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 Highlight: Best Feature-Length Animated Film

February 7th, 2019

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. A lot of people call this Oscar the Pixar Award, and there is a Pixar film on this list. However, in a shocking twist, it isn’t the overwhelming favorite to win. 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: PGA - Nominations

January 4th, 2019

The Producers Guild of America announced their nominations in the theatrical categories today and there are some trends building. However, there are also some questions generated after these nominations were announced. More...

2018 - Awards Season: Golden Globes - Nominations

December 6th, 2018

The Golden Globes nominations are the second major Awards Season set to come out. It is still very early in the year and the predictive value of the Golden Globes is a little suspect, but there are still some things to learn here. For example Vice led the way with six nominations, so its Oscar chances have gone up, but don’t expect it to lead the way when the Oscars nominations are announced. More...

International Box Office: Grindelwald Falls, But Remains in First Place

November 28th, 2018

Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald fell more than $100 million to $83.3 million on 27,922 screens in 80 markets for totals of $322.2 million internationally and $439.2 million worldwide. Its only new market was Japan, where it debuted with $13 million on 1,008 screens. By comparison, the first Fantastic Beasts earned $15.5 million during its debut in that market. The film’s best holdover was Germany, where it added $7.5 million on 1,460 screens lifting its running tally to $23.2 million after two weeks of release. On the other hand, it plummeted 82% during its second weekend in China down to just $6.44 million for a two-week total of $52.11 million. The film likely won’t reach $500 million internationally and its worldwide total might be as much as $200 million shy of its predecessor. This is still enough to be profitable, but there is reason to be concerned about the franchise going forward. 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 November 13th, 2018

November 14th, 2018

There are not many big releases on this week’s list. The Meg is the biggest, but not the best. As for the best, I’m going with Pixar Short Film Collection: Volume Three on Blu-ray. More...

Featured Blu-ray and DVD Review: Incredibles 2

November 12th, 2018

Incredibles 2 was one of three absolute monster hits Disney released this year, all of them super hero movies. It is the delayed sequel to The Incredibles, which came out in 2004. Fourteen years is a long time for a sequel. Was it worth the wait? Or is Pixar running out of ideas? More...

Home Market Releases for November 6th, 2018

November 6th, 2018

This is either an amazing week or a terrible week, depending on how you look at things. It is amazing, because there is a trio of releases I was really looking forward to reviewing: BlacKkKlansman, Incredibles 2, and Christopher Robin. It’s a terrible week, because none of those screeners showed up. I normally don’t like giving the Pick of the Week when I’m still waiting for the screener, but that’s not an option this week, so Incredibles 2 wins. More...

Home Market Releases for October 23rd, 2018

October 24th, 2018

It is a slow week on the home market, as Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! is the only first run release. There are several horror films that are selling well enough to be worth talking about, but that is all. As far as the best of the best are concerned, the two I’m most interested in and I put in requests for screeners for both are BlacKkKlansman and Incredibles 2, but they are only coming out on VOD this week. I don’t like handing out Pick of the Week titles to VOD releases, so the real race is between The Americans: The Complete Final Season and Made In Abyss: Season One. Both are worth picking up, but I think there will be a full series Megaset for The Americans, so I’m giving the title to Made In Abyss. More...

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...

International Box Office: Venom Spreads Worldwide

October 9th, 2018

Venom dominated the international chart with $127.15 million on 22,319 screens in 76 markets. Both Russia and South Korea could claim top spot for the film. In the former, it earned $14.39 million in 2,672 screens over the weekend. In the latter, it earned $10.63 million on 1,295 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $16.48 million. The film debuted in Mexico with $10.07 million on 3,465 screens. It also cracked the $10 million mark in the U.K., if you include previews, as it earned $7.42 million on 867 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $10.50 million. The film has yet to open in France, Japan, and China, although I’m not convinced it will get passed Chinese censors. More...

International Box Office: Can None stop The Nun?

October 2nd, 2018

For the fourth weekend in a row, The Nun earned first place on the international chart. This past weekend, the film earned $16.4 million on 9,490 screens in 80 markets for totals of $220.2 million internationally and $329.2 million worldwide. There were no new markets this weekend, which explains the sharp decline from last week’s haul. That said, it remained in first place in France with $2.4 million on 367 screens for a two-week total of $7.6 million. The film is now the biggest hit in the franchise, both internationally and worldwide. More...

