December 24th, 2007
New releases lead the way on the rental chart but it was The Bourne Ultimatum that came out in first place with $15.44 million in rentals, which is one of the best opening weeks this year.
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December 17th, 2007
Only five new releases landed on the sales chart this week, but that included the top two sellers.
Leading the way was Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End with a year's best weekly sales of 7.35 million units and total revenue of $145.06 million, which crushes The Transformers' opening week by nearly 2 million units.
In fact, after just one week, At World's End is in fourth place for the whole year.
At this pace, it could be the biggest seller of the year by next week.
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December 17th, 2007
Like it was on the sales chart, new releases took the top two spots on the DVD rental chart.
However, they finished in the opposite order as Superbad beat out Pirates of the Caribbean - At World's End $13.97 million to $9.54 million.
Superbad's performance here compared to its performance on the sales chart may be explained either as a clear case of Try-Before-You-Buy, or it may be a lot of people interested in seeing it are expecting to get it for Christmas.
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December 10th, 2007
There were no new releases to reach the top five on the sales chart this week and this left Live Free or Die Hard in first place with 716,000 units sold this week.
That raises its total sales to 2.78 million units and $47.60 million.
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December 10th, 2007
Only one new releases managed to reach the top five leaving Live Free or Die Hard with a clear number one finish adding $10.26 million to its total of $22.68 million after two weeks of release.
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December 3rd, 2007
New releases were not plentiful on the sales chart this week, but they dominated the top five by taking three spots.
This includes Live Free or Die Hard in first place with 2.06 million units sold and $35.11 million in total sales.
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December 3rd, 2007
Like on the sales chart, Live Free or Die Hard led the way in rentals with $12.42 million during its first week of release, which makes it one of the best renting new releases of the year.
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December 2nd, 2007
It's the first of December. (At least it was when I was writing this intro the first time. I was only going to do a dozen or so releases, but the list ballooned well out of control.) This week kicks off our second annual Holiday Gift Guide with a look at some high definition releases, because nothing says holidays like a format war.
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November 25th, 2007
Elizabeth: The Golden Age nearly reached the top five with $5.79 million on 1579 screens in 12 markets for a total of $21.80 million. This includes a first place, $1.89 million opening on 470 screens in Russia, while the film added $933,000 on 394 screens in the U.K. for a total of $8.40 million so far.
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November 20th, 2007
Another big list of DVD releases, including nearly a dozen spotlight reviews. And again, we had to split the list into two parts. There is also a number of high quality releases this week making the selection for DVD Pick of the Week tough to make. Live Free or Die Hard had me interested, either the Unrated 2-Disc Edition or as part of the Blu-Ray Die Hard Collection, but in the end I went with Star Trek - The Original Series - Season 1 - HD-DVD/DVD Combo. Even at that price, it is still the best on this week's list.
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November 20th, 2007
This week, we have another big list of DVD releases, including nearly a dozen spotlight reviews.
And again, we had to split the list into two parts.
There are also a number of high quality releases this week, making the selection for DVD Pick of the Week a tough one.
Live Free or Die Hard had me interested, either the Unrated 2-Disc Edition or as part of the Blu-Ray Die Hard Collection, but in the end I went with Star Trek - The Original Series - Season 1 - HD-DVD/DVD Combo.
Even at a steep price, it is still the best on this week's list.
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November 4th, 2007
The Orphanage may have fallen out of the top five internationally, but it remained the top draw in Spain with $4.11 million on 373 screens over the weekend for a three-week total of $20.78 million. This is more than Ratatouille has earned in that market after three months of release and equivalent to $200 to $300 million here. It won't make $200 to $300 million here, in fact, it might not make $20 million here. It all depends on how well it does with critics and award committees.
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September 23rd, 2007
Rush Hour 3 missed spending its fifth week in fifth place by less than $4000 at $5.69 million on 2443 screens in 31 markets for a total of $69.71 million. This weekend the film opened in first place in Russia with $2.28 million on 385 screens while it had to settle for second place in Denmark with $485,000 on 41 screens over the weekend and $517,000 in total.
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September 16th, 2007
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry soared into sixth place with $4.72 million on 1521 screens in 21 markets for a total of $14.61 million internationally. The film finally hit big in a non-English speaking market earning first place with $1.27 million on 364 screens in Russia, but was soft in its debuts in South Korea and Italy. In Italy it managed $683,000 on 198 screens, but that was a tiny fraction of the first place film, while in South Korea it managed just ninth place with $275,000 on 123 screens over the weekend and $312,000 in total.
