"Riddick" Boosts the Box Office

The weekend directly following Labor Day is usually pretty slow.  This week last year had The Possession at the top of the box office, but it only managed to rake in $9.3 million.  This time we have a post-Labor Day box office that's 26% healthier.

You can thank Vin Diesel for that.

Diesel stars as the title character in Riddick, the third film in the Chronicles of Riddick franchise which follows the adventures of an intergalactic alien criminal.  The film - which was independently funded by Diesel and writer-director David Twohy after Universal initially refused to finance it - earned $18.7 million domestically in its first weekend, which is up from the first movie and down from the second.  Pitch Black debuted in 2000 with $11.6 million, and The Chronicles of Riddick debuted in 2004 with $24.3 million (Star Tribune).

While not debuting as well as its predecessor, Riddick did manage to knock Lee Daniels' The Butler out of its three-week streak as number one.  It also helped to boost the post-Labor Day weekend box office totals by 26%, compared to last year.

But this Friday is the 13th, and there's a horror movie sequel - Insidious: Chapter 2 - releasing that day.  It could be an "unlucky" day (if you believe in that kind of thing, which I don't), or it could be just the thing Insidious needs to terrify the number one box office spot from Riddick.  I don't know about you, but I'm really interested in seeing the box office numbers next week.

Here are the estimated ticket sales for the weekend of Friday the 6th through Sunday the 8th in the U.S. and Canada (numbers courtesy of the Star Tribune):

1.  Riddick - $18.7 million

2.  Lee Daniels' The Butler - $8.9 million

3.  Instructions Not Included - $8.1 million

4.  We're the Millers - $7.9 million

5.  Planes - $4.3 million

6.  One Direction: This is Us - $4.1 million

7.  Elysium - $3.1 million

8.  Blue Jasmine - $2.7 million

9.  Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters - $2.5 million

10.  The World's End - $2.3 million

 - Edessa, signing off

Horror Movie Scares Off Pseudo-Ghostbusters

When it comes to choosing between a movie about demons and exorcisms and a movie about policemen shooting ghosts, it seems that the general public prefers the former.

Based on a true story about a Catholic demon-hunting couple, The Conjuring was the number one movie in America last week, pulling in $41.9 million in its first weekend.  R.I.P.D. - which stands for Rest In Peace Department, and is probably one of the most boringly unoriginal titles I've seen in a long time - opened over the same weekend as The Conjuring but only pulled in $12.7 million, which puts it in seventh place overall.

I guess not even Jeff Bridges and Ryan Reynolds can save a Ghostbusters-wannabe movie with a bad title.

On the other hand, Despicable Me 2 has been doing very well in its weeks at the box office (I saw it twice, so there's about $20 for it right there).  It held onto the number two spot over the weekend, followed closely by Turbo (am I the only one who thinks that this movie is basically Cars but with a superpowered snail instead of a talking car?  If the story works, though...).  So just from weekend number one, it looks like the public prefers Mr. Reynolds as an animated snail instead of a Ghostbuster.  Works for me.


Here are the estimated ticket sales in the U.S. and Canada from Friday the 19th through Sunday the 22nd:

1.  The Conjuring - $41.9 million
2.  Despicable Me 2 - $24.9 million
3.  Turbo - $21.3 million
4.  Grown Ups 2 - $19.9 million
5.  Red 2 - $18 million
6.  Pacific Rim - $16 million
7.  R.I.P.D. - $12.7 million
8.  The Heat - $9.3 million
9.  World War Z - $5.2 million
10.  Monsters University - $5.1 million


In other basically unrelated news, I finally finished my really crazy month of working basically nonstop and to "celebrate" I decided to get a Twitter account just for fun.  Some people have started following me there already, and if you have Twitter I'd love to follow you back.  If you're interested, just follow this link to go to my profile.

I'm also experimenting with a new schedule for my life to make sure that everything gets done when it's supposed to get done, so you can expect more regular posting as well as new Holocron episodes coming soon (which includes finishing up my commentary of the original Star Wars trilogy, a discussion of what I want to see in the new SW movies, and possibly even finishing up my commentary of the Christopher Nolan Batman trilogy).

So, yeah, a lot of updating, scheduling, getting back on track, and whatnot, but it'll be fun.  I know I'm definitely looking forward to it!

I'm curious: what have you guys been up to this past week or so?  Have any fun last-minute vacation plans before the summer's over?




 - Edessa, signing off

Enterprise Crew Knocks Down Iron Man

Which film should logically be topping the charts this week?

If you guessed Star Trek: Into Darkness, you would be very right.

The newest ST movie just released last weekend to the tune of $70.6 million, but it also fell way short of Paramount's expectations.  2009's Star Trek opened with $75.2 million - about five million more than Into Darkness' actual numbers - so it makes sense that the studio figured it would make more with the sequel.  Their estimation of $100 million was way off, though, and I'm sure that the guys at Paramount aren't exactly thrilled about that.

Nevertheless, Into Darkness managed to grab the #1 domestic spot from Iron Man 3, who had been at the top for two straight weekends.  In fact, Marvel's Man of Steel has still been going very strong at the box office, particularly overseas: a $1.1 billion worldwide haul (so far) is nothing to sneeze at.

What's surprising (at least to me) is that The Great Gatsby did even better overseas this week than both Into Darkness and Iron Man 3.  That film pulled in $42.1 million internationally as opposed to ST's $40 million and IM 3's $40.2 million in the same market.

Then again, maybe the overseas market prefers DiCaprio over Downey, Jr.  I dunno.  But I'm expecting IM 3 to outlast both Into Darkness and Gatsby's theater runs, even though it does have a two week head start.  But I guess we'll have to just sit back and see what happens.

