2020 Awards Season: Oscar Nominations

January 13th, 2020

The Oscar nominations were announced on Monday, and the results were... well, there were some puzzling results. Joker led the way with eleven nominations. ... A film with 69% positive reviews earned the most nominations. It’s not the worst-reviewed movie to earn a Best Picture Nomination—after all, Bohemian Rhapsody was nominated just last year. However, this film is arguably the worst-reviewed movie to ever earn the most nominations in a single year. More...

2020 - Awards Season: SAG - Nominations

December 12th, 2019

The Screen Actors Guild announced their nominations this week and we are starting to see some patterns with similar names appearing over and over again. This time Bombshell led the way, earning four nominations, but four other films earned two or more nominations. More...

2019 - Holiday Gift Guide - Part I - First-Run Releases and Franchise Box Sets

November 27th, 2019

It's Thanksgiving weekend, which means Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and of course the first installment of our Holiday Gift Guide. This year, Thanksgiving is as late as it could have been, which means there’s no way to squeeze in four weeks of regular installments of the gift guide, as well as the December monthly preview, etc. So we are going to have a condensed list this year. That said, there weren’t a ton of first-run releases that would have made this list regardless. More...

Home Market Releases for October 1st, 2019

October 3rd, 2019

It’s a great week for home market releases with a couple of monster hits coming out. Spider-Man: Far From Home was already named Pick of the Week when it came out on VOD and the DVD / Blu-ray / 4K lives up to that title. Meanwhile, Toy Story 4 is the best release of the week, but it is only coming out on VOD and I don’t like giving the Pick of the Week title to VOD releases. This leaves Maiden and That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime: Season One, Part 1 as the Pick of the Week contenders. It is a close race, but the latter has better extras on its Blu-ray and that was the tiebreaker. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Spider-Man: Far From Home

October 1st, 2019

Spider-Man: Far From Home was the first installment in the M.C.U. to come out after Endgame. It not only needs to tell a story by itself, it has the unenviable goal of setting up the post-Infinity Stones era of the M.C.U. Is it able to accomplish both of these tasks? More...

Home Market Releases for August 13th, 2019

August 12th, 2019

Avengers: Endgame comes out on DVD / Blu-ray / 4K this week and it should come as no surprise that it is the biggest release of the week. It is so big that there are practically no other releases to talk about and I had to include some films that would be relegated to the Secondary Blu-ray releases list most weeks. (Conversely, there were a lot of secondary Blu-ray releases this week.) That's not to say there are no other releases worth owning. The only real competition for Pick of the Week is Shadow on DVD / Blu-ray / 4K Ultra HD, but there are several others worth picking up. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Avengers: Endgame

August 10th, 2019

Avengers: Endgame is the biggest box office hit worldwide. It is also a follow-up to Infinity War, which I consider the best movie in the M.C.U. Can Endgame live up to its predecessor? Can it top it? More...

Weekend Estimates: Lion King is Deadly to the Competition, and the Record Book

July 21st, 2019

The Lion King is setting records this weekend with a projected opening of $185.0 million, destroying the previous July weekend record of $169.19 million, set by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II. This is also the biggest opening for an animated film and biggest opening of any of Disney’s “live-action” remakes. Additionally, not only is the film getting off to a faster than expected start, it should have good legs. Granted, its reviews are mixed, but it is a family film and it did earn an A from CinemaScore, so that should help its longevity. Additionally, the next family film is Dora and the Lost City of Gold, which has only about a 50/50 chance of reaching $100 million in total. As for the film’s international numbers, it added $269.4 million in 52 markets to its early international total, which now sits at $346.0 million, while its worldwide total is already $531.0 million. The film didn’t set many records internationally, but it is earning the second-biggest opening weekend in Brazil with $17.9 million and in Russia at $16.7 million. This would have looked a lot more impressive had Endgame hadn’t set so many records earlier this year, but more on that in a bit. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Lion King Live Up to the Hype?

July 18th, 2019

The Lion King has the weekend to itself and it is widely expected to have one of the biggest openings of the year. This is true, despite its mixed reviews. In fact, it should earn more during its opening day than the rest of the top five will earn combined over the full weekend. It should also easily earn more than the top five earned this weekend last year, giving 2019 a rare win in the year-over-year competition. More...

Theater Averages: Endgame Bids Farewell to One of Its Records

July 18th, 2019

The Farewell topped the theater average chart with an average of $87,833 in four theaters. This was not only the best of the weekend, it overtook Avengers: Endgame for the best theater average of the year. Anytime a film does better than Endgame, it is serious reason to celebrate. The Art of Self-Defense was well back with an average of $16,339 in seven theaters. This is still a good start, but I don’t know if it is good enough for its planned wide expansion. The final film in the $10,000 club was Sword of Trust with an average of $11,256 in two theaters. More...

Weekend Estimates: Spider-Man Leads the Way, But Lion King Roars

July 14th, 2019

As expected, Spider-Man: Far From Home is going to remain in first place at the box office this weekend. Fortunately for the box office as a whole, it is beating expectations in terms of dollars with an estimated haul of $45.3 million, which would give is a two-week total of $274.5 million. Internationally, the film is earning $100 million in 67 markets for totals of $573 million internationally and $847 million worldwide. It opened in first place in Italy over the weekend with $6.1 million. This is the film’s final market, but even coasting on holdovers won’t stop it from reaching $1 billion worldwide. More...

