Record	Rank	Revenue
All Time Domestic Animated Box Office	72	$165,249,063
All Time Domestic Box Office (Rank 301-400)	358	$165,249,063
All Time Domestic Inflation Adjusted Box Office (Rank 501-600)	551	$224,638,696
All Time Domestic Sequel Box Office (Rank 101-200)	160	$165,249,063
Top 2011 Movies at the Domestic Box Office	15	$165,249,063
All Time Domestic Box Office for Original Screenplay Movies (Rank 101-200)	133	$165,249,063
All Time Domestic Box Office for Digital Animation Movies	67	$165,249,063
All Time Domestic Box Office for Kids Fiction Movies	72	$165,249,063
All Time Domestic Box Office for Adventure Movies (Rank 101-200)	149	$165,249,063
All Time Domestic Box Office for PG Movies (Rank 101-200)	104	$165,249,063
All Time Domestic Box Office for Paramount Pictures Movies	44	$165,249,063

Date	Rank	Gross	% Change	Theaters	Per Theater	Total Gross	Week
May 27, 2011	2	$47,656,302		3,925	$12,142	$53,460,431	1
Jun 3, 2011	3	$23,887,914	-50%	3,952	$6,045	$100,028,372	2
Jun 10, 2011	4	$16,543,166	-31%	3,929	$4,211	$126,813,240	3
Jun 17, 2011	6	$9,027,671	-45%	3,469	$2,602	$143,670,468	4
Jun 24, 2011	10	$4,173,144	-54%	2,527	$1,651	$153,065,641	5
Jul 1, 2011	14	$1,664,822	-60%	1,281	$1,300	$156,859,489	6
Jul 8, 2011	16	$865,109	-48%	650	$1,331	$159,014,430	7
Jul 15, 2011	20	$460,755	-47%	354	$1,302	$160,074,529	8
Jul 22, 2011	22	$317,481	-31%	250	$1,270	$160,776,083	9
Jul 29, 2011	15	$662,153	+109%	319	$2,076	$161,681,667	10
Aug 5, 2011	17	$500,339	-24%	290	$1,725	$162,695,957	11
Aug 12, 2011	23	$351,096	-30%	252	$1,393	$163,433,627	12
Aug 19, 2011	26	$284,465	-19%	237	$1,200	$163,942,842	13
Aug 26, 2011	31	$209,698	-26%	194	$1,081	$164,277,256	14
Sep 2, 2011	32	$334,190	+59%	305	$1,096	$164,694,859	15
Sep 9, 2011	40	$122,857	-63%	164	$749	$165,001,609	16
Sep 16, 2011	39	$97,451	-21%	142	$686	$165,128,182	17
Sep 23, 2011	41	$78,563	-19%	113	$695	$165,230,261	18

