February 26th, 2019
This week’s list includes a number of releases that are worth picking up, mostly of the smaller variety. There’s a foreign-language import, Border; a mostly forgotten comedy from the 1980s, Used Cars; a good movie that is busted Oscar-bait, Mary Queen of Scots; and an Anime slice of life, Love Live! Sunshine!!: Season Two. However, for most people, it’s the two biggest releases that are also the best: The Little Mermaid and Ralph Breaks the Internet. For me, Ralph Breaks the Internet on Blu-ray or 4K Ultra HD is the clear Pick of the Week.
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February 24th, 2019
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It’s Oscar night and we will be live blogging the show. We will announce the winners and have our reactions as they happen, while keeping track of how our readers did in predicting the outcomes.
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February 24th, 2019
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It’s Oscar Day, and we will be live blogging the show. Before that, let’s take a last look at the nominations with a few annotations. in Italics are those that have received the most votes from our readers so far in our Oscar contest (which is open to new entries until noon, Pacific, today—enter now!). Bold films are those films I think will win. Meanwhile, those that are Underlined are those I want to win. Not all categories have underlined nominees, because not all categories have someone I’m cheering for, or because there are two nominees I couldn’t pick between. For example, I would be happy with half of the Best Picture nominees winning.
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February 20th, 2019
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The fall smash hits and the Oscar contenders are starting to come out in full force, making it a great time on the home market. This week, we have one of the biggest hits of the fall, A Star is Born; one of the best movies of the year, Can You Ever Forgive Me?; and the Anime that arguably solidified Moe as powerhouse genre, K-ON: Complete Collection Premium Box Set. Of the three, I like K-ON the most, but I admit that price will scare away a lot of people, so Can You Ever Forgive Me? is the better choice for Pick of the Week.
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January 23rd, 2019
The Oscar nominations were announced yesterday starting at just after 5 am Pacific time. They do this every year for reasons no one has been able to adequately explain to me. Because it was the day after a long weekend, it took a bit of time to get all the normal work done and digest the results. And there were some interesting results to digest. No one film led the way with total nominations, as two films, The Favourite and Roma tied with 10 nominations each.
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January 17th, 2019
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There were no films in the $10,000 club with Cold War coming the closest with $9,751 in ten theaters. The best new release was Touch Me Not, which opened with $7,903 in one theater.
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January 12th, 2019
The BAFTA nominations were announced and The Favorite led the way with 12 nominations. Sometimes the BAFTAs are a really good indicator for who will do well on Oscar night. Other times their bias to British films is too much. I think this year will be an example of the latter and I don't think The Favourite is suddenly an Oscar favorite. That said, there’s still some things you can learn here.
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January 10th, 2019
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Destroyer rose to first place on the theater average chart with an average of $16,383 in six theaters. Cold War actually saw its average grow to $15,127, also in six theaters. Last week’s winner, On the Basis of Sex was next with an average of $14,370 in 112 theaters. It’s rare for a limited release to land in the $10,000 club while playing in more than 100 theaters. The final member of the $10,000 club was Stan and Ollie with an average of $10,920 in 8 theaters.
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January 2nd, 2019
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It was a busy week on the theater average chart, as there were three new releases and three holdovers in the $10,000 club. On the Basis of Sex led the way with an average of $20,799 in 33 theaters. That’s an excellent start for a limited release playing in that many theaters. Second place went to Destroyer with an average of $18,449 in three theaters. The final new release in the $10,000 club was Stan and Ollie, which earn an average of $15,935 in five theaters. Cold War held on really well earning an average of $14,777 in three theaters. The overall box office leader, Aquaman, was next with an average of $12,634. If Beale Street Could Talk rounded out the $10,000 with an average of $11,788, and it managed this despite expanding its theater count to 65.
