September 19th, 2013
New releases were even worse on the July 7th, 2013 edition of the Blu-ray sales chart than they were on the DVD sales chart. Leading the way was Despicable Me with 88,000 units / $1.23 million for the week and 2.35 million units / $58.37 million after more than two-and-a-half years of release. This puts it just outside of the top 20 on the All-Time Blu-ray Chart, and it has already made it there as of the writing of this column.
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September 19th, 2013
The new releases were terrible this week with only two of them reaching the top 30 and none of them reached the top 5 on the July 7th, 2013 DVD sales chart. Despicable Me rose to first place with 196,000 units / $2.19 million for the week for totals of 8.96 million units / $147.10 million.
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September 12th, 2013
There were only three new releases to chart on the June 30th, 2013 edition of the Blu-ray sales chart, but all three of them reached the top ten. That said, Jack the Giant Killer remained in first place with 90,000 units / $2.24 million over the week for a total of 313,000 units / $7.40 million after two.
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September 12th, 2013
There was a quartet of new releases spread throughout the June 30th, 2013 edition of the DVD sales chart. None were major hits, but at least The Call earned first place with 225,000 units / $3.88 million during its first week of release. It was only a midlevel hit at the box office, so this opening is on par with expectations, given the current state of the overall DVD market.
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August 21st, 2013
Jack the Giant Slayer was thought to be a potential monster hit at the box office. You don't spend nearly $200 million on a movie unless you think it will be a monster hit. However, it bombed in theaters and it is doing no better on the home market. Sadly, it led this week's list of new releases, which explains why the overall Blu-ray sales were so much weaker than last week. Overall 858,000 units were sold generating $20.83 million in total sales. This was 44% lower in terms of units and 38% lower in terms of revenue. Fortunately, this was still better than last year by 16% in terms of units and 19% in terms of revenue. DVD sales held on better on a week-over-week comparison, which resulted in the overall Blu-ray share falling to 33% in terms of units and 42% in terms of revenue.
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August 21st, 2013
There were five new releases to reach the chart on the June 23rd, 2013 edition of the Blu-ray sales chart, but most of them missed the top five. Jack the Giant Slayer earned first place with 234,000 units / $5.42 million, giving it an opening week Blu-ray share of 42%. This is acceptable, but not great.
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August 21st, 2013
New releases were rather sparse on the June 23rd, 2013 edition of the DVD sales chart. Granted, Jack the Giant Slayer did earn first place, but it was the only new release in the top five. It sold 319,000 units and generated $4.79 million in revenue, which is weak given the film's production budget.
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July 29th, 2013
There were a handful of new releases to reach the top 20 on the Blu-ray sales chart this week, led by Oz the Great and Powerful, and this helped the overall Blu-ray market recover from last week. Sales were up 52% in terms of units and 46% in terms of revenue, reaching 1.58 million units / $34.71 million. Compared to last year, things were more mixed. 8% more units were sold, but 4% less revenue was generated. That's not great, but it is good enough to call it a victory. The overall Blu-ray share remained solid at 44% in terms of units and 52% in terms of revenue.
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June 18th, 2013
It's another typical summer week on the home market. That is to say, it's a bad week on the home market. There are several first-run releases, the biggest of which was Jack the Giant Killer, which bombed at the box office. There are some limited releases that help the overall quality, but it is still a bad week. As far as Pick of the Week candidates go, Quartet on DVD or Blu-ray is the best choice. One could argue it is the only choice, but there are three Criterion Collection releases that are worth checking out, as well as some horror films, both old and new, that should please genre fans. On a side note, there are six Disney Channel releases on this week's list. That's a little strange.
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April 17th, 2013
Oblivion started its international run a week before its domestic debut and it did so earning first place in 48 of the 52 markets it opened in. Overall, the film finished first with $60.43 million on 7,637 screens in 52 markets. This is a good start, but not a great start. Fortunately, the studio was only expecting a good start, so they should be happy. Its biggest market was Russia, where it earned $9.30 million on 873 screens, while it also did well in the U.K. with $7.59 million on 520. Its performance in South Korea was not as strong at $3.60 million on 631 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $4.17 million. The film had similar openings in France ($3.82 million on 574 screens) and in Australia ($3.46 million on 353). Spain ($2.95 million on 373); Mexico ($2.79 million on 1,091); and Germany ($2.77 million on 600) produced nearly identical results. Finally, Brazil ($2.09 million on 479) and Italy ($2.04 million on 503) were virtually tied. The film finished in first place in all of these markets, and going by these results, it should open in first place here with $40 million, or at least relatively close to that figure.
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April 11th, 2013
Despite falling 50%, G.I. Joe: Retaliation remained in first place on the international chart with $40.2 million on 9,220 screens in 60 markets for a two-week total of $145.2 million. This is already more than it cost to make, but this decline is troubling. Its biggest market of the weekend was Russia, where it slipped to second place with $2.57 million on 1,267 screens over the weekend for a total of $13.25 million so far.
