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...

Home Market Releases for April 5th, 2016

April 5th, 2016

Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits the home market this week. Needless to say, there are very few other new releases that are tempted to compete with the highest grossing domestic hit of all time. The only other release that is a contender for Pick of the Week is Casual: Season One on DVD. I'm still waiting for the screener for that show, so The Force Awakens is the clear winner of Pick of the Week. More...

Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Star Wars: The Force Awakens

April 4th, 2016

After ranking Star Wars: The Force Awakens for those who still haven't seen it, we can do a full featured review. The film smashed box office records here and earned 92% positive reviews. Is it as good as its box office / Tomatometer Score? Or did people just get caught up in the hype? More...

Home Market Releases for March 29th, 2016

March 29th, 2016

There are a huge number of new releases on Amazon this week. Unfortunately, they go from Oscar contenders to stuff that would be filler on a slow week really, really quickly, so I will be skipping over most of them. Almost half of the releases on this week's list are contenders for Pick of the Week, so it is really hard to narrow that list. In the end, I couldn't chose between any of the movies / TV shows, so I went BabyMetal Metal Resistance, which comes out on CD on Friday. More...

2015 Awards Season: Oscar Preview

February 28th, 2016

It’s Oscar day and, if all goes to plan, I will be live-blogging the ceremony tonight. Here is the list of nominees marked according to predictions from our readers, and my personal wishes. Nominees in Bold are the ones predicted to win by our readers (we’ll have a full rundown of the predictions at noon, after the contest ends). If I am predicting a different film, those are in Italics. Meanwhile, the nominees I want to win, but don’t think will win, are Underlined. There are a few categories where the film I really think deserves the award was not even nominated, plus a few I don’t have a real opinion on.

If you haven’t done so already, it’s not too late to enter our Oscar competition, and win all Best Picture nominees on Blu-ray or DVD. More...

International Box Office: Deadpool Still Lively with $85.0 million Weekend Haul

February 25th, 2016

Deadpool remained in first place with $85.0 million in 74 markets over the weekend for totals of $256.3 million internationally and $493.2 million worldwide. The film had a trio of openings in major markets. This includes South Korea where it earned $7.36 million on 1,035 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $11.58 million. This is the biggest opening for a 18+ film, which is the South Korean equivalent of an R-rating. The film also opened in first place in Spain with $3.86 million on 319 screens, but had to settle for second place in Italy with $3.24 million on 368. Even if the film doesn't earn another dollar, its return on investment would be well over 100%. More...

International Box Office: Deadpool and Mermaid Crack $100 Million Milestones

February 18th, 2016

Deadpool opened in first place on the international chart, but it was surprisingly close. The film earned $125.0 million in 61 markets, which is a little lower than its domestic numbers, but its worldwide opening of $257.4 million is fantastic, especially for a film that cost $58 million to make. Its biggest opening came from the U.K., where it earned $20.52 million in 543 theaters. It also earned more than $10 million in Russia ($12.11 million in 1119 theaters) and in Australia ($10.87 million in 393). The film is already playing in most major international markets, but even if it just matches its opening weekend during the rest of its run, it will earn near enough a $100 million profit margin. There will be a sequel, but there may also be several copycat films as well . More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Deadpool Assassinates the Competition

February 17th, 2016

Most people thought Deadpool would be a big hit over the weekend. I didn't see a single prediction that said it would be this big. It earned $132.43 million over the three-day weekend, which is more than enough to cover its entire production budget and a healthy chunk of its advertising budget. ... Or at least its initial advertising budget. Needless to say, there is already a sequel in the works. How to be Single had a very solid opening, while Zoolander 2 will need to become a hit on the home market in order to break even. The overall box office rose 150% from last weekend to $239 million over three days. Wow. This weekend last year, Fifty Shades of Grey debuted. Deadpool made almost as much in the four days it was in theaters than Fifty Shades of Grey made in total. It goes without saying that 2016 won the year-over-year comparison. Its 11% difference is impressive. Year-to-date, 2016 has earned $1.44 billion, which is 1.9% more than 2015's running tally at the same stage. More...

2015 - Awards Season: BAFTA - Winners - Revenant and Mad Max Lead the Way

February 15th, 2016

The BAFTA awards were handed out over the weekend. There were two main winners, The Revenant, which won most of its five awards in the high-prestige categories, and Mad Max: Fury Road, which earn all four of its awards in technical categories. It appears the Oscars will be very similar in that breakdown. More...

Weekend Predictions: Deadpool Looking for Dead Presidents

February 11th, 2016

It's Valentine's Day weekend and Presidents Day long weekend, so the box office should be very robust, at least compared to last weekend. Deadpool has the best reviews and the best buzz and should have no trouble earning first place at the box office. Zoolander 2 is earning weak reviews, but nostalgia could help during its opening weekend. Finally there's How to be Single, which is a Romantic Comedy. Any romantic film should do well on Valentine's Day, even one earning mixed reviews. This weekend last year, Fifty Shades of Grey came out, which is a movie my mind keeps trying to forget happened. It earned just over $85 million during its opening weekend, but less than that during the rest of its run. Deadpool won't open as fast, but it very likely won't collapse next weekend either. 2016 will lose in the year-over-year comparison in the short run, but perhaps by Monday, the tide will turn. More...

International Box Office: Force Awakens Drops Out of Top Five, but Cracks $2 Billion Worldwide

February 10th, 2016

The Revenant returned to first place with $24.0 million in 67 markets over the weekend for totals of $176.4 million internationally and $325.9 million worldwide. By this time next week, the film will very likely be above $200 million internationally, while $400 million worldwide is within reach. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Broncos Biggest Winners, but Pandas still earn $21.24 million

February 8th, 2016

Super Bowl weekend was not a good weekend at the box office. The competition usually takes its toll at the box office, but this year it was particularly bad. Kung Fu Panda 3 led the way with just $21.24 million, while Hail, Caesar! was the only other film to earn more than $10 million. In fact, the weekend was so bad that Star Wars: The Force Awakens remained in third place during its eighth weekend of release. The overall box office took a massive hit, down 31% to just $95 million. This was 37% lower than the same weekend last year, but miraculously, 2016 maintained its lead over 2015, by the tiniest of margins, $1.34 billion to $1.33 billion. With a difference of 0.5% or $6 million, the lead will likely disappear during the week, but 2016 should get it back when Deadpool debuts this Friday. More...

