The 28th weekend of the year is looking like a very good $209 million for the top 12 films, up 15% from the comparable weekend the last few years. Opening at around 3,000 theaters Friday (somewhat above the 2,886 average theater count for opening weekends), Grown Ups 2 from Sony should average $15,300 per theater for the three-day weekend (for a $45.5 […]

6:30 We’ve arrived at that strangest phenomenon of awards season, the night when we collectively grant the 88 nonentities of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (none of them filmmakers, many of them not even critics, and some of them of dubious principle) meaningful sway over the Academy Awards.  That will be even more true this […]

Looking at wide-release films in North America (those that play on at least 400 screens at some point), 2013 now totals just over $3.1 billion, down 13% from 2012 and down 5% from the prior four-year average 2009-2012.  Still a very mediocre year.  Each year-to-date period below is defined as the first Monday after New […]

> It may not literally be true that if you look up “hack” in the dictionary, you’ll find a picture of Brett Ratner.  In fact, not all his movies are terrible:  there’s Family Man, and… well, Family Man really wasn’t bad at all.  But did we need the director of Money Talks, Rush Hour, Rush […]

Weekend #9 of 2014 is looking like an lame $102 million for the top 12 films, 33% behind the average for this weekend the past several years. With The Lego Movie returning to Earth and neither of the new movies this weekend looking like runaway hits, the box office is definitely cooling off. Opening at around […]

WORLDWIDE STUDIO SCORECARD.  Here is an updated look at the 2017 film slates by studio. YEAR TO DATE BOX OFFICE. Looking at North American box office, 2017 to date is still down -2% from last year and still +1% above the average for this point the past four years ($9.042 billion).  Over the same period, Hollywood films have grossed almost […]

WORLDWIDE STUDIO SCORECARD.  Here is an updated look at the 2017 film slates by studio. YEAR TO DATE BOX OFFICE. Looking at North American box office, 2017 to date is still down -2% from last year and still +1% above the average for this point the past four years ($8.750 billion).  Over the same period, Hollywood films have grossed almost […]

>X-Men: First Class now has an accurate screen count and updated critical response.  The prequel has been adjusted downward a tick but will still lead the weekend, which will be up significantly over the same weekend last year. Opening at about 3,641 theaters, X-Men: First Class should average a strong $18,700 per theater (for $68 […]