Home Market Numbers: Exodus Rules Over a Horrendous Home Market

April 7th, 2015

The home market was a disaster this week. There's really no way around that fact. Exodus: Gods and Kings and the rest of the new releases led the way, but it wasn't nearly as good as last week's number one film, Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1, so that led to declines of 8.8% in terms of units and 6.7% in terms of revenue when compared to last week. Compared to last year, Blu-ray sales were down 74% in terms of units and 73% in terms of revenue. Granted, this week last year, Frozen was released, so that explains the absolute destruction in the year-over-year comparison. There is some good news, sort of. DVD sales were even worse in the week-over-week comparison, so the overall Blu-ray share rose to 44%. More...

DVD Sales: Annie vs. Kings

April 7th, 2015

Just as it was on the Blu-ray Sales Chart, there was a tight race for top spot in the DVD sales chart, only the combatants weren't entirely the same. Exodus: Gods and Kings topped Annie in terms of units at 226,000 units to 202,000 units, but the pair finished in the opposite order in terms of revenue with $3.59 million to $3.38 million. More...

Blu-ray Sales: Penguins Become King in Tight Race

April 7th, 2015

New releases earned the top three spots on the Blu-ray Sales Chart this week, including a tight race for top spot. Penguins of Madagascar earned first place over Exodus: Gods and Kings in terms of units, 269,000 vs 257,000. However, in terms of revenue, the pair finished in the reverse order at $5.91 million to $5.38 million. As far the their opening week Blu-ray shares are concerned, Penguins managed a very strong 58%, while Exodus managed a very healthy 54% More...

Home Market Numbers: Night at the Museum Leaves the Home Market Hungry

March 29th, 2015

Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 was one of the biggest hits of 2014, so it should come as no surprise that the week after it was released was not a great week on the home market. Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb was the best new release and it couldn't even match Mockingjay's second weekend of release on the Blu-ray Sales Chart. This causes overall sales to fall 26% when compared to last week, both in terms of units and revenue. The home market held up a little better when compared to last year, down 18% in terms of units and 20% in terms of revenue. DVD held on better week-over-week, so the overall Blu-ray share fell to 42%, which is a little weak. More...

DVD Sales: Secret of the Tomb Stuck with the Leftovers

March 29th, 2015

Despite there being five new releases on this week's DVD sales chart, there was a holdover hanging onto top spot. Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 sold 472,000 units and generated $6.36 million in sales during its first full week of release for early totals of 1.19 million units / $16.28 million. More...

Blu-ray Sales: Hunger has a Second Serving on Top

March 29th, 2015

Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 remained in first place on the Blu-ray Sales Chart during its first full week of release with 499,000 units / $9.98 million for the week giving it totals of $1.71 million units / $34.19 million after two weeks of release. It is losing ground on Catching Fire and it might not get to 3 million units in the end. More...

Home Market Numbers: Home Market Slips Despite Hunger's Opening

March 22nd, 2015

Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 was the best of the new releases and won the race to top spot on the Blu-ray Sales Chart. Unfortunately, it wasn't strong enough to help the overall Blu-ray sales, which were down across the board. Compared to last week, sales were down 17% in terms of units and 12% in terms of revenue. Compared to last year, sales were down 15% in terms of units and 14% in terms of revenue. You can't blame Mockingjay here, as it topped Catching Fire. There was just no depth this time. As expected, the overall Blu-ray slipped a bit dropping to 52%, but this is still a fantastic number. More...

DVD Sales: Mockingjay Leaves DVD Sales a Little Hungry

March 22nd, 2015

There was a flood of new releases on this week's DVD sales chart, including five of the top six best-sellers for the week. Leading the way was Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 with 718,000 units / $9.98 million. This is well below what Catching Fire opened with, but still enough to keep the studio happy. More...

