May 10th, 2009
We've entered the summer schedule and this year there will be a small change. Instead of dealing with just the films that have reached $1 million or more on the international chart, we will be dealing with just the films that have reached $2 million or more. The reason for this change is simple; with the rise of many midlevel markets, reaching $1 million is just not that big of a feat anymore. The best of the rest of this week's selection was Hannah Montana the Movie, which placed a healthy second with $6.95 million on 1300 screens in 13 markets for a very early total of $8.96 million. This includes second place openings in the U.K. with $3.03 million on 415 screens in the U.K., which was as expected, and $1.44 million on 346 screens over the weekend in Italy and $1.64 million in total, which was better than expected. Also, it is about a week away from topping $1 million in Poland after earning $124,000 on 105 screens over the weekend giving it $932,000 after three. Combined with the nearly $75 million the movie has earned domestically, and this film is very, very close to showing a profit before the lucrative home market.
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May 3rd, 2009
OSS 117: Rio Ne Repond Plus slipped a spot to sixth with $4.74 million on 642 screens in 3 markets for a total of $15.15 million. Almost all of this came from France, where it repeated on top with $4.03 million on 602 screens over the weekend for a total of $12.83 million after two.
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April 29th, 2009
There were only two new releases to reach the top 30 on the rental chart this week, meaning there was not a lot of movement to report. The Day the Earth Stood Still remained in first place with a third more rentals than The Spirit, which opened in second place.
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April 26th, 2009
Japan was a major player on the international charts this past weekend, placing three films in the top 30, and helping a couple others as well. Detective Conan: The Raven Chaser placed first in its native market, and sixth internationally, with $6.00 million on 341 screens. More...
April 22nd, 2009
There were six new releases to chart this week, but three of the top four were holdovers. That one new release was The Day the Earth Stood Still, which earned 50% more than last week's number one film, Marley and Me.
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April 19th, 2009
Knowing was able to sneak into third place, despite earlier reports to the contrary. Over the past weekend it earned $13.35 million on 2943 screens in 24 markets for a total of $47.80 million. The film opened in a number of smaller markets, but most of the growth came from two major markets: Germany and Spain. In the former it made $1.47 million on 440 screens, while in the latter it made a more impressive $2.35 million on 330 screens over the weekend for a total of $3.11 million. As far as holdovers are concerned, the film held steady in France down just 16% to $3.06 million on 348 screens, but that was for the full week. After two weeks the film now has $6.72 million in that market.
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April 15th, 2009
Slow week for new releases with only four or five reaching the top five, depending on how you count Bedtime Stories. We did have a new number one, as Marley and Me sold 1.53 million units generating $28.32 million in sales.
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April 15th, 2009
There was a trio of new releases that finished one-two-three on the rental chart this week. This group was led by Marley and Me, which generated roughly 50% more rentals than either Seven Pounds or Slumdog Millionaire, which finished in a close race for second place.
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April 9th, 2009
Monsters vs. Aliens expanded practically worldwide over the weekend climbing into first place with $33.47 million on 7707 screens in 49 markets for a still early total of $46.90 million. It opened in most major markets scoring first place in the U.K. with $6.47 million on 520 screens, as well as in Italy with $2.86 on 496 and in Australia with $2.77 million on 382. It finished in second place in Spain with $2.82 million on 538 screens and in Mexico with $2.00 million on 539 screens over the weekend for a total of $3.06 million. On the other hand, it struggled in France landing in third place with $2.15 million on 790 screens and was even weaker in Germany earning fifth place with $1.40 million on 699. In both markets its per screen average was well below expectations and dragged down its overall per screen average. Perhaps the films the movie is spoofing are just not well known enough to draw in audiences overseas. Or perhaps there are not enough 3-D theaters overseas to give its overall box office a big enough boost. Regardless, the film should reach $100 million internationally, which will be enough to give the film a profit, assuming the price tag was not completely irrational.