International Box Office: The Nun Completes Threepeat, Climbs Franchise Chart

September 25th, 2018

The Nun held on strongly repeating as the international box office champion with $35.0 million on 12,817 screens in 80 markets for totals of $192.1 million internationally and $292.7 million worldwide. The film opened in first place in France with $4.5 million on 348 screens and in Russia with $4.2 million on 1,847. On the other hand, it had to settle for fourth place in South Korea with $2.96 million on 824 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $4.28 million. It is no longer in last place for the franchise; in fact, it could be in second place by the weekend. More...

International Box Office: The Nun Wins Tight Race for Top Spot

September 19th, 2018

There was a close three-way race for top spot on the international chart, but The Nun was able to retain first place with $34.1 million on 12,107 screens in 62 markets for totals of $144.8 million internationally and $229.9 million worldwide. The film’s biggest new market of the weekend was Belgium, where it made $1.42 million on just 86 screens. This was easily enough to earn first place there and was the biggest opening for the franchise. The film’s biggest holdover was in Brazil with $3.5 million over the weekend for a two-week total of $12.6 million. More...

International Box Office: The Nun is Number One with $79.3 million

September 12th, 2018

The Nun topped the chart with $79.3 million on 15,835 screens in 60 markets for a global opening weekend of $133.1 million. This might be enough to give Warner Bros. a small amount of profit already. It depends on how much the studio will end up spending on advertising. The film’s biggest opening was in Mexico, where it earned $10.5 million on 3,967 screens. It also earned impressive first place debuts in Indonesia ($7.6 million on 1,289 screens); Brazil ($6.6 million on 1,235 screens); and India ($5.2 million on 1,603 screens). It earned first place in the U.K., but with $5.3 million on 593 screens, which is quite a bit weaker than its debut here, relative to the size of the two markets. This is also true of its first place, $2.7 million debut on 326 screens in Australia. 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: The Meg Swims the Seven Seas

August 16th, 2018

The Meg led the way on the international chart cracking the century mark with $101.5 million on 30,212 screens in 42 markets and a worldwide opening of $146.9 million. This is great news, and the film cost Warner Bros. $130 million to make, after tax rebates and the like, so the film needed a monster opening to break even any time soon. The film’s biggest market was China, where it earned $49.83 million on 16,307 screens. It only managed third in that market, but it was a very busy weekend with two massive local hits also debuting this weekend. The film was able to top the charts in Mexico with $6.30 million on 1,936 screens and in Russia with $5.48 million on 2,628. It wasn’t as potent in the U.K., but it still topped the chart with $4.66 million in 499 theaters. The film has yet to open in South Korea, Australia, France, and Japan, so it should stick around the top five for a bit. More...

International Box Office: The Rise and Fall(out) of Mission: Impossible

August 8th, 2018

Mission: Impossible—Fallout returned to first place on the international chart with $76 million in 56 markets for totals of $205 million internationally and $330 million worldwide. The film opened in first place in both Japan and France, earning $8 million in each market. By this time next week, the film will no longer be in last place for the franchise, but it is still too soon to tell if it will become the biggest hit out of the six films. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Fallout Continues its Mission

August 7th, 2018

Mission: Impossible—Fallout remained on top of the weekend box office chart thanks in part to a stronger than expected hold and in part to weaker than expected competition. Christopher Robin was the only new release to make any real noise opening in second place with $24.59 million, while The Spy Who Dumped Me opened with less than half of that. Overall, the box office earned $139 million, 11% lower than last weekend. More importantly, this was 14% higher than this weekend last year. 2018 extended its lead over 2017 to just under $600 million or 8.7% at $7.46 billion to $6.86 billion. 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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

International Box Office: Dying Does More than Just Survive

July 11th, 2018

Dying to Survive opened in its native China with a stunning $152.73 million during its opening weekend for a nine-day debut of $201.56 million—enough for it to easily win the weekend at the international box office. This film is based on the real-life story of a cancer patient who smuggled cheap drugs from India to China. Since Indian films have found an audience in China, perhaps this is another step if forging connections between those two markets. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Ant-Man Remains one of the Smaller MCU Hits

