September 9th, 2014
The Christmas shopping season has begun in full force. Even if Captain America: The Winter Soldier were the only new release this week, it would be a great release, as the Combo Packs are clearly pick of the week contenders. It's not the only Pick of the Week contender. Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1 is also a prime contender, although I'm still waiting for the screener for that release. At the moment, I'm giving the win to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, but when I get a chance to review the screener, that might change.
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September 7th, 2014
Star Trek fans are never at a loss for things to buy. The studio seems to know the fans will buy everything they put out, so they put out a lot of otherwise questionable releases. Is this one of those questionable releases? Or is there real value here?
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June 23rd, 2013
There were very few new releases to chart this week, and only one of them managed a place in the top ten on the Blu-ray sales chart. The Last Stand remained in first place with 73,000 units / $1.82 million for the week and 183,000 units / $3.47 million after two.
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March 18th, 2010
Only three new releases reached the top 30 on this week's sales chart, and only one of those reached the top five. However, that film, Law Abiding Citizen, was able to win the race to the top with 830,000 units sold for opening week sale of $8.29 million.
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March 7th, 2010
The Oscars are being handed out as we speak and I will be updating our list of nominees with some of the winners as they happen. So far we've seen a few awards handed out, but no surprises.
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February 2nd, 2010
Oscar nominations were announced at 5:38 this morning, continuing a tradition that have never been adequately explained to me. (Why so early in the morning? Does earning an Oscar nomination become sweeter if people have to wake you up to congratulate you?) Leading the way in nominations were Avatar and The Hurt Locker, both of which pick up nine nods each, many of them in the same categories.
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January 12th, 2010
The WGA announced their nominations this week, which include eleven awards, three of which are for theatrical releases.
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January 6th, 2010
The Producers Guild of America announced their nominations this week, and while there are only three categories for theatrical releases, they tend to be quite accurate predictors for the Oscar nominations.
This is great news for Up, which picked up nominations in two of the three categories.
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December 14th, 2009
Plenty of new releases reached the top 30 on this week's rental chart, including the three at the top.
Angels & Demons was numbers one, beating out Four Christmases with roughly 50% more rentals.
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December 9th, 2009
New releases were not that plentiful on the sales chart this week, but they did dominate the top of the chart, scoring first place and three of the top four.
The new number one was Star Trek, which sold 3.58 million DVD units and generated $53.00 million in consumer spending at retail.
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December 9th, 2009
Star Trek led all new releases and holdovers to dominate the rental chart this week.
It took top spot with two-and-a-half times the rentals of last week's winner and this week's second place film, The Ugly Truth.
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November 16th, 2009
There's an excellent mix of new releases this week, including Star Trek on DVD and Blu-ray.
There are a few TV on DVD releases, including Andy Barker, P.I. - The Complete Series, as well as several Blu-ray releases of note: Galaxy Quest, Gone With the Wind - The Ultimate Collector's Edition, and The Professional.
All of these are contenders for the DVD Pick of the Week, but if I were to narrow them down to one selection, it would be Star Trek on Blu-ray.
There are plenty of spotlight reviews this week, enough to split the column into two parts, with the first part found here.
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November 16th, 2009
There's an excellent mix of new releases this week, including Star Trek on DVD and Blu-ray.
There are a few TV on DVD releases, including Andy Barker, P.I. - The Complete Series, as well as several Blu-ray releases of note: Galaxy Quest, Gone With the Wind - The Ultimate Collector's Edition, and The Professional.
All of these are contenders for the DVD Pick of the Week, but if I were to narrow them down to one selection, it would be Star Trek on Blu-ray.
There are plenty of spotlight reviews this week, enough to split the column into two parts, with the second part found here.
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June 21st, 2009
Night at the Museum - Battle for the Smithsonian remained in second place adding a solid $18.53 million on 8300 screens in 67 markets for a total of $175.90 million. The film opened in first place in Mexico, no surprise there, but with $3.34 million on 1150 screens its per screen average is not that impressive and being booked on more than 1000 screens, you think the studio was expecting a bit more. The film did hang on better than most in South Korea down just 50% to $2.13 million on 576 screens over the weekend for a total of $7.57 million after two. It also added $1.77 million on 506 screens in the U.K. for a total of $27.96 million, which is its best single market of its run so far.
