The Numbers News - December 2018

December 31, 2018

It’s New Year’s Eve and since most studios are not fully open today, we are left with estimates for most films in the top five until at least the 2nd of January, perhaps the 3rd. There’s not a lot of difference between the new estimates and yesterday’s estimates. For example, Aquaman is now estimated to earn $52.14 million, almost $600,000 more than the studio estimated yesterday. That’s the largest change out of all of the films we talked about. We will get to the full weekend wrap-up in the news year once the studios are back and we will return to our normal schedule by the weekend. More...

Featured DVD Review: Love, Gilda

December 31, 2018

2018 was a great year for Documentaries with several that earned more than $1 million at the box office. Love, Gilda didn’t get to that milestone, although it was playing on VOD at the time. Is it as good as some of the top box office draws in the genre? Or does it have a more limited target audience. More...

Weekend Estimates: Aquaman and Entire Top Five have a Repeat Performance

December 30, 2018

It has been an even more predictable weekend than expected, as every film in the top five finished in the same order as last weekend. This includes Aquaman topping the chart with an estimated $51.55 million over the weekend for a ten-day total of $188.79 million. It will cross $200 million shortly and overtake A Star is Born as Warner Bros.’ biggest domestic hit of the year. Internationally, the film added $85.4 million this weekend to push its global running tally to just shy of $750 million at $748.8 million. It is already ahead of Man of Steel and Suicide Squad on the DCEU chart and should soon step into first place. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Night School

December 29, 2018

Night School struggled with critics, but did quite well with over $100 million worldwide. Were critics right? Or was there a reason audiences seemed to connect to the film? More...

Friday Estimates: Aquaman Rises with the Tides

December 29, 2018

The Friday box office estimates are almost exactly as predicted, with most films out-pacing expectations by a small amount. At least as far as the top five is concerned. The lower films struggled more. For example, Aquaman led the way with $17.1 million putting it on pace for $52 million over the weekend. The film will become Warner Bros.’ second film released in 2018 to get to the $200 million mark (A Star is Born quietly got there before Christmas.) but it might have to wait till the new year to get there. Internationally, the film has already cracked $500 million with a running tally of $511.8 million as of the end of business on Friday. More...

Weekend Predictions: Aquaman Will Celebrate the New Year on Top

December 28, 2018

It’s the weekend after Christmas and as is the holiday tradition, there are no new releases this week. I guess you could technically call Holmes and Watson and Vice new releases, but they’ve been out since Tuesday. This means there won’t be much new news to talk about. Aquaman will dominate, while Mary Poppins Returns will bounce back, as will most other family fair. I think the same five films that appeared in the top five last weekend will appear in the top five this weekend. Holmes and Watson might not collapse and could grab a spot in the top five, but I personally wouldn’t bet on it. This weekend last year, Star Wars: The Last Jedi barely stayed ahead of Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, as both films earned more than $50 million. Aquaman has close to a 50/50 chance of earning $50 million, but the rest of the films will be well back resulting in 2018 ending on a losing note. That said, it should be relatively close and 2018 has already topped last year’s final box office by a significant margin. More...

International Box Office: Aquaman Surfs to $400 million Internationally

December 27, 2018

Aquaman had another significant expansion helping it keep first place with $95.2 million on 31,900 screens in 70 markets for totals of $415.5 million internationally and, including updated Domestic tallies, the global take is $488.2 million worldwide. It is ahead of every other film in the D.C.E.U. on the international chart, which is impressive. Its biggest new market was South Korea, where it earned first place with $7.94 million on 1,272 screens for a total opening of $10.08 million. It also opened in first place in France with $6.6 million on 607 screens, as well as in Germany with $4.9 million 805. The film’s biggest market overall was China, where it slipped to second with $23.41 million on 12,000 screens for a three-week total of $233.59 million. More...

