International Box Office: Venom Secures Win, Closes in on Summer Vacation

October 17th, 2018

Venom remained the top draw internationally earning $70.89 million on 20,248 screens in 83 markets for totals of $236.49 million internationally and $378.60 million worldwide. The film’s biggest new market was France, where it opened in first place with $6.65 million on 703 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $7.04 million. It also opened in first place in Thailand with $2.14 million on 365 screens and in Vietnam with $1.05 million on 501 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $2.22 million. Its biggest market overall is South Korea, where it has amassed $25.41 million, including $4.38 million on 1,011 screens this past weekend. At this pace, the film will soon overtake Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, becoming Sony’s biggest hit released in 2018. More...

Home Market Releases for October 9th, 2018

October 9th, 2018

It’s not a bad week on the home market. The two biggest releases, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation and Skyscraper, are both worth checking out, but not close to being Pick of the Week contenders. As for the best of the best, Eighth Grade is really the only choice, while Thelma Todd & Zasu Pitts: The Hal Roach Collection was the runner up. Killing Eve: Season One and Recovery of an MMO Junkie: The Complete Series could have been contenders, if they had significant extras. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Venom Invades Record Books with $80.26 million

October 9th, 2018

Venom topped the high end of expectations over the weekend with $80.26 million, breaking several October records. A Star is Born also topped expectations with $44.26 million during its opening weekend and should have very long legs. Overall, the box office pulled in $177 million, which is 68% more than last weekend and this weekend last year. That’s a strange coincidence. Year-to-date, 2018 was able to stretch its lead over 2017, which now sits at 9.9% or $810 billion at $8.98 billion to $8.16 billion. I was worried we might be down to a $500 million lead at this point, but 2018 continues to impress. More...

International Box Office: Fallout Spreads to China with $77.64 million

September 5th, 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. More...

International Box Office: Ant-Man has a Giant-Sized Chinese Debut

August 29th, 2018

Ant-Man and the Wasp jumped into first place on the international chart earning $71.2 million in 28 markets for totals of $332.6 million internationally and $544.1 million worldwide. This past weekend, the film debuted in first place in China with $66.62 million over the weekend for a total opening of $68.14 million. This is the fourth biggest opening for the MCU in that market and 66% more than the original opened with. The film opens in Japan, its final market, next weekend. It should get to $600 million worldwide shortly after it debuts there. More...

International Box Office: The Meg Continues to Terrorize the Competition

August 21st, 2018

The Meg remained in first place on the international chart with $68.9 million on 23,767 screens in 55 markets, for totals of $232.2 million internationally and $316.0 million worldwide. Its biggest new market of the weekend was Australia, where it earned first place with $2.48 million on 413 screens. It also opened in South Korea, but struggled with $1.57 million on 598 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $3.19 million. Its biggest market overall was China, where it added $30.78 million over the weekend for a two-week total of $117.09 million. It fell just 38% during its sophomore stint, while it actually rose to second place, despite there being four new releases in the top ten. That’s stunning. More...

International Box Office: Over $100 million for Mr. Billion

August 1st, 2018

Hello Mr. Billionaire, a Chinese remake of Brewster’s Millions, opened in first place in China and the international market with $132.26 million. That’s more than 800 million in the local currency, while it took just one more day to live up to its name and reach 1 billion Yen in revenue. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: July Ends on an Impossibly Good Weekend

July 30th, 2018

Mission: Impossible—Fallout was easily the biggest hit of the weekend earning more than the rest of the top five combined. Its opening weekend of $61.24 million was the best in the franchise, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the overall box office from dropping 9.3% from last weekend earning $156 million. This is 8.0% higher than the same weekend last year, which is the more important result. 2018 is now ahead of 2017 by a margin of 8.5% or $570 million at $7.23 billion to $6.66 billion. More...

Weekend Estimates: Impossible Tops Chart with Franchise Best $61.5 million Debut

July 29th, 2018

Mission: Impossible—Fallout dominated the weekend box office chart with $61.5 million over the weekend. This is the best opening in the franchise, unless you take inflation into account. Assuming the film can have the same legs as Rogue Nation, it will be able to top $200 million domestically. The film’s reviews and its A from CinemaScore, and the nearly total lack of quality competition in August, make that seem likely; however, I think we should wait a week before predicting a final box office tally. Internationally, the film made $92 million in 36 markets, which is close to 20% higher than Rogue Nation’s debuts in those markets, which should be enough to keep Paramount happy. Although given the studio’s struggles in the past few years, if the film was just marginally profitable, it would have been reason for Paramount to celebrate. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Fallout Rises to the Top

