The Numbers News - January 2019

January 31, 2019

It’s Super Bowl weekend, which is historically one of the worst weekends all year long and it doesn’t look like this year will be an exception. Miss Bala is the only true wide release of the week, while They Shall Not Grow Old is expanding wide enough that it could grab a spot in the top five. Glass should remain in top spot, likely with less than $10 million. It’s not going to be a good weekend at the box office. Meanwhile, this weekend last year, Winchester opened with just over $9 million and two holdovers earned $10 million. 2019 is going to lose in the year-over-year comparison, but because both weekends were so soft, the gap shouldn’t be too large. More...

A Dog’s Journey Trailer

January 31, 2019

Family drama starring Dennis Quaid, with the voice of Josh Gad opens May 17 ... Full Movie Details.

The story of one devoted dog who finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he teaches to laugh and love. More...

Theater Averages: Most Films were Never Looked At

January 31, 2019

Never Look Away was the only film to earn a spot in the $10,000 club, as it earned $25,789 in its lone theater. It did earn an Oscar Nod for Best Foreign-Language Picture, so it could do very well in limited release. More...

International Box Office: Some of the Shine Comes off for Glass

January 31, 2019

Glass remained in first place with $23.6 million in 55 markets for a two-week total of $89.1 million. It has no new markets this past weekend. In fact, it only has one major market left in its run, China. The film’s biggest market was the U.K. where it remained in first place with $2.55 million over the weekend for a two-week total of $9.06 million. In Russia, t fell 60% to just $2.08 million on 1,381 over the weekend for a two-week total of $8.68 million. The film opened faster than Split did, but it has shorter legs, so it may or may not overtake its predecessor in the end. More...

Home Market Releases for January 29th, 2019

January 30, 2019

We are still stuck in the dead zone on the home market, as it is too late for summer blockbusters, but too early for the major fall hits. The biggest first-run release of the week is The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, which says a lot. The best is The Wife, which earns our Pick of the Week. However, The Night is Short, Walk on Girl was a close competitor. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Suspiria

January 29, 2019

Suspiria earned good reviews, but not reviews that were good enough for most limited releases to thrive. Then it opened with a theater average of nearly $100,000. At that point, I thought it could be a surprise box office hit. Unfortunately, as soon as it tried to expand, its audience collapsed and it quickly exited theaters. Is the film as good as its opening weekend theater average? Or is there a legitimate reason it collapsed so quickly? More...

Little Trailer

January 29, 2019

Comedy starring Regina Hall, Issa Rae, and Marsai Martin opens April 12 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: January Ends on a Quiet Note

January 29, 2019

2019 has been off to a slow start and that certainly didn’t change this past weekend. Glass and the holdovers held up better than expected, but the two new releases, The Kid Who Would Be King and Serenity, both went nowhere. This led to the weekend box office haul falling below the $100 million mark at just $97 million. This is 25% lower than last weekend and 31% lower than the same weekend last year, when Maze Runner: The Death Cure opened with $24.17 million. That’s more than this week’s two releases will earn combined. It’s going to be another bad week for 2019. Year-to-date, 2019 is already down by $100 million; $764 million to $871 million and it’s not going to get better in February. More...

Five Feet Apart Trailer

January 28, 2019

Romantic drama starring Cole Sprouse and Haley Lu Richardson opens on March 15 ... Full Movie Details.

Stella Grant is every bit a seventeen-year-old…she’s attached to her laptop and loves her best friends. But unlike most teenagers, she spends much of her time living in a hospital as a cystic fibrosis patient. Her life is full of routines, boundaries and self-control—all of which is put to the test when she meets an impossibly charming fellow CF patient named Will Newman. There’s an instant flirtation, though restrictions dictate that they must maintain a safe distance between them. As their connection intensifies, so does the temptation to throw the rules out the window and embrace that attraction. Further complicating matters is Will's potentially dangerous rebellion against his ongoing medical treatment. Stella gradually inspires Will to live life to the fullest, but can she ultimately save the person she loves when even a single touch is off limits? More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: The Nutcracker and the Four Realms

January 28, 2019

I knew The Nutcracker and the Four Realms was in trouble when Disney didn’t push Christopher Robin over $100 million at the domestic box office. At that point, every film they released in 2018 had hit the century mark, so there was a chance they could have had every film released in a calendar year get to that milestone. They wouldn’t pass up that chance, unless they knew The Nutcracker and the Four Realms wasn’t going to get there. It didn’t get there. It barely managed to get halfway to $100 million. Is the film as bad as its box office numbers? Or was it unfairly ignored? More...

