MikeQ

The 'Avengers' series is making box office history as a franchise in itself, having broken the all-time opening weekend record again, for the third time. The Avengers was the first film to make over $200M on opening weekend; Infinity War the first film to break $250M; and now Endgame is the first film to make over $300M and $350M. I have looked back at dominant franchises across the modern history of box office before, and now Avengers joins other franchises that have also set the opening weekend record 3+ times: Star Wars (has set the 3-day opening weekend record 3 times) Star Wars (1978 re-release) — 10.2 million (opening weekend record in a re-release! Obviously a different era of film, but still…) Return of the Jedi (1983) — 23.0 million (a 60% increase from the previous record holder, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan - the largest percentage increase from the previous opening weekend record, looking back to 1975 at least) The Force Awakens (2015) — 248.0 million Jurassic Park (has set the record 3 times) Jurassic Park (1993) — 47.0 million The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) — 72.1 million (a 36.6% increase from the previous record holder, Batman Forever) Jurassic World (2015) — 208.8 million Batman (has set the record 4 times) Batman (1989) — 40.5 million (an increase of 37.4% from the previous record holder, Ghostbusters II) Batman Returns (1992) — 45.7 million (this, Jaws II, and now Endgame are the only films in modern box office history to beat a record held by its predecessor) Batman Forever (1995) — 52.8 million (first film to hit the 50M mark) The Dark Knight (2008) — 158.4 million And now: Avengers (has set the record 3 times) The Avengers (2012) — 207.4 million (first film to hit the 200M mark) Avengers: Infinity War (2018) — 257.7 million (first film to hit the 250M mark) Avengers: Endgame (2019) — 350.0 million (first film to hit the 300M & 350M mark; beats a record held by its predecessor; a 35.9% increase from the previous record - or more, depending on actuals) As I’ve mentioned before, records are made to be broken, and franchises have a history of one upping each other on opening weekend. Superman II (1981) bested Star Trek’s (1979) record, followed by Star Trek II: The Wrath of Kahn (1982) wresting the opening weekend record back the following year. The year after, Return of the Jedi (1983) took the record with a whopping 60% increase. In the 90s, Batman Returns (1992) set a new record (besting its predecessor), followed by Jurassic Park in ’93; Batman Forever taking it back in ’95; and then again The Lost World taking it back in ’97. Star Trek, then, has taken the opening weekend record twice, as has Jaws (in the 70s) and Indiana Jones (in the 80s; Temple of Doom bested Return of the Jedi’s record and The Last Crusade later set a new record as well). The Spider-Man and Harry Potter franchises have each taken the record twice too. (Spider-Man may very well have set the record 3 times if Spider-Man 2 had not opened on a Wednesday.) Since 1975, the longest period of time an opening weekend record has stood is essentially 4 years. Those were: 1997 to 2001 — record set by The Lost World: Jurassic Park in 1997 held until 4 years later in 2001 when Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone set the new record 2002 to 2006 — record set by Spider-Man in 2002 held until 4 years later in 2006 when Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest set the new record Therefore, historically, we’ve never gone an overly long amount of time until a new record is set. Will Endgame be an exception? How long will Endgame’s record last? Can a film in the next four years best it? Peace, Mike