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April 3rd, 2013
G.I. Joe: Retaliation opened in first place with $80.3 million in 54 markets, which is already more than its domestic pace, and it has yet to open in Japan and China. Clearly this film is going to do better internationally than it will domestically, which is a trend we have been seeing for a long time. The film's biggest opening came from Russia with $8.84 million on 1,267 screens. It was also the number one film in South Korea with $5.14 million on 761 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $5.98 million. Germany was close behind with $4.29 million on 461 screens for a total opening of $4.67 million. The film topped the chart in Mexico with $4.13 million on 1,503 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $5.94 million. It also earned first place in Australia ($4.04 million on 412 screens), in France ($3.42 million on 487), and in Brazil ($2.77 million on 492 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $3.08 million). On the other hand, it only managed second place in both the U.K. with $4.25 million on 419 screens and in Spain with $1.71 million on 515 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $2.51 million.
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March 31st, 2013
There's something for (almost) everyone this weekend, as a diverse group of films leads the pack over Easter. G.I. Joe: Retaliation will easily top the chart with an estimated $41.2 million from 3,719 theaters. While that's a little softer than the first film in the franchise, it can still claim a $11,000 per theater average and with a small boost from Spring Break this week it should hit $100 million domestically. Overseas prospects look even stronger. Tyler Perry's Temptation will be less of a draw internationally, but it has made a very solid start here with $22.3 million over opening weekend, also enough for a $10,000 average, and to secure third place.
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March 28th, 2013
The Croods debuted in first place on the international chart with $63.09 million on 11,709 screens in 46 markets, while its global opening was $106.73 million. The film led the way in Russia with $7.82 million on 2,166 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $12.65 million, including previews. It made $8.18 million on 521 screens in the U.K., also including previews, which was enough for an easy first place finish. Another first place victory came in Mexico, where it made $4.51 million on 1,990 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $8.80 million. It also debuted on top of the chart in Germany with $3.63 million on 728 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $4.21 million, while it had nearly identical results in Brazil with $3.35 million on 728 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $4.13 million. The film earned more number one debuts in Italy ($3.90 million on 711) and in Spain ($3.33 million on 763).
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March 21st, 2013
Oz the Great and Powerful remained in first place with $48.2 million on 10,433 screens in 55 markets for totals of $138.6 million internationally and $282.7 million worldwide. The film took top spot in France with a hair under $5.00 million on 620 screens. During its second weekend in Russia, the film added $4.93 million on 1,137 screens for a total of $21.63 million so far. At this pace, it should have no trouble earning a profit. The only question is whether or not it will get there before it reaches the home market.
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March 18th, 2013
As expected, Oz the Great and Powerful easily won the box office race this weekend matching predictions nearly perfectly. The Call was a surprise hit, but unfortunately, the other wide release for the week, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone, failed to find an audience. The overall box office fell 23% from last weekend to $107 million. Its decline from last year was much smaller at just 2.9%, but with 2013 so far behind 2012, any loss is still troubling. We really need to close the gap, which is now at 12% at $2.14 billion to $1.88 billion. Next weekend, it is just going to get worse.
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March 15th, 2013
There are two wide releases opening this week, The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and The Call, but nearly everyone thinks Oz the Great and Powerful will repeat on top of the chart. Last year, 21 Jump Street opened with $36 million. Oz should match that, but 2012 still had better depth, so 2013 could be in a little bit of trouble on the year-over-year comparison.
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March 15th, 2013
Oz the Great and Powerful began its international run in first place with $69.2 million on 11,250 screens in 46 markets. It crushed the competition is Russia with $14.65 million on 1,137 screens, but this particular market tends to reward fantasy films. It wasn't quite as strong in the U.K., but still earned first place with $5.53 million on 530 screens. It also topped the charts in Mexico ($5.26 million on 207 screens); in Australia ($4.88 million on 268); in Brazil ($4.39 million 732); Italy ($3.76 million 588); Germany ($3.74 million on 548); and in Spain ($2.62 million on 649). On the other hand, it had to settle for second place in Japan with $2.81 million on 584 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $3.50 million. It could do no better than fourth in South Korea with $1.58 million on 425 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $1.73 million. It is too soon to tell where it will end up, but this is a good start.
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March 12th, 2013
Oz the Great and Powerful matched predictions perfectly with close to $80 million. The rest of the box office was well back, but there was still reason to celebrate, as the overall box office grew 28% from last weekend to $140 million. More importantly, it rose 5.4% from last year. Even so, 2013 is still way behind 2012's pace at $1.72 billion to $1.97 billion. I don't think 2013 can recover from this deficit, especially with 2012's biggest hits yet to come.
