January 15th, 2008
The final three guilds handed out their nominations over the past week and while most deal with television, there are a handful of theatrical nominations for each of the Directors Guild of America, the Producers Guild of America, and the Writers Guild of America.
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January 14th, 2008
New releases were few and far between on the rental chart this week, but War did top the charts with $11.78 million.
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January 7th, 2008
Since most new releases were released on Sunday, it comes as no real surprise that The Simpsons Movie remained in first place on this week's DVD sales chart.
This time around, the film sold 1.05 million units for a two-week total of 3.81 million units while it generated $16.84 million in revenue for a total of $64.98 million.
This is a very good start, but lower than expected after its phenomenal theatrical debut.
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January 7th, 2008
For most of the year, it was hard to find a single rental to earn $10 million during the week. This week we have four such films. This includes the 'new release' of Rush Hour 3, which actually came out on Sunday and appeared on last week's list as well. This week it pulled in $11.85 million in rentals for a total of $18.20 million so far.
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December 31st, 2007
There were plenty of new releases to chart this week, but most did not live up to expectations. This includes the number one film, The Simpsons Movie, which sold 2.76 million units during its first week for total sales of $48.14 million.
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December 31st, 2007
There were 12 new releases to chart this week, including 6 in the top ten alone; however, The Bourne Ultimatum remained in first place with $12.76 million in rentals for the week and $28.20 million in total.
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December 18th, 2007
Another deceptively weak week for DVDs.
Sure, there appear to be plenty to choose from, but it feels like half the top 20 are Blade Runner releases.
In fact, one of the two DVD Picks of the Week are for that movie.
For those who are big fans of Blade Runner, grab the Four-Disc Collector's Edition - DVD, or 5-Disc Collector's Edition - Blu-Ray or 5-Disc Collector's Edition - HD-DVD if you can.
(Given the choice between those last two, pick 5-Disc Collector's Edition - Blu-Ray.)
For those who are huge fans of Blade Runner, and I mean stupid level fans of the movie, grab 5-Disc Ultimate Edition - DVD, 5-Disc Ultimate Edition - Blu-Ray, or 5-Disc Ultimate Edition - HD-DVD.
But good luck, I pre-ordered mine months ago and there are reports they are sold out in many places. The second DVD Pick of the Week goes to The Simpsons Movie - Blu-Ray.
The light extras are disappointing, but that transfer is immaculate.
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December 13th, 2007
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association announced their Golden Globe nominations this week, but there were no truly dominate films out of the 14 theatrical categories.
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December 2nd, 2007
It's the first of December. (At least it was when I was writing this intro the first time. I was only going to do a dozen or so releases, but the list ballooned well out of control.) This week kicks off our second annual Holiday Gift Guide with a look at some high definition releases, because nothing says holidays like a format war.
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October 7th, 2007
Hairspray managed to climb into sixth place by the narrowest of margins earning $4.59 million on 2073 screens in 37 markets for a running tally of $54.35 million. This includes a third place, $1.36 million opening on 302 screens in Italy, which is close to its opening domestically, when you take into account the relative size of the two markets. On the other hand, many muscials prove to be difficult to market internationally and it was never likely that this film would match its domestic run. However, it has already made enough to be considered a financial success.
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September 26th, 2007
This week, three of the top five films were not in the top five last week, but despite all of the changes, The Bourne Ultimatum still earned an easy win. Over the weekend the spy thriller added $14.16 million on 3902 screens in 49 markets for a total of $145.59 million. The film had very few openings this past weekend, but did come out in first place in Portugal with $364,000 on 56 screens. The film was able to remain in first place in a number of markets, including France at $2.60 million on 510 screens for a total $7.53 million and Germany at $1.68 million on 717 screens for a total of $11.09 million. The film does have a few more markets to open in, (including Italy and Japan), and given its strong holds, it should hit $200 million before long and should earn more than the previous two installments of the franchise combined.
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September 19th, 2007
The Bourne Ultimatum was able to capture top spot, again, while crossing $100 million internationally. Over the weekend the film added $20.84 million on 4124 screens in 45 markets for a total of $125.06 million, which puts it ahead of The Bourne Supremacy on that chart making it the undisputed champion of the franchise. The film finally ended Ratatouille's dominance of France with a reported $4.4 million on 462 screens while it top neighboring Belgium with $861,000 on 58 screens, including previews. The film also opened in first place in South Korea topping a list of five new releases in the top ten; it managed this with $2.89 million on 403 screens over the weekend and $3.47 million in total. In addition, the film is still in first place in Germany with $2.50 million on 702 screens for a two-week total of $8.47 million.