Blu-ray Sales: Hunger Games Fills Up on Blu-ray

March 22nd, 2015

Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 led the new releases earning first place on the Blu-ray Sales Chart. It wasn't quite as strong as last week's winner, Big Hero 6; however, it did sell better than Catching Fire did. The Blu-ray sold 1.39 million units / $27.92 million, which is even more impressive when you note it was on sale for only two days, not the usual five days for a new release. Its opening week Blu-ray share was 66%, which is great no matter what its genre was. More...

Home Market Numbers: Hero Helps Home Market Grow Bigger

March 15th, 2015

Big Hero 6 dominated the list of new releases and was nearly 80% of the total Blu-ray sales for the week. This helped the overall sales skyrocket compared to last week, up 66% in terms of units and 93% in terms of revenue. Overall sales were not as strong when compared to last year, as Thor: The Dark World was tougher competition than anything that came out this week. Sales grew, but by a more subdued amount of 2.3% in terms of units and 9.8% in terms of revenue. Blu-ray sales growth was stronger this week than DVD sales growth was, so much so that the overall Blu-ray share rose to 55%. That's an unsustainable level, but it is nice while it lasts. More...

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for March 10th, 2015

March 11th, 2015

It's a short list this week for two reasons. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1's DVD and Blu-ray Combo Pack came out on Friday and this scared away the competition. This is also partially due to the fact that I'm dealing with what is clearly an alien disease. Friends came over on Saturday and one of them must have been infectious, because on Sunday my mouth tasted like salt. I Googled reasons why that could happen (never a good idea) and it turns out it could be from an infection. I used some Listerine to get rid of whatever bacteria was causing it, but the salty taste overpowered the flavor of the Listerine. That tells you how strong the salty taste was. The next day, the salty taste wasn't as bad, but my throat was killing me. I figured it was Strep throat. The next day, the salty taste was gone, my throat felt fine, but my sinuses were so clogged that the sinus pressure was making my teeth hurt. The next day, the sinus pressure was down dramatically, but I had sneezing attacks ever few minutes, including while I was trying to sleep. Today, the sneezing isn't as bad, but I have a bad cough and it feels like I broke a rib while sneezing. Clearly this isn't a normal cold, but instead I believe I am the subject of an alien experiment. Regardless, the best new release of the week is The Legend of Korra: Book Four: Balance and the DVD or Blu-ray is absolutely worth picking up. However, the best release on this week's list is The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. I finally got to the review of the Blu-ray Combo Pack and it is the Pick of the Week. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Chappie Leads Worst Weekend of the Year

March 10th, 2015

It was the worst weekend of the year so far with two of the three wide releases bombing compared to expectations. It was so bad, that the three wide releases combined were lower than the high end predictions for Chappie. Unfinished Business missed the Mendoza Line and will be quickly forgotten by the end of the month. Only The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel has a future. Overall, the total box office was just under $90 million, which was 16% lower than last weekend. It was also 38% lower than the same weekend last year. The top five this year barely made more than the number one film from last year, 300: Rise of an Empire. The combined opening of the three new releases this year was dwarfed by the opening of Mr. Peabody and Sherman last year. Granted, 2015 is still ahead of 2014 in the year-to-date comparison, but the lead has shrunk to under 1% at $1.85 billion to $1.84 billion. More...

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for March 3rd, 2015

March 3rd, 2015

This is not a great week for new releases on the home market. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 is by far the biggest new title and its DVD and Blu-ray Combo Pack is going to sell a ton of units. However, its reviews are not up to the level required to make it our Pick of the Week. Conversely, Foxcatcher is award-worthy, but the DVD and Blu-ray Combo Pack doesn't have enough extras to be a Pick of the Week. It seemed like every choice for Pick of the Week wasn't quite up to the level needed, so I'm going to go outside the box and pick To Write Love On Her Arms on DVD, which is a film I've been waiting to see for about three years. More...

