Bulgarian Box Office Update - Weekend 10 - 12 Aug

She was never going to tell the BO secrets

Just for a change for a Pixar movie, Brave remains strong in Bulgaria in its second week and slowing down just 21% already has BGN 418,303 in its accounts. This, coupled with the success of Rapunzel, means that Bulgarian little girls are a force to reckon in terms of ticket purchasing power.

The highest new entry of the week, Total Recall manages to hit the number 2 slot with a result of BGN 80,641 - a mediocre performance for its genre. Still, Colin Farrell was never much of a draw in this country. For comparison last year's summer bomb Freight Night debuted with the dismal BGN 16,300.

Ice Age 4 sticks to #3 and the worldwide hit already has the gigantic BGN 2,140,399.

At the same time, Ted shows a surprisingly okay result with BGN 49,623, and BGN 98,091 including previews. This is a good performance for an R-rated comedy and together with the excellent figures of The Dictator means that local movie-goers are hungry for such popcorn entertainment.

You can check the rest of the top 10 here: Box Office Mojo

This week the top ten is left by What To Expect When You're Expecting, with the awful movie making the more-than-welcome BGN 218,589 in its run. Another long runner, Safe is also out with the expectedly good for Jason Statham BGN 312,379. 

Compared with my projections, both Total Recall and Ted outperformed my BGN 65,000 and BGN 42,000 forecasts.

Next weekend's projections:

Step Up 4: 30,000

That's My Boy: 27,000

(1 BGN =  0.64 USD / EUR 0.51)

Bulgarian Box Office Update - Weekend 3 - 5 Aug

Shooting box office bullseye

As Pixar, despite bringing a pleiad of masterpieces in the past, were never that liked in Bulgaria as let's say the inferior Ice Age, it's not a great feat that their latest Brave manages to bring the best debut of the studio on these (deserted) movie shores. So, with the not so impressive, but still okay BGN 149,995, the first pure fairytale of Pixar enters at #1. 

Thus The Dark Knight Rises slips to #2, and already has BGN 423,026, which for now puts the one million threshold under a question mark. 

Of course, even the arrival of another animated movie couldn't break the stride of Ice Age 4, with the movie crossing the 2 million barrier as we speak. There, it joins an elite club of only a handful of movies such as Mission London, Ice Age 3 and Pirates Of Caribbean 4. 

You can check the rest of the top ten here: Box Office Mojo

This week the top ten is left by Rock of Ages, with the dismal BGN 66,664. After this poor performance and the policy of the film distributors lately, don't expect any more musicals to reach the screens here. Prometheus is also out with BGN 602,765 - an excellent result for a horror/sci fi movie.

Compared to my last week's projections, Brave came somewhat higher than my BGN 110,000 forecast.

Next weekend's forecasts:

Ted - BGN 42,000, including previews

Total Recall - BGN 65,000

(1 BGN =  0.64 USD / EUR 0.51)

Bulgarian Box Office Update - Weekend 27 - 29 July

The costume is soooo old-fashioned here

Following a three-week reign, the fourth part of Ice Age finally gives up the top in Bulgaria. It's of course the Caped Crusader who manages to kick off Sith and co from the summit. The BGN 183,273 debut of the Dark Knight Rises though not a disaster for a non-3D movie, is far from a considerable box office success. And we should add the fact that many local critics seem not to like it, which will also manifest in the reaction of the Bulgarian audience towards the pic. So, the third Nolan-Batman movie has zero chances to be record-breaking in Bulgaria. For comparison, The Dark Knight opened with the identical USD 126,000, though with far less number of screens and no IMAX showings. It ended its run with the disappointing USD 326,000. At the same time Batman Begins was a complete flop with just USD 76,000 in total.

Thus, Ice Age 4 moves down to #2 with the great hold of 28%. The film already has the phenomenal BGN 1,756,098, with the 2m threshold now within definitive reach. 

You can check the rest of the top ten here: Box Office

This week the top ten is left by Street Dance 2 with BGN 170,233. Having in mind it has no stars or any must-see factors, the result is more than excellent for the B-movie. 

Compared to my projections, Dark Knight Rises met exactly my BGN 190,000 forecast.

Next weekend's projections:

Brave - BGN 110,000

(1 BGN =  0.64 USD / EUR 0.51)

Bulgarian Box Office Update - Weekend 20 - 22 July

Beauty was never among top criteria for movie's success

As there were no new major releases in Bulgarian cinemas last week, Ice Age 4 untroubled spends a third week on top and already has the eye-popping BGN 1,438,430. The movie is slowly but undoubtedly turning into the most successful film of 2012.

