September 20th, 2010
Some of the summer blockbusters are starting to filter their way onto the home market, but this week's list is still dominated by TV on DVD releases like Castle: Season Two, Modern Family: Season One, and 30 Rock: Season Four. All three of which were in contention for Pick of the Week, as were The Secret in Their Eyes on Blu-ray and Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue on Blu-ray / DVD Combo. In the end I went with Modern Family: Season One on Blu-ray.
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June 29th, 2010
Restrepo opened in top spot on the per theater chart with an average of $17,791 in two theaters. This was just a hair above Cyrus' average of $17,719 during its second weekend of release. Further expansion is all but assured, as are at least a couple of earning milestones. Toy Story 3 remained in top spot on the overall chart, earning an average of $14,731. Meanwhile, a fellow wide release, Grown Ups, was the only other film in the $10,000 club, opening with an average of $11,462.
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June 14th, 2010
Limited releases haven't had a single major hit this summer so far, but that may have changed this weekend as there were a number of new releases that topped the $10,000 mark on the per theater chart. Leading the way was Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work with an average of $23,479 in seven theaters. Winter's Bone was next with an average of $21,222 in four theaters. Both films have a real shot at expansion. The Lottery was also strong, with an average of $16,435. The overall box office leader, The Karate Kid, was close behind with an average of $15,197. Coco Chanel and Igor Stravinsky was in a virtual tie with Kid, opening with an average of $14,818 in three theaters.
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June 2nd, 2010
Agora opened on top of the per theater chart with an average of $16,631 in two theaters. This is enough to suggest that it has some potential to expand, but not enough to suggest that it will put a dent in its $70 million production budget. Solitary Man remained strong with an average of $14,047 in six theaters. It too should expand. The Cremaster Cycle made an appearance on the chart with $11,796 in one theater, while Micmacs was close behind with an average of $10,688 in four theaters.
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May 18th, 2010
Just like they did in the overall box office, Iron Man 2 and Robin Hood top the per theater chart, finishing in the same order. It was a close race with Iron Man 2 coming out on top, $11,854 to $10,295.
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May 5th, 2010
Please Give opened on top of the per theater chart with an impressive average of $23,625 in 5 theaters. This suggests significant room for expansion. With summer less than a week away, it could even be the first limited release of the season to expand enough to earn some measure of mainstream success. It wouldn't be the first Nicole Holofcener film to do so. The Human Centipede earned $12,424 in its lone theater during its opening weekend. Meanwhile, the overall box office leader, A Nightmare on Elm Street, just missed the $10,000 club with an average of $9,875.
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April 27th, 2010
During the second weekend of its release, Exit Through the Gift Shop rose to the top spot on the per theater chart, with an average of $13,356 in 11 theaters. The Secret in Their Eyes was the only other film in the $10,000 club, with an average of $10,911 in 33 theaters for its sophomore stint. In both cases, some further expansion is likely.
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April 25th, 2010
In another sign of the dominance of 3D at the box office right now, How to Train Your Dragon enjoyed another strong performance and returned to the top of the box office chart this weekend, according to studio estimates released on Sunday.
With a drop of just 23% from last weekend, Dragon now stands at $178 million, and it's likely to grow that number considerably between now and the release of Shrek Forever After on May 21.
The Back-up Plan, meanwhile, posted a somewhat disappointing $12.25 million.
That's considerably better than CBS Films' previous release, Extraordinary Measures, but decidedly middle-of-the-pack compared to Jennfier Lopez' other opening weekends.
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April 20th, 2010
The City of Your Final Destination rode its pedigree to first place with $24,401 in its one theater, while Exit Through the Gift Shop was very close behind with an average of $21,345 in eight theaters. The Secret in Their Eyes opened in third place with an average of $16,787 in ten theaters. Of these three films, Exit earned the best reviews. However, the Oscar winning Secret could have the best long-term success.
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April 18th, 2010
Another impressive hold from How to Train Your Dragon combined with a lacklustre opening for Kick-Ass to produce a second consecutive weekend where Sunday's estimates are too close to declare a weekend winner.
Paramount's estimate for Dragon is $20 million, while Lionsgate has Kick-Ass pegged at $19.75 million.
Lionsgate's second place position now may simply be because they've posted a more precise estimate.
Remarkably, there are three more movies within $5 million of top spot: Death at a Funeral opened with $17 million, which is just behind Date Night's second weekend $17.3 million (down just 31%), and Clash of the Titans did pretty well in its third weekend with an estimated $15.77 million.
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April 16th, 2010
While there are only five limited releases on this week's list, two of them are opening in more than 100 theaters. However, both of those films are only earning mixed reviews. The best-reviewed limited release of the week is Exit Through the Gift Shop, which currently has 100% positive reviews. Hopefully that will translate into a strong start at the box office.
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