The Numbers News - September 2018
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Weekend Estimates: Night School earns a Passing Grade with $28 million
September 30, 2018
The weekend box office lived up to expectations, for the most part. Night School is projected to earn $28 million over the weekend, which almost matches its $29 million production budget. It would take tiny legs to fail to cover its production budget, which is unlikely. Granted, its reviews are only 31% positive, but it earned an A minus from CinemaScore, so its target audience liked it a whole lot more than the critics did. Its international start wasn’t great at $5.5 million in 19 markets, but within expectations. It earned second place in the U.K. with $2.02 million in 452 theaters, as well as third place in Australia with $1.20 million on 198.
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Estimates: Friday’s Numbers are a little on the Small(foot) Size
September 29, 2018
New releases did well during previews, but returned to the levels we were predicting on Friday. Night School earned $9.5 million during its opening day, which isn’t enough to get to $30 million over the weekend, but it could be enough to match our $27 million prediction, or at least come within a rounding error of that figure. Audiences liked the movie more than critics did, as it earned an A minus from CinemaScore. Meanwhile, the film reportedly cost $29 million to make, so Universal should be happy with this result.
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Holmes & Watson Trailer
September 29, 2018
Comedy starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly opens December 21 ... Full Movie Details.
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I Still See You Trailer
September 28, 2018
Supernatural thriller starring Bella Thorne opens October 12 ... Full Movie Details.
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Thursday Night Previews: Night School gets off to an Intelligent Start
September 28, 2018
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Night School earned $1.35 million during its previews last night. In order to match our $27 million prediction, the film needed about $1.2 million during its previews, so this start makes opening above $30 million a lot more likely. Granted, its reviews are not going to help, but the film still has an excellent shot at topping its production budget during its opening weekend. It would take a combination of tragic legs, zero international demand, and irresponsibly high advertising costs for this film to not break even after this start.
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Limited and VOD Releases: Old Man and the Limited Release
September 27, 2018
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Robert Redford’s swan song, The Old Man and the Gun, leads a group of limited releases this week. It should be the biggest hit on this week’s list and could even become an Awards Season contender. Bad Reputation could also open really well, for a documentary.
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Dark Phoenix Trailer
September 27, 2018
Super hero action movie starring Sophie Turner opens February 14 ... Full Movie Details.
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Weekend Prediction: Smallfoot Looking for Big Box Office
September 26, 2018
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The final weekend of September is home to three wide releases. Two of these, Night School and Smallfoot could be solid hits. And since they are aimed at vastly different audiences, they shouldn’t cannibalize each other at the box office. On the other hand, Hell Fest is a low-budget horror movie that should earn more during its opening weekend than its $5.5 million production budget. Meanwhile, last week’s number one film, The House with a Clock in its Walls, should still have a solid weekend haul, giving the box office reasonable depth. This weekend last year, no film earned more than $20 million, while this year we should have two above that mark. Last year did have better depth, but I think 2018 will end its mini-losing streak in the year-over-year comparison.
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Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald Trailer
September 26, 2018
Fantasy adventure starring Eddie Redmayne, Johnny Depp, and Jude Law opens November 16 ... Full Movie Details.
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Theater Averages: Collette Collects First Place with $40,295
September 25, 2018
Colette earned first place on the theater average chart with an average of $40,295 in four theaters. The Sisters Brothers was in second place with an average of $28,894, also in four theaters. Nothing Like a Dame was very strong for a documentary with $14,777 in its lone theater. One could argue Garry Winogrand: All Things Are Photographable belongs in the $10,000 club, as it earned $9,538 in one theater over the weekend and $13,782 from Wednesday through Sunday.
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International Box Office: The Nun Completes Threepeat, Climbs Franchise Chart
September 25, 2018
The Nun held on strongly repeating as the international box office champion with $35.0 million on 12,817 screens in 80 markets for totals of $192.1 million internationally and $292.7 million worldwide. The film opened in first place in France with $4.5 million on 348 screens and in Russia with $4.2 million on 1,847. On the other hand, it had to settle for fourth place in South Korea with $2.96 million on 824 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $4.28 million. It is no longer in last place for the franchise; in fact, it could be in second place by the weekend.