Weekend Estimates: Panda holds off Caesar on Super Bowl weekend

February 7th, 2016

Super Bowl weekend isn’t exactly known for super-sized box office results, and this year will prove to be no exception, with Kung Fu Panda 3 comfortably winning the weekend with $21 million, down 49% from its debut. Hail, Caesar! will land in second place with $11.4 million or so, which is a decent performance from 2,232 theaters, although quite a bit softer than The Ladykillers’ $12.6 million first outing from 1,583 theaters back in 2004, and well behind the kind of numbers posted by True Grit. More...

Friday Estimates: Panda Buries Caesar

February 6th, 2016

Kung Fu Panda 3 will easily win the race for top spot at the weekend box office. Not only did it earn first place on Friday with $5.2 million, but of all of the wide releases, it will be among the least affected by Super Bowl Sunday. Unfortunately, this is still a little lower than predicted and it will likely only earn just over $20 million over the weekend. Its worldwide total is closing in on its production budget and it has barely started its international run, so there’s plenty of reason for DreamWorks to be happy, and there’s justification for another installment in the franchise. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Hail Storms into Theaters

February 5th, 2016

Hail, Caesar! got off to a relatively good start on Thursday earning $543,000 at 1,815 theaters. This puts it in between the previews for Dirty Grandpa and The 5th Wave, meaning it is on pace for close to $11 million over the weekend. Its positive reviews could help it over $11 million, which would match predictions perfectly. More...

Weekend Predictions: Hail, Holdovers!

February 4th, 2016

It's a new month and there are three wide releases trying to score and get February off to a fast start. That's probably not going to happen. Not only do the wide releases have to deal with Kung Fu Panda 3, but it is also Super Bowl Weekend with the Carolina Idontknows Playing the Dever Somethingabouthorses. ... Once the Seattle Seahawks were eliminated, I completely stopped caring about the NFL. The best new release of the week is Hail, Caesar!, which is the only film with a real shot at becoming a midlevel hit. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies started out with mixed reviews, but that might not be a dealbreaker for its target audience. Finally there's The Choice. There are still not enough reviews for a Tomatometer Score and the buzz appears to be getting worse. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water led the way this weekend last year, with more than all three new releases will earn this year. More...

International Box Office: Panda Tops Chinese Box Office earning $75.7 million Internationally

February 4th, 2016

Kung Fu Panda 3 opened in first place on the international chart with $75.7 million in six markets over the weekend. This includes a first place, $50.77 million over the weekend in China for a total opening of $57.47 million. The film also earned first place in South Korea with $9.14 million on 1,364 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $10.54 million. Its other major market opening was in Russia, where it topped the chart with $4.71 million on 1,190 screens. The film will clearly do better internationally than it will domestically. It is too soon to tell how well it will do worldwide when compared to the other films in the franchise. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Kung Fu Wins with $41.28 million lifting Box Office Along the Way

February 2nd, 2016

Kung Fu Panda 3 led the way during the weekend with $41.28 million over the weekend. This was below admittedly optimistic predictions, but still great for this time of year. The rest of the new releases were not as strong and it is likely all three will lose money in the end. Fortunately, Kung Fu Panda 3 was strong enough to help the overall box office grow. The overall box office rose 22% to $139 million. More impressively, and more importantly, the box office was 38% higher than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2016 has pulled in $1.01 billion, reaching the $1 billion mark faster than last year. It wasn't the fastest year to get there, as 2010 holds that record thanks to Avatar. 2016 has regained the lead over 2015 at 1.9% or $19 million. Obviously the usually caveats apply here: It is far too early and that lead is far too small to be of real significance. That said, it is always better to be ahead than to be behind, no matter how small that lead it. More...

Weekend Predictions: Kung Fu vs. Sniper

January 28th, 2016

There are three, three and a half, wide releases coming out this week. (I've seen reports that Jane Got a Gun is opening in 600 to 1,200 theaters. Even the high end will likely keep it out of the top ten.) Of the three truly wide releases, only Kung Fu Panda 3 is expected to be a significant hit. In fact, it will likely earn more than the rest of the top five combined. On the other hand, The Finest Hours will likely bomb compared to its $85 million production budget, while Fifty Shades of Black will be a financial hit only because its production budget is very low. This means for Kung Fu Panda 3 the only real competition is from last year, when American Sniper earned $30.66 million. Kung Fu Panda 3 should top that by about $20 million. Additionally, no other film earned more than $10 million last year, while this year there could be five films in the top five reaching that mark. 2016 should bounce back in the year-over-year comparison after two soft weeks. More...

International Box Office: The Revenant Rises to First with $33.8 Million

January 28th, 2016

The Revenant rose to first place with $33.8 million in 48 markets for totals of $104.5 million internationally and $223.7 million worldwide. This includes a first place opening in Mexico with $5.3 million, but its biggest market was the U.K. with $5.51 million in 623 theaters for a two-week total of $17.16 million. The film will need to reach at least $300 million to break even any time soon, but that seems likely at this pace. More...

Weekend Estimates: The Revenant wins chilly weekend with $16 million

January 24th, 2016

With the weekend jam-packed with new releases and Oscar hopefuls, and thrown off course by Winter Storm Jonas, it’s perhaps fitting that a tale of battles against the elements will come out on top. The Revenant will be down 50% from last weekend’s MLK Holiday-inflated number to $16 million, but that will be enough to leapfrog over Ride Along 2 and into first place. The Leonardo DiCaprio film, which remains a good bet for a fistful of Oscars, although perhaps not the major prize, has $119 million to date. Also overtaking Ride Along 2 to move back to second place is Star Wars: The Force Awakens with $14.26 million for a weekend and $879.3 million in total to date. With $1.06 billion internationally, the film is drawing close to becoming the third film to earn over $2 billion worldwide. More...

