The Numbers News - December 2019

December 31, 2019

I’m going to start this list by saying I don’t know if any of the DVD / Blu-rays on this week’s list are actually coming out on Tuesday. December 31st is a Tuesday, so it would make sense that something is coming out; however, December 31st is also a placeholder date and it is possible that any number of these releases were given that placeholder date by Amazon and then they forgot to update it. There are almost no releases on this week’s list that most people will have heard of, with the main exception being Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, which is only coming out on Video on Demand. The Blu-ray is currently in my Blu-ray player and I hope to get the review done over the weekend. If I stick with my usual rules about what gets featured on this list and what is relegated to a secondary title, then there would be almost nothing to talk about, so I’m including a few releases that aren’t even in the top 10,000 on Amazon’s sales rankings and I’m not bothering with any secondary releases. I promise next week will be more normal. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Box Office Rises Over Last Year Helping 2019 End on a Positive Note

December 31, 2019

The last weekend of the year had some good news and some bad news. Unfortunately, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker was part of the later, as it fell 59% to $72.39 million over the weekend. However, this was still a dominate performance at the box office, earning more than the next three films combined. It helped the overall weekend remained strong at $197 million. Granted, this is 20% lower than last weekend, but more importantly, it is 5.0% higher than the same weekend last year. Furthermore, 2019 cut the deficit with 2018 by about $100 million since The Rise of Skywalker came out and now it is fighting with 2016 to be the second biggest year at the box office of all time. It is true that the year is still behind 2018 by a massive 4.5% / $520 million at $11.04 billion to $11.56 billion, but not being able to maintain a record pace for two years in a row is hardly a serious concern. Even if you look at ticket sales and take into account inflation, then 2019 was a reasonably good year, as it isn’t too far behind 2017 and hardly the worst we’ve seen in the past decade. There are reasons to be optimistic going into 2020. More...

Weekend Estimate: Skywalker Heads Earthwards

December 29, 2019

The weekend isn’t looking good for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, as it is falling a lot faster than I expected. If estimates hold, it will fall 59% to $72.0 million over the weekend for a running tally of $361.8 million after two weeks of release. However, this is still a massive amount of money. It is already the seventh-biggest hit released in 2019, and is on pace to earn third place on that chart, maybe even second. Internationally, the film added $94.3 million in 52 markets for a running tally of $363.0 million internationally and $724.8 million worldwide. That’s without any earnings from South Korea, where it will debut in a couple of weeks. It should have no trouble getting to $1 billion worldwide by the end of its run, but most were expecting a lot more than that. It is yet another profitable disappoint—and we saw too many of those in 2019. More...

Friday Estimates: Rise has a Sharp Fall, but Still Dominates Box Office

December 28, 2019

The last weekend of the year began on Friday and there’s some good news and some bad news. Bad news, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker fell faster than expected, down 71% from its opening Friday to just $26.23 million. Granted, this was still more than enough to blow past the $300 million mark in just eight days, putting it in a tie for fifth fastest to reach $300 million. The film will bounce back over the rest of the weekend and it is projected to earn $76 million over the three-day weekend for a running tally of $366 million. If it ended there, then the film could still break even, eventually. In reality, the film has two more weeks of no serious competition, so it will have no trouble getting past a couple of more major milestones before it is done it box office run. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will the Year End on a High Note, or will Rise have a Troubling Fall?

December 27, 2019

The weekend after Christmas tends to be even bigger at the box office than the weekend before Christmas, as people are no longer rushing around making sure they have their last minute gifts and food for Christmas dinner. That said, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will likely still fall, as monster blockbusters rarely have extremely long legs. The other sophomore films opened so poorly that I can image theater owners will be pushing them to the smallest screens, perhaps with limited showings. As for the new releases, none of Little Women, Uncut Gems, or Spies in Disguise got off to a great start on Christmas Day, but none of them bombed either. This weekend last year, Aquaman led the way with over $52 million, while the top three earned almost exactly $100 million. This year, The Rise of Skywalker could earn $100 million all by itself. The year will end on a very positive note. More...

