This weekend’s boxoffice is looking stronger than last week’s–but that’s not saying very much.  According to preliminary numbers at Deadline, RESIDENT EVIL: RETRIBUTION (Screen Gems/Sony) owned Friday with $8.8M.  That’s lower than the opening days for the last several Resident Evil installments ($10.7M/$9.6M/$9.2M for the last 3), and should mean a $22M opening weekend […]

This weekend is poised to be the third solidly up weekend in a row.  Five films open this weekend, with four boasting positive critical acclaim and two in rave territory.  None looks to be a big commercial hit, but the total business for the openers combined with very good returning box office for Taken 2 […]

  The first domestic boxoffice numbers are in for SKYFALL (on top of its spectacular $321M overseas total to date).  On Thursday, the newest Bond had an unusual 1-day preliminary run only in IMAX and other large format theaters with $2.2M, and that was followed by $2.4M in general midnight release last night, for a […]

  OPENINGS:  PLAYING FOR KEEPS (FilmDistrict) cratered as expected, in 6th place on its opening day with a sad $2.1M start.  It’s on its way to a $6M weekend and perhaps $15M in total, which won’t even pay off its marketing costs. HOLDOVERS:  With essentially nothing new at the multiplexes, the longrunning hits mostly held […]

Based on Friday’s grosses, Weekend #52 is on pace for a solid $166 million thanks to three movies at or near $30 million for the Friday-Sunday period.  However, the two big openers are not living up to the promise of their initial Christmas Day grosses.  Les Miserables opened with $18.1 million Tuesday (a strong #1 […]

With Saturday’s grosses now tallied, Weekend #4 of 2013 is looking like $88 million for the top 12 films (up significantly from the $80 million estimate yesterday but still down 13% from the comparable weekend average).   Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters now looks like a $19 million opening weekend, up from the $16 million estimate […]

Based on Friday’s grosses, Weekend #9 of 2013 is another clunker: only $87 million for the top 12 films Friday-Sunday (down around 40% from the same weekend the last few years).  Jack the Giant Slayer opened reasonably well, but there are no others films doing significant business (weekends over $10 million).  What a mess.   […]

Based on Friday’s grosses, Weekend #13 of 2013 is relatively close to the comparable weekend the past few years: about $139 million for the top 12 films Friday-Sunday, compared to a $143 million average for this weekend the past few years.   Opening at 3,719 theaters Thursday with $10.5 million, G.I. Joe: Retaliation from Paramount grossed $15.5 […]