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December 27th, 2018
There were not many new limited releases releases, which let If Beale Street Could Talk remain on top with an average of $21,853 in five theaters. Cold War was the best of the new releases with an average of $18,118 in three theaters. The only other film in the $10,000 club over the weekend was Aquaman with an average of $16,485. Two films had averages of over $10,000 during their Christmas Day debuts, On the Basis of Sex (average of $14,483 in 33 theaters) and Destroyer (average of $10,246 in three).
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December 19th, 2018
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There was only one new release in the $10,000 club this past weekend. If Beale Street Could Talk opened with an average of $56,119 in four theaters. The only other member of the $10,000 club was Mary Queen of Scots, with an average of $10,602 in 66 theaters during its second week of release. It will continue to expand, but it very likely won’t expand even semi-wide.
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December 12th, 2018
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Mary Queen of Scots led the way on the theater average chart with an average of $48,694 in four theaters. Unfortunately, its reviews strongly suggest it won’t have long legs in limited release. Likewise, Vox Lux got off to a fast start with an average of $25,952 in six theaters, but it is earning nearly identical reviews, so it too will likely have short legs. Up next was Ben is Back with an average of $20,183 in four theaters. The Favourite remained in the $10,000 club for the third weekend in a row with an average of $16,523 in 91 theaters. It will almost certainly expand at least semi-wide at this point, especially if it continues to pick up Awards Season nominations.
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December 12th, 2018
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The Screen Actors Guild were the third group to announce their nominations for this awards season. There’s not a lot of surprises on this week’s list. A Star is Born led the way with four nominations, while The Favourite was right behind with three.
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December 9th, 2018
Both animated films are doing great at the box office with Ralph Breaks the Internet matching our prediction nearly perfectly with a studio estimate of $16.1 million over the weekend, which would give it a running tally of $140.9 million. Internationally, the film has barely opened in half the world earning $18.0 million over the weekend for a total of $117.3 million. This includes a first place debut in Spain with $4.6 million over the five-day weekend. Its next major market isn’t until December 21st when it opens in Japan, while it is a Boxing Day release in Australia.
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December 7th, 2018
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It’s a strange week for limited releases. There is not an overwhelming number of releases on this week’s list, but three of them were widely expected to be Awards Season players: Ben is Back, Mary Queen of Scots, and Vox Lux. However, of these three, none of them of earning award-worthy reviews. In fact, none of them are earning reviews that suggest they will truly thrive in limited release. Worse still, the competition between the three of them could result in none of them doing particularly well over the weekend. Hopefully that’s not the case.
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December 1st, 2018
November turned out to be a really, really good month. I thought 2018’s lead over 2017 would shrink, potentially by $200 million to $300 million. However, the lead actually managed to grow a little bit, thanks to hits like Ralph Breaks the Internet, Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and Bohemian Rhapsody. December has an equal number of potential hits, led by Mary Poppins Returns, which some think will top $300 million. Additionally, Spider-man Into the Spider-Verse, Aquaman, Bumblebee, and Holmes and Watson all have a realistic shot at $100 million or more. On the other hand, last December was stronger, at least on top. The Last Jedi earned more than $500 million just during December, which is more than any December release this year will earn in total. It could be more than the top two films earn in total. 2018 will win the in year-over-year competition; however, its lead won’t be as large as it is at the start of the month.
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July 13th, 2018
Historical drama starring Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie opens December 7 ... Full Movie Details.
A film that explores the turbulent life of the charismatic Mary Stuart. Queen of France at 16 and widowed at 18, Mary defies pressure to remarry. Instead, she returns to her native Scotland to reclaim her rightful throne. But Scotland and England fall under the rule of the compelling Elizabeth 1. Each young Queen beholds her “sister” in fear and fascination. Rivals in power and in love, and female regents in a masculine world, the two must decide how to play the game of marriage versus independence. Determined to rule as much more than a figurehead, Mary asserts her claim to the English throne, threatening Elizabeth’s sovereignty. Betrayal, rebellion, and conspiracies within each court imperil both thrones—and change the course of history.
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January 10th, 2008
This week's round of new casting information contains updates for Armored, Easy Virtue, Solomon Kane, and more!
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