I'm also very curious as to whether or not Into Darkness will be able to beat ST's worldwide total of $385 million.  It's definitely possible, particularly since I've heard that this sequel is much better than the first.  Then again, Paramount's original opening weekend estimation was pretty far off.

That's one of the most interesting parts about the movie industry: a great movie can flop, a terrible movie can succeed, and it's all on the shoulders (and wallets) of the public.

Being a financial adviser for the movie industry must be some stressful job.


Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday May 17th through Sunday May 19th at U.S. and Canadina theaters (courtesy of the Star Tribune):

1.  Star Trek: Into Darkness - $70.6 million
2.  Iron Man 3 - $35.2 million
3.  The Great Gatsby - $23.4 million
4.  Pain & Gain - $3.1 million
5.  The Croods - $2.75 million
6.  42 - $2.73 million
7.  Oblivion - $2.2 million
8.  Mud - $2.16 million
9.  Peeples - $2.15 million
10.  The Big Wedding - $1.1 million


In other news, finals are done and I refuse to keep making excuses not to blog.  The procrastinating tendencies in my brain are going down and staying down if it's the last thing I ever do.

So let the summer blogging begin!  This will be so much fun!




 - Edessa, signing off

A Great and Powerful Weekend at the Box Office

It's always really cool when films live up to their hype and even their names.

The film I have in mind with the above statement is none other than Oz: The Great and the Powerful, which is leading the box office again in its second weekend.

Earning $42.2 million domestically and $46.6 million overseas (which bumps its two week worldwide total to $281.8 million), Oz has easily become the biggest hit of 2013 so far.  And a big hit is what this film year has been sorely needing for the past few months.  Most of the films that have opened in 2013 have not done as well as the estimations originally claimed, and currently the box office is down a whopping 13 percent from the same time last year.

You don't have to know a lot about statistics and finance to know that a 13 percent drop in revenue is bad.

But with Oz's massive release worldwide, it would appear that the box office will be getting back up to normal speed soon enough.  And if that doesn't help, the veritable storm of incredibly hyped-up animated film (Despicable Me 2, The Croods, Monsters University) should be able to kick start the box office all by themselves.

Another film that is doing well in theaters is the thriller The Call.  In its opening weekend this week, it pulled in a nice $17.1 million domestically.  While that's almost nothing compared with Oz's profit, The Call is still doing much better than it was originally expected to do, and any film will take exceeded expectations as a success.


Here are the ticket sale for Friday March 15th through Sunday March 17th at U.S. and Canadian theaters (courtesy of the Star Tribune):

1. Oz: The Great and the Powerful - $42.2 million ($46.6 million international)
2. The Call - $17.2 million
3. The Incredible Burt Wonderstone - $10.3 million
4. Jack the Giant Slayer - $6.2 million ($10 million international)
5. Identity Thief - $4.5 million
6. Snitch - $3.5 million
7. 21 and Over - $2.6 million
8. Silver Linings Playbook - $2.6 million
9. Safe Haven - $2.5 million
10. Escape From Planet Earth - $2.3 million


Before I end this post, there are just a few announcements I'd like to make.

Firstly, HNED is now on Pinterest!  It's something I've been wanting to do for a little while, so over the weekend I just knuckled down and did it.  Currently there are five boards: Film Posters, Movie Production Stills, Video Game Stills, Star Wars, and the HNED Random Picture of the Day.  I'll try to update all of those boards daily with new pictures and whatnot, and I hope you all like it!  The link to the boards is under the Links tab up there or you can just click the little Pinterest icon on the right hand sidebar to go there.

Secondly, I've started my commentary series on the Star Wars Original Trilogy on The Holocron. I've only recorded one to Episode IV: A New Hope so far, but Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back will be coming later this week.  If you're interested, the Schedule tab on The Holocron site has a list of all of the commentaries that will be coming in the next month or so, and I think it's a pretty fun and diverse list.  I'm also planning on recording a podcast episode of all of the stuff I want to have the new Star Wars trilogy contain, which I hope will be interesting to most (if not all) of you.  So, long story short, be sure to check out The Holocron every weekend for a new podcast episode!

Finally, you all may want to plug your ears because The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey releases on DVD tomorrow and my fangirl screams get loudly obnoxious when it comes to anything related to Tolkien!  Who else is excited?  SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!  =D




 - Edessa, signing off

Zombies Take Over the Box Office

The supernatural being + regular human romance stories seem to be here to stay, as evidenced by yet another such movie nabbing the #1 Box Office spot last weekend.

Warm Bodies - a tale of a zombie who falls in love with a human girl and, through the relationship, slowly grows more human - opened last weekend with $20 million, easily making it the number one movie at the domestic box office. The second place spot went to Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters with $9.2 million ($15 million international), which is pretty far behind the first place movie.

But that decline makes sense. After all, the Super Bowl weekend in America generally means that virtually everyone is going to stay home or go to a friend's house instead of going to the movies. According to the Star Tribune, "studios predict a decrease of as much as 70 percent from Saturday to Sunday" on the Super Bowl weekend. And that's a lot of money to lose, if you ask me.

Even so, Warm Bodies still managed to rake in $20 million, and that's pretty good for anybody on Super Bowl weekend. It still couldn't beat the highest grossing record over the same weekend, which was set in 2008 by Hannah Montana and Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert which opened with $31.1 million.

Another interesting note is that, apparently, "moviegoers aren't turning out for traditional R-rated action movies." I have no idea why this is the case (possibly because the market is flooded with similar movies?), but supposedly "That trend should reverse itself when Bruce Willis' 'A Good Day to Die Hard' opens Feb. 14" (Star Tribune).

Hmmm. A February 14th release. I wonder how many guys in America will want to take their girlfriends to see the new Die Hard movie when it opens, considering that day is Valentine's Day... either way, the stats will be interesting to see when they finally come out.