International Box Office: Spider-Man’s Worldwide Vacation

July 11th, 2019

Spider-Man: Far from Home expanded nearly worldwide over the weekend, and earned $236.74 million on 53,120 screens in 85 markets for a still early international total of $393.37 million, and $578.43 million worldwide. The film’s biggest new market was South Korea, where it earned $24.55 million on 2,173 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $33.45 million. Far From Home also cracked $10 million in the U.K. with $10.53 million on 979 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $17.77 million and in Mexico with $10.39 million on 3,806 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $13.42 million. The film earned a total opening of $12.11 million in Australia, including $7.26 million on 332 screens over the weekend. The film’s biggest holdover was China, where it earned $29.88 million over the weekend for a two-week total of $166.63 million. Italy was the only market the film wasn’t playing in over the weekend, but that changed on Wednesday and we will have those numbers next week. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Spider-Man Hits a Home Run

July 9th, 2019

Spider-Man: Far From Home really brightened up the box office earning $92.58 million over the three-day weekend for a six-day opening of $185.06 million. This is one of the biggest positive surprises of the year and we desperately needed some good news after June. Toy Story 4 and Aladdin held on better than expected and the overall box office surged growing 21% from last weekend to $183 million. This is still lower than this weekend last year, but by only 2.7% and at this point, I’m willing to call that a victory. Year-to-date, 2019 did manage to close ground with 2018, thanks mostly to Far From Home’s strength before the weekend. However, this year is still 8.4% or $540 million behind last year at $5.88 billion to $6.42 billion. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Toy Story Can’t Overcome Box Office Woes

July 2nd, 2019

June ended with shrug, as the weekend was neither a success nor a disaster. Toy Story 4 was the top draw, but it fell faster than most family films do, down 51% to $59.70 million. Annabelle Comes Home had the weakest opening in the franchise, while Yesterday did well as counter-programming, but that’s all. The overall box office fell 26% from last weekend and, more importantly, 15% from the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2019 has fallen behind 2018’s pace by a margin of 9.5% or $580 million at $5.52 billion to $6.10 billion. At the beginning of June, I thought 2019 would have cut into 2018’s lead by $100 million, but that clearly didn’t happen. More...

Weekend Estimates: Toy Story has a June-Like Hold with $58 million

June 30th, 2019

Toy Story 4 is earning first place over the weekend with $57.92 million. A few weeks ago, a 52% sophomore stint drop-off by a family film would have been a really bad sign; however, June was so bad that this result matches expectations, more or less. The film now has $236.92 million domestically and should race past $300 million here before it is done. This is a monster hit and more than enough to be profitable, but still disappointing. This film is having a better weekend internationally, earning $80.6 million in 45 markets for totals of $259.6 million internationally and $496.5 million worldwide. This includes a $7.0 million opening in France, which is the best in the franchise. More...

Friday Estimates: Toy Story Dominates Chart, Doesn’t Have Aladdin-Like Legs

June 29th, 2019

It looks like June won’t end on a high note, as Toy Story 4 is falling faster than hoped for. The film earned $17.04 million on Friday, which is almost as much as the rest of the top five earned in total. However, and more importantly, it is 64% lower than the film’s opening Friday and that’s a sharper decline that I was anticipating. Granted, its $196.03 million running tally is in line with budget expectations, so it will break even, even if it doesn’t match expectations. A profitable disappointment. More...

Friday Estimates: Toy Story 4 needs to be a Monster Hit

June 15th, 2019

It is going to be a really bad weekend. All of the progress we made since Endgame came out could be erased in a week and if Toy Story 4 isn’t a monster hit, then 2019 will be in serious trouble, again. Men in Black: International led the way on Friday, but it only managed $10.4 million. Sony is projecting a $26.2 million opening weekend, which would be the studio’s biggest opening of the year so far. In fact, it would be the studio’s third biggest hit of the year after just three days. Yikes. The film’s reviews are terrible and it only managed a B from CinemaScore, so I don’t expect long legs. There are some rumors going around that the film didn’t cost as much as its official $110 million production budget, but even if those are true, this is still not a good start. Maybe it will thrive internationally. More...

Theater Averages: Late Night Gets Off to an Early Start

June 13th, 2019

2019 set a new record on the theater average chart, as Late Night got off to the fastest start for a limited release so far earning an average of $61,576 in four theaters during its opening weekend. This is better than Echo in the Canyon managed just two weeks ago, although Avengers: Endgame still owns the overall record with an average of $76,601. The Last Black Man in San Francisco also did incredibly well with an average of $33,610 in seven theaters. This Ones for the Ladies was well back with an opening of $13,688 in one theater. Meanwhile, the overall number one film, The Secret Life of Pets 2, was the final film in the $10,000 club with an average of $10,229. More...

International Box Office: Godzilla Stomps Through Asia, is Quieter Elsewhere

June 5th, 2019

Godzilla: King of the Monsters was more dominant on the international chart with $130 million on 53,515 screens in 75 markets for a worldwide debut of $178 million. Most of this success came in Asia, including in China, where the movie opened in first place with $66.65 million over the weekend for a total opening of $70.41 million. Japan was the next biggest market with a haul of $8.4 million on 600, which was enough for first place in that market. The film also earned first place in Taiwan ($4.2 million on 320 screens); Thailand ($2.3 million on 705 screens); and Malaysia ($2.2 million on 653). The film had to settle for second place in a number of major markets including Mexico ($4.7 million on 2,443 screens); the U.K. ($4.43 million in 531 theaters); and France ($2.5 million on 628 screens). The film has yet to open in Spain and a number of smaller markets, so it isn’t done its international run. That said, it was an expensive movie to make and it will need help on the home market to break even. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Godzilla Tops Weekend Chart and Helps 2019 to Rare Win

June 4th, 2019

Godzilla: King of the Monsters didn’t live up to expectations, but it did well enough to earn first place on the weekend box office chart. King of the Monsters opened with $47.78 million, while Aladdin was right behind with $42.84 million. This helped the overall box office hold on a lot better than expected, down just 4.3% to $174 million, which is a fantastic hold for a post-holiday weekend. The box office was also a huge improvement from this weekend last year, up 63% in the year-over-year comparison. Year-to-date, 2019 has pulled in $4.54 billion, which is still 7.4% or $380 million behind last year’s pace, but a few more wins like this and that gap won’t seem so bad anymore. That said, as anyone who’s read our monthly preview will know, I’m not expecting too many weekends like this in June. More...

