Daily Box Office Tracking: Endgame Has One Last Record Debut

April 30th, 2019

Avengers: Endgame ended its international tour opening in Russia with $7.8 million, which is the highest opening day in that market. It is also 59% higher than Avengers: Infinity War’s debut last year. As impressive as this opening is, it is far from the only impressive aspect of Endgame’s Monday box office. More...

2018 Awards Season: Oscars: And the Winner is... Green Book for Best Picture

February 24th, 2019

It’s Oscar night and we will be live blogging the show. We will announce the winners and have our reactions as they happen, while keeping track of how our readers did in predicting the outcomes. More...

2018 Awards Season: Oscars Nominations: Final Look

February 24th, 2019

It’s Oscar Day, and we will be live blogging the show. Before that, let’s take a last look at the nominations with a few annotations. in Italics are those that have received the most votes from our readers so far in our Oscar contest (which is open to new entries until noon, Pacific, today—enter now!). Bold films are those films I think will win. Meanwhile, those that are Underlined are those I want to win. Not all categories have underlined nominees, because not all categories have someone I’m cheering for, or because there are two nominees I couldn’t pick between. For example, I would be happy with half of the Best Picture nominees winning. More...

2018 Awards Season: Oscar Nominations

January 23rd, 2019

The Oscar nominations were announced yesterday starting at just after 5 am Pacific time. They do this every year for reasons no one has been able to adequately explain to me. Because it was the day after a long weekend, it took a bit of time to get all the normal work done and digest the results. And there were some interesting results to digest. No one film led the way with total nominations, as two films, The Favourite and Roma tied with 10 nominations each. More...

2018 - Awards Season: BAFTA - Nominations

January 12th, 2019

The BAFTA nominations were announced and The Favorite led the way with 12 nominations. Sometimes the BAFTAs are a really good indicator for who will do well on Oscar night. Other times their bias to British films is too much. I think this year will be an example of the latter and I don't think The Favourite is suddenly an Oscar favorite. That said, there’s still some things you can learn here. More...

2018 - Awards Season: SAG - Nominations

December 12th, 2018

The Screen Actors Guild were the third group to announce their nominations for this awards season. There’s not a lot of surprises on this week’s list. A Star is Born led the way with four nominations, while The Favourite was right behind with three. More...

2018 - Holiday Gift Guide - Part I - First-Run Releases and Franchise Box Sets

November 19th, 2018

It's Thanksgiving weekend, which means Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and of course the first installment of our Holiday Gift Guide. This week we will tackle first run releases and franchise box sets as well. Unfortunately, 2018 has not been a good year for blockbusters for any studio not named Disney. In order to be on this list, a film has to be a major release, earn critical praise, and be on out DVD / Blu-ray and that’s a really short list this year. For example, Universal is the second best studio this year in terms of total domestic box office, but they’ve only released one film that has earned $100 million and overwhelmingly positive reviews. That film, Halloween doesn’t come out on DVD / Blu-ray till January. Most of the rest of the big six are lucky to have more than one entry on this week’s list. More...

Home Market Releases for August 14th, 2018

August 15th, 2018

Avengers: Infinity War comes out on DVD, Blu-ray Combo Pack, and 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack this week and it is scaring away most of the competition. That’s not to say there’s nothing else worth picking up. For example, Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami isn’t selling well enough to make the list, but the Blu-ray is certainly worth owning. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Avengers: Infinity War

August 14th, 2018

Avengers: Infinity War and its still unnamed sequel are the culmination of ten years of the MCU. This is a massive undertaking, even more so than the first Avengers movie, and with the MCU’s outstanding track record with critics and moviegoers alike, expectations couldn’t be higher. Can the movie possibly live up to expectations? Or was it destined to disappoint? More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Avengers: Infinity War - Spoiler / Detail Free Review

August 14th, 2018

Like we did with The Force Awakens, we are going to do a spoiler-free, detail-free review for Avengers: Infinity War. In other words, we are going to rate all of the movies in the MCU to see where Infinity War and the rest fit into place. More...

Home Market Releases for July 31st, 2018

August 1st, 2018

This is one of the worst weeks on the home market I can remember. There’s nothing here that even remotely looks like a top-notch release, at least on physical medium. This is the week that Avengers: Infinity War hits Video on Demand and it is dominating the home market in that regard and has to be the Pick of the Week. The only other releases that were close are Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199 on Blu-ray Combo Pack and Star Wars Rebels: Season Four. More...