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June 14th, 2009
Night at the Museum - Battle for the Smithsonian was pushed into second place in the international chart, but still added $27.88 million on 8350 screens in 66 markets while it lifted its international total to $149.55 million. The film opened in first place in South Korea with $4.33 million on 669 screens over the weekend and $4.75 million in total. It also remained in first place in China with $2.1 million on 818 screens over the weekend and $12.2 million in total, but that was a huge drop-off from last week. On the other hand, the film improved by 18% in the U.K. with $3.96 million on 509 screens over the weekend for a running tally of $25.31 million after three. That's better than the film's performance here, if you take into account the relative size of the two markets. The film opens in Mexico this weekend, and in Japan in August. It has likely reached $300 million worldwide already, and could make it all the way to $400 million before it is done. This is a drop-off from its predecessor, but the film is still well on its way to profitability and will get there before it reaches the lucrative home market.
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June 9th, 2009
We had a surprise number one at the box office this past weekend, and the films that beat Thursday's predictions outnumber those that failed to reach expected levels, both in terms of the number of films and in terms of total box office generated.
This helped the industry to $165 million at the box office over the weekend; however, this was down about 0.2% from last weekend and 5.4% from the same weekend last year.
That said, this is better than most were expecting, and 2009 is still way ahead of 2008's pace at $4.34 billion to $3.85 billion.
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June 7th, 2009
Terminator Salvation opened worldwide this weekend, but we won't have those numbers till Wednesday. In the meantime, it earned third place with $13.37 million on 1283 screens in 12 markets for a total of $25.52 million. Most of this has come from South Korea, where it slipped to second place with $4.21 million on 713 screens over the weekend for a total of $15.52 million after two. So far the film has been a disappointment domestically, but it can salvage its run with a massive box office next weekend on the international stage. If it does so, profitability will be assured, but that's a big 'if'.
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June 1st, 2009
It was a close call, but 2009 wasn't able to keep pace with 2008, despite Up's better than expected opening.
Overall, the box office generated $166 million, which was 6.0% lower than last weekend and 1.4% lower than the same weekend last year.
Year-to-date, 2009 still has an impressive 13.6% lead over 2008 at $4.11 billion to $3.61 billion, and even with weakness over the next few weeks, 2009 should maintain its lead for a while to come.
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May 31st, 2009
Star Trek slipped to third place on the international chart with $11.34 million on 5069 screens in 56 markets for a total of $87.68 million. It has now made more internationally than the previous film made worldwide. The film's best market was the U.K. where it has made $24.37 million, including $2.60 million on 474 screens this past weekend. As for future releases, it opens in Japan this weekend, while it has yet to open in Mexico, India, and other markets.
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May 28th, 2009
There are some people worrying that 2009's winning streak could be coming to an end. Not only was last weekend barely above 2008's pace, but this weekend could see an actual decline due to a number of factors. This includes a surprisingly strong film opening in first place last year, as well as weakness in one of the new releases from last week. Up should carry its weight, but it might not be enough.
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May 28th, 2009
Night at the Museum - Battle of the Smithsonian opened on 160 IMAX screens over the weekend earning an impressive $5.4 million for an average of $34,000. Adding in $520,000 internationally, and the film made nearly $6 million on the format. While this was good, it was significantly lower than the opening of Star Trek. This may have to do with the extremely limited run Star Trek had on IMAX, as it was guaranteed just two weeks till Night at the Museum 2 took over. We will see if this movie has better legs this coming weekend.
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May 26th, 2009
Two new releases opened over Memorial Day long weekend, and while neither was able to compete with last year's champion, their combined total helped the box office grow. Over the three-day period, there were $176 million in ticket sales, which was 28% more than last weekend and 2.4% more than the same weekend last year. Over four days, the box office brought in $222 million, which was 1.2% more than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2009 has earned $3.90 billion, which is 14.4% higher than last year's pace of $3.41 billion.
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May 24th, 2009
Star Trek's second weekend of release on the international chart was not as strong as it was domestically as it dropped 44% to 20.02 million on 5782 screens in 55 markets, but it lifted its total of $67.89 million internationally and it became the first in the franchise to reach $200 million worldwide. The film opened in China, but box office numbers were not released. We do have details on most holdovers, including the U.K., where it added $5.27 million on 498 screens over the weekend for a total of $18.42 million after two. The only other multi-million market was Australia, where it earned $2.04 million on 317 screens giving it a total of $6.66 million.
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May 22nd, 2009
For the first time this summer, we have two new releases battling for number one on the box office chart.