That True Friday is something to behold. Incredible, and off of 60M in previews. So far, Endgame is only slightly more frontloaded than Infinity War, which did "only" 39M in previews (38.3% of opening day from previews vs 36.7% for Infinity War). Pretty remarkable. Estimated Top Midnight/Preview Grosses of All-Time Rank / Title / Gross / Share of Opening Day Avengers: Endgame — 60.0 million (38.3%) Star Wars: The Force Awakens — 57.0 million (47.9%) Star Wars: The Last Jedi — 45.0 million (43.0%) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 — 43.5 million (47.7%) Avengers: Infinity War — 39.0 million (36.7%) The Dark Knight Rises — 30.6 million (40.4%) The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2 — 30.4 million (42.7%) The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 — 30.25 million (42.2%) The Twilight Saga: Eclipse — 30.1 million (43.9%) Rogue One: A Star Wars Story — 29.0 million (40.8%) Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice — 27.7 million (34.0%) Avengers: Age of Ultron — 27.6 million (32.7%) The Twilight Saga: New Moon — 26.27 million (36.1%) The Hunger Games: Catching Fire — 25.26 million (35.6%) Black Panther — 25.2 million (33.2%) Best Opening True Fridays (i.e. Opening Friday sans Thursday Previews) Avengers: Endgame — 96.7 million (😲) Avengers: Infinity War — 67.3 million Jurassic World — 63.5 million Star Wars: The Force Awakens — 62.1 million Marvel's The Avengers — 62.1 million Star Wars: The Last Jedi — 59.7 million Avengers: Age of Ultron — 56.8 million Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice — 53.9 million Iron Man 3 — 53.3 million Incredibles 2 — 52.8 million Furious 7 — 51.6 million Black Panther — 50.7 million Captain America: Civil War — 50.5 million Spider-Man 3 — 49.8 million The Dark Knight — 48.7 million Peace, Mike

I hate to rain on the parade, but while a huge increase, this statistic is incorrect. If $349M is its weekend gross, that represents a ~35.5% increase from the previous OW record (Infinity War's $257.7M). After Return of the Jedi's massive 60% increase from the previous record holder ('Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan'): - In 1989, Batman set the new OW record, which was a 37.4% increase from the previous record holder, Ghostbusters II. - In 1997, The Lost World: Jurassic Park set a new record that was a 36.6% increase from the previous record holder, Batman Forever. Endgame would have to hit about $354.3M for the weekend to be the largest increase from the previous record holder since Return of the Jedi in 1983. Clearly still possible that it could do this, which is mind-blowing. Peace, Mike

Stunning preview gross and projected opening day gross for Endgame! If the $140-150M projected opening day gross is accurate, that means Endgame's True Friday gross is $80-90M. That is absolutely insane, and decimates all other opening True Friday grosses, including Infinity War's already impressive record. It's hard to believe that it is true, it is so good. To me, the estimated True Friday gross is its most impressive feat thus far. The previews are bonkers too, but at least semi-understandable (given increasing preview grosses over time, more reserved seating with seats booked in advance, etc). And yet, I still didn't think it could outdo The Force Awakens' preview gross, because that was based on years of pent up nostalgia. So, I'm truly blown away on all accounts. Best Opening True Fridays (i.e. Opening Friday sans Thursday Previews) Avengers: Endgame — 80.0 to 90.0 million (est.) Avengers: Infinity War — 67.3 million Jurassic World — 63.5 million Star Wars: The Force Awakens — 62.1 million Marvel's The Avengers — 62.1 million Star Wars: The Last Jedi — 59.7 million Avengers: Age of Ultron — 56.8 million Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice — 53.9 million Iron Man 3 — 53.3 million Incredibles 2 — 52.8 million Furious 7 — 51.6 million Black Panther — 50.7 million Captain America: Civil War — 50.5 million Spider-Man 3 — 49.8 million The Dark Knight — 48.7 million Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 — 47.6 million Peace, Mike

I tend to agree with you. I should add that I went with what BOM categorizes in its horror categories. War of the Worlds, along with films like Prometheus and I Am Legend, are in the Sci-Fi Horror category. For the sake of consistency (because I would, for example, definitely say Prometheus is of the horror film variety), I have included everything, because what constitutes horror (and its many flavours) is always debatable. Peace, Mike

