April 27th, 2015
There were no new releases to chart this week. However, there was a new film in top spot, or to be more accurate, a returning film in top spot. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies reclaimed first place with 109,000 units / $1.63 million for the week, giving it totals of 1.06 million units / $15.82 million after three weeks of release.
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June 23rd, 2013
New releases were really weak with only one reaching the top ten on the DVD sales chart. That film was Dark Skies, which opened in first place with 136,000 units / $2.04 million. This is actually a little better than expected, given its box office numbers.
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November 23rd, 2011
This weekend is Thanksgiving and as always that means Black Friday and Cyber Monday plus 48 hours of shopping in-between. And as always, I've already done my Christmas shopping, for the most part. (I'm still waiting to see if the B.C.Lions win the Grey Cup. If not, I'll need to look for an alternative gift.) For everyone else who is still searching, we present the first part in our annual Holiday Gift Guide. As usual, the gift guide is divided into several sections, starting with Major Movie Releases. These are first run releases, franchise box sets, etc. However, before we get into the individual titles, we will start with an update on...
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November 1st, 2011
The top of the DVD sales chart was the weakest it's been since August, as Bad Teacher was the number one selling DVD with just 265,000 units sold and $4.71 million in opening week revenue.
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October 26th, 2011
Despite the presence of four new releases in the top ten on the Blu-ray sales chart, none were able to overtake The Lion King for top spot. It sold an additional 496,000 units generating $12.39 million for totals of 2.03 million units / $57.86 million after two weeks of release.
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October 25th, 2011
The top of the DVD sales chart was the weakest its been in more than a month and no new release was able to top 500,000 units sold. Horrible Bosses came the closest with 451,000 units / $6.89 million.
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October 19th, 2011
A pair of powerful new releases helped push the Blu-ray sales chart to record levels. The Lion King led the way with 1.57 million units sold, earning $46.46 million. If you add in The Trilogy Box Set, which sold 44,000 units / $3.33 million, the film earned nearly $50 million in opening week sales. I wasn't expecting it to sell this well.
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October 18th, 2011
The list of new releases to reach the top 30 on this week's DVD sales chart was short with only two such DVDs. This does include a new number one film, Fast Five, which sold 851,000 units while generating $13.92 million during its first week of release.
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October 6th, 2011
The Smurfs were finally knocked off the top spot on the international chart, falling prey to The Sorcerer And The White Snake. This Chinese film opened in a trio of markets earning $15.88 million, but no other details were released.
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October 5th, 2011
It's a maddening week on the home market. There were more than a dozen featured reviews this week, and what seems like an equal number that are late. (And that's not mentioning the more than a dozen Blu-rays and DVDs that arrived late last week that I still haven't gotten to. At least I don't have to worry about not having enough to do for the next few weeks.) There were a number of contenders for Pick of the Week, including The Walking Dead: Season One on DVD or Blu-ray. But in the end I choose The Lion King Blu-ray Combo Pack.
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October 2nd, 2011
I don't have high expectations for Fast Five. It did help start the summer blockbuster season a week early this year and ended with $200 million domestically and $600 million worldwide, but I don't expect the plot, the acting, the dialog to be selling points. All I expect is a fun popcorn flick. However, I recently reviewed Transformers: Dark of the Moon, and with that film I was also only expecting a fun popcorn flick, but I was disappointed. Will Fast Five be a more satisfying romp? Or will it too fall for the trap of caring more about the humans than the machines?
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June 8th, 2011
I think it is not unfair to call Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides a disappointment domestically, as it seems very likely that it won't match its hefty production budget, while it is practically guaranteed it will be the weakest installment in the franchise. On the other hand, the film is breaking records internationally. This weekend it tied the record for the fastest film to reach $600 million internationally, which was previously set by Avatar at just 19 days. It also became the fastest to reach $700 million worldwide at 16 days. This weekend its haul was down to $70.78 million on 15,962 screens in 69 markets for a total of $601.58 million internationally and $791.78 million worldwide, but that was enough to earn first place for the third weekend in a row. The film's biggest market of the weekend was Japan where it made $8.63 million on 802 screens, giving it a total of $62.75 million after just three weeks of release.