Here are the Top Ten movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters from Friday February 1st through Sunday February 3rd (courtesy of the Star Tribune):

1. Warm Bodies - $20 million
2. Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters - $9.2 million
3. Silver Linings Playbook - $8.1 million
4. Mama - $6.7 million
5. Zero Dark Thirty - $5.3 million
6. Bullet to the Head - $4.5 million
7. Parker - $3.2 million
8. Django Unchained - $3 million
9. Les Miserables - $2.4 million
10. Lincoln - $2.4 million


So, overall, a pretty bland weekend at the Box Office, but we have the Super Bowl to blame for that.

Speaking of the Super Bowl, did any of you go to any parties, or watch the game at home, or do anything special on Sunday night? Was there a commercial that you really liked, or did you prefer to watch the game?

I went to a party that my church's Sunday School group was hosting, and it was so much fun! I particularly thought it was hilarious when half of the Superdome's lights went down for half an hour. Definitely a memorable moment!




 - Edessa, signing off

"Zero Dark Thirty" Takes #1

Kathryn Bigelow is back, and her newest military-themed film easily took the #1 spot at the Box Office last weekend.

Zero Dark Thirty - a movie based on the real life assassination of Osama bin Laden by U.S. Navy SEALs - opened last month in a limited run, but in its wide release last weekend it hauled in a very nice $24 million domestically and $1.2 million internationally. What makes that even more interesting is the fact that the movie has recieved mixed reviews because of some graphic torture scenes.

Despite the torture, though, Zero Dark Thirty has been nominated for five Oscars (click here to see the complete list of nominees), and distributor Sony seems to be pretty proud of it.

The Hobbit, on the other hand, has dropped down to the #6 position at the Box Office, earning just $9 million domestically last weekend. It's still hanging on in the running, but I'm thinking that it won't be in the Top Ten for longer than three more weeks.

And that's a little sad, honestly, since it's such a beautiful movie. I also think it's a shame that it didn't have more than three Oscar nominations. But we can always hope that the next two films will do even better (just like how it was for The Lord of the Rings trilogy, with The Return of the King practically wiping the Oscar board in 2003). Fingers crossed!

"Overall business in North America this weekend came in at $142 million, up more than 7 percent from the same period last year, when the Mark Wahlberg thriller 'Contraband' led the box office with $14.3 million," according to the Star Tribune. Honestly, I think it's pretty cool that even during recessions the film industry continues to grow more and more powerful. I mean, honestly, what other business can do that? Films have massive staying power, and I think that's pretty awesome.


Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday January 11th through Sunday January 13th at U.S. and Canadian theaters (courtesy of the Star Tribune):

1. Zero Dark Thirty - $24 million ($1.2 million international)
2. A Haunted House - $18.8 million
3. Gangster Squad - $16.7 million
4. Django Unchained - $11 million
5. Les Miserables - $10.1 million
6. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - $9 million ($26.1 million international)
7. Lincoln - $6.3 million
8. Parental Guidance - $6.1 million
9. Texas Chainsaw 3-D - $5.1 million
10. Silver Linings Playbook - $5 million


Before I end this post, I just wanted to ask you guys to weigh in on something. If you listened all the way through my latest podcast, you probably heard me mentioning doing something special for the Oscars on February 24th. I was given the suggestion of live streaming my reactions to the ceremony, and I'd like to know what you guys think of that. It would basically be just me watching the Oscars and commenting about whatever would come to my mind (I can't actually live stream the actual Oscar footage due to copyrights, but you could tune in on your own TV and/or computer so you could watch it with me).

Would you guys like that, or would you prefer that I just write up a post about the winners after the fact, or do you have another idea you'd like to share?




 - Edessa, signing off

The Top 20 Films of 2012

It is now 2013.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

If I had confetti, I would throw it. And if I had a party blower, I would most definitely be blowing it.

Unfortunately, I have neither, so I guess I'll have to settle for something else... something that I think is far more interesting than dumping confetti on everybody's heads (though, honestly, that would be a whole lot of fun!).

The Top Films of 2012!

Box Office Mojo has just released the final numbers for the highest grossing films of 2012, ranking each one by the amount of money it made at the box office in 2012. Last year was an amazing year for the film industry, both in terms of the movies that were released as well as monetarily. The whole box office was up 6.0% from last year, and ticket sales along were up 5.9%.

655 movies were released to U.S. theaters in 2012, but that would take forever to go through. Instead, let's take a more reasonable chunk: the Top 20.

So, without further ado, let's review the list and relive the wonderful 2012 film season.


#20 - Prometheus

     The prequel to the Alien franchise was in 3,442 theaters for three months. It opened with $51 million and by the end of its run grossed a total of $126.5 million. Ridley Scott would be pleased.


#19 - Lincoln

     A new president biopic from the ever-creative Steven Spielberg, Lincoln has only been in theaters for almost a month, but it's already made quite an impression. Opening with only $944,308 in 11 theaters, the film is now showing in 2,293 theaters and (so far) has grossed $131.9 million. Pretty big jump, if you ask me.


#18 - 21 Jump Street

     21 Jump Street is the film version of a popular TV show back in the day that starred Johnny Depp. Even without Depp, the film has done well. It ran for four months in 3,148 theaters, opening with $36.3 million and closing with $138.4 million.


#17 - Taken 2

     Ah, Liam Neeson. I can't watch any of his performances without thinking either "Hey, there's Aslan" or "Hey, there's Qui-Gonn." But he's a good actor, so it works. This drug-busting father film opened in 3,661 theaters and brought in $49.5 million. Fast-forward until now and not only is Taken 2 currently playing in 3,706 theaters but it's also grossed a nice $138.9 million. By the way, a sequel's in the works. Kinda makes you wonder how many times a guy can let his family get caught by drug dealers and then go save them in a flurry of lead. Just saying...


