2013 - Holiday Gift Guide - Part I

November 24th, 2013

Thanksgiving is less than a week away and that means Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and a ton of shopping. It also means the first installment of our Holiday Gift Guide. Over the next month, we will talk about TV on DVD releases, independent releases, foreign language releases, classics, etc. but this week we start with Major Movie Releases. These are first run releases, franchise box sets, etc. However, this year seems weaker than years past. Last year the biggest new release was The Avengers, which was also one of the best reviewed wide releases of the year. This year the biggest release is Iron Man 3, which earned good reviews, but not great reviews. Last year there were a ton of franchise box sets. This year has been pretty barren. In fact, I think the only franchise box set that's truly new and really worth picking up is... More...

Home Market Numbers: April 7th, 2013: Post-Easter Weekend Sinks Home Market

May 23rd, 2013

The week of April 7th, 2013 was the weekend after Easter, and Easter tends to have a lot of sales for DVDs and Blu-rays, so it should come as no surprise there was a drop in sales. Additionally, the new releases were led by The Bible: The Epic Miniseries, both in terms of units and revenue, which is not a prime Blu-ray release. One could argue The Avengers Megaset, Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One was a more impressive debut, all things considered. Neither release was enough to buoy the overall Blu-ray market, which fell 64% in terms of units and 52% in terms of revenue. Total units fell below the 1 million mark for the first time since January and only the third time this year with 936,000 units, while the revenue fell to $29.28 million. Blu-ray sales fell compared to last year, down 39% in terms of units and 17% in terms of revenue. Granted, there was a misalignment in the Easter weekend, so we shouldn't take too much stock in this one result. With very little in the way of new releases, the overall Blu-ray share fell to 32% in terms of units and 41% in terms of revenue. This isn't a great result, but it's hardly a reason to panic. The market will bounce back, in a couple weeks. More...

Blu-ray Sales: April 7th, 2013: Bible Blues

May 23rd, 2013

There were a couple of new releases to chart on the April 7th, 2013 edition of the Blu-ray sales chart. This includes The Bible: The Epic Miniseries, which earned first place with 172,000 units / $6.31 million. Its opening week Blu-ray share was 28%, which is low for the format as a whole, but better than expected, given its genre and target audience. More...

Blu-ray Sales: Ted Loves Being High (Definition)

January 22nd, 2013

Like it did on the DVD sales chart, Ted led a trio of new releases that placed high on the Blu-ray sales chart. The film earned first place with 1.28 million units / $25.64 million for an opening week Blu-ray share of 43%. That's very strong for a comedy, even one aimed at the prime demographic for Blu-ray. 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...

Blu-ray Sales: The Average Spider-Man

January 8th, 2013

There were half-a-dozen new releases to chart on the November 11th edition of the Blu-ray sales chart. This includes The Amazing Spider-Man, which earned first place with 641,000 units / $14.37 million. Its opening week Blu-ray share was 54%, which is impressive, but one has to assume the studio was hoping for more. Then again, the film is more than profitable enough to ensure a sequel. More...

2012 - Holiday Gift Guide - Part I

November 23rd, 2012

This weekend is Thanksgiving and as always that means Black Friday and Cyber Monday plus 48 hours of shopping in-between. Unlike most years, I'm only halfway done with my Christmas shopping. So what recent, and not so recent releases are prime candidates for the perfect gift this year? Over the next month, we will go over several dozen possibilities with our annual Holiday Gift Guide, which is divided into into four sections. This week we start with Major Movie Releases. These are first run releases, franchise box sets, etc. However, before we get into the individual titles, we will start with an update on... More...

Blu-ray Sales: Mad Money for Madagascar

November 5th, 2012

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted was one of seven new releases to reach the top 20 on this week's Blu-ray sales chart. It took first place with 768,000 units / $15.36 million for an opening week Blu-ray share of 45%. This is good for a digitally animated kids movie. In fact, this wouldn't be bad if it were an action film. More...

DVD Sales: Most Wanted is Indeed the Most Wanted

November 5th, 2012

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted lived up to its name becoming the best selling new release and earning first place on the DVD sales chart. The film sold 944,000 units and generated $16.03 million in revenue, which was easily enough for first place. More...

Blu-ray Sales: Prometheus Proves Powerful on Blu-ray

October 27th, 2012

Prometheus was surprisingly strong on the Blu-ray sales chart opening with 875,000 units / $17.49 million. Its opening week Blu-ray share was an outstanding 72%. Usually you only see that level with catalogue titles. More...

DVD Sales: Prometheus Tops Chart, But Starts Slow

October 26th, 2012

Prometheus was one of eight new releases to reach the top 30 on this week's DVD Sales Chart. It led the way with 348,000 units / $5.92 million. This is lower than expected, but it did do much better on Blu-ray. More...

