The Numbers News - February 2019

February 28, 2019

2019 has been a terrible year and we really need things to turn around soon or there will be no chance for things to turn around by the end. Fortunately, things should turn around in March. Unfortunately, it won’t be this week. The two wide releases this week are Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral and Greta. The former is expected to become a midlevel hit. The latter might not top the Mendoza Line. This weekend last year, Black Panther continued to dominate the box office with $66.31 million. This is likely more than the combined final domestic box office numbers of the two wide releases. 2019 will lose the year-over-year comparison, again, but hopefully for the last time in several weeks. More...

The Hummingbird Project

February 28, 2019

Crime caper starring Jesse Eisenberg, Alexander Skarsgård, Michael Mando, and Salma Hayek opens March 15 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Theater Averages: Dragons Look Down on the Other New Releases

February 27, 2019

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World was the only film in the $10,000 Club earning an average of $13,506. The best limited release was Wrestle, which earned $6,027 in its lone theater. More...

International Box Office: China Propels Alita to the Top

February 27, 2019

Alita: Battle Angel rose to first place with $92.42 in 82 markets for totals of $202.68 million internationally and $263.70 million worldwide. The film debuted in China with $63.26 million over the weekend for a total opening of $64.31 million. This is a great start in that market and better than the film’s predicted $50 million opening and even better than its early $60 million projection. It won’t be enough to save the film’s financial future, but it will be enough to save face. The film only made $3.2 million during its opening in Japan, which is disappointing, as the movie was based on a Manga / Anime from Japan and many assumed it would perform better there. The film has no more openings but should top $400 million internationally with relative ease and with a bit of luck, could get to $450 million. We will know more next week, once we see how long its legs will be in China. More...

Home Market Releases for February 26th, 2019

February 26, 2019

This week’s list includes a number of releases that are worth picking up, mostly of the smaller variety. There’s a foreign-language import, Border; a mostly forgotten comedy from the 1980s, Used Cars; a good movie that is busted Oscar-bait, Mary Queen of Scots; and an Anime slice of life, Love Live! Sunshine!!: Season Two. However, for most people, it’s the two biggest releases that are also the best: The Little Mermaid and Ralph Breaks the Internet. For me, Ralph Breaks the Internet on Blu-ray or 4K Ultra HD is the clear Pick of the Week. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Dragons Breath Fire and Life into the Box Office

February 26, 2019

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World not only led the way over the weekend, it had the fastest start of the year so far. This helped the overall box office grow to $127 million. This is 4.3% higher than last weekend, which might not seem impressive, but this is a post-holiday weekend and we usually see a substantial drop-off. On the other hand, this is still 34% lower than this weekend last year, as Black Panther’s sophomore stint was almost exactly double The Hidden World’s debut. This left 2019 even further behind 2018 and the gap is now 25% or $460 million at $1.36 billion to $1.82 billion. More...

Long Shot Trailer

February 26, 2019

Romantic comedy starring Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron opens May 3 ... Full Movie Details.

Fred Flarsky is a gifted and free-spirited journalist with an affinity for trouble. Charlotte Field is one of the most influential women in the world. Smart, sophisticated, and accomplished, she’s a powerhouse diplomat with a talent for… well, mostly everything. The two have nothing in common, except that she was his babysitter and childhood crush. When Fred unexpectedly reconnects with Charlotte, he charms her with his self-deprecating humor and his memories of her youthful idealism. As she prepares to make a run for the Presidency, Charlotte impulsively hires Fred as her speechwriter, much to the dismay of her trusted advisors. A fish out of water on Charlotte’s elite team, Fred is unprepared for her glamorous lifestyle in the limelight. However, sparks fly as their unmistakable chemistry leads to a round-the-world romance and a series of unexpected and dangerous incidents. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Ralph Breaks the Internet

February 25, 2019

Ralph Breaks the Internet is the follow-up to Wreck-It Ralph. The film did better at the box office, barely, and was even nominated for an Oscar. Is it award-worthy? Or should fans of the first movie go in with lowered expectations? More...

Ma Trailer

February 25, 2019

Horror movie starring Octavia Spencer opens May 31 ... Full Movie Details.