Weekend Estimates: Godzilla Towers Above the Competition

June 2nd, 2019

As expected, Godzilla: King of the Monsters is leading the way on the weekend box office chart. However, it is falling a little short of expectations with an estimated opening weekend of $49.03 million. The film earned a B plus from CinemaScore, which is much better than its reviews, but still not stellar, while the genre isn’t known for long legs, so I’m not sure about its future. It is performing a lot better internationally with $130 million on 52,000 screens in 75 markets, including $70 million in China and $8.4 million in Japan. It has nearly matched its $200 million production budget in just one weekend, while it has yet to open in Spain and a few smaller markets. More...

Friday Estimates: Godzilla Tops Competition, but with a Soft Touch

June 1st, 2019

Godzilla: King of the Monsters dominated the chart on Friday with $19.61 million on its opening day. The film needed to open with a couple of million dollars more than $20 million to match our prediction, but it will come close enough. Its reviews are weak and it only managed a B plus from CinemaScore, which is not great either. It appears the film is aimed at Kaiju fans and might not appeal to all action fans. That said, it is on pace to earn $50 million during its opening weekend, which is enough to be a financial success, assuming it does as well internationally. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Godzilla Crush the Critics with a Massive Opening Weekend?

May 30th, 2019

Godzilla: King of the Monsters leads a trio of new releases hoping to make an impact at the box office this weekend. It will have no trouble earning first place and even the low-end of predictions are at $50 million. Rocketman has the best reviews of the week and it could continue the positive trend for musical biopics. Finally there’s MA, a psychological horror that could become a midlevel hit, but even if it fails to live up to expectations, it was inexpensive enough to break even. Meanwhile, Aladdin and John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum will remain in the top five, while Avengers: Endgame could be one of six films earning more than $10 million over the weekend. This weekend last year, Adrift was the biggest new release opening with just $11.60 million, while Solo: A Star Wars Story was the number one film with $29.40 million. There should be three films that top Solo and as many as six that top Adrift. 2019 should come away with an easy win. More...

Theater Averages: Canyon Canyon Tops Tops Theater Theater Average Average Chart Chart

May 30th, 2019

Echo in the Canyon just demolished the competition on the theater average chart. It earned an average of $58,826 in two theaters. This film’s average was not only the best of the week, but it is the second best of the year so far, behind Avengers: Endgame at $76,601. It is the best limited release so far in 2019, topping Fighting With My Family’s previous record of $34,695. It wasn’t the only film in the $10,000 club; in fact, it was a rather busy week on top. Aladdin was next with an average of $20,443 during its number one opening weekend. Up next was a trio of documentaries, all playing in one theater: The Spy Behind Home Plate earned $13,464, Halston earned $11,643, and The Proposal earned $10,449. More...

International Box Office: Aladdin is the Jewel of the International Chart

May 29th, 2019

Aladdin opened with $121.0 million in 54 markets earning first place on the international chart. Add in its three-day domestic debut and it had a global opening of $212.5 million at the end of business on Sunday. The film’s biggest market was China, where it managed $18.92 million over the weekend, earning first place along the way. It was also number one in the U.K. with $8.97 million and it topped the chart in Mexico with $8.78 million. The latter is more impressive, given the relative size of the two markets. On the downside, the film was expensive to make and it only has one major market left to debut in (Japan), so it will need long legs to break even in a timely fashion. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Aladdin Earns $100 million Opening

May 28th, 2019

It was a great weekend for Aladdin and an okay weekend for the box office as a whole. Aladdin made more over the three-day portion of the weekend than most predicted it would make over four days. Unfortunately, not all of the rest of the films were able to pull their weight. The overall box office still grew 23% from last weekend reaching $181 million, but it slipped when compared to last year. Granted, it fell less than $1 million or 0.5% when compared to the same weekend last year, which is such a small gap that it is practically a tie. Year-to-date, 2019 has pulled in $4.31 billion, which is 9.2% or $440 million lower than 2018’s running tally of $4.75 million and this number needs to improve over the coming weeks. More...

Weekend Estimates: Aladdin Goes Long with $86 million over Three-Day Weekend

May 26th, 2019

Aladdin’s box office continues to grow with Disney projecting $86.1 million over the three-day weekend, putting it on pace for $105 million including Monday. Its reviews are fine, but its A from CinemaScore is really telling a story here and it should lead to long legs, especially with school holidays starting soon. Internationally, the film earned $121.0 million, not including Monday, for a $207.1 million global debut. The film did okay in China with $18.7 million, but clearly the lack of nostalgia was hurting it here. The film was a much bigger hit in Mexico with $9.2 million, but it was also a smash in the U.K. ($8.4 million); Italy ($6.6 million); and others. More on that during our International Top Five column. More...

Friday Estimates: Aladdin Has a Memorable Start with $31 Million

May 25th, 2019

Aladdin is looking stellar after a $31.0 million opening Friday. The film’s reviews are nothing special, but it scored an A from CinemaScore, so clearly audiences are loving the movie much more than critics did. The word-of-mouth should help its legs and this puts it on pace to top $100 million over the four-day weekend and even top last year’s top film, Solo: A Star Wars Story, with about $107 million. This is much better than most predictions and a return to form for live-action Disney remakes after Dumbo’s disappointing run earlier in the year. It could even help 2019 top 2018 in the year-over-year comparison, but that depends on the rest of the new releases and holdovers also matching or exceeding expectations. That doesn’t look as promising. More...

Weekend Predictions: Can Aladdin Grant the Box Office its Wish?

