Thompson on Hollywood

Arthouse Audit: 'Frances Ha' Debuts Strong With Sold Out Shows in NY and LA

Box Office

After a weak spring dominated by three indie hits that went wide quickly, "Frances Ha" stands out a potential arthouse success. This film could stay in limited release for a while, unlike quick-breaking multiplex players "The Place Beyond the Pines," "Mud" and "Spring Breakers," which will all likely pass the $15-million mark. Coming on the heels of decent starts for "Stories We Tell" last week in New York, and "What Maisie Knew," and ahead of the anticipated big performance for "Before Midnight" opening next Friday, specialized numbers look to improve to decent levels--even if so far nothing has risen to the levels of last May's major successes "Moonrise Kingdom" and "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel."

By Tom Brueggemann
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May 19, 2013 4:25 PM
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Weekend Box Office Top Ten Is Strong, Led By 'Star Trek Into Darkness,' Which Pulls In Smaller Audience than Last Film

Box Office

At long last, for the first time this year the box office top ten marked a bump up from last year, thanks to three big performers taking in most of the gross. The top 10 this weekend came to about $158 million. Last year, which saw two disappointing openings ("Battleship" and "The Dictator" followed weak "Dark Shadows"), came to $134 million. "Star Trek Into Darkness" leads the way--while nonetheless failing to meet high expectations--and "Iron Man 3" and "The Great Gatsby" continue to draw audiences. This is an important achievement after a weak 2013 so far.

By Tom Brueggemann
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May 19, 2013 1:03 PM
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'Star Trek into Darkness' Falling Short in Crowded Market

Box Office

J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek Into Darkness" (Paramount) grossed $22 million yesterday, for a total of $35.5 million since its IMAX-only debut on Wednesday (other theaters were added Thursday). This fell short of the almost $27 million that Abrams' 2009 reboot took in its initial Friday (after $4 million on its first day), so overall it is still ahead. But it looks less likely to equal the earlier film's total of $79 million through its first weekend.

By Tom Brueggemann
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May 18, 2013 4:19 PM
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Cannes 2012 Box Office Led by 'Moonrise Kingdom,' Will Strong Fest Sales Repeat in 2013?

Box Office

Led by a recent year (and possibly all time) record of 21 of 22 official competition films gaining U.S. distribution (including some yet to play), 2012's Cannes line-up (from all sections) shows 58 total -- much above average -- out of 100 titles that were presented ending up with domestic rights acquired, most of them after their festival showings.

By Tom Brueggemann
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May 13, 2013 2:06 PM
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'Star Trek Into Darkness' Brings In Healthy $32 Million in Foreign Opening

Box Office

With both the mighty "Iron Man 3" and "The Great Gatsby" exceeding box office expectations, J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek Into Darkness" (opening stateside May 17) looks poised to continue that trend next weekend with an anticipated #1 ranking. It opened in much of the world last Friday, in seven territories (including the best performing ones for the relaunch of the series in 2009) to just under $32 million.

By Tom Brueggemann
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May 13, 2013 12:59 PM
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Arthouse Audit: 'Stories We Tell' Shows Initial Strength, Sole Successful Opening

Box Office

So far the 2013 indie box office is running far behind last year--nothing comes close to 2012's booming "Best Exotic Marigold" or "Bernie," which were both standout performers far above this weekend's group of small-grossing releases, typical for this time of year. Few recent releases -- even those that had a glimmer of hope initially -- look to do as well as the best of a year ago. Sarah Polley's "Stories We Tell" opened to a promising response, and should appeal to main limited situations as opposed to being rushed out wide as most recent successes have.

By Tom Brueggemann
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May 12, 2013 4:14 PM
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Weekend Box Office Top Ten: 'Great Gatsby' Scores Strong Second Place Showing Behind Top Draw 'Iron Man 3'

Box Office

Two films with grosses over $50 million in one weekend -- the first of a string of highly anticipated studio summer releases -- returns the box office to normal. "Iron Man 3" held onto the #1 spot, with the expected second weekend falloff for a huge opening, but still strong. And "The Great Gatsby" had a stellar start despite mixed reviews and concern about its earnings potential.

By Tom Brueggemann
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May 12, 2013 12:58 PM
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'Great Gatsby' Surprises to Open Just Behind 'Iron Man 3'

Box Office

In one of the biggest box office surprises in recent months, Baz Luhrmann's "The Great Gatsby" exceeded pre-opening estimates and overcame mixed reviews to gross over $19.4 million on Friday (including Thursday night late shows), nearly equaling the more than $19.7 million that "Iron Man 3" took in for the day.

By Tom Brueggemann
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May 11, 2013 1:42 PM
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Arthouse Audit: 'The Iceman' and 'What Maisie Knew' from Millennium Open Strong

Box Office

In a weekend dominated by the domestic opening of "Iron Man 3," two films from Millennium Films, both of which showed at Toronto last year to modest attention score surprisingly solid openings in limited play. "The Iceman" and "What Maisie Knew" both starred respected actors (hardly a guarantee for specialized success), enjoyed significant advertising support, and enhanced their prospects with key upbeat reviews.

By Tom Brueggemann
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May 5, 2013 4:20 PM
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'Iron Man 3' Crushes Weekend Competition, But Can't Save Box Office: 'Pain & Gain' Plummets

Box Office

Disney and Marvel are chortling with glee at the massive global success of "The Iron Man 3," finally adding late arrival North America to its huge foreign openings. The domestic numbers rank a bit below what "The Avengers" did one year ago, but overtaking that number was a tall order. Even so, $175 million for the weekend is at the high end of expectations, with the best news coming from Saturday's modest drop from the initial number.