January 21st, 2015
It is another very shallow week on the home market with only a few releases that are really worth considering. The biggest release is Lucy, which is absolutely worth picking up the Blu-ray Combo Pack, assuming you are willing to ignore the bad science. Likewise, The Boxtrolls the second biggest hit and the 3D Blu-ray Combo Pack is worth picking up, if you like stop-motion animation. As for Pick of the Week Contenders, there are a trio of such films: Coherence on DVD, The Drop on DVD or Blu-ray, and The Mule on DVD or Blu-ray. In the end it was a coin toss and Coherence won.
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September 24th, 2014
Awards Season might have begun, as there were six new releases in the $10,000 club this past weekend. Leading the way was Yellow Day, with an estimated $31,000 in one theater. 20,000 Days of Earth was close behind with $27,879 over the weekend and $30,969 over five days, also in one theater. Pump! earned an average of $14,059 in three theaters, which is particularly good for a documentary. A fellow documentary, Art and Craft, was next with an average of $11,500 in two theaters. Not Cool debuted with $10,329 on one theater, which is surprisingly strong, given its lack of reviews. Likewise, Hector and the Search for Happiness earned bad reviews, but still managed an average of $10,212 in four theaters.
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September 21st, 2014
The Maze Runner will be the first film to top $30 million at the box office in six weeks, bringing a welcome boost to the industry at the beginning of the Fall season. With $32.5 million projected for the weekend, and overall positive reviews, Fox could have a modest new franchise on its hands. Things look less rosy for the weekend’s other wide releases. A Walk Among the Tombstones will have a disappointing debut around $13 million—the worst result for a wide release starring Liam Neeson since K-19: The Widowmaker back in 2002, or, if one takes inflation into account, the 1998 version of Les Miserables. This is Where I Leave You lands with a projected $11.86 million, and reviews that aren’t good enough to give it much hope of redemption via word of mouth.
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September 19th, 2014
It's an overly busy week for limited releases with nearly two-dozen films on this week's list. There are a number of films on this week's list that are earning outstanding reviews, like 20,000 Days on Earth, or strong buzz, like The Zero Theorem. But there are not a lot earning both. Films like Stop the Pounding Heart or The Guest will likely not live up to their Tomatometer Scores. Tracks is probably the film with the best chance at breakout success.
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