office

08 Sep

Can Salem’s Lot and Firestarter Reignite Stephen King at the Box Office?

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It was almost exactly four years ago when It: Chapter One (as it came to be called), the first of two movies based on Stephen King’s classic 1986 novel, opened in theaters to a record-shattering $124 million in its first weekend. Adjusted for inflation, the film went on to become the highest grossing horror movie (and King adaptation) of all time, earning $701 million worldwide. Not even the vampires of ‘Salem’s Lot multiplied at that rate! It’s explosive and unprecedented opening coincided (and perhaps helped drive) a new wave of Stephen King adaptations, both as movies and TV productions, and…

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05 Sep

Shang-Chi Box Office Sets Record, Shows Viability of Movie Theaters in Fall

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After a weekend like this, one might wonder if folks huddled around a Disney conference table are giving the whole “Premier Access” thing on Disney+ a rethink. They should since the Shang-Chi box office obliterated previous Labor Day weekend records and is currently on track to earn upwards of $85 million over the four-day holiday in the U.S. The superhero origin story, which introduces a new masked avenger to the Marvel Cinematic Universe—a first for the studio since Captain Marvel back in spring 2021—posted the third best opening day during the COVID-19 pandemic by grossing an estimated $29.6 million on…

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16 Aug

Ryan Reynolds Wins Another Box Office Crown As Free Guy Surprises With A Big Opening Weekend

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31 May

A Quiet Place Part II Box Office (Plus Cruella) Roars That Movie Theaters Are Back

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It appears reports of movie theaters’ demise were greatly exaggerated. Thank the boffo gods. After more than a year of bad headlines and even worse forecasts for cinema exhibitors, Memorial Day weekend has been a defiant roar for movie theaters across the United States, led chiefly by the stunning success of A Quiet Place Part II and the more complicated (probable) success of Cruella. Both films were prized assets for their studios—Paramount Pictures and Disney, respectively—and both were delayed from their original 2020 start dates. Indeed, A Quiet Place Part II was the first major studio tentpole displaced in March…

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20 May

Cliff Walkers: A Taut Spy Thriller Winning the Chinese Box Office

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We hear a lot about the Chinese box office, but it is usually from an American perspective—e.g. how is the latest American blockbuster doing at the much-sought-after Chinese movie market? But the Chinese box office goes on with or (increasingly) without Hollywood releases, and it’s fascinating to see what the other largest box office in the world is currently interested in. Right now, it’s Cliff Walkers, the latest from Hero‘s Zhang Yimou, and—unlike many Chinese releases—the film is currently available to watch in select American cinemas. If, out of Zhang’s 40-year career, you’re only familiar with his wuxia work, such…

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06 May

Designing Line of Duty: “Buckells’ Office Décor Reflects His Shallowness”

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Warning: contains spoilers for the Line of Duty series six finale In preparation for Line of Duty series six, production designer Gillian Devenney and creator Jed Mercurio discussed the character of Detective Superintendent Ian Buckells. An over-promoted dolt around whom smarter officers run rings, how would DSU Buckells decorate his office? Golf was the answer. “The decision to feature his enthusiasm for golf arose from discussions with Jed,” Devenney tells Den of Geek. “Buckells’ character required some evidence of his shallowness and lack of commitment to his career – hence the framed golfing pictures, trophies and the bag of clubs poised ready to head…

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27 Apr

Mortal Kombat: Is the Box Office Good Enough for a Sequel?

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Warner Bros. and producer James Wan’s Mortal Kombat reboot had a very good weekend. Despite opening simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max—thereby allowing any North American fan to potentially watch the movie at home—the video game adaptation overperformed and blew past expectations when it grossed $23.3 million in three days. That’s well above lowball estimates on Friday, which were pegging the movie at closer to $18 or $19 million based on opening day attendance. Indeed, the much more limited anime release, Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train, earned more on Friday. Nonetheless, Mortal Kombat spent the rest of the…

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05 Apr

Godzilla vs. Kong Box Office Fires Up Attendance in Movie Theaters with $48.5 Million

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Last September, Warner Bros. and Christopher Nolan gambled that global audiences were ready to return to movie theaters in force with the cerebral blockbuster Tenet. But it’s anemic $20 million opening in North America (over two weekends in many markets) scared away Hollywood distributors for the rest of 2020. In fact, WB eventually pushed its entire 2021 film slate onto a “hybrid” model of simultaneous theatrical and HBO Max releases. In retrospect, perhaps we were all just… waiting for Godzilla? That’s one takeaway from the rousing theatrical debut of Godzilla vs. Kong, which despite being simultaneously available to watch in…