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April 7th, 2009
The overall box office leader, Fast and Furious, was also the leader on the Per Theater Chart with an average of $20,500 during its opening weekend. Enlighten Up! returned to the chart in second place with $16,161 in second place. Valentino: The Last Emperor doubled its theater count, again, but remained strong with an average of $14,196 in four theaters. Strong buzz helped Gigantic earn $10,294 in its lone theater. Tulpan failed to reach $10,000 over the weekend with an opening of $8,620 in one theater; however, adding in Wednesday and Thursday and it made $10,357.
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April 1st, 2009
Slumdog Millionaire returned to first place on the international chart with $9.59 million on 3123 screens in 52 markets for a total of $170.31 million internationally and $309.86 million worldwide. The film opened in first place in China with $2.93 million on just over 400 screens, which is the best opening for a non-American foreign film for the past decade. It also showed no signs of declining in Germany, where it added $2.37 million on 270 screens during its second weekend, which was nearly identical to its opening, and it now has a total of $5.54 million.
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March 30th, 2009
It's a big list this week with nearly 50 DVDs here (including a few that are late reviews). This includes this year's big Oscar winner, Slumdog Millionaire, which is coming out on DVD and Blu-ray. Also coming out this week is two foreign language thrillers: Tell No One on DVD and Blu-ray, and Timecrimes on DVD. All three are worthy picking up. In fact, all three are DVD Picks of the Week. With so many releases, it comes as no surprise that this week's list has to be split into two, with the first part found here.
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March 30th, 2009
It's a big list this week with nearly 50 DVDs here (including a few that are late reviews). This includes this year's big Oscar winner, Slumdog Millionaire, which is coming out on DVD and Blu-ray. Also coming out this week is two foreign language thrillers: Tell No One on DVD and Blu-ray, and Timecrimes on DVD. All three are worth picking up. In fact, all three are DVD Picks of the Week. With so many releases, it comes as no surprise that this week's list has to be split into two, with the second part found here.
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March 25th, 2009
Coco opened in France and a couple other, smaller markets taking first place on the international chart with $12.71 million on 902 screens in 3 markets. This includes a first place opening in its native market, where it earned $11.20 million on 871 screens.
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March 24th, 2009
Valentino: The Last Emperor topped the per theater chart with $21,762 in one theater over the weekend and $33,170 since Wednesday. Hunger returned to theaters and scored $13,838 in its lone theater, which was just a tiny margin ahead of Sin Nombre's weekend of $13,574. Sunshine Cleaning expanded from 4 theaters to 64, but still finished in the $10,000 club with an average of $10,494.
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March 18th, 2009
Marley & Me jumped to the top of the international box office pulling in $14.14 million on 2559 screens in 29 markets for a total of $49.01 million. Its best market was the U.K. where it opened in first place with $6.15 million on 467 screens, while it placed second in Russia $1.58 million on 517 screens over the weekend for a total of $2.04 million. As far as holdovers go, the film managed $2.04 million on 550 screens over the weekend for a total of $5.72 million after two. Meanwhile in France, it earned $1.29 million on 354 screens over the weekend for a total of $4.11 million, also after two. The film opens in Spain this weekend, Japan next weekend, and Italy the weekend after that.
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March 17th, 2009
Sunshine Cleaning had the best per theater average of any film so far this year, pulling in an outstanding $220,000 in 4 theaters for an average of $54,798. Any doubts about the film's ability to expand wide should be greatly reduced after that. Opening in second place was Tokyo Sonata with an average of $14,173. The re-release of Z was the only other film to top $10,000 with an average of $10,144; however, Fados came close with $9,788.
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March 11th, 2009
Watchmen opened in top spot on the international charts, but with a weaker than expected figure. Much weaker in some markets. The film did top the charts in the U.K. with $4.52 million on 419 screens and in Australia with $2.29 million on 226, which is a great start for this time of year, but not a monster opening some were predicting. It placed first in Italy, but with a soft opening of $1.48 million on 344 screens, and the same was true in South Korea ($1.44 million on 397) and in Mexico ($722,000 on 417). The film had to settle for second place in Russia with $2.60 million on 554 screens and in France with $2.49 million on 517. Third was the best the movie could do in Germany ($2.03 million on 367 screens) and in Spain ($1.94 million on 426). Overall it did finish in first place with $26.63 million on 5,149 screens in 44 markets, but with only a couple of major markets left to open in, and the likelihood of massive drop-offs, this film will likely not match its domestic total, and might not top $100 million internationally. This is bad news for a movie that some have suggested cost $200 million to make, but that likely includes worldwide P&A, as well as the production budget. If it can make $300 million worldwide, then it will show a profit during its initial push on the home market. If it can make $200 million worldwide, then it will show a profit, eventually.