Date	Rank	Gross	%YD	%LW	Theaters	Per Theater	Total Gross	Days
May 26, 2011	2	$5,804,129			3,925	$1,479	$5,804,129	1
May 27, 2011	2	$13,102,208	+126%		3,925	$3,338	$18,906,337	2
May 28, 2011	2	$18,515,142	+41%		3,925	$4,717	$37,421,479	3
May 29, 2011	2	$16,038,952	-13%		3,925	$4,086	$53,460,431	4
May 30, 2011	2	$13,214,873	-18%		3,925	$3,367	$66,675,304	5
May 31, 2011	2	$3,468,331	-74%		3,925	$884	$70,143,635	6
Jun 1, 2011	2	$2,974,339	-14%		3,925	$758	$73,117,974	7
Jun 2, 2011	2	$3,022,484	+2%	-48%	3,925	$770	$76,140,458	8
Jun 3, 2011	3	$6,400,132	+112%	-51%	3,925	$1,631	$82,540,590	9
Jun 4, 2011	3	$10,221,475	+60%	-45%	3,925	$2,604	$92,762,065	10
Jun 5, 2011	3	$7,266,307	-29%	-55%	3,925	$1,851	$100,028,372	11
Jun 6, 2011	3	$2,331,802	-68%	-82%	3,925	$594	$102,360,174	12
Jun 7, 2011	3	$2,700,429	+16%	-22%	3,925	$688	$105,060,603	13
Jun 8, 2011	3	$2,426,465	-10%	-18%	3,925	$618	$107,487,068	14
Jun 9, 2011	3	$2,783,006	+15%	-8%	3,925	$709	$110,270,074	15
Jun 10, 2011	4	$4,650,465	+67%	-27%	3,929	$1,184	$114,920,539	16
Jun 11, 2011	4	$7,051,373	+52%	-31%	3,929	$1,795	$121,971,912	17
Jun 12, 2011	3	$4,841,328	-31%	-33%	3,929	$1,232	$126,813,240	18
Jun 13, 2011	4	$1,787,188	-63%	-23%	3,929	$455	$128,600,428	19
Jun 14, 2011	3	$2,103,651	+18%	-22%	3,929	$535	$130,704,079	20
Jun 15, 2011	3	$1,946,624	-7%	-20%	3,929	$495	$132,650,703	21
Jun 16, 2011	3	$1,992,094	+2%	-28%	3,929	$507	$134,642,797	22
Jun 17, 2011	6	$2,542,585	+28%	-45%	3,469	$733	$137,185,382	23
Jun 18, 2011	6	$3,417,501	+34%	-52%	3,469	$985	$140,602,883	24
Jun 19, 2011	5	$3,067,585	-10%	-37%	3,469	$884	$143,670,468	25
Jun 20, 2011	6	$1,161,267	-62%	-35%	3,469	$335	$144,831,735	26
Jun 21, 2011	5	$1,319,221	+14%	-37%	3,469	$380	$146,150,956	27
Jun 22, 2011	5	$1,301,179	-1%	-33%	3,469	$375	$147,452,135	28
Jun 23, 2011	4	$1,440,362	+11%	-28%	3,469	$415	$148,892,497	29
Jun 24, 2011	10	$1,373,545	-5%	-46%	2,527	$544	$150,266,042	30
Jun 25, 2011	11	$1,598,438	+16%	-53%	2,527	$633	$151,864,480	31
Jun 26, 2011	11	$1,201,161	-25%	-61%	2,527	$475	$153,065,641	32
Jun 27, 2011	10	$555,463	-54%	-52%	2,527	$220	$153,621,104	33
Jun 28, 2011	11	$651,355	+17%	-51%	2,527	$258	$154,272,459	34
Jun 29, 2011	10	$448,904	-31%	-66%	2,527	$178	$154,721,363	35
Jun 30, 2011	12	$473,304	+5%	-67%	2,527	$187	$155,194,667	36
Jul 1, 2011	-	$468,841	-1%	-66%	1,281	$366	$155,663,508	37
Jul 2, 2011	-	$596,455	+27%	-63%	1,281	$466	$156,259,963	38
Jul 3, 2011	-	$599,526	+1%	-50%	1,281	$468	$156,859,489	39
Jul 4, 2011	13	$421,907	-30%	-24%	1,281	$329	$157,281,396	40
Jul 5, 2011	14	$287,355	-32%	-56%	1,281	$224	$157,568,751	41
Jul 6, 2011	14	$290,656	+1%	-35%	1,281	$227	$157,859,407	42
Jul 7, 2011	14	$289,914	n/c	-39%	1,281	$226	$158,149,321	43
Jul 8, 2011	-	$265,320	-8%	-43%	650	$408	$158,414,641	44
Jul 9, 2011	-	$346,229	+30%	-42%	650	$533	$158,760,870	45
Jul 10, 2011	-	$253,560	-27%	-58%	650	$390	$159,014,430	46
Jul 11, 2011	16	$131,784	-48%	-69%	650	$203	$159,146,214	47
Jul 12, 2011	14	$186,309	+41%	-35%	650	$287	$159,332,523	48
Jul 13, 2011	15	$143,843	-23%	-51%	650	$221	$159,476,366	49
Jul 14, 2011	15	$137,408	-4%	-53%	650	$211	$159,613,774	50
Jul 15, 2011	-	$139,791	+2%	-47%	354	$395	$159,753,565	51
Jul 16, 2011	-	$180,810	+29%	-48%	354	$511	$159,934,375	52
Jul 17, 2011	-	$140,154	-22%	-45%	354	$396	$160,074,529	53
Jul 18, 2011	-	$81,927	-42%	-38%	354	$231	$160,156,456	54
Jul 19, 2011	-	$108,659	+33%	-42%	354	$307	$160,265,115	55
Jul 20, 2011	-	$93,481	-14%	-35%	354	$264	$160,358,596	56
Jul 21, 2011	-	$100,006	+7%	-27%	354	$283	$160,458,602	57
Jul 22, 2011	-	$98,187	-2%	-30%	250	$393	$160,556,789	58
Jul 23, 2011	-	$125,680	+28%	-30%	250	$503	$160,682,469	59
Jul 24, 2011	-	$93,614	-26%	-33%	250	$374	$160,776,083	60
Jul 25, 2011	-	$56,574	-40%	-31%	250	$226	$160,832,657	61
Jul 26, 2011	-	$74,141	+31%	-32%	250	$297	$160,906,798	62
Jul 27, 2011	-	$56,740	-23%	-39%	250	$227	$160,963,538	63
Jul 28, 2011	-	$55,976	-1%	-44%	250	$224	$161,019,514	64
Jul 29, 2011	-	$198,871	+255%	+103%	319	$623	$161,218,385	65
Jul 30, 2011	-	$254,841	+28%	+103%	319	$799	$161,473,226	66
Jul 31, 2011	-	$208,441	-18%	+123%	319	$653	$161,681,667	67
Aug 1, 2011	-	$125,702	-40%	+122%	319	$394	$161,807,369	68
Aug 2, 2011	-	$148,050	+18%	+100%	319	$464	$161,955,419	69
Aug 3, 2011	-	$125,879	-15%	+122%	319	$395	$162,081,298	70
Aug 4, 2011	-	$114,320	-9%	+104%	319	$358	$162,195,618	71
Aug 5, 2011	-	$149,055	+30%	-25%	290	$514	$162,344,673	72
Aug 6, 2011	-	$199,741	+34%	-22%	290	$689	$162,544,414	73
Aug 7, 2011	-	$151,543	-24%	-27%	290	$523	$162,695,957	74
Aug 8, 2011	-	$81,849	-46%	-35%	290	$282	$162,777,806	75
Aug 9, 2011	-	$117,349	+43%	-21%	290	$405	$162,895,155	76
Aug 10, 2011	-	$98,354	-16%	-22%	290	$339	$162,993,509	77
Aug 11, 2011	-	$89,022	-9%	-22%	290	$307	$163,082,531	78
Aug 12, 2011	-	$100,031	+12%	-33%	252	$397	$163,182,562	79
Aug 13, 2011	-	$139,379	+39%	-30%	252	$553	$163,321,941	80
Aug 14, 2011	-	$111,686	-20%	-26%	252	$443	$163,433,627	81
Aug 15, 2011	-	$56,317	-50%	-31%	252	$223	$163,489,944	82
Aug 16, 2011	-	$65,285	+16%	-44%	252	$259	$163,555,229	83
Aug 17, 2011	-	$51,790	-21%	-47%	252	$206	$163,607,019	84
Aug 18, 2011	-	$51,358	-1%	-42%	252	$204	$163,658,377	85
Aug 19, 2011	-	$82,513	+61%	-18%	237	$348	$163,740,890	86
Aug 20, 2011	-	$121,227	+47%	-13%	237	$512	$163,862,117	87
Aug 21, 2011	-	$80,725	-33%	-28%	237	$341	$163,942,842	88
Aug 22, 2011	-	$31,058	-62%	-45%	237	$131	$163,973,900	89
Aug 23, 2011	-	$36,437	+17%	-44%	237	$154	$164,010,337	90
Aug 24, 2011	-	$28,317	-22%	-45%	237	$119	$164,038,654	91
Aug 25, 2011	-	$28,904	+2%	-44%	237	$122	$164,067,558	92
Aug 26, 2011	-	$51,310	+78%	-38%	194	$264	$164,118,868	93
Aug 27, 2011	-	$92,478	+80%	-24%	194	$477	$164,211,346	94
Aug 28, 2011	-	$65,910	-29%	-18%	194	$340	$164,277,256	95
Aug 29, 2011	-	$19,541	-70%	-37%	194	$101	$164,296,797	96
Aug 30, 2011	-	$24,461	+25%	-33%	194	$126	$164,321,258	97
Aug 31, 2011	-	$21,061	-14%	-26%	194	$109	$164,342,319	98
Sep 1, 2011	-	$18,350	-13%	-37%	194	$95	$164,360,669	99
Sep 2, 2011	-	$70,792	+286%	+38%	305	$232	$164,431,461	100
Sep 3, 2011	-	$133,681	+89%	+45%	305	$438	$164,565,142	101
Sep 4, 2011	-	$129,717	-3%	+97%	305	$425	$164,694,859	102
Sep 5, 2011	31	$132,190	+2%	+576%	305	$433	$164,827,049	103
Sep 6, 2011	-	$22,111	-83%	-10%	305	$72	$164,849,160	104
Sep 7, 2011	-	$16,054	-27%	-24%	305	$53	$164,865,214	105
Sep 8, 2011	-	$13,538	-16%	-26%	305	$44	$164,878,752	106
Sep 9, 2011	-	$26,938	+99%	-62%	164	$164	$164,905,690	107
Sep 10, 2011	-	$59,532	+121%	-55%	164	$363	$164,965,222	108
Sep 11, 2011	-	$36,387	-39%	-72%	164	$222	$165,001,609	109
Sep 12, 2011	-	$7,227	-80%	-95%	164	$44	$165,008,836	110
Sep 13, 2011	-	$7,568	+5%	-66%	164	$46	$165,016,404	111
Sep 14, 2011	-	$6,938	-8%	-57%	164	$42	$165,023,342	112
Sep 15, 2011	-	$7,389	+7%	-45%	164	$45	$165,030,731	113
Sep 16, 2011	-	$20,643	+179%	-23%	142	$145	$165,051,374	114
Sep 17, 2011	-	$43,930	+113%	-26%	142	$309	$165,095,304	115
Sep 18, 2011	-	$32,878	-25%	-10%	142	$232	$165,128,182	116
Sep 19, 2011	-	$6,370	-81%	-12%	142	$45	$165,134,552	117
Sep 20, 2011	-	$6,010	-6%	-21%	142	$42	$165,140,562	118
Sep 21, 2011	-	$5,441	-9%	-22%	142	$38	$165,146,003	119
Sep 22, 2011	-	$5,695	+5%	-23%	142	$40	$165,151,698	120
Sep 23, 2011	-	$18,698	+228%	-9%	113	$165	$165,170,396	121
Sep 24, 2011	-	$38,171	+104%	-13%	113	$338	$165,208,567	122
Sep 25, 2011	-	$21,694	-43%	-34%	113	$192	$165,230,261	123
Sep 26, 2011	-	$5,003	-77%	-21%	113	$44	$165,235,264	124
Sep 27, 2011	-	$4,308	-14%	-28%	113	$38	$165,239,572	125
Sep 28, 2011	-	$4,319	n/c	-21%	113	$38	$165,243,891	126
Sep 29, 2011	-	$5,172	+20%	-9%	113	$46	$165,249,063	127