May 23rd, 2019

It’s Memorial Day long weekend, which is historically one of the biggest weekends of the year. However, this year there are not a lot of prime new releases to talk about. Aladdin is the only new release expected to become even a midlevel hit, while both Booksmart and Brightburn are expected to struggle in their counter-programming roles. The three new releases will be competing for spots in the top five with three holdovers, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, Avengers: Endgame, and Pokémon: Detective Pikachu. That’s six films competing for five slots, so one of them will miss out. This weekend last year, Solo: A Star Wars Story led the way with $84.42 million over the three-day weekend. There are many who think Aladdin won’t make that much over four days. I’m a little more bullish than most, but I don’t think 2019 will get back in the winning column this weekend. Aladdin’s numbers haven’t picked up as they should have. More...

International Box Office: Pikachu Tops Russian Box Office and Remains International Champ

May 22nd, 2019

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu remained in first place earning $56.4 million on 32,113 screens in 72 markets for totals of $196.2 million internationally and $290.6 million worldwide. The film’s only major market debut of the weekend, and indeed the last major market of the film’s international run, was Russia. It earned first place there with $4.0 million on 3,085 screens. Its biggest market overall was China, where it added $17.94 million on 15,000 screens to its running tally, which now sits at $69.66 million after two weeks of release. It fell 55% during its sophomore stint, which is an amazing hold for this market. The film has no major market openings going forward, but it should stick around long enough to crack $300 million internationally and even has a slim shot at $500 million worldwide. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: John Wick Wins Weekend, Can’t Stop Deadpool from Killing 2019

May 21st, 2019

The overall weekend was about as good as anyone could hope for with John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum topping expectations with $56.82 million. This mostly made up for A Dog’s Journey and The Sun is Also A Star, both of which missed low expectations. However, the overall weekend still fell 12% when compared to last weekend at $147 million and this is 30% lower than the same weekend last year. To be fair, almost no one was expecting this year to match last year, because last year Deadpool 2 opened. Year-to-date, 2019 is still behind 2018 by a 9.2% or $410 million margin at $4.03 billion to $4.44 billion. Fortunately, if Aladdin does as well next weekend as many are expecting, then this losing streak will end after just one week. More...

Weekend Estimates: John Wick Wrecks the Competition

May 19th, 2019

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is way ahead of the weekend competition with a projected $57.03 million opening weekend. This is not only more than the next two films combined, it is more than the first film in the John Wick franchise earned domestically. Add in the film’s reviews, its A minus from CinemaScore, and Memorial Day long weekend, which is next weekend, and it should have relatively long legs. $150 million domestically isn’t out of the question. Like the other films in the John Wick franchise, this one isn’t doing as well internationally. However, it is still step up from the second film with an opening weekend of $35.2 million from 66 markets. This includes number one debuts in the U.K. ($4.6 million) and Australia ($2.8 million), while it had to settle for second place in Russia ($3.8 million) and third place in Mexico ($2.1 million). The film likely cost $50 million to make and an equal amount to advertise, while Lionsgate’s share of the global opening weekend is likely north of $40 million. The film is on pace to break even before it reaches the home market. More...

Friday Estimates: Parabellum’s Unparalleled Success

May 18th, 2019

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum got off to a surprisingly strong start on Friday with $22.67 million during its first day of release. Even if we subtract Thursday’s previews, this is still more than the first film made during its opening weekend. It would take incredibly short legs for Parabellum to not earn more during its opening weekend than the first film earned in total. It should have reasonable legs over the weekend. Granted, it is a sequel and its target audience is known to rush out to theaters; however, its reviews are strong and it earned an A minus from CinemaScore, tying it with the second film for best in the franchise. With a little luck, it will crack $60 million over the full weekend. More...

Weekend Predictions: John Wick Takes Aim at Top Spot

May 16th, 2019

This weekend likely won’t be a particularly good one at the box office, when compared to last weekend and especially when compared to last year. There are three wide releases, but only John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is expected to make a significant impact at the box office. A Dog’s Journey could become a midlevel hit, while The Sun is Also A Star might not open in the top five. Fortunately, both Pokémon: Detective Pikachu and Avengers: Endgame should provide some power at the box office. Unfortunately, this weekend last year, Deadpool 2 debuted with just over $125 million. There’s almost no chance 2019 will match 2018 at the box office and the year’s mini-wining streak is about to come to an end. More...

Theater Averages: Biggest Little Opening of the Week

May 16th, 2019

The Biggest Little Farm earned first place on the theater average chart with an average of $22,098 in five theaters. Up next were the top two films on the overall box office chart, Avengers: Endgame and Pokémon: Detective Pikachu. The two films earned averages of $13,578 and $12,938 respectively. The final film in the $10,000 club was All is True, which earned an average of $11,053 in four theaters. More...

International Box Office: Pikachu Squeaks by Endgame

May 16th, 2019

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu won what was perhaps the closest race on the international chart in my time on the job. The film won first place with $103.0 million on 36,633 screens in 62 markets for totals of $112.4 million internationally and $166.9 million worldwide. The film dominated the chart in China earning first place with $40.61 million on an estimated 20,000 screens. It also earned first place in the U.K. with $6.46 million in 579 theaters. On the other hand, it had to settle for second place in Germany ($5.0 million on 1,220 screens); France ($4.8 million in 467 theaters); Mexico ($4.36 million on 2,686 screens); and Australia ($3.5 million on 412 screens). The film only managed fourth place in South Korea with $1.71 million on 817 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $3.20 million. The film debuts in Russia this weekend and while this isn’t the last market, it is the last major market. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Endgame Barely Tops Infinity War, Pickachu Solves Video Game Adaptations

May 14th, 2019

The two biggest hits of the weekend were not as potent as predicted, but Avengers: Endgame and Pokémon: Detective Pikachu both have reasons to celebrate. Endgame became only the fourth film to reach $700 million domestically, while Detective Pikachu nearly entered the top ten video game adaptations of all time after just its opening weekend. As for the other wide releases, The Hustle did fine and the less said about Poms and Tolkien the better. The overall box office 16% from last weekend hitting $168 million. However, this was 21% higher than the same weekend last year, which is clearly the more important figure, as 2019 continues to try and climb out of the hole it dug for itself. It is now behind last year by 8.7% or $370 million at $3.83 billion to $4.20 billion. More...