#16 - Hotel Translyvania

     Telling the story of monsters vacationing at a hotel owned by a vampire, Hotel Translyvania earned $42.5 million on its opening weekend. Now it's playing in 3,375 theaters and, so far, has grossed $143.9 million. No doubt it will still be making money in 2013.


#15 - Snow White and the Huntsman

     Now this is one movie that I really want to see. True, Kristen Stewart isn't exactly my favorite actress, but I've always loved the Snow White story and this version looks very good. Opening with $56.2 million, Snow White and the Huntsman went on to earn a total of $155.1 million once its three month box office run was completed. It played in 3,777 theaters, which seems to be about the average of most other 2012 movies.


#14 - Ice Age: Continental Drift

     Ice Age appears to be one of those film franchises that just won't die. Not like I'm complaining or anything. I just find it so interesting that some movies really resonate with audiences and spawn sequel after sequel, while others that are equally good fall by the wayside. There's gotta be some statistics about this phenomenon somewhere.... But getting back on track, this new Ice Age installment opened with a tidy $46.6 million and over a five month period has gone on to earn $161.1 million in 3,886 theaters, and it doesn't look like it's anywhere near done yet.


#13 - Wreck-It Ralph

     Animated films were big last year, but that's nothing new. There's just something so special about animated films that makes them resonate with not only kids but adults as well. Very few movies can do that, but most animated ones can. Wreck-It Ralph - telling the story of a video game character who wants to find purpose - earned $49 million in its opening weekend, and so far has earned a total of $175.5 million in 3,752 theaters over a two month period. The movie should have at least one, if not two, more months in theaters, so it may break $200 million eventually.


#12 - Men In Black 3

     Not only were animated films big in 2012, but so were sequels. Some sequels stunk, others were ok, very few were awesome. Pretty normal, overall. MIB 3 had a four month run in 4,248 theaters, opening with $54.6 million and closing with $179 million. It's also the third of the five films that Sony has in the Top 20 list, which gives them the award for the most highest grossing films in 2012.


#11 - Dr. Seuss' The Lorax

     "The Lorax" was one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books when I was little, right after "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and "I Can Read With My Eyes Shut Tight." I haven't gotten around to seeing the movie yet, but maybe I will one day. My Must-Watch list keeps getting bigger and bigger. The Lorax had a normal four month theater run, playing in a final total of 3,769 theaters. It opened with $70.2 million and closed with a honkin' $214 million. That's pretty good for an animated film, though Brave beat that number. But I'm getting way ahead of myself...


#10 - Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted

     And we're coming into the home stretch, the Top 10 highest grossing films of the 2012 theater season! Madagascar 3 took the #10 spot last year, opening with $60.3 million and four months later closing in 4,263 theaters with $216.4 million.


#9 - Ted

     Raunch-fest. Not a word, I know, but that's the film Ted in a nutshell: the story of a middle-aged man with his talking teddy bear (unoriginally named Ted) who loves drinking beer and being, well, raunchy. Enough said. Ted had a four month theater run in 3,303 theaters, opening with $54.4 million and closing the 2012 season with $218.7 million. That's really all I have to say about this film. Moving on...


#8 - The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

     Yes, The Hobbit is only at the number eight position on this list, but that's mainly because it only opened a few weeks ago. It will get more and more money in the coming months. I'm planning on going again this Saturday, so there's an extra ten bucks. =P The Hobbit opened with $84.6 million and has so far made a whopping $221.7 million in 4,100 theaters. Here's to hoping that it gets nominated for (and, by extension, wins) as many Academy Awards as it can!


#7 - Brave

     The most popular animated movie of 2012 was undoubtably Brave, the story of a rebellious Scottish princess and her traditional-minded mother. I did see this one in theaters with my best friend, and it was definitely an experience to remember (mainly because there was no one in the theater, so we sat in the very back row and sang "Fireflies" by Owl City at the top of our lungs). Brave opened in June and is still in theaters (4,164 of them, to be exact). It opened with $66.3 million and, so far, has made $237.3 million.


#6 - The Amazing Spider-Man

     And here come our superheroes, which were another big thing in the 2012 movie line-up. A reboot of Sam Raimi and Tobey Maguire's original Spider-Man trilogy, The Amazing Spider-Man only had a three month run, but in that short amount of time it opened with $62 million and closed with $262 million in 4,318 theaters. Pretty good, if you ask me.


#5 - The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2

     And here are the vampires and werewolves. The final installment of the Twilight film franchise (based off of Stephanie Meyer's novels) has been in theaters for a little over a month, and likely will stay there for a while longer. In 4,070 theaters it opened with $141 million and closed the 2012 season with $286 million.


#4 - Skyfall

     James Bond movies have been around for a good fifty-odd years, but Skyfall has been the most popular of them all. Opening in 3,505 theaters it opened with $88.4 million, and a little over a month later closed out 2012 with $289.6 million in 3,526 theaters. Good job, Bond. Very good job.


#3 - The Hunger Games

   The first film in the Hunger Games franchise (based off of the books by Suzanne Collins), The Hunger Games has enjoyed life at the top for six months, the longest of all the Top 20 theaters runs in 2012. It played in 4,137 theaters for the entirety of its run, opening with $152.5 million and closing in September with $408 million. Let's see if the three sequels will be able to match or beat those numbers.


#2 - The Dark Knight Rises

     Ah, Batman, welcome back to the box office. Even with the terrible tragedy that occured in Colorado around this film, it still managed to take the #2 spot in the Top 20 list. It ran for five months in 4,404 theaters, opening with $160.9 million and closing with $448.1 million. That's a strong finish for a film surrounded by so much tragedy.


