Tag Archives: ghost in the shell

Secret Movie Club Hosts an Anime Buffet in 2020 and We’ve Got an Exclusive First Look at Two New Posters

In 2020, the Los Angeles-based Secret Movie Club is hosting screenings of some of the most beloved anime of all time, as part of their Anime Buffet programming slate, which will run from January through April 2020. The Anime Buffet slate is scheduled to include such films as Ghost in the Shell, Perfect Blue, Paprika, Millennium Actress, Metropolis (2001), The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Vampire Hunter D, Grave of the Fireflies, and Tokyo Godfathers. Screenings will alternate between two different locations: the Vista Theater in Los Feliz, the historic single screen theater built in 1922, and the Club, Secret Movie Club’s new downtown location. 

Attendees can purchase limited edition SECRET MOVIE CLUB posters for every screening at all events, which feature new art by contemporary illustrators. Each film is preceded by a brief talk from Secret Movie Club founder Craig Hammill and a trivia question for the audience.

Secret Movie Club

COWBOY BEBOP: THE MOVIE 

(2001, Sony, dir by Shinichiro Watanabe, 35mm, 115mns) 

Friday, January 10, 2020 @ 11:59p, The Vista

In 2071, earth has been ravaged by catastrophe. Humans have colonized other planets and the universe is a new Wild West. A group of Bounty Hunters travel on the spaceship BeBop in search of quarry and rewards. When a contagion gets released in a truck disaster on Mars, our heroes-Spike, Jet, Faye, Ed, and Ein (a dog with human-grade smarts due to artificial enhancement) go off in search of the culprit and the reward that goes with it. 

“One of the great things with Japanese anime, as with all cinema and art, is how each set of creators imbue the genre with their own personal style and stamp,” said Craig Hammill. “Cowboy Be Bop, as its title itself implies, is a mashup of sci-fi, westerns, Hong Kong action movies, and an improvisatory iconoclastic jazz rhythm that make the viewing experience a total blast and totally singular.”

Secret Movie Club Cowboy Bebop

VAMPIRE HUNTER D

(1985, Sentai Filmworks, dir by Toyoo Ashida, 80mns) 

Friday, January 17, 2020 @ 7:30p, The Club, 1917 Bay Street, 2nd Floor, LA, CA 90021

The movie centers on Doris Lang, the daughter of a werewolf hunter, who gets bitten by 10,000 year old Count Magnus Lee one night. She then meets a strange vampire hunter, who only goes by the name D, and employs him to take on the long-lost vampire lord and try to help her from becoming a vampire herself.

Vampire Hunter D is one of the earliest examples of Japanese anime that was made explicitly with teenagers and adults more in mind than children,” said Hammill. “Made for the then emerging direct to video market, Vampire Hunter D had a smaller budget than its feature film peers. But in a strange way, this freed up director Toyoo Ashida to make a more exciting, violent, sensual animation. Ashida has gone on the record as saying his intent with the movie was to make something thrilling that tired students could enjoy during study breaks rather than make an anime that further exhausted them. Full of genre mash-ups, amazing art and design, and storytelling, Vampire Hunter D definitely serves as a prototype and torch in the darkness for future directors like Satoshi Kon, who will take anime into ever more complex, adult, shadowy realms.” 


GHOST IN THE SHELL 

(1995, Lionsgate, dir by Mamoru Oshii, 85mns) 

Saturday, January 18, 2020 @ 11:59p, The Vista:

Often the cyberpunk genre, which would come to full flourish here in the United States with the Wachowski’s The Matrix, can be traced most directly to two Japanese anime parents: 1988’s Akira and 1995’s Ghost in the Shell. Often considered one of the greatest Japanese anime movies of all time, Ghost in the Shell, dives head first into the darker, deeper waters of more adult sci-fi.

It’s 2029 and the human body can be augmented with “smart” prosthetic cybernetics. The most recent innovation, and the most terrifying, is a cyberbrain, which allows humans to now go online/get hooked into the internet, straight through their neural pathways. Our hero, Motoko Kusanagi, is part of an elite squad that fights crime in “New Port City” in Japan. Currently, they are kept busy by an arch criminal known as “The Puppet Master” who appears to have the ability to hack into these “cyberbrains” and get folks to assassinate, kill, commit crimes. As Motoko further explores what’s going on with both the Puppet Master and the innovations in cybernetics, she stumbles across a revelation that goes to the very heart of our philosophical understanding of what makes us unique individuals: what constitutes our “soul”. 

Secret Movie Club Ghost in the Shell

PAPRIKA

(2006, Sony Pictures Classics, dir by Satoshi Kon, 35mm, 90mns) 

Friday, January 31, 2020 @ 11:59p, The Vista:

If Hayao Miyazaki is synonymous with a kind of all-ages wildly imaginative Japanese anime, then director Satoshi Kon is synonymous with a Japanese anime that dares to go to the very limits of what any kind of cinema can explore in terms of human psychology, fear, desire, imagination. And he does it in the most creative and miraculous of artistic ways.

Paprika is one of his wildest mind-bending creations of all. In the near-future, there is a device called the “DC Mini” which allows Dr. Atsuko Chiba to enter the dreams of her patients (using her alter-ego “Paprika”) to help try to discover the root of their fears, anxieties, and hang ups. But the problem is that the “DC Mini” is still in prototype mode with no restrictions or safety barriers whatsoever. And if it gets into the wrong hands (which of course it does), it allows the thieves to enter dreams for more sinister and nefarious reasons. 