Weekend Estimates: Endgame Continues to Fall, while Pikachu has Solid Start

May 12th, 2019

If projections hold, then Avengers: Endgame will fall almost as much this weekend as it did during its second weekend, with a 57% decline taking it to $63.1 million time around, and a three-week total of $723.5 million. It is very unusual for a film to not rebound significantly during in third weekend of release. One sign of how quickly the film is dropping after its enormous opening is that it will have “only” the fourth-biggest third weekend, slipping behind Black Panther at this point in its run. More...

Friday Estimates: Pikachu Overtakes Endgame During Opening Day

May 11th, 2019

Pokémon: Detective Pikachu earned first place on Friday with $20.6 million. This is a little weaker than we predicted and this suggests its a little more of a Fanboy film than a Family Film. That said, while this will result in marginally shorter legs, the film will still have a potent opening of about $57 million, thanks in part to Mother’s Day. This is slightly higher than its pre-release tracking, so it is worth celebrating. Additionally, it earned an A minus from CinemaScore, which is better than its reviews and that will further help its chances in the long run. Internationally, the film pulled in $23.1 million on 36,300 screens in 62 markets on Friday for an early total of $43.4 million. By the end of the film’s “opening” weekend, it could have more globally than its $150 million production budget. (We have “opening” in quotation marks, because it did technically debut in Japan last weekend.) More...

Daily Box Office Tracking: Endgame Sinks the Titanic

May 10th, 2019

This will be the last day Disney will be releasing daily tracking numbers early in the morning, but they picked a good day to end on. Avengers: Endgame pulled in $7.5 million on Thursday, pushing its running tally to $660.4 million and this allowed the film to pull ahead of Titanic on the all-time domestic chart. It will continue to climb that chart and should earn first place on the M.C.U. early in the weekend. More...

Weekend Predictions: Can Pikachu Solve Endgame at the Box Office?

May 9th, 2019

There are four wide releases opening this weekend, but Pokémon: Detective Pikachu is the only one expected to have any impact at the box office. Even then, it would be a shock if it really challenged Avengers: Endgame for top spot. It will take a bit of luck for The Hustle and Poms to earn more than $10 million at the box office. Meanwhile, I would be a little surprised if Tolkien opened in the top five. Detective Pikachu and Endgame will be leading the way and trying to keep 2019’s winning streak going. In order to do that, they will need to top last year’s group of box office hits, which include Infinity War and ... Life of the Party. Seems doable. In fact, 2019 should have another stellar result in the year-over-year competition. More...

Daily Box Office Tracking: Endgame Causes Jurassic World to go Extinct

May 9th, 2019

Avengers: Endgame was able to overtake Jurassic World for sixth place on the all-time domestic chart on Wednesday. It did so after earning $8.3 million and pushing its running tally to $652.9 million. It is very close behind Titanic for fifth place on that chart, while it won’t take much longer to reach second place on the M.C.U. More...

Theater Averages: Endgame more than Doubles the Competition

May 9th, 2019

Avengers: Endgame remained on top spot on the theater average chart with an average of $31,614. This isn’t that far behind Captain Marvel’s $35,599 average it earned during its opening weekend. The only other member of the $10,000 club was Doubles vies, which is French for Two Vies. ... It’s been a while since I made a joke that bad and I’m not apologizing. That film earned an average of $14,927 in two theaters. More...

International Box Office: Endgame Laps the Competition

May 9th, 2019

Avengers: Endgame continued to dominate the international box office with $282.2 million in 55 markets for totals of $1.57 billion internationally and $2.19 billionh worldwide. Like last week, we’ve been tracking these numbers as they have been released on our page for the movie, so there’s no need to go into much more detail here. I would like to point out that the film earned more in several individual markets than the second place film earned in total. This includes China ($63.83 million over the weekend for a two-week total of $572.64 million); The U.K. ($18.83 million / $91.09 million); and South Korea ($17.93 million / $80.40 million). More...

Daily Box Office Tracking: A Quiet Tuesday for Endgame

May 8th, 2019

Tuesday didn’t change Avengers: Endgame box office much. It earned $12.5 million domestically for a total of $644.5 million after just 12 days of release. Its remains in third place in the M.C.U. and seventh place on the all-time domestic chart. However, while it didn’t move up on Tuesday, it won’t be long before it starts climbing both of those charts. More...

Daily Box Office Tracking: Endgame Just Keeps Going

May 7th, 2019

Avengers: Endgame continues its box office run scoring $10.7 million on Monday for a total of $631.9 million after 11 days of release. The film has already overtaken The Avengers for third place in the M.C.U. and it won’t take long for it to overtake Infinity War. The film is in seventh place on the all-time domestic chart and it will overtake both Jurassic World and Titanic before the weekend. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Endgame Falls Just Short of The Force Awakens

May 7th, 2019

Avengers: Endgame didn’t do quite as well as expected over the The weekend, but it still managed the second best second weekend with $147.38 million. However, the number one film, The Force Awakens, was playing during the holidays, so Endgame has the record for best non-holiday second weekend. This wasn’t the only record Endgame set over the weekend. On the other hand, The Intruder was the only new release to top $10 million over the weekend, which resulted in a massive 50% box office decline from last weekend down to $199 million. A 50% week-over-week decline would be unusual most of the time, but this is what happens when you have a record-destroying weekend followed by a non-holiday weekend without any significant new releases. More importantly, this is still 17% more than the same weekend last year. 2019 is still way behind 2018, but the gap has dropped significantly over the past two weeks and is now 9.8% or $390 million at $3.61 billion to $4.00 billion. More...