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March 11th, 2009
The overall box office leader, Watchmen, was also the leader on the per theater chart with an average of $15,291 in more than 3,600 theaters.
This was below expectations of many, but still a strong start.
Tokyo! and Fados were able to reach the $10,000 mark with $11,730 and $10,823 respectively.
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March 10th, 2009
Watchmen opened with the biggest weekend box office of the year so far, but it was below the record-breaking levels some predicted. That said, the overall box office was still up 4% from last weekend, and more importantly, up 8% from the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2009 has brought in $1.96 billion, which is about 14% more than last year's pace. This is down from earlier in the year, but still very impressive nonetheless.
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March 8th, 2009
Watchmen opened big over the weekend, earning a mighty $55.655 million, according to Warner Bros.' Sunday estimate.
Impressive as that debut is, the movie did fade quite dramatically through the weekend after posting a $25.135 million opening day on Friday.
Saturday's estimate stands at $18.7 million, down 25% from the movie's opening day, although the decline is slightly artifical because Friday's total includes $4.55 million from midnight shows.
Sunday's projected of $11.8 million would be down 37% from Saturday, which is fairly typical for an opening weekend.
Overall, it's a debut that Warner Bros. (and Fox, who has a gross participation deal) will be happy with, but the long-term performance of the movie is very hard to judge at this point.
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March 5th, 2009
Is it ironic that a film called Watchmen is opening the same weekend we set our clocks ahead one hour? Perhaps this is part of some brilliant marketing strategy. Regardless, Watchmen is the only wide release of the week, and it has a lot of buzz surrounding it. So much so that it has a shot at breaking records, while earning more than all four big releases last year did combined.
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March 4th, 2009
Slumdog Millionaire nearly doubled its weekend haul thanks to its Oscar wins, and a bit of expansion. For instance, the film opened in second place in Poland with $536,000 on 60 screens over the weekend for a total of $662,000. In the U.K. it rose from third into first place with $2.38 million on 447 screens over the weekend for a total of $36.74 million. Over in Spain it added $2.21 million on 250 screens, which was also enough for first place, while it has now made $6.00 million after three weeks of release. Overall the film made $16.94 million on 2,915 screens in 37 markets for a total of $99.71 million and will have reached the $100 million mark on Monday.
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March 3rd, 2009
It's been just over a week since Slumdog Millionaire won big at the Oscars, and it won again last weekend. It was the only one of the ten theatrical winners to show a significant bounce at the box office, as its theater count and per theater average both rose. This helped its box office climb by 43% to just over $12 million, the best weekend haul in its run.
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March 3rd, 2009
Katyn was the leader on the Per Theater Chart with $14,206 in one theater, while Examined Life was close behind with $12,085, also in one theater.
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March 3rd, 2009
We had a surprise film at the top of the chart as The Jonas Brothers proved they were no competition for Miley Cyrus. In fact, they were no match for Tyler Perry in a dress. Fortunately, while there was severe weakness at the top, the overall box office was still strong at $111 million. Yes, that was down 22% from last weekend, but it was 15% head of the same weekend last year. Meanwhile, 2009 continues to lead 2008 by a sizable margin at $1.79 billion to $1.53 billion, a 17% gap.
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March 1st, 2009
It is fair to say that expectations were generally too high for Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience this weekend, but even so its opening weekend, estimated at $12.7 million, is a major disappointment.
The biggest surprise is that it didn't even take number one spot on the weekend chart, in spite of Madea Goes to Jail dropping nearly 60% from its opening weekend.
Madea finished with $16.5 million, for a two week total of $64.8 million.
