Spectre Starts North American Assault with $5.25 Million Thursday Night

November 6th, 2015

Bond is, as they say, back. And looking very spritely for a 52-year-old, it has to be said. The latest entry from the world’s most durable franchise launched in North American theaters at 7pm on Thursday with $5.25 million from 3,221 locations, easily a best for the franchise from preview shows, beating the $2.2 million picked up by Skyfall back in 2012. It’s a great start—among the top 50 of all time for Thursday previews—and bodes well for the weekend as a whole; but is it enough to set the film on a path for a franchise-best opening weekend? More...

Blu-ray Sales: March 10th, 2013: Wreck-Ralph Towers Above Competition

April 24th, 2013

Wreck-It Ralph led a group of five new releases earning first place on the March 10th, 2013 edition of the Blu-ray sales chart. The film sold 1.01 million units and generated $28.29 million in opening week sales, for an opening week Blu-ray share of 50%. This is is amazing for a kids film. Granted, it does have a high nerd nostalgia factor, which helped on Blu-ray, but this is still impressive. More...

Blu-ray Sales: March 3rd, 2013: Dawn Not as Bright on Blu

April 19th, 2013

A pair of new releases led the way on the March 3rd, 2013 edition of the Blu-ray sales chart. Or perhaps there was only one. It depends on how you look at things. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 earned first place with 649,000 units / $12.96 million. However, second place went to the Breaking Dawn double-shot, which sold 173,000 units / $3.77 million. Technically those are two different releases, but one could count them as one movie. Individually, they have opening week Blu-ray shares of 23% and 29%, which is pretty bad for a first-run release. However, this franchise has always pulled in more women than men, and movies aimed at women tend not to do as well on Blu-ray. More...

DVD Sales: March 3rd, 2013: Breaking Dawn Breaks 2013 Record

April 19th, 2013

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 dominated the new releases and easily took first place on the March 3rd, 2013 edition of the DVD sales chart. It sold 2.12 million units and generated $31.64 million, and did so during a shortened sales week. (It came out on Friday.) Second place went to a Breaking Dawn double-pack, which was an exclusive release. The double-shot sold an additional 418,00 units and generated $16.70 million more in sales. Add them together, and this film is already the best selling DVD of 2013, at least so far. More...

Blu-ray Sales: February 24th, 2013: Winning the Game

April 14th, 2013

There were two new releases that had a legitimate claim on top spot on the Blu-ray sales chart for the week of February 24th, 2013. Argo sold the most units at 378,000 generating $8.68 million earning a opening week Blu-ray of 40%. On the other hand, Game of Thrones: Season Two generated the most revenue at $10.08 million, from 336,000 units sold. Its opening week Blu-ray share was 58%, which is fantastic, even compared to first run releases and not just TV on DVD releases. More...

DVD Sales: February 24th, 2013: Argo Rescues the DVD Chart

April 14th, 2013

Argo was one of six new releases to chart on this week's DVD sales chart. It pulled in first place with 564,000 units / $8.44 million. This is not a huge amount given its box office and critical success, but it did relatively better on Blu-ray. More...

Home Market Numbers: February 17th, 2013: Skyfall Help Blu-ray Rise to New Heights

April 11th, 2013

Skyfall led the new releases and completely dominated the February 17th, 2013 edition of the Blu-ray sales chart. It also helped the overall Blu-ray market soar to record-setting heights. Overall, there were 2.59 million units sold and $61.13 million in total revenue, making it the best ever week for Blu-ray, outside of the Christmas shopping season. Compared to last week, total sales were 75% higher in terms of units and 66% higher in terms of revenue. Sales were also higher than last year, albeit by a little less impressive numbers. There were 47% more units sold, while total revenue was 44% higher. Finally, the overall Blu-ray share rose to 39% in terms of units and 50% in terms of revenue. Admittedly, the latter number was due mostly to rounding. (A more precise number is 49.501%.) More...

Blu-ray Sales: February 17th, 2013: Skyfall Sky High on High Definition

April 10th, 2013

As expected, Skyfall dominated the list of new releases and easily earned first place on the February 17th, 2013 edition of the Blu-ray sales chart. It sold an outstanding 1.62 million units and generated $32.33 million in sales while its opening Blu-ray share was just shy of 60%. That's a fantastic start. More...

DVD Sales: February 17th, 2013: Bond Blows Away the Competition

April 10th, 2013

Skyfall led a set of four new releases that earned spots in the top 30 on the February 17th edition of the DVD sales chart. It easily took top spot with 1.09 million units / $18.54 million, which is already enough for fourth place for the year. More...

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for March 26th, 2013

March 27th, 2013

It is a shallow week on the home market. Lincoln is coming out and should dominate the sales chart, but after that, there's almost nothing to talk about. Given its reviews and its Awards Season success, it is the easy choice for Pick of the Week, right? Not so fast. I'm still waiting for the screener. Speaking of late reviews, Skyfall finally showed up and despite not coming out this week, or this month, I'm giving the Blu-ray Combo Pack Pick of the Week honors. More...

Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Skyfall

March 24th, 2013

Skyfall was the latest Bond movie to come out and while nearly everyone thought it would be a hit, almost no one thought it would be this big of a hit. It earned more than $300 million domestically and $1.1 billion worldwide. Had it made half that, it would have been a monster hit. Was it also better than expected? Did it truly deserve this success? More...

2013 Awards Season: Argo Unites a Divided Night at the Oscars

February 25th, 2013

Argo was the big winner at the Oscars last night, although arguably, there were no big winners, but a lot of films that shared in the glory. There were also some pretty interesting twists and a few events that stand out. Due to ongoing computer difficulties, I was unable to live-blog the Oscars this year. I will still be giving my reactions on a category by category basis, but not in the order they were handed out. More...

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for February 12th, 2013

February 12th, 2013

It's a busy week, not only in terms of big selling DVDs and Blu-ray, but also in terms of quality. Skyfall will be the best-selling DVD and Blu-ray of the week, plus it is a contender for Pick of the Week. It is not the only contender, as The Perks of Being a Wallflower (DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack); The Sessions (DVD or Blu-ray); Bully (DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack); Nurse Jackie: Season Four (DVD or Blu-ray) and The Thieves (DVD or Blu-ray) were all contenders. In the end, I went with Skyfall, but it was close. More...

International Box Office: Django Remains Top Draw

February 6th, 2013

Django Unchained won the international race with $30.28 million on 5,990 screens in 65 markets for a running total of $158.36 million. Worldwide, its total has reached $309.31 million. It is just a week away from overtaking Inglourious Basterds as Quentin Tarantino's biggest hit of his career. The film had no major market openings, which makes its hold more impressive. Its best market was Germany, where it made $6.61 million on 708 screens over the weekend for a total of $30.78 million after three. More...

International Box Office: Django Battles Bond for Top Spot

January 30th, 2013

There was a relatively close race on top of the international chart, but Django Unchained came out on top for the second week in a row. This time it earned $43.10 million on 6,421 screens in 64 markets for a total of $111.61 million after just two weeks of release. It is rapidly closing in on Inglourious Basterds as Quentin Tarantino's biggest hit of his career. It is also the most expensive film in his career. The film opened in first place in Australia with $3.95 million on 330 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $5.61 million. It also remained in top spot in Germany with an incredible $8.08 million on 650 screens over the weekend for a two-week total of $21.32 million. More...

2013 Awards Season: Lincoln's Double-Win Still Leaves it Behind Argo

January 28th, 2013

The SAG handed out their awards over the weekend and while Lincoln took home two awards, Argo continues its surprising run by winning the big award of the night. More...

International Box Office: Unchained Free to Take Top Spot

January 23rd, 2013

Django Unchained began its international run in first place with $49.70 million on 5,863 screens in 54 markets. It opened in first place in a number of major markets, led by Germany, where it made $9.84 million on 482 screens, while it was nearly as potent in France with $7.54 million on 610 screens. It also earned first place in Italy with $4.60 million on 541 screens and in Spain with $3.40 million on 541. It had to settle for second place in the U.K. ($4.45 million on 445 screens); in Russia ($5.52 million on 736); and in Mexico ($999,000 on 451). It only managed third place in Brazil with $1.27 million, but it was only playing on 187 screens. Overall, this debut was 30% better than Inglourious Basterds' debut in the same markets. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Mama Mia!

January 22nd, 2013

Mama easily won the box office race over the Martin Luther King, Jr. long weekend, with Zero Dark Thirty earning a solid second place. Unfortunately, the other two new releases, Broken City and The Last Stand, were weak and weaker. The overall box office was on par with last week, down less than 1% to $139 million, over the three-day weekend. This was 6% higher than the same weekend last year, over the same period. Adding on Monday, and the total weekend was $165 million, or about 1% higher than last year. It is still way too early to pay real attention to the year-to-date stats, but 2013 is ahead of 2012 by a 7.0% margin at $658 million to $615 million. More...

International Box Office: Second Serving of Pi

January 16th, 2013

Life of Pi remained in first place on the international chart with $34.95 million on 9,291 screens in 67 markets. Its totals reached $359.11 million internationally and $453.91 million worldwide. The film's biggest market of the weekend was Russia, where it earned $4.45 million on 1,575 screens over the weekend for a total of $25.07 million after two. More...

2013 Awards Season: Les Mis Leads Ways as Surprises Dominate

January 14th, 2013

Hollywood Foreign Press Association handed out their awards last night, and the trend of surprises continues. Les Miserables led the way with three awards, only one of which I was truly expecting. Meanwhile, Argo won more awards than Lincoln. I don't think anyone was predicting that. More...

2013 Awards Season: Lincoln Oversees a Divided Group of Nominees

January 10th, 2013

The Oscar nominations were announced this morning, and there's certainly a lot to talk about. There are some nominations that should surprise no one. For instance, Lincoln led the way with twelve nominations, and it has been seen as the major contender for a long time. However, there were also a few surprise nominations and some major snubs. Here are the list of nominations, and some reactions. More...

