a couple of single-disc TV on DVD releases, or a full season TV on DVD release). 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 Frankenprize, as described above. Finally, we will be choosing an entrant from the group of people who haven’t won, or haven’t won recently, and they will win the final Frankenprize, as described above.

Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don’t delay! More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Hitman Assassinate the Box Office?

August 31, 2017

Not only will this weekend likely be the worst weekend of the year, there’s a very high likelihood it will be the worst weekend in over a decade. It arguably could be the worst weekend of all time. There are no wide releases, or even semi-wide releases. The widest “new” release of the week is the 40th Anniversary re-release for Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but last week’s 3D re-release for Terminator 2: Judgment Day suggests it won't come close to the top ten. Tulip Fever is a long-delayed Weinstein Co. release and just avoiding the Mendoza Line would be a reason to celebrate. Up next in terms of theater counts is Hazlo Como Hombre. It is a Chilean film and films aimed at Hispanics have had success in recent years. They only need to earn just over $2 million during the three-day weekend to reach the top ten, so one of them could get there, but that’s not a sure thing. This leaves The Hitman’s Bodyguard with an easy path to first place. This weekend last year, the biggest new release was The Light Between Oceans, which earned just under $5 million. Sadly, this might be more than all three new releases earn this year. Last year the overall box office finished just under $100 million. More...

Friend Request Trailer

August 31, 2017

Horror movie opens September 22 ... Full Movie Details. More...

International Box Office: Valerian Has $28.88 million Reasons to Visit China

August 31, 2017

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets earned first place on the international chart with $32.78 million in 32 countries for totals of $124.12 million internationally and $163.81 million worldwide. The film earned first place in China with $28.88 million over the weekend for a total of $29.24 million. The film has yet to open in South Korea and Italy so it will likely top its production budget worldwide; that’s nowhere near enough to break even, but if it can get to $200 million worldwide, then it can at least safe face. More...

Contest: Leap of Faith: Winning Announcement

August 30, 2017

The winners of our Leap of Faith contest were determined and the entrants with the closest predictions for Leap!’s opening weekend were... More...

Theater Averages: Life’s A Beach

August 30, 2017

There was only one film to earn more than $10,000 on the theater average chart. Beach Rats earned an average of $15,484 in three theaters, putting it heads and shoulders above the rest of the new releases. More...

Goodbye Christopher Robin Trailer

August 30, 2017

Real-life drama starring Domhnall Gleeson, Margot Robbie, and Kelly MacDonald opens October 13 ... Full Movie Details.

A glimpse into the relationship between beloved children’s author A. A. Milne and his son Christopher Robin, whose toys inspired the magical world of Winnie the Pooh. Along with his mother Daphne, and his nanny Olive, Christopher Robin and his family are swept up in the international success of the books; the enchanting tales bringing hope and comfort to England after the First World War. But with the eyes of the world on Christopher Robin, what will the cost be to the family? More...

Geostorm Trailer

August 29, 2017

Disaster movie starring Gerard Butler, written and directed by Dean Devlin, opens October 20 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Home Market Releases for August 29th, 2017

August 29, 2017

It’s one of those weeks that are deceptively busy. The biggest new release of the week is Wonder Woman, but it is only coming out on Video on Demand. The biggest overall release is the The Lion King franchise on separate Blu-ray releases, but it’s at least a double-dip on Blu-ray. I think a triple-dip on Blu-ray. If it weren’t for these circumstances, they would be clear Pick of the Week contenders. Without those two movies, the next best is... My Cousin Rachel on Blu-ray. Its reviews are not quite Pick of the Week level, but it is the best of what we've got. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Hitman Guards the Top of the Chart with $10.26 million

August 29, 2017

Amazingly, the weekend box office was actually worse than expected, as every new release we talked about in our predictions missed the Mendoza Line*. This left The Hitman’s Bodyguard with an easy first place with $10.26 million during its second weekend of release, just avoiding the bottom ten worst number one films of the 21st century. It could break the record next weekend, as there are no new wide releases looking to take top spot. Overall, the box office plummeted 28% to just $69 million. This is in the bottom ten smallest domestic weekends of the 21st century, 13th worst including the year 2000. (Interestingly, the year 2000 produced 5 of the worst 7 weekends in that time frame and September 2000 alone has 4 of the 5 worst weekends.) Again, since there are no new wide releases next weekend, we could see this record fall. The $69 million weekend total is 41% lower than the same weekend last year, which is a decline you normally only see when there is a misalignment in holidays. Unfortunately, we’ve seen a similar decline several times in recent weeks. Year-to-date, 2017 has pulled in $7.32 billion, which is $490 million or 6.2% less than 2016’s pace. We really need 2017 to put up some wins soon, or we simply won’t be able to turn around the deficit before the end of the year. More...

