When Netflix released its latest major data set on Thursday — its second under the name of What We Watched: A Netflix Engagement Report — animated features continued to demonstrate a major impact for the streamer. Of the top 100 most viewed titles in the period of review, from July to December 2023, 33 were animated, bringing in a total of 1,087,600,000 views.
That being said, titles licensed from other studios continued to heavily overshadow Netflix originals, in terms of impact. Of the 33 animated titles in the Top 100, five were produced by Netflix; the Adam Sandler starrer Leo ranked the highest at #3 overall, coming in with 96 million views. Others that made the cut included The Monkey King, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, the Oscar-nominated Nimona, The Sea Beast and Back to the Outback.
By far the greatest supplier of Netflix’s top ranking animated films was Universal, which through a exclusive licensing deal,...
That being said, titles licensed from other studios continued to heavily overshadow Netflix originals, in terms of impact. Of the 33 animated titles in the Top 100, five were produced by Netflix; the Adam Sandler starrer Leo ranked the highest at #3 overall, coming in with 96 million views. Others that made the cut included The Monkey King, Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, the Oscar-nominated Nimona, The Sea Beast and Back to the Outback.
By far the greatest supplier of Netflix’s top ranking animated films was Universal, which through a exclusive licensing deal,...
- 5/23/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Chris Pratt voices the famous tabby cat Garfield, in a brand new animation. Here’s our The Garfield Movie review.
The 24th of May in the year of 2024 will be a lovely day. If 2023 was all about Barbenheimer – the weird, but wonderful combination of Barbie and Oppenheimer – 2024 is the year of… Garfuriosa.
We’ll work on the title, but The Garfield Movie and Furiosa, two very different films, are arriving in cinemas on the same day. The Garfield Movie, Mark Dindal’s family-friendly animated adventure may have fewer cars, less action and no fake noses, but there’s much to enjoy here, especially for the kiddos.
Naturally, the film follows the titular tabby (and a little tubby) cat, Garfield, talking in the voice of Chris Pratt here. He is abandoned by his father Vic (Samuel L Jackson) as a kitten, but he spies a lonely human, Jon (Nicholas Hoult) across the street,...
The 24th of May in the year of 2024 will be a lovely day. If 2023 was all about Barbenheimer – the weird, but wonderful combination of Barbie and Oppenheimer – 2024 is the year of… Garfuriosa.
We’ll work on the title, but The Garfield Movie and Furiosa, two very different films, are arriving in cinemas on the same day. The Garfield Movie, Mark Dindal’s family-friendly animated adventure may have fewer cars, less action and no fake noses, but there’s much to enjoy here, especially for the kiddos.
Naturally, the film follows the titular tabby (and a little tubby) cat, Garfield, talking in the voice of Chris Pratt here. He is abandoned by his father Vic (Samuel L Jackson) as a kitten, but he spies a lonely human, Jon (Nicholas Hoult) across the street,...
- 5/22/2024
- by Maria Lattila
- Film Stories
Kung Fu Panda 4 is now available to purchase on Digital HD and is set to arrive on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on May 28 - and to commemorate the occasion, we were able to catch up with director Mike Mitchell (Sky High; Shrek Forever After; Trolls) and head of character animation Sean Sexton (Puss in Boots: The Last Wish; How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World; The Croods) to talk about Po's latest awesome adventure.
We get into the making of the film and some of the intense conversations that were had behind-the-scenes when they decided it was time for Po to pass on the Dragon Warrior mantle, why they opted to not bring back the Furious Five, and the introduction of the deadly Chameleon, amongst other things.
Plus, we learn more about how they wanted to evolve Po's fighting style in this film with new animation...
We get into the making of the film and some of the intense conversations that were had behind-the-scenes when they decided it was time for Po to pass on the Dragon Warrior mantle, why they opted to not bring back the Furious Five, and the introduction of the deadly Chameleon, amongst other things.
Plus, we learn more about how they wanted to evolve Po's fighting style in this film with new animation...
- 5/22/2024
- ComicBookMovie.com
The lasagna-obsessed feline with a near-pathological aversion to Mondays, who first came into popular consciousness in the late ‘70s as a comic strip, is a diluted version of himself in “The Garfield Movie.” Not only is his suave apathy mostly replaced by an excessive excitedness with only sporadic glimpses of his endearingly negative qualities, but this Garfield jumps off trains, stages a heist, and is subjected to trite physical comedy by way of numerous predictable action sequences. The ordeal mimics a rehashed plot from the dull “The Secret Life of Pets” franchise with Garfield forcefully plugged in.
All of these choices amount to a production that fundamentally misunderstands Garfield’s appeal as a lovingly indifferent, self-centered glutton whose greatest aspiration is to do nothing and have all his needs catered to him. It’s a Garfield movie for audiences who have never heard of Garfield, which reads as an attempt...
All of these choices amount to a production that fundamentally misunderstands Garfield’s appeal as a lovingly indifferent, self-centered glutton whose greatest aspiration is to do nothing and have all his needs catered to him. It’s a Garfield movie for audiences who have never heard of Garfield, which reads as an attempt...
- 5/20/2024
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Variety Film + TV
The summer movie season could use some help, and Chris Pratt might just be here to save the day. The "Guardians of the Galaxy" and "Jurassic World" actor returns to the silver screen next weekend in "The Garfield Movie," an animated take on Jim Davis' orange, Monday-hating cat. For Sony Pictures, there is one big question; can some of that Pratt magic that made "The Super Mario Bros. Movie" ($1.36 billion worldwide) such a major hit last year rub off on this one? Even a fraction of that magic would be most welcome here.
"The Garfield Movie" is opening directly against George Miller's "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga." While the animated, family-friendly film would typically have the edge, it looks like "Furiosa" is going to win the weekend in the early going, with an opening between $46.5 and $59 million. But that doesn't mean this cat is out of luck, as Sony...
"The Garfield Movie" is opening directly against George Miller's "Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga." While the animated, family-friendly film would typically have the edge, it looks like "Furiosa" is going to win the weekend in the early going, with an opening between $46.5 and $59 million. But that doesn't mean this cat is out of luck, as Sony...
- 5/17/2024
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Shrek has now been a part of pop culture for more than 20 years, which is a wild thought for any millennial who remembers when the Mike Myers-voiced swamp-dweller first arrived on the big screen in 2001. Though he'd previously been the focus of William Steig's 1990 picture book "Shrek!," it wasn't until the first movie debuted that the character became fully embraced by the mainstream. Since then, Hollywood has done its thing and produced a stultifying amount of "Shrek" sequels and spin-offs, to the point you'll probably need a refresher on the correct order to watch the Shrek movies before delving in. But if you wanted to just stick with the perennially charming original, we wouldn't blame you. Luckily enough, that very movie can now be found on the biggest streamer in the game.
Yes, Netflix, which this year has already managed to remind us all of the late Angus Cloud...
Yes, Netflix, which this year has already managed to remind us all of the late Angus Cloud...
- 5/10/2024
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
After debuting early last weekend, Universal’s The Fall Guy expanded to 78 overseas markets during its sophomore session, adding $25.4M for a running total of $36.9M at the international box office. That’s in line with Bullet Train and above The Lost City at the same point in release. Globally, the David Leitch-directed action romance is at $65.4M.
This is a fun picture with positive scores and exits so there’s hope for some legs here and playability throughout upcoming holidays. Still, an expensive movie, it came in slightly below projections domestically.
Internationally, the UK was a No. 1 debut with a strong $4.4M from 1,400 screens. Odeon was the top-performing circuit, and Everyman registered a 9% share, 3.1 points higher than their average for the year. Performance across 51 IMAX screens made up 7.6% of the total. The weekend result is well above Bullet Train and The Lost City. Monday is a holiday.
Mexico opened to $2.5M at No.
This is a fun picture with positive scores and exits so there’s hope for some legs here and playability throughout upcoming holidays. Still, an expensive movie, it came in slightly below projections domestically.
Internationally, the UK was a No. 1 debut with a strong $4.4M from 1,400 screens. Odeon was the top-performing circuit, and Everyman registered a 9% share, 3.1 points higher than their average for the year. Performance across 51 IMAX screens made up 7.6% of the total. The weekend result is well above Bullet Train and The Lost City. Monday is a holiday.
Mexico opened to $2.5M at No.
- 5/6/2024
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
If you’re trying to figure out what movie to watch on Netflix, an easy way to whittle down the choices is to find out what movies are soon leaving the streaming service. To that end, we’ve got the full list of movies leaving Netflix in May 2024, and there are some bangers on here.
The entire original “Hunger Games” franchise will depart at the end of the month, while the critically acclaimed sequel “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” expires on May 9. And if you’re hankering for some stress, “Uncut Gems” leaves on May 8, while the bestseller adaptation “Where the Crawdads Sing” will depart Netflix on May 11.
See the full list of what’s leaving Netflix in May 2024 below.
Leaving May 1
Bennett’s War
Magic Mike’s Last Dance
Leaving May 2
Survive the Night
Leaving May 3
Arctic Dogs
Leaving May 8
Uncut Gems
Leaving May 9
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish...
The entire original “Hunger Games” franchise will depart at the end of the month, while the critically acclaimed sequel “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” expires on May 9. And if you’re hankering for some stress, “Uncut Gems” leaves on May 8, while the bestseller adaptation “Where the Crawdads Sing” will depart Netflix on May 11.
See the full list of what’s leaving Netflix in May 2024 below.
Leaving May 1
Bennett’s War
Magic Mike’s Last Dance
Leaving May 2
Survive the Night
Leaving May 3
Arctic Dogs
Leaving May 8
Uncut Gems
Leaving May 9
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish...
- 5/5/2024
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
Sony’s animated “The Garfield Movie” scratched up $22 million in its international box office debut. It’s currently only playing in 18 markets, roughly 35% of its eventual overseas footprint, so those ticket sales represent a promising start for the family film.
“The Garfield Movie” doesn’t open in the U.S. and Canada until Memorial Day weekend on May 24. When it does land in domestic theaters, it’s projected to earn $35 million over the long weekend and will compete for first place with director George Miller’s “Mad Max” prequel “Furiosa.”
Overseas, “The Garfield Movie” enjoyed the biggest start in Spain with $3.2 million over five days, followed by Brazil with $2.2 million, Italy with $1.6 million and Peru with $1.3 million. According to the studio, revenues for the film are pacing 76% above fellow kid-friendly film “DC League of Super Pets” (which eventually earned $113 million internationally) and 41% higher than “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish...
