Home Market Numbers: Pixels Can't Take on Indominus Rex

December 3rd, 2015

There were five new releases for the week of October 20th that reached the top 30 on the combined DVD and Blu-ray chart for November 1st. This includes three in the top five. However, none of them were able to top Jurassic World. The film remained in first place selling 867,000 units / $15.52 million for the week giving it running tallies of 3.17 million units / $69.97 million after two weeks of release. It was able to jump ahead of The Avengers: Age of Ultron and into fourth place on the yearly chart. More...

Home Market Numbers: Jurassic Eats Up the Competition

November 19th, 2015

There were a handful of new releases for the week of October 20th that reached the top 30 on the combined DVD and Blu-ray chart for October 25th. However, only one of them really matters: Jurassic World. The film opened in first place, obviously, selling 2.34 million units and generating $54.58 million in total sales. Dollarwise, this is nearly as much as The Avengers: Age of Ultron has sold so far, while its units sold puts the film in ninth place for the year. Its opening week Blu-ray share was 66%, which was excellent, even with the high expectations summer blockbusters have. More...

Home Market Numbers: Aladdin Shakes Things Up

November 11th, 2015

It was a strange week on the home market, as there were two new releases that could legitimately say they won on the combined DVD and Blu-ray chart for October 18th. San Andreas sold 801,000 units / $16.42 million for an opening week Blu-ray share of 40%. This put it on top of the chart; however, Aladdin arguably had the better week, as it sold 706,000 units / $13.92 million, all of which was on Blu-ray. More...

Home Market Releases for October 13th, 2015

October 13th, 2015

There are two $100 million movies on this week's list of Home Market Releases: Spy, which earned more than $100 million domestically, and Tomorrowland, which merely cost more than $100 million to make. Spy is arguably the best release on this week's list, but the Blu-ray was already named Pick of the Week, so that honor is going to Aladdin's Blu-ray debut this week. More...

International Box Office: Billion Dollar Dinosaurs

July 2nd, 2015

(As I warned previously, we've run out of images for Jurassic World, so we are down to Picture Unrelated. And no, I will not explain the context of the image. I will say the TV show it comes from is surprisingly good.)

Jurassic World completed a hat-trick at the weekend by earning first place with $82.5 million in 67 markets for totals of $737.5 million internationally and $1.238 billion worldwide. The film entered the top ten on the all-time worldwide box office chart over the weekend and has already moved into seventh place. Its biggest single market was China, where it made $38.07 million over the full week for a total of $206.57 million after three weekends. Hopefully this is the last weekend the film spends in top spot, as new releases finally rise to overtake it. If it is still in first place next week, it will be a sign that the box office is slowing down. More...

International Box Office: Jurassic Worldwide Success

June 25th, 2015

Jurassic World remained in first place internationally, earning $160.5 million on 18,718 screens in 66 markets for a total of $583.1 million internationally. This pushed its worldwide total to $985.9 million. It hit $1 billion worldwide on Monday, which was a speed record for that milestone. Its biggest market was China, where it earned $68.84 million over the full week for a total of $168.24 million after 12 days of release. However, the film has been pushed into second place on the daily chart by SPL 2: A Time For Consequences. On the other hand, the film is still in first place in the U.K. with $17.53 million in 614 theaters for a two-week total of $60.67 million. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Jurassic World Maintains Record-Breaking Run

June 23rd, 2015

It looks like Jurassic World is on pace to top The Avengers to become the biggest movie ever, not directed by a Canadian. It earned over $100 million at the weekend and has already passed $400 million. Meanwhile, Inside Out had the second-best opening for a Pixar film. It was a great weekend at the box office and we really needed it. The overall box office was down 9.5% from last weekend, but it was still at $248 million, which is the ninth-biggest combined weekend box office. Compared to last year, the box office was 70% higher this year. Year-to-date, 2015 has pulled in $5.08 billion, which is 5.2% or $250 million over 2014's pace. More...

Weekend Predictions: Inside Out and Upside Down

June 19th, 2015

For the past few months, 2015 had been struggling to keep pace with 2014. Worse still, 2014 wasn't a great year at the box office either. However, that changed with the record-breaking release of Jurassic World. Even if the film falls 60% this weekend, it will still lead the way over Inside Out. For the first time in their history, a Pixar film is expected to open in second place, but they have a good shot of continuing their record of having an opening weekend between $62.58 million and $70.47 million (which has been true of all but three of their films since 2001). That's incredible reliability. Dope is the other wide release, but it is barely opening truly wide and the worst case scenario has it failing to reach the top five. This weekend last year, there were five films that earned $10 million or more. This year, there might be just two. However, last year, Think Like a Man Too was the top film with under $30 million. Jurassic World might earn three times than and Inside Out should at least double that. 2015 should be carried on Jurassic World's wave and easily come out on top of the year-over-year competition. More...