International Box Office: Fallen Remains Tops, but Ant-sized Competition Looms

July 4th, 2018

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom remained on top of the international chart for the fourth and final time. This past weekend, it earned $57.3 million in 68 markets for totals of $669.2 million internationally and $934.9 million worldwide. The film had no major market openings this past weekend and has no major market opening next week as well, before closing out its international run in Japan on the 13th. The film’s biggest market of the weekend was China, where it earned $14.81 million on approximately 10,000 screens over the weekend for a three-week total of $230.67 million. More...

International Box Office: $100 million Threepeat for Fallen Kingdom

June 27th, 2018

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom completed the hat-trick with $107.6 million in 67 markets for three-week totals of $561.5 million internationally and $709.5 million worldwide. The film’s biggest opening was in Mexico, where it earned $10.14 million over the weekend for a total opening of $12.09 million. It also did well in South America with $9.28 million during its opening in Brazil, while in neighboring Argentina, the film earned $2.51 million over the weekend for a total opening of $2.75 million. It earned $7.63 million on 734 screens during its opening in Australia. The film fell 69% in China earning $33.96 million over the weekend for a two-week total of $202.07 million. More...

Theater Averages: Incredibles Tops Another Chart

June 20th, 2018

The overall number one film, Incredibles 2, earned top spot on the theater average chart with an impressive average of $41,426. Only two other wide releases have started with bigger averages: Infinity War and Black Panther. The only new limited release in the $10,000 club was Eating Animals, which earned an average of $17,262. Finally, Won’t You Be My Neighbor earned an average of $10,445 in nearly 100 theaters, earning over $1 million in the process. This bodes well for its future. More...

International Box Office: Fallen Kingdom Falls compared to Jurassic World

June 19th, 2018

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom remained in first place with $173.6 million in 51 markets for a two-week total of $370.0 million worldwide. It opened in first place in China with $111.31 million over the weekend, for a total opening of $113.42 million. This is better than the $100.10 million opening Jurassic World managed in that market. While this is good news, there are some issues. The film suffered an average of 60% decline in holdover markets. This includes a 63% decline in South Korea ($5.44 million on 1,230 screens over the weekend for a two-week total of $37.74 million.) and in Russia ($2.78 million on 1,541 screens for a running tally of $15.16 million there.) It did hold on better in the United Kingdom, down 51% to $9.38 million in 656 theaters for a total of $33.75 million so far. The film has yet to open in Australia, Brazil, and Mexico, where it opens this weekend. Meanwhile, the film doesn’t open in Japan till next month. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Incredible Doesn’t Even Begin to Describe It

June 18th, 2018

Incredibles 2 became the first potential monster hit since Infinity War to beat tracking numbers, opening with a mind-numbing $182.69 million. It is hard to describe how amazing this opening is. It has rewritten the record book when it comes to animated films and it gives Disney the top three openings of 2018 and four of the top five. This is twice as much as the rest of the box office earned over the entire weekend. There were other new releases this week, with Tag doing fine. Its $14.95 million opening is nothing special, but it should break even sometime on the home market. SuperFly, on the other hand, was a disappointment. The overall box office grew by 126% from last weekend, with Incredibles 2 earning about 50% more than the entire box office pulled in last weekend. The film was just shy of the same weekend last year, while the overall box office rose by 43%. Year-to-date, 2018 continues to have a lead over 2017, and it has grown to a commanding lead of 6.6% or $340 million at $5.44 billion to $5.10 billion. Granted, we are barely halfway through the year, but 2018 is in a great position to break the all-time yearly box office record. More...