July 10th, 2018

The two biggest releases of the weekend couldn’t quite match expectations, while the two big holdovers weren’t able compensate, resulting in a rare loss for 2018. Ant-Man and the Wasp still had an excellent opening with $75.81 million over the weekend, the seventh-best opening weekend of the year. The First Purge started out well on Wednesday, but slipped below the pace needed to match predictions by the weekend. That said, the overall weekend haul was still impressive at $188 million, which is 5.8% higher than last weekend. Granted, it is 8.7% lower than the same weekend last year, but Spider-Man: Homecoming opened with $117.03 million, so this is still a good result. Furthermore, 2018 remains ahead of 2017 by a substantial amount: $570 million, or 9.6%, at $6.47 billion to $5.90 billion. If the year ended with a lead of $570 million, we would be very happy. More...

Weekend Estimates: Ant-Man Shrank Over Saturday, Still Finishes Weekend with $76 million

July 8th, 2018

Ant-Man and the Wasp did not have as good a Saturday as hoped, and this has left it with a projected $76.03 million over the weekend, according to Disney’s Sunday morning estimate. While, this is more or less in line with original predictions, it is lower than previews and Friday estimates suggested. Fortunately, with great reviews and an A minus from CinemaScore, it should have legs long enough to get to $200 million domestically, with a little help from the studio. This would be a little more than a 10% increase from the first Ant-Man. Internationally, the film opened with $85 million in 41 markets, including a monster opening in South Korea. The film managed $20.9 million debut there, including previews, which was 78% higher that the first film’s opening in that market. Overall, the film saw 45% growth internationally compared to just under 33% growth here. More...

Friday Estimates: Wasp Towers Above the Competition

July 7th, 2018

Ant-Man and the Wasp dominated the box office on Friday with $33.80 million. This is about $1 million less than we would have liked to have seen after its Thursday previews, but still above our earlier prediction. Its reviews are 86% positive, and it earned an A minus from CinemaScore, which is good for a blockbuster, but I was expecting an A like the original Ant-Man earned and it is below average for the MCU. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will the Wasp Help Ant-Man Grow at the Box Office?

July 5th, 2018

It’s technically the July 4th Weekend, although July 4th was yesterday. This is a good weekend to release a film and Ant-Man and the Wasp is looking to take advantage of the holiday. Meanwhile, The First Purge already started its run with $2.5 million in previews. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Incredibles 2 will continue to be a major presence at the box office. This weekend last year, Spider-Man: Homecoming opened with $117.03 million. There’s no way Ant-Man and the Wasp is going to match that. It’s highly unlikely Ant-Man and the Wasp and The First Purge combined will match that. The depth this year is a little better, but I think 2018 will lose in the year-over-year comparison. Hopefully it will be close. More...

Theater Averages: Triplets Top Trio of $10,000 Club Members

July 4th, 2018

Three Identical Strangers top the theater average chart with an average of $34,301 in five theaters. The only other members of the $10,000 club were wide releases, with Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom earning an average of $13,581 and Incredibles 2 being relatively close behind with $10,525. 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...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Dinos Help the Box Office Hold On

July 3rd, 2018

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom was within a rounding error of our prediction with $60.91 million over the weekend. Additionally, both new releases, Sicario: Day of the Soldado and Uncle Drew, beat expectations, as did every other film in the top five helping the overall box office reach $178 million. Granted, this weekend still plummeted 36% from last weekend, but last weekend was the biggest ever weekend in June, so falling from that figure isn’t disappointing. In fact, it is 4.8% higher than the same weekend last year, which is higher than the rate of inflation, so I would call that a significant margin. Year-to-date, 2018 has pulled in $6.15 billion, making it the fastest year to get to the $6 billion mark. This is also $560 million or 10.0% higher than the same pace last year. I’m going to make a prediction that is the the peak lead 2018 will have over 2017, at least in terms of percentage. More...

Weekend Estimates: The Fallen Jurassic World Still Comes out on Top with $60.0 million

July 1st, 2018

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom fell like a typical blockbuster hit, down 59% to $60 million over the weekend for a two-week total of $264.8 million. This matches our prediction perfectly. The film will have no trouble crossing $300 million next weekend and should finish north of $350 million domestically. As for its international numbers, it added $56.1 million to its running tally, which now sits at $667.6 million, while its worldwide total is a hair under $1 billion at $932.4 million. More...