There's not much more than can be said - terrific opening for 'Us'. Obviously, handily a new record for an original horror film. Largest Horror Film Opening Weekends (of course, there is always some debate about what constitutes horror and what therefore should be on this list) It (2017) — 123.4 million I Am Legend (2007) — 77.2 million Halloween (2018) — 76.2 million Us (2019) — 70.3 million War of the Worlds (2005) — 64.9 million Signs (2002) — 60.1 million Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) — 52.6 million Van Helsing (2004) — 51.7 million Prometheus (2012) — 51.1 million The Village (2004) — 50.7 million A Quiet Place (2018) — 50.2 million The Conjuring (2013) — 41.9 million Shutter Island (2010) — 41.1 million Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) — 40.7 million Friday the 13th (2009) — 40.6 million The Conjuring 2 (2016) — 40.4 million Insidious Chapter 2 (2013) — 40.3 million Split (2017) — 40.0 million The Grudge (2004) — 39.1 million Alien vs. Predator (2004) — 38.3 million Annabelle (2014) — 37.1 million Freddy vs. Jason (2003) — 36.4 million Interview with the Vampire (1994) — 36.4 million Alien: Covenant (2017) — 36.2 million The Ring Two (2005) — 35.1 million Annabelle: Creation (2017) — 35.0 million Scream 3 (2000) — 34.7 million The Purge (2013) — 34.1 million The Devil Inside (2012) — 33.7 million Saw III (2006) — 33.6 million Peace, Mike

Can we talk about how insanely good Lupita Nyong'o is in this film? The characterizations of Adelaide and Red are so well done - so clear - that it feels like they are inhabited by different actresses. The depth of feeling, the vocalizations, the gestures, the movement and posture. Both Red and Adelaide feel like they have history to them, in large part due to the performances from Nyong'o. The blend of horror and comedy in this is often sublime. The film is engrossing, entertaining, and visually captivating. It avoids typical horror movie tropes. The plot isn't propelled forward by the mistakes the characters make , but instead by their capability, their tenacity, their capacity for action. There is something to be said for Adelaide's journey, her perseverance, in living in this world she wasn't born into. There are so many earlier scenes that carry greater meaning once you reach the end of the film. I need to go watch this again. The film leaves a lot of things unanswered, and I found myself largely unbothered by the lack of practical explanation. I agree with earlier comments that the moments in the film in which it tried to "explain" what is going on were the least interesting. Even as the film seems messy thematically (and Peele seems to try to say a lot of different things, perhaps not totally successfully), the film doesn't hinge on this for me, because the journey itself was so good. From the home invasion to the Red/Adelaide fight, there are so many terrific extended sequences in the film. In short, the film is just flat out entertaining. For me, it was a visual and intuitive experience. It resonates with me, and I'm still unpacking it. Peele clearly has a lot of horror influences, but overall, if I were to compare 'Us' to another horror film, it most made me think of 'The Shining'. Us is a very deliberate film. The Shining has that great fan theory doc, Room 237. I almost feel like Us could have a documentary like that. I'll share more of my thoughts about the film at a later date. Peace, Mike

I am seeing the film tomorrow night, and I'm looking forward to it. Not Cool Ignore Report Don't quote In other words, ignore the trolls (in this case, the racist). Instead: - React to the offending post with the "Not Cool" reaction, or ignore it altogether. - Report the post using the "Report post" button at the top, right hand side of the post. - Do NOT ever quote the post and perpetuate the madness. #GreatestAcronymEver Peace, Mike

"Why am I alive?" "Bonnie, I'm comin'!" This trailer feels like another instance in which strong themes are seeping from the edges, with some of the sequences looking like they could potentially add to the already long list of memorable moments from this animated franchise. There is something remarkable about a franchise that follows the adventures of a group of toys that are so committed to each other and to the notion that life is about bringing joy to others. And they are committed to helping each other see this in themselves, even as different characters throughout their journeys have struggled and wanted to escape it all. What do we do as life continues to change around us, and people come in and out of our lives? In terms of critical and commercial success, the Toy Story franchise is arguably the most impressive animated franchise ever. Ultimately, I'm curious to see if the 4th instalment is another worthy Toy Story film from Pixar. Peace, Mike

Not Cool Ignore Report Don't quote In other words, don't feed the trolls - instead, react to the offending post with the "Not Cool" reaction, or ignore it altogether. Report the post using the "Report post" button at the top, right hand side of the post. This is the best way to get a moderator's attention to deal with the offending post. And for the love of all that is mighty, do NOT ever quote the post and perpetuate the madness. I think it is the greatest acronym ever, and agree with Deep Wang that a NIRD gif would be awesome. Peace, Mike

