Record	Rank	Revenue
All Time Domestic Box Office	82	$333,714,112
All Time Domestic Inflation Adjusted Box Office (Rank 101-200)	138	$440,239,450
All Time Domestic Non-Sequel Box Office	34	$333,714,112
Top 2014 Movies at the Domestic Box Office	3	$333,714,112
All Time Domestic Box Office for Based on Comic/Graphic Novel Movies	29	$333,714,112
All Time Domestic Box Office for Animation/Live Action Movies	36	$333,714,112
All Time Domestic Box Office for Super Hero Movies	28	$333,714,112
All Time Domestic Box Office for Action Movies	35	$333,714,112
All Time Domestic Box Office for PG-13 Movies	50	$333,714,112
All Time Domestic Box Office for Walt Disney Movies	36	$333,714,112

Date	Rank	Gross	% Change	Theaters	Per Theater	Total Gross	Week
Aug 1, 2014	1	$94,320,883		4,080	$23,118	$94,320,883	1
Aug 8, 2014	2	$42,124,922	-55%	4,088	$10,305	$176,515,761	2
Aug 15, 2014	2	$25,115,564	-40%	3,697	$6,793	$222,661,385	3
Aug 22, 2014	1	$17,202,212	-32%	3,371	$5,103	$251,456,069	4
Aug 29, 2014	1	$17,082,262	-1%	3,462	$4,934	$275,379,530	5
Sep 5, 2014	1	$10,357,345	-39%	3,221	$3,216	$294,765,199	6
Sep 12, 2014	3	$8,102,358	-22%	3,104	$2,610	$305,987,190	7
Sep 19, 2014	6	$5,242,286	-35%	2,846	$1,842	$313,731,317	8
Sep 26, 2014	8	$3,765,941	-28%	2,451	$1,536	$319,169,216	9
Oct 3, 2014	9	$3,005,083	-20%	1,894	$1,587	$323,331,487	10
Oct 10, 2014	12	$1,824,863	-39%	1,291	$1,414	$326,094,767	11
Oct 17, 2014	13	$959,912	-47%	730	$1,315	$327,792,643	12
Oct 24, 2014	18	$554,531	-42%	402	$1,379	$328,650,120	13
Oct 31, 2014	21	$563,687	+2%	334	$1,688	$329,390,224	14
Nov 7, 2014	18	$415,000	-26%	296	$1,402	$329,805,224	15
Nov 14, 2014	23	$292,787	-29%	233	$1,257	$330,487,141	16
Nov 21, 2014	20	$471,000	+61%	324	$1,454	$331,041,783	17
Nov 28, 2014	17	$461,937	-2%	285	$1,621	$331,855,381	18
Dec 5, 2014	22	$266,761	-42%	276	$967	$332,226,145	19
Dec 12, 2014	25	$180,906	-32%	245	$738	$332,490,182	20
Dec 19, 2014	30	$104,971	-42%	206	$510	$332,657,316	21
Dec 26, 2014	34	$112,786	+7%	170	$663	$332,862,030	22
Jan 2, 2015	38	$89,733	-20%	154	$583	$333,055,258	23
Jan 9, 2015	42	$50,725	-43%	125	$406	$333,130,696	24
Jan 16, 2015	52	$26,958	-47%	65	$415	$333,172,112	25
Nov 13, 2020	7	$406,000		1,560	$260	$333,578,112	329
Nov 20, 2020	-	$136,000	-67%	815	$167	$333,714,112	330

