The Numbers News - June 2019

June 30, 2019

Toy Story 4 is earning first place over the weekend with $57.92 million. A few weeks ago, a 52% sophomore stint drop-off by a family film would have been a really bad sign; however, June was so bad that this result matches expectations, more or less. The film now has $236.92 million domestically and should race past $300 million here before it is done. This is a monster hit and more than enough to be profitable, but still disappointing. This film is having a better weekend internationally, earning $80.6 million in 45 markets for totals of $259.6 million internationally and $496.5 million worldwide. This includes a $7.0 million opening in France, which is the best in the franchise. More...

Friday Estimates: Toy Story Dominates Chart, Doesn’t Have Aladdin-Like Legs

June 29, 2019

It looks like June won’t end on a high note, as Toy Story 4 is falling faster than hoped for. The film earned $17.04 million on Friday, which is almost as much as the rest of the top five earned in total. However, and more importantly, it is 64% lower than the film’s opening Friday and that’s a sharper decline that I was anticipating. Granted, its $196.03 million running tally is in line with budget expectations, so it will break even, even if it doesn’t match expectations. A profitable disappointment. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Get to Nomi these Limited Releases

June 28, 2019

It is not a particularly busy week for limited releases, but there are a few that are worth checking out. This includes The Chambermaid, but it is two documentaries, Maiden and You Don’t Nomi, that are the most interesting to me. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Yesterday Hits a High Note with $1.25 million

June 28, 2019

Yesterday earned $1.25 million during its previews on Thursday, which is on the high end of expectations. It means our $12 million prediction could turn out to be a little pessimistic. This depends on if the audiences like the movie more than the critics did. If the film’s CinemaScore is at an A, then it should top our prediction. If it is at a B plus or lower, then it will not. More...

Midway Trailer

June 28, 2019

Action movie based on real-life events, with an ensemble cast led by Ed Skrein, Patrick Wilson, and Mandy Moore, directed by Roland Emmerich opens November 8 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will June Completely Miss at the Box Office?

June 27, 2019

So far June has been a disaster with no film topping expectations to any significant degree. In fact, Aladdin was the last time we had a film that really beat expectations at the box office and that came out more than a month ago. This weekend is the last chance for June to not be a complete disaster and frankly I’m not optimistic. Annabelle Comes Home is part of the biggest horror franchise around. However, the most recent installment was also the weakest by far and I fear this film will also be significantly below average for the franchise. Yesterday is the smaller of the two films, but in this case this means it doesn’t have to do much business at the box office to be seen as a success. Meanwhile, Toy Story 4 is expected to remain in top spot over the weekend and if its legs are long enough, it could be seen as a real success rather than a profitable disappointment. This weekend last year, there were no major new releases, but Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Incredibles 2 were strong as holdovers. More...

Theater Averages: Quiet Weekend

June 27, 2019

There weren’t many new releases to talk about, but a surprising percentage of them landed in the $10,000 club. This includes the overall box office champ, Toy Story 4, which opened with an average of $26,428. Wild Rose was the best of the limited releases earning an average of $13,235 in four theaters, while Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am was right behind with an average of $12,013, also in four theaters. More...

International Box Office: Toy Story Still has Stories to Tell

June 27, 2019

Toy Story 4 dominated the international chart with $120.0 million in 37 markets, representing 64% of the international marketplace. Interestingly, China wasn’t the film’s biggest market, as it had an absolute monster debut in Mexico taking top spot there with $23.82 million. The film also dominated the chart in the U.K. with $16.90 million, which isn’t as strong as its opening here, but still impressive. Likewise, the film managed $13.4 million in China, which is good for an animated film there. Good, but not great. The film broke the record for an opening by an animated film in Brazil with $9.6 million and did nearly as well in neighboring Argentina with $7.5 million. It was also impressive in South Korea with $7.47 million on 1,335 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $8.55 million. More...

Charlie’s Angels Trailer

June 27, 2019

Action movie starring Naomi Scott, Ella Balinska, and Kristen Stewart, directed by Elizabeth Banks opens November 15 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Home Market Releases for June 25th, 2019

June 26, 2019

It is an absolute nightmare on the home market. There’s no monster hit to talk about, but there are a mountain of new releases that are selling well enough that they could have been featured in the main list and about twice as many that could have been included in the Secondary Blu-ray release. I had to trim some of them to keep the list manageable. Unfortunately, the list of Pick of the Week contenders is rather short with just Megalobox: Season One and Frankie Drake Mysteries: Season Two, both of which are worth owning. However, the biggest and best release of the week is Captain Marvel. The screener arrived late, but I finally got the review of the Blu-ray online. That said, I’m going to award Frankie Drake Mysteries with Puck of the Week for best Canadian release. More...

