Atom Tickets reveals public’s most anticipated movies and stars for 2019

PRESS RELEASE – SANTA MONICA, CA, December 31, 2018: Established franchises top the list for fans’ most anticipated movies to see in 2019, according to a survey by Atom Tickets, the social movie ticketing platform. Avengers 4: Endgame, starring Scarlett Johansson, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, and Mark Ruffalo topped multiple lists by wide margins, including overall “most anticipated,” “most anticipated superhero movie,” and “most excited ensemble cast to see.” Captain Marvel and Toy Story 4 claimed the No. 2 and No. 3 spots, respectively, on the overall “most anticipated” list of films to see in 2019. The bulk of the top 10 most anticipated movies are tentpole films that have strong four-quadrant appeal, meaning they appeal to both males and females, and both over- and under-25 years old. “Although we expect to see some movement in preferences as release...

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Studio Weekend Estimates: ‘Aquaman’ ($51.5M) and ‘Mary Poppins’ ($28M) Remain on Top; ‘Vice’ ($7.7M) and ‘Holmes & Watson’ ($7.3M) Open Soft

Despite seeing competition from two new wide releases over the weekend, Aquaman and Mary Poppins Returns remained on top with an estimated $51.5 million and $28 million, respectively, while Bumblebee also continued strong in third place. Freshman titles Holmes & Watson and Vice, meanwhile, were no match for the powerhouse holdovers, both opening with disappointing totals further down the chart. After debuting to a solid $67.4 million last weekend, Aquaman held up remarkably well in its sophomore frame, dipping just 23% from its debut. That ranks as the best sophomore hold of any title in the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), besting Wonder Woman‘s 43% drop in its second weekend. With a powerful $188.7 million in the bank so far and $560 million overseas, the Warner Bros. superhero tentpole is firing on all cylinders and looks poised to continue playing well into...

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Weekend Estimates: ‘Aquaman’ ($48M+) & ‘Mary Poppins Returns ($28M+) Continue Holiday Reign; ‘Vice’ ($8M+) & ‘Holmes and Watson’ ($7M+) Debut

Saturday, December 29 Report: Warner Bros.’ Aquaman continues to float atop the box office after posting another $17.1 million on Friday. Domestically, that brings the DC title’s haul up to $154.3 million after eight days of release, putting it 32 percent ahead of the pace of Venom and 37 percent ahead of Ant-Man and the Wasp. We’re projecting a sophomore weekend around $48.5 million leading into New Year’s Eve on Monday. Internationally, Aquaman added $18.4 million on Friday — including $2.4 million in China and $2.0 million from Australia, the latter being the film’s opening weekend. The Chinese total stands at $251.4 million, bringing the overseas total to $511.8 million and the global haul to $666.1 million thus far. Back on the domestic side, Mary Poppins Returns continues to display encouraging holds with $10.62...

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B&B Theatres wraps up record year of new builds and remodels, sets sights on 2019

[Adapted from a company press release.] The folks at B&B Theatres have been busy this year, setting a high bar for growth and expansion going into 2019. The past twelve months have been explosive for the family-owned and -operated company, with completed remodels or new builds taking place on 85 screens across eight sites. Each of the remodels and builds has brought the latest and greatest of the premier theater company’s innovative amenities, signature aesthetic, and quality presentation. This year’s process started with massive, full-scale remodels of existing locations in three states: Lee’s Summit, MO, Leavenworth, KS, and Tulsa, OK. Each project brought unique challenges and opportunities, and each has been dramatically enhanced by the installation of reserved leather electric recliners, extended food and beverage options,  lobby and restroom remodels, exterior...

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Peter Jackson’s ‘They Shall Not Grow Old’ Cumulative Box-Office Gross Reaches $5.7 Million, Becoming Top U.S. Event Cinema Release

PRESS RELEASE — DENVER – December 28, 2018 – Peter Jackson’s groundbreaking WWI documentary“They Shall Not Grow Old” grossed $3.375 million at the domestic box office on Thursday, December 27, bringing its cumulative gross to $5.702 million and setting a record as the highest-grossing U.S. cinema event to date, both for Fathom Events and for the event-cinema industry. The encore showing on December 27 exceeded all expectations generating the second-highest per-screen average of any U.S. theatrical release. The film played on only 1,007 screens, for a per-screen average of $3,351. Due to such intense interest from moviegoers, some locations sold out of tickets more than a week ago, despite strong competition from wide holiday film releases. In its first North American cinema presentation on December 17, “They Shall Not Grow Old” played on more than 1,000...