Date	Rank	Gross	%YD	%LW	Theaters	Per Theater	Total Gross	Days
Jul 31, 2014	P	$11,200,000			0		$11,200,000
Aug 1, 2014	1	$37,845,336			4,080	$9,276	$37,845,336	1
Aug 2, 2014	1	$30,989,857	-18%		4,080	$7,596	$68,835,193	2
Aug 3, 2014	1	$25,485,690	-18%		4,080	$6,246	$94,320,883	3
Aug 4, 2014	1	$11,722,356	-54%		4,080	$2,873	$106,043,239	4
Aug 5, 2014	1	$11,907,821	+2%		4,080	$2,919	$117,951,060	5
Aug 6, 2014	1	$8,808,382	-26%		4,080	$2,159	$126,759,442	6
Aug 7, 2014	1	$7,631,397	-13%		4,080	$1,870	$134,390,839	7
Aug 8, 2014	2	$12,312,683	+61%	-67%	4,088	$3,012	$146,703,522	8
Aug 9, 2014	2	$16,947,112	+38%	-45%	4,088	$4,146	$163,650,634	9
Aug 10, 2014	2	$12,865,127	-24%	-50%	4,088	$3,147	$176,515,761	10
Aug 11, 2014	2	$5,343,905	-58%	-54%	4,088	$1,307	$181,859,666	11
Aug 12, 2014	2	$6,609,534	+24%	-44%	4,088	$1,617	$188,469,200	12
Aug 13, 2014	3	$4,849,881	-27%	-45%	4,088	$1,186	$193,319,081	13
Aug 14, 2014	2	$4,226,740	-13%	-45%	4,088	$1,034	$197,545,821	14
Aug 15, 2014	2	$6,940,576	+64%	-44%	3,697	$1,877	$204,486,397	15
Aug 16, 2014	2	$10,353,882	+49%	-39%	3,697	$2,801	$214,840,279	16
Aug 17, 2014	2	$7,821,106	-24%	-39%	3,697	$2,116	$222,661,385	17
Aug 18, 2014	1	$2,884,902	-63%	-46%	3,697	$780	$225,546,287	18
Aug 19, 2014	2	$3,511,416	+22%	-47%	3,697	$950	$229,057,703	19
Aug 20, 2014	1	$2,623,129	-25%	-46%	3,697	$710	$231,680,832	20
Aug 21, 2014	1	$2,573,025	-2%	-39%	3,697	$696	$234,253,857	21
Aug 22, 2014	2	$4,818,549	+87%	-31%	3,371	$1,429	$239,072,406	22
Aug 23, 2014	1	$7,480,888	+55%	-28%	3,371	$2,219	$246,553,294	23
Aug 24, 2014	1	$4,902,775	-34%	-37%	3,371	$1,454	$251,456,069	24
Aug 25, 2014	1	$1,662,402	-66%	-42%	3,371	$493	$253,118,471	25
Aug 26, 2014	1	$2,109,302	+27%	-40%	3,371	$626	$255,227,773	26
Aug 27, 2014	1	$1,507,039	-29%	-43%	3,371	$447	$256,734,812	27
Aug 28, 2014	1	$1,562,456	+4%	-39%	3,371	$463	$258,297,268	28
Aug 29, 2014	1	$3,846,423	+146%	-20%	3,462	$1,111	$262,143,691	29
Aug 30, 2014	1	$6,220,274	+62%	-17%	3,462	$1,797	$268,363,965	30
Aug 31, 2014	1	$7,015,565	+13%	+43%	3,462	$2,026	$275,379,530	31
Sep 1, 2014	1	$5,824,589	-17%	+250%	3,462	$1,682	$281,204,119	32
Sep 2, 2014	1	$1,387,915	-76%	-34%	3,462	$401	$282,592,034	33
Sep 3, 2014	1	$974,670	-30%	-35%	3,462	$282	$283,566,704	34
Sep 4, 2014	1	$841,150	-14%	-46%	3,462	$243	$284,407,854	35
Sep 5, 2014	1	$2,707,279	+222%	-30%	3,221	$841	$287,115,133	36
Sep 6, 2014	1	$5,050,351	+87%	-19%	3,221	$1,568	$292,165,484	37
Sep 7, 2014	1	$2,599,715	-49%	-63%	3,221	$807	$294,765,199	38
Sep 8, 2014	1	$721,759	-72%	-88%	3,221	$224	$295,486,958	39
Sep 9, 2014	1	$941,747	+30%	-32%	3,221	$292	$296,428,705	40
Sep 10, 2014	1	$728,882	-23%	-25%	3,221	$226	$297,157,587	41
Sep 11, 2014	1	$727,245	n/c	-14%	3,221	$226	$297,884,832	42
Sep 12, 2014	3	$2,114,165	+191%	-22%	3,104	$681	$299,998,997	43
Sep 13, 2014	3	$3,905,201	+85%	-23%	3,104	$1,258	$303,904,198	44
Sep 14, 2014	3	$2,082,992	-47%	-20%	3,104	$671	$305,987,190	45
Sep 15, 2014	2	$578,865	-72%	-20%	3,104	$186	$306,566,055	46
Sep 16, 2014	2	$778,903	+35%	-17%	3,104	$251	$307,344,958	47
Sep 17, 2014	2	$586,451	-25%	-20%	3,104	$189	$307,931,409	48
Sep 18, 2014	2	$557,622	-5%	-23%	3,104	$180	$308,489,031	49
Sep 19, 2014	6	$1,382,821	+148%	-35%	2,846	$486	$309,871,852	50
Sep 20, 2014	6	$2,475,953	+79%	-37%	2,846	$870	$312,347,805	51
Sep 21, 2014	6	$1,383,512	-44%	-34%	2,846	$486	$313,731,317	52
Sep 22, 2014	5	$364,039	-74%	-37%	2,846	$128	$314,095,356	53
Sep 23, 2014	5	$448,190	+23%	-42%	2,846	$157	$314,543,546	54
Sep 24, 2014	5	$382,862	-15%	-35%	2,846	$135	$314,926,408	55
Sep 25, 2014	6	$476,867	+25%	-14%	2,846	$168	$315,403,275	56
Sep 26, 2014	8	$1,025,002	+115%	-26%	2,451	$418	$316,428,277	57
Sep 27, 2014	8	$1,771,534	+73%	-28%	2,451	$723	$318,199,811	58
Sep 28, 2014	8	$969,405	-45%	-30%	2,451	$396	$319,169,216	59
Sep 29, 2014	7	$284,311	-71%	-22%	2,451	$116	$319,453,527	60
Sep 30, 2014	6	$341,097	+20%	-24%	2,451	$139	$319,794,624	61
Oct 1, 2014	7	$273,729	-20%	-29%	2,451	$112	$320,068,353	62
Oct 2, 2014	6	$258,051	-6%	-46%	2,451	$105	$320,326,404	63
Oct 3, 2014	9	$801,532	+211%	-22%	1,894	$423	$321,127,936	64
Oct 4, 2014	9	$1,461,506	+82%	-18%	1,894	$772	$322,589,442	65
Oct 5, 2014	9	$742,045	-49%	-23%	1,894	$392	$323,331,487	66
Oct 6, 2014	8	$214,336	-71%	-25%	1,894	$113	$323,545,823	67
Oct 7, 2014	8	$270,901	+26%	-21%	1,894	$143	$323,816,724	68
Oct 8, 2014	8	$228,921	-15%	-16%	1,894	$121	$324,045,645	69
Oct 9, 2014	8	$224,259	-2%	-13%	1,894	$118	$324,269,904	70
Oct 10, 2014	12	$504,205	+125%	-37%	1,291	$391	$324,774,109	71
Oct 11, 2014	12	$818,411	+62%	-44%	1,291	$634	$325,592,520	72
Oct 12, 2014	11	$502,247	-39%	-32%	1,291	$389	$326,094,767	73
Oct 13, 2014	13	$309,686	-38%	+44%	1,291	$240	$326,404,453	74
Oct 14, 2014	13	$160,905	-48%	-41%	1,291	$125	$326,565,358	75
Oct 15, 2014	13	$143,133	-11%	-37%	1,291	$111	$326,708,491	76
Oct 16, 2014	12	$124,240	-13%	-45%	1,291	$96	$326,832,731	77
Oct 17, 2014	13	$280,706	+126%	-44%	730	$385	$327,113,437	78
Oct 18, 2014	13	$451,835	+61%	-45%	730	$619	$327,565,272	79
Oct 19, 2014	14	$227,371	-50%	-55%	730	$311	$327,792,643	80
Oct 20, 2014	15	$79,077	-65%	-74%	730	$108	$327,871,720	81
Oct 21, 2014	15	$83,222	+5%	-48%	730	$114	$327,954,942	82
Oct 22, 2014	16	$70,854	-15%	-50%	730	$97	$328,025,796	83
Oct 23, 2014	-	$69,793	-1%	-44%	730	$96	$328,095,589	84
Nov 13, 2020	-	$123,000			1,560	$79	$333,295,112	2,297
Nov 14, 2020	-	$185,000	+50%		1,560	$119	$333,480,112	2,298
Nov 15, 2020	-	$98,000	-47%		1,560	$63	$333,578,112	2,299
Nov 20, 2020	-	$40,000		-67%	815	$49	$333,618,112	2,304
Nov 21, 2020	-	$63,000	+58%	-66%	815	$77	$333,681,112	2,305
Nov 22, 2020	-	$33,000	-48%	-66%	815	$40	$333,714,112	2,306

