August 14th, 2012
There were not a lot of new releases to make an impact on the DVD sales chart this week. However, we did have a new number one, as Hatfields and McCoys DVD sold 363,000 units and generated $7.25 million in revenue. That's an excellent start for a TV mini-series.
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August 7th, 2012
There was only one new release to chart on this week's DVD sales chart this week, and it didn't even reach the top ten. This left The Three Stooges in first place with 182,000 units / $3.62 million for the week, lifting its totals to 601,000 units / $12.02 million.
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July 31st, 2012
New releases dominated the DVD sales chart taking three of the top five spots and six of the top eleven. This includes a new number one film, The Three Stooges, which sold 378,000 units while generating $7.55 million in opening week revenue. This is a good start compared to its theatrical run, but not a great start. Additionally, it didn't have a strong theatrical run, so this is more damning it with faint praise.
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July 24th, 2012
There were only two new releases to chart this week, but one of them, American Reunion, led the way with 352,000 units / $7.04 million. Its opening week Blu-ray share was 46%, which is excellent for a comedy. On the other hand, it has missed expectations nearly every step of the way, so this isn't enough to make the studio really happy.
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July 23rd, 2012
New releases were not exactly plentiful this week on the DVD sales chart, but we did have a new film on top of the chart. American Reunion sold 411,000 units and generated $6.57 million in opening week sales. That's below expectations, but it also struggled theatrically, so it's not a surprise.
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July 18th, 2012
Like on the DVD sales chart, there were no new releases to reach the top ten on the Blu-ray sales chart. In fact, the best selling Blu-ray was Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, which leapt up from fourth to earned first place with 156,000 units / $2.55 million for the week giving it totals of 2.22 million units / $51.32 million after four.
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July 9th, 2012
Like last week, it's another really slow week on the home market. Unlike last week, there is at least one first run release coming out. American Reunion should lead the way in terms of sales, but given its reviews and its box office struggles, it won't be a major player. As for the best new release, there are a few interesting titles, like Dark Shadows: The Complete Original Series (Deluxe Edition). But in the end I went with Adventure Time: Complete First Season is the release I'm most looking forward to seeing. (The screener is late, but I will get to the review ASAP after it arrives.)
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May 23rd, 2012
The Avengers remained on top of the international chart for the fourth weekend in a row and that helped it reach fourth place on the all time worldwide chart. Over the weekend it pulled in $59.1 million giving it totals of $726.4 million internationally and $1.18 billion worldwide. To put this into perspective, if the film had earned $700 million worldwide, it would have been considered a smash hit and it would have broken even before the home market. The film was pushed into second place in the U.K. with $4.45 million on 496 screens over the weekend, but it has $71.11 million in that market, making it the film's biggest single intentional market. China is right behind with $69.3 million. It has also topped $50 million in Mexico ($3.27 million on 1,757 screens over the weekend for a total of $53.53 million) and in Brazil ($5.40 million on 915 screens over the weekend for a total of $50.49 million). The film has yet to open in Japan and by the time it does, it will likely have overtaken Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II for third place on the all-time chart.
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May 16th, 2012
The Avengers reached the $1 billion worldwide milestone in a mere 19 days, tying the record set by Avatar and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II. However, this is even more impressive, as The Avengers opened domestically one week later than it opened internationally. Over the weekend the film added $93.8 million on 17,104 screens in 54 markets for totals of $635.1 million internationally and $1.01 billion worldwide. It is the first Marvel film to reach this milestone, but amazingly the fifth Disney movie to do so. There have only been twelve films to reach $1 billion worldwide, and Disney have made five of them.
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May 9th, 2012
The Avengers crushed the competition on the international chart this week and held on so well that it became the biggest hit on the worldwide chart for 2012, overtaking The Hunger Games. Over the weekend it managed $151.5 million on 12,410 screens in 52 markets for totals of $475.8 million internationally and $683.2 million worldwide. It just pushed Forrest Gump out of the top 50 on the All Time chart and is climbing the ranks quickly. By the end of business on Monday, it had topped $700 million worldwide and will be fighting for a spot in the top 40 before the weekend begins.
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May 3rd, 2012
The weekend international numbers came in a little late for two main reasons. Firstly, it was May Day. In North America the normal reaction to that is, "Huh?" (My knowledge of the holiday is limited to a joke on Red Dwarf.) But internationally, it's a pretty big deal. Secondly, it takes a long time to count to $200 million, which what The Avengers made. Technically, it made $185.1 million on 12,152 screens in 39 markets over the weekend, for a total opening of $218.2 million. To put this into perspective, this is more than Captain America made in total on the international scene, as well as both of the Hulk films. It is possible that the film will reach $300 million internationally by the end of business on Thursday, while by the end of this weekend, it will be one of the biggest hits Marvel has produced.
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April 26th, 2012
For the second weekend in a row, Battleship and Titanic 3D were battling for top spot on the international chart, but this week Battleship came out on top. It managed $60 million on 9,038 screens in 50 markets for an early total of $131.1 million. The film opened in second place in China with $17 million on 2,287 screens, while it placed first in Russia with $11.20 million on 809. It also maintained first place in a trio of major markets, led by South Korea with $3.44 million on 624 screens over the weekend for a total of $12.68 million. It also repeated on top in Germany ($2.16 million on 637 screens for a total of $7.39 million) and in the U.K. ($2.06 million on 497 screens for a total of $9.80 million).