Sue Ann is a loner who keeps to herself in her quiet Ohio town. One day, she is asked by Maggie, a new teenager in town, to buy some booze for her and her friends, and Sue Ann sees the chance to make some unsuspecting, if younger, friends of her own. She offers the kids the chance to avoid drinking and driving by hanging out in the basement of her home. But there are some house rules: One of the kids has to stay sober. Don’t curse. Never go upstairs. And call her “Ma.” But as Ma’s hospitality starts to curdle into obsession, what began as a teenage dream turns into a terrorizing nightmare, and Ma’s place goes from the best place in town to the worst place on earth. More...

2018 Awards Season: Oscars: And the Winner is... Green Book for Best Picture

February 24, 2019

It’s Oscar night and we will be live blogging the show. We will announce the winners and have our reactions as they happen, while keeping track of how our readers did in predicting the outcomes. More...

Oscar Predictions: Roma Slight Favorite for Best Picture

February 24, 2019

Voting has finished in our annual Predict the Academy Awards contest, and we can reveal who you, our readers, expect to win at the Oscars tonight. Roma tops the polls, both in the number of Oscars it’s expected to win, and as the favorite for Best Picture, but its win is far from a sure thing. It gets 67% of the vote for Best Picture, well ahead of any other film, but not enough for us to call the race at this point. Green Book is the second-favorite for Best Picture, with about 15% of the vote, and Black Panther third with 6%. Bohemian Rhapsody is favored by 5% of voters, and the list is rounded out with the true longshots: A Star is Born, The Favourite, BlacKkKlansman, and Vice, in that order, with those last four all getting less than 3% of the votes. More...

Weekend Estimates: Dragons Roar, Holdovers Can’t Soar

February 24, 2019

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World isn’t quite matching Friday’s projections, but it is still dominating the weekend box office with an estimated $55.53 million Friday through Sunday, and $58.03 million in total if you include the paid previews. This is by far the biggest opening of the year, topping Glass by $15 million and the film is already in the top five for 2019. Internationally, it debuted in first place in Russia with $11.2 million, pushing its weekend haul to $34.7 million, while its international running tally rose to $216.9 million. It is already the biggest worldwide hit of the year, at least it is the biggest Hollywood hit at the global box office. So far that chart is dominated by Chinese films, but that’s common, as Chinese New Year usually results in a few films earning over $100 million at the box office during that week alone. More...

2018 Awards Season: Oscars Nominations: Final Look

February 24, 2019

It’s Oscar Day, and we will be live blogging the show. Before that, let’s take a last look at the nominations with a few annotations. in Italics are those that have received the most votes from our readers so far in our Oscar contest (which is open to new entries until noon, Pacific, today—enter now!). Bold films are those films I think will win. Meanwhile, those that are Underlined are those I want to win. Not all categories have underlined nominees, because not all categories have someone I’m cheering for, or because there are two nominees I couldn’t pick between. For example, I would be happy with half of the Best Picture nominees winning. More...

2018 - Awards Season: Independent Spirit Awards - Winners

February 23, 2019

The Independent Spirit Awards nominations kicked off the 2018 Awards Season and the winners are announced just before the end. If Beale Street Could Talk only had three nominations, but it won all three awards. This could be a good Omen for tomorrow’s Oscar ceremony. More...

Friday Estimates: Dragons Take Flight One Last Time

February 23, 2019

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World is beating expectations with $17.49 million on Friday, putting it on pace for $60 million over the full weekend, including its $2.5 million from paid previews. This is more than enough to be the fastest opening in the franchise and it is easily the best opening of the year so far. It’s nice for a potential major hit to actually top expectations and this is the first time that’s happened all year. Hopefully the film’s reviews and word-of-mouth can continue to lift its box office chances over the full weekend and indeed over the next few weeks. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Looking for Change

February 22, 2019

It is a painfully slow week for limited releases. It is so slow that I had to include all films we have theater counts for, even ones with no reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, just to have enough films to talk about. Of the nine films on this week’s list, only three would be included in a normal week. Interestingly, two of these films are being released by Vertical Entertainment: The Changeover and Prosecuting Evil: The Extraordinary World of Ben Ferencz. More...