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AMC Theatres Celebrates the Holidays with More Than 600,000 AMC Stubs A-List Members in 2018

PRESS RELEASE — LEAWOOD, Kan.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– AMC Theatres® (NYSE:AMC) is spending the holidays with its AMC Stubs A-List family; a family that is growing by leaps and bounds every day. Six months to the day that the A-List launched, AMC is excited to announce the program has surpassed more than 600,000 members. More than 600,000 members are enjoying all of the amazing aspects of A-List, including: Up to three movies per week, in every available AMC showtime and format, including IMAX at AMC, Dolby Cinema at AMC, RealD 3D and Prime at AMC. AMC Stubs A-List can be used at the spur of the moment or also can make planning ahead days or weeks in advance possible, as securing tickets is made easy via reservations capabilities on the AMCTheatres.com web site, or on the AMC Theatres mobile app. AMC Stubs A-List members also enjoy all the discounts and benefits of...

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Long Range Tracking: ‘How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World’

The final report of 2018 takes an early look at the weekend of February 22, 2019 — currently slated with three wide releases. We’ll offer up forecasts on the other two at a later date, but here’s our first analysis on the weekend’s marquee opener. How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden WorldOpening Weekend Range: $40 – 50 million PROS: The franchise has proven very successful with two critically and commercially successful chapters in 2010 and 2014, earning a combined $395 million domestically. Opening two weeks after The LEGO Movie 2 should provide just enough breathing room for this to open well along the lines of the studio’s own Kung Fu Panda 3 ($41.3 million in January 2016). The promise of a trilogy-capper helmed by returning director Dean DeBlois should bring back most fans of the series, especially the considerable adult segment of that audience. Early...

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CineLux to Open New Luxury Theater in Gilroy, California

PRESS RELEASE Silicon Valley based CineLux Theatres is expanding into Gilroy and will create a first class movie going experience at CineLux Gilroy Café and Lounge, at the former Platinum Theaters site. Construction will commence in January when CineLux’s newest South County venue will feature an expanded lobby, café and lounge, spacious reclining seats, modern decor, and two premium format screens which will debut CineLux VPX – VIP Extreme Experience. CineLux VPX at Gilroy will feature giant wall to wall screens complemented with Dolby Atmos immersive sound. The new luxury venue in Gilroy will showcase local wines and craft beers produced in South County, and freshly prepared meals and desserts. Auditoriums will feature spacious reclining seats, pristine digital projection and state-of-the- art sound systems. The theatre will close on January 1 for its extensive remodel...

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New Year’s Weekend Forecast: ‘Aquaman’ & ‘Mary Poppins Returns’ Look to Repeat as Top Two; ‘Holmes and Watson’ & ‘Vice’ Open

The final weekend of 2018 will see a number of strong holdovers as the Christmas-New Year’s corridor carries on, offering something for a wide variety of audiences. Holmes & Watson and Vice debuted in wide release on Christmas Day this past Tuesday and are included in the forecast below. Top 10 vs. Last Year Boxoffice projects this weekend’s top ten films will earn approximately $158 million. That would represent a 9 percent decline from the same weekend last year when Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle ruled the box office on New Year’s Eve weekend as part of an overall $173.3 million top ten frame. Weekend Forecast Film Distributor 3-Day Weekend Forecast Projected Domestic Total through Sunday, December 30 % Change from Last Wknd Aquaman Warner Bros. $48,700,000 $185,700,000 -28% Mary Poppins...

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Box Office 2018 Recap: Domestic Top Ten

As we close out a record-setting 2018 at the domestic box office, we take a look at the year’s 10 biggest earners in the North American market.  1. BLACK PANTHER Disney Domestic Total: $700,059,566 Domestic Opening Weekend: $202,003,951 Release Date: February 16 A film that exceeded every expectation. Black Panther roared through the domestic box office with a $202 million opening weekend. By the culmination of its $700 million run, it had become the highest-grossing superhero film of all time. Black Panther ranks third among the biggest box office earners of all time in North America.  2. AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR  Disney Domestic...

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Trailer Impact: ‘Lego Movie 2’ Posts Highest Recall w/ 23.9%; ‘Avengers: Endgame’ Posts Near-Record Interest in a Cinema View at 77.4%

Top Three Trailers with Highest Recall Score Among Moviegoing Audiences Moviegoers tell us the trailers they most recall seeing at their most recent visit to a cinema, among films opening in the next 10 weeks. However, we’re making an exception to our usual “next 10 weeks” rule… read on… The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part Warner Bros. Friday, February 8 23.9% of moviegoers (247 respondents) saw and recalled this trailer. That’s a new peak, up from 14.9% last week and a prior 17.0% peak. It spends its first week both in the top three and at #1, having previously reached as high as #4 last week. Chris Pratt and Elizabeth Banks star in this animated sequel about the adventures of the popular building-block toys. The Lion King Disney Friday, July 19 While Trailer Impact usually only measures films coming out in the next 10 weeks, we added The Lion King to the survey...

