OPENINGS:  Let’s be clear:  the decision to greenlight a $100M production budget for IN THE HEART OF THE SEA (Village Roadshow/Warners)–a period whaling adventure that features about 10 minutes of a CG whale and is otherwise mostly (spoiler alert) about the cast starving and suffering–was fundamentally insane.  Even if the film had been good, […]

  Tossing IN THE HEART OF THE SEA (Village Roadshow/Warners) onto what is historically one of the weakest box office weekends of the year–and this year also just days ahead of the arrival of cinema’s Death Star–was a Hail Mary, and it’s not paying off.  Based on preliminary numbers at Deadline, it earned $4M on […]

Weekend #50 of 2015 is looking like a soft $72 million for the top 12 films this weekend, below what we usually see this weekend (see comparisons below). In the Heart of the Sea from Warner Brothers should open with $12.5 million Friday-Sunday. The film is on track for around $55 million domestic in its run. Overseas the film could bring in $105 […]

  We’re in the 2-week void between Thanksgiving and the Awakening of the Force, and the low-budget KRAMPUS (Legendary/Universal) is the weekend’s only major studio arrival.  According to preliminary numbers at Deadline, it’s performing a tad beyond expectations with $6.25M on Friday.  Given the quick burn-out for horror movies, that should mean a $13-15M weekend, […]

Weekend #49 of 2015 is looking like a decent $94 million for the top 12 films this weekend, actually better than what we usually see on one of the slowest weekends of the year (see comparisons below). Krampus from Universal should open with $12.0 million Friday-Sunday. The film is on track for around $26 million domestic in its run. Overseas the film […]

There was enough product at the multiplexes to make for a solid Thanksgiving weekend total, but holiday fireworks were absent. OPENINGS:  THE GOOD DINOSAUR (Pixar/Disney) had a $39.2M weekend ($55.6M since its Wednesday opening), putting it behind Frozen ($67.4M), Toy Story 2 ($57.4M) and Tangled ($48.8M) among Thanksgiving openings.  It continues to run closest to […]

  The box office typically dives on Thanksgiving Day when audiences (especially families) are otherwise occupied, then jumps back on Black Friday, and such was the case again this year.  According to preliminary numbers at Deadline, THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 2 (Lionsgate) was comfortably #1 for the day while continuing to run behind the […]

Weekend #48 of 2015 is looking like a decent $182 million for the top 12 films this weekend, up moderately from the norm for this weekend (see comparisons below). The Good Dinosaur from Disney should open with $53.5 million weekend during the traditional Friday-Sunday weekend and $76.5 million for the first five days Wednesday-Sunday. The film is on track for around […]