Date	Rank	Gross	% Change	Theaters	Per Theater	Total Gross	Week
May 20, 2011	8	$5,804,129		3,925	$1,479	$5,804,129	1
May 27, 2011	2	$70,336,329	+1,112%	3,925	$17,920	$76,140,458	2
Jun 3, 2011	3	$34,129,616	-51%	3,952	$8,636	$110,270,074	3
Jun 10, 2011	4	$24,372,723	-29%	3,929	$6,203	$134,642,797	4
Jun 17, 2011	6	$14,249,700	-42%	3,469	$4,108	$148,892,497	5
Jun 24, 2011	10	$6,302,170	-56%	2,527	$2,494	$155,194,667	6
Jul 1, 2011	14	$2,954,654	-53%	1,281	$2,307	$158,149,321	7
Jul 8, 2011	17	$1,464,453	-50%	650	$2,253	$159,613,774	8
Jul 15, 2011	19	$844,828	-42%	354	$2,387	$160,458,602	9
Jul 22, 2011	25	$560,912	-34%	250	$2,244	$161,019,514	10
Jul 29, 2011	15	$1,176,104	+110%	319	$3,687	$162,195,618	11
Aug 5, 2011	16	$886,913	-25%	290	$3,058	$163,082,531	12
Aug 12, 2011	22	$575,846	-35%	252	$2,285	$163,658,377	13
Aug 19, 2011	26	$409,181	-29%	237	$1,727	$164,067,558	14
Aug 26, 2011	35	$293,111	-28%	194	$1,511	$164,360,669	15
Sep 2, 2011	32	$518,083	+77%	305	$1,699	$164,878,752	16
Sep 9, 2011	41	$151,979	-71%	164	$927	$165,030,731	17
Sep 16, 2011	43	$120,967	-20%	142	$852	$165,151,698	18

