OPENINGS:  Melissa McCarthy is now a genuine Hollywood player with the enormous debut of IDENTITY THIEF (Universal), beating all pre-release estimates with $36.6M.  (Take that, Rex Reed!)  Apart from Universal, the happiest studio in town is Fox, which has the McCarthy/Sandra Bullock vehicle The Heat coming up in the thick of summer movie season […]

Based on Saturday’s grosses, Weekend #6 of 2013 is looking a little stronger than it did yesterday (now $89 million for the top 12 films versus the $84 million estimate based only on Friday’s results).  But this is still over 46% behind the pace for the same weekend the last few years.       […]

  Storms be damned:  according to preliminary numbers at Deadline, despite (or because of) the snows on the East Coast, Saturday was a very healthy day at the multiplexes.  Far from taking a Day 2 hit, IDENTITY THIEF (Universal) had a 33% Saturday bump comparable to the 2d day track of Bridesmaids, and now looks […]

  Melissa McCarthy is a movie star. OPENINGS:  She co-stars with Jason Bateman (who is also a producer of the movie), but there’s no doubt that IDENTITY THIEF (Universal) is being sold on McCarthy’s back, and the movie is off to a great $11.2M opening day.  Frontloading and East Coast weather may hold it back […]

Based on Friday’s grosses, Weekend #6 of 2013 is another weak one: only $84 million for the top 12 films (about 50% behind the pace for the same weekend the last few years, an even steeper drop than last weekend).  The lone bright spot: Identity Thief.  Our big lesson: never underestimate Melissa McCarthy.  Our outlook […]

  The early Friday numbers this week are likely to be even less reliable than usual, since weather conditions on the East Coast make estimates very dicey.  That being said, the preliminary numbers at Deadline make it clear that come blizzard or high water, IDENTITY THIEF (Universal) will be the big winner of the weekend.  […]

The sixth weekend of 2013 looks like another very bad one.  Only $78 million for the top 12 films, over 50% below the normal pace for this weekend.  That’s three down weekends in a row, and the year-over-year declines are accelerating each week.  Now before you think there is a “slump” caused by piracy, streaming, […]

Django Unchained (up $47 million overseas since last week) is starting to gain on Les Miserables (up $23 million overseas).  Django is now only $29 million behind Les Miz in our worldwide projection.  (Django leads domestically, while Les Miz holds a shrinking lead overseas). A wide variety of films has grossed over $20 million this past week.  Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters is up $26 […]