On my goodness!

How could I forget? Why so late? Oh the calamity!  Maybe it's because I couldn't get enough of Think Like a Man Too.  No wait, that is not it.  Although I will be seeing Ride Along soon!  Kevin Harts sequel took the box office and now will try to survive the Transformers marathon.

Looking at the league, Colleen continues to hold the top spot.  Jamie moves up while John continues to sink. Transformers latest installment opens this week.  This movie alone could determine the outcome of the league.  All eight teams have it somewhere in their line up.  Three picked it first,  and two others have it at second and third respectively.

BLOCKBUSTERS

Name	The Others	LW	Movies	Back
Colleen	$500,608,361	1	3	$0
Jeff	$480,817,357	2	3	-$19,791,004
Jenna	$411,300,386	3	4	-$89,307,975
Jamie	$346,957,921	5	4	-$153,650,440
Ned	$338,391,074	4	5	-$162,217,287
Chuck	$321,660,677	7	5	-$178,947,684
John	$293,797,617	6	5	-$206,810,744
Faith	$183,266,818	8	5	-$317,341,543

MULTIPLIERS

Name	Multiplier	LW	Back
Colleen	$2,802,519,135	1	$0
Jeff	$2,646,828,261	2	-$155,690,874
Jenna	$2,418,562,837	3	-$383,956,298
Chuck	$2,346,651,118	4	-$455,868,017
John	$2,160,070,247	5	-$642,448,888
Jamie	$1,938,913,809	6	-$863,605,326
Ned	$1,883,701,281	7	-$918,817,854
Faith	$1,439,914,304	8	-$1,362,604,831

Maverick: Tower, this is Ghost Rider requesting a flyby.  

Air Boss Johnson: That's a negative Ghost Rider, the pattern is full.

A tight grip on first ....

The movies or movies that star Jonah Hill came out and posted respectable numbers.   The sequels of 22 Jump Street and How to Train Your Dragon 2 made $57.0 and $49.5 million respectively.  Looking at the total for the weekend, only holiday weekends have seen higher totals.  Summer is in full swing.

Despite Colleen's tight grip on first place, the sequels caused quite a bit of movement in the league.  Jeff moved back into second while Chuck plummeted to seventh.  There were also some changes due to movies prolonging their release date.  Jupiter Ascending pushed theirs back to next year.  This helped Ned move into fourth.  

Out next are Think Like a Man Too and Jersey Boys.  Clint Eastwood's musical versus Kevin Hart's comedy routine/buddy movie go head to head.  Who will win?

BLOCKBUSTERS

Name	The Others	LW	Movies	Back
Colleen	$500,608,361	1	3	$0
Jeff	$451,574,446	3	4	-$49,033,915
Jenna	$411,300,386	2	4	-$89,307,975
Ned	$325,071,703	7	6	-$175,536,658
Jamie	$317,715,010	6	5	-$182,893,351
John	$293,797,617	5	5	-$206,810,744
Chuck	$292,417,766	4	6	-$208,190,595
Faith	$183,266,818	8	5	-$317,341,543

MULTIPLIERS

Name	Multiplier	LW	Back
Colleen	$2,802,519,135	4	$0
Jeff	$2,559,099,528	3	-$243,419,607
Jenna	$2,418,562,837	1	-$383,956,298
Chuck	$2,288,165,296	2	-$514,353,839
John	$2,160,070,247	5	-$642,448,888
Jamie	$1,851,185,076	6	-$951,334,059
Ned	$1,790,465,684	7	-$1,012,053,451
Faith	$1,439,914,304	8	-$1,362,604,831

I think all this heat and humidity has been getting to me.  "I see dead people!"

Movies about dying don't quite pay off.

Not much change this week.  The Fault in Our Stars started off great on Friday but then dropped off considerably by Sunday.  However, opening at $48 million might be nice to have in late August.  I am sure we will all have at least one bad pick by then.  Edge of Tomorrow came in around $28 million moving John up one spot.