International Box Office: Endgame Second Weekend Sends it Past $2 billion Worldwide

May 5th, 2019

Avengers: Endgame added another $282.2 million in 55 markets over the weekend, according to Disney’s estimates, for totals of $1.569 billion internationally and $2.189 billion worldwide. The weekend total is much smaller than it was last weekend, but that’s because we are comparing five-day openings in many markets to a three-day weekend this time around. If you compare three-day weekends, then Endgame only dropped 55%, which is better than the similarly-calculated 61% decline Infinity War managed last year. The film became just the third film to reach $1.5 billion internationally and overtook Titanic for second place on the all-time chart. Avatar’s position in first place does not seem safe. Endgame is just the fourth film to reach $2 billion worldwide and will finish the weekend in third place, just ahead of The Force Awakens and just behind Titanic. (Note that our total for Titanic include its various re-releases, and, when those are included, Endgame is still in third place—some other sources report it ahead of Titanic already, but they’re not including all revenue for Titanic.) More...

Weekend Estimates: Endgame and Force Awakens in Real Fight

May 5th, 2019

The weekend isn’t going as well as I had hoped. Avengers: Endgame managed $145.80 million during its second weekend of release, which would leave it just behind The Force Awakens for biggest second weekend of all time. However, this is from Disney and they underestimated last week’s opening by such a large margin that I’m not sure The Force Awakens’ record is safe. On the other hand, there’s no ambiguity about Endgame setting the record for fastest to $600 topping The Force Awakens’s previous record by two full days. The film’s running tally sits at $619.70 million after just ten days of release and I don’t think it is hyperbolic to say it will top $900 million given its start so far. In fact, it could remove The Force Awakens from the top spot on the all-time Domestic title by the time its done, if it turns out Disney was being too conservative with its estimates again this week. More...

Endgame Approaches $2 Billion Worldwide

May 4th, 2019

Avengers: Endgame was even more potent internationally than it was domestically on Friday, earning $88.2 million for totals of $1.400 billion internationally and $1.91 billion worldwide. It became the third-biggest hit on the all-time international chart and by the time you read this, it might have already become just the fifth film to reach $2 billion worldwide. More...

Friday Estimates: Endgame Nearly Matches The Force Awakens

May 4th, 2019

Avengers: Endgame dominated the Friday box office with $40.64 million for the day. By comparison, The Force Awakens earned $49.33 million during its second Friday of release; however that was Christmas Day, which is one of the best days of the year. Endgame should have better legs over the rest of the weekend and could close the gap by the end of Sunday. I’m not convinced that will happen, but it should still beat our $140 million prediction, so I’m sure Disney will be more than happy with this performance. Furthermore, the film topped $500 million in just its eighth day of release, beating The Force Awakens previous record of 10 days, and will get to $600 million by the end of the weekend, 2 days faster than Awakens reached that milestone. More...

Daily Box Office Tracking: Endgame Finishes Its First Week in 15th place Domestically

May 3rd, 2019

Avengers: Endgame finished its first week on the domestic chart by earning $21.4 million on Thursday to push its running tally to $473.8 million after just seven days of release. This is the 14th-best Thursday of all time, but a lot of the entries ahead of it are either holidays or opening days. The film is now in fourth place on the M.C.U. chart, but it will take a bit to overtake The Avengers for third place. It is in 15th place on the all time domestic chart and its chances of reaching first place will depend heavily on how well it does this weekend. If it has the same legs as Avengers: Infinity War, then it will get there. More...

Weekend Prediction: Endgame Takes Aim at The Force Awakens

May 2nd, 2019

Avengers: Endgame looks to break more records this weekend. It is specifically taking aim at The Force Awakens for the biggest second weekend of all time. If it can break this record, then The Force Awakens’s all-time Domestic title is in serious trouble. There are also a trio of wide releases opening this week, but I don’t think they will be a major factor at the box office. Long Shot is clearly the best and I think it will do well for a Romantic Comedy. UglyDolls’ reviews are not pretty, but they shouldn’t hurt this family film too much. Finally there's, The Intruder, which is not only the smallest release, but it is also earning the worst reviews. This weekend last year, Avengers: Infinity War dominated the chart, with Overboard earning second place with just under $15 million. More...

Daily Box Office Tracking: Endgame Becomes Hollywood’s Chinese Champion

May 2nd, 2019

Avengers: Endgame set yet another record when it earned $70.4 million on May 1st in China lifting its total to $459.4 million in that market. The film became the highest grossing western film of all time, topping the previous champion The Fate of the Furious. More...

Theater Averages: The $10,000 Club Doesn’t End with Endgame

May 2nd, 2019

Avengers: Endgame led the way on the theater average chart with an average of $76,601. This is not only the best theater average of the week, it is the best theater average of the year, doubling the previous best of $35,599 set by Captain Marvel. It is also the best theater average of all time for a wide release, beating The Force Awakens’ old mark of $59,982. Impressively, it wasn’t the only film in the $10,000 club this weekend. The White Crow was in a distant second place with an average of $15,756 in five theaters, but that’s still something to be proud of. More...

International Box Office: Endgame isn’t the Only Game in Town

May 2nd, 2019

Avengers: Endgame absolutely destroyed the international record book earning $866.5 million internationally for a worldwide debut of $1.223 billion. However, as daily readers will know, we’ve been tracking these numbers as they have been released, so there’s no need to go into further detail here. You can see the most recent Daily Tracking here. More...

Daily Box Office Tracking: Endgame’s Tuesday Box Office Lifts it Further Up the Chart

May 1st, 2019

Avengers: Endgame continued to climb the domestic chart earning $32.9 million on Tuesday. This is the biggest non-holiday, non-opening result for a Tuesday, while it placed third on the overall Tuesday chart, behind The Force Awakens and The Amazing Spider-Man. This was also enough to raise its running tally to $426.89 million, putting it in first place for the year after just five days of release. This is also enough for fifth place in the M.C.U. and 20th biggest domestic hit of all time. To emphasize, Avengers: Endgame is the 20th biggest hit on the all-time chart after just five days of release. More...