International Box Office: Fallen Kingdom Falls compared to Jurassic World

June 12th, 2018

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom opened in first place on the international chart with $150.9 million in 48 markets. The film’s biggest market was South Korea, where it set the opening day record with $9.7 million, but its overall weekend was not quite as impressive, as it earned $15.17 million for a total opening of $26.57 million. That three-day total is better than Jurassic World, but its a drop from the opening day to its weekend total. This could be a sign of weak word-of-mouth and that’s troubling as its reviews have slipped below the overall positive level. The film also cracked $10 million in both the U.K. ($19.20 million in 662 theaters) and in France ($10.91 million in 700), but this is lower than the predecessor managed in both those markets. Overall, the film will have little trouble earning $1 billion worldwide, but it very likely won’t live up to Jurassic World. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Ocean’s 8 has Franchise Best Opening with $41.61 million

June 12th, 2018

The weekend was very kind to Ocean’s 8, as it opened with $41.61 million. This is not only the top result this weekend, it is the best opening weekend in the franchise. Hereditary also opened on the high end of expectations, leaving just Hotel Artemis as the only disappointment of the weekend. Overall, the box office rose 13% from last weekend to $120 million. More importantly, this was 17% lower than the same weekend last year. That said, it could have been worse and 2018 still has a 5.1% / $250 million lead over 2017 at $5.11 billion to $4.86 billion. More...

Weekend Estimates: Ocean’s 8 Tops Chart, Franchise

June 10th, 2018

Ocean’s 8 matched expectations with $41.5 million over the weekend. If it can maintain this figure, then it will open in the $10,000 club, while even if its final numbers slips a little, it still would be on pace for $100 million domestically. Its reviews have settled to 67% positive, and it managed an acceptable B plus from CinemaScore, so its legs should be average. Fortunately, with a start like this, it only needs average legs to break even early in its home market run. More...

Weekend Predictions: Ocean’s 8 Looks to Steal Top Spot

June 7th, 2018

Ocean’s 8 leads a trio of new releases this week and it might be the only one to reach the top five. It is certainly the only one competing for first place. Hereditary is earning amazing reviews, but it is an art house horror movie and those tend to struggle at the box office. Finally there’s Hotel Artemis, which is earning the quietest buzz of the three releases. Solo: A Star Wars Story and Deadpool 2 should remain strong helping the overall box office. However, while this year’s new releases are better than last year’s new releases, with Wonder Woman’s sophomore stint, 2018 is going to suffer another loss. Next week will be better. More...

International Box Office: Deadpool Reclaims Top Spot with Solo Slipping to Second

June 5th, 2018

Deadpool 2 returned to first place with $41.6 million in 79 markets for totals of $344.00 million internationally and $598.51 million worldwide. It opened in first place in Japan with $5.5 million, which is close to 30% better than the original managed in its opening there. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Box Office Is Far from Wonderful

June 4th, 2018

The overall weekend went about as well as expected. Unfortunately, that’s not good news. Solo: A Star Wars Story fell about as much as the average sophomore blockbuster film falls during a post-holiday weekend, earning first place with $29.40 million, while Deadpool 2 was the only other film to earn more than $20 million, landing in second with $23.18 million. The biggest new release of the week was Adrift with $11.60 million. The overall box office fell 42% from last weekend to just $106 million. To put this into perspective, this weekend last year, Wonder Woman opened with $103 million. That one movie made almost as much as the entire box office made this year. The year-over-year decline was 43%. Fortunately, 2018 is still ahead of 2017 by a sizable amount at 6.8% or $310 million at $4.94 billion to $4.63 billion and in a couple of weeks, 2018 should start winning again in the year-over-year comparison. More...

Weekend Estimates: Solo and Deadpool put New Releases In their Place

June 3rd, 2018

We predicted Solo: A Star Wars Story would earn about $30 million during its second weekend of release and it earned $29.3 million over the weekend. I’m calling that a victory. It did fall 65%, but this is a standard decline for a tentpole release after a holiday weekend. The film has $148.89 million after 10 days of release and is on pace to top $200 million domestically. Internationally it has $115.3 million, including $30.3 million this past weekend. It doesn’t open in Japan until the end of June, but once it does, it should reach $400 million worldwide. Had the film not needed extensive reshoots, this would have been enough to break even, eventually. More...

Friday Estimates: Solo Remains Tops, Adrift Floats, Action Sinks

June 2nd, 2018

As expected, Solo: A Star Wars Story earned top spot on Friday with $8.15 million. We predicted it would earn about $30 million and it looks like that’s the case, although it’s on track for the lower end of that range, with a $29 million sophomore stint. If it recovers next weekend, then it will remain on pace for $200 million domestically. However, getting to that milestone is more about saving face than breaking even at this point. Even if the film’s reviews help it become a hit on the home market, it’s not going to break even any time soon. Fortunately, The Last Jedi made enough profits that Disney will still be happy with the overall results of the franchise. Plus there’s always merchandising, something the Star Wars films helped perfect. More...