Marshall Trailer

August 28, 2017

Real-life drama starring Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad, and Kate Hudson opens October 13 ... Full Movie Details.

Long before he sat on the United States Supreme Court or claimed victory in Brown v. Board of Education, the landmark case that desegregated schools, Thurgood Marshall was a young rabble-rousing attorney for the NAACP. This is the true story of his greatest challenge in those early days—a fight he fought alongside attorney Sam Friedman, a young lawyer with no experience in criminal law: the case of black chauffeur Joseph Spell, accused by his white employer, Eleanor Strubing, of sexual assault and attempted murder. More...

Weekend Estimates: Industry Suffering Worst Slump in at Least 30 Years

August 27, 2017

Things are so bad at the box office this weekend that it’s hard to figure out just how bad. We’ve been tracking box office since 1997, and have researched weekend reports back to the beginning of the 1980s, and a diligent search of our database doesn’t offer a weekend that’s clearly been worse than this one. Based on current ticket sales, it’s the 9th-worst in terms of consumer spending since 2000, with $66.6 million reported so far. That number will go up a bit when numbers are announced for all movies on Monday, but most likely only fractionally (I think we have numbers for everything that made over $500,000). But that figure doesn’t account for ticket price inflation. If we do so, things look even more dire… More...

Friday Estimates: Leap! Comes up Lame as Hitman Tops Chart with $3.15 million

August 26, 2017

As expected, The Hitman’s Bodyguard earned first place on opening Friday, and better than average for the summer. It will likely finish with just under $10 million instead of just over $10 million. This isn’t a major issue for the film, but if it does earn first place with less than $10 million, it will be only the tenth film to do so in the 21st century. Being on this list isn’t necessarily a bad sign for the film and instead is a bad sign for the overall market. For example, Guardians of the Galaxy earned first place during its sixth weekend of release, with just $10.4 million, not because it was struggling, but because the competition was terrible. In this case, The Hitman’s Bodyguard is on pace to become a midlevel hit, while the new releases are all bombs. In fact, the film is on pace to earn enough domestically for Lionsgate’s share to cover its entire production budget and this is reason to celebrate. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Beach Rats, Cats, and Dogs

August 25, 2017

There are not a lot of prime choices on this week’s list of limited releases. Beach Rats is likely going to be the biggest hit, but Unleashed only costs $10 to buy on Video on Demand, which is a good deal. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Dragon Punches its Way to the Top with $200,000

August 25, 2017

Three films open wide this weekend, but only two of them started out with midnight shows. Birth of the Dragon did the best with $200,000 in 1,350 theaters. It is not a shock that this film did the best Thursday night, as it is the only film with a target audience likely to rush out to see the movie. That said, this is a weak result. The $200,000 preview is so low that it is hard to find a comparison to judge it by. The average so far this summer has been a 10 multiplier, which would put the film on pace for a $2 million debut. That’s obviously not good, but it is also close to our predictions. Hopefully it will top the average, but with reviews that are only 25% positive, that’s could be asking too much. More...

Hazlo Como Hombre Trailer

August 25, 2017

Comedy opens September 1 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Leap! Make the Box Office Jump for Joy?

August 24, 2017

This will likely be the worst weekend of the year at the box office, at least so far. There’s only one wide release, Leap!, while there are two other films opening “nationwide” that both have a real shot at the top ten, All Saints and Birth of the Dragon. All three films combined might not earn more than $10 million over the weekend. By comparison, this weekend last year, Don’t Breathe opened with $26.41 million. 2017 is going to lose in the year-over-year comparison yet again and we can hardly afford to fall further back. More...

Theater Counts: Summer Hits Get New Lease of Life

August 24, 2017

With not much by way of new releases this weekend, the studios are taking their chance to grab back some screens for their Summer hits. Wonder Woman, for example, has the rare distinction of being the movie with the biggest increase in theaters in its 13th weekend in release. Baby Driver also gets kicked back into wide release in its 10th weekend. This movement tells you pretty much all you need to know about the new wide releases. More...