Rocketman Trailer 2

February 22, 2019

Biographical musical starring Taron Egerton opens May 31 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Dragons Doubles Lego with $3 million

February 22, 2019

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World got off to a fast start with $3 million in previews on Thursday. This is twice as much as The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part earned during its previews and it doesn’t include the $2.5 million in paid previews The Hidden World earned on February 2nd. Additionally, its reviews are fantastic and its word-of-mouth should help carry the film over the weekend. I want to be cautious, because 2019 has been a bad year at the box office so far, but I can see us having to adjust our prediction tomorrow, once Friday’s numbers show up. More...

2018 Awards Season: Oscar Highlight: Best Picture

February 21, 2019

With our annual Oscar Prediction contest underway, now is the best time to look at the nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. We end with the biggest award of the night: Best Picture. I don’t know who’s going to win. I think I know who the favorite is, but there are five films here that could win and I wouldn’t really be surprised. More...

Weekend Predictions: Can Dragons make the Box Office Soar Again?

February 21, 2019

There’s only one true wide release this weekend, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World, but it should become the fastest opening film of the year so far. Additionally, Fighting With My Family is expanding wide and after its stellar start last weekend, it should easily earn a spot in the top five. It likely won’t be able to top Alita: Battle Angel or The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, but it should be in a battle for fourth place with Isn’t It Romantic. On the positive side, How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World should earn more than the three new wide releases from this weekend last year. On the negative side, Black Panther remained in top spot with closer to $120 million. 2019 is going to get destroyed in the year-over-year comparison, again, but at least it won’t be as bad as last week was. More...

2018 Awards Season: Oscar Highlight: Best Director

February 21, 2019

With our annual Oscar Prediction contest underway, now is the best time to look at the nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. Today we look at Best Director, which is not exactly competitive, but it is yet another category where we have a favorite, but where an upset wouldn’t be too shocking. More...

The Secret Life of Pets 2 Trailer

February 21, 2019

Animated adventure opens June 7 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Theater Averages: Fighting for First Place

February 20, 2019

Not only did we set a new yearly high market for theater average this past weekend, but two of the top three results from 2019 were from this weekend. Fighting With My Family led the way with an average of $34,695 in four theaters over the three-day weekend. The film earned just under $200,000 during its five-day debut, which is great news for its wide expansion this weekend. The re-release of War and Peace managed $22,976 in its one theater. That’s amazing, because the film is six hours long and they could only fit in 2 screenings a day. Then again, the movie is six hours long, they probably charged double to see it. Birds of Paradise was next with an average of $11,541 in two theaters. This is more impressive than it looks at first, because the film debuted on Wednesday, which undoubtedly tempered some of its weekend box office. The final film in the $10,000 club was CatVideoFest with $11,269. At first I was confused by this result, but then I found out it is a charity event, so good job everyone involved. More...

International Box Office: Alita Playing Across the Earth, but Wandering Wins

February 20, 2019

The Wandering Earth remained in first place on the international chart with $96.94 million over the weekend for a running tally of $606.87 million after fourteen days of release. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Alita Battles Disbelievers and Wins

February 20, 2019

The weekend wasn’t as bad as it could have been, at least not at the top. Alita: Battle Angel topped all but the most bullish expectations with $42.25 million from Thursday through Sunday. Isn’t It Romantic matched expectations nearly perfectly, while Happy Death Day 2U struggled, but should still break even, eventually. Overall, the box office rose 8.4% from last weekend, but plummet 57% from the same weekend last year. On the positive side, that was the weekend Black Panther debuted, so we knew a drop-off like this was to be expected. On the negative side, as of the end of business on Monday, 2019 was behind 2018’s pace by a margin of over $350 million or nearly 23%. 2019 will need to turn things around soon if it wants any chance of completing a comeback. Hell, it will need to turn things around soon if it wants any chance to avoid a worst-in-a-decade end result. More...

Greta Trailer

February 20, 2019

Thriller starring Chloë Grace Moretz and Isabelle Huppert opens March 1 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Home Market Releases for February 19th, 2019

February 20, 2019

The fall smash hits and the Oscar contenders are starting to come out in full force, making it a great time on the home market. This week, we have one of the biggest hits of the fall, A Star is Born; one of the best movies of the year, Can You Ever Forgive Me?; and the Anime that arguably solidified Moe as powerhouse genre, K-ON: Complete Collection Premium Box Set. Of the three, I like K-ON the most, but I admit that price will scare away a lot of people, so Can You Ever Forgive Me? is the better choice for Pick of the Week. More...

