Disney (NYSE: DIS) had something of a magical weekend at the domestic box office. The company's new film, G-Force, a 3D-powered property, grossed an estimated $32 million according to Boxofficemojo, good for first place. Believe it or not, that was enough to take out Time Warner's (NYSE: TWX) Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, which dropped to second place (last weekend it debuted at number one, of course) with about $30 million.

These are estimated numbers at the time of this writing. When the final stats come out, it is conceivable that the rankings could change since we're talking about a difference of a mere $2 million. But I think they stand a good chance of staying the same.

Continue reading Disney's new rodent stars challenge Time Warner's 'Potter'

Disney's new rodent stars challenge Time Warner's 'Potter' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 27 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to Boxofficemojo, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince was the top film at the domestic box office over the three-day weekend. I'm sure this didn't surprise Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) shareholders. The latest installment of the popular fantasy series took in about $79 million as of early estimates. However, Prince actually opened last Wednesday. If you add in monies derived from the Wednesday and Thursday showings, you've got a gross of about $159 million so far.

This compares favorably to Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, which opened in July 2007. Phoenix made just under $140 million during its five-day debut. I like such growth. It shows that the franchise retains a good quantity of demand.

Continue reading Time Warner's wizard works wonders yet again at the box office

Time Warner's wizard works wonders yet again at the box office originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

According to Boxofficemojo, Bruno came out on top this past weekend at domestic theaters. It was expected. Since this is the follow-up to Sacha Baron Cohen's comedic phenomenon Borat, it was only natural for the rest of the competition to step aside and let the project through.

However, I have to wonder if General Electric (NYSE: GE) was truly happy with a $30 million estimated opening. Borat came out in November 2006. It opened with $26.5 million. I honestly thought Bruno would have debuted somewhere between $40 million and $50 million. Was that too high of a financial goal?

Continue reading 'Bruno' is number one -- but was the market expecting more?

'Bruno' is number one -- but was the market expecting more? originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This post is written as part of AOL Money & Finance's Best & Worst 2006. Vote for Borat or check out the other nominees in the Up-and-Comer category.

The hit movie Borat!: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, has surpassed all expectations. Originally, the movie was released in a limited number of theaters, with industry insiders predicting it would gross $8 million to $10 million on its first weekend. But the movie pulled in $26.4 million that first weekend, despite the limited release.

By now, the movie has grossed around $100 million and those-in-the-know predict it to eventually gross as much as $300 million. Not bad for a movie that cost about $18 million to make.

The movie is a mockumentary featuring the story of a fictional Kazakh journalist (Sacha Baron Cohen) on his journey to discover America and (the Canadian) Pamela Anderson. Many have criticized the movie as insulting to Kazakhstan and the Kazakh people, when in fact the movie clearly mocks, and through the mockery, criticizes the United States. But perhaps that's part of the movie's appeal.

Continue reading Best & Worst: Borat! Sacha Baron Cohen insults all in one fell swoop

Best & Worst: Borat! Sacha Baron Cohen insults all in one fell swoop originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 07 Dec 2006 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.