METROPOLIS

(2001, Sony, dir by Rintaro, 113mns total, 35mm, Japanese with English subtitles) 

Saturday, February 1, 2020 @ 10:45p, The Club

Written by Katsohiro Otomo (writer/director of the classic anime Akira), Metropolis shares much of its DNA with that seminal anime classic including a central character who is rocked to their psychological core by the realization of their “super human” abilities and an impending apocalypse that threatens the entire foundations of a huge city.


MILLENNIUM ACTRESS

(2002, 11 Arts, dir by Satoshi Kon, 82mns, Japanese with English subtitles) 

Wednesday, February 12, 2020 @ 8p, The Club

Millennium Actress tells the emotional story (in a decidedly surreal and modernist way) of famous actor Chiyoko Fujiwara, who tells her life story to documentarians and explains she only ever became an actress in the hopes of being recognized by an artist/political rebel she fell in love with as a teenager and never saw again. As Chiyoko tells her story, it becomes hard to tell what’s her real life, what are movie scenes she starred in, and where fiction/reality meet and diverge. 

Special Note: There will be three originally written 3-4 minute monologues performed by three actresses ahead of the screening running a total of 10-12 minutes. 


PERFECT BLUE

(1997, GKIDS, dir by Satoshi Kon, 35mm, 81mns) 

Friday, February 21, 2020 @ 11:59p, The Vista

Kon fully commits to an anime that is as rich, dark, and complex as any Scorsese, Kubrick, Lynch, or Bergman movie. But with the added benefit of being able to cinematically represent psychological states of mind in a way that is often impossible in live-action cinema.

“If you want to see anime that absolutely succeeds in expanding the playing field of what cinema can do, come join us for Perfect Blue,” said Hammill.


THE GIRL WHO LEAPT THROUGH TIME

(2006, Funimation, directed by Mamoru Hosoda, 98mns; English dubbed version)

Saturday, March 14, 2020 @ 10:30a, the Vista

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time tells the story of young teenager Makoto Konno who discovers a magical object in her high school that allows her to leap through time and prevent situations that caused her great embarrassment. This premise, as with all good premises fully explored, deepens into a meditation on wish fulfillment versus reality. Makoto, first using the device for frivolous things, comes to realize that the device has its price. And that she is not the only one using it. . . 


GRAVE OF THE FIREFLIES

(1988, GKids, directed by Isao Takahata, 90mns; Japanese with English subtitles) 

Saturday, April 4, 2020 @ 10:30a, the Vista

One of the absolute greatest animes ever made, Grave of the Fireflies, directed by Isao Takahata, deals with siblings Seita and Satsuko, who have to rely on each other to survive after they’re separated from their parents during the American fire-bombing of Tokyo in the late stages of World War II.


Tickets can be purchased now.


Secret Movie Club is a group project among the founders and the audience. Audience suggestions are taken and often used. Secret Movie Club aims to celebrate the wonderful experience that comes from watching the world’s greatest movies in great movie theaters with great audiences.

Where the Data Ranks 2017’s (and 2018’s) Comic Book Films. Avengers: Infinity War Crosses $1 Billion While 2017 Wraps Up

Unsurprisingly Avengers: Infinity War won the weekend easily with an estimated $112.5 million a 56.4% drop from the previous weekend. That beat the second place film by almost $100 million.

Avengers: Infinity War has earned $450.8 million domestically after ten days which only paces Star Wars: The Force Awakens which did that in nine.

Internationally the film remained in first place with an estimated $162.6 million from 54 markets. The weekend brought in $275.1 million for the film which has now earned $1.16 billion worldwide.

The film’s 11 day run to $1 billion worldwide is the fastest any film has crossed the line. It’s the sixth Marvel film to cross that mark and 17th for Walt Disney Studios. 34 films have crossed $1 billion at the worldwide box office.

The film is the fifth highest grossing comic adaptation and will likely move up a spot after this week. It’s $50 million behind Iron Man 3 and $175 million behind Black Panther.

Black Panther was #7 for the week with an estimated $3.1 million. Domestically the film has earned $693.1 million. Worldwide, the film has earned $1.338 billion.

The film is still earning far more domestically than the average Marvel film with 51.79% earned versus 41.02% on average. International earnings seem to have slowed down as the percentage has increased for the domestic ever so slightly. The film is an outlier as far as that and we’ll have a deeper dive in a few weeks to see where it over performed and where it might have under performed.

The Death of Stalin improved one spot to come in at #23 for the week. The film earned $181,623 to bring its domestic total to $7.5 million.

I Kill Giants continues to be a weird one when it comes to numbers. Some more numbers have come in. In Russia, the film has earned $163,289, Ukraine, $13,599, Australia it’s $926, United Arab Emirates it’s $85,002, and United Kingdom it’s $805. All together, the film has earned a reported $263,621 at the foreign box office. No domestic numbers have been released. The movie was released on demand at the same time in theaters, so the film has made money it’s just unknown how much.

We’ll have a deeper analysis of 2018’s releases as more are released but lets do the time warp to 2017…


It looks like 2017’s films have wrapped up their earnings as no film has brought in any money over the past week. The last holdover was Thor: Ragnarok. We’ll wait one more week to see if this has completely wrapped up or not.

2017 has been a record year for comic adaptations. The films have earned $2.365 billion domestically beating the previous year’s $1.901 billion. Internationally, films have earned $3.755 billion beating the previous record of $3.215 billion set in 2014. Worldwide comic adaptations have earned $6.120 billion beating the 2016 record of $5.026 billion. “Profits” too have seen a record year with $4.442 billion versus 2016’s record of $3.812 billion.