Weekend Theater Counts: Few Changes From the Holiday; Skywalker Remains the Widest Release

December 26, 2019

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker retains its place as the weekend's widest release with no change, as we also see no theater count changes in the top five. More...

Home Market Releases for December 24th, 2019

December 26, 2019

This year, Christmas Eve landed on a Tuesday. Christmas Eve is the busiest shopping day of the year, but that’s most people buying last minute groceries and the rest of the retail sector suffers as a result. This is true this year and there are so few releases to talk about that there will only be two sections in this week’s report: the main section and VOD releases. Judy is the only release on this week’s list that a majority will have heard of. It is also the best new release of the week. More...

Featured Blu-ray Review: Rock ‘n’ Roll High School: 40th Anniversary

December 26, 2019

Every Christmas, I like to relax and review a movie I had recently bought. This year, that movie is Rock ‘n’ Roll High School: 40th Anniversary Blu-ray. I swear I’ve reviewed the movie in the past, but apparently not. Is the 40th anniversary edition worth picking up? Is it worth the double-dip? More...

Holiday Theater Counts: With no Change in Theaters, Skywalker Stays on Top

December 24, 2019

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker stays at the top of the mid-week holiday theater counts, with no change to its 4,406-theaters, while Spies in Disguise makes its debut in 3,502 screens, and Little Women opens in 3,308 locations.

Oscar hopeful 1917 launches its bid for glory in a select 11 movie houses, and Uncut Gems expands into 2,341 theaters. More...

Christmas Releases: Little Women hopes to have a Large Opening Day

December 24, 2019

It’s a Tuesday Christmas Eve, and that makes for a challenging situation for box office prognosticators, with Wednesday releases adding to the difficulties. Because of that, I am going to combine the weekend predictions and the limited releases into one shorter column. I will talk about all new releases / expansions for this week without going into detail over their box office chances. Look for a more comprehensive prediction column Thursday as usual. The biggest of the Christmas Day releases should be Little Women; however, that film is making big push for awards, and will likely have very long legs as a result. Conversely, Spies in Disguise is a rare family film opening on Christmas, which makes it a real wild card. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Comprehensive and Abridged Edition

December 24, 2019

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker recovered a little bit from Sunday’s estimates to earn $177.38 million for the full weekend. While it is always better to beat estimates, this isn’t a large enough margin to really matter in the long run. Its reviews and its B plus are fine for a blockbuster, but aren’t going to help draw in more moviegoers, unlike The Last Jedi. Internationally, the film made $197.7 million in 52 markets to give it a worldwide opening of $375.1 million. It enjoyed the third-biggest weekend in December, the third-biggest day in December, and it is already the 21st biggest worldwide release in 2019. Granted, most thought it would open faster than this, but the film is, at worst, a profitable disappointment. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Judy

December 23, 2019

Judy started out well during a nationwide release and while it was never able to expand truly wide, it still finished with more than $20 million during its theatrical run. Likewise, the film hasn’t become a major player during Awards Season, but Renée Zellweger has already earned a trio of major nominations. Is the film better than its box office numbers? Or is Renée Zellweger’s performance its sole saving grace? More...

Weekend Estimates: Rise of Skywalker Falls from Projections, but Still Tops the Chart

December 22, 2019

There are some mixed results on the weekend chart with some films topping expectations, while others are struggling mightily. Fortunately, the former category includes Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, which is topping my prediction, albeit by a very small margin at $175.5 million, well below the $190 million projections based on Friday’s estimates. Yesterday, it looked like Rise of Skywalker would have similar legs to The Last Jedi. Granted, this film’s reviews and its B plus rating from CinemaScore are weaker than the previous film, but this one will have more help with the holidays. Christmas break has begun, so that should have boosted Sunday’s numbers, but sadly, that doesn’t appear to be the case. However, and this is an important point, the film is still doing fantastic business, with the third-biggest December weekend ever, and it should be a monster hit in the end. More...