And the award for the number one highest grossing film in 2012 goes to....

(Drum roll, please)



#1 - The Avengers

     No surprise that the number one spot should go to The Avengers. Not only did it beat out the number two movie in the history of the world (Titanic) but it also beat all of the records held by the number one movie in the history of the world (Avatar), becoming the highest grossing movie the world has ever seen. We'll see if James Cameron's Avatar sequel will be able to give The Avengers a run for its money.
     The Avengers opened in 4,349 theaters with a humungous $207.4 million and closed five months later with a huge haul of $623.4 million. Wondeful, beautiful job, Buena Vista, and congradulations all around for distributing the most popular movie in all of film history.


And there you have it: the Top 20 Films of 2012. It has truly been a wonderful year for filmmaking. 2013 will have to work extra hard to come close to the record-breaking 2012 year, but my hopes are high. If you would like to see the standings of all 655 films that were released last year, just click on this link.

Good-bye, 2012. Thank you for a beautiful film year.

Welcome, 2013. Time to show us what you got!




 - Edessa, signing off

One Movie to Rule Them All

Still #1 for the third straight weekend!

Bilbo Baggins has quite a lot of adventures on his way to the Lonely Mountain, including staying at the top of the Box Office list for three weekends straight.

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - the first movie in The Hobbit trilogy - made $149.9 million domestically in ten days at the Box Office, and last weekend it made an extra $33 million domestically to stay at the top. So far the film has made $222.7 million domestically and $686.7 million internationally.

I think it's a blockbuster, don't you?

That was enough to keep The Hobbit in the number one position for three weekends straight and, hopefully, it'll continue to stay at the top for three more weeks to come.

What was surprising (for me, anyway) is that Les Miserables debuted in the number three position, just after Quentin Tarantino's spaghetti Western Django Unchained. Honestly, I thought that a story as well-known as Les Miz with it's star-studded cast of Hugh Jackman, Russel Crowe, Anne Hathaway, and Amanda Seyfried would easily take second place, but I suppose more people preferred to see Tarantino's mixed up view of history (which, seriously, is nothing new).

Django Unchained earned $64 million in its opening weekend, whereas Les Miz took in $28 million, more than half less in terms of revenue; however, Miz did take in a nice $116.2 million worldwide, so maybe it will have longer staying power than Django.

In other related news, the newest James Bond film - Skyfall - has officially passed the $1 billion mark internationally, which makes it the most successful entry in the franchise (which is 50 years old now).

2012 was a year of blockbusters (The Avengers, The Dark Knight Rises, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, and so many others), and it really shows when you look at all of the numbers. Adding up the total revenue of the films made in the U.S. in 2012, you get an awesome $10.8 billion that people spent at the theaters this year. That officially takes out the previous record of $10.6 nillion in 2009. The Avengers alone made up a huge chunk of that number by taking in $207.4 million in May alone.

Looking at these numbers makes me excited for the 2013 film season. Will it be as great as 2012 was? Will it fall short? Will it break 2012's records?

Time will tell. And I, for one, will be extremely excited to find out.


The estimated ticket sales for Friday December 28th through Sunday December 30th at U.S. and Canadian theaters (courtesy of the Star Tribune):

1. The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - $32.9 million ($106.5 million internationally)
2. Django Unchained - $30.7 million
3. Les Miserables - $28 million ($38.3 million internationally)
4. Parental Guidance - $14.8 million
5. Jack Reacher - $14 million
6. This is 40 - $13.2 million
7. Lincoln - $7.5 million
8. The Guilt Trip - $6.7 million
9. Monsters, Inc. 3-D - $6.4 million
10. Rise of the Guardians - $4.9 million




 - Edessa, signing off

Twilight Sucks The Box Office Dry

Ah, Twilight.

There are so many things I could say about you, but today I'll just limit myself to congradulating you on your very strong opening weekend at the Box Office. After all, it's not just any movie that can pull off a $340.9 million worldwide gross in three days.

Twilight: Breaking Dawn -- Part 2, the last installment in the extremely popular vampire romance saga based off of the bestselling novels by Stephanie Meyer, sucked $141.3 million out of North Americans alone, $340.9 million worldwide. That domestic total puts Breaking Dawn, Part 2 at the number eight position in the list of all-time domestic debuts and "leaves 'Twilight' with three of the top-10 openings, joining 2009's 'New Moon' (No. 7 with $142.8 million) and last year's 'Breaking Dawn -- Part 1' (No. 9 with $138.1 million)" (Star Tribune).

And that's pretty good for any movie, particularly the fifth film in a series. True, I've never been a fan of Twilight or any other supernatural romance story, but I know that Breaking Dawn -- Part 2 deserves at least a congradulatory nod for placing as it did last weekend.

What isn't surprising is that 79% of the opening weekend audience was female, but on the other hand Part 2 also "drew the biggest male crowds in the series," according to the Star Tribune.

How much do you want to bet that most of the guys there were on a date with their girlfriends or wives?

With Part 2 at the top of the Box Office list, the newest James Bond film (Skyfall) dropped to number two and Wreck-It Ralph dropped to number four.

But the most interesting thing that happened at the box office last weekend was that there was a three-way tie for the number ten spot. Sure, I've seen ties before, but only ever two-way. Three films inhabiting one spot is really new for me, but also very interesting.