Record	Rank	Revenue
All Time International Animated Box Office	24	$499,588,484
All Time International Box Office (Rank 101-200)	118	$499,588,484
All Time International Sequel Box Office	74	$499,588,484
Top 2011 Movies at the International Box Office	4	$499,588,484
All Time International Box Office for Original Screenplay Movies	44	$499,588,484
All Time International Box Office for Digital Animation Movies	23	$499,588,484
All Time International Box Office for Kids Fiction Movies	23	$499,588,484
All Time International Box Office for Adventure Movies	57	$499,588,484
All Time International Box Office for PG Movies	30	$499,588,484
All Time International Box Office for Paramount Pictures Movies	8	$499,588,484

Record	Rank	Revenue
All Time Worldwide Animated Box Office	31	$664,837,547
All Time Worldwide Box Office (Rank 101-200)	156	$664,837,547
All Time Worldwide Sequel Box Office	96	$664,837,547
Top 2011 Movies at the Worldwide Box Office	6	$664,837,547
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Original Screenplay Movies	49	$664,837,547
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Digital Animation Movies	30	$664,837,547
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Kids Fiction Movies	28	$664,837,547
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Adventure Movies	74	$664,837,547
All Time Worldwide Box Office for PG Movies	39	$664,837,547
All Time Worldwide Box Office for Paramount Pictures Movies	15	$664,837,547

Date	Rank	Units this Week	% Change	Total Units	Spending this Week	Total Spending	Weeks in Release
Dec 18, 2011	2	866,825		866,825	$15,230,115	$15,230,115	1
Dec 25, 2011	4	647,882	-25%	1,514,707	$9,063,869	$24,293,984	2
Jan 1, 2012	8	124,769	-81%	1,639,476	$2,228,374	$26,522,358	3
Jan 8, 2012	10	91,240	-27%	1,730,716	$1,637,758	$28,160,116	4
Jan 15, 2012	11	71,302	-22%	1,802,018	$1,267,750	$29,427,866	5
Jan 22, 2012	17	36,960	-48%	1,838,978	$660,845	$30,088,711	6
Jan 29, 2012	15	34,945	-5%	1,873,923	$656,966	$30,745,677	7
Feb 5, 2012	27	18,426	-47%	1,892,349	$338,117	$31,083,794	8
Feb 19, 2012	7	88,488		1,995,082	$1,537,921	$32,888,524	10

Date	Rank	Units this Week	% Change	Total Units	Spending this Week	Total Spending	Weeks in Release
Dec 18, 2011	2	421,806		421,806	$10,009,448	$10,009,448	1
Dec 25, 2011	7	206,468	-51%	628,274	$5,231,190	$15,240,638	2
Jan 1, 2012	4	68,948	-67%	697,222	$1,264,621	$16,505,259	3
Jan 8, 2012	12	21,286	-69%	718,508	$535,679	$17,040,938	4
Jan 15, 2012	8	23,206	+9%	741,714	$588,811	$17,629,749	5
Jan 22, 2012	12	18,392	-21%	760,106	$479,229	$18,108,978	6
Jan 29, 2012	15	12,981	-29%	773,087	$288,278	$18,397,256	7
Feb 26, 2012	20	11,056		803,712	$279,129	$19,256,951	11

Our DVD and Blu-ray sales estimates are based on weekly retail surveys, which we use to build a weekly market share estimate for each title we are tracking. The market share is converted into a weekly sales estimate based on industry reports on the overall size of the market, including reports published in Media Play News.