Date	Rank	Gross	% Change	Theaters	Per Theater	Total Gross	Week
Aug 1, 2014	1	$134,390,839		4,080	$32,939	$134,390,839	1
Aug 8, 2014	2	$63,154,982	-53%	4,088	$15,449	$197,545,821	2
Aug 15, 2014	2	$36,708,036	-42%	3,697	$9,929	$234,253,857	3
Aug 22, 2014	1	$24,043,411	-35%	3,371	$7,132	$258,297,268	4
Aug 29, 2014	1	$26,110,586	+9%	3,462	$7,542	$284,407,854	5
Sep 5, 2014	1	$13,476,978	-48%	3,221	$4,184	$297,884,832	6
Sep 12, 2014	3	$10,604,199	-21%	3,104	$3,416	$308,489,031	7
Sep 19, 2014	6	$6,914,244	-35%	2,846	$2,429	$315,403,275	8
Sep 26, 2014	8	$4,923,129	-29%	2,451	$2,009	$320,326,404	9
Oct 3, 2014	9	$3,943,500	-20%	1,894	$2,082	$324,269,904	10
Oct 10, 2014	12	$2,562,827	-35%	1,291	$1,985	$326,832,731	11
Oct 17, 2014	14	$1,262,858	-51%	730	$1,730	$328,095,589	12
Oct 24, 2014	18	$730,948	-42%	402	$1,818	$328,826,537	13
Nov 7, 2014	17	$804,130		296	$2,717	$330,194,354	15
Nov 14, 2014	23	$376,429	-53%	233	$1,616	$330,570,783	16
Nov 21, 2014	19	$822,661	+119%	324	$2,539	$331,393,444	17
Nov 28, 2014	20	$565,940	-31%	285	$1,986	$331,959,384	18
Dec 5, 2014	23	$349,892	-38%	276	$1,268	$332,309,276	19
Dec 12, 2014	26	$243,069	-31%	245	$992	$332,552,345	20
Dec 19, 2014	37	$196,899	-19%	206	$956	$332,749,244	21
Dec 26, 2014	34	$216,281	+10%	170	$1,272	$332,965,525	22
Jan 2, 2015	38	$114,446	-47%	154	$743	$333,079,971	23
Jan 9, 2015	43	$65,183	-43%	125	$521	$333,145,154	24

Territory	Release Date	Opening Weekend	Opening Weekend Screens	Maximum Screens	Theatrical Engagements	Total Box Office	Report Date
Australia	8/8/2014	$0	0	465	1,478	$23,444,382	3/29/2021
China	10/10/2014	$0	0	0	0	$86,346,368	8/13/2018
New Zealand	8/7/2014	$0	0	5	14	$3,092,151	9/21/2020
Russia (CIS)	7/31/2014	$0	0	98	105	$38,111,566	10/19/2022
South Korea	7/31/2014	$0	0	77	135	$10,015,876	5/3/2023
United Kingdom	7/31/2014	$0	0	85	176	$37,640,453	11/11/2020
Rest of World						$238,517,487
International Total						$437,168,283	5/3/2023

Record	Rank	Revenue
All Time International Box Office (Rank 101-200)	159	$437,168,283
All Time International Non-Sequel Box Office	63	$437,168,283
Top 2014 Movies at the International Box Office	10	$437,168,283
All Time International Box Office for Based on Comic/Graphic Novel Movies	32	$437,168,283
All Time International Box Office for Animation/Live Action Movies	56	$437,168,283
All Time International Box Office for Super Hero Movies	30	$437,168,283
All Time International Box Office for Action Movies	60	$437,168,283
All Time International Box Office for PG-13 Movies	89	$437,168,283
All Time International Box Office for Walt Disney Movies	46	$437,168,283

Record	Rank	Revenue
All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 101-200)	115	$770,882,395
All Time Worldwide Non-Sequel Box Office	41	$770,882,395
Biggest Film in a Single Market (Rank 101-200)	117	$333,714,112
Top 2014 Movies at the Worldwide Box Office	3	$770,882,395
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Based on Comic/Graphic Novel Movies	29	$770,882,395
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Animation/Live Action Movies	52	$770,882,395
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Super Hero Movies	29	$770,882,395
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Action Movies	43	$770,882,395
All Time Worldwide Box Office for PG-13 Movies	72	$770,882,395
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Walt Disney Movies	40	$770,882,395

Date	Rank	Units this Week	% Change	Total Units	Spending this Week	Total Spending	Weeks in Release
Dec 14, 2014	1	1,207,701		1,207,701	$14,637,336	$14,637,336	1
Dec 21, 2014	2	482,638	-60%	1,690,339	$7,813,909	$22,451,245	2
Dec 28, 2014	3	470,882	-2%	2,161,221	$8,221,600	$30,672,845	3
Jan 4, 2015	3	148,389	-68%	2,309,610	$2,219,899	$32,892,744	4
Jan 11, 2015	5	79,681	-46%	2,389,291	$1,192,028	$34,084,772	5
Jan 18, 2015	5	53,806	-32%	2,443,097	$804,938	$34,889,710	6
Jan 25, 2015	11	29,930	-44%	2,473,027	$447,753	$35,337,463	7
Feb 1, 2015	12	28,760	-4%	2,501,787	$430,250	$35,767,713	8
Feb 8, 2015	14	23,155	-19%	2,524,942	$346,399	$36,114,112	9
Feb 15, 2015	18	38,052	+64%	2,562,994	$568,497	$36,682,609	10
Feb 22, 2015	26	21,910	-42%	2,584,904	$327,774	$37,010,383	11
Apr 5, 2015	29	29,417		2,670,087	$395,364	$38,425,494	17
May 7, 2017	18	10,597		3,436,101	$147,192	$52,289,494	126
May 21, 2017	29	5,425		3,448,148	$83,599	$52,471,032	128
Jun 18, 2017	30	10,203		3,479,953	$203,652	$53,083,814	132
Aug 27, 2017	5	30,632		3,558,297	$508,185	$54,481,600	142
Sep 3, 2017	7	26,450	-14%	3,584,747	$527,942	$55,009,542	143
Sep 10, 2017	12	20,868	-21%	3,605,615	$416,525	$55,426,067	144
May 13, 2018	29	6,466		3,785,749	$93,498	$58,599,037	179
May 5, 2019	23	10,333		3,937,464	$152,102	$60,914,160	230
Jun 2, 2019	25	6,384		3,957,317	$96,909	$61,212,834	234