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Instant Family Trailer
September 25, 2018
Comedy starring Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne opens November 16 ... Full Movie Details.
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Home Market Releases for September 25th, 2018
September 25, 2018
This week, Solo: A Star Wars Story hits the home market and while the film missed expectations at the box office, it is still a big enough hit to scare away most of the competition. There are a number of releases on this week’s list that are worth picking up, like Pin Cushion, Welcome to the Dollhouse, as well as Solo itself. As for contenders for Pick of the Week, it is Fraggle Rock: The Complete Series on Blu-ray and nothing else.
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Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Solo: A Star Wars Story
September 25, 2018
Solo was the third Star Wars film to come out in approximately 18 months. It also had serious behind-the-scenes issues that resulted in $100 millions worth of reshoots, according to some reports. It missed expectations, both at the box office and with critics. Is it the weakest installment in the Disney era? If so, is it still worth checking out?
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Weekend Wrap-Up: Clocking the Opposition
September 24, 2018
As expected, The House with a Clock in its Walls topped the chart over the weekend. It was able to open faster than expected with $26.61 million. The other three films combined earned a fraction of that and A Simple Favor was the only other film to earn more than $10 million over the weekend. This caused the overall box office to fall 16% from last weekend to just $90 million. Worse still, this is 23% lower than the same weekend last year, which is a terrible margin. 2018 still has a massive 9.1% / $720 million lead over 2017 at $8.63 billion to $7.91 billion, so there’s no need to panic just yet.
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New Bumblebee Trailer
September 24, 2018
Sci-fi adventure starring Hailee Steinfeld opens December 21 ... Full Movie Details.
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Weekend Estimates: Clock Runs Fast, Other Openings Stumble
September 23, 2018
The House with a Clock in its Walls was the only new release to top expectations this weekend, and it is doing so with ease. The film will pull in a projected $26.85 million over the weekend, which is close to Goosebumps’s $28.87 million debut and is much better than predicted. Its reviews and its B plus from CinemaScore suggest merely average legs, but this is still a great start for a film that cost $42 million to make. It is way too early to make a call on its international numbers, so I’m a little wary of calling this a financial hit just yet. It did open in first place in the Philippines with 602,000 in 195 theaters, but it only managed third place in Germany with $789,000 in 465.
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Friday Estimates: Beating the Clock
September 22, 2018
The House with a Clock in its Walls is the only new release that opened well on Friday, with $7.82 million during its opening day. Its reviews are in the overall positive level and it earned a B plus from CinemaScore. This is nearly identical to Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children and weaker than Goosebumps’ result. If this film has the same legs as Miss Peregrine, then it will earn $25 million during its opening weekend. That would be an amazing start for a film that cost $42 million to make and significantly better than we predicted.
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Limited and VOD Releases: Starting to Love Awards Season
September 21, 2018
It is not a particularly busy week for limited releases, as there are only nine films on the main list. However, several of them could do very well at the box office. Of these, I’m the most bullish about Colette and The Sisters Brothers, but there are two documentaries, Love, Gilda and Nothing Like a Dame, that could also open in the $10,000 club. All four could earn some Awards Season glory.
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Thursday Night Previews: House Wins Previews with $840,000
September 21, 2018
The House with a Clock in its Walls opened with $840,000 in previews on Thursday, which sounds terrible for a wide release, but it is actually quite good, all things considered. It is a family film that had previews on a school night, so it is no surprise it couldn’t crack $1 million. By comparison, Goosebumps opened with $600,000, before earning $23.62 million during its opening weekend and if this film has similar legs, it will open with more than $30 million. On the other hand, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children opened with $1.2 million before earning $28.87 million, which would give this film barely more than $20 million. House’s reviews are closer to Miss Peregrine’s reviews than Goosebumps’ reviews, so its legs will likely be similar. That said, I’m happy with our $20 million prediction for now, but I could have to adjust it tomorrow when Friday’s numbers show up.
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If Beale Street Could Talk Trailer
September 21, 2018
Historical drama written and directed by Barry Jenkins, based on the book by James Baldwin opens November 30 ... Full Movie Details.