Blu-ray Sales: Avengers Continues Cinderella Story

October 21st, 2012

The Avengers remained in top spot on the Blu-ray sales chart with 824,000 units / $20.61 million for the week giving it totals of 4.21 million / $88.30 million after two. The number of Blu-rays that have sold more units can be counted on the fingers of one hand. More...

DVD Sales: Averages Too Bright for Dark Shadows

October 21st, 2012

The Avengers remained on top of the DVD sales chart selling an additional 664,000 units and generating $12.69 million more in revenue. After two weeks of release, the film has sold 2.75 million units and generated $48.10 million in total revenue giving it fourth place on the 2012 chart. More...

Blu-ray Sales: Avengers Begin To Rewrite Record Book

October 12th, 2012

The Avengers became one of the best selling Blu-rays of all time after just one week of release. Its opening week sales were outstanding at 3.39 million units / $67.69 million. This was by far the biggest new releases of the week and it crushed the competition on the Blu-ray sales chart. In fact, it was easily the best single week on the chart and places the Blu-ray in the top ten on the all-time list. (More on that next week.) Its opening week Blu-ray share was 62%. I suspect by the end of the Christmas shopping season, a 60% opening week Blu-ray share will be the norm for any major release. More...

DVD Sales: Avengers Earns an A Minus

October 12th, 2012

The Avengers dominated a lengthy list of new releases and sold roughly 20 times the number of DVDs of the second place release on this week's DVD sales chart. It sold 2.09 million units and generated $35.41 million in opening weekend revenue. This is a good start on the home market, but not great compared to the film's theatrical run. In fact, it wasn't even the best opening of the year, as both The Hunger Games and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn, Part 1 sold more during their first week of release, and they both had shortened opening weeks. That said, it is already in eighth place for the year and this film did much better on Blu-ray than it did on DVD. More on that very shortly. More...

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for September 25th, 2012

September 25th, 2012

It's the unofficial beginning of the Christmas Shopping Season. Starting the rush this year is The Avengers, which broke records at the box office and will likely do the same on the home market. It is clearly a contender for Pick of the Week, but I'm not sure if the Blu-ray Combo Pack or the 3D Combo Pack is the better deal. The only other contender for Pick of the Week is Bond: 50 on Buy from Amazon. However, it's a double-dip... or triple-dip. I've lost count. In the end, I'm going with The Avengers on 3D Combo Pack. It's only $5 more, so it is worth future-proofing. More...

International Box Office: Evil Finds a Home Worldwide

September 19th, 2012

Resident Evil: Retribution debuted in top spot on the international chart with $49.61 million on 6,154 screens in 65 markets. The film opened in first place in a trio of major markets with Japan pulling in $8.63 million on 774 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $11.17 million. Russia was close behind with $8.37 million on 1,100 screens. It was was able to grab first place in Brazil with $3.15 million on 391. On the other hand, the film had to settle for second place in South Korea with $1.99 million on 368 screens over the weekend and a total opening of $2.44 million. It debuted in third place in Australia with $1.50 million on 175. More...

International Box Office: Expendables Fight Their Way to the Top

September 13th, 2012

The Expendables 2 opened in China and that helped propel it into first place with $41.62 million on 5,930 screens in 48 markets for an international total of $157.29 million. Unfortunately, as it is usually the case, no numbers for China were released, but were likely more than half the film's weekend haul. It also opened in South Korea earning third place with $1.58 million on 394 screens over the weekend for a total of $1.81 million. More...

International Box Office: Rises Returns to the Top

September 5th, 2012

Thanks to its opening in China, The Dark Knight Rises returned to the top of the international chart with $49.8 million on 10,000 screens in 64 markets. The film now has $577.7 million internationally and $1.009 billion worldwide, becoming just the twelfth film to reach that milestone. In China, the film earned $28.5 million on 4,100 screens, which was easily enough for first place. The film had to settle for second place in Italy with $4.95 million on 914 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $8.75 million. More...

Weekend Estimates: Possession Leads Labor Day Weekend

September 2nd, 2012

Labor Day weekend is traditionally the slowest holiday weekend at the box office, so it comes as no surprise that the overall chart looks fairly weak. However, Possession is set to produce a very credible box office number, with Lionsgate estimating $17.725 million through Sunday and comfortably over $20 million for the full 4-day frame. That's hardly blockbuster level, but is considerably better than consensus predictions coming in to the weekend. Another opener, Lawless, is well behind, with Weinstein predicting $9.7 million for the Friday-Sunday portion of the weekend. Far, far behind that is this weekend's other new wide release, The Oogieloves in the BIG Balloon Adventure, which is headed for about $450,000 from 2,160 theaters and will end up in the record books for one of the poorest openings in history. More...