Weekend Predictions: Solo Will Have No Trouble Setting the New Releases Adrift

May 31st, 2018

While there are three wide releases coming out this week, Solo: A Star Wars Story should have no trouble remaining in top spot. In fact, Adrift is the only wide release that has a better than 50/50 shot at $10 million over the weekend. Action Point may or may not reach the top five. Meanwhile, there are some who think Upgrade will miss the Mendoza Line. This weekend last year, Wonder Woman opened with more than $100 million. The top ten won’t get there this year. 2018 is going to get crushed in the year-over-year competition. More...

International Box Office: Solo Doesn’t Soar, Still Tops Chart with $65.0 million

May 30th, 2018

Solo: A Star Wars Story earned first place on the international chart with $65.0 million in 54 markets; however, this is about half what the film needed to make to be a undisputed financial success. The film only cracked $10 million in one market, the U.K. where it made $10.3 million. However, China was close behind with $9.71 million over the weekend and $9.84 million including previews. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Solo’s $100 million Opening still a Disappointment

May 30th, 2018

Memorial Day long weekend is off its peak and its been a while since it was breaking records regularly. (Half of the top ten three-day and four-day records are a decade old or older.) That didn’t change this year, as Solo: A Star Wars Story missed expectations with $84.42 million / $103.02 million during its opening weekend. You can’t even claim it missed expectations because Deadpool 2 stole its thunder, as that film also fell faster than anticipated. Overall, the box office fell 13% from last weekend down to $182 million. This is still 29% higher than the same three-day weekend last year. If you include Monday, the weekend pulled in $226 million, which is about 27% higher than last year. Year-to-date, 2018 has a 8.3% / $370 million lead over 2017 at $4.79 billion to $4.42 billion. That lead will shrink in the next couple of weeks, but overall, 2018 is looking really healthy. More...

Weekend Estimates: Solo Opens Lower than Expected with $101 million, Still Dominates Competition

May 27th, 2018

Solo: A Star Wars Story opened with an estimated $83 million / $101 million over the three-day / four-day weekend. It had the best Memorial Day long weekend since 2014, when X-Men: Days of Future Past opened with $111 million over four days. In fact, this result is the fourth best Memorial Day long weekend opening in the past decade. That said, it was much lower than expected and some are calling it a box office failure. That’s complicated. The film was originally going to cost $150 million to make, making it the cheapest installment in the new Star Wars franchise. However, they reportedly had to reshoot 70% of the movie, which lifted the price to $250 million. The box office needed to break even during the film’s initial push into the home market rose from about $500 million to $650 million. And with an initial international debut of $65.0 million in 54 markets, this film is just not going to get there. The unending talk of behind-the-scenes trouble seems to have hurt the film’s box office chances and even its good reviews and its A minus from CinemaScore won’t be enough to turn things around. That said, it is far from a complete disaster and the franchise will continue, although it might be wise for Disney to not release so many installments in the franchise so quickly. Three in 18 months is a bit too much. This isn’t the MCU. More...

Friday Estimates: Solo Opens on Low End of Expectations with $35.63 million

May 26th, 2018

Historically, Memorial Day long weekend has been a major weekend at the box office; however, the past few years the weekend has struggled somewhat. If you look at the three-day and four-day records, more than half of the top ten happened a decade ago or earlier. So it is not a shock that Solo: A Star Wars Story didn’t break records on Friday by earning $35.63 million. This is slightly better than X-Men: Days of Future Past, meaning Solo has the best opening Friday for Memorial Day weekend in five years. Depending on its legs, it could earn a spot in the top five over the full weekend. Its reviews have settled on a 71% positive, which is good, but not great, while it managed an A minus from CinemaScore. The film should earn $90 million / $110 million over the weekend, which is still an okay start. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will the Latest Star Wars Release Open Solo or So High?

May 24th, 2018

Memorial Day long weekend is usually a great weekend to open a big release. However, this year, Solo: A Star Wars Story is the wide release of the weekend. It will obviously open in first place, but how will it compare to the recent releases in the Star Wars franchise? Deadpool 2 will have no trouble earning second place and could by the end of the weekend be in the black. (It depends heavily on how much it cost to advertise, but I think its combined budget is around $200 million.) The only other film expected to make a dent at the box office is Avengers: Infinity War, which has already earned $600 million domestically. This weekend last year, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales opened in first place with $62.98 million / $78.48 million. There are some who think Solo will double that. I’m not that bullish, but I do think Solo will lead 2018 to an easy win in the year-over-year competition. More...

