WORLDWIDE STUDIO SCORECARD.  Universal and Warner Brothers again flipped positions in the year to date worldwide box office chart.  Universal didn’t have much this week (the lame domestic opening of Kick-Ass 2 and some continued overseas business from Despicable Me 2), but it was certainly more than Warner Brothers, which has grown very quiet here […]

  OPENINGS:  BODIES BODIES BODIES (A24) went wide after last week’s NY/LA launch and is now in 1290 theaters, with more expansion scheduled to come.  A24 is reporting a $3.3M weekend, although it should be noted that this estimate assumes an extremely strong Sunday hold despite a steep drop on Saturday.  No international release thus […]

  OPENINGS:  THE HOBBIT: THE DESOLATION OF SMAUG (Warners/MGM) had a better Saturday hold than last year’s An Unexpected Journey (-22% vs. -25%), suggesting that positive word of mouth is kicking in, and no doubt easing the minds of Warners executives.  The studio’s $73.7M weekend estimate still puts it 13% below Journey‘s start, but if […]

  OPENINGS:  THOR: LOVE & THUNDER (Marvel/Disney) opened within expectations at $143M, although it’s worth noting that while the Friday-to-Saturday drop was steeper than those for Thor: Ragnarok and Doctor Strange In the Multiverse of Madness (39% vs. 5%/36% respectively), the studio estimate assumes a better Saturday-to-Sunday hold than both (25% vs. 27%/33%).  If the […]

>Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol opened with a narrow 425-theater preview domestically this weekend, but the fourth M:I opened in over two-thirds of the international markets this weekend and already has taken in $68 million overseas.  The other domestic openers this weekend had fairly limited international bookings the first weekend.  Sherlock Holmes: A Game of […]

Updated international box office chart:

WORLDWIDE STUDIO SCORECARD.  Here is an updated look at the 2018 film slates by studio. The studio totals also include 2018 dollars for films released in late 2017. YEAR TO DATE BOX OFFICE. Looking at North American box office, 2018 to date is now +8% above last year and now +11% above the average for this point […]

WORLDWIDE STUDIO SCORECARD.  Updated look at 2016 by studio.   YEAR TO DATE BOX OFFICE. Looking at North American box office, 2016 to date is now +2% above last year and now +6% above the average for this point the past four years ($2.948 billion).  Over the same period, Hollywood films have grossed $8.1 billion worldwide […]