The Current War Trailer

June 26, 2019

Historical real-life drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Shannon, Nicholas Hoult, and Katherine Waterston opens October 4 ... Full Movie Details.

Three brilliant visionaries set off in a charged battle for the future in the story of the cutthroat competition that literally lit up the modern world. Thomas Edison is the celebrity inventor on the verge of bringing electricity to Manhattan with his radical new DC technology. On the eve of triumph, his plans are upended by charismatic businessman George Westinghouse, who believes he and his partner, the upstart genius Nikolai Tesla, have a superior idea for how to rapidly electrify America: with AC current. As Edison and Westinghouse grapple for who will power the nation, they spark one of the first and greatest corporate feuds in American history, establishing for future Titans of Industry the need to break all the rules. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Captain Marvel

June 25, 2019

Captain Marvel started with two strikes against it, because it’s an origin story and a prequel. There have been so many origin stories for super heroes released over the past decade plus that audiences have grown tired of them. Furthermore, prequels are difficult to do right, because it’s much harder to surprise audiences. Can this film overcome these obstacles? Or should fans of the M.C.U. just wait till the sequel comes out when this character can really shine? More...

Blinded by the Light trailer

June 25, 2019

Musical drama starring Viveik Kalra, directed by Gurinder Chadha opens August 14 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Toy Story Latest Film to Miss Expectations

June 25, 2019

I think 2019 is done. The year isn’t quite halfway done, but I think I’m ready to call the box office race with 2018 over. Toy Story 4 was the latest potential monster hit to miss expectations by a huge margin. Granted, it still opened in first place with $120.10 million and it will make a substantial profit, but this is still about 25% lower than a lot of people expected and the overall weekend is still a massive disappointment. It did rise 50% from last weekend hitting $204 million, but this was 25% lower than the same weekend last year and that’s a much more important figure. Year-to-date, 2019 is now behind 2018 by 8.9% or $510 million at $5.26 billion to $5.77 billion. If you want to stretch for some good news, then this isn’t the worst deficit we’ve seen this year. More...

Black and Blue Trailer

June 24, 2019

Action movie starring Naomie Harris opens October 25 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Weekend Estimates: Toy Story has the Best Opening in the Franchise, Still Disappoints

June 23, 2019

Almost none of the films on this week’s list are living up to expectations, at least not according to the weekend estimates. Toy Story 4 is earning the best opening in the franchise with an estimated $118.0 million weekend. This is third-highest opening for an animated film, so there is reason to celebrate. However, it is also much lower than expected and a little more front-loaded than anticipated, so its future might be in doubt. The film is doing better internationally with an estimated opening weekend of $120.0 million in 37 markets. The film had the third biggest opening in Mexico with $23.4 million, putting it behind just the two most recent Avengers movies. It had the biggest opening for an animated film in Brazil with $9.6 million. The film was also a monster hit in the U.K. with $15.0 million. On the other hand, it struggled in China with a second-place $13.4 million opening there; however, most animated films struggle in China. Hopefully the film’s reviews and its A from CinemaScore translate into long legs, because 2019 really needs more success stories at the box office. More...

Friday Estimates: Toy Story Doesn’t Have an Incredible Start

June 22, 2019

Toy Story 4 is on pace to earn the third-best opening weekend for an animated film, but despite this, it will be seen as a disappointment, as many people were expecting a lot more. The film earned $47.39 million on Friday, putting it on pace for $123 million over the full weekend, which is behind Incredibles 2 and Finding Dory on the all-time opening chart for an animated film. It really needed to be higher up that list in order to help 2019 win in the year-over-year competition. At this pace, it won’t even match last year’s number one film, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. On the positive side, the film is earning 97% positive reviews and managed an A from CinemaScore, so it should have long legs. It will be a hit for Pixar and Disney is not going to lose money on this movie. However, I’m getting tired of big films failing to live up to expectations and I don’t think 2019 is going to be able to turn things around. More...