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Weekend Prediction: Countdown to the Weekend
September 20, 2018
It’s a busier week than expected, as there are four films opening wide or semi-wide. The House with a Clock in its Walls is the only one with a shot at first place. In fact, it might be the only new release in the top five. Fahrenheit 11/9 could earn as much as $10 million, but it could also fail to reach the top five with $5 million. Life Itself is aiming even lower, but there’s an outside chance all things line up correctly and it earns a spot in the top five. On the other hand, Assassination Nation is opening semi-wide and it could miss the Mendoza Line. This weekend last year, Kingsman: The Golden Circle opened with nearly $40 million and two other films earned more than $20 million. This weekend, there might not be a single film with $20 million at the box office.
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The Oath Trailer
September 20, 2018
Black comedy starring Ike Barinholtz and Tiffany Haddish opens October 12 ... Full Movie Details.
When Chris, a high-strung 24-hour progressive news junkie, and his more levelheaded wife Kai learn that citizens are being asked to sign a loyalty oath to the President, their reaction is disbelief, followed by idealistic refusal. But as the Thanksgiving deadline to sign approaches, the combination of sparring relatives, Chris’s own agitation and the unexpected arrival of two government agents sends an already tense holiday dinner gathering completely off the rails.
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Theater Averages: Museum Sneaks away with First Place
September 20, 2018
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It was a crowded week on the theater average chart with five films in the $10,000 club. This includes Museum, which led the way with $16,554 in its lone theater. Hal actually jumped into the $10,000 club with $12,150 in one theater during its second weekend of release. Lizzie was the widest release in the $10,000 club with an average of $11,895 in four theaters. Science Fair was next with $11,231 in one theater. Another documentary, The Dawn Wall, was next with an average of $10,829 in two theaters.
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International Box Office: The Nun Wins Tight Race for Top Spot
September 19, 2018
There was a close three-way race for top spot on the international chart, but The Nun was able to retain first place with $34.1 million on 12,107 screens in 62 markets for totals of $144.8 million internationally and $229.9 million worldwide. The film’s biggest new market of the weekend was Belgium, where it made $1.42 million on just 86 screens. This was easily enough to earn first place there and was the biggest opening for the franchise. The film’s biggest holdover was in Brazil with $3.5 million over the weekend for a two-week total of $12.6 million.
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The Girl in the Spider’s Web Trailer
September 19, 2018
Thriller starring Claire Foy opens November 9 ... Full Movie Details.
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Home Market Releases for September 18th, 2018
September 19, 2018
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This week, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is coming out on DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, 3D Combo Pack, or 4K Combo Pack and not surprisingly, it is scaring away the competition and it is the only significant first-run release of the week. Unfortunately, it is not a Pick of the Week contender, so we have to look to smaller releases My Man Godfrey is a classic and Supergirl: Season Three is still fun. There are also some Anime titles worth considering, including Saga of Tanya the Evil: The Complete Series and Gosick: The Complete Series. It was close, but My Man Godfrey won in the end.
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Weekend Wrap-Up: Predator Tops Chart, Simple a Success
September 18, 2018
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The Predator earned top spot on the weekend box office chart with $24.63 million. However, the best new release was arguably A Simple Favor with $16.01 million, as it is the only film that will match its production budget at the domestic box office. On the other hand, White Boy Rick struggled and will likely not pay for its $30 million price-tag any time soon, while Unbroken: Path to Redemption bombed. Overall, the weekend box office was $107 million, 12% lower than last weekend. It was also down from this weekend last year, but only by 3.5%. That’s better than expected at the beginning of the month and that’s great news for 2018. Granted, its lead over 2017 went down, but it still has a 9.6% / $740 million lead with $8.50 billion compared to $7.76 billion in 2017. It would take something incredible to happen to lose this entire lead by the end of the year.
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Captain Marvel Trailer
September 18, 2018
Super hero adventure starring Brie Larson opens March 8, 2019 ... Full Movie Details.