International Box Office: 50 Shades a Worldwide Phenomenon

February 19th, 2015

Fifty Shades of Grey dominated the international box office with an opening weekend of $158 million in 58 markets over the weekend for a total opening of $173.56 million. Worldwide, the film took $258.73 million during its opening weekend, which puts it just behind Taken 3 for the year. It became the biggest hit shortly after the weekend ended. The film's biggest market was in the U.K., where it made $20.90 million in 586 theaters. This is better than it opened with here, relative to the size of the two markets, so we can blame the U.K. for the success of this film. It also did incredibly well in Germany ($15.2 million on 741 screens); France ($12 million on 785); and Russia ($10.68 million on 1,105). Obviously the film is going to be turned into a franchise. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Shades has a Bright Opening

February 18th, 2015

As expected, Fifty Shades of Grey dominated the weekend box office, while Kingsman: The Secret Service was strong in its own way. Overall, the box office earned $214 million over the three-day weekend and $247 million including Monday. Its three-day number is 41% more than last weekend. It is also 21% more than the same weekend last year. The four-day box office was 19% higher than the same weekend last year. 2015 has now opened up a 6.0% lead over 2014 at $1.45 billion to $1.37 billion. More...

Weekend Predictions: How Big Will 50 Shades Be?

February 13th, 2015

Fifty Shades of Grey will win the weekend box office race and then aliens will come down to Earth and eliminate us as a species. Okay, that second part is just wishful thinking on my part. Kingsman: The Secret Service will open in a distant second place, despite earning reviews that are really good, for this time of year. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water will fit somewhere in-between the two new releases. Last year, The LEGO Movie remained in first place with $49.85 million. Fifty Shades of Grey will crush that figure, leading 2015 to an easy victory. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Box Office was Less than Super

February 2nd, 2015

Super Bowl weekend was rough at the box office with only one film topping $10 million. That film was American Sniper, which completed the hat trick, but with less than expected. Second place went to Project Almanac, again earning less than expected, while Paddington was right behind in third place. Overall the box office fell 36% from last weekend, down to just $102 million. This is still 18% higher than the same weekend last year, so we have that to focus on. Year-to-date, 2015 has pulled in $994 million, which is 7.0% more than last year's pace of $929 million. Again, it is way too early to judge and as we saw last year, things can fall apart really quickly. That said, I will take any good news I can get. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Close Battle over Christmas Break

December 30th, 2014

We are still dealing with studio estimates for the weekend numbers, but we can at least tell you what film won, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, and roughly how much it earned, $41.42 million. The new releases were much closer than expected with Into the Woods and Unbroken both earning just over $30 million over the weekend. Because we don't have enough final numbers, we really can't compare the overall box office to last weekend or last year. So far, the final weekend of 2014 pulled in $200 million and that number should grow a little bit as box office numbers filter in. This is 52% more than last weekend and 2.3% more than the same weekend last year. I'm a little more bullish about January's box office chances after this result. More...

International Box Office: Hobbit Stands Tall

December 23rd, 2014

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies remained in first place with $109 million in 59 markets for a two-week total of $269 million internationally and $358 million worldwide. It is still too early to tell where this film will end up, but by this time next week it should be well past $500 million worldwide, which is enough to pay for its production budget. The film debuted in first place in South Korea with $10.3 million. Meanwhile, it was tops in Spain and Italy with $6.5 million and $6.1 million respectively. Despite opening in nearly two dozen new markets, the film's biggest market was a holdover, Germany, where it added $13.3 million over the weekend to its running tally, which now sits at $38.6 million. It was also strong in the U.K. earning $8.5 million over the weekend for a total of $31.8 million after two, while in France the film made $8.2 million over the weekend for $25.5 million, also after two weeks of release. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Christmas Gets Scrooged

December 22nd, 2014

The Christmas break got off on a soft note with all three new wide releases failing to meet expectations by substantial numbers. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies got off to a good start on Wednesday, but plummeted the next day and couldn't recover. Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb failed to live up to the low end of expectations, while Annie's opening at least came close to predictions. We are still missing some numbers. Overall, the box office rose by more than 60% from last weekend to $135 million and this figure should rise a little as other numbers filter in. However, it likely won't rise by enough to match the $140 million earned the same weekend last year. I really thought 2014 would end its year-over-year slump this weekend, but alas, it was not to be. Year-to-date, 2014 has earned $9.60 billion, which is 4.6% lower than last year's pace. More...

