Thunderbolts*, tariffs, and the strength of good word of mouth
Matthew returns from the ICA conference as we dive into the latest Marvel release with the highly-rated Thunderbolts*. Join us for all the box office, audience analysis, and marketing opportunities with the New Avengers here on Behind the Screens.Topics and times:ICA (Independent Cinema Association) Conference - 0:26Movie production tariffs - 1:34Box office comparisons against previous years - 4:21Domestic box office overview - 5:16First summer weekend year-on-year comparison - 6:04Thunderbolts* box office overview - 6:55Thunderbolts* impressions and audience sentiment - 7:21Thunderbolts* audience analysis - 8:14Thunderbolts* marketing opportunities - 11:33Upcoming new releases - 12:31Final Destination: Bloodlines preview - 13:55Next week - 15:13Find us at https://www.linkedin.com/company/vista-group-limited/, and follow lifeatvistagroup on InstagramBox Office Overview:Thunderbolts* debuted to $74.3M domestically and a further $86.1M internationally, for a global debut of over $160M.Sinners maintained its impressive hold with only a 28% drop, bringing in $33M domestically and $57M internationally. Its global total now sits at $237M.and Minecraft is holding in 3rd position with another $14M domestically, now approaching a domestic total of $400M and approaching a worldwide total of $900M.
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16:02
Sinners, Star Wars, Accountants, oh my!
Ryan and Simon teamed up this week to analyse a packed box office, bringing insights into Sinners, Star Wars: Episode III’s re-release, The Accountant 2, and Until Dawn. Plus, stick around for a pre-sales preview of Thunderbolts* on this week’s Behind the Screens.Topics and times:Box office April month-to-date analysis - 0:32Sinners box office overview - 1:12Sinners audience evolution analysis - 2:22Minecraft box office breakdown - 3:58Star Wars Episode III re-release box office overview - 4:32Star Wars Episode III re-release audience analysis - 5:15The Accountant 2 box office overview - 6:39The Accountant 2 audience analysis - 7:30Until Dawn box office overview - 9:50Until Dawn audience analysis - 10:27Thunderbolts* pre-release preview - 11:26Next week - 12:05Find us at https://www.linkedin.com/company/vista-group-limited/, and follow lifeatvistagroup on InstagramBox Office Overview:Sinners held extremely well with $45.7M domestically in its second week. With a domestic total of $122.5M and international total of $160M, Sinners sits at a worldwide $290M so far.Star Wars: Episode III: Revenge of the Sith’s re-release grossed $25.2M domestically and $17M internationally for a total of $42.2M.The Accountant 2 debuted to $24.5M domestically and $13.7M internationally for a global opening of $38.2M.Minecraft remains strong in 4th position, adding $23M domesticall and $38M internationally, bringing the global total to $816M.Until Dawn debuted to 5th position domestically with $8M, and $10.1M internationally, bringing its opening to $18.1M worldwide.
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13:05
Cinema Foundation’s Sneak Peek Showcase and Sinners
Matthew and Ryan delve into the Cinema Foundation’s first Sneak Peak Showcase, exploring marketing strategies to boost the event’s attendance. With Sinners opening strongly in the domestic market, we compare the audience to similar horror titles, and examine why its success didn't extend to international markets. We also look ahead to next week’s releases: The Accountant 2 and the re-release of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.Topics and times:Cinema Foundation’s Sneak Peek Showcase - 0:37Weekend box office roundup - 4:26Sinners box office overview - 6:32Sinners audience analysis - 8:00Pre-sales and pre-release audience for The Accountant 2 - 13:17Find us at https://www.linkedin.com/company/vista-group-limited/, and follow lifeatvistagroup on Instagram Box Office Overview:Sinners opened to the number 1 slot domestically with $48M and a further $15.5M internationally, for an opening weekend total of $63.5M.Minecraft in its third weekend has grossed $721M globallyKing of Kings took another $45.3 domestically, bringing its global cumulative total to $48.7M.
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16:54
Is there a place for ‘rowdy’ sessions? Minecraft, King of Kings, The Amateur, and more
With a plethora of new releases this week, Ryan and Matthew have our episode packed with insights. Join us for all the box office and audience analysis for King of Kings, The Amateur, Warfare, Drop, and discussions of Minecraft’s success and whether there’s a place in exhibiton for ‘rowdy’ film sessions.Topics and times:New releases box office overview - 2:06Minecraft repeat visitation and marketing recommendations - 3:24Is there a place for ‘rowdy’ sessions? - 4:14New releases and holdovers - 6:06King of Kings audience analysis - 6:50Breaking out beyond the faith-based audience - 8:25Angel Studios’ The Angel Guild - 10:21The Amateur box office and audience analysis - 12:09Marketing recommendations for The Amateur - 14:49Warfare box office and audience - 16:07Drop box office and audience - 18:45Next week - 20:57Find us at https://www.linkedin.com/company/vista-group-limited/, and follow lifeatvistagroup on InstagramBox Office Overview:A Minecraft Movie grossed a further $78.5M domestically making for a 52% drop. Internationally it grossed $80M, bringing it to a worldwide cumulative total of $550M.King of Kings debuted at 2nd position domestically with $19.5M.The Amateur debuted to $15M domestically and $17.2M from 52 international markets for a global opening of $32.2MWarfare grossed $8.3M domestically and $96K from 12 international markets.Drop rounded out the top five with $7.5M domestically.
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23:48
CinemaCon and A Minecraft Movie
Fresh from CinemaCon, Matthew and Simon bring insights from the ground, from upcoming films to trends of the slates. With A Minecraft Movie blowing expectations out of the water, we break down all the numbers from the box office, the audience, and how marketing takes on a life of its own with event films like this, all on Behind the Screens.Topics and times:CinemaCon 2025 impressions - 0:20Standout titles from CinemaCon previews - 1:30Breakouts we’re excited for - 3:03The four Beetles movies - 5:0245-day release window - 6:01A Minecraft Movie box office deep-dive - 6:41A Minecraft Movie audience analysis - 10:11Why predictions were so off for A Minecraft Movie - 14:33When audiences take a movie and run with it - 15:51The Chosen: The Last Supper: Part 2 box office and audience - 17:43Next week - 19:59Find us at https://www.linkedin.com/company/vista-group-limited/, and follow lifeatvistagroup on InstagramBox Office Overview:A Minecraft Movie enormously outperformed expectations, taking $163M in the domestic market for its debut weekend, and a further $150.7M from 75 international markets for a $314M worldwide opening.This makes A Minecraft Movie the highest opening weekend for a video game adaptation, the largest opening of the year so far, and the highest domestic opening since Deadpool and Wolverine.
Each week, Matthew Liebmann, Vista Group’s Chief Innovation & Data Officer, Simon Burton, CEO of Numero and Maccs, & Ryan Provencher, Movio Senior Account Manager draw from their extensive industry experience.
Now in its third season, Behind the Screens focuses on global and domestic weekend box office as well as audience insights for the major movie releases. Interviews with industry leaders and insightful outsiders will feature in longer monthly episodes, along with a deeper dive at the end of each quarter on the industry. Happy listening!
New Zealand