You can check the rest of the top ten here: Box Office Mojo

Next weekend's projection:

The Dark Knight Rises - BGN 190,000

(1 BGN =  0.64 USD / EUR 0.51)

Bulgarian Box Office Update - Weekend 13 - 15 July

No technique could have helped him

The Ice Age phenomenon continues to be strong as the last instalment of the movie crossed the BGN 1m threshold in Bulgaria for just 12 days, a record, which is rarely seen on these shores. Thus, the completely unoriginal Continental Drift already has BGN 1,021,466 and the franchise is once again on its way to become the most profitable animated title here. 

Thus, The Amazing Spider-Man had expectedly zero chances to beat Scrat and has to contend with the runner-up slot. Released on 26 screens, or almost as half as Ice Age, the reboot collects BGN 93,575 for the weekend. The Spider-Man brand was never that popular here, and for comparison Raimi's Spider-Man was a flop with a total of USD 123,000, Spider-Man 2 was no different with USD 138,000 and Spider-Man 3 ended its run with USD 149,000. It's more than clear that the newest version, boosted by 3D and IMAX surcharges (and the cinema chain expansion) will collect more at the end. It won't be much of a hit nevertheless.

You can check the rest of the chart here: Box Office Mojo

This week the top ten is left by Men In Black 3, which managed to collect BGN 655,007, a great result but I guess its distributor had expected more, and by 2 Days In New York with the paultry BGN 23,435.

Compared to my expectations, Spider-Man opened slightly higher than my BGN 75,000 forecast.

Next weekend's forecast:

THERE ARE NO MAJOR RELEASES IN CINEMAS !!!

(1 BGN =  0.64 USD / EUR 0.51)

Bulgarian Box Office Update - Weekend 6 - 8 July

It's all its fault

It was always expected that Ice Age 4 would debut with a splash in Bulgaria and the franchise proves that it is still alive and kicking with its BGN 447,798 collected for five days. It's really the best debut of the year, ahead of The Avengers, but still pales in comparison to the almost BGN 700,000 heavy premiere of Ice Age 3. And on top of that Ice Age 4 benefits from its release on the record 42 screens (the number of cinemas has not increased), a fact explained with the deliberate or not lack of competition in Bulgarian cinemas (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Killer and Paranorman were the latest pics to be cancelled from cinema release here). And with only Spider Man and Batman remaining for July, it is clear that the path before the hit status of Ice Age 4 was well paved.

The second out of total four July releases enters at #2. Magic Mike draws BGN 33,801 for the weekend or BGN 45,522, including previews. This more or less equals the debut of 21 Jump Street, which was also headed by Channing Tatum. At the same time Haywire, with its more macho premise (yes, really), started with BGN 71,402, including previews. Still, the figures of Magic Mike are more or less satisfactory.

You can check the rest of the chart here: BoxOffice Mojo

The top ten is left this week by flop Rock of Ages and its BGN 41,240, a result equal to the USD 28,000 of Hairspray.

Compared to my projections, both Ice Age 4 and Magic Mike managed to draw more than my respective BGN 280,000 and BGN 32,000 forecasts.

Next weekend's forecast:

The Amazing Spider Man - 75,000

(1 BGN =  0.64 USD / EUR 0.51)

Bulgarian Box Office Update - Weekend 29 June - 1 July

Even the weird costumes couldn't draw the cash

Expectedly due to the lack of any competition Madagascar 3 continues to lead the box office chart in Bulgaria. With BGN 529,893 so far, the Dreamworks movie remains for a fourth week on top. The film, however, will not manage to reach the BGN 1 billion mark despite heading the chart for so long. The awful four instalment of Ice Age is certain to put an end to Madagascar's reign next weekend.

The highest and only new entry is 2 Days in New York, which enters at #8 with BGN 6,892. It has no star power and is basically an art-house flick so the weak result is not so surprising.

You can check the rest of the chart here: Boxofficemojo

This week the top ten is left by Salmon Fishing in The Yemen, which has earned BGN 37,082 - an expected performance for the low-key film.

Compared to my projections, 2 Days in New York opened very close to my BGN 6,000 forecast.