This is causing quite a bit of debate over which film will take top spot; in fact, many think the two films will trade off first place over the weekend.
Will this competition drive ticket sales enough for the market to keep pace with last year?
Well, there's almost no chance any film this year will top Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the new films should do so collectively.
And with better holdovers than this time last year, the overall box office could still show growth over the weekend.
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May 20th, 2009
Thanks to the Victoria Day holiday, we are working with studio estimates for a lot of the international numbers. However, we know more than enough details about the number one film. (I'm a little more concerned that the rest of the multi-million dollar films won't be known by Sunday.) That number one film was Angels and Demons, which is really living up to the comparisons to Prince Caspian. Domestically the film struggled to match the low end of lowered expectations domestically, but internationally the film shined. It had the biggest weekend of the year with $104.3 million on 10,468 screens in 96 markets, and it reportedly opening in first place in all of them. This was significantly lower than the $152.45 million The Da Vinci Code opened with in 2006, on the other hand. This movie will still make a profit, will still easily make a profit, and the studio will be looking to turn the franchise into a trilogy. However, I don't think it will go beyond that.
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May 20th, 2009
The second weekend for Star Trek saw even more records fall as it added $5.3 million on 138 screens over the weekend for a per screen average of $38,000, both of which are records. Overall the film has made $19.9 million worldwide playing on 163 screens, which is also a record for this point in a film's IMAX run. That's the good news. The bad news is on Friday, the film will be booted out of IMAX theaters to make room for Night at the Museum 2.
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May 20th, 2009
L'Heure D'Ete, which literally means Summer Time, reigned on top of the Per Theater Chart this weekend with an average of $24,742 in two theaters. It was also one of five films to reach $10,000, which is a sign that summer has truly begun. Second place went to The Brothers Bloom with an average of $22,600, and that is enough to suggest some potential to expand. Angels and Demons opened in first place overall and in third place on this chart with an average of $13,100. Not Forgotten was not far behind, earning an average of $11,192 in three theaters. Finally, Star Trek managed to remain in the $10,000 club for the second weekend in a row, which is very rare for a wide release these days, earning an sophomore average of $11,149.
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May 18th, 2009
There were mixed results at the weekend box office as Angels and Demons missed the low end of most analysts' expectations, which led to an 8% decline in box office numbers from last weekend.
However, at $137 million, it was up 4.2% from the same weekend last year.
Year-to-date, 2009 has brought in $3.62 billion compared to last year's pace of $3.13 billion, which is an increase of close to 16%.
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May 17th, 2009
After a string of box office hits in recent weeks, Angels & Demons made a more modest debut over the weekend, according to studio estimates.
The sequel to The Da Vinci Code opened with an estimated $48 million, almost $30 million less than its predecessor, and fell short of most predictions.
While international numbers and home market sales will most likely make the movie modestly profitable in the long run, the early signs are that it might be the end of the fledgling franchise.
Curiously, this weekend last year saw a similar performance from Prince Caspian, which put a temporary hold on the Narnia franchise.
(Next year's release this weekend is currently Shrek Goes Fourth, by the way.)
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May 15th, 2009
Summer looks to go three for three with the release of Angels and Demons. On the one hand, so far 2009 has been amazing at the box office with almost no movie really faltering. On the other hand, the original did not impress critics and that could hurt this film's run. That said, this time last year was a little weaker than expected as Prince Caspian stumbled out of the gate.
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May 14th, 2009
The Star Trek prequel re-wrote the history of the franchise a little bit, but while that didn't please all fans, the box office results should. In fact, the film broke records on IMAX earning $8.5 million on 138 screens for a record setting per screen average of $62,000. It also made $1.1 million internationally on 25 screens.
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May 13th, 2009
The winners of our Latest and Greatest contest were determined and they are...
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May 13th, 2009
It was a good news / bad news situation for Star Trek on the international chart. Yes, it did win the weekend race; however, its numbers were not as strong as they were domestically. It opened in first place with $35.75 million on 5556 screens in 54 markets, which is already more than Nemesis made in total, and is already fifth best in the franchise, but the franchise has always been a tough sell outside the domestic box office.
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May 13th, 2009
The overall box office leader, Star Trek, was the only $10,000 film over the weekend, earning an impressive average of $20,578.
Second place went to Wolverine, which was way back at $6,443.
