Time Warner (TWX) probably thought it had the weekend all wrapped up. Sucker Punch looked like it would debut at the top in its opening frame. I don't blame the execs behind this fantasy piece; in theory, it should have brought in all the youthful demographics hungry for a big spring hit to feast upon.

Didn't happen. Instead, News Corp.'s (NWS) Diary of Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules was number one with a gross of well over $23 million, according to domestic-theater data at Box Office Mojo. Punch came in second with $19 million.

Continue reading Time Warner's 'Sucker Punch' Loses to News Corp's 'Wimpy Kid'

Time Warner's 'Sucker Punch' Loses to News Corp's 'Wimpy Kid' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to Box Office Mojo's early estimates for the four-day holiday weekend, Time Warner Inc.'s (TWX) thriller Unknown has taken the number-one position with a domestic haul of $25.6 million. The next two movies on the chart came close to that figure, but the more interesting thing about them is that they come courtesy of The Walt Disney Company (DIS).

In second place is Gnomeo and Juliet with $24.8 million. Pretty cool, actually. I didn't think the cartoon would necessarily hold up as well as it has in the second weekend.

Continue reading It's Disney vs. Time Warner at the Multiplex

It's Disney vs. Time Warner at the Multiplex originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 21 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Based on what I was reading going into the weekend, I thought the multiplex was going to be an unexciting place. I was therefore rather surprised to see what I thought were relatively impressive numbers attached to the top films.

According to early estimates for domestic grosses at Box Office Mojo, Sony's (SNE) Just Go With It, starring Adam Sandler, is so far credited with a first-place showing; the movie is believed to have made about $31 million for the Friday-through-Sunday period. But Viacom's (VIA.B) Justin Bieber: Never Say Never product isn't giving up without a fight. At the time of writing, it was in second place with $30.3 million. Essentially, it's a tie.

Continue reading Viacom's Bieber Film Gives Sony's Sandler Project a Fight

Viacom's Bieber Film Gives Sony's Sandler Project a Fight originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 14 Feb 2011 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Little Fockers

Continue reading GE's 'Little Fockers' Beats Viacom's 'True Grit'

GE's 'Little Fockers' Beats Viacom's 'True Grit' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Disney (DIS) released Tron: Legacy this past weekend. I wrote down some of my thoughts about the project ahead of the results. Well, the results are now in -- I dare any shareholder to say they weren't disappointing.

Actually, I'm sure there are some shareholders out there who possess the ability to skillfully spin the opening statistic to a more golden hue. I'm not one of them; in fact, I have no desire to do so. According to Box Office Mojo, the Tron sequel made $44 million. You know what? A $44 million take from domestic theaters for the first three days is lousy when one juxtaposes the significant marketing investment put in place to support the film. Indeed, there was no way for anyone not to know that the picture was hitting theaters in the middle of December.

Continue reading Disney's 'Tron': Did the Mouse Win or Lose?

Disney's 'Tron': Did the Mouse Win or Lose? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here we go again. It's another big movie weekend for The Walt Disney Company (DIS). The sequel to a science-fiction classic from the early '80s hits theaters today. The marketing for Tron: Legacy is everywhere right now (or it appears that way, at least). There are many news pieces musing about the importance of the flick to the studio. Question is, what does Wall Street think?

At the moment (about ninety minutes away from the closing bell), shares of Disney are down a penny to $37. That's exactly one dollar away from the 52-week high. The market as a whole isn't too exciting this afternoon anyway, but still, I would have liked to have seen a little more buying interest in the stock ahead of the movie (I'm a shareholder of the company).

Continue reading Disney and the New 'Tron': Are Investors Excited?

Disney and the New 'Tron': Are Investors Excited? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Would You Pay $20,000 for Movies in Your Home?

Would You Pay $20,000 for Movies in Your Home? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 15:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Disney's 'Tangled' Did Well -- But Is It Enough?

Disney's 'Tangled' Did Well -- But Is It Enough? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 29 Nov 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shares of Disney (DIS) haven't strayed too far from where they were when the latest earnings report was released. It would have been nice if the numbers had acted as a catalyst for the stock (which I own), pushing it above the $40 mark. Didn't happen. Hey, we move on, right?

But Disney has another chance to prove to its investors that it's a great long-term holding. The Mouse's latest cartoon, Tangled, opened on Wednesday. The idea is to capture some value from the crowds that will be out at the multiplex during the Thanksgiving weekend. I sort of have a good feeling about this film.