We’ll continue to report on 2017’s statistics until all dollars are in, at least a few more weeks.

Lets compare how the big two comic companies compare for earnings. Black Panther is included, so Marvel’s totals will increase over time. On average DC films earn $317.6 million domestically while Marvel earns $333.6 million. Internationally, Marvel rules with $495.1 million and DC lags behind with $435.7 million.

2017 has had five clear successes and a whole lot of mixed otherwise. Thor: RagnarokWonder Woman, Logan, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 have done well this year. My Friend DahmerJustice LeagueKingsman: The Golden Circle, The LEGO Batman Movie and Smurfs: The Lost Village, and Atomic Blonde are in that debatable area. ValerianWilson, Ghost in the Shell, and Blade of the Immortal are generally disappointments. Marvel’s Inhumans… got no clue and tough to debate since it’s a television show primarily with a limited film engagement.

Here’s where this year’s comic films stand as far as the actual numbers. With a new film opening the averages have dipped.

Total Domestic Gross: $2.365 billion
Total International Gross: $3.755 billion
Worldwide Gross: $6.120 billion
Total Reported Budgets: $1.667 million
Total “Profit”: $4.442 billion

Average Domestic Gross: $147.8 million
Average International Gross: $268.2 million
Average: Worldwide Gross: $382.5 million
Average Budget: $128.2 million
Average Profit: $254.3 million

Below is where the films released stand when it comes to being compared to this year’s averages. Those in green are above average while those below are red.

Where the Data Ranks 2017’s (and 2018’s) Comic Book Films. Avengers: Infinity War Lifts Black Panther for a Top Five Team Up

Everyone knew Avengers: Infinity War would open big but the question was, how big? We’ve got that answer with a record opening weekend. The film has opened with a record $250 million domestically which bests the previous record holder Star Wars: The Force Awaken‘s $247.9 million. The film also earned a record $630 million worldwide. Disney has a habit of underestimating these types of things, so it’s possible that number could go even higher.

Addition records include:

  • Largest single Saturday gross
  • Largest single Sunday gross
  • Largest April opening
  • Largest Spring opening
  • Widest PG-13 release
  • Fastest film to $150, $200, and $250 million

Internationally the film opened with an estimated $380 million from 72% of the international marketplace. That’s the second largest. Fate of the Furious holds the record with $442 million but it had the benefit of China which earned $185 million of that. The film will open there May 11th. It was #1 in all territories.

Infinity War received an “A” CinemaScore with audience that was 58% male and 58% over the age of 24. With this opening the 18 Marvel Cinematic Universe films has amassed nearly $15.5 billion combined.

The film is currently #28 in all time grosses for a comic adaptation.

Black Panther improved from last week’s eighth place to come in at fifth for the weekend. The film added $4.4 million to its domestic total and clearly has gotten a boost from Avengers: Infinity War. This is the first time since 2008 that Marvel has had two films in the top ten. The film is $1 million behind Star Wars: The Last Jedi to move in to ninth place for worldwide grosses of all time.

The film is still earning far more domestically than the average Marvel film with 51.68% earned versus 41.1% on average. International earnings seem to have slowed down as the percentage has increased for the domestic ever so slightly. The film is an outlier as far as that and we’ll have a deeper dive in a few weeks to see where it over performed and where it might have under performed.

The Death of Stalin held steady at #21 earning $210,478 to bring its domestic total to $7.2 million after eight weeks.. It debuted internationally last year, with controversy in Russia. It has earned $9.05 million in foreign markets. The film has passed Superman IV: The Quest for Peace and is now #141 when it comes to comic adaptation earnings.

I Kill Giants continues to be a weird one when it comes to numbers. Reported earnings are scarce. In Russia the film opened on March 29and has earned $127,713. In the United Kingdom is listed as having opened April 6th and earned $804. The film has likely earned money elsewhere, so we’ll keep digging.

We’ll have a deeper analysis of 2018’s releases as more are released but lets do the time warp to 2017…


Things have slowed down as 2017 wraps up.

Thor: Ragnarok looks to have earned a few hundred dollars and stands at $854 million. It’s the last film from 2017 that’s still earning money at the box office.

2017 has been a record year for comic adaptations. The films have earned $2.365 billion domestically beating the previous year’s $1.901 billion. Internationally, films have earned $3.755 billion beating the previous record of $3.215 billion set in 2014. Worldwide comic adaptations have earned $6.120 billion beating the 2016 record of $5.026 billion. “Profits” too have seen a record year with $4.442 billion versus 2016’s record of $3.812 billion.

We’ll continue to report on 2017’s statistics until all dollars are in, at least a few more weeks.

Lets compare how the big two comic companies compare for earnings. Black Panther is included, so Marvel’s totals will increase over time. On average DC films earn $317.6 million domestically while Marvel earns $333.6 million. Internationally, Marvel rules with $495.1 million and DC lags behind with $435.7 million.

2017 has had five clear successes and a whole lot of mixed otherwise. Thor: RagnarokWonder Woman, Logan, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 have done well this year. My Friend DahmerJustice LeagueKingsman: The Golden Circle, The LEGO Batman Movie and Smurfs: The Lost Village, and Atomic Blonde are in that debatable area. ValerianWilson, Ghost in the Shell, and Blade of the Immortal are generally disappointments. Marvel’s Inhumans… got no clue and tough to debate since it’s a television show primarily with a limited film engagement.