International Box Office: Deadpool Piles Up $300 million in Cash

May 23rd, 2018

Deadpool 2 dominated the international box office with $174.9 million on 25,091 screens in 82 markets, for a worldwide opening of $300.4 million. The studio’s share of this opening weekend is close to $140 million, which is significantly more than the film’s $110 million production budget. The film’s biggest market was the U.K., where it earned $17.48 million in 636 theaters. In South Korea, the film earned $11.84 million on 1,576 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $16.73 million. Russia wasn’t far behind, with $11.61 million on 1,477 and it cracked $10 million in Australia, if you include previews, as it pulled in $9.48 million on 602 screens for a total opening of $11.45 million. The film has yet to open in Japan, but there’s no rational way this film won’t break even before it reaches the home market. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Deadpool Dominates Box Office, But Can’t Compete with Original

May 22nd, 2018

Deadpool 2 didn’t live up to expectations at the box office, but you can’t really complain about a $125.51 million opening weekend. The other new releases were Book Club, which did acceptable business, while the less said about Show Dogs’ debut the better. Overall, the box office rose 51% from last weekend earning $209 million. This is 69% higher than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2018 is now ahead of 2017 by a margin of $290 million or 7.0% at $4.49 billion to $4.20 billion. Because Infinity War opened a week earlier than usual, it has been hard to compare the overall box office, but now it is safe to say 2018 has a sizable lead over 2017, one that should grow next weekend as well. More...

Weekend Estimates: Deadpool Has Surprisingly Short Legs, Still Dominates with $125 million

May 20th, 2018

Deadpool 2 broke records during its previews and stumbled a little on Friday, before finishing the weekend with an estimated $125 million. That’s still a fantastic result, more than the $110 million it reportedly cost to make, and more than the total box office earned this weekend last year. That said, it is way below the $150 million many thought it would earn after the preview numbers were announced. This isn’t as good as Deadpool’s opening weekend; however, that film benefited from Valentine’s day landing on Sunday, while this film will get some help next weekend, as it is Memorial Day long weekend. Furthermore, both films earned nearly identical reviews and both films earned an A from CinemaScore, so this film's legs should be decent. We will have a better idea where it will end up next weekend. More...

Friday Estimates: Deadpool Stumbles a Bit, but Still Earns $53.3 million

May 19th, 2018

Deadpool 2 dominated the box office chart on Friday earning $53.3 million. However this is weaker than expected after it broke the record for previews by an R-rated film. After the film crushed that record, it looked like it would earn $150 million during its opening weekend. However, after earning $53.3 million on Friday, it looks like it won’t even match the original Deadpool’s opening weekend haul of $132.43 million. Granted, it should be close with $132 million and this is still a fantastic start, but it could be a bad omen for its legs. On the other hand, the film’s reviews are more than 80% positive and it earned a solid A from CinemaScore. We won’t know if the reviews and word-of-mouth will overtake the Fanboy Effect until the weekend estimates arrive tomorrow helping the film top its predecessor, but it is usually safe to bet on the Fanboy Effect. More...

Weekend Predictions: Can Deadpool Come Back to Life?

May 17th, 2018

May gets its first monster hit, as Deadpool 2 debuts in theaters this weekend. The film is earning impressive reviews and was widely expected to top the original's opening weekend. Neither of the two other new releases are expected to compete for first place, or even second place, as Avengers: Infinity War has that locked down. Book Club should open in third place with more than $10 million, but that’s not a guarantee. Meanwhile, Show Dogs’ buzz is so quiet that I’m have trouble coming up with a prediction. This weekend last year, Alien: Covenant opened in first place, but with only $36.16 million. If Deadpool 2 doesn’t top that opening night, then I will be shocked. In fact, Deadpool 2 should earn more by itself than the total box office from this weekend last year. More...

Theater Averages: Infinity War Soars with The Seagull

May 15th, 2018

Avengers: Infinity War and The Seagull were neck-and-neck on the theater average chart with averages of $13,875 and $13,435, respectively. Boom for Real was next with an average of $11,359 in two theaters. The final film in the $10,000 club was Soller’s Point with $10,618 in one theater. More...

