Quigley

Northern Cyprus is not a legitimate country. The only country on the island of Cyprus is the Republic of Cyprus (from now on referred to as 'Cyprus') and the whole island belongs to this republic (according to the UN and all countries in the world except Turkey). The northern part of the island is occupied by the Turkish army and has declared itself as an independent country, but the only country in the world that recognises it as such is Turkey. I thought it was even more annoying that you included "Northern Cyprus" in that list but not Cyprus. I probably wouldn't have commented otherwise but you crossed a line. Cyprus also celebrates May Day. Northern Cyprus, according to every country and every international organisation in the world (except Turkey), is not a legitimate state. Please don't make this provocative and political when there is no reason for it to be. If it was an honest mistake, then let's forget that it happened.

GREECE: Endgame dropped about 23% on Thursday (est. 60K admissions). In only 2 days, it has already surpassed the 4-day opening weekend of 'Infinity War' (without previews). Shocking results.

According to the distributor, 'Endgame' has sold approximately 60,000 admissions on its second day. This means that, in two days, it has already sold more than 'Infinity War's opening weekend (129K admissions, without previews). Great Friday and Saturday will be quiet, but the film will pick up steam again on Easter Sunday. It should be at 200K admissions by then. Official numbers will be out on Tuesday, hopefully. Wednesday is also a public holiday, so if we are unlucky, we'll have to wait 'til Thursday for official numbers.

Endgame broke the opening-day record in Greece, according to Boxofficepro. However, I want to point out that this is in local currency (euros), not admissions. https://www.boxofficepro.com/avengers-endgame-brings-in-169m-from-opening-day-overseas/ Worth a read.

We are comically predictable, aren't we? 😋

In GREECE, it sold 78,261 admissions on its opening day. Historical data are incomplete but it is definitely among the Top 3 opening days of all time (the other two being '300' and 'Troy'). It may even be an all-time record! INCONCEIVABLE.

HOLY MOTHER OF MONKEY MILK. The distributor is reporting that it sold 78,261 admissions!!! The highest opening day that I have managed to find from an official source is 'Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest' at 66,024 admissions. '300' probably did 60-80K admissions on its opening day. However, the biggest single day in history is '300's' first Saturday and Sunday, each at 100,000 admissions. Massive by all accounts. It may even be an all-time record. I doubt it will manage to maintain such levels throughout the weekend, but if there's one movie that could overturn the usual Easter weekend trend, it's this one! [CORRECTION: A previous version of this post said 'Troy' instead of '300'.]

Flix mentioned that 'Endgame' has sold 55,000 admissions in presales by Sunday. It doesn't say if this is a record or not but it seems like quite a big number. I haven't managed to find any comps in the past. As I said, I don't expect it to break any records or even surpass 'Infinity War' in its opening weekend (due to Easter). However, it should manage to beat 'Infinity War's' lifetime total (363K admissions). http://flix.gr/news/box-office-18042019.html

Weekend 18–21/04/2019 Ranking Title Weekend admissions % change from last weekend Total admissions Week 1 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World 20,627 -47.8% 66,142 2 2 After 17,986 -56.3% 75,245 2 3 The Curse of La Llorona 13,081 – 13,081 1 4 Missing Link 6,061 – 6,061 1 5 Shazam! 5,144 -51.4% 57,297 3 6 Hellboy 3,778 -62.6% 18,506 2 7 Dumbo 3,751 -61.9% 88,279 4 8 The Professor and the Madman 3,517 -42.1% 37,751 4 9 Pet Sematary 2,421 -66.7% 42,476 3 10 Transit [German] 1,457 – 1,457 1 Source: http://flix.gr/news/box-office-18042019.html The results of the last weekend left me completely indifferent. It almost hit a record-low for 2019, with only 85,727 admissions. 'Dragon 3' expectedly managed to hold better than 'After' and steal the weekend crown. 'The Curse of La Llorona' didn't manage to attract audiences en masse. All holdovers dropped heavily, with the exception of 'The Professor and the Madman'. I've heard it's a good film, but unfortunately it won't even reach 50K admissions. This coming Wednesday, 'Avengers: Endgame' will explode around the world, including Greece, and will hopefully break records like never before. In Greece, it won't break the opening weekend record, because the Easter weekend is very quiet for the box office. Hopefully, the early opening (Wednesday) and next week's May Day holiday will boost 'Endgame' and help it reach the heights of its predecessor. Schools and universities are closed until Sunday, May 5.

Next week is Holy Week, followed by Orthodox Easter on Sunday the 28th of April. Holy Week is generally a period of spiritual focus in most Orthodox countries and I doubt that even an event like Avengers: Endgame would change that significantly. They will only probably start wondering about the movie after Easter is over.