Next weekend's projections:

Ice Age 4 - 280,000, including previews
Magic Mike - 32,000, including previews

(1 BGN =  0.64 USD / EUR 0.51)

Bulgarian Box Office Update - Weekend 22-24 June

Blame the judges but they rank at just #2

Driven by the policy to ever shrink the offer in the multiplexes, the lack of any interesting titles in Bulgarian cinemas means that Madagascar 3 stays for a third week untroubled on top of the box office chart. The movie, without the help of the Arena cinema chain, has collected BGN 458,968 so far. Next Friday only an arthouse movie is released here, so Madagascar will most certainly spends a whole month at the summit. Its reign will however end with the Ice Age 4 in a fortnight. And for the record, Ice Age 4 will be one of the four new films ! released here next month. Do the Bulgarians film distributors have to work at all in the summer?

At #2 Street Dance 2 marks a relatively okay start with BGN 33,757 for the weekend. Having in mind that it's a movie about dancing with no single familiar face in it, the box office result can be seen even as a success.

Things, however, get considerably dark at #8, where the other new proposal of the week crashes. Rock Of Ages with its BGN 8,300 for the weekend and BGN 15,349 including previews may have the honour to be the worst debut of a film by a major studio and with a wide distribution in the modern post-multiplex cinema history in Bulgaria. Even the presence of Tom Cruise couldn't help the musical to save face and deliver numbers better than some independent titles released lately. First, it was the premise that kept many to go and see it and second the many retro-rock fans in Bulgaria (and shamefully they are numerous) are too knowing to watch Hollywood messing with their favourite tunes.

You can check the rest of the chart here: Boxofficemojo

This week the top ten is left by Dark Shadows, whose BGN 176,181 can be considered as a big disappointment in view of the talent involved. It's far less than the monstrous result of Alice in Wonderland but better than Sweeney Todd. Piranha 3DD is also out but with its miserable BGN 11,074 it is not worth even mentioning. The first Piranha 3D ended its run with the better USD 27,515. Finally The Avengers also leaves the first ten, with the amazing BGN 1,153,052, which is the best result of a comic-based movie in Bulgaria and will definitely be one of the top performers of the year. Though Ice Age 4 will take the number one.

Compared to my projections, Street Dance opened almost close to my BGN 28,000 forecast, while Rock Of Ages missed my expectation of BGN 38,000 by a mile.

Next weekend's projections:
2 Days in New York - BGN 6,000

(1 BGN =  0.64 USD / EUR 0.51)

Bulgarian Box Office Update - Weekend 15-17 June

Sorry man, no fish here

This week's box office results come to show for yet another time that 1. independent small non-Hollywood movies and 2. horror titles are not preferred by the local pretentious audience. Thus Salmon Fishing in The Yemen bombs with BGN 10,374 at #7, while Piranha 3DD tanks with the miserable BGN 4,472 at #9. Oh, and I guess this audience deserves to be served with only the biggest Hollywood movies, while everything else though often superior should skip our country.

So, the lack of choices means that all major players from the last few weeks display stable results. Thus, Madagascar 3 continues to lead the parade despite not being played in the Arena cinemas.

This week's top 10 in full:

 

	movie	Change w/w	Result for the weekend (in BGN)	Total result (in BGN)
1.	Madagascar 3	-15%	78,865	345,946
2.	Snow White	-19%	58,343	196,570
3.	Prometheus	-24%	47,093	414,9671
4.	Men In Black 3	-16%	28,386	559,206
5.	The Dictator	-11%	21,171	690,220
6.	What To Expect...	-8%	14,413	102,339
7.	Salmon Fishing	new	10,374	10,374
8.	Avengers	-9%	6,552	1,147,598
9.	Piranha 3DD	new	4,472	4,472
10.	Dark Shadows	-4%	3,340	171,043

This week the top ten is left by Rio, which last week re-entered the chart because of its screenings in Arena (instead of Madagascar 3!) and by Pirates!, which with above BGN 305,000 shows that there is always an audience for animated movies in 3D regardless of their tone.

Compared to my projections, both Salmon Fishing and Piranha 3DD missed my BGN 27,000 and BGN 17,000 forecasts.

Next weekend's projections:

Street Dance 2 - BGN 28,000
Rock of Ages - BGN 38,000, including previews 

(1 BGN =  0.64 USD / EUR 0.51) 

Bulgarian Box Office Update - Weekend 8-10 June

Who'd not like to watch a zebra do the two-feet number?