Slumdog Millionaire earned an estimated $12.15 million on the back of its big Oscar wins.
That's the biggest weekend so far for the movie, and its box office take has actually grown for 13 out of the 16 weekends it has been in theaters.
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February 26th, 2009
There won't be much of a race for the top of the box office chart with The Jonas Brothers being the only film with a legitimate shot at number one.
There is a question whether the trio can live up to Miley Cyrus's box office triumph with Best of Both Worlds.
And then there's the question of 2009 maintaining its blistering pace over 2008.
I think the latter is more likely than the former.
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February 25th, 2009
No major, or midlevel openings left The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button down 30% this weekend; however, it still earned more than enough to remain in top spot on the international charts.
It earned $21.20 million on 5,516 screens over the weekend in 55 markets for a total of $153.15 million, which is the second best total for a David Fincher film.
(Only Se7en earned more.)
The film's best market was Italy where it added $3.10 million on 502 screens over the weekend for a total of $8.65 million after two.
It was also very strong in France adding $3.06 million on 584 screens, giving the film a three-week total of $14.72 million.
With no major openings left ahead, the film will have to rely on holdovers to grow its worldwide box office, but it is only $50 million away from overtaking Se7en and becoming the biggest hit in David Fincher's career.
This is great news, because it was an very, very expensive movie to make.
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February 25th, 2009
The overall box office leader, Madea Goes to Jail, was also the leader on the Per Theater Chart with an average of $20,192. The only other member of the $10,000 club was Gomorrah, which barely managed that feat with an average of $10,087 over the weekend.
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February 24th, 2009
The Oscars combined with the post-holiday weekend left the overall box office dramatically lower this weekend compared to last. In fact, it was down 24% to $142 million; however, compared to the same weekend last year, that was up by just under 30%. Year-to-date, 2009 has pulled in $1.65 billion, which is 23% above last year's pace of $1.34 billion. There's no way 2009 can keep up this pace for too much longer, but each weekend it does will help future box office scores. After all, a lot of people see trailers, posters, and other advertisements for the first time when going to the movie theaters. More free advertising now will turn into more people going to the theaters later on.
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February 22nd, 2009
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced their winners tonight in a star-studded gala. While there were plenty of winners, Slumdog Millionaire walked away with eight Oscars, easily the most of any film tonight.
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February 22nd, 2009
Recep Ivedik opened in its native Turkey and a few other markets scoring sixth place with $8.32 million on 483 screens in 4 markets. Of that total, $6.10 million was earned on 390 screens during a first place opening in its native market, which is above the pace of its predecessor. The film managed fourth place in Germany with $1.75 million on just 75 screens. An excellent start for the film.
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February 22nd, 2009
Madea Goes to Jail dominated Oscar weekend at the movies with an impressive $41.1 million opening, according to Lionsgate's Sunday estimate.
That's a record for Perry, topping the $30 million debut of
Madea's Family Reunion two years ago.
Even after factoring in the exhibitor's share of box office,
Madea Goes to Jail has already recovered its $17.5 million production budget.
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February 21st, 2009
With our annual Oscar Prediction contest under way, now is the best time to look at the nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. Today we look at Best Female Actor in a Supporting Role and Best Male Actor in a Supporting Role.
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February 18th, 2009
Gomorrah led the way on the per theater chart this weekend with an average of $15,540 in seven theaters. Second place went to Two Lovers with an average of $13,569, proving yet again there is no such thing as bad publicity. Under the Sea 3-D opened with $13,490, and it should be in theaters for at least a year, if not two. The final film in the $10,000 club was the overall box office leader, Friday the 13th, which opened with an average of $13,066 in more than 3,000 theaters.
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February 18th, 2009
With our annual Oscar Prediction contest under way, now is the best time to look at the nominees and try and figure out who the favorites are and which films should just feel honored to be nominated. Today we will look at Best Writing - Original Screenplay and Best Writing - Adapted Screenplay.
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February 16th, 2009
The theatrical market continued its remarkable run with another record-breaking weekend, based on studio estimates released on Monday.