Friday Estimates: Star Wars is Going to have a Green Christmas

December 21, 2019

Despite earning weaker-than-expected reviews, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker is going to have no trouble topping my prediction for the weekend, as it earned an estimated $90 million on Friday, putting it on pace for $190 million over the full weekend. Granted, not everything is rosy, as the film only managed a B plus from CinemaScore. That’s not fatal, but it certainly won’t help its legs. On the other hand, the lack of direct competition and the Christmas break will certainly help it sell many more tickets over the next two weeks. More...

New at The Numbers: User Registration!

December 20, 2019

We are excited to announce that you can now register an account with us to customize and maximize your experience with The Numbers and save your preferences across multiple devices. While you are logged in, we also reduce the number of ads displayed on the site. Making an account is completely free.

As a registered users, you can configure charts to show the information that you find the most useful and have it be remembered for the next time you log in. The distributor, genre, source, creative type, production method, MPAA rating, daily and weekly change in box office, %LW, theater count, average per theater, production budget, and number of days in the film's theatrical run can be added to or deleted from our daily, weekend, and weekly charts. Simply click the "Choose column" box located on the chart page, and click each column description in the boxes to show/hide them. For help registering, please email us at support@the-numbers.com.

We can’t wait to release the many other new features we have in store. Keep an eye out for our upcoming The Numbers newsletter, which you can subscribe to when creating an account. Keep an eye on the My Numbers tab tab of the page for new features as we add them.

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Thursday Night Previews: Skywalker’s Box Office Chances Rise

December 20, 2019

Expectations for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker’s previews had a rather large range, but most were between $30 million and $40 million. It earned $40 million on Thursday. Granted, it’s just the previews and a film like this can be hard to judge, because the hype is just so ubiquitous, but Disney has to be at least a little optimistic after this start. Assuming general audiences like the movie more than the average critic did, it could have similar legs as The Last Jedi had, meaning $200 million during its opening weekend isn’t out of the question. We will know more this time tomorrow when the Friday estimates come out. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: See an Old New Release this Weekend

December 20, 2019

The massive competition has led to very few limited releases this week and most of what we do get are re-releases of Agnès Varda. Not that I’m complaining about that. Her films are not the only limited releases of the week; they are not even the only limited re-releases of the week. However, I think her retrospective is the most intriguing option of the week. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Star Wars Heat up the Christmas Week Box Office?

December 19, 2019

This weekend, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker opens, and it is widely expected to be one of the biggest hits of the year. However, its reviews are merely mixed and this is dragging down expectations. Cats was confusing box office analysts since the first trailer was released and now that its reviews are a mess, things are not looking any better. Finally, Bombshell is expanding wide, but it looks like it won’t be a major factor at the box office this weekend and will have to rely on long legs to carry it to profitability. Meanwhile, this weekend last year, Aquaman earned $67.87 million over the weekend. The Rise of Skywalker should earn more than that during its opening day, helping 2019 end on a wildly successful note. More...

Weekend Theater Counts: Rise of Skywalker Opens in 4,406 Theaters

December 19, 2019

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker leads as this week’s widest release, with an impressive 4,406-theater debut. By way of comparison, Solo: A Star Wars Story opened in 4,381 Theaters, while The Last Jedi opened in 4,232 Theaters. Overall, it will be the 14th-widest release of all time. More...

Tenet Trailer

December 19, 2019

Sci-fi thriller starring John David Washington, written and directed by Christopher Nolan, opens July 17 ... Full Movie Details. More...

1917 Final Trailer

December 19, 2019

Historical thriller starring Dean-Charles Chapman and George MacKay, directed by Sam Mendes opens December 25, and expands wide January 10 ... Full Movie Details.

At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield and Blake are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers—Blake’s own brother among them. More...

Theater Averages: Uncut Won’t Be an Undiscovered Gem

December 19, 2019

Uncut Gems led the way on the per theater chart with an average of $107,448 in five theaters. The only film to earn a better average this year was Parasite; however, while that film earned an average of $131,072 during its opening weekend, it was playing in only three theaters, so Uncut Gems arguably has the better opening. Bombshell also had an explosive opening with an average of $79,789 in four theaters. The number one film of the weekend, Jumanji: The Next Level, was next with an average of $14,017. The final film in the $10,000 club was A Hidden Life with an average of $10,077 in five theaters. More...