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Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
September 17, 2018
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I hated Jurassic World and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom actually earned weaker reviews, so I was apprehensive about reviewing this film. On the other hand, while the film’s Tomatometer Score was lower, as was its box office, I’ve heard some people say this is the better film. Am I going to be pleasantly surprised? Or will this be the last time I bother with this franchise?
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Mary Poppins Returns Trailer
September 17, 2018
Musical adventure starring Emily Blunt opens December 19 ... Full Movie Details.
The mysterious Mary Poppins returns to Depression-era London to visit Jane and her brother Michael, now a father of three, and helps them rediscover the joy they knew as children.
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Weekend Estimates: Predator Misses Expectations, Still Tops Soft Weekend
September 16, 2018
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This isn’t a great weekend at the box office, as three of the four new releases are missing expectations, according to studio Sunday morning estimates, as well as the biggest holdover. The Predator will come out on top with $24.0 million over the weekend, but, while that’s not bad for a September release, there’s not a lot to be excited about either. Its reviews are just 34% positive, while it only managed a C plus from CinemaScore, both of which suggest short legs. It is way too early to tell how it will perform internationally, but it only managed fourth place in South Korea with a total opening of $1.2 million on 572 screens. That’s not good and the film needs to be a major hit outside of the domestic market if it is to break even any time soon.
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Friday Estimates: Predator Tops Chart, Doesn’t Bag Biggest Catch
September 15, 2018
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The Predator missed expectations by a small margin with $10.45 million on Friday. It should earn about $26 million over the full weekend, which is below average for the franchise, if you take inflation into account. That’s close enough to our $28 million prediction that I’m satisfied. However, the film cost $88 million to make, so it needed a lot more than this to be a real financial success. Its reviews are just 34% positive, while it only earned C plus from CinemaScore, so it likely won’t have good legs. As for why this film isn’t connecting with audiences, there appears to have been a lot of studio interference. That rarely helps the final product.
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Anna and the Apocalypse Trailer
September 15, 2018
Horror comedy musical starring Ella Hunt opens November 30 ... Full Movie Details.
A zombie apocalypse threatens the sleepy town of Little Haven—at Christmas—forcing Anna and her friends to fight, slash and sing their way to survival, facing the undead in a desperate race to reach their loved ones. But they soon discover that no one is safe in this new world, and with civilization falling apart around them, the only people they can truly rely on are each other…
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Limited and VOD Releases: No Limited Releases are Alone this Week
September 14, 2018
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Every week, I have to decide which limited releases to talk about in the main list of this column. Usually I limit myself to those with double-digit reviews on Rotten Tomatoes. Last week, there were so few limited releases to talk about, I included some that I wouldn’t normally include. This week, there are about 30 films coming out in limited release, so I have to be extra judicious and cut some films just to keep the list manageable. Unfortunately, it feels like a case of quantity over quality. There are some movies that are getting excellent reviews, but a lot of movies that had strong pre-release buzz are disappointing critically. There are some I’m interested in, like I Think We’re Alone Now, but that’s more for the cast than the reviews. Mandy is one of the best films, but it is playing on Video on Demand, so I don’t expect it will do well at the box office. There are also several documentaries, with Science Fair being the one I want to see the most.
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Bumblebee Trailer
September 14, 2018
Sci-fi adventure starring Hailee Steinfeld opens December 21 ... Full Movie Details.
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Thursday Night Previews: Predator Begins its Hunt with $2.5 million
September 14, 2018
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The Predator started its box office run with $2.5 million during its Thursday previews. We can’t use any of the other films in the franchise as comparisons, because they opened way too long ago. We could use The Nun, which opened with $5.4 million last week and went on to earn nearly 10 times that during its opening weekend. This film should have slightly better legs, as it has slightly better reviews and action films tend to having slightly longer legs than horror films do. That said, our prediction of $28 million seems like a safe bet at this point.