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June 6th, 2011
It wasn't exactly a disappointing weekend at the box office, but we did see the overall box office fall closer to the low end of expectations. With $160 million over the weekend, the box office was down 28% from the Friday-through-Sunday portion of the Memorial Day long weekend. However, it was up 24% from this weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2011 now has pulled in $4.23 billion, compared to $4.55 billion for last year. 2011 is still in a massive hole, but at least there's a chance we can close the gap, while reaching $10 billion in total for the year has become a lot more likely.
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June 2nd, 2011
The fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, On Stranger Tides, held off a pair of sequels on the international chart with $122.8 million on 18,000 screens in 65 markets for a total of $470.8 million internationally and $623.7 million worldwide. It tied the record for fastest film to reach $600 million worldwide, which was previously set by At World's End at 12 days. Its biggest single market of the weekend was Japan, where it was down just 8% from its opening weekend with $13.75 million on 800 screens over the weekend for a total of $44.57 million after two. It also cracked $10 million in Germany ($11.16 million on 820 screens for a total of $35.26 million) and in Russia ($10.62 million on 1716 screens over a total of 49.87 million). At this pace, it is likely that the film has already topped the final figure for Curse of the Black Pearl, while $600 million internationally and $900 million worldwide is not out of the question.
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May 25th, 2011
While Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides opened on the low end of expectations domestically, it broke records internationally with $222.03 million on 18,210 screens in 65 markets over the weekend for a total opening of $260.43 million. This is the largest ever international opening, and adding in its domestic debut, the film has $350.58 million worldwide. Its biggest single market was Russia, surprisingly, with $26.75 million on 1,716 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $31.42 million. That's more than At World's End earned in that market in total. The film also reportedly earned $20 million during its debut in China, but further details are not available.
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May 23rd, 2011
We had a reason to celebrate this weekend as On Stranger Tides had the best opening of any film so far in 2011, even if it was a little weaker than expected. This helped the overall box office grow nearly 20% from last weekend to $167 million, which is 12% higher than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2011 is still behind 2010 by $3.65 billion to $4.13 billion, but the gap is down to 11.6% and the box office is moving in the right direction.
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May 19th, 2011
Not to put too fine a point on it, but so far 2011 has been a terrible year at the box office. Granted, the past month or so have been better, but if we were to extrapolate the total box office based on how we've done so far, we'd have the worst year in a decade in terms of dollars, and way longer than that in terms of tickets sold. This really should change this weekend with the release of On Stranger Tides, which should earn more than Shrek Forever After, last year's number one film, with relative ease. In fact, it might earn more than the top five combined did last year.
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May 18th, 2011
Fast Five remained in top spot on the international chart with $58.34 million on 8,819 screens in 61 markets for totals of $272.24 million internationally and $441.93 million worldwide. The film's only major market opening was in China, where it grabbed $9.1 million, which was easily enough for first place. It remained in first place in France ($4.97 million on 500 screens) and in Mexico ($4.77 million on 1,003) while it now has $15.17 million and $17.22 million in those two markets respectively. Its biggest market so far has been Russia, where it has earned $27.39 million after three weeks of release, including $2.53 million on 752 screens this past weekend. At this point, $600 million worldwide is becoming very likely, even with few additional markets left to open in. In fact, its next major market is Japan, but it doesn't open there till October.
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May 16th, 2011
A stronger than expected hold by Thor and a better than expected debut by Bridesmaids helped 2011 earn a surprise win in the year-over-year comparison. Granted, with an overall haul of $140 million, it was 16% lower than last weekend, but it topped the same weekend last year... By less than $1 million. Hey, a win is a win and I'll take it. Year-to-date, 2011 is still behind 2010 by $500 million at $3.44 billion to $3.94 billion, but we could see that gap close next weekend.