2018 - Awards Season: SAG - Winners

January 28, 2019

The Screen Actors Guild announced their winners on Sunday, and there are some surprises to talk about. More...

Weekend Estimates: Glass and Others put a Ceiling on New Releases

January 27, 2019

Glass bounced back after a weak Friday earning an estimated $19.05 million over the weekend for a two-week total of $73.59 million. This is even better than our original prediction. It’s practically guaranteed to get to $100 million domestically, while it is doing a little better internationally. This weekend it pulled in $23.6 million for a two-week total of $89.1 million. The film has yet to open in China and when it does, it will get past $250 million worldwide. More...

Friday Estimates: 2019 Continues its Cold Start

January 26, 2019

It was a Friday to forget, and it’s going to be another bad weekend at the box office. Glass fell 69% from its opening Friday to $4.98 million this Friday. This is a sharper decline than anticipated, but even so, it should still earn a little more than $16 million over the full weekend, keeping it on pace for $100 million domestically. In other words, while this is a faster decline than predicted, it is not so fast that anyone should panic. More...

Thursday Night Previews: No News is Good News, Right?

January 25, 2019

Neither The Kid Who Would Be King nor Serenity held Thursday previews, so there’s nothing to report on that front. That said, early industry tracking suggests I was a little too optimistic with The Kid Who Would Be King and it will likely have to settle for third place with under $10 million. As expected, Serenity is in a fight for fifth place and if it stumbles even a little over the rest of the weekend, it could land below the Mendoza Line. More...

Wonder Park Trailer

January 25, 2019

Animated adventure opens on March 15 ... Full Movie Details.

The story of a magnificent amusement park where the imagination of a wildly creative girl named June comes alive. One magical day, June is running through the woods to find her way home where she discovers an old rollercoaster car and climbs inside. She suddenly finds herself in Wonderland, an amusement park she had created in her mind and put aside. All of her rides and characters are brought to life but are falling into disarray without her. Now, with the help of her fun and lovable park characters, June will have to put the wonder back in Wonderland before it is lost forever. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: These Releases will Hold Your Attention

January 25, 2019

It is not a good week for limited releases. The biggest release is BlacKkKlansman, which is getting a re-release this week. King of Thieves is the biggest new release in terms of buzz, but The Image Book and Never Look Away have better reviews. More...

Weekend Predictions: It Looks Like it will be a Serene Weekend

January 25, 2019

The weekend after a long weekend is rarely a good weekend to release a movie and there are only two films attempting this challenge this week. The Kid Who Would Be King is a live-action family film and those rarely do well at the box office. Serenity is... a movie... that... If what I read about the film’s surprise twist is correct, then this film could earn a D or worse from CinemaScore. Glass will remain at the top of the box office, unless something truly strange happens. Meanwhile, this weekend last year, Maze Runner: The Death Cure opened with $24.17 million. That’s more than this week’s two releases will earn combined. It’s going to be another bad week for 2019. More...

Theater Averages: History is Being Written

January 24, 2019

Who Will Write Our History topped the theater average chart with $13,390 in its lone theater. One could also argue Dragon Ball Super: Broly was the true leader on this chart. Because the film played in a different number of theaters each day over the weekend, it is hard to come up with a real theater average for the weekend. Taking the average of the daily averages gets us $13,643, which would be number one of the weekend. Using the maximum theater count still gets us an average of $7,870, which is still amazing. The only other film in the $10,000 club was the overall box office leader, Glass, with an average of $10,500. More...

