> This weekend looks like it will have a very solid opener (the best since August 5, when Rise of the Planet of the Apes bowed) but the weekend as a whole should still lag behind the same weekend last year.  The third Paranormal Activity has its sights set on over $41 million this weekend, while […]

Weekend #14 of 2016 forecasts for films opening wide and major returning films: NEW FILMS THIS WEEKEND April 1-3, 2016 Critics Positive ($ millions) Opening Weekend Forecast Domestic Total Projection Overseas Total Projection Worldwide Total Projection God’s Not Dead 2 PureFlix PG n/a 12.5 35 3 38 Meet the Blacks Freestyle R n/a 3.0 6 […]

  Those waiting for Marvel to stumble will have to go on waiting.  Based on preliminary numbers at Deadline, THOR: RAGNAROK (Marvel/Disney) had a $46M opening day (including $14.5M from Thursday night), the highest for any Marvel Universe title released outside the May-July corridor.  Opening day was up 44% from the start of Thor:  The […]

Weekend #33 of 2012 looks like an unusually robust third weekend of August.  Four new films open, with The Expendables 2 an atypically strong entry for this late weekend.  The top 12 films this weekend should total $143 million, up over 35% from the pace for the same weekend the last few years. Opening at […]

  OPENINGS:  For ROGUE ONE (Lucasfilm/Disney), massive success was taken for granted, and the question was how big a standalone spin-off entry in the Star Wars canon could be.  The answer is pretty damn big:  its $155M US opening weekend is the 12th highest ever, and #3 for the year (behind $179.1M for Captain America: […]

Weekend #47 of 2015 is looking like a decent $202 million for the top 12 films this weekend, up moderately from the norm for this weekend (see comparisons below). The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 from Lionsgate should open with a $126.0 million weekend. The film is on track for around $360 million domestic in its run. Overseas the film could bring […]

Weekend #12 of 2014 is looking like $149 million for the top 12 films, slightly better than this same weekend on average in previous years. Opening at around 3,800 theaters Friday (well above the 2,886 average theater count for opening weekends the last two years), Divergent from Lionsgate/Summit should average $16,800 per theater for the weekend (for a $63.5 […]

  OPENINGS:  The split between US and international box office was unusually evident this weekend.  In the US, THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE (Warner Animation) was on top with $55.6M, although that number may be a bit shaky since it assume only a 25% Sunday drop, while the more popular LEGO Movie ($69.1M opening weekend) fell […]