Weekend Predictions: Tenet Set to Tame a Chaotic Box Office

September 2nd, 2020

The chaos that is 2020 continues this long weekend. Usually Labor Day marks the official end of the summer blockbuster season, but in 2020 up is down, left is right, and the Canucks still haven’t been eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs. With all of this turmoil, it kind of makes sense that the first summer blockbuster getting released this year, Tenet, is coming out on the last weekend of summer. It is the only wide release of the week, and, while The New Mutants and Unhinged will still be in many theaters, they simply won’t be able to compete with Christopher Nolan’s latest epic. More...

Tenet Starts International Rollout with $53 Million Weekend

August 30th, 2020

Tenet’s long-awaited global rollout finally started this weekend, and the results are good enough for Warner Bros. to claim victory. Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi action movie opened with $53 million in total, including $7.1 million the United Kingdom (with a 74% market share), $6.7 million in France (68% market share), $5.1 million in Korea (80% share), and $4.2 million in Germany (60% share). While those numbers aren’t massive by historical standards in those bigger markets, the film actually set some all-time records in smaller territories. More...

Limited and Virtual Releases: Will Inception Wow Audiences Ten Years Later?

August 21st, 2020

This week’s list of limited releases isn’t very long and most of the new ones are earning reviews that are merely good, or worse. The new releases that are earning overwhelmingly positive reviews are The August Virgin and Desert One. Words on Bathroom Walls is opening in a lot of theaters, probably too many, which leaves Inception’s tenth-anniversary re-release as the film with the best chance at box office success. More...

International Round Up: Harry Potter Puts a Spell on China, Crosses $1 Billion Worldwide

August 20th, 2020

The slow march to recovery at the box office continued in international markets at the weekend as theaters opened up and moviegoers continued to return. Progress is being slowed by the lack of new films, particularly from US studios, but catalog titles are filling the void. China took advantage of an opportunity to release a movie from the Harry Potter archive for the first time in the territory, and Australian film fans got a chance to enjoy some original Star Wars. Some local films are also doing well, partly thanks to the lack of competition.

Here’s a round-up of what’s playing around the world, and how markets are recovering. More...

Blu-ray Sales: High Definition Looking Blue

December 15th, 2011

The Smurfs led a group of five new releases on the Blu-ray sales chart earning first place in the process. It sold 355,000 units while generating $8.88 million during its first week on the home market, which represents 42% of all units sold. That's a very strong opening week Blu-ray ratio for a live action kids movie. More...

DVD Sales: Holdovers are Nearly Unstoppable

March 1st, 2011

President's Day sales boosted a number of holdovers back into the top 30 on this week's sales chart. However, it was a new release, Unstoppable, that led the way with 796,000 units sold for opening week sales of $12.73 million. More...

Awards Season: And the Oscars go to... The King's Speech for Best Picture

February 27th, 2011

The Oscar are being handed out tonight and we will be going over the winners as they are announced and giving a few reactions, perhaps there will be a few surprises along the way. This story will be updated as the winners are announced, so check back throughout the evening to see if The King's Speech will be this year's winner, or if The Social Network will manage the upset. Plus there are many other potentially interesting results ahead. More...

Oscar Contest: Category Highlight: Best Picture

February 20th, 2011

With our annual Oscar Prediction contest underway, now is the best time to look at the nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which nominees should just feel honored to be nominated. This weekend we wrap things up and the final category is the most prestigious, Best Picture. With ten nominations, it's a crowded field; however, all but a couple of those are clearly long shots. More...

Oscar Contest: Category Highlight: Best Original Screenplay

February 6th, 2011

With our annual Oscar Prediction contest underway, now is the best time to look at the nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. Today we look at Best Original Screenplay, which is not only one of the more competitive categories this year, it is also one of the harder ones to predict due to complications with other awards. More...

Awards Season: WGA Social Secures Another Win

February 5th, 2011

WGA handed out its awards this weekend, and while there were many winners, only three categories were for theatrical releases. More...