Weekend Predictions: Battle of the Three Armies

December 18th, 2014

For most, this weekend represents the beginning of the Christmas break, so it comes as no surprise that there are three potentially big hits coming out this week. I'm a little surprised none of them are getting overwhelmingly positive reviews. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies is earning the best reviews of the week, but its Tomatometer Score is barely above 60%. Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb has been floating around 50% positive all week, while Annie is being destroyed by critics. This weekend last year, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug earned first place for the second weekend in a row. Meanwhile, the new releases were less impressive, as Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues earned second place with $26.23 million and Walking with Dinosaurs landed in the lower half of the top ten. The depth this year won't be as strong, but I still think 2014 will finally end its slump and win in the year-over-year comparison. More...

International Box Office: Hobbit Stands Tall

December 17th, 2014

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies started its international run earning first place with $122.2 million on 15,395 screens in 37 markets. Not only did it earn the best opening of The Hobbit Trilogy, but it was often times the biggest opening in Peter Jackson's career, or even occasionally in Warner Bros' history. Its biggest opening came in Germany where it pulled in $20.5 million on 1,442 screens. Next up was the U.K. and France, which had nearly identical openings of $15.2 million on 1,489 screens and $15.1 million on 914 screens respectively. It earned $13.56 million on 2,390 screens in Russia. Brazil and Mexico were neck-and-neck with $6.8 million on 1,037 screens and $6.3 million on 2,775 screens respectively. It earned $2.4 million on 640 screens in Japan, which seems low compared to the other markets, but it is nearly double the debut The Desolation of Smaug earned. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Exodus Win, but Overall Box Office is on the Run

December 15th, 2014

All-in-all, the box office matched expectations, but sadly, that is not a good thing. Exodus: Gods and Kings opened with $24.12 million, which is anemic for a film that cost $140 million to make. Top Five had a better per theater average, but was playing in less than 1,000 theaters, so it will only become a midlevel hit, at best. Overall, the box office did rise 6.8% from last weekend, but this still only amounted to $83 million. Worse still, this was 43% lower than the same weekend last year. Last year, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug opened with $73.65 million, which is about 2% less than the top ten earned this year. It should come as no surprise that 2014 lost in the year-over-year comparison, while it continues to lose ground in the year-to-date race as well. Currently, 2014 has pulled in a total of $9.41 billion, which is 4.8% or $470 million lower than last year's pace. There's no chance 2014 will catch up at this point. I just hope it doesn't sink any lower. More...

Weekend Estimates: Exodus Leads with Lackluster Debut

December 14th, 2014

Big budget bible epic Exodus: Gods and Kings is probably the riskiest studio bet this Holiday Season. The $140 million-budgeted film will need to do considerable business domestically and internationally to earn a profit, and biblical epics haven’t had the best of track records in recent years. Early signs aren’t great, with Fox projecting a $24.5 million opening weekend, well behind the $43.7 million earned by Noah earlier in the year. There is room for the film to recover though, as it will almost certainly be able to keep playing in a lot of theaters through the New Year. $100 million seems like the top end of domestic expectations at this point, and its international performance so far doesn’t suggest overseas coin will help make up the difference. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will the Box Office Exodus End?