Friday Estimates: New Releases Struggle as Revenant Hangs Tough

January 23rd, 2016

While some are blaming the storm for hurting Friday night box office numbers, I think it is wiser to point the finger at the reviews instead. So far, The Boy has earned the best reviews, but with a Tomatometer Score of just 23% positive, that's damning it with faint praise. At the box office, Dirty Grandpa did the best of the new releases, earning second place with $4.2 million. It's early in the year, but it is safe to say its 7% positive reviews will be among the worst of any 2016 release when the year is over. Its CinemaScore was just a B, which is bad. Remember, CinemaScore is based on ratings given to a movie by people who were interested enough to see it on opening day. Anything less than a B+ suggests poor word-of-mouth. It did earn about about 10% more than That Awkward Moment's opening day. Additionally, That Awkward Moment had to deal with The Super Bowl on Sunday, so Dirty Grandpa should have better legs and should pull in $11 million. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Fifth Wave Open in the Top Five?

January 21st, 2016

Three wide releases are coming out this week, all of which are expected to earn similar openings. None of which are expected to compete for the top five. The 5th Wave is the latest Young Adult Adaptation and as I'm writing this at about 10 am on Thursday, it is still the only new release with any reviews. Dirty Grandpa is the widest release of the week, but with no reviews, it is hard to judge how well it will do. Finally there's The Boy. If it can match The Forest, I'm sure STX Entertainment will be happy. The weakness in the new releases doesn't mean we won't have a new number one film, as The Revenant seems poised to climb to first place over the weekend. This weekend last year, American Sniper remained dominant with nearly $65 million. It's a near certainty that all three new releases won't make that much this year. There's a chance the top five combined won't make that much this year. 2016 is going to lose in the year-over-year comparison. More...

International Box Office: The Force Awakens Likely Finishes its First Place run with $47.3 Million

January 21st, 2016

Star Wars: The Force Awakens earned first place on the international chart with $47.3 million over the weekend for totals of $1.012 billion internationally for a worldwide total of $1.865 billion. It became the third film released in 2015 to hit $1 billion internationally and the fifth film of All-Time to do so. However, without any more market lefts to open in, there is a good chance the film will fade away before catching up to Furious 7, meaning there will be no "undisputed" box office champion this year. This won't affect the bottom-line, but it will be a bragging point for Furious 7. As for individual markets, the film earned $44.04 million in China, for the full week, for a nine-day total of $97.46 million. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Ride Along Rides the Wave to the Top with $41.01 Million

January 20th, 2016

As anticipated, Ride Along 2 earned first place over the long weekend earning more than it cost to make in just four days. The other two wide releases were less successful. Despite costing more to make, 13 Hours earned less than half Ride Along 2 opened with, while the less said about Norm of the North, the better. Star Wars: The Force Awakens was pushed into third place over the three-day weekend, but it rose to first place on the daily chart on Monday. It is not done yet. The overall, the three-day weekend was up 4.2% from last weekend; however, it was down 18% from last year. This is not surprising, as this weekend last year, American Sniper set the record for biggest January weekend. Year-to-date, 2016 has pulled in $693 million, giving 2016 an early lead over 2015. That lead was cut to 5.9% or $39 million and will likely be cut further next weekend. Hopefully it won't be entirely gone. More...

Friday Estimates: Riding High...ish

January 16th, 2016

As expected, Ride Along 2 earned first place on Friday, but it was a little softer than anticipated. The film earned $12 million during its first day of release, which is 17% less than Ride Along opened with back in 2014. Because this film is a sequel and the reviews are so weak, it will likely have a smaller internal multiplier. Additionally, Ride Along 2 cost more than the first film cost to make. That said, it still only cost $40 million and it looks like it will earn close to that much during its four-day weekend. There will be a part three of the franchise. They are just too profitable not to make another. More...

2015 Awards Season: Oscars - Nominations

January 15th, 2016

The Oscar nominations were announced at 5:30 am Pacific time. Nothing is good that early in the morning. Worse still, this was a terrible year for snubs, especially when it comes to diversity of the nominees. The voters for the Oscars are 94% white and 77% male... but that's still more diverse than the list of nominees. The Revenant led the way with 12 nominations and it is expected to win a few of those, while it is a serious contender in most of the categories it was nominated in. More...

Weekend Predictions: Along for the Ride

January 14th, 2016

Star Wars: The Force Awakens will finally relinquish its hold on the weekend box office and there are three new releases looking to grab as much of the box office share as they can. Ride Along 2 is the film with the best shot at first place, assuming its reviews don't kill it. The Revenant should have one of the best week-to-week declines, thanks in part to its Awards Season success. 13 Hours looks like a solid top-five film, but not a major hit, while Norm of the North is just hoping not to embarrass itself. This weekend last year, American Sniper expanded wide and set the record for biggest January weekend. That record fell earlier this year, but that's not a lot of comfort for this weekend, as all three new releases combined won't match American Sniper's haul. 2016's winning streak will end at two weeks. Hopefully the upcoming losing streak won't be much longer than that. More...

International Box Office: The Force Awakens earns $53.17 million in two-day Chinese Debut

January 13th, 2016

Last weekend, Star Wars: The Force Awakens was the only Hollywood film in the top five on the International Chart. This week, there were four Hollywood titles in the top five, again led by The Force Awakens. The film earned $104.3 million over the weekend for a total of $921.4 million internationally and $1.734 billion worldwide. It is now the biggest release of 2015 worldwide, but it is fourth on the yearly international chart. This past weekend, the film opened in first place in China with $53.17 million, but that was only over two days. This includes a record Saturday opening of $32.16 million. Meanwhile, the film has climbed into first place on the all-time chart in the U.K. with $162.03 million, putting it ahead of Skyfall. More...