The Kitchen Trailer

June 21, 2019

Crime caper starring Melissa McCarthy, Tiffany Haddish, and Elisabeth Moss opens August 9 ... Full Movie Details.

Three 1978 Hell’s Kitchen housewives’ mobster husbands are sent to prison by the FBI. Left with little but a sharp ax to grind, the ladies take the Irish mafia’s matters into their own hands—proving unexpectedly adept at everything from running the rackets to taking out the competition… literally. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Ladies Gone Wild

June 21, 2019

None of the films on this week’s list look like they will have breakout success. It is nearly impossible to find a film coming out in limited release this week that is in a genre that tends to do well in limited release, has great reviews, and isn’t playing on VOD. Wild Rose matches those three criteria the closest, but it is Ladies in Black that I’m most interested in seeing. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Toy Story 4 has Second Best Animated Previews

June 21, 2019

First the good news: Toy Story 4 had the second best previews for an animated film earning $12 million. Now the bad news: Incredibles 2 had the best earning $18.5 million last year. Toy Story 4 better have better legs or 2019 is in real trouble. Fortunately, most analysts agree that it will and it is still on pace to match our $155 million prediction. We will obviously know more tomorrow when Friday’s numbers show up, but also the CinemaScore will be a big help. If audiences love the movie as much as critics did, then its legs should be a real asset. More...

Weekend Predictions: Can Toy Story 4 Save June’s Box Office Run?

June 20, 2019

June has not lived up to expectations and unless Toy Story 4 is a record-breaking hit, we are going to end the month with a loss. I don’t think it will break records, but it will easily be the biggest hit of the month. Also opening this week is Child’s Play, the reboot to the long-running horror franchise of the same name. Finally, Anna is the latest film from Luc Besson and many are comparing it to Lucy. It’s not going to do that well. It likely won’t reach the top five. This weekend last year, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom opened with $148.02 million. I really hope Toy Story 4 tops that; however, even if it does, nothing playing this weekend is going to compare with Incredibles 2’s run last year, so 2019 is going to lose in the year-over-year comparison. More...

Theater Averages: Nothing New to Report

June 20, 2019

There were no new releases in the $10,000 club this past weekend. That’s not to say there were no films that reached that mark, but neither of them were new. Paris is Burning is a re-release of a 1991 documentary and it earned $10,839 in its lone theater. Meanwhile, The Last Black Man in San Francisco spent a second weekend in the $10,000 club with an average of $10,581 in 36 theaters. More...

New Angry Birds 2 Trailer

June 20, 2019

Animated adventure with an ensemble cast led by Jason Sudeikis and Josh Gad opens August 14 ... Full Movie Details.

When a new threat emerges that puts both Bird and Pig Island in danger, Red, Chuck, Bomb, and Mighty Eagle recruit Chuck’s sister Silver and team up with pigs Leonard, his assistant Courtney, and techpig Garry to forge an unsteady truce and form an unlikely superteam to save their homes. More...

International Box Office: Men in Black: International Lives Up to Its Name

June 20, 2019

Men in Black: International did substantially better internationally with $68.22 million on 40,600 screens in 65 markets over the weekend for a total opening of $73.03 million. Its worldwide total was $103.06 million, which isn’t a bad start for a film that cost $110 million to make. It needs to have great legs and a strong home market run to break even any time soon, but this isn’t a number that should cause the studio to panic either. The film’s biggest single market was China where it earned first place with a total opening of $25.90 million, including $25.35 million on 21,000 screens over the weekend. It only managed third place in South Korea with $3.45 million on 1,055 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $4.88 million. Overall, the film is about 20% behind Men in Black 3’s opening in the same markets; however, this film also cost nearly 50% less to make, so financially, it is an improvement. More...

Ready or Not Trailer

June 19, 2019

Horror movie starring Samara Weaving opens August 23 ... Full Movie Details.

A young bride joins her new husband’s rich, eccentric family in a time-honored tradition that turns into a lethal game with everyone fighting for their survival. More...