DVD Sales: New Release Takes Top Spot

February 1st, 2011

Takers led a list of four new releases that reached the top 30 on this week's sales chart. It won the race with relative ease selling 714,000 units and generating $11.42 million in opening week consumer spending at retail. The Social Network was pushed into second place with 469,000 units for the week and 1.51 million units after two. Its total sales of $19.57 million are a little on the low end, but with its performance during Awards Season heating up, it could last on the chart for a long time. Speaking of which, Despicable Me remained in third place, again, with 253,000 units / $5.09 million for the week giving it totals of 6.74 million units / $117.10 million after six weeks of release. Death Race 2 opened in fourth place with 218,000 / $4.04 million, which is good for this type of release. More...

Awards Season: Oscars Offer a Truly Regal Performance

January 25th, 2011

The Oscar nominations were announced this morning, thus ending months of speculation. Along with a (very) few surprises, the list of nominees is mostly a case of Deja Vu. Leading the way, as it has so often this year, was The King's Speech, with 12 nominations, including six in seven of the most prestigious categories (Best Picture, Director, Screenplay, and the four acting categories). But it was far from the only multi-nominated film on the list. More...

DVD Sales: People Staying Home with Social

January 25th, 2011

While there were not many new releases on this week's sales chart, one of them, The Social Network, dominated the sales chart with 1.08 million units / $14.06 million during its opening week. More...

DVD Sales: Machete Cuts Through the Competition

January 18th, 2011

A total of four new releases reached the top 30 on the sales chart this week. One of those films, Machete, topped the charts with 691,000 units sold and $11.05 million in opening week sales. More...

Awards Season: No Dark Horses for DGA

January 12th, 2011

The Directors Guild of America spreads out the nomination process, but the last of the theatrical categories were announced today. The guild hands out awards in nearly a dozen categories, but only two for theatrical release. Two categories, ten nominations, and only one that wasn't completely foreseen. More...

DVD Sales: Resident Finds Plenty of Homes

January 11th, 2011

Only two new releases charted this week, and only one of them could lay claim to top spot. That DVD was Resident Evil: Afterlife, which sold 576,000 units and generated $9.86 million in opening week sales. On the other hand, Despicable Me could also legitimately claim first place with $9.98 million in revenue from 565,000 units. So far that film has sold 5.73 million DVDs for $96.82 million in total sales. More...

Awards Season: PGA Doesn't Toy With Expectations

January 4th, 2011

Producers Guild of America announced the nominations in seven categories, three of which are for theatrical releases. Like last year, there was only one repeat nominee, and again like last year, it was a Pixar release. More...

Awards Season: WGA Sticks to the Letter of the Law

January 4th, 2011

WGA nominations were announced this week, and there were some strange results, as the guild is sticking to their rules, which resulted in a number of possible Oscar contenders being ruled ineligible. That said, of the non-documentary films, only one hasn't picked up a single nomination previously, so it is hard to say this list is too out there. More...

DVD Sales: Holdovers Hold On top Top Spots

January 4th, 2011

There were plenty of new releases on the sales chart this week, but none came close to unseating Despicable Me. The film repeated on top with 1.38 million units for the week and 5.13 million units after two. It has already brought in $86.13 million in revenue, while it will have little trouble hitting $100 million shortly. More...

DVD Sales: Gru was Despicable to the Competition

December 28th, 2010

There were seven new releases to chart this week, including the new number one. In fact, that new number one dominated in a surprising way and none of the other new releases managed to make much of an impact at the box office. Despicable Me led the way with 3.75 million units sold and $62.70 million. If there were any doubts about a sequel, this ended them, as the film is already in the top ten for the year. More...

DVD Sales: New Releases Can't Eclipse Twilight

December 21st, 2010

A couple of very high profile new releases hit the home market this week, but despite this, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse was able to top the DVD sales chart during its first full week of release with 3.15 million units / $56.62 million for a running tally of 5.54 million units / $99.68 million. This is practically identical to the sales of the first two films at the same point. More...