Captain Marvel doesn't seem to be overly frontloaded so far, at least as far as the ratio of previews to weekend gross tells us. We might have expected previews to consist of a somewhat smaller percentage of the overall weekend gross for an origin film like Captain Marvel, but for such a huge weekend gross, previews tend to consist of a larger portion of that gross (perhaps due to high levels of anticipation). Additionally, preview grosses continue to grow in size, including for the MCU (which has now become a really established brand and draw in itself). Previews just 5 to 7 years ago (and earlier) consisted of a smaller proportion of the overall weekend gross, as can be seen looking at the top comic book film openings: Best Opening Weekends for Comic Book Films & Share from Previews Title / Opening Weekend Gross / Share of Opening Weekend from Previews/Midnights Avengers: Infinity War (2018) — 257.7 million (15.1%) Marvel’s The Avengers (2012) — 207.4 million (9.0%) Black Panther (2018) — 202.0 million (12.5%) Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) — 191.3 million (14.4%) Captain America: Civil War (2016) — 179.1 million (14.0%) Iron Man 3 (2013) — 174.1 million (9.0%) Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) — 166.0 million (16.7%) The Dark Knight Rises (2012) — 160.9 million (19.0%) The Dark Knight (2008) — 158.4 million (11.7%) Captain Marvel (2019) — 153.4 million (13.5%) Spider-Man 3 (2007) — 151.1 million (6.6%) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) — 146.5 million (11.6%) Suicide Squad (2016) — 133.7 million (15.3%) Deadpool (2016) — 132.4 million (9.6%) Iron Man 2 (2010) — 128.1 million (5.9%) Deadpool 2 (2018) — 125.5 million (14.8%) Thor: Ragnarok (2017) — 121.0 million (12.0%) Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) — 117.0 million (13.2%) Man of Steel (2013) — 116.6 million (7.7%) Spider-Man (2002) — 114.8 million (6.1%) Wonder Woman (2017) — 103.1 million (10.7%) X-Men: The Last Stand (2006) — 102.8 million (5.7%) Iron Man (2008) — 98.6 million (5.1%) Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) — 95.0 million (10.7%) Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) — 94.3 million (11.9%) Peace, Mike

Thank you very much! Peace, Mike

Terrific preview gross for Captain Marvel - the 18th largest preview gross of all-time, and the 7th best preview gross for a comic book film, behind mostly established entities. Best Preview Grosses for Comic Book Films and the Share of Opening Day Title / Preview Gross / Share of Opening Day Avengers: Infinity War (2018) — 39.0 million (36.7%) The Dark Knight Rises (2012) — 30.6 million (40.4%) Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) — 27.7 million (34.0%) Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) — 27.6 million (32.7%) Black Panther (2018) — 25.2 million (33.2%) Captain America: Civil War (2016) — 25 million (33.1%) Captain Marvel (2019) — 20.7 million (TBD) Suicide Squad (2016) — 20.5 million (31.6%) Marvel's The Avengers (2012) — 18.7 million (23.1%) Deadpool 2 (2018) — 18.6 million (35.1%) The Dark Knight (2008) — 18.5 million (27.5%) Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) — 17 million (30.2%) Iron Man 3 (2013) — 15.6 million (22.7%) Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) — 15.4 million (30.5%) Thor: Ragnarok (2017) — 14.5 million (31.0%) Peace, Mike

I'm hoping someone will be able to help me: there used to be a forum post with a link to a spreadsheet (I think a google spreadsheet) with a collection of preview grosses for past films, etc. I'm pretty sure it used to be stickied in the 'Numbers and Data' sub-forum, but it is no longer there. Anyone know where I can find this? Cheers to anyone who is able to help. Peace, Mike

There was a lot to like about this year's ceremony. Being hostless made this one of the best Academy Awards, and there were some great wins and speeches (particularly Regina King and Spike Lee). Olivia Coleman's surprise win gave us a shocker win for the night, which doesn't happen most years. And that Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper performance was perhaps the best musical performance I've ever seen on the show - intimate, well staged, and sung really well live. Even Bradley Cooper held his own. Overall, I'm definitely on the #KeepTheOscarsHostless bandwagon now. And have a great group of funny people open the show as non-hosts. Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey, and Amy Poehler were the best. (I got flashbacks of the three years they hosted the Golden Globes - best hosts ever.) Peace, Mike