“The Garfield Movie” doesn’t open in the U.S. and Canada until Memorial Day weekend on May 24. When it does land in domestic theaters, it’s projected to earn $35 million over the long weekend and will compete for first place with director George Miller’s “Mad Max” prequel “Furiosa.”
Overseas, “The Garfield Movie” enjoyed the biggest start in Spain with $3.2 million over five days, followed by Brazil with $2.2 million, Italy with $1.6 million and Peru with $1.3 million. According to the studio, revenues for the film are pacing 76% above fellow kid-friendly film “DC League of Super Pets” (which eventually earned $113 million internationally) and 41% higher than “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish...
- 5/5/2024
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
With each new month comes a strong desire to let go of some things in order to make room for what is new. And it seems that even the biggest streaming platforms feel the same way.
That's why they update their libraries every month. There are a lot of different movies leaving Netflix in May, but these 5 are a must watch (or rewatch) if you are a fan of quality cinema.
1. Uncut Gems (2019) – May 9
Many of you may not think much of Adam Sandler, at least that's what a lot of people say out loud, even though there's a good chance they fall asleep watching Sandler's best rom-coms. But every once in a while he stars in a movie that ends up proving how brilliant of an actor he really is.
Uncut Gems has a 91% on Tomatometer and features the actor in a serious role, portraying a man named Howard Ratner.
That's why they update their libraries every month. There are a lot of different movies leaving Netflix in May, but these 5 are a must watch (or rewatch) if you are a fan of quality cinema.
1. Uncut Gems (2019) – May 9
Many of you may not think much of Adam Sandler, at least that's what a lot of people say out loud, even though there's a good chance they fall asleep watching Sandler's best rom-coms. But every once in a while he stars in a movie that ends up proving how brilliant of an actor he really is.
Uncut Gems has a 91% on Tomatometer and features the actor in a serious role, portraying a man named Howard Ratner.
- 5/4/2024
- by info@startefacts.com (Rachel Bailey)
- STartefacts.com
Exclusive: DreamWorks Animation/Universal’s Kung Fu Panda 4 crossed the $500M mark globally this past weekend, reaching the milestone on a staggered release pattern that has worked well for the partners in the past (think Puss in Boots: The Last Wish). Through Wednesday, it’s at $324M international box office and $509M worldwide.
Directed by Mike Mitchell (and co-directed by Stephanie Ma Stine), the fourquel arrived eight years after the third installment of the franchise that began in 2008 and is the first of the series released by Universal after the studio acquired Dwa in 2016. All told thus far, the series has grossed $2.328B, the No .2 highest-grossing Dwa franchise behind Shrek.
KFP4, which has done gangbusters in Mexico ($35.6M through Wednesday) and logged the biggest April animation opening of all time in Korea, is poised to become the third-highest-grossing film of the bunch. Although if comping to current exchange rates...
Directed by Mike Mitchell (and co-directed by Stephanie Ma Stine), the fourquel arrived eight years after the third installment of the franchise that began in 2008 and is the first of the series released by Universal after the studio acquired Dwa in 2016. All told thus far, the series has grossed $2.328B, the No .2 highest-grossing Dwa franchise behind Shrek.
KFP4, which has done gangbusters in Mexico ($35.6M through Wednesday) and logged the biggest April animation opening of all time in Korea, is poised to become the third-highest-grossing film of the bunch. Although if comping to current exchange rates...
- 5/2/2024
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
The year 2023 was an embarrassment of riches when it came to animation. Movies like “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” became massive commercial successes and crossed the billion-dollar mark at the box office, while movies like “Nimona” and “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” hit big with audiences and critics. There were films that boasted wildly different aesthetics and showed the power of the animation medium, like “Blue Giant” and “The First Slam Dunk.” We also saw the return of legendary animator Hayao Miyazaki, who gave us his most personal film to date with “The Boy and the Heron.”
That’s a lot for 2024 to live up to — luckily, it seems the year will bring with it a healthy mix of big studio franchises and more grown-up animated fare. There are still big and highly anticipated animated movies slated to be released in 2024. Here is a rundown of 2024 animated releases with updates to come.
That’s a lot for 2024 to live up to — luckily, it seems the year will bring with it a healthy mix of big studio franchises and more grown-up animated fare. There are still big and highly anticipated animated movies slated to be released in 2024. Here is a rundown of 2024 animated releases with updates to come.
- 4/25/2024
- by Rafael Motamayor and Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Peacock, the streaming service of Comcast’s entertainment unit NBCUniversal, grew its first-quarter revenue and narrowed its loss to $639 million from $704 million in the year-ago period, and $825 million in the fourth quarter of 2023, despite higher programming costs. The streamer ended March with 34 million paying subscribers, compared with a year-end 2023 figure of 31 million, the company also said on Thursday.
“Peacock paid subscribers increased 55 percent compared to the prior-year period to 34 million, including net additions of 3 million in the first quarter,” Comcast highlighted. “Peacock revenue increased 54 percent to $1.1 billion.”
Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning epic Oppenheimer exclusively started streaming on Peacock on Feb. 16 after its theatrical release in July 2023.
As streaming profits, which have so far been elusive for most industry giants, remain in focus for Wall Street, Peacock previously posted a full-year 2023 loss of $2.75 billion. But Comcast CFO Jason Armstrong earlier this year emphasized that “2023 marked the peak in annual losses at Peacock,...
“Peacock paid subscribers increased 55 percent compared to the prior-year period to 34 million, including net additions of 3 million in the first quarter,” Comcast highlighted. “Peacock revenue increased 54 percent to $1.1 billion.”
Christopher Nolan’s Oscar-winning epic Oppenheimer exclusively started streaming on Peacock on Feb. 16 after its theatrical release in July 2023.
As streaming profits, which have so far been elusive for most industry giants, remain in focus for Wall Street, Peacock previously posted a full-year 2023 loss of $2.75 billion. But Comcast CFO Jason Armstrong earlier this year emphasized that “2023 marked the peak in annual losses at Peacock,...
- 4/25/2024
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Netflix has released their monthly list of every movie and TV show that will be expiring from the streaming service soon.
Beginning on May 1, 2024, Netflix will be removing 39 total titles. Unfortunately, there are some fan favorites included here. Notably, all four Hunger Games films will be removed next month! Other title leaving are one of the Magic Mike movies, You’ve Got Mail, The Great Gatsby, Split, and more.
Head inside to see the full list of movies and TV shows being removed from Netflix in May 2024…
Everything Leaving Netflix in May 2024:
Leaving 5/1/24
Bennett’s War
Magic Mike’s Last Dance
Leaving 5/2/24
Survive the Night
Leaving 5/3/24
Arctic Dogs
Leaving 5/8/24
Uncut Gems
Leaving 5/9/24
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Leaving 5/10/24
St. Vincent
Leaving 5/11/24
Where the Crawdads Sing
Leaving 5/14/24
Fifty Shades of Black
Leaving 5/19/24
Rosario Tijeras (Mexico): Seasons 1-3
Leaving 5/11/24
Sam Smith: Love Goes – Live at Abbey Road Studios
Leaving 5/22/24
The Boxtrolls...
Beginning on May 1, 2024, Netflix will be removing 39 total titles. Unfortunately, there are some fan favorites included here. Notably, all four Hunger Games films will be removed next month! Other title leaving are one of the Magic Mike movies, You’ve Got Mail, The Great Gatsby, Split, and more.
Head inside to see the full list of movies and TV shows being removed from Netflix in May 2024…
Everything Leaving Netflix in May 2024:
Leaving 5/1/24
Bennett’s War
Magic Mike’s Last Dance
Leaving 5/2/24
Survive the Night
Leaving 5/3/24
Arctic Dogs
Leaving 5/8/24
Uncut Gems
Leaving 5/9/24
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish
Leaving 5/10/24
St. Vincent
Leaving 5/11/24
Where the Crawdads Sing
Leaving 5/14/24
Fifty Shades of Black
Leaving 5/19/24
Rosario Tijeras (Mexico): Seasons 1-3
Leaving 5/11/24
Sam Smith: Love Goes – Live at Abbey Road Studios
Leaving 5/22/24
The Boxtrolls...
- 4/24/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Things had been going so well at the box office over the past few weeks, so it was disappointing that none of the week’s three new wide releases made much of an impact. Read on for the weekend box office report.
Although Universal’s vampire thriller “Abigail,” directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (aka “Radio Silence”), had the best hopes of breaking out due to its cool horror premise and ensemble cast, Alex Garland‘s future shock thriller “Civil War,” starring Kirsten Dunst and Wagner Moura, was able to hold onto first place with $11.1 million, a drop of 57% from its record-setting opening for A24. The movie has grossed $44.9 million domestically so far, which already puts it in the top 10 all-time grossers for the studio after just 10 days.
Although horror tends to do quite well with younger moviegoers, “Abigail” and its cast, which includes Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton,...
Although Universal’s vampire thriller “Abigail,” directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett (aka “Radio Silence”), had the best hopes of breaking out due to its cool horror premise and ensemble cast, Alex Garland‘s future shock thriller “Civil War,” starring Kirsten Dunst and Wagner Moura, was able to hold onto first place with $11.1 million, a drop of 57% from its record-setting opening for A24. The movie has grossed $44.9 million domestically so far, which already puts it in the top 10 all-time grossers for the studio after just 10 days.
Although horror tends to do quite well with younger moviegoers, “Abigail” and its cast, which includes Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens, Kathryn Newton,...
- 4/21/2024
- by Edward Douglas
- Gold Derby
DreamWorks Animation has the best animated franchises, delivering consistently good, theatrically-released franchises that are unique within the animation landscape. One of their best ones is "Kung Fu Panda," a franchise with some of the best fight sequences in animation, and one of the few instances where an all-star stunt voice cast isn't detrimental to the films' quality.
Even if "Kung Fu Panda 4" doesn't reach the heights of the first two films, it still isn't without redeeming qualities. As our own Ethan Anderton wrote in his review for /Film, "This movie still has plenty of ways to entertain, from the eye-popping animated action sequences to Jack Black's pitch-perfect portrayal of Po, not to mention a stellar score from composer Hans Zimmer and his composing partner and collaborator, Steve Mazzaro."
This is a fun movie with a fantastic cast led by Jack Black and Awkwafina, starting what could be a new trilogy in the franchise.