Awards Season - King of the Globes, or at Least the Nominations

December 14th, 2010

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced their nominations early this morning, and there are some interesting surprises included in the mix. Leading the way was The King's Speech, which has long been seen as one of the major players this Awards Season. Meanwhile, The Fighter and The Social Network were right behind with six each. There were many, many other films nomination, including more than a few shocks. ... Mostly in one category. More...

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for December 7th, 2010

December 6th, 2010

It's the first Tuesday of December, and the last real week with multiple major releases. After this, the next few weeks are rather shallow in terms of first run releases. This week there are a number of titles that are worth adding to you collection, including the Pick of the Week, Inception on Blu-ray / DVD Combo Pack. Restrepo is also worthy of consideration for that honor, as was either of the Criterion Collection releases, Cronos and Videodrome. More...

2010 Holiday Gift Guide: Part I

November 26th, 2010

This weekend is Thanksgiving and that means Black Friday and Cyber Monday plus 48 hours of shopping in between. Personally, I've done my Christmas shopping, and I have been for weeks; in fact, I've even finished wrapping everything. For the rest of you, here is the first part in our annual Holiday Gift Guide. This week we will look at some of the major first-run releases, but we start with a short talk on... More...

International Box Office: Despicable Is the Most Loved Movie Around

October 20th, 2010

Despicable Me completed its climb to the top of the international chart with $27.03 million on 4751 screens in 40 markets for totals of $170.27 million internationally and $417.32 million worldwide. This week's openings include the U.K., where it topped the chart with $5.81 million on 522 screens, which is a good result, but not a great result. It placed second in Italy with less money at $4.86 million on 544 screens, but ironically, this is a better result due to the relative size of the two markets and it only placed second due to a massive local hit. Meanwhile, the film was down just 23% in France adding $3.57 million on 657 screens for a two-week total of $8.82 million. It was down 35% in Spain, but remained in first place with $2.25 million on 542 screens over the weekend and $8.27 million in total. The film is running out of places to open in, but by this time next week it should have $200 million internationally, while $500 million worldwide is still the main goal. More...

International Box Office: Eat Pray is Loving Top Spot

October 13th, 2010

Eat Pray Love rose to top spot on the international chart with $18.47 million on 4289 screens in 55 markets for a total of $64.81 million internationally. By this time next week, the film should have more revenue internationally than it had domestically, and it was a solid midlevel hit here. The film opened in first place in Australia with $3.42 million on 328 screens over the weekend and $3.63 million in total. On the other hand, it had to settle for fourth place in Russia with $1.74 million on 223 screens.

More...

International Box Office: Number One Film is a Real Mystery

October 6th, 2010

Resident Evil: Afterlife was in a close race for top spot on the international chart, but lost out to Detective Dee: Mystery Of The Phantom Flame, a Chinese film. That film opened with $16.42 million on 650 screens in 4 markets over the weekend for a total opening on $17.63 million. Most of this likely came from its native market, unfortunately, China is not a market that releases box office number in anything close to a timely fashion, so exact numbers there will likely remain a mystery for a while. More...

International Box Office: Resident Evil Still Has a Lot of Life

September 29th, 2010

Another week, another milestone for Resident Evil: Afterlife, this time crossing $200 million worldwide, which makes it the first in the franchise to do so. Over the weekend it led the international box office with $25.20 million on 6519 screens in 55 markets for a total of $154.71 million internationally and $206.78 million worldwide. It managed top spot during its debut in France with $2.96 million on 408 screens, but that's below average for its run so far. Meanwhile, it added $2.87 million on 633 screens in Japan for a total of $38.51 million after three weeks of release there. That's almost as much as Inception has made in that market, and its been there for ten weeks. More...