Here’s where this year’s comic films stand as far as the actual numbers. With a new film opening the averages have dipped.

Total Domestic Gross: $2.365 billion
Total International Gross: $3.755 billion
Worldwide Gross: $6.120 billion
Total Reported Budgets: $1.667 million
Total “Profit”: $4.442 billion

Average Domestic Gross: $147.8 million
Average International Gross: $268.2 million
Average: Worldwide Gross: $382.5 million
Average Budget: $128.2 million
Average Profit: $254.3 million

Below is where the films released stand when it comes to being compared to this year’s averages. Those in green are above average while those below are red.

Where the Data Ranks 2017’s (and 2018’s) Comic Book Films. Black Panther Continues to Impress, Death of Stalin Nears $7 million

Black Panther remained in the top ten at the box office coming in at #8 this past weekend. The film dropped 19.7% over the weekend adding $4.6 million to its total. The film now stands at $681.1 million. Worldwide the film stands at $1.324 billion. The film is $8 million behind Star Wars: The Last Jedi to move in to ninth place for worldwide grosses of all time. The movie’s domestic run accounts for almost 20% of 2018’s overall box office. So, while the year is only a third of the way done, it looks like Marvel’s dominance will be the story of the year with Avengers: Infinity War likely also earning a billion dollars by the time it’s done.

The film is still earning far more domestically than the average Marvel film with 51.4% earned versus 41.1% on average. International earnings seem to have slowed down as the percentage has increased for the domestic ever so slightly. The film is an outlier as far as that and we’ll have a deeper dive in a few weeks to see where it over performed and where it might have under performed.

The Death of Stalin was #21 earning $340,216 to bring its domestic total to $6.9 million after seven weeks domestically. It debuted internationally last year, with controversy in Russia. It has also earned $9.05 million in foreign markets. The film has passed Josie and the Pussycats and Billy and Buddy and is now #142 when it comes to comic adaptation earnings.

I Kill Giants continues to be a weird one when it comes to numbers. Reported earnings are scarce. In Russia the film opened on March 29and has earned $127,713. In the United Kingdom is listed as having opened April 6th and earned $804. The film has likely earned money elsewhere, so we’ll keep digging.

We’ll have a deeper analysis of 2018’s releases as more are released but lets do the time warp to 2017…


Things have slowed down as 2017 wraps up.

Thor: Ragnarok looks to have earned a few hundred dollars and stands at $854 million. It’s the last film from 2017 that’s till earning money at the box office.

2017 has been a record year for comic adaptations. The films have earned $2.365 billion domestically beating the previous year’s $1.901 billion. Internationally, films have earned $3.755 billion beating the previous record of $3.215 billion set in 2014. Worldwide comic adaptations have earned $6.120 billion beating the 2016 record of $5.026 billion. “Profits” too have seen a record year with $4.442 billion versus 2016’s record of $3.812 billion.

We’ll continue to report on 2017’s statistics until all dollars are in, at least a few more weeks.

Lets compare how the big two comic companies compare for earnings. Black Panther is included, so Marvel’s totals will increase over time. On average DC films earn $317.6 million domestically while Marvel earns $333.6 million. Internationally, Marvel rules with $495.1 million and DC lags behind with $435.7 million.

2017 has had five clear successes and a whole lot of mixed otherwise. Thor: RagnarokWonder Woman, Logan, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 have done well this year. My Friend DahmerJustice LeagueKingsman: The Golden Circle, The LEGO Batman Movie and Smurfs: The Lost Village, and Atomic Blonde are in that debatable area. ValerianWilson, Ghost in the Shell, and Blade of the Immortal are generally disappointments. Marvel’s Inhumans… got no clue and tough to debate since it’s a television show primarily with a limited film engagement.

Here’s where this year’s comic films stand as far as the actual numbers. With a new film opening the averages have dipped.

Total Domestic Gross: $2.365 billion
Total International Gross: $3.755 billion
Worldwide Gross: $6.120 billion
Total Reported Budgets: $1.667 million
Total “Profit”: $4.442 billion

Average Domestic Gross: $147.8 million
Average International Gross: $268.2 million
Average: Worldwide Gross: $382.5 million
Average Budget: $128.2 million
Average Profit: $254.2 million

Below is where the films released stand when it comes to being compared to this year’s averages. Those in green are above average while those below are red.

Where the Data Ranks 2017’s (and 2018’s) Comic Book Films. Black Panther Drops Out of the Top Five

Black Panther has dropped out of the top give after nine weeks at the box office. The film dropped 38.6% over the weekend adding $5.3 million to its total. The film now stands at $673.8 million domestically and $1.313 billion worldwide. The film is just $20 million behind Star Wars: The Last Jedi for worldwide grosses and there’s a good chance it’ll pass it before its run is over.

The film is still earning far more domestically than the average Marvel film with 51.3% earned versus 41.1% on average. International earnings seem to have slowed down as the percentage has increased for the domestic ever so slightly. The film is an outlier as far as that and we’ll have a deeper dive in a few weeks to see where it over performed and where it might have under performed.

The Death of Stalin held steady at #18 with an estimated $474,692. The film has earned $6.3 million domestically. It’s decreased in theaters now showing in 330 a decrease in 224. It debuted internationally last year, with controversy in Russia. It has also earned $9.05 million in foreign markets. The film has passed Josie and the Pussycats and Billy and Buddy and is now #142 when it comes to comic adaptation earnings.