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September 2nd, 2007
Knocked Up went from barely making the top 30 to nearly hitting the top five after adding $6.89 million on 1628 screens in 19 markets. The film now has a total of $25.54 million internationally while its worldwide total hit $173.34 million. To put this into perspective, The 40-Year Old Virgin earned $177.34 million and Knocked Up has yet to open in France, Spain, Italy, and many other significant markets. This week it did open in two major markets, the U.K. and Germany. In the former it had to settle for second place with $3.08 million on 423 screens while in the later it topped the charts with $2.11 million on 597 screens. In both markets this represents a small drop-off from The 40-Year Old Virgin, but the movie has already covered its total cost, so there's little reason to complain.
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August 26th, 2007
The Transformers fell out of the top five but still cracked 8 digits with $11.10 million on 54.92 screens in 52 markets for a total of $354.33 million. The film is mostly coasting on holdovers at the moment, but it did top the Polish market with $664,000 on 106 screens while its best market was Japan where it added $2.49 million on 592 screens over the weekend for a total of $23.98 million.
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August 19th, 2007
D-War slipped to sixth place overall, but remained in first place in South Korea with $10.19 million on 623 screens over the weekend and $37.81 million in total.
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August 12th, 2007
Live Free or Die Hard was knocked out of the top five but still earned $7.15 million on 317 screens in 29 markets for a total of $192.83 million. The film opened in first place in four markets, with the biggest being Brazil at $1.60 million on 352 screens over the weekend and $2.07 million in total. At this pace the film would hit $200 million this weekend, even if it didn't open in Australia, while it will top Die Hard with a Vengeance's worldwide total shortly.
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August 1st, 2007
The Simpsons Movie started its international run with a bang -- a nuclear powered bang.
The film earned $82.49 million over the weekend on 5,527 screens in 71 markets and now has $96.85 million including midweek numbers and previews.
This is an unbelievably huge opening and one that would have floored analysts not too long ago.
However, it is less than half way to what At World's End opened with earlier in the year and just over half of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Spider-Man 3's openings, leaving it in fourth place for the year.
The film's best individual market was the U.K., where it earned a massive $27.67 million opening on 499 screens, which helped pave the way for the largest weekend ever in that market.
Other major markets include $14.22 million on 754 screens in Germany, $11.32 million on 442 screens in Australia, $9.47 million on 716 screens in France, and $7.57 million on 672 screens in Spain.
The film has also yet to open in Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Italy, Russia, and other significant markets.
I'm a little concerned by the Fanboy Effect and what it could do to the film's legs, but no matter what happens from now on, the film is a financial success, and one that practically demands a sequel.
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July 29th, 2007
The Transformers held on strong dipping just 7% to $33.77 million on 4626 screens in 41 markets for a total of $192.44 million. This includes an estimated $6.4 million from previews in the U.K. The film's only major opening of the weekend was Mexico where it placed first with $5.46 million on 410 screens pushing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix into second place. The Transformers also continued its amazing run in South Korea adding $3.12 million on 442 screens for a running tally of $46.21 million, which is like making $500 million here given the relative sizes of the two markets.
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July 22nd, 2007
As expected, The Transformers fell to second place this week, what wasn't expected was how well it held on. The film was down a mere 23% to $36.13 million on 3667 screens in 31 markets for a total of $146.66 million internationally. The film opened in China with a record-setting $12.6 million on 300 screens over the first five days while it earned $498,000 on 71 in Greece and $258,000 from 28 in Israel. The film's best market so far has been South Korea where it has taken in $39.52 million in three weeks, including $5.76 million on 540 screens this past weekend. This is a record for a non-South Korean film and an unexpectedly strong performance. Additionally, the film has yet to open in a number of major markets including the U.K., Japan, France, and Mexico and should hit $300 million internationally and $600 million worldwide, if not more.
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July 17th, 2007
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix burst onto screens on Wednesday but proved the old adage that the fire that burns brightest burns the shortest as it fell off its record breaking pace immediately. That said, the weekend was still one worth celebrating as the overall box office took in $181 million, which was a small increase (4.3%) from last weekend, and a substantial increase (14%) from the same weekend last year.
And there are still five more films to come that should have little trouble topping $100 million and a couple that could reach $200 million.
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July 12th, 2007
Well, the numbers are in for Wednesday and it looks like we are in for a very good weekend. In fact, 2007 is back to re-writing the history books and we have at least a few more records that will be set before long.
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July 11th, 2007
The Transformers climbed into top spot with $47.17 million on 3381 screens in 29 markets for a total of $97.21 million. The film opened in nearly 20 markets, and did extremely well in a number of them, but it was a holdover that led the way. In South Korea the film grew by 5% to $11.83 million on 617 screens for a two-week total of $31.02 million, which is nearly what Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End will earn there in total. Its biggest opening came in Russia where it made $6.81 million on 700 screens over the weekend and $7.19 million in total while in Spain it took in $3.57 million on 565 screens over the weekend and $4.87 million in total. These two totals are probably better indicators of the film's international drawing power, but it should still do very well overseas.