International Box Office: Pi Living the High Life

January 10th, 2013

Life of Pi rose to first place with $59.30 million on 10,027 screens in 64 markets for a total of $302.04 million internationally and $393.08 million worldwide. The film reportedly dominated the Russian box office with $14.2 million on 1,600 screens. It had to settle for second place in Australia with $5.18 million on 545 screens over the weekend for a total of $8.36 million. It managed third place in South Korea with $3.06 million on 392 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $5.35 million. This film has yet to open in Japan and a few smaller markets, so it isn't done yet and it should have no trouble getting to $500 million worldwide. More...

2013 Awards Season: PGA Produces a Few Surprises

January 6th, 2013

Producers Guild of America announced their nominations this week, including the three theatrical categories. There were a number of films on the list that have been mentioned time and time again this awards season, like Zero Dark Thirty, but there were also a few surprises. More...

International Box Office: Hobbit Rules Weekend, Skyfall Cracks $1 Billion

January 3rd, 2013

We are still stuck with studio estimates, but it is clear The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey repeated on the top of the international box office chart this past weekend. It earned $106.5 million in 62 markets for totals of $464 million internationally and $686 million worldwide. Its biggest opening of the weekend was from Australia where it earned $18.6 million on 560 screens. This is the biggest opening in the franchise. It also remained strong in Germany with $17.17 million on 888 screens over the weekend, which represented an 11% increase and pushed its total to $61.14 million after three weeks of release. It was also able to earn more than $10 million in the U.K. with $11.18 million on 596 screens over the weekend for a total of $58.51 million after three weeks of release. The film has yet to open in a few markets, so getting to $1 billion worldwide is still the main target. More...

International Box Office: Hobbit is Smaller in Stature This Week

December 27th, 2012

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey remained on top of the international chart with an estimated $96 million on 18,417 screens in 59 markets for a total of $288.5 million. This includes a first place, $17.8 million opening on 2,115 screens in Russia. It also had an amazing hold in Germany down just 6% to $14.2 million on 1,408 screens over the weekend for a total of $36.7 million after two. The film's best market remained the U.K. where it has made $38.4 million, including $9.8 million on 1,546 screens this past weekend, but that is a pretty steep drop-off. More...

International Box Office: Hobbit Travels Around the World

December 20th, 2012

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey entered the international chart in first place with $138.0 million on 18,165 screens in 56 markets. Leading the way was the U.K. with $18.80 million on 598 screens, while it also cracked $10 million in Germany with $15.13 million on 877 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $17.19 million. It also came very close in France with $9.77 million on 958 screens. The film had similar strong openings in Spain with $7.98 million on 1,052 screens and in South Korea with $7.29 million on 1,028 screes over the weekend, although it had a total opening of $8.50 million. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Hobbit Stands Tall

December 17th, 2012

In a result that surprised absolutely no one, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey earned first place on top of the chart this weekend. It earned more than the entire box office earned last weekend leading to a 70% increase week-over-week to $136 million. Compared to last year, the box office was 15% higher, as The Hobbit made more than last year's three wide releases opened with combined. Year-to-date, 2012 has earned $10.19 billion, which is 6.1% higher than last year's pace. Additionally, the year is about $100 million away from topping 2011's final tally. It should have no trouble surpassing that total some time over the weekend. On the other hand, it is still far behind the record set by 2009. More...

Weekend Predictions: The Hobbit Looks to Tower Over Competition

December 13th, 2012

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey opens this weekend and it will clearly be the biggest hit of the month and likely the biggest hit of the winter. There is roughly a 100% chance that The Hobbit will earn first place and nearly all analysts think it will earn more than the entire box office earned last week. It might even earn more than the entire box office made last year. Last year, the box office was led by Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, which made just under $40 million, while second place went to Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chip-Wrecked with just over $23 million. If The Hobbit doesn't make more than those two films made combined, then the box office is in serious trouble. More...

Awards Season: Lincoln Shows a United Front at the Golden Globes

December 13th, 2012

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced their nominations and the same list of films that have been mentioned since the beginning of Awards Season were rewarded today. Lincoln led the way with seven nods, while Argo and Django Unchained were close behind with five. More...

International Box Office: Rise Rose to the Top

December 13th, 2012

Rise Of The Guardians reached first place on the international chart with $26.71 million on 9,620 screens in 58 markets for a total of $91.33 million. The film had no major market openings, but it did rise to first place in the U.K. with $2.57 million on 495 screens over the weekend for a total of $6.51 million after two. It also remained in first place in France with $2.86 million on 649 screens, giving it a two-week total of $7.79 million. The film does have a few more markets left to open in, including Australia this coming weekend, so it should earn enough to break even sooner rather than later. More...

