> The Hogwarts Express has started its journey:  last night’s midnight showings of HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS (PART 2) blew past the previous midnight record of $30M (Twilight:  Eclipse) and grossed an incredible $43.5M from those screenings alone.  According to the Hollywood Reporter, this included sold-out houses for every single 3D midnight performance […]

  There were no pleasant surprises for anyone at the Friday box office, according to preliminary numbers at Deadline.  That even included STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON (Legendary/Universal), which will easily win the weekend, but which–considering the very mild competition–fell more heavily than expected from last Friday, down 65% to $8.5M.  That drop will moderate over the […]

  CAPTAIN MARVEL (Marvel/Disney) is delivering the jolt the 2019 box office desperately needed.  Preliminary numbers at Deadline put opening day at $62M ($20.7M from Thursday night).  That’s far higher than the $38.2M for Wonder Woman, the $50.8M for Spider-Man: Homecoming, the $32.6M for Doctor Strange, and the $27.7M for Aquaman among recent superhero intro […]

  JUSTICE LEAGUE (RatPac/DC/Warners) was supposed to be the jewel in the DC crown, the Avengers that would push its megafranchise to the next box office level.  That’s what justified spending a reported $450M on production (and then more production) and marketing, making it one of the most expensive movies in history.  But tonight it’s […]

  THE MUMMY (Perfect World/Universal) is a disaster, although the studio and its minions will try to spin otherwise through the course of the weekend.  According to preliminary numbers at Deadline, it earned $12M on opening day ($2.7M of it from Thursday night), which puts it in line for a $30M weekend and a US […]

  Although still down steeply from Fifty Shades of Grey, FIFTY SHADES FREED (Perfect World/Universal) is opening on par with the initial sequel Fifty Shades Darker.  According to preliminary numbers at Deadline, Freed earned $18.4M on its first day (including $5.6M from Thursday night), down 14% from Darker, which could translate into a $40M weekend, […]

  The box office typically dives on Thanksgiving Day when audiences (especially families) are otherwise occupied, then jumps back on Black Friday, and such was the case again this year.  According to preliminary numbers at Deadline, THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 2 (Lionsgate) was comfortably #1 for the day while continuing to run behind the […]

  INSIDE OUT (Pixar/Disney) is in line for the biggest non-sequel opening in the history of animation.  Preliminary numbers at Deadline have it winning Friday with $32.8M (that includes $3.7M from Thursday night), on its way to a weekend that should be at least $85M–and could be more, since word of mouth should be sky-high.  […]