International Box Office: Expendables Brave the Competition

August 29th, 2012

The Expendables 2 remained in first place with $25.96 million on 5,672 screens in 33 markets for a total of $66.76 million. It debuted in first place in Spain with $2.45 million on 459 screens, which is significantly more than the original made in Spain when it opened. Meanwhile, it added $3.13 million on 815 screens in Russia, for a total of $14.22 million after two weeks of release in that market. This is more than its predecessor earned in total in Russia. More...

International Box Office: International Box Office is Essential for The Expendables

August 23rd, 2012

The Expendables 2 earned first place during its international debut with $23.01 million on 3,741 screens in 19 markets. It was led by Russia where it made $8.12 million on 804 during its opening weekend. It also topped the chart in Mexico ($3.32 million on 1,249) and in Italy ($1.91 million on 379). It only managed fourth place in the U.K. with $3.12 million on 451 screens. By comparison, The Expendables earned much less in Russia, Mexico, and Italy, but much more in the U.K. Overall, the sequel has made a little more than its predecessor, but it is too soon to tell where it will end up. More...

International Box Office: Spidey Reboot Ensnares First Place

July 11th, 2012

After a narrow opening last weekend, The Amazing Spider-Man expanded worldwide this weekend taking first place with $127.49 million on 18,343 screens in 74 markets for an early total of $200.86 million internationally and $337.89 million worldwide. If it didn't make another dollar at the box office, it would still likely break even early in its home market run. The film's biggest opening was in the U.K. where it dominated the box office with $17.19 million on 552 screens. That is like opening with about $100 million here. More...

International Box Office: Ice Drifts to the Top

July 5th, 2012

Ice Age: Continental Drift started its international run a little earlier than its domestic run, and if this is any indication, its box office chances here are fantastic. The film pulled in $80.31 million on 9,653 screens in 35 markets. This includes $12.23 million on 2,617 screens over the weekend in Mexico for a total opening there of $13.87 million, which was the third biggest opening of all time in that market. It also made $11.31 million on 841 screens in France, which was the biggest opening of the year. The film dominated Brazil with $6.56 million on 1,004. Its opening in Australia was not quite as strong with $5.02 million on 490 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $6.43 million, but that's still equivalent to $60 million here, given the relative size of the two markets. It broke the record for biggest opening in Argentina at $4.1 million on 284 screens, and did the same in a number of smaller Latin American markets ($3.2 million on 296 in Colombia, $3.1 million on 252 in Peru, etc.). I think its chances of reaching $1 billion worldwide are better than I previously thought. More...

International Box Office: Madagascar Tops Another Milestone

June 27th, 2012

For the third weekend in a row, Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted earned top spot on the international chart, this time pulling in $35.43 million on 9,499 screens in 43 markets for a total of $214.17 million internationally and $371.26 million worldwide. Its best market of the weekend was Mexico, where it remained in first place with $3.81 million on 1,612 screens over the weekend for a total of $20.78 million after three. Meanwhile in Russia, the film has amassed a total of $43.05 million, including $3.41 million on 1,485 screens this past weekend. The film's next major market is Spain, but it doesn't open there till the end of July. It doesn't finish its run till October when it opens in the U.K. More...

Avengers Cross $600 million Mark

June 27th, 2012

It was announced today that The Avengers became just the third film to cross the $600 million milestone at the box office, or $100 million for each of the six super heroes. It did so during its 54th day of release, which is about a week later than the record Avatar set when it reached that milestone in 2009. The film will soon surpass Titanic's original domestic theatrical run, but will end its run in third place domestically and worldwide. In the end, it will earn about $1 billion in profits, once you include DVDs, Blu-ray, TV rights, ancillary markets, and of course merchandising. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Brave Hits Bullseye

June 25th, 2012

Turns out the weekend was rather predictable, with nearly every film earning roughly what they were expected to do. More films topped expectations than missed them, and this includes Brave, which earned more than last year's winner, Cars 2. This helped the overall box office grow 26% from last weekend to $164 million. Unfortunately, the other two new releases, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter and Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, were not as strong compared to the counter-programming from last year, Bad Teacher, and this meant 2012 lost to 2011 by 7%. Worse still, next weekend will be a disaster, as there are four middling releases that will have to compete with Transformers: Dark of the Moon. More...

International Box Office: Madagascar Cracks Quarter Billion

June 20th, 2012

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted held firm on top of the international chart with $52.82 million on 11,633 screens in 43 markets for a total of $158.43 million internationally and $277.44 million worldwide. It fell just 36% in Russia for a weekend haul of $10.09 million on 1,830 screens over the weekend and a total of $36.00 million after two. Quite frankly, this is a stunning hold. Russia is known for steep declines (drop-offs greater than 60% are the norm). At this pace, the film could top The Avengers as the biggest hit in the market this year by this time next week. In Mexico, it made $5.03 million on 572 screens over the weekend for a total of $14.82 million after two, while in Brazil it managed $4.19 million on 870 screens over the weekend for a total of $17.53 million after two. In both of those markets the film remained in top spot. On the other hand, it slipped to second place during its second weekend in France down 45% to $4.41 million on 685 screens over the weekend for a total of $13.17 million so far. This is about on par with its run here. With many, many major markets left ahead of it, the film should have little trouble reaching more major milestones, while it should break even before it reaches the lucrative home market. More...