2013 Awards Season: SAG Focuses a Searchlight on Silver Linings

December 12th, 2012

SAG nominations were announced and there were only a few surprises to deal with. Leading the way for total nominations was The Silver Linings Playbook, Lincoln, and Les Miserables, all of which earned nominations in four of the six categories. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Box Office Falls as Moviegoers Wait for The Hobbit

December 10th, 2012

Skyfall returned to the top of the box office chart, which is fitting, because it was the last film released that truly beat expectations at the box office. The only wide release this week, Playing For Keeps, barely remained above the Mendoza Line and failed to reach the top five. The overall box office fell 30% to just $80 million. Ugh. There are a couple of pieces of good news we should focus on. Firstly, $80 million is still 7% higher than this weekend last year. Secondly, it was enough to push 2012 over the $10 billion market. At the moment, the total box office for 2012 is $10.02 billion, which is 6% higher than 2011 had managed at the same point in the year. By this time next week, 2012 might be ahead of 2011's final figure of $10.28 billion. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Holdovers Keep Control of the Box Office?

December 7th, 2012

For the third weekend in a row, holdovers are expected to dominated the box office. In fact, there are many analysts that think Playing For Keeps won't even reach the top five. That doesn't mean there won't be a race for top spot, as Skyfall, Lincoln, and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 were within $100,000 of each other on Wednesday. Will Lincoln finally gets its place at the top? Or will Skyfall return to the clouds? Meanwhile, how will the overall box office compare to last year, which was led by the one-two punch of New Year's Eve and The Sitter. That was a pretty weak effort from 2011, so 2012 does have an opening for a victory, despite the lack of significant new releases. More...

International Box Office: Twilight Tops $700 Million, Nears Franchise Record

December 6th, 2012

We are still stuck with studio estimates for the international numbers, but we can confidently say The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 is in top spot. The film pulled in $48.8 million on 11,800 screens in 73 markets for totals of $447.8 million internationally and $702.40 million worldwide. It has likely already become the biggest hit in the franchise. The film had no major market openings, but it has yet to debut in Japan, but it will likely get past $800 million before then, which will be its last major milestone. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Dawn Still Breaking Bank

December 3rd, 2012

It was a close race for top spot as The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 just held off Skyfall by less than $1 million. Unfortunately, the best new release, Killing Them Softly, failed to match low expectations, while The Collection barely managed a spot in the top ten. The overall box office fell 45% to $114 million. However, as sharp as that decline was, it was still 41% higher than the same weekend last year and December begins with 2012 ahead of 2011 by 5.9% at $9.91 billion to $9.36 billion. More...

Weekend Estimates: Killing Has Soft Opening

December 2nd, 2012

The weekend after Thanksgiving is not known for its box office prowess, and this year is proving no different. Most films in the top 10 are down around 50% from last weekend, and the new wide releases are both falling short of their respective distributor's hopes. Killing Them Softly is headed for a $7 million debut, according to Weinstein, which is Brad Pitt's worst wide opening since Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas back in 2003, and worst live action wide release since 1994's The Favor. Meanwhile, LD Distribution is projecting $3.4 million for The Collection in 1,403 theaters, which is less of a surprise, but still a disappointment. With those two misfires, the top of the chart is once more populated by Breaking Dawn, Part 2 and Skyfall, which are essentially neck and neck at this point, with Twilight topping $250 million domestically this weekend and Bond set to reach that landmark in the next few days. More...

Weekend Predictions: Holdovers are Killing New Releases

November 30th, 2012

Like last weekend, holdovers will again dominate the new releases this weekend. However, one could argue the headline is inaccurate, as Killing Them Softly is really the only new film opening truly wide, so it should be "release", singular. The Collection is opening in more theaters than originally anticipated, perhaps enough to grab a spot in the top ten, but it is not opening truly wide. That said, there are some who think The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 will relinquish top spot at the box office with some thinking Skyfall will regain the title, while others think Lincoln will climb to first place. This weekend last year was a total disaster with the best new release playing in just 10 theaters. This year we should be a little stronger at the top and with a lot more depth. More...

International Box Office: More Milestones for Twilight

November 29th, 2012

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 held firm in first place with $104.21 million on 12,818 screens in 73 markets for a two-week total of $365.46 million intentionally and $592.83 million worldwide. By this time next week, it should be the biggest hit in the franchise. This past weekend, the film opened in Germany earning first place with $12.82 million on 765 screens for a total opening of $16.67 million. Its best holdover was in the U.K. where it made $8.56 million on 559 screens over the weekend for a total of $43.22 million. This is a strong result, but it was down 66%, which is troubling. It was better in Russia down 62% to $8.30 million on 1,380 screens for a total of $36.28 million after two. A 62% decline is actually average for the market, more or less. The film has very few markets left to open in, but it is already profitable, so the studio should be very happy. More...