Date	Rank	Units this Week	% Change	Total Units	Spending this Week	Total Spending	Weeks in Release
Dec 14, 2014	1	2,264,583		2,264,583	$45,269,014	$45,269,014	1
Dec 21, 2014	2	472,610	-79%	2,737,193	$11,555,325	$56,824,339	2
Dec 28, 2014	2	410,983	-13%	3,148,176	$8,215,549	$65,039,888	3
Jan 4, 2015	2	100,126	-76%	3,248,302	$2,001,520	$67,041,408	4
Jan 11, 2015	2	42,285	-58%	3,290,587	$1,010,617	$68,052,025	5
Jan 18, 2015	4	36,249	-14%	3,326,836	$904,775	$68,956,800	6
Jan 25, 2015	6	24,396	-33%	3,351,232	$608,918	$69,565,718	7
Feb 1, 2015	10	23,400	-4%	3,374,632	$584,073	$70,149,791	8
Feb 8, 2015	15	15,918	-32%	3,390,550	$397,304	$70,547,095	9
Feb 15, 2015	13	25,442	+60%	3,415,992	$635,035	$71,182,130	10
Feb 22, 2015	14	16,477	-35%	3,432,469	$410,759	$71,592,889	11
Mar 1, 2015	18	11,072	-33%	3,443,541	$276,363	$71,869,252	12
Mar 8, 2015	18	7,656	-31%	3,451,197	$191,086	$72,060,338	13
Mar 15, 2015	17	10,758	+41%	3,461,955	$268,517	$72,328,855	14
Mar 22, 2015	18	8,152	-24%	3,470,107	$203,464	$72,532,319	15
Apr 5, 2015	20	11,866		3,484,180	$297,825	$72,885,537	17
May 3, 2015	14	9,541		3,517,337	$244,071	$73,734,433	21
May 24, 2015	16	5,381		3,537,127	$138,446	$74,234,548	24
May 31, 2015	17	7,258	+35%	3,544,385	$195,671	$74,430,219	25
May 7, 2017	12	15,511		3,907,592	$264,772	$81,470,043	126
May 14, 2017	13	11,070	-29%	3,918,662	$186,564	$81,656,607	127
May 21, 2017	17	8,272	-25%	3,926,934	$138,787	$81,795,394	128
Aug 20, 2017	9	18,581		3,997,143	$375,432	$83,202,856	141
Aug 27, 2017	6	20,317	+9%	4,017,460	$416,096	$83,618,952	142
Sep 3, 2017	19	6,695	-67%	4,024,155	$138,725	$83,757,677	143
Sep 10, 2017	19	7,197	+7%	4,031,352	$151,252	$83,908,929	144
Oct 6, 2019	13	15,952		4,134,083	$317,436	$85,988,702	252

Our DVD and Blu-ray sales estimates are based on weekly retail surveys, which we use to build a weekly market share estimate for each title we are tracking. The market share is converted into a weekly sales estimate based on industry reports on the overall size of the market, including reports published in Media Play News.

For example, if our weekly retail survey estimates that a particular title sold 1% of all units that week, and the industry reports sales of 1,500,000 units in total, we will estimate 15,000 units were sold of that title. The consumer spending estimate is based on the average sales price for the title in the retailers we survey.

We refine our estimates from week to week as more data becomes available. In particular, we adjust weekly sales figures for the quarter once the total market estimates are published by the Digital Entertainment Group. Figures will therefore fluctuate each week, and totals for individual titles can go up or down as we update our estimates.

Because sales figures are estimated based on sampling, they will be more accurate for higher-selling titles.

2014 Awards Season: Oscars - And the Winner is... Birdman for Best Picture

February 22nd, 2015

The Oscar ceremony is tonight and we will be live-blogging the winners... assuming I don't get bored and wander away. On a serious note, while my job is all about movies and I love watching movies, I love paying attention to box office numbers, I even love Awards Season. I hate ceremonies. As per usual, here is the list of nominees marked according to predictions / wishes. Nominees in Bold are the ones predicted to win by our readers. If I predicted a different film, those are in Italics. Meanwhile, the nominees I want to win, but don't think will win, are Underlined. There are a few categories where the film I really think deserves the award were not even nominated, plus a few I don't have a real opinion on. More...

2014 - Awards Season: WGA - Winners

February 14th, 2015

The Writers Guild of America winners were just announced and there wasn't a lot of surprises to talk about, but enough interesting things happened that it wasn't boring. More...

Blu-ray Sales: Girl Feeling Blu

February 2nd, 2015

There were not a lot of new releases to reach the top twenty on the Blu-ray sales chart this week, but we did have a new film on top. Gone Girl earned first place with 342,000 / $6.64 million for an opening week Blu-ray share of 43%. This isn't bad, for a thriller. More...

DVD Sales: Gone Walks All Over Competition

February 2nd, 2015

Gone Girl led the new releases on the DVD sales chart with sales of 460,000 units / $6.97 million during its opening week of release. This is a good start for the film and probably enough to get to 1 million units before it is done. Eventually. More...

DVD Sales: Left Behind Out in Front

January 24th, 2015

Left Behind led the new releases on the DVD chart, at least in terms of units sold, with 201,000. Its sales for the week were $2.05 million, giving it third place by that metric. This is not great for a first-run release, but not bad compared to the film's box office. It is also much better than its opening on Blu-ray. More...

Blu-ray Sales: No Reward for Good Deeds

January 24th, 2015

The first set of new releases for Blu-ray didn't result in a change at the top, as The Equalizer remained on top of the chart during its sophomore stint. Over the week, it sold $143,000 / $3.48 million for two-week totals of 821,000 units / $17.08 million. This gives it a two-week Blu-ray share of 51%, which is good for an action film. It does have a slightly older target demographic, so that explains why it isn't as good as say... More...

Home Market Numbers: 2014, The Year the Home Market Froze

January 24th, 2015

We are getting back to weekly home market analysis this weekend, but before we do that, let's have a brief look at the home market in 2014. The overall winner was Frozen, which just destroyed the competition. It sold more Blu-rays (7.23 million units for $152.93 million) than the nearest competitor, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire sold total units, and had more combined sales than the next three best-selling films. It is the second-best selling Blu-ray off all time and will soon top Avatar for first place. Additionally, the film surpassed 10 million DVDs sold by a significant margin at 11.03 million units for $185.48 million, while its overall home market sales for the year were 18.27 million units for $338.41 million in total sales. More...