International Box Office: Madagascar is Wanted Worldwide

June 13th, 2012

Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted led the way on the international chart with $77.28 million on 10,877 screens in 28 markets. Its best single market was Russia, where it pulled in $9.80 million on 1,670 screens, which was easily enough for first place. It was also dominant in France with $7.96 million on 685 screens. A pair of Latin American markets also contributed to its overall success with it earning $7.53 million on 890 screens over the weekend in Brazil, for a total opening in that market of $10.85 million. In Mexico, it earned $6.98 million on 1,965. The studio is going with a spread out release schedule, so it doesn't have a whole lot of major markets in the coming weeks, while it doesn't end its international run till October when it debuts in the U.K. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Animated Animals Outpace Aliens

June 12th, 2012

In just two weeks, the box office went from slump to soaring. Both Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted and Prometheus were box office hits and for first time in nearly four years and for only the second time ever, two films opened with more than $50 million at the box office. The overall box office reached $182 million, which shows the holdovers were also an important part of the overall picture. This was an increase of 27% from last weekend and a 32% increase from last year. A 32% increase would be amazing under normal circumstances, but just two weeks ago, we saw a 30% decrease in the year-over-year comparison, which makes this turnaround even more stunning. Year-to-date, 2012 remains ahead of 2011 by just shy of 10% at $4.70 billion to $4.28 billion and things look pretty good next weekend as well. Not as good as they were this weekend, but pretty good. More...

Weekend Predictions: Aliens vs. Predator

June 7th, 2012

There is an actual race for top spot on the box office chart between two new releases. We haven't seen that since early February. This week we have Aliens, represented by Prometheus, and we have Predators, represented by Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted. Okay, technically only Alex is a predator, but that's close enough. Both films are expected to top last year's number one film, Super 8, and with Snow White and the Huntsman opening better than expected last weekend, the holdovers should be stronger as well. 2012 should finally end the slump that began three weeks ago. More...

International Box Office: International Men of Money

June 7th, 2012

Men in Black 3 held on extremely well during its second weekend of release on the international scene earning an easy first place with $78.67 million on 20,554 screens in 90 markets for a total of $275.17 million internationally. This is already more than Men in Black 2 made during its entire run. Worldwide the film has $386.25 million, which is higher than the high end of the film's reported budgets. It's on track to reach between $500 million and $600 million worldwide, which is enough to put it on track to earn a profit sometime on the film's home market run. Amazingly, the film actually held on well in China, where it was down less than 30% to $15.4 million on 5,200 screens over the weekend for a total of $51 million after two. Perhaps it will reach the century mark there. In Germany, it grew by 3% to $5.32 million on 742 screens over the weekend for a total of $13.44 million. It also grew by 3% in the U.K., but fell to third place with $4.69 million on 533 screens over the weekend for a total of $12.30 million after two. In Britain, it was the Jubilee Holiday, so that explains the growth. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Snow White and the Holdovers

June 4th, 2012

Snow White and the Huntsman not only earned first place on the weekend box office chart, it did so with ease, topping all but the most bullish predictions. In fact, it even topped last year's opening of X-men: First Class, which means the film nearly helped 2012 back in the winning circle. The overall box office did fall 7% when compared to last weekend, but it was the post-Memorial Day weekend, so that's a very strong finish. The year-over-year decline was 11%, which normally would be really disappointing, but the previous weekend, the decline was over 30%, so this represents a huge recovery and bodes well for the next few weeks. 2012's lead over 2011 has shrunk to just under 10% at $4.47 billion to $4.07 billion, but even if the overall box office is flat for the rest of the year, a $400 million increase over the full year would be worth celebrating. More...

Weekend Predictions: Black and White

May 31st, 2012

Snow White and the Huntsman is the only new wide release of the weekend and it is looking to overthrow Men in Black 3 on the top of the chart. It should have a pretty easy time winning, if not, the box office is in serious trouble. It is more important to compare its opening to that of X-men: First Class, which opened this weekend last year. Asking Snow White to make $55 million is probably asking too much, while the holdovers won't be able to match last year's crop, so June will likely start off on a low note when compared to last year. After an amazing start to the year, 2012 is starting to really struggle. Hopefully it is just a minor bump in the road. More...

International Box Office: Will International Numbers Get Men Into the Black?

