OPENINGS:  This was the weekend of AVATAR: THE WAY OF WATER (20th/Disney), and the epic’s launch was softer than widely expected at $134M in the US and $301M in all major overseas markets including China.  Box office apologists, who at this point resemble political press secretaries, have rushed in to spin that Way of […]

Weekend #44 of 2015 is looking like a very weak $69 million for the top 12 films this weekend, well below the norm for this weekend (see comparisons below) as Halloween and all its distractions lands on a Saturday and derails movie attendance. Our Brand Is Crisis from Warner Brothers should open with a $6.5 million weekend. The film is on track […]

Weekend #11 of 2015 is looking like $126 million for the top 12 films this weekend, up significantly from comparable weekends the past few years and putting 2015 back on track after two down weekends in a row. Opening at around 3,600 theaters Friday (well above the 2,886 average theater count for opening weekends the […]

>Two new films open this weekend, a formulaic romantic comedy from director Garry Marshall and an R-rated comedy starring Jonah Hill that looks like it will come and go very quickly.  New Year’s Eve will be #1 this weekend but not at a particularly impressive level.  And none of the Thanksgiving holdovers look to gross […]

  As the 2018 box office enters the Martin Luther King holiday weekend, most of its strength still lies in 2017 releases.  According to preliminary numbers at Deadline, JUMANJI: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE (Columbia/Sony) is on track to win its 4th weekend of release.  Friday’s $6M take was down 44% from last week, and with […]

  OPENINGS:  Expectations were low for KRAVEN THE HUNTER (Marvel/TSG/Columbia/Sony), and it still managed to under-deliver, with a puny $11M start.  Even though Kraven had moderate costs by superhero movie standards (around $175M including marketing), it will never climb past red ink, especially since things were no better overseas with $15M from 60 territories.  For […]

Weekend #45 of 2015 is looking like a solid $165 million for the top 12 films this weekend, up somewhat from the norm for this weekend (see comparisons below). Spectre from Sony should open with a $85.5 million weekend. The film is on track for around $245 million domestic in its run. Overseas the film could bring in $835 million, giving it a […]

Weekend #7 of 2016 is looking like $153 million for the top 12 films this weekend (for the three-day Friday-Sunday portion), near the norm for this weekend but below last year’s torrid pace (see comparisons below). Deadpool from Fox should open with $67.0 million Friday-Sunday. The film is on track for around $195 million domestic in its run. Overseas the film could bring […]