Even if "Kung Fu Panda 4" doesn't reach the heights of the first two films, it still isn't without redeeming qualities. As our own Ethan Anderton wrote in his review for /Film, "This movie still has plenty of ways to entertain, from the eye-popping animated action sequences to Jack Black's pitch-perfect portrayal of Po, not to mention a stellar score from composer Hans Zimmer and his composing partner and collaborator, Steve Mazzaro."
This is a fun movie with a fantastic cast led by Jack Black and Awkwafina, starting what could be a new trilogy in the franchise.
- 4/8/2024
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
A busy holdover weekend for wide studio releases was led by the trio of Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Kung Fu Panda 4 and Dune: Part Two. And, in a soaring performance, Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar winner The Boy and the Heron swooped into China helping the market set a new Qingming holiday record.
Meanwhile, Best Picture Oscar winner Oppenheimer, boosted by its release in Japan, has now become Christopher Nolan’s biggest movie ever at the international box office.
Before we dig into all of that, there was also fresh blood in some overseas areas with Disney/20th Century Studios’ The First Omen debuting to $9.1M from 43 markets (about 76% of the offshore landscape and notably not including France and Germany which go next weekend). This is about as expected. The global bow is $17.5M.
Latin America leans in on horror and the prequel performed best in Mexico where it opened No.
Meanwhile, Best Picture Oscar winner Oppenheimer, boosted by its release in Japan, has now become Christopher Nolan’s biggest movie ever at the international box office.
Before we dig into all of that, there was also fresh blood in some overseas areas with Disney/20th Century Studios’ The First Omen debuting to $9.1M from 43 markets (about 76% of the offshore landscape and notably not including France and Germany which go next weekend). This is about as expected. The global bow is $17.5M.
Latin America leans in on horror and the prequel performed best in Mexico where it opened No.
- 4/7/2024
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Thanks to a kick-butt start by "Kung Fu Panda 4" through its first two weekends, the DreamWorks franchise as a whole has passed a pretty major milestone. Across four movies, the animated franchise has now surpassed the $2 billion mark at the box office. Over 16 years and through several enemies, Jack Black's Po has endured multiple decades to help make this one of the biggest animated movie franchises of all time. Skadoosh.
"Kung Fu Panda 4" topped the charts through its first two weekends and has, thus far, taken in $187.1 million worldwide against a very reasonable $85 million production budget -- by far the cheapest entry in the series to date. That has pushed the franchise to just over $2 billion collectively. The highest-grossing entry to date remains 2011's "Kung Fu Panda 2" with $664.8 million worldwide. Interestingly, that's also the only movie of the four that didn't open atop the charts when it debuted.
"Kung Fu Panda 4" topped the charts through its first two weekends and has, thus far, taken in $187.1 million worldwide against a very reasonable $85 million production budget -- by far the cheapest entry in the series to date. That has pushed the franchise to just over $2 billion collectively. The highest-grossing entry to date remains 2011's "Kung Fu Panda 2" with $664.8 million worldwide. Interestingly, that's also the only movie of the four that didn't open atop the charts when it debuted.
- 3/21/2024
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Universal/DreamWorks’ “Kung Fu Panda 4” and Warner Bros./Legendary’s “Dune: Part Two” are going unchallenged by several new wide releases this weekend, with “Kung Fu Panda 4” getting the narrow edge for No. 1 with $30 million in its second weekend in theaters.
With just a 48% drop from its $57.9 million opening weekend, “Kung Fu Panda 4” now has a two-weekend total of $107 million domestic and is well on pace to blow past the $186 million domestic run of fellow animated franchise feature “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” a year ago. Globally, “Kung Fu Panda 4” has a total of $176.5 million and will be released next weekend in China, where the film has enjoyed success in the past but where Hollywood now has little sway over audiences since the pandemic.
“Dune: Part Two” could still take the No. 1 spot from “Kung Fu Panda 4” with an estimated $29.1 million in its third weekend,...
With just a 48% drop from its $57.9 million opening weekend, “Kung Fu Panda 4” now has a two-weekend total of $107 million domestic and is well on pace to blow past the $186 million domestic run of fellow animated franchise feature “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” a year ago. Globally, “Kung Fu Panda 4” has a total of $176.5 million and will be released next weekend in China, where the film has enjoyed success in the past but where Hollywood now has little sway over audiences since the pandemic.
“Dune: Part Two” could still take the No. 1 spot from “Kung Fu Panda 4” with an estimated $29.1 million in its third weekend,...
- 3/17/2024
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
Monday Am: Absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that’s the secret or not-so-secret to success for DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda 4, which arrived in theaters eight years after its third chapter.
Similar to Puss in Boots: The Last Wish ($481.7M WW in 2022), the new administration of the animated studio continues to prove they can build out Jeffrey Katzenberg-born franchises without the feature toon architect around. Kung Fu Panda 4, released by Dwa owner Universal, notched a $58M 3-day opening, $8M more than the $50M that tracking was seeing. Since Uni took over Dwa again in recent years, this is the biggest opening for the reteamed partnership post-Fox and post-Paramount, ahead of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World ($55M in 2019).
Together with the second weekend of Dune: Part Two, the entire marketplace at $138.1M saw its first up weekend for 2024 from 2023 at +15%. Will the trend continue? While it appears there’s some momentum at the spring box office with Gil Kenan’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire around the corner, by the time we get to the beginning of April, it will be pretty hard to comp to last year’s Super Mario Bros Movie first weekend, which saw $204.7M for all films.
When the original Kung Fu Panda opened to $60.2M in 2008, the 3D of it all was being pushed. The Jack Black-voiced franchise also brought out a big 18-34 quotient and, despite the fourthquel being years later, that fanboy segment, older and younger, continued to be vibrant for the IP with ages 18-34 accounting for 48% of the audience and 18-24 at 27%.
Uni was in it to win it with this property, and it was a no-brainer for them to take through its NBCUni Symphony program, which markets the movie throughout all verticals of the conglom from Xfinity cable boxes to theme parks. It all started on NBC’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, with a Po balloon flying through the streets of NYC, followed by Black inviting Viola Davis and Awkwafina to the franchise on TikTok in mid-December. The first Kung Fu Panda 4 trailer dropped on December 13, followed by a custom trailer of Po in a desert landscape for Dune: Part Two, all building to 400M views for the fourthquel’s trailers.
Other Symphony stuff included Po dominating on streaming service Peacock with a 20-minute Keep Calm & Po guided-meditation piece, a Po-curated rail and a co-promo with The Traitors — Peacock’s highest-performing unscripted series. Xfinity 10G also had Kung Fu Panda 4 in a custom co-promo for the service.
Spots aired during all five Christmas Day NBA games and both AFC and NFC NFL Championship games in January. Kung Fu Panda 4 dominated the Lunar New Year season with a social blitz, YouTube food influencer collaborations and Awkwafina being grand marshal of San Francisco’s Lunar New Year Parade. There also were three spots that aired on Super Bowl Sunday, during pre-game, post-game and the surprise second overtime in Super Bowl history.
Following the Super Bowl, the campaign leaned further into sports with ads across ESPN, NBC Sports, Fire TV and TikTok, as well as a custom vignette with Black, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves that ran on ESPN socials and during three linear NBA games along with custom soccer ads for the Liga Mx and Premier League. On digital, the film had a custom sponsorship for Bad Bunny’s Most Wanted Tour launch and also sponsored Quinta Brunson’s Hot Ones episode. “Keep Calm & Po” pause ads launched across Max, Peacock, DirecTV, Kargo and Paramount+ in February. There also were custom vignettes for the pic that aired during The Daily Show, Chopped, Premio Lo Nuestro and Top Chef, and placements on Abbott Elementary, America’s Got Talent, People’s Choice Awards Pre-Show and the premieres for American Idol and The Masked Singer.
There was a Roblox plug with Po interacting with players in a custom game, which became the No. 1 branded experience on the platform and, for the first time in Roblox history, provided 1M free film-themed “emotes.” On TikTok, there was the first-ever branded mission with the duet feature, which received hundreds of submissions from fans showing off their “Skadoosh” moves; influencers Rayna Vallandingham and The Coleman Family participated. Also more than 600K fans on YouTube and social platforms joined Po in a four-hour video of guided meditations and breathing exercises.
Promo partners counted chili oil brand Fly by Jing and Asian-owned beauty brand Tower 28. Po helped commuters find their path through a custom voice collaboration with Waze, and fans were invited to follow Po’s spiritual journey through a feng shui tree collaboration with Karma and Luck. There also was World Wildlife Fund collaboration encouraging families and students to protect pandas through a PSA, in-classroom materials and an in-classroom Zoom with director Mike Mitchell. There was also a big multi-media campaign with Burger King which included kid’s meals.
While not glamourous openings, more product provides extra bucks to exhibition: Blumhouse/Lionsgate’s Imaginary is coming in at $9.9M in third after a $10M-$14M industry projection (pic was cheap at $10M) and Angel Studios’ Cabrini didn’t perform big miracles with $7.1M in fourth.
Saturday Am: Quick update here. Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda 4 is coming in higher with a $19.4M Friday (including previews) and $55M, which is the same amount that How to Train Your Dragon: Hidden World opened to back in 2019. Brand animation always opens big. That’s still the second best stateside start for the Kung Fu Panda franchise. CinemaScore is A-, the same grade as the first movie, but a notch down from the As earned on two and three.
PostTrak audiences gave the fourthquel an 80% positive and 59% definite recommend whilte kids under 12 were 90% positive and a 70% must see. Male skewing at 58% with 67% of the audience between 13-24. 18-24 year olds showed up at a massive 48%. Diversity demos are 44% Latino and Hispanic, 22% Caucasian, 11% Black and 18% Asian. PLFs are accounting for 6% of tickets sales while 3D is driving 17%. West and South are the most vibrant with the highest grossing cinema in the nation for the pic being The Cinemark Tinseltown El Paso TX with a near $40K so far.
Legendary/Warner Bros’ Dune: Part Two earned around $12.3M yesterday for what’s shaping up to be a $44M second weekend, -47%, for a running total of $154.7M. With those two movies leading the pack, it’s shaping up to be a $133.3M weekend, +13% over the same frame a year ago when Scream VI bowed. Wow. It’s been a while since we’ve seen an up weekend.