International Box Office: Glass Sparkles on Top

January 24, 2019

Glass opened in first place on the international chart with $48.5 million in 55 markets. Its biggest market was Russia, where it opened with $5.19 million on 1,381 screens. On the other hand, arguably its best market was Mexico, where it earned $4.15 million over the weekend for a total opening of $4.39 million. This is more than double the $2.02 million Split opened with and the record for M. Night Shyamalan in that market. On the down side, the film has practically done its international run and only has China ahead. More...

Run the Race Trailer

January 24, 2019

Faith-based drama opens on February 22 ... Full Movie Details.

Two desperate brothers sacrifice today for a better tomorrow. Reeling from his mother’s death and his father’s abandonment, Zach, an All-State athlete, finds glory on the football field, working to earn a college scholarship and the brothers’ ticket out of town. When a devastating injury puts Zach—and his dreams—on the sidelines, David laces up his track cleats to salvage their future and point Zach toward hope. More...

Home Market Releases for January 22nd, 2019

January 24, 2019

We’re getting close to the monster hits from fall finally coming out on the home market. Closer, but we are not quite there yet. This week’s biggest release is First Man, but it is not the best. The race for Pick of the Week came down to three contenders: Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, The Hate U Give, and JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Set Three. It was a close race, but in the end The Hate U Give won out. More...

Fast Color Trailer

January 23, 2019

Supernatural thriller starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw opens on March 29 ... Full Movie Details. More...

2018 Awards Season: Oscar Nominations

January 23, 2019

The Oscar nominations were announced yesterday starting at just after 5 am Pacific time. They do this every year for reasons no one has been able to adequately explain to me. Because it was the day after a long weekend, it took a bit of time to get all the normal work done and digest the results. And there were some interesting results to digest. No one film led the way with total nominations, as two films, The Favourite and Roma tied with 10 nominations each. More...

Breakthrough Trailer

January 22, 2019

Faith-based drama starring Chrissy Metz and Josh Lucas opens on April 17 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Glass Wins, Dragon Ball was Super

January 22, 2019

It was a mixed weekend with Glass missing admittedly high expectations, but a lot of the rest of the top five thrived. This includes Dragon Ball Super: Broly, which wasn’t even expected to open in the top five. Overall, the box office rose 8.6% from last weekend to $130 million. This is 5.0% less than the same weekend last year, which means 2019’s losing streak continues. This is more disappointing, as the misalignment in holidays gave 2019 a huge advantage this weekend. Year-to-date, 2019 is below 2018 by $100 million. In fact, 2019 is off to the worst start since 2012 or 2011, depending on if you take ticket price inflation into account. That said, it is still very early in the year and there are several nearly guaranteed monster hits on the way. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: The Hate U Give

January 22, 2019

The Hate U Give opened in limited release in October and while it never reached the top five, it did very well at the box office. Its reviews are 97% positive, but it hasn’t gone anywhere during Awards Season. Does it deserve more? Or is it busted Oscar-bait? More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: First Man

January 20, 2019

First Man was made to win Oscars. I don’t think there are many people out there that would deny that. I don’t know if it is going to succeed in that goal, but it did struggle in theaters, earning barely more than $100 million worldwide. Is the film too much “Oscar-bait” to win over audiences? Or is it an unfairly overlooked gem? More...

2018 - Awards Season: PGA - Winners

January 20, 2019

The Producers Guild of America announced their winners on Sunday night and the reactions to the winners range from “obviously” to “what were they thinking?” More...

Weekend Estimates: Glass Cracks, Still Tops Chart

January 20, 2019

Glass’s box office potential has continued to drop and it is now estimated to earn $40.59 million over the three-day weekend and $47.06 million over four. The three-day opening is barely ahead of Split’s opening weekend and it is certainly lower in terms of tickets sold. Furthermore, Glass’s reviews and B-rating from CinemaScore are clearly already having a negative effect on the film’s legs. That said, the film only cost $20 million to make and while Universal is only handling the domestic run, it will break even just on its domestic numbers. The film’s international run is being handled by Disney, mostly, and they reported $48.5 million in 55 markets. The only market the film hasn’t opened in is China, which is the only international market Disney is not handling the distribution. According to Disney, the film is 13% ahead of Split internationally, but again, given its weaker reviews and its CinemaScore, its legs will likely be short enough that Glass will finish with less than its predecessor. Then again, it cost just $20 million to make and will likely hit $100 million worldwide on Monday, so everyone involved will be happy with this result. More...