July 27th, 2018

Mission: Impossible—Fallout had the best previews in the franchise with $6 million; although that’s a bit of a backhanded compliment, as only Rogue Nation is new enough to be part of the preview era of Hollywood releases. That film pulled in $4 million during its previews; however, it also opened three years ago when previews were not as lucrative, so it is not a good comparison. On the other hand, The Equalizer 2 is a solid comparison as both are action sequels. If the two films have the same legs, then Fallout will open with nearly $70 million. Its reviews strongly suggest it will have better legs, but the long-running franchise suggests slighly longer legs. Overally, I’m still happy with our $67 million prediction and I expect the film to earn a little more than that, but be close enough to call it a victory. More...

Weekend Predictions: Can Teen Titans do the Impossible?

July 26th, 2018

The last weekend of the month has two wide releases, both of which are earning stellar reviews. Mission: Impossible—Fallout is the sixth film in the franchise. It wasn’t that long ago where a sixth installment in a franchise would be impressive. Teen Titans Go! To the Movie is the first big screen appearance for most of these characters. There should also be three, maybe four other films with $10 million or more during the weekend. 2018 won’t need that depth to win in the year-over-year comparison, as this weekend last year was pretty weak, so the month should end on a winning note. More...

International Box Office: Skyscraper Rises from the Ashes

July 24th, 2018

Skyscraper roared to first place on the international chart, thanks mostly to its debut in China. Overall, it earned $77.8 million in 68 markets for totals of $135.7 million internationally and $182.8 million worldwide. It opened in first place in China with $48.11 million over the weekend for a total opening of $48.51 million. The second biggest new market was Colombia, where it earned $1.38 million on 195 screens. Its best holdover was in Mexico where it was down 50% to $1.68 million on 815 screens for a two-week total of $7.46 million. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Equalizer 2 Also has no Equal

July 23rd, 2018

The Equalizer 2 was the surprise winner at the weekend box office chart with $36.01 million over the weekend, which put it just ahead of the $34.95 million earned by Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! The overall box office topped expectations with $171 million, up 2.7% from last week. This is 5.1% lower than the same weekend last year, but this is better than expected. Also, 2018 is still ahead of 2017 by a sizable margin of $560 million / 8.8% at $6.98 billion to $6.42 billion. Again, if 2018 just maintains the raw dollar margin for the rest of the year, it will be a reason to celebrate. More...

Weekend Estimates: Equalizer more than Equals Mamma Mia

July 22nd, 2018

In a shocking turn of events, The Equalizer 2 overtook Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! over the weekend with $35.83 million. This is better than predicted and is better than the original managed. Its reviews are not great, but it earned an A from CinemaScore and it is aimed at a more mature target audience, so it should have better than average legs. We will have a better picture this time next week. Internationally, the film managed $3.3 million on 704 screens in 11 markets, including $2.2 million in Australia. The film first didn’t do great internationally, so while this is a 30% improvement, it is still nothing special. More...

Friday Estimates: Mamma Mia is Here to Stay

July 21st, 2018

Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! had a stellar opening earning $14.28 million on Friday, which is enough to put it on pace for nearly $40 million opening. That’s on the very high end of expectations and more than enough to be considered a hit. With strong reviews and an A minus from CinemaScore, the film should have good legs. It won’t have as good legs as the original did, but $100 million is an easy goal after this opening. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Mamma Mia have an Encore on Top?

July 19th, 2018

At the beginning of the month, I didn’t have relatively high hopes for this weekend; I thought it could put up a fight in the year-over-year comparison, but would ultimately lose. That has changed and not for the better. Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! is still widely expected to earn first place over the weekend, but it might not do well enough to finish with $100 million domestically. The Equalizer 2 won’t match its predecessor, not with the amount of action films struggling in theaters. Finally, Unfriended: Dark Web is opening in barely more than 1,500 theaters and it is going nowhere. Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation should have a good hold, but I’m not sure about any of the rest. This weekend last year, Dunkirk opened with just over $50 million and five other films earned $10 million or more over the weekend. There’s no way 2018 will match that. I don’t even think it will be close. More...

Theater Averages: Eighth Grade earns an A plus

July 18th, 2018

Eighth Grade had the best theater average of the year with $65,949 , topping the previous champ, Isle of Dogs, by nearly 10%. On the other hand, Isle of Dogs opened in 27 theaters vs. 4 for Eighth Grade. Second place went to Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot with an average of $20,835 in four theaters. The only other member of the $10,000 club was the overall box office leader, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation, which pulled in an average of $10,629. More...