Theater Averages: Box Office Feels the Winter Chill

December 27, 2018

There were not many new limited releases releases, which let If Beale Street Could Talk remain on top with an average of $21,853 in five theaters. Cold War was the best of the new releases with an average of $18,118 in three theaters. The only other film in the $10,000 club over the weekend was Aquaman with an average of $16,485. Two films had averages of over $10,000 during their Christmas Day debuts, On the Basis of Sex (average of $14,483 in 33 theaters) and Destroyer (average of $10,246 in three). More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Box Office Christmas Clean-up

December 27, 2018

The Christmas holiday is over for most people, although it is not entirely over for some studios. This is making getting all of the box office details much harder to do. In fact, we are still limited to estimated for more than half the top five this weekend. We have enough details now to look at the weekend results and the Christmas Day releases and see which are thriving and which are not. Aquaman dominated the charts with just over $100 million so far, including its paid previews. On the other hand, Mary Poppins Returns missed expectations by a substantial margin. It will still break even. The same can be said of Bumblebee, which could usher in a new era of Transformers movies. Overall, the box office rose by 53% from last weekend to $177 million. This is just 0.3% lower than the same weekend last year; however, last year, Christmas Eve fell on a Sunday and Christmas Eve is a dead zone at the box office. We can’t even compare Christmas Day, because landing on a Monday vs. a Tuesday is a huge difference. Next weekend’s comparison will be much easier to make. Year-to-date, and this is up to Boxing Day, 2018 is ahead by 7.7% or $810 million at $11.37 billion to $10.56 billion. This would be an impressive year, even if no more movie tickets were sold after boxing day. More...

Featured Blu-ray Review: The Unnamable

December 25, 2018

It’s the 30th anniversary of the release of The Unnamable and it is getting a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray to celebrate. Has the film aged well? Is it only for fans of low-budget 80s horror? Will these fans want to pick up the Blu-ray? More...

Christmas Predictions: Can Sherlock Solve the Case?

December 24, 2018

Tomorrow is Christmas Day, which is a surprisingly good day to release a movie, and two new films are hoping to take advantage of this. Holmes and Watson is by far the bigger of the two releases, but despite the comedic talent in the movie, its reviews are, well, practically non-existent. There’s only one review and it is negative. Not that long ago, I thought the film would still open with $10 million for the day, as Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly do have box office drawing power. However, the lack of reviews hurts and the buzz isn’t loud enough to compensate. I think $8 million is more likely. More...

Home Market Releases for December 25th, 2018

December 24, 2018

This year, Christmas Day lands on a Tuesday. Tuesday is the usual day for new DVD / Blu-ray releases. You can see why releasing a DVD / Blu-ray on Christmas Day is a bad idea, so it should come as no surprise that there are almost no releases worth talking about. The only “big” release of the week is White Boy Rick and on an average week, that would be relegated to the Secondary Blu-ray list. The biggest release on this week’s list is The Predator, but that’s because the screener arrived a week late. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: The Predator

December 23, 2018

The Predator is the latest installment in the franchise. The first Predator is widely considered a classic; however, since then no film in the franchise has really come close to that mark. Can this film finally rediscover the magic of the first movie? Or has the franchise run its course? More...

Weekend Estimates: Aquaman Easily Tops Weekend Chart, Poppins / Bumblebee Need Long Legs

December 23, 2018

Aquaman is the only certifiable hit of the weekend with an estimated opening of $67.4 million over the weekend for a total of $72.1 million including last week’s paid previews. This is not more than we predicted, but it is dominating the chart, because the competition didn’t show up. It should hit $100 million by the end of Christmas Day. Its reviews are good, but not great, and the same is true of its A minus from CinemaScore. It is also a comic book movie and those tend to have shorter legs, so it might not get as large a multiplier as the average Christmas weekend release, but it should be a large enough hit that Warner Bros. will keep this new direction going for the DCEU. Internationally, it is earning an estimated $91.3 million on 31,930 screens in 70 markets for a three-week total of $410.7 million. Overall, it is tracking ahead of every other film in the DCEU, but a lot of that has to do with China. More...

Friday Estimates: Aquaman Easily Tops Chart, Bumblebee tops Struggling Mary Poppins

December 22, 2018

Friday was not as potent as midnight previews led us to believe it would be. That said, Aquaman still had an impressive $28.0 million opening day. This does include the previous night’s $9.0 million in previews, but not last weekend’s $4.7 million in previews, giving the film a $32.7 million running tally. The film’s reviews remain in the overall positive level and it earned an A minus from CinemaScore, so it should have relatively good legs over the weekend, for a comic book movie. We predicted an opening weekend of $67 million and I think the film will top that, by one or two million dollars. It is more than enough for Warner Bros. to continue with the new direction DCEU is taking. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Awards Season Doesn’t Help Limited Releases

December 21, 2018

There is not a lot of time for Oscar contenders to come out in theaters and usually this time of year there are a few Oscar-bait films getting last minute runs. This is sort of true this year. There are three films coming out till the end of the year that have been earning Awards Season buzz, but none of them are earning award-worthy reviews. Besides these three films, there are almost no limited releases. Even if you include all of next week, there are only eight films opening this week in total. More...