Friday Estimates: Glass is Looking a Little More Fragile

January 19, 2019

It looks like Glass will open on the low end of expectations with $16.0 million on Friday, putting it on pace for $50 million over the four-day weekend. Its reviews are clearly not helping, while the film only managed a B from CinemaScore, which is down from the B plus Split earned. That said, the film only cost $20 million to make and Universal’s share of the opening weekend will be more than that. Unless the film’s advertising budget is unreasonably large, then the movie will break even just on its domestic numbers. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Glass is the New Ceiling for Shyamalan

January 18, 2019

Glass became M. Night Shyamalan’s fastest starting film with $3.7 million during its previews, topping his previous record of $3 million set by The Last Airbender. More importantly, this is more than the $2 million Split opened with a couple of years ago. This film won’t have as long legs for two reasons. When Split came out, people thought it was an original story and didn’t know it was a stealth sequel to Unbreakable, while Glass is an open sequel and sequels tend to have shorter legs. Also, its reviews are bad with a Tomatometer Score of just 35%. As for its weekend haul, the film needed $4 million during previews in order to have a 50/50 chance at $60 million. $3.7 million means $55 million is more likely. That’s not quite as much as we predicted, but still a good start. More...

John Wick 3: Parabellum Trailer

January 18, 2019

Action movie starring Keanu Reeves opens on May 17 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Growing Up is not Required

January 18, 2019

It is still the worst time of the year for limited releases. Dragon Ball Super: Broly will undoubtedly be the biggest hit of the weekend, but films like Adult Life Skills should find an audience on the home market. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Glass Shatter Franchise Records?

January 17, 2019

It is MLK day long weekend, the first long weekend of the year. On the one hand, there’s only one new release trying to take advantage of that. On the other hand, that one film is Glass, which is widely expected to be the biggest hit of the month. In fact, it could earn more over the next four days than any other January film earns in total. On a side note, Dragon Ball Super: Broly opened on Wednesday earning $7 million. It won’t earn that much over the weekend, but depending on how many screenings it has in how many theaters over the weekend, it could sneak into the top ten. That would be something amazing for Anime. This weekend last year was the weekend after MLK Day, so the misalignment in holidays should give 2019 its first win of the year. More...

Theater Averages: New Releases are Left in the Cold

January 17, 2019

There were no films in the $10,000 club with Cold War coming the closest with $9,751 in ten theaters. The best new release was Touch Me Not, which opened with $7,903 in one theater. More...

Canal Street Trailer

January 17, 2019

Drama starring Bryshere Y. Gray, Mekhi Phifer, and Mykelti Williamson opens on Friday ... Full Movie Details.

The story of a teen, Kholi Styles, trying to get by in an unwelcoming new world. After the mysterious death of a classmate, all eyes fall on Kholi, the new kid at his high school. It’s up to his father, Jackie Styles, an up-and-coming lawyer from the slums of Chicago, to defend his son in court and battle an outraged public before time runs out. Jackie fights to keep his faith and prove his son is not the monster the world has made him out to be. More...

International Box Office: Bumblebee Stings the Competition

January 16, 2019

Bumblebee remained in first place with $35.6 million in 64 markets for totals of $256.3 million internationally and $365.2 million worldwide. It was able to remain in first place in China with $26.36 million over the weekend for a two-week total of $108.91 million. It fell 55%, which is actually quite good for a film in China. Bumblebee needs about $250 million worldwide, without China, in order to break even during its initial push into the home market. It got there this weekend and it still hasn’t opened in Japan. I think Paramount will be happy with this result and there will be another installment in the Transformers franchise. More...