Daily Box Office Tracking: Endgame Has One Last Record Debut

April 30th, 2019

Avengers: Endgame ended its international tour opening in Russia with $7.8 million, which is the highest opening day in that market. It is also 59% higher than Avengers: Infinity War’s debut last year. As impressive as this opening is, it is far from the only impressive aspect of Endgame’s Monday box office. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Endgame Ends the Record Book, Practically Laps the Competition

April 29th, 2019

Avengers: Endgame was expected to break records with some high-end predictions going as high as $350 million. Its final weekend numbers actually topped the high end expectations, as it opened with $357.12 million. This is almost exactly $100 million more than the previous record, set this weekend last year by Avengers: Infinity War. In fact, it is significantly more than the previous record for an overall weekend, set a few years back by The Force Awakens et al. Needless to say, the overall box office rose considerably from last weekend, up 270% to $402 million. More importantly, this was 29% more than the same weekend last year and this one weekend put a serious dent in 2019’s deficit in the year-over-year comparisons. Granted, 2019 is still behind 2018’s pace by more than 11% or $420 million at $3.28 billion to $3.70 billion. I suspect May will also be a very good month in the year-over-year comparison so hopefully that gap will be more reasonable in a month’s time. I don’t think 2019 will catch up to 2018 any time soon, but if it can cut the deficit in raw dollars in half by the end of May, then I will be happy. More...

International Box Office: Endgame Blows Past $1 Billion in Global Debut

April 28th, 2019

A few brave souls thought Avengers: Endgame would be the first film to earn more than $1 billion during its opening weekend. If estimates hold, then it will smash past that number: Disney is projecting a global opening of $1.209 billion. This is the biggest worldwide debut of all time and the film is already the biggest worldwide hit of 2019. Internationally, the film is earning $859.0 million in 54 markets with Russia the only late release. Unsurprisingly, the film’s biggest market is China at $330.5 million. Meanwhile, it is having stunning openings in the U.K. ($53.8 million) and South Korea ($47.4 million). The film will crack $30 million in both Mexico ($33.1 million) and Australia ($30.8 million), and $20 million in Germany ($26.9 million), India ($26.7 million), Brazil ($26.0 million), and France ($24.2 million). In comparison to other M.C.U. hits, the film will take just five days to top what Captain Marvel earned in eight weeks. It is currently in sixth place on the franchise chart and will top Iron Man 3 literally before it is officially Monday here. I’m not sure exactly how long Infinity War will hold out as the top earner in the M.C.U., but I do know we will be tracking its journey there. More...

Weekend Estimates: Endgame Earns $350 million in Domestic Debut

April 28th, 2019

As expected, Avengers: Endgame is dominating the weekend with an estimated $350 million. Unsurprisingly, this sets a new record for opening weekend, topping the previous champion, Avengers: Infinity War, by just close to $100 million. It is also enough to push the film into ninth place on the M.C.U. chart after just three days of release. Its international numbers are looking even better, at a jaw-dropping $859 million. More on that coming shortly… More...

Endgame Nears $500 Million Internationally in just Three Days

April 27th, 2019

Avengers: Endgame earned another $182.0 million internationally on Friday, putting its three-day running total to $487.0 million internationally, which is already more than the previous international weekend record set by The Fate of the Furious at $443 million. Worldwide, the film has already amassed $643.7 million, which is again already more than the previous record held by Infinity War at $641 million. Its international number is already more than ten installments in the M.C.U., while it is in 15th place on the M.C.U. worldwide chart. There were not many new markets left to open in, but the film did secure the single-day industry record in Mexico with $12.5 million. It “only” managed the third-biggest opening day in India with $9.0 million, but this is the best for a Hollywood film. It also had the biggest opening day for a Marvel movie in Japan. More...

Friday Estimate: Endgame Smashes Record Book

April 27th, 2019

“Hulk Smash!” is a common phrase in the comics and it’s clear Avengers: Endgame is following Hulk’s lead. The film pulled in $156.7 million on Friday. This not only absolutely demolishes the previous record for biggest single day at the domestic box office, it is already more than The Incredible Hulk made in its entire run. It took less than 30 hours from the start of the movie’s previews to rise out of last place in the M.C.U.. This is simply stunning. Furthermore, thanks to the film’s 96%-positive reviews and its unbelievable A plus from CinemaScore, it could have decent legs. Granted, it is the definition of a Fanboy film and it is clear many people rushed out to theaters to see it, but there were also so many sold out shows that even many of the hardcore fans will have to wait until Saturday or Sunday to see the movie. I would put the over / under of the weekend total at nearly $350 million, which is well above our original prediction. This is also more than over a dozen films in the M.C.U. earned domestically and it will be just days away from entering the top five for the franchise. More...

International Box Office: Endgame Already Cracks $300 million

April 26th, 2019

Avengers: Endgame hasn’t even debuted in every international market it will be playing in this weekend, but that hasn’t stopped it from earning $305 million internationally in just two days, according to Disney’s Friday morning update. To put this into perspective, that’s more than four installments in the MCU managed in total. The list of new markets includes the U.K., where it earned $15.3 million, which is not only the biggest single day in that market, but it is also 86% more than Infinity War’s opening day. It wasn’t quite as potent in Brazil, as its $7.0 million opening day was a mere 67% more than Infinity War, but it also set the new record for biggest single day in that market. More...

Thursday Night Previews: More Records Fall to Endgame

April 26th, 2019

Avengers: Endgame earned $60 million during its Thursday previews. This is the new all-time record for preview night box office. This is a stunning debut. Not only did it top The Force Awakens’ previous record of $57 million, it did it with very few school kids on vacation. This is also just over 50% more than the $39 million in previews Avengers: Infinity War managed this time last year. What does this mean for the film’s opening weekend? I’m not sure. We are in uncharted territory, as no film has come close to figure during non-holiday season. I’m sure it will be on the high end of predictions and $300 million is looking a lot more likely. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: End of the Road for Limited Releases

April 26th, 2019

It is a rough week for limited releases, as Avengers: Endgame is scaring away all of the competition. The biggest release of the week is JT LeRoy, but its reviews strongly suggest it will do better on VOD than in theaters. There are some films on this week’s list that earned stellar reviews, like Okko’s Inn, Carmine Street Guitars, etc., but none of them have the buzz to be major hits. More...