Friday the 13th led with a four-day estimate of $45.2 million, the second-best Presidents' Weekend opening ever.
He's Just Not That Into You fell 29% from its opening and earned $23.4 million Friday-to-Monday, giving Warner Bros. a one-two finish.
Taken lands in third place with an estimated $22.2 million, while Coraline takes fourth with $19.1 million; both movies fell less than 10% from last weekend, based on a three-day comparison
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February 11th, 2009
The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button earned first place on the international chart with $32.57 million on 4,939 screens in 42 markets for a total of $75.41 million. The film opened in first place in four major markets, led by France where it made $5.45 million on 566 screens, while it made $5.05 million on 459 screens in Spain. It was not as potent in the U.K. with $3.29 million on 425 screens and in Russia with $1.62 million. It had to settle for second place in Japan, but earned a strong $3.42 million on 427 screens. As for holdovers, the film remained in first place in Germany with $3.82 million on 605 screens over the weekend for a total of $10.27 million after two weeks of release. Benjamin Button isn't done yet and it will hit $200 million worldwide shortly, if it hasn't already, while it should top its domestic total before too long.
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February 10th, 2009
Crips and Bloods: Made in America was the only film to reach $10,000 on the per theater chart with $13,978 in one theater during its second weekend of release.
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February 8th, 2009
Slumdog Millionaire slipped to sixth place with $7.67 million on 1275 screens in 12 markets for a total of $42.46 million. The film had no major openings this past weekend, but it added $3.02 million on 416 screens during its fourth weekend on top of the charts in the U.K. for a total of $18.21 million in that one market.
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February 8th, 2009
The final guild to hand out its awards was WGA, which did so last night. There were nearly 30 awards handed out, but only three for theatrical releases, and yes, Slumdog Millionaires was among the winners.
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February 4th, 2009
There was only one film with a per theater average of more than $10,000 this week, and that film was Medicine for Melancholy, which opened with $12,625 in its lone theater.
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February 2nd, 2009
Taken took on the competition and won with $24.72 million over the weekend, which was the second best Super Bowl weekend debut behind Miley Cyrus's stunning opening of Best of Both Worlds. This is much better than expected, as the male-oriented rescue / revenge story faced stiff competition from Super Bowl 43, which turned out to be a much better game than anticipated. More...
February 2nd, 2009
The latest guild to hand out awards was the DGA, which did so last night. There were only two awards dealing with theatrical releases, and Slumdog Millionaires managed yet another win.
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January 29th, 2009
It could be tough this weekend for 2009 to maintain pace with 2008 for a few reasons.
First of all, this time last year was the first weekend of February, and this time it is still the last weekend of January.
Secondly, it is Super Bowl weekend, and the two widest releases are aiming at a male audience.
Thirdly, this time last year Miley Cyrus proved she was a box office powerhouse, and there's no equivalent this year.
That said, while the top of the chart might not be that strong, there is a lot more depth this year.
A lot more.
In fact, there is a slim chance that the sixth place film will make $10 million or more at the box office this weekend, and it is unlikely that any of the new releases will truly bomb, unlike last year.
(Also, the Super Bowl is a lot less interesting this year compared to last.)
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January 28th, 2009
Valkyrie started its international run this weekend scoring first place with $12.85 million on 2089 screens in 13 markets for a total of $14.16 million. Its best market was Germany, no real surprise there given its setting, where it made $3.65 million on 689 screens. The film earned second place in both the U.K. with $2.54 million on 450 screens and in South Korea with $1.47 million on 479 screens over the weekend and $1.90 million.
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January 28th, 2009
There wasn't a single film to reach $10,000 on the per theater chart at the weekend.
Slumdog Millionaire led the way with $7,562, which is a better average than the film has earned in three of the five past weekends, despite expanding to the widest it has ever been by a large margin.
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January 26th, 2009
The latest Awards Season ceremony was held last night by the Screen Actors Guild, and yet again Slumdog Millionaire came out a winner. However, it was not the only winner.