Home Market Releases for January 15th, 2019

January 16, 2019

The big fall releases are starting to come out on the home market. This week we get Halloween, which was a $100 million domestic hit. However, it is not among the best films on this week’s list. There are three Pick of the Week contenders on the week’s list. There’s the award-nominated Indie film, Madeline’s Madeline, the classic Notorious, and Bad Times at the El Royale, for which I finally got the review done. It was a coin-toss, but in the end, Madeline’s Madeline on Blu-ray won. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Upside Surprises Landing on Top Earning STX its First First Place

January 15, 2019

The first major surprise of the year happened over the weekend, as The Upside beat expectations earning first place with $20.36 million. The overall box office fell 14% from last weekend dropping to $119 million. This is 25% lower than the same weekend last year, but that was MLK Day long weekend, so this kind of difference was expected. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Bad Times at the El Royale

January 15, 2019

Bad Times at the El Royale was a film I was really hoping would do well at the box office. It has a great cast, I’m a fan of the the writer / director, and I love Film Noir. However, it wasn’t to be. It only managed seventh place during its opening weekend and quickly left theaters. Did it deserve better? Or did it fail to live up to its potential in terms of quality as well? More...

Spider-Man: Far From Home Trailer

January 15, 2019

Super hero adventure starring Tom Holland and Jake Gyllenhaal opens on July 5 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Brightburn Trailer

January 14, 2019

Super hero horror movie starring Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, and Jackson Dunn opens on May 24 ... Full Movie Details.

What if a child from another world crash-landed on Earth, but instead of becoming a hero to mankind, he proved to be something far more sinister? More...

Weekend Estimates: Upside Surprises as Box Office Slows

January 13, 2019

It wasn’t exactly a great weekend at the box office, but The Upside was the rare exception. The film is estimated to open with $19.59 million. The audiences clearly liked the film better than critics did, as its reviews are mixed, while it got an A from CinemaScore. This makes sense, as the most common complaint from critics were the clichés. The average moviegoer only sees one movie in a theater every other month, whereas the average critic will see two or more movies a week. Clichés are a lot less tolerable when you see them ten times as often as part of your job. The film’s estimates are much better than its predictions and great for a film that cost $37.5 million to make. Furthermore, the news is even better for STX Entertainment, as they didn’t spend nearly that much on the domestic rights, so they will be in the black very soon. More...

2018 - Awards Season: BAFTA - Nominations

January 12, 2019

The BAFTA nominations were announced and The Favorite led the way with 12 nominations. Sometimes the BAFTAs are a really good indicator for who will do well on Oscar night. Other times their bias to British films is too much. I think this year will be an example of the latter and I don't think The Favourite is suddenly an Oscar favorite. That said, there’s still some things you can learn here. More...

Friday Estimates: Box Office is Turned Upside Down

January 12, 2019

The Upside surprised box office analysts with $6.95 million on Friday, knocking Aquaman out of first place on the daily chart. This is very likely enough to knock it out of first place on the weekend chart as well, becoming STX’s first number one hit. Most critics didn’t like the movie, but few hated it. Audiences, on the other hand, loved the movie, giving it an A from CinemaScore. If this translates into long legs, then it could earn first place with as much as $20 million, but $19 million is more likely at this point. More...

Isn’t it Romantic Trailer

January 11, 2019

Romantic comedy starring Rebel Wilson opens on February 14 ... Full Movie Details.

New York City architect Natalie works hard to get noticed at her job but is more likely to be asked to deliver coffee and bagels than to design the city’s next skyscraper. And if things weren’t bad enough, Natalie, a lifelong cynic when it comes to love, has an encounter with a mugger that renders her unconscious, waking to discover that her life has suddenly become her worst nightmare—a romantic comedy—and she is the leading lady. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Dog-gone-it

January 11, 2019

The Upside was the surprise winner of last night’s previews, as it earned $1.1 million. Its reviews are not going to help its legs, but perhaps its word-of-mouth will be better. We will have to wait for the CinemaScore for that, but I think it will top our $12 million prediction, which is good news for STX Entertainment. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Growing Old waiting for Prime Limited Releases

January 11, 2019

It is going to be a while before it is a good time for limited releases. We at least need this year’s Oscar contenders to no longer dominate theaters before high-quality limited releases can thrive. The biggest “new” release of the week is They Shall Not Grow Old, which broke records at the end of last year during special engagements. Now it looks to thrive in regular limited release. I think it will. There are a few others that could do well in VOD, but that’s as good as it gets for most films on this week’s list. More...