The arrival of Madagascar 3 on top of the box office this week comes to show several interesting things. First, Bulgarians do love animated movies in 3D, especially the ones coming from Dreamworks, which rely more on gags than on story, and second it doesn't need the participation of the cinema chain with the biggest market presence for a movie to turn into a hit. Yes, for reason unknown (it's always money involved) Madagascar 3 was not screened in the multiplexes of Arena, which didn't stop it to take BGN 92,722 for the weekend and BGN 201,743 including previews from just 13 screens. It's the best performance of a cartoon movie since Puss In Boots stormed the cinemas at the end of 2011. 

Thus, the other new heavyweight proposal - Snow White And The Huntsman has to satisfy itself with the runner-up slot. In view of the competition and the absence of the 3D effect, the fantasy flick draws the okay BGN 72,082. It's quite better than the disastrous debut of Mirror Mirror (BGN 16,424) but the fact that Snow White And The Huntsman is the second Snow White of the year and boasts no familiar to the mass audience faces has also curbed its chances for a spectacular new entry.

This week's top 10 in full:

 

	movie	Change w/w	Result for the weekend (in BGN)	Total result (in BGN)
1.	Madagascar 3	new	92,722	201,743
2.	Snow White	new	72,082	72,082
3.	Prometheus	-59%	61,834	308,281
4.	Men In Black 3	-66%	33,676	504,940
5.	The Dictator	-60%	23,837	645,002
6.	What To Expect...	-45%	15,706	71,717
7.	Avengers	-76%	7,175	1,134,434
8.	Pirates	-76%	4,179	303,754
9.	Rio	699%	4,157	1,006,400
10.	Dark Shadows	-59%	3,482	163,937

This week the top ten is left by Chernobyl Diaries, which didn't manage to escape the curse of the horror genre here and has made just BGN 36,424 so far. It may be a huge hit in Serbia but as Bulgarians are above gay themed (extremely funny) comedies, Parada has attracted the poor BGN 39,348. At the same time, proving once again that Jason Statham is the man who all Bulgarians love, his latest Safe is going out of the top ten with the excellent BGN 287,584. I'm sure our prime minister (The Sun itself) will approve that...

Compared to my predictions Madagascar 3 reached my forecast of BGN 190,000, though when I made it I didn't take into account the fact that it wouldn't be played in Arena. At the same time, Snow White was also close to my BGN 82,000 prediction

Next weekend's forecasts:

Salmon Fishing in The Yemen - BGN 27,000

Piranha 3DD - BGN 17,000

(1 BGN =  0.64 USD / EUR 0.51)  

Bulgarian Box Office Update - Weekend 1-3 June

Box office art was a complicated subject

Surprisingly for the genre and its no-star status, Prometheus shows great power in Bulgaria and debuts directly at #1 with BGN 149,093. The result is close to Ridley Scott's Robyn Hood debut and could be attributed mainly to the Alien prequel expectations, the 3D premium and last but not least the name of the director. Still, the fact that Bulgarians preferred to watch it is really worth taken into account.

The second new entry comes in at #5. What To Expect When You're Expecting enters the countdown with the okay BGN 28,342. It's not much but for a non-major studio film the figure is passable. The movie is awful, so no regrets here.

This week the top ten is left by European blockbuster Intouchables, which with its BGN 58,747 so far is a solid proof that the people who prefer those kind of movies have either emigrated or have no funds to go the cinema. Oh, or have no nerves to sit through it in a popcorn-smelling and thugs-infested multiplex. The flop of Act Of Valor (BGN 45,394) is still mesmerizing, but the fact that the movie boasts no stars has taken its toll.

Compared to my last week's projections, Prometheus came three-times higher than my BGN 58,000 forecast, while What To Expect matched my BGN 25,000 expectation.

Next weekend's forecast:

Madagascar 3 - 190,000, including previews - EDITED - The movie is not being played in one of the two major cinema chains, so we can now expect around 70,000 for it.

Snow White - 82,000

(1 BGN =  0.64 USD / EUR 0.51) 

 This week's top 10 in full:

 

	movie	Change w/w	Result for the weekend (in BGN)	Total result (in BGN)
1.	Prometheus	new	149,093	149,093
2.	Men in Black 3	-52%	97,639	410,531
3.	The Dictator	-47%	59,285	569,105
4.	Avengers	-48%	29,690	1,112,696
5.	What To Expect...	new	28,342	28,342
6.	Pirates	-17%	14,897	295,603
7.	Dark Shadows	-43	8,527	153,564
8.	Safe	-50%	7,984	281,914
9.	Parade	-36%	7,364	35,454
10.	Chernobyl Diaries	-57%	5,036	28,407

Bulgarian Box Office Update - Weekend 25-27 May *

Even the 1st place finish couldn't put a smile on their faces

Non-surprisingly Men In Black 3 took the lead in Bulgaria this weekend with the excellent BGN 201,451. Boosted by ticket price inflation and the 3D surcharge, the movie will have no problems finishing ahead of the first two instalments. There are no comparative figures for part one, though part two finished its run with just USD 101,000.