Here are the Top Ten highest grossing films at U.S. and Canadian Box Offices from Friday November 16th through Sunday November 18th (courtesy of the Star Tribune):

1. The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 2 - $141.3 million
2. Skyfall - $41.5 million
3. Lincoln - $21 million
4. Wreck-It Ralph - $18.3 million
5. Flight - $8.6 million
6. Argo - $4.1 million
7. Taken 2 - $2.1 million
8. Pitch Perfect - $1.3 million
9. Here Comes the Boom - $1.2 million
10. (tie) Cloud Atlas - $900,000
10. (tie)  Hotel Translyvania - $900,000
10. (tie) The Sessions - $900,000


And if you're on Facebook, remember to check out HNED's official page and - hopefully - even Like it! Just search for HoloNet Entertainment Daily, and it should be right there! =D




 - Edessa, signing off

"Argo" Claws Up To #1

I've been keeping track of the Box Office for a few years, and I can't ever recall reading about a film that didn't open as number one on the Top Ten list but then became number one a few weeks later.

That's why you really surprised me, Argo.

Argo, a based-on-a-true-story film about the six U.S. embassy workers who were rescued during the Iranian Hostage Crisis in '79, has already been in theaters for three weeks. It opened at #2 two weeks ago and managed to maintain that position until last Friday, when it grabbed the #1 spot with $12.4 million domestically. So far Argo has only made about $60.8 million total since its opening, but if a film can open low and then work its way up to the top I think that says something about it.

But while the guys at Warner Bros. (the production company that distributes Argo) are undoubtably pleased with their film, they're also less than thrilled with another one of their films, Cloud Atlas. That film didn't meet their opening weekend predictions, but from statements I've read Warner Bros. is still very confident that they'll be able to get a return on their $100 million investment.

According to the Star Tribune, "[Last weekend] was a soft weekend all around, though, with several newcomers opening poorly" with Silent Hill: Revelation 3-D, Fun Size, and Chasing Mavericks all opening very low. Part of that is undoubtably because of the World Series, but the other part is probably because of Hurricane Sandy, who's moving along the East Coast.

Paul Dergarabedian, a Hollywood.com box office analyst, also told the Star Tribune that "The whole marketplace felt more like September than October. Back in September, we had four down weekends in a row. There was no momentum in the marketplace. When a holdover is No. 1, it reflects a lack of strength in the marketplace. Every week should have a new movie topping the chart."

Looking ahead, I'm thinking that this weekend will give the Box Office its much-needed boost. I mean, Wreck-It Ralph, Skyfall, and Breaking Dawn Part Two are all opening this week. And Skyfall already opened in 25 countries last week with $77.7 million.

I'm still not sure who I think is going to grab the #1 spot, but I think I'm gonna put my money on Wreck-It Ralph. After all, both Skyfall and Breaking Dawn Part Two are PG-13, and even with all of their fans I don't think that either film will be able to bring in the crowds and the money like a animated family movie can. But that's just my prediction.

But if you can hold on to that #1 spot, Argo, then I'm not sure if that will encourage me or scare me.


Here are the estimated ticket sales from Friday October 26th through the 28th at U.S. and Canadian theaters (courtesy of the Star Tribune):

1. Argo - $12.4 million
2. Hotel Translyvania - $9.5 million
3. Cloud Atlas - $9.4 million
4. Paranormal Activity 4 - $8.7 million
5. Silent Hill: Revelation 3-D - $8 million
6. Taken 2 - $8 million
7. Here Comes the Boom - $5.5 million
8. Sinister - $5.07 million
9. Alex Cross - $5.05 million
10. Fun Size - $4.1 million




 - Edessa, signing off

"Taken 2" Takes the Box Office

Sometimes I wonder if anybody really pays any attention to film critics. Sometimes they love a certain film, but nobody else really goes to see it. Sometimes they diss another film, and then everybody and their mother goes to see it. It's kind of strange how that works, and that bizarre phenomenon just happened again with Taken 2.

In its debut weekend, Taken 2 took in a very nice $50 million in the U.S. and Canada, which is a little less than $30 million more than its predeccessor nabbed on its opening weekend ($24.7 million in 2009).

If you total up both domestic and international ticket sales, Taken 2 is leading the pack at $117 million over its opening weekend. Not bad, not bad at all, considering the material the film covers (the sex trade, torture, and other such issues).

Then again, so many people love Liam Neeson that even if the film was bad it would probably still make a lot of money. That's star-power for you!

Frankenweenie, another film that debuted last weekend, didn't do so hot. It came in at fifth place with $11.5 million. Personally, I'm kind of suprised that it even got that much money. Maybe its just me, but Frankenweenie looks like a very disturbing movie. Well, it would disturb me, anyway, especially after reading an article about real scientists who did bring their dead dogs back to life after killing them...

But I digress...

According to the Star Tribune, "'Frankenweenie' had a modest debut compared to Burton's last animated feature, 'Corpse Bride,' which took in $19.1 million in its first weekend of wide release in 2005. Both films were made through stop-motion animation, using puppets moved incrementally and photographed a frame at a time.

"'Corpse Bride' had the advantage of Burton's superstar pal, Johnny Depp leading the voice cast. And 'Frankenweenie' was a tough sell both for its stop-motion style, which is far less popular than the computer-generated look of today's animation blockbusters, and for its black-and-white presentation, done in homage to classic monster movies."

Personally, I'd rather see Hotel Translyvania or an old 1940s Dracula film than Frankenweenie, but that's just my opinion.


Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday, October 5th through Sunday, October 7th in the U.S. and Canada (courtesy of the Star Tribune):

1. Taken 2 - $50 million
2. Hotel Translyvania - $26.3 million
3. Pitch Perfect - $14.7 million
4. Looper - $12.2 million
5. Frankenweenie - $11.5 million
6. End of Watch - $4 million
7. Trouble with the Curve - $3.9 million
8. House at the End of the Street - $3.7 million
9. The Master - $1.8 million
10. Finding Nemo 3D - $1.6 million




 - Edessa, signing off

Cops Skid In At #1

One aspect about our culture that I don't really understand is why we seem to be so obsessed with police officers.