Owls not Legendary on IMAX

September 28th, 2010

Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole opened on 193 IMAX screens domestically, but only managed about $1.7 million. Its per screen average on IMAX was nearly twice its overall per theater average, but it was still a soft opening. After three weeks of release, Resident Evil: After Life has reached $8.3 million worldwide, which is impressive, as IMAX hasn't managed the same market penetration internationally as it has domestically, and this film is definitely a bigger international hit than it is domestically. However, with success stories like Inception, which crossed the $50 million mark on the global IMAX box office over the weekend, that is changing. More...

International Box Office: Afterlife is Living Large

September 22nd, 2010

It took just two weeks for Resident Evil: Afterlife to become the first film in the franchise to reach $100 million on the international scene. It earned $39.61 million on 6235 screens in 47 markets for a total of $103.58 million internationally and $147.48 million worldwide. Its biggest opening came in Germany where it earned $5.38 million on 434 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $5.85 million. It also took top spot in Mexico with $4.38 million on 658 screens, in South Korea with $3.88 million on 367, and in Brazil with $2.96 million on 298. It did fall 62% during its second weekend in Japan, which is tragic for that market; however, it still managed $5.00 million on 634 screens over the weekend for a total of $27.71 million after two. With debuts in France, Australia, and other markets still ahead of it, this film will have no trouble getting to $200 million worldwide, while $200 million internationally is a solid goal. More...

International Box Office: Resident Evil not Going Anywhere

September 15th, 2010

Resident Evil: Afterlife took top spot on the international chart. In fact, it dominated with $41.70 million on 3,935 screens in 33 markets for a total of $68.36 million worldwide. After just one weekend of release, the film is nearly halfway to catching up with Extinction for best in the franchise. It goes without saying that there will be another installment. Its biggest individual market was Japan, where it opened in first place with $13.27 million on 649 screens over the weekend and $15.58 million in total. It also took the top spot in Spain with an impressive $3.36 million on 488 screens, while it was a little softer in the U.K. with a chart topping opening of $2.61 million on 361 screens. On the other hand, it had to settle for second place in Italy with $1.72 million on 270 screens during its debut there. More...

International Box Office: Double Milestone for Inception

September 8th, 2010

It was a busy week for Inception, as it rose to top spot on the international chart and crossed two major milestones in the process: $400 million internationally and $700 million worldwide. Over the weekend, it earned $21.00 million on 7,785 screens in 61 markets for a total of $425.15 million internationally and $702.30 million worldwide. Much of this was due to its debut in China, where it placed first with $13.6 million. It has yet to open in Italy, but it will likely start falling off at an accelerated pace from now till its premiere in that market at the end of the month. More...

International Box Office: Expendables Remain Essential

September 1st, 2010

The Expendables held on to top spot on the international chart with $24.70 million on 4823 screens in 38 markets for a total of $101.46 million after just three weeks of release. It had a few openings over the weekend, most notably in Germany where it placed third with $2.94 million on 531 screens. Meanwhile, it fell from first to fourth in the U.K., but still added $2.02 million on 453 screens over the weekend for a total of $10.52 million after two. With openings in Italy and Japan ahead, the film will have no trouble getting to $250 million worldwide, which is more than enough to ensure a profit. More...

International Box Office: Expendables Explode on International Scene

August 25th, 2010

Powered by openings in a trio of major markets, The Expendables climbed into top spot with $35.49 million on 4501 screens in 30 markets for a still early international total of $60.30 million. At this point, reaching $100 million internationally and $200 million worldwide is practically a given. The film's best opening of the weekend came from the U.K. where it debuted in the top spot with $6.08 million on 453 screens, while it was also triumphant in France with $4.75 million on 445 screens. On the other hand, it had to settle for fifth place in South Korea with $1.25 million on 298 screens over the weekend and $1.52 million in total. Next up for the film is Germany this weekend, while it opens in Italy next month and in Japan in October. More...