Theater Averages: Anomalisa Leads Uneventful Chart with $12,738

January 13th, 2016

There were only three films in the $10,000 club this weekend and all of them were holdovers. Leading the way was Anomalisa with an average of $12,738 in 17 theaters. At this pace, the film will earn some measure of mainstream success. However, unless it wins an Oscar, it likely won't match its $8 million production budget in theaters. The Revenant slipped into second place with $11,801, while the overall number one film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, was next with $10,245. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: The Schwartz is still Strong with Star Wars as it Earns $42.35 Million

January 12th, 2016

Star Wars: The Force Awakens earned first place on the weekend chart for the fourth time and likely the last time. It was a close race, as The Revenant beat expectations; meanwhile, The Forest was very solid as counter-programming. The overall box office was $159 million, which is 28% less than last weekend, but 26% more than the same weekend last year. After just two weeks, 2016 is 19% / $70 million above 2015's pace. Granted, it is way too early to make any long terms predictions and next weekend will be brutal for 2016 in the year-over-year comparison, but every little bit now will help at the end of the year. More...

Weekend Estimates: Star Wars tops $800 million, Revenant impressive on debut

January 10th, 2016

The Force Awakens will become the first movie to hit $800 million at the domestic box office today, according to Disney’s estimates released on Sunday. With a $41.6 million weekend, the film moves to $812 million in total domestically, becoming the second-highest-grossing Star Wars movie adjusted for inflation, ahead of The Empire Strikes Back’s inflation-adjusted $808 million. It should pass Avatar’s inflation-adjusted $826 million this week. Perhaps the biggest news of the weekend, however, comes from overseas. More...

Friday Estimates: Revenant Mauls Star Wars

January 9th, 2016

The Revenant earned first place on Friday with $14 million at the box office, well ahead of Star Wars: The Force Awakens’s daily haul of $11 million. The Revenant did have two weeks of limited release and that might have a small positive effect on its internal multiplier this weekend. However, The Force Awakens is a true holdover and holdovers tend to climb much more on Saturday than new releases do. Both films should earn about the same over the three day weekend with $35 million to $38 million. More...

2015 - Awards Season: BAFTA - Nominations

January 9th, 2016

The BAFTA nominations were announced and you can read them on their site... in alphabetical order. Alphabetical order is very useful in most circumstances, but not here. On the other hand, the nominees within each category are not presented in alphabetical order. ... Are the BAFTAs trolling us? As for the actual nominees, the big winners here are Bridge of Spies and Carol, both of which earned nine nominations. For Carol, this is just another impressive score, but this was a pleasant surprise for Bridge of Spies. More...

Weekend Predictions: How will Revenant and Forest Weather the Star Wars Storm?

January 7th, 2016

The big news this week was Star Wars: The Force Awakens being officially crowned the All-Time Domestic Box Office champion. It should follow-up that news with yet another first place finish on the weekend box office. There are two films trying to take its crown: The Forest and The Revenant. The Revenant is a very likely Oscar winner and has performed phenomenally well in limited release, so it has a real shot at box office success this weekend. On the other hand, The Forest is a low-budget horror film that is just hoping to land in the top five. This weekend last year was led by Taken 3 with just under $40 million over the weekend, while Selma earned second place with $11 million. The Force Awakens might make more than those two films combined, but even if it doesn't, the one-two punch of The Force Awakens plus The Revenant will give 2016 an easy win in the year-over-year comparison. More...

Star Wars: The Force Awakens overtakes Avatar’s $761 million

January 6th, 2016

We don't have the final Wednesday numbers, but it was announced that Star Wars: The Force Awakens has overtaken Avatar to become the All-Time Domestic Box Office Champ. This is far from the end for the film, as it is poised to reach $800 million over the weekend and it has $900 million domestically within its sights. The film hasn't entered the top ten on the All-Time International Box Office, but will continue to climb that chart as well. So while the number of stories we do for The Force Awakens will slow down, there's still plenty of newsworthy events ahead. And of course, we will track its daily numbers on the box office section of the site until it is out of theaters entirely. More...

International Box Office: The Force Awakens tops $1.5 Billion Ahead of Chinese Debut

January 6th, 2016

It's an odd week on the international box office chart, as Star Wars: The Force Awakens is the only Hollywood film in the top five. The latest Star Wars instalment earned $96.3 million over the weekend for an international total of $770.5 million. Its Worldwide total rose to $1.513 billion. At the end of business on Sunday, the film was in third place for the year on the worldwide chart, but that has since changed. It is also in fifth place on the yearly international chart. However, the film opens in China this week and it could jump into third place just due to its opening in that territory. More...

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Reaches $750 Million in just 18 Days

January 5th, 2016

Before Star Wars: The Force Awakens came out there had only been one film to reach the $750 million milestone. That film was Avatar, and it took the film 253 days, and a late summer re-release, to get there. The Force Awakens reached the milestone in just 18 days. The latest Star Wars installment earned $8.02 million on Monday for a running tally of $750.23 million. Avatar finished with $760.51 million, a figure The Force Awakens will top in two days, at the most. Meanwhile, it should have no problem becoming the first film to ever hit $800 million domestically and will do so over the weekend. More...

Theater Averages: Revenant Remains Potent with Average of $111,957

January 5th, 2016

The Revenant remained on top of the theater average chart dipping just 6% to an average of $111,957 in four theaters. That's amazing and it bodes very well for its chances during its wide expansion this weekend. Furthermore, there are some major Awards Season events this week that could boost ticket sales even more. Anomalisa was well back in second place, but it still had an impressive opening with an average of $33,806 over the weekend and an average of $52,658 during its five-day opening. Star Wars: The Force Awakens was next with an average of $21,829. Chimes at Midnight earned $20,480 in one theater during its re-release, while Only Yesterday earned $14,970, also in one theater. The latter film is yet another success for GKIDS; this is the only studio that routinely has success with animated films in limited release. 45 Years remained in the $10,000 club with an average of $14,588 in six theaters. It doubled its theater count, but the average only fell 33% and that's a great sign for further expansion. Mr. Six is the fourth holdover in the $10,000 club earning an average of $10,406 in 28 theaters. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Star Wars misses its third Century Mark, Still Sets Multiple Records with $90.24 Million

January 4th, 2016

As expected, Star Wars: The Force Awakens dominated the weekend box office earning $90.24 million, breaking several records along the way. However, it did fall 40% over the weekend, which is a lot for this time of year. It appears The Force Awakens is acting more like a typical blockbuster hit and less like the typically leggy December release. That said, I don't think Disney is disappointed with the results so far. On the other hand, The Hateful Eight got off to a disappointing start earning third place with just a fraction of Django Unchained's opening weekend. The overall box office was down from last week, but was still an incredible $219 million. This was 26% lower than last week, but 41% higher than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date is a little less useful, as 2016 is only 3 days old, but it is 27% higher than 2015 was after the first weekend. This is even more impressive, as 2015 had an extra day before the weekend.