Weekend 11–14/04/2019 Ranking Title Weekend admissions % change from last weekend Total admissions Week 1 After 41,169 – 41,169 1 2 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World 39,519 – 39,519 1 3 Shazam! 10,591 -55.1% 47,212 2 4 Hellboy 10,114 – 10,114 1 5 Dumbo 9,840 -62.1% 83,437 3 6 Pet Sematary 7,277 -56.7% 35,968 2 7 The Professor and the Madman 6,073 -34.7% 32,635 3 8 Amanda [French] 1,971 – 1,971 1 9 Wonder Park 1,952 -64.0% 43,872 5 10 The Queen's Corgi [English-language Belgian] 1,914 -24.1% 52,923 8 Source: http://flix.gr/news/box-office-11042019.html http://www.grandmagazine.gr/ngine/article/4528/box-office-i-mikrh-tesa-prin-kai-meta-ton-xarntin-skot-stin-korufh Out of the blue, we had another close race this weekend between an animated film and an adult-oriented film. This time, though, the animated film lost, in the face of a young-adult book adaptation. Greece isn't the only country where 'After' has performed decently. It also grabbed first-place debuts in Italy, Germany and other European countries, despite its dire 8th-place finish in North America. I doubt it will hold though. The sophomore drop is gonna hurt. The cumulative weekend admissions reached 140,000, which is the best result for the second weekend of April since 2010. Finally, some good news... 'How to Train Your Dragon 3' has performed better than both its predecessors, but the original opened on Easter weekend (which is always dead-quiet, hence the jaw-dropping 19x mulitple) and the second one opened during the quiet month of June. Compared to other DreamWorks Animation films it has done very well: DreamWorks Animation (since 2003) Title Opening weekend Release date Total admissions Multiple Madagascar 60,000 27/10/05 210,000 3.50 Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted 57,560 30/08/12 256,200 4.45 Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa 50,360 18/12/08 323,607 6.43 Shrek 2 40,600 22/10/04 161,500 3.98 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World 39,519 11/04/19 – – Kung Fu Panda 38,580 04/09/08 200,600 5.20 Kung Fu Panda 3 35,335 17/03/16 123,831 3.50 Penguins of Madagascar 30,637 27/11/14 128,191 4.18 Shrek the Third 28,400 06/09/07 181,250 6.38 Kung Fu Panda 2 27,040 02/06/11 110,195 4.08 Trolls 24,056 03/11/16 99,384 4.13 The Boss Baby 23,936 06/04/17 158,090 6.60 Mr. Peabody and Sherman 23,498 27/02/14 75,137 3.20 Shark Tale 23,000 24/12/04 166,000 7.22 Monsters vs Aliens 22,600 02/04/09 81,860 3.62 The Croods 21,897 18/04/13 65,927 3.01 Shrek Forever After 20,620 19/08/10 210,550 10.21 Over the Hedge 20,000 05/10/06 65,000* 3.25 Flushed Away 19,500 30/11/06 33,800* 1.73 Puss in Boots 18,810 22/12/11 231,102 12.29 How to Train Your Dragon 2 17,897 12/06/14 117,079 6.54 Bee Movie 17,200 13/12/07 166,400 9.67 Home 13,168 02/04/15 74,088 5.63 Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas 12,500 24/10/03 63,000* 5.04 Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit 9,000* 08/12/05 25,500* 2.83 Turbo 7,681 18/07/13 42,935 5.59 How to Train Your Dragon 6,770 01/04/10 131,130 19.37 Megamind 6,460 16/12/10 44,094 6.83 Rise of the Guardians 4,485 29/11/12 24,065 5.37 *These numbers are my estimates based on incomplete data However, among other animated threequels, 'Dragon 3' had mediocre results at best: Rank Title Opening weekend Release date Total Multiple 1 Despicable Me 3 82,418 Thu 31 Aug 17 308,997 3.75 2 Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs 80,337 Mon 29 Jun 09 384,829 4.79 3 Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted 57,560 Thu 30 Aug 12 256,200 4.45 4 Toy Story 3 56,358 Thu 24 Jun 10 202,242 3.59 5 Smurfs: The Lost Village 52,324 Thu 30 Mar 17 156,267 2.99 6 Cars 3 51,698 Thu 15 Jun 17 175,915 3.40 7 Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation 44,672 Thu 12 Jul 18 228,382 5.11 8 How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World 39,519 Thu 11 Apr 19 – – 9 Kung Fu Panda 3 35,335 Thu 17 Mar 16 123,831 3.50 10 Shrek the Third 28,400 Thu 6 Sep 07 181,250 6.38 Overall, it will probably beat both its predecessors but I doubt it will achieve a multiple similar to the first sequel (6.5x). I think a 3.5-4x mulitple is far more likely, with a final total of 140–160K admissions. 'Shazam!', 'Dumbo' and 'Pet Sematary' had sharp drops which can mostly be attributed to the arrival of the young-adult/animated duo. 'Dumbo' still has chances of reaching 100K admissions, but they are getting thinner. Below the Top 10, 'Captain Marvel' will soon reach 200K admissions, while 'Green Book' is days away from surpassing 'The Imitation Game' (185,827 admissions) among other Oscar winners. 'Queen's Corgi' had the best hold of the Top 10 despite the arrival of the 'Dragons'. It is towards the end of its run but it has done well for a non-Holywood kid's flick. I have now added the 2019's Top 10 films on the first page of this thread. I will update it periodically throughout the year.