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May 15th, 2011
A bigger-than-expected opening for Bridesmaids gave the market a welcome shot in the arm this weekend, according to studio estimates. While the comedy didn't top the weekend, it did top most predictions (although C.S. just about nailed it in his Friday column) with an estimated debut of $24.4 million, continuing an excellent run for Universal after a long stretch of under-performance. Thor remained top of the chart though, and will drop a respectable 47% according to Paramount's figures. That puts it on track for about $170 million in total, which isn't bad for the first outing in a franchise, although hardly record-breaking.
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May 12th, 2011
With no blockbuster releases this weekend, Thor seems set to repeat at the box office champion. This will likely result in a pretty big decline from last weekend's total box office, and there's almost no chance the box office will keep pace with last year. Hopefully next weekend things will turn around.
Thor has to deal with direct competition and the Fanboy Effect this weekend. On the positive side, it also has strong reviews and neither of the new films are expected to be monster hits. The combination of factors makes a 50% drop-off likely, while a fall as much as 60% would not be a large surprise.
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May 11th, 2011
Fast Five expanded worldwide and stormed into first place with $85.77 million on 7,363 screens in 58 markets for a total of $184.54 million internationally and $324.32 million worldwide. This is the biggest international weekend for an Universal film ever, just edging out King Kong's debut. It opened in 44 markets, finishing in first place in all of them. Highlights include France with $9.13 million on 500 screens, Mexico with $6.99 million on 1,743, Brazil with $4.85 million on 517, and Italy with $4.78 million on 533 screens over the weekend and $7.04 million in total. Meanwhile, the film held onto first place in Russia with $5.15 million on 1,100 screens over the weekend for a massive total of $22.64 million after two and it also repeated on top in Germany with $4.61 million on 645 screens over the weekend for a total of $16.72 million, also after two. Finally, the film completed the hattrick in Australia, leading the way for the third weekend in a row, with $1.97 million on 349 screens over the weekend lifting its total to $23.11 million. Fast Five doesn't have many more markets left to open in, but it is already an overwhelming success, so the studio should be ecstatic, so much so that extending the franchise is practically guaranteed at this point.
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May 10th, 2011
Thor was the only film to top the $10,000 mark on the per theater chart with an average of $16,618 in just under 4,000 theaters. Fast Five did come reasonably close to that mark with an average of $8,860, while the best limited release was Cave of Forgotten Dreams with $8,059.
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May 9th, 2011
There were reasons to celebrate the opening weekend of summer, even if it didn't get off to the best opening in recent memory. Thor took top spot, but its opening weekend was the weakest for the start of summer since Mission: Impossible: III kicked things off in 2006. The overall box office was up 5% from last weekend to $167 million, but that was 7% lower than the same weekend last year. However, this time last year the biggest film was Iron Man 2, which had the biggest opening of the year, so falling being by just 7% is not a bad result. Year-to-date, 2011 is behind 2010 by 13% at $3.25 billion to $3.75 billion, but hopefully in a couple of weeks we can start seeing that gap close.
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May 5th, 2011
Box office watchers are looking at the second potential monster hit opening in as many weeks and many are hoping Thor can maintain the pace set last weekend by Fast Five. It's unlikely Thor will open with as much as Fast Five did, but perhaps the two films as a one-two punch can help 2011 keep pace with last year.
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May 4th, 2011
Thor began its international run in earnest this weekend and it screamed into first place with $89.16 million on 8,401 screens in 54 markets for a total of $98.92 million. It scored a first place $8.99 million opening on 500 screens in the U.K., which was its biggest opening. However, it was arguably better in Mexico with $7.06 million on 1664 screens, as that market is smaller. It also opened in first place in France with $7.05 million on 608 screens and in Brazil with $5.34 million on 557 screens. It opened a few days early in South Korea and in Italy, but still earned first place in both with total openings of $5.93 million on 555 screens and $5.46 million on 581 screens respectively.
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May 3rd, 2011
The winners of our Cinq Rapide contest were determined and they are...
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May 3rd, 2011
The overall weakness at the box office has hurt IMAX films substantially as the first quarter revenue was $45.2 million, compared to $72.8 million from the same period last year. However, Fast Five showed that when there is a reason to go, people are still interested in IMAX. The film earned $8.3 million on just 243 IMAX screens, giving the film an opening per screen average of $34,000. And with Thor opening this Friday, IMAX theaters should be buzzing again this weekend.
