OPENINGS:  The blockbusters are delivering even if other box office segments still aren’t, and that’s good news for pandemic-weary theater owners and studios.  In the US, VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE (Columbia/Marvel/Sony) set a new Covid-era record with a remarkable $90.1M opening, larger than the $75.4M earned by Shang-Chi a month ago, the $80.4M […]

  OPENINGS:  Taking the spotlight from higher-profile arrivals, the anime title MY HERO ACADEMIA: WORLD HEROES’ MISSION (Funimation) was the weekend’s highest-grossing newcomer with $6.4M, better than the $5.9M opening for the last Academia movie, 2019’s Heroes Rising.  These films tend to be fairly front-loaded, but Mission should pass $15M in the US, and it […]

  OPENINGS:  BULLET TRAIN (Columbia/Sony) opened in line with general predictions at $30.1M, but that’s not the same as a good result.  The film carries around $175M in production/marketing costs, and faces a long track to profitability.  Nor does it appear to be showing particular strength internationally, despite Brad Pitt’s star power and the international […]

  OPENINGS:  TAKEN 3 (Europa/20th) had a very decent 5% Saturday bump (so much for the movie’s quality affecting word of mouth), and is currently claiming a $40.4M weekend, which would make it the #2 January opening ever, right behind last year’s Ride Along at $41.5M.  In addition, Taken 3 earned another $40.1M in just […]

  Everyone enjoys a quiet weekend before the Bat-attack begins at 12:01AM Thursday night. OPENINGS:  The important number for ICE AGE:  CONTINENTAL DRIFT (20th) isn’t the $46M US opening (the lowest of the franchise), but the $95.2M earned overseas, giving it a total of $339.2M internationally since the movie started opening in foreign territories more […]

WORLDWIDE STUDIO SCORECARD.  20th Century Fox has broken away from the pack with over $2.8 billion worldwide to date for 2014, with another almost $400 million worldwide last week.  Dawn of the Planet of the Apes has enormous upside overseas and it will quickly move out of the middle $100-299 million category to the $300+ million […]

STUDIO SCORECARD. In the worldwide studio rankings for 2013 to date, Warner Brothers solidified its first place position, thanks to Gravity.  As we do with all films, the full estimated domestic tally has been added to the studio year to date total, while the overseas numbers will be added as those actual results come in.  So […]

  OPENINGS:  After a 15% Saturday bump to $16.7M, RIDE ALONG (Universal) seems assured of beating Cloverfield‘s $46.1M record for the 4-day Martin Luther King Day weekend (Ride Along is reporting $41.2M for Fri-Sun, where Cloverfield was at $40.1M).  Cloverfield ultimately reached $80M in the US, and that’s about where Ride Along should end up […]