October 18th, 2020
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Honest Thief will top the domestic box office this weekend with a $3.7 million opening that is in line with expectations, and provides more evidence that the theatrical business is at least stable in the United States. Relatively good numbers for the re-release of The Nightmare Before Christmas bolster that argument, although 2 Hearts is underperforming hopes. Overall, it’s a story of two steps forward, one step back.
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October 11th, 2020
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Although the theatrical market is still in the doldrums, The War with Grandpa is providing some welcome good news this weekend with a surprise win. 101 Studios is projecting $3.608 million for the weekend, which is more than double our prediction, and wouldn’t be a particularly surprising result for a film like this from a new distributor under normal circumstances. Its performance raises some interesting questions about what films will and won’t work in theaters at the moment.
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June 16th, 2020
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We still have very few distributors actually releasing box office numbers, so there’s no real change at the weekend box office chart compared to last week, when it comes to films with official numbers released. However, Deadline is reporting a top ten with The Invisible Man coming out on top with an estimated $383,000 over the weekend for a total of $67.8 million so far. This represents a 37% growth from last week. The film climbed ahead of Trolls World Tour, which dipped 9% to $276,000 over the weekend for a total of $3.6 million after ten weeks of release.
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June 9th, 2020
None of the major studios have been releasing box office numbers in recent weeks, so the weekend box office chart was dominated by those independent distributors that did, in particular IFC Films and IFC Midnight. However, Deadline is reporting that Universal had in fact been dominating the box office. In fact, Trolls World Tour has been leading the way every week since it was released two months ago, and earned $3.1 million, including $300,000 in 197 theaters this past weekend. The studio’s success doesn’t end there.
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June 9th, 2020
It is a slower week on the home market with no really big releases to talk about, at least not when you judge them by box office numbers. The Al Adamson: The Masterpiece Collection Blu-ray is massive, when you judge it by the price and the running time, but it is filled with low-budget B-movies. The biggest box office hit is The Hunt, which couldn’t ride its controversial nature to high ticket sales. As for the best releases, it was close race between Never Rarely Sometimes Always on DVD and season two Mob Psycho 100 on Blu-ray Combo Pack. Both have stellar reviews and it was a coin toss to decide which one would come out ahead, which Mob Psycho 100 won.
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June 1st, 2020
Another weekend has passed, and The Wretched remains lodged in top spot on the box office chart. This week the film pulled in $176,000 in 75 theaters for a running tally of $836,000 after a month of release. It is on pace to crack $1 million by this time next week. It is rare for a limited-release horror film to reach this milestone under the best of circumstances, so it is really worth celebrating now. It also wasn’t the only glimmer of light on the box office front.
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May 26th, 2020
It was Memorial Day long weekend this past weekend, not that this really mattered when it comes to the box office chart. Until the pandemic is no longer a serious concern, holidays won’t have a significant impact at the box office. That said, The Wretched is doing well enough to be considered a legitimate hit, even under normal circumstances.
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May 20th, 2020
We are still adjusting to the new normal when it comes to the weekend box office, and determining what the difference is between a hit and a miss under the circumstances. We can say with a lot of confidence that The Wretched is a hit, as the film has earned just over $300,000 in three weeks, including $91,975 in 21 drive-in theaters this past weekend. This would be a good run for a horror film in limited release under normal circumstances. How to Build a Girl saw its weekend box office and its theater average rise with $32,052 in 9 theaters during its second weekend in theaters for a two-week total of $51,854. This is a disappointment for a limited release, but a strong showing given the Covid-19 outbreak. Additionally, the healthy growth during its second weekend of release could be a sign that films will have longer legs as a result of the pandemic. That’s something to keep in mind in the future.
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May 13th, 2020
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For obvious reasons, it has been a while since we have had a column on theater averages. However, we are beginning to actually have some box office numbers to talk about. This past weekend, How to Build a Girl opened with $13,000 in 6 theaters for an average of $2,200. Given the strange times we live in, that prompts the question, is that a good result?
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May 1st, 2020
This was the week that Black Widow was supposed to open. That level of competition was going to scare away most limited releases, so it was always going to be a slow week. Fortunately, while the quantity is low, the quality is high and there are several films earning strong reviews. In fact, the only films on this week’s list that don’t have overwhelmingly positive reviews are those with no reviews are all opening on Tuesday, so they have time to gain reviews. This does include Arkansas, which is the biggest film on this week’s list, at least based on pre-release buzz. It might not live up to that buzz.
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