Per Theater Chart: Hitching a Ride to the Top

November 27th, 2012

It was a particularly busy week on top of the per theater chart with seven films topping the $10,000 mark. Leading the way was Hitchcock with an average of $16,924 in 17 theaters. This is good for a limited release, but not great, and given the competition at this time of year, it needed to be great to survive. Anna Karenina expanded from 16 theaters to 66 earning an average of $13,580. Again, this is good, but not great. Rust and Bone was next with an average of $13,577 in two theaters. If it had sold just one more ticket, it would have earned second place instead of third on this list. Lincoln actually saw its per theater average grow reaching $12,724. It has already expanded truly wide and it should expand at least a little bit more. Likewise, Silver Linings Playbook should also expand more, as its per theater average this week was $11,945; however, it likely won't expand wide. The overall box office leader, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2, was next up with an average of $10,723. The Central Park Five topped $10,000 on the per theater chart, barely, with an average of $10,190 in three theaters. Skyfall was the final film in the $10,000 club with an average of $10,069. It is pretty rare for a film to remain above that mark for three weeks in a row. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Moviegoers Fill Up on Leftovers

November 26th, 2012

The Thanksgiving long weekend was stronger than anticipated with nearly every film topping predictions, some by pretty big margins. In fact, some earned more over three days than they were expected to earn over five days. Despite this, the box office was actually down 17% from last weekend to $208 million over the three-day portion of the weekend. This was 26% higher than the three-day portion of last year's Thanksgiving long weekend. Over five days, the box office pulled in $291 million, which is the most ever for a Thanksgiving weekend and 25% higher than last year. Year-to-date, 2012 has pulled in $9.75 billion, which is 5.5% higher than last year's running tally of $9.24 billion. If 2012 can simply match 2011 the rest of the way, then we will set a new all-time yearly box office total with about $10.7 billion. More...

Weekend Estimates: Twilight and Bond Lead Record-Setting Thanksgiving

November 25th, 2012

As expected, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 and Skyfall are dominating the Thanksgiving charts, and, with some help from three new releases and two strong holdovers, will produce the most lucrative Thanksgiving holiday in history. All told, we should see something a little over $200 million in revenue for the three-day portion of the weekend, placing it in the top 20 weekends of all time. Breaking Dawn, Part 2 is tracking about in line with Part 1 at this point in its run. In contrast, Skyfall is well ahead of James Bond's previous outing, and has become the first Bond movie to top $200 million domestically (before adjusting for inflation). More...

Weekend Predictions: New Releases Fight for Table Scraps

November 21st, 2012

It's the beginning of Thanksgiving long weekend tonight, which means it is a busy day for new releases. There are three new releases opening wide, plus another film that is expanding wide enough that is has a shot at the top ten. Unfortunately for the new films, there's little hope any of them will top The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 over the weekend. In fact, there's a chance none of them will top Skyfall for second place. Rise of the Guardians is the only one with a real shot at second place, while Life of Pi and Red Dawn will be in a tough battle for fifth place. Finally, Silver Linings Playbook is expanding to more than 400 theaters and could grab tenth place. The box office last year looks very similar to the box office potential this year. With a little luck, there will be mostly pleasant surprises rather than serious disappointments and 2012 will have another solid win. More...

International Box Office: Twilight is Breaking the Bank

November 21st, 2012

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 opened internationally and dominated the chart with $199.45 million on 13,400 screens in 61 markets during its first weekend of release. It opened in a number of major markets, scoring first place in all of them. In the U.K., the film made $25.20 million on 558 screens, while it also topped $20 million in Russia with $21.97 million on 1,366. In France, the film pulled in $16.56 million on 823 screens, while in Brazil it earned $12.24 million on 1,213 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $17.87 million. In Spain it made $11.76 million on 1,052 screens over the weekend and $12.11 million including previews. It earned $10.58 million on 856 screens over the weekend in Italy for a total opening on $13.34 million. Mexico was close behind with $9.94 million on 2,642 screens over the weekend and $12.29 million in total. It didn't hit the $10 million market in South Korea; in fact, it barely earned first place there with $5.91 million on 665 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $7.17 million. A local hit, A Werewolf Boy was right behind, but more on that below. More...

Per Theater Chart: Dawn of a Busy Day

November 20th, 2012

The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 led the overall chart and the per theater chart. Its average was $34,660, which is especially impressive, as it was playing in more than 4,000 theaters. The next best release was Silver Linings Playbook, which earned an average of $27,688 in 16 theaters. This suggests a strong potential to expand, while its reviews suggest a strong word-of-mouth and some Awards Season buzz. Anna Karenina was next up with an average of $20,043, also playing in 16 theaters, but the reviews suggest it will struggle if it tries to expand. The Comedy opened in New York this week after playing in Los Angeles last week and it did really well earning $13,150. Both members of last week's $10,000 club remained above that mark this week with Lincoln earning an average of $11,859 and Skyfall earning an average of $11,727. One final note, while Jab Tak Hai Jaan didn't quite reach that mark with an average of $8,022 in 160 theaters, it debuted on Tuesday. In total, it made $1.94 million, which would have given it an average of $12,136, had it made that over the weekend. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Twilight Shines Bright for Lionsgate

November 19th, 2012

While The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 wasn't quite as strong as predicted, it still had a monster opening. Likewise, the two big holdovers both fell a little further than anticipated. The only film in the top five that really beat expectations was Lincoln. Fortunately, all of the films in the top five came close enough to matching the predictions that the overall box office was still very strong. Compared to last week, the box office grew by 44% to just under $250 million. Compared to last year, the box office grew 12%, which is a much more important number. Year-to-date, 2012 has pulled in $9.41 billion and is now 4.8% above last year's pace. It is still technically possible that 2012 will fail to match last year at the box office, but it is ferociously unlikely. More...