In Greece, Easter definitely has a negative effect on the box office. The Easter weekend is usually one of the smallest, if not THE smallest, of the year. Almost all cinemas are basically closed on Good Friday and Good Saturday. Even Easter Sunday is often not very busy, so only Good Thursday sells a decent number of tickets.

Weekend 04–07/04/2019 Ranking Title Weekend admissions % change from last weekend Total admissions Week 1 Dumbo 25,957 -26.2% 70,117 2 2 Shazam! 23,594 – 23,594 1 3 Pet Sematary 16,806 – 16,806 1 4 The Professor and the Madman 9,297 +5.9% 22,590 2 5 Wonder Park 5,415 -16.9% 41,406 4 6 Captain Marvel 4,025 -49.3% 194,975 5 7 Us 3,556 -63.6% 53,217 3 8 Grâce à Dieu [French–Belgian] 3,083 – 3,083 1 9 The Queen's Corgi [English-language Belgian] 2,522 -13.7% 50,915 7 10 The Hummingbird Project 1,987 -44.1% 7,428 2 Source: http://flix.gr/news/box-office-04042019.html http://freecinema.gr/greek-box-office-dubbed-dumbo-keeps-top-spot/ This weekend was the first one of the year to be noticeably elevated compared to last year. Don't be too quick to celebrate though because this can be attributed exclusively to the fact that, last year, the first weekend of April was Easter weekend – a weekend known to be one of the least-attended (and often THE least-attended) weekend of the year. This year, Christian Orthodox Easter is on the 28th of April. As many might've noticed, that happens to be the weekend that 'Avengers: Endgame' will be released. Therefore, the superhero opening-weekend record will certainly not be broken (almost all cinemas are closed on the Friday and Saturday before Easter). Enough waffle for now... The box office drought continues mercilessly as 'Dumbo' remains on top for a second weekend, thanks to a very strong hold. Given its low-to-moderate performance, however, the fact that no other film managed to surpass it on its second weekend is nothing but depressing. 'Shazam!' did do everything it could to win the weekend crown. It started with 5,528 admissions on Thursday, dropped to 3,949 on Friday, rose to 8,705 on Saturday and then finished off with 5,412 on Sunday. In contrast, 'Dumbo' sold less than 2,500 admissions combined on Thursday and Friday. It sold 12,095 admissions on Saturday and effectively stayed level on Sunday (11,531 admissions). Even if Thursday and Friday admissions hadn't been counted towards the weekend tally of 'Dumbo', its Saturday-Sunday tally (23,626 admissions) would have been enough to top 'Shazam!'s' 4-day total. My point isn't really to praise 'Dumbo' or diminish 'Shazam!', but to demonstrate the typical pattern of earnings for adult-oriented and kid-oriented films in Greece, which is very different. Sunday drops for the latter group are minor and one may often see increases compared to Saturday. The film adaptation of Stephen King's 'Pet Sematary' was a distant third and not nearly as impressive as the last big-screen adaptation of a Stephen King novel, 'It', which opened in Greece with more than 100,000 admissions one-and-a-half years ago. 'The Professor and the Madman' expanded from 35 to 47 screens and achieved a small boost from its opening weekend. The cumulative admissions remain ridiculously low. 'Wonder Park' had another small drop but has no serious milestones ahead of it. 'Captain Marvel' had a 50% drop for a fourth time in a row and will just about cross 200K admissions. It has a slight chance of topping 'Iron Man 3's' 206K admissions but, even if not, it has already performed superbly. It is worth noting though that, among solo superhero origin stories, 'Deadpool', 'Aquaman' and 'Venom' have all managed slightly higher totals (206–218K admissions). Next weekend, 'How to Train Your Dragon 3' will reveal its 'Hidden World' to Greek audiences. Both its predecessors have managed to earn more than 100K admissions. This one seems capable of reproducing the franchise's success thanks to a lack of animated fare in the market. I wouldn't expect major deviations from the original and the sequel, either upwards or downwards. 'Dumbo' could be in trouble!

I have never heard presales being reported in the local press and I have no time to track them myself. Even if I did start now, I would have no baseline to compare them to and it would take years before I created a large enough pool of data in order to draw accurate conclusions.

