Home Market Releases for May 2nd, 2017

May 2nd, 2017

We are officially in the worst time of year on the home market. The last of the major Awards Season players have already come out, but it is still too early for the Spring hits to be released. The competition from May Sweeps and the start of the Summer Blockbuster Season means there’s not a lot here that’s going to do well in DVD / Blu-ray sales. Ironically, the lack of a major release means there are a lot of smaller releases that are competing for Pick of the Week, many of which would be lost in the crowd during a busier time of year. This includes I Am Not Your Negro, The Salesman, Real Genius, and Seven Days in May. In the end, I went with The Red Turtle on DVD or Blu-ray as the Pick of the Week. In the meanwhile, Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone on Blu-ray gets the Puck of the Week honor, as the “best” Canadian release of the week. I just wish it were coming out in 3D. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Dirty 30 is Apt Description

September 23rd, 2016

Like last week, approximately 30 films open in limited release this week. That is far too many and all but ensures most will not find an audience. Furthermore, it means I have to be a little more liberal when it comes to pruning releases that don’t have enough buzz to talk about. There are lots of films that still made the cut, including a few highlights: The Age of Shadows, Audrie & Daisy, The Dressmaker, The Lovers And The Despot, My Blind Brother, and Queen of Katwe. Some of these are playing on VOD, so they will go nowhere in theaters. Several are aiming for Oscars, including Queen of Katwe, which will expand semi-wide next week. More...

International Box Office: Bridget Jones’s Baby Bounces its way to Top Spot with $29.00 million

September 22nd, 2016

Bridget Jones’s Baby struggled when it opened in theaters here, but it earned first place internationally with $29.00 million on 4,866 screens in 39 markets. It opened in its native U.K. with $10.53 million. This is a record opening in the U.K. for its production company, genre, and for the month of September. It is also more than it made here during its opening weekend, despite the U.K. market being five or six times smaller than the domestic market. The film also earned first place in Australia with $2.76 million on 483 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $3.68 million. This is also much better than its debut here, albeit not by as large a margin. The film cost $35 million to make and it has already made more than that worldwide. If it has legs, it will top $100 million internationally, which will be enough to cover its production budget, while it should ensure profitability, eventually. More...

International Box Office: Star Trek opens just Beyond Age Of Shadows with $16.6 million

September 14th, 2016

There were two films that could lay claim to top spot on the international chart. Star Trek Beyond has the better claim earning $16.6 million over the weekend in 40 markets for totals of $161.5 million internationally and $318.1 million worldwide. Its biggest debut came from Mexico, where it pulled in $1.29 million over the weekend for a four-day opening of $1.43 million. This was enough for first place. The film also remained in first place in China with $11.41 million over the weekend for a two-week total of $53.66 million. More...