Friday Estimates: Soldado is Solid, but Dinosaurs Dominate

June 30th, 2018

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom added $17.44 million on Friday, after hitting $200 million on Thursday. It was easily the best film on the day; however, this was still 70% lower than its opening Friday. Granted, it will bounce back tomorrow and should come close to our $60 million prediction, but it is not going to have great legs, like its predecessor had. More...

Weekend Predictions: Putting a Hit out on the Box Office

June 28th, 2018

After two monster hits in a row, the weekend crashes back down to Earth. Neither Sicario: Day of the Soldado nor Uncle Drew are expected to do much at the box office, but they are expected to open with similar amounts and there’s no consensus which film will do better, so at least there’s something to talk about. This weekend last year, Despicable Me 3 opened with $72.43 million. We will be relying almost entirely on holdovers to win in the year-over-year comparison. I think we’ve got an excellent shot of doing that by a significant margin. More...

Theater Averages: Kingdom Crowned Leader of Theater Average Chart

June 27th, 2018

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom led the way on the theater average chart with an average of $33,078, putting it ahead of Incredibles 2’s sophomore stint score of $18,219. The King was the best of the new limited releases, with an average of $14,525 in two theaters. Finally, 2001: A Space Odyssey returned to the $10,000 club with an average of $12,989. The 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack is coming out in October. 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...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Jurassic World and Incredibles Combine for Biggest June Weekend

June 26th, 2018

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom beat expectations with $148.02 million over the weekend, but it wasn’t the only monster hit in theaters. Incredibles 2 added $80.35 million during its second weekend of release, which helped the overall box office become the biggest June weekend of all time. The overall box office rose just 2.3%, but that was enough to break the record with $277 million. This is also 98% higher than the same weekend last year. 2018 has had a string of hits that have dominated their 2017 counterparts, even if they missed expectations, so it is no surprise that 2018 has a lead over 2017 in the year-over-year comparison. However, that lead is surprisingly larger. It has grown to 9.1% or $490 million at $5.85 billion to $5.36 billion. No year has started as fast as 2018 has, and even its estimated ticket sales are the best in the 2010s. More...

Weekend Estimates: Fallen Starts Out on Top

June 24th, 2018

Sequels usually start faster but fall quicker, when compared to their predecessor. However, no one expected Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom to follow suit. In fact, many thought it would collapse. That wasn’t the case, as Fallen Kingdom opened with $150 million over the weekend. Granted, this is nearly 30% lower than Jurassic World’s opening weekend, but it could have been much worse. On the downside, its reviews are almost exactly 50% positive, which suggests weak legs. It did earn an A minus from CinemaScore, so audiences did like the film more than critics did, so we have mixed signals about what the movie will do going forward. Internationally, the film added $106.7 million over the weekend for a three-week total of $561.5 million. This includes a $12.3 million debut in Mexico. More...

Friday Estimates: Dinosaurs Dominate, Incredibles Still Doing Good

June 23rd, 2018

Despite earning mixed reviews, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom’s opened on Friday with $58.68 million. It also earned an A minus from CinemaScore, so audiences liked it more than critics, and that should help it over the rest of the weekend, earning about $144 million. Granted, this is significantly lower than what Jurassic World opened with, but it didn’t fall as much as anticipated, so Universal should be happy with this result. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Fallen Falls from World with $15.3 million

June 22nd, 2018

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom opened with $15.3 million in previews, which is impressive, but below the $18.5 million Jurassic World managed. There is further bad news. The film’s reviews are significantly worse than its predecessor’s reviews were. The film also has much stronger competition. That said, it is still in a good position to top our prediction. We will know more by this time tomorrow. More...

Weekend Predictions: Can Dinosaurs Stomp the Competition?

June 21st, 2018

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is the only wide release of the week and it was expected to dominate the box office. That was until Incredibles 2 broke records last weekend. Furthermore, Fallen Kingdom’s reviews have fallen below the overall positive level. Now there might be a race at the box office, at least on the daily charts. Meanwhile, this weekend last year, Transformers: The Last Knight missed expectations with just $45 million over the weekend and $70 million in five days. Fallen Kingdom had better earn $45 million on Friday alone, or it is in serious trouble. 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...

