Latest news with #Dergarabedian
CNN
04-05-2025
- Business
- CNN
Disney's ‘Thunderbolts' rallies Marvel fans for a $76 million opening weekend
Marvel's 'Thunderbolts' electrified the box office, beating expectations with $76 million in domestic sales this weekend. While not the massive opening weekend numbers that Marvel movies once posted, 'Thunderbolts' beat expectations by about 8% and 'sets into motion' a new chapter for Marvel, says Paul Dergarabedian, a senior analyst at Comscore. 'Between this, 'Fantastic Four' and then the other Marvel movies coming down the pipeline — particularly a year from now with 'Avengers: Doomsday' — Marvel's set up for a real renaissance to get that Marvel magic going,' he told CNN. Disney's first Marvel film of the year, 'Captain America: Brave New World,' grossed roughly $88.5 million domestically during the first three days of Presidents Day weekend. Dergarabedian called Marvel a 'good luck charm' for the summer movie season, which accounts for close to 40% of the full-year box office revenue, according to Comscore data. There wasn't a Marvel film released in May 2024, Dergarabedian noted, and that in turn saw a slow start to the summer and record-low box office numbers on Memorial Day weekend. 'This is not among the biggest superhero launches we've had in the history of the genre. In general, superheroes are not doing the kind of business they did before the pandemic,' said David A. Gross, who publishes FranchiseRe, a newsletter on the box office. But it's still 'a very good opening,' he noted. According to FranchiseRe data, Gross estimated that new superhero movies average about $55 million when opening, which is 41% less compared with 2015 to 2019. Disney had another surprising box office win with the re-release of 'Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith,' which edged Warner Bros. Pictures and Amazon MGM Studios' 'The Accountant 2' for the No. 2 spot last weekend. Warner Brothers Discovery is the parent company of CNN. The success of the 'Star Wars' film comes as studios have had to rethink what movies should be streamed or released in theaters. Re-releases typically haven't performed to this scale in roughly a decade, said Shawn Robbins, director of movie analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory. He added that this was one of the most popular of the prequels and has had two decades to become nostalgic for younger fans who missed seeing it on the big screen. ''Star Wars' has always been the poster franchise of theatrical re-releases dating back to the early '90s and that just speaks to the movie theater being a totally different experience,' he told CNN. Warner Bros. has also given the box office a boost with the continued success of 'Sinners' and 'A Minecraft Movie,' which each snagged the No. 1 spot in their opening weekends. 'Sinners' has now grossed $179 million domestically and 'A Minecraft Movie' has grossed $398 million domestically, according to Comscore data. 'The buzz around 'Sinners' is so palpable that that's not going to stop its roll for weeks to come. And having 'Minecraft' out there, there's still something out for everybody,' Robbins said, adding, 'It's the kind of diverse release slate that the industry has been begging for for so long.' The summer box office will be led by big sequels, remakes and family entertainment, Gross said. But next weekend won't have much new competition, he said, so 'Sinners,' 'A Minecraft Movie' and 'Thunderbolts' will continue to compete. They'll at least have long runs until Memorial Day weekend, when Disney's live action 'Lilo & Stitch' opens alongside Paramount Pictures' 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning.' 'We're going to have one of the biggest, if not the biggest, Memorial weekends ever, so this sets up that very nicely with 'Thunderbolts,'' Dergarabedian told CNN.