Weekend Estimates: Breaking Dawn Posts 8th-Biggest Weekend

November 18th, 2012

The beginning of the end for the Twilight franchise is here, and, as expected, big money is being made by Lionsgate/Summit. While this installment doesn't look like it will break franchise records, Lionsgate is predicting a $141.3 million opening weekend, which will be the 8th-best of all time, assuming it holds up. New Moon will most likely remain the top opener for the franchise with $142.8 million, although it will be a close-run thing. Twilight will most likely end up the 5th-highest-grossing franchise at the domestic box office, behind only the "box office gods", Harry Potter, Star Wars, Batman and James Bond. More...

Contest: Sky is Falling: Winning Announcement

November 15th, 2012

The winners of our Sky is Falling contest were determined and they are... More...

Weekend Predictions: Twilight Dawns for the Final Time

November 15th, 2012

As The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 prepares to re-write the record book, it would be easy to overlook the rest of the top five. However, there are a few other films of note. Firstly, Lincoln, which is expanding this weekend and will nearly be at the truly wide level. Nearly everyone thinks this film will grab a spot in the top five. Also, despite a lot of people predicting Breaking Dawn will break records, a lot of people think Skyfall will hold up pretty well over the weekend. By comparison, last year, Breaking Dawn, Part 1 had an impressive opening, but it was the only thing about the weekend that was impressive, as Happy Feet 2 crashed and burned. There's a slim chance Breaking Dawn, Part 2 will open with more than the combined openings of those two films. Adding in Skyfall and 2012 should come out with a major win this week. More...

International Box Office: Skyfall is Bond's Biggest Hit

November 15th, 2012

For the third weekend in a row, Skyfall remained in first place on the international chart with $89.08 million on 11,909 screens in 80 markets for a total of $429.63 million. This is the biggest international total for the franchise and it is very close to topping the worldwide total of all of the pre-Daniel Craig Bond films. Worldwide, the film has $520.19 million and is on pace to add at least $200 million more, likely $300 million to its worldwide total before it is done. There were no major market openings this weekend, but the film did become the biggest non-3D release in the U.K. with $114.50 million, including $16.61 million on 589 screens this past weekend. It is fifth on the all-time chart in that market, but it likely overtook Toy Story 3 ($116 million) and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 ($117 million) already. Up next is Titanic at $127 million and Avatar at $149 million. I wouldn't be willing to bet money it would become the all time leader, but I also wouldn't bet money against it. More...

IMAX: Wide Blue Skies

November 14th, 2012

Skyfall started its domestic run and included in its $90 million weekend haul was $12.75 million in 320 IMAX theaters. Internationally, it added another $2.7 million in 127 IMAX theaters, for a three-week total of $14.5 million internationally and $27.25 million worldwide. Up next for the format is The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 this weekend, which should be huge. More...

Lincoln Takes Lead in Per Theater Chart and Award Season

November 14th, 2012

Lincoln was the easy winner on the per theater chart earning an average of $85,846 over the weekend. Had it earned an average of $31,554, which was its best single-day average, it would have been impressive. A start this strong is a good indicator for Awards Season success. The overall box office leader, Skyfall, was the only other member of the $10,000 earning an average of $25,211. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Sky High Start

November 13th, 2012

Most people were expecting Skyfall to be a monster hit, but the film actually beat great expectations. Its opening helped the box office grow by 25% from last week to $173 million, which was 26% higher than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2012 reached the $9 billion mark and not sits at $9.10 billion. By comparison, at this point in 2011, the total box office was $8.72 billion giving 2012 a 4.4% lead over last year. More...

Weekend Predictions: Sky's the Limit

November 8th, 2012

There's only one wide release this weekend, but Skyfall could become one of the biggest hits of the holiday season. Nearly all analysts assume it will be the fastest opening Bond film of all time. It might make more that last year's top three films made combined. Wreck-It-Ralph should still be strong at the box office, while Flight should hold on better than most other films do. Overall it should be a very good week at the box office. More...

International Box Office: Blue Skies Ahead

November 8th, 2012

Skyfall expanded worldwide earning $156.09 million on 12,545 screens in 81 markets for a two-week total of $289.81 million. This is already more than Die Another Day finished with internationally, while it is on pace to top $500 million. This week it opened in first place in Germany with $21.28 million on 789 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $23.67 million It also earned first in Italy with $7.02 million on 632 screens over the weekend and $7.87 million in total. It had to settle for second place in Spain with $3.97 million on 639 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $6.50 million. Likewise, it only managed second place in Mexico with $2.67 million on 1,151 screens over the weekend for a total opening on $3.01 million. It dipped just 20% in the U.K. earning $25.74 million on 593 screens over the weekend for a two-week total of $85.40 million. It is the biggest hit in that market all year. The film grew by 31% in France to $13.91 million on 845 screens over the weekend for a total of $28.26 million. It remained in first place in Russia with $5.74 million on 1,254 screens over the weekend for an early total of $16.67 million. It rose 1% in Brazil to $3.23 million on 558 screens over the weekend for a total of $7.78 million after two. The film was pushed into second place in South Korea, but still did well with $3.20 million on 581 screens over the weekend for a two-week total of $11.59 million. The film has yet to open in Australia and Japan, while it makes its debut here this weekend. More...