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January 25th, 2009
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa fell from second to sixth with $9.07 million on 5601 screens in 48 markets for a total of $380.42 million. No openings hurt the film this past weekend, and its only $1 million markets this past weekend were South Korea at $1.20 million on 432 screens and Poland at $1.09 million on 130. The film has made $3.76 million after two weeks in the former and $7.72 million after three weeks in the latter.
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January 25th, 2009
The theatrical market continued to perform strongly this weekend, with Sony in particular having good reason to cheer.
Paul Blart: Mall Cop followed up its amazing opening weekend with a very solid hold, down just 33% to an estimated $21.5 million for the weekend and $64.8 million after two.
Underworld 3: Rise of the Lycans couldn't top that performance, but did a creditable $20.7 million, which will almost certainly translate into a continuation of the franchise.
Inkheart was the biggest disappointment of the weekend, earning $7.725 million for seventh place.
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January 25th, 2009
The PGA awards were announced last night, and Slumdog Millionaires walked away a winner, again. But it wasn't the only film to win.
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January 23rd, 2009
2009 looks to continue its winning streak with two wide releases and a lot of high-powered holdovers. It is unlikely that any of them will live up to last week's number one film, but the overall effort should live up to last year's overall box office and maintain 2009's winning streak.
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January 22nd, 2009
For a year without an obvious front-runner for the Oscar race, there were not a whole lot of surprises when it came to the nominations. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced their nominations today and leading the way was The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with thirteen while Slumdog Millionaire was second with ten.
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January 21st, 2009
The Golden Globe bounce wasn't exactly overwhelming after the winners were announced, but many of the winners have been in theaters too long to really benefit from the added publicity.
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January 21st, 2009
Notorious opened in fourth place overall, but in first place on the per theater chart with an average of $12,514, which was just a fraction above The Wrestler and its average of $11,824. Revolutionary Road remained strong earning an average of $10,427 in 171 theaters. The overall number one film, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, was next with $10,125. Finally, Slumdog Millionaire saw amazing growth and returned to the $10,000 Club with $10,050.
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January 18th, 2009
Australia reached a major milestone this past weekend as it topped $100 million internationally. Over the weekend the film added $12.33 million on 4901 screens in 55 markets for a total of $103.30 million internationally and $151.06 million worldwide. Additionally, with openings in Italy, Brazil, China, Russia, and Japan still ahead, the film has a shot at $200 million worldwide. That would be enough to cover the film's production budget, after taking into account Australia's generous tax incentives.
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January 18th, 2009
2009 is only two weekends old, and has already produced two excellent weekends at the box office.
After three movies opened around $20 million last weekend, no less than four new movies will be close, or exceed that goal over the three-day part of the MLK weekend, and one of those has come from nowhere to top $30 million and record the second-biggest opening weekend in January (
see chart).
That movie is
Paul Blart: Mall Cop, a poorly-reviewed comedy starring
Kevin James, which opened with $33.8 million Friday-Sunday, according to Sony's estimate, and is set to reach $40 million with Monday's numbers included.
Sony puts the success down, at least in part, to James's extensive promotional efforts around the country.
Maybe hard work does pay off, even in the movie business.
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January 13th, 2009
It is very rare for a film to repeat as champion on the per theater chart, but that's exactly what Defiance did this past weekend, as it earned an average of $34,092 in two theaters. The Wrestler climbed into second place with an average of $14,140 in 60 theaters, which suggests serious room to expand, especially if it continues its winning ways during Awards Season. Made in U.S.A. was the best of the new releases, as it pulled in $11,125 in one theater, while Revolutionary Road was right behind with an average of $10,558 in 135. Finally, Gran Torino earned an average of $10,500 during its first week of wide release.
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January 12th, 2009
The first of the major awards ceremonies were held last night as the Hollywood Foreign Press handed out the 66th annual Golden Globes awards. There were very few films that earned more than one award, but the big winner was Slumdog Millionaire with four wins. It is instantly an Oscar favorite.
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January 9th, 2009
The final guild nominations were recently announced, and there are several theatrical categories to get to. The three guilds, DGA, PGA, and WGA, announced out eight nominations in total, which really help to fill in the gaps for prediction the Oscar nods. Or in some cases, just make matters more confusing.