They seem to be everywhere.

Dramas about police officers.

Movies about police officers.

Reality shows about police officers.

There's even a video game called Prison Tycoon.

Don't get me wrong, I think police officers are awesome. They are the common man's heroes, and they sacrifice everything to enforce the law and to keep the people safe from all kinds of crime. Our world would be a very bad, inhospitable, anarchial place without them and their unwavering service.

But what I don't understand is why it almost seems as though our culture is practically obsessed with the men and women in blue.

Don't believe me?

Law and Order.

Law and Order: SVU.

NCIS.

CSI.

CSI: New York.

CSI: Miami.

Monk.

Bones.

Blue Bloods.

21 Jump Street.

Magnum P.I.

Cops.

Psych.

Hot Fuzz.

Dredd.

And now added to that list, End of Watch.

Now I don't know if any other cultures are like this, but at least in America we seem to have a strange fixation with police officers and law enforcement. Not only do we have TV and film dramatizations of law enforcement, but we also have reality shows like Cops that show us the nitty gritty details of police work.

It's something I don't understand, and part of me thinks I never will. True, I like watching Monk, but it seems like every other show on TV today is a hospital or law drama. And that is something I don't understand.

Needless to say, America's cultural obsession with cops seemed to be proven again last weekend at the box office when the police drama End of Watch nabbed (or maybe arrested?) the #1 spot.

Close behind End of Watch's $13.2 million debut was the horror film House at the End of the Street and the sports film Trouble with the Curve. In fact "Based on studio estimates Sunday, 'End of Watch' and 'House at the End of the Street' were tied for No. 1 with $13 million each...But once the entire weekend's ticket sales were counted, 'End of Watch' came in slightly ahead of Sunday's projections" (Star Tribune).

Even though it landed in third place on its debut, CLint Eastwood's Trouble with the Curve will likely stay on at the box office for quite a while. This is because his movies "tend to start modestly but stick around awhile at theaters because he draws older crowds that do not rush out in big numbers over opening weekend" (Star Tribune).

What I'm interested in seeing is whether End of Watch will remain on the box office Top Ten longer than Trouble with the Curve. Do Americans prefer cops or feel-good sports movies?

Maybe this weekend's numbers will give us some insight into that.


Here are the top ten movies at U.S. and Canadian theaters from Friday September 21st through Sunday September 23rd, courtesy of  the Star Tribune:

1. End of Watch - $13.2 million
2. House at the End of the Street - $12.3 million
3. Trouble with the Curve - $12.2 million
4. Finding Nemo 3D - $9.6 million
5. Resident Evil: Retribution - $6.7 million
6. Dredd - $6.3 million
7. The Master - $4.4 million
8. The Possession - $2.6 million
9. ParaNorman - $2.3 million
10. Lawless - $2.3 million




 - Edessa, signing off

Demon-Crazed "Possession" Grabs #1 Spot Over Slow Weekend

Opening the demon-infested box in The Possession

Just like life, there are good weeks and bad weeks at the box office.

Sometimes there are really awesome weeks, like when The Avengers was released.

Most weeks see films on the Top Ten list grossing about $2 to $40 million-ish.

And then there are days like last weekend, when the box office was practically silent.

The Star Tribune called last weekend "the lowest grossing weekend for the box office this year and one of the worst weekends at the box office in 10 years." I would call that a very accurate observation, especially since the number one movie this week - The Possession - only earned $9.5 million.

That's a whole lot less than the usual $30 million-ish.

Maybe people are getting really sick of exorcism movies. I don't know...

Part of the reason why the box office was so slow last weekend was because of a certain holiday called Labor Day. When most people think of Labor Day weekend, they think of grill-outs, playing games with family, maybe watching fireworks, that sort of thing. I, for one, know that when I hear "Labor Day" I don't think "let's go to the movie theater!"

Apparently a lot of other people think the same way I do.

Usually Labor Day weekend and the week afterward are very slow for movie theaters. In the number one spot last year over Labor Day weekend was Contagion, and that opened with $22.4 million.

And yet, a year later, Possession opens with only $9.5 million.

How does that work, 'cause (if you care to do the math) that's about 20% less than last year's grosses?

So that brings up the other reason why a lot of people didn't go to see a movie last weekend: there was just not much new or good or interesting playing.

If you look at the Top Ten list, all but two films started their box office run at least a week ago. Nothing that's both new and interesting is out there to grab people's attention.

But, then again, bad days happen. Next weekend will undoubtably be more interesting. And financial consultants are betting that when The Hobbit, Part 1 releases in December, it'll boost film profits big time.

And I totally agree with them. =)


Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday September 7th through Sunday September 9th at U.S. and Canadian theaters (courtesy of the Star Tribune):

1. The Possession - $9.5 million
2. Lawless - $6 million
3. The Words - $5 million
4. The Expendables 2 - $4.7 million
5. The Bourne Legacy - $4 million
6. ParaNorman - $3.8 million
7. The Odd Life of Timothy Green - $3.6 million
8. The Campaign - $3.5 million
9. The Dark Knight Rises - $3.3 million
10. 2016: Obama's America - $3.3 million




 - Edessa, signing off

Old Action Stars Are #1

The Bourne Legacy has stepped aside to let a crew of aging action stars grab the number one box office spot.

"[Slyvester] Stallone's action hero roundup 'The Expendables 2' debuted at No. 1 with $28.8 million, according to studio estimates Sunday -- but less than the $34.8 million start for 'The Expendables' two years ago" (Star Tribune). Maybe the decline in profit is due to the fact that watching one movie about old actors shooting each other up is probably more than enough. Or maybe the inclusion of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chuck Norris to the cast really soured the film for moviegoers.