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Weekend Prediction: Not So Simply Weekend at the Box Office
September 13, 2018
There are four films opening wide or semi-wide this weekend, which is one more than expected. Of these, only one movie, The Predator, has a real shot at top spot. Meanwhile, A Simple Favor is the only one of the four that is earning good reviews. White Boy Rick is opening truly wide, which is a bit of a surprise. Unbroken: Path to Redemption is the sequel to Unbroken, which earned over $100 million. No one is talking about this movie earning $100 million. This weekend last year, It remained on top with just a hair over $60 million. However, last year’s depth was really bad, so while I expect 2018 to lose in the year-over-year comparison, I don’t think it will be a major loss.
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Theater Averages: To Infinity, or to the Top of the Chart, Whichever is Closer
September 13, 2018
Kusama: Infinity led the way on the theater average chart with an impressive $15,499 in two theaters. This isn’t enough to think it will earn a real measure of mainstream success, but it is the latest success story in a year of documentary hits. The Nun was in second place with an average of $13,882. The Hows of Us had arguably the most impressive limited opening of the weekend, as it earned an average of $12,895, while playing in 38 theaters.
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Little Italy Trailer
September 13, 2018
Romantic comedy starring Emma Roberts and Hayden Christensen opens September 21 ... Full Movie Details.
Former childhood pals Leo and Nikki are attracted to each other as adults—but will their feuding parents’ rival pizzerias put a chill on their sizzling romance?
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International Box Office: The Nun is Number One with $79.3 million
September 12, 2018
The Nun topped the chart with $79.3 million on 15,835 screens in 60 markets for a global opening weekend of $133.1 million. This might be enough to give Warner Bros. a small amount of profit already. It depends on how much the studio will end up spending on advertising. The film’s biggest opening was in Mexico, where it earned $10.5 million on 3,967 screens. It also earned impressive first place debuts in Indonesia ($7.6 million on 1,289 screens); Brazil ($6.6 million on 1,235 screens); and India ($5.2 million on 1,603 screens). It earned first place in the U.K., but with $5.3 million on 593 screens, which is quite a bit weaker than its debut here, relative to the size of the two markets. This is also true of its first place, $2.7 million debut on 326 screens in Australia.
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Science Fair Trailer
September 12, 2018
Documentary opens on Friday... Full Movie Details.
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On the Basis of Sex Trailer
September 11, 2018
Real-life drama starring Felicity Jones, directed by Mimi Leder, opens December 25 ... Full Movie Details.
A true story that follows young lawyer Ruth Bader Ginsburg as she teams with her husband Marty to bring a groundbreaking case before the U.S. Court of Appeals and overturn a century of gender discrimination.
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Weekend Wrap-Up: The Nun Stuns, Box Office Still Falls
September 11, 2018
The Nun topped expectations with $53.81 million over the weekend. Peppermint was well back in second place with $13.42 million, which is an acceptable debut for this time of year. Crazy Rich Asians was in a close third place and overall the box office was quite strong. The total box office was $121 million, which is 23% better than last weekend. Granted, this is 26% lower than the same weekend last year. Normally a drop this severe would be troubling, but this isn’t a normal situation. Firstly, this weekend last year was the weekend It debuted and rewrote the record book. Secondly, 2018 is still ahead of 2017 by 10% or $770 million at $8.36 billion to $7.59 billion. This means 2018’s gains during the weekdays almost made up for its losses over the weekend.
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Home Market Releases for September 11th, 2018
September 10, 2018
It is not a very busy week on the home market. Ocean’s 8 is the biggest release of the week, but it is not a Pick of the Week contender. In fact, there was only one real contender for that title, Hearts Beat Loud on Blu-ray. That said, Ocean’s 8 is worth picking up, as is Modern Family: Season Nine.
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Featured Blu-ray Review: Tideland
September 10, 2018
Terry Gilliam has a mixed record when it comes to critics and box office numbers. This isn’t always his fault. The studio interference he dealt with during Brazil was legendary. However, when he’s left on his own, he can get carried away and create some monstrosities as well. Tideland was 100% independently made, so he had full control. Did this work out? Or does he need a studio to rein in his worst impulses?
