Box Office

January 23, 2019 10:57AM PT U.S. movie admissions rebounded 5.5% last year to 1.3 billion, a year after posting the lowest admissions number since 1995, the National Association of Theatre Owners (NATO) has reported. North American box office for the year surged 6.9% to $11.85 billion, NATO said Wednesday. That figure was in line with

January 21, 2019 6:23PM PT Gross theatrical box office in Australia grew by 3.6% in 2018, to $890 million (A$1.25 billion). The score was propelled by a rebound in the performance of the top local films. Data from the Motion Picture Distributors Association of Australia published Tuesday showed aggregate cinema revenues recovering after a dip

“Bumblebee” flew to its third weekend of dominance in China. But the Chinese box office remains in lackluster mode at the start of 2019. The spinoff from Paramount’s “Transformers” franchise earned $16.1 million in Chinese theaters between Friday and Sunday, according to date from exhibition and distribution consultancy Artisan Gateway. That was a 38% drop

M. Night Shyamalan’s “Glass” cracked $3.7 million at 3,200 North American sites on Thursday night. Universal’s “Glass” brings together the narratives of Shyamalan’s “Unbreakable,” which was released in 2000, and 2017’s “Split.” The supernatural thriller unites stars Samuel L. Jackson, Bruce Willis, James McAvoy, and Sarah Paulson. The film is set to open in 3,841

Annapurna Pictures has moved its Richard Linklater literary adaptation “Where’d You Go, Bernadette,” starring Cate Blanchett back five months from March 22 to an Aug. 9 release. A rep for Annapurna explained that August has served well as a launching pad for release of female-skewing films such as “Crazy Rich Asians,” “Florence Foster Jenkins” and

There seems to be no downside to Bryan Cranston and Kevin Hart’s comedy-drama “The Upside.” The STX Films pic is on its way to becoming the entertainment company’s first No. 1 debut with an estimated $19.5 million from 3,080 North American sites, knocking Warner Bros.’ “Aquaman” into the second place slot. STX Films’ previous biggest debut

Kevin Hart-Bryan Cranston’s comedy-drama “The Upside” has launched with a moderate $1.1 million at 2,460 North American sites in Thursday night preview showings. Family adventure “A Dog’s Way Home” retrieved $535,000 for Thursday night previews starting at 5 p.m. in 2,657 locations. Entertainment Studios’ Keanu Reeves sci-fier “Replicas” opened with $200,100 at 1,630 venues on

January 10, 2019 9:45AM PT The domestic box office hit $11.9 billion in 2018, up 6.7% over the previous year, and smashing the record $11.38 billion set in 2016. The top three earners — “Black Panther,” “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Incredibles 2” — all bested 2017’s B.O. champ, “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”  ($517 million).

Germany’s box-office earnings plummeted 16% to €839 million ($965 million) in 2018, in tandem with an alarming 15.5% drop in theater admissions to 95.8 million, according to figures provided Wednesday by Comscore. The steep fall in what was once the world’s eighth-biggest movie-going territory comes after an uptick of 5.9% at the German in 2017.

Kevin Hart and Bryan Cranston have a Herculean task this weekend: Taking on “Aquaman.” Hart and Cranston co-star in STX Films and Lantern Entertainment’s “The Upside,” one of the three movies opening nationwide on Friday that will have to compete with reigning box office champ, “Aquaman.” And unless a new title (the other two releases

Thanks to the smash successes of “Aquaman,” “A Star Is Born,” and “The Meg,” Warner Bros. capped off 2018 with a new milestone. The studio had its biggest year to date at the worldwide box office, crossing $5.6 billion in ticket sales. That number outpaced the record set last year ($39.8 billion) by 6%. Both

“Escape Room” has opened with a respectable $2.3 million in 2,386 North American locations on Thursday in previews starting at 4 p.m. Sony’s psychological thriller, which centers on six strangers in immersive rooms that turn out to be deadly traps, is expanding to 2,717 sites on Friday with forecasts in the $10 million range. Directed

Box office revenue and ticket sales in South Korean cinemas took diverging paths in 2018. And the hierarchy of distributors was shaken up. Revenues increased by 3% from $1.56 billion (KRW 1.76 billion) in 2017 to $1.61 billion (KRW 1.81 billion) in 2018, according to data from the Korean Film Council’s KOBIS service. Admissions dropped

“Aquaman” started off the new year swimmingly, dominating the domestic box office and clearing the $200 million mark in North America. DC’s superhero tentpole collected $16.78 million on Tuesday, marking the fourth best New Year’s Day haul behind “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” ($34 million), “Avatar” ($25 million), and “Meet the Fockers” ($18 million). A

