May 10th, 2011
No new release reached the top five on the DVD sales chart this week. This left Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I in first place with 636,000 units / $9.62 million for the week and 4.93 million units / $70.01 million after three. It's not quite the best selling DVD of 2011, but its solidly in second place.
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May 3rd, 2011
The combination of factors ranging from the Fanboy Effect to Easter sales were in relative balance, and this helped Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I remain strong. It led all new releases to earn first place on the DVD sales chart this week with sales of 1.99 million units / $27.89 million for the week for totals of 4.43 million units / $62.35 million.
Tangled grew more than 100% thanks to Easter sales, selling an additional 1.04 million units for the week to give the film total sales of 5.59 million units / $85.30 million after a month of release. The King's Speech opened in third place with 893,000 units / $13.39 million, which is great for a limited release, but a little soft for the big Oscar winner.
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April 26th, 2011
Despite coming on out on Friday, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I easily won the race on the DVD sales chart this week defeating new releases and holdovers alike. It sold 2.66 million units for total sales of $37.55 million. It will be interesting to see how well it holds up during its first full week of release.
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April 19th, 2011
Despite having to deal with several new releases, Tangled was able to remain on top of the sales chart this week, albeit in a close race. It sold an additional 807,000 units over the week for a total of 4.27 million units, while its revenue rose to $65.17 million.
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April 11th, 2011
The quality of first-run releases coming out on Tuesday is pretty low, but on this week's list we have The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, which came out last Friday, and The Deathly Hallows: Part I, which comes out this Friday. Besides those two releases, the only other potential big seller is The Incredibles on Blu-ray. I don't think that will top the sales, but it should do well on the Blu-ray sales chart and it is this week's Pick of the Week.
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April 7th, 2011
The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe was a huge hit back in 2005; it didn't quite fill the void The Lord of the Rings films left, but it was still a financial success. Prince Caspian only earned half of what its predecessor earned domestically, which was enough for Disney to drop the franchise. Fox stepped in, but the box office number eroded further with Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Is it better than its box office would suggest? Or is it time to retire the franchise?
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April 5th, 2011
It's Tron week with at least seven releases related to Tron and Tron: Legacy. This appears to have scared away the competition, because outside of those releases, there's not much of a selection. Actually, there are three $100 million hits coming out this week; however, one doesn't come out till Friday, so I'll likely deal with it next week after the screener arrives, and the other is so bad it's best to pretend it doesn't exist. Those two films are clearly the Pick of the Week, but depending on where you buy your DVDs, the Combo Pack may or may nor be less expensive than buying the two films separately, so double-check before you buy.
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March 16th, 2011
Rango climbed into first place on the international chart this weekend adding $24.05 million on 5214 screens in 46 markets to its two-week total of $47.18 million. It opened in first place in Australia with $2.73 million on 296 screens, while it finished a very close second in Brazil with $1.75 million on 330 screens over the weekend for a total opening on $2.75 million. As far as holdovers go, it was down just 6% in the U.K. to $2.48 million on 471 screens over the weekend for a total of $5.82 million after two. It was able to remain in first place in Mexico with $2.13 million on 927 screens over the weekend and $5.82 million after two. With debuts in Russia, France, Italy, Japan, and other markets still ahead, it should have little troublen hitting $100 million internationally and $250 million worldwide making it the biggest hit of the year, so far.
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March 2nd, 2011
For the third weekend in a row, Black Swan led the way on the international chart, pulling in $17.50 million on 3,950 screens in 45 markets for a total of $123.37 million internationally and $226.95 million worldwide. In Spain it remained in first place with $2.52 million on 319 screens over the weekend for a total of $6.47 million after two. It added $2.81 million on 363 screens over the weekend for a total of $13.74 million after three. It doesn't have many markets left to open in, but the film has already made nearly a quarter billion dollars on a production budget of just $13 million, so it is fantastically profitable.
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January 25th, 2011
A few films tend to cross the $100 million milestone every January, as late December releases finish their run and this year is no exception. For instance, late last weekend Due Date hit the century mark on the 73rd day of its theatrical release. That's not a record, but it is certainly unusual for a wide release to take that long to get there. This past weekend, Voyage of the Dawn Treader became the 27th film released in 2010 to hit that mark, and the first for 20th Century Fox to reach that milestone all year long. Just a year after they released Avatar and five other $100 million movies, Fox was nearly shut out of the century club. That's quite a slump.
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January 20th, 2011
International numbers were a day late due to the holiday, but there were some interesting stories to report. Firstly, Tangled climbed to top spot with $16.01 million on 4187 screens, in 38 markets, for a total of $214.02 million internationally and $395.03 million worldwide. It was able to climb to the top, despite no major market openings. It did add $3.33 million on 432 screens during its second weekend in Australia. That was enough for second place in that market over the weekend, while it lifted its total there to $13.23 million. In Brazil it remained in first place with $2.69 million on 447 screens over the weekend and $12.98 million after two. Up next is the U.K., while it has yet to open in Spain, Scandinavia, and Japan and by the time its done, it could have $500 million worldwide.