Lionsgate/Blumhouse’s Imaginary is third with $3.6M yesterday (including previews) at 3,118 theaters for what’s shaping up to be a $9.3M opening. Not shocking to see this movie below its $10M-$14M projection, nor saddled with a C+ CinemaScore and 57% on PostTrak. It is rather slow for a PG-13 horror film and there’s nothing really hip to hook the girls ala M3GAN. But it was cheap to make at $10M. Still more product means depth at the box office.
Demos are 53% women, 62% between 18-34, and 18-24 the biggest quad at 32% and another 20% from 13-17 year olds. Diversity demos are 38% Latino and Hispanic, 35% Caucasian, 17% Black, 6% Asian. The Teddy Bear is stuffed best in East, South and South Central with The Cnmk Tinseltown El Paso the biggest grossing venue with $8K. .
Angel Studio’s Cabrini at 2,840 theaters is also coming in under expectations which isn’t a shock with $3M yesterday and around $8M for the weekend. Though made by the same director of Sound of Freedom, Alejandro Monteverde, there’s nothing in saintly nuns for QAnon and the far right to get excited about. Thank God. Those faith-based who showed up gave the movie an A CinemaScore and 94% PostTrak. Sixty nine percent of the audience are women with the largest demo being 55+ at 49%. Diversity demos are 65% Caucasian, 21% Latino and Hispanic, 4% Black, 6% Asian & 5% NatAm/Other. West is the softest region for Cabrini though the rest of the country is fairly even. The Regal UA King of Prussia in Philly market is the pic’s top grossing theater so far with a near $29K.
Friday Afternoon: As expected, Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda 4 is headed to the second-biggest opening for the franchise with $52M after an $18.4M Friday (including previews) at 4.035 theaters. The original Kung Fu Panda opened to $60.2M in 2008, that Dwa title distributed by Paramount at the time.
Legendary/Warner Bros’ Dune: Part Two has the strength of an Arakis sandworm, holding in at $41M or -50%. It may even be better. That amount gets the Denis Villeneuve feature take of the Frank Herbert novel to $152M by Eod Sunday at 4,074 theaters. Last year thanks to Scream VI, all films made $118M. We might see that same amount for the marketplace again.
Lionsgate/Blumhouse’s $10M production of teddy bear horror film Imaginary is eyeing exactly that in its 3-day, which is fine at 3,118 theaters. Today is $3.2M-$3.8M.
In fourth is Angel Studios’ Cabrini, which I’m told by the distribs’ reps “is not a Catholic-skewing movie.” Go figure, but my mom would be the first one in line. Booked at 2,840 theaters, it’s looking at an estimated $3.6M today and $9M-$9.4M for the weekend.
Fifth goes to Paramount’s Bob Marley: One Love at 2,764 theaters with $1.1M today and a fourth weekend of $4.45M, -40%, for a running total of $89.7M. The movie hits digital on March 19.
Friday Am: Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda 4 grossed $3.8M in Thursday night previews that began at 2 p.m. Thursday, a figure that KOs the preview number of 2019’s How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World ($3M), which stands as the best opening for a Dwa title since Universal acquired the studio. The third pic in the Kung Fu Panda franchise opened to $55M in 2016 after a $17.3M Friday. The outlook for the fourthquel this weekend is north of $50M for the No. 1 spot. Rotten Tomatoes’ audience score of 82% is ahead of the movie’s critical score of 72% fresh.
Other family previews that Kung Fu Panda 4 stepped on were Disney/Pixar’s Elemental and Wonka.
Lionsgate/Blumhouse’s PG-13 horror thriller Imaginary drew $725K from shows that began at 6Pm. That’s a figure in line with Imaginary filmmaker Jeff Wadlow’s 2018 title, Truth or Dare, which posted $750K and went on to $18M, and it’s under 20th Century Studios’ Boogeyman which posted $1.1M and posted a 3-day of $12.3M. Imaginary is expected to open to between $10M-$14M. At 29% on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s clear critics don’t like Teddy Bears.
We’re waiting on the official preview figure for Angel Studios’ Cabrini but we’re hearing it’s around $500K. The pic is expected to do between $5M-$10M.
Meanwhile, Legendary/Warner Bros.’ Dune: Part Two posted $6.4M on Thursday night, -4% from Wednesday, for a week’s take of $111M. In one week, the theatrical release of Dune: Part Two beat the entire domestic run of its 2021 predecessor, Dune, which did $108.8M; that movie’s fortune siphoned by a day-and-date release on HBO Max and theaters, as well as Covid.
Similar to Puss in Boots: The Last Wish ($481.7M WW in 2022), the new administration of the animated studio continues to prove they can build out Jeffrey Katzenberg-born franchises without the feature toon architect around. Kung Fu Panda 4, released by Dwa owner Universal, notched a $58M 3-day opening, $8M more than the $50M that tracking was seeing. Since Uni took over Dwa again in recent years, this is the biggest opening for the reteamed partnership post-Fox and post-Paramount, ahead of How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World ($55M in 2019).
Together with the second weekend of Dune: Part Two, the entire marketplace at $138.1M saw its first up weekend for 2024 from 2023 at +15%. Will the trend continue? While it appears there’s some momentum at the spring box office with Gil Kenan’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire around the corner, by the time we get to the beginning of April, it will be pretty hard to comp to last year’s Super Mario Bros Movie first weekend, which saw $204.7M for all films.
When the original Kung Fu Panda opened to $60.2M in 2008, the 3D of it all was being pushed. The Jack Black-voiced franchise also brought out a big 18-34 quotient and, despite the fourthquel being years later, that fanboy segment, older and younger, continued to be vibrant for the IP with ages 18-34 accounting for 48% of the audience and 18-24 at 27%.
Uni was in it to win it with this property, and it was a no-brainer for them to take through its NBCUni Symphony program, which markets the movie throughout all verticals of the conglom from Xfinity cable boxes to theme parks. It all started on NBC’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, with a Po balloon flying through the streets of NYC, followed by Black inviting Viola Davis and Awkwafina to the franchise on TikTok in mid-December. The first Kung Fu Panda 4 trailer dropped on December 13, followed by a custom trailer of Po in a desert landscape for Dune: Part Two, all building to 400M views for the fourthquel’s trailers.
Other Symphony stuff included Po dominating on streaming service Peacock with a 20-minute Keep Calm & Po guided-meditation piece, a Po-curated rail and a co-promo with The Traitors — Peacock’s highest-performing unscripted series. Xfinity 10G also had Kung Fu Panda 4 in a custom co-promo for the service.
Spots aired during all five Christmas Day NBA games and both AFC and NFC NFL Championship games in January. Kung Fu Panda 4 dominated the Lunar New Year season with a social blitz, YouTube food influencer collaborations and Awkwafina being grand marshal of San Francisco’s Lunar New Year Parade. There also were three spots that aired on Super Bowl Sunday, during pre-game, post-game and the surprise second overtime in Super Bowl history.
Following the Super Bowl, the campaign leaned further into sports with ads across ESPN, NBC Sports, Fire TV and TikTok, as well as a custom vignette with Black, Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves that ran on ESPN socials and during three linear NBA games along with custom soccer ads for the Liga Mx and Premier League. On digital, the film had a custom sponsorship for Bad Bunny’s Most Wanted Tour launch and also sponsored Quinta Brunson’s Hot Ones episode. “Keep Calm & Po” pause ads launched across Max, Peacock, DirecTV, Kargo and Paramount+ in February. There also were custom vignettes for the pic that aired during The Daily Show, Chopped, Premio Lo Nuestro and Top Chef, and placements on Abbott Elementary, America’s Got Talent, People’s Choice Awards Pre-Show and the premieres for American Idol and The Masked Singer.
There was a Roblox plug with Po interacting with players in a custom game, which became the No. 1 branded experience on the platform and, for the first time in Roblox history, provided 1M free film-themed “emotes.” On TikTok, there was the first-ever branded mission with the duet feature, which received hundreds of submissions from fans showing off their “Skadoosh” moves; influencers Rayna Vallandingham and The Coleman Family participated. Also more than 600K fans on YouTube and social platforms joined Po in a four-hour video of guided meditations and breathing exercises.
Promo partners counted chili oil brand Fly by Jing and Asian-owned beauty brand Tower 28. Po helped commuters find their path through a custom voice collaboration with Waze, and fans were invited to follow Po’s spiritual journey through a feng shui tree collaboration with Karma and Luck. There also was World Wildlife Fund collaboration encouraging families and students to protect pandas through a PSA, in-classroom materials and an in-classroom Zoom with director Mike Mitchell. There was also a big multi-media campaign with Burger King which included kid’s meals.
While not glamourous openings, more product provides extra bucks to exhibition: Blumhouse/Lionsgate’s Imaginary is coming in at $9.9M in third after a $10M-$14M industry projection (pic was cheap at $10M) and Angel Studios’ Cabrini didn’t perform big miracles with $7.1M in fourth.
Saturday Am: Quick update here. Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda 4 is coming in higher with a $19.4M Friday (including previews) and $55M, which is the same amount that How to Train Your Dragon: Hidden World opened to back in 2019. Brand animation always opens big. That’s still the second best stateside start for the Kung Fu Panda franchise. CinemaScore is A-, the same grade as the first movie, but a notch down from the As earned on two and three.
PostTrak audiences gave the fourthquel an 80% positive and 59% definite recommend whilte kids under 12 were 90% positive and a 70% must see. Male skewing at 58% with 67% of the audience between 13-24. 18-24 year olds showed up at a massive 48%. Diversity demos are 44% Latino and Hispanic, 22% Caucasian, 11% Black and 18% Asian. PLFs are accounting for 6% of tickets sales while 3D is driving 17%. West and South are the most vibrant with the highest grossing cinema in the nation for the pic being The Cinemark Tinseltown El Paso TX with a near $40K so far.
Legendary/Warner Bros’ Dune: Part Two earned around $12.3M yesterday for what’s shaping up to be a $44M second weekend, -47%, for a running total of $154.7M. With those two movies leading the pack, it’s shaping up to be a $133.3M weekend, +13% over the same frame a year ago when Scream VI bowed. Wow. It’s been a while since we’ve seen an up weekend.
Lionsgate/Blumhouse’s Imaginary is third with $3.6M yesterday (including previews) at 3,118 theaters for what’s shaping up to be a $9.3M opening. Not shocking to see this movie below its $10M-$14M projection, nor saddled with a C+ CinemaScore and 57% on PostTrak. It is rather slow for a PG-13 horror film and there’s nothing really hip to hook the girls ala M3GAN. But it was cheap to make at $10M. Still more product means depth at the box office.