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January 6th, 2009
Despite earning mixed reviews, Defiance topped the per theater chart with a massive average of $61,757 in two theaters, and that's over the weekend. In total the film made more than $200,000 in 2 theaters over five days. Gran Torino's per theater average grew by 26% to $34,957 in 84 theaters. At this point, it would be fair to say it has earned some measure of mainstream success, and it expands wide this weekend. Revolutionary Road saw its theater count grow from 3 to 38, while it still managed a per theater average of $25,946. The Wrestler also saw growth with an average of $24,323, and it should expand over the coming weeks. I'm not sure it will expand wide, but it should do reasonably well. Che continues its Oscar qualifying run earning an average of $17,742 in 2 theaters. Last Chance Harvey saw small growth to $17,034 in 6 theaters, but I'm not sure how far it will expand. Waltz with Bashir was the final film in the $10,000 club with an average of $10,713 in five theaters.
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January 4th, 2009
Marley & Me has taken the box office crown for a second straight weekend, according to studio estimates released on Sunday.
With no wide openers, the top seven movies have all remained in the same order they enjoyed last weekend, and overall performances were remarkably similar across the board.
Yes Man did best among the top five, down just 17%, while Slumdog Millionaire moved back into the top 10 and increased its box office by 10% while playing in basically the same number of theaters as it had over Christmas weekend.
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December 30th, 2008
Revolutionary Road was nothing short of fantastic on the per theater chart earning a stunning $190,000 in just three theaters for an average of $63,304. Gran Torino saw both is theater count and per theater average grow earning more than $2 million in 84 theaters for a stunning average of $27,652; the film might not earn as many awards as some were expecting, but its box office potential is as high as ever. The Wrestler slipped to third place during is sophomore stint with an average of $21,529 in 18 theaters, but it too should earn some measure of mainstream success. Che continued its Oscar qualifying run with $35,000 in 2 theaters for an average of $17,252. Last Chance Harvey opened with nearly $100,000 in six theaters for an average of $16,210, which would have been very impressive though most of the year, but we've hit such a winning streak recently that is feels merely average. The overall box office leader, Marley & Me earned an average of $10,448, while Waltz with Bashir barely managed to enter the $10,000 club with an average of $10,004 in five theaters.
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December 28th, 2008
The Screen Actors Guild nominations were announced last Friday, but in the holiday rush, they fell through the cracks. Perhaps that's because most SAG talk these days revolves around possible strike action. The big player here is undoubtedly Doubt, which picked up four individual nods and one for its primary cast.
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December 23rd, 2008
The Wrestler had one of the best opening per theater averages this year, pulling in just over $200,000 in 4 theaters for an average of $50,679; this impressive beginning is even more impressive once one realizes it was a Wednesday opener, which undoubtedly cut its weekend average. Gran Torino tripled its theater count but its per theater average held well at $24,643 during its second weekend of release. Likewise, Doubt saw a significant increase in its theater count while earning an average of $17,460 over the weekend. The Reader remained in 8 theaters with an average of $11,599, and it will be interesting to see how well it expands at this point, but momentum is not on its side.
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December 17th, 2008
Gran Torino opened on top of the Per Theater Chart with an outstanding average of $45,287 in six theaters. Wide expansion seems inevitable at this point. Likewise, Doubts debut of just over $500,000 in 15 theaters gave it an average $33,815 making expansion almost assured. Che - The Argentine was close behind with $30,535 in two theaters. The Reader opened with an average of $21,006 in 8 theaters, which most weeks would be enough to score top spot; however, given the competition, without continued success during Awards Season, it could struggle to expand. There were only two holdovers in the $10,000 club with Frost/Nixon earning an average of $16,061 and Slumdog Millionaire earning $12,873. The final $10,000 film was Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, which opened with $10,985. However, both My Name Is Bruce and Wendy and Lucy came relatively close with averages of $9,119 and $9,109 respectively.
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December 12th, 2008
The latest set of Awards Season nominations were handed out today as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced their nominations. There was not much in the way of surprises, and it is hard to look at one film and say it was the big winner, but Frost/Nixon and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button come the closest.
