March 2nd, 2014
Independent Spirit Award handed out the hardware last night and the big winner was 12 Years a Slave, which picked up five of the seven awards it was nominated for.
More...
January 13th, 2014
There are a few first-run releases on this week's list of new DVD and Blu-ray releases. Riddick is the biggest, while You're Next is the best in terms of reviews. However, neither is truly Pick of the Week material. There are some contenders there, and in a strange coincidence, the two best feature Brie Larson: Short Term 12 on DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack and The Spectacular Now on DVD or Blu-ray. It literally came down to a coin toss, but The Spectacular Now won.
More...
November 28th, 2013
Independent Spirit Award started the Awards Season this week, handing out its nominations. 12 Years a Slave led the way with seven nominations, but it wasn't the only film to pick up multiple nominations.
More...
August 28th, 2013
The Grandmaster was top film on the Per Theater Chart with an average of $18,945 in seven theaters. I thought Short Term 12 would win, but it finished in second place with an average of $14,052 in four. With reviews that are nearly unanimously positive, it will likely have very strong legs.
More...
August 7th, 2013
The Spectacular Now debuted in first place on the Per Theater Chart with an average of $49,354 in four theaters. This result, plus its excellent reviews, suggests it will have long legs in limited release. Last week's number one film, Blue Jasmine, slipped to second place with an average of $37,174, but it is now playing in 50 theaters, which is an amazing result. Space Station popped back into the $10,000 with an average of $15,352. It has pulled in $88 million after more than a decade of release. The Canyons earned $13,351 in its lone theater, proving there is no such thing as bad publicity. The reviews, on the other hand, were really bad and the film's only real hope is to become a cult classic. That might happen.
More...
August 4th, 2013
2 Guns continues Universal's very good year this weekend with an opening the studio is projecting at $27.36 million, as of Sunday morning. That's not record-breaking by any means, but it's certainly solid for a late-Summer action movie. The Smurfs 2, meanwhile, is a major disappointment for Sony, who were hoping for much more than $18.2 million, given that the first film in the franchises earned $35.6 million on debut. This is a film that will earn far more overseas than it does domestically though, so the studio will be looking more closely at opening numbers from around the world, where the film is reportedly doing much better.
More...
August 1st, 2013
Blue Jasmine earned top spot on the per theater chart, not just for the week, but for the year. Its per theater average was $102,011 in six theaters, topping the previous yearly best by Spring Breakers. Spring-Breakers finished its theatrical run with just over $14 million, which is a figure Blue Jasmine should top. The Act of Killing remained potent in second place with an average of $13,890 in three theaters. The overall box office leader, The Wolverine, was the final film in the $10,000 club with an average of $13,536.
More...
July 28th, 2013
The Wolverine will have a very solid, but far from spectacular debut this weekend, according to studio estimates released on Sunday. Its $55 million total will give it the tenth-biggest weekend of the year, and the best for Fox, but it is falling well behind comparable films like World War Z (which opened with $66 million) and Star Trek Into Darkness ($70 million). Good reviews and lessened competition as the Summer season comes to a close will help it a bit, but it looks like $100 million and out for the franchise, unless its $86.1 million international debut turns into a $400 million global run.
More...
July 23rd, 2013
The Act of Killing had the best result on the per theater chart earning $27,450 in its lone theater. Fruitvale Station saw its theater count rise from 7 to 34, but its per theater average remained strong at $21,750. It has already cracked its first major milestone, and with room to expand, it will reach more. Blackfish debuted in five theaters with a per theater average of $15,192. That's very strong for a documentary. The overall box office leader, The Conjuring, was right behind with an average of $14,418.
More...
July 21st, 2013
This is a Summer packed with big-budget proto-franchise films, which makes it a risky season for the studios. Predictably enough, we've had some success stories among them, like Man of Steel and World War Z, and some disasters (with The Lone Ranger and Pacific Rim standing out). Overall, the batting average for these films is running around 50%, which makes it a particularly dicey proposition to have two of them opening in the same weekend.
More...
July 16th, 2013
Fruitvale Station earned top spot on the per theater chart with an outstanding average of $53,898 in seven theaters. This is the third best per theater average for the year, behind Spring Breakers and The Place Beyond the Pines. Last week's winner, The Way Way Back, slipped to second place with $14,201 in 79 theaters. Its theater count tripled and this average suggests it will expand a lot more before it is done. Crystal Fairy was right behind with an average of $12,526 in two theaters. There were three wide releases in the $10,000 club, led by Grown Ups 2 with an average of $11,890, while Pacific Rim was right behind with an average of $11,385. The overall box office leader, Despicable Me 2, rounded out the $10,000 club with an average of $10,965.
More...
July 14th, 2013
A three-way battle for box office supremacy this weekend will be won by the reigning champ, Despicable Me 2, dealing a major blow to Warner Bros. potential franchise starter Pacific Rim, which will end up in 3rd place. The action movie is set to post around $38.3 million, in spite of generally good reviews and an A- CinemaScore, and will land behind Grown Ups 2, which has been panned by critics but will still gather $42.5 million. Despicable Me 2 takes the prize though, with a drop of around 46% to $44.75 million for the weekend and $229 million to date.
More...
July 12th, 2013
There are nine films on this week's list, including four that are earning overwhelmingly positive reviews. It is unlikely that all of them will find success, as the competition is high. Both Terms and Conditions May Apply and The Hunt should do well, but will have trouble expanding. On the other hand, I don't think strong reviews will translate into ticket sales for Crystal Fairy. This leaves Fruitvale Station as the best bet. Then again, predicting limited release success is even harder than predicting box office numbers for wide releases.
More...