Based on Friday’s grosses, the final weekend of 2013 looks like a great finish: $193 million for the top 12 films Friday-Sunday, up substantially from the same weekend last year (see comparisons to previous years at the bottom).  The new films this long weekend are actually not breaking through in a big way: it’s the […]

Weekend #14 of 2014 is looking like a robust $159 million for the top 12 films, 41% above the typical volume for this weekend the past few years ($113 million). Opening at around 3,900 theaters Friday (well above the 2,886 average theater count for opening weekends the last two years), Captain America: The Winter Soldier from Disney should average […]

Based on Friday’s and Saturday’s grosses, weekend #20 of 2014 now looks like $171 million for the top 12 films Friday-Sunday, somewhat less than the $177 million estimate yesterday but still up 17% from the norm for this weekend.   Opening at 3,952 theaters, Godzilla from Warner Brothers grossed $38.5 million late Thursday/Friday and a slightly cooler $32.2 […]

Based on Friday’s and Saturday’s grosses, weekend #28 of 2014 now looks like $140 million for the top 12 films Friday-Sunday, 27% below the norm for this weekend and now slightly above our forecast ($134 million). Opening at 3,967 theaters, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes from 20th Century Fox grossed $27.7 million through Friday […]

Weekend #37 of 2014 is looking like $65 million for the top 12 films this weekend, down 21% from the norm for this weekend. Opening at around 3,500 theaters Friday (above the 2,886 average theater count for opening weekends the last two years), Dolphin Tale 2 from Warner Brothers should average a mediocre $5,500 per theater for the […]

Weekend #45 of 2014 is looking like $167 million for the top 12 films this weekend, up 19% from the norm for this weekend.   Opening at 3,500 theaters Friday (well above the 2,886 average theater count for opening weekends the last two years), Interstellar from Paramount should average a terrific $18,500 per theater for the […]

The top 10 films December 26, 2014 totaled $63.3 million,right at the average $63.1 million for the days since 2002 when December 26 landed on a Friday-Sunday.  The last time December 26 fell on a Friday (2008), the day’s top 10 films added up to a similar $63.5 million.  The 11 days December 16-26 total […]

WORLDWIDE STUDIO SCORECARD.  Here is the updated 2015 Scorecard, with Universal pulling into a very close second place (just behind Warner Brothers) thanks to Fifty Shades of Grey.  This performance from Focus and Universal is the first bit of good news in a long time for the hapless Comcast corporation, as its proposed acquisition of […]