Thompson on Hollywood

'Iron Man 3''s Big Overseas Opening Fans High Stateside Expectations; Why AMC and Regal Wrangled with Disney (VIDEO)

Box Office

Disney/Marvel's "Iron Man 3" opened in 11 territories Wednesday, with a reported $13.2 million gross. That's more than previous series entries and more than the first day for last year's Disney/Marvel smash "The Avengers" in France.

By Tom Brueggemann
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April 25, 2013 9:24 PM
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CinemaCon: Sony Relies on Low-Risk Sequels, Comedies, and Faithfuls Adam Sandler, Will Smith

Box Office

After seeing several CinemaCon studio presentations in a row, you start to see the retreads coming. The requisite rehash of 2012 hits, adding up to $4.1 billion worldwide, did not reveal that both "The Amazing Spider-Man" and "Men in Black 3" cost too much to return serious profits, or that the global bounty from "Skyfall" was shared with Eon and MGM. As I watched Sony's dog-and-pony show, led off by studio star Adam Sandler trumpeted by Romans in tunics and breastplates, I was checking off a grid.

By Anne Thompson
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April 23, 2013 9:56 PM
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Arthouse Audit: 'Home Run,' 'Filly Brown' Show Surprise Indie Strength

Box Office

The top arthouse performers this week were unexpected outsiders that did not follow the usual release patterns for high-end critically-driven openings, which is increasingly the norm among independent and specialized releases. In fact "Home Run" from Samuel Goldwyn (distributed by partner IDP Films) managed to be the #12 film for the whole weekend without even opening in some core areas, and was showcased at theaters far removed from anything remotely considered art house.

By Tom Brueggemann
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April 21, 2013 4:29 PM
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Weekend Top Ten Box Office: Tom Cruise's 'Oblivion' Scores At Home After Foreign Success

Box Office

The spring box office is still treading water as the industry awaits the launch of the summer season in two weeks, when Disney's "Iron Man 3" is expected to surpass any opening this year so far. For now we have to settle for the better-than-expected opening of a glossy sci-fi thriller from veteran star Tom Cruise, as "Oblivion" scored $38 million.

By Tom Brueggemann
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April 21, 2013 1:01 PM
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'Oblivion' Hauls in Nearly Half of Friday's Top 10 Gross

Box Office

With much of the nation's eyes glued to coverage of the Watertown manhunt (which ended after 9 p.m. E.D.T.), Universal's Tom Cruise-starrer "Oblivion" still managed a solid $13 million opening day gross (which includes early shows late Thursday night). The total for the Top 10 films for the day overall was around $29 million, down from $39 million last year and $32 million last week. Grosses for the rest of the weekend will likely improve with competition from real-time drama no longer a factor.

By Tom Brueggemann
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April 20, 2013 4:17 PM
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CinemaCon: Warner Bros. Reveals Slate Led by Nolan/Snyder 'Man of Steel,' 'Pacific Rim,' 'Gatsby'

Box Office

Warner Bros. believes in franchises, none more than Superman, which studio chief Jeff Robinov has been struggling to reboot for some time now--after audiences protested Bryan Singer's "Superman Returns." Thus "Man of Steel" was the high point of the 90-year-old studio's CinemaCon presentation this week, hosted by always awkward Robinov--who might as well let his popular distribution czar Dan Fellman do the honors. Robinov boasted about the studio's fourth year marking over $4 billion worldwide in 2012, and being the only studio to pass the $1 billion mark domestically 12 years in a row, as well as current hit "42," which pulled the studio out of a post-"Argo" box office dip.

By Anne Thompson
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April 19, 2013 4:29 PM
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Universal's Adam Fogelson Makes a Splash at CinemaCon

Box Office

Universal Pictures chairman Adam Fogelson has been playing nice with national exhibitors ever since he tried to make "Tower Heist" available on VOD three weeks after the theatrical opening back in 2011. The exhibitors pushed back, and Fogelson backed off--for the moment.

By Anne Thompson
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April 18, 2013 2:08 PM
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CinemaCon: Fithian Looks Back at 2012, Universal New Model Studio

Box Office

Every year CinemaCon rolls out the $100 Million Reel; it's a tradition to remind the exhibitors of the movies that scored in their theaters. "Something for everyone" is the theme that rang out Tuesday. The 2012 boom, said NATO chief John Fithian and others, was about delivering a diversity of high quality product.

By Anne Thompson
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April 17, 2013 11:12 AM
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Weekend Box Office: '42' Leads Weekend, Breaks Baseball Movie Records, 'Scary' Series Ends

Box Office

Old-fashioned period baseball biopic "42" opened surprisingly well and shows signs of long-term play. The Jackie Robinson film provides struggling Warner Bros. with a much-needed hit. But the weekend was modest overall, with a top ten grossing about $105 million, the same as last year, but down from last week.

By Tom Brueggemann
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April 14, 2013 1:19 PM
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Friday Box Office: '42' Bright Spot on Weak Weekend

Box Office

"42," which was not a guaranteed success as a sports movie with mixed reviews about an African-American hero played by an unknown. For the first time this year, a Warner Bros. release exceeded expectations by opening at over $9 million.