International Box Office: Summer Slows But Blockbusters Still Reach Milestones

August 18th, 2010

As the summer blockbuster season comes to a close, there are few major releases in theaters worldwide. Regardless, there are still a few major milestones being reached, and a few more to come. For instance, Inception maintained its hold in first place with $35.51 million on 6879 screens, in 61 markets, for a total of $320.44 million internationally. It also reached a major milestone worldwide with $568.91 million, making it just one of 78 films to reach $500 million. It is still going strong in a number of major markets, including Spain, where it remained in first place with $2.72 million on 497 screens over the weekend, for a total of $10.15 million after two. It was down just 22% in Brazil adding $1.56 million on 292 screens over the weekend and $4.43 million after two. Its best market overall is the U.K. where it has made $45.53 million after a month of release, including $2.62 million on 472 screens this past weekend. By this time next week, it should have $600 million worldwide, with $700 million becoming a lot more likely. More...

Expendables are Explosive, in a Good Way

August 16th, 2010

Two of the three wide releases that opened this past weekend were able to score at the box office and that was enough to lift the total box office to $144 million. This was 8% higher than last weekend and 1% higher than the same weekend last year. Granted, that 1% improvement is well below the rate of inflation, but a win is a win. Year-to-date, 2010 has earned $7.15 billion compared to 2009's pace of $6.85 billion. As we transition into fall, we are in an excellent position to top $10 billion for the second year in a row and set yet another record. Granted, the lack of a Avatar-like megahit coming out could be an issue, but I think 2010 has built up enough of a lead that it won't prevent the yearly box office from reaching 10 digits. More...

Will Summer Give Us One Last Hit, or are the New Releases Expendable?

August 12th, 2010

There are three wide releases this week, but fortunately they are all aimed at widely different audiences, which means they might all reach their potential. However, that potential might not be enough for the market as a whole to keep pace with last year. More...

International Box Office: Inception Eyes $500 million

August 11th, 2010

Inception remained in top spot on the international box office, with $47.70 million on 7287 screens in 59 markets for a total of $259.27 million internationally and $486.90 million worldwide. It won't have to wait till the weekend to get to $500 million. It opened in first place in Spain with $4.55 million on 491 screens, but had to settle for second place in Brazil with $2.03 million on 313. It also added $3.83 million on 418 screens over the weekend in Australia for a total of $20.64 million after three. While in the U.K., it made $3.60 million on 468 screens over the weekend for a total of $41.02 million after four. With openings in China and Italy ahead of it, $600 million worldwide is virtually guaranteed, while $700 million isn't out of the question. More...

None Above the Others

August 9th, 2010

The first weekend of August was mixed. The top film did well for this time of year, as did the counter-programming. Plus the holdovers did their part, more of less. That said, the overall box office was still down 8% from last weekend and 9% from last year, thus ending 2010's winning streak. However, looking at the big picture, 2010 is still up on 2009 at a score of $6.93 billion to $6.63 billion More...

Weekend Estimates: The Other Guys Puts Inception Run to Rest

August 8th, 2010

After three weekends at the top, Inception finally slipped to second place this weekend, thanks to an impressive debut from The Other Guys. The Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg comedy posted a very solid $35.6 million, with a per theater average within touching distance of $10,000. That's the second-best opening weekend for both actors (behind Talladega Nights and Planet of the Apes respectively), and should set the movie up for a good late Summer run. More...

Will Inception Win Again, or is it Time for the Other Guys?

August 5th, 2010

It's August and box office analysts are debating whether or not Summer will continue for another week. If the new releases as big as some expect, then it will continue. On the other hand, both new releases could bomb, leaving Inception in top spot, in which case summer will definitely be over. Even if the more bullish predictions come true, it might be tough for 2010 to maintain pace with last year and the five-week winning streak could be over. More...