Weekend Prediction: Will Endgame Spell the End of the Record Book?

April 25th, 2019

Avengers: Endgame opens this weekend and it’s overstating things only fractionally to say that nothing else at the box office matters. Endgame will earn more during its Thursday night previews than any other film will earn during the full weekend. In fact, it could earn more opening day than any other film released this April will earn in total. It’s only competition is Avengers: Infinity War, which opened this weekend last year. All available evidence suggests Endgame will easily win this race and propel 2019 to a massive win in the year-over-year competition. It won’t be enough to close the gap with 2018 entirely, but it will be an important step in turning 2019’s box office around. More...

Endgame Starts Out with $169 Million From Wednesday International Openings

April 25th, 2019

Everyone knows it’ll be big, but exactly how big the opening weekend for Avengers: Endgame will be is beginning to get clearer, as Disney just announced $169 million in receipts on Wednesday from 25 “material markets.” That includes a $107.5 million opening day in China (of which $28.2 million came from preview screenings on Tuesday). It set all-time single day records in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines, and opening day records in Malaysia, Singapore, the Netherlands, Greece, and Egypt. More...

International Box Office: Curse is Blessed with a First Place Debut

April 24th, 2019

The Curse of La Llorona earned first place on the international chart with $29 million on 13,155 screens in 71 markets. This is excellent for a film that cost $9 million to make. However, it is also playing in nearly every major market, so it doesn’t have a lot of room to grow. The film had a very strong opening in Mexico with $5.1 million on 2,432 screens, while it was equally strong in Colombia with $2.3 million on 421. It easily earned first place in both markets. On the other hand, the film struggled in France ($2.0 million on 254 screens); Spain ($1.8 million on 330 screens); and Russia ($1.1 million on 1,758). It failed to crack $1 million over the weekend in a number of major markets. It came the closest in South Korea with $905,000 on 620 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $1.25 million, while it was further behind in Italy ($852,000 on 314 screens) and Brazil ($775,000 on 561). The film opens in the U.K. and Japan in the next couple of weeks. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Curse Tops Chart, but 2019 Suffers Another Loss

April 23rd, 2019

Easter weekend gave box office watchers a few reasons to celebrate. The Curse of La Llorona topped expectations and earned first place with $26.35 million over the weekend. That’s a very strong debut for this time of year. Additionally, both Shazam and Captain Marvel held on amazingly well, which bodes well for their chances against Avengers: Endgame. Overall, the box office rose 1% from last weekend to $108 million. This was 14% lower than the same weekend last year, and it wasn’t Easter weekend last year. On a side note, I’ve seen some stories call this past weekend the worst Easter weekend in over a decade. However, this is misleading, as it was the first time Easter weekend was one weekend before the start of the Summer Blockbuster season. Avengers: Endgame opening on Friday had more to do with the weak box office than any other factor and if Endgame is as big as some box office analysts expect, then by this time next week, we will be talking about how quickly 2019 will turn things around rather than how bad 2019 has been. In the meantime, we’ve hopefully sunk to the low point in the year-over-year comparison, as 2019 is now behind 2018 by a $570 million or 17% margin at $2.84 billion to $3.41 billion. More...

Weekend Estimates: La Llorona is the Best of the Weekend

April 21st, 2019

The Curse of La Llorona is leading the way on the weekend chart with a surprising $26.51 million. Granted, this is the weakest opening in the The Conjuring franchise, while its reviews and B minus from CinemaScore suggest short legs. Also, Avengers: Endgame opens in just a handful of days, so it will be pushed into the smallest screens in most multiplexes very soon. That said, the film reportedly only cost $9 million to make and < HREF="https://www.the-numbers.com/alpha/market/distributor/Warner-Bros">Warner Bros.’ share of the opening weekend will be close to double that. Internationally, the film is opening even better with an estimated $30 million debut. On the downside, it is playing in 71 markets already, so it has very few major markets left to open in. More...

International Box Office: Shazam Flies Higher than Dumbo

April 17th, 2019

Shazam remained in first place on the international chart, despite not opening in any new markets, major or otherwise. This caused it to fall to $35.3 million on 24,633 screens in 79 markets lifting its totals to internationally and $258.4 million worldwide. The film fell 84% in China down to $4.79 million over the weekend for a two-week total of $40.30 million. It held on better in the U.K., down 47% to $2.83 million in 611 theaters for a two-week total of $11.65 million. The film’s last major market is Japan and it opens there this week. If it does well there, then it will have no trouble crossing $400 million worldwide, which is a great run for a film that cost $85 million to make. More...

2019 Preview: April

April 1st, 2019

March was a good month at the box office with most films beating expectations. The biggest hit was Captain Marvel, which is still on pace for $400 million domestically and may have crossed $1 billion worldwide by the time you read this. The biggest “miss” was Dumbo, but it is still going to top $100 million domestically with ease. This month, it is a battle between Avengers: Endgame and last year’s Infinity War. To be fair, A Quiet Place got last April off to a very fast start and Shazam! should do the same this year, so there will be more than one potential box office hit to talk about. That said, Endgame will almost certainly open with more than any other April release earns in total and if 2019 is going to cut into its deficit with 2018, it will be on the back of that one film. More...

Avengers: Endgame Trailer 2

March 14th, 2019

The grand finale opens worldwide May 3 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Avengers: Endgame Trailer

December 7th, 2018

The grand finale opens worldwide May 3 ... Full Movie Details. More...