International Box Office: Avengers Win War in China with over $200 million

May 15th, 2018

Avengers: Infinity War became the second fastest film to opened in China earning $190.68 million over the weekend for a total opening of $200.02 million, including previews. This is the highest ever opening in terms of American currency. In local currency, The Fate of the Furious still holds the record at RMB1.352 billion to RMB1.266 billion. Overall, Infinity War earned $281.3 million in 55 markets for totals of $1.059 billion internationally and $1.607 billion worldwide. It became the first film in the MCU to reach $1 billion internationally and it is already the highest grossing film in the franchise worldwide. It is in fifth place on the all-time international chart and will be in third place by this time next week. Meanwhile, it is also in fifth place on the worldwide chart and is aiming for third place there as well, although it will take a little while longer to get there. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Infinity War Helps 2018 Take on Guardians

May 15th, 2018

The weekend was better than expected, for the most part. All of the holdovers, including the number one film, Avengers: Infinity War, held on better than we predicted, while one of the two new releases also opened faster. Life of the Party was the only film in the top five that didn’t beat expectations. Overall, the box office still slipped 19% from last week, down to $137 million. However, this is 1.2% higher than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2018 maintains a strong 5.2% / $210 million lead over 2017 at $4.24 billion to $4.03 billion. More...

Friday Estimates: Infinity War Breaks up the Party

May 12th, 2018

Avengers: Infinity War was on the high end of expectations on Friday with $16.00 million during its 15th day of release. This puts it on pace for $62 million during its third weekend of release for a running tally of $548 million. It became the second fastest film to reach $500 million domestically, getting there a day faster than The Last Jedi did. The film also debuted in China earning $60.73 million on Friday, $70.06 million including previews. Only Monster Hunt 2 and The Fate of the Furious had faster starts. More...

Weekend Predictions: Infinity War Looks to Complete the Threepeat

May 10th, 2018

Avengers: Infinity War will have no trouble earning first place for the third time at the box office chart. It’s only competition is the sophomore stint of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, which earned $65 million this weekend last year. Hopefully Infinity War will come within $10 million of that. As for the new releases, Life of the Party should earn more than all three new releases earned last weekend, while Breaking In is on track for an opening in the low to mid teens. If all three films can meet these expectations, then 2018 will have a shot at winning in the year-over-year comparison. More...

Theater Averages: Avengers Remains Supreme

May 8th, 2018

Avengers: Infinity War remained on top of the theater average chart with $25,654. The only other flm in the $10,000 club was RBG, which earned an average of $17,014 in 34 theaters. That’s amazing for a documentary. More...

International Box Office: Avengers Tops $1 billion in Record Time

May 8th, 2018

Avengers: Infinity War became the fastest film to reach $1 billion, getting there is just ten days. That’s really impressive for a film that hasn’t even opened in China yet. This weekend, the film earned $162.6 million in 54 markets for totals of $713.3 million internationally and $1.166 billion worldwide. The only new major market of the weekend was Russia, where it broke the record for biggest opening with $17.6 million. To put this into perspective, Civil War made $16.49 million in that market, in total. The film is already the biggest all-time hit in Brazil ($44.3 million); Indonesia ($20.6 million); and the Philippines ($19.7 million). The two biggest markets so far are South Korea, where it has made $69.76 million, including $17.03 million on 2,224 screens this past weekend, while the U.K. is very close behind with $67.2 million. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Infinity Tops Charts, can’t Quite Match Guardians Debut

May 8th, 2018

It was a relatively good weekend at the box office with every film in the top five matching or beating expectations. This includes Avengers: Infinity War, which had the second best second weekend of all time, earning $114.77 million. Overall, the box office fell 46% from last weekend, but $169 million is still a good total. It is 13% lower than the same weekend last year, but it had to go up against Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 opening weekend, so being this close is actually a positive result. Year-to-date, 2018 has pulled in $4.05 billion, which is 5.6% or $220 million higher than last year’s pace. More...

