Weekend #19 of 2015 is looking like $126 million for the top 12 films this weekend, somewhat below the norm for this weekend. Opening at around 2,700 theaters Friday (slightly below the 2,886 average theater count for opening weekends the last two years), Hot Pursuit from Warner Brothers should average a somewhat above average $6,600 per theater for the three-day […]

>Finally, The Help has been knocked off its perch, after facing one turd of a movie after another for four weeks.   Contagion will open at #1 with over $22 million (slightly above forecast) and headed for about $72 million domestic.  Don’t cry for The Help, though.  Its final domestic gross estimate has been upgraded yet […]

Updated international box office chart:

  The holiday box office “weekend” doesn’t officially start until today (several of the new openings began screening on Tuesday night, but their studios aren’t publicizing the results), and Mitch Metcalf’s weekend predictions are here.  Even in this pre-holiday period, though, THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE (Lionsgate) is piling on impressive numbers. After the normal heavy post-weekend […]

Based on Friday’s grosses, Weekend #10 of 2013 is the first weekend in 7 weeks to match the pace for this time of year: $122 million for the top 12 films Friday-Sunday (even with last year and up 5% from the same weekend average for the last few years).  Most of the credit for the […]

  OPENINGS:  NOW YOU SEE ME (Summit/Lionsgate) had a fine $28.1M opening weekend considering its moderate cost ($75M plus marketing, but with 2/3 of that covered by foreign pre-sales), and with little competition coming next week, it could have a solid hold–plus it’s exactly the kind of light entertainment that thrives on home viewing platforms.  […]

Based on Friday’s grosses, Weekend #34 of 2013 looks like an okay $91 million for the top 12 films, even with the average for the same weekend the last few years but up from last year’s comparable weekend. Opening at 1,548 theaters Friday, The World’s End from Focus/Universal grossed $3.5 million Friday and is on track for […]

  OPENINGS:  OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (Disney) is having an oddly topsy-turvy weekend.  On the one hand, in the US it got the Saturday bump it needed from family audiences, rising 37% (better than Alice in Wonderland, although nowhere near The Lorax), allowing it to claim a $80.3M weekend.  Even if that number comes […]