Continue reading IMAX Is on the Move

IMAX Is on the Move originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Back in 2005, Disney (DIS) released a 3D movie called Chicken Little. It was definitely a key moment in the film business.

Since then, Hollywood has introduced 27 movies in the 3D format. Of course, the game-changer is Avatar, which generated $2.7 billion in worldwide receipts. As for 2010, there are 21 3D movies planned for release.

Continue reading 'Avatar' 3D Developer Sets Its Sites on an IPO

'Avatar' 3D Developer Sets Its Sites on an IPO originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 11 Apr 2010 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The Walt Disney Company's (DIS) Alice in Wonderland was number one at the domestic box office for the second weekend in a row. Excellent, especially for shareholders. Disney needs Alice to do some massive numbers to prove to Hollywood, as well as Wall Street, that changes in its film division are here: changes for the better, ones that will increase economic value.

According to Box Office Mojo, Alice grossed over $60 million. Coming in second was Green Zone, from General Electric Corporation's (GE) Universal. Make that a distant second. Zone pulled in approximately $14 million. As some have said, this was a very weak opening for a Matt Damon project.

Continue reading Disney's 'Alice' Successfully Defends Top Spot

Disney's 'Alice' Successfully Defends Top Spot originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

IMAX (IMAX) issued its Q4 report yesterday. The stock was slightly weak after the market digested the earnings release: it ended the session down 1%. I'm not sure, though, if traders should give up on the stock just yet.

On an adjusted basis, the company behind the big, theatrical 3D format made 20 cents per diluted share. In the previous year's similar quarter, a loss of 22 cents per diluted share was booked. Awesome improvement. As for the analysts, they simply couldn't keep up with the momentum. According to Earnings.com, they were expecting something closer to 6 cents for the income figure.

Continue reading IMAX Beats Estimates in a Big Way

IMAX Beats Estimates in a Big Way originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 12 Mar 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Disney's (DIS) Alice in Wonderland was the number-one picture over the three-day weekend. No surprise, necessarily, as the rank wasn't the true question mark. The question, in my mind at least, was exactly how much the film would take in during its debut. Would it go beyond expectations? Would it capture the top spot with a paltry $45 million?

I believe it's safe to say Alice came through for the Mouse. According to early estimates at Box Office Mojo, the project took in $116 million from domestic multiplexes. Brooklyn's Finest, distributed by Liberty Capital Group's (LCAPA) Overture Films, placed second with $13 million -- not that great, but the budget was only $25 million on this one, so we'll have to see if word of mouth brings the grosses up to a financially appropriate level (besides, The Wrap indicated that it only cost Overture maybe less than $3 million for the rights).

Continue reading Disney's 'Alice' Destroys Competition

Disney's 'Alice' Destroys Competition originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Carmike Cinemas (CKEC) reported a much-improved fourth quarter yesterday after the bell. Total revenue increased 17%. The bottom line recorded 48 cents per share in terms of income from continuing operations. This compares to a loss of $2.75 per share in the relevant period.

According to Reuters, the net income figure completely obliterated the analysts. The call was for 9 cents per share. I don't think there was any question that the theater chain was going to beat. As management stated in the release, the multiplex industry generated incredible business in Q4.

Continue reading Carmike Cinemas Soars Past Expectations

Carmike Cinemas Soars Past Expectations originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 02 Mar 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

In its second weekend out in the domestic theatrical marketplace, Viacom's (VIA) Shutter Island thriller, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, demonstrated that it has some resilience. This is good news, considering the budget on the film is a healthy $80 million.

Island made $22.6 million, according to Box Office Mojo. The cumulative gross so far for the flick is better than $75 million. Viacom beat out Time Warner's (TWX) new entry Cop Out, directed by Kevin Smith, and horror picture The Crazies, a remake of a George Romero project from the early 1970s, which is distributed by Liberty Capital Group's (LCAPA) Overture Films.