Men in Black: International Trailer

December 21, 2018

Sci-fi adventure starring Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson opens June 14 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Aquaman Torpedoes the Competition, Mary Poppins has a Quiet Return

December 21, 2018

Aquaman earned $9.0 million during Thursday’s previews, which is a little lower than the $11.0 million Wonder Woman opened with. However, the film also had $4.7 million in earlier paid previews, which undoubtedly lowered last night’s figure a little bit. Its reviews continue to be good, but not great, so it won’t have amazing legs over the weekend, but after a start like this, topping Star Wars: The Last Jedi’s $71.56 million haul from last year is a lot more likely. In fact, $80 million over three-days is a realistic goal to aim for. More...

2018 - Holiday Gift Guide - Part IV - Books, Music, and Anything I Missed

December 20, 2018

We’ve already talked about First-run Releases, TV on DVD releases, and Limited Releases / Classics / Foreign-Imports. This week we look at some books, music, movies that didn’t arrive in time to talk about before, movies I just forgot to mention, or screeners that arrived late and I won’t be able to get to. More...

Hellboy Trailer

December 20, 2018

Superhero action movie starring David Harbour opens April 12 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Theater Averages: Everyone is Talking about Beale Street

December 19, 2018

There was only one new release in the $10,000 club this past weekend. If Beale Street Could Talk opened with an average of $56,119 in four theaters. The only other member of the $10,000 club was Mary Queen of Scots, with an average of $10,602 in 66 theaters during its second week of release. It will continue to expand, but it very likely won’t expand even semi-wide. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Aquaman Swim to Victory, or will Mary Poppins Return to Top Spot?

December 19, 2018

It is a busy week, as there are seven films opening wide over the next seven days. Not all of these will be hits—the competition is just too great for that. However, there could be a real race for Christmas champion this year. Because of its fast start in China and its strong pre-sales numbers, many believe Aquaman will top earlier expectations and earn first place over the three-day weekend. However, I think Mary Poppins Returns will be number one over the full week, partially because it should earn a bigger boost over Christmas, but also because it is opening two days early. Meanwhile, Bumblebee’s surprisingly strong reviews are lifting its box office potential. More...

International Box Office: Aquaman Tops Competition by $100 million

December 19, 2018

Aquaman expanded worldwide at the weekend, earning $131.3 million on 44,134 screens in 43 markets for a two-week total of $266.4 million on the international market. It debuted in over 40 markets, but China was still the dominant force, as it pulled in $54.24 million on 24,528 screens there over the weekend for a two-week total of $189.30 million. A 42% drop-off is amazing for China, which is know for sharp sophomore declines, and the film is already the fourth-biggest super hero film in that market. On the other hand, the film’s biggest opening came in Mexico, where it earned $6.62 million over the weekend for a total opening of $8.00 million there. This is significantly below the openings of both Wonder Woman and Justice League. Overall, Aquaman beat those films more often then not, sometimes by rather large margins. For example, it earned $7.8 million on 3,110 screens in Russia, which was more than double Wonder Woman’s opening in that market. However, at this point, we can safely say China will contribute a disproportionate share of its international box office. More...

Where’d You Go Bernadette Trailer

December 19, 2018

Drama starring Cate Blanchett opens March 22 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Home Market Releases for December 18th, 2018

December 18, 2018

It’s an odd week on the home market, as there are four major first run releases coming out this week, but almost nothing else. Fun fact, I got screeners for all four of these films, although one of them arrived too late to review. Of these four, A Simple Favor is clearly the best and the DVD / Blu-ray / 4K is a contender for Pick of the Week. Its only competition is the 4K release for 2001: A Space Odyssey. More...