For example, if our weekly retail survey estimates that a particular title sold 1% of all units that week, and the industry reports sales of 1,500,000 units in total, we will estimate 15,000 units were sold of that title. The consumer spending estimate is based on the average sales price for the title in the retailers we survey.

We refine our estimates from week to week as more data becomes available. In particular, we adjust weekly sales figures for the quarter once the total market estimates are published by the Digital Entertainment Group. Figures will therefore fluctuate each week, and totals for individual titles can go up or down as we update our estimates.

Because sales figures are estimated based on sampling, they will be more accurate for higher-selling titles.

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for March 13th, 2012

March 13th, 2012

There are two themes this week. The first is Awards Season. There are no fewer than half a dozen Award Season players on this week's list, although one was a late review. Speaking of late reviews, that's the other theme on this week's list, as there are no fewer than eight releases on this week's list where I'm waiting for the screener to arrive. (This includes Wizards which arrived on Monday; however, screeners need to arrive by Friday if I'm to get the review done on time.) Unfortunately, there's a lot of crossover among these two groups and a few Pick of the Week candidates are late. For instance, My Week with Marilyn and Melancholia fit into both groups. Other screeners I'm waiting for that could be Pick of the Week are Wallace & Gromit: World of Invention and the aforementioned Wizards: 35th Anniversary Blu-ray, while The Guild: Season Five was up for that honor as well. However, in the end I went with The Descendants on Blu-ray Combo Pack. More...

2012 Awards Season: Oscar Highlight: Best Animated Feature

February 9th, 2012

With our annual Oscar Prediction contest underway, 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 Animated Feature Film, which is surprisingly competitive this year, especially compared to most years. There's no Pixar film nominated, one of the best-reviewed cartoons was snubbed, the winner at the Golden Globes and PGAs was also snubbed, and two of the nominees were virtually unknown films before they were announced. It could be hard to pick a winner. More...

2012 Awards Season: Hugo and The Artist Compete for Oscar Glory

January 24th, 2012

Yesterday was one of the biggest days during Awards Season as The Oscar nominations were announced in the morning. It was a two horse race for top spot as far as the big winners are concerned. Hugo earned the most nominations with eleven, while The Artist was right behind with ten. However, one could argue The Artist is the bigger winner, as more of its nominations were in the more prestigious categories. More...

Blu-ray Sales: New Releases Fail to Arrive on Top

January 11th, 2012

Rise of the Planet of the Apes returned to the top of the Blu-ray sales chart with 390,000 units / $5.84 million over the week for totals of 1.59 million units / $33.76 million after three. More...

Awards Season: PGAs Build Consensus

January 4th, 2012

The nominees for this year's Producers Guild of America were announced and there were not a lot of surprises. For instance, nine of the ten nominees for Theatrical Motion Pictures also earned Golden Globe Nominations for either Best Drama or Best Musical / Comedy. Four of the five Animated films also did the same. It does make the Awards Season picture a lot clearer going forward, but it makes coming up with something to say much harder. More...

DVD Sales: Serious Hangover on the DVD Chart

January 4th, 2012

There were only four new releases to reach the top 30 on this week's DVD sales chart, and only one of those placed in the top five. The Hangover II rose to first place with 521,000 units / $5.20 million for the week and 2.26 million units / $31.22 million after three. This is barely more than half what the original sold during its first week of release. More...

Blu-ray Sales: Apes Rise, Blu-rays Fall

December 29th, 2011

Rise of the Planet of the Apes led the way on the Blu-ray sales chart, but with only a few new releases that managed to chart, the overall sales were weak. Planet of the Apes sold 675,000 units generating $15.59 million. Its opening week Blu-ray share was 49%, which was good compared to the average of the format, but weak for the genre. Last minute Christmas sales may have resulted in deeper discounts for DVDs than Blu-rays, at least as a percentage, which could be a mitigating factor. More...

DVD Sales: Apes Conquer Pandas

December 27th, 2011

Only a trio of new releases were able to reach the top 30 on this week's DVD sales chart. However, this includes the top two spots. Rise of the Planet of the Apes earned first place with 716,000 units / $13.46 million. It's opening was a little weaker than we would like to see when compared to its theatrical run, but it should be better on Blu-ray. More...

DVD and Blu-ray Releases for December 13th, 2011

December 12th, 2011

It is a surprisingly strong week on the home market with two $100 million hits, Kung Fu Panda 2 on Blu-ray Combo Pack or Rise of the Planet of the Apes on Blu-ray, both of which are contenders for pick of the week. There are also several smaller releases that are also contenders for that title like The Guild: Season Five on DVD. But in the end, I gave that honor to Detective Dee and the Mystery of the Phantom Flame on Blu-ray. More...

Featured DVD / Blu-ray Review: Kung Fu Panda 2

December 10th, 2011

Kung Fu Panda came out in the summer of 2008 and earned excellent reviews, and even an Oscar nomination. It also pulled in more than $200 million domestically and $600 million worldwide, so it should come as no surprise that a sequel was made. However, can Kung Fu Panda 2 live up to its predecessor? And is it worth checking out? Or perhaps even buying? More...

