March 3rd, 2014
This week there are a couple massive releases on the home market. 12 Years a Slave just earned the Best Picture Oscar, so it's the perfect time to release it on DVD or Blu-ray. The biggest release of the week is The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, but it doesn't come out on DVD or Blu-ray Combo Pack till Friday, so I will get the review online in a couple of days. On the flip side, those two releases seem to have scared away most of the competition, because there's almost nothing else worth talking about. (There's an exercise video in the top five new releases on Amazon.com. That almost never happens.) As for the Pick of the Week, it's 12 Years a Slave on Blu-ray. It's not the only release coming out on Tuesday that's worth buying. I recommend picking up Girl Rising on DVD as well, while Venture Bros.: Season Five on DVD or Blu-ray is also worth the money.
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January 16th, 2014
The Oscar nominations were announced this morning and there are some surprises mixed in with the predictable results. Gravity and American Hustle led the way with ten nominations each while 12 Years a Slave was right behind with nine. The fact that 12 Years a Slave wasn't the leader is the first of the surprises.
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September 18th, 2013
It was a busy week in terms of limited releases, not only with number of new releases, but the success of most of these releases. Mother of George was the top film with $22,456 in one theater. Final: The Rapture earned an average of $15,942 in two theaters, which is an impressive opening for a film with no reviews. It will be interesting to see where it goes from here. Wadjda opened in three theaters, earning an average of $13,751. This film has some Oscar buzz going for it, so it might last in theaters longer than most similar releases. Blue Caprice also has some Oscar buzz and its opening of $13,400 in one theater might help it thrive as well. The overall box office leader, Insidious Chapter 2, opened in fifth place on the per theater chart with an average of $13,208. GMO OMG earned $13,000 in its lone theater, but its reviews are only mixed, so it likely won't last long. Salinger fell 48% to $11,252, while still playing in four theaters. It is likely it won't be able to expand significantly given this decline.
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September 11th, 2013
The buzz surrounding Salinger helped it earn first place on the Per Theater Chart with an average of $21,739 in four theaters. However, given its reviews, I don't think it will last long. Instructions Not Included remained in the $10,000 club with an average of $11,366 in more than 700 theaters. It could still expand further, given its per theater average.
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September 4th, 2013
It was a very lop-sided week on the per theater chart with a couple of films in the $10,000 club, but the rest of the new limited releases, and a couple of new wide releases, were floating around, or below, the Mendoza Line. Instructions Not Included was the best with an average of $22,547 in 348 theaters. Stunning. This result is simply stunning. Afternoon Delight was next with an average of $13,676 in two theaters. Neither film earned good reviews, so it will be interesting to see if either can capitalize on this start.
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August 28th, 2013
The Grandmaster was top film on the Per Theater Chart with an average of $18,945 in seven theaters. I thought Short Term 12 would win, but it finished in second place with an average of $14,052 in four. With reviews that are nearly unanimously positive, it will likely have very strong legs.
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August 25th, 2013
Lee Daniels' The Butler will enjoy a second weekend atop the box office chart thanks in part to a good hold, at 31% down from last weekend, but also because of a major misfire for Mortal Instruments: City of Bones on its opening weekend. The fantasy adventure will only muster about $9.3 million Friday-Sunday for $14.05 million after five days in release -- a big disappointment for a film that reportedly cost $60 million to produce. International markets will make up some of the gap, and a sequel is still said to be in the works, but North America won't contribute much if anything to the coffers after marketing costs are taken into account. The rest of the chart has some bright spots though.
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August 23rd, 2013
There are not a lot of limited releases on this week's list, but a few of them have good reviews and / or big name casts. Drinking Buddies is one such film, but I think Short Term 12 will come out on top of the Per Theater Chart thanks in part to its reviews.
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