International Box Office: Jumanji Jumps to the Top

December 19, 2019

Jumanji: The Next Level expanded worldwide this past weekend helping it secure first place with a full haul of $86.96 million, including some previews and weekday numbers, on 40,908 screens in 69 markets for totals of $153.76 million internationally and $213.01 million worldwide. The film’s biggest opening came in the U.K., where it earned first place with $6.97 million on 1,651 screens over the three-day weekend for a total opening of $12.63 million, which is a little better than the previous film earned in that market. Likewise, The Next Level improved on Welcome to the Jungle’s $5.00 million opening in Russia by earning $5.97 million on 2,890 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $9.29 million. Granted, sequels tend to have shorter legs than their predecessors, but a start like this is still great news and keeps $1 billion worldwide as a possibility. I’m not saying it is going to get there; in fact, we really won’t know until we see the film’s box office numbers for the next couple of weeks. I choose to remain cautiously optimistic. More...

A Quiet Place: Part II Teaser Trailer

December 18, 2019

Suspense horror movie starring Emily Blunt opens March 20 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Home Market Releases for December 17th, 2019

December 18, 2019

There’s almost exactly a week till Christmas, which explains the slim number of new releases. That said, nearly every film on the main list is worth picking up with a few contenders for Pick of the Week. It was a close three-way race, but in the end, Abominable earned Pick of the Week. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Jumanji Spreads a Little Christmas Cheer

December 17, 2019

As expected, Jumanji: The Next Level dominated the competition over the weekend. Fortunately, it did so with a lot more than anticipated, earning $59.25 million. This is more than the rest of the top ten combined. Unfortunately, this happened in part due to the disastrous openings of Black Christmas and Richard Jewell. The overall box office rose dramatically from last weekend earning 31% more at $117 million. More importantly, this was 1.6% higher than the same weekend last year. Granted, that’s a tiny margin, but any win is worth celebrating at this point. Year-to-date, 2019 is still well behind 2018’s pace down 5.7% or $620 million at $10.31 billion to $10.93 billion. That said, if we can chip away at that deficit, then 2019 can at least end on a positive note and save face. More...

Top Gun: Maverick Trailer

December 16, 2019

Action movie starring Tom Cruise opens June 26 ... Full Movie Details. More...

2019 - Holiday Gift Guide - Part III - Limited Releases, Classics, Foreign Imports

December 16, 2019

The first two installments of our Holiday Gift Guide had plenty of first-run releases and several TV on DVD releases. This installment includes limited releases and foreign imports. The list of classics isn’t up to the usual standards for the same reasons the TV on DVD list was rather short. Streaming is taking over that part of the market. Did you know The Criterion Collection has their own streaming service? So does Magnolia Pictures. On the one hand, that’s a lot of amazing movies for one price. On the other hand, as a fan of physical media, I’m not happy streaming is becoming so popular. There are still some great smaller titles worthy of the season. More...

Weekend Estimates: Jumanji Blows Past Predictions with $60-million Debut

December 15, 2019

Jumanji: The Next Level is not only beating predictions, but is also topped projections based on Friday’s estimates. The film’s weekend estimate is $60.1 million, which is easily more than the rest of the top ten combined. It is also 66% higher than the Welcome to the Jungle’s opening weekend, although that film had a Wednesday opening, so it isn’t a fair comparison. Internationally, the film is nearly as impressive, earning $85.7 million on 39,900 screens in 52 markets for totals of $152.5 million internationally and $212.6 million worldwide. This includes a monster opening in the U.K., where it earned $12.6 million over the five-day weekend, including previews. This is 32% ahead of the previous installment in the franchise. Overall, the new film is 33% ahead of Welcome to the Jungle’s performance in the same group of new markets. If you look at is box office so far, add in its solid reviews and the Christmas break and we are looking at a $1 billion worldwide run. Sony had a really bad three-year streak a few years ago, but this is the second year in a row where they have been back in form. More...