I Kill Giants still is a weird one when it comes to numbers. So far, only its earnings in Russia have been reported and that was last week. It opened March 29 in that region. The film earned $127,713. Now, the United Kingdom is lsited where it opened April 6th and earned $804 (reported on April 11th). The film has likely earned money elsewhere, so we’ll keep digging.

We’ll have a deeper analysis of 2018’s releases as more are released but lets do the time warp to 2017…


Things have slowed down as 2017 wraps up.

Thor: Ragnarok looks to have earned a few hundred dollars and now stands at $854 million.

2017 has been a record year for comic adaptations. The films have earned $2.365 billion domestically beating the previous year’s $1.901 billion. Internationally, films have earned $3.755 billion beating the previous record of $3.215 billion set in 2014. Worldwide comic adaptations have earned $6.120 billion beating the 2016 record of $5.026 billion. “Profits” too have seen a record year with $4.442 billion versus 2016’s record of $3.812 billion.

We’ll continue to report on 2017’s statistics until all dollars are in, at least a few more weeks.

Lets compare how the big two comic companies compare for earnings. Black Panther is included, so Marvel’s totals will increase over time. On average DC films earn $317.6 million domestically while Marvel earns $333.6 million. Internationally, Marvel rules with $495.1 million and DC lags behind with $435.7 million.

2017 has had five clear successes and a whole lot of mixed otherwise. Thor: RagnarokWonder Woman, Logan, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 have done well this year. My Friend DahmerJustice LeagueKingsman: The Golden Circle, The LEGO Batman Movie and Smurfs: The Lost Village, and Atomic Blonde are in that debatable area. ValerianWilson, Ghost in the Shell, and Blade of the Immortal are generally disappointments. Marvel’s Inhumans… got no clue and tough to debate since it’s a television show primarily with a limited film engagement.

Here’s where this year’s comic films stand as far as the actual numbers. With a new film opening the averages have dipped.

Total Domestic Gross: $2.365 billion
Total International Gross: $3.755 billion
Worldwide Gross: $6.120 billion
Total Reported Budgets: $1.667 million
Total “Profit”: $4.442 billion

Average Domestic Gross: $147.8 million
Average International Gross: $268.2 million
Average: Worldwide Gross: $382.5 million
Average Budget: $128.2 million
Average Profit: $254.2 million

Below is where the films released stand when it comes to being compared to this year’s averages. Those in green are above average while those below are red.

Where the Data Ranks 2017’s (and 2018’s) Comic Book Films. Black Panther Passes Titanic

Black Panther dropped just 27% in its eighth weekend. The film earned an estimated $8.4 million domestically, the film has earned $665 million. That makes it the third highest grossing domestic release of all-time passing Titanic (not adjusted for inflation). It would have to earned another $95 million to pass Avatar which is in second place.

Internationally, the film added $4.5 million to tat total to bring its international earnings to $635 million for a worldwide total just shy of $1.3 billion.

The film is still earning far more domestically than the average Marvel film with 51.2% earned versus 41.1% on average. International earnings seem to have slowed down as the percentage has increased for the domestic ever so slightly.

The Death of Stalin came in at #18 this past weekend slipping just one slot from last week. The film brought in $1.11 million and added 70 theaters. It’s now showing in 554 theaters. The film has earned $5.6 million domestically. It debuted internationally last year, with controversy in Russia. It has also earned $9.05 million in foreign markets. The film has passed Supergirl, Jonah Hex, and Punisher: War Zone and currently sits at #44 for worldwide earnings for comic adaptations.

I Kill Giants still is a weird one when it comes to numbers. So far, only its earnings in Russia has been reported. It opened March 29 in that region. The film earned $127,713.

We’ll have a deeper analysis of 2018’s releases as more are released but lets do the time warp to 2017…


Justice League looks like it has wound down its run settling at a respectable $657.9 million. Wile the film had the lowest domestic gross of a film as part of the DC Cinematic Universe, it also had the second highest international gross. The film earned a 65.19% internationally, the highest of a DC film. On average, the films earn 58% internationally. That’s the highest percentage of any DCU film internationally.

Thor: Ragnarok looks to have earned a few hundred dollars and now stands at $854 million.

2017 has been a record year for comic adaptations. The films have earned $2.365 billion domestically beating the previous year’s $1.901 billion. Internationally, films have earned $3.755 billion beating the previous record of $3.215 billion set in 2014. Worldwide comic adaptations have earned $6.120 billion beating the 2016 record of $5.026 billion. “Profits” too have seen a record year with $4.442 billion versus 2016’s record of $3.812 billion.

We’ll continue to report on 2017’s statistics until all dollars are in, at least a few more weeks.

Lets compare how the big two comic companies compare for earnings. Black Panther is included, so Marvel’s totals will increase over time. On average DC films earn $317.6 million domestically while Marvel earns $333.1 million. Internationally, Marvel rules with $494.2 million and DC lags behind with $435.7 million.

2017 has had five clear successes and a whole lot of mixed otherwise. Thor: RagnarokWonder Woman, Logan, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 have done well this year. My Friend DahmerJustice LeagueKingsman: The Golden Circle, The LEGO Batman Movie and Smurfs: The Lost Village, and Atomic Blonde are in that debatable area. ValerianWilson, Ghost in the Shell, and Blade of the Immortal are generally disappointments. Marvel’s Inhumans… got no clue and tough to debate since it’s a television show primarily with a limited film engagement.

Here’s where this year’s comic films stand as far as the actual numbers. With a new film opening the averages have dipped.