2014 Awards Season: Oscars - Nominations

January 17th, 2015

The Oscar nominations were announced early in the morning, when all sensible people were asleep. There were some surprises, as well as some results that would have been surprises had it not been for the previous Awards Season nominations. Seventeen films earned two or more nods, led by Birdman and The Grand Budapest Hotel, both of which picked up nine nominations, while The Imitation Game was right behind with eight. More...

2014 - Awards Season: BAFTA - Nominations

January 11th, 2015

The BAFTA nominations were announced yesterday and unlike most other Awards Season voters, the BAFTA voters gave us some real surprises. For instance, Birdman didn't lead the way. In fact, it was a comedy, The Grand Budapest Hotel, that earned the most nominations at 11. Granted, Birdman and The Theory of Everything were tied for second place with ten each, but it is still strange to see a comedy leading the way. More...

2014 - Awards Season: WGA - Nominations

January 10th, 2015

The Writers Guild of America nominations were latest to be announced, but were there any real surprises? Yes. Birdman didn't get a nomination, but Guardians of the Galaxy did. More on that later. Besides those two films, there are not a lot of surprises here and the usual contenders are present, including Boyhood and The Imitation Game, but there are also some other notable films missing. More...

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for December 9th, 2014

December 9th, 2014

It is a very shallow week on the home market. Granted, Guardians of the Galaxy is coming out this week on DVD or 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack and it would be a clear contender for Pick of the Week even on the busiest of week. However, after that, there is a sharp decline in quality. Calvary and Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead are two very different movies, but both are contenders for Pick of the Week. In the end, I went with Guardians of the Galaxy as the Pick of the Week. More...

Featured Blu-ray / DVD Review: Guardians of the Galaxy

December 8th, 2014

At the moment, Guardians of the Galaxy is the highest grossing film released in 2014. (Mockingjay, Part 1 still has a chance of catching it, depending on how well it does over Christmas). It is also one the the best-reviewed wide releases of 2014. As a fan of Marvel Comics in general and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in particular, I had very high hopes for this film. Was the buzz warranted? Or was this a case of too much hype? More...

2014 - Holiday Gift Guide - Part I

November 26th, 2014

This Thursday is Thanksgiving, which means this is Black Friday and 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. In some ways, this is better than last year, as there were a wider number of big releases that would make great gifts. However, in other ways it is much weaker. I can't think of a single big franchise box set that came out this year. There are some smaller ones, like the Halloween Box Set, but while the franchise has lasted ten installments and 30 years, how many can you really say are worth repeated viewing? Fortunately, there were plenty of great films to come out this year, starting with what is currently the biggest hit of the year. More...

International Box Office: Annabelle Takes Possession of Top Spot

October 29th, 2014

Annabelle rose from fifth to first place on the international market with $26.5 million in 62 markets for an international total of $126.7 million after a month of release. Obviously there will be another installment in this franchise. This past weekend, the film dominated Latin America earning first place in Mexico with $7.61 million on 2,742 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $10.87 million. This was double the original film's opening in that market. The film also earned top spot in Argentina ($1.4 million on 202 screens) and in Peru ($1.3 million). The film was pushed into second place in Brazil, but still managed $2.13 million on 388 screens over the weekend for a three-week total of $11.35 million. More...

International Box Office: Guardians Have Double-Milestone Weekend

October 22nd, 2014

Not only did Guardians of the Galaxy return to top spot on the international chart this past weekend, it reached two major milestones along the way. Over the weekend, it pulled in $23.1 million in 22 markets for totals of $404.8 million internationally and $732.6 million worldwide. The film earned $37.97 million in China, but that was for the full week, giving it $69.04 million after ten days of release. The film has yet to open in Italy and it might have a shot at $800 million worldwide by the time it ends its run there. More...

International Box Office: Guardians Hit Gold in China, but Dracula Tops Chart

October 16th, 2014

Dracula Untold rose to first place with $33.9 million in 42 markets for a two-week total of $62.6 million. This week's biggest new market was Russia, where it pulled in first place with $9.81 million on 1,068 screens. It opened in second place in South Korea with $2.65 million on 477 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $4.29 million. Mexico led the holdovers with $2.78 million on 1,624 screens over the weekend for a two-week total of $9.30 million in that market. More...

International Box Office: Lost in a Maze

October 1st, 2014

The Maze Runner easily won the race for top spot on the international chart with $28.8 million in 62 markets for a three-week total of $92.4 million. This is already enough to cover its production budget, so the studio should be very, very happy. The film remained in first place in South Korea with $4.37 million on 655 screens over the weekend for a total of $11.94 million after two weeks of release. It also topped the charts in Russia with $3.13 million on 1,486 screens for a two-week total of $10.49 million. The film has yet to open in Italy, the U.K., Germany, France, Japan, and others. It should surpass $200 million internationally and $300 million worldwide before it is done. That is excellent for a film that cost $34 million to make. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: The Equalizer Has No Equal

September 30th, 2014

The Equalizer easily won the race for the top of the box office chart this weekend earning almost as much as the next two films combined. Those next two films were The Maze Runner and The Boxtrolls, both of which exceeded expectations, albeit by tiny margins. The strength of these three films helped the overall box office reach $106 million, which is 4% higher than last weekend. On the other hand, this was 2% lower than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2014 has pulled in $7.51 billion, which is a massive amount when you look at it without context. However, it is nearly $400 million or 4.9% lower than last year's pace, which is also a massive amount. It is technically possible for 2014 to catch up to 2013 before the end of the year, but only if October is a really strong month at the box office. It won't be. More...

International Box Office: Maze Runs Down Competition

September 24th, 2014

Just as it did on the domestic chart, The Maze Runner earned first place on the international chart. It did so with $38.0 million in 51 markets for an early total of $50.7 million. Its biggest market was Russia, where it placed first with $5.59 million on 1,748 screens, while South Korea was close behind with $4.88 million on 648 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $5.41 million. It also earned first place in Australia with $3.19 million on 305 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $3.31 million. The final major market debut of the weekend was Brazil, where it earned first place with $1.96 million on 316 screens. It slipped to second place in Mexico with $1.73 million on 996 screens over the weekend for a two-week total of $5.92 million. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Maze Runs Laps Around Competetion

September 22nd, 2014

The Maze Runner easily won the weekend box office race this past weekend beating expectations by a little bit with $32.51 million. Unfortunately, the other new releases were not as strong and their combined totals were about 25% lower than the number one film. Overall, the box office was $103 million, which is 14% higher than last weekend and 18% higher than the same weekend last year. This is a fantastic result, given the box office troubles of the past several weeks. Year-to-date, 2014 is still behind 2013 by a large margin at $7.38 billion to $7.75 billion, which is a 4.8% deficit. Hopefully this win will help the box office going forward and the fall will be better than the summer was. More...