Weekend Estimates: $180 million Opening is Beyond Incredible

June 17th, 2018

Incredibles 2 was widely expected to dominate the box office over the weekend, but after the two previous potential monster hits missed high expectations, I thought it was wise to be a little more pessimistic. I was wrong. Incredibles 2 opened with an estimated $180 million. This is not only the best opening for a Pixar film, and an animated film in general, it is the 8th biggest opening weekend of all time. (It could slip a little in tomorrow’s final numbers, putting it in 9th place behind Captain America: Civil War.) The film is already the 50th biggest animated hit of all time and unless its legs are shorter than expected, it will quickly race to the top of that chart. Speaking of legs, Incredibles 2 has the best reviews in the top ten and earned a stunning A plus from CinemaScore. To be frank, perhaps stunning isn’t the right word. Perhaps “expected” is a better term, as Pixar has earned 7 A plus ratings out of its 20 films and has never once slipped below an A minus. Internationally, the film opened in second place with $51.5 million in 25 markets and earned a Pixar-best opening in Mexico ($12.3 million) and Argentina ($3.0 million). In fact, it was outstanding in all of Latin America. It is also the fasting opening Pixar film in Australia with $7.7 million, while it managed the studio’s second biggest opening in Russia with $5.4 million. Granted, the film is not doing as well internationally as it is domestically; however, it is still on pace for $1 billion worldwide, so there’s no way the studio isn’t celebrating this opening. More...

Friday Estimates: Incredibles Smashes Animated Records

June 16th, 2018

Incredibles 2 opened with $71.55 million on Friday. To put this in perspective, it is already the biggest digital animation of 2018 and even if it doesn’t sell a single ticket on Saturday and Sunday, this would still be the fifth biggest opening weekend for a Pixar film and the 13th biggest opening for an animated film. Assuming its 93% positive reviews and its A plus from CinemaScore help its legs, it could top Solo: A Star Wars Story’s running tally by the end of the weekend. On the other hand, an opening weekend of $180 million seems like a solid goal after an opening day like this and that will put it on pace for over $500 million domestically. More...

Thursday Night Previews: Incredibles Doubles Dory’s Record with $18.5 million

June 15th, 2018

Incredibles 2 earned $18.5 million on preview night, which is double the previous record for an animated film of $9.2 million held by Finding Dory. However, and this is massively important, we’ve seen a number of really impressive previews turn into disappointing opening weekends, so I think it is wise to wait until Friday’s full numbers are in before we get excited about the movie’s weekend results. Even with 93% positive reviews, it could still be front-loaded and it might not necessarily break Dory’s and Pixar’s opening weekend record of $135.06 million. Normally I would be really enthusiastic about this result, but recent events have made it clear that being more cautious is better. More...

Weekend Predictions: How Incredible can the Incredibles Open?

June 14th, 2018

Incredibles 2 leads a group of three wide releases coming out in theaters this week. It should open with more than the rest of the box office combined. Tag is a film that many will find a little unbelievable, even though it is based on real-life events. Its reviews suggest a moderate opening, but nothing too special. The buzz surrounding SuperFly is really quiet, but it is being aimed at its target audience in a much more focused ad campaign, which makes judging said campaign’s effectiveness more difficult. Ocean’s 8 should have no trouble earning second place, while it could avoid falling 50%. Meanwhile, this weekend last year, Cars 3 opened with $53.69 million, while Wonder Woman added $41.27 million over the same weekend. I would be shocked if Incredibles 2 doesn’t open with more than those two films earned combined. 2018 should win in the year-over-year comparison with relative ease. More...

2018 Preview: June

June 1st, 2018

This May was an odd month, as Avengers: Infinity War opened on the last weekend of April, rather than the first weekend of May. This meant May started out slowly, but Deadpool 2 and Solo: A Star Wars Story did well enough to give 2018 a healthy lead over 2017. Looking forward, there are two potential monster hits this month, Incredibles 2 and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, and another $100 million hit, Ocean’s 8. Last June, there were four $100 million hits, led by Wonder Woman, which pulled in over $400 million. I think 2018 and 2017 will be an even match at the top, so 2018 will have to rely on depth to improve upon its lead over 2017. More...

The Incredibles 2 Trailer 3

April 13th, 2018

Pixar animated adventure with the voices of Holly Hunter and Craig T. Nelson opens June 15 ... Full Movie Details. More...