Bridget has 26 million Reasons to Celebrate

November 17th, 2004

Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason opened in a mere half a dozen international markets over the weekend, but what an opening it was. Despite place on fewer than 1000 screens the film was able to pull in an amazing $26.7 million, the lion's share coming from the U.K. where the film took in $19.1 million on 496 screens, (including $5.9 million from sneak peaks.) That was the best opening for a Working Title film smashing the previous record of $11.1 million for Love Actually. In each market the film broke the record for Working Title films and more than doubled the original's debut. And even with legs that are expected to be much lower, it should be able to break $300 million internationally, although it may have trouble hitting $50 million domestically. More...

DVD Releases for October 19, 2004

October 18th, 2004

Every week films get a second chance at success from the home market; or, in some cases, a first chance at success. Here is a list of wide releases, limited releases and a few from the growing TV on DVD section, including the winners of the DVD Pick of the Week, all of which come from the TV on DVD category. First there's Greg the Bunny - The Complete Series - Buy from Amazon which Fox cancelled too soon, and Arrested Development - Season 1 - Buy from Amazon, which Fox will probably cancel too soon. A couple of Canadian shows are also picks of the week with Corner Gas: First Season - Buy from Amazon.ca and SCTV - Volume 2 - Buy from Amazon. And one last note, previous Pick of the Week, Degrassi: The Next Generation - Season 1 - Buy from Amazon.ca, is now available in Canada. More...

Shark Attack

October 13th, 2004

With openings in nearly a dozen new markets, Shark Tale was able to take top spot on the international charts with $9.4 million in 16 markets, pushing its early total to $19.2 million internationally and over $100 million worldwide. Highlights include $4.4 million in the U.K., (including previews) and $2.05 million in Mexico. How happy the studio is with these results depends on their expectations. Compared to the average film, Shark Tale is a massive hit. But compared to Dreamworks previous digitally animated film, Shrek 2, it is a large drop. More...

Collateral Climbs to the Top

October 6th, 2004

Collateral finished first on the international charts breaking The Village's five week run on top. Although, with a weekly take of only $9.4 million in 28 markets, it has as much to do with the weakness of the competition as it does with the strength of the film itself. The largest chunk of that box office came from France, where the film earned $3.8 million. More...

Village's Population Grows

September 29th, 2004

For the fifth week in a row The Village finished in first place with $14.0 million on 4000 screens in 38 markets. The biggest opening of the week was $5.2 million in Spain, but suffered another collapse in Mexico dropping 55% during its second weekend there. Its international total hit $100 million over the weekend, the fifth Disney film to do so this year, and the 17th overall. More...

Spider Swings into Italy but Can't Top Village

September 21st, 2004

The Village once again top took spot on the international scene, but by a very narrow margin. Still being plagued by sharp drop-offs, the film earned $11.2 million on 3,500 screens in 34 markets. So far the film has taken it $117 million internationally, higher than its $113 million it earned domestically. Although, it is much lower than M. Night Shyamalan's previous movie Signs. More...

Village's Population Grows

September 14th, 2004

The Village again was the weekend champ in the international box office with $15.3 million on nearly 3,500 screens in 31 markets. Highlights for the weekend include and impressive debut in Germany at $5.5 million and a less spectacular $3.1 million in Japan. The film also suffered a 55% drop-off in its second weekend in Australia while it held up much better in Brazil. So far the film has earned $63.2 million internationally and is well on its way to matching its $112 million domestic total. More...

Stuck in Neutral

September 8th, 2004

The weekend on the international scene was very much the same as last weekend, just a little bit slower. The Village was again the champ, thanks to seven openings in mostly mid-ranged markets. A $2.2 million debut in Australia was the top money earner as the film took in $9 million in 23 markets. It's international total is now $45 million and should be headed to $100 million before it is done. More...

Harry Potter has Biggest Worldwide Opening of the Year

June 8th, 2004

Despite only opening in 24 international markets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban had both the biggest international and worldwide opening of the year. Its three day total of $87.2 million was ahead of last week's winner The Day After Tomorrow despite opening in just a fraction of the markets (24 to 110) and significantly fewer screens (7,885 to 9,276.) If you include the weekday numbers in the U.K., (which are being treated as previews by Warner Bros.) then it has the third biggest international opening ever with $113.5 million. This is a fare comparison since the two films ahead of it also were not strict 3-day openers either. (Lord of the Rings: Return of the King's $125.9 million included sneak previews and The Matrix Revolutions's $117.6 million was a five day total.) Worldwide the film has already earned more than $200 million, which is good enough for sixth place for the year. More...

