OPENINGS:  None of the newcomers made much of an impression.  At the moment, MCFARLAND USA (Disney) is claiming a slim victory over THE DUFF (CBS/Lionsgate), $11.3M vs. $11M, but that’s based on a far more aggressive Sunday estimate by Disney (predicting a 30% Sunday drop vs 42%), and when the numbers are so close, […]

  Combine 2 big movies aimed at perfectly divergent demos, add 3D premium ticket prices, and shake well–the recipe for a strong weekend at the boxoffice. Based on preliminary Friday numbers at Deadline, both PROMETHEUS (20th) and  MADAGASCAR 3 (DreamWorks Animation/Paramount) had $21M Fridays, but with the benefit of weekend matinee business, the latter is […]

Weekend #20 of 2012 looks like it will be about $156 million for the top 12 films, down 2% from last year’s comparable weekend and down the same amount from the four-year average for this weekend.  Three movies open, with Battleship headed for the biggest opening of the trio (about $42.5 million).  The Dictator starring […]

> John Carter traveled to Mars; the movie with his name also looks beyond the US for some help. OPENINGS:  JOHN CARTER (Disney) may or may not have grossed over $30M this weekend–we’ll find out for sure tomorrow.  (Disney is claiming a not-unreasonable 31% Sunday drop, but it would take only a small slip to […]

  THE MUMMY (Perfect World/Universal) is a disaster, although the studio and its minions will try to spin otherwise through the course of the weekend.  According to preliminary numbers at Deadline, it earned $12M on opening day ($2.7M of it from Thursday night), which puts it in line for a $30M weekend and a US […]

> Thanks to Universal’s Fast Five, the box office is headed for the third up weekend in a row.  Other openers to have minimal impact, however. Another up weekend is in store, fueled by Fast Five, the fifth in the Fast and Furious franchise (see complete franchise track below).  The film should open at a […]

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 +3% above last year and still +5% above the average for this point the past four years ($7.527 billion).  Over the same period, Hollywood films have grossed just over $20.0 billion worldwide when […]

  To the extent one can be disappointed by the boxoffice of a movie that’s cruised to $211.8M in 6 days, Wednesday was an off day for THE DARK KNIGHT RISES.  Batman declined a fairly tough 23% yesterday for a $13.8M day.  That was about mid-range in terms of the results for the day’s Top […]