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July 10th, 2007
Records fell this past week(end) as The Transformers topped almost all expectations and broke a couple of records.
However, while the overall box office hit $174 million, which was 12% higher than last weekend, it was 20% lower than the same weekend last year.
There are some mitigating circumstances to deal with.
For instance, the midweek releases did pull some business from the weekend.
And secondly, last year at this time was the then record-breaking opening of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.
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July 6th, 2007
With the strange release schedule this week, it seemed a smart plan to give updates just before the weekend starts.
This should be the end of the scheduling weirdness as well, at least until the next holiday.
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July 5th, 2007
For the third weekend in a row, Shrek the Third led the international box office this time growing substantially to $60.98 million on 5810 screens in 41 markets for a total of $262.00 million. Almost all of the growth came from Britain where it scored a record-opening of $33.45 million on 535 screens, sort of. This includes more than $10 million in previews that was earned over three days and that, plus a weakened American dollar, helped it over the top. On the other hand, the film struggled in Japan placing third with $2.97 million on 543 screens; that was less than Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End earned in its sixth week there. Holdovers were led by Spain where the film dipped just 33% to $5.16 million on 672 screens for a $17.24 million total while Germany was nearly as strong down 38% to $4.42 million on 857 screens for a total of $14.67 million.
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July 3rd, 2007
The weekend lasts seven days this time around, starting on Monday evening at 8 p.m. with the debut of The Transformers in roughly 3,000 theaters.
And with July Fourth on Wednesday, there are films opening up practically every day this week.
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July 2nd, 2007
There was some good news over the weekend; the mini-slump ended as the overall box office pulled in $156 million, 1% over the same weekend last year. That's not a big increase, in fact, it is below ticket price inflation, but that's still something to celebrate and focusing on the good news is good for business.
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June 30th, 2007
One of the slowest weeks I can remember for this list, but at least we have a top-notch site to give the Weekly Website Award to: Ratatouille - Official Site.
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June 28th, 2007
The mini-slump of 2007 threatens to become the dominant story if things don't change soon. This week there are a two wide releases hoping to prop up the box office numbers, as well as two other films opening or expanding semi-wide. None look like they will set records during their opening weekends, but Ratatouille should outperform Superman Returns, and that's good news.
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June 27th, 2007
Live Free of Die Hard tried to get a head start on the competition tonight opening in over 3000 theaters. But will this strategy pay off?
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June 17th, 2007
There weren't as many websites on this week's list as in the past few weeks, but there were at least three that earned some consideration for the Weekly Website Award. In the end, that honor went to I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry - Official Site.
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June 2nd, 2007
A busy week for new sites with roughly a dozen making their first appearance on this week's list. However, it was a site making its last appearance, Knocked Up - Official Site, that was judged best-of-the-best.
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June 1st, 2007
With the irrational exuberance of May over, June promises to be a solid month with a number of big hits opening. In fact, every week there's at least one film being released that has a legitimate shot at $100 million at the box office and two films that should hit $200 million. If both Ratatouille and Evan Almighty make it there, we will have six $200 million films so far this year, just two back of 2005's record. On the other hand, there are also a number of films on this month's list that may or may not open wide, and for most of these becoming a midlevel hit will be a chore.
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May 19th, 2007
Either it was a really slow week or my Google-Fu is way off, because there's a short list this week. Not only were there very few new / updated sites, but there was nothing that jumped out as award winners. I was tempted to give the award to The Transformers - Official Site just for the new trailer, but I already geeked-out over that site when the first trailer came out. In the end there just wasn't a site worthy of the award this week.
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April 7th, 2007
It's the Saturday after Good Friday, which explains why this column was delayed one day. But while the Friday was good, this week's sites were mediocre, at least they were compared to high expectations. If this was January, it would be a great list. However, at this point of the year I'm expecting one potential summer blockbuster to have a major website launch each week, and that didn't happen this time. We still had an award-worthy effort with Grindhouse - Official Site.
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April 1st, 2007
This week's round of new movie release information contains release dates for The Nanny Diaries, Sweeney Todd, The Happening and more.
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March 31st, 2007
Awesome. We are finally getting some major updates to the summer blockbuster movies. The ones people are watching to see if they break records. This includes the first half of the massively interactive website for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End - Official Site. And while the site isn't done yet, it is still more than enough to win the Weekly Website Award.
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January 6th, 2007
Big list as I try to catch up after the holidays. I think I caught all the updates. Not only are there a lot of sites on this week's list, several of them are potential award winners with the best of the best being
Smokin' Aces -
Official Site.
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August 6th, 2006
This week's round of new movie release information contains release dates for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, a sequel to Madagascar and more.
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