Latest news with #PaulDergarabedian
CNN
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Hollywood loves a comeback story: What the 2025 box-office rebound means for summer blockbusters
The movie industry hasn't caught many breaks in recent years, even after rebounding from the Covid-19 pandemic. Studios were faced with a writers' strike, blockbusters that fell well below expectations and dilemmas over when to release movies into theaters before having them stream online. The domestic box office continued a trend of getting the year off to a slow start, as January lacked a strong carryover movie from the holiday season or a surprise audience pleaser, renewing fears the industry faces long-term financial woes. The box office for January 1 to April 3 was down 13% compared to the same time last year, which in turn was down 7.6% compared with 2023. 'It's not like a hard-and-fast rule that the first three months are typically slow. Sometimes they can be huge if you have a big holdover movie and a couple of breakout hits,' said Paul Dergarabedian, senior analyst at Comscore. The first major release of 2025 was Marvel's 'Captain America: Brave New World,' which opened in February to more than $100 million over the four-day Presidents Day holiday weekend, only to see its earnings plunge 68% in the second week. Things didn't improve much from there. In March, the box office was down nearly 50% compared with the same month last year, according to Comscore data. Ticket sales certainly weren't buoyed by Disney's 'Snow White,' which opened to a meager $43 million amid polarizing reactions about casting and politics. But then came the turnaround. April brought a wide variety of movies that drew in nostalgic audiences and moviegoers following positive buzz. Carrying much of the load for the month was Warner Bros. Pictures. The studio's 'A Minecraft Movie' debuted to nearly $163 million, while Ryan Coogler's highly acclaimed 'Sinners' has exceeded expectations with over $275 million in domestic sales. Warner Bros. Discovery is the parent company of CNN. Following the strong performance from 'Minecraft,' the industry had a record Memorial Day weekend that saw the box office up 22% compared with 2024. It was led by Disney's live-action 'Lilo & Stitch' remake opening to a record $183 million. 'Lilo & Stitch' has so far grossed over $380 million domestically and may soon overtake 'Minecraft' ($423.9 million) as this year's biggest earner. Other May winners include the big-budget Disney/Marvel movie 'Thunderbolts' ($189 million), Paramount's 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,' ($173 million) and Warner Bros.' 'Final Destination: Bloodlines' ($133 million). The momentum has carried over into June with 'How to Train Your Dragon.' Universal's live-action remake has already grossed nearly $135 million since opening last weekend. The overall box office is closing in on $4 billion for all of 2025 — an 18% gain compared to this time last year, according to Comscore data. 2023 marked the first post-pandemic year to earn more than $4 billion between the first Friday of May and Labor Day, according to Comscore. Greg Durkin, founder of entertainment research firm Enact Insights, attributes the industry's comeback to a rise in quality films. And high-potential movies are about to be released. Warner Bros. Pictures' 'F1' and Universal Pictures' 'M3GAN 2.0' are set to open Friday. July will include Universal Pictures' 'Jurassic World Rebirth,' and Warner Bros.' 'Superman,' which Durkin said will be 'tremendous' hits at the box office. He added that Disney's July release of 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' will also do well. ''Superman' and 'Fantastic Four' and maybe to a degree 'Jurassic World,' will be big players' to nearly reach $4 billion this summer, said Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder and owner of Box Office Theory. 'We're not selling Frosted Flakes or Coca-Cola … This is a product that reinvents itself every week,' said Daniel Loria, editorial director at Boxoffice Pro. Movies have 'fortunately' connected better with audiences, but it's still a 'risky business,' Loria added. Having a diverse movie slate can be helpful. Since April, moviegoers have had the choice of children and family movies ('How to Train Your Dragon' and 'Lilo & Stitch'), action flicks ('Mission Impossible — The Final Reckoning'), horror ('Sinners') and romantic comedies ('Materialists'). 'The lineup goes on hot and cold streaks. Something can look good on paper but not work in release, and vice versa,' said box office analyst David A. Gross, who publishes FranchiseRe. Gross noted that even superhero movies, such as 'Captain America' and 'Thunderbolts,' haven't consistently performed well compared to pre-pandemic years. And while April and May helped this year's box office bounce back from a slow start, June will be down about 6.5% compared to last year and down almost 26% compared with the pre-pandemic average, according to estimates from Gross. 