CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (Disney) declined about 10% to as much as $34M on Saturday, according to preliminary numbers at Deadline, which should give it a $95M opening weekend, the best April opening ever. By way of comparison, the previous April record-holder Fast Five dropped 13% on its second day (for a $86.2M […]
The preliminary numbers at Deadline confirm the expected: PAN (RatPac-Dune/Warners) is a box office catastrophe in the making. Its $5.2M opening day (which includes $650K from Thursday night) is less than half the first day of Fantastic Four ($11.3M), and although as a family-oriented movie it may bounce back a bit on Saturday (and […]
OPENINGS: Can the 2d-biggest US opening of all time fairly be considered a mild disappointment? Certainly AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON (Marvel/Disney), for all its giant $187.7M start, underperformed compared to widespread expectations, not only failing to beat the $207.4M opening of The Avengers, but coming in $20M below that mark despite 5 more hours […]
OPENINGS: At $53.5M, SHAZAM (DC/New Line/Warners) had the lowest opening weekend of the current DC run of superhero movies (it was also below all the Marvel openings), but it was produced to be a lower-budget companion piece to the megabusters, and with that in mind, its opening was fine. Overseas was bigger at $102M, but […]
Updated STUDIO SCORECARD: TOTAL NORTH AMERICAN BOX OFFICE. Looking at wide-release films in North America (those that play on at least 400 screens at some point), 2013 now totals over $8.2 billion, now basically even with last year’s pace and 3% above the prior four-year average 2009-2012 ($8.005 billion). Each year-to-date period below is defined as […]
OPENINGS: FINDING DORY (Pixar/Disney) had a 17% Saturday drop, which is on the high side for an animated blockbuster (Inside Out fell 10% on its 2d day, Monsters University was down 6%, and Minions 16%). That suggest that the overall multiple from opening weekend may not reach the heady heights that Pixar is used […]
Another strong weekend at the box office: this weekend is looking like it will be over 50% higher than comparable weekends in recent years (improving from the +18% weekend last week). Taken 2 from 20th Century Fox opened with a very good $18.6 million Friday and is on pace for $50.0 million Friday-Sunday. […]
On one of the slowest weekends of the year, it took some holy help to raise the box office from the dead. According to preliminary numbers at Deadline, WAR ROOM (Affirm/TriStar/Sony) is edging into Friday’s top slot with $3.8M. Christian films, when they hit, tend to hold well over the course of the weekend […]