International Box Office: Another Week, Another Milestone for Lucy

September 17th, 2014

Since this time last week, Lucy topped $200 million internationally. Considering a significant number of people thought it wouldn't reach $200 million worldwide, this is a great result. Over the weekend, it remained in first place with $24.9 million in 59 markets for totals of $230.6 million internationally and $354.1 million worldwide. The film opened in first place in Russia with $9.77 million on 1,013 screens, which was more than $9 million more than the second place film. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Deed has a Good Opening, but Box Office is still Bad

September 16th, 2014

No Good Deed led the box office this weekend with a surprisingly robust opening of $24.25 million. This was more than double last week's number one movie, Guardians of the Galaxy. Dolphin Tale 2 also topped last week's number one film, even though it didn't live up to expectations. Overall, the box office pulled in $90 million, which was 37% more than last weekend. Unfortunately, this was still 13% lower than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2014 has pulled in $7.26 billion, which isn't an insignificant amount. However, it is 5.2% or nearly $400 million behind last year's pace. 2014 still has a chance to catch up to last year, but the odds of it doing so are getting slimmer and slimmer each week. More...

Weekend Estimates: No Good Deed Enjoys Surprise Win

September 14th, 2014

Movie fans are ignoring the critics this weekend and turning out in big numbers to see No Good Deed. The thriller, starring Idris Elba and Taraji P. Henson will easily win the weekend with an estimated $24.5 million, in spite of earning only 17% positive reviews from critics. Audiences are giving the film a 71% positive score so far, which represents a huge difference of opinion. Dolphin Tale 2, which was considered the more likely weekend winner, and is enjoying excellent reviews from critics and moviegoers alike, is under-performing at the box office and should make about $16.5 million according to Warner Bros., down from the $19.2 million opening for the first film in the franchise. More...

Weekend Predictions: Box Office set to Bounce Back

September 11th, 2014

Last weekend was the worst weekend in more than a decade. This weekend the box office will bounce back, because it has to. It can't possibly get worse. There are two wide releases debuting this weekend: Dolphin Tale 2 and No Good Time. Neither film is expected to become a big hit; in fact, if either film earns more than $20 million over the weekend, I will be impressed. That said, they will still be a step up from what happened last weekend. The biggest news of the weekend will come from Guardians of the Galaxy, which will become the first film released in 2014 to top $300 million. This weekend last year, Insidious Chapter 2 opened with more than $40 million and the combined openings of the two new releases this weekend will likely be below that. Worse case scenario has neither film opening above last year's number two film, The Family. There's almost no chance 2014 will win in the year-over-year comparison. More...

International Box Office: Lucy Makes a Return Trip to the Top

September 10th, 2014

Lucy reclaimed top spot on the international chart with $26 million in 54 markets for totals of $193 million internationally and $314 million worldwide. I don't think a lot of people thought this movie would reach $300 million worldwide, so this is a great run. The film opened in second place in South Korea with $7 million, but includes weekday numbers. The film remained in first place in the U.K. with $1.96 million on 506 screens over the weekend for a total of $17.26 million after three weeks of release. Lucy opens in Russia and China this weekend and could remain in first place. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Guardians Fail to Protect Box Office

September 9th, 2014

The weekend box office was an unmitigated disaster. Guardians of the Galaxy was the only film to crack $10 million over the weekend and there were no other releases that came close. The only new "wide" release was The Identical, and it missed the top ten. Overall, the box office fell 40% from last weekend to just $66 million. It goes without saying that this is the worst box office of the year so far. In fact, it is the fifth worst box office weekend since 2000 running 23% lower than the worst weekend from last year. The worst weekend from last year was this weekend last year, so that makes the comparison so much easier. Year-to-date, 2014 has pulled in $7.15 billion, which is 5.1% lower than the last year's pace. Things better turn around soon, or we can say goodbye to any chance to catch up to last year. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will The Top Five be Identical to Last Week?

September 5th, 2014

It's the weekend after Labor Day Weekend, which is historically the one of the two worst weekends of the year. Only the weekend after Thanksgiving really competes with it. This year there is only one wide release, The Identical, and it technically not opening truly wide. It is practically guaranteed that Guardians of the Galaxy will win the weekend box office race for the fourth time in its run and there likely won't be many changes in the top five. (As Above, So Below will drop out and The November Man will take its place.) This weekend last year, Riddick opened in first place with $19.03 million. No film this week it going to match that figure and the depth this year isn't going to help. Look for a big loss in the year-over-year comparison. More...

International Box Office: Dawn of a New Day for Apes

September 4th, 2014

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes rose from eighth to first place thanks to its debut in China. Overall, the film made $51.2 million in 29 markets for totals of $408.0 million internationally and $613.3 million worldwide. It dominated the box office in China with $45.13 million and if it has any legs in this market, it will reach $500 million internationally and $750 million worldwide is within reach after its run in Japan. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Guardians Grab Top, But Summer Ends on a Down Note

September 3rd, 2014

Labor Day Weekend was dominated by holdovers. The two new releases were As Above, So Below and The November Man, which opened in fourth and sixth places respectively. Guardians of the Galaxy remained in first place over the weekend and climbed into first place for the year in the process, overtaking fellow Marvel Film, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Overall, the box office fell 4% from last weekend down to $110 million. Compared to last year, the box office was down 11%, which is troubling. Year-to-date, 2014 is now behind 2013 by a 4.5% margin at $7.07 billion to $7.40 billion. This is the weakest post-Labor Day weekend running tally since 2008 and that's before you look at ticket price inflation. With ticket price inflation, you have to go back to 2005. More...

Weekend Estimates: Guardians Win Again on Sluggish Labor Day Weekend

August 31st, 2014

A lackluster Summer comes to an end this weekend with an third weekend win for Guardians of the Galaxy, which, in the process becomes the top-grossing film of 2014. That’s reason to cheer for Disney and the Avengers franchise, not least because the movie Guardians overtakes is their previous franchise outing, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The Marvel juggernaut was much too much for this weekend’s more low-key openers. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Labor Day Be an Above Weekend?