International Box Office: Creation Rises to First with $42 million

August 24, 2017

Annabelle: Creation climbed into first place internationally last weekend, with $42.0 million on 13,209 screens in 56 markets for totals of $96.7 million overseas, and $160.9 million worldwide. The film’s biggest new market was Mexico, where it earned a first-place $8 million on 3,086 screens, while it also earned first place in Brazil with $4.4 million on 1,263 screens. However, its most impressive market was India, where it earned first place with $4.4 million on 1,159 screens. It is very rare for non-Indian films to top the chart in India.

More...

New at The Numbers: Single-Territory Records

August 24, 2017

Here at The Numbers, we strive to improve your reading experience by adding more features we believe you will find interesting. Today, the new feature is top single-market hits. As the chart shows, the biggest single-market hit is Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which earned $936.66 million in North American. The top of the chart is still dominated by releases in the United States, and second place used to belong to Avatar. But this week, Wolf Warriors 2’s Chinese box office topped that figure and it currently has $783.02 million. This is game changing … although we’ll have to see how it plays out. More...

All Saints Trailer

August 24, 2017

Real-life drama starring John Corbett opens on Friday ... Full Movie Details. More...

Contest: Lucky Hit: Winning Announcement

August 23, 2017

The winners of our Lucky Hit contest were determined and the entrants with the closest predictions for The Hitman’s Bodyguard’s opening weekend were... More...

Theater Averages: Gook Does Good with $13,522

August 23, 2017

It was a shallow week on the theater average chart with only three films with averages above $10,000 and none that topped that mark by a serious margin. Gook topped the chart with an average of $13,522 in two theaters. Ingrid Goes West is arguably more impressive, as it earned an average of $10,284 in 26 theaters during its second weekend of release. The only other film in the $10,000 club was Crown Heights with an average of $10,058 in three theaters. More...

Home Market Releases for August 22nd, 2017

August 23, 2017

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 comes out this week and it is such a big release that is scared away nearly all of the competition. Fortunately, it is also a great film and a serious contender for Pick of the Week. The main competition are Ash vs Evil Dead: Season 2 and Supergirl: Season 2. In the end. I went with Ash vs Evil Dead, but it was a close race. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Hitman Tops Chart with $21.38 million as Summer Closes

August 22, 2017

The summer is over, but The Hitman’s Bodyguard did well for this time of year earning $21.38 million over the weekend. Logan Lucky was well back opening with just $7.60 million. Overall, the box office fell 18% from last week to just $96 million. This is also 27% lower than the same weekend last year. The top two films this year actually did better than the top two films earned last year, but the depth was just terrible. Year-to-date, 2017 has pulled in $7.21 billion, putting it $430 million or 5.6% lower than last year’s pace. More...

Featured TV on DVD Review: Ash vs The Evil Dead: Season 2

August 21, 2017

I previously reviewed the first season of Ash vs The Evil Dead and loved it. The ratings were also very good and it was renewed for a second season. The network renewed the show for a third season less than a week after the second season premiere. However, ratings slipped and the season finale was watched by barely more than half of the people who watched the first season finale. Does this mean the quality tanked? Am I still excited for season three? More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2

August 20, 2017

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 was the second biggest hit of the summer and the third biggest hit of 2017 so far. It is also part of the MCU and there hasn’t been a truly bad movie in the MCU so far. Spoiler alert: This movie doesn’t break the winning streak. However, it could be a really good movie and still not live up to the original. Is that the case? Or can Vol 2 outshine the first installment? More...

Weekend Estimates: Hitman’s Bodyguard Tops Chart with Solid $21.6 Million

August 20, 2017

We’re at that point in the year when we’ll take what we can get at the box office, and The Hitman’s Bodyguard will deliver according to that lowered metric this weekend with about $21.6 million, according to Lionsgate’s Sunday morning projection. That’s in line with to a little ahead of expectations, but a B+ CinemaScore and mediocre reviews suggest it won’t have substantial legs. For Ryan Reynolds, the opening is ahead of this year’s Life, which debuted with $12.5 million, and well clear of 2015’s Self/Less ($5.4 million). Samuel L. Jackson, meanwhile, appears in such a mess of movies it’s hard to say how this compares to any one of them. More...