Downton Abbey Teaser

December 18, 2018

Historical ensemble drama opens September 20, 2019 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Spider-Man Starts Strong as Christmas Holidays Begin

December 18, 2018

The weekend went according to predictions, more or less. Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse was the biggest surprise and it beat our prediction by barely more than $1 million at $35.36 million. The Mule was a distant second place with $17.51 million, but this is still a good result for its production budget / target demographic. On the other hand, Mortal Engines bombed. There’s no polite way to describe this result. The overall box office rose by 37% from last weekend, hitting $115 million. Unfortunately, this weekend last year, Star Wars: The Last Jedi opened with nearly double that by itself. 2018 was off by 58% when compared to last year. That would be a terrible result, even if there were a misalignment in holidays. Fortunately, 2018 still has a huge lead over 2017, up by 9.3% or $930 million at $10.96 billion to $10.03 billion and even if 2018 loses by this amount for the next two weeks, it will still end the year with a massive lead over 2018. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: The House with a Clock in its Walls

December 17, 2018

The House with a Clock in its Walls is one of two fantasy family films starring Jack Black that came out this fall. I got solicitations for screeners for both films, but I passed on Goosebumps 2 and choose to review this film instead. Did I make the right call? More...

Miss Bala Trailer

December 17, 2018

Action movie starring Gina Rodriguez opens February 1 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Venom

December 16, 2018

Venom is the biggest hit Sony released this year. However, it was absolutely savaged by critics. Were the critics right? Did the audiences see some quality critics didn’t? Or is the movie somewhere in the middle of those two extremes? More...

Weekend Estimates: Spider-Man is too much for just one Universe

December 16, 2018

Sony’s estimates have Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse earning $35.4 million over the weekend. Its reviews and its A plus from CinemaScore should both helps its legs, as will the upcoming holidays. On the other hand, it does have direct competition next weekend, more or less. Aquaman will attack it from the super hero side of things, while Mary Poppins Returns will take from its family film side. That said, with a start like this, $100 million domestically is practically guaranteed, while $150 million is a solid goal to aim for. More...

Friday Estimates: Spidey Starts Miles Ahead of the Competition

December 15, 2018

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse debuted with $12.6 million on Friday, putting it on pace for $35.5 million over the full weekend, at least according to Sony. It will get a tiny boost on Sunday, because about 5% of school kids start their winter holidays on Monday. It will get a larger boost from its reviews, which remain Oscar-worthy. And this is not a case of the critics loving it and the audiences being more ambivalent, as the film earned an A plus from CinemaScore and a five-star rating from PostTrak. If the film does match Sony’s estimates, then it will be a little better than our prediction. More importantly, if its word-of-mouth boosts its legs, it could earn more than $200 million domestically. That’s asking a lot, but it is a possibility. It is certainly something to keep our eyes on. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Limited Releases are Not Very Talkative

December 14, 2018

It’s a great time of year to release an Awards Season contender. Ironically, there is so much competition in that space that the number of Oscar-bait films already in release is too much competition, so there are not too many films coming out this week. That’s not to say there are no prime releases coming out. If Beale Street Could Talk is an Awards Season contender, but it is arguably the only film on this week’s list with a realistic chance of doing well at the box office. More...

The Mustang Trailer

December 14, 2018

Real-life drama starring Matthias Schoenaerts and Bruce Dern opens March 15 ... Full Movie Details.

Roman, a convict in a prison in rural Nevada, participates in a rehabilitation program in which he trains wild mustangs. He struggles to connect with the horses and his fellow inmates alike. But in time, working alongside young convict Henry and an old trainer Myles, Roman soothes an especially feisty horse and confronts his own violent past. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Spider-Man gets off to a Swinging Start

December 14, 2018

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse opened with $3.5 million during its previews last night. Unfortunately, it is nearly impossible to make an accurate prediction based on this opening, as this is an unusual film. It is an animated film, so we could use other animated films released during this time of year. Sing earned $1.7 million during its previews two years ago; however, that was a Wednesday release that opened less than a week before Christmas Day. Into the Spider-Verse doesn’t have school holidays to boost its numbers, which should help its legs. On the other hand, it is a super hero movie and its Fanboy Effect will hurt its legs. Overall, I think this is good news for the film and it should top our prediction, but we won’t have a really firm grasp on where it’s going until we get Friday’s estimates tomorrow. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Spider-man Swing into First Place?