Continue reading Disney Looking to Triumph with 'Tangled'

Disney Looking to Triumph with 'Tangled' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 25 Nov 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Time Warner's Latest 'Potter' Doesn't Surprise

Time Warner's Latest 'Potter' Doesn't Surprise originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

DreamWorks Animation's (DWA) Megamind movie didn't have such a great debut last weekend, in my opinion. This weekend, however, I have to give it at least some credit: It once again captured the top spot at domestic theaters. Box Office Mojo says that the project made $29 million from Friday through Sunday, bringing the total gross so far to nearly $89 million.

Don't expect me to jump up and down for joy, though -- and I highly doubt shareholders of the studio are happy that the film didn't at least crack the $100 million mark by this point.

Continue reading DreamWorks Animation's 'Megamind' Retains Top Spot

DreamWorks Animation's 'Megamind' Retains Top Spot originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 16 Nov 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Market Down on DreamWorks Animation After 'Megamind' Debut

Market Down on DreamWorks Animation After 'Megamind' Debut originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 08 Nov 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A year ago, a fierce battle was being waged between two Hollywood studios for the dominance of the Halloween movie marketplace. Lions Gate Entertainment (LGF) was high on its latest gory sequel, Saw VI, while Viacom (VIA.B) was pinning its hopes on a low-budget film entitled Paranormal Activity. It was something of a David-and-Goliath situation; certainly the bloody brand equity of the Saw franchise could not be bested by some goofy found-footage-themed piece of celluloid?

Haven't the Goliaths of this world learned anything? Saw VI ended up the loser of the competition. I was amazed. Lions Gate, however, wanted to give it another shot. So, Saw 3D, which supposedly may be the final one of the series (yeah, we'll see), declared war on the sequel to Viacom's demon tale, Paranormal Activity 2, this past weekend; Jigsaw apparently is out for a little revenge.

Continue reading Saw 3D: Final Attempt Does the Trick for Lions Gate

Saw 3D: Final Attempt Does the Trick for Lions Gate originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 01 Nov 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

IMAX (IMAX) has been a wonderful stock to own. Admit it, you wish you had this one displayed on your broker's positions page (I know I do). On Friday, it closed at $21.65, not far from the new 52-week high of $21.95, which was reached during the intraday session. The one-year chart is an amazing image to behold for a couple reasons. First, there is the simple matter of the uptrend. Second, the stock already experienced a pullback before breaking through to fresh heights.

However, this brings to mind a valid concern: is the stock now a sell? Has it gone too far? You can't help but ask such questions. In fact, Theflyonthewall reported Friday that Craig-Hallum issued a downgrade on the shares. On the other hand, Theflyonthewall also mentioned some good news from Wedbush: that firm raised its rating for the theater entity.

Continue reading IMAX: Is It Too High to Buy?

IMAX: Is It Too High to Buy? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 30 Oct 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading DreamWorks Animation's Q3: Buy on the Numbers?

DreamWorks Animation's Q3: Buy on the Numbers? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 29 Oct 2010 15:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Viacom Dominates Theaters with 'Paranormal Activity 2'

Viacom Dominates Theaters with 'Paranormal Activity 2' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 25 Oct 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Viacom's 'Jackass' Franchise Makes Triumphant Return

Viacom's 'Jackass' Franchise Makes Triumphant Return originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 18 Oct 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Disney's 'Secretariat' Disappoints

Disney's 'Secretariat' Disappoints originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 11 Oct 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Last weekend's box-office race went to News Corp. (NWS). The media conglomerate released the sequel to Wall Street. The project, entitled Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, stars Michael Douglas and Shia LaBeouf. When you think of the iconic equity the original possesses, and combine it with the current financial zeitgeist (maybe I should have written current negative financial zeitgeist, considering the state we're in), you might have expected a huge hit.

I did. And I was wrong. Sure, according to Box Office Mojo, the second Wall Street captured the top spot. But take a look at the actual domestic gross for the three-day debut: $19 million. Does that sound like a blockbuster? Even in the more sedate September period, I had higher hopes for a more exciting debut.

Continue reading News Corp.'s 'Wall Street' Sequel: Should It Have Done Better?

News Corp.'s 'Wall Street' Sequel: Should It Have Done Better? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Sep 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Time Warner's 'Town' Craftier Than Shyamalan's Latest Project

Time Warner's 'Town' Craftier Than Shyamalan's Latest Project originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 20 Sep 2010 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.