'The 'recovery' compared with last year is slipping, so it's not time to pop the champagne just yet,' Gross said. In times of broader political and economic uncertainty, Americans have shown they will pull away from expensive commitments and seek smaller pleasures. For some, that means trading in vacations and indulging in less expensive purchases. 'It's pretty cheap to go to a movie, relative to going to rent a house and get on a flight, or rent a car,' said Durkin. 'You still need that escapism.' The movie theater is a social experience, Durkin said, which makes it fulfilling and worthwhile. In Clarksdale, Mississippi — the town which inspired the setting of 'Sinners' — a special screening was hosted to allow locals in the theater-less town to watch the film together. Moviegoers are still 'price sensitive,' Loria said. Although premium offerings can price a single ticket as high as $25 in cities like New York and Los Angeles, theater chains such as AMC offer discount screenings on Tuesdays. On July 9, AMC will start offering 50% discounts on Wednesdays. 'It's a relatively inexpensive way to escape the outside world for a couple of hours,' said Dergarabedian, adding that PG-rated films have been 'booming' as families head to theaters. 'Looking at 2025 in a vacuum — what a great recovery,' he said. 'It's all product-based. It's the movies that determine the box office, not the month.'
CNN
22-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
Hollywood loves a comeback story: What the 2025 box-office rebound means for summer blockbusters
The movie industry hasn't caught many breaks in recent years, even after rebounding from the Covid-19 pandemic. Studios were faced with a writers' strike, blockbusters that fell well below expectations and dilemmas over when to release movies into theaters before having them stream online. The domestic box office continued a trend of getting the year off to a slow start, as January lacked a strong carryover movie from the holiday season or a surprise audience pleaser, renewing fears the industry faces long-term financial woes. The box office for January 1 to April 3 was down 13% compared to the same time last year, which in turn was down 7.6% compared with 2023. 'It's not like a hard-and-fast rule that the first three months are typically slow. Sometimes they can be huge if you have a big holdover movie and a couple of breakout hits,' said Paul Dergarabedian, senior analyst at Comscore. The first major release of 2025 was Marvel's 'Captain America: Brave New World,' which opened in February to more than $100 million over the four-day Presidents Day holiday weekend, only to see its earnings plunge 68% in the second week. Things didn't improve much from there. In March, the box office was down nearly 50% compared with the same month last year, according to Comscore data. Ticket sales certainly weren't buoyed by Disney's 'Snow White,' which opened to a meager $43 million amid polarizing reactions about casting and politics. But then came the turnaround. April brought a wide variety of movies that drew in nostalgic audiences and moviegoers following positive buzz. Carrying much of the load for the month was Warner Bros. Pictures. The studio's 'A Minecraft Movie' debuted to nearly $163 million, while Ryan Coogler's highly acclaimed 'Sinners' has exceeded expectations with over $275 million in domestic sales. Warner Bros. Discovery is the parent company of CNN. Following the strong performance from 'Minecraft,' the industry had a record Memorial Day weekend that saw the box office up 22% compared with 2024. It was led by Disney's live-action 'Lilo & Stitch' remake opening to a record $183 million. 'Lilo & Stitch' has so far grossed over $380 million domestically and may soon overtake 'Minecraft' ($423.9 million) as this year's biggest earner. Other May winners include the big-budget Disney/Marvel movie 'Thunderbolts' ($189 million), Paramount's 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning,' ($173 million) and Warner Bros.' 'Final Destination: Bloodlines' ($133 million). The momentum has carried over into June with 'How to Train Your Dragon.' Universal's live-action remake has already grossed nearly $135 million since opening last weekend. The overall box office is closing in on $4 billion for all of 2025 — an 18% gain compared to this time last year, according to Comscore data. 2023 marked the first post-pandemic year to earn more than $4 billion between the first Friday of May and Labor Day, according to Comscore. Greg Durkin, founder of entertainment research firm Enact Insights, attributes the industry's comeback to a rise in quality films. And high-potential movies are about to be released. Warner Bros. Pictures' 'F1' and Universal Pictures' 'M3GAN 2.0' are set to open Friday. July will include Universal Pictures' 'Jurassic World Rebirth,' and Warner Bros.' 