December 13, 2018

After two weeks with no new releases in the top five, we have three new films vying for a position there. This includes Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse, which is all but guaranteed a spot in the top five. The Mule was thought to be an Awards Season contender, but its reviews are disappointing, given those high hopes. Finally there’s Mortal Engines, a film that cost $100 million to make and will likely barely earn a spot in the top five. This weekend last year, Star Wars: The Last Jedi opened with $220.01 million. That’s more than the entire box office will earn this year. This could be more than all three wide releases earn in total. Fortunately, 2018 has a $1 billion lead over 2017, so three weeks of bad losses won’t change that. More...

2018 - Holiday Gift Guide - Part III - Limited Releases, Classics, Foreign Imports

December 13, 2018

The first instalment of our Holiday Gift Guide dealt with First-run Releases and the second instalment with, TV on DVD releases. The third installment of our Holiday Gift Guide deals with limited releases, classics, and foreign imports and this list can get out of hand rather quickly, so I will try and keep it to a dozen items or so, starting with... More...

Captive State Trailer

December 13, 2018

Sci-fi thriller starring John Goodman, Vera Farmiga and Ashton Sanders opens March 29 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Theater Averages: Mary Reigns over the Competition

December 12, 2018

Mary Queen of Scots led the way on the theater average chart with an average of $48,694 in four theaters. Unfortunately, its reviews strongly suggest it won’t have long legs in limited release. Likewise, Vox Lux got off to a fast start with an average of $25,952 in six theaters, but it is earning nearly identical reviews, so it too will likely have short legs. Up next was Ben is Back with an average of $20,183 in four theaters. The Favourite remained in the $10,000 club for the third weekend in a row with an average of $16,523 in 91 theaters. It will almost certainly expand at least semi-wide at this point, especially if it continues to pick up Awards Season nominations. More...

2018 - Awards Season: SAG - Nominations

December 12, 2018

The Screen Actors Guild were the third group to announce their nominations for this awards season. There’s not a lot of surprises on this week’s list. A Star is Born led the way with four nominations, while The Favourite was right behind with three. More...

International Box Office: Aquaman Floods China

December 12, 2018

Aquaman debuted in China dominating the market with $92.98 million over the weekend for a total opening of $94.28 million. This is roughly as much as the rest of the top five made combined. It is also certainly more than it will open with domestically. More...

Godzilla: King of the Monsters Trailer

December 11, 2018

Sci-fi action movie starring Vera Farmiga and Kyle Chandler opens May 31 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Home Market Releases for December 11th, 2018

December 11, 2018

There isn’t a huge number of releases on this week’s list home market release report. The Equalizer 2 is the biggest, but it is far from the best. As for the best, there are some Pick of the Week contenders, including Colette, My Neighbor Totoro and A Simple Favor. My Neighbor Totoro is worth owning, but it is a triple-dip at this point, maybe more. A Simple Favor is coming out on VOD this week. This leaves Colette’s DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack as the Pick of the Week. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: The Calm before the Winter Storm

December 11, 2018

There were no new releases / expansions / re-releases in the top five over the weekend. In fact, there were no such films in the top ten. Not a single film in the top five even switched positions, so there’s almost nothing to talk about. Ralph Breaks the Internet held on a tiny bit better than predicted, but that didn’t stop the overall box office falling 27% from last weekend to $84 million. This is still ahead of the same weekend last year, but by a tiny 1.5% margin. Year-to-date, 2018’s margin over 2017 barely changed and currently sits at 10.7% or $1.04 billion at $10.82 billion to $9.77 billion. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: A Simple Favor

December 10, 2018

A Simple Favor hits Video on Demand this week and the screener arrived early, so I figured it was a perfect time to review this movie. (Also, I might have as many as five films to review next week. I kind of messed up requesting screeners, so getting this done now will save me the stress next week.) Is it worth checking out on VOD? Or should you wait for the Blu-ray Combo Pack? More...

They Shall Not Grow Old Trailer

December 10, 2018

Peter Jackson’s World War I documentary plays special engagements in the US on December 17 and 27 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Weekend Estimates: Christmas Comes Early for Animation

December 9, 2018

Both animated films are doing great at the box office with Ralph Breaks the Internet matching our prediction nearly perfectly with a studio estimate of $16.1 million over the weekend, which would give it a running tally of $140.9 million. Internationally, the film has barely opened in half the world earning $18.0 million over the weekend for a total of $117.3 million. This includes a first place debut in Spain with $4.6 million over the five-day weekend. Its next major market isn’t until December 21st when it opens in Japan, while it is a Boxing Day release in Australia. More...

