Box Office

Barring a Hollywood ending, 2019 will not go down as a year for the record books. Heading into the Christmas holiday, box office receipts are down nearly 4% at roughly $11.88 billion, marking the steepest drop in half-a-decade. The lackluster results are a consequence of too many blockbuster-hopefuls that weren’t and misguided attempts to reboot,

When Universal first debuted the trailer for “Cats,” social media, to put it mildly, lost its mind. Initial footage for director Tom Hooper’s big-screen adaptation gave a glimpse at the computer wizardry, a phenomenon known in popular culture as “digital fur technology,” used to transform the actors into four-legged felines. The result, an unsettling amalgamation

Two locally-made new releases, “Ashfall” and “Start-up” topped the weekend box office in South Korea, beating “Frozen 2.” (Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker releases in Korea on Jan. 8, 2020). Opening on Thursday, CJ Entertainment’s “Ashfall” debuted on top of the box office. The volcano action drama earned $18.2 million from 2.46 million admissions

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” left its box office competitors in the dust, debuting overseas to a mighty $198 million. Though the ninth installment in the space opera series is tanking in China, where it launched with $12.1 million, “Rise of Skywalker” was the No. 1 film in nearly every other international market. Directed

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” launched to a mighty $40 million during Thursday night previews, setting the stage for a massive opening weekend. The latest entry in the 42-year-old franchise is expected to earn as much as $200 million, casting a shadow across the box office, but falling short of the debuts of other

UPDATED: “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” is expected to the biggest film of the weekend globally and in North America, where an opening weekend of $170 million-$200 million is likely. But in China, it’s on course to be the weakest-performing installment of the new batch of “Star Wars” films. On Friday, in its first

Alamo Drafthouse is capping off 2019 with shine. Ticket sales for the cinema chain are up 5.8% from last year, an especially impressive feat considering the exhibition industry as a whole is pacing over 5% behind 2018. In a theatrical landscape that’s become particularly challenged by the rise of streaming services, Alamo Drafthouse attributes success

Chinese films account for eight of the top ten films so far this year, as cinema box office in mainland China this week reached an all-time high. The 2018 total of RMB60.7 billion — $8.67 billion at current conversion rates – was overtaken on Friday, Dec. 13, according to data from online ticketing agency Maoyan.

Clint Eastwood might end up with a lump of box office coal after “Richard Jewell” sputtered in its domestic debut. Despite critical acclaim, the drama about the security guard falsely accused by the media for playing a part in the 1996 Olympics bombing ignited with a dismal $5 million from 2,502 theaters. It’s a disappointing

“Playmobil: The Movie” will make box office history, but certainly not in the way it intended. STX’s animated adventure generated less than $1 million despite launching in 2,337 North American theaters and now stands as one of the worst opening weekends of all time. “Playmobil” scraped together just $668,000 over the weekend, marking the third-lowest

Hollywood films and local arthouse led the Chinese box office this weekend, with “Jumanji: The Next Level” taking the lead with a $24.7 million debut, while Lou Ye’s Venice title “Saturday Fiction” was abruptly yanked from the lineup of releases.  Remarkably, Diao Yinan’s stylish and bloody neo-noir “Wild Goose Lake” did almost as well as

“Frozen 2” dominated box office charts for the third weekend in a row as Disney’s animated sequel scored another $34.7 million in North America. Those ticket sales, a 60% decline from its massive Thanksgiving haul, boost its domestic tally to $337 million. “Frozen 2” earned $130 million in its inaugural outing and another $123 million

Disney’s “Frozen 2” will continue to dominate the box office for the third weekend in a row with an estimated $33.8 million. The number marks a roughly 67% decline over last weekend. The hit animated sequel has accumulated $310.8 million domestically through Friday, and will likely become Disney’s sixth movie to cross $1 billion in

“Frozen 2” is gradually warming up the North American box office, with an estimated $37 million its third weekend at 4,440 sites, early estimates showed Friday. Disney’s animated sequel is projected to decline about 57%. Should estimates hold, “Frozen 2” should finish the weekend with nearly $340 million domestically in it first 17 days. With

December 1, 2019 10:18AM PT Disney royals Anna and Elsa maintained their reign over international box office charts as “Frozen 2” generated another $164 million from 45 foreign territories over the weekend. The animated sequel debuted in a handful of overseas markets this weekend including Italy ($7.7 million), Australia ($6.6 million) and Russia ($13.7 million),