December 11th, 2014

The box office has been struggling the past few weeks and / or months. It really depends on how you look at things. This weekend there are two films hoping to help 2014 get back into the win column: Exodus: Gods and Kings and Top Five. Exodus will win the weekend with relative ease, but it might not earn more than $20 million in the process. Top Five would like to earn second place with just over $10 million, but it will probably fall short finishing just behind The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1. This weekend last year, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug led the way with $73.65 million. That's more than the top five will make in total this year. It might be more than the top ten earn. Even last year's second place film, Frozen, might make more than the top film this year will earn. 2014 is going to lose in the year-over-year comparison by a large margin.

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2014 - Awards Season: Golden Globes - Nominations

December 11th, 2014

The Golden Globes nominations were announced this morning, at three in the morning, because the people at Golden Globes are under the delusion that news announced at 3:00 a.m. is somehow more important if it is announced before anyone is awake. As for the actual nominations, like with the Independent Spirit Awards and the SAG nominations, Birdman led the way. It earned seven nominations, while Boyhood and The Imitation Game tied for second with five apiece. Starting to notice a pattern here? This could be a really dull Awards Season with very few surprises. On the other hand, predictable means less work for me. Plus, predictable probably means the Awards Season voters are making the right choices, as surprises usually mean someone made the wrong choice. More...

International Box Office: Mockingjay Maintains Milestone Pace

December 11th, 2014

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 reached a couple of milestones hitting $500 million worldwide before the weekend and $300 million internationally during the weekend. Over the weekend, the film pulled in $32.9 million in 87 markets for three-week totals of $306.6 million internationally and $564.8 million worldwide. The film will top $600 million worldwide over the weekend, while it is on pace to top the original's worldwide total before the end of its run. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Box Office has Post-Holiday Indigestion

December 9th, 2014

The post-holiday weekend is rarely a great weekend and this weekend was no exception. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 fell more than 60%, while no film in the top ten fell less than 40%. The only wide release in the top ten was The Pyramid, which barely topped the Mendoza Line. Overall, the box office fell 52% from last weekend to $78 million. That's 16% lower than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2014 is behind 2013 by a 4.5% or $440 million margin. It is not going to close that margin over the next four weeks, but it should still top $10 billion before the year is over. More...

Weekend Estimates: Hunger Games Unchallenged at Top

December 7th, 2014

With no new wide releases, the weekend after Thanksgiving will see a comfortable victory at the box office for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1. Now playing in its third weekend, the film will gross around $21.6 million, taking it to a total of $257.7m, virtually equal with The Lego Movie in third place for the year. Weekend performances for returning movies were down across the board coming off the holiday, with, in the top 10, only Gone Girl and Birdman down less than 40%. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Pyramid Scheme Its Way to the Top (Five)

December 5th, 2014

It's the weekend after Thanksgiving, one of the worst weekends of the year for a new release. This year, no film is daring to open wide, but The Pyramid is coming the closest opening in just under 600 theaters. The film would need a per theater average of more than $10,000 to reach the top five, which is nearly impossible at this stage. This means the top five this week will mostly be the same as the top five last week with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 leading the way. Likewise, this weekend last year, Frozen led the way with more than $30 million. There is very little chance Mockingjay, Part 1 will match that, so 2014 will lose yet again in the year-over-year comparison. More...

International Box Office: Milestone for Mockingjay

December 4th, 2014

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 remained in first place with $67.0 million in 86 markets for a two-week total of $254.6 million. Its worldwide total rose to $480.3 million. I would be surprised if the film hasn't already broken even, even though it will have the lowest box office in the franchise. The film remained in first place in Australia with $7.52 million on 574 screens over the weekend for a total of $22.69 million after two weeks of release. It was pushed into second place in the U.K., but still pulled in $7.69 million in 569 theaters for a two-week total of $33.32 million. More...

Per Theater Chart: Imitation Scores Game-Winning Goal

December 3rd, 2014

The Imitation Game led the way on the per theater chart with an incredible average of $119,838 in four theaters. This is the second best per theater average of the year, behind only The Grand Budapest Hotel. Second place went to The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1, with an average of $13,725 during its sophomore stint. The final film in the $10,000 is The Babadook, which earned an average of $10,002 in three theaters.