Friday Estimates: Box Office Sinks a Little Deeper

December 8, 2018

It looks like it will be another soft weekend at the box office. The lack of new releases is not helping holdovers too much, but most of the top five is on pace to match expectations, more or less. For example, Ralph Breaks the Internet pulled in $3.52 million on Friday, putting it on pace for $15 million over the weekend. This is within a rounding error of our prediction and nothing to panic about. Granted, the film is falling behind Coco’s pace, while $200 million domestically is becoming a more difficult goal, but Disney could give it a push over the top if it wants to. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Feeling Listless

December 7, 2018

There are no previews to talk about, because there were no wide releases this weekend and there are no preview numbers for Schindler’s List. That said, there is some box office news to talk about, as Warner Bros. released the first box office numbers for Aquaman, which opened in China two weeks ahead of its domestic debut. The film earned $24.6 million on approximately 30,500 screens during its opening day, which is not only the biggest opening day for the studio in that market, it is the biggest opening day in December for any film. The film is expected to earn $80 million during its opening weekend, which is very likely more than it will open with here. More...

Avengers: Endgame Trailer

December 7, 2018

The grand finale opens worldwide May 3 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Oscar-Bait is Back

December 7, 2018

It’s a strange week for limited releases. There is not an overwhelming number of releases on this week’s list, but three of them were widely expected to be Awards Season players: Ben is Back, Mary Queen of Scots, and Vox Lux. However, of these three, none of them of earning award-worthy reviews. In fact, none of them are earning reviews that suggest they will truly thrive in limited release. Worse still, the competition between the three of them could result in none of them doing particularly well over the weekend. Hopefully that’s not the case. More...

2018 - Awards Season: Golden Globes - Nominations

December 6, 2018

The Golden Globes nominations are the second major Awards Season set to come out. It is still very early in the year and the predictive value of the Golden Globes is a little suspect, but there are still some things to learn here. For example Vice led the way with six nominations, so its Oscar chances have gone up, but don’t expect it to lead the way when the Oscars nominations are announced. More...

All is True Trailer

December 6, 2018

Historical drama directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh, with Judi Dench and Ian McKellen opens December 21 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Weekend Predictions: Short List of New Releases

December 6, 2018

The first weekend of December is usually a terrible weekend to release a new film. However, that’s because it is usually the first weekend after Thanksgiving long weekend. This year this is not the case, but there are still no wide releases to talk about. The closest to a new release is Schindler’s List, which is getting a semi-wide release. It has a slim chance at reaching the top ten, but I wouldn’t bet on it. This means the top five this week will be identical the top five from last weekend with Ralph Breaks the Internet leading the way. This weekend last year, Coco remained in top spot with $18.45 million, while the only wide release was Just Getting Started, which missed the Mendoza Line. I think 2018 will win in the year-over-year competition, but not by a lot. More...

Theater Averages: Playing Favourites

December 6, 2018

The Favourite remained on the top of the theater average chart with an average of $31,538 in 34 theaters. That would have been an amazing opening weekend. It was also the only film in the $10,000 club, with the next best film being Shoplifters with an average of $6,971 in 14 theaters. The best new release of the week was Sicilian Ghost Story, which opened with $4,324 in its lone theater. More...

International Box Office: Bohemian Rhapsody Challenges Grindelwald for Top Spot

December 5, 2018

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald remained in first place on the international chart with $40.8 million on 18,922 screens in 80 markets for totals of $386.9 million internationally and $521.4 million worldwide. Its biggest market of the weekend was Japan, where it added $7.5 million to its running tally, which now sits at $25.6 million. Its biggest market overall is China, where it has $56.65 million, including $2.37 million this past weekend, followed by the U.K. with $33.8 million, including $3.5 million this past weekend. More...

2018 - Holiday Gift Guide - Part II - TV on DVD Releases

December 5, 2018

The first installment of our Holiday Gift Guide dealt with First Run wide releases, which was dominated by super heroes, again. This week, we look at TV on DVD releases, specifically first seasons and Megasets. I limited this list to two types, because you don’t need me to tell you if someone will want the sixth season of a show. If they liked the first five, then season six is likely a good gift. However, like last year, I’m going to start this list with an exception. Sort of. On a side note, originally, I was going to lead with K-On: Limited Edition Box Set, but that got pushed back till February. You can still buy it and give them a print-out of the receipt at Christmas. “Merry Christmas. You’re gift will arrive in two months.” ... Yes, I’ve done that in the past. No, it's not tacky. More...