Demos are 53% women, 62% between 18-34, and 18-24 the biggest quad at 32% and another 20% from 13-17 year olds. Diversity demos are 38% Latino and Hispanic, 35% Caucasian, 17% Black, 6% Asian. The Teddy Bear is stuffed best in East, South and South Central with The Cnmk Tinseltown El Paso the biggest grossing venue with $8K. .
Angel Studio’s Cabrini at 2,840 theaters is also coming in under expectations which isn’t a shock with $3M yesterday and around $8M for the weekend. Though made by the same director of Sound of Freedom, Alejandro Monteverde, there’s nothing in saintly nuns for QAnon and the far right to get excited about. Thank God. Those faith-based who showed up gave the movie an A CinemaScore and 94% PostTrak. Sixty nine percent of the audience are women with the largest demo being 55+ at 49%. Diversity demos are 65% Caucasian, 21% Latino and Hispanic, 4% Black, 6% Asian & 5% NatAm/Other. West is the softest region for Cabrini though the rest of the country is fairly even. The Regal UA King of Prussia in Philly market is the pic’s top grossing theater so far with a near $29K.
Friday Afternoon: As expected, Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda 4 is headed to the second-biggest opening for the franchise with $52M after an $18.4M Friday (including previews) at 4.035 theaters. The original Kung Fu Panda opened to $60.2M in 2008, that Dwa title distributed by Paramount at the time.
Legendary/Warner Bros’ Dune: Part Two has the strength of an Arakis sandworm, holding in at $41M or -50%. It may even be better. That amount gets the Denis Villeneuve feature take of the Frank Herbert novel to $152M by Eod Sunday at 4,074 theaters. Last year thanks to Scream VI, all films made $118M. We might see that same amount for the marketplace again.
Lionsgate/Blumhouse’s $10M production of teddy bear horror film Imaginary is eyeing exactly that in its 3-day, which is fine at 3,118 theaters. Today is $3.2M-$3.8M.
In fourth is Angel Studios’ Cabrini, which I’m told by the distribs’ reps “is not a Catholic-skewing movie.” Go figure, but my mom would be the first one in line. Booked at 2,840 theaters, it’s looking at an estimated $3.6M today and $9M-$9.4M for the weekend.
Fifth goes to Paramount’s Bob Marley: One Love at 2,764 theaters with $1.1M today and a fourth weekend of $4.45M, -40%, for a running total of $89.7M. The movie hits digital on March 19.
Friday Am: Universal/DreamWorks Animation’s Kung Fu Panda 4 grossed $3.8M in Thursday night previews that began at 2 p.m. Thursday, a figure that KOs the preview number of 2019’s How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World ($3M), which stands as the best opening for a Dwa title since Universal acquired the studio. The third pic in the Kung Fu Panda franchise opened to $55M in 2016 after a $17.3M Friday. The outlook for the fourthquel this weekend is north of $50M for the No. 1 spot. Rotten Tomatoes’ audience score of 82% is ahead of the movie’s critical score of 72% fresh.
Other family previews that Kung Fu Panda 4 stepped on were Disney/Pixar’s Elemental and Wonka.
Lionsgate/Blumhouse’s PG-13 horror thriller Imaginary drew $725K from shows that began at 6Pm. That’s a figure in line with Imaginary filmmaker Jeff Wadlow’s 2018 title, Truth or Dare, which posted $750K and went on to $18M, and it’s under 20th Century Studios’ Boogeyman which posted $1.1M and posted a 3-day of $12.3M. Imaginary is expected to open to between $10M-$14M. At 29% on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s clear critics don’t like Teddy Bears.
We’re waiting on the official preview figure for Angel Studios’ Cabrini but we’re hearing it’s around $500K. The pic is expected to do between $5M-$10M.
Meanwhile, Legendary/Warner Bros.’ Dune: Part Two posted $6.4M on Thursday night, -4% from Wednesday, for a week’s take of $111M. In one week, the theatrical release of Dune: Part Two beat the entire domestic run of its 2021 predecessor, Dune, which did $108.8M; that movie’s fortune siphoned by a day-and-date release on HBO Max and theaters, as well as Covid.
- 3/11/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
A recent study on the Hollywood industry proved that the percentage of women representation in the top box office earners has been decreasing. The study claimed that female roles have decreased considerably in 2023 when compared to 2022 and it is quite a notable figure. Although there have been no major reasons stated, the industry will surely work on the deficit of female representation.
Along with the deficit of female representation in the industry, Hollywood has also suffered a major blow in its box office collection over the years. 2022 saw a total of over $10 billion in overall revenue but 2023 could only collect a bit over $8 billion, with their difference being almost $2 billion. Now it is a major blunder as it potentially points towards a lack of content from Hollywood.
Hollywood
Hollywood Gender Gap Widens: Women Representation in Movies Plummets
A recent study by It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World paints a troubling picture.
Along with the deficit of female representation in the industry, Hollywood has also suffered a major blow in its box office collection over the years. 2022 saw a total of over $10 billion in overall revenue but 2023 could only collect a bit over $8 billion, with their difference being almost $2 billion. Now it is a major blunder as it potentially points towards a lack of content from Hollywood.
Hollywood
Hollywood Gender Gap Widens: Women Representation in Movies Plummets
A recent study by It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World paints a troubling picture.
- 3/4/2024
- by Rajdeep Majumder
- FandomWire
It’s been 8 years since fans have been asking for a new installment in the Kung Fu Panda franchise, and their requests were eventually met, with the fourth film now being weeks away from its debut. And following the standard maintained by the past three entries, fans are reasonably hyped to see what the studio has in store for them, which, not long ago, delivered Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.
However, the early reviews for the Jack Black-led movie have had fans worried, as it appears, Kung Fu Panda 4 might not surpass the bar set by its predecessors.
A still from Kung Fu Panda 4
Early Reviews for Kung Fu Panda 4 Have Fans Worried
After DreamWorks hit the ball out of the park with Kung Fu Panda, they went even harder with the sequel, especially with Gary Oldman’s Lord Shen, arguably the best villain in the entire franchise.
However, the early reviews for the Jack Black-led movie have had fans worried, as it appears, Kung Fu Panda 4 might not surpass the bar set by its predecessors.
A still from Kung Fu Panda 4
Early Reviews for Kung Fu Panda 4 Have Fans Worried
After DreamWorks hit the ball out of the park with Kung Fu Panda, they went even harder with the sequel, especially with Gary Oldman’s Lord Shen, arguably the best villain in the entire franchise.
- 3/4/2024
- by Santanu Roy
- FandomWire
Director Damien Chazelle became the youngest recipient of the Oscar for Best Director when he won the coveted award for his musical romance La La Land. He has helmed multiple critical darlings such as Whiplash and First Man, which have given him the status of a modern-day auteur due to certain directorial trademarks that he employs in his films.
While he had an amazing record at the box office and during Awards season with the above-mentioned films, he seemed to have missed the mark with his last film Babylon. Starring Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, and Diego Calva, the film was a box office disaster. Chazelle recently mentioned that he might not be able to make his next film due to Babylon’s failure.
Damien Chazelle Is Unsure About His Next Film Brad Pitt in Babylon
Damien Chazelle became a wunderkind of sorts when he broke into the scene with his...
While he had an amazing record at the box office and during Awards season with the above-mentioned films, he seemed to have missed the mark with his last film Babylon. Starring Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, and Diego Calva, the film was a box office disaster. Chazelle recently mentioned that he might not be able to make his next film due to Babylon’s failure.
Damien Chazelle Is Unsure About His Next Film Brad Pitt in Babylon
Damien Chazelle became a wunderkind of sorts when he broke into the scene with his...
- 3/2/2024
- by Nishanth A
- FandomWire
Not to assume, dear reader, that you regularly take in my musings on the box office and the movie industry in general. But if you do, I don't need to drone on about the bad year that it has been up to this point. Yes, "Dune: Part Two" is finally here to save us (to some degree), but ticket sales are still down dramatically compared to this point in 2023. It's a downturn the industry can ill afford right now. Luckily, another hero is on the horizon, and his name is Kung Fu Panda.
Universal and DreamWorks Animation's "Kung Fu Panda 4" arrives next weekend. While the return of Jack Black's Po may not ignore the box office on record-breaking levels, it should be more than enough to provide theaters with a little bump. Currently, the expectation is that the film will bring in anywhere between $30 and $39 million in its opening frame,...
Universal and DreamWorks Animation's "Kung Fu Panda 4" arrives next weekend. While the return of Jack Black's Po may not ignore the box office on record-breaking levels, it should be more than enough to provide theaters with a little bump. Currently, the expectation is that the film will bring in anywhere between $30 and $39 million in its opening frame,...
- 3/1/2024
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Nearly a year ago, Dreamworks Animation released Puss In Boots: The Last Wish. The sequel to the somewhat successful mostly forgotten movie Puss In Boots. ‘Puss In Boots: The Last Wish’, also known as just Puss In Boots 2, follows Puss as he reaches the last of his nine lives. When gaining knowledge about a wishing star, he goes on an ambitious quest to find the star and wish for more lives. Encountering friends and foes along the way.
Upon its release, existing as a sequel to a spinoff of a popular franchise, the public’s expectations of Puss In Boots: The Last Wish weren’t high at all. When the film was released in America on the eleventh of December, 2022 (then elsewhere in other countries and territories), it surprisingly came with positive reviews. Surprising audiences away with its rich storytelling, great characters, and quite shockingly dark moments, Puss In Boots...
Upon its release, existing as a sequel to a spinoff of a popular franchise, the public’s expectations of Puss In Boots: The Last Wish weren’t high at all. When the film was released in America on the eleventh of December, 2022 (then elsewhere in other countries and territories), it surprisingly came with positive reviews. Surprising audiences away with its rich storytelling, great characters, and quite shockingly dark moments, Puss In Boots...
- 2/27/2024
- by Louis Valentino Mohan
- FandomWire
March will see two of the most anticipated sequels going head to head, with Denis Villeneuve’s Dune Part 2 hitting screens this week and Kung Fu Panda 4 hitting the screens on March 15. And Master Po is embracing his upcoming battle with the last Duke of House Atreides in the upcoming weeks for the box-office throne with the new teaser.
Ahead of Dune 2‘s release, Universal has released another teaser for Kung Fu Panda 4 to capitalize on the hype of the upcoming sci-fi epic, and it seems to have worked out right for them.