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Weekend Wrap-Up: Thanksgiving Gives the Box Office Indigestion

December 2nd, 2014

Thanksgiving weekend was... well, it wasn't good. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 easily won the race for top spot and actually topped expectations by a tiny margin. On the other hand, the two new releases, Penguins of Madagascar and Horrible Bosses 2, both really struggled. Neither managed to top their three-day prediction over the five-day long weekend. Overall, the three-day weekend fell 17% to $162 million from last weekend. Worse still, this was 22% lower than the same weekend last year. 2014 is now behind 2013 by a margin of $370 million or 3.9% at $9.20 billion to $9.58 billion. There's no way we will catch up by the end of the year. I just hope we don't fall further behind.

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Weekend Predictions: Thanksgiving Means Leftovers

November 27th, 2014

It's Thanksgiving weekend and there are two films trying to take advantage of the boost to the box office. Penguins of Madagascar looks like it will top Horrible Bosses 2 at the box office, but neither really have a shot at dethroning The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 for top spot. In fact, it is possible both of them combined won't top last year's number one new release, Frozen. Additionally, Mockingjay, Part 1 very likely won't match Catching Fire by a significant margin, so November will end the month on a down note.

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International Box Office: Mockingjay has $275 million Worldwide Weekend

November 27th, 2014

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 opened in first place on the international chart with $154.3 million in 85 markets for a worldwide opening of $276.2 million. Its international opening was about 4% higher than the previously entry in the franchise. The film managed $19.8 million in the U.K. and $13.8 million in Germany. This was 5% and 9% higher than the previous film's debut in those two markets. Mockingjay, Part 1 opened 19% higher in Russia with $11.9 million. The film also topped $10 million in Mexico ($12 million) and Australia ($10.3 million). More...

Contest: Silent Knight: Winning Announcement

November 26th, 2014

The winners of our Silent Knight contest were determined and they are... More...

Per Theater Chart: Mockingjay Makes a Mockery of the Per Theater Chart

November 26th, 2014

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 not only earned first place on the overall box office, but it also led the way on the per theater chart with an average of $29,366. Foxcatcher earned an average of $19,764 in 24 theaters. It is nearly at $1 million and has room to grow further. The Theory of Everything expanded again, but still remained in the $10,000 club with an average of $10,798 in 141 theaters.

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Weekend Wrap-Up: Hunger Games Goes on a Diet

November 24th, 2014

As expected, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 earned first place with ease pulling in more than the rest of the box office combined. On the downside, it was well below the optimistic expectations at just $121.90 million. ... It seems strange that an opening of $121.90 million is considered disappointing. Worse still, none of the other films in the top five topped predictions, so they couldn't help mitigate Mockingjay, Part 1's softer than anticipated opening. The overall box office still rose 38% from last weekend to $194 million, but this was 14% lower than the same weekend last year. There's really no way to spin that in a positive manner. Year-to-date, 2014 has earned $8.94 billion, which is 3.2% or $290 million lower than last year's pace. Again, it is hard to spin that number in a positive way.

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Weekend Estimates: Mockingjay Sets 2014 Record with Disappointing Debut

November 23rd, 2014

If you could sum up 2014 at the box office in one sentence, this weekend’s headline probably comes close. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1 is the film we’ve been waiting for all year: the third film in a franchise that has already topped $150 million on each of its previous two opening frames, with the weekend before Thanksgiving all to itself, and reviews that, if not stellar, are at least very respectable for a franchise tentpole. A weekend of $150 million plus seemed a very good bet, and something bigger still couldn’t be ruled out. But, come Sunday, Lionsgate is projecting a $123 million weekend, down about 20% from previous installments. That is, of course, a fantastic weekend by most measures: it’s the 15th-best weekend of all time, and easily the biggest opening weekend in 2014. But this will now be the first year since 2010 without a $150m+ weekend, and the debate about the waning influence of theater-going on the industry will undoubtedly be re-opened. More...