Friday Estimates: Bodyguard Hits Its Target with $8.0 million

August 19, 2017

The Hitman’s Bodyguard is giving the late summer box office a bit of a boost, earning $8.0 million on Friday. This is far from a monster opening, but assuming it has average legs, it will become a midlevel hit by the end. This assumption seems safe, as its reviews are only 40% positive, while it earned a B plus from CinemaScore, both of which suggest below average legs; however, the next two weeks are particularly bad when it comes to new releases, so the lack of competition should help out. The film has a better than 50/50 shot at over $20 million over the weekend, but even if it just misses that mark, it is still great for this time of year and Lionsgate should be happy with this result. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: California Dreaming

August 18, 2017

It isn’t a particularly busy week for the art-house and VOD market, but there are several films that are earning good, even great reviews. California Typewriter, Marjorie Prime, Patti Cake$, and Dave Made a Maze are all worth checking out and that’s not the entire list. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Hitman has $1.65 million Night, Logan is not as Lucky

August 18, 2017

The Hitman’s Bodyguard opened with $1.65 million during previews, which is on the high end of expectations. This is good for this time of year, but its reviews suggests its legs will be on the low end of average, so a $16 million opening is the new target. Anything above that will be bode well for its chances for the next couple of weekends when there is little to no competition. The film reportedly cost $30 million to make, so it will need about $55 million domestically for Lionsgate’s share to top that. That’s probably out of reach. On the other hand, it will only need close to $100 million worldwide to break even eventually. This opening night suggests it will get there. More...

Contest: Leap of Faith

August 18, 2017

There is one wide release coming out next weekend, Leap!, and it only has about a 50/50 chance of opening in more than 2,000 theaters. Birth of the Dragon and All Saints are opening in less, but both have a shot at the top five. In fact, All Saints could be the biggest new release of the weekend, as faith-based films are notoriously unpredictable. However, I’m going with Leap! as the target film in this week’s box office prediction contest, because All Saints is just too unpredictable. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening three-day weekend box office number for Leap!.

Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film’s opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a Frankenprise consisting of their choice of either one TV on DVD release, two movies, or a kids package (could be a theatrical release, a couple of single-disc TV on DVD releases, or a full season TV on DVD release). 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 Frankenprize, as described above. Finally, we will be choosing an entrant from the group of people who haven’t won, or haven’t won recently, and they will win the final Frankenprize, as described above.

Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don’t delay! More...

Theater Counts: Hitman’s Bodyguard Arrives in 3,377

August 18, 2017

Summer continues to wind down this weekend with The Hitman’s Bodyguard the widest new release, in 3,377 theaters. We don’t have an official count for Logan Lucky, but it is expected to open in something a little over 3,000. Both figures are decent for the type of film, but well short of the 4,000 theaters that is becoming the benchmark for a big release. More...

Weekend Predictions: Can Hitman Score a Hit? Or has Summer Split?

August 17, 2017

There are a couple of new releases coming out in wide release: The Hitman’s Bodyguard and Logan Lucky. The two films have vastly different Tomatometer Scores, but similar box office potentials. Unfortunately, neither is expected to become a hit and there’s a chance whichever of them earns first place will do so with the lowest box office result of the year so far, currently held by Split’s third weekend of release. If the yearly low record isn’t broken this weekend, it will almost certainly be broken next weekend. This weekend last year, Suicide Squad earned first place with just over $20 million. This is more than any one film will make this weekend. Additionally, there were six films that earned $10 million or more last year, while there are only three that have a shot at that milestone this week. 2017 is going to lose to 2016 yet again. More...

International Box Office: Wolf Warrior 2 Score Threepeat with $86 million

August 17, 2017

Wolf Warriors 2 remained the top draw on the international market pulling in $86 million in six markets for totals of $685.52 million internationally and $687.45 million worldwide. Almost all of this has been earned in its native China, where it added $85.10 million over the weekend to its running tally, which now sits at $683.80 million. It is currently the biggest ever film in China, both in terms of local currency and American dollars, topping the previous record-holder, The Mermaid. It will have no trouble getting to $800 million worldwide and if it can find audiences outside China, it might get to $900 million or even $1 billion. There’s very little competition for the next few weeks, so that could be the boost the film needs to get to that milestone. It is a long shot, but something to keep an eye on. More...

Contest: Go Nuts: Winning Announcement

August 17, 2017

The winners of our Go Nuts contest were determined and the entrants with the closest predictions for Annabelle: Creation’s opening weekend were... More...

Theater Averages: Ingrid Westward Trip nets $45,100

August 16, 2017

Ingrid Goes West opened in first place on the theater average chart with an average of $45,100 in three theaters. This is the third best average of the year behind The Big Sick (average of $84,315 in five) and The Beguiled ($57,323 in four). A24 had another success with Good Time earning an average of $31,275 in four theaters. The Trip to Spain opened with an average of $15,102 in three theaters, which is in the middle of the franchise average so far. Finally there’s Wind River, which was the only holdover in the $10,000 club. It managed an average of $13,615 in 45 theaters and already has nearly $1 million in limited release. More...