Contest: Sky is Falling

November 2nd, 2012

Next week is the long awaited domestic debut of Skyfall, the latest Bond film. It is also the only wide release of the week, but even if it weren't, it would still be the clear choice for the target film in this week's box office prediction contest. It is just that huge. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for Skyfall. 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 The Christmas Pageant on DVD. Meanwhile, whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will win a copy of The Yummy Gummy: Search for Santa on DVD. Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

International Box Office: Skyfall Starts Sky High

November 1st, 2012

In what has to be one of the least surprising events of the year, Skyfall opened in first place on the international box office chart. It pulled in $83.05 million on 5,077 screens in 25 markets, this includes first place debuts in all 25 markets. It was surprisingly strong in its native U.K. with $32.41 million on 587 screens, which was the second best three-day opening in that market behind only Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2. The film was also huge in France with $9.70 million on 820 screens and in Russia with $8.27 million on 1,254 screens. In South Korea, the film made $6.02 million on 749 screens and in Brazil it earned $3.18 million on 537 screens. The film was also a multi-million dollar hit in a number of smaller markets. This includes $3.58 million on 116 screens in Denmark, $3.13 million on 179 in Norway, $2.82 million on 222 in Sweden, and 2.49 million on 217 in Poland. On average, the film was 30% stronger than Quantum of Solace's opening weekends in these market, and 76% higher than Casino Royale. More...

2012 Preview: November

November 1st, 2012

October was pretty good with a few films really crushing expectations, which made up for the few duds that opened at the end. 2012 gained about $100 million over 2011 during the month of October. We really needed this success and hopefully November will continue this push forward. However, November is a bit of a weird month. There are five weekends, but only eight true wide releases, half of which open on the Thanksgiving long weekend, leaving the other four weeks with just one true wide release each. There are a couple others opening in the semi-wide level and another opening in limited release with a planned wide release, but even so, it is not a busy month. That said, it is a case of quality over quantity. There are four films that are pretty much guaranteed to reach $100 million, one of which should reach $300 million. By comparison, last November only produced one $100 million film. Granted, that film was The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1, which made nearly $300 million, which is a huge number no matter how you look at it. But this year, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 2 should top that number and with the other $100 million movies pulling in more than $400 million combined, it should be a very profitable month at the box office. More...