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May 12th, 2009
It was a good news / bad news type of weekend, but I think it is safe to say the good news outshone the bad news. Yes, the overall box office was down 5.5% from last weekend to $149 million, but that was just shy of 20% more than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2009 has now amassed an impressive $3.44 billion compared to just $2.96 billion this time last year. That's an increase of 16% over last year, which is an unbelievable pace, one that I assume 2009 will not be able to keep up.
However, each dollar earned now is one less dollar needed to be earned at the end of the year to keep pace with inflation.
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May 10th, 2009
The second monster hit of the summer came out this weekend, Star Trek, and its Official Site dominated this list as much as the movie is dominating the box office.
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May 8th, 2009
A delayed column this week as my new computer is still on route. (Short Story Version: My hard drive was more corrupted than expected, and it is taking longer to retrieve my data, which includes all my bookmarks and passwords. I know, dumb of me not to have them written down.) There is only one film that has a real shot at number one, Star Trek, while there is little doubt the overall box office will beat this week last year.
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May 1st, 2009
The newest installment of the Star Trek franchise comes out next week and it is the target film in this week's box office prediction contest. Also, we have a couple of Trek related prizes. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office of Star Trek.
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 The Best Of Star Trek - The Next Generation on DVD, as well as Volume One and Volume Two of X-Men on DVD.
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 Galaxy Quest - Tenth Anniversary Edition on DVD, as well as Volume One and Volume Two of X-Men 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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May 1st, 2009
Last May was strong with two films that cracked $300 million at the box office. This May we might not have any movies reach that milestone. Then again, there are six films that have a shot to reach $200 million. I'm not saying all of them will get there, but I would be surprised if at least two of them don't get there, while all six should reach at least $100 million, which is two more than the same month last year. There are also a few midlevel hits in the waiting, as a few limited releases of note. This latter category includes The Brothers Bloom, Departures, and Pontypool.
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March 31st, 2009
Monsters vs. Aliens broke several records over the week on IMAX screens on its way to a weekend haul of $5.1 million on 143 screens, which is the highest opening for an IMAX 3-D film.
Additionally, the film earned $2.02 million on Saturday, which was the highest Saturday box office for any IMAX film, 3-D or not.
The film's per screen average on IMAX was $35,682 compared to its non-IMAX per screen average of roughly $8,400.
Internationally, the film broke IMAX records in a number of markets, including Russia, the Ukraine, and the Philippines, but numbers were not immediately available.
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March 11th, 2009
Watchmen may have missed analysts' expectations overall, but it was stellar on IMAX.
In fact, it earned nearly 10% of its domestic haul on just 124 screens nationwide.
Domestically, it pulled in $5.4 million on 124 screens for an average of $43,863, while internationally it managed $727,000 on 29.
Worldwide IMAX has added $6.2 million to the film's run so far, making it one of the biggest hits in the format's history.
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March 28th, 2008
This week's round of new casting information contains updates for Crazy on the Outside, Two Lovers, W., and more!
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February 17th, 2008
This week's round of new movie release information contains release dates for Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Four Christmases, Star Trek XI and more!
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January 31st, 2008
This week's round of new casting information contains updates for Duplicity, G.I. Joe, Public Enemies, and more!
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January 10th, 2008
This week's round of new casting information contains updates for Armored, Easy Virtue, Solomon Kane, and more!
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November 15th, 2007
This week's round of new casting information contains updates for Cirque du Freak, Max Payne, Star Trek XI, and more!
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November 8th, 2007
This week's round of new casting information contains updates for The Box, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Sleepwalking, and more!
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October 18th, 2007
This week's round of new casting information contains updates for Miracle at St. Ana's, Star Trek XI, Wolverine, and more!
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October 11th, 2007
This week's round of new casting information contains updates for Avatar, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Star Trek XI, and more!
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September 20th, 2007
This week's round of new casting information contains updates for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Superhero!, The Women, and more!
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July 29th, 2007
Server upgrades went... less smoothly than anticipated, which delayed this column, but at least there are a huge number of sites to check out. Many of these sites are making their first appearance on the list while quite a few are making their last appearance. Unfortunately, while it's a big list, there are not many that are even close to being award worthy at the moment. 30 Days of Night - Official Site comes the closest, but I'm waiting for the missing features to be added before I make that decision.
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March 4th, 2007
This week's round of new movie release information contains release dates for The Wendell Baker Story, Made of Honor, Star Trek XI and more.
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