Note:  Most of the studios are pinning extremely aggressive Sunday estimates on the hope that their movie will be a popular Mothers Day destination, so look for a potentially larger than usual set of adjustments in final numbers tomorrow. OPENINGS:  NEIGHBORS (Universal) is that rare Hollywood ideal of an easily-promotable, high-concept comedy that’s also […]

Based on Friday’s grosses, weekend #23 of 2014 looks like $165 million for the top 12 films Friday-Sunday, 10% above the norm for this weekend and 15% above the same weekend last year.   Opening at 3,173 theaters, The Fault in Our Stars from 20th Century Fox grossed $26.1 million through Friday, putting the film on track […]

Weekend #27 of 2014 is looking like a not so hot $135 million for the top 12 films this weekend, -21% below the norm for this weekend.  It certainly doesn’t help that Independence Day and all its distractions of picnics, grilling and fireworks falls on a Friday, but there are precious few movies opening or holding […]

WORLDWIDE STUDIO SCORECARD. Scroll down for domestic and overseas grosses for each film individually so far in 2014. YEAR TO DATE BOX OFFICE. Looking at North American box office, 2014 is still running -8% behind last year and now -6% below the average for this point the past four years ($5.904 billion).  Over the same […]

Based on Friday’s and Saturday’s grosses, weekend #34 of 2014 now looks like $105 million for the top 12 films Friday-Sunday, a little better than yesterday’s estimate ($103 million) but still somewhat below our forecast ($111 million) and still a robust 17% above the norm for this weekend ($86 million). Opening at 2,907 theaters, If I […]

Based on Friday’s and Saturday’s grosses, weekend #39 of 2014 looks like $99 million for the top 12 films Friday-Sunday, 5% above the norm for this weekend ($95 million) and just a shade under yesterday’s estimate ($100 million). Opening at 3,236 theaters, The Equalizer from Sony grossed $12.6 million Friday and $13.6 million Saturday, now […]

  OPENINGS:  Cheap PG-13 horror movies are the assembly-line workers of the studios, rarely resulting in showy profits, but paying the bills between blockbusters.  OUIJA (Universal) and its $20.006M opening (we’ll see how that holds up in final numbers tomorrow) is a prime example, likely to make its way to profit thanks to a $5M […]

  On the day before Thanksgiving, the start of a 5-day rush on moviegoing, THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART I (Lionsgate) behaved as it has since it opened:  on top, but considerably behind its franchise predecessors.  Mockingjay earned $14.6M on Wednesday, more than double its nearest competition.  Nevertheless, that was 30% behind the day-before-Thanksgiving $20.8M […]