DVD and Blu-ray Releases for June 17th, 2014

June 17th, 2014

It's a good week / bad week on the home market. There are several releases coming out this week that are absolutely worth picking up. But there are also several of these where I'm still waiting for screeners to arrive, some of which are contenders for Pick of the Week, like The Grand Budapest Hotel or House of Cards. Other potential Pick of the Week contenders include Ernest and Celestine on Blu-ray Combo Pack and The LEGO Movie on Blu-ray Combo Pack. It was literally a coin toss and Ernest and Celestine won. Meanwhile, No Clue on DVD wins the Puck of the Week, for the best Canadian release of the week. More...

International Box Office: Looking Forward to the Future

May 28th, 2014

X-Men: Days of Future Past dominated the international box office chart with $171.08 million in 71 markets for a total opening of $191.00 million. This includes China, where it earned first place with $39.35 million on 6,000 screens. It also earned first place in the U.K. with $15.39 million on 537 screens, while in South Korea it earned $11.78 million on 1,056 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $14.15 million. Mexico contributed $9.39 million on 3,034 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $11.02 million. The film's debut in Russia was very similar with $9.90 million on 2,230 screens. France was right behind with $9.29 million on 620 screens, while in Brazil it pulled in $8.38 million on 507. The film earned $7.80 million on 684 screens in Australia. It struggled a little more in Germany and Spain with $4.03 million on 579 screens and $3.19 million on 650 respectively. More...

Per Theater Chart: Belle Has Beautiful Debut

May 7th, 2014

Belle led the way on the per theater chart with an opening of just over $100,000 in four theaters for an average of $26,645. Meanwhile, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 was relatively close behind with an average of $21,186 in more than 4,000 theaters. The only other film in the $10,000 club on the per theater chart was Ida, which made $55,000 in 3 theaters for an average of $18,479. More...

Limited Releases: Belles of the Ball

May 2nd, 2014

There are a few limited releases coming out this week that are earning good reviews. Of these, two of them stand out as potential hits. There's Belle, a period piece that deals with interracial romance, as well as slavery. Then there's Ida, which is about a young woman discovering her past. Its reviews are incredible, so I hope moviegoers reward it with strong ticket sales. More...

2014 Preview: May

May 1st, 2014

It has been a great year so far and April was again a strong month. The box office was led by Captain America: The Winter Soldier, as it became the second film of the year to reach $200 million, while Rio 2 is on pace to become the seventh $100 million hit of the year. Big picture, 2014 has already hit $3 billion, which isn't a record for this time of the year, but it is $250 million ahead of 2013. That streak ends in May. Don't get me wrong. There are six films opening this month that at least have a shot at $100 million and two of those should earn more than $200 million and there are two others that at least have a shot at that milestone. Leading the way is The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which is looking to top The Winter Soldier and become the second biggest hit of the year so far. Its main competition this month is X-men: Days of Future Past, while Godzilla also has a shot at $200 million. Unfortunately, this month last year, Iron Man 3 earned more than $400 million, while two other films took in $200 million and seven films in total reached the century mark. That is going to be really hard to replicate this year and 2014 will likely lose some of its lead over 2013. Fortunately, 2014 has such a big lead that unless the box office really slumps, it will end the month with at least a small lead over 2013. More...

Contest: Too Amazing

April 25th, 2014

Next weekend is the official start of the summer blockbuster season and The Amazing Spider-man 2 is opening and could have the biggest weekend of the year so far. (Walk of Shame is also opening wide, but won't have a major impact at the box office.) There is really only one choice for the target film for this week's box office prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for The Amazing Spider-man 2. 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 Labor Day on Blu-ray Combo Pack, as well as a random DVD or Blu-ray that I've previously reviewed. Meanwhile, whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will also two random DVDs or Blu-rays that I've previously reviewed. Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...