Friday Estimates: Jumanji Finds Plenty of Christmas Cheer

December 14, 2019

Jumanji: The Next Level got off to a great start on Friday, earning $19.4 million. Sony is projecting just over $50 million for the weekend after this start, which is well above our $42-million prediction, and in fact on the very high end of range of everyone’s predictions. Furthermore, the film’s reviews remain solid, and, while it doesn’t have a published CinemaScore yet, its word-of-mouth does seem like an asset going forward. Granted, it does have intense competition next weekend, but I have no doubt that Sony is already working on a third installment of the Jumanji reboot. More...

The Turning Trailer

December 13, 2019

Supernatural horror movie starring Mackenzie Davis, Finn Wolfhard, and Brooklyn Prince opens January 24 ... Full Movie Details.

At a mysterious estate in the Maine countryside, newly appointed nanny Kate is charged with the care of two disturbed orphans, Flora and Miles. Quickly though, she discovers that both the children and the house are harboring dark secrets and things may not be as they appear. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Jumanji Gets off to a $4.7 million Start

December 13, 2019

Jumanji: The Next Level earned $4.7 million during its Thursday previews. Welcome to the Jungle was a Wednesday opening, and there were no previews we can compare against. Meanwhile, last year’s big release, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, was a kids movie, so we can’t compare its $3.5 million in previews either. This means we are in bit of a waiting period for more hard data, but with overall positive reviews, I’m cautiously optimistic. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Which Films will have an Explosive Debut and Which Will Bomb?

December 13, 2019

We are getting really close to the cut-off for Oscar qualifying, which means there are a number of films hoping to win Oscars that are coming out in the next few weeks. This also means if a film isn’t gunning for Oscars, like Bombshell or Uncut Gems, it will likely fall between the cracks. That said, this is where the VOD market can come to the rescue for films like After Class, Code 8, or Colewell. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Christmas Come a Week Early?

December 12, 2019

Jumanji: The Next Level will have no trouble earning first place and could earn more than Frozen II, Black Christmas, and Richard Jewell will earn combined. The real question is whether or not the overall box office will keep pace with the same weekend last year when Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse debuted with $35.36 million. I really think Jumanji will top that figure while this year will also have marginally better depth helping 2019 earn a much needed win in the year-over-year competition. More...

Theater Averages: Portrait has a Fiery Start

December 12, 2019

Portrait of a Lady on Fire was the only new release to make an impart on the per theater chart earning an average of $33,672 in two theaters. If we combine this with its early Awards Season success, we can confidently predict a long run in theaters. The only other film in the $10,000 club was 63 Up with an average of $10,313 in two theaters. More...

International Box Office: Frozen II Finally Faces Some Competition

December 12, 2019

Frozen II again won the race on top of the international box office chart, but it at least faced some competition this week. The film added $90.2 million in 48 markets for totals of $582.1 million internationally and $919.7 million worldwide. The film had no major market openings, but it did earn $800,000 in South Africa, making it the second fastest opening for an animated film in that market, behind only Minions. In other news, the film cracked $100 million in China over the weekend and now sits at $107.06 million in that market, including $9.84 million this past weekend. It took less than three weeks to top the lifetime total of the first Frozen in that market. More...

In The Heights Trailer

December 12, 2019

Musical, based on the Lin-Manuel Miranda Broadway show opens June 26 ... Full Movie Details. More...

2020 - Awards Season: SAG - Nominations

December 12, 2019

The Screen Actors Guild announced their nominations this week and we are starting to see some patterns with similar names appearing over and over again. This time Bombshell led the way, earning four nominations, but four other films earned two or more nominations. More...

Weekend Theater Counts: Jumanji: The Next Level is This Week’s Widest Release

December 12, 2019

Jumanji The Next Level leads as this week’s widest release, while Frozen II comes in just behind. More...

Home Market Releases for December 10th, 2019

December 11, 2019

As Christmas rapidly approaches, the number of home market releases shrinks. That said, we do have three $100 million hits on this week’s list, Hustlers, It: Chapter Two, and Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood. All three are worth picking up, but Hustlers and Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice are Pick of the Week contenders, with the former winning out. More...

