News
The best stories from the CinemaNerdz News Desk and our independently opinionated reporters.
Box Office Weekend: No One Can Catch Prisoners
Hugh Jackman has his second first-place finish in two months, as his new thriller, Prisoners, took the top spot at the box office this week. It managed an estimated $21.4 million for the weekend; while far from the blockbuster start of July’s The Wolverine, nothing else this week came close. Insidious: Chapter 2 landed in second, but its excellent opening weekend took a massive tumble as it earned...[Read More]
Box Office Weekend: The Family Can’t Whack Insidious Chapter 2
Unlike Lee Daniels’ The Butler, Riddick will not be enjoying three weeks at the top of the box office. In only its second week, the Vin Diesel sci-fi thriller got knocked to third place with an estimated $7 million. In its place, Insidious Chapter 2 rallied the box office to spooky effect, bringing in an estimated $41.1 million. Even with critics claiming it is nowhere near as effective as the ori...[Read More]
Box Office Weekend: Riddick Kicks Butler (from the top spot)
Three weeks is a long time to hold onto the top spot in the movie business, but all good things must come to an end. Lee Daniels’ The Butler came in second with an estimated $8.9 million, a far cry from the top winner, Riddick, which took first with an estimated $18.7 million. Even so, Riddick led a slow post-Labor Day weekend, and it could not manage to make back its relatively low $38 million co...[Read More]
Box Office Weekend: The Butler Scores a Four-Day Three-Peat
Taking out Labor Day earnings, Lee Daniels’ The Butler would have fallen to a respectable second place finish. But some extra income gave it a second (or third) life and the top spot for the third week in a row with an estimated $20 million. It’s nearest competition, the concert film One Direction: This is Us would have been the top finisher if not for the holiday weekend, earning an estimated $18...[Read More]
Box Office Weekend: The Butler Buttles to the Top Once More
Well, perhaps “buttle” is not a real word, but the money Lee Daniels’ The Butler is bringing in at the box office most certainly is. At an estimated $17 million, it won the weekend handily, seconded only by We’re the Millers, which made an estimated $13.5 million. Nothing else even came close; falling well short of the $10 million mark (a bad sign considering three of them are new). The Mortal Ins...[Read More]
Box Office Weekend: Other Debuts Get Served by The Butler
Despite (or because of) Oprah Winfrey’s recent controversy in Switzerland, her new film, Lee Daniels’ The Butler, made the strongest bid for the box office with an estimated $25 million, almost enough to give the $30 million film a profit over the weekend (and get in good with critics). However, the two other big new releases of the week fared much less successfully; Kick-Ass 2 received poor revie...[Read More]
Box Office Weekend: Filmgoers Give Their Halves to the Have-Nots as Elysium Steals the Box Office
Although not receiving quite the high praise lavished on his previous District 9, director Neill Blomkamp still did well enough with his next outing Elysium, taking the top spot and earning an estimated $30.4 million. It still has much ground to make up, its $115 million budget perhaps as far out of reach as the film’s space station, but it was still enough to hold three other debuts to second pla...[Read More]
Box Office Weekend: 2 Guns Beats Two Claws
Though it is getting only middling reviews, 2 Guns made the top spot at the box office, making a good bid on its $61 million budget with an estimated $27.4 million. It was not as good a debut as The Wolverine, which had to settle for second and a heavy drop-off, earning an estimated $21.7 million. While already a money maker worldwide, it remains to be seen (though likely) if it will be a domestic...[Read More]
Box Office Weekend: The Wolverine Carves a First Place Spot
The Wolverine, Hugh Jackman’s latest venture as the perennially gruff superhero, appears to have redeemed the series in the eyes of the critics, but even though it took the weekend with an estimated $55 million, it fell behind both the prequel X-Men: First Class and only managed to do slightly better than the original X-Men released in 2000. Nevertheless, counting worldwide sales the film has made...[Read More]
Box Office Weekend: The Conjuring Scares Up More Than Good Reviews and Takes Box Office Gold
The Conjuring is generating a lot of buzz…not only for its high reviews, but for its money-making potential. Budgeted at $20 million, the film (directed by James Wan, who previously found success in the world of horror with the Saw franchise) brought in an estimated $41.5 million, making it the second highest opening weekend ever for a supernatural horror film (beaten only by Paranormal Activity 3...[Read More]
Box Office Weekend: Despicable Me Stays Ahead of Robots and Sandler
Once again the box office has proven that keeping a film’s budget reasonable is a good idea, whether the movie is well-received or not. Despicable Me 2 held the top spot for a second week, making an estimated $44.8 million and holding off newcomers Grown-Ups 2 (estimated $42.5 million) and Pacific Rim (estimated $38.3 million). Grown-Ups 2 has been almost universally panned by critics, and still h...[Read More]
Box Office Weekend: Despicable Me 2 Sends The Lone Ranger Packing
Sharing Tuesday openings, it seems strange to think one movie would take the weekend in such a lopsided victory, but it has. Despicable Me 2 opened against The Lone Ranger, and the CG animated family film made its competitor look absolutely flummoxed. While both films took the first and second box office spots respectively, Despicable Me 2’s estimated $82.5 million adds to a domestic total of $142...[Read More]