May 30th, 2012

After Men in Black 3 missed expectations domestically, its international numbers became a lot more important. I have good news and bad news. The good news is, it opened in first place with $126.31 million on 22,195 screens in 103 markets over the weekend for a total opening of $135.29 million earning first place in 101 of those markets. The bad news is, it has nowhere else to go. It's going to need to rely on strong legs to keep going. In a lot of international markets, films tends to have better legs than they have here. For instance, Japan. But the opposite is true in places like Russia and China, where pump and dumps rule. Speaking of which, the film's best single market was China where it made $20.6 million on 6,073 screens, which was just ahead of The Avengers' opening there, but that film had to deal with a massive local hit. MiB3's second biggest market was Russia, with $16.92 million on 1,549 screens, which was also more than The Avengers managed. Unfortunately, those were the only two major markets where that was true. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Men are Back But Avengers Still Top Story

May 29th, 2012

While the latest installment of the Men in Black franchise topped the box office over the Memorial Day long weekend, it was The Avengers that continued to be the big story of the year. Men in Black 3's opening was merely average given the release date, and well below average given the film's production budget. On the other hand, The Avengers continued to break records. Overall, the box office was up by 7% from last weekend reaching $153 million over the three day portion of the weekend. However, that's 31% lower than Memorial Day last year. Ouch. Over four days, the weekend pulled in $194 million, which was 30% lower than last year. Again, ouch. Year-to-date, 2012 is still ahead of 2011, but the lead is down to 12.5% at $4.28 billion to $3.85 billion. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Men in Black Bring in the Green?

May 24th, 2012

It looks like The Avengers run on top will finally come to an end this weekend with the release of Men in Black 3. It better. If The Avengers earns more during its fourth weekend of release than MiB3 opens with, then the overall box office will be in such serious trouble that I don't even want to talk about it. So the number one film shouldn't be in doubt, but there are still some questions to ask. Will Men in Black 3 live up to the previous two installments in the franchise? I am quite confident it will. However, in order for 2012 to earn the win on the year-over-year comparison, it will need to match The Hangover 2, which opened this weekend last year. I'm not very confident it will do that, to be very generous. Even if it manages the minor miracle needed to reach that level, there's still Kung Fu Panda 2 to deal with and the only other new release, Chernobyl Diaries, won't come anywhere close to that film's debut. It's probably going to be a really bad weekend at the box office. More...

International Box Office: Avengers Crack Top Five All-Time

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. More...

Per Theater Chart: Nothing Left to Avenge

May 23rd, 2012

The Avengers was the only film to reach the $10,000 mark on the per theater chart earning an average of $13,096. Elena probably would have earned a spot in the $10,000 club had it not opened on Wednesday. It earned $9,035 in one theater over the weekend, but $13,240 over its five-day opening. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Battleship Mothballed

May 21st, 2012

The Avengers continued its monster run and it crushed Battleship, The Dictator, and What to Expect When You're Expecting. In fact, The Avengers made more than the three new releases made combined. This is partially due to the film's strong hold, but in large part due to the newcomers' weaknesses, and this led to a 16% decline from last week to $143 million. Unfortunately, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides didn't show this weakness when it opened and the overall box office was a 15% lower than this weekend last year. 2012 still has a massive 16% lead over 2011 at $4.03 billion to $3.49 billion. Hopefully this is just a momentary blip and 2012 gets back to its winning ways very soon. More...

Weekend Predictions: Avengers Look to Complete the Hat Trick

May 17th, 2012

For the first time all month, there is more than one new release coming out. However, despite this, it looks like The Avengers will still reign on top of the box office chart. Only Battleship has a real shot at beating it, while The Dictator and What to Expect When You're Expecting combined probably won't make as much as The Avengers will over the weekend. This is a little worrisome, as last year saw the release of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, which opened with $90 million. There's almost no chance any film will make that much this weekend. In fact, the top two films might not make that much combined. So will 2012 lose on the year-over-year comparison? Probably not, as this year has a little more depth. It could be uncomfortably close though. More...

International Box Office: Avengers are Billionaires

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. More...

Per Theater Chart: New Releases Are Overshadowed

May 15th, 2012

No new releases managed to earn a spot in the $10,000 club on this week's per theater chart. That doesn't mean it was empty, as The Avengers remained potent with an average of $23,696 during its second weekend of release. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was arguably even more impressive, as it expanded into more than 150 additional theaters, but its per theater average only fell to $15,012. It did well enough to grab eighth place overall, and with this average, it will certainly expand more. On the other hand, the best new release was Dark Shadows with an average of $7,906. This is good, but not great. The best limited release was Girl in Progress. That was was playing in more than 300 theaters and managed an average of $4,298. That's a good start, but I don't think it will expand greatly. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Avengers Begin New Century Club

May 15th, 2012

For the first time ever, a film earned more than $100 million during its sophomore stint. The Avengers again led the way at the box office and again broke records. It wasn't all good news as Dark Shadows missed modest expectations and the overall box office slid 34% from last weekend to $171 million. That is still 22% higher than the same weekend last year, while 2012's lead over 2011 grew to 17.5% at $3.83 billion to $3.26 billion. I don't know how long The Avengers can keep 2012 ahead in the year-over-year comparison, but it sure is helping build up its lead in the short term. More...