Home Market Releases for August 15th, 2017

August 16, 2017

Alien: Covenant is the biggest release on this week’s list, but the franchise is off its peak and has been for a long time. As for Pick of the Week contenders, there are not a lot of them. If I were to stretch the definition, Food Wars: Season One is great, if you are into that subgenre of Anime. Descendants 2 is arguably better than the original, but the DVD isn’t going to really appeal to those outside the target audience. That leaves The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: 50th Anniversary Blu-ray as the clear winner for Pick of the Week. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Creation Helps Summer Conclude with $35.01 million

August 15, 2017

Annabelle: Creation’s opening saved summer for one week, but that’s the practically the only good news we have to talk about this weekend. The film pulled in $35.01 million, which is over three times its nearest competition. That’s the bad news. The depth this past weekend was terrible, as there were only two films with more than $10 million, compared to five films last weekend. The overall box office fell 4.6% to just $117 million. Worse still, this is 32% lower than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2017 is behind 2016 by $360 million or 4.9% at $7.07 billion to $7.43 billion. The year has lost over $500 million compared to last year’s pace during summer alone. This is a disaster. More...

Duck Duck Goose Trailer

August 14, 2017

Animated adventure opens April, 2018 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Featured TV on DVD Review: Crashing: Season 1

August 13, 2017

Pete Holmes writes and stars in this semi-autobiographic TV series about the life of a comic. The show airs on HBO and there were only eight episodes during the first season. It only got through four of those before HBO renewed it for a second season. Clearly they were happy with the results. Will those who don’t have HBO want to check out the show? Is it worth picking up if you’ve seen the show? More...

Weekend Estimates: Annabelle to the Rescue

August 13, 2017

After a series of lackluster weekends at the box office, Annabelle: Creation is doing its bit to clear away the end-of-Summertime blues with a $35 million opening this weekend. That’s right in line with the $37 million Annabelle opened with three years ago, which is an impressive performance for a horror franchise. It’s also the best opening for a horror movie since Split’s $40 million start back in January. The first film in the franchise fell away quite rapidly, and ended up with $84 million in total, so a final total of over $100 million is far from assured, but with a production budget of only $15 million, and probably not much more than $20 million in marketing, this should be a highly profitable movie for Warner Bros., especially since the franchise is popular globally. More...

Friday Estimates: Creation Comes to Life with $15 million

August 12, 2017

Annabelle: Creation dominated the box office on Friday with $15 million. This is likely more than any other film will earn over the full weekend. As for its box office chances going forward, the film has earned 68% positive reviews and grabbed a B from CinemaScore. Horror films tend to struggle when it comes to CinemaScore, so a B isn’t a bad result and the film’s legs should be no worse than average for a horror movie as a result. Look for about $37 million over the weekend, which could be enough to get to $100 million domestically. It depends on how strong the competition is for the next few weeks. More...

Professor Marston & the Wonder Women Trailer

August 11, 2017

Historical drama, based on real-life events, starring Luke Evans, Rebecca Hall, and Bella Heathcote, written and directed by Angela Robinson, opens October 27 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Take a Trip to the Theaters

August 11, 2017

There are a number of limited releases coming out this week that are earning good reviews and / or strong buzz. Of these, The Trip to Spain is the one I want to see the most. It also has a good chance to earn more than $2 million in theaters, as its two predecessors did the same. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Annabelle Saves Summer with $4 million in Previews

August 11, 2017

Annabelle: Creation needed a $3 million during its previews to have a chance at saving the summer, and even then it would need better than average legs for the genre to hit $30 million during its opening weekend. Fortunately, it earned $4 million in previews. This is more than twice as much as Don’t Breathe and Lights Out earned this time last year; however, those two films were not sequels and sequels tend to have shorter legs. Annabelle’s reviews are 68% positive at the moment, which is good enough for this time of year. At this point, opening with more than $30 million is a safe bet, while $35 million to $40 million isn’t out of the question. More...

Contest: Lucky Hit

August 11, 2017

There are two wide releases next weekend and it is a bit of a coin toss to determine which one will open in first place. At the moment, Logan Lucky’s early reviews are 100% positive. However, the director, Steven Soderbergh is trying a new release strategy and I don’t know how well that will work. On the other hand, The Hitman’s Bodyguard only has one review and it is 6 out of 10. I suspect a lot of its reviews will be in that range. That said, it is a more traditional release and has louder buzz due to a more aggressive ad campaign. It came down to a coin toss and The Hitman’s Bodyguard won, so it is the the target film in this week’s box office prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening three-day weekend box office number for The Hitman’s Bodyguard.

