February 14th, 2011
It's another really slow week for DVD / Blu-ray releases with a total of one first run release of note. There are a few other smaller releases, as well as catalog titles, etc., The biggest release of the week is also arguably the best, Unstoppable on Blu-ray. And while the release date is bizarre, Doctor Who: A Christmas Carol on Blu-ray is also worth picking up. Also of note is Despicable Me, which came out a couple months ago, but the Blu-ray Combo Pack just arrived last week.
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February 14th, 2011
Waiting for Superman was one of the highest grossing documentaries of 2010 and not only did it earn stellar reviews, but for a while it seemed like it would be a lock to win the Oscar for Best Feature-Length Documentary. ... Then it wasn't even nominated. There's a large gap between "Not nominated for an Oscar" and "Not worth seeing", so I still have very high hopes for the film, but it does raise the question of whether the Oscar voters were right or not.
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January 23rd, 2011
Producers Guild of America announced their winners this weekend and there are some interesting wins that may have changed the odds come Oscar night, as well as one that was as predictable as they come.
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January 12th, 2011
The Directors Guild of America spreads out the nomination process, but the last of the theatrical categories were announced today. The guild hands out awards in nearly a dozen categories, but only two for theatrical release. Two categories, ten nominations, and only one that wasn't completely foreseen.
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January 4th, 2011
Producers Guild of America announced the nominations in seven categories, three of which are for theatrical releases. Like last year, there was only one repeat nominee, and again like last year, it was a Pixar release.
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November 9th, 2010
There were a few limited releases to reach the $10,000 mark on the per theater chart this past weekend. 127 Hours lead the way with an impressive average of $66,213 in four theaters. Fair*Game was well back with $14,154, but it opened in 46 theaters, so this is a much better indicator of its chances to expand. The overall box office leader, MegaMind, was the only other film in the $10,000 club with an average of $11,668, but the second place film, Due Date, came very close with an average of $9,743.
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November 2nd, 2010
Again, there was only one film that reached the $10,000 mark on the per theater chart. Inspector Bellamy opened with an average of $10,318 in two theaters. However, Waste Land came very close with $9,806 in its one theater.
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October 26th, 2010
There was only one film that reached the $10,000 mark on the per theater chart, and it was the overall box office leader, Paranormal Activity 2. That film opened with an average of $12,649 in just over 3200 theaters.
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October 19th, 2010
Clint Eastwood's latest film, Hereafter, topped the per theater chart over the weekend with an impressive average of $36,720 in six theaters. It expands wide on Friday, so this fast start was important. The overall box office leader, Jackass 3D, was well back in second place with an average of $16,343, but that's amazing for this type of movie and this time of year. Vision managed $11,406 in its lone theater, while Carlos opened with an average of $10,003 in two theaters, which is literally one ticket away from missing the $10,000 mark.
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October 12th, 2010
There were three films to top $10,000 on the per theater chart, all of which were new releases. Leading the way was Inside Job, with an average of $19,825 in two theaters. Considering how important the subject is, I'm certainly glad people are seeing it. Nowhere Boy opened in four theaters with an average of $13,187, while Stone was right behind with an average of $12,628 in six theaters.
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October 5th, 2010
Not a lot of action on the per theater chart this week with only one film, Waiting for Superman, topping $10,000. It managed an average of $12,026 during its second weekend of release, but it also saw significant expansion and by this time next week will have crossed the $1 million milestone.
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October 3rd, 2010
The Social Network connected with about three million moviegoers this weekend to top the box office chart with an estimated $23 million, according to Sony's Sunday estimate.
While that's a very respectable start, interest in the movie was mainly concentrated in urban areas, particular on the coasts, and the movie was soft in the central United States.
While stellar reviews should lead to good word-of-mouth, the film's limited demographic appeal certainly seems to have held it back from being a huge success.
That said, this weekend's other openers are looking on in envy.
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September 28th, 2010
There were three films that topped $10,000 on the per theater chart, including one that topped $30,000. That film was Waiting for Superman, which pulled in an average of $34,758 in four theaters. However, its prospects for a wide expansion are limited, since it is a documentary. Second place went to You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger with and average of $26,684 in six theaters, but it likely has a better chance at significant expansion. The final $10,000 film was Enter the Void with an average of $14,550 in three theaters.
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September 26th, 2010
Twenty-three years after the opening of the original, Wall Street 2 marked the successful return of Gordon Gecko this weekend with a good (though hardly blockbusting) $19 million opening.
Intervening years of inflation and radical changes in theatrical distribution make a comparison between the openings of the two movies virtually meaningless, but it is noteworthy that the first Wall Street was more a of cultural icon than a box office hit.
It earned $43,848,100 - very respectable for the time, but less than, for example, Outrageous Fortune, Dragnet or La Bamba, which were all also released in 1987.
Wall Street 2 looks headed for similar respectability.
Whether it'll catch the national mood in the same way is more doubtful.
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September 24th, 2010
It's the last weekend of September, which means Awards Season could start any weekend now. (In fact, it might have started last weekend with the release of Never Let Me Go.) There are a few films that look like they might have been made to be Awards Season contenders, but of those only Waiting for Superman has a real chance. On the other hand, Buried will likely be the biggest box office hit, mainly because it is already scheduled for a wide expansion in a couple weeks.
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