What is fact, though, is that even though the film is #1 in its opening weekend, The Expendables 2 is down financially by about six-ish million dollars.

Expendables 2 may have a bit of ground to reclaim but overall "Domestic revenues were $139 million, up 12 percent from the same weekend last year," according to the Star Tribune. That's pretty good, if you ask me.


Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday August 17th through Sunday August 19th at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to the Star Tribune:

1. The Expendables 2 - $28.8 million
2. The Bourne Legacy - $17 million
3. ParaNorman - $14 million
4. The Campaign - $13.4 million
5. Sparkle - $12 million
6. The Dark Knight Rises - $11.1 million
7. The Odd Life of Timothy Green - $10.9 million
8. Hope Springs - $9.1 million
9. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days - $3.9 million
10. Total Recall - $3.5 million


And here are the top ten sleeper RPGs, according to Game Informer (to read the whole article, visit this link, http://www.gameinformer.com/b/features/archive/2012/08/17/sleeper-rpgs-10-games-you-shouldn-t-miss.aspx):

1. Nier
2. Jeanne D'Arc
3. Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
4. Radiant Historia
5. Valkyria Chronicles
6. Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love
7. Brave Story: New Traveler
8. 3D Dot Game Heroes
9. Arc Rise Fantasia
10. The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road




 - Edessa, signing off

The Dark Knight Falls to #3

The Dark Knight Rises only made it for three weeks at the top of the Box Office list before falling to the third position on its fourth weekend. Taking Batman's #1 spot is none other than Bourne himself, or, to be more accurate, another Bourne sequel.

On its opening weekend, The Bourne Legacy made $40.3 million domestically, followed closely by the Will Ferrel comedy The Campaign.

"'The Bourne Legacy' came in well behind the $69.3 million debut of [Matt] Damon's last entry in the series, 2007's 'The Bourne Ultimatum,'" according to the Star Tribune. "But the new film had a strong start and establishes Renner as a sturdy frontman to keep the franchise running."

Even though The Dark Knight Rises has been knocked out of the first place position, it has raised its overall domestic total to $390.1 million and will likely break $400 million this upcoming weekend. If it does break $400 million, it will become only the second Warner Bros. film in history to reach that point, after 2008's The Dark Knight.

According to the Star Tribune, "Revenues for the finale [of Nolan's Batman trilogy] are running 12 percent behind 'The Dark Knight,' which had climbed to $441.6 million at the same point in its theatrical run." Some of the drop in revenue is undoubtably due to the Colorado shooting, but Hollywood also experiences an overall decrease in revenue during the Olympics. Analysts are expecting more viewers to go to the theater once the Olympics are over. Despite its lower financial numbers domestically, The Dark Knight Rises has been doing extremely well overseas. Across the ocean, the film has made over $445.3 million, giving it a worldwide gross of $835 million.


Here are the estimated ticket sales from Friday August 10th through Sunday August 12th at U.S. and Canadian theaters:

1. The Bourne Legacy - $40.3 million
2. The Campaign - $27.4 million
3. The Dark Knight Rises - $19. 5 million
4. Hope Springs - $15.6 million
5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days - $8.2 million
6. Total Recall - $8.1 million
7. Ice Age: Continental Drift - $6.8 million
8. Ted - $3.3 million
9. Step Up: Revolution - $2.9 million
10. The Amazing Spider-Man - $2.2 million


And here are the top ten PlayStation 3 games for August, courtesy of Game Informer:

1. NCAA Football 13
2. Quantum Conundrum
3. The Walking Dead
4. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dawnguard
5. Dragon's Dogma
6. LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes
7. Dyad
8. Max Payne 3
9. Spec Ops: The Line
10. Rainbow Moon




 - Edessa, signing off

Three's A Charm: "Rises" #1 For Third Straight Weekend

The Dark Knight Rises is on a roll, topping the box office for the third weekend in a row.

Accoring to The Star Tribune, "The finale in Christopher Nolan's epic Batman trilogy has now made nearly $355 million domestically alone," and that number just keeps on rising. Rises probably won't have as stellar of a box office run as The Avengers did (and certainly not as good as Avatar's or Titanic's), but it is still a thrilling conclusion - both visually and financially - to Nolan's Batman trilogy.

Revenue for Rises "only dropped 41 percent compared to the 43-percent drop in week three that 'The Dark Knight' experienced in 2008" (Star Tribune). Even the infamous Colorado shooting has not dettered Rises' box office experience.

The film also set an IMAX box office record by grossing about $48 million of its revenue from IMAX screenings alone.

Even though Total Recall - the reboot of the Arnold Schwarzenegger film by the same title - had to settle for second place domestically this weekend, it also inhabits the number one box office spot in countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, and Thailand. Total Recall cost approximately $125 million to make, but it has a good start in earning all of that money back.


Here are the estimated ticket sales for Friday August 3rd through Sunday August 5th at U.S. and Canadian theaters:

1. The Dark Knight Rises - $36.4 million
2. Total Recall - $26 million
3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days - $14.7 million
4. Ice Age: Continental Drift - $8.4 million
5. The Watch - $6.35 million
6. Ted - $5.5 million
7. Step Up Revolution - $5.7 million
8. The Amazing Spider-Man - $4.3 million
9. Brave - $2.9 million
10. Magic Mike - $1.4 million


And here are the top ten video games for August, courtesy of Game Informer:

1. NCAA Footbal 13
2. Quantum Conundrum
3. The Walking Dead
4. Civilization V; Gods and Kings
5. The Elder Scrolls V; Skyrim - Dawnguard
6. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy
7. Spelunky
8. Dyad
9. Resonance
10. Spec Ops: The Line




 - Edessa, signing off