Home Market Releases for June 18th, 2019

June 19, 2019

It is a shallow week with a lot of films on the main list that would be secondary Blu-ray releases on a normal week. There are only two contenders for Pick of the Week: Us and Killing Eve: Season Two. The Us Blu-ray screener hasn’t arrived yet, but it is still Pick of the Week, even with an unknown quality of extras. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Weekend Bests Estimates, Still Clobbered by Incredibles

June 18, 2019

There is some good news to report, as the weekend final numbers beat both the projections based on Friday estimates and Sunday’s estimates. There’s also some bad news. Even with this improvement, the weekend was really soft at the box office. Men in Black: International led the way with just $30.04 million during its opening weekend, while only two other films topped $10 million over the weekend. This left the overall box office down 18% from last weekend to just $135 million. This is 50% lower than the same weekend last year; a decline that we normally only see when there is a misalignment in a holiday. However, in this case, it was due to Incredibles 2, which earned more by itself than the total box office did this year. This has left 2019 further behind 2018 and it is now off last year’s pace by 7.0% or $370 million at $4.99 billion to $5.36 billion. Several weeks worth of gaining ground has gone in a single weekend. More...

Featured DVD Review: Slaughterhouse Rulez

June 17, 2019

Slaughterhouse Rulez is the first film produced by Nick Frost and Simon Pegg’s new production company. I was really looking forward to the movie, but then the reviews came out and my enthusiasm dampened, a lot. Is it better than its Tomatometer Score? Or is having low expectations the only way to see this film? More...

Weekend Estimates: Black Skies for MiB

June 16, 2019

According to weekend estimates, Men in Black: International is topping projections based on Friday estimates, but is still weaker than predicted with $28.5 million. This is a pleasant surprise, as the film’s reviews are terrible and its B from CinemaScore strongly suggested weaker legs. Maybe it will continue to surprise going forward. The film is doing much better internationally with $73.7 million on 41,400 screens in 56 markets. This includes $26.3 million in China, $5.1 million in Russia, $4.9 million in South Korea, and $3.9 million in Mexico. On the downside, the film has opened in most major markets, so it will be mostly coasting on holdovers at this point. It should still earn enough to cover its production budget worldwide, but that’s not enough to break even in any timely fashion. More...

Friday Estimates: Toy Story 4 needs to be a Monster Hit

June 15, 2019

It is going to be a really bad weekend. All of the progress we made since Endgame came out could be erased in a week and if Toy Story 4 isn’t a monster hit, then 2019 will be in serious trouble, again. Men in Black: International led the way on Friday, but it only managed $10.4 million. Sony is projecting a $26.2 million opening weekend, which would be the studio’s biggest opening of the year so far. In fact, it would be the studio’s third biggest hit of the year after just three days. Yikes. The film’s reviews are terrible and it only managed a B from CinemaScore, so I don’t expect long legs. There are some rumors going around that the film didn’t cost as much as its official $110 million production budget, but even if those are true, this is still not a good start. Maybe it will thrive internationally. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: One Plus One

June 14, 2019

It’s a terrible week for limited releases. Half the films on this week’s list are playing on VOD, while most of the rest have very limited box office chances either due to weak reviews, or because they are foreign-language films. Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story by Martin Scorsese and Plus One are among the two biggest / best releases of the week, but both are playing on VOD, so I don’t think either will find an audience in theaters. In fact, I suspect none of the films on this week’s list will find an audience in theaters. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Men in Black Open Darker than Phoenix

June 14, 2019

Men in Black: International only managed $3.1 million during its previews on Thursday, which is well below the previews earned by Dark Phoenix ($5.9 million) and Godzilla: King of Monsters ($6.3 million). All three films have similar reviews and all three are part of long running franchises, so sadly this means Men in Black: International will likely have similar legs. Sony is still projecting $30 million over the weekend, but I’m not so sure anymore. More...

Weekend Predictions: Can Men in Black Open in the Black?

June 13, 2019

It’s a busy weekend at the box office with the potential for four new entries in the top ten. Unfortunately, only one of those films, Late Night, is earning good reviews. The other films’ reviews range from mediocre reviews to depressing reviews. Likewise, the four film’s box office chances range from mediocre, with Men in Black: International expected to open south of $30 million, to depressing, with some suggesting Late Night and / or The Dead Never Die missing the Mendoza Line. This weekend last year, Incredibles 2 opened with $182.69 million. That’s more than the entire box office will make this weekend. 2019 is going to get crushed in the year-over-year comparison. More...