2020 Awards Season: Golden Globes Nominations

December 11, 2019

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. (This is especially true on the TV end, as there’s talk about how strange the nominations are this year.) Marriage Story led the way with six nominations, just ahead of The Irishman and Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood, both of which picked up five nods. More...

Invisible Life Trailer

December 10, 2019

Brazilian drama opens December 20 ... Full Movie Details.

Two sisters born in Rio de Janeiro make their way through life, each mistakenly believing the other is living out her dreams half a world away. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Post-holiday Blues Gets to Frozen II

December 10, 2019

As expected, the box office collapsed this week, as it always does in a post-holiday weekend. Despite the best efforts of Frozen II and Knives Out, the overall weekend box office fell 50% to $89 million. This is 5.4% higher than the same weekend last year and that’s the more important figure. Year-to-date, 2019 closed ground with 2018, albeit by a tiny margin and this year is still behind last year by 5.9% or $630 million at $10.16 billion to $10.80 billion. It has been a long time since we’ve seen the box office decline by that high of a percentage in one year; however, 2019 is still on pace to be the second highest grossing year of all time and it still has higher ticket sales than 2017 had at this point, so I think we shouldn’t panic over this. More...

Ghostbusters: Afterlife Trailer

December 9, 2019

Supernatural adventure starring Paul Rudd, Carrie Coon, Finn Wolfhard, and Mckenna Grace opens July 10 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Wonder Woman 1984 Trailer

December 9, 2019

Superhero action movie starring opens June 5 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Weekend Estimates: Frozen Falls, Still Set to Top Predecessor

December 8, 2019

Frozen II fell both faster than expected, and faster than projections based on Friday’s estimates. However, the film is still managing an estimated $34.67 million over the weekend for a three-week total of $337.59 million. This is enough to push it ahead of Joker and into seventh place on the yearly chart. If this holds up, then it will have an excellent shot at topping the first Frozen’s domestic total, even without the Christmas break coming up. Internationally, the film pulled in $90.2 million in 48 markets for totals of $582.1 million internationally and $919.7 million worldwide. It had no major market openings this weekend, but it is earning an estimated $800,000 in South Africa, which would make it the second biggest opening for an animated film there, behind only Minions. The film has become the biggest animated film in South Korea with $75.5 million. It as also topped its predecessor in Russia ($23.0 million) and Mexico ($21.1 million) and a lot of smaller markets. More...

Friday Estimates: Frozen Begins to Thaw, Playmobil Nowhere to be Found

December 7, 2019

As expected, Frozen II earned first place on the Friday box office chart. However, the film fell further than anticipated, earning $7.84 million—off 77% from last Friday. That was a holiday, so obviously it will bounce back over the rest of the weekend, but projections have the film earning about $36 million compared to our $38 million prediction. This is close enough that I’m satisfied with the result and it is more than enough to keep it in wide release until after the new year. More...

The Last Full Measure Trailer

December 6, 2019

Real-life drama starring Sebastian Stan opens January 17 ... Full Movie Details.

The true story of Vietnam War hero William H. Pitsenbarger, a U.S. Air Force Pararescuemen medic. During a mission on April 11, 1966, he was offered the chance to escape on the last helicopter out of a combat zone, but he stayed behind to save and defend the lives of his fellow soldiers, before making the ultimate sacrifice in the bloodiest battle of the war. Thirty-two years later, respected Pentagon staffer Scott Huffman is tasked with investigating a Congressional Medal of Honor request for Pitsenbarger. But as Huffman learns more about Pitsenbarger’s courageous acts, he uncovers a high-level conspiracy behind the decades-long denial of the medal, prompting him to put his own career on the line to seek justice for the fallen airman. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Limited Releases Take to the Sky

December 6, 2019

December should be a prime month to release an Awards Season contender, one that will last in theaters potentially for months. However, while there are at least a couple of films on this week’s list that could win awards, none of them look like they will thrive in theaters. Some like The Aeronauts have just too short of a window between theatrical release and VOD debut. More...

