Yesterday we looked at some of the ways that the costs of producing a feature film are higher and more complicated than they might seem.  Today, some additional obstacles that lie between any movie and profitability.   These may be the most important and least-understood part of profitability calculations.  Every entity that distributes a […]

Weekend #31 of 2012 looks more like a late August weekend: two films opening with very little excitement.  The top 12 films this weekend should total $116 million, down significantly from last year’s comparable weekend, which featured the surprisingly successful (and good) Rise of the Planet of the Apes.  Total Recall, however, feels like it […]

  Let’s start with something simple:  anyone who claims to have reliable knowledge about the profitability of a specific film, without having detailed access to its production budgets, financing documents and key talent agreements (virtually all confidential), misleads themselves and their readers. The financing and accounting of films is probably more complicated now than it’s […]

One slate had a significant gain this week: Team Weil was up $180 million over the last seven days to $734 million, vaulting into second place.  The Dark Knight Rises accounted for most of that increase, although Ice Age 4 also remains a significant contributor. Team Salem had a small $22 million increase this week, hitting $709 million […]

A fairly forgettable week at the box office — two new films open to little business and Dark Knight Rises continues to lead the pack, although at a significantly slower pace than its predecessor The Dark Knight. The Past Week: Total Box Office Volume All films in wide release playing between July 23 and July […]

Overseas box office for The Dark Knight Rises has risen to $248 million to date, up from $88 million at this time last week.  The ultimate overseas number could hit $490 million, up somewhat from $469 million for The Dark Knight.  If our projected domestic total for Rises is correct, the worldwide total will be around $930 million, somewhat behind […]

The Dark Knight Rises is now looking like a $64.1 million second weekend, down 60% from last weekend’s opening.  (The second weekend looks stronger than it appeared yesterday morning, but it still is significantly behind the pace for 2008’s The Dark Knight, which grossed $75.2 million in the second weekend — down 52% from its […]

The 30th weekend of 2012 is looking like a weak $119 million for the Top 12 films Friday-Sunday, down 30% from the same weekend last year.  The Dark Knight Rises continues to fall significantly off the pace of 2008’s The Dark Knight, and the two films opening this weekend were stillborn.  Some will say people […]