Weekend Predictions: Is Dog’s Home at the Top of the Box Office?

January 10, 2019

There are three or four new releases that should reach the top ten, depending on how you look at things. A Dog’s Way Home is by far the biggest of these and has a not unreasonable shot at opening in first place. I think Aquaman will defend its crown, but it should at least be close. The Upside is the only other new release with a better than 50/50 shot of earning a spot in the top five. Replicas, on the other hand, is widely expected to bomb. The last “new” release is On the Basis of Sex, which is expanding nearly truly wide and it has an outside chance of earning a spot in the top five. This weekend last year was MLK Day long weekend. If 2019 doesn’t lose the year-over-year comparison by more than 20%, then it will be a reason to celebrate. More...

Theater Averages: New Releases were Destroyed

January 10, 2019

Destroyer rose to first place on the theater average chart with an average of $16,383 in six theaters. Cold War actually saw its average grow to $15,127, also in six theaters. Last week’s winner, On the Basis of Sex was next with an average of $14,370 in 112 theaters. It’s rare for a limited release to land in the $10,000 club while playing in more than 100 theaters. The final member of the $10,000 club was Stan and Ollie with an average of $10,920 in 8 theaters. More...

2018 - Awards Season: WGA - Nominations

January 10, 2019

The Writers Guild of America has a lot of categories, as they hand out nearly 30 awards. However, only three of them are for theatrical releases. The list of nominees include several major Awards Season players and not a lot of surprises. There are some clear patterns emerging, but also some surprising results. More...

Happy Death Day 2U Trailer

January 10, 2019

Horror movie starring Jessica Rothe opens on February 14 ... Full Movie Details.

Our hero Tree Gelbman discovers that dying over and over was surprisingly easier than the dangers that lie ahead. More...

International Box Office: Bumblebee Bounces to the Top

January 9, 2019

Bumblebee rose to first place with $82.7 million in 62 markets for totals of $192.0 million internationally and $289.6 million worldwide. It was able to earn first place thank in part due to its first place debut in China, where it earned $58.06 million over the weekend for a total opening of $59.26 million. The film needs to make more than $150 million in China to have a secure future there. Granted, films in China tend to have short legs, but Transformers has usually been the exception, so I’m cautiously optimistic for its chances. More...

2018 Awards Season: DGA - Nominations

January 9, 2019

Directors Guild of America announced their theatrical nominations this week and we are starting to see some real patterns emerge and I think the Oscar picture is getting clearer. More...

Home Market Releases for January 8th, 2019

January 9, 2019

We are still in that awkward time on the home market we have to deal with every year. It is too late for the summer blockbusters to come out on DVD / Blu-ray, but too soon for the fall hits or Oscar contenders. This means there’s very little in the way of contenders for Pick of the Week with only one release worth considering, a Canadian show, Frankie Drake Mysteries: Season 1. This does mean I get to give out a Puck of the Week, for best Canadian release. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Aquaman Leads the Way, While Most of Top Five Thrives

January 8, 2019

It was a good weekend at the box office as four of the top five films beat expectations. This includes Aquaman, which led the way with $31.00 million. Overall, the weekend was down by 26% from last weekend, falling to $138 million, but this was a post-holiday weekend, so this was to be expected. Compared to the same weekend last year, 2019 got off to a 16% slower start. More...

The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part Trailer

January 8, 2019

Animated adventure with the voices of Chris Pratt, Will Arnett, and Tiffany Haddish opens February 8 ... Full Movie Details.