Weekend Predictions: December Will Start on a Chilly Note

December 5, 2019

The weekend after Thanksgiving is one of the worst weeks of the year to release a film wide. In fact, many years there are no wide releases. This year, Playmobil gets thrown to the wolves, or to the mercy of Frozen II, to be more specific. I can’t imagine it will survive the competition. In fact, most think the wide expansion of Dark Waters will beat it at the box office and that film isn’t expected to land in the top five. This weekend last year had no wide releases and Frozen II should earn more than last year’s top two films, Ralph Breaks the Internet and The Grinch, earned combined. December should get off to a fast start on the year-over-year competition and hopefully that’s a good omen going forward. More...

Weekend Theater Counts: Frozen II Remains the Widest Release

December 5, 2019

Frozen II Stays on top, Ford v Ferrari sees an increase, new animated Playmobil enters the mix, and Dark Waters sees a substantial expansion. More...

International Box Office: Frozen II Freezes Out the Competition

December 5, 2019

Frozen II dominated this past weekend’s international box office chart by almost as large a margin as it did last weekend. The Disney sequel earned $163.8 million in 45 markets for totals of $451.0 million internationally and $739.8 million worldwide. This includes a trio of first-place openings in major markets, led by Russia at $13.7 million on 1,682 screens, while it also topped the charts in Italy ($8.6 million including previews) and Australia ($6.6 million). Furthermore, according to Disney, the film is already the highest-grossing animated film of all time in both the Philippines ($12.2 million) and Indonesia ($11.1 million). It has already topped the original in a number of other markets, mostly in Asia, led by China with an impressive running tally of $91.0 million in just two weeks. More...

Mulan Trailer

December 5, 2019

Historical adventure starring Liu Yifei opens March 27 ... Full Movie Details.

The eldest daughter of an honored warrior, Hua Mulan is spirited, determined and quick on her feet. When the Emperor issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Army, she steps in to take the place of her ailing father as Hua Jun, becoming one of China’s greatest warriors ever. More...

New at The Numbers: Film Metrics

December 4, 2019

We are happy to announce that today we have added a frequently requested feature: a metrics section on the film summary page. With a quick look, it’s easy to see the film’s opening weekend gross, legs (how well a film holds onto its box office day to day and week to week), domestic share, production budget (along with how it's related to its worldwide gross), theater counts, and the inflation-adjusted domestic box office. This section can be found under the synopsis in the Summary tab on a film’s page. For help with understanding the terms in this section, or anywhere on our site, we have a handy glossary of movie business terms.

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2019 - Holiday Gift Guide - Part II - TV on DVD Releases

December 4, 2019

It’s TV on DVD week on the Holiday Gift Guide, for perhaps the last time. I’m not saying the TV on DVD market is dying, but it certainly isn’t healthy. Technology has changed and streaming services like Disney Plus have just become better options to watch TV shows than buying DVDs and Blu-ray. In fact, some of the more critically acclaimed new shows of the year debuted on streaming services and many of them still haven’t come out on DVD / Blu-ray and likely never will. My personal favorite new show of 2019 was new version of Twilight Zone, but that doesn’t come out on DVD / Blu-ray until February. That’s not to say there’s nothing new on this list, we just have to look beyond regular TV series in some cases. More...

Theater Averages: Chart Relies on Leftovers

December 4, 2019

Wide releases thrive over Thanksgiving. Limited releases aren’t so lucky. Frozen II led the way on the theater averages with an average of $19,364. 63 Up opened with $13,956 over the three day weekend and $18,721 over five, while playing in one theater. More...

No Time to Die Trailer

December 4, 2019

Spy thriller starring Daniel Craig opens April 8 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Home Market Releases for December 3rd, 2019

December 4, 2019

Tuesday is the day after Cyber Monday, also know as, “One of the worst days of the year to release something on the home market.” There’s not a lot to talk about, while the biggest release of the week is also one of the biggest disappointments of the year, but the less said about that, the better. As for Pick of the Week contenders, we have Big Trouble in Little China: Collector’s Edition and that’s it. There are a few other releases that are close to that level, but none that reach it. More...

