> John Carter traveled to Mars; the movie with his name also looks beyond the US for some help. OPENINGS:  JOHN CARTER (Disney) may or may not have grossed over $30M this weekend–we’ll find out for sure tomorrow.  (Disney is claiming a not-unreasonable 31% Sunday drop, but it would take only a small slip to […]

Based on Friday’s and Saturday’s grosses, weekend #6 of 2014 now looks like $139 million for the top 12 films Friday-Sunday, a better outlook than yesterday but still 16% behind the usual pace for this weekend.  The Lego Movie is a huge hit, but the rest of the box office is providing little support. Opening […]

Weekend #41 of 2015 is looking like $112 million for the top 12 films this weekend, very close to the norm for this weekend but below last year’s strong weekend (see comparisons below). Pan from Warner Brothers should open with a $16.5 million weekend. The film is on track for around $70 million domestic. Overseas the film could bring in $210 […]

WORLDWIDE STUDIO SCORECARD.  Here is an updated look at the 2017 film slates by studio. YEAR TO DATE BOX OFFICE. Looking at North American box office, 2017 to date is still down -2% from last year and still +2% above the average for this point the past four years ($7.310 billion).  Over the same period, Hollywood films have grossed […]

  Although still down steeply from Fifty Shades of Grey, FIFTY SHADES FREED (Perfect World/Universal) is opening on par with the initial sequel Fifty Shades Darker.  According to preliminary numbers at Deadline, Freed earned $18.4M on its first day (including $5.6M from Thursday night), down 14% from Darker, which could translate into a $40M weekend, […]

  In an entertainment universe changing with bewildering speed, two stories today spoke to the difficulties and opportunities of old and new media.  First, let’s take a look at what’s happening to the traditional mode of seeing movies in theaters Big-budget adventure-adventure spectacles have long been the bread and butter of the Hollywood studios, and […]

  For Hollywood, Christmas really is the most wonderful time of the year, because it doesn’t come but once:  with the exception of a New Year’s Eve dip, every day between December 25 and January 2 will perform like a Friday.  That’s great for the box office, but it makes any analysis of “comps” and […]

Weekend #7 of 2016 is looking like $153 million for the top 12 films this weekend (for the three-day Friday-Sunday portion), near the norm for this weekend but below last year’s torrid pace (see comparisons below). Deadpool from Fox should open with $67.0 million Friday-Sunday. The film is on track for around $195 million domestic in its run. Overseas the film could bring […]