DVD and Blu-ray Releases for April 2nd, 2013

April 1st, 2013

It's a bad week on the home market. The biggest release of the week is a mini-series, The Bible, but it is earning just about as much criticism as praise. (And not just for the Obama / Satan fiasco.) After that release, the quality quickly drops, so much so that there's a 1950s TV on DVD release on the front page of the new releases. As far as Pick of the Week contenders are concerned, there are not many. The Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase One - Avengers Assembled is awesome, but it has a high price and if you are a fan, then you likely have all or nearly all of the movies it contains. The only other major contender is John Dies at the End. It's too bizarre for most moviegoers, but if you are into these types of films, then the DVD or the Blu-ray are worth it. More...

Per Theater Chart: John Lives

January 29th, 2013

John Dies at the End didn't crash and burn at the box office. I'm genuinely surprised. The film's reviews were mixed, and generally speaking, even great reviews are no guarantee for a limited release. Also, it opened on Video on Demand before coming out in theaters, which is usually a death sentence for a film's box office chances. However, John Dies at the End earned first place on the per theater chart with $12,467 in its lone theater. The only other film to top $10,000 on the per theater chart was Happy People: A Year in the Taiga with $10,481, also in one theater. More...

Weekend Estimates: Hansel & Gretel Best of Weak Opening Bunch

January 27th, 2013

January will go out like a lamb at the box office, with three new releases failing to catch on with moviegoers this weekend and not much action among the holdovers. Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters will win the weekend more-or-less by default, with a modest $19 million bow from 3,372 theaters. That spells financial disaster for a film that reportedly cost $50 million to make. FilmDistrict's $30 million-budgeted Parker will have a similarly tough time recouping its investment, although lower marketing costs will help. It starts out with $7 million and a per theater average of $3,147. Even more disappointing is Movie 43, which is set to open with $5 million, although its $6 million budget and likely long shelf life on video will avert catastrophe. More...

Limited Releases: Spoiler Alert

January 25th, 2013

It's a relatively slow week for limited releases, especially if you go by the number of theater counts we've received so far. We only have a theater count for one film, Knife Fight, which likely won't have a significant opening. The film I'm most looking forward to seeing is the spoilerific John Dies at the End, but there are multiple reasons why it won't thrive in theaters. If there is only one release on this week's like that will thrive in theaters, it's Yossi, but even then it has just a 50/50 chance. More...

2013 Preview: January

January 1st, 2013

December ended on a positive note with 2012 topping 2011 with a week to spare. Hopefully this will translate into strong box office numbers going forward. There are several January releases that actually look very interesting, but you always have to ask, if the films are as good as they look, why are they opening in January? The biggest hit on this list will likely not be a January release, but a limited release from December that is expanding wide in January. Zero Dark Thirty opened in limited release the Wednesday before Christmas and right away it got off to an incredible start. If it can turn some of its Awards Season nominations into wins, which seems very likely at this point, it should be the biggest hit of January. If it can earn some major Oscars, then it might crack $100 million. Unfortunately, no other film on this release list is likely to come close to the $100 million mark. Last January was unseasonably strong with three films opening with $20 million or more and four films finishing with $50 million or more. It is possible that none of the new releases will reach those relatively weak standards. More...