2019 - Holiday Gift Guide - Part III - Limited Releases, Classics, Foreign Imports

December 16th, 2019

The first two installments of our Holiday Gift Guide had plenty of first-run releases and several TV on DVD releases. This installment includes limited releases and foreign imports. The list of classics isn’t up to the usual standards for the same reasons the TV on DVD list was rather short. Streaming is taking over that part of the market. Did you know The Criterion Collection has their own streaming service? So does Magnolia Pictures. On the one hand, that’s a lot of amazing movies for one price. On the other hand, as a fan of physical media, I’m not happy streaming is becoming so popular. There are still some great smaller titles worthy of the season. More...

Home Market Releases for November 12th, 2019

November 14th, 2019

There are not many new releases on this week’s list, but there are several that are contenders for Pick of the Week. The two leading contenders are The Farewell and Star Trek: Discovery: Season Two. The former is the better show, but it is close, meanwhile, the latter has much better extras, giving it the slight advantage overall. On a side note, Yesterday Was a Lie was also in the competition for Pick of the Week. It didn’t quite win, but its Blu-ray deserves to be seen by a lot more people. More...

Home Market Releases for November 5th, 2019

November 6th, 2019

Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw is easily the biggest release of the week, but it is not the best. Pick of the Week contenders include Galaxy Quest and Good Omens, as well as Alice, Sweet Alice, which arrived late. I’m going with Good Omens, but all three are must haves. More...

Theater Averages: Most New Releases Struggle, but Holdovers Thrive

October 31st, 2019

There was only one new release in the $10,000 club, No Safe Spaces, which earned $45,548 in its lone theater. While this is a great start, its reviews suggest it won’t stick around long, as the film is preaching to the choir. Jojo Rabbit expanded from five to 55 theaters, but still managed an impressive average of $18,983. Parasite was next with an average $14,158 in 129 theaters during its third weekend of release. Jay and Silent Bob Reboot expanded to 17 theaters, and earned an average of $12,774. It will likely continue to expand, as a lot of shows on its road tour were sold out weeks in advance. More...

Theater Averages: Where’s The $10,000 Club?

September 26th, 2019

The $10,000 Club didn’t have many members this week and none of them were really able to shine. Where’s My Roy Cohn? did the best with an average of $10,591 in four theaters. Meanwhile the overall number one film, Downton Abbey, was close behind with an average of $10,079. More...

Theater Averages: Chapter Two Earns Another Number One

September 12th, 2019

It: Chapter Two not only earned first place on the overall box office, it earned first place on the theater average chart with an average of $19,926. Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice was next with an average of $16,176 in seven theaters; this is an excellent result for a documentary. Next up might be my favorite box office result of the year, as Mr. Klein and Ms. Purple had nearly identical openings at $15,915 and $15,734 respectively. Mr. Klien and Ms. Purple just seem like a nice couple. I’m glad they met. ... Moving on. More...

Theater Averages: Miles Davis is too Cool for New Releases

September 5th, 2019

It was an odd week on the theater average chart, as the number one film was a holdover. Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool’s average was down less than 0.2% to $18,222 and it did this while doubling its theater count to 2. This is very impressive and bodes well for its future. The best new release was Ne Zha, which earned an average $17,649 in 66 theaters. Animated films rarely do well in limited release and 66 theaters is a lot for a limited release, so this average is even more impressive than it looks at first glance. Finally, Official Secrets opened with an average of $16,241. More...

Theater Averages: Brittany Sprints to the Top

August 28th, 2019

Brittany Runs a Marathon led the way on the theater average chart earning an average of $36,142 in five theaters. This is more than enough to expand significantly. Additionally, the film has more mainstream appeal than many limited releases, so it should expand enough to earn some measure of mainstream success. Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool was well back with $18,258 in one theater, but this is still a great start for a documentary. The final film in the $10,000 club was Give Me Liberty, which earned an average of $11,087 in three theaters. More...

Theater Averages: Falcon Soars to Top Spot

August 15th, 2019

It was a good weekend for limited releases, as three of them opened in the $10,000 club. This group was led by The Peanut Butter Falcon with an average of $12,047 in 17 theaters. This is not as high an average as we’ve seen from other limited releases this year, but it was playing in 17 theaters, which is a lot for an opening weekend. Jay Myself was the only holdover in the $10,000 club earning $10,828 in one theater. Up next was One Child Nation, which managed an average of $10,262 in two theaters, while After the Wedding was right behind with an average of $10,053 in five. More...

Weekend Estimates: Hobbs and Shaw Remain Top Draw

August 11th, 2019

Limited and VOD Releases: Peanut Butter is More than a Tasty Snack

August 9th, 2019

It’s another slow week for limited releases, so I stretched my usual rule regarding the minimum number of reviews needed to make the list. That doesn’t mean there’s nothing worth watching coming out this weekend. There are two documentaries earning perfect or near-perfect reviews, Vision Portraits and One Child Nation. There are a couple of Chinese films coming out, The Bravest and Dying to Survive. There’s even an Anime title on this week’s list, Love Live! Sunshine!! The School Idol Movie Over The Rainbow. However, The Peanut Butter Falcon is the film with the best shot and earning some measure of mainstream success. More...

The Peanut Butter Falcon Trailer

August 2nd, 2019

Drama starring Shia LaBeouf, Dakota Johnson, and Zachary Gottsagen opens August 9 ... Full Movie Details. More...