A still from Kung Fu Panda 4
The New Teaser of Kung Fu Panda 4 Sees Po Channeling His Inner Paul Atreides
Like Barbie and Oppenheimer did last year, the upcoming Jack Black-led film is embracing its competition with Dune 2 at the box office in March. With DreamWorks’ Puss in Boots: The Last Wish...
Ahead of Dune 2‘s release, Universal has released another teaser for Kung Fu Panda 4 to capitalize on the hype of the upcoming sci-fi epic, and it seems to have worked out right for them.
A still from Kung Fu Panda 4
The New Teaser of Kung Fu Panda 4 Sees Po Channeling His Inner Paul Atreides
Like Barbie and Oppenheimer did last year, the upcoming Jack Black-led film is embracing its competition with Dune 2 at the box office in March. With DreamWorks’ Puss in Boots: The Last Wish...
- 2/27/2024
- by Santanu Roy
- FandomWire
During its first quarter earnings call earlier this month, Disney announced that the next animated film it will bring to theaters on Thanksgiving will be the sequel to its 2016 hit “Moana,” signaling a renewed push on sequels after years of original animated titles.
But “Moana 2” was originally announced in 2020, under short-lived CEO Bob Chapek, as a streaming series exclusive to Disney+. This change underscores a shifting strategy by Disney and other studios to move films previously planned for streaming to the big screen — in part to calm jittery investors nervous about the thin pipeline of tentpole movies after the Hollywood strikes.
The “Moana 2” re-direct follows Paramount’s “Mean Girls” and “Smile,” and Warner Bros./New Line’s “Evil Dead Rise,” all theatrical releases that were originally intended to be streaming-only.
“Studios are showing that when they see signs of high quality in a project they greenlit for streaming…...
But “Moana 2” was originally announced in 2020, under short-lived CEO Bob Chapek, as a streaming series exclusive to Disney+. This change underscores a shifting strategy by Disney and other studios to move films previously planned for streaming to the big screen — in part to calm jittery investors nervous about the thin pipeline of tentpole movies after the Hollywood strikes.
The “Moana 2” re-direct follows Paramount’s “Mean Girls” and “Smile,” and Warner Bros./New Line’s “Evil Dead Rise,” all theatrical releases that were originally intended to be streaming-only.
“Studios are showing that when they see signs of high quality in a project they greenlit for streaming…...
- 2/20/2024
- by Jeremy Fuster, Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Denis Villeneuve assembled one heck of a cast for "Dune," and that ensemble is only growing in the upcoming "Dune: Part Two." Several big stars are on board, including Florence Pugh ("Midsommar"), Austin Butler ("Elvis"), and Christopher Walken ("Catch Me If You Can"). Crucially, some of the biggest additions to the cast are younger stars, who join Timothee Chalamet and Zendaya on that front. Casting the next generation of superstars was no mistake, and it was something the director did very deliberately, in part because he believes those actors can help bring people back to theaters.
Pugh, Butler, Chalamet, and Zendaya are all firmly on Hollywood's A-list. But they're also some of only a small handful of stars under the age of 50 that general audiences will pay to see in a movie just because they're in it. In a piece last year in Time about Pugh and her rise to fame,...
Pugh, Butler, Chalamet, and Zendaya are all firmly on Hollywood's A-list. But they're also some of only a small handful of stars under the age of 50 that general audiences will pay to see in a movie just because they're in it. In a piece last year in Time about Pugh and her rise to fame,...
- 2/16/2024
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
Healthy consumer demand for feature films after their theatrical release windows drove a 17% rise in home entertainment spending in 2023, according to the Digital Entertainment Group.
A preliminary version of the Deg’s annual survey of spending was released Tuesday, with the final one due in March. It found spending across digital and physical home entertainment formats in 2023 reached $43 billion, up from $36.8 billion in 2022. While film transactions were robust, with blockbusters like Oppenheimer spurring demand across digital and physical sectors, the Deg warned that the dual strikes could have an “adverse impact” on results in “the next few quarters.”
Subscription streaming, the Deg reported, citing data from UK-based research firm Omdia, surged more than 21% year-over-year to top $37 billion. The category dwarfed video on demand (VOD) and electronic sell-thru (Est), with the ranks of major subscription services having swelled just prior to and during the pandemic. On the other side of Covid,...
A preliminary version of the Deg’s annual survey of spending was released Tuesday, with the final one due in March. It found spending across digital and physical home entertainment formats in 2023 reached $43 billion, up from $36.8 billion in 2022. While film transactions were robust, with blockbusters like Oppenheimer spurring demand across digital and physical sectors, the Deg warned that the dual strikes could have an “adverse impact” on results in “the next few quarters.”
Subscription streaming, the Deg reported, citing data from UK-based research firm Omdia, surged more than 21% year-over-year to top $37 billion. The category dwarfed video on demand (VOD) and electronic sell-thru (Est), with the ranks of major subscription services having swelled just prior to and during the pandemic. On the other side of Covid,...
- 2/7/2024
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
The winners for the 51st Saturn Award were unveiled last night, with Avatar: The Way of Water leading the winners with four awards. Barbie, Dial of Destiny and Oppenheimer took three. On the TV front, Star Trek: Picard led with four wins, while Outlander and Wednesday trailed with two apiece. In addition to these, Keanu Reeves received the inaugural Lance Reddick Legacy Award.
Check out the complete list of all Saturn Award winners across film, television and home media — which you know we love — below:
Best Science Fiction Film
Avatar: The Way of Water (Walt Disney/Lightstorm)
The Creator (20th Century Studios)
M3GAN (Universal Pictures/Blumhouse)
Prey (20th Century Studios/Hulu)
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (Paramount/Hasbro)
Best Fantasy Film
Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Paramount Pictures/Hasbro)
Haunted Mansion (Walt Disney Studios)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Lucasfilm/Paramount/Disney...
Check out the complete list of all Saturn Award winners across film, television and home media — which you know we love — below:
Best Science Fiction Film
Avatar: The Way of Water (Walt Disney/Lightstorm)
The Creator (20th Century Studios)
M3GAN (Universal Pictures/Blumhouse)
Prey (20th Century Studios/Hulu)
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (Paramount/Hasbro)
Best Fantasy Film
Barbie (Warner Bros. Pictures)
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Paramount Pictures/Hasbro)
Haunted Mansion (Walt Disney Studios)
Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (Lucasfilm/Paramount/Disney...
- 2/5/2024
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
Mr. & Mrs. Smith definitely didn’t surpass expectations, it mostly left us with question marks for expressions because of how lackluster the show really was. I suppose you could say there are some good parts; you’ve got beautiful sets and some fun fashion choices, but most importantly, a bunch of cameos that are meant to enhance the show considering how dull it is otherwise. Not to say that Donald Glover and Maya Erskine are incapable of holding our attention, but it’s probably a mix of the writing and the pacing of this show that had me completely bored by the end of it. And, no, even these incredible special appearances did not pique my interest in any way. However, they do add a little bit of fun, even if briefly, to the mostly tedious show. Mr. & Mrs. Smith follows spies in this new spyverse, where there is...
- 2/2/2024
- by Ruchika Bhat
- Film Fugitives
As the nominees for the animated feature Oscar were unveiled this year, one thing was clear: 2D and 2D-influenced animated films are dominating awards season.
Among this year’s nominees, “The Boy and the Heron,” “Nimona,” “Robot Dreams” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” all used traditional 2D techniques or other methods to create a 2D look. Even the CG “Elemental” shows 2D influences across the many environments of Element City. And as the Academy nominates what might be helmer Hayao Miyazaki’s final film, it seems as though the impact of 2D is being recognized once again after CG having dominated the animation space for so long.
The 2D animation of today isn’t quite like cartoons of the past. With new techniques at their disposal, filmmakers are expanding the visuals they can create to tell rich, compelling stories. It’s very often a 2D look that’s intended for...
Among this year’s nominees, “The Boy and the Heron,” “Nimona,” “Robot Dreams” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” all used traditional 2D techniques or other methods to create a 2D look. Even the CG “Elemental” shows 2D influences across the many environments of Element City. And as the Academy nominates what might be helmer Hayao Miyazaki’s final film, it seems as though the impact of 2D is being recognized once again after CG having dominated the animation space for so long.
The 2D animation of today isn’t quite like cartoons of the past. With new techniques at their disposal, filmmakers are expanding the visuals they can create to tell rich, compelling stories. It’s very often a 2D look that’s intended for...
- 2/1/2024
- by Karen Idelson
- Variety Film + TV
“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” has everything you could ask for from an animated Oscar contender, including sterling reviews, stellar box office and a proven awards track record. There’s one potential hitch, though: it’s a sequel. In the history of Best Animated Feature at the Oscars, only two sequels have ever won, and they were both from the “Toy Story” franchise: “Toy Story 3” (2010) and “Toy Story 4” (2019). Can “Across the Spider-Verse” achieve the same rare feat?
SEEWhat just missed making Oscar’s Best Picture line-up: ‘The Color Purple,’ ‘Air,’ ‘Across the Spider-Verse’ … ? [Poll]
The following 12 sequels have been nominated for Best Animated Feature, with the only two winners highlighted in gold:
2004: “Shrek 2”
2010: “Toy Story 3”
2011: “Kung Fu Panda 2”
2011: “Puss in Boots”
2013: “Despicable Me 2”
2014: “How to Train Your Dragon 2”
2018: “Incredibles 2”
2018: “Ralph Breaks the Internet”
2019: “Toy Story 4...
SEEWhat just missed making Oscar’s Best Picture line-up: ‘The Color Purple,’ ‘Air,’ ‘Across the Spider-Verse’ … ? [Poll]
The following 12 sequels have been nominated for Best Animated Feature, with the only two winners highlighted in gold:
2004: “Shrek 2”
2010: “Toy Story 3”
2011: “Kung Fu Panda 2”
2011: “Puss in Boots”
2013: “Despicable Me 2”
2014: “How to Train Your Dragon 2”
2018: “Incredibles 2”
2018: “Ralph Breaks the Internet”
2019: “Toy Story 4...
- 1/31/2024
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Disney Got Shut Out For Best Animated Feature At The 2024 Oscars – And This Is Awesome For Animation
In the U.S., animation has long been almost synonymous with Disney. After all, Disney has a long history with the medium, producing one of the first cartoons with synchronized sound and one of the first feature-length animated movies. That history and tradition haven't been all positive, however, as it has reduced the medium of animation to a genre in the eyes of many viewers — as well as the Academy.
