December 16th, 2012
It's the last week before Christmas, which means it is the last chance for last minute gifts. There are a number of first-run releases coming out this week, some of which are not coming out till Friday, or even next Monday. There are also quite a few limited releases and TV on DVD releases hitting the home market this week. However, none of these were big hits and very few earned strong praise from critics. That doesn't mean there are none that are worth picking up. In fact, we have a trio of contenders for Pick of the Week. Shameless: The Complete Second Season on DVD or Blu-ray; Pitch Perfect on DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack; and Arbitrage on DVD or Blu-ray. It was a close call, but in the end I went with Arbitrage. Also coming out this week is Rush: 2012 - CD and Blu-ray in a Deluxe Edition or Super Deluxe Edition, which is a clear winner of Puck of the Week.
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December 15th, 2012
We are getting closer and closer to Christmas and we are getting to the crunch time for gift shopping. After checking out first run releases and franchise box sets in Part I and TV on DVD releases in Part II, this week we look at limited releases, classics, and foreign films. Some are pretty obvious choices, as we had a few limited releases that broke into the mainstream during their theatrical releases, but there are also a few more films that slipped beneath the radar the last time around. The biggest of these is...
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December 13th, 2012
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced their nominations and the same list of films that have been mentioned since the beginning of Awards Season were rewarded today. Lincoln led the way with seven nods, while Argo and Django Unchained were close behind with five.
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October 2nd, 2012
Pitch Perfect had an explosive opening in select theaters earning more than $5 million in just over 300 theaters for an average of $15,371. Most limited releases playing in only a handful of theaters would kill for an average like that. The overall number one film, Hotel Transylvania, was in second place on the per theater chart with an average of $12,697. Last week's number one film on the per theater chart, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, remained north of $10,000 on the per theater chart this week, despite expanding into more than 100 theaters. It pulled in $1.10 million in 102 theaters for an average of $10,823. Its running tally is already enough to give it some measure of mainstream success, and this week's performance nearly guarantees further expansion. The Other Dream Team didn't quite make the $10,000 club, but with an average of $9,911 in two theaters, it was close enough to mention above the fold.
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September 25th, 2012
The Perks of Being a Wallflower easily topped the per theater chart with an average of $57,090 in four theaters. This combined with its 81% positive reviews suggests a potential for significant expansion and long legs. Diana Vreeland - The Eye Has to Travel was also strong with an average of $21,233. This is an excellent start, but documentaries rarely expand significantly beyond the art house circuit. Occupy Unmasked just managed to top $10,000 on the per theater chart with an average of $10,238 in four theaters.
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September 19th, 2012
We had a monster hit on the per theater chart, as The Master earned close to $750,000 in five theaters for an average of $147,262. This is unbelievably strong; however, one does have to take into account the particulars. The Master was released on 70mm and because this is such an unusual event, the tickets were sold at a premium price. The only other film to top the $10,000 mark was Arbitrage, which made just over $2 million in just under 200 theaters for an average of $10,163.
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September 17th, 2012
2012 started off so well that I keep thinking the box office will return to those glory days, or at the very least it will stop sucking. That didn't happen this weekend. Granted, the box office grew 28% from last weekend to $86 million. However, this is 15% lower than the same weekend last year and it is still one of the worst weekends of all time. Year-to-date, 2012 still leads 2011, but that lead has shrunk to just 3.0% at $7.80 billion to $7.58 billion. If things don't turn around very soon, 2012 will lose its lead in terms of tickets sold (currently just 1.8%) and its overall lead shortly after that. Since fewer people are watching movies in theaters, it means fewer people are seeing trailers, posters, etc. for upcoming films. Fewer people seeing trailers for upcoming films does often times result in fewer people seeing these upcoming movies. We need a true blockbuster to break out of this cycle.
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September 16th, 2012
Resident Evil: Retribution will post a solid opening weekend to top this weekend's box office, according to studio estimates released on Sunday morning. With $21.1 million projected by Sony, it will be the fourth consecutive film in the franchise to open between $20 million and $27 million -- an impressive level of consistency. In second place, Finding Nemo 3D is expected to post about $17.5 million, which is a significant disappointment compared to the $30 million debut enjoyed by The Lion King this weekend last year. But the real plaudits this weekend will go to a film playing in just five theaters.
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September 14th, 2012
There are ten films on this week's list, including three that are opening in more than 100 theaters each. There are also three films earning overwhelmingly positive reviews. Amazing, one of these films is in both groups: Arbitrage. I think the theater count will hurt it more than it will help, so it might struggle on the per theater chart. On the other hand, The Master could have incredible success.
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