Theater Averages: Late Night Gets Off to an Early Start

June 13, 2019

2019 set a new record on the theater average chart, as Late Night got off to the fastest start for a limited release so far earning an average of $61,576 in four theaters during its opening weekend. This is better than Echo in the Canyon managed just two weeks ago, although Avengers: Endgame still owns the overall record with an average of $76,601. The Last Black Man in San Francisco also did incredibly well with an average of $33,610 in seven theaters. This Ones for the Ladies was well back with an opening of $13,688 in one theater. Meanwhile, the overall number one film, The Secret Life of Pets 2, was the final film in the $10,000 club with an average of $10,229. More...

International Box Office: Dark Phoenix is Brighter Internationally

June 13, 2019

Dark Phoenix may have struggled domestically, but it is doing a lot better internationally. The film opened with $107.0 million in 53 markets with Japan being the lone major market it didn’t debut in. China was the film’s biggest single market, representing $44.44 million of its total haul, including $31.85 million over the weekend. The film cracked $5 million in South Korea with a total opening of $5.58 million on 868 screens, including $2.82 million over the weekend. It had nearly identical results in the U.K. ($4.78 million in 615 theaters) and Mexico ($4.65 million). Unfortunately, for all of the film’s success on the international stage, the film is only looking to save face, as it cost $200 million to make and there’s nearly no chance it will recoup that in a timely fashion. More...

Home Market Releases for June 11th, 2019

June 12, 2019

It is a very busy week on the home market, but like last week, there’s a lot of what would be filler in a normal week. In fact, there’s only one big release, Captain Marvel, which is also one of the better releases on this week’s list. The only other release that was really in contention for Pick of the Week was The Mustang, but the lack of extras on the Blu-ray hurt its chances. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: New Releases Miss Expectations and Estimates

June 11, 2019

It was a mixed weekend at the box office with neither of the two new releases matching expectations. Not only that, but most of the top five missed estimates as well. This led to a result 5.6% lower than last weekend falling to $164 million. I was really expecting growth this weekend. The Secret Life of Pets 2 led the way with $46.65 million, while Dark Phoenix really struggled with just $32.83 million. Aladdin was arguably the only real bright spot in the top five this weekend. Fortunately, this weekend last year was even worse and 2019 was able to win the year-over-year comparison by a whopping 37%. This allowed 2019 to close the gap between it and 2018 to just $300 million or 5.9% at $4.78 billion to $5.08 billion. That’s still a large gap, but it is far cry from where it once was. More...

Frozen II Trailer

June 11, 2019

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

Featured Blu-ray Review: The Prisoner

June 10, 2019

The Prisoner is a film from the 1950s that was based on a play of the same name, which, in turn, was based inspired by the real life trials of a couple of cardinals. When the film was initially released, the response was mixed, to put it mildly. On the one extreme, the film earned five BATFA nominations and even won the Best Foreign Film at the National Board of Review that year. On the other hand, it was banned in a number of countries for being pro-communist, anti-communist, and anti-Catholic. Being controversial isn’t the same as being good, but the contradictory nature of these bannings is what drew me to the film. More...

Angel Has Fallen Trailer

June 10, 2019

Thriller starring Gerard Butler and Morgan Freeman opens August 23 ... Full Movie Details.

Secret Service Agent Mike Banning is framed for the attempted assassination of the President and must evade his own agency and the FBI as he tries to uncover the real threat. More...

Weekend Estimates: Pets Don’t have a Fiery Rebirth with Just $47 million

June 9, 2019

Neither of the two wide releases matched expectations over the weekend and in both cases, it could be the end of their respective franchises. The Secret Life of Pets 2 is earning first place with $47.11 million, which isn’t a bad result for a family film that cost $80 million to make. However, this estimate is 55% lower than the first film’s opening weekend. Internationally, it is adding $16.0 million over the weekend to its three-week total, which sits at $49.0 million. Additionally, it has yet to open in most international markets, so it should have long legs on this chart. However, it still isn’t living up to the original. Universal has to be looking at this numbers and deciding to move on from the franchise, even though this film will very likely break even sooner rather than later. Even a moderate decline for a hypothetical third film would put profitability in question. More...