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September 16th, 2007
I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry soared into sixth place with $4.72 million on 1521 screens in 21 markets for a total of $14.61 million internationally. The film finally hit big in a non-English speaking market earning first place with $1.27 million on 364 screens in Russia, but was soft in its debuts in South Korea and Italy. In Italy it managed $683,000 on 198 screens, but that was a tiny fraction of the first place film, while in South Korea it managed just ninth place with $275,000 on 123 screens over the weekend and $312,000 in total.
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September 6th, 2007
It was the end of summer and that's the best time for Shrek the Third to make its debut in Italy. Summers in Italy are for outdoor activities, so much so that many theaters close down for the season, which makes it a good plan to hold off opening blockbusters there till the fall. The film dominated that market earning $8.02 million on 705 screens over the weekend and $10.67 million overall. The film also opened in three of the four Scandinavian markets earning a combined $4.06 million on 347 screens, including previews / midweek numbers. Overall the film added $17.87 million on 1849 screens in 23 markets for a total of $436.45 million.
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August 29th, 2007
The top five on this week's international charts was the same as last week, only in a slightly different order. For instance, The Bourne Ultimatum was able to climb into top spot with $15.17 million on 2059 screens in 24 markets for a total of $52.55 million so far. The film had a number of openings, including Russia where it opening in first place with $2.57 million on 453 screens and New Zealand where it top the box office with $666,000 on 60 screens. However, it had to settle for second place in Brazil with $976,000 on 196 screens, but that was still the best per screen average in the top ten there. The film's biggest market overall was the U.K. where it remained in first place with $5.77 million on 456 screens for a two-week total of $27.86 million, which is more than either of the previous
films made in that market. In fact, The Bourne Ultimatum is on track to top the $33.94 million the first two films made in total in the U.K.
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August 22nd, 2007
The Simpsons Movie topped the charts for the fourth weekend in a row, the first film do win four weeks in a row on the international chart this summer. However, it was very, very close with $22.30 million on 3128 screens in 49 market for a total of $267.62 million internationally while its worldwide total is now $432.89 million. The film opened in first place in Russia with $3.66 million on 545 screens while in Brazil it took in $2.73 million on 442 screens. Its final significant opening of the weekend came in the Netherlands where it also took first place with $844,000 on 190 screens including the biggest opening day for an animated film at just under $222,000. The film is already $100 million ahead of its domestic pace on the international scene and should hit $300 million before long, while worldwide it could be headed to $500 million.
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August 20th, 2007
Summer abruptly ends during August, sometimes before the month even really begins.
Even in the best years, you only get Summer-like openings during the first two weeks.
However, this year we got a third Summer weekend, as Superbad opened with more than Evan Almighty's debut figure in late June.
Granted, the overall box office dropped to $130 million, which was 15% decline from last weekend.
However, that's still a softer decline than expected, an 18% improvement from last year, and enough to say it is still summertime.
Enjoy it while it lasts.
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August 16th, 2007
This weekend we will have the weakest number one film since at least June 22nd when Evan Almighty opened, and mostly likely since before the summer started.
But there are still some interesting stories to follow and possibly the last $100 million film to open until November.
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August 15th, 2007
For the third weekend in a row, The Simpsons Movie topped the charts, but it was a close race as the TV adaptation pulled in $24.12 million on 6,629 screens in 55 markets for a total of $232.02 million, just beating Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which clocked in with $23.87 million.
The Simpsons' nearly 50% drop-off can be explained by they lack of new openings and the film is still performing strongly in several major markets, including the U.K. where it added $4.39 million on 506 screens to its running tally of $60.41 million.
Meanwhile in Mexico, the film was down 64% during its second weekend of release, although that's typical of the film's performance so far and it was still able to earn first place with $1.95 million on 986 screens for a total of $11.10 million so far.
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August 13th, 2007
As expected, Rush Hour 3 took first place this weekend and helped the overall box office hit $155 million.
This was 12% lower than last weekend, but the summer season is wrapping up, so week-to-week drop-offs like this are to be expected.
More importantly, it was up nearly 20% from the same weekend last year.
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August 9th, 2007
I think it is safe to say that this weekend is the unofficial end of summer. After the release of Rush Hour 3, there's not a single film that has a serious shot at $100 million till October... maybe November. However, while everyone expects Rush Hour 3 to open in first place, I have my doubts as to how big that opening will be.