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May 3rd, 2011
Cave of Forgotten Dreams had the best per theater average for any Werner Herzog film with an average of $27,820. The 3-D ticket prices helped, but so did the reviews. The overall number one film, Fast Five, was in second place on the per theater chart with an average of $23,655, which is a stunning result. The only other film to reach the $10,000 mark was 13 Assassins with an average of $11,464 in four theaters.
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May 2nd, 2011
There's finally reason to celebrate at the box office as Fast Five surpassed even the high end expectations and helped the overall box office numbers to their best levels of the year at $159 million. This was up 17% from last weekend and was a stunning 56% improvement over the same weekend last year. Granted, 2011 still lags behind 2010 by $500 million at $3.04 billion to $3.54 billion, but this is great news in the short term, and perhaps its a sign of strength to come.
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May 1st, 2011
After four months fretting about poor box office performance, we finally have an out-and-out success to celebrate. Fast Five has opened with an estimated $83.6 million, according to Universal's figures released on Sunday, which makes it not only the biggest opener of the year (with more than double the debut of the previous record-holder, Rio), but will take the record for the biggest weekend in April, topping the previous entry in the franchise, Fast & Furious (see top April weekends). Perhaps the message in all this is not so much that the industry is dying as that moviegoers haven't had anything to get excited about.
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April 28th, 2011
Analysts are optimistic this week, and for good reason. Not only is one of the most anticipated films of the spring opening this week, it is opening with better than expected reviews and with buzz that is growing at the right time. There's an outside chance that the number one film this year will earn more than the top ten films earned this weekend last year. Even if the top film misses expectations by a 50% margin, 2011 should still earn its third victory in a row in the year-over-year comparison.
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April 27th, 2011
Rio is the first film of 2011 to top $200 million on the international chart, reaching that milestone late in the weekend. It earned $44.27 million on 12,901 screens in 67 markets for a three-week total of $206.01 million internationally and $286.82 million worldwide. The film didn't open in any major markets this past weekend, but that clearly didn't hurt too badly, as the holds were excellent. For instance, the film was down just 10% in Brazil, earning $6.65 million on 971 screens for a total of $31.19 million. To put this into perspective, Avatar made less than $60 million in that market in total, and only had just over $20 million after three weeks of release. At this pace, $300 million internationally and $400 million worldwide is easily within reach.
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April 22nd, 2011
There are three or four wide releases coming out next weekend, but only one of them, Fast Five, has any real shot at top spot and it is the target film in this week's box office prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for Fast Five.
Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a copy of The Backyardigans: Join The Adventures' Club on DVD.
Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will also win a copy of The Backyardigans: Robot Repairman on DVD.
Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay!
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April 1st, 2011
Another month has gone by and 2011 has slipped further behind 2010's pace. March was a bit of an improvement over the first two months, but only in the most generous of terms. It still lost ground to 2010, but not at the same disastrous pace as January and February did. There is some good news, as last April was rather weak and there's a chance 2011 could actually gain ground. After all, only Clash of the Titans earned $100 million last year (although Date Night came awfully close). This year, there are three or four films that could hit the century mark. That would be welcome news indeed. On a side note, April is usually a bit of a dumping ground as studios fear going head-to-head with summer blockbusters opening in May. However, I get the feeling that this year they are hoping to extend summer by having it open a couple of weeks early. Maybe they'll succeed.
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January 4th, 2011
IMAX released their 2010 numbers and they had a lot of reasons to celebrate, more than 500 million of them. Total worldwide revenues doubled from their previous record of $270 million in 2009 to $546 million in 2010. This is partially due to increased market penetration, especially internationally (international revenue tripled from $70 million to $212 million) but their per theater revenue also grew by an impressive 50%. Revenue for the fourth quarter was also up compared to last year, but by a tiny margin at $102 to $101 million. However, this should be considered a solid result, as last year was boosted by Avatar, and there was nothing that came close to matching its box office this year.
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