Weekend 28–31/03/2019 Ranking Title Weekend admissions % change from last weekend Total admissions Week 1 Dumbo 35,181 – 35,181 1 2 Us 9,778 -45.8% 40,133 2 3 The Professor and the Madman 8,780 – 8,780 1 4 Captain Marvel 7,936 -49.1% 186,662 4 5 Wonder Park 6,520 -40.8% 35,391 3 6 The Hole in the Ground 5,450 – 5,450 1 7 Instant Family 4,674 – 4,674 1 8 The Hummingbird Project 3,556 – 3,556 1 9 The Queen's Corgi [English-language Belgian] 2,921 -39.6% 48,238 6 10 Green Book 2,194 -44.9% 181,578 13 Source: http://flix.gr/news/box-office-28032019.html http://www.grandmagazine.gr/ngine/article/4499/box-office-petaei-petaei-to-elefantaki As has been pointed out by Deadline, weekly and even monthly box office figures feature a high standard deviation, which means, in practice, that weekend-to-weekend or month-to-month box office admissions may show very high fluctuation (either downward or upward). However, with three months of 2019 already behind us, I can't help but notice some very concerning results. 2019's first quarter matched 2013 for the lowest admissions of the last decade (NB: I base my calculations on weekend admissions only). The next worst is 2014 (4% ahead). In the last decade, all other years' first quarters were at least 10% ahead of 2019. There is no doubt that the next quarter will be busier, with 'Avengers: Endgame', 'Aladdin', 'Dark Phoenix', 'Godzilla 2' and many more. But it is not enough for these films to perform well. In order to bring 2019 back on track, these films would all have to overperform, in order to compensate for the dismal first quarter. Let's dive into the specifics now. I can't believe that I am writing these words in 2019 but oh well.... 'Dumbo' won the weekend crown. Hollywood, and its leading studio, Disney, has clearly run out of ideas. I won't deny that there is some nostalgia for old Disney films or that they are a testament to Disney's timeless storytelling or that live-action adaptations can be (but aren't always) as good as their originals. However, when a studio releases six live-action adaptations/sequels to decade-old films in less than 12 months ('Christopher Robin', 'The Nutcracker and the Four Realms', 'Mary Poppins Returns', 'Dumbo', 'Aladdin', 'The Lion King'), one can't help being a bit cynical about the studio's intentions (cash graaaaaab!) or the lack of imagination that has struck the world's leading producers of enterntainment. Above all, these people are clearly not considering the long-term damage they are doing to audiences' good will and the increasing cynicism, especially among young people. Disney live action Title Opening weekend Release date Total Multiple Alice in Wonderland 83,183 Thu 4 Mar 10 243,710 2.93 Beauty and the Beast 57,900 Thu 16 Mar 17 183,750 3.17 Maleficent 45,705 Thu 29 May 14 164,394 3.60 Cinderella 44,917 Thu 12 Mar 15 138,850 3.09 Dumbo 35,181 Thu 28 Mar 19 – – Into the Woods 31,788 Thu 1 Jan 15 77,196 2.43 Mary Poppins Returns 28,502 Thu 20 Dec 18 156,284 5.48 The Nutcracker and the Four Realms 28,168 Thu 1 Nov 18 110,672 3.93 Oz the Great and Powerful 21,936 Thu 7 Mar 13 80,104 3.65 The Jungle Book 20,488 Thu 21 Apr 16 83,007 4.05 Disney’s Christopher Robin 14,174 Thu 6 Sep 18 33,803 2.38 'Us' had a steep drop compared to the 17% drop of 'Get Out' during its sophomore frame. 'Captain Marvel' continues on its path to 200K admissions. An impressive result no matter how you slice it. The best per-screen average of the Top 10 was scored by 'The Professor and the Madman' (251 admissions), although this is hardly something notable. In general, the week's 11 openers were a disaster. Animated 'Queen's Corgi' is about to reach a decent 50K admissions, not bad for non-Hollywood animation. Finally, 'Green Book' has made it. Within days, it will surpass 'Argo's' 182,040 admissions, to become the highest-grossing Best Picture winner since 'King's Speech' (225,080 admissions). It has followed an identical post-Oscar trajectory to the latter and it deserves it.