International Top of the Chart: Inception Inches Into the Lead

August 4th, 2010

During its third weekend of release, Inception moved into top spot, despite slipping a little bit at the box office. Over the weekend it added $56.64 million on 6,824 screens in 51 markets for a total of $173.98 million internationally and $367.30 million worldwide. The only major market it opened in this weekend was Germany, where it scored first place with $6.70 million on 567 screens over the weekend and $7.35 million in total. It also earned first place in Hong Kong with $1.68 million on 76 screens over the weekend and $1.78 million in total. More...

IMAX: Inception Intercepts $20 Million Domestically

August 4th, 2010

After reaching $20 million in worldwide IMAX revenue last week, Inception has reached $20 million domestically. Over the weekend it added $3.4 million for a running tally of $22 million. That wasn't the only news on the IMAX front, as Aftershocks, a Chinese film, opened in its native market the previous weekend with $640,000 on just 12 screens. This is being described as the the first mainstream commercial foreign film that has undergone the DMR process to allow it to be shown on IMAX screens. If this becomes common, it opens the IMAX world to the world cinema. Could this be the first step to making martial arts epics on IMAX a common sight? Or Bollywood musicals, perhaps? I look forward to finding out. More...

Dinner is Inviting, but Inception Owns Top Spot

August 2nd, 2010

It was a mixed bag this weekend with no film taking the box office by surprise. However, no film truly bombed either, so at least there is good news there. The overall box office was $145 million over the weekend, down 11% from last weekend, but more importantly up 15% from the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2010 has now earned $6.72 billion compared to 2009's running tally of $6.42 billion. Ticket sales are still lagging behind last year's pace, but by less than 1%. More...

International Details: Inception's Fast Start

August 1st, 2010

After opening in a few markets last weekend, Inception got its international run off in earnest last weekend and climbed into second place with $56.78 million on 5,177 screens in 36 markets for a still early total of $87.86 million. It opened in a number of major markets and debuted in first place in most of them. The biggest was Japan with $7.86 million on 525 screens over the weekend and $8.94 million in total. France was also a lucrative market for the film with $8.01 million on 626 screens, while in South Korea it made $6.01 million on 583 screens over the weekend and $7.89 million in total. Russia added $7.08 million on 895 screens to its weekend haul, while Australia produced $6.67 million on 413. The film only managed seventh in Mexico with just $467,000 on 152 screens, but this was a low screen count. In the U.K. the film was down just 29% to $6.47 million on 456 screens over the weekend for a total of $22.01 after two. More...

Weekend Estimates: Inception Sees Off Schmucks

August 1st, 2010

Inception will see off a strong challenge from Dinner for Schmucks to record a third straight win at the weekend box office, according to studio estimates released on Sunday. Inception will be down about 36% from last weekend at $27.5 million for a cume to date of $193.3 million. Schmucks hit the ground running on Friday, topping the chart with $8.4 million, but will settle for second place over three days with $23.3 million. That's very much in line with Steve Carell's previous comedy outing this year, Date Night, which opened with $25.2 million (admittedly at a slightly quieter time of year). More...

Threepeat for Inception?

July 29th, 2010

July ends with three wide releases, but it looks like Inception will remain on top for the third weekend in a row. This is good news for everyone associated with that film, not so good for the new releases. However, while none of the openers look like they will take top spot, they should earn more than the three new releases from last year, while holdovers will also do their part to ensure 2010 keeps its winning streak going. More...

IMAX: Inception's Run Reaches $20 Million, Almost

July 27th, 2010

After opening with $7.2 million from 197 IMAX screens last weekend, Inception pulled in another $4.8 million this weekend for a total of $16.1 million. With an additional $3.2 million internationally, the film was on the verge of reaching $20 million on the worldwide stage, a milestones it has likely already surpassed on Monday. More...