More...

Weekend Estimates: Force aweakens with $88.3 million weekend

January 3rd, 2016

This weekend sees the first signs of a slow-down at the box office for The Force Awakens, which will be down 41% from last weekend, according to Disney’s Sunday morning estimate. That’s the worst comparative performance in the top ten, and much weaker than Avatar’s 9% decline the same weekend in 2010. Such statistics are fairly academic when you already have $700 million in the bank domestically, though, and Star Wars’ momentum coming out of the holidays is such that it will register the biggest ever New Year’s weekend, and the biggest-ever 3rd weekend, overtaking Avatar’s $68.5 million. With $770.5 million overseas so far, its global total is now over $1.5 billion, putting it in the top six all time, and guaranteeing it will end in the top three, with only Titanic and Avatar left to shoot for. More...

Friday Estimates: Star Wars is Top of the Class of 2015 with $686.43 Million

January 2nd, 2016

It took just 15 days for Star Wars: The Force Awakens to overtake Jurassic World’s final domestic box office. On Friday, the film earned an easy first place with $34.46 million to push its running tally to $686.43 million. Not only is this the best domestic box office for a film released in 2015, it is more than enough to overtake Titanic and push it into second place All-Time. As for the film’s weekend projection, we are looking at a $95 million weekend, plus or minus $5 million. It is possible the film could crack $100 million over the weekend, but very unlikely. That said, it has already broken a couple of major records—Fastest to $650 million and Biggest Domestic Hit of 2015—and will likely break a few more over the weekend (Fastest to $700 million, Biggest third weekend, and Biggest January weekend). More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Hateful Experience any Love? Will Star Wars hit the Century Mark?

December 31st, 2015

There are two questions that are being asked about this weekend. Firstly, will Star Wars: The Force Awakens become the first film to earn $100 million three weekends in a row? Secondly, will The Hateful Eight live up to Django Unchained? I'm going to say no to both, but the former is much more likely than the latter. The rest of the top five should look the same as last time, with Daddy's Home being the best of the holdovers. The Force Awakens should earn more than the top five did last year, giving 2016 a fast start on the year-over-year comparison.

One last note, there are only two limited releases this week, including Anomalisa, which we previously talked about. The only other limited release is Devil and Angel, which has no reviews, so there's not much to talk about. Because of this, there will be no Limited Release Report this week. More...

The Force Awakens Destroys Fastest to $600 million Record

December 30th, 2015

Two surprising events happened today. Firstly, it was announced that Star Wars: The Force Awakens topped $600 million at the domestic box office yesterday. I wasn't expecting that to happen. I thought it would miss the $600 million mark and cross that milestone today. Secondly, I was surprised that The Force Awakens could still surprise me after every record it has broken so far. The film pulled in $29.53 million on Tuesday lifting its running tally to $600.95 million after just 12 days of release. The previous record for Fastest to $600 million was set by Jurassic World earlier this year at 36 days. Jurassic World shaved 11 days off the previous record, set by Avatar in 2009, and that was considered an amazing feat. Getting to $600 million three times faster than the previous record is mind-blowing. More...

International Box Office: The Force Awakens Becomes Fastest to $1 Billion

December 30th, 2015

Star Wars: The Force Awakens remained on top of the international chart with $133.3 million for a total of $546.0 million after just two weeks of release. Worldwide, the film already has $1.086 billion, putting it in the top 20 all-time after just two weeks of release, although it is still in fifth place for the year. It has been an amazing year on the top. It reached the $1 billion mark in just 12 days, beating Jurassic World's previous record by just one day. Granted, Jurassic World had China to boost its sales. The U.K. remains the film's biggest market with $98.07 million after two weeks of release, including $15.13 million this past weekend. It has also cracked $50 million in Germany ($55.28 million) and is getting close to that milestone in France ($46.14 million). One other note, 2015 became the first year the Walt Disney studio earned $5 billion worldwide in one calendar year. It is still well behind the overall record of $6.8 billion, set by Universal this year. More...

Theater Averages: Revenant Arrives with a Lively Debut of $118,640

December 29th, 2015

The Revenant had the best theater average of the week and the second best opening theater average of the year with $474,560 in four theaters for an average of $118,640. The only film to open in 2015 with a better theater average was Steve Jobs with an average of $130,381. It struggled during its wide expansion. Hopefully that won't happen here. The Hateful Eight was next with an average of $46,107 in 100 theaters. The overall number one film, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, was next with an average of $36,092. This would have been the fourth best opening weekend average for a wide release all year. 45 Years opened with an average of $21,925 in three theaters over the weekend and an average of $30,119 over its five-day opening. Daddy's Home was the second wide release in the $10,000 club with an average of $11,844. Mr. Six just missed the $10,000 club over the weekend with an average of $9,562 in 30 theaters; however, it earned an average of $12,500 over its four-day opening. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: The Force Awakens Earns $149.20 million and Daddy Hits Home Run

December 28th, 2015

Star Wars: The Force Awakens easily won the weekend race, but not by as much as anticipated. On the other hand, Daddy's Home was a surprise hit and should cruise to $100 million. None of the rest of the new releases really bombed and most will end their runs as midlevel hits. Overall, the box office fell just 5.1% from last weekend to $295 million, which is the second biggest combined weekend of all time. It was also 41% bigger than the same weekend last year and 2015's year-over-year lead grew to 7.0%. It looks like the 2015 box office will reach $11 billion when all is said and done, but we won't know for sure till we get the absolute final numbers. More...

