WORLDWIDE STUDIO SCORECARD.  The release of Maleficent has put Disney in a virtual three-way tie for second place (with Warner Brothers and Sony), each with around $1.35 billion worldwide for 2014 to date.  Fox remains comfortably in first place with $1.7 billion.  The other studios remain out of the running, particularly Universal, which was not helped at […]

Based on Friday’s grosses, weekend #10 of 2014 looks like $133 million for the top 12 films Friday-Sunday, slightly ahead of the the average for this weekend the past few years. Opening at 3,470 theaters Friday, 300: Rise of an Empire from Warner Brothers grossed $17.4 million Friday, putting the film on track for a $44.3 million opening […]

Nine weeks into 2013, the North American box office is down significantly from last year (-19%).  But it’s more interesting when we look back at the a longer period — in this case, the last six years.  Half of those years resemble this year, and the other half resemble “up” years like 2012.  Those up […]

> We’re still a few hours away from the release of actual boxoffice numbers for last weekend (check back for Mitch Metcalf’s full analysis when the figures are official), but The Hollywood Reporter is claiming that COWBOYS AND ALIENS has pulled ahead of THE SMURFS for the weekend crown, with $35.7-36M compared to Smurfs’ $35.6M.  […]

Weekend #23 of 2014 is looking like a pretty typical $149 million for the top 12 films this weekend, within 1% of the norm for this weekend and 4% above the same weekend last year.   Opening at over 3,000 theaters Friday (well above the 2,886 average theater count for opening weekends the last two […]

  Vulture picked the wrong weekend to predict Universal’s demise. OPENINGS:  SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN (Universal) had a very good $20.3M Friday, and will do better than $50M for the weekend, successfully selling (male) audiences on the revisionist fairy tale as an epic action movie.  All that epic action and spectacular CG came at […]

> The 13th weekend of 2012 is looking like $146 million for the Top 12 films, up 28% from this weekend last year and up 14% from the four-year average for the first weekend in April.  The Hunger Games had a sizable drop in its second weekend but not unlike other huge openers, and the […]

>The complete WEEKEND PREDICTIONS will be posted later this morning.  Until then, an early look.  Contagion should open at #1 with $20.5 million this weekend.  Warrior should open with about $10 million, battling with The Help for second place.  Finally, in the DOA department, Bucky Larson: Born to be a Star (produced by Adam Sandler) […]