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March 10th, 2013
After a dismal showing for Jack the Giant Slayer last weekend, and generally soft box office all year, the industry has been in need of a boost. And it is getting one this weekend, with Oz The Great and Powerful opening to a robust $80.3 million, according to Disney's Sunday estimate. That's the third-biggest March weekend of all time, which is an impressive number of course. But the two films above it, The Hunger Games ($152 million) and Alice in Wonderland ($116 million), show what a true March blowout looks like, and this debut is much closer to The Lorax, which debuted with $70 million this time last year. That film went on to make $214 million domestically, and Oz will likely end up somewhere around that mark. Unless it delivers massive international numbers -- the studio has it at a very solid $69.9 million this weekend -- the film will end up basically a break-even proposition for the studio.
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March 7th, 2013
There are two wide releases opening this week, but their relative box office potentials could hardly be more different. Oz the Great and Powerful is opening in nearly 4,000 theaters and could make more than the rest of the box office combined. Dead Man Down, on the other hand, is opening in barely more than 2,000 theaters and on the low end of expectations, might not make the top five. The main competition for Oz is The Lorax, which opened last year with just over $70 million, while it made close to $40 million this weekend last year. If Oz fails to match that lower number, then the box office is in world of trouble. Let's be honest, the box office is already in a world of trouble, but if Oz bombs, then it is as good as dead.
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March 6th, 2013
Journey To The West: Conquering The Demons earned first place for the third weekend in a row earning $23.37 million in 8 markets for a running tally of $193.09 million. A few years ago, a Chinese film earning nearly $200 million would have been the biggest news of the year, but this is becoming almost common.
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March 6th, 2013
The winners of our Giant-Sized Prizes contest were determined and they are...
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March 4th, 2013
The box office was mostly disappointing over the weekend. Jack the Giant Slayer was able to match expectations, more or less, but this was bad news because its expectations were really low compared to its production budget. The other two wide releases, 21 and Over and The Last Exorcism Part II both struggled and failed to live up to the low end of expectations. There was a fourth film that was supposed to open wide, but in the end, Phantom opened in barely more than 1,000 theaters and didn't even come close to the Mendoza Line. The overall box office did grow by 6.0% from last weekend to $109 million. However, that was 35% lower than the same weekend last year. This is several layers of disaster. Year-to-date, 2013 has pulled in $1.55 billion, but that is 7.9% lower than 2012's pace. I don't see it getting better going forward and for the most part, the rest of the month is really bad in the year-over-year comparison.
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March 3rd, 2013
The year's first big-budget special effects extravaganza is headed for a decidedly weak opening weekend. Jack the Giant Slayer will earn about $28 million, according to Warner Bros., which is only a fraction of its reported $195 million production budget. Even with international numbers expected to be better, the film will struggle financially. The weekend's other openers are posting even more modest numbers, but benefit from having much, much lower budgets. 21 and Over is set for $9 million for Relativity and The Last Exorcism Part II will post about $8 million for CBS Films. Phantom, from new distributor RCR Media Group, will pick up a very weak $460,000 or so (they have not shared an official number with us) from 1,118 theaters, highlighting once more the challenge for new distributors in establishing a place in the market.
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March 1st, 2013
There are four wide releases this week, but only one of them, Jack the Giant Slayer, has a real shot at first place. I think 21 and Over and The Last Exorcism Part II should be in a close race for second place, but not everyone agrees. As for Phantom, most think it won't even reach the top ten. As for this weekend last year, The Lorax led the way with just over $70 million. There's no real chance any film will earn that much this weekend. In fact, there's a small chance Jack the Giant Slayer won't match Project X's opening of $21 million. It's going to be a bad weekend at the box office.
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March 1st, 2013
February is over, and for the most part, we should be very happy it is done and buried. The biggest hit of the month turned out to be Identity Thief, which will cross $100 million shortly. There were also a couple of impressive midlevel hits, like Warm Bodies and Escape from Planet Earth, but for the most part, it was miss after miss. This is bad news for March, which is not only dealing with a slumping 2013 box office, but will be compared with a strong March of 2012. Last March started with The Lorax, which earned more than $200 million. There's a good chance no March release this year will reach this milestone. Last March was also the month The Hunger Games opened, which earned more than $400 million. There's a chance the top three films opening this month won't earn that much combined. 2013 is going to take a beating in the year-over-year comparison and it is already $100 million behind last year's pace.
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February 22nd, 2013
March begins next weekend and there are four wide releases trying to make sure the month gets off to a good start. Jack the Giant Slayer is by far the biggest of these with a $150 million production budget. Unfortunately, its buzz is nowhere near as big as its production budget. Regardless, it should finish on top of the box office chart and it is the target film for this week's box office prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for Jack the Giant Slayer.
Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a copy of Weeds: Season Eight on Blu-ray.
Meanwhile, whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will win a copy of Tyler Perry's Madea Gets a Job: The Play on Blu-ray.
Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay!
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