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07 Jan

The Office is Great But Maybe Try Something Else for a Bit

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Growing up, I was a picky eater. I wasn’t so bad that I would only eat one bland dish, but my parents struggled to get me to try new foods. Eventually, the influence of television, particularly cooking and travel programs, urged me to broaden my horizons and expand my palate. If it weren’t for shows like A Cook’s Tour, I’d likely be stuck with a menu of PB&J, chicken nuggets, and buttered noodles for an eternity. People getting stuck in a cycle of comfort food doesn’t just happen at the table. Since the advent of cable, the TV equivalent of…

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15 Dec

The Office’s First Two Seasons Will Stream For Free On Peacock

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To a certain population of sitcom enjoyers, the worst thing that could possibly ever happen is set to happen on Dec. 31, 2020: NBC’s The Office will be leaving Netflix forever. Thankfully, this living nightmare will be pretty brief as The Office will come right back to the streaming world on Jan. 1, 2021. Fresh NBC streaming service Peacock today confirmed all the details of The Office’s impending arrival to its streams. In the form of a very clever Dunder Mifflin memo from David Wallace to “All Employees,” Peacock made their big plans for the classic mockumentary known. And they…

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03 Dec

Christmas TV Comedy Episodes List: Where to Stream Friends, The Office and More!

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In a perfect world, TV streaming services would offer a playlist feature – imagine the joyful nerdery of shareable Top 10 episode lists. When it came time for a Christmas binge-watch while you’re wrapping gifts, or spraying pine cones silver, or gently weeping and glugging Advocaat from the bottle (whatever your festive tradition is, delete as appropriate), you could fire up hours of comedy specials without having to expend a single calorie of energy on touching the remote. Until that glorious day comes, this is your next best thing. It’s a directory of the major US and UK 1990s-2010s sitcoms’…

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24 Nov

Link Tank: The Office Will Leave Netflix by the End of 2020

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You’ve got a little over one month before classic comedy show The Office leaves Netflix, so stream it while you can! “The dark day we’ve all been waiting for in fear has finally come: The Office is officially leaving Netflix. Starting January 1, 2021, you’ll no longer be able to revisit your favorite episodes or re-watch the series for the 100th time, as all nine seasons of the show are leaving the streaming service on December 31.” Read more at Thrillist. Check out five strangely relevant tips from World War I to help you celebrate Thanksgiving this year. “Thanksgiving may…

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14 Sep

Link Tank: Warner Bros. Declines to Share Detailed Tenet Box Office Numbers

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After a less-than-ideal premiere weekend, Warner Bros is declining to share detailed box office numbers for Tenet. “Warner Bros. continues to make interesting decisions around the release and distribution of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, this time breaking the generally agreed-upon norms of how box office profits are reported. Apparently, other studios in the business are not happy.” Read more at Gizmodo. Ever wonder why your dog digs and scratches at its bed before going to lay down? Here’s the behavioral science explained. “It’s easy to understand why your dog wants to dig a hole in your backyard. Watching them attempt the…

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14 Sep

Mulan Box Office Flops in China While Tenet Drops in US

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Disney and Warner Bros. both recently attempted to discover new routes to blockbuster success in a time of pandemic. Both have showcased how the path forward remains troublingly unclear. Hence the less-than-rosy numbers facing both Disney’s Mulan and Christopher Nolan’s Tenet after the second weekend of domestic release for each. In Mulan’s case, the film that was made specifically to appeal to a wider Chinese audience flopped at China’s box office this weekend. Grossing only $23.2 million over the past three days, Mulan fell well below the Chinese debut of other American blockbusters. By contrast Avengers: Endgame grossed an astounding…

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08 Sep

Tenet Box Office Opens at $20 Million, Raises Questions About Industry’s Future

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This holiday weekend, Christopher Nolan’s Tenet captured nearly 70 percent of the U.S. market share of movie theater tickets across the country. In normal circumstances that news would accompany a staggering box office figure—a Labor Day record-breaker to go along with the No. 1 debut. But during the current coronavirus pandemic, more than 50 percent of the market accounts for $20.2 million in box office receipts over four days. Is this the “new normal” or the first tentative step toward moviegoers slowly returning to theaters? It’s hard to say right now, but it’s just part of the story for Warner…

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16 Mar

Box Office Hits Historic Lows Over Weekend as Theaters Begin Closing

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The box office suffered its worst weekend in 22 years over the last three days (and that’s not taking into account inflation). Once a weekend refuge for those looking for distraction, fear of gathering with more than 50 strangers—which the Centers for Disease Control has just warned should be avoided—left North American movie theaters largely empty while anxiety over the coronavirus pandemic grows. It also spells ominous signs for the future of moviegoing. Despite two genre-heavy openings with Vin Diesel’s superhero movie, Bloodshot, and Universal Pictures’ unfairly delayed The Hunt, neither film found much of an audience, each opening outside…

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