PROJECT NIM:  Worth A Ticket – If You Can Stand It   At first I wondered why on earth Fox Searchlight hadn’t grabbed James Marsh’s documentary PROJECT NIM at Sundance, to serve as an unofficial prequel to Big Fox’s release of Rise of the Planet of the Apes next month.  It seemed like a […]

  PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3:  Worth A Ticket – More Minimalist Bumps In the Dark   The PARANORMAL ACTIVITY franchise is a movie studio’s dream come true.  The concept itself demands a no-star cast, a very limited number of settings and a bare minimum of special effects (the third and latest entry in the series cost […]

  Plot and character revelations are a critical part of James Marsh’s subtle, complex spy drama SHADOW DANCER, adapted by Tom Bradby from his own novel, so I’ll be circumspect in describing its plot beyond the initial set-up.  (Then again, I saw it at an 8:30AM screening at Sundance, so I’m not altogether sure I […]

The box office is roaring back to life this weekend after three weeks of unimpressed moviegoers.  The 23rd weekend of 2012 is looking like a killer $183 million for the Top 12 films Friday-Sunday, up 38% from this weekend last year and up 25% from a more normal second weekend in June.  As expected, Prometheus […]

Before next weekend’s arrival of a bona fide hit, The Dark Knight Rises, this weekend was highlighted by a bit of a summer movie poser: Ice Age: Continental Drift (an estimated $46.0 million opening weekend, missing our forecast in Wednesday’s ShowbuzzDaily Weekend Predictions), looking less like a summer movie that should be given a weekend […]

Weekend #33 of 2012 looks like an unusually robust third weekend of August.  Four new films open, with The Expendables 2 an atypically strong entry for this late weekend.  The top 12 films this weekend should total $143 million, up over 35% from the pace for the same weekend the last few years. Opening at […]

Two films had big very large gains overseas the past week: Resident Evil: Retribution (up $53 million to $103 million overseas to date) and Expendables 2 (up $28 million since last week to $186 million overseas to date).  The fifth in the Resident Evil series now stands at an estimated $145 million worldwide, with at least another $100 million in upside […]

This weekend is looking very strong: over $150 million for the top 12 films Friday-Sunday, up 22% from a typical second weekend in November.  James Bond’s latest adventure starring Daniel Craig is eagerly awaited by audiences and well-reviewed by critics — this will be potent.  Previewing Friday at around a dozen theaters, Lincoln starring Daniel […]