Far from a Global Disaster

June 2nd, 2004

It was a massive worldwide opening for The Day After Tomorrow, which debuted in 9,276 theatres in 110 markets. It's $85.0 million over three days was almost the same has its four day domestic take. And with more than $150 million, it became the biggest worldwide debut this year. This is a great start, but the real test is yet to come. What will determine if this film is a blockbuster verses it being an elite film is how well it holds up to competition next weekend. More...

Record Breaking Weekend for Day After, but still can't top Shrek 2

June 1st, 2004

In retrospect, I may have been a little harsh on the new films opening this weekend as two of the three earned more during the 3-day weekend than I thought they'd earn during the 4-day weekend. And that helped this Memorial Day long weekend become the biggest weekend ever. Comparing the 3-day total we see a 12.4% increase from last weekend and a 9.9% increase from last year. However, last year at this time it was not Memorial Day. Compared to last year's Memorial Day the three-day portion is up 16.9% and the four-day potion is up an incredible 22% to nearly $250 million. This will create a lot of buzz, which will result in free publicity for the rest of the summer movies. More...

Double the Fun for Shrek 2

May 28th, 2004

With the buzz around this week's new wide releases less than impressive, Shrek 2 should repeat as winner at the box office. And at least one, and possibly both, of the wide releases could be D.O.A. More...

Troy Triumphant

May 25th, 2004

Opening in an additional 11 markets helped Troy's international box office grow substantially during its second weekend of international release. Its sophomore session saw it take in $71.0 million on 10,272 screens in 58 markets, that's almost 30% more from its debut. The film was huge in several major markets including $10.9 million in the U.K., $6.1 million in Japan, $6.3 million in Italy, $4.6 million in South Korea, and $3.4 million in Russia. Its international box office is now just shy of $150 million and should become the number one film of 2004 on that chart within a few weeks. Worldwide the film has earned more than $200 million and should double that before its run is over. More...

Panic Mode - Disengaged

May 25th, 2004

Finally, we have something to celebrate this summer. The lone wide release this week, Shrek 2 had a multi-record breaking opening, and that meant a huge 51% increase in the overall box office from last weekend. And that lead to a huge increase over the same weekend last year, right? Well not quite, the increase was rather minimal at just 3.6%, inline with estimated ticket price increases. However, this weekend last year was the Memorial Day long weekend, so the comparison is not quite fair. Further more, 2004 has again slipped behind 2003 year-to-date, albeit by the narrowest of narrow margins $3.125 billion to $3.119 billion based on Sunday's estimates. More...

Is it Time to Panic?

May 21st, 2004

Shrek 2 didn't get off to as solid a start as predicted and without any other wide releases this week we could be in trouble. But there may be mitigating circumstances that will help the box office this weekend. More...

$100 Million Opening for Troy

May 18th, 2004

In addition to the $46.9 million Troy earned at the domestic box office, the ancient history movie made $54.7 million on 6,722 screens in 47 markets internationally. Some highlights were the $8.5 million in Germany, $6.3 million in Spain, $5.1 million in France and $4.7 million in Australia. And while a $107 million opening weekend seems spectacular, this is a very expensive film to get to theatres. Combine the production budget, domestic P&A budgets, translations / dubbing / subtitles, etc. and the final cost is nearing $250 million. On the plus side, Troy should have better legs and more international appeal than Van Helsing so Warner Bros. should see a profit before the home market. P.S. If this story sounds familiar, you must have a long memory. More...

Slight Setback at the Top of the Charts

May 17th, 2004

Both opening films were unable to reach expectations and because of this we saw a relatively flat performance week-to-week of just 6.8%. And compared to last year's monster opening for The Matrix Reloaded this year was down an amazing 26.5%. Year to date now has 2004 up by just 1.2%, half the estimated ticket price inflation and unless Shrek 2 opens huge next weekend this year will dip below last year's pace. More...

Summer Should Start to Simmer

May 14th, 2004

This week looks reasonably stronger than last week, but nothing like this time last year when The Matrix Reloaded opened. Still, as long as we can see significant growth each weekend in May, then 2003 should maintain its lead on 2004. More...

Oh No, They say He's got to go, Go go Godzilla!

May 12th, 2004

Four movies crossed the $10,000 per theatre mark, lead by Godzilla: The Original Japanese Version with $19,015 average in two theatres. The debuts of Van Helsing with $14,475 per theatre and Super Size Me with $12,601 also placed high on the list. And in its ninth weekend of release Games People Play: New York managed an unbelievable $14,388 in its lone theatre. More...

