Both of the weekend’s major openings cost too much for the amount they’re currently earning.  MISS PEREGRINE’S HOME FOR PECULIAR CHILDREN (TSG/20th) has production/marketing costs of $225M+, and preliminary numbers at Deadline have its opening day at roughly $9M (including $1.2M from Thursday night).  That suggests a $25-27M weekend, which would be an even […]

  Combine 2 big movies aimed at perfectly divergent demos, add 3D premium ticket prices, and shake well–the recipe for a strong weekend at the boxoffice. Based on preliminary Friday numbers at Deadline, both PROMETHEUS (20th) and  MADAGASCAR 3 (DreamWorks Animation/Paramount) had $21M Fridays, but with the benefit of weekend matinee business, the latter is […]

  There are two neck-and-neck races at the top of the weekend box office, but neither is especially thrilling. The #1-2 slots will be fought between holdovers.  According to preliminary numbers at Deadline, THE BOSS BABY (DreamWorks Animation/20th) had a $6.8M Friday, and BEAUTY & THE BEAST (Disney) earned $6.6M.  That should put both of […]

  The occasional piece of youth-oriented counterprogramming aside, the studios don’t bring out their big guns for Super Bowl Weekend, since Sunday is destined to be deflated.  Even by those standards, though, this is looking like a dim few days. The decision to hold the Coen Brothers’ star-studded HAIL, CAESAR! (Universal) out of 2015 awards […]

> Deadline has preliminary numbers for Friday, and this won’t be one of those weekends where the winner is unclear up to the wire.  ACT OF VALOR (Relativity), the low-budget (but highly marketed) Navy SEAL recruitment vehicle/action movie swept the day with over $9M, about 50% ahead of anything else.  The only question now is […]

  With $345M already in the bank from its giant overseas openings (that includes an all-time opening day record in China), IRON MAN 3 (Disney) turned its metallic gaze to the US last night, and had a huge $15.6M in evening/midnight screenings.  That was a bit below than the $18.7M Thursday night for The Avengers […]

  OPENINGS:  Even though it technically opened last year, 2015 has its first blockbuster hit with AMERICAN SNIPER (Warners/Village Roadshow).  According to preliminary numbers at Deadline, Clint Eastwood’s newly-minted Best Picture nominee exceeded all expectations with $29.1M on Friday (including $5.3M from Thursday night screenings).  That one-day figure alone puts it ahead of all but […]

  Hollywood bounced back swiftly from last weekend’s Halloween doldrums, thanks to a pair of A-level openings.  INTERSTELLAR (Par/Warners) is in line for a win on Friday, according to preliminary numbers at Deadline, with up to $18M.  The Interstellar numbers are a bit tangled, because for the first part of Thursday, it showed in 249 […]