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April 18th, 2012
Titanic 3D had an insane second weekend on re-release on the international chart earning $98.90 million on 10,066 screens in 69 markets for totals of $157.15 million internationally and $201.87 million worldwide. Its complete total is now $2.04 billion, which is a stunning figure. The majority of the film's weekend haul came from China, where it broke records with $67 million, which broke Transformers: Dark of the Moon's record opening weekend in that market. The film remained in top spot in Russia with $3.15 million on 972 screens for a total of $10.34 million after two. Its total in the U.K. rose to $12.68 million after two weeks of release, including $2.87 million on 429 screens this past weekend. At this point, I can imagine studio heads looking at every film that earned more than $300 million and trying to figure out if they can be converted to 3D or not. If it only costs $18 million to convert a film and it can make $200 million worldwide, it's an easy way to make money. Of course, it's also an easy way to over-saturate the market to the point of no return.
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April 16th, 2012
The overall box office went about as well as expected over the weekend; however, that's not particularly good news, as expectations were low to begin with. The Hunger Games remained on top of the box office for the fourth time, making it the first film since Avatar to accomplish that feat. However, there wasn't a lot of celebrate over the weekend, as the box office fell 8% from last weekend to $114 million. More importantly, this was 12% lower than the same weekend last year, making this the worst year-over-year decline of 2012. That said, 2012 still has a massive lead on 2011 up $2.98 billion to $2.50 billion and if the summer is as good as the first part of the year was, that lead will be even greater by the time the Fall rolls around.
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April 12th, 2012
After a fantastic three-month run in which 2012 only lost once in the year-over-year comparison and built a 20% lead over 2011, it looks like the box office is returning normal. This weekend there are three films opening wide: The Cabin in the Woods, Lockout, and The Three Stooges. However, despite the number of new releases, there are many who think The Hunger Games will remain on top for the fourth weekend in a row. This would be terrible news for everyone, with the possible exception of Lionsgate, which is the distributor for both The Hunger Games and The Cabin in the Woods, as it is a sign of profound weakness at the box office. How weak is the box office? There is a chance that all three films combined won't open with as much as last year's number one film, Rio, opened with. And there's a chance none of the new wide releases will open with as much as the second place film, Scream 4, opened with. There's little hope 2012 will walk away with a win this time around.
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April 12th, 2012
The winners of our Uniting People with Prizes contest were determined and they are...
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April 11th, 2012
Wrath of the Titans is really struggling domestically, but it could mitigate some of the losses here with its box office numbers internationally. This weekend it added $42.1 million on 13,070 screens in 61 markets for a total of $151.6 million. Its best market of the weekend was Russia, where it earned $4.09 million on 1,116 screens over the weekend for a total of $19.55 million after two. It has yet to open in Japan, and if it can get to $300 million worldwide, it should break even very early in the film's home market run.
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April 9th, 2012
There's good news and bad news at the box office this weekend. The good news was The Hunger Games, which not only earned its third first place finish on the chart, but it also held on better than expected and crossed a major milestone. The bad news was practically everything else. Neither American Reunion or Titanic 3D matched expectations, while the overall box office suffered as a result falling 17% to $123 million. Fortunately, this was higher than last year by a margin of 6%. Year-to-date, 2012 is still ahead of 2011 with $2.81 billion to $2.34 billion. Unfortunately, we needed the new releases this weekend to be stronger if we have a chance of winning over the next couple weekends.
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April 5th, 2012
A trio of films are looking to grab top spot on the box office chart this weekend. Some think American Reunion will win. It is the latest installment in a very popular franchise, one that hasn't had a theatrical release in almost nine years. Some think Titanic 3D will lead the way. It is a 3D re-release of the second-biggest hit of all time. While still others think The Hunger Games will win for the third weekend in a row. It is by far the biggest hit of the year and topped the chart on Wednesday, despite the debut of Titanic. All three films are have a chance to make more than $30 million over the weekend. On the other hand, this weekend last year, no films made more than $30 million and only one, Hop, made more than $20 million. This means 2012 should win with ease.
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April 1st, 2012
There's good news / bad news going forward into April. First the good news, aside from one week where we saw a minor dip, March was fantastic. There were a number of films beating expectations and the overall the month was even stronger than predicted. As of this weekend, the box office is now 20% higher than the same pace last year. The bad news? That winning streak will certainly come to an end in April. Last year, there was one film that reached $200 million, Fast Five, plus two others that reached $100 million, Hop and Rio. Granted, due to the shifting calendar, Hop is actually being compared to the last weekend in March, so this April only needs one $200 million hit and a $150 million hit to keep pace. But even so, there's almost no chance that will happen. In fact, there's a chance that we might not have one film topping $100 million this year. Only three films have a real shot at this milestone: American Reunion, Five-Year Engagement, and Titanic 3D. And quite frankly, only the first one has a 50/50 chance of getting there. We will likely see 2012 shed some of its lead over 2011, but it should still end the month with a solid year-over-year lead.
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March 30th, 2012
Next Friday there is only one wide release coming out, American Reunion. (Titanic is getting its 3-D re-release, but it makes its theatrical debut on Wednesday.) Clearly it should be 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 American Reunion.
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 Adventures Of Chuck And Friends: Friends To The Finish 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 Breaking Wind on DVD.
Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay!
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