Black Widow Trailer

December 3, 2019

Action movie starring Scarlett Johansson opens May 1 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Thanksgiving Shows 2019 still has some Spark Left

December 2, 2019

2019 hasn’t been a great year and has consistently been behind 2018. However, 2018 was the biggest ever year at the box office and 2019 has been in a battle for second place for much of the year. Thanksgiving beat expectations and the overall performances over the Thanksgiving weekend really helped 2019’s chances to secure second place. Frozen II broke records earning first place for its three-day and five-day Thanksgiving weekends. In fact, its three-day weekend haul of $85.98 million would have landed in third place on the all-time five-day chart. Additionally, both new releases, Knives Out and Queen and Slim, topped expectations leading to a robust box office. Granted, the overall box office was a little lower, down 12%, from last weekend at $180 million. This is common for Thanksgiving, as the Wednesday and Thursday holidays are so popular with moviegoers that they reduce the box office potential of the Friday through Sunday weekend. This is 56% higher than the same weekend last year, but this is due to a misalignment in the holidays. This Thanksgiving was 16.5% lower than last year’s Thanksgiving, but the misalignment of the holidays does have an effect there as well, so it isn’t a perfect comparison either. Next weekend will be a lot better when it comes to the year-over-year comparison. Year-to-date, 2019 is still behind 2018 by a large margin, but 2019 was able to close to the gap a bit to 6.0% or $640 million at $10.03 billion to $10.67 billion. Getting that gap lower is the goal for December, as it is virtually impossible that 2019 will catch up completely. I would be really impressed if they can cut that gap in half. More...

Portrait of a Lady on Fire Trailer

December 2, 2019

Historical drama starring Noémie Merlant and Adele Haenel opens December 6 ... Full Movie Details.

France, 1760. Marianne is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of Héloïse, a young woman who has just left the convent. Because she is a reluctant bride-to-be, Marianne arrives under the guise of companionship, observing Héloïse by day and secretly painting her by firelight at night. As the two women orbit one another, intimacy and attraction grow as they share Héloïse’s first moments of freedom. Héloïse’s portrait soon becomes a collaborative act of, and testament to, their love. More...

Weekend Estimates: Thanksgiving Stuffs itself on New Releases and Leftovers

December 1, 2019

Frozen II’s weekend haul wasn’t quite up to the level it was during the week, but it was still impressive. In fact, it is matching our prediction nearly perfectly with $85.25 million, giving it $123.75 million over five days and a running tally of $287.57 million. It will break the three-day and the five-day Thanksgiving records, topping the second place film, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, by substantial margins. Frozen II will have no trouble getting to $300 million shortly, while topping $400 million is practically assured at this point. Meanwhile, it is adding $163.8 million in 45 markets internationally for totals of $451.0 million internationally and $738.6 million worldwide. The film had a trio of first-place openings in major markets this past weekend, including Russia with $13.7 million, which Disney is reporting as the best opening for an animated film in that market. In Italy, it earned $7.7 million over the weekend and $8.6 million including previews, which is the best for a Disney animated film. It wasn’t as impressive in Australia with an opening of $6.6 million, but this was still 59% more than the first Frozen opened with in that market. At this point, the film has fully paid for its production budget, and while it likely cost between $150 million and $200 million to advertise, it should last in theaters long enough to cover that as well. That’s assuming the film had no more markets to open in, which isn’t the case. It has yet to open in Brazil and some smaller markets, so it should get a boost at the box office over the next month and a bit. More...

2019 Preview: December

December 1, 2019

Frozen II wasn’t the only box office hit to debut in November, but it was by far the largest. It helped save November and kept 2019 from turning completely sour at the last minute. As for December, we have several potential $100 million hits, plus a couple of monster hits. There are some who think Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will be the biggest domestic hit released in 2019, but most think it will have to settle for second place. Jumanji: The Next Level should also be a monster hit, even if it doesn’t come really close to its predecessor. As for last December, Aquaman was the undisputed champion, earning almost as much as the next two films combined. Jumanji could top Aquaman at the box office, while we could also have more $100 million films than we had last year. Add in Star Wars and the year should end on a really positive note, making up for the extended slumps we had to deal with through a lot of the year. 2019 won’t be able to close the gap entirely, but it will do enough that we will be able to celebrate. More...

The Numbers News - December 2019

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