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 […]

The 36th weekend of 2012 is looking like $50 million for the Top 12 films Friday-Sunday, near recent record lows for box office volume.  Equally weak weekends were last seen in 2003 and 2008.  The Possession is holding on to the top spot this weekend (with less than $10 million for the #1 film, yikes), […]

The Past Week: Total Box Office Volume All films in wide release playing between October 15 and October 21 grossed a decent $158 million, up 4% from the four-year average for the week and up 13% from the same week last year.    The past six weeks are now 4% above the four-year average box […]

  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 […]

  Yesterday we took a look at what’s coming to theaters in the 1st quarter of 2013 (read it here).  Today we’ll start to delve into the studio’s favorite time of year:  summer.  (August-September is here, and October-December is here.) But first, there’s April, a month where the studios tend to reserve their big guns […]

Based on Friday’s grosses, Weekend #7 of 2013 is not as bad as the last few weeks: $123 million for the top 12 films during the traditional Friday-Sunday period of this holiday weekend (only 4% behind the pace for the same weekend the last few years).         Opening at 3,552 theaters Thursday […]

The box office is starting to stabilize after a rough first quarter of the year.  This weekend’s top 12 films should total about $120 million, within 3% of the same weekend in recent years and the second weekend in a row to buck the strong downward trend most of the winter. Opening at a slightly […]

The 20th weekend of the year is looking like $158 million for the top 12 films, a little better than average for this weekend over the past few years but much better than the same weekend last year, which featured the opening of the one of the greatest clunkers/ punchlines/ punching bags ever: Battleship from […]