2018 Awards Season: Oscar Highlight: Best Original Screenplay

February 19, 2019

With our annual Oscar Prediction contest underway, now is the best time to look at the nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. Today we look at the two Screenwriting Categories, ending with with Best Original Screenplay. This category is actually competitive with three films I can see winning. More...

2018 Awards Season: Oscar Highlight: Best Adapted Screenplay

February 19, 2019

With our annual Oscar Prediction contest underway, now is the best time to look at the nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. Today we look at the two Screenwriting Categories, starting with Best Adapted Screenplay, which is not among the most competitive categories, but it isn’t inconceivable that there will be an upset. More...

Tyler Perry’s A Madea Family Funeral Trailer

February 19, 2019

Comedy starring Tyler Perry opens March 1 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Overlord

February 18, 2019

Overlord was one of two films that came out this past fall that looked stylish and engaging, but failed to find an audience in theaters. The other film was Bad Times at the El Royale, which I loved. Will I be as entertained this time around? Or were audiences right to stay away? More...

2018 - Awards Season: WGA - Winners

February 18, 2019

The Writers Guild of America announced their winners last night and I don’t know what to say. None of the favorites won and two of the winners were not even nominated for Oscars. More...

Weekend Estimates: Alita Wins Battle for Top Spot, but Production Budget is Winning the War

February 17, 2019

Alita: Battle Angel is topping the weekend chart with an estimated $27.8 million over the three-day weekend and $33.0 million over four. Adding in Thursday’s result gives us a total opening of $41.7 million, which is more than we predicted and we were already a little more bullish than most. Its reviews were bouncing above then sinking below the overall positive level throughout the week, but they seem to have settled on the south side at 58% positive. We won’t get the CinemaScore until Monday, but I suspect it will be substantially better than this and be in the B plus / A minus range. We don’t have solid numbers for its international weekend, but estimates have it in the $40 million range during its second weekend of release. This would have been a great run so far, had the film not cost so much to make. More...

Friday Estimates: Alita Battles it’s Way to the Top

February 16, 2019

Alita: Battle Angel started strong on Thursday with $8.72 million and held on well on Friday down just 14% to $7.53 million. Granted, this was the worst decline of the three new releases, but it was also the only one to open on Thursday, so I think this is a strong showing. The reviews remain right on the edge of the overall positive level, so it should have acceptable legs. Look for between $25 million and $26 million over the three-day weekend and $30 million over four. This would be a good start, if the film cost $100 million to make. However, with a budget between $160 million and $170 million, depending on tax breaks, even getting to $100 million domestically will just be saving face. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Bohemian Rhapsody

February 16, 2019

Bohemian Rhapsody is a monster hit earning more than $200 million domestically and $800 million worldwide. It has also been one of the biggest Awards Season players; in fact, some consider it the favorite to win the Best Picture Oscar. On the other hand, its reviews are barely in the overall positive level. Are the moviegoers and Awards Season voters right and the critics too cynical? Or is there something other than the movie itself that is winning people over? More...

The Best of Enemies Trailer

February 15, 2019

Real-life drama starring Taraji P. Henson and Sam Rockwell opens April 5 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Fighting for the Right to Expand

February 15, 2019

There are several films on this week’s list that are earning overwhelmingly positive reviews, including Fighting With My Family, which expands wide next week. How wide could depend on how well it does over the weekend. More...

2018 Awards Season: Oscar Highlight: Best Leading Actress

February 14, 2019

With our annual Oscar Prediction contest underway, now is the best time to look at the nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. This week we look at the four acting categories, ending with Best Lead Actress. In this category, there is an overwhelming favorite without an obvious runner up. More...

2018 Awards Season: Oscar Highlight: Best Leading Actor

February 14, 2019

With our annual Oscar Prediction contest underway, now is the best time to look at the nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. This week we look at the four acting categories, continuing with Best Lead Actor. Like the Best Supporting Actor category, there is a favorite here, but an upset wouldn’t be that shocking. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will there be a Lot of Love At the Box Office this week?