International Box Office: Jurassic’s Worldwide Success

June 18th, 2015

Jurassic World completed the trifecta over the weekend. Not only did the film have the largest domestic debut, it broke the same record internationally and worldwide. The film pulled in $315.61 million on 19,612 screens in 66 markets for a worldwide opening weekend of $524.42 million. It broke the previous international and worldwide records that were held by Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II. It is also the first film to open with more than $500 million worldwide and it is just a matter of when, not if, it will top $1 billion globally. The only downside is the number of markets it has yet to open in, which is one. It debuts in Japan in August and it might be the biggest global hit of the year before it even gets there. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Jurassic World Chews Up the Record Book

June 16th, 2015

After disappointing weekend after disappointing weekend, I had become pessimistic about any film's chances of being a breakout success this summer. Jurassic World changed that. The film didn't just top expectations, it broke all-time records. Over the weekend, the film pulled in $208.81 million. That is the record for biggest single weekend and it helped take the overall weekend box office to an all-time high with $273.67 million. This is 106% more than last weekend; that's right, the weekend box office was more than double last week's result. Additionally, and more importantly, it was 46% higher than the same weekend last year. Jurassic World itself earned 12% more than all films combined this weekend last year. More...

Weekend Predictions: Is There Still an Audience for a Jurassic Film?

June 12th, 2015

Jurassic World is the only wide release this week and its box office potential is so high that it has scared away even the counter-programming. It isn't the only film playing in theaters this weekend, but it will very likely make more at the box office than the rest of them combined. Spy will be a distant second place and is hoping not to be crushed. If it can avoid falling 50%, it should have enough legs to reach the century mark. ... with a push from the studio. The only other film that is on track to earn more than $10 million over the weekend is San Andreas, which already crossed the $100 million mark. This weekend last year, two films opened wide, 22 Jump Street and How to Train Your Dragon 2. Neither film will match Jurassic World individually, but they might have the advantage if you combine their openings. Additionally, there will only be two $10 million films this weekend, while there were three last year. 2015 will win on top, but 2014 has better depth and I think 2015 will lose the year-over-year comparison... again. More...

International Box Office: After Shocks for San Andreas

June 11th, 2015

San Andreas remained in first place over the weekend with $97.8 million in 69 markets for a total of $188.0 million internationally and $286.5 million worldwide. It is almost guaranteed that the film's production budget is fully covered and the film should have the legs to cover its full advertising budget before its international run is over. That means its home market run will be pure gravy. This week, its biggest market was China, where the film earned first place with $34.26 million over the weekend for a six-day opening of $51.95 million. It won't last in first place for long, as Jurassic World has already opened in that market and taken over top spot. (More on that this time next week.) Its next biggest opening was South Korea, where it also earned first place with $5.74 million on 847 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $7.25 million. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Spy High, but not a Monster Hit

June 9th, 2015

None of the three new releases matched expectations and while the holdovers pulled their weight, it wasn't enough to help the overall box office. Spy didn't make it to $30 million during its opening weekend, but it came within a rounding error of that mark. Insidious Chapter 3 did very well compared to its production budget, but will likely be the weakest installment in the franchise. Meanwhile, if it weren't for its lower production budget, Entourage would be considered a bomb. Overall, the box office fell 4.3% from last weekend to $133 million. Worse still, the box office fell 18% from last year. Year-to-date, the overall box office has pulled in $4.39 billion, which is 1.2% above 2014's pace. More...

Weekend Estimates: Spy! Beats Crowded Field with $30 Million Debut

June 7th, 2015

Going into the weekend, any one of three films could conceivably win at the box office, with a fourth wide release having the potential to act as a spoiler by pulling away some of the audience from the others. In the event, the right film won, if one goes by the reviews, with Spy! pulling in $30 million to take the prize. That’s basically a par score for Melissa McCarthy, compared to Bridesmaids’ $26 million start, the $34.5 million debut of Identity Thief, The Heat’s $39 million, and Tammy’s $21.5 million. Paul Feig directed McCarthy in Bridesmaids, The Heat and now Spy!, so it’s a par score for him too. More...

Friday Estimates: Insidious Scares Spy Out of Top Spot

June 6th, 2015

Insidious Chapter 3 came out on top on Friday's box office chart, at least according to the estimates. Its opening day haul of $10.4 million put it just ahead of Spy’s Friday box office of $10.3 million. (When we get the final numbers, it is not unlikely that these two will switch places.) However, while Insidious won the battle on Friday, it won’t win the war for the weekend. Horror films have much weaker internal multipliers (internal multiplier is the weekend total divided by the Friday box office). For example, Insidious Chapter 2 had an opening day of $20.23 million on its way to a $40.27 million weekend. Its internal multiplier was just 1.99. That’s low, even for a horror film. Insidious Chapter 3 should have a better multiplier than that, thanks to its better reviews, but not by a huge margin. It certainly won’t keep pace with Spy. Even $25 million is likely out of question with $23 million being the most likely result after Friday’s results. This might not be enough to keep pace with San Andreas by the end of the weekend. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Spy Become McCarthy / Feig's Third Hit?

June 5th, 2015

There are three wide releases this week, including one that is already in theaters. The biggest of these three releases is Spy, which is the latest film from Melissa McCarthy and Paul Feig. Both of their previous films crossed $100 million with ease. Insidious Chapter 3 is the third film in the Insidious franchise, but most think it won't be the best. Entourage started out ahead of expectations, but its reviews could cause a quick decline. This weekend last year, The Fault in Our Stars opened with nearly $50 million, while Maleficent landed in second place with more than $30 million. I don't think 2015 will be strong on top, but I think it will have better depth. More...