Disney’s “Frozen 2” is continuing to dominate the Thanksgiving box office with an estimated $128 million through the five-day weekend. The “Frozen” sequel took in another $34 million on Friday of its second weekend in multiplexes, lifting its cumulative domestic gross to $236 million through Friday. Should estimates hold, “Frozen 2” will top “Hunger Games:

November 29, 2019 8:39AM PT “Frozen 2” is generating plenty of heat at the North American box office, with more than $200 million its first week. Disney’s animated sequel earned $14.7 million at 4,440 locations on Thursday, just short of the Thanksgiving Day record set in 2013 by “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” “Frozen 2”

Disney’s “Frozen 2” is heading for a record of at least $140 million over the five-day Thanksgiving holiday in North America, early estimates showed Wednesday. The animated adventure will easily top the $109.9 million record set by “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” in 2013 during the five-day period. “Frozen 2,” which opened on Nov. 22,

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” is powering toward a mighty opening weekend when it hits theaters Dec. 20. Given demand for the Skywalker saga’s epic conclusion, Disney and Lucasfilm’s sci-fi space opera is on pace for a start between $175 million and $200 million, according to early tracking. While that figure won’t come close

Thanksgiving should provide a hearty box office bounty for studios and exhibitors alike. While Disney’s “Frozen 2” will easily dominate domestic charts again, a range of offerings are expected to drive big business during one of the busiest times of year for moviegoing. Newcomers Lionsgate’s murder mystery “Knives Out” and Universal’s romance drama “Queen and

November 24, 2019 10:23AM PT In a box office debut fit for royals, Disney’s “Frozen 2” ignited the international box office with $223 million and $350 million globally. “Frozen 2” opened at No. 1 in 37 foreign markets, passing “Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs” ($152 million) to secure the biggest international launch ever for

Disney’s “Frozen 2” is starting to generate heat internationally with $18.6 million in 26 markets. The sequel launched in first place in all overseas territories on Wednesday and posted the highest opening day of all time for an animated movie in South Korea, Indonesia, Turkey, Philippines, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia and UAE. The debut day in

Will Christmas bring a fruitful box office bounty for Sony’s “Jumanji: The Next Level”? The Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart-led sequel, which arrives in theaters on Dec. 13, is on pace to debut to $40 million to $50 million, according to early tracking services. Since tracking has been unreliably for sequels in recent weeks, Sony

When exhibitor Jeff Logan talks to friends and customers about upcoming movies, he’s sometimes greeted with a shrug. “I’ll tell them there’s a new ‘Terminator’ and they’ve brought back Arnold and Linda Hamilton, and they don’t seem too excited about that,” says Logan. “Or there’s another ‘Rambo,’ and they’ll go, ‘Geez, isn’t he getting old?’

“Charlie’s Angels” latest box-office outing was anything but heaven sent. Sony’s reboot failed to meet even the studio’s cautiously low expectations, debuting to a franchise-eviscerating $8.6 million in North America. Given that the film failed to make up much traction overseas, launching with $19.2 million, including a disappointing $7.7 million in China, it seems likely

The new “Charlie’s Angels” reboot was no match for a local romantic comedy or a 20-year-old Giuseppe Tornatore film at the Chinese box office, bringing in just $7.6 million in its debut weekend, according to figures from consultancy Artisan Gateway. Directed by Elizabeth Banks and starring Kristen Stewart, Naomi Scott and Ella Balinska, the film

Warner Bros.’ “Joker” will on Friday become the first R-rated movie in history to earn over $1 billion at the global box office. Joaquin Phoenix’s twisted take on the Batman villain marks the seventh movie this year (and first that’s not from Disney or Marvel) to join the elusive billion-dollar club. Among Warner Bros.’ movies,

Roland Emmerich’s big-budget World War II film “Midway” was no match for local drama “Better Days” at China’s box office, bringing in $3 million less than the top-earning Chinese title, which is already in its third weekend in theaters. One of the more expensive independent films ever made on a budget of $98 million, the

In a surprise box office win, Roland Emmerich’s World War II epic “Midway” took down the competition in North America to land in first place with $17.5 million. Heading into the weekend, Warner Bros.’ Stephen King adaptation “Doctor Sleep” was widely expected to take the top prize, but the R-rated sequel to 1980’s “The Shining”

Roland Emmerich’s WWII epic “Midway” is heading for the No. 1 slot at the box office with an estimated $17.5 million from 3,242 domestic locations. The number marks a slight drop from Friday’s estimate in the $20 million-plus range, but is still significantly ahead of early tracking’s $13 million prediction. “Midway” is on track to