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 Ash vs. Evil Dead: Season Two on Blu-ray 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 Ash vs. Evil Dead: Season Two on Blu-ray Finally, we will be choosing an entrant from the group of people who haven’t won, or haven’t won recently, and they will win the final Frankenprize, consisting of a randomly selected previously reviewed TV on DVD release.

Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don’t delay! More...

Weekend Predictions: Can Annabelle Scare the Box Office to Life?

August 10, 2017

Unless Annabelle: Creation is a $30 million hit, it is safe to say summer ended a couple of weeks ago. The film has about a 50/50 chance of getting there. The Nut Job: Nutty by Nature is widely expected set a record this week, but not a good one. Finally there’s The Glass Castle, which is only opening semi-wide. Overall, the box office looks weak compared to this weekend last year. Sausage Party opened with $34.26 million, which is more than any film this year will make. Worse still, Suicide Squad won the weekend with $43.54 million. 2017 is going to lose to 2016 in the year-over-year comparison by at least $43.54 million. More...

Theater Counts: Nut Job 2 to Open in Over 4,000 Theaters

August 10, 2017

The Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature will open in an impressive 4,003 theaters list weekend, according to Open Road. That’s comfortably the widest opening ever for the studio, ahead of the first film in the franchise’s 3,427 theater start in 2014. Coincidentally, AMC sold its 50% stake in Open Road to Tang Media earlier this week. Its new owner will presumably be pleased with the success in getting the film into theaters, although it isn’t generally expected to top the chart. More...

The Foreigner Trailer

August 10, 2017

Action movie starring Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan, directed by Martin Campbell, opens October 13 ... Full Movie Details. More...

International Box Office: Wolves Feasts on the Competition with $164 million

August 10, 2017

Wolf Warriors 2 remained in top spot on the international chart with $164 million at the weekend. This is dominated by a sophomore stint of $163.38 million in its native China for a two-week total of $471.94 million. It is already the biggest hit in China, crushing The Mermaid, at least in terms of local currency. It still has a ways to go to become the number one film in terms of the US dollar, but it should get there shortly. More...

Contest: Dark Days: Winning Announcement

August 10, 2017

The winners of our Dark Days contest were determined and the entrants with the closest predictions for The Dark Tower’s opening weekend were... More...

Theater Averages: River Runs Away with $40,390

August 9, 2017

The Weinstein Co. is breathing a huge sign of relief as Wind River had the best theater average of the weekend with $40,390 in four theaters. This is the fourth best average of the year behind The Big Sick (average of $84,315 in five); The Beguiled ($57,323 in four); and Beauty and the Beast ($41,508 in just over 4,200). Wolf Warriors 2 saw its theater average grow to $15,843. The final film in the $10,000 club was Columbus, which earned an average of $13,410 in two theaters. More...

My Little Pony: The Movie Trailer

August 9, 2017

Animated adventure opens October 6 ... Full Movie Details. More...

New at The Numbers: Most $100 million Movies Per Year

August 9, 2017

Here at The Numbers, we strive to improve your reading experience by adding more features we believe you will find interesting. Today, the new feature is a chart showing the Most $100 Million Movies Per Year, which joins our miscellaneous domestic box office records section. 2014 currently holds the record, with 34 titles released that year that crossed the $100 million domestically. More...

Home Market Releases for August 8th, 2017

August 8, 2017

Summer has likely ended at the box office, while it is about to begin on the home market. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 is the first of the summer monster hits to come out on the home market. Granted, it is only out on Video on Demand this week, but it is still a contender for Pick of the Week. There are a couple of other contenders, including Cinematic Titanic: The Complete Collection and Re-Animator: Limited Edition 2-Disc Blu-ray, but in the end, I went with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2. More...

Mother! Trailer

August 8, 2017

Psychological thriller starring Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Michelle Pfeiffer and Ed Harris, written and directed by Darren Aronofsky opens September 15 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Dark Tower Struggles with $19.15 million

August 8, 2017

The Dark Tower opened on the very low end of expectation with just $19.15 million over the weekend. The rest of the box office was more or less in line with predictions, leading to a $122 million haul, which is a 15% decline from last weekend. A 15% decline is pretty normal this time of year. What isn’t normal is a decline of 47% from last year; a year-over-year decline like that normally only happens when there’s a misalignment in holiday, but it wasn’t a surprise, as Suicide Squad earned more last year than the entire box office earned this year. 2017 was already behind 2016’s pace by a large amount, but that deficit more than doubled from last weekend and is now $270 million or 3.8% at $6.89 billion to $7.17 billion. Remember, 2017 started the summer about $200 million ahead of 2016, so the summer has been a disaster at the box office. More...