'Superman,' which Durkin said will be 'tremendous' hits at the box office. He added that Disney's July release of 'The Fantastic Four: First Steps' will also do well. ''Superman' and 'Fantastic Four' and maybe to a degree 'Jurassic World,' will be big players' to nearly reach $4 billion this summer, said Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder and owner of Box Office Theory. 'We're not selling Frosted Flakes or Coca-Cola … This is a product that reinvents itself every week,' said Daniel Loria, editorial director at Boxoffice Pro. Movies have 'fortunately' connected better with audiences, but it's still a 'risky business,' Loria added. Having a diverse movie slate can be helpful. Since April, moviegoers have had the choice of children and family movies ('How to Train Your Dragon' and 'Lilo & Stitch'), action flicks ('Mission Impossible — The Final Reckoning'), horror ('Sinners') and romantic comedies ('Materialists'). 'The lineup goes on hot and cold streaks. Something can look good on paper but not work in release, and vice versa,' said box office analyst David A. Gross, who publishes FranchiseRe. Gross noted that even superhero movies, such as 'Captain America' and 'Thunderbolts,' haven't consistently performed well compared to pre-pandemic years. And while April and May helped this year's box office bounce back from a slow start, June will be down about 6.5% compared to last year and down almost 26% compared with the pre-pandemic average, according to estimates from Gross. 'The 'recovery' compared with last year is slipping, so it's not time to pop the champagne just yet,' Gross said. In times of broader political and economic uncertainty, Americans have shown they will pull away from expensive commitments and seek smaller pleasures. For some, that means trading in vacations and indulging in less expensive purchases. 'It's pretty cheap to go to a movie, relative to going to rent a house and get on a flight, or rent a car,' said Durkin. 'You still need that escapism.' The movie theater is a social experience, Durkin said, which makes it fulfilling and worthwhile. In Clarksdale, Mississippi — the town which inspired the setting of 'Sinners' — a special screening was hosted to allow locals in the theater-less town to watch the film together. Moviegoers are still 'price sensitive,' Loria said. Although premium offerings can price a single ticket as high as $25 in cities like New York and Los Angeles, theater chains such as AMC offer discount screenings on Tuesdays. On July 9, AMC will start offering 50% discounts on Wednesdays. 'It's a relatively inexpensive way to escape the outside world for a couple of hours,' said Dergarabedian, adding that PG-rated films have been 'booming' as families head to theaters. 'Looking at 2025 in a vacuum — what a great recovery,' he said. 'It's all product-based. It's the movies that determine the box office, not the month.'
CNN
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
‘How to Train Your Dragon' remake soars to top of weekend box office
Another live-action remake topped the charts as Universal Pictures' 'How to Train Your Dragon' soared to $83.7 million at the box office, marking the best domestic opening weekend for the franchise. The fantasy adventure movie beat analysts' expectations of $70 million and held off Disney's live-action remake 'Lilo & Stitch,' which had maintained the No. 1 spot at the box office for three consecutive weekends. 'There is an insatiable appetite for PG-rated family fare. And there's the nostalgia factor with 'How to Train Your Dragon.' Those movies have earned collectively, even before this film, over a billion dollars worldwide,' said Paul Dergarabedian, senior analyst at Comscore. The first 'How to Train Your Dragon' film opened to roughly $64.5 million in 2010 when adjusted for inflation and the third installment to the franchise opened in 2019 to about $81 million, adjusted for inflation. A24 Films' 'Materialists' also opened this weekend and pulled in $12 million, edging the eighth 'Mission: Impossible' ($10.3 million) for the No. 3 spot this weekend, and behind 'Lilo & Stitch,' which grossed $15.5 million domestically for a total of $366 million. Father's Day weekend has offered moviegoers a diverse slate of choices as the first half of the year comes to a close. The lineup includes children and family movies ('How to Train Your Dragon' and 'Lilo & Stitch'), action flicks ('Mission Impossible — The Final Reckoning') and romantic comedies ('Materialists'). The total box office for 2025 is $3.72 billion, up 23% from this period last year, according to Comscore data. 'Opening 'How to Train Your Dragon' on Father's Day weekend was a really smart move,' said Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder and owner of Box Office Theory. 