In the last few years, however, Disney has started to lag behind some of the other studios when it comes to the Academy Awards. The last couple of years have shown that when Disney isn't present, the category is more diverse and better for it — with movies that push the envelope and the medium forward.
In the case of the 2024 Oscars, the lack of Disney among the nominees shows a pleasant surprise in the kind of movie the academy is recognizing.
In the last few years, however, Disney has started to lag behind some of the other studios when it comes to the Academy Awards. The last couple of years have shown that when Disney isn't present, the category is more diverse and better for it — with movies that push the envelope and the medium forward.
In the case of the 2024 Oscars, the lack of Disney among the nominees shows a pleasant surprise in the kind of movie the academy is recognizing.
- 1/23/2024
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
Things aren't looking great at the box office right now, as there are very few big releases in theaters that are getting moviegoers out in meaningful numbers. But there is something good to focus on today as Sony's rom-com "Anyone But You" has continued to quietly defy expectations for over a full month now. The film crossed the $100 million milestone over the weekend and is arguably one of the most unlikely movies to ever hit that mark based on how things started.
"Anyone But You" added another $5.4 million to its ever-growing total over the weekend, per The Numbers. That was good enough for a fourth place finish in its fifth frame, which is impressive. More importantly, director Will Gluck's romantic comedy has now earned $64.2 million domestically to go with $35.9 million internationally for a grand total of $100.1 million worldwide. Given its $25 million budget, this is going to be a huge win for Sony Pictures.
"Anyone But You" added another $5.4 million to its ever-growing total over the weekend, per The Numbers. That was good enough for a fourth place finish in its fifth frame, which is impressive. More importantly, director Will Gluck's romantic comedy has now earned $64.2 million domestically to go with $35.9 million internationally for a grand total of $100.1 million worldwide. Given its $25 million budget, this is going to be a huge win for Sony Pictures.
- 1/22/2024
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
So, here we are in mid-January, and though we’re staring down the barrel of a tough year ahead, it’s not all wintry doom and gloom on an international box office (and combined global) level.
While we’re not in blockbuster holdover territory, we should celebrate the wins when they come. To wit, there was a new milestone reached this weekend for Sony’s Anyone But You, which, with $100.2M, has become the highest-grossing R-rated romcom worldwide since Bridget Jones’s Baby in 2016.
Let’s also cheer that Paramount’s Mean Girls clicked with UK audiences in its launch and opened at No. 1 there. Also, Searchlight’s lauded Poor Things was tops in France, Freddie Mercury went supersonic in the IMAX edition of Queen Rock Montreal, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is nearing a milestone that might not have seemed possible from the outset.
See below for more on those titles,...
While we’re not in blockbuster holdover territory, we should celebrate the wins when they come. To wit, there was a new milestone reached this weekend for Sony’s Anyone But You, which, with $100.2M, has become the highest-grossing R-rated romcom worldwide since Bridget Jones’s Baby in 2016.
Let’s also cheer that Paramount’s Mean Girls clicked with UK audiences in its launch and opened at No. 1 there. Also, Searchlight’s lauded Poor Things was tops in France, Freddie Mercury went supersonic in the IMAX edition of Queen Rock Montreal, and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is nearing a milestone that might not have seemed possible from the outset.
See below for more on those titles,...
- 1/21/2024
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
The January Box Office Slump Continues with Little Relief in Sight, as Top 6 Order Remains Unchanged
With a lack of any strong new studio releases, the Christmas holdovers not showing typical stamina (though some of moderate might), and some offbeat releases flexing a bit but not enough, domestic grosses fell to weakened $66 million this weekend.
That’s down 13 percent from last year, which had the benefit of two December releases (“Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”) outgrossing anything in this weekend’s Top 10. 2024 releases, led by “Mean Girls” (Paramount) and “The Beekeeper” (Amazon MGM) at No. 1 and No. 2 again, totaled about $30 million, which is one-third better than new films last year amassed. Still, the year-to-date box office is about 10 percent lower.
When the top six repeat in the same order, a dropoff is to be expected. Bleecker Street attempted to fill the void with their sci-fi acquisition “I.S.S.,” starring Ariana DeBose, but failed to make much impact with a seventh place showing of $3 million.
That’s down 13 percent from last year, which had the benefit of two December releases (“Avatar: The Way of Water” and “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish”) outgrossing anything in this weekend’s Top 10. 2024 releases, led by “Mean Girls” (Paramount) and “The Beekeeper” (Amazon MGM) at No. 1 and No. 2 again, totaled about $30 million, which is one-third better than new films last year amassed. Still, the year-to-date box office is about 10 percent lower.
When the top six repeat in the same order, a dropoff is to be expected. Bleecker Street attempted to fill the void with their sci-fi acquisition “I.S.S.,” starring Ariana DeBose, but failed to make much impact with a seventh place showing of $3 million.
- 1/21/2024
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
January is generally a quiet time at the box office as studios give their big Holiday hits some breathing room while also avoiding the massive draw that is the NFL playoffs. Last year at this time, the record breaking Avatar: The Way of Water was still riding high with a $20.1 million take in its sixth week while Puss in Boots: The Last Wish continued its epic run from a $12 million opening to a $186 million domestic finish. We even had a surprise horror hit with M3GAN entering her third week with just under $10 million while the Tom Hanks starring A Man Called Otto continued to see solid numbers for a drama aimed at adults.
This year sees this third weekend of January hit a bit of a snag with the remake/ Broadway adaptation Mean Girls landing in first place for a second week in a row with $11.7 million. That number represents a 59% drop off,...
This year sees this third weekend of January hit a bit of a snag with the remake/ Broadway adaptation Mean Girls landing in first place for a second week in a row with $11.7 million. That number represents a 59% drop off,...
- 1/21/2024
- by Brad Hamerly
- JoBlo.com
The release calendar for new movies over the next couple of weeks could best be described using an image of a tumbleweed lazily making its way across a desolate road. January has always been known as a dump month for Hollywood but this year is particularly bad as so many movies were pushed to later this year (or into 2025) due to the strikes last year. But it's not as though we have nothing coming down the pipeline. To that end, Bleecker Street is bringing an original sci-fi thriller in the form of "I.S.S." to a theater near you next weekend. Can it defy the odds and become a relatively rare original sci-fi hit?
As it stands, the film figures to have a muted debut. Box Office Pro currently has director Gabriela Cowperthwaite's latest taking in anywhere between $2 and $7 million on opening weekend. That's a pretty wide range but even...
As it stands, the film figures to have a muted debut. Box Office Pro currently has director Gabriela Cowperthwaite's latest taking in anywhere between $2 and $7 million on opening weekend. That's a pretty wide range but even...
- 1/12/2024
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
It's easy to overlook just how big the "Shrek" movies are given that they are mostly a giant meme factory and a source for a controversial Scottish accent. This is a franchise that changed animation and showed DreamWorks Animation was a powerhouse that could compete with Disney and Pixar. It competed for the Palme d'Or at Cannes, the first animated film in almost 50 years to do so. It won the first Oscar for Best Animated Feature and helped cement the rise of computer animation. There is a reason this is the first animated movie of the 21st century to be selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Since then, "Shrek" has grown into a giant franchise, with spin-offs, musicals, and much more ... including a very popular themed rave and even custom Crocs. This is why it might be tough for casual movie watchers to keep track of which movies to watch,...
Since then, "Shrek" has grown into a giant franchise, with spin-offs, musicals, and much more ... including a very popular themed rave and even custom Crocs. This is why it might be tough for casual movie watchers to keep track of which movies to watch,...
- 1/8/2024
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
The first major release of 2024 is a movie about a killer swimming pool. "Night Swim," which was co-written and directed by Bryce McGuire and produced by James Wan ("The Conjuring"), has paddled out into the shallow waters of the January box office, but it faces lingering competition from festive releases. Chief among those is the chocolate-oriented musical fantasy "Wonka," which looks set to hold on to the top spot this weekend after reclaiming it from "Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom" last week.
Even with the charms of Timothée Chalamet in the titular role, "Wonka" was a risky box office bet. Carrying a production cost of $125 million, it hovers somewhere between mid-budget and big-budget, and musicals can be a tough sell to general audiences. But thanks to nostalgia for 1971's "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory," director Paul King's ("Paddington") talent for entertaining family members of all ages, and the Chalamet fan army,...
Even with the charms of Timothée Chalamet in the titular role, "Wonka" was a risky box office bet. Carrying a production cost of $125 million, it hovers somewhere between mid-budget and big-budget, and musicals can be a tough sell to general audiences. But thanks to nostalgia for 1971's "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory," director Paul King's ("Paddington") talent for entertaining family members of all ages, and the Chalamet fan army,...
- 1/6/2024
- by Hannah Shaw-Williams
- Slash Film
Total box office crosses £1bn for first time since pandemic.
Total box office for 2023 in the UK and Ireland increased 8% compared with 2022; with the year-end takings crossing £1bn for the first time since the pandemic.
The final 2023 box office came in at £1,062,047,498, according to figures released by Comscore. That is up from £980,516,136 in 2022 – an increase of 8.3%.
It is the first time annual box office has crossed £1bn since 2019, when it was £1.35bn; with £1.38bn in both 2018 and 2017.
Republic of Ireland showed the strongest year-on-year growth in 2023, up 13%; with Wales up 10%, Northern Ireland up 9% and England and Scotland both up 8%.
The number of new releases increased,...
Total box office for 2023 in the UK and Ireland increased 8% compared with 2022; with the year-end takings crossing £1bn for the first time since the pandemic.
The final 2023 box office came in at £1,062,047,498, according to figures released by Comscore. That is up from £980,516,136 in 2022 – an increase of 8.3%.
It is the first time annual box office has crossed £1bn since 2019, when it was £1.35bn; with £1.38bn in both 2018 and 2017.
Republic of Ireland showed the strongest year-on-year growth in 2023, up 13%; with Wales up 10%, Northern Ireland up 9% and England and Scotland both up 8%.
The number of new releases increased,...
- 1/5/2024
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The U.K. and Ireland box office revenue improved 8.3% from £980.5 million ($1.25 billion) in 2022 to £1.06 billion ($1.35 billion) in 2023, according to numbers released by Comscore. However, the number was 23.5% below the 2019 pre-pandemic total of £1.35 billion ($1.72 billion).
2023, the first full year since 2019 without any Covid-19 restrictions, marked the first post-pandemic year to achieve over £1 billion. Prior to the pandemic, annual box office had exceeded £1.3 billion in each of the five years through 2019.