February 14, 2019

It’s a very odd weekend at the box office. Not only is it a long weekend with most people having Monday off, but Valentine’s Day is Thursday and two of the three wide releases opened on Wednesday. The biggest new release is Alita: Battle Angel, but the film reportedly cost as much as $200 million to make and there’s a chance it will open with less than $20 million over the three-day portion of the weekend. Isn’t It Romantic should get the biggest boost thanks to Valentine’s Day. Meanwhile, Happy Death Day 2U is hoping to top the original. As for this weekend last year, it was the weekend Black Panther debuted. 2019 is going to get destroyed at the year-over-year comparison, again. If it loses by less than 50%, I will be happy. That’s how bad things have gotten. More...

Theater Averages: Everybody Knows it’s a Slow Time for the Theater Average Chart

February 14, 2019

There was only one new release in the $10,000 club this week, Everybody Knows, which earned an average of $17,802 in four theaters. Last week’s winner, Never Look Away, expanded into three theaters earning an average of $12,942. The 2019 Oscar Shorts didn’t make the $10,000 club, but it did earn nearly $1 million in 270 theaters for an average of $3,476, which is a better than 30% increase compared to the previous installment and easily the best of the franchise. Granted, it was also the widest release in the franchise, but this is still a start worth celebrating. More...

Frozen 2 Trailer

February 14, 2019

Animated adventure with the voices of Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Josh Gad, and Jonathan Groff opens November 22 ... Full Movie Details. More...

International Box Office: The Wandering Earth goes Global

February 13, 2019

The international box office lived up to its name with the top three films all being international films. The Wandering Earth dominated the box office with $179.80 million over the weekend of a total seven-day opening of $298.27 million. This is an outstanding debut, even when you consider the benefits of Chinese New Year at the box office. More...

Home Market Releases for February 12th, 2019

February 13, 2019

It’s a shallow week on the home market. That said, Bohemian Rhapsody was a monster hit, especially internationally. It isn’t a Pick of the Week contender, but we do have a trio of contenders: At Eternity’s Gate, Audition, and Shoplifters. It’s a close race, but Shoplifters came out on top. More...

2018 Awards Season: Oscar Highlight: Best Supporting Actor

February 12, 2019

With our annual Oscar Prediction contest underway, now is the best time to look at the nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. This week we look at the four acting categories, continuing with Best Supporting Actor. In this category, there is a favorite, but an upset isn’t out of the question. More...

2018 Awards Season: Oscar Highlight: Best Supporting Actress

February 12, 2019

With our annual Oscar Prediction contest underway, now is the best time to look at the nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. This week we look at the four acting categories, starting with Best Supporting Actress. In this category, there is not an overwhelming favorite this year, which is a bit of a change, as the acting categories haven’t been particularly competitive the past few years. More...

Hotel Mumbai Trailer

February 12, 2019

Real-life thriller starring Armie Hammer and Dev Patel opens March 22 ... Full Movie Details.

A true story of humanity and heroism, Hotel Mumbai recounts the 2008 siege of the famed Taj Hotel by a group of terrorists in Mumbai, India. Refusing to leave their guests, the renowned chef Hemant Oberoi and a waiter choose to risk their lives to keep everyone safe. As the world watches on, a desperate couple is forced to make unthinkable sacrifices to protect their newborn child. More...

Weekend Wrap-up: 2019 Continues its Slump

February 12, 2019

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part missed expectations over the weekend, leading to yet another disappointing overall performance at the box office. Granted, the box office did climb by 55% from last weekend to $112 million. However, last weekend was the worst weekend at the box office in more than a year. Additionally, $112 million is still 20% lower than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2019 has pulled in $1.01 billion; however, this is still 15% lower than last year’s pace and the slowest pace since 2011, in terms of raw dollars. If we go by ticket sales, we have to look all the way back to 1999 to find a slower start to the year. More...

Pet Sematary Trailer

February 11, 2019

Horror movie based on the Stephen King novel opens April 5 ... Full Movie Details.