'Not only being a remake of a modern, beloved animated film but also one with a strong father-son storyline.' Robbins added that its full weekend gross could be slightly higher than early Sunday estimates because of the holiday. Ultimately, it's 'more about that staying power for those family films,' he said. PG-rated films account for $1.53 billion, or 41%, of this year's earnings, according to Comscore data. But live-action adaptations of family films have not always been box office hits. Disney's 'Snow White,' for example, dashed hope for the big-budget fairytale retelling when it grossed only $43 million domestically during its opening weekend. The most popular live-action remakes have still been Disney films, including 2017's 'Beauty and the Beast' ($230.4 million) and 2019's 'The Lion King' ($240.3 million), both figures adjusted for inflation. Box office analyst David A. Gross, who publishes FranchiseRe, said 'How to Train Your Dragon' is more of a 'hybrid film' akin to the 'Sonic the Hedgehog' movies, because it combines animation with human characters. The 2022 release of 'Sonic the Hedgehog 2' grossed $71 million during its opening weekend, up from the first live-action remake's $57 million opening. Dergarabedian expects 'How to Train Your Dragon' to continue to perform well despite Pixar's 'Elio,' which opens Thursday. 'This summer is really just revving up,' he said. 'This is just another building block in what is turning out to be a spectacular summer for moviegoers, movie theaters and studios.'
CNN
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
‘How to Train Your Dragon' remake soars to top of weekend box office
Another live-action remake topped the charts as Universal Pictures' 'How to Train Your Dragon' soared to $83.7 million at the box office, marking the best domestic opening weekend for the franchise. The fantasy adventure movie beat analysts' expectations of $70 million and held off Disney's live-action remake 'Lilo & Stitch,' which had maintained the No. 1 spot at the box office for three consecutive weekends. 'There is an insatiable appetite for PG-rated family fare. And there's the nostalgia factor with 'How to Train Your Dragon.' Those movies have earned collectively, even before this film, over a billion dollars worldwide,' said Paul Dergarabedian, senior analyst at Comscore. The first 'How to Train Your Dragon' film opened to roughly $64.5 million in 2010 when adjusted for inflation and the third installment to the franchise opened in 2019 to about $81 million, adjusted for inflation. A24 Films' 'Materialists' also opened this weekend and pulled in $12 million, edging the eighth 'Mission: Impossible' ($10.3 million) for the No. 3 spot this weekend, and behind 'Lilo & Stitch,' which grossed $15.5 million domestically for a total of $366 million. Father's Day weekend has offered moviegoers a diverse slate of choices as the first half of the year comes to a close. The lineup includes children and family movies ('How to Train Your Dragon' and 'Lilo & Stitch'), action flicks ('Mission Impossible — The Final Reckoning') and romantic comedies ('Materialists'). The total box office for 2025 is $3.72 billion, up 23% from this period last year, according to Comscore data. 'Opening 'How to Train Your Dragon' on Father's Day weekend was a really smart move,' said Shawn Robbins, director of analytics at Fandango and founder and owner of Box Office Theory. 'Not only being a remake of a modern, beloved animated film but also one with a strong father-son storyline.' Robbins added that its full weekend gross could be slightly higher than early Sunday estimates because of the holiday. Ultimately, it's 'more about that staying power for those family films,' he said. PG-rated films account for $1.53 billion, or 41%, of this year's earnings, according to Comscore data. But live-action adaptations of family films have not always been box office hits. Disney's 'Snow White,' for example, dashed hope for the big-budget fairytale retelling when it grossed only $43 million domestically during its opening weekend. The most popular live-action remakes have still been Disney films, including 2017's 'Beauty and the Beast' ($230.4 million) and 2019's 'The Lion King' ($240.3 million), both figures adjusted for inflation. Box office analyst David A. Gross, who publishes FranchiseRe, said 'How to Train Your Dragon' is more of a 'hybrid film' akin to the 'Sonic the Hedgehog' movies, because it combines animation with human characters. The 2022 release of 'Sonic the Hedgehog 2' grossed $71 million during its opening weekend, up from the first live-action remake's $57 million opening. Dergarabedian expects 'How to Train Your Dragon' to continue to perform well despite Pixar's 'Elio,' which opens Thursday. 'This summer is really just revving up,' he said. 'This is just another building block in what is turning out to be a spectacular summer for moviegoers, movie theaters and studios.'