Friday Estimates: Dark Day at the Box Office

June 8, 2019

June might be in trouble, as both of the wide releases stumbled out of the gate missing expectations. The Secret Life of Pets 2 managed first place on Friday, but with just $16.5 million. This is 57% lower than the first film managed during its opening day. Unlike the first film, school was still in session for a lot of the film’s target audience during Friday, so that could help its legs over the weekend. Universal is projecting a $47 million opening weekend, but it might climb to $50 million. Even so, that’s still a serious decline over the first movie. The film did match the original at CinemaScore earning an A minus, so its weaker reviews aren’t going to be much of an issue. Additionally, the movie only cost $80 million to make, so even a $45 million opening won’t prevent the film from breaking even sooner rather than later. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Will it be Good Night for Limited Releases?

June 7, 2019

Late Night should be the biggest box office hit of the week with an already scheduled wide expansion next weekend. However, it isn’t the only film that has a chance to do well. The Last Black Man in San Francisco is also earning some strong buzz, while there are a number of documentaries vying for audiences this week. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Dark Phoenix Sinks Below Apocalypse

June 7, 2019

Dark Phoenix had the best Thursday previews with $5 million. However, while this is tops for the weekend, it is well below comparisons. For example, Godzilla: King of the Monsters earned $6.3 million during its previews last week, while Apocalypse managed $8.2 million in previews back in 2016. Additionally, the film also has the worst reviews of these films, so it will likely have the shortest legs. That said, for a lot of high school and college students, this weekend is the start of the summer holidays, so that should help its legs during its opening weekend. Because of this, I’m still cautiously optimistic about our $52 million prediction. More...

Maiden Trailer

June 7, 2019

Sailing documentary opens June 28 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Weekend Predictions: Can Dark Phoenix Soar Above Pets 2?

June 6, 2019

It could be a real race on the box office chart this weekend. The Secret Life of Pets 2 isn’t generating as much buzz as I was expecting, while there is actually some good news surrounding Dark Phoenix’s box office chances. There’s no good news regarding its reviews, that’s for sure. Also coming out this weekend is Late Night, but it is now coming out in limited release with a wide expansion next week. That’s not a good sign. This does leave one more spot in the top five for a holdover, meaning Aladdin, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, and Rocketman will all remain in the top five for at least one more weekend. This weekend last year, Ocean’s 8 opened with a decent $41.61 million and both The Secret Life of Pets 2 and Dark Phoenix should top that. 2019 should start the month with an easy win. More...

Theater Averages: Godzilla has No One to Battle on the Theater Average Chart

June 6, 2019

It was a bad week on the theater average chart with only one film, Godzilla: King of the Monsters, in the $10,000 club. That film earned an average of $11,630 during its opening weekend. The best limited release was Echo in the Canyon with an average of $6,915 in 14 theaters during its second weekend of release. The best new limited release was Mayday Life with an average of $5,971 in 8 theaters. More...

The Lion King TV Spot

June 6, 2019

Live action/animated adventure with the voices of Donald Glover and Beyoncé Knowles opens July 19 ... Full Movie Details.

Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival. Scar, Mufasa’s brother—and former heir to the throne—has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile. With help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his. More...

International Box Office: Godzilla Stomps Through Asia, is Quieter Elsewhere

June 5, 2019

Godzilla: King of the Monsters was more dominant on the international chart with $130 million on 53,515 screens in 75 markets for a worldwide debut of $178 million. Most of this success came in Asia, including in China, where the movie opened in first place with $66.65 million over the weekend for a total opening of $70.41 million. Japan was the next biggest market with a haul of $8.4 million on 600, which was enough for first place in that market. The film also earned first place in Taiwan ($4.2 million on 320 screens); Thailand ($2.3 million on 705 screens); and Malaysia ($2.2 million on 653). The film had to settle for second place in a number of major markets including Mexico ($4.7 million on 2,443 screens); the U.K. ($4.43 million in 531 theaters); and France ($2.5 million on 628 screens). The film has yet to open in Spain and a number of smaller markets, so it isn’t done its international run. That said, it was an expensive movie to make and it will need help on the home market to break even. More...

Home Market Releases for June 4th, 2019

June 5, 2019

It is a very busy week on the home market, but unfortunately, most of this is catalog titles coming out on Blu-ray or 4K for the first time. One of these franchises, Toy Story, is a contender for Pick of the Week, as is the The Andromeda Strain: Special Edition Blu-ray. In the end, I went with The Venture Bros.: Season Seven Blu-ray. More...