Life on the Per Theater Chart

July 27th, 2010

The $10,000 club was busy this weekend with five films reaching that milestone. This includes Life During Wartime with $30,507 in its lone theater. Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child also opened in just one theater and earned $17,466 over the weekend. Countdown to Zero was the second documentary in the $10,000 club with an average of $13,769 in three theaters. The Kids are All Right spent its fourth week in the $10,000 club with an average of $12,909 in just over 200 theaters. The overall box office leader, Inception, earned an average of $11,267. More...

Strong Inception Hold Keeps Summer Alive

July 26th, 2010

While neither of the two new releases exactly earned blockbuster level openings, Inception made up for this by topping nearly everyone's high end expectations. This helped the overall box office reach still summer-like proportions at $162 million. Granted, this was down 9% from last weekend, but more importantly, it's up 7% from last year. Year-to-date, 2010 has earned $6.49 billion compared to $6.21 billion for 2009, while ticket sales are still down 2%. More...

International Details: Twilight Setting But Still Strong

July 25th, 2010

The Twilight Saga: Eclipse slipped to second place with $43.82 million on 9,527 screens in 61 markets for a total of $295.66 million internationally and $560.45 million worldwide. This includes a first place debut in Germany with $9.76 million on 767 screens over the weekend and $12.30 million in total. On the other hand, the film was down a stunning 75% in the U.K. to $5.19 million over the weekend and $33.84 million after two. The amazing growth the franchise saw from installment one to two is gone, but this is still a fantastically profitable movie. More...

Weekend Estimates: Strong Hold for Inception Enough to Beat Salt

July 25th, 2010

An impressive second weekend hold by Inception will give it a relatively comfortable win this weekend, according to studio estimates released on Sunday. With a decline of just 31%, Christopher Nolan's sci-fi thriller will end up with around $43.5 million, according to Warner Bros., $7 million ahead of Salt, which is set to open with about $36.5 million. Both movies topped a per theater average of $10,000, and Sony won't be too disappointed with second place. More...

Weekend Preview: Is Summer Over?

July 22nd, 2010

Every year as the end of the summer school holidays near, the summer blockbuster season simply ends. Usually this takes place early in August, but some years we get an extra week or two of $100 million releases. This year, it could end this weekend. Neither of the two wide releases are surefire hits; in fact, combined they might not make $100 million during their theatrical runs. Worse still, there's a chance we might not get another $100 million hit until November. (This prediction is a little bleak, but certainly not out of the question.) Weakness in the new releases could leave Inception in first place during its sophomore stint, while if it holds as well as some think, it could help 2010 maintain pace with last year. More...

Contest: Psych Out: Winning Announcement

July 22nd, 2010

The winners of our Psych Out contest were determined and they are... More...

Per Theater Chart: Kids' Legs More Than Just All Right

July 20th, 2010

The Kids are All Right continued to lead the way on the Per Theater Chart with a stunning average of $28,009 in 38 theaters that helped it earn more than $1 million over the weekend. Its per theater average did fall 40%; however, its theater count rose from 7 to 38, so this is actually a very good result. The only other film in the $10,000 club was the overall box office leader, Inception, with an average of $16,557. That's a little below expectations, but if it holds really well, it might remain in the $10,000 club next week. More...

Inception Starts Strong, but will it have Long Legs?

July 20th, 2010

Neither of the two new releases were able to match expectations, while the holdovers were not able to compensate. This left the overall box office down 7% to $178 million for the weekend. That was still 11% higher than last year, lifting 2010's lead over 2009 to $6.22 billion to $5.97 billion. Attendance is still down by 2%, but revenue is higher by 4% thanks to the increased price for 3D tickets. More...

Feast and Famine at the Box Office

July 15th, 2010

Inception, one of the most anticipated films of the summer, hits theaters this weekend, which should help the box office keep up its torrid pace of the past few weeks. It will need to, because this time last year saw the release of The Half-Blood Prince, which was one of the most anticipated films of last summer. Inception likely won't top Half-Blood Prince at the box office, though it could come close. But combined with the other wide release and holdovers, 2010 should put another win under its belt. More...