Victoria and Abdul Trailer

August 7, 2017

Historical drama starring Judi Dench and Ali Fazal, directed by Stephen Frears opens September 22 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Featured DVD Review: Monster Hunt

August 7, 2017

Monster Hunt was, well, a monster hit in its native Chinese. In fact, it was the biggest hit in that market until The Mermaid took the crown the following year. On the other hand, it only managed mostly positive reviews and completely bombed in theaters in the US. It did so poorly that it was dumped onto the home market on a featureless DVD. Is it a cultural issue? Does the film just not translate well from the Chinese to Western culture? Or does it deserve to be seen by more people? More...

Weekend Estimates: Dark Tower Sneaks Unconvincing Weekend Win

August 6, 2017

Suddenly, it feels like the end of Summer at the box office. Last weekend’s modest opening for The Emoji Movie made the top end of the chart look weak, and The Dark Tower’s projected $19.5 million debut this weekend has done nothing to fill the void. There are a few films coming out in the next few weeks that could unexpectedly produce robust numbers (The Hitman’s Bodyguard is probably the best bet for a surprise break-out), but there’s nothing on the schedule until Kingsman: The Golden Circle and The Lego Ninjago Movie come out on September 22 that can be relied on to crack $100 million at the domestic box office. More...

Friday Estimates: Dark Tower’s Chances Dim with $7.73 million Opening Day

August 5, 2017

On the positive side, The Dark Tower topped the chart on Friday. On the negative side, it missed both our original prediction, as well as our lowered expectations with just $7.725 million. The film’s reviews are terrible at 19% positive, while its CinemaScore is a mere B, so that’s bad news for the film’s legs, putting it on pace for between $18 million and $19 million. It’s good news for Dunkirk, which has a real shot at first place on the weekend chart for the third weekend in a row. More...

Brad's Status Trailer

August 4, 2017

Comedy starring Ben Stiller opens September 15 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Thursday Night Previews: A Little Light for Dark Tower

August 4, 2017

The Dark Tower got off to a soft start with $1.8 million in previews last night. This is on the low end of expectations, but not a complete disaster. It is about 20% higher than Atomic Blonde earned last weekend and if the film has the same legs, this will result in a $21 million to $22 million opening weekend. Even if it just matches the the average previews to weekend multiplier so far this summer, it would open with $18 million over the weekend. That would still be enough for first place, and quite frankly, it’s not that bad for a film that cost $60 million to make. The average international to domestic ratio this year has been about 2 to 1. If The Dark Tower earns $50 million domestically and $100 million internationally, then it will break even sometime on the home market. On the other hand, its reviews have been simply terrible and that could sink it to the $15 million level, giving Dunkirk a real shot at first place. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Wind Of Change

August 4, 2017

It’s not a good week for limited releases. There are too many earning weak reviews or are playing on VOD, both of which will hurt their box office chances. Step could do well for a documentary, while Columbus and Wind River both have a shot at some mainstream success. More...

Contest: Go Nuts

August 4, 2017

There are two wide releases next weekend. (As expected, The Glass Castle is opening semi-wide.) Even if Annabelle: Creation and The Nut Job: Nutty by Nature had the same overall box office potential, Annabelle: Creation would win the weekend, as horror films are historically more front-loaded than family films are. Because of this, it is the best choice for the the target film in this week’s box office prediction contest. We are using “Go Nuts” as the name of the Contest, because it is funnier. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening three-day weekend box office number for Annabelle: Creation.

Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don’t delay! More...

Theater Counts: The Dark Tower Opens in 3,451 Theaters

August 3, 2017

After a long gestation, The Dark Tower makes it into theaters this weekend in a solid 3,451 movie houses. While that’s a lot less than such luminaries as The Emoji Movie, it’s not bad for a live action film (by comparison, Dunkirk opened in 3,720 theaters a few weeks ago). Also out wide this weekend: Detroit plays in 3,007 theaters for Annapurna Pictures, and Kidnap debuts in 2,378 venues for Aviron Pictures, with both distributors making their first forays into nationwide rollouts. More...