Weekend Predictions: Avengers Overshadows New Releases

May 10th, 2012

There is one wide release this week, Dark Shadows, plus a busy slate of limited releases. However, the only film most people are talking about is The Avengers. There is a chance that by the end of business this weekend, it will be the biggest hit of the year, overtaking The Hunger Games. Even if Dark Shadows makes $50 million over the weekend, it will be a mere footnote at the box office compared to The Avengers' sophomore stint. Dark Shadows probably won't match the combined openings of last year's two wide releases, Bridemaids and Priest 3D (about $41 million), but it could be close. However, since there are some that are predicting The Avengers will earn more than last year's top five earned (about $110 million), 2012 should easily walk away with the win. More...

International Box Office: Avengers were Hungry for More

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. More...

Contest: Prizes Assemble: Winning Announcement

May 9th, 2012

The winners of our Prizes Assemble were determined and they are... More...

IMAX Can't Contain the Avengers

May 8th, 2012

As expected, The Avengers was huge on IMAX during its opening weekend breaking numerous records. Domestically, it made $15.3 million in 275 IMAX theaters, which just overtook Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II's record. It could have earned more, but they ran out of tickets. It also expanded internationally adding 80 more theaters earning $6.1 million on 176 theaters over the weekend for a total international haul of $16 million. Its three-day global take of $21.4 million was another record, while its running tally of $31.3 million worldwide is more than enough to cover the expense of converting it via DMR. The film has yet to open in Japan, as well as some other markets, so it should continue to do well this weekend. More...

Avengers are the Best on the Per Theater Chart

May 8th, 2012

The Avengers opened on top of the per theater chart with a record-breaking average of $47,698. This is the highest ever for a number one film. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was in second place with an average of $27,298 in 27 theaters. It should have little trouble expanding. Last week's winner, Bernie, slipped to third place with an average of $17,568 in five theaters. It too should expand. More...

Weekend Wrap-up: Avengers Assemble a New Record Book

May 7th, 2012

Expectations for The Avengers were high, record-breakingly high among some people. However, as high as they were, reality was higher. Records were not just broken, but destroyed beyond recognition. The overall box office was in the top five combined biggest weekends with $258 million, which was 134% higher than last weekend. 134%. It was 55% higher than the same weekend last year. Like I've said before, this kind of year-over-year change usually only happens when there is a misalignment in holidays. The victory erases all of the losses from April, and then some, giving 2012 a $500 million lead over 2011 at $3.58 billion to $3.08 billion. This is an amazing start for the summer and with with roughly 25 million people seeing movies this weekend, upcoming films got a ton of free publicity and added hype. More...

Weekend Estimates: Avengers Shatters All-Time Record

May 6th, 2012

Marvel's The Avengers will shatter the all-time weekend record, according to Disney's Sunday estimate. Based on current sales, the film is projected to earn an extraordinary $200.3 million Friday-Sunday, setting a new benchmark for what's possible in the space of three days. It has also already broken the record for best-ever Saturday, with $69.7 million, per Disney, and they project it will have the best ever Sunday too, at around $50 million. That last figure is $7 million ahead of The Dark Knight, which is the only film previously to make over $40 million on a Sunday. That number is not a huge stretch, but could prove to be a bit high, and a final weekend figure just shy of $200 million is definitely still a possibility. Either way, the film will reach $200 million in three or four days, handily beating the five days taken by Deathly Hallows: Part II, The Dark Knight and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. The exact number isn't too much to worry about though, this is a great weekend.

More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Box Office Records Be Avenged?

May 3rd, 2012

The Avengers. That's all that really matters. The Avengers has no competition from any film playing this weekend and will finish in first place by a margin of well over $100 million. It has no competition with any film that opened last year and it might beat Thor's opening by $100 million. Its only real competition comes from The Hunger Games for biggest opening of the year at $152.54 million, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2, for Biggest Opening of All Time. More...

International Box Office: Avengers are Marvelous

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. More...

IMAX: Quarterly Report Released In Advance of Avengers

May 2nd, 2012

While there were no weekend box office numbers announced by IMAX, their first quarterly report for 2012 came out this week and the news was good. The box office nearly doubled to $121.7 million, while revenue increased to $55.6 million. They also added 8 more new theaters to IMAX and upgraded 10 others. They will need as many theaters as they can get for The Avengers, which opens this Friday on 275 theaters domestically and 451 worldwide. More...