Home Market Releases for December 4th, 2018

December 4, 2018

It’s not a bad week when it comes to the home market. The biggest release is Mission: Impossible—Fallout and while I didn’t like it as much as most critics, the Blu-ray / 4K Ultra HD Combo Packs are still worth picking up. There were also a trio of releases that were contenders for Pick of the Week, all of which were TV on DVD release: The Handmaid’s Tale: Season Two, Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions: Take On Me, and Westworld: Season Two: The Door. In the end, it came down to a roll of the dice, with The Handmaid’s Tale coming out on top. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: The Happytime Murders

December 4, 2018

The screener for The Happytime Murders arrived technically on time, but late enough that I was barely able to get the review finished on Tuesday. The film failed to connect with audiences or with critics. Is it as bad as its Tomatometer Score would indicate? Or should more people have watched it in theaters. More...

Captain Marvel Trailer 2

December 4, 2018

Super hero adventure starring Brie Larson opens March 8, 2019 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Ralph Wins, Most Holdovers Hold Strong

December 4, 2018

The post-holiday weekend matched expectations, more or less. Ralph Breaks the Internet led the way with $25.57 million over the weekend. The Possession of Hannah Grace opened better than expected and earned more than it cost to make, so if it can find an audience on the home market, it could break even. Overall, the box office fell almost exactly $100 million from last weekend, but it is a post holiday weekend, so this 47% drop-off is not unexpected. More importantly, this is 9.5% above the same weekend last year, which continues 2018’s winning streak. 2018’s lead over 2017 is basically within a rounding error of where it was last week at $10.8 million / $1.05 billion at $10.70 billion to $9.65 billion. More...

The Mule Trailer

December 3, 2018

Drama directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, with Bradley Cooper, and Laurence Fishburne opens December 14 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Mission: Impossible—Fallout

December 3, 2018

Mission: Impossible—Fallout will likely end up being Paramount’s biggest hit released in 2018. (Bumblebee has a very slim shot at topping it.) It also earned some of the best reviews of any wide release of the year. Do I agree with the critical consensus? Or am I in the minority? More...

Weekend Estimates: Ralph Slips, Still Strong, Hannah Tops Expectations, Still Soft

December 2, 2018

Ralph Breaks the Internet will retain top spot on the weekend box office chart with an estimated $25.8 million for a two-week total of $119.3 million. Granted, this is lower than we predicted, but not so much lower than anyone at Disney should be panicking. Internationally, the film added an estimated $33.7 million in 27 markets, lifting its international total to $87.7 million after two weeks of release. Its only major market opening of the weekend was the U.K. where it reportedly earned $5.2 million. This is less than Wreck-It Ralph opened with, but that film debuted during the school holidays, so it got a boost. Ralph Breaks the Internet should have longer than average legs thanks to Christmas, but I don’t think it will match its predecessor in this market. More...

Friday Estimates: Ralph has a mostly Graceful Decline

December 1, 2018

Ralph Breaks the Internet remained in top spot on the box office chart on Friday earning $5.74 million. This is 74% lower than its opening Friday; granted, that was a holiday, so a sharp decline was practically guranteed, but this is still sharper than anticipated. Look for $25 million over the weekend, which is weaker than our prediction and puts $200 million in jeopardy. It will need help over the Christmas break to get there. More...

2018 Preview: December

December 1, 2018

November turned out to be a really, really good month. I thought 2018’s lead over 2017 would shrink, potentially by $200 million to $300 million. However, the lead actually managed to grow a little bit, thanks to hits like Ralph Breaks the Internet, Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and Bohemian Rhapsody. December has an equal number of potential hits, led by Mary Poppins Returns, which some think will top $300 million. Additionally, Spider-man Into the Spider-Verse, Aquaman, Bumblebee, and Holmes and Watson all have a realistic shot at $100 million or more. On the other hand, last December was stronger, at least on top. The Last Jedi earned more than $500 million just during December, which is more than any December release this year will earn in total. It could be more than the top two films earn in total. 2018 will win the in year-over-year competition; however, its lead won’t be as large as it is at the start of the month. More...

The Numbers News - December 2018

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