Contest: Black and White

November 20th, 2014

Next weekend is Thanksgiving weekend and there are two films hoping to not be crushed by The Hunger Games: Mockyingjay, Part 1, which will be in its second week of release. Penguins of Madagascar will likely beat out Horrible Bosses 2 for second place and as such, it is the choice for the target film for this week's box office prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for Penguins of Madagascar.

Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a copy of Jeff Dunham: All Over the Map on Blu-ray. Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will win a previously reviewed DVD or Blu-ray. Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Hunger Games Leave Moviegoers Hungry?

November 20th, 2014

There is only one wide release coming out this weekend, but it is the biggest release of the year. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 should have no trouble earning the biggest opening weekend of the year so far and it shouldn't take very long before it surpasses Guardians of the Galaxy for number one film of the year. As for the rest of the box office, there's not a lot to look forward to. Dumb and Dumber To will likely take a serious hit, while Big Hero 6 should overtake it over the weekend. This weekend last year, Catching Fire led the way with $158.07 million, which could be more than the entire box office earns this year. Hopefully that won't be the case, but I don't see how 2014 comes out ahead on the year-over-year comparison.

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Contest: Silent Knight

November 13th, 2014

Next weekend, the only wide release is The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 and as such, it is the only choice for the target film for this week's box office prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1.

Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a copy of Power Rangers Megaforce Robo Knight Before Christmas on DVD. Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will win a previous Power Rangers Christmas Special, Power Rangers Samurai: Christmas Together, Friends Forever on DVD. Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

2014 Preview: November

October 31st, 2014

October was a better than expected month with the overall box office keeping pace with October of 2013, for the most part. (The last weekend will be terrible, but that's because of Halloween.) We were able to close the gap somewhat in the year-over-year comparison, at least by a little bit. So how will November do compared to October. Let's put it this way. There are only seven films opening wide this month. Of those, Beyond the Lights will likely not make an impact at the box office. Every other film has at least a reasonable shot at $100 million. More than half the of the films opening this month could hit $200 million. Leading the way will be The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1, which could hit $400 million. The only problem is when book franchises split the final installment into two parts, the first part tends to be weaker at the box office. Interstellar is a big question mark. On the low end, it could make just over $100 million, while on the high end, just over $300 million is within reach. That's a wide range of expectations. On the downside, last November, there were two movies to reach $400 million: Catching Fire and Frozen. On the other hand, there was only one other movie to make more than $100 million, Thor: The Dark World, so perhaps the depth this year will help 2014 come out ahead in the year-over-year comparison. More...