2012 Preview: May

May 1st, 2012

There's good news / bad news going forward into May. First the bad news, April was really weak. It was weak compared to the previous month and weak compared to last year. For the first time all year, we had losses for a month on the year-over-year comparison. As for the good news... it could have been worse? Maybe there wasn't good news with regards to April, but there is certainly good news going forward. Every weekend in May has at least one film with the potential to hit $100 million, while there are a couple that could hit $200 million, and one that, pie in the sky, could reach $400 million. That one film is The Avengers, or as it is officially called, Marvel's The Avengers. I guess they don't want people reminded of the 1998 TV adaptation. While there are four films that should reach $100 million, there are only three other films opening wide, maybe two, maybe four. (More sources have Chernobyl Diaries opening wide than in limited release, but it is not a sure thing either way. Meanwhile, the opposite is true for LOL.) Additionally, there are a couple films opening in limited release this month with a real potential to expand wide: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and God Bless America. By comparison, last year had no film reach $300 million, but it had five films reach $100 million. If we are going to earn the win this year, we need strength from the top. More...

Contest: Prizes Assemble

April 27th, 2012

The only wide release opening next weekend is The Avengers, which might be the biggest film of the year. (It actually outranks The Dark Knight Rises as far as moviegoer anticipation goes.) Whether or not it does become the biggest hit of the year, it will certainly be the biggest hit of the weekend and 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 The Avengers. 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 Ultimate Avengers Movie Collection 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 Marvel Animated Features: 3-Movie Collection 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: Battle on the High Seas

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). More...

New Movie US Release Dates - May 11, 2008

May 11th, 2008

This week's round of new movie release information contains release dates for The Spirit, Iron Man 2, The Avengers and more! More...

Cast Updates - May 9, 2008

May 9th, 2008

This week's round of new casting information contains updates for The Avengers, Iron Man 2, Push, and more! More...

New Movie Announcements, Stars and Directors - May 7, 2008

May 7th, 2008

This week another number of upcoming movies, new stars and directors have been added to our archive! More...

Date	Rank	Gross	% Change	Screens	Per Screen	Total Gross	Week
2012/04/27	1	$1,525,494		120	$12,712	$1,525,494	1
2012/05/04	1	$893,759	-41%	128	$6,982	$3,281,635	2
2012/05/11	1	$691,582	-23%	123	$5,623	$4,463,817	3
2012/05/18	2	$400,583	-42%	78	$5,136	$5,092,175	4
2012/05/25	3	$97,854	-76%	50	$1,957	$5,328,326	5
2012/06/01	4	$103,550	+6%	37	$2,799	$5,553,444	6
2012/06/08	6	$47,415	-54%	22	$2,155	$5,296,961	7
2012/06/15	8	$38,602	-19%	18	$2,145	$5,364,837	8
2012/06/22	7	$33,689	-13%	20	$1,684	$5,423,572	9
2012/06/29	8	$23,090	-31%	13	$1,776	$5,479,523	10
2012/07/06	11	$14,030	-39%	4	$3,508	$5,645,050	11
2012/07/13	12	$8,568	-39%	6	$1,428	$5,659,599	12
2012/07/20	13	$4,323	-50%	3	$1,441	$5,691,350	13
2012/07/27	13	$2,683	-38%	2	$1,342	$5,699,488	14
2012/08/03	13	$2,245	-16%	6	$374	$5,636,566	15