2011 Holiday Gift Guide: Part I

November 23rd, 2011

This weekend is Thanksgiving and as always that means Black Friday and Cyber Monday plus 48 hours of shopping in-between. And as always, I've already done my Christmas shopping, for the most part. (I'm still waiting to see if the B.C.Lions win the Grey Cup. If not, I'll need to look for an alternative gift.) For everyone else who is still searching, we present the first part in our annual Holiday Gift Guide. As usual, the gift guide is divided into several sections, starting with Major Movie Releases. These are first run releases, franchise box sets, etc. However, before we get into the individual titles, we will start with an update on... More...

International Box Office: Quarter Billion Reasons to Say Smurf

September 1st, 2011

For the third weekend in a row, The Smurfs earned first place on the international chart. This time they pulled in $26.82 million on 9,023 screens in 48 markets for a total of $258.27 million internationally and $384.22 million worldwide. It was a pretty slow weekend in terms of new releases (it earned $739,000 on 137 screens in Denmark) but that changes next weekend with an opening in Japan, while Australia and Italy are also just around the corner. Even if the film had no markets left to open in, it would still get to $300 million internationally and $400 million worldwide, but even with these three major markets, it probably won't hit any other major milestones. More...

International Box Office: Harry Potter's Record-Breaking Ways Extended Overseas

July 20th, 2011

It seems every day we have another broken record to report on. The final international numbers for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2's opening weekend came in, mostly, and the film earned $264.32 million on 17,539 screens in 58 markets for a total opening of $323.38 million internationally and $492.57 million worldwide. Needless to say, this is the biggest international and worldwide opening ever. To put this into perspective, not counting the fellow Harry Potter films, this is already the tenth best Warner Bros. movie of all time. (With this franchise and Christpher Nolan's Batman franchises ending, there's got to be someone at the studio is full panic mode. They might have an entire division of people whose sole job is to panic 24 hours a day.) The only small downside for the film is its per screen average, which didn't lead the international chart, but more on that in a bit. More...

International Box Office: Transformers Hold Top Spot with Plenty of Milestones Below

July 13th, 2011

Transformers: Dark of the Moon repeated as champion on the international stage with $94.70 million on 11,222 screens in 58 markets for a total of $386.43 million internationally and $647.51 million worldwide. At this pace, by this weekend it will be ahead of Transformers and will have no trouble becoming the biggest hit in the franchise. As for individual markets, it earned the most in South Korea where it was down just 31% to $15.11 million on 1,301 screens over the weekend for a total of $54.47 million after two. It became the fastest film to reach $50 million in that market. It wasn't able to hold on as well in the U.K. down 56% to $7.58 million on 522 screens over the weekend for a total of $31.45 million after two. In Australia it was down 43%, which at first glance seems strong, but it was a holiday weekend in that market and half the films in the top five saw growth. It still added $7.52 million on 596 screens over the weekend for a running tally of $29.13 million, which is stronger than its performance, given the relative size of the two markets. The film fell 56% in Russia, which isn't bad compared to the average drop-off in that market. It managed $7.47 million on 1,385 screens over the weekend for a two-week total of $36.03 million. More...

International Box Office: Transformers Tops, Pirates Earns its Billion

July 6th, 2011

Transformers: Dark of the Moon earned top spot on the international chart, which came as no surprise. However, it did so in impressive fashion with $154.93 million on 11,565 screens in 58 markets over the weekend for a total opening of $219.81 million. This is the best international debut for Paramount topping the previous champion, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Its biggest opening came in South Korea where it scored $21.82 million on 1,442 screens over the weekend for a total opening of 31.09 million. It was also tops in Russia with $16.95 million on 1,385 screens over the weekend and $21.97 million in total. It earned $17.30 million on 521 screens in the U.K. and $16.18 million on 595 in Australia, including midweek numbers. It also cracked $10 million in Germany with $15.29 million on 617, including midweek numbers, and in Mexico with $10.81 million on 2,097 screens. More...

International Box Office: Cars Cuts Off Panda to Take Checkered Flag

June 29th, 2011

In a battle of digitally animated sequels, Cars 2 came out on top with $39.23 million on 4,873 screens in 25 markets for a total opening of $43.98 million. Its best market was Russia where it opened in first place with $9.42 million on 950 screens. By comparison, the original Cars made $4 million in that market, in total. The film was also very strong in Mexico with $8.08 million on 1,981 screens and in Brazil with $5.29 million on 747 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $7.04 million. The film had to deal with direct competition in Australia, but still came out on top with $5.13 million. The final major market it debuted in was Italy, where it earned $3.86 million on 834 screens over the weekend for a total opening of $5.71 million. Overall, the film more than doubled the debuts of Cars in the markets it opened in, while it was on par with Toys 3's openings. Granted, it likely won't have the same legs, but this is still a great start. More...

International Box Office: Kung Fu Fights Past Another Milestone

June 22nd, 2011

Kung Fu Panda 2 remained in top spot on the international chart with $58.16 million on 11,244 screens in 54 markets for totals of $284.22 million internationally and $427.89 million worldwide. The film opened in France and Germany with nearly identical results with $6.91 million on 725 screens in the former and $6.91 million on 699 screens in the latter. (The result in Germany does include some previews.) So far the film has made an estimated $77 million in China, which is by far the film's biggest market. More...