Of the five nations and regions making up the U.K. and Ireland territory, the Republic of Ireland had the strongest year-on-year growth, with box office 13% higher than 2022. Box office in Wales rose by 10%, with Northern Ireland up 9% and England and Scotland both rising by 8%.
The number of new releases in 2023 soared to 1,013 up from 929 in 2022 and 938 in 2019.
2023 saw an improvement in the number of blockbuster releases, as Covid-driven production delays receded. The number of saturation releases (films playing in more...
2023, the first full year since 2019 without any Covid-19 restrictions, marked the first post-pandemic year to achieve over £1 billion. Prior to the pandemic, annual box office had exceeded £1.3 billion in each of the five years through 2019.
Of the five nations and regions making up the U.K. and Ireland territory, the Republic of Ireland had the strongest year-on-year growth, with box office 13% higher than 2022. Box office in Wales rose by 10%, with Northern Ireland up 9% and England and Scotland both rising by 8%.
The number of new releases in 2023 soared to 1,013 up from 929 in 2022 and 938 in 2019.
2023 saw an improvement in the number of blockbuster releases, as Covid-driven production delays receded. The number of saturation releases (films playing in more...
- 1/5/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Pictures: Illumination / DreamWorks Animation
Netflix in the United States and several other regions will be getting several high-profile DreamWorks and Illumination movies in the first window in the coming year and beyond. Below, we preview what movies are on the way and when they’ll likely be on Netflix.
Please note: This list primarily covers Netflix in the United States. Other region’s availability of DreamWorks and Illumination titles will vary. We also won’t be covering back catalog DreamWorks and Illumination titles that will regularly rotate on and off of Netflix. Use our coming soon section for more on those.
In case you missed it, since 2022, Netflix has shared the first window rights to Universal’s animation lineup with its own streaming service, Peacock. The terms of this deal means that, in the United States, a movie will spend four months in theaters before heading to Peacock for four months,...
Netflix in the United States and several other regions will be getting several high-profile DreamWorks and Illumination movies in the first window in the coming year and beyond. Below, we preview what movies are on the way and when they’ll likely be on Netflix.
Please note: This list primarily covers Netflix in the United States. Other region’s availability of DreamWorks and Illumination titles will vary. We also won’t be covering back catalog DreamWorks and Illumination titles that will regularly rotate on and off of Netflix. Use our coming soon section for more on those.
In case you missed it, since 2022, Netflix has shared the first window rights to Universal’s animation lineup with its own streaming service, Peacock. The terms of this deal means that, in the United States, a movie will spend four months in theaters before heading to Peacock for four months,...
- 1/3/2024
- by Kasey Moore
- Whats-on-Netflix
Wonka is winning the long New Year’s weekend box office race as a tumultuous 2023 comes to a close.
The Warner Bros. origin pic — starring Timothée Chalamet as young candymaker Willy Wonka — is on course to gross an estimated $29.5 million for the four-day holiday weekend, putting its domestic tally at a sweet $140.2 million through Monday, according to updated estimates issued Monday morning. Overseas, it earned $39.1 million from 77 markets for a hefty $244.4 million foreign tally and $384.6 million globally.
Final numbers for all films will be released Tuesday, meaning grosses could come in lower if Monday traffic at the box office is less than expected.
Wonka wasn’t the only musical from Warners to hit the right note. The Color Purple, produced by Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, has been doing better-than-expected business since opening Dec. 25, and placed No. 4 on the New Year’s weekend chart with an estimated $14.9 million for the four days.
The Warner Bros. origin pic — starring Timothée Chalamet as young candymaker Willy Wonka — is on course to gross an estimated $29.5 million for the four-day holiday weekend, putting its domestic tally at a sweet $140.2 million through Monday, according to updated estimates issued Monday morning. Overseas, it earned $39.1 million from 77 markets for a hefty $244.4 million foreign tally and $384.6 million globally.
Final numbers for all films will be released Tuesday, meaning grosses could come in lower if Monday traffic at the box office is less than expected.
Wonka wasn’t the only musical from Warners to hit the right note. The Color Purple, produced by Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, has been doing better-than-expected business since opening Dec. 25, and placed No. 4 on the New Year’s weekend chart with an estimated $14.9 million for the four days.
- 1/1/2024
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Finally, it looks like Hollywood got the message. In the top 10 titles on this final weekend of 2023, only one (“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom”) is pure sequel. Add “The Hunger Games — The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” and only two are part of franchises. Long live originality!
The results saw grosses a little above expectations, enough to hit the magic $9 billion for 2023. The three-day weekend will total not quite $120 million, with the December 25-31 period around $300 million.
That pales by comparison to our pre-Covid normal. Those same seven days for 2018 and 2019 reached around $450 million, with ticket prices below current levels. By comparison box office this year is down a third and attendance down around 40 percent.
“Wonka” (Warner Bros.), one of the company’s unprecedented three wide releases for Christmas, reclaimed the #1 spot with $24 million for three days. It’s doing fine, with a 30 percent jump from last weekend. Through three weekends,...
The results saw grosses a little above expectations, enough to hit the magic $9 billion for 2023. The three-day weekend will total not quite $120 million, with the December 25-31 period around $300 million.
That pales by comparison to our pre-Covid normal. Those same seven days for 2018 and 2019 reached around $450 million, with ticket prices below current levels. By comparison box office this year is down a third and attendance down around 40 percent.
“Wonka” (Warner Bros.), one of the company’s unprecedented three wide releases for Christmas, reclaimed the #1 spot with $24 million for three days. It’s doing fine, with a 30 percent jump from last weekend. Through three weekends,...
- 12/31/2023
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
Despite no soon to be billion dollar grossing films in the marketplace, the final weekend of 2023 is actually turning out to be a pretty solid one, despite what we thought in our Thursday predictions. Coming in first place and emerging the true holiday victor is Wonka with an estimated $23.9 million. It seems families have truly embraced the whimsical tale of a young Willy Wonka in a Golden Globe nominated performance by Timothée Chalamet. The musical is playing like 2017’s The Greatest Showman in that strong word of mouth is propelling it to very solid numbers. The good news is Wonka has a clear runway for even more success as there really isn’t another live action family film until March 29 when Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire hits theaters.
Despite an abysmal opening and some pretty harsh headlines, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom looks to have a decent enough hold to land the second place spot with $19.5 million.
Despite an abysmal opening and some pretty harsh headlines, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom looks to have a decent enough hold to land the second place spot with $19.5 million.
- 12/31/2023
- by Brad Hamerly
- JoBlo.com
“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” is quickly sinking at the box office.
The comic book adventure, starring Jason Momoa as the King of Atlantis, was positioned on the calendar as the de facto blockbuster of the holiday season. But, so far, the follow-up to 2018’s megahit “Aquaman” has failed to recapture the spark of the original. The $205 million-budgeted tentpole caps off 2023, a terrible year for superhero movies, as the fourth consecutive flop for Warner Bros. and DC Studios following “The Flash,” “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and “Blue Beetle.”
“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” swam to second place in its sophomore outing, collecting a soft $19.5 million over the weekend and an estimated $26 million through New Year’s Day on Monday. It has grossed $84 million domestically and $258 million globally after two weeks of release, on par with eventual comic book disappointments like “The Flash,” “The Marvels” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
The comic book adventure, starring Jason Momoa as the King of Atlantis, was positioned on the calendar as the de facto blockbuster of the holiday season. But, so far, the follow-up to 2018’s megahit “Aquaman” has failed to recapture the spark of the original. The $205 million-budgeted tentpole caps off 2023, a terrible year for superhero movies, as the fourth consecutive flop for Warner Bros. and DC Studios following “The Flash,” “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and “Blue Beetle.”
“Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom” swam to second place in its sophomore outing, collecting a soft $19.5 million over the weekend and an estimated $26 million through New Year’s Day on Monday. It has grossed $84 million domestically and $258 million globally after two weeks of release, on par with eventual comic book disappointments like “The Flash,” “The Marvels” and “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
- 12/31/2023
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Bookmark this page for the latest updates in the territory.
Screen is listing the 2023 release dates for films in the UK and Ireland in the calendar below.
For distributors who wish to add/amend a date on the calendar, please get in touch with Screen here. Screen is also running a calendar for festival and market dates throughout 2023 here.
December
December 31
Berliner Philharmoniker Live: New Year’s Eve Concert 2023 (Trafalgar - event cinema)
Previous releases January
January 6
Piggy (Vertigo), The Enforcer (Vertigo), Alcarràs (Mubi), A Man Called Otto (Sony), Rashomon (BFI), Till (Universal)
January 7
Andre Rieu In Dublin 2023 (Piece of...
Screen is listing the 2023 release dates for films in the UK and Ireland in the calendar below.
For distributors who wish to add/amend a date on the calendar, please get in touch with Screen here. Screen is also running a calendar for festival and market dates throughout 2023 here.
December
December 31
Berliner Philharmoniker Live: New Year’s Eve Concert 2023 (Trafalgar - event cinema)
Previous releases January
January 6
Piggy (Vertigo), The Enforcer (Vertigo), Alcarràs (Mubi), A Man Called Otto (Sony), Rashomon (BFI), Till (Universal)
January 7
Andre Rieu In Dublin 2023 (Piece of...
- 12/30/2023
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Oh, the weather outside is frightful… but not nearly as frightful as the Holiday box office this year. Generally the week between Christmas and New Years sees some afterglow effect from the big releases as many people take the week off as an end of year vacation. This year, with no Avatar, Spider-Man or Star Wars in theaters, we aren’t really seeing those types of holdover numbers.
Predicting this weeks numbers will be a bit tough as there truly is no single stand out film that will clearly rise above the rest. You may point out that The Color Purple opened on Christmas Day and took in a shocking $18.1 million and a first place finish, but by Tuesday (just one day later) the film had dropped over 61% of its audience with $7 million and a third place finish. To put that into perspective: last year, films like Avatar: The Way of Water,...
Predicting this weeks numbers will be a bit tough as there truly is no single stand out film that will clearly rise above the rest. You may point out that The Color Purple opened on Christmas Day and took in a shocking $18.1 million and a first place finish, but by Tuesday (just one day later) the film had dropped over 61% of its audience with $7 million and a third place finish. To put that into perspective: last year, films like Avatar: The Way of Water,...
- 12/28/2023
- by Brad Hamerly
- JoBlo.com
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