Dr. Louis Creed, who, after relocating with his wife Rachel and their two young children from Boston to rural Maine, discovers a mysterious burial ground hidden deep in the woods near the family’s new home. When tragedy strikes, Louis turns to his unusual neighbor, Jud Crandall, setting off a perilous chain reaction that unleashes an unfathomable evil with horrific consequences. More...

Featured TV on DVD Review: American Vandal: Season One

February 11, 2019

American Vandal is a parody of true crime investigation TV shows like Making a Murderer. The first season won a Peabody award. The second season was its last, as it was canceled. (To be more accurate, it will be its last on Netflix, but it could get a third season somewhere else.) Is it worth checking out on DVD, if you don’t have Netflix? Or is there a reason the show only lasted two seasons? More...

2018 - Awards Season: BAFTA - Winners

February 11, 2019

The BAFTA winners were announced and The Favorite led the way with 7 wins. Like I mentioned before, understandably, the BAFTAs tend to favor British films and this can lessen their ability to predict Oscar winners and The Favorite is such a British Film that they managed to spell the word correctly. That doesn’t mean there are no lessons we can learn from these results. More...

Weekend Estimates: Lego Tops Chart, but Fails to Match the Original

February 10, 2019

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part reportedly cost $99 million to make and it will earn that much domestically, so it will very likely make a profit and Warner Bros. will be fine. That said, it is estimated to only manage $34.4 million over the weekend, which is about 40% lower than expectations and almost exactly 50% lower than the first film opened with. Its reviews are 84% positive, while it managed an A minus from CinemaScore, so it really should have done better than this. This hopefully isn’t a sign that the overall box office is unhealthy, but just a sign that WB has pushed the franchise too much too soon. Internationally, the film started with $18.1 million in 63 markets. This includes a first place, $5.2 million on 1,301 screens in the U.K. It also managed first place in Russia with $1.7 million on 2,493 screens. On the other hand, it only managed fourth place in Brazil with just $707,000 on 854 screens, which is the weakest start in the franchise. More...

Friday Estimates: New Releases Receive a Cold Welcome

February 9, 2019

Friday’s box office can best be described as “What happened?” Thursday previews looked promising, but then the Friday numbers arrived and it looks like most of the new releases will miss expectations. This includes The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, which opened with $8.5 million on Friday, $9.1 million including its paid previews from January. This is well below expectations and puts the film on pace for about $32 million over the weekend. Its reviews are 85% positive, but its early CinemaScore is just A minus, which isn’t particularly good for a family film. Next weekend is a long weekend, so I think it will still get to $100 million domestically, which is more than it cost to make. However, a lot of people thought it had a real shot at $200 million domestically, so this is a real disappointment. More...

UglyDolls Trailer

February 8, 2019

Animated musical adventure opens May 3 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: A Short List or a List of Shorts

February 8, 2019

It is a rather long list of limited releases this week, but this is a case of quantity over quality and there’s not much here to get excited about. If you are into strange films with overly long titles, then The Man Who Killed Hitler and Then the Big Foot should be up your alley. However, the film most likely to find an audience is 2019 Oscar Shorts. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Lego Lifts Off with $2.1 million in Combined Previews

February 8, 2019

The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part got off to a solid start with $2.1 million in previews. This includes $1.5 million last night and $600,000 from the January paid preview. This is a good result for a family film opening without the benefit of a school holiday. Granted, The Lego Batman Movie opened with $2.2 million during its previews in 2017, but as a comic book movie, it had more drawing power with adults and would be slightly more front-loaded. We don’t know for sure if The Second Part will make up the difference over the full weekend and match our $55 million prediction, but we will have a better idea tomorrow when the Friday estimates show up. More...

Weekend Predictions: Can Lego Save 2019?

February 8, 2019

I’m of two minds when it comes to this weekend. On the one hand, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part should be the biggest hit of the year so far and could be the first true monster hit of the year. On the other hand, it might not be enough to keep pace with last year. Only one other new release, What Men Want, has a shot at $20 million, while the other two releases, Cold Pursuit and The Prodigy, might not reach $10 million. This weekend last year, wasn’t quite as strong when it came to new releases, but it had a massive advantage when it came to holdovers. I think 2019 has a small advantage here, but I’ve been burned before, so I won’t be too surprised if 2019 loses in the year-over-year comparison, again. More...