Territory	Release Date	Opening Weekend	Opening Weekend Screens	Maximum Screens	Theatrical Engagements	Total Box Office	Report Date
Argentina	11/1/2012	$742,653	146	146	685	$2,820,639	12/30/2018
Aruba	11/8/2012	$21,585	6	6	22	$74,475	12/29/2018
Australia	11/22/2012	$12,801,914	580	585	4118	$50,842,825	12/4/2023
Austria	11/1/2012	$153,624	4	120	788	$8,017,081	12/14/2015
Bahrain	10/26/2012	$235,592	3	4	25	$577,196	12/29/2018
Belgium	10/26/2012	$1,490,923	97	105	1057	$11,267,644	12/14/2015
Bolivia	11/1/2012	$81,259	20	20	104	$245,684	12/29/2018
Brazil	10/26/2012	$3,082,974	531	552	2617	$14,189,125	12/14/2015
Bulgaria	10/26/2012	$173,062	36	36	257	$822,476	12/30/2018
Central America	11/1/2012	$470,755	145	145	487	$1,662,484	12/13/2015
Chile	11/1/2012	$589,250	85	85	458	$1,959,761	12/30/2018
China	1/21/2013	$16,477,879	8079	8079	18183	$59,020,141	12/14/2015
Colombia	11/2/2012	$714,768	184	219	756	$2,955,065	12/30/2018
Croatia	11/1/2012	$305,368	29	30	241	$930,576	12/30/2018
Curacao	11/8/2012	$15,706	1	1	11	$92,564	12/30/2018
Czech Republic	10/26/2012	$854,944	89	89	202	$3,255,647	12/29/2018
Denmark	10/26/2012	$2,643,057	116	116	716	$15,872,425	12/14/2015
Dominican Republic	12/20/2012	$108,584	24	25	118	$373,517	12/30/2018
East Africa	11/2/2012	$3,385	1	1	3	$10,100	12/12/2015
Ecuador	11/1/2012	$228,979	41	41	125	$748,430	12/30/2018
Egypt	10/31/2012	$205,135	12	12	75	$824,903	12/30/2018
Estonia	11/2/2012	$147,100	12	12	74	$601,384	12/14/2015
Finland	10/26/2012	$0	0	107	441	$9,049,408	12/14/2015
France	10/26/2012	$10,327,988	820	825	5730	$59,129,360	12/14/2015
Germany	11/1/2012	$40,205	1	1338	8195	$85,223,816	12/14/2015
Ghana	11/2/2012	$22,510	1	1	10	$104,835	12/30/2018
Greece	11/1/2012	$0	0	88	246	$5,806,892	12/14/2015
Hong Kong	11/1/2012	$1,971,464	135	135	377	$4,760,127	12/14/2015
Hungary	10/26/2012	$516,628	40	40	488	$2,391,722	12/30/2018
Iceland	10/26/2012	$152,410	8	8	51	$668,959	12/30/2018
India	11/1/2012	$3,920,824	1060	1060	2277	$10,949,569	12/14/2015
Indonesia	11/1/2012	$2,755,926	412	412	1225	$7,501,968	12/30/2018
Iraq	10/26/2012	$12,579	1	1	4	$29,205	12/29/2018
Israel	10/26/2012	$659,913	40	40	335	$4,222,545	12/30/2018
Italy	10/31/2012	$26,229	1	668	1774	$16,834,692	12/12/2015
Jamaica	11/7/2012	$93,156	5	7	12	$195,003	12/29/2018
Japan	12/1/2012	$0	0	39	81	$30,599,936	12/14/2015
Jordan	10/26/2012	$75,235	3	4	29	$11,199,063	12/29/2018
Kenya	11/2/2012	$113,196	13	13	104	$378,065	12/30/2018
Kuwait	10/26/2012	$61,967	1	290	296	$5,486,061	12/30/2018
Latvia	11/2/2012	$138,463	10	10	66	$536,256	12/30/2018
Lebanon	11/1/2012	$366,166	21	21	93	$976,280	12/29/2018
Lithuania	11/1/2012	$102,363	11	11	39	$371,001	12/13/2015
Malaysia	11/1/2012	$2,502,913	180	180	729	$6,560,109	12/13/2015
Mexico	11/1/2012	$2,687,086	1082	1082	4267	$9,724,753	12/14/2015
Netherlands	10/31/2012	$3,829,412	211	211	2223	$23,039,444	12/14/2015
New Zealand	11/22/2012	$1,586,617	131	131	977	$6,147,212	3/31/2021
Nigeria	11/2/2012	$100,532	11	11	123	$520,651	12/30/2018
North America	11/9/2012	$88,364,714	3,505	3,526	28,830	$304,360,277	12/11/2014
Norway	10/26/2012	$0	0	90	360	$13,828,717	12/14/2015
Oman	10/26/2012	$85,480	5	6	29	$299,234	12/29/2018
Peru	11/1/2012	$505,365	101	101	327	$1,278,704	12/29/2018
Philippines	10/31/2012	$1,884,491	209	209	596	$3,431,191	12/30/2018
Poland	10/26/2012	$2,516,586	212	233	1245	$10,099,721	12/30/2018
Portugal	10/26/2012	$676,308	93	97	586	$3,600,193	12/14/2015
Qatar	10/26/2012	$233,001	5	5	27	$757,807	12/29/2018
Romania	10/26/2012	$396,524	62	72	400	$1,607,574	12/30/2018
Russia (CIS)	10/26/2012	$7,464,694	926	951	3431	$22,807,468	12/30/2018
Serbia and Montenegro	11/1/2012	$99,849	23	24	83	$415,924	12/30/2018
Singapore	11/1/2012	$2,243,757	84	84	271	$5,258,377	12/13/2015
Slovakia	10/26/2012	$294,385	35	35	78	$1,029,907	12/13/2015
Slovenia	10/31/2012	$223,765	14	14	123	$720,355	12/14/2015
South Africa	11/30/2012	$763,995	125	125	785	$4,027,426	12/14/2015
South Korea	10/26/2012	$5,585,103	743	743	2090	$15,220,738	12/12/2015
Spain	10/31/2012	$3,991,256	637	639	2801	$13,699,536	12/14/2015
Suriname	11/9/2012	$6,792	1	1	9	$46,426	12/30/2018
Sweden	10/26/2012	$2,878,058	222	222	1116	$17,898,068	12/14/2015
Switzerland	10/27/2012	$696,486	46	219	1550	$20,159,852	12/14/2015
Taiwan	11/2/2012	$1,744,665	193	193	638	$7,853,113	12/14/2015
Thailand	11/1/2012	$67,710	3	207	407	$3,662,587	12/14/2015
Trinidad	11/7/2012	$188,966	19	19	72	$541,962	12/29/2018
Turkey	11/2/2012	$1,054,004	153	153	889	$3,677,272	12/30/2018
Ukraine	11/1/2012	$1,187,229	145	150	673	$2,508,409	12/30/2018
United Arab Emirates	10/26/2012	$1,660,032	29	30	188	$4,837,519	12/30/2018
United Kingdom	10/26/2012	$31,256,380	1850	1850	10852	$158,348,368	10/5/2022
Uruguay	11/1/2012	$43,008	10	10	50	$196,809	12/29/2018
Venezuela	11/2/2012	$515,832	93	93	331	$2,164,714	12/12/2015
Vietnam	11/2/2012	$401,497	59	59	211	$1,400,605	12/30/2018
Rest of World						$5,217,054
Worldwide Total						$1,110,526,981	12/4/2023