Based on Friday’s grosses, weekend #9 of 2014 looks like $109 million for the top 12 films Friday-Sunday, somewhat better than we forecast Wednesday ($100 million) but still 17% below the average for this weekend. Opening at 3,090 theaters Friday, Non-Stop from Universal grossed $10.0 million Friday, putting the film on track for a $30.0 million opening weekend […]

  OPENINGS:  THE BEST CHRISTMAS PAGEANT EVER (Lionsgate) is claiming “victory” among the newcomers, but its reported $11.1M comes with a huge asterisk, as $2.1M of that total was from a preview day the previous week.  Strictly on a weekend vs weekend basis, it wasn’t close to the win.  It’s also estimating the smallest Sunday […]

> Oops.  The weekend forecasts were way too high for the sequels Sherlock Holmes 2 and Alvin and the Chipmunks 3.  The holiday season that was supposed to save 2011 (or at least make the year a little less embarrassing) is shaping up to be a major disappointment.  This weekend (when the box office should […]

  OPENINGS:  The biggest arrival of the weekend is still 2 weeks away from reaching the US.  INFERNO (Columbia/Sony), the latest in the DaVinci Code/Angels & Demons franchise, opened in 53 markets comprising about 2/3 of the world with $50M.  That’s a solid start, but suggests that when the movie goes worldwide (except for France) […]

  OPENINGS:  Once it became clear that the predicted $40M wasn’t going to happen, CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS 2 (Sony) badly wanted to claim a $35M opening, and so it did.  Actually hitting that number will require the 2d lowest Sunday drop in the Top 10 (behind only the phenomenal Instructions Not Included, one […]

The big gainer overseas this week was The Dark Knight Rises again, up $67 million to an overseas total of $445 million.  A billion dollars worldwide is still possible, but $950 million could be more realistic.   Ice Age 4 continues to pound away, up another $37 million overseas this week to $621 million to date. Brave, […]

  OPENINGS:  Was it the cash grab of splitting the final novel into 2 movies?  The tabloid antics of its stars?  In any case, “close but no cigar” seems to be the result for THE TWILIGHT SAGA:  BREAKING DAWN PART 2 (Summit/Lionsgate).  Its $71.2M opening day (including Thursday 10PM and midnight screenings) is $400K below […]

>1960 Kennedy/Nixon.  2000 Bush/Gore.  2011 Salem/Metcalf.  Team Salem has moved back into the lead (by a $17.8 million margin) thanks to a strong second weekend for Rise of the Planet of the Apes and a great opening for The Help.  With no new films opening for either Team, it is time for Metcalf to concede […]