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January 12th, 2011
We are again stuck with studio estimates, which is a bit troubling, as I was hoping the schedule would have returned to normal. Also, this has resulted in a bit of confusion with Tangled and The Tourist finishing in a very close race for the number one position. Tangled led the way according to the studio estimate with $26.3 million on 3,636 screens in 43 markets for a total of $179.3 million internationally and $355.1 million worldwide. This week it debuted in first place in Australia with $5.74 million on 462 screens over the weekend, for a total opening of $6.08 million. Meanwhile in Brazil it topped the charts with $4.53 million on 446 screens over the weekend and $5.98 million in total. In both cases the film opened better than it did here.
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January 5th, 2011
The Christmas break is just ending, but as it is normally the case, international numbers are late. We do have studio estimates for a few films, as well as last week's final numbers, which had a surprise change at the top. We'll start with this week's possible number one film. Gulliver’s Travels led the list of studio estimates with $24.9 million on 3,964 screens in 33 markets for a total of $48.9 million. This includes a massive $10.98 million opening on 497 screens in the U.K. That's like a $50 to $60 million opening here; granted, that was since boxing day, but since it won't make that much in total domestically, it is still an impressive opening. On the other hand, it opened in second place in Australia with $2.85 million on 411 screens. Still better than its opening here, but more inline with expectations.
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January 3rd, 2011
2011 has begun but it didn't get off to a strong start. It didn't even get off to a better than expected start, as only one film in the top five really topped expectations. Overall, the box office grew by 10% from last week hitting $159 million, but that's not great given Christmas Eve landed on a Friday. It was also down 28% from the same weekend last year, so 2011 is off to a bad start. Granted, it's incredibly early, but there are not a lot of hopeful signs for the rest of the month and double-digit declines will likely be the norm.
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December 30th, 2010
The New Year's weekend normally has no wide releases, and that's the case this year. This means last weekend's three big hits will finish one-two-three this weekend, although they could finish in a different order. Meanwhile, all three combined might not make as much as Avatar earned this time last year, meaning 2010 will end and 2011 will begin on a sour note.
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December 29th, 2010
With Christmas just behind us and New Year's Day just ahead, a lot of studios are on vacation, so there are not a lot of details when it comes to box office numbers and we are stuck with studio estimates for the most part. According to these estimates, Little Fockers took top spot with $27 million on 3933 screens in 37 markets during its opening. However, it was such a tight race that once final figures are in, it might slip to second, or even third. Its biggest market was the U.K., where it opened in first place with $7.3 million on 487 screens. By comparison, Meet the Parents made twice that during its debut in 2005. Ouch.
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December 27th, 2010
It was a good news, really bad news weekend. Let's start with the good news. The overall box office for the year reached $10 billion for only the second time in history. Bad news, the box office this past weekend was so bad that 2010 lost its lead over 2009. It did rise from last weekend by 8% to $145 million, but that's 47% lower than the same weekend last year. Granted, Christmas Eve landing on a Friday did have a lot to do with that, but this is still a terrible result. Year-to-date, 2010 has now earned $10.33 billion, which is about $50 million behind last year's pace. It won't get better next weekend, so 2010 won't be setting the record.
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December 22nd, 2010
The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader remained in top spot over the weekend, but it fell more than 50% to $31.53 million on 10,107 screens in 61 markets for a total of $126.02 million internationally. Over the weekend it opened in Germany, but only managed second place with $2.46 million on 893 screens, which is about 40% less than Prince Caspian made during its opening weekend and less than half of what the original opened with. It was down 50% in Russia, but still going strong with $3.89 million on 1284 screens over the weekend for a total of $16.29 million after two. In France it held well, down just 40% to $3.10 million on 739 screens over the weekend and $8.77 million in total. It will not match its predecessors at the box office, but it should make enough internationally that it will break even, eventually.
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December 20th, 2010
The weekend numbers were mixed with only one film performing really well and a few more pulling in middling numbers for this time of year. Overall the box office was up 47% from last weekend adding $135 million to its running tally, meaning it crossed the $10 billion mark over the weekend. The good news is this was a weekend faster than that milestone was reached last year and the second highest in history. The bad news is that it was down 2% from last year, while the year-to-date race now has 2010 up by just 1.2% at $10.07 billion to $9.94 billion. There is a chance that by this time next week, 2010 will have surrendered its lead.
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December 16th, 2010
Early in the year, after the fantastic success of Avatar and Alice in Wonderland, it looked like 2010 would see more tickets sold than 2009, and it could crush the total box office record.
That seems like a long, long time ago.