MADRID  — In what looks like a transition year to a more robust 2019, Spain’s box office broadly held last year, edging down just 1.9% in cinema theater gross and 2.0% in admissions, according to a ComScore report, published Wednesday. In all, Spain’s B.O. gross came in at €585.7 million ($673.1 million), while cinema tickets

Director Bi Gan’s dreamy pseudo-noir “Long Day’s Journey Into Night” defied the odds stacked against art house fare at China’s commercial-leaning box office to take in a whopping $37.9 million on its opening day December 31. That beat even superhero blockbuster “Venom” in both pre-sales and first day mainland box office tallies. The haul — achieved

Showing strong staying power, the second frame of “Aquaman” is dominating North American moviegoing with about $53 million in the final weekend of 2018, early estimates showed on Friday. The Warner Bros. tentpole, starring Jason Momoa, took in $137 million domestically at 4,125 locations in its first week. Should the estimate hold, “Aquaman” will decline

In today’s film news roundup, Peter Jackson’s World War I documentary is performing well, Joan Meyerson is honored and a documentary about President Trump’s mental fitness is in the works. BOX OFFICE Peter Jackson’s World War I documentary “They Shall Not Grow Old” is on track to break its own record with $3.1 million at

December 18, 2018 10:43AM PT Peter Jackson’s World War I documentary “They Shall Not Grow Old” earned $2.3 million at 1,142 theaters in North America on Monday. Warner Bros. released the movie five weeks after it aired on Armistice Day on the BBC. The studio partnered with Fathom Events in the U.S. for a one-day

After making a splash in China with a massive $94.1 million launch, “Aquaman” is swimming towards more box office glory. Even before its U.S. debut on Dec. 21, James Wan’s take on the Atlantean superhero has hit a number of records in the Middle Kingdom. It had the best opening weekend for a Warner Bros. title,

It was the revival nobody saw coming. After a dismal 2017, in which the North American box office tumbled to a three-year low, moviegoing rebounded in a big way. And it wasn’t just superhero tentpoles and animated adventures raking in the green. With all due respect to “Avengers: Infinity War” and “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,”

At this point, it’s all but inevitable that the 2018 box office will set a domestic record. Stateside revenue crossed $11 billion in ticket sales on Tuesday, marking the earliest it has ever hit that milestone. Last year, domestic returns didn’t reach that mark until Dec. 30. In 2016, it took until Dec. 26. This

Animated family fare is dominating at the North American box office, with “Ralph Breaks the Internet” having the edge over “The Grinch” with about $15 million this weekend, early estimates showed Friday. With no fresh wide releases hitting domestic theaters, the third weekend of Disney’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet” was topping the fifth weekend of

Hollywood’s racial diversity triumph, “Crazy Rich Asians” will be lucky to score more than $1 million in its opening weekend at the China box office. Afternoon attendances on Friday had ranked the romantic comedy in fourth position. But by the evening it became apparent that mainstream Chinese audiences’ interest was barely flickering for a U.S.

November 21, 2018 10:29AM PT Paramount Pictures will show Hailee Steinfeld’s “Bumblebee” on Dec. 8 in North America — 13 days before the “Transformers” spinoff opens. The studio announced the screenings Wednesday, two days after Amazon and Atom Tickets said they were offering Amazon Prime members an exclusive early showing of Warner Bros.’ “Aquaman” on

Sony’s animated “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” is showing solid traction, with an opening in the $25 million to $30 million range for its Dec. 14 to Dec. 16 North American launch, early tracking showed on Wednesday. Tracking also revealed “total awareness” for the film at 81% and “definite interest” at 46%. The movie, centered on

As J.K. Rowling continues to expand the “Harry Potter” universe, the generation that grew up watching onscreen adventures of the Boy Who Lived have remained a faithful bunch. That much was clear from the opening weekend of “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald,” the latest installment in the seemingly endless array of “Harry Potter” sequels,

November 16, 2018 9:38AM PT Warner Bros.’ “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” is showing magic at the international box office, grossing $31 million at 24,350 screens in its first two days. The tentpole, which added 45 markets on Thursday, is the top movie in all but one of 55 territories. The top markets are

Warner Bros.’ magical tentpole “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” conjured $9.1 million on Thursday night in North America. The figure is slightly above the $8.8 million generated from previews for 2016’s “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” Fox/New Regency’s “Widows” and Paramount’s comedy “Instant Family” also held previews on Thursday night, with “Widows”

November 15, 2018 8:47AM PT Warner Bros.’ “Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald” has conjured $10.1 million from 10 international markets on Wednesday. The “Harry Potter” spinoff series did particularly well in France, where it generated $2.6 million on 903 screens, including Tuesday previews. So far in France, “Crimes of Grindelwald” is performing 54% ahead