Arab Times
02-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Arab Times
‘Lilo & Stitch' becomes 2nd highest-grossing film of 2022
LOS ANGELES, June 2, (AP): 'Lilo & Stitch' and 'Mission: Impossible- The Final Reckoning' dominated the box office charts again after fueling a record-breaking Memorial Day weekend. Theaters in the US and Canada had several new films to offer this weekend as well, including Sony's family-friendly 'Karate Kid: Legends' and the A24 horror movie 'Bring Her Back. ' According to studio estimates Sunday, it added up to a robust $149 million post-holiday weekend that's up over 120% from the same timeframe last year. Disney's live-action hybrid 'Lilo & Stitch' took first place again with $63 million from 4,410 locations in North America. It was enough to pass 'Sinners' to become the second-highest-grossing movie of the year with $280.1 million in domestic ticket sales. Globally, its running total is $610.8 million. 'Sinners,' meanwhile, is still going strong in its seventh weekend with another $5.2 million, bumping it to $267.1 million domestically and $350.1 million globally. The eighth 'Mission: Impossible' movie also repeated in second place, with $27.3 million from 3,861 locations. As with 'Lilo & Stitch,' that's down 57% from its opening. With $122.6 million in domestic tickets sold, it's performing in line with the two previous installments. But with a reported production budget of $400 million, profitability is a ways off. Internationally, it added $76.1 million (including $25.2 million from China, where it just opened), bringing its global total to $353.8 million. 'This is the year of long-term playability,' said Paul Dergarabedian, Comscore's senior media analyst. 'The currency of word of mouth and the stronghold is more important than opening weekend dollars.' Leading the newcomers was Sony's 'Karate Kid: Legends,' with an estimated $21 million from 3,809 locations. The movie brings Jackie Chan and Ralph Macchio together to train a new kid, the kung fu prodigy Li Fong (Ben Wang). Chan starred in a 2010 reboot of the 1984 original, while Macchio has found a new generation of fans in the series 'Cobra Kai,' which just concluded a six-season run. Reviews might have been mixed, but opening weekend audiences gave the PG-13 rated film a strong A- A-CinemaScore and 4.5 stars on PostTrak. It also only cost a reported $45 million to produce and has several weeks until a new family-friendly film arrives. 'Karate Kid: Legends' opened earlier internationally and has a worldwide total of $47 million. Fourth place went to 'Final Destination: Bloodlines,' which earned $10.8 million in its third weekend. The movie is the highest-grossing in the franchise, not accounting for inflation, with $229.3 million globally. The weekend's other big newcomer, 'Bring Her Back' rounded out the top five with $7.1 million from 2,449 screens. Starring Sally Hawkins as a foster mother with some disturbing plans, the film is the sophomore feature of twin filmmakers Danny and Michael Philippou, who made the 2023 horror breakout 'Talk to Me.' It earned a rare-for-horror B+ CinemaScore and is essentially the only new film in the genre until '28 Years Later' opens on June 20. A new Wes Anderson movie, 'The Phoenician Scheme,' also debuted in New York and Los Angeles this weekend, where it made $270,000. It expands nationwide next weekend. The summer box office forecast remains promising, though there's a long way to go to get to the $4 billion target (a pre-pandemic norm that only the 'Barbenheimer' summer has surpassed). The month of May is expected to close out with $973 million - up 75% from May 2024, according to data from Comscore.