At #2, with a very good hold of minus 20%, slides The Dictator. The movie has earned the impressive BGN 419,567 so far. At the same time The Avengers crosses the BGN 1m threshold in its fourth weekend. 

The second new proposal crashes this weekend at #7. As it is the custom now, horror pics have no audiences here, so no one should be surprised by the dismal BGN 11,838 of Chernobyl Diaries. Cabin In The Woods had a similar start in April.

The top 10 in full:

 

	movie	Change w/w	Result for the weekend (in BGN)	Total result (in BGN)
1.	Men In Black 3	new	201,451	201,451
2.	The Dictator	-20%	111,659	419,567
3.	The Avengers	-41%	56,701	1,051,732
4.	Pirates!	35%	19,867	271,829
5.	Safe	-14%	15,979	263,336
6.	Dark Shadows	-34%	14,897	132,277
7.	Chernobyl Diaries	new	11,838	11,838
8.	Parade	11%	11,544	25,604
9.	Intouchables	17%	9,388	49,187
10.	Act Of Valor	-22%	7,171	38,203

This week the top ten is left by Wrath of the Titans. The movie has drawn BGN 708,192 so far, which is less than the USD 760,540 final tally of Clash of the Titans. However the first instalment came out when the 3D gimmick was considered something extraordinary and many went and saw it just because of this extra dimension. Mel Gibson's How I Spent My Summer Vacation is also out with just a total of BGN 41,725.

Compared to my last week's projections, Men In Black 3 was relatively close to my BGN 175,000 prediction, while Chernobyl Diaries matched my BGN 12,000 forecast.

Next weekend's projections:

What To Expect When You're Expecting - BGN 25,000

Prometheus - BGN 58,000

(1 BGN =  0.64 USD / EUR 0.51)

* 25 May was a non-working day for Bulgarians

Bulgarian Box Office Update - Weekend 18-20 May

To be on top suits him well

Following a steady promotional campaign, the lack of any major competitors and the fact that it is actually a worldwide premiere, Sacha Baron Cohen's latest vehicle The Dictator manages to steal BGN 139,641 for the weekend (157,091, incl. two days of previews). With that start The Dictator will have no problems whatsoever to beat the USD 139,389 and USD 120,600 respective final tallies of Borat and Bruno. The great weekend result also marks the best debut of a non-3D release for this year.

Expectedly the second new entry of the week bombs at #6 with the awful BGN 10,384. Parade may have been a hit in Serbia but that's no excuse for Bulgarians to go and watch a comedy with gay themes.

Worst though is the performance of Act Of Valor at #7. The fact that a military action pic tanks with less than BGN 10,000 for the weekend means that local audiences like these kind of movie only when they are anchored by popular names (Stallones or Diesels).

The top 10 in full:
 

	movie	Change w/w	Result for the weekend (in BGN)	Total result (in BGN)
1.	The Dictator	new	139,641	157,091
2.	The Avengers	-39%	95,746	899,672
3.	Dark Shadows	-33%	22,723	92,964
4.	Safe	-29%	18,526	233,817
5.	Pirates!	24%	14,706	239,994
6.	Parade	new	10,384	10,384
7.	Act of Valor	new	9,226	21,274
8.	Intouchables	-11%	8,033	32,094
9.	Summer Vacation	-54%	6,496	32,991
10.	Wrath of the Titans	14%	6,347	697,629

This week the top ten is left by American Reunion. The fourth instalment of the lucrative comedy franchise has collected BGN 448,732, which makes it perhaps the best in the group. No comparative figures are available. Bel Ami is also out with BGN 73,251, which is not that bad for such a kind of indie fare. This could not be said however for Battleship, which has made BGN 265,135 - a result far from a serious blockbuster status. Maybe the fact that it is no released in 3D has curbed its chances.

Compared to my projections, The Dictator was clearly underestimated with my BGN 47,000 forecast, while Parade came below my BGN 17,000 prediction. Act of Valor was close to my BGN 27,000 projection.

Next weekend's projections:

Men in Black 3 - 175,000
Chernobyl Diaries - 12,000

(1 BGN =  0.64 USD / EUR 0.51)