August 28th, 2014

It's Labor Day Weekend, which is historically the worst long weekend of the year. This year As Above, So Below and The November Man are trying to avoid bombing this weekend. It looks like As Above, So Below will be a middling hit thanks in part to its low production budget. On the other hand, The November Man only managed fifth place during its opening day and it will likely get worse over the weekend. This leaves Guardians of the Galaxy with an easy path to first place for the weekend, and coincidentally, an easy path for first place for the year so far. Labor Day last year was led by One Direction: This is Us and there's really no chance the new releases this year will do the same. 2014 does have better depth, but I don't think that will be enough to continue the winning streak in the year-over-year comparison. More...

International Box Office: Lucy is Sky High

August 28th, 2014

Lucy rocketed to first place with 34.0 million in 42 markets for totals of $104.4 million internationally and $218.1 million worldwide. Its biggest opening of the weekend came from Taiwan, where the movie opened with $6.2 million on 88 screens. The film also opened in first place in the U.K. with $5.10 million on 486 screens and in Spain with $3.32 million on 387. More impressively, it remained in first place in France with $4.43 million in 615 screens over the weekend for a total of $29.93 million after three weeks of release.

More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Holdovers Have Staying Power

August 26th, 2014

Of the three wide releases, none topped expectations and only If I Stay did decent business at the box office. It only managed third place, but it did have the best per theater average in the top twenty. This left holdovers atop of the box office chart with Guardians of the Galaxy returning to first place and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles slipping to second place. Overall, the box office was down 20% from last weekend to $115 million. However, this was 4.7% higher than the same weekend last year, which is the more important metric. Unfortunately, 2014 is still behind 2013 by a large margin of $330 million or 4.7% at $6.91 billion to $7.24 billion. More...

Weekend Estimates: Sin City Bombs

August 24th, 2014

Even though it is nine years since original movie opened with $29 million and topped a fairly lackluster April weekend, few predicted going into the Summer that Sin City: A Dame to Kill For would finish in 8th place on debut. In spite of little competition the neo-noir thriller will post about $6.5 million from 2,894 theaters, putting it in third place among the openers. Tearjerker If I Stay is the best new release this weekend, with an expected $16.35 million from 2,907 theaters, for a very respectable average of $5,600. It will be third overall behind Guardians of the Galaxy, which will pass $250 million today, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which falls to second place with $16.8 million this weekend and $145 million in total. With a little over $1 million separating the top three, it’s conceivable that the order could change when final results are reported on Monday. More...

Weekend Predictions: New Releases Will Kill or Be Killed

August 21st, 2014

Last weekend, there were three wide releases, but only one of them did relatively well. This weekend, there are also three wide releases and hopefully they will perform better at the box office. There are some positive signs and some analysts think both Sin City: A Dame To Kill For and If I Stay will open with more than $20 million while When the Game Stands Tall could make more than $10 million. That's on the high side. On the low side, none of the new releases will open in first place and Guardians of the Galaxy and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be in a battle for first and second place. That said, this weekend last year, none of the three wide releases earned more than $10 million during the weekend and only two films in total reached that mark over the weekend. Even low-end expectations for this year are more bullish than that, so 2014 should continue its winning streak in the year-over-year comparison. More...

International Box Office: Dragons Invade China

August 20th, 2014

How to Train Your Dragon 2 debuted in first place in China with $26.32 million. This helped the film earn first place on the international chart with $37.7 million in 28 markets for totals of $366.0 million internationally and $537.2 million worldwide. The film is already ahead of its predecessor internationally and worldwide, so the studio should be happy, even if it didn't earn as much domestically. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Holdovers Help, But Summer Stops

August 19th, 2014

Only one of the three wide releases this past weekend did reasonably well over the weekend. Despite earning reviews that were flirting with single-digits, Let's Be Cops was the best of the new releases this weekend earning an acceptable opening. On the other hand, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Guardians of the Galaxy held on well earning first and second places over the weekend. The overall box office plummeted from last weekend down 23% to $143 million, but this is still 2.5% more than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2014 is still behind 2013, even though the gap shrunk a little bit at 4.5% or $6.75 billion to $7.07 billion. More...

Weekend Estimates: Turtles and Guardians Hold Off Newcomers

August 17th, 2014

Three lackluster debuts have allowed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Guardians of the Galaxy to keep the top two spots at the box office this weekend. Turtles will be down a fairly modest 57% in its second weekend for $28.4 million, and $117.6 million in total after two weekends. Guardians will be down 41% in its third weekend for a total of $222 million, and will remain on track to become the highest-grossing film of the Summer. Things look much less pretty for the openers. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Summer End this Weekend?

August 14th, 2014

The strong opening by Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles allowed summer to be extended one more weekend. This week three films look to avoid flopping, thus signaling the end of summer, but in order to do so, they must defy critics. The Expendables 3 is the biggest of the three films opening this weekend, but the franchise appears to be on a downward trajectory. Let's Be Cops opened on Wednesday, but with simply awful reviews, the word-of-mouth could kill it by the time the weekend starts. Finally, The Giver is the latest Young Adult adaptation, but this genre has produced more flops than even midlevel hits. Frankly, the most interesting aspect of the weekend box office will likely be milestones reached by Guardians of the Galaxy and other movies, rather than the new releases. This weekend last year was also arguably the the end of summer. The Butler was the only movie to make more than $20 million, while three of the four wide releases opened in fifth place or weaker. It looks like 2014 will continue its winning streak. More...

International Box Office: Guarding Top Spot

August 13th, 2014

Guardians of the Galaxy remained in first place with $47.1 million in 50 markets over the weekend for a total of $138.8 million internationally and $315.3 million worldwide after just two weeks of release. It is already ahead of the lifetime total of The Incredible Hulk and should pass another Avengers film or two by this time next week. The film finished in first place in Australia with $6.08 million on 586 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $8.24 million. The film was pushed into second place in Russia with $6.01 million on 2,097 screens over the weekend for a total of $24.32 million after two weeks of release. It had a very similar result in the U.K. with the film landing in second place with $5.59 million on 561 screens over the weekend for a total of $23.24 million. More...

Per Theater Chart: The Admiral Roars to the Top

August 12th, 2014

The Admiral: Roaring Currents had a stunning opening with an estimated $43,000 in its sole theaters. It will be interesting to see if the film can maintain this success as it expands wider. The overall box office leader, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, was second with an opening weekend average of $17,055. The Guardians of the Galaxy remained in the $10,000 club for the second weekend of its release earning an average of $10,305. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Turtles Topple Guardians

August 11th, 2014

Despite earning some of the worst reviews of the summer, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles easily won the race for the top of the box office chart unseating Guardians of the Galaxy, which earned some of the best reviews. The rest of the new releases were well back. Overall, the box office was down from last weekend, but by less than 0.5% to $185 million. Compared to last year, the box office was 16% higher, which is a great result. Year-to-date, 2014 is still behind 2013, but the deficit was down to 4.4% or $300 million at $6.52 billion to $6.82 billion. More...