CNN
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
‘Sinners' finds redemption with top spot at weekend box office
Ryan Coogler's supernatural horror 'Sinners' drove a stake through the competition this weekend to finish No. 1 at the box office while shattering industry expectations. 'Sinners' pulled in $45.6 million domestically, surpassing estimates of about $35 million, and edging 'A Minecraft Movie,' which grossed $41.3 million in its third weekend, to put its domestic total at nearly $345 million. Both 'Sinners' and 'A Minecraft Movie' are distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Warner Bros. Discovery is the parent company of CNN. Shawn Robbins, director of movie analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory, told CNN that 'Sinners' was boosted by the duo of Coogler and actor Michael B. Jordan, who have teamed up on four films, including Disney's 'Black Panther.' 'That star power for 'Sinners' (and) really kind of a fresh, original take on the vampire movie (genre) … helped bring out moviegoers,' he said. 'Sinners' has also been boosted by critics' reviews, which can help a film's long-term box-office success. It has a 98% rating on movie-ratings site Rotten Tomatoes and an 84 score — the seventh highest for a film in 2025 — on Metacritic. 'This may be one of the best-reviewed No. 1 films ever, especially for the horror genre,' said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior analyst at Comscore. The success of 'Sinners' is encouraging for the horror genre, which was most successful in 2017, when 'It' and 'Get Out' were released, according to Dergarabedian. Horror movies earned more than $1 billion at the box office in 2017, according to Comscore data. In 2024, the genre earned $948 million. 'Horror movies can be very budget-friendly and have a very strong profitability factor, so that makes them particularly of interest to studios and filmmakers,' Dergarabedian told CNN. Universal Pictures is set to release two horror sequels this year, 'M3GAN 2.0' and 'Black Phone 2' in June and October, respectively. Meanwhile, the industry's overall domestic earnings, which were down 13% at the opening of 'A Minecraft Movie,' are now up 5.3% compared to 2024, according to Comscore. Box office analyst David A. Gross of FranchiseRe said 'A Minecraft Movie' is trekking toward $1 billion at the worldwide box office. After its strong opening, the fantasy adventure comedy has gone viral for engaging audiences with its chicken jockey scene. 'Audiences are totally engaged — this is mainstream action-adventure entertainment at its best,' Gross told CNN. Dergarabedian expects the overall box office to maintain this momentum as the first slate of summer movies debuts in May, followed by a strong Memorial Day weekend with Disney's live-action 'Lilo & Stitch' and Paramount's 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning.'
CNN
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
‘Sinners' finds redemption with top spot at weekend box office
Ryan Coogler's supernatural horror 'Sinners' drove a stake through the competition this weekend to finish No. 1 at the box office while shattering industry expectations. 'Sinners' pulled in $45.6 million domestically, surpassing estimates of about $35 million, and edging 'A Minecraft Movie,' which grossed $41.3 million in its third weekend, to put its domestic total at nearly $345 million. Both 'Sinners' and 'A Minecraft Movie' are distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Warner Bros. Discovery is the parent company of CNN. Shawn Robbins, director of movie analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory, told CNN that 'Sinners' was boosted by the duo of Coogler and actor Michael B. Jordan, who have teamed up on four films, including Disney's 'Black Panther.' 'That star power for 'Sinners' (and) really kind of a fresh, original take on the vampire movie (genre) … helped bring out moviegoers,' he said. 'Sinners' has also been boosted by critics' reviews, which can help a film's long-term box-office success. It has a 98% rating on movie-ratings site Rotten Tomatoes and an 84 score — the seventh highest for a film in 2025 — on Metacritic. 'This may be one of the best-reviewed No. 1 films ever, especially for the horror genre,' said Paul Dergarabedian, a senior analyst at Comscore. The success of 'Sinners' is encouraging for the horror genre, which was most successful in 2017, when 'It' and 'Get Out' were released, according to Dergarabedian. Horror movies earned more than $1 billion at the box office in 2017, according to Comscore data. In 2024, the genre earned $948 million. 'Horror movies can be very budget-friendly and have a very strong profitability factor, so that makes them particularly of interest to studios and filmmakers,' Dergarabedian told CNN. Universal Pictures is set to release two horror sequels this year, 'M3GAN 2.0' and 'Black Phone 2' in June and October, respectively. Meanwhile, the industry's overall domestic earnings, which were down 13% at the opening of 'A Minecraft Movie,' are now up 5.3% compared to 2024, according to Comscore. Box office analyst David A. Gross of FranchiseRe said 'A Minecraft Movie' is trekking toward $1 billion at the worldwide box office. After its strong opening, the fantasy adventure comedy has gone viral for engaging audiences with its chicken jockey scene. 'Audiences are totally engaged — this is mainstream action-adventure entertainment at its best,' Gross told CNN. Dergarabedian expects the overall box office to maintain this momentum as the first slate of summer movies debuts in May, followed by a strong Memorial Day weekend with Disney's live-action 'Lilo & Stitch' and Paramount's 'Mission: Impossible — The Final Reckoning.'