Weekend Estimates: Star Wars’ $153 million Christmas demolishes another set of records

December 27th, 2015

The Star Wars juggernaut continues to roll through box office records all around the world this weekend. It will pass $1 billion globally today, Sunday, in just its 12th day in release—one day faster than Jurassic World. That blockbuster figure is largely thanks to an incredible $544 million after just ten days domestically, far ahead of Jurassic World’s $402 million at the same point in its run. The Force Awakens has now broken records for every milestone from $50 million to $500 million, with more to fall. The current record for fastest to $550 million is also Jurassic World, which reached the mark in 24 days. Star Wars will do it in eleven. After that, we will start looking at some serious all-time records. More...

The Force Awakens Doubles Previous Christmas Record with $49.34 Million

December 26th, 2015

Star Wars: The Force Awakens set another record by earning $49.34 million on Christmas Day. This more than doubles the previous record of $24.61 million held by Sherlock Holmes. However, this was only 79% more than it made on Christmas Eve, whereas Avatar rose 107% on the same day in its run. You can't even say Avatar had it easy due to weaker competition, so perhaps the explanation lies elsewhere. Perhaps a lot of people who were scared off by the crowds thus far decided to see the movie on Christmas Eve, because it is historically a slow day a the box office. That’s certainly what I was thinking. Because of this, I'm lowing my expectations for the weekend from $170 million to $160 million. This would have been a good opening weekend result for the film. It will be well above the current Record Second Weekend of $106.59 million by Jurassic World. More...

The Force Awaken Feels Merry with Record-Breaking Christmas Eve Haul of $27.59 Million

December 25th, 2015

Before this year, there was only one film to earn more than $10 million during Christmas Eve, Avatar, which pulled in $11.15 million. This year, Star Wars: The Force Awakens destroyed that record with $27.59 million on Thursday. More impressively, it fell just 27%, compared to the 32% drop-off Avatar dealt with back in 2009. From Saturday onwards, The Force Awakens' legs have been almost as good as Avatar's were and I'm worried I might have underestimated The Force Awakens's box office potential this weekend. More...

Star Wars’ Daily Record Streak Ends with $38.1 million Wednesday

December 24th, 2015

Star Wars: The Force Awakens wasn't able to earn first place on the Biggest Wednesday Box Office chart earning $38.1 million yesterday. However, this is the record for best non-opening Wednesday, topping the previous record of $29.07 million, held by The Transformers. Additionally, the film crossed $350 million in just six days, easily breaking the previous record of nine days, held by Jurassic World. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will The New Releases Experience Any Joy?

December 23rd, 2015

There are five wide releases / wide expansions this week, none of which will even come close to Star Wars: The Force Awakens' second weekend of release. The rest of the box office combined won't come close to The Force Awakens' sophomore stint. It looks like Daddy's Home has the advantage for second place, while Joy should be close behind. The Big Short expands wide on Wednesday and its five-day total should be close to the previous two films' three-day totals. On the downside, it looks like both Concussion and Point Break will open on the outside of the top five. The Force Awakens will make more than the entire top ten made this weekend last year, so 2015 will end the year on a very positive note in the year-over-year comparison. More...

International Box Office: The Force Awakens Sets Global Opening Record with $529 million

December 23rd, 2015

As expected, not opening in China cost Star Wars: The Force Awakens the international opening weekend record, as it earned $281 million, which is behind Jurassic World’s opening international weekend of $316.1 million. However, The Force Awakens did set the worldwide opening record with $529 million, just ahead of Jurassic World’s mark of $525 million. This is especially impressive, as Jurassic World opened with just over $100 million in China. Even a slower than expected opening in China would have given The Force Awakens the first $600 million global opening. More...

Tuesday Record Falls to The Force Awakens with $37.3 million

December 23rd, 2015

Star Wars: The Force Awakens set two more records on Tuesday with $37.3 million for the day, making it the highest grossing Tuesday of all time, just topping The Amazing Spider-Man. It won’t break the records for Wednesday or Thursday as there are too many films that have opened on those days to compete with. However, The Force Awakens did set the record for fastest to $300 million, beating Jurassic World there by three full days. The film will reached $350 million tonight and $400 million on Friday, setting records for both of those milestones too. More...

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Loves Mondays to the tune of $40.1 million

December 22nd, 2015

Another day, another record for Star Wars: The Force Awakens as it earned an estimated $40.1 million on Monday. This obliterates the previous Monday record, which was held by Spider-Man 2 at $27.66 million. It also shaved a day off the previous record for Fastest to $250 million beating Jurassic World yet again. (Jurassic World still holds the record for Biggest Saturday, so at least it is not being completely erased from the record books.) More...

Theater Averages: Star Wars Set Another Records with $59,982

December 22nd, 2015

Star Wars: The Force Awakens led the way on the theater average chart and broke the record for highest theater average for a wide release. Its average was $59,982, which is the fifth best opening theater average this year. This is just ahead of Ex Machina and just behind Carol. The Big Short fell 46% to $47,286. A 46% drop-off is bad news for a limited release most of the time, but The Force Awakens hurt all of the holdovers and I'm still bullish on its box office chances for its Wednesday expansion. Carol remained in the $10,000 for the fifth week in a row, this time earning an average of $14,446 in 16 theaters. Mojin: The Lost Legend opened with an average of $12,726 in 22 theaters, while Son of Saul was right behind with an average of $12,643. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Box Office Breaks $300 million Mark

December 21st, 2015

It's been a busy weekend for box office record watchers, as Star Wars: The Force Awakens destroyed the record book. However, it wasn't the only film playing in theaters. The Force Awakens earned $247.97 million, which by itself is the 11th biggest Combined Box Office. Add in Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip and Sisters, the new limited releases and all of the holdovers, and the total box office reached $313 million, topping the old record of $274 million. Needless to say, the overall box office was higher compared to last weekend by 304%. It was also higher than last year by a margin of 131%. Year-to-date, 2015 has earned $10.13 billion, putting it 5.9% or $560 million ahead of last year's pace. 2015's lead over 2014 grew by more than 1.5 percentage points / $160 million over just one weekend. More...

