OPENINGS:  In some ways, the most important number of the weekend was the $71.6M that MAN OF STEEL (Warners) earned outside the US and Canada.  Although it’s lower than the $113.1M domestic weekend ($125.1 with Thursday Wal-Mart screenings included), it included less than half the world, only 24 territories, giving the new Superman a […]

  If the preliminary numbers at Deadline hold, there was good news on Friday for Adam Sandler and his studio, as GROWN UPS 2 (Sony) won the day with a strong $16.5M (including $2.3M from Thursday night).  That’s better than the $14.4M that the original Grown Ups had on its opening day in 2010, and might […]

  On Sunday mornings, the devout go to church, and movie studios lie.  (There’s not much overlap between the two groups.)  The studios lie (or fudge, if you’re sensitive about the L Word), fundamentally, because they can get away with it:  when “estimated” box office returns are announced on Sunday mornings, they’re simply repeated–one might […]

  OPENINGS:  THE WORLD’S END (Focus/Universal) is off to a very solid start, with a $2250 per-theatre average on Friday in just 1549 theatres, giving it a $3.5M day and a weekend that could hit $10M.  That compares well to the other entries in Edgar Wright/Simon Pegg’s “Cornetto Trilogy,” even though World’s End has the […]

  PRISONERS (Warners) had a strong Saturday at the box office, according to preliminary numbers at Deadline.  The dark thriller increased by 28% on its second day to $9M, and should reach $21-22M for the weekend.  That would put it right in between Argo ($19.5M) and The Town ($23.8M), the successes Warners hopes to emulate […]

Based on Friday’s and Saturday’s grosses, Weekend #42 of 2013 now looks like $96 million for the top 12 films, down 15% from the average for the same weekend the past few years. Opening at 3,157 theaters Friday, Carrie from Sony Pictures grossed $6.5 million Friday and $6.3 million Saturday, now on track for $17.0 […]

Based on Friday’s and Saturday’s grosses, Weekend #46 of 2013 now looks like $123 million for the top 12 films, about $4 million above yesterday’s estimate. Opening at 2,024 theaters Friday, The Best Man Holiday from Universal grossed $10.7 million Friday and $12.4 million Saturday is now on track for a $30.6 million opening weekend (still well above […]

The 50th weekend of the year is looking like $160 million for the top 12 films Friday-Sunday, a very good kick-off to the holiday movie season. Opening at around 3,900 theaters Friday (well above the 2,886 average theater count for opening weekends the last two years), The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug from Warner Brothers should average a very good $21,200 per […]