Memorial Day was a disaster and, despite a few bright spots here and there, the box office has never regained its early shine.
Now the question is not whether 2010 will see more tickets sold; it won't.
The question is whether or not 2010's total box office can remain above 2009's pace.
If Tron: Legacy is a monster hit, it could go along way to helping save a win for 2010.
It's going to need to be a monster hit to keep pace with last year and the only shred of good news I can think of for 2010 is that Avatar was a relatively slow starter, when compared to its eventual run.
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December 15th, 2010
Like the previous films in the franchise, The Voyage Of The Dawn Treader will clearly be a bigger hit internationally than it will domestically. This weekend it climbed into top spot with $66.18 million on 10,0159 screens in 58 markets for a total of $80.22 million. It opened in first place in Russia with $7.85 million on 1284 screens over the weekend for a total of $10.87 million. Its debut in France was a little stronger than its opening here at $5.15 million on 739 screens, likewise in South Korea with $3.89 million on 562 screens over the weekend and $5.28 million in total. In Mexico it made $3.36 million on 522 screens over the weekend and $7.01 million including previews. On the other hand, it only made $3.87 million on 536 screens in the U.K. By comparison, the first film made more than $15 million in its opening and the second more than $8 million. Its going to need strong holds going forward if it is to have any shot at breaking even. The fact that it fell just 23% during its second weekend in Spain is a hopeful sign. However, it still only managed $2.21 million on 598 screens, while this strong hold was in part due to the total lack of wide releases in that market this past weekend.
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December 14th, 2010
The winners of our Let's Get Animated contest were determined and they are...
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December 14th, 2010
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced their nominations early this morning, and there are some interesting surprises included in the mix. Leading the way was The King's Speech, which has long been seen as one of the major players this Awards Season. Meanwhile, The Fighter and The Social Network were right behind with six each. There were many, many other films nomination, including more than a few shocks. ... Mostly in one category.
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December 13th, 2010
Well that sucked. Both new releases underperformed at the box office this past weekend, by a large margin. In fact, combined Dawn Treader and The Tourist earned less than many were thinking Dawn Treader alone would earn. Needless to say, this hurt the overall box office. It was still able to grow by 6.5% from last weekend to $92 million, but that's more than 5% lower than the same weekend last year, and the same weekend last year was a disappointment to begin with. 2010 still has a lead over 2009, but that lead is down to 1.5% at $9.90 billion to $9.75 billion, and by this time next weekend, that lead could be cut in half. And by the end of Christmas weekend, it could be gone entirely.
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December 9th, 2010
It could be a strong weekend at the box office with two wide releases, both with the potential of earning more than $100 million, perhaps a lot more in one case. This is great news for 2010, as this week last year was not strong. Both Dawn Treader and The Tourist should open with more than The Princess and the Frog did during its debut in wide release, although it could be close for the latter. Combined the two films could make more than the top five did last year. If so, 2010 should win big over 2009, but it will be the last win for 2010, and it still might not be enough to maintain its lead over 2009 in the end.
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December 8th, 2010
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I maintained its lead on top of the international box office chart; however, it saw its weekend haul sliced in half to $57.12 million on 14,188 screens in 62 markets for a total of $473.52 million internationally and $718.04 million worldwide. It became just the 43rd film to reach $700 million worldwide, while it will shortly overtake Up for 40th place overall.
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December 3rd, 2010
This is likely the last Box Office prediction contest where the prizes might reach the winners in time for Christmas. It is also the first contest to feature one of the many potential $100 million hits coming out this month, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, henceforth to be referred to in the rules as Dawn Treader. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for Dawn Treader.
Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a copy of How to Train Your Dragon on Double DVD Pack.
Meanwhile, whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will win a copy of SpongeBob SquarePants: Legends of Bikini Bottom on DVD.
Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay!
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December 1st, 2010
It's the end of the year and there are certainly some question marks that will be answered over the next 31 days. Are there any monster hits left for 2010? Will 2010 manage to stay ahead of 2009? Will it actually start winning again at the box office? Unfortunately, the answer to all three of those questions might be no. First of all, of the November wide releases, only two will really match expectations, with a couple of others coming close. So December starts on the weak side. Additionally, last December saw the release of Avatar, the biggest box office hit of all time. There's no film coming out this month that will match that movie. In fact, there's a chance no movie coming out this month will match last December's second place film, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel. This means that even though 2010 had a $300 million lead over 2009 just a few weeks ago, by the end of the year, 2010 might fail to break last year's record.
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July 16th, 2009
June 19th, 2008
This week's round of new casting information contains updates for 2012, Public Enemies, Transformers 2, and more!
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October 7th, 2007
This week's round of new movie release information contains release dates for Case 39, Inkheart, Four Christmases and more!
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June 8th, 2007
This week's round of new movie release information contains release dates for Death Race, Prince of Persia, Narnia 3 and more.
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