Weekend Numbers: Lantern in the Green, But Overall Box Office in the Red

June 20th, 2011

The overall box office box office this past weekend was as expected, more or less. A few of the films did a little bit better, a few missed expectations, but not by a lot. This helped the box office grow by 11% from last weekend to $153 million. Unfortunately, this weekend last year saw the release of Toy Story 3, which made $110 million by itself, so year-over-year there was a 23% drop-off. Year-to-date, 2011 is behind 2010 by 8% at $4.65 billion to $5.03 billion, but perhaps we can close that gap a little bit this coming weekend. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will Lantern Pull in the Green?

June 16th, 2011

After a strong start to the summer, which actually began in late April, we could hit a real roadblock this weekend. The only film earning any kind of buzz is Green Lantern, and not all of that buzz is good. Additionally, this weekend last year was dominated by Toy Story 3, which opened with $110 million. There is a chance the top five films won't make that much this year. More...

International Box Office: Panda Doesn't Pull Any Punches

June 15th, 2011

Kung Fu Panda 2 climbed into top spot on the international chart after three weeks of release, earning $56.72 million on 11,867 screens in 45 markets for a total of $206.11 million internationally and $332.92 million worldwide. This past weekend the film debuted in a number of major markets, led by the U.K. where it made $10.07 million on 514 screens, but while this was enough for first place in the market, it was less than the original made. On the other hand, it showed growth in Mexico with $7.34 million on 1,841 screens over the weekend and a total opening of $14.69 million, and in Brazil with $4.79 million on 714 screens over the weekend and $5.18 million in total. The film opens in France and Germany next weekend and Japan and Italy in August, so it still has quite a way to go before its international run is over. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: Super Surpasses Most Predictions

June 13th, 2011

Nearly every film in the top five beat Thursday's predictions, and the one film that didn't landed within a rounding error of doing so. This helped the overall box office reach $138 million for the weekend, but while this was better than expected, it was still 14% lower than last weekend and 9% lower than the same weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2011 is behind 2010 by 7% at $4.43 billion to $4.76 billion, but this is better than it has been for the majority of the year. More...

Weekend Predictions: How Super Will Super Be?

June 9th, 2011

After X-Men: First Class opened on the low end of expectations last weekend, it is even more important that Super 8 carries its weight this weekend if 2011 is to continue its winning ways. Even if Super 8 does land on the high end of expectations, it might not be enough, as this weekend last year saw the release of The Karate Kid, which was a surprise hit that opened with $55 million. More...

International Box Office: Stranger Tides Sweeps Away More Records

June 8th, 2011

I think it is not unfair to call Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides a disappointment domestically, as it seems very likely that it won't match its hefty production budget, while it is practically guaranteed it will be the weakest installment in the franchise. On the other hand, the film is breaking records internationally. This weekend it tied the record for the fastest film to reach $600 million internationally, which was previously set by Avatar at just 19 days. It also became the fastest to reach $700 million worldwide at 16 days. This weekend its haul was down to $70.78 million on 15,962 screens in 69 markets for a total of $601.58 million internationally and $791.78 million worldwide, but that was enough to earn first place for the third weekend in a row. The film's biggest market of the weekend was Japan where it made $8.63 million on 802 screens, giving it a total of $62.75 million after just three weeks of release. More...

Weekend Wrap-up: First Place for First Class, But Will It Last?

June 6th, 2011

It wasn't exactly a disappointing weekend at the box office, but we did see the overall box office fall closer to the low end of expectations. With $160 million over the weekend, the box office was down 28% from the Friday-through-Sunday portion of the Memorial Day long weekend. However, it was up 24% from this weekend last year. Year-to-date, 2011 now has pulled in $4.23 billion, compared to $4.55 billion for last year. 2011 is still in a massive hole, but at least there's a chance we can close the gap, while reaching $10 billion in total for the year has become a lot more likely. More...

Weekend Estimates: X-Men First Week Good, Not Great

June 5th, 2011

2011 continued its winning streak at the box office this weekend, with five films topping $10 million and X-Men: First Class posting a very respectable $56 million opening, according to Fox's Sunday estimate. With the studio setting expectations a little lower than that, they can claim an excellent weekend. And they do have a point, but the truth is that this is the worst opening for a movie in the franchise since the first movie arrived in 2000 (and the latest film's estimate is only ahead by a couple of million dollars, so it might not even beat that mark). Excellent reviews and peak Summer business should help the film over the next few weeks, but it can't afford a 60% decline next weekend. More...

Weekend Predictions: Will X-Men's Latest Offering be Top of the Class?

June 2nd, 2011

After a record-breaking Memorial Day long weekend, the industry is hoping to maintain that momentum throughout the summer. There's only one wide release to deal with this weekend, X-Men: First Class, but most analysts expect it to earn more than the four wide releases earned in total this weekend last year. Add in stronger holdovers, and every indication says there should be a solid win for 2011 in the year-over-year comparison. More...