Total Domestic Gross: $2.365 billion
Total International Gross: $3.755 billion
Worldwide Gross: $6.120 billion
Total Reported Budgets: $1.667 million
Total “Profit”: $4.442 billion

Average Domestic Gross: $147.8 million
Average International Gross: $268.2 million
Average: Worldwide Gross: $382.5 million
Average Budget: $128.2 million
Average Profit: $254.2 million

Below is where the films released stand when it comes to being compared to this year’s averages. Those in green are above average while those below are red.

Where the Data Ranks 2017’s (and 2018’s) Comic Book Films. Black Panther and Death of Stalin Bring in the Dollars

After six weeks, Black Panther came in third place at the box office with an estimated $11.2 million. The film has now earned $650.7 million domestically, the fifth highest of all time and it will likely wind up in third when its run is over. At the international box office the film added $7.7 million to bring its international gross to $623.2 million and $1.274 billion. It currently places eleventh for all-time worldwide total and will easily move into the top ten passing Frozen.

The film is still earning far more domestically than the average Marvel film with 51.1% earned versus 41.1% on average. Things have been shifting slowly towards the international market now that China has opened. That market tends to be one of the largest for films internationally.

The Death of Stalin expanded in its fourth weekend to 484 theaters from last weekend’s 140. It added $1.5 million to its domestic total to bring that to $3.9 million. It debuted internationally last year, with controversy in Russia. It has already earned $7.6 million in foreign markets.

I Kill Giants still is a no shot in the stats. The film has supposedly opened in theaters though no numbers have been returned. The movies is available on demand digitally and will get a Blu-ray released in May. It’s likely we won’t be getting returns back for this one.

We’ll have a deeper analysis of 2018’s releases as more are released but lets do the time warp to 2017…


Justice League looks like it has wound down its run settling at a respectable $657.9 million. Wile the film had the lowest domestic gross of a film as part of the DC Cinematic Universe, it also had the second highest international gross. The film earned a 65.19% internationally, the highest of a DC film. On average, the films earn 58% internationally.

Thor: Ragnarok looks to have earned a few hundred dollars and now stands at $854 million.

2017 has been a record year for comic adaptations. The films have earned $2.365 billion domestically beating the previous year’s $1.901 billion. Internationally, films have earned $3.755 billion beating the previous record of $3.215 billion set in 2014. Worldwide comic adaptations have earned $6.118 billion beating the 2016 record of $5.026 billion. “Profits” too have seen a record year with $4.442 billion versus 2016’s record of $3.812 billion.

We’ll continue to report on 2017’s statistics until all dollars are in, at least a few more weeks.

Lets compare how the big two comic companies compare for earnings. Black Panther is included, so Marvel’s totals will increase over time. On average DC films earn $317.6 million domestically while Marvel earns $332.3 million. Internationally, Marvel rules with $494.2 million and DC lags behind with $435.7 million.

2017 has had five clear successes and a whole lot of mixed otherwise. Thor: RagnarokWonder Woman, Logan, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 have done well this year. My Friend DahmerJustice LeagueKingsman: The Golden Circle, The LEGO Batman Movie and Smurfs: The Lost Village, and Atomic Blonde are in that debatable area. ValerianWilson, Ghost in the Shell, and Blade of the Immortal are generally disappointments. Marvel’s Inhumans… got no clue and tough to debate since it’s a television show primarily with a limited film engagement.

Here’s where this year’s comic films stand as far as the actual numbers. With a new film opening the averages have dipped.

Total Domestic Gross: $2.365 billion
Total International Gross: $3.755 billion
Worldwide Gross: $6.120 billion
Total Reported Budgets: $1.667 million
Total “Profit”: $4.442 billion

Average Domestic Gross: $147.8 million
Average International Gross: $268.2 million
Average: Worldwide Gross: $382.5 million
Average Budget: $128.2 million
Average Profit: $254.2 million

Below is where the films released stand when it comes to being compared to this year’s averages. Those in green are above average while those below are red.

Where the Data Ranks 2017’s (and 2018’s) Comic Book Films. Black Panther Passes the Avengers Domestically

After five weeks at the top of the box office, Black Panther dropped to second place at the weekend box office earning an estimated $16.7 million domestically. Domestically, the film has earned $630.9 million. It’s now the highest grossing comic adaptation domestically beating The Avengers which earned $623.3 million. It’s the fifth largest domestic release of all-time and will likely climb higher. The film is about $22 million shy of fourth place Jurassic World and there’s a very good change it’ll pass that as well as third place Titanic which sits at $659.4 million.

Internationally, Black Panther added an estimated $12.9 million to bring its international total to $606.4 million to bring its worldwide total to $1.237 billion. It’s now the twelfth highest worldwide release of all time passing The Fate of the Furious and it will likely pass last year’s Beauty and the Beast. It’s now the third highest grossing comic adaptation passing Iron Man 3.

The film is still earning far more domestically than the average Marvel film with 51% earned versus 41.1% on average. Things have been shifting slowly towards the international market now that China has opened. That market tends to be one of the largest for films internationally.

The Death of Stalin expanded in its third weekend to 140 theaters from last weekend’s 32. It brought in an estimated $1.1 million (almost double the previous week) to bring its total to $2.1 million. It debuted internationally last year, with controversy in Russia. It has already earned $7.6 million in foreign markets.

I Kill Giants debuted this past weekend. The film has supposedly opened in box offices though no numbers have been returned. The movies is available on demand digitally and will get a Blu-ray released in May. It’s likely we won’t be getting returns back for this one.