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Weekend Estimates: The Nun Continues WB’s Dominance of the Box Office
September 9, 2018
The Nun topped expectations by a sizable margin with $53.5 million during its opening weekend. This is easily the best opening in the franchise so far and the best opening for a Warner Bros. film this year. The film also got off to a fast start internationally with $77.5 million on 15,615 screens in 60 markets. Its best markets were Mexico ($10.7 million on 3,967 screens) and Indonesia ($7.7 million on 1,216). At this point, the film is almost guaranteed a massive profit, despite is awful reviews and its mere C from CinemaScore. Even if it earns less during the rest of its run than it opened with, which is too pessimistic, it will still be a major financial success. There’s no way the franchise will end any time soon.
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Friday Estimates: The Nun Breaks its Vow of Poverty with $22.37 million
September 8, 2018
The Nun is crushing expectations with a $22.37 million opening Friday haul. I wasn’t expecting it to top $20 million on Friday, so this is great news. On the other hand, its reviews have continued to fall and are now at just 29% positive. Meanwhile, it only managed a C from CinemaScore, which is the worst in the franchise by far. (The two Conjuring movies both earned A minus, while the two Annabelle movies each earned a B score.) That said, this isn’t terrible for a horror movie and even terrible legs won’t put a damper on this debut, so Warner Bros. must be ecstatic about this result.
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Limited and VOD Releases: I am Not Waiting for Quality Limited Release
September 7, 2018
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We are in an awkward time for limited releases, as summer is over, but it is still too early for Awards Season buzz. This explains why there are so few releases on this week’s list and why none of them will likely be hits. That said, there are two of them, I am Not a Witch and Nelly, that have 100% positive reviews.
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The Front Runner Trailer
September 7, 2018
Real-life drama starring Hugh Jackman opens November 6 ... Full Movie Details.
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Thursday Night Previews: The Nun Conjures Up Franchise Best Previews at $5.4 million
September 7, 2018
The Nun opened with $5.4 million during its previews. The previous best in the franchise was $4 million, earned by Annabelle: Creation. It’s is nearly impossible to compare the two films, as Annabelle: Creation was a summer release and its reviews were much better than The Nun’s reviews were, but even if this film has much shorter legs, it should top our $45 million prediction. It has a good shot at $50 million over the weekend.
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Weekend Prediction: Will The Nun be Second to None?
September 6, 2018
It’s the weekend after Labor Day, which is historically one of the worst weekends of the year at the box office. However, that’s not the case this year, as The Nun is expected to be a major hit. In fact, it should have the best opening in the franchise so far. On the other hand, Peppermint will be happy with a second place debut. Finally, God Bless the Broken Road is opening semi-wide, but the box office lacks any real depth, so it could come close to the top five. This weekend last year was the weekend It destroyed the record book. There’s no way 2018 will win in the year-over-year comparison, but 2018 has such a large lead over 2017 that even a few embarrassing losses won’t put a serious dent into it’s advantage.
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Boy Erased Trailer
September 6, 2018
Drama starring Lucas Hedges, Nicole Kidman, and Russell Crowe opens November 2 ... Full Movie Details.
The true story of one young man’s struggle to find himself while being forced to question every aspect of his identity. Jared is the son of a Baptist pastor in a small American town, who is outed as gay to his parents at age 19. Jared is faced with an ultimatum: attend a gay conversion therapy program or be permanently exiled and shunned by his family, friends, and faith.
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Theater Averages: Puppies Rescue the PTA Chart
September 6, 2018
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No film reached the $10,000 club over the three-day weekend, but Pick of the Litter came close with an average of $9,539 in two theaters.
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International Box Office: Fallout Spreads to China with $77.64 million
September 5, 2018
Mission: Impossible—Fallout rocketed into first place with $89.1 million in 65 theaters over the weekend for totals of $442.7 million internationally and $647.1 million worldwide. The film debuted in first place in China with $76.14 million over the weekend for a total opening of $77.64 million. It had to settle for second place in Italy with $2.22 million, as Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation remained in first place in that market. It won’t take long before this film takes over top spot in the franchise.