Weekend Predictions: Has Summer Ended?

August 3, 2017

August has begun, but I’m starting to think Summer has already ended. The Dark Tower was expected to be the big hit of the weekend, but its reviews are a lot weaker than anticipated. Kidnap is also opening wide and its early reviews were good, but that has changed as the day has gone on. Furthermore, it’s buzz is really quiet, so its box office chances are not good. Finally Detroit is expanding wide this weekend. Its reviews are among the best we’ve seen all summer, but it is tough to go from a limited release to a wide release, so I’m not overly optimistic. This weekend last year, Suicide Squad opened with $133.68 million. It is very likely the entire box office will be less than $133.68 million this weekend. 2017 is going to get destroyed in the year-over-year comparison. More...

Death Wish Trailer

August 3, 2017

Action remake starring Bruce Willis, directed by Eli Roth opens November 22 ... Full Movie Details. More...

International Box Office: Wolf Warriors 2 goes for the Throat with $148.10 million

August 3, 2017

Wolf Warriors 2 dominated the international box office with $132.88 million over the weekend in its native China, for a four-day opening of $148.10 million. This is more than the rest of the top five earned combined. More...

Contest: Going Nuclear: Winning Announcement

August 3, 2017

The winners of our Going Nuclear contest were determined and the entrants with the closest predictions for Atomic Blonde’s opening weekend were... More...

Call Me by Your Name Trailer

August 2, 2017

Drama starring Armie Hammer and Timothee Chalamet opens November 24 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Theater Averages: $31,206 is an Inconvenient Start

August 2, 2017

This weekend’s winner on the theater average chart is an unusual one. It is rare for documentaries to get a sequel and it is rare for documentaries to land in first place on the theater average chart. An Inconvenient Sequel opened with an average of $31,206 in four theaters, which is a good sign going forward. Menashe looks like it will be another success for A24, as it earned an average of $20,693 in three theaters. Detroit is planning to expand wide on Friday, so its average of $17,510 in 20 theaters is a good start. Brigsby Bear was the final film in the $10,000 club earning an average of $13,217 in three theaters. More...

Home Market Releases for August 1st, 2017

August 2, 2017

There is no monster hit coming out this week, but that doesn’t mean there are no new DVD / Blu-rays worth picking up. In fact, there are six Pick of the Week contenders. This includes Slither: Collector's Edition, which took home the title in a close race. There are also two co-winners of the Puck of the Week for best Canadian release, Colossal on Blu-ray Combo Pack and I am the Blues on DVD. More...

Flatliners Trailer

August 1, 2017

Sci-fi thriller remake starring Ellen Page, Diego Luna, Nina Dobrev, James Norton, and Kiersey Clemons opens September 29 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Dunkirk Does in the Competition with $26.61 million

August 1, 2017

Summer is coming to a close, as the two new releases, The Emoji Movie and Atomic Blonde had okay openings over the weekend. Dunkirk was able to earn first place with $26.61 million, which is great news for that movie, but bad news for the overall box office, as it is the worst result for a number one film since April. Overall, the box office fell 20% from last week to $144 million. This is 24% lower than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2017 is now behind 2016 by 1.7% or $120 million at $6.70 billion to $6.82 billion. More...

2017 Preview: August

August 1, 2017

July is over and we should all be happy about that. Granted, there were some positive results we can talk about. Spider-Man: Homecoming is a huge hit and Despicable Me 3 will pull in a sizable profit before it reaches the home market. There were also a couple of other $100 million hits and a midlevel hit or two; however, overall, 2017 wasn’t able to compete with 2016 and the box office finally lost its lead over last year. 2017 started the summer about $200 million ahead of 2016, but will finish July about $100 million behind last year’s pace. August doesn’t look any better. There are a couple of films that have a reasonable shot at $100 million, The Dark Tower and Annabelle: Creation, as well as a few that should be solid midlevel hits. However, last year we had Sausage Party and Don’t Breathe, both of which nearly hit $100 million, then we had midlevel hits like Pete’s Dragon, Kubo and the Two Strings, and War Dogs. I don’t know if 2017 will be able to compete with that. ... Now some of you are thinking I forgot about Suicide Squad. Trust me, I will never forget that movie. I ignored it to make a point. Even without Suicide Squad, I don’t think 2017 will make up the deficit it has with 2016. With Suicide Squad, it is going to be a disaster. I want to be optimistic, but there’s no evidence to suggest I should be. More...

The Numbers News - August 2017

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