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December 9th, 2008
Frost/Nixon had one of the best openings of the year, earning a per theater average of $60,236 in three theaters.
Second place on the per theater chart was Milk with an average of $18,534 in just a hair under 100 theaters.
Slumdog Millionaire is showing incredible legs and earned an average of $17,977 theaters in 78 theaters while My Name is Bruce rounded out the $10,000 club with $17,214 in one theater, the best weekend of its run.
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December 7th, 2008
Four Christmases held on at the top of the chart for a second weekend, according to studio estimates released on Sunday.
The comedy fell only 41%, the best hold in the top ten, and easily topped the chart ahead of Twilight, which had a better third week, down around 50% to $13 million.
The wide openers were generally weak.
Punisher: War Zone only managed $4 million in 2,508 theaters.
Cadillac Records did much better on a per theater basis, averaging over $5,000 per location, but limited release in 686 theaters meant it was only able to land in 9th place with $3.5 million.
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December 2nd, 2008
After a decided lack of limited releases that were able to expand and earn some mainstream success through most of the year, we've finally seen a number of such films that have come out recently. The latest was Milk which opened with a three-day per theater average of $40,385 while it has nearly $2 million after five days. Slumdog Millionaire again held extremely well, even taking into account the holiday, dipping just 7% to $27,470. There is little doubt it will expand greatly over the coming weeks, especially if it starts earning some Awards Season buzz. My Name is Bruce returned to the $10,000 club with $13,284 in one theater.
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November 30th, 2008
Thanksgiving weekend produced three big winners, according to studio estimates released on Sunday.
At the top, Four Christmases scored an excellent $31.7 million Friday-Sunday and $46.7 million over the five-day weekend, and is the third best Thanksgiving opening ever, just behind Enchanted's opening last year.
Second place, Friday-Sunday, was taken by Bolt, which scored $26.6 million, and, very unusually these days, earned more in its second weekend than it did in its first.
In sixth place, Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa also benefited from the holiday, dropping just 7% from last weekend to earn another $14.5 million.
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November 26th, 2008
Slumdog Millionaire remained on top of the Per Theater Chart this week with an average of $29,619. This was just 18% less than last weekend, despite tripling its theater count and that makes its performance all the more impressive. The only other film in the $10,000 club was the overall box office leader, Twilight, which earned an average of $20,368 in 3,400 theaters.
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November 19th, 2008
Slumdog Millionaire could be something we've been looking for all year, a limited release hit that will break out into mainstream theaters. It opened with just over $360,000 in 10 theaters over the weekend for an average of $36,002, and it already has $428,000 since Wednesday. Second place on the per theater chart went to the number one release of the week, Quantum of Solace, which earned an average of $19,568. The only holdover in the $10,000 club was The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, which showed remarkable strength in earning an average of $12,484 this week. That was down just 16% despite its theater count more than doubling.
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November 16th, 2008
It's a lopsided week for movie websites with one top-notch site and a list full of mostly average sites. Granted, the one top-notch site is, Quantum of Solace's Official Site, and it more than makes up for the average sites.
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November 14th, 2008
There's an even dozen limited releases on this week's list, but only two of them are earning overwhelming positive reviews. And only one of those, Slumdog Millionaire, has a real shot at significant expansion.
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October 2nd, 2008
This week's round of new casting information contains updates for Paper Man, Sherlock Holmes, Kung Fu Panda 2, and more!
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September 29th, 2008
This week's round of new movie release information contains release dates for Hannah Montana, Old Dogs, Legion and more!
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August 30th, 2008
This week's round of new movie release information contains release dates for Australia, Extreme Movie, New York, I Love You and more!
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April 9th, 2008
This week another number of upcoming movies, new stars and directors have been added to our archive!
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April 6th, 2008
This week's round of new movie release information contains release dates for Underworld 3, Pink Panther 2, Nottingham and more!
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April 4th, 2008
This week's round of new casting information contains updates for The Informant, The Surrogates, War, Inc., and more!
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