Contest: Psych Out

July 9th, 2010

For our latest box office prediction contest we have a pair of films that at first seem completely dissimilar, but upon further examination, we see they have a connection. The target film is Inception, a movie about messing with peoples' minds, literally. For prizes we have DVDs and calenders from Suicide Girls Must Die, a movie that was made by messing with peoples' minds. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for Inception. 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 Suicide Girls Must Die: Unrated Edition on Blu-ray. Meanwhile, whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will also win a copy of Suicide Girls Must Die: Unrated Edition on Blu-ray. Finally, one additional person will be chosen at random and they will win the final copy of Suicide Girls Must Die: Unrated Edition on Blu-ray. One final note, due to the adult nature of the prizes, we have backup prizes for those who would prefer more family friendly material -- just let us know in your entry email. Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

2010 Preview: July

July 1st, 2010

The summer has really started to get depressing, not just disappointing. It's getting to the point where a film merely matching expectations is enough to celebrate, while beating expectations is practically unheard of. Speaking of which, of the ten wide releases that opened in June only four matched expectations. Granted, that's better than May, but still disappointing. Going forwards, what is likely the biggest hit of July actually opens on the last day of June. Given how front-loaded The Twilight Saga: Eclipse could be, this could have a serious effect when we compare this year's box office to last July. More...

IMAX: Toy's Playful Beginning

June 21st, 2010

Toy Story 3's record-breaking opening included its run on IMAX, opening with $8.4 million on 180 IMAX screens. That's the record for an animated film. Additionally, it earned $1.2 million on 47 IMAX screens internationally for a worldwide opening of $9.6 million, with scheduled openings in 29 more theaters on the international scene yet to come. More...

Territory	Release Date	Opening Weekend	Opening Weekend Screens	Maximum Screens	Theatrical Engagements	Total Box Office	Report Date
Australia	7/22/2010	$0	0	149	225	$27,559,456	12/4/2023
China	8/28/2020	$2,970,000	29996	29996	32942	$76,860,000	2/23/2021
Czech Republic	7/31/2020	$10,351	33	37	123	$61,040	10/19/2022
Germany	8/14/2020	$94,596	344	344	344	$118,000	10/19/2022
Italy	9/24/2010	$0	0	131	199	$52,586	8/28/2020
Japan	7/23/2010	$0	0	0	0	$1,200,000	10/19/2022
Lithuania	8/14/2020	$5,254	11	11	21	$14,490	8/26/2020
Mexico	8/27/2020	$27,778	0	0	0	$50,938	9/9/2020
Netherlands	7/23/2010	$0	0	59	115	$7,910,300	10/19/2022
New Zealand	7/22/2010	$0	0	45	100	$16,891	6/28/2021
North America	7/16/2010	$62,785,337	3,792	3,792	31,053	$292,576,195	5/3/2019
Poland	7/30/2010	$0	0	164	328	$63,703	10/19/2022
Portugal	7/23/2010	$0	0	49	85	$2,255,024	8/25/2020
Russia (CIS)	7/22/2010	$0	0	286	721	$223,000	10/19/2022
Saudi Arabia	8/28/2020	$0	0	0	0	$509,000	10/19/2022
Slovakia	8/14/2020	$8,787	23	23	46	$20,432	8/25/2020
South Korea	7/21/2010	$0	0	241	786	$391,000	10/19/2022
Spain	8/14/2020	$53,751	251	251	369	$135,000	10/19/2022
Taiwan	8/28/2020	$0	0	0	0	$245,000	10/19/2022
Turkey	7/30/2010	$0	0	8	16	$1,951,419	8/27/2020
United Arab Emirates	8/28/2020	$0	0	0	0	$90,000	8/31/2020
United Kingdom	8/14/2020	$272,218	313	441	976	$719,064	4/24/2024
Rest of World						$379,524,256
Worldwide Total						$825,786,894	4/24/2024