Apollo 11 Trailer

February 7, 2019

Documentary chronicling the first landing on the moon premiered at Sundance and is coming soon to theaters ... Full Movie Details. More...

2018 Awards Season: Oscar Highlight: Best Feature-Length Animated Film

February 7, 2019

With our annual Oscar Prediction contest underway, now is the best time to look at the nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. A lot of people call this Oscar the Pixar Award, and there is a Pixar film on this list. However, in a shocking twist, it isn’t the overwhelming favorite to win. More...

2018 Awards Season: Oscar Highlight: Best Feature-Length Documentary

February 7, 2019

With our annual Oscar Prediction contest underway, now is the best time to look at the nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. Today we look at Best Feature-Length Documentary. Logic and evidence suggests the favorite film is Won’t You Be My Neighbor? with Three Identical Strangers coming in a close second. However, neither of them were nominated. More...

Our Oscar Contest is Back!

February 6, 2019

It’s Oscar time, and that means it’s time for The Numbers 22nd Annual Predict the Academy Awards Competition. This is our traditional chance for you to win some great prizes, and for all of our readers collectively to predict who will win the Oscars on February 24. The top selection for Best Picture in our contest has gone on to win the Best Picture Oscar 14 times in the previous 21 years we’ve run the contest, and we’ve correctly predicted the Best Animated Feature 14 times out of 17. That represents a batting average of about 75%—an amazing performance when you consider that there are up to ten nominees for Best Picture each year.

Uniquely among Oscar contests, when you make your predictions, we show you how many people have voted for each movie so far, and allow you to go back and change your choices. In fact, you can come back at any time to update your predictions as news breaks and sentiment changes about different nominees. But beware our tie-breaking rule: if multiple people correctly predict the same number of winners, whoever made their picks first will win the prize.

So enter now for your best chance of winning our grand prize: every film nominated for Best Picture on DVD or Blu-ray. We will send you all eight films that are nominated as soon as they become available on the home market, and you get to choose either the DVD or Blu-ray version. Our runner-up will win the Best Picture and Best Animated Feature on DVD or Blu-ray. And, for our long-term players, the best performer from among our all-time top 200 players will win the Best Picture on DVD or Blu-ray. More...

Theater Averages: Most New Releases were Left Out in the Cold

February 6, 2019

Never Look Away held up well earning $19,033 in its lone theater. Its Oscar Nod is helping, but its real test is when the film tries to expand. The only new release in the $10,000 club was Arctic, with an average of $12,720 in four theaters. More...

International Box Office: Dragon is No Longer Hidden

February 5, 2019

How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World roared into first place on the international chart with $40.8 million in 40 markets for a still early international total of $85.5 million. It was buoyed by a quartet of major market openings, led by Mexico, where it earned first place with $7.56 million in 891 theaters. This is 20% more than the previous film in the franchise opened with in that market. It also opened in first place in the U.K. ($6.95 million in 556 theaters) and in Italy ($3.67 million in 467). On the other hand, it had to settle for third place in South Korea with $3.30 million on 971 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $4.61 million. The film opens in France and Germany this weekend, but doesn’t finish its box office run until August, when it finally opens in Japan. More...

Home Market Releases for February 5th, 2019

February 5, 2019

We are finally getting to the massive fall hits on the home market, as Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch hits the home market this week. It is the biggest release, but not the best. The Pick of the Week was a coin toss between Maquia: When The Promised Flower Blooms and Widows. In the end, the latter won, but both are worth buying. More...

Us Trailer

February 5, 2019

Horror thriller written and directed by Jordan Peele, starring Lupita Nyong’o, Elisabeth Moss, and Winston Duke opens March 22 ... Full Movie Details.