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Weekend Wrap-Up: Summer Ends on a Sweet Note with Crazy Rich Asians Crossing $100 million
September 5, 2018
Crazy Rich Asians came close enough to our predictions over the weekend that I’m willing to call it a victory. The only other film to earn more than $10 million over the three-date weekend was The Meg. This wasn’t enough to help the overall box office grow, but the overall box office only fell 3.6% when compared to last weekend earning $99 million. It is a little disappointing to drop below the $100 million mark, but it could have been much worse. Speaking of much worse, this weekend last year, the overall box office was just $76 million, meaning 2018 improved on the three-day mark by 29% and stretched its year-to-date lead. 2018 now sits 10.6% or $790 million ahead of 2017 at $8.22 billion to $7.43 million. The lead won’t remain this large for long, not with It’s opening on the horizon. That said, it would take a spectacular collapse for 2018 to completely lose this lead.
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The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Trailer
September 5, 2018
Adventure starring Mackenzie Foy opens November 2 ... Full Movie Details.
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Home Market Releases for September 4th, 2018
September 4, 2018
Like last week, this week is rather busy on the home market with many more TV on DVD releases. There are not a lot of big releases this week, nor are there a lot of contenders for Pick of the Week. It’s really a two-horse race between Won’t You Be My Neighbor? and New Game!!: Season Twp. Won’t You Be My Neighbor? on Blu-ray won that race rather easily.
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Mary Poppins Returns Teaser Trailer
September 4, 2018
Musical starring Emily Blunt opens December 19 ... Full Movie Details.
The mysterious Mary Poppins returns to Depression-era London to visit Jane and her brother Michael, now a father of three, and helps them rediscover the joy they knew as children.
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Weekend Estimates: Labor Monday Update
September 3, 2018
We have some Monday morning updates for the weekend box office and as expected, Crazy Rich Asians continued to dominate at the box office. It earned $6.21 million on Monday for a four-day total of $28.31 million and a three-week total of $117.04 million. It became just the fourth film released by Warner Bros. this year to get to the century mark and it will quickly become the studio’s biggest hit of the year so far, as it will overtake Ocean’s 8 shortly.
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Featured Blu-ray Review: The Cat o’ Nine Tails
September 3, 2018
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The Cat o’ Nine Tails is the second in Argento’s Animal Trilogy. It was rushed out into production after The Bird with the Crystal Plumage was a big hit. For much of Argento’s career, he considered this film to be his weakest. It was also critically panned when it first came here. Is it really this bad? Or was it treated unfairly when it first came out?
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Weekend Estimates: Crazy Killing it at the Box Office with $28 million
September 2, 2018
Crazy Rich Asians is just destroying the competition over the weekend and should pull in an estimated $22.24 million over the three days. We won’t have a Monday estimate from Warner Bros. until Monday, but I would imagine the four-day weekend would be about $28 million, giving the film a running tally of $117 million after 20 days of release. This is a little lower than our weekend prediction, but close enough that I’m calling it a victory. Internationally, the film made $10.4 million on 1,565 screens in 24 markets for an early total of $19.9 million. The film opened in Australia with $5.4 million on 447 screens, which is better than its opening here, relative to the size of the two markets.
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Friday Estimates: Crazy Matches Expectations with $5.87 million
September 1, 2018
Crazy Rich Asians will easily remain on top of the chart this weekend, as it earned $5.87 million on Friday. Depending on when you are reading this, it might have already crossed $100 million domestically, a milestone it will certainly reach by the end of business on Saturday. The film is on pace for $24 million over the three-day weekend and $30 million over four, matching our prediction perfectly.
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2018 Preview: September
September 1, 2018
Overall, August was a little better than expected. Granted, there were no monster hits, but Warner Bros. had two $100 million hits in The Meg and Crazy Rich Asians. Meanwhile, Christopher Robin will come close enough to that milestone to be a hit. This allowed 2018 to stretch its lead over 2017 by over $700 million. Will that lead grow in September? Nope. Not even close. There are three major problems that will hurt September’s box office. Firstly, there are a lot of films that may or may not open wide. Secondly, there are no films opening this month that have a better than 50/50 chance of hitting $100 million. Finally... It. It destroyed records last September, earning more during its opening weekend than any film opening this month will earn in total. Fortunately, 2018 has such an enormous lead that even with It, 2018 should remain ahead of 2107 by $500 million at the end of the month.
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