Territory	Release Date	Opening Weekend	Opening Weekend Screens	Maximum Screens	Theatrical Engagements	Total Box Office	Report Date
Argentina	4/26/2012	$0	0	237	1225	$17,331,732	12/29/2018
Australia	4/25/2012	$0	621	627	3937	$54,574,148	12/10/2015
Austria	4/26/2012	$679,419	72	74	474	$3,175,739	12/11/2015
Belgium	4/25/2012	$1,271,359	93	103	638	$4,183,483	12/11/2015
Bolivia	4/26/2012	$428,749	25	26	188	$1,885,220	12/29/2018
Brazil	4/27/2012	$10,814,407	996	996	6461	$63,904,808	12/12/2015
Bulgaria	5/1/2012	$232,228	24	27	136	$743,965	12/29/2018
Chile	4/26/2012	$0	0	128	653	$9,250,115	12/29/2018
China	5/5/2012	$18,074,132	0	0	0	$83,060,000	9/6/2018
Colombia	4/27/2012	$0	0	321	974	$11,001,201	12/29/2018
Croatia	5/3/2012	$138,406	24	25	158	$387,357	12/29/2018
Czech Republic	5/3/2012	$0	0	56	301	$1,778,022	12/29/2018
Denmark	4/26/2012	$1,658,686	125	125	647	$5,081,339	12/11/2015
Ecuador	4/27/2012	$1,294,001	78	78	560	$5,410,298	12/29/2018
Egypt	5/2/2012	$153,968	8	10	77	$913,497	12/29/2018
Estonia	5/4/2012	$75,923	13	13	53	$223,803	12/10/2015
Finland	4/27/2012	$433,814	71	71	360	$1,524,732	12/11/2015
France	4/25/2012	$0	0	675	3166	$37,765,920	12/10/2015
Germany	4/26/2012	$8,297,271	607	625	4361	$30,805,732	12/11/2015
Ghana	5/4/2012	$20,549	5	5	5	$20,549	12/29/2018
Greece	4/26/2012	$868,941	98	99	399	$2,599,996	12/10/2015
Hong Kong	4/26/2012	$4,351,700	154	154	542	$12,469,204	12/11/2015
Hungary	4/26/2012	$0	0	44	352	$1,682,221	12/29/2018
Iceland	4/27/2012	$139,222	13	13	67	$502,028	12/29/2018
India	4/27/2012	$0	0	667	1771	$12,616,061	12/10/2015
Indonesia	5/4/2012	$2,914,124	1011	1011	1832	$11,949,911	12/29/2018
Israel	5/10/2012	$750,051	36	43	284	$2,449,957	12/29/2018
Italy	4/25/2012	$6,331,253	678	678	2608	$22,284,278	12/10/2015
Japan	8/17/2012	$0	0	694	1087	$45,256,008	6/12/2020
Kenya	4/27/2012	$65,331	9	9	62	$323,763	12/29/2018
Latvia	5/1/2012	$68,363	7	7	41	$1,782,038	12/29/2018
Lebanon	5/3/2012	$0	0	10	23	$510,832	12/29/2018
Lithuania	5/4/2012	$43,179	9	9	43	$148,284	12/10/2015
Malaysia	4/27/2012	$3,302,692	226	226	1112	$10,965,615	12/11/2015
Mexico	4/27/2012	$17,439,946	2830	2830	12423	$61,789,832	12/11/2015
Netherlands	4/25/2012	$1,499,550	106	106	779	$6,486,882	12/10/2015
New Zealand	4/25/2012	$1,678,218	113	115	895	$7,066,058	12/10/2015
Nigeria	5/4/2012	$95,843	8	8	16	$202,368	12/29/2018
North America	5/4/2012	$207,438,708	4,349	4,349	37,645	$623,357,910
Norway	4/27/2012	$1,525,494	120	128	630	$5,636,566	12/11/2015
Peru	4/26/2012	$2,230,676	264	264	1025	$8,523,744	12/29/2018
Philippines	4/25/2012	$6,580,876	479	479	1391	$14,382,992	12/29/2018
Poland	5/11/2012	$0	0	166	880	$3,165,105	12/29/2018
Portugal	4/25/2012	$623,556	80	89	425	$2,489,524	12/10/2015
Romania	5/4/2012	$310,075	53	53	210	$1,161,589	12/29/2018
Russia (CIS)	5/3/2012	$0	0	880	1300	$42,501,340	10/19/2022
Serbia and Montenegro	5/3/2012	$33,083	13	13	143	$167,189	12/29/2018
Singapore	5/1/2012	$3,441,766	124	124	441	$11,172,253	12/12/2015
Slovakia	5/3/2012	$144,371	22	22	95	$448,435	12/10/2015
Slovenia	5/3/2012	$40,765	14	14	126	$163,737	12/10/2015
South Africa	4/27/2012	$1,313,275	99	119	580	$4,308,480	12/10/2015
South Korea	4/26/2012	$10,792,833	1056	1056	4649	$48,651,464	5/7/2020
Spain	4/27/2012	$6,925,934	696	706	3947	$20,220,212	12/11/2015
Sweden	4/27/2012	$0	0	153	725	$7,595,353	12/11/2015
Taiwan	4/25/2012	$4,076,707	68	69	472	$20,094,008	12/11/2015
Thailand	5/1/2012	$2,537,093	334	334	780	$7,933,053	12/10/2015
Turkey	5/4/2012	$1,188,910	197	197	1046	$4,206,294	12/29/2018
Ukraine	5/3/2012	$861,711	116	117	464	$2,347,431	12/29/2018
United Arab Emirates	5/3/2012	$2,671,492	93	93	374	$6,685,638	12/29/2018
United Kingdom	4/27/2012	$25,282,786	521	523	4195	$80,563,080	12/11/2015
Uruguay	4/27/2012	$119,780	13	15	79	$517,473	12/29/2018
Venezuela	4/27/2012	$1,585,295	105	105	825	$13,216,039	12/11/2015
Vietnam	4/27/2012	$558,281	40	40	164	$2,238,128	12/29/2018
Rest of World						$49,246,178
Worldwide Total						$1,515,100,211	10/19/2022