The Best Picture category is always potentially up in the air, simply given the fact that it is the one category that uses a preferential ballot for winner selection. Peace, Mike

The Best Director Oscar, for 5 of the last 6 years, has been won by one of the Three Amigos (Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandra Ganzález Iñárritu, and Guillermo del Toro). That is domination from three terrific Mexican directors. Peace, Mike

I am always wary of so-called weekend estimates when a projected Friday gross isn't provided. When a Friday gross is provided, it seems more likely to me that they have actual data from Friday, and I can assess whether their projected internal multiplier for the weekend is a good projection or not. Often, Deadline and elsewhere just don't have the requisite box office knowledge/skill. Peace, Mike

I saw the film today, and it completely abandons the horror in the film itself. It is essentially a campy comedy drama. I like a good campy horror flick, but this movie is almost totally missing the horror element, and fails to juggle the comedy and slasher horror as the first film did rather nicely. Instead, this felt like a superficial sci-fi teen drama - messy and illogical at that. A very disappointing movie. Peace, Mike

I just am not a fan of the look of the characters in this, and feel that some of them have been miscast. Aladdin should look poorer and have only a vest (with no undershirt) - i.e. struggling to get by. Jafar seems miscast to me (based on look and voice), as does Jasmine (though to be fair we haven't seen much of her). Certainly casting and characterization is always a subjective thing, and maybe they're going in a particular direction, but I am not personally a fan based on the little we've seen so far. And Will Smith I think could be a potentially great genie if they chose him to *voice* the character (with a pure CGI creation for the genie), which is what I originally thought they were doing when they had cast him. I don't like the look of the humanoid type genie we're getting. So, I guess it's some kind of a combination of the production design/art direction, casting, costuming, etc, that just feels off to me. Peace, Mike

This was definitely a big year for Netflix on the film side - it will be interesting to see how it fares in the years ahead, in terms of critical acclaim and awards recognition for film. Netflix is also obviously big on the TV side. Last year it topped HBO for the first time for the most nominations at the Emmy's. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/oscars-2019-netflix-now-competing-hollywood-studios-1177822 Peace, Mike

Going back to 2009 (i.e. since category expansion) it has happened a couple other times: - Selma (nominated for Best Picture with no other major nominations - it had only a single other nomination, in fact, for Best Original Song). - War Horse (nominated for Best Picture with no other major nominations) Other films that came close: - Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close received only one other nomination outside Picture, for Supporting Actor. - The Post received a Best Actress nod for Meryl Streep and that is the only nomination it had outside Picture. Same for The Blind Side, with Sandra Bullock its only nomination outside Picture. - Her, Inception and A Serious Man's only major nomination outside Picture was Original Screenplay (for A Serious Man it was literally its only other nomination). Similarly, District 9's only other major nomination was Adapted Screenplay. - Best Picture nominees Dunkirk, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Tree of Life, and Avatar received Best Director nominations but no other major nominations. Peace, Mike

If Cuaron wins the Best Director Oscar (which he is probably likely to do), then that award for 5 of the last 6 years will have been won by one of the Three Amigos (Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandra Ganzález Iñárritu, and Guillermo del Toro). Talk about domination from three terrific Mexican directors. Peace, Mike

No nomination for Bradley Cooper in Best Director is a big snub given his support everywhere else (Best Director noms at DGA, Golden Globes, and BAFTA). With 10 nominations (tied for the most), strong support from the actors branch with two acting nominations, and a very likely Best Director win for Alfonso Cuaron, I think Roma is in the lead to win Best Picture. But of course, with a preferential ballot for Best Picture, you never know. Peace, Mike

Roma is actually tied with The Favourite for the most noms (10 noms each). Roma has: Picture Director Actress Supporting Actress Foreign Language Film Original Screenplay Cinematography Sound Editing Sound Mixing Production Design Followed by Vice and A Star is Born (8 nominations each). Then: Black Panther (7 noms) BlacKkKlansman (6 noms) Green Book (5 noms) Bohemian Rhapsody (5 noms) Peace, Mike