OPENINGS:  PAUL BLART: MALL COP 2 (MGM/Sony/Columbia) was at the high end of diminished expectations with $24M.  That’s roughly 25% below the $31.8M start for the first Paul Blart, not a surprise considering that the Blart franchise was far from universally beloved.  The question will be whether Blart 2 can have anything like its […]

  22 JUMP STREET (Sony) wasted no time in jumping to the lead at last night’s box office, with $5.5M from shows that started at 7PM.  That’s far better than the $2.5M that Neighbors earned a few weeks ago, although to be fair Jump Street plays as an action movie as well as a comedy, […]

Weekend #30 of 2014 is looking like $128 million for the top 12 films this weekend, -13% below the norm for this weekend.  Not a disaster like the previous three weekends (-27% to -34%), but the sixth down weekend in a row.  Opening at 3,172 theaters Friday (somewhat above the 2,886 average theater count for opening weekends […]

Based on Friday’s and Saturday’s grosses, Weekend #18 of 2013 kicks of the summer with a very solid $213 million for the top 12 films, below the Avengers-fueled same weekend last year but well above the four-year average for this weekend.       Opening at 4,253 theaters late Thursday, Iron Man 3 from Disney grossed $68 […]

  As espected with a sequel, THINK LIKE A MAN TOO (Screen Gems/Sony) took a dip on its 2d day of release, and after virtually tying the opening day of the first Think with $13.2M on Friday it fell, according to preliminary numbers at Deadline and elsewhere, about 15% on Saturday to $10.5M (the original Think had gained 9% on its first […]

Based on Friday’s and Saturday’s grosses, Weekend #32 of 2013 now looks like $142 million for the top 12 films, down from yesterday’s $148 million estimate but still up 6% from the average for this weekend the past few years.  Opening at 3,284 theaters Friday, Elysium from Sony grossed $11.0 million Friday and $10.8 million Saturday, now on […]

  Although we’re still a few days away from December 25, the holiday movie rush is upon us, which should mean an unusually strong Sunday that will lead into 2 solid weeks of weekday numbers that look more like weekends. OPENINGS:  THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES (New Line/MGM/Warners) is off to a […]

Based on Friday’s and Saturday’s grosses, weekend #16 of 2014 now looks like $126 million for the top 12 films Friday-Sunday, up $4 million from yesterday’s estimate and now 12% above the average for this weekend the past few years.   Opening at 2,417 theaters Wednesday (with $7.0 million across Wednesday and Thursday), Heaven Is for […]