Continue reading Viacom's 'Shutter Island' Retains Top Spot

Viacom's 'Shutter Island' Retains Top Spot originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We all knew News Corp.'s (NWS) Avatar would cede the top spot to some film someday. To be honest, I didn't think Sony's (SNE) Dear John would be the one to do it.

According to Box Office Mojo, John grossed roughly $32 million at domestic theaters. That was more than enough to put the sci-fi flick in second place. However, no one should feel sad for News Corp.; Avatar's worldwide haul now stands at over $2.2 billion.

Continue reading Should 'Avatar' Be Rushed to DVD Now That It Is in Second Place?

Should 'Avatar' Be Rushed to DVD Now That It Is in Second Place? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

News Corp. (NWS), the media conglomerate that competes with Disney (DIS), Time Warner (TWX), and General Electric's (GE) NBC Universal, posted Q2 data after the bell on Tuesday. Shareholders should have few complaints on this one.

Revenues went up 10%, and earnings on an adjusted basis jumped well over 60% to 25 cents per share. According to Reuters, the estimate was 20 cents per share. Besides the beat, cash from operations was a lot better in the current six-month period. In the comparable frame, cash was used to fund operating activities.

Continue reading News Corp. Reports Fantastic Second Quarter

News Corp. Reports Fantastic Second Quarter originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 03 Feb 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Did you think Mel Gibson had a chance this past weekend? Probably not. By now, we're all used to seeing News Corp.s (NWS) Avatar take the top spot. And for those keeping score, this is the seventh victory in a row for James Cameron (who, by the way, may offer lessons for entrepreneurs, according to Tom Taulli).

According to early estimates from Box Office Mojo, Avatar made another $30 million at domestic theaters over the past three days. At the time of this writing, the worldwide gross was just under $2 billion (it will definitely go over $2 billion, don't worry). Time Warner's (TWX) Edge of Darkness, starring the aforementioned Gibson, wasn't even close to a challenge for the 3-D aliens. Give it some credit, though: It came in second with $17 million.

Continue reading News Corp.'s 'Avatar' Isn't Ready to Step Down

News Corp.'s 'Avatar' Isn't Ready to Step Down originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 01 Feb 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Some of my all-time favorite movies are from James Cameron, such as the Terminator series and Aliens.

And this week, Cameron's latest creation, Avatar, has become the top-grossing movie worldwide (going beyond his 1997 blockbuster, Titanic). So far, it has taken in $1.6 billion.

In a way, Cameron is a New Age entrepreneur -- that is, combining creativity, unconventional wisdom, over-the-top optimism and good business sense (this is also the case with others in the entertainment industry, like George Lucas, Steven Spielberg and even Steve Jobs).

Continue reading Entrepreneur's Journal: Business Lessons from Avatar's James Cameron

Entrepreneur's Journal: Business Lessons from Avatar's James Cameron originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 17:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Time Warner's (TWX) The Book of Eli did a commendable job of attempting to dethrone News Corp.'s (NWS) Avatar from the top spot. In the end, it failed. James Cameron has produced a hit that will simply not be stopped. At the time of this writing, early estimates from Box Office Mojo credited the picture with capturing another $41 million over the past weekend at domestic theaters. Avatar is closing in on $500 million, an accomplishment which makes you wonder if this is the wintertime or the summertime.

Eli came in second with $31 million. A reasonably good start for Time Warner considering the power of News Corp.'s new Titanic; word of mouth is now key to propelling the apocalyptic project into solid blockbuster status. The film reportedly has a budget of $80 million attached to it, so hopefully the worldwide gross will be stellar even if the domestic take falters.

Continue reading Time Warner's 'Eli' Not Holy Enough to Defeat News Corp.'s 'Avatar'

Time Warner's 'Eli' Not Holy Enough to Defeat News Corp.'s 'Avatar' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

You just can't stop News Corp.'s (NWS) Avatar. James Cameron's epic 3D picture grossed $48 million at domestic theaters over the weekend, as of early estimates from Box Office Mojo. This puts the grand total at almost $430 million (worldwide, Avatar has made well over a billion bucks). Amazing for this time of year.