$100 Million Opening for Van Helsing

May 11th, 2004

In addition to the $51.7 million Van Helsing earned at the domestic box office, the monster movie made $55.3 million on 5,254 screens in 41 markets internationally. Not only was that easily the largest box office this weekend, but it was the best we've seen this year. Some highlights were the $9.9 million in the U.K. and $7 million in Germany. And while a $107 million opening weekend seems spectacular, this is a very expensive film to get to theatres. Combine the production budget, domestic P&A budgets, translations / dubbing / subtitles, etc. and the final cost is nearing $250 million. A strong home market will be needed before Universal sees a profit. More...

DVD Releases for May 11, 2004

May 10th, 2004

Every week films get a second chance at success from the home market; or, in some cases, a first chance at success. It was a strange week for DVD releases, whilere there are 18 releases on the list, fully half of them are TV on DVD and most of the rest of older films. Only two new releases, The Fog of War - Buy from Amazon and In America - Buy from Amazon are on my rental list. And none are on my to buy list. More...

Slower Start to Summer

May 10th, 2004

Summer got off to a really, really slow start this year. Last year the first weekend in May resulted in an incredible 66% week-to-week increase but this year that increase was only 7.1%. And while this weekend last year was the slowest of the summer box office season (May to mid-August), but this year it was actually 1.4% lower. If we don't see a dramatic increase next weekend the year-to-date increase could drop below the inflation. More...

IT'S SUMMERTIME!

May 7th, 2004

Finally, the summer season at the box office is starting. While it isn't until Memorial Day that Summer Official starts in the movie industry, the first full weekend in May has become increasingly important. This year doesn't look as strong as last year, but it still should be a mile above anything we saw in April. More...

Movie Websites Launches for Aril 30 - May 6

May 6th, 2004

During the past week promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here the list of this week's releases, a couple of new sites and few updates including the winner for the week, Shrek 2 - >Official Site. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details. More...

2004 Summer Preview - Part 2: May

May 4th, 2004

May marks the start of Summer, at least according to the movie industry. And while Memorial Day Weekend is the official start of Summer, the first weekend in May is becoming increasingly important. So it's no surprise that there are 8 movies set for wide released during the upcoming month. ... Wait a minute; that can't be right. With just 8 movies opening each week there will be the potential blockbuster and the counter-programming movie, thereby maximizing profits. Obviously this has to change. More...

DVD Releases for April 27, 2004

April 26th, 2004

Every week films get a second chance at success from the home market; or, in some cases, a first chance at success. Here is a list of wide releases, limited releases and a few from the growing TV on DVD section. A couple of selections caught my eye this week, Love Actually - (Buy from Amazon) and Kids in the Hall - Season 1 both of which are my DVD pick of the week. More...

Movie Websites Launches for Aril 16 - April 22

April 23rd, 2004

During the past week promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here the list of this week's releases, a couple of new sites and few updates including the winner for the week, Van Helsing - Official Site. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details. More...

Movie Websites Launches for Aril 9 - April 15

April 15th, 2004

During the past week promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here the list of this week's releases, a couple of new sites and few updates including the winner for the week, The Punisher - Official Site. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details. More...

Movie Websites Launches for February 27 - March 4

March 4th, 2004

During the past week promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here the list of this week's releases, a couple of new sites and few updates including the winner for the week, The Prince & Me - Official Site . If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details. More...

Movie Websites Launches for January 30 - February 5

February 6th, 2004

During the past week promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here the list of this week's releases, a couple of new sites and few updates including the winner for the week. Miracle - Official Site. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details. More...

Movie Websites Launches for January 23 - January 29

January 29th, 2004

During the past week promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here the list of this week's releases, a couple of new sites and few updates including the winner for the week. It was a two-way race this week as most sites on today's list had either small updates or launched flash sites that were mostly marked 'coming soon.' In the end, Ginger Snaps II: Unleashed took this week's top prize. If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details. More...

Movie Websites Launches for January 16 - January 22

January 22nd, 2004

During the past week promotional websites for several movies were launched and some older ones added additional content. Here the list of new releases, updated sites, and some upcoming releases that slipped through the cracks, including the winner for the week Win a Date with Tad Hamilton! - Official Site . If you know of any new movie websites not on this list feel free to e-mail me with the details. More...

Territory	Release Date	Opening Weekend	Opening Weekend Screens	Maximum Screens	Theatrical Engagements	Total Box Office	Report Date
Australia	5/5/2004	$3,256,469	338	341	1860	$9,327,497	4/7/2020
North America	5/7/2004	$51,748,040	3,575	3,580	18,550	$120,150,546
Rest of World						$170,672,503
Worldwide Total						$300,150,546	4/7/2020