International Box Office: Dying Slumps, Still Survives in Top Spot

July 18th, 2018

Dying to Survive remained in first place, both in its native China and on the international chart. It earned $69.29 million over the weekend for a total of $367.40 million after two full weeks of release. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Summer Vacation Boosts Transylvania’s Debut

July 17th, 2018

The weekend wasn’t nearly as close as expected. Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation ran away at the box office, while fellow new release, Skyscraper, only managed third place. This did allow Ant-Man and the Wasp to earn second place during its second weekend of release. Overall, the box office fell 12% compared to last weekend, but it was 1.6% higher than the same weekend last year. Granted, this is not a high enough margin of victory to compensate for ticket price inflation, but 2018 has such a large lead that even a small victory like this is more than enough to feel good about the overall box office. Speaking of large leads, 2018’s lead over 2017 remains impressive at $550 million or 8.9% at $6.72 billion to $6.17 billion. More...

Weekend Estimates: Transylvania Triumphant, Skyscraper Sinks

July 15th, 2018

It was not a close race at the box office this weekend, as Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation topped expectations and Skyscraper did not. Transylvania 3 will open with a projected $44.1 million over the weekend for a total opening of $45.4 million, including June 30th’s special showings. This is average for the franchise, as is its reviews and A minus CinemaScore. The film will have no trouble earning enough to cover its $65 million production budget domestically. Meanwhile, the film opened with $46.4 million on 12,600 screens in 442 markets internationally, representing just under half of the total international marketplace. Its biggest market was Mexico, where it earned $8.6 million, while it was also impressive in Russia with $5.8 million. Its only holdover is Australia, where it added $2.4 million to its running tally, which sits at $10.2 million after three weeks of release. More...

Friday Estimates: Smooth Sailing for Transylvania, Skyscraper Burning Down

July 14th, 2018

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation easily won the box office race on Friday with $16.65 million during its opening day. This is a bit better than expected and puts it on pace for an opening weekend of $44 million, including special previews that took place June 30th. Its reviews are just below the overall positive level, while it managed an A minus from CinemaScore. That’s as low as a family film can go before it would hurt its legs. It should get to $100 million domestically without difficulty, but it won’t match the previous films in the franchise. It will break even and could even justify a fourth film. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Transylvania Surprises with $2.6 million, Skyscraper is a Little Short at $1.95 million

July 13th, 2018

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation opened with $2.6 million in previews on Thursday. It’s hard to compare this number, as many family films don’t bother with previews, so there’s not a lot of numbers we can use in comparison. Hotel Transylvania 2 didn’t have previews, so that’s not helpful. Incredibles 2 earned $18.5 million during its previews, but it’s a Pixar film and those films tend to have a lot of adult fans as well. While there are not a lot of numbers that we can use as comparisons, this is still better than expected and it means the film could top $45 million over the weekend. We will have a better understanding of the film’s box office chances tomorrow. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Transylvania have a Buoyant Vacation? Or can Skyscraper Stand Tall?

July 12th, 2018

There should be a close race at the top of the box office this weekend, as both Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation and Skyscraper have a real shot at $40 million over the weekend. In fact, there’s a good chance both films will earn first place at least one day over the weekend. Meanwhile, Ant-Man and the Wasp will be pushed into third place, but will still be a solid box office performer. It’s this depth that is key, because the top two films from this weekend last year, War for the Planet of the Apes and Spider-Man: Homecoming, both earned more than either of the two new releases this year are expected to earn. 2018 is weak at the top, but the depth gives the weekend a great shot at coming out ahead in the year-over-year comparison. More...

2018 Preview: July

July 1st, 2018

June was amazing, with two absolute monster hits and a solid $100 million hit. By the end of the month, 2018’s lead over 2017 will be well over $500 million, or close to 10%. Even if 2018 only managed to maintain this lead in terms of raw numbers for the rest of the year, it will be a massive jump at the box office. As for July, there are a couple of potential monster hits, Ant-Man and the Wasp and Mission: Impossible—Fallout, plus four potential $100 million hits. Last July, there was only one monster hit, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and three $100 million hits. I don’t think 2018 will match 2017 at the top, but 2018 appears to have more depth and that should put it a little ahead over the full month. More...

Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation Trailer

June 15th, 2018

Animated adventure from starring Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, and Selena Gomez opens July 13 ... Full Movie Details. More...