Thompson on Hollywood

Arthouse Audit: Pattinson Fans Fuel 'Cosmopolis' Launch

Box Office

This year has seen an astonishing three films outperform the $10,000 per screen average benchmark on a platform release. That includes this weekend's specialty box office leader, David Cronenberg's exercise in brainy style, "Cosmopolis," boosted by "Twilight" star Robert Pattinson.

By Tom Brueggemann
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August 19, 2012 4:24 PM
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Weekend Box Office: 'Expendables 2' is Lackluster, 'Sparkle' Shines UPDATED

Box Office

It's the dog days of August. Four new openings aimed at three sets of audiences opened to varying results Friday. None rose above expectations. And the biggest one, Sylvester Stallone's "The Expendables" sequel, came up short.

By Tom Brueggemann
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August 19, 2012 1:07 PM
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Weekend Preview: 'Side by Side' & 'The Awakening' Best Bets Over Divisive 'Sparkle,' 'Cosmopolis' and 'Robot & Frank'

Features

There's no shortage of films opening this weekend, but many will be disappointments if you go in with high expectations. The safest bet is Chris Kenneally's doc "Side by Side," which is both a treat for film buffs and a primer for anyone looking to get behind a camera in today's fast-changing digital landscape. Also getting strong reviews is Craig Zobel's Sundance entry "Compliance," which is suitably disturbing given the true story behind it, but its real-life grittiness is undermined by casting an actress who looks like a stripper to play a small town teenage girl.

By Sophia Savage
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August 16, 2012 3:26 PM
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Arthouse Audit: Summer Doldrums

Box Office

This week's specialized take fell flat. The new openings (mainly NY exclusives) all performed okay, with none breaking out. But the broader market showed signs of weakness as "Ruby Sparks" failed to impress in its wider break, "Celeste and Jesse Forever" didn't repeat its more standout opening weekend performance as it expanded, and other films under-performed in later weeks.

By Tom Brueggemann
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August 12, 2012 2:49 PM
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Weekend Box Office Analysis: 'Bourne Legacy' Bumps 'Dark Knight Rises,' Streep's 'Hope Springs' Shows Legs

Box Office

As the Olympics head to a close, overall weekend grosses show signs of life, and better yet, are spread over several films with different core audiences. All three new films performed well, with “Hope Springs” likely to have the best hold down the line. “The Dark Knight Rises” fell two places to third, but the biggest drop went to “Total Recall,” after a tepid opening weekend, making its second-week fall-off even more disappointing.

By Tom Brueggemann
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August 12, 2012 1:23 PM
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Arthouse Audit: 'Celeste and Jesse Forever' Best Opening Since 'Beasts of the Southern Wild'

Box Office

After last weekend's Olympics-be-damned slate of high pedigree new films, the second weekend provided only one with real expectations - Sundance Premiere section acquisition "Celeste and Jesse Forever." And despite overall mixed reviews, it achieved the best opening numbers of any new release since "Beasts of the Southern Wild," showing that there is room for more hits in this already upbeat specialized summer.

By Tom Brueggemann
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August 5, 2012 2:23 PM
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Studio Weekend Box Office: 'The Dark Knight Rises' Wins the Gold Vs. New Competition UPDATED TOP TEN ANALYSIS

Box Office

Nothing could touch Chris Nolan's "The Dark Knight Rises" at the box office this weekend. Grosses for the top wide releases came in at about below 27% of the same weekend last year, mostly due to the ongoing impact of the Olympics. "The Rise of the Planet of the Apes" debuted that weekend, with a weekend gross of $55 million, more than double that of this weekend’s top new film "Total Recall."

By Tom Brueggemann
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August 5, 2012 12:43 PM
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Arthouse Audit: New Releases Led by 'Ruby Sparks' Are Hurt By Olympics

Box Office

Four years ago at the 2008 Olympics opening, specialized distributors avoided the date like the plague for new releases. This year, several anticipated films opened--and none showed strength consistent with what has been a robust late spring/summer. As the games tend to appeal to older audiences, this is not particularly surprising.

By Tom Brueggemann
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July 29, 2012 2:41 PM
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Weekend Box Office: Business As Usual? No, It's the Olympics, Stupid

Box Office

As the film industry worries about audience fears at movie theaters, there's a temptation to pass some quick judgments about the long-term impact of the Aurora tragedy on movie attendance. This weekend at least, we should not overlook the more important X factor ---the opening of the Olympics. That made a difference in two crucial ways.

By Tom Brueggemann
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July 29, 2012 12:50 PM
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Studios Report Actual Monday Numbers Due to Colorado Shootings; 'Dark Knight Rises' Pulls Undeterred Moviegoers UPDATED FULL REPORT AND CHART

Box Office

In the face of tragedy and fear resulting from a deranged psychotic murderer in Colorado, moviegoers in North America were undeterred as they showed up en masse to see Warner Bros.’ “The Dark Knight Rises” this past weekend.