Haunted by an unexplainable and unresolved trauma from her past and compounded by a string of eerie coincidences, Adelaide feels her paranoia elevate to high-alert as she grows increasingly certain that something bad is going to befall her family. After spending a tense beach day with their friends, the Tylers, Adelaide and her family return to their vacation home. When darkness falls, the Wilsons discover the silhouette of four figures holding hands as they stand in the driveway. This endearing American family is pitted against a terrifying and uncanny opponent: doppelgängers of themselves. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Super Bowl Wasn’t Super and Neither was the Box Office

February 5, 2019

The Super Bowl broke records, but not in a good way. (Lowest scoring Super Bowl... ever.) Even so, the Super Bowl still had a devastating effect on the box office leading to arguably the worst Super Bowl weekend box office results since 1999. More on that year later. As expected, Glass earned first place on the weekend box office chart with $9.55 million, but it is never a good sign when the number one film earns less than $10 million. The best / only new release was Miss Bala, which only managed $6.86 million. Overall, the box office fell 27% from last week down to just $72 million. Hopefully this is the worst weekend of the entire year. Worse still, this was 24% lower than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2019 has pulled in $866 million, which is $160 million or 16% lower than 2018’s pace. This is the worst start in terms of raw dollars since 2012 and the worst start in terms of tickets sold since 1999. However, the box office will pick up in March and while I don’t think we’ll match last year’s record pace, we also won’t see a once in a decade slump either. More...

The Informer Trailer

February 4, 2019

Thriller starring Joel Kinnaman opens March 22 ... Full Movie Details.

Honorably discharged Special Ops soldier Pete Koslow’s world is turned upside-down when he is jailed after a fight to protect his wife. He’s given a chance for early release by becoming an informant for the FBI and using his covert skills in an operation to take down The General, the most powerful crime boss in New York. But when the FBI sting meant to finally earn Koslow his freedom results in the death of an undercover NYPD cop, Koslow finds himself caught in the crossfire between the mob and the FBI. More...

Weekend Estimates: Miss Bala hits the Glass Ceiling

February 3, 2019

The weekend estimates have Glass remaining on top of the chart with $9.54 million over the weekend, giving it a running tally of $88.66 million after three weeks of release. It is a lock to get to $100 million domestically, although it will likely be pushed out of the top five before it gets there. Internationally, the film is earning $12.2 million over the weekend for totals of $110.3 million internationally and $199.0 million worldwide. It will soon become the first film released in 2019 to get to $200 million worldwide and it isn’t done yet. More...

2018 Awards Season: DGA - Winners

February 3, 2019

The Directors Guild of America announced their winners on Saturday. There were some surprise results that suggest it could be an unusual year at the Oscars. More...

Friday Estimates: Friday Falls In Line

February 2, 2019

It looks like it will be a weekend to forget. In fact, if Friday is a reliable omen, then this will be the worst Super Bowl weekend at the box office in more than a decade. The only good news is, this was more or less expected. For example, Glass remained in first place with $2.76 million on Friday, putting it on pace for between $9 million on $10 million. Even if it hits the high end, it will still be within a rounding error of expectations. Get ready to read that phrase again a couple of more times this story. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: The Week is Soft like Velvet

February 1, 2019

It is not a great week for limited releases. There are some that are certainly worth checking out, like Braid and The Wild Pear Tree. However, the film earning the loudest buzz, Velvet Buzzsaw, is only earning good reviews and not great reviews, but that should be good enough for Netflix. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Miss Bala Misses Expectations

February 1, 2019

Miss Bala missed expectations with $650,000 in previews last night. This isn’t that much lower than it needed to earn to be on pace match to predictions, but since it was already expected to struggle, missing expectations by even a little bit is bad news. Furthermore, its reviews have fallen further and its Tomatometer Score is now stuck at 33% positive. Maybe it will rebound over the rest of the weekend. More...

Hobbs & Shaw Trailer

February 1, 2019

Action movie starring Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, and Idris Elba opens August 2 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Preview: February

February 1, 2019

2019 got off to a slow start as the biggest release of January, Glass, missed expectations and as a result, 2019 lost every weekend in the year-over-year comparison. Unfortunately, 2019 isn’t going to turn things around this month, as last February, Black Panther broke all of the records. That doesn’t mean there are no bright spots this month. Both The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part and How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World are virtually guaranteed to reach $100 million domestically, while I wouldn’t be too surprised if one or both hit $200 million. Meanwhile, there are several midlevel hits, one of which could turn into a surprise $100 million hit. That said, there’s a chance all nine movies opening this month combined will earn less than Black Panther did last year. More...

The Numbers News - February 2019

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