Weekend 21-24/03/2019 Ranking Title Weekend admissions % change from last weekend Total admissions (up to Sunday) Monday admissions Week 1 Us 18,032 – 18,032 3,059 1 2 Captain Marvel 15,594 -54.4% 170,657 2,367 3 3 Wonder Park 11,009 -15.7% 26,235 1,750 2 4 The Queen's Corgi [English-language Belgian] 4,837 -22.4% 44,419 801 5 5 Dragged Across Concrete 4,796 – 4,796 715 1 6 Arctic [Icelandic–American] 4,039 -46.5% 16,049 667 2 7 Green Book 3,985 -33.6% 177,938 737 12 8 Hotel Mumbai 3,965 – 3,965 874 1 9 Greta 3,262 -69.1% 21,104 567 2 10 The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part 2,630 -30.8% 64,167 495 6 Source: http://flix.gr/news/box-office-21032019.html http://freecinema.gr/greek-box-office-us-tops-the-rest-flops/ Despite a national holiday on Monday, the 4-day weekend saw the lowest admission total of the year so far. With 85,251 admissions, it was a total debacle. Not even Monday was enough to push the weekend total to six digits – it just missed the mark, with 99,479 admissions. 'Us' is the second film to feature Jordan Peele as actor, director, writer and producer, the first one being 'Get Out'. That one had opened to 13,795 admissions, two years ago. 'Captain Marvel' continued its quick decline but 200K admissions are pretty much guaranteed at this point. It is already ahead of 'Black Panther', 'Doctor Strange' and 'Thor: Ragnarok'. 'Wonder Park' had the best % drop of the weekend. Animated movies 'Queen's Corgi' and 'LEGO 2', weren't far behind. Nevertheless, the their totals are nothing to brag about. The latter is days away from out-grossing its predecessor but will probably fail to catch up with 'LEGO Batman'. 'Green Book' has spent an 11th weekend in the Top 10 (it ranked 13th on its first weekend). It has already achieved far more than anyone expected. Reaching 200K admissions would be the cherry on the top but the chances of that happening are slowly fading away. Next weekend, 11 new movies will invade theatres but moviegoers will probably stay away again. Disney's 'Dumbo' is the only one likely to score a noticeable tally and it is the top contender to win the weekend crown.

Weekend 14–17/03/2019 Ranking Title Weekend admissions % change from last weekend Total admissions Week 1 Captain Marvel 34,171 -46.3% 135,514 2 2 Wonder Park 13,062 – 13,062 1 3 Greta 10,558 – 10,558 1 4 Arctic [Icelandic–American] 7,549 – 7,549 1 5 The Queen's Corgi [English-language Belgian] 6,237 -7.7% 38,861 4 6 Green Book 6,001 -34.0% 171,110 11 7 The Sisters Brothers 4,509 – 4,509 1 8 The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part 3,801 -12.7% 61,337 5 9 The Favourite 2,849 -52.5% 218,369 7 10 影 (aka Shadow) [Chinese] 2,848 – 2,848 1 Source: http://flix.gr/news/box-office-14032019.html http://www.grandmagazine.gr/ngine/article/4471/box-office-xana-stin-korufh-i-kapetanissa-tis-marvel The weekend was the second-worst of the year, with its admissions barely crossing 100K admissions (102,783). 'Captain Marvel' registered one of the best holds for a superhero film, behind 'Black Panther' (-38.1%) and 'Winter Soldier' (-48.1%) but ahead of 'Venom' (-47,1%), 'Wonder Woman' and 'Iron Man'. This bodes very well for the film which will probably cross the 200K-admission milestone. It has already outgrossed 'Wonder Woman' (125,196 admissions) and on the list of 21 MCU movies, it is slap bang in the middle, at #11. 'Black Panther' (153,120 admissions) is going down but the real question is whether it can beat 'Iron Man 3' (206,066 admissions). Quite possible. Of the newcomers, none did particularly well, but with two of them earning more than 10K admissions, the weekend avoided complete humiliation. As for holdovers, animated films had the best holds ('Queen's Corgi' and 'LEGO 2'). 'Green Book' continues to climb after a fairly phenomenal run for a movie of this genre. Finally, 'The Favourite' had another sharp drop and has come to a sudden stop since losing Best Picture. 'Aquaman' finished off at 212,539 admissions as the 8th biggest 2018 film, 'Mary Poppins 2' finished at 156,284 and 'Bohemian Rhapsody' is still crawling along towards 150K admissions (148,586 admissions).

I'd like to add figures for... Greece: I haven't got any numbers for local currency but in admissions it is highest 1st SA MCU OWe, 6th biggest MCU OWe, +55% from BP. 4th highest 1st SA overall (Hancock, Venom and Deadpool were higher – and Spider-Man probably but no numbers available). Including Monday holiday, -4% from Marvel's the Avengers. Not as great as most countries but very good in relative terms. more here:

