The Past Week: Total Box Office Volume All films in wide release playing between November 26 and December 2 grossed an terrific $146 million, up 26% from the four-year average for the week and up a big 40% from the same week last year.  The past six weeks are now 18% above the four-year average […]

Skyfall continues its incredibly impressive run, now over $900 million worldwide and approaching the overseas total for Dark Knight Rises. Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 is almost at $450 million overseas to date already and clearly will build up to and beyond $800 million worldwide.

  The Sundance Film Festival saved its most high-profile announcements for today, releasing the titles of its Narrative and Documentary Premieres.  The lion’s share of the festival movies that reach theatres/VOD will come from this group, which feature the most prominent filmmakers and actors.  Here are a few of the most immediately promising: ACOD:  A […]

  OPENINGS:  KILLING THEM SOFTLY (Weinstein) is estimating a pathetic $7M weekend, just about the worst of Brad Pitt’s starring career, and even that may be pushing it, since the studio is claiming a relatively soft Sunday drop.  The same is true of the even more dismal THE COLLECTION (LD), which for reasons best known […]

Based on Friday’s grosses, Weekend #48 is on pace to exceed the multi-year average for this weekend by 33% — the fourth weekend in a row 20% or more above the comparable weekend average.  All credit goes to strong holdovers Breaking Dawn Part 2, Skyfall, Lincoln, and even Life of Pi and Rise of the […]

  After announcing its competition titles yesterday, today the Sundance Film Festival continued its gradual release of the 2013  line-up with most of its remaining films, leaving only the highest-profile Premieres for Monday.  Among the instantly promising: MUD:  The latest film by Jeff Nichols, who gave us Take Shelter last time out.  Mud has already […]

This weekend is normally dead.  On average, last weekend (the three days after Thanksgiving) is the 7th busiest of the year, while this weekend (the first in December) is normally ranked 50th in terms of volume.  Last year, there were no wide releases on the comparable weekend, and two years ago only one film was […]

  Sundance, like most major film festivals, makes an extended process out of the unveiling of its yearly offerings, and today the festival announced its 2013 competition entries (fiction and documentary, US and foreign), as well as the avant-garde NEXT category.  The really high-profile Premieres and the sometimes more commercial Midnight titles are among those […]