Ad Astra Trailer

June 5, 2019

Sci-fi thriller starring Brad Pitt and Tommy Lee Jones opens September 20 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Shaft Trailer

June 4, 2019

Action comedy starring Samuel L. Jackson and Jessie T. Usher opens June 14 ... Full Movie Details.

He may be a cyber security expert with a degree from MIT, but to uncover the truth behind his best friend’s untimely death, JJ—aka John Shaft Jr.—will need an education only his dad can provide. Absent throughout JJ’s youth, the legendary locked-and-loaded John Shaft agrees to help his progeny navigate Harlem’s heroin-infested underbelly. And while JJ’s own FBI analyst’s badge may clash with his dad’s trademark leather coat, there’s no denying family. Besides, Shaft’s got an agenda of his own, and a score to settle that’s professional and personal. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Godzilla Tops Weekend Chart and Helps 2019 to Rare Win

June 4, 2019

Godzilla: King of the Monsters didn’t live up to expectations, but it did well enough to earn first place on the weekend box office chart. King of the Monsters opened with $47.78 million, while Aladdin was right behind with $42.84 million. This helped the overall box office hold on a lot better than expected, down just 4.3% to $174 million, which is a fantastic hold for a post-holiday weekend. The box office was also a huge improvement from this weekend last year, up 63% in the year-over-year comparison. Year-to-date, 2019 has pulled in $4.54 billion, which is still 7.4% or $380 million behind last year’s pace, but a few more wins like this and that gap won’t seem so bad anymore. That said, as anyone who’s read our monthly preview will know, I’m not expecting too many weekends like this in June. More...

Featured TV on DVD Review: The Venture Bros.: Season Seven

June 3, 2019

The Venture Bros. reminds me of Archer, a show I recently reviewed. I watched both shows from the beginning, but both shows fell off my list of shows I watch every week. It wasn’t due to the quality of the show, I simply stopped subscribing to the channel it aired on. So this is the first time that I’ve gotten the chance to see the show in many years. Is it as good as I remember it? Or has it aged poorly over the past few seasons? More...

Ford v. Ferrari Trailer

June 3, 2019

Real-life drama starring Matt Damon and Christian Bale opens November 15 ... Full Movie Details.

An eccentric, determined team of American engineers and designers, led by automotive visionary Carroll Shelby and his British driver, Ken Miles, are dispatched by Henry Ford II with the mission of building from scratch an entirely new race car with the potential to finally defeat the perennially dominant Ferrari at the 1966 Le Mans World Championship. More...

Weekend Estimates: Godzilla Towers Above the Competition

June 2, 2019

As expected, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is leading the way on the weekend box office chart. However, it is falling a little short of expectations with an estimated opening weekend of $49.03 million. The film earned a B plus from CinemaScore, which is much better than its reviews, but still not stellar, while the genre isn’t known for long legs, so I’m not sure about its future. It is performing a lot better internationally with $130 million on 52,000 screens in 75 markets, including $70 million in China and $8.4 million in Japan. It has nearly matched its $200 million production budget in just one weekend, while it has yet to open in Spain and a few smaller markets. More...

Friday Estimates: Godzilla Tops Competition, but with a Soft Touch

June 1, 2019

Godzilla: King of the Monsters dominated the chart on Friday with $19.61 million on its opening day. The film needed to open with a couple of million dollars more than $20 million to match our prediction, but it will come close enough. Its reviews are weak and it only managed a B plus from CinemaScore, which is not great either. It appears the film is aimed at Kaiju fans and might not appeal to all action fans. That said, it is on pace to earn $50 million during its opening weekend, which is enough to be a financial success, assuming it does as well internationally. More...

2019 Preview: June

June 1, 2019

While the final weekend in May isn’t over yet, we can safely say the month was merely okay. It managed to keep pace with last May, but I was really hoping to cut into 2019’s deficit by a significant margin. June is not looking any better, at least not compared to 2018. There are two potential monster hits, The Secret Life of Pets 2 and Toy Story 4, as well as a trio of $100 million hits, Dark Phoenix, Men in Black: International, and Annabelle Comes Home. On the surface, this looks excellent; however, last June was even better on top with Incredibles 2 and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom earning a combined $1 billion domestically. Granted, the only other $100 million hit was Oceans 8, so this year should have a lot better depth. I don’t think it will be enough to gain any ground in the year-over-year comparison, which is the only way to really judge how a month is doing at this point. More...

The Numbers News - June 2019

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