Weekend Estimates: Turtles Power to $65 Million

August 10th, 2014

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles didn’t just overcome the bad guys in a movie this weekend. They also overcame almost universally-scathing reviews and an end-of-Summer release date to top the box office. With expectations going into the weekend ranging from the low 30s to $50 million or so, an opening that Paramount is projecting at $65 million as of Sunday morning is a triumph. Even with the prospect of steep declines in the weeks ahead, the film should hit $150 million domestically, and with international markets expected to be the film’s strong suit, a sequel or two are likely to follow. The weekend’s other openers have less rosy futures. More...

Weekend Predictions: Can any of the New Releases Overtake Guardians?

August 7th, 2014

Yep. It's August alright. There are four wide releases coming out this week, the largest of which is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which is currently earning 17% positive reviews. It's not even the worst reviewed film of the weekend so far, as Into the Storm is a little worse. There are a couple of films that might earn overall positive reviews: The Hundred Foot Journey and Step Up All In. None of the new releases are on track to match Guardians of the Galaxy. In fact, all four combined won't make as much as Guardians of the Galaxy opened with last weekend. This weekend last year, there were also four wide releases, three of which earned more than $20 million. I don't think that will be true this year, but I think based on the strength of Guardians of the Galaxy and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 2014 will win in the year-over-year comparison. More...

International Box Office: Guardians of the Global Box Office

August 6th, 2014

Guardians of the Galaxy opened in first place internationally with $67.4 million in 42 markets. This includes a number of major markets, led by Russia with $12.90 million on 2,097 screens and the U.K. with $10.70 million on 554 screens. It also earned first place in Brazil with $5.27 million on 472 screens. It wasn't as strong in South Korea with $3.83 million on 575 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $4.78 million. There was a massive local release in that market, so that partially explains that result. The film also opened in second place in Australia with $2.15 million on 244 screens, but this was just the film's previews. More...

Contest: Galaxy of Prizes: Winning Announcement

August 6th, 2014

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

Per Theater Chart: Guardians Rides to the Rescue

August 6th, 2014

The overall box office leader, The Guardians of the Galaxy, also led the way on the per theater chart with an average of $23,118 in just over 4,000 theaters. Second place went to Calvary, with an average of $18,537 in four theaters. The final film in the $10,000 club was Magic in the Moonlight, with an average of $11,396 in 65 theaters. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Guardians Help Summer Recover

August 5th, 2014

Finally! Finally we have a week where there's nothing but good news to talk about. Guardians of the Galaxy crushed high expectations breaking the August records for biggest day and biggest weekend. While Guardians dominated at the box office chart, Get On Up did okay in the counter-programming role. This helped the overall box office soar, rising 20% when compared to last weekend to $186 million. More importantly, this was 35% better that this weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2014 is still behind 2013 $6.26 billion to $6.62 billion, but the gap was closed a little bit at $360 million or 5.4%. More...

Weekend Estimates: Guardians Go Big, Up Opens Okay

August 3rd, 2014

It was a big, big weekend at the box office with Guardians of the Galaxy pulling in an estimated $94 million. The majority of analysts thought it would break the August weekend record, but very few thought it would have one of the top five openings of the year. Additionally, the film earned some of the best reviews of the year and could become the biggest hit of the year... at least untill Mockingjay, Part 1 hits theaters in November. Get On Up did not do as well earning $14.03 million and grabbing third place along the way. This is barely more than Jersey Boys opened with in June. Its reviews should help it earn better legs and it wasn't an expensive movie to make, so the studio should be relatively happy with this start. More...

2014 Preview: August

August 1st, 2014

July was... well... let's just pretend it didn't happen. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes did well, but week after week 2014 fell further behind 2013 in the year-to-date comparison. At the moment, we are roughly $400 million behind last year's pace and while I don't think August will continue the losing streak, there's really no chance August will put a dent in that number. It looks more and more likely that Guardians of the Galaxy will be a hit, especially given its early reviews, but it could be the last $100 million hit till October, if the bad buzz surrounding Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles turns into bad ticket sales. Last August there were two films that reached $100 million, plus two others that came close. This August might match that, while the biggest film this year should top the biggest film from last year. I think the slump 2014 is suffering through will end the first weekend and overall I think it will cut the deficit a little bit. That said, summer 2014 will still end as one of the worst recent summers at the box office. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Guardians Be the Biggest in the Galaxy?

July 31st, 2014

Guardians of the Galaxy will likely become the biggest hit of this August. It might become the biggest hit of any August. The buzz is powerful, as are the reviews, and this could add up to a record-breaking opening. It isn't the only film opening wide, as Get On Up is also coming out this weekend. That film is a biopic of James Brown and it is earning stellar reviews, but will be limited to the counter-programming role. This weekend last year, the box office was led by 2 Guns, which made $27.06 million during the weekend. Guardians of the Galaxy should make more than that during its opening day. It looks like 2014 should finally end the slump it is in. More...

IMAX: Summer Slump Hits IMAX

July 29th, 2014

Guardians of the Galaxy opens on IMAX this weekend and hopefully it will be a hit, because the format could use some good news. The second quarter numbers were released last week and there are some troubling signs. For instance, global ticket sales for DMR titles generate $216.0 million during the second quarter of 2014, which was down from the same time period of 2013. Granted, it was down by less than $4 million or just under 2%, which is much better than the overall market was like during the same time period. The average per screen box office fell more dramatically down 15% from $353,300 to $299,800. Obviously IMAX is still going strong and the continuing growth in total IMAX screens is evidence of that, but like non-IMAX theaters, they could really use a monster hit to boost the box office numbers. More...

Contest: Galaxy of Prizes

July 25th, 2014

Next weekend the summer film I'm most interested in seeing finally opens, Guardians of the Galaxy. In fact, out of all of the The Avengers: Phase Two films, this is the one I'm most interested in seeing. To celebrate, we have three T-shirts from Shirts.com, specifically their Superhero / Marvel collections. (You can choose any T-shirt on the site; we are just highlighting these collections.)

Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win one of three coupons for Shirts.com. Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will also win one of three coupons for Shirts.com. Finally, one additional entry will be chosen, regardless of the accuracy of their prediction, and that person will win the final of three coupons for Shirts.com. So if you are really bad at predicting box office numbers, this is the contest to enter. Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...