DVD and Blu-ray Releases for March 31st, 2020

April 2nd, 2020

This week Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker comes out on Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD and if you think that will scare away most of the competition, you will be correct. This isn’t the worst week I’ve see on the home market, but it is close. Unfortunately, not only is the list rather short, there’s nothing here that jumps out as a Pick of the Week contender. On a side note, Amazon is having... issues, which not only delayed this column, but it means if you want to buy most new releases here right away, you will have to deal with third-party sellers or go somewhere else. More...

Theater Averages: Jay and Silent Bob Give Limited Releases a Kick in the Pants

October 24th, 2019

It was an amazing week on the theater average chart with five films in the $10,000 club, incluing three new releases that earned averages of more than $50,000. Jay and Silent Bob Reboot opened with two days of special engagements where the film earned just over $1 million, before having a roadshow performance in one theater over the weekend earning $93,520. However, this wasn’t a usual run and tickets range from about $50 to over $200 for the VIP packages at some shows. That said, even with normal ticket prices, it would still have earned a spot in the $10,000 club. Second place went to Jojo Rabbit with an impressive opening of average $69,911 in five theaters. This is more than enough to expand significantly, perhaps even enough to justify a wide expansion. The Lighthouse also opened well enough to justify significant expansions earning an average of $53,475 in eight theaters. Parasite was the only holdover in the $10,000 club earning an average of $37,616 in 33 theaters. The film topped $1 million over the weekend and it has plenty of room to grow. The final film in the $10,000 club was The Cave, which earned an average of $10,593 in two theaters. More...

International Box Office: Maleficent Takes Her Evil Worldwide

October 23rd, 2019

Maleficent: Mistress of Evil topped the international chart with $117.0 million in 56 markets during its debut weekend. This includes a $23.41 million first place debut in China, which is a little more than the original opened with there. On the other hand, the film slipped a little in Russia earning $11.1 million during its opening there, although it still managed first place in that market. On the other hand, the film really struggled in Mexico, when compared to its predecessor, earning $7.62 million, which is barely more than half of the first film’s debut there. Furthermore, the film has debuted in every international market, so it won’t be able to rely on new releases to hang around on the international chart for long. More...

Limited and VOD Releases: Will Jojo Light the Way?

October 18th, 2019

There are not a lot of films on this week’s list that are earning both great reviews and loud buzz. The Lighthouse is one of the best, both in terms of buzz and in terms of reviews, but Jojo Rabbit is the one I want to see the most. More...

International Box Office: Joker Takes on All of the Top Five and Wins

October 17th, 2019

Like last weekend, this weekend’s international box office was toped by Joker, while the nearest competition was a Chinese film. Unlike last weekend, Joker dominated the chart earning more than the rest of the top five combined. It managed a weekend haul of $125.3 million on 24,555 screens in 79 markets for totals of $354.7 million internationally and $548.3 million worldwide. The film hit half a billion dollars worldwide in just 12 days and given its legs so far, it is on pace to reach $1 billion. Joker had very similar openings in France and Germany with $10.6 million on 630 screens and $9.8 million on 1,003 screens respectively. It goes without saying that the film was the best Warner Bros. opening of 2019 in both markets. However, the film flopped in those markets when you compare how well it is doing in the U.K. In that market, Joker was down just 22% earning $12.0 million on 1,472 screens during its sophomore stint for a running tally of $36.9 million. It has earned more in the U.K. than it has domestically, relatively speaking, and I don’t think anyone was expecting that. On the downside, the film is done with openings and it will be coasting on holdovers from now on. That’s not much of a downside. More...

International Box Office: Joker Wins Weekend, But China Has the Last Laugh

October 10th, 2019

Joker earned top spot on the international chart, but China was the big story this weekend. The DC Comics film opened in first place with $152.2 million on 25,090 screens in 73 markets for a worldwide opening of $248.2 million. Both the film’s international debut and its worldwide debut are records for an October release. Likewise, it set the October opening weekend record in a number of major markets, including Australia, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea, and Spain. South Korea was also the film’s biggest total opening with $16.18 million on 1,418 screens, including $9.58 million over the weekend. The film’s U.K. debut was better, if you just look at the three-day weekend, as it earned $15.45 million on 666 screens. It managed $13.48 million in Mexico, $7.4 million in Brazil, $6.59 million in Australia, and $4.8 million in Spain. More...

International Box Office: Ad Astra Shines on Top of the Chart

October 3rd, 2019

Ad Astra spent a second weekend on top of the international box office earning $18.0 million in 50 markets for totals of $53.5 million internationally and $88.9 million worldwide. The film had an elite opening in Russia with $3.16 million on 1,337 screens, earning first place in the process. On the other hand, it failed to crack $1 million during its debuts in both Brazil ($900,000) and Italy ($898,000). More...