CNN
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
‘A Minecraft Movie' smashes box office expectations with $157 million opening weekend
The blockbuster adaption of the 2011 video game 'Minecraft' shattered box office estimates, grossing $157 million domestically, and marking the biggest opening weekend of the year. Industry analysts initially projected Warner Bros. Pictures' 'A Minecraft Movie' would gross $60 million before adjusting that estimate to about $100 million. Warner Brothers Discovery is the parent company of CNN. 'This is the first major over-performance,' Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, told CNN. 'A Minecraft Movie' surged past the opening weekend of Disney's 'Captain America: Brave New World,' which had been the top opener of 2025 with an opening weekend of $88.5 million. 'Pre-sales and interest accelerated in a remarkable way during the run-up to opening night,' Shawn Robbins, director of movie analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory, told CNN in an email. Robbins noted that many college students and teenagers were on spring break during the movie's opening, which also helped some markets. Conservative box-office estimates for 'A Minecraft Movie' were likely due to mixed reactions to trailers. But this video game adaptation appeals to broad audiences, not critics, according to box office analyst David A. Gross of FranchiseRe. 'When a release catches fire like this, it generates its own momentum and you can set aside all projections,' Gross said. Video game movies are an increasingly popular genre, from Universal Pictures' 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie,' which opened with $146 million in April 2023, to the October 2023 debut of 'Five Nights at Freddy's' ($80 million) and Paramount Pictures' 'Sonic the Hedgehog 2' ($72 million) in April 2022. 'A Minecraft Movie' is now the biggest domestic opening weekend for a film based on a video game, according to Comscore. 'There is a treasure trove of storytelling and (intellectual property) in that arena, making it a sweet spot where the industry can meet young moviegoers and general audiences who've become more selective,' Robbins said. Video game adaptations have performed best when rated PG, according to Dergarabedian, who noted that PG-rated movies outgrossed PG-13 movies last year. The opening weekend for 'A Minecraft Movie' provides a much-needed boost to the overall box office. Industry earnings are down 5% in 2025 but had fallen 13% before the release of 'A Minecraft Movie,' according to Comscore. Robbins described the first quarter of 2025 as a 'historically slow movie-going season.' While March 2024 had major film releases, including 'Dune: Part Two' and 'Kung Fu Panda 4,' the first quarter of 2025 was absent of high-grossing blockbusters. There is industry optimism for a strong second quarter with Disney's 'Thunderbolts,' a Marvel movie, set to open on May 2, followed by Paramount's 'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning' (May 23), and Warner Bros.' 'F1' (June 27). 'We're finally going to see light at the end of the tunnel after a pretty dismal March,' said Dergarabedian.
CNN
06-04-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
‘A Minecraft Movie' smashes box office expectations with $157 million opening weekend
The blockbuster adaption of the 2011 video game 'Minecraft' shattered box office estimates, grossing $157 million domestically, and marking the biggest opening weekend of the year. Industry analysts initially projected Warner Bros. Pictures' 'A Minecraft Movie' would gross $60 million before adjusting that estimate to about $100 million. Warner Brothers Discovery is the parent company of CNN. 'This is the first major over-performance,' Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst at Comscore, told CNN. 'A Minecraft Movie' surged past the opening weekend of Disney's 'Captain America: Brave New World,' which had been the top opener of 2025 with an opening weekend of $88.5 million. 'Pre-sales and interest accelerated in a remarkable way during the run-up to opening night,' Shawn Robbins, director of movie analytics at Fandango and founder of Box Office Theory, told CNN in an email. Robbins noted that many college students and teenagers were on spring break during the movie's opening, which also helped some markets. Conservative box-office estimates for 'A Minecraft Movie' were likely due to mixed reactions to trailers. But this video game adaptation appeals to broad audiences, not critics, according to box office analyst David A. Gross of FranchiseRe. 'When a release catches fire like this, it generates its own momentum and you can set aside all projections,' Gross said. Video game movies are an increasingly popular genre, from Universal Pictures' 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie,' which opened with $146 million in April 2023, to the October 2023 debut of 'Five Nights at Freddy's' ($80 million) and Paramount Pictures' 'Sonic the Hedgehog 2' ($72 million) in April 2022. 'A Minecraft Movie' is now the biggest domestic opening weekend for a film based on a video game, according to Comscore. 'There is a treasure trove of storytelling and (intellectual property) in that arena, making it a sweet spot where the industry can meet young moviegoers and general audiences who've become more selective,' Robbins said. Video game adaptations have performed best when rated PG, according to Dergarabedian, who noted that PG-rated movies outgrossed PG-13 movies last year. The opening weekend for 'A Minecraft Movie' provides a much-needed boost to the overall box office. Industry earnings are down 5% in 2025 but had fallen 13% before the release of 'A Minecraft Movie,' according to Comscore. Robbins described the first quarter of 2025 as a 'historically slow movie-going season.' While March 2024 had major film releases, including 'Dune: Part Two' and 'Kung Fu Panda 4,' the first quarter of 2025 was absent of high-grossing blockbusters. There is industry optimism for a strong second quarter with Disney's 'Thunderbolts,' a Marvel movie, set to open on May 2, followed by Paramount's 'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning' (May 23), and Warner Bros.' 'F1' (June 27). 'We're finally going to see light at the end of the tunnel after a pretty dismal March,' said Dergarabedian.
