December 15th, 2012
We are getting closer and closer to Christmas and we are getting to the crunch time for gift shopping. After checking out first run releases and franchise box sets in Part I and TV on DVD releases in Part II, this week we look at limited releases, classics, and foreign films. Some are pretty obvious choices, as we had a few limited releases that broke into the mainstream during their theatrical releases, but there are also a few more films that slipped beneath the radar the last time around. The biggest of these is...
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August 22nd, 2012
Doctor Seuss' The Lorax was the first new release to top the Blu-ray Sales Chart in a while. It sold 1.73 million units and generated $34.65 million in revenue. Its opening week Blu-ray share was 47%, which is outstanding for a kids movie. In fact, it generated more revenue from Blu-ray than it did from DVD, so it is clear Blu-ray has taken over the mainstream market. Granted, some types of releases, like dramas, live action kids movies, documentaries, TV shows, etc. still sell much better on DVD than they do on Blu-ray, but those days could be numbered as well.
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August 22nd, 2012
Doctor Seuss' The Lorax led the new releases earning first place on the DVD sales chart. It sold 1.96 million units and generated $33.38 million in revenue. It is already the sixth best selling DVD for 2012.
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August 7th, 2012
This is not a really slow week on the home market this week, as we have The Lorax coming out, and it was the highest-grossing animated film of the year, until Brave overtook is very recently, so it should be a big seller on the home market. Unfortunately, it is the only major release of the week. There are some other releases worth checking out, a few worth picking up, but very few that are contenders for Pick of the Week. High Fidelity is a great movie, but its Blu-ray debut is Shovelware. Personally, I think Spaceballs is really underrated, but this is not the first time it has been released on Blu-ray and double-dips are rarely Pick of the Week material. In the end, I'm going with My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic: Royal Pony Wedding, because I liked the first DVD release more than I thought I would.
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August 6th, 2012
It is very rare for a documentary to top $1 million, especially if it is not about cute animals. So far this year, Magnolia has shepherded two such films to the million dollar club, and I've gotten to review both of them. Marley is the second, will it be as engaging as the first I reviewed.
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May 23rd, 2012
The Avengers was the only film to reach the $10,000 mark on the per theater chart earning an average of $13,096. Elena probably would have earned a spot in the $10,000 club had it not opened on Wednesday. It earned $9,035 in one theater over the weekend, but $13,240 over its five-day opening.
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April 25th, 2012
Think Like a Man was a surprise hit and the only film to top $10,000 on the per theater chart. However,
Darling Companion came very, very close with an average of $9,991 in four theaters.
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April 22nd, 2012
Although it won't be enough to give the industry a year-on-year win, Think Like a Man will deliver a very impressive $30 million opening this weekend, according to studio estimates released on Sunday, a performance that is well ahead of projections going into the weekend. The Lucky One also beat expectations and will finish second with around $22.8 million. The Hunger Games will be pushed into 3rd place, picking up around $14.5 million in its fifth weekend and passing $350 million in the process. Nature documentary Chimpanzee will land in fourth place with $10.2 million.
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April 20th, 2012
There are only a few limited releases on this week's list, and only one of them is earning overwhelmingly positive reviews. Marley's reviews are fantastic, but it is opening in 45 theaters, which is a lot for a limited release. It could prove to be too many. To the Arctic 3D is also opening in dozens of theaters, but its reviews are barely above the overall positive level.
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