We’ll have a deeper analysis of 2018’s releases as more are released but lets do the time warp to 2017…


Justice League looks like it has finally wound down its run settling at a respectable $657.9 million. Wile the film had the lowest domestic gross of a film as part of the DC Cinematic Universe, it also had the second highest international gross. The film earned a 65.19% internationally, the highest of a DC film. On average, the films earn 58% internationally.

Thor: Ragnarok looks to have had its earnings adjusted dropping about $300,000 compared to last week. It has earned $854 million worldwide.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle has slowed down and stands at $410.9 million. That’s an increase of $12,000 over the week. It looks to be the last film released in 2017 to still be earning money.

2017 has been a record year for comic adaptations. The films have earned $2.365 billion domestically beating the previous year’s $1.901 billion. Internationally, films have earned $3.753 billion beating the previous record of $3.215 billion set in 2014. Worldwide comic adaptations have earned $6.118 billion beating the 2016 record of $5.026 billion. “Profits” too have seen a record year with $4.44 billion versus 2016’s record of $3.812 billion.

We’ll continue to report on 2017’s statistics until all dollars are in, at least a few more weeks.

Lets compare how the big two comic companies compare for earnings. Black Panther is included, so Marvel’s totals will increase over time. On average DC films earn $317.6 million domestically while Marvel earns $331.2 million. Internationally, Marvel rules with $493.3 million and DC lags behind with $435.7 million.

2017 has had five clear successes and a whole lot of mixed otherwise. Thor: RagnarokWonder Woman, Logan, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 have done well this year. My Friend DahmerJustice LeagueKingsman: The Golden Circle, The LEGO Batman Movie and Smurfs: The Lost Village, and Atomic Blonde are in that debatable area. ValerianWilson, Ghost in the Shell, and Blade of the Immortal are generally disappointments. Marvel’s Inhumans… got no clue and tough to debate since it’s a television show primarily with a limited film engagement.

Here’s where this year’s comic films stand as far as the actual numbers. With a new film opening the averages have dipped.

Total Domestic Gross: $2.365 billion
Total International Gross: $3.753 billion
Worldwide Gross: $6.118 billion
Total Reported Budgets: $1.667 million
Total “Profit”: $4.44 billion

Average Domestic Gross: $147.8 million
Average International Gross: $268 million
Average: Worldwide Gross: $382.4 million
Average Budget: $128.2 million
Average Profit: $254.1 million

Below is where the films released stand when it comes to being compared to this year’s averages. Those in green are above average while those below are red.

Where the Data Ranks 2017’s (and 2018’s) Comic Book Films. Black Panther Dominates and Death to Stalin Nears $1 Million

Black Panther again won the weekend making it five in a row. It’s the first film to do that since Avatar in 2009. It also crossed $600 million domestically, the seventh film to do so. With an estimated $27 million, the film now stands at $605.4 million domestically.

Internationally, Black Panther earned $30 million which pushes its foreign box office to $577.1 million. Worldwide the film has earned $1.183 billion.

The film is $18 million shy of passing Marvel’s The Avengers at the domestic box office at which point it’ll be the highest grossing superhero movie of all-time. The film still has a bit to go to gain that title for worldwide totals. There it’s $400 million shy. But, the film is currently ranked fourth when it comes to worldwide earnings for a comic adaptation (not accounting for inflation). Over the week it passed The Dark Knight Rises and Captain America: Civil War. It’ll likely move into third place after this week passing Iron Man 3. The film has earned more than every comic adaptation released in 2017.

The film is still earning far more domestically than the average Marvel film with 51.2% earned versus 41.11% on average. Things should shift even more internationally now that China has opened as that market can bring in 20% of a film’s total earnings.

The Death of Stalin expanded in its second weekend to 32 theaters. It brought in an estimated $580,576 to bring its total to $843,967. Per theater the film earned $18,143 a weekend best. The film has a comic adaptation tied with it which was released before the film debuted. It debuted internationally last year, with controversy in Russia. It earned $7.6 million in foreign markets.

We’ll have a deeper analysis of 2018’s releases as more are released (and one more comes out this March) but lets do the time warp to 2017…


Justice League continues to fight at the box office and is still earning money four months after its debut. The film stands at $657.9 million worldwide, an increase of $150,000 since last week. While the film is lagging other DC films, it’s also earning much more at the foreign box office than any other film beside Batman v Superman. The film has earned 65.19% of its dollars from the foreign box office. The DCU on average has earned 58%. The higher percentage is partially due to lower domestic earnings, but the film is definitely not to be counted out at the worldwide box office. The film passed Big Hero 6 and is now #25 for worldwide earnings for a comic adaptation. The film is about $10 million behind Man of Steel so unlikely to pass it as it winds down its run.

Thor: Ragnarok added an estimated $360,000 worldwide to its total. Worldwide the film has earned $854.3 million. The film is about $9.5 million behind Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle has slowed down and stands at $410.9 million. That’s an increase of $16,000 over the week.

2017 has been a record year for comic adaptations. With over a month to go the films have earned $2.365 billion domestically beating the previous year’s $1.901 billion. Internationally, films have earned $3.753 billion beating the previous record of $3.215 billion set in 2014. Worldwide comic adaptations have earned $6.118 billion beating the 2016 record of $5.026 billion. “Profits” too have seen a record year with $4.44 billion versus 2016’s record of $3.812 billion.

We’ll continue to report on 2017’s statistics until all dollars are in, at least another month, if not more.

Lets compare how the big two comic companies compare for earnings. Black Panther is included, so Marvel’s totals will increase over time. On average DC films earn $317.6 million domestically while Marvel earns $329.8 million. Internationally, Marvel rules with $491.7 million and DC lags behind with $435.7 million.