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August 8th, 2007
Full numbers are not in, so we are stuck with studio estimates for this week's international top five round-up.
That means a couple of films could switch places when the final numbers are in.
However, it is certain that The Simpsons Movie will take top spot as it pulled in an estimated $47.3 million on 6,627 screens in 75 markets for a two-week total of $187 million.
This week's numbers include several new releases, including Mexico, where the family friendly film dominated the box office taking in $5.46 million on 842 screens over the weekend and $6.84 million in total.
Holdovers were mixed with the film down 70% in the U.K. and 64% in Germany, however, it still made $8.18 million on 519 screens in the former market and $5.15 million on 816 screens in the latter for running tallies of $24.96 million and $49.14 million respectively.
It fell more than 50% in almost all major markets, but with a worldwide total of more than $300 million after the weekend, the studio should be very happy with the results.
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August 7th, 2007
The Bourne Ultimatum helped 2007 continue its record setting pace and helped the overall box office hit $178 million over the past weekend. That was down 4% from last weekend, but the summer is slowing down and these declines and expected. On the other hand, it was up an amazing 27% from the same weekend last year.
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August 2nd, 2007
What could be the last major opening this summer debuts today.
The Bourne Ultimatum opens in more than 3,600 theaters.
The summer has been an overwhelming success to date, up 8% from last year and 3% from 2004's record-setting run.
If Bourne can maintain the winning streak, and most analysts agree that it will, then a new record is almost guaranteed.
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August 1st, 2007
The Simpsons Movie started its international run with a bang -- a nuclear powered bang.
The film earned $82.49 million over the weekend on 5,527 screens in 71 markets and now has $96.85 million including midweek numbers and previews.
This is an unbelievably huge opening and one that would have floored analysts not too long ago.
However, it is less than half way to what At World's End opened with earlier in the year and just over half of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and Spider-Man 3's openings, leaving it in fourth place for the year.
The film's best individual market was the U.K., where it earned a massive $27.67 million opening on 499 screens, which helped pave the way for the largest weekend ever in that market.
Other major markets include $14.22 million on 754 screens in Germany, $11.32 million on 442 screens in Australia, $9.47 million on 716 screens in France, and $7.57 million on 672 screens in Spain.
The film has also yet to open in Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Italy, Russia, and other significant markets.
I'm a little concerned by the Fanboy Effect and what it could do to the film's legs, but no matter what happens from now on, the film is a financial success, and one that practically demands a sequel.
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July 31st, 2007
Transformation: The Life & Legacy of Werner Erhard surprised on top of the per theater chart with an impressive $25,460 earned in its lone theater. The overall box office leader, The Simpsons Movie, was in second place with $18,877 while This is England was close behind with $18,430. The political documentary, No End in Sight opened very strongly with more than $30,000 in 2 theaters for an average of $15,767.
Finally, The Devil Came on Horseback also topped $10,000 with $11,143 over the weekend and $18,336 since Wednesday.
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July 30th, 2007
Practically every film in the top five beat expectations, including The Simpsons Movie, which crushed expectations. This helped push the overall box office to $185 million over the weekend and that was roughly 19% higher than the last weekend and a stunning 40% higher than the same weekend last year. With one or two more summer releases that could top $200 million, this has been a very lucrative season and one that helped to put 2007 in the record books.
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July 29th, 2007
Server upgrades went... less smoothly than anticipated, which delayed this column, but at least there are a huge number of sites to check out. Many of these sites are making their first appearance on the list while quite a few are making their last appearance. Unfortunately, while it's a big list, there are not many that are even close to being award worthy at the moment. 30 Days of Night - Official Site comes the closest, but I'm waiting for the missing features to be added before I make that decision.
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July 29th, 2007
The Simpsons Movie ended its long journey to the big screen this weekend with a resounding "Ay Carumba" from moviegoers.
The animated featured earned $71.85 million, according to Fox's Sunday estimate, making it comfortably one of the top five July openers of all time.
The other wide releases had a tougher time of it, with none of them averaging over $5,000 per theater.
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July 27th, 2007
One of the most important and anticipated films of modern times opens in theaters this weekend.
The Simpsons Movie looks to change how we look at culture and perhaps change the very way we humans interact.
OK, probably not, but it should make a boatload of money at the box office this weekend.