International Box Office: San Andreas Rumbles to the Top

June 4th, 2015

San Andreas opened in first place on the international chart with $63.9 million on 15,420 screens in 60 markets. Its best international market was Mexico where it earned first place with $9.97 million. It also opened in first place in Australia with $2.47 million in 449 theaters. The film generated $7.07 million in 505 theaters in the U.K. and $5.16 million on 2,256 screens in Russia. The film was also potent in Brazil with an opening of $3.2 million in 926 theaters, while it earned a nearly identical amount in France with $3.19 million in 496. It is still too soon to tell where the film will end up, but it made more worldwide than it cost to make during its opening weekend, so the studio must be happy. More...

Contest: Complete Disaster: Winning Announcement

June 3rd, 2015

The winners of our Complete Disaster contest were determined and the entrants with the closest predictions for Tomorrowland opening weekend were... More...

Per Theater Chart: New Releases Didn't Get Results

June 3rd, 2015

There was only one film in the $10,000 club on the per theater chart and it was the overall box office leader, San Andreas. That film opened in first place with an average of $14,453. The best new limited release was Heaven Knows What, which earned an average of $8,431 from two theaters. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: San Andreas Shakes Up Box Office

June 2nd, 2015

The post-holiday weekend was softer than the holiday weekend, which is to be expected. However, thanks to a stronger than predicted opening by San Andreas, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. On the other hand, Aloha was on the low end of expectations. The overall box office fell 9.5% from last weekend to $139 million, which is acceptable. By comparison, the overall box office fell 17% from this weekend last year, as San Andreas couldn't keep up with Maleficent's opening. Year-to-date, 2015 has pulled in $4.20 billion, putting it 1.2% ahead of 2014's pace of $4.15 million. 2015 is coming dangerously close to losing its lead over last year. More...

Weekend Estimates: San Andreas Makes Solid Start

May 31st, 2015

In a Summer already littered with franchise films, it’s good to see something original top the charts, even if it is something as rote as a disaster movie based on an earthquake in California. The $53.2 million projected opening for San Andreas is something of a triumph for Dwayne Johnson, who carries the film as its sole lead, unlike his contributions to the Furious 7 ensemble. With only the domestic opening numbers in, Johnson has already moved up to third on our top current stars list, and will most likely pass Vin Diesel for second place before San Andreas’ run is over. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will May End on a Disastrous Note?

May 28th, 2015

The weekend after a holiday is usually a bad weekend at the box office. This time around, San Andreas is the clear front-runner while Aloha might struggle, even as counter-programming. San Andreas will earn more than $30 million over the weekend, no other film is on track to hitting $20 million. On the other hand, there could be six other films that earn $10 million or more over the weekend. By comparison, this weekend last year, Maleficent opened with nearly $70 million, while X-Men: Days of Future Past earned more than $30 million. There's no way the top of the chart will match that. Even with better depth, it is very unlikely 2015 will win in the year-over-year comparison. More...

Contest: Complete Disaster

May 22nd, 2015

There are two wide releases coming out next week, Aloha and San Andreas. The former will likely earn better reviews, but the latter will likely open faster. Because of this, it is the target film in this week's box office prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for San Andreas.

Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a Frankenprize. Because San Andreas is a disaster movie, I was going to find another disaster film to feature as part of the prize pack and I found Airplane! Don't Call Me Shirley Edition on DVD, which is the greatest disaster movie ever made. I also own it on Blu-ray, so the DVD is up for grabs. The winner will also get another previously reviewed DVD. Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will win two previously reviewed DVDs and / or Blu-rays. Finally, we will be choosing an entrant from the group of people who haven't won, or haven't won recently, and they will also win two previously reviewed DVDs and / or Blu-rays. Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

2015 Preview: May

May 1st, 2015

April is over and there was good news and bad news. Good news: Furious 7 crushed the competition, and broke records along the way. Bad news: Furious 7 crushed the competition and no other April release will earn as much in total as Furious 7 earned during its opening day. Fortunately, Furious 7 was so strong that it carried April of 2015 to a draw when compared to April of 2014. May has a lot of similarities to April. The Avengers: Age of Ultron is expected to break records during its opening weekend and even the low end has it earning more than $1 billion worldwide. Unfortunately, no other film is going to come close to that figure. There are five other films with a potential to reach $100 million at the box office. The keyword there is "potential". There's a chance less than half of those five films will get to that milestone. And like last April, last May had much better depth with five films that reached $100 million, including four that surpassed $200 million. Age of Ultron will earn more than the combined totals of Maleficent, last month's winner, and X-Men: Days of Future Past, which placed second for the month. I am a little concerned about the lack of depth this month and this could cause May to lose in the month-over-month comparison in the end. More...

San Andreas Trailer

March 5th, 2015

Disaster movie starring Dwayner Johnson and Carla Gugino opens May 29... Full movie details... More...