2017 has had five clear successes and a whole lot of mixed otherwise. Thor: RagnarokWonder Woman, Logan, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 have done well this year. My Friend DahmerJustice LeagueKingsman: The Golden Circle, The LEGO Batman Movie and Smurfs: The Lost Village, and Atomic Blonde are in that debatable area. ValerianWilson, Ghost in the Shell, and Blade of the Immortal are generally disappointments. Marvel’s Inhumans… got no clue and tough to debate since it’s a television show primarily with a limited film engagement.

Here’s where this year’s comic films stand as far as the actual numbers. With a new film opening the averages have dipped.

Total Domestic Gross: $2.365 billion
Total International Gross: $3.753 billion
Worldwide Gross: $6.118 billion
Total Reported Budgets: $1.667 million
Total “Profit”: $4.44 billion

Average Domestic Gross: $147.8 million
Average International Gross: $268.1 million
Average: Worldwide Gross: $382.4 million
Average Budget: $128.2 million
Average Profit: $254.1 million

Below is where the films released stand when it comes to being compared to this year’s averages. Those in green are above average while those below are red.

Where the Data Ranks 2017’s (and 2018’s) Comic Book Films. Black Panther Crosses $1 Billion and Death of Stalin Debuts

Black Panther was won the weekend for the fourth straight weekend a first for a movie part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The film earned an estimated $41.1 million domestically and it now has earned $562 million domestically.

The film also debuted in China, its final major market. There it opened with an estimated $66.5 million. Internationally the film earned an estimated $100 to bring its foreign earnings to $516.6 million.

The film has earned $1.079 billion. It’s the second highest domestic total ever for a comic adaptation, behind Marvel’s The Avengers. It’s ranked #7 overall not adjusted for inflation. When it comes to worldwide total, the film is just $6 million behind The Dark Knight Rises and is currently #21 for all films released also not adjusted for inflation. There it’s #6 for comic adaptations. The way the film is going, it should move into the top four worldwide earners for a comic film. It is $80 million short of Captain America: Civil War.

The film has earned more than every comic adaptation released in 2017.

The film is still earning far more domestically than the average Marvel film with 52.11% earned versus 41.17% on average. Things should shift even more internationally now that China has opened as that market can bring in 20% of a film’s total earnings.

The Death of Stalin debuted in four theaters earning $181,308 an impressive $45,327 per theater. The film has a comic adaptation tied with it which was released before the film debuted. It debuted internationally last year, with controversy in Russia. It earned $7.6 million in foreign markets.

We’ll have a deeper analysis of 2018’s releases as more are released (and one more comes out this March) but lets do the time warp to 2017…


Justice League continues to fight at the box office and stands at $657.8 million worldwide, an increase of $66,000 since last week. While the film is lagging other DC films, it’s also earning much more at the foreign box office than any other film beside Batman v Superman. The film is earned 65.2% of its dollars from the foreign box office. The DCU on average has earned 58%. The higher percentage is partially due to lower domestic earnings, but the film is definitely not to be counted out at the worldwide box office. It’s now just $42,000 behind Big Hero 6‘s worldwide earnings and currently sits at #26 all time for comic adaptations.

Thor: Ragnarok added an estimated $66,000 worldwide to its total. Worldwide the film has earned $853.9 million. The film is about $9.5 million behind Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.

My Friend Dahmer has held steady at $1,361,611, the same amount as last week so it’s possible this film’s theatrical earnings are done.

Kingsman: The Golden Circle has slowed down and stands at $410.9 million. That’s an increase of $42,000 over the week.

2017 has been a record year for comic adaptations. With over a month to go the films have earned $2.365 billion domestically beating the previous year’s $1.901 billion. Internationally, films have earned $3.752 billion beating the previous record of $3.215 billion set in 2014. Worldwide comic adaptations have earned $6.117 billion beating the 2016 record of $5.026 billion. “Profits” too have seen a record year with $4.439 billion versus 2016’s record of $3.812 billion.

We’ll continue to report on 2017’s statistics until all dollars are in, at least another month, if not more.

Lets compare how the big two comic companies compare for earnings. Black Panther is included, so Marvel’s totals will increase over time. On average DC films earn $317.6 million domestically while Marvel earns $327.4 million. Internationally, Marvel rules with $488.3 million and DC lags behind with $435.7 million.

2017 has had five clear successes and a whole lot of mixed otherwise. Thor: RagnarokWonder Woman, Logan, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 have done well this year. My Friend DahmerJustice LeagueKingsman: The Golden Circle, The LEGO Batman Movie and Smurfs: The Lost Village, and Atomic Blonde are in that debatable area. ValerianWilson, Ghost in the Shell, and Blade of the Immortal are generally disappointments. Marvel’s Inhumans… got no clue and tough to debate since it’s a television show primarily with a limited film engagement.

Here’s where this year’s comic films stand as far as the actual numbers. With a new film opening the averages have dipped.

Total Domestic Gross: $2.365 billion
Total International Gross: $3.752 billion
Worldwide Gross: $6.117 billion
Total Reported Budgets: $1.667 million
Total “Profit”: $4.439 billion

Average Domestic Gross: $147.8 million
Average International Gross: $268 million
Average: Worldwide Gross: $382.3 million
Average Budget: $128.2 million
Average Profit: $254.1 million

Below is where the films released stand when it comes to being compared to this year’s averages. Those in green are above average while those below are red.

« Older Entries