Weekend Final Numbers: Star Wars Wreaks Havoc on Record Book

December 21st, 2015

The final weekend numbers are in for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and it crushed the previous record with $247,966,675 million. This is 19% more than Jurassic World’s opening record and better than our Saturday Analysis had it pegged at. I think the reason it did so much better is the number of sold out screenings. Friday’s numbers were artificially lower, because so many screenings were sold out that people who would have gone to see the movie on Friday simply couldn’t. Additionally, the film’s reviews are among the best for any wide release this year, so the word of mouth certainly should be a factor here. We don’t have final numbers for all films that were in theaters this weekend, but yet another record has been broken: the Biggest Combined Weekend Total. More...

Weekend Estimates: Force Awakens with Projected All-Time Best $238 Million

December 20th, 2015

Disney is projecting a $238 million opening weekend for Star Wars Ep. VII: The Force Awakens as of Sunday morning, a figure that will make it, by some margin, the highest-grossing film on opening weekend at the domestic box office. Jurassic World holds the current domestic record, at $208.8 million. Given the $30 million over-performance at home, it’s perhaps a slight surprise that Star Wars isn’t also projected to take the global weekend record, with its expected $517 million falling a little behind Jurassic World’s $524.9 million debut earlier in the year. That’s one of a handful of examples of Star Wars placing second all-time as of Sunday morning, but mostly it’s been a case of broken records all round, and there’s evidence that Disney is playing things safe in their projections, so pretty much no record can be considered out of reach at this point. More...

International Box Office: Force Awakens has Fabulous Friday, but Falls Behind Jurassic World

December 19th, 2015

It looks like opening in China late could cost Star Wars: The Force Awakens the record for biggest international opening weekend. The film added $56.8 million on Friday, which is an amazing number, but it is behind the $60 million Jurassic World earned during its first Friday. The two films’ three-day running tallies are remarkably similar at $129.5 million for The Force Awakens vs. $130 million for Jurassic World. As for the new releases on Friday, Spain led the way with $3.5 million. The record for biggest opening day in that market is currently held by The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 at $3.5 million, so we are going to have to wait for final numbers to figure out if that record fell. Meanwhile, the film managed $3.2 million on Friday in Japan, toppling the previous record for opening day in that market previously held by Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. On the other hand, the film had to settle for second place in South Korea behind local hit The Himalayas. More...

International Box Office: Star Wars Adds Germany to its Record Collection

December 19th, 2015

We have more international numbers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and they are all positive. We’ve already talked about the U.K. numbers, but we learned the film opened in first place in Germany on Thursday, scoring $7.1 million, which is the biggest single day in that market. It also had the biggest opening day in Australia ($6.8 million); Brazil ($2.7 million); and many, many other smaller markets. Overall, it pulled in $58.6 million in 44 markets internationally for a two-day total of $72.7 million. With openings in Japan, Spain, and other markets on Friday, the film’s international weekend looks to be near record levels. It is currently roughly 10% ahead of Jurassic World’s two-day pace ($65.6 million), even though that film debuted in China, so if it can continue its hot streak, it will have the global opening weekend box office record ($524.42 million). After this start, even the low end of expectations has it topping $500 million worldwide over the weekend. More...

Analysis: Preview and Friday Numbers Point to $225 Million Weekend

December 19th, 2015

With a jaw-dropping $120.5 million opening day safely in the bank, thoughts turn once more to the potential opening weekend for The Force Awakens. An all-time record seems virtually guaranteed, but how high could the film actually go this weekend? Is $250 million likely? $275 million?? Fortunately, we have enough data from previous blockbuster openings to have a reasonable idea of the answer. The signs point to something around $225 million, but the range of uncertainty is still quite high. More...

Friday Estimates: Star Wars is an Unstoppable Force

December 19th, 2015

Star Wars: The Force Awakens not only broke the single day record, it crushed the previous mark. It became the first film to ever earn more than $100 million in a single day, blowing past that milestone with $120.5 million on Friday. So what does this mean for the rest of the weekend? I have no idea, as we are in completely uncharted territory. Well, that's not entirely true. I do know our Weekend Predictions underestimated the demand for this film. The film does have to deal with the Fanboy Effect. Films with Fanboy appeal tend to have shorter legs, because Fanboys rush out to see the movie opening day / opening weekend. However, there are factors at play here that will likely help its legs over the weekend. Firstly, the film’s word of mouth should be amazing as it is earning 95% positive reviews and an A Cinemascore. Secondly, there were a large number of sellouts opening night, so in many places the Fanboys were forced to wait, because they couldn’t get tickets. Even the low end has The Force Awakens breaking the all-time weekend record. On the high end, it could top $250 million. If the film does earn $250 million during its opening weekend, then $1 billion domestically is on the table. An opening weekend around $230 million is more likely. Our model has it earning $225 million—Bruce will have a piece on that shortly—but that still puts $800 million, and yet another record, in the film’s sights. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Star Wars is Deadly to the Competition

December 18th, 2015

Star Wars: The Force Awakens broke Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II’s record for biggest previews by scoring $57 million on Thursday evening. It didn’t just beat the old record, it destroyed it. $57 million is 31% more than the previous record of $43.5 million. This bodes very well for the film’s box office chances, both for today and for the full weekend. On the downside, there are reports that men made up 70% of the audience, which is really high. It could be that women stayed away for the most part because they were worried about the crowds and that the gender balance will be different the rest of the weekend. We should have more information on that by Monday. More...

Star Wars Forces Its Way to the Top in United Kingdom

December 18th, 2015

Another day, another record for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. This time it is the opening day record in the U.K., where the film earned $14.3 million. That’s right, the film earned more in the U.K. than it did in all 12 markets it opened in yesterday. Not only did The Force Awakens break the single-day record previously set by Spectre earlier this year, but analysts think it could double the current opening weekend record of $31.2 million, also held by Spectre. Of course, Spectre was also a Monday debut, so the comparisons are not perfect, but it does show just huge The Force Awakens will be. More...