Territory	Release Date	Opening Weekend	Opening Weekend Screens	Maximum Screens	Theatrical Engagements	Total Box Office	Report Date
Argentina	11/20/2014	$1,900,000	0	1	2	$1,900,000	12/30/2018
Australia	11/20/2014	$10,283,323	574	574	3158	$26,407,606	11/13/2023
Austria	11/20/2014	$1,600,000	0	0	0	$1,600,000	4/5/2015
Azerbaijan	11/20/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Belgium	11/19/2014	$2,000,000	0	0	0	$2,000,000	4/5/2015
Bolivia	11/20/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Brazil	11/19/2014	$8,800,000	0	0	0	$20,300,000	4/5/2015
Bulgaria	11/21/2014	$232,197	0	0	0	$555,516	12/30/2018
Cambodia	11/27/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Central America	11/27/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Chile	11/20/2014	$0	0	1	1	$873	12/30/2018
China	2/7/2015	$8,940,000	39978	39978	65848	$35,970,000	10/19/2018
Colombia	11/21/2014	$1,500,000	0	0	0	$1,500,000	12/20/2018
Costa Rica	11/27/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Croatia	11/20/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Czech Republic	11/20/2014	$455,021	101	101	190	$928,260	12/30/2018
Denmark	11/19/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Dominican Republic	11/27/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Ecuador	11/21/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Egypt	11/20/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
El Salvador	11/28/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Estonia	11/20/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Finland	11/19/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
France	11/19/2014	$0	0	0	0	$24,195,256	8/20/2018
Germany	11/20/2014	$13,700,000	0	1	1	$35,590,676	10/6/2015
Greece	11/20/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Guatemala	11/27/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Honduras	11/27/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Hong Kong	11/20/2014	$1,300,000	0	2	6	$2,861,407	11/25/2018
Hungary	11/20/2014	$553,277	60	60	300	$1,178,667	12/30/2018
Iceland	11/21/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
India	11/28/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Indonesia	11/19/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Iraq	11/20/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Ireland	11/20/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Israel	11/20/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Italy	11/20/2014	$5,325,043	566	566	973	$10,979,182	4/5/2015
Japan	6/5/2015	$367,061	0	0	0	$1,107,534	8/23/2018
Kazakhstan	11/20/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Kenya	11/21/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Latvia	11/20/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Lebanon	11/20/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Lithuania	11/20/2014	$96,303	13	13	70	$249,082	4/5/2015
Luxembourg	11/19/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Macedonia	11/20/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Malaysia	11/20/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Mexico	11/21/2014	$12,100,000	0	0	0	$22,300,000	4/5/2015
Mongolia	11/21/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Myanmar (Burma)	11/21/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Netherlands	11/19/2014	$1,924,486	118	118	897	$7,172,194	4/5/2015
New Zealand	11/20/2014	$1,795,492	134	134	791	$4,483,750	1/15/2024
Nicaragua	11/27/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
North America	11/21/2014	$121,897,634	4,151	4,151	30,413	$337,135,885	5/3/2016
Norway	11/19/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Pakistan	11/21/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Panama	11/28/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Paraguay	11/21/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Peru	11/20/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Philippines	11/20/2014	$3,100,000	0	0	0	$3,100,000	12/20/2018
Poland	11/21/2014	$1,500,000	0	0	0	$3,995,989	12/30/2018
Portugal	11/27/2014	$0	0	26	26	$1,944,123	11/7/2023
Romania	11/21/2014	$334,858	85	85	339	$767,004	12/30/2018
Russia (CIS)	11/20/2014	$10,029,978	1912	2608	6946	$17,253,020	1/8/2015
Serbia and Montenegro	11/20/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Singapore	11/20/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Slovakia	11/20/2014	$312,759	54	54	158	$560,199	7/7/2015
Slovenia	11/20/2014	$0	0	9	36	$158,271	7/7/2015
South Africa	11/21/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
South Korea	11/20/2014	$2,698,430	590	590	1209	$5,822,147	7/7/2015
Spain	11/21/2014	$5,200,000	0	0	0	$13,700,000	4/5/2015
Sweden	11/19/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Switzerland (French Speaking)	11/19/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Switzerland (German Speaking)	11/20/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Switzerland (Italian Speaking)	11/20/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Taiwan	11/21/2014	$1,700,000	0	0	0	$4,536,502	11/2/2018
Thailand	11/20/2014	$1,700,000	0	0	0	$3,169,765	4/5/2015
Turkey	11/21/2014	$1,319,396	332	332	1160	$3,698,200	12/30/2018
Ukraine	11/20/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
United Arab Emirates	11/20/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
United Kingdom	11/20/2014	$19,987,489	0	569	2664	$46,728,074	7/7/2015
Uruguay	11/20/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Venezuela	11/21/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Vietnam	11/28/2014	$0	0	0	0	$0
Rest of World						$122,725,949
Worldwide Total						$766,575,131	1/15/2024