Weekend 07–10/03/2019 Ranking Title Weekend admissions % change from last weekend Total admissions (up to Sunday) Monday admissions Week 1 Captain Marvel 63,580 – 63,580 9,008 1 2 Green Book 9,092 -32.8% 161,015 1,547 10 3 The Queen's Corgi [English-language Belgian] 6,757 -20.0% 31,226 811 3 4 The Favourite 5,993 -57.3% 212,907 895 6 5 L'Empereur de Paris [French] 4,738 – 4,738 991 1 6 The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part 4,355 -40.3% 56,482 651 4 7 Happy Death Day 2U 3,109 -56.9% 15,859 464 2 8 The Wife 2,808 -43.4% 21,853 560 3 9 Under the Silver Lake 1,908 – 1,908 414 1 10 Cold Pursuit 1,624 -53.3% 72,458 299 5 Sources: http://freecinema.gr/greek-box-office-captain-koulouma/ http://flix.gr/news/box-office-07-11-03-2019.html http://www.grandmagazine.gr/ngine/article/4460/box-office-koulouma-me-marvel-stin-korufh Last weekend was extended, since Monday, which marked the start of Lent, was a public holiday called Clean Monday. However, it is a tradition to fly kites and have picnics on that day. The good weather and the predictions of a deterioration of the weather from Tuesday onwards seems to have kept people away from cinemas. The 114,876 admissions sold over the 4-day weekend (Thu-Sun) were a complete disgrace. Clean Monday did little to improve this, as admissions for the 5-day weekend reached 132,318. 'Captain Marvel', Marvel's latest iteration of their successful formula, this time applied to another SJW cause, dominated with more than a 50% share (55.3%). When including Monday, sources differed as to the total: 72,588 admissions according to Free Cinema and Grand Magazine, but 75,093 according to Flix. I'm not sure which one is correct but probably the first one. Nevertheless, it was the sixth-biggest opening for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It also beat 'Iron Man' (61,400 admissions) to rank as the best superhero origin story opening in the MCU. However, it is still lower than 'Hancock' (64,603 admissions), 'Venom' (66,795 admissions) and 'Deadpool' (77,774 admissions). Among all superhero films since 2003, it ranked 15th. Superhero openings (since 2003) Rank Title Opening weekend Total Release date Multiple 1 Spider-Man 3 159,000 366,987 03/05/07 2.31 2 Avengers: Infinity War 129,549 363,487 26/04/18 2.81 3 Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice 122,428 276,311 24/03/16 2.26 4 Captain America: Civil War 101,800 215,155 05/05/16 2.11 5 The Dark Knight 100,000 339,520 17/07/08 3.40 6 Avengers: Age of Ultron 94,250 224,334 30/04/15 2.38 7 Deadpool 2 82,773 221,697 17/05/18 2.68 8 Spider-Man 2 82,300* 385,700 07/07/04 3.86 9 Deadpool 77,774 217,832 18/02/16 2.80 10 The Avengers 75,755 242,565 26/04/12 3.20 11 The Dark Knight Rises 74,530 346,585 21/08/12 4.65 12 Venom 66,795 206,763 04/10/18 3.10 13 Iron Man 3 66,278 206,006 25/04/13 3.11 14 Hancock 64,603 129,239 18/09/08 2.00 15 Captain Marvel 63,580 72,588 07/03/19 1.14 16 Justice League 62,658 158,596 16/11/17 2.53 17 Suicide Squad 61,555 207,982 25/08/16 3.38 18 X-Men Origins: Wolverine 61,520 143,414 29/04/09 2.33 19 Iron Man 61,400 146,800 01/05/08 2.39 20 Iron Man 2 61,080 154,360 29/04/10 2.53 21 Thor: Ragnarok 60,036 165,522 02/11/17 2.76 *The figure for 'Spider-Man 2' is a 3-day weekend and it is an estimate. Best-Picture winner, 'Green Book' has stayed in the Top 10 for 9 consecutive weekends in a row (it opened in 13th place). It had one of the smallest drops of the weekend and has amassed an impressive total. If it continues on the same trajectory (a 33% drop each weekend), it will barely miss 200K admissions, reaching about 195K admissions. In itself that is a very impressive total but it still has chances of going higher, depending on how many screens it can hold on to. Given that it ranked second last weekend despite being in its 10th week and that next weekend has no major openers, it may not lose too many screens. On the other hand, 'The Favourite' had the biggest drop in the Top 10. It has reached a very impressive total nonetheless and its run will probably end at 220-225K admissions. 'LEGO Movie 2' has moved ahead of its predecessor but is trailing 'LEGO Batman'. It is likely to maintain this trajectory until the end of its run. No other films are worth mentioning. Next weekend's cumulative admissions will probably drop to five figures and could be the year's worst so far...