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Diversity Matters: Marcus Theatres CEO Rolando Rodriguez on the Importance of Diversity & Inclusion in the Cinema Industry

What role does diversity play in our industry today? If you think about it, the type of year we’re having is largely driven by a diverse audience. The top three films of 2017 were female led; we need to start there: Beauty and the Beast, Wonder Woman, Star Wars. Then you have Black Panther, which really energized the African American community, and rightfully so, it’s a Marvel movie solely dedicated to an African American superhero. I’m out there pounding the pavement saying this. It’s time for El Tigre Latino. It’s time for that Hispanic superhero; with almost 60 million of us, it makes a ton of sense. The audiences are certainly there, but do you think there has been enough progress overall for diverse casts and filmmakers to break out? We’ve already started to make some inroads. You think about Coco winning Best Animated Feature, Una Mujer Fantastica winning Best Foreign...

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IMAX Earns First $1B Year

IMAX, the large-format moviegoing option, has reached $1 billion at the global box office for the first time in a calendar year. They had been gaining towards this milestone, with $965.7 million earned in fiscal year 2016 and then $976.5 million earned in fiscal year 2017. The top IMAX films globally of the year so far are Avengers: Infinity War, Black Panther, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, Mission: Impossible — Fallout, and Ready Player One. Aquaman, which currently ranks #6 on IMAX’s top rankings, is still going strong and could likely crack the top three or four releases of 2018 when it’s all said and done. IMAX has improved its box office as customers continue to seek premium viewing options as the share from 3D has consistently slid this decade. The format, which took in 21% of box office revenue at its peak in 2010, dropped to 12% by 2017. The...

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Disney Breaks Record For Best Domestic Box Office in a Calendar Year

On Sunday, Disney set a new record for most money earned by a studio in North America during a single calendar year. With an estimated $3.001B through December 23, they eclipse the $3.0009B record that they themselves set in 2016. With eight more days remaining in the calendar year, Disney could potentially cross $3.1B when it’s all said and done, depending on how well Mary Poppins Returns and Ralph Breaks the Internet continue to perform during the holiday week. Disney had crossed the $3B mark in 2016 on December 31 exactly — and it also didn’t hurt that 2016 was a leap year with an extra added day. The studio has soared this year with blockbusters such as Black Panther with $700.0M,  Avengers: Infinity War with $678.8M, and Incredibles 2 with $608.5M. They also earned $102.9M this calendar year from The Last Jedi, which...

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Studio 3-Day Weekend Estimates: ‘Aquaman’ Surfaces w/ $67.4M; ‘Mary Poppins’ Sings w/ $22.2M; ‘Bumblebee’ Buzzes to $21M

With a slew of new releases targeting every possible audience over Christmas weekend, Warner Bros.’ Aquaman predictably swam to the top with an estimated $67.4 million (including Thursday night previews). Meanwhile, Mary Poppins Returns and Bumblebee also had strong starts, while the Jennifer Lopez vehicle Second Act proved to be a healthy counter-programmer. At the other end of the spectrum, the Steve Carell drama Welcome to Marwen was essentially dead on arrival. Below are three-day grosses, with updates to come on Monday and Tuesday as Christmas Eve and Christmas Day results roll in. Debuting on over 4,100 screens, Aquaman‘s opening gross finished in roughly the same superhero ballpark as films like this year’s Ant-Man and the Wasp ($75.8 million debut) and 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse ($65.7 million), falling essentially in line with pre-release expectations. The...

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Overseas: ‘Aquaman’ Adds $18.9M on Friday ($4.8M from China), Stands at $350.7M Internationally

Saturday, Dec. 22: Warner Bros. reports this morning that Aquaman added $18.9 million from 70 markets internationally on Friday, including $4.8 million from China. That brings the overseas tally to $350.7 million thus far, of which China counts for $214.3 million. Opening Highlights: Korea (Day 3): Won 1.6b ($1.4m) on 1,061 screens, continuing to rank as the #1 U.S. title.  The running cume is now Won 4.0b ($3.5m). Germany (Day 2): €850k ($964k) on 775 screens, ranking #1 with nearly 40% share of the Top 5 films.  The running cume is now €1.8m ($2.1m). France (Day 3): €825k ($935k) with 110k admissions from 607 screens, ranking #1 with a 42% share of the Top 5 films.  The cume to date is now €2.4m ($2.7m). Spain (Opg Day): €675k ($765k) on 511 screens debuting at #1 with a 45% share of the Top 5 films.  These...

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Long Range Tracking: ‘Happy Death Day 2U,’ ‘Isn’t It Romantic,’ & ‘Alita: Battle Angel’

Our final report of 2018 takes an early look at a trio of titles slated for release over Valentine’s Day weekend. Notable is the fact that the date night holiday lands on a Thursday this year, so studios are taking varied approaches with mid-week releases in lieu of traditional Friday openings. Presidents’ Day will also follow that Monday. Isn’t It RomanticOpening Weekend Range: $12 – 17 million (Friday through Sunday) PROS: Rebel Wilson’s starring presence should aid appeal to fans of her previous work, particularly the Pitch Perfect franchise. This film’s time-loop plot device calls back on a variety of successful films like Groundhog’s Day and Happy Death Day. The romantic comedy aspect will naturally appeal to date night audiences this time of year. CONS: With a slew of holiday releases on the minds of moviegoers right now, it’s possible...

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