International Box Office: Two plus Two can't top Four

June 2nd, 2011

The fourth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, On Stranger Tides, held off a pair of sequels on the international chart with $122.8 million on 18,000 screens in 65 markets for a total of $470.8 million internationally and $623.7 million worldwide. It tied the record for fastest film to reach $600 million worldwide, which was previously set by At World's End at 12 days. Its biggest single market of the weekend was Japan, where it was down just 8% from its opening weekend with $13.75 million on 800 screens over the weekend for a total of $44.57 million after two. It also cracked $10 million in Germany ($11.16 million on 820 screens for a total of $35.26 million) and in Russia ($10.62 million on 1716 screens over a total of 49.87 million). At this pace, it is likely that the film has already topped the final figure for Curse of the Black Pearl, while $600 million internationally and $900 million worldwide is not out of the question. More...

Contest: BlackBelts and SquarePants: Winning Announcement

June 1st, 2011

The winners of our BlackBelts and SquarePants contest were determined and they are... More...

IMAX: Panda is Huge on IMAX

June 1st, 2011

Kung Fu Panda 2 wasn't as strong as expected overall, which hurt its IMAX numbers as well. It still earned $1.6 million on 53 IMAX screens, which gave it a per screen average of $30,188, which was comparable to Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides opening per screen average. More...

Per Theater Chart is Very Lively

June 1st, 2011

It was another amazing week on the per theater chart as The Tree of Life led the way with an average of $93,230 in four theaters. This represents the best per screen average for the director and for the distributor. Add in reviews that might be Oscar-worthy, and the film should expand over the coming weeks / months. Speaking of expanding, and Oscar -worthy reviews, Midnight in Paris saw its theater count grow from 6 to 58, while its per theater average held on strong at $33,268. The overall number one film, The Hangover 2, was next with an average of $23,775, while Kung Fu Panda 2 was the only other film to cross the $10,000 mark on the per theater chart with an average of $12,142. More...

Weekend Wrap-Up: A Memorial Day To Remember?

May 31st, 2011

Records were broken on Memorial Day long weekend, which makes the weekend one to remember. Ironic then that the biggest hit of the weekend was a film about people who can't remember the night before. Yes, The Hangover 2 easily took top spot, while Kung Fu Panda 2 was disappointingly far behind. On the other hand, it still earned more than last year's number one film, Shrek Forever After, so it at least pulled its weight. Overall, the three-day box office was a very healthy $223 million, or 33% more than last weekend and 47% more than the same weekend last year. Over four days, the box office pulled in $277 million, or 44% more than last year. Those figures were both records for biggest Memorial Day long weekend ever, crushing 2007's offering by $22 million. Year-to-date, 2011 now has $4.02 billion and has cut the gap with 2010 to just over 8% at $4.38 billion. If the rest of the summer is as strong as May was, we could be in good shape going into the fall. More...

Three-Day Weekend Estimates: Hangover Sets Record with Huge Opening

May 29th, 2011

The Hangover: Part II is set to earn $86.48 million over the three-day weekend, according to estimates released by Warner Bros. on Sunday. That puts it on track to top $100 million in just four days, and will be the biggest ever weekend for a comedy, barring an unexpected collapse on Sunday. Kung Fu Panda 2 is set to earn $48 million Friday-Sunday, which is a slightly disappointing result, but it should do very well on Memorial Day and is likely to enjoy a strong few weeks until the arrival of Cars 2 on June 24. More...

Weekend Predictions: Two by Two

May 26th, 2011

It's Memorial Day long weekend, which is one of the most important weekends of the year. Not only is it one of the most lucrative, but it can help set the tone for the rest of summer. 30 million people going to theaters, each seeing countless posters, trailers, etc. for upcoming releases is a boon for the marketing for those film. This is why when both new releases failed to make an impact last year, it was such a devastating result. This time around, there are two sequels opening, Kung Fu Panda 2 and The Hangover 2, both of which should earn more individually than Sex and the City 2 and Prince of Persia earned combined. There's a slim chance one will dominate the other, but in that case, the overall box office should still be a large step up from last year. But the best case scenario has both of them becoming monster hits, and that would have a positive effect on the rest of the box office for weeks to come. More...

Contest: BlackBelts and SquarePants

May 20th, 2011

There are two potential monster hits opening next weekend, which is the Memorial Day long weekend. It might be a coin toss which one will win the weekend, but since our prizes are aimed at kids, we are going with Kung Fu Panda 2 as the target film in this week's box office prediction contest. In order to win, one must simply predict the opening weekend box office number for Kung Fu Panda 2. Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a copy of SpongeBob SquarePants: To SquarePants Or Not To SquarePants on DVD. Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend box office (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will win a copy of Nickelodeon Favorites: Sisters and Brothers on DVD. Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay! More...

2011 Preview: May

May 1st, 2011

Summer is officially upon us and after a depressing start to the year, we finally have some reason to be optimistic. April produced a few films that were stronger than expected and the last three weekends have produced wins in the year-over-year comparison. Granted, 2011 is a long way from matching 2010's pace, but if we can earn a few more wins this month, we could be in good shape going forward. In comparison with last May, the month starts off slowly this year, but comes on really strong by the end and looks much healthier overall. In fact, last May there were only three films to make more than $100 million at the box office. (Granted, two others came very close.) This year there are four films that might open with more than $100 million. Right now 2010 has about a $500 million lead on 2011, but hopefully by the end of the month that lead will be down to $300 million. More...

Cast Updates - October 2, 2008

October 2nd, 2008

This week's round of new casting information contains updates for Paper Man, Sherlock Holmes, Kung Fu Panda 2, and more! More...