Star Wars Starts Busting Records Around the World

December 17th, 2015

We have some early international numbers for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and it is good news all around. The film managed $14.1 million in the 12 markets where it opened on Wednesday, including $5.2 million in France. This is the biggest non-holiday opening day in that market and the second-biggest opening day of all time, behind Spectre. It opened with $2 million in Italy, which is the biggest opening day in December there, doubling the previeous record set by The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. More...

Weekend Predictions: How Big a Force Will Star Wars be at the Box Office?

December 17th, 2015

There are three wide releases this week, but only one of them matters: Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Better than anticipated reviews could help it break records over the weekend. It has already broken some box office records, becoming the first film to reach $100 million in advance ticket sales. The other wide releases are Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip and Sisters, both of which are just trying to not completely disappear. This weekend last year, the total box office was $135 million. The Force Awakens could earn nearly 50% more than that and some would still see it as a disappointment. 2015 should extend its lead over 2014 by more than $100 million. More...

Critics go Mad for The Force Awakens [No Spoilers]

December 16th, 2015

The review embargo for Star Wars: The Force Awakens was lifted at midnight, and there are now over 100 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Before we get into the specifics, let’s talk about some benchmarks. If the film’s reviews were in line with The Phantom Menace’s, then it would be in trouble. On the other hand, I would be satisfied if it merely matched Revenge of the Sith or Return of the Jedi, both of which earned 79% positive. Anything above 85% positive reviews would be a major success. So what is The Force Awakens’ Tomatometer Score? More...

Star Wars’ Path to Avatar’s Three Titanic Records

December 15th, 2015

Its Tuesday the 15th and you know what that means? It’s just a week away from the Steam Winter Sale!!! ... Also, Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in just over 48 hours. Today we look at just how big The Force Awakens can be. Can it become the biggest hit of all time? If so, what path would it have to take to get there? More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Box Office is Left Hungry

December 14th, 2015

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 remained in first place for the fourth weekend in a row, which is terrible news for the box office. A film repeating on top happens a lot, but to get to four weeks in a row, it means the new releases have been particularly weak. That was the case this week, as In the Heart of the Sea had to settle for second place with well below expectations. Overall, the box office fell 21% from last weekend to $78 million. This is 7.2% lower than the same weekend last year. Had In the Heart of the Sea merely matched predictions, then 2015 would have won in the year-over-year competition. Year-to-date, 2015 has earned $9.79 billion, putting it almost exactly $400 million ahead of last year's pace. More...

Weekend Estimates: Mockingjay Cruises On

December 13th, 2015

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay—Part 2 will cruise to another victory at the box office this weekend, for the simple reason that In the Heart of the Sea is having a terrible opening. Mockingjay will be down another 40% in its fourth weekend, and will pick up a relatively modest $11.3 million, taking its domestic total to $244.5 million. That confirms it as comfortably the worst-performing film in the franchise, and even a Christmas-season boost at the box office will leave it under $300 million in total. That, however, is unimaginable riches compared to the performance of Heart of the Sea. More...

Contest: Christmas Wish

December 11th, 2015

While there are three wide releases next weekend, only one of them matters, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. It is the only real choice for the target film in this week's Box Office Prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for Star Wars: The Force Awakens.

Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a Frankenprize consisting of two DVDs. Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will win a Frankenprize consisting of two DVDs. Finally, we will be choosing an entrant from the group of people who haven't won, or haven't won recently, and they will also win a Frankenprize consisting of two DVDs. There is a difference this time. Two people will earn Frankenprizes consisting of two Christmas Movies, Crown for Christmas and Tis the Season for Love. The other winner will earn a Frankprize consisting of two "lumps of coal" movies.

Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

Eight Records Star Wars Needs to Break

December 10th, 2015

Expectations are a dual-edged sword. On the one hand, great expectations can drive people to theaters when they might not otherwise do so. On the other hand, great expectations can mean a movie could open with $100 million and still be considered a disappointment. Today, we list the eight records that Star Wars: The Force Awakens needs to break to be considered an unqualified success. It doesn’t need to break all of them, but it will need to break at least half of them. Unlike our previous article, when we ranked the records by how likely they were to fall, this time we are ranking them in chronological order. This way you can play along and tell immediately if The Force Awakens will merely be a blockbuster, or something special. More...

Six Records Star Wars is Certain to Break

December 8th, 2015

The Force Awakens opens in theaters in less than two weeks, and the hype is growing. In fact, it now looks like the film could break well over a dozen major records during its box office run, not including some of the more esoteric records, like biggest non-opening Wednesday (currently $29.07 million, and held by Transformers, in case you were wondering.) That’s a lot records to keep track of. So in the lead up to the launch, we will be looking at these possible records divided into three groups. Today, we are going to look at the records we think are the most likely to fall: the ones we think have a 90% chance or better of being broken by The Force Awakens. In fact, in some cases, they have already fallen. More...

2015 Preview: December

December 1st, 2015

November ended on a positive note with a strong Thanksgiving weekend. Even so, the overall numbers were mixed with a lot of misses mixed in with a few hits. It was better than October and we will call that a victory. Meanwhile, December is potentially record-breaking. Actually, given the evidence, it is almost assuredly going to be record-breaking. Star Wars: The Force Awakens has already set a record for the most money taken from ticket pre-sales and the biggest December weekend will fall. The pre-orders alone will guarantee that. On the downside, it is very likely that no film will make as much in total as The Force Awakens will make during its opening weekend. There's a chance no film makes in total as much as The Force Awakens makes during its opening day. There are a few films that have a shot at $100 million. For example, Joy should get there, if it becomes a major player during Awards Season. If not, it will at least come close. Daddy's Home, and to a lesser extent Sisters, could be surprise $100 million hits. However, like the rest of 2015, December is shaping up to be a month of a record-breaking hit and a lot of films that struggle just to get noticed. On the other hand, last December, was a lot more balanced at the top with four films earning more than $100 million, led by The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. There's a chance The Force Awakens earns more than all four $100 million hits from last year earned combined. More...