BoxOfficeMojo.com has been transformed into an IMDbPro site, losing some of its free features.
The Amazon-owned site, which had previously operated free of charge, was given a new look with its header reading “Box Office Mojo by IMDb Pro.” Information such as breakdowns by genre is now only available behind the IMDbPro paywall. The Box Office Mojo all time charts are no longer available.
The changes appeared without warning on Wednesday. The Box Office Mojo site was acquired by Amazon in late 2008. Reps for Amazon were not immediately available for comment.
The free Box Office Mojo site was widely used by the movie industry for up-to-date box office results along with historical data and release dates of upcoming titles. It was founded in 1999 by Brandon Gray. When Box Office Mojo was acquired by Amazon in 2008, it was operated in a Los Angeles office by Gray and Sean Saulsbury.
The free IMDb site provides cursory coverage of box office data, leaving out such information as the specific distributor, the number of theaters and international grosses. The subscription-based IMDb Pro subscription site has more information. The monthly rate for IMDbPro is $19.99 and an annual membership is $149.99.
The changes produced plenty of negative comments on Twitter, including one response from “Baby Driver” director Edgar Wright who wrote, “Um. How to put this? I do not care for the new design of @boxofficemojo – please change back.”
See more reactions below.