Weekend 28/02–03/03/2019 Ranking Title Weekend admissions % change from last weekend Total admissions Week 1 The Favourite 14,024 -56.0% 200,006 5 2 Green Book 13,534 +162.6% 145,257 9 3 The Queen's Corgi [English-language Belgian] 8,444 -32.8% 23,334 2 4 The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part 7,293 -51.3% 51,332 3 5 Happy Death Day 2U 7,216 – 7,216 1 6 The Wife 4,962 -32.4% 16,538 2 7 The Vanishing 4,266 -45.0% 17,411 2 8 Alita: Battle Angel 3,734 -56.9% 48,238 3 9 Cold Pursuit 3,474 -40.6% 68,517 4 10 Napszállta (aka Sunset) [Hungarian] 2,877 – 2,877 1 Source: http://flix.gr/news/box-office-28022019.html http://cine.gr/article.asp?topic=Box Office&id=14224 https://www.myfilm.gr/article8773 The national box office reached new lows for 2019. Looking at cumulative weekend admissions for the usually busy months of January and February one would would be stunned: this past weekend was the second-lowest January/February weekend of the last decade. The record-low goes to the weekend of February 20-23, 2014, when 'Monuments Men' and 'Pompeii' presided over a 74,192-admission weekend. To be pedantic, I'd note that it would also be the second-lowest among early March weekends. 'The Favourite' is rapidly losing hype but the anaemic box office has helped it remain at the top for a fourth (and final) consecutive weekend. Its 200K-admission total is nothing less than a massive commercial success for Lanthimos, although it is not the first time Oscar movies have scored blockbuster numbers in Greece – 'Gladiator', 'The Departed', 'Slumdog Millionaire' and 'The King's Speech' all earned more than 200K admissions. 'Green Book', on the other hand, surprised again as it expanded from 28 to 50 screens and came very close to a first-place finish. The word of mouth has clearly been stellar. The photo finish was the 15th closest since 2008 and probably the only one to ever be between a film in its 5th weekend and a film in its 9th weekend, something which indicates these two films' staying power, as well as the prolonged drought that is damaging the box office. I still (stubbornly maybe) wouldn't bet on 'Green Book's' reaching 200K admissions, but it's certainly got a long run ahead of it. It reminds me of 'King's Speech', which received a 41% boost to 10,947 admissions on its post-Oscar weekend and managed to sell 40K admissions thereafter. If 'Green Book' enjoyed a similar fate, it would reach 185K admissions, enough to make it surpass 'Argo' (182,040 admissions), as the highest-grossing Best Picture winner since 'King's Speech' (225,080 admissions). It certainly deserves it. 2018 Oscar Best Picture nominees Title Total admissions The Favourite 200,006 Black Panther 153,120 Bohemian Rhapsody 146,007 Green Book 145,257 A Star Is Born 93,927 Vice 33,835 BlacKkKlansman 8,883 Roma Unknown Lower down the charts, there is honestly not much to talk about. 'LEGO Movie 2' is following a similar trajectory to its predecessor, however next weekend there is a public holiday on Monday. If it can hold well, it has chances of moving ahead of its predecessor and challenging 'LEGO Batman', which is the franchise's biggest film. 'Cold Pursuit' has topped 'Non-Stop' and 'Run All Night' but will not get close to 'Unknown' or last year's 'The Commuter'. Next weekend, the box office doldrums will hopefully come to an end with the only enduring franchise of our times: 'Captain Marvel' should fare much better than 'Wonder Woman' (38,618-admission opening). My guess is about 55,000 admissions.

Maybe by attracting millions and millions of women? I'm not saying I'd bet for more than $600M but if the movie is funny and good enough and loved by everyone (fanboys and non-fanboys alike), then it's got chances. Otherwise, $400M is more likely.

HtTYD 3 posted the worst first-Monday and first-Tuesday numbers for the franchise. Not good. The 2nd-weekend drop will be critical.

Easter is on Sunday, April 21. What Easter holidays are you talking about?