The heroes of Bricksburg reunite in an adventure to save their beloved city. It’s been five years since everything was awesome and the citizens are facing a huge new threat: invaders from outer space, wrecking everything faster than they can rebuild. The battle to defeat them and restore harmony to the LEGO universe will take Emmet, Lucy, Batman and their friends to faraway, unexplored worlds, including a strange galaxy where everything is a musical. It will test their courage, creativity and Master Building skills, and reveal just how special they really are. More...

2018 - Awards Season: Golden Globes - Winners

January 7, 2019

The Golden Globes were the first major Awards Season ceremony this year handing out the hardware on Sunday night. Are last night’s events a strong indicator for the Oscars? I hope not! Certainly not in all categories, as there were some puzzling results last night. More...

The Wife Trailer

January 7, 2019

Drama starring Golden Globe-winner Glenn Close will be released on video on January 29 ... Full Movie Details.

Joan Castleman is a highly intelligent and still-striking beauty—the perfect devoted wife. Forty years spent sacrificing her own talent, dreams and ambitions to fan the flames of her charismatic husband Joe and his skyrocketing literary career. Ignoring his infidelities and excuses because of his “art” with grace and humor. Their fateful pact has built a marriage upon uneven compromises and Joan’s reached her breaking point. On the eve of Joe's Nobel Prize for Literature, the crown jewel in a spectacular body of work, Joan’s coup de grace is to confront the biggest sacrifice of her life and secret of his career. More...

Weekend Estimates: Aquaman Completes Threepeat, Escape Room Thrives

January 6, 2019

Aquaman is holding on even better than expected with an estimated $30.7 million over the weekend for a total of $259.7 million after three weeks of release. The film will have no trouble topping $300 million domestically, and it might be able to climb a spot or two on the DCEU chart before it is done. Internationally, the film is doing even better with an estimated $56.2 million on 18,900 screens in 79 markets for an international total of $681 million. It is the biggest international hit for a D.C. film, topping The Dark Knight. It has $940.7 million worldwide and will crack $1 billion shortly. More...

Friday Estimates: Aquaman Can’t Escape Top Spot

January 5, 2019

Aquaman won the race for first place on the Friday box office chart, although it wasn’t as easy as originally expected. The film earned $9.3 million on Friday, lifting its running tally to $238.3 million after 15 days of release. It is on pace for $30 million over the weekend and $300 million in total. More...

2018 - Awards Season: PGA - Nominations

January 4, 2019

The Producers Guild of America announced their nominations in the theatrical categories today and there are some trends building. However, there are also some questions generated after these nominations were announced. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Say a Prayer for Limited Releases

January 4, 2019

It is a bad weekend to release a wide release and an even worse weekend to release a limited release. There are very few limited releases coming out this week and almost none that have a real shot at becoming hits at the box office. That’s actually being optimistic, as Communion might have the best box office potential. Rust Creek is more commercial, but it is playing on Video on Demand. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Room Escapes Limited Expectations

January 4, 2019

Escape Room started its box office run with $2.3 million in previews. This is more than Insidious: The Last Key opened with last year and about double what I was anticipating. It is such a large leap from expectations that it is hard to judge where it goes from here. Its reviews suggest better than average legs for a low-budget horror movie, but we will have to wait till this time tomorrow to have a real idea of where it will go. More...

Replicas Trailer

January 4, 2019

Thriller starring Keanu Reeves and Alice Eve opens January 11 ... Full Movie Details.

Neuro-scientist William Foster is on the verge of successfully transferring human consciousness into a computer when his family is tragically killed in a car crash. Desperate to resurrect them, William recruits fellow scientist Ed Whittle to help him secretly clone their bodies and create replicas. But he soon faces a “Sophie’s choice” when it turns out that they can only bring three of the four family members back to life. More...

Weekend Predictions: Can Escape Find Room in the Top Five?

January 3, 2019

It is the first weekend of 2019 and there are not many new releases to talk about. In fact, there’s just one: Escape Room. It should do relatively well, given its low-budget nature, but it won’t knock Aquaman out of first place. In fact, it very likely won’t knock Mary Poppins Returns out of second place. This weekend last year, Insidious: The Last Key opened with nearly $30 million and it wasn’t even able to earn first place. This year, no film will match The Last Key, so 2019 will start on a losing note. More...