News Corp. is also counting its money from Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel, which is ranked in third place at the time of this writing; its total gross now stands at roughly $178 million. Coming in second is Time Warner's (TWX) Sherlock Holmes action adventure. It's possible Holmes and Squeakquel could change places once final numbers are released, since both are credited with similar weekend amounts. Nevertheless, Holmes has now raked in about $165 million.

Continue reading News Corp.'s Avatar Refuses to Yield Top Spot

News Corp.'s Avatar Refuses to Yield Top Spot originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 11 Jan 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is part of a special report, Top Picks for 2010, the 27th annual survey in which TheStockAdvisors.com asks the nation's leading advisors for their single favorite stock for the new year. See all 80 stocks listed here.

For his top pick for 2010, Dennis Slothower turns to the "big screen" and highlights a company that could benefit from the recently release film, Avatar.

The editor of Stealth Stocks says, "IMAX Corporation (IMAX) is one of the world's leading entertainment technology companies, specializing in motion picture technologies and large-format film presentations." Here's the reasoning behind his buy recommendation.

Continue reading Top Picks for 2010: IMAX (IMAX)

Top Picks for 2010: IMAX (IMAX) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

IMAX Corporation (IMAX) is doing pretty darn good in today's session. At the time of this writing, shares were up over 8% to $14.43, good for a new 52-week high. Headlines on Tuesday proclaimed the intention of Discovery Communications Inc. (DISCA), Sony Corporation (SNE), and IMAX to join forces for purposes of launching a 3-D television asset. I'm sure that must have intrigued not a few in the market.

In addition to that, though, I think there is a general bullish feeling forming on IMAX. I was surprised to read over at Benzinga.com that CNBC's Fast Money analyst Guy Adami highlighted the company as a potential pick for the entire decade! Now that's bullish.

Continue reading IMAX Is Rocking -- Buy or Sell into Strength?

IMAX Is Rocking -- Buy or Sell into Strength? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 05 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

News Corp.'s (NWS) Avatar is exploding like a blinding supernova at the box office. Although I have no interest in seeing it, I undoubtedly must be one of the only people on the planet who lacks the need to become immersed in the 3-D adventure. According to early estimates at Box Office Mojo, James Cameron's "titanic" cinematic beast scored another $68 million at domestic theaters over the New Year's weekend. Total so far: better than $350 million.

Time Warner's (TWX) take on a famous literary detective had to settle for second place yet again. Sherlock Holmes pulled in $38 million. Coming in third was the Alvin and the Chipmunks sequel, also released by News Corp. Indeed, there's no shortage of excitement at the multiplex.

Continue reading Should Studios Adopt the James Cameron Model of Moviemaking?

Should Studios Adopt the James Cameron Model of Moviemaking? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 04 Jan 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Shareholders of News Corp. (NWS) are probably happy this Monday as two of the company's films -- Avatar and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel -- did very well over the three-day holiday weekend.

James Cameron's Avatar topped the charts at domestic theaters, pulling in an estimated $75 million, according to Box Office Mojo. If the project can continue to attract moviegoers in large droves, as well as propagate a lot of repeat business, then it should break even before it hits other distribution channels.

Continue reading News Corp.'s 'Avatar' and 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' Had a Great Weekend

News Corp.'s 'Avatar' and 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' Had a Great Weekend originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 28 Dec 2009 10:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

It was the weekend that everyone was waiting for. The debut of James Cameron's Avatar was an event approaching mythic dimension: Don't tell me you didn't know it was coming, because I wouldn't believe you for a nanosecond. The hype was out there, and it became a self-replicating, viral zeitgeist able to cross multiple mediums with ease. Its marketing message dominated the collective cinematic discussion, and even though it didn't possess the brand access of Time Warner's (TWX) The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Which is why I found the domestic opening of the project quite puzzling. I thought Avatar, distributed by News Corp. (NWS), was worth a heck of a lot more than $77 million, which is what the film grossed, according to Box Office Mojo.

Continue reading 'Avatar' Makes $77 Million in First Weekend

'Avatar' Makes $77 Million in First Weekend originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 22 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.