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July 21st, 2007
Big list in terms of numbers, not so much in terms of quality. In fact, the best film in terms of updates this week was The Simpsons Movie - Official Site, which has already won the Weekly Website Award. Because of that, there are no new winners this week.
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July 20th, 2007
One of the most difficult films to predict we've had in a long while opens this coming weekend.
The Simpsons Movie could break records, it could bomb, or it could fall anywhere in-between.
It is fortunate that we have three prizes then, as it allows us to give away one to a randomly chosen entrant as well.
The prizes are posters for No Reservations, which not only opens next Friday but has a sneak peak this Saturday.
To win, one must simply predict the box office opening for The Simpsons Movie.
Whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend (Friday to Sunday), without going over, will win a poster from No Reservations.
Meanwhile, whoever comes the closest to predicting the film's opening 3-day weekend (Friday to Sunday), without going under, will win another poster from No Reservations.
And finally, one additional lucky winner will be picked to win the last No Reservations.
Entries must be received by 10 a.m., Pacific Time on Friday to be eligible, so don't delay!
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July 1st, 2007
After a record-breaking start, the summer has slowed down considerably. Granted, it is still hot with a number of big, big blockbusters coming out. In fact, every week in July there's at least one potential $100 million movie. But that's nothing compared to what we saw in May when we have three films open with $100 million. Even worse, outside the four main releases, none of the counter-programming releases look like they will become hits and that will hurt the overall box office.
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June 30th, 2007
One of the slowest weeks I can remember for this list, but at least we have a top-notch site to give the Weekly Website Award to: Ratatouille - Official Site.
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June 24th, 2007
One of the most anticipate films of the summer became the best site of the week. The Simpsons Movie - Official Site is finally here and the winner of the Weekly Website Award.
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April 21st, 2007
There were a few new flash sites to launch this week, but while there might be a couple future winners among those sites, it was a long time resident on this week's list that walked away with top honors. That site was Hot Fuzz - Official Site, which probably could have won several weeks ago if the features were added all at once. However, it's much better to spread the updates out in order to get people coming back week after week.
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April 7th, 2007
It's the Saturday after Good Friday, which explains why this column was delayed one day. But while the Friday was good, this week's sites were mediocre, at least they were compared to high expectations. If this was January, it would be a great list. However, at this point of the year I'm expecting one potential summer blockbuster to have a major website launch each week, and that didn't happen this time. We still had an award-worthy effort with Grindhouse - Official Site.
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March 24th, 2007
Good week for trailers with several on the list, including a trio of major summer blockbusters. However, while those site will obviously generate the most traffic, they are not award-worthy sites, (at least not yet). The best site this week is Pathfinder - Official Site.
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February 23rd, 2007
Big week in terms of flash sites launching, but a tough one when it comes to picking a winner. There were several sites that were contenders, and a few that will likely be winners after a few more updates, but none that stood out as the best for the week. It's almost like there were so many that were so close to winning the award that none were able to stand out and get me excited. However, there was one site that was updated this week that did, The Simpsons Movie - Official Site. This site did get a new look, but the real draw here is the first full trailer, to go along with the three previous teasers. Is that enough to make it award worthy? No. But while my rational side was distracted by a game of Sudoku the Fanboy in me made that decisions, and all Fanboy freak-outs are legally binding. Hopefully the final site will live up to the award. I have a feeling it will.
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February 17th, 2007
While the big summer blockbusters are sill M.I.A., there are plenty of other films to pick up the slack. This includes this week's winner,
Bridge to Terabithia -
Official Site.
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December 30th, 2006
Another abridged list with just the sites for movies opening this week, and two others. While there is less than a dozen films on this week list, the first one,
Arthur and the Invisibles -
Official Site, is worthy of the Weekly Website Award.
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November 18th, 2006
A lot of trailers on this week's list of websites. Not only were there a lot of site with just trailers, there were a few trailers without sites. On the other hand, there were also a few contenders for the Weekly Website Award. In the end it was
The Children of Men -
Official Site that took home that prestigious award.
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April 6th, 2006
It's a much busier week this week including several sites that I found through e-mails. Thanks for the tips. (On a side note, if you sent me an e-mail regarding a movie site and I forgot it, please send it again. It was a big list this week and I'm almost positive one or two sites slipped between the cracks.) Unfortunately, while there are plenty of sites on this week's list, there's not a lot of top notch ones. The movie on this list that made me the most excited was
The Simpsons Movie, and that one doesn't even have an official movie site, just the
teaser trailer.
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