International Box Office: Aquaman Cracks $750 million Worldwide

January 3, 2019

Aquaman remained the top draw on the international market with $88.4 million on 23,360 screens in 78 markets for totals of $562.4 million internationally and $751.4 million worldwide. The film’s biggest new market was Australia where it opened with $7.94 million on 632 screens over the weekend for a total opening $11.04 million. Its biggest market overall is China where it added $11.45 million over the weekend to its running tally, which now sits at $261.28 million after four weeks of release. It overtook Suicide Squad for third place in the D.C.E.U. and it is not done yet. More...

What Men Want Trailer

January 3, 2019

Comedy starring Taraji P. Henson opens February 8 ... Full Movie Details.

Ali Davis is a successful sports agent who’s constantly boxed out by her male colleagues. When Ali is passed up for a well-deserved promotion, she questions what else she needs to do to succeed in a man’s world… until she gains the ability to hear men’s thoughts! With her newfound power, Ali looks to outsmart her colleagues as she races to sign the next basketball superstar, but the lengths she has to go to will put her relationship with her best friends and a potential new love interest to the test. More...

Theater Averages: This Week’s Chart is Feeling Sexy

January 2, 2019

It was a busy week on the theater average chart, as there were three new releases and three holdovers in the $10,000 club. On the Basis of Sex led the way with an average of $20,799 in 33 theaters. That’s an excellent start for a limited release playing in that many theaters. Second place went to Destroyer with an average of $18,449 in three theaters. The final new release in the $10,000 club was Stan and Ollie, which earn an average of $15,935 in five theaters. Cold War held on really well earning an average of $14,777 in three theaters. The overall box office leader, Aquaman, was next with an average of $12,634. If Beale Street Could Talk rounded out the $10,000 with an average of $11,788, and it managed this despite expanding its theater count to 65. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Aquaman Ends the Year on Top

January 2, 2019

Due to the holidays, there was a delay in getting final numbers from major studios for the weekend box office, but the last of them have finally arrived. Aquaman dominated with $52.11 million over the three-day weekend, while it cracked $200 million on New Year’s Day. Mary Poppings Returns isn’t matching expectations, but it is still having a profitable run. Meanwhile, both Bumblebee and Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse are overcoming incredible competition to dig out profitable runs of their own. Overall, the weekend box office hit $188 million, which is 6.2% higher than last weekend, and while it is 3.5% lower than the same weekend last year, this is still better than expected. It will take a long time to get the final yearly results, not until the MPAA’s state of the industry report in April, but preliminary results have 2018 beating 2017 by 8.4% or $920 million at $11.91 billion to $10.99 billion. More...

Norm of the North: Keys to the Kingdom Trailer

January 2, 2019

Animated adventure opens January 11 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Home Market Releases for January 1st, 2019

January 1, 2019

New Year’s Day lands on a Tuesday and I don’t think there are many people who celebrate the new year by buying a Blu-ray. That said, while there’s not a lot of releases on this week’s list, a surprising percentage of them are first-run releases. Love, Gilda is the only real contender for Pick of the Week. Bad Times at the El Royale is the second best, but I want to be able to watch the full thing for my review before coming up with a final judgment. More...

Preview: January

January 1, 2019

December would have been an excellent month, except it had to be compared to Star Wars: The Last Jedi. The top four movies of this December might not finish with as much as that movie made. That said, the year ended on an overall positive note finishing with a lead of close to $800 million over 2017. Unfortunately, 2019 is going to get off to a slow start. Not only are there very few films opening wide this month, only one of them, Glass, is expected to be a midlevel hit or better. Granted, Glass is expected to earn more than $100 million domestically, which is something no film released last January could do. However, The Last Jedi and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle both had such incredible legs that 2019 will still get off to a slower start, even if it has stronger new releases. More...

The Numbers News - January 2019

Quick Links