December 22nd, 2016
We listed the first-run releases, TV on DVD releases and Classics. The final installment includes some books, music, and anything I forgot before. And let’s be honest, there’s a couple of late screeners on this list, because I don’t have time to review them.
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July 4th, 2016
It's a strange week on the home market, as there are no first-run releases and very few other releases to make up the difference. There are some contenders for Pick of the Week, but all of them are foreign-language films, which is again odd. In fact, two of them, Only Yesterday and The Boy and the World, are animated. However, in the end, I went with The Mermaid, which deserves to be seen by more and Blu-ray is a great way to see it.
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May 17th, 2016
The Deadpool Blu-ray arrived last Tuesday, which is par for course for Fox, as their screeners always seem to arrive as late as possible while still technically not being late. There are updates below with the extras. On a side note, the film is so good, I was tempted to make it the Pick of the Week for the second week in a row. However, in the end I went with Dark Passage, a classic Film Noir with a famous hook. The Blu-ray is the Pick of the Week.
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March 16th, 2016
Eye in the Sky opened on first place on the per theater chart with an average of $22,761 in five theaters. This opening, plus its reviews, suggest it could do well in wider release. Likewise, Hello, My Name is Doris earned an average of $21,246 in four theaters while its Tomatometer Score is 90% positive. It could also earn some measure of mainstream success. City of Gold did very well for a documentary with an average of $15,740, also in four theaters. The overall number one film, Zootopia, earned an average of $13,415. Remember was the latest A24 to do well with an average of $10,245 in two theaters.
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March 3rd, 2016
Deadpool reached two milestones this weekend topping $300 million internationally and $600 million worldwide. Over the weekend, the film added $40.2 million in 74 markets to its running tally, which now sits at $324.1 million internationally and $609.4 million worldwide. At this pace, the film will have no trouble getting to $400 million internationally and $700 million worldwide. It is massively profitable, but I am worried the studio will double, or triple, the production budget of the sequel and then insist on more control over the process, because the stakes are higher.
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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%.
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February 24th, 2016
The Mermaid led the way as far as limited releases were concerned with $985,000 in 35 theaters for an average of $28,144. The film has broken records in China, which we will talk about more tomorrow with the international top five. The Embrace of the Serpent was next with an average of $16,985 in three theaters over the weekend, while it earned an average of $20,721 during its five-day opening. The only other film in the $10,000 club was Deadpool with an average of $15,172. On a related note, Warner Bros. has announced an R-rated Blu-ray for Batman v. Superman. The is the wrong lesson to learn from the success of Deadpool.
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February 21st, 2016
After a $132 million opening, Deadpool wasn’t under much threat at the top of the chart this weekend, so a fairly sharp 58% decline to $55 million this weekend still leaves it dominant in movie theaters. That softness might be a slight concern going forwards, but for now Fox is reveling in having a February hit that has already grossed close to $500 million worldwide (Sunday’s official estimate is $491.9 million), and having Kung Fu Panda 3 hold on to second place with $12.5 million in its fourth weekend for a domestic total of $117 million. That left the three new wide releases fighting for places lower down the chart, although their performance was by no means all doom and gloom.
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February 19th, 2016
It's a short list this week, but there are more than a few films worth talking about. The Mermaid is by far the biggest and it has already earned close to $300 million worldwide. Additionally, its director, Stephen Chow, has had some box office success here in the past. Unfortunately, it has No Reviews on Rotten Tomatoes, so it is hard to tell if it deserves breakout success here.
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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 .
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