Friday Estimates: Infinity War Just a Day Away from $400 million

May 5th, 2018

Infinity War dominated the Friday box office chart with $31.43 million for an 8-day total of $369.76 million. The only film with a faster pace than Infinity War is The Force Awakens. Granted, this is down just over 70% from the film’s opening Friday, but it is 9% ahead of Black Panther’s second Friday. If this film has the same internal multiplier, then it will pull in $122 million over the full weekend. That’s a little too bullish for my tastes, but $120 million is still fantastic for a sophomore stint. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Overboard Overtakes Latin Lover (Plus Infinity War Update)

May 4th, 2018

Overboard opened with $675,000 during its previews last night. This is 50% higher than the $450,000 How to Be a Latin Lover managed during its previews. However, that film earned better reviews than Overboard is earning, so it likely won’t have as good legs. It should still top our $12 million prediction, barely. $13 million to $14 million is now more likely. More...

Weekend Predictions: How Badly will Infinity War Beat the New Releases?

May 3rd, 2018

Last weekend, Infinity War destroyed the weekend record. This weekend, there are three new releases that are just hoping to not get embarrassed. Overboard is the biggest film in terms of buzz, but the buzz isn’t good, to be kind. Tully is the smallest film in terms of theater count, but its reviews are stellar and it has a shot at the top five. Bad Samaritan’s early reviews, are good, but its buzz is so quiet that it will likely bomb in theaters. This weekend last year, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 opened with $146.51 million. There’s almost no chance 2018 will match last year’s performance. Thanks to Infinity War’s record-breaking opening, 2018 should be relatively close. More...

Theater Averages: Avengers Goes to the Dogs

May 3rd, 2018

Avengers: Infinity War had the weekend’s best theater average at $57,599. However, this isn’t the best theater average of the year, as Isle of Dogs opened with an average of $60,011. Disobedience was close behind with an average of $47,479 in five theaters. The final film in the $10,000 club was Let the Sunshine In with an average of $19,850 in two theaters. More...

International Box Office: Infinity Tops the Charts even without China

May 3rd, 2018

Avengers: Infinity War broke the record for highest international debut and highest worldwide debut. The film was expected to do well, but breaking records like this is impressive, especially since it hasn’t opened in China yet. The film started with $380.0 million in 52 markets for a global opening of $637.7 million. It is already the second biggest worldwide hit of the year and just shy of the top 100 all-time. The film’s biggest opening was in the U.K., where it earned $40.50 million in 650 theaters, but this is only the third biggest opening of all time there. On the other hand, it had the biggest opening of all time in South Korea with $27.52 million on 2,553 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $38.79 million. The film also cracked $20 million in Mexico, with an opening of $24.80 million, while it topped $10 million in Brazil ($18.8 million); India ($18.6 million); Australia ($16.07 million on 940 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $22.65 million); and Germany ($14.7 million). The film opens in Russia this weekend and China the following weekend and by the time the film opens in China, it will likely be the biggest global hit of 2018. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Infinity War Opened as Close to Infinity as Any Film

April 30th, 2018

Infinity War was expected to dominate the box office over the weekend. However, not a lot of people thought it would break the all-time record, but it did. Not only did it break the record, it smashed it, topping The Force Awakens by nearly $10 million at $257.70 million. The MCU now has six of the top ten openings of all-time. Remember, when Disney bought Marvel for $4 billion, a lot of people thought they overpaid. Disney’s share of just the domestic box office numbers is close to $4 billion at this point. The overall box office rose 150% from last weekend to $312 million. This is within a rounding error of the record and we might get there as smaller studios report their numbers later in the week. This is 212% higher than the same weekend last year; granted, this is because summer started a week early this year. Year-to-date, 2018 has retaken the lead by $140 million or 4.0% at $3.78 billion to $3.64 billion. However, and this is important, this is a misleading number, because summer started a week early this year. I would wait till Deadpool 2 comes out to judge the year-to-date numbers. It will take that long for Infinity War coming out a week early to fully balance out. You will probably make solid judgments before then, but I think it is wise to be a little cautious. More...

Weekend Estimates: Infinity War Smashes Opening Weekend Record

April 29th, 2018

Avengers: Infinity War will smash the all-time opening weekend record this weekend with a sensational $250 million domestically and $380 million internationally, according to Disney’s Sunday morning projections. After $106 million on Friday, the studio estimates the film had the biggest Saturday of all time, with $83 million, and is projecting an all-time-best $61 million on Sunday. More...