Weekend 21–24/02/2019 Ranking Title Weekend admissions % change from last weekend Total admissions Week 1 The Favourite 31,884 -31.8% 169,201 4 2 The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part 14,966 -37.5% 42,510 2 3 The Queen's Corgi [English-language Belgian] 12,569 – 12,569 1 4 Alita: Battle Angel 8,665 -56.0% 39,459 2 5 The Vanishing 7,760 – 7,760 1 6 The Wife 7,343 – 7,343 1 7 Cold Pursuit 5,851 -54.4% 61,514 3 8 Green Book 5,153 -37.9% 125,869 8 9 Astérix: Le Secret de la Potion Magique [French] 3,971 -50.4% 130,944 6 10 The Quake [Norwegian] 3,116 – 3,116 1 Source: http://flix.gr/news/box-office-21022019.html Another quiet weekend goes by, but certain films still manage to shine bright. 'The Favourite', the wannabe Oscar winner that ended up with only one award despite receiving 10 nominations, is still dominating the Greek market, after adding an additional 18 screens, to reach a total of 103. It has now been on top for three consecutive weekends and will likely manage a fourth weekend crown, before the arrival of 'Captain Marvel'. It is a foregone conclusion that the film will reach 200K admissions but its defeat at the Oscars has killed hopes for anything massive. Its Greek director, Yorgos Lanthimos, is only 45 years old. He's got plenty of time ahead of him to win Best Picture in the future, so I don't feel too bad for his losing this one. Besides, 'The Favourite' was up against a lot of good competition... Speaking of which, 'Green Book' had its biggest drop yet. This is bound to be reversed next weekend, after the news spreads that it won Best Picture. It will likely expand into more screens like other Best-Picture winners before it: 'Shape of Water' went from 61 to 66, 'Moonlight' went from 10 to 30, 'Spotlight' went from 38 to 54. Unlike other recent Best-Picture winners, this has proven its bankability with strong legs, so if theater owners had any sense of strategic planning, we'd see the film expand from its 28 current theaters to more than 50, with a new marketing campaign, especially since next weekend is practically dead-quiet. Then, its chances of reaching 200K admissions would be significant. Somehow, though, I doubt this will happen in a tottering country like Greece. The film will reach 150K admissions for sure and that's about it. Moving on to non-Oscar news (don't be too quick to shout "finally" cuz you may regret it), this week's nine openers were all totally embarassing. If it weren't for 'The Favourite', this weekend (and the next) would be nothing short of a tragedy. 'Alita', 'Cold Pursuit' and 'Astérix' all dropped sharply. 'LEGO 2' had a decent hold, although it wasn't as good as its predecessor's sohpomore drop (-19%). It has already fallen behind the first one, which mustered an 11-day total of 43,184 admissions. Cumulative weekend admissions reached a meager 115,000 and I have a feeling that next weekend will be 2019's first to drop into five digits. Ta ta for now!

Weekend 14–17/02/2019 Ranking Title Weekend admissions % change from last weekend Total admissions Week 1 The Favourite 46,740 +30.4% 113,942 3 2 The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part 23,946 – 23,946 1 3 Alita: Battle Angel 19,706 – 19,706 1 4 Cold Pursuit 12,821 -44.8% 48,412 2 5 Green Book 8,300 -12.0% 116,495 7 6 Astérix: Le Secret de la Potion Magique [French] 8,007 -33.2% 125,969 5 7 The Stolen Princess [Ukrainian] 6,032 -35.4% 16,278 2 8 The Prodigy 5,246 -49.5% 23,411 2 9 The Kindergarten Teacher 3,001 – 3,001 1 10 Capernaum [Lebanese] 2,744 – 2,744 1 Source: http://flix.gr/news/box-office-14022019.html Valentine's Day and the expansion of 'The Favourite' helped push the box office higher up to levels that almost matched the weekend box office at the same time last year. Still, nothing exceptional but at least not as catastrophic as January. Lanthimos' historical period drama film and Best-Picture nominee expanded into 85 screens (up from 31 last weekend) and had an impressive admission boost that easily pushed it past 100K admissions. It is days away from surpassing 'Green Book' and will undoubtedly surpass 'The Mule' by next Sunday to become 2019's biggest film so far. My understanding is that it will expand into more screens next weekend and I can't imagine what will happen if it wins Best Picture in next Sunday's Oscar ceremony. 200K admissions already seems like a foregone conclusion, but I will refrain myself from making any predictions higher than that. As for openers, 'LEGO Movie 2' and 'Alita' were in a close race for second place. The 'LEGO' sequel achieved the biggest opening for the franchise, albeit nothing remarkable. On a similar note, the James Cameron production failed to mobilise young people, who never really understood why they should care about yet another dystopian-future action flick. It still managed to fare better in its opening than 'Divergent' (11,116 admissions) and last year's 'Ready Player One' (15,183 admissions) but worse than 2015's 'Tomorrowland' (21,441 admissions). LEGO Movies Title National OW Release date Total admissions Multiple The LEGO Movie 18,123 Thu 20 Mar 14 66,782 3.68 The LEGO Batman Movie 21,173 Thu 9 Feb 17 72,685 3.43 The LEGO Ninjago Movie 18,560 Thu 26 Oct 17 50,055 2.70 The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part 23,946 Thu 14 Feb 19 – – Setting aside 'The Favourite's' expansion, the best hold of the weekend was achieved, for the fifth consecutive weekend, by 'Green Book'. The film is strolling along thanks to exceptional word of mouth. It too could receive a significant boost, if it wins at the Oscars next Sunday. 'Astérix' also held well and still has chances at beating live-action film 'Astérix et Obélix : Au Service de Sa Majesté' (140,505 admisisons). All of last week's openers had decent drops, with Liam Neeson's 'Cold Pursuit' headed for the same total as his previous action films, 80–90K admissions. Overall, the box office seems quite dead until the arrival of 'Captain Marvel' on March 7, even though there are 9 new films being released next weekend and 6 new ones the week after that.