Movie Revenue | Film Earnings | Box Office numbers matter

‘A Christmas Carol’ had the top movie revenue for the week. Jim Carrey delivers a solid start to the holiday season box office, even though sales were down from this time last year.

Disney’s animation movie cost $175 million to get out of the gates, and it has returned $31 million in movie revenue in its first week.

A long run abroad, combined with some bad weather on the weekends could blow up the revenue numbers for A Christmas Carol going forward. The U.S. had a mild weekend this weekend which could have impacted Disney’s box office results.

CNN’s article noted The $175 million animated movie, which utilized performance-capture technology to allow Jim Carrey to play multiple roles from Charles Dickens’ beloved story, represented the best opening in director Robert Zemeckis’ career.

And even though ‘Carol’ performed a bit below expectations, the family film should hold up well in the coming weeks, especially since it’ll be playing on nearly 200 pricey IMAX screens until “Avatar” opens on December 18.

Do you think Disney’s A Christmas Carol Will Earn Back What It Cost To Produce?

The early reviews are in and the Washington Post is saying that they like the efforts of the cast, but that the animation was distracting and inhuman.

Disney’s A Christmas Carol
Too much spirit, too little heart

…despite the Herculean efforts of the voice cast, which includes Jim Carrey as Scrooge and the ghosts that visit him, and Gary Oldman as Scrooge’s dead partner Jacob Marley, Scrooge’s clerk Bob Cratchit and Cratchit’s son Tiny Tim. That the film takes advantage of the latest 3-D technology isn’t entirely a bad thing either…Read The Whole Review.

Disney’s A Christmas Carol Teaser

‘2012′ Will it produce big movie revenue figures?

The Skinny:

Release Date: November 13, 2009
Genre: Action
Cast: John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover and Woody Harrelson
Directed: Roland Emmerich
Written by: Roland Emmerich & Harald Kloser
Produced by: Harald Kloser, Mark Gordon & Larry Franco
Executive Producers: Roland Emmerich,
Ute Emmerich,Michael Wimer

Plot:
Never before has a date in history been so significant to so many cultures, so many religions, scientists, and governments. 2012 is an epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors.

George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor and Kevin Spacey comprise an all-star cast in this quirky movie.

The LA Times reviewer thinks the movie is good.

..It’s a pleasure to say that the final product matches the title in both weirdness and drollery. Our protagonist is Bob Wilton (McGregor), a small-time journalist in the grip of a midlife crisis. He finds just the jolt he’s looking for when he encounters Lyn Cassady (Clooney), a recently reactivated and slightly paranoid Army intelligence operative. Lyn soon reveals that he’s part of a super-secret unit called the New Earth Army, trained to tap into and control his innate paranormal abilities. Under the tutelage of Vietnam-vet-turned-New-Age-devotee Bill Django (Bridges), the New Earthers study to be “warrior monks” — masters of nonlethal fighting… Read The Whole Review

.. but they made a profit, while their restructuring with new parent corporation Disney is ongoing.

Marvel Entertainment 3Q Profit Down 60% On Lower Film Rev
Marvel Entertainment Inc. (MVL), which is being bought by Walt Disney Co. (DIS), reported third-quarter earnings slumped 60% on lower film revenue, as well as lower licensing sales related to last year’s “Iron Man” and “Incredible Hulk” films.

The company Tuesday posted a profit of $20.4 million, or 26 cents a share, down from $50.6 million, or 64 cents a share, a year earlier. Net sales tumbled 42% to $105.7 million, on a lower level of film activity and related licensing. …Read The Whole Wall Street Journal Article.

Is this fancy Hollywood smoke & mirrors accounting? Tell us what you think.