Friday Estimates: Infinity Hits Century Mark on Opening Day

April 28th, 2018

Avengers: Infinity War easily topped the chart on Friday, earning $105.97 million. It is only the third film to crack $100 million in a single day, and is behind only The Force Awakens on the that chart. The film is on pace for $237 million during its opening weekend, which is the second-best weekend of all time, again, behind only The Force Awakens. As for its legs, the film’s reviews are 84% positive, while it earned an A from CinemaScore, which bodes well for its word-of-mouth and long term success. More...

Infinity War Starts Faster than any MCU Film to Date (Previews and International Numbers)

April 27th, 2018

Infinity War was widely expected to destroy the previous MCU record for previews. Age of Ultron held the previous record at $27.6 million and Infinity War destroyed that record with $39 million. This is not only the best previews in the MCU, it is the fourth best previews of all time. Only The Force Awakens at $57 million and The Last Jedi at $45 million and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II at $43.5 million beat it. The film’s reviews suggest it could have long legs; however, there’s also a chance the film has an Empire Strikes Back problem. It definitely feels like the second part of a trilogy for reasons I’m still not comfortable saying. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Avengers go to Infinity?

April 26th, 2018

Infinity War. Do I need to say more? Infinity War is easily the most anticipated movie of the year, and some argue the most anticipated film in the past few years. There’s even talk that it will have the best three-day opening of all time. This weekend last year, The Fate of the Furious earned its third first place result with just under $20 million. Infinity War could make twice that during its midnight previews. It will make more than the entire box office made last year. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Quiet Retakes Top Spot, Rampage Right Behind

April 24th, 2018

As expected, A Quiet Place returned to the first place with $20.94 million over the weekend. However, Rampage was much closer than expected with $20.09 million. It is on pace for $100 million domestically, assuming Infinity War doesn't reduce it to rumble this coming weekend. The new releases were led by I Feel Pretty, which came within a rounding error of expectations, while Super Troopers 2 beat expectations earning fourth place. Traffik barely made the top ten, but it could have been worse. Overall, the box office still fell 17% from last week, falling to $122 million. This is still 13% higher than the same weekend last year, which I was not expecting. I really thought The Fate of the Furious would earn more than the top two films earned this weekend, while the depth was also a lot better this week than I was anticipating. Year-to-date, 2017 is still behind 2018, by a 2.1% or $75 million margin at $3.43 billion to $3.51 billion. This should change this coming weekend. It better change. More...

Friday Estimates: Troopers has Super Opening, I Feel has a Pretty Good One

April 21st, 2018

Super Troopers 2 opened in first place on Friday with $7.9 million, which is more than I predicted it would make over the entire weekend. On the other hand, this film’s reviews are wea. It managed a B plus from CinemaScore, which isn’t terrible, but it’s not particularly good either. Its legs likely won’t be great, as the target demographic is much more likely to rush out to the movie opening night, leaving the film with just over $17 million during its opening weekend. This could be more than its combined budget, especially if you disregard the money it earned from Kickstarter. (The film doesn’t have to earn a profit on those numbers.) More...

2018 Preview: April

April 1st, 2018

Well, March has ended and it was a very disappointing month. Black Panther made more than any of the new releases did. The only potential big hit that didn’t miss expectations was Ready Player One. Because of this, 2018 lost its lead over 2017 and is now over $100 million behind last year’s pace. April is usually a terrible month, because it is a dumping ground, especially late in the month. No studio wants to compete with the first monster hit of the Summer. This year, the first monster hit of the summer, Avengers: Infinity War, opens in April. It will make more during its opening weekend than any other April release will make in total. It might make more opening day than any other April release will make in total. The only film that has a real chance to earn more than $100 million is Rampage, a video game adaptation. Last April, The Fate of the Furious earned more than $1.2 billion worldwide, but “only” earned $225.76 million of that domestically. Infinity War should earn more than that opening weekend. The second biggest hit of last April was Smurfs: The Lost Village and Going in Style, both of which earned $45.02 million. If 2018 doesn’t retake the lead by the end of the month, then 2018 is in trouble at the box office. More...

Avengers: Infinity War Trailer

March 16th, 2018

Super hero movie with a cast of thousands opens April 27 ... Full Movie Details. More...

Avengers: Infinity War Trailer

November 29th, 2017

Superhero action movie starring, well, pretty much everyone opens May 4, 2018 ... Full Movie Details. More...