OPENINGS:  Star/co-writer/co-producer Melissa McCarthy reportedly took a fraction of her usual fee on TAMMY (Warners) to keep the production budget down to the low $20Ms.  After a $6.4M 4th of July (up 17% from Thursday), the movie is well on its way to recouping that budget–it should have a $22M weekend, and $34M since […]

Based on Friday’s grosses, weekend #27 of 2014 looks like a truly awful $126 million for the top 12 films Friday-Sunday, 26% below the norm for this weekend and well below the $153.2 million weekend for the top 12 the last time July 4 fell on a Friday (in 2008  when Hancock opened with $62.6 […]

  As holidays go, the 4th of July isn’t a bright one for moviegoing, and when it falls on a Friday, the result is a weekend no better than usual (the days before and after compensate for the holiday itself).  That held true this year as well, especially because the other studios showed more deference […]

  There were no surprises at the Thursday box office, and certainly no pleasant ones for the previous day’s openings.  Ticket sales won’t have the usual Friday pop today, as many have other plans for the 4th of July, but Saturday should rebound nicely. OPENINGS:  All of the Wednesday arrivals dropped on their 2d day […]

  The long holiday movie weekend began without much interest from audiences. OPENINGS:  TAMMY (Warners) got underway with a so-so $6.2M, which includes $1.3M from Tuesday night shows.  That suggests $32-35M for the 5-day weekend, around $20M of it during the Friday-Sunday period.  Considering that both reviews and exit poll responses have been dismal, a […]

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 […]

  Melissa McCarthy’s star vehicle TAMMY (Warners) may not be winning any critical plaudits (it’s at 19% positive on Rotten Tomatoes), but that’s not keeping her fans away, at least in the short term.  Tammy opened with $1.3M at Tuesday night shows, and while that’s far from the $5.5M that 22 Jump Street had last […]

  MONDAY UPDATE:  In the face of widespread industry skepticism, Paramount is sticking to its claim that TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION earned $100M last weekend–actually, $100,038, 390.  (The consensus is that the real number is $97-98M.)  Here’s the way the system works:  the vast majority of US theatres report their results to the 3rd-party company […]