> Team Salem has taken a commanding lead in the first annual ShowBuzzDaily Summer Movie Draft.  Team Metcalf will get back in the game with his #3 pick at the end of June (Cars 2) and two movies July 1, including his #1 selection (Transformers: Dark of the Moon).  Then Salem’s #1 pick (the final […]

>    With a summer movie season bracketed by the first weekend in May on one end, and Labor Day on the other, we’ve reached the midpoint of 2011’s array of blockbusters, and for the next week, here at SHOWBUZZDAILY, we’ll be providing our judgments on how the studios are doing.  US Grosses are as […]

>The tenth weekend of the year should generate about $122 million for the top 12 films, a slightly better than normal weekend for the second weekend in March — up 4% from last year’s comparable weekend and up 10% from the four-year average for this weekend.  John Carter will be the top opener, but it […]

>Ah, the dog days of summer in August.  It’s the time when studios start dumping movies.  Sure there can be a surprise in this month (see District 9 two years ago this weekend), but the lower box office volume in August simply works against most films succeeding.  A quick look at the numbers: a typical […]

>Through Thursday, Team Metcalf’s lead in the ShowBuzzDaily Summer Movie Draft is now almost $67 million.  This weekend Metcalf’s final two films open (Cowboys & Aliens and Crazy, Stupid, Love), while Salem opens The Smurfs.  Metcalf’s lead will expand somewhat this weekend, and the race will be decided by Rise of the Planet of the […]

> Box Office Mojo reports that with Monday’s receipts counted, HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS (PART 2) has moved ahead of TRANSFORMERS:  DARK OF THE MOON, $344.9M to $344.7M, to become the top-grossing film in the US for 2011.  (Since Harry is earlier in its run and will be losing theatres more slowly, it […]

> The first substantial buy of the Toronto Film Festival (Shame had sold first, but for art film prices) turned out to be Salmon Fishing In the Yemen, a modestly engaging romantic comedy from Lasse Hallstrom.  Hallstrom has made a career out of “modestly engaging,” following his early distinction with My Life As a Dog […]

> Sony is taking an interesting strategy this fall:  with MONEYBALL in release, THE IDES OF MARCH opening on Friday and ANONYMOUS coming on October 28, they’re cornering the market on upscale, wide-release drama until Warner Bros opens J. EDGAR on November 11.  (On that date, Sony will go as downscale as is humanly possible […]