Some are halfway home and others are just starting off.  Out this week are a pair of sequels, 22 Jump Street and How to Train Your Dragon 2.  Colleen and Jenna's leads could be melting as the month of June heats up.

BLOCKBUSTERS

Name	The Others	LW	Movies	Back
Colleen	$394,085,594	1	5	$0
Jenna	$361,849,064	2	5	-$32,236,530
Jeff	$345,051,679	3	6	-$49,033,915
Chuck	$292,417,766	4	6	-$101,667,828
John	$233,830,636	5	7	-$160,254,958
Jamie	$211,192,243	7	7	-$182,893,351
Ned	$184,796,721	6	8	-$209,288,873
Faith	$133,815,496	8	6	-$260,270,098

MULTIPLIERS

Name	Multiplier	LW	Back
Jenna	$2,319,660,193	1	$0
Chuck	$2,288,165,296	2	-$31,494,897
Jeff	$2,155,868,829	3	-$163,791,364
Colleen	$2,136,791,580	4	-$182,868,613
John	$1,852,846,656	5	-$466,813,537
Jamie	$1,489,785,576	6	-$829,874,617
Ned	$1,113,520,467	7	-$1,206,139,726
Faith	$994,852,406	8	-$1,324,807,787

Timon:  Who's the brains in this outfit?

Pumbaa:  Uh...

Timon:  My point exactly!

The Lion King

June is here!

May is over, and June is starting.  Some are happy to see May past while others will be relishing all season long.  Despite receiving 2 stars from Entertainment Weekly, Maleficent opened just under a respectable $70 million.  However, the Family Guy creator comedy's opening wasn't as hot.  Question you want to ask, will either of these two movies play a role down the road?

Each weekend features new releases and a change in the standings.  For instance, Colleen holds onto first while Jenna moves into second in the Blockbusters breaking the tie that has been there for at least 3 weeks.  In the multiplier, Jenna moved into first but at what cost?  Out this week is Edge of Tomorrow and The Fault in Our Stars.  Chef moves to wide release this week which will have an impact in The Others division (editor's note: The Others stats are coming, somewhere, sometime, someday!)

BLOCKBUSTERS

Name	The Others	LW	Movies	Back
Colleen	$394,085,594	1	5	$0
Jenna	$361,849,064	2	5	-$32,236,530
Jeff	$345,051,679	2	6	-$49,033,915
Chuck	$292,417,766	2	6	-$101,667,828
John	$233,830,636	5	7	-$160,254,958
Ned	$184,796,721	6	8	-$209,288,873
Jamie	$182,431,997	7	8	-$211,653,597
Faith	$105,055,250	8	7	-$289,030,344

MULTIPLIERS

Name	Multiplier	LW	Back
Jenna	$2,319,660,193	5	$0
Chuck	$2,288,165,296	1	-$31,494,897
Jeff	$2,155,868,829	2	-$163,791,364
Colleen	$2,136,791,580	4	-$182,868,613
John	$1,852,846,656	3	-$466,813,537
Jamie	$1,461,025,330	6	-$858,634,863
Ned	$1,113,520,467	7	-$1,206,139,726
Faith	$937,331,914	8	-$1,382,328,279

As we hit the summer months, the grudge match for first starts to heat up in the Multipliers.  As we all start to take turns in first, I am sure there is one thing on our minds.  "General, would you care to step outside?" ... thanks Superman.  Couldn't have said it better!

3 in a row!!!

For the third straight weekend, the top box office movie was over $90 million and crushed all others.  This time it was X-Men while Godzilla fell to second.  Unfortunately Spider-Man became a distant memory falling to 4th behind Blended.  Yes Blended made $14 million which must have been all Barrymore and Sandler.

John exits first place this week.  In this very short season it is all about having the big three.  In fact the only thing separating the top four teams is Neighbors.  As for the Multipliers, Chuck continues to make the most of his picks.  Chuck finds himself on top with Jeff trailing in second.

Upcoming this weekend is Maleficent and A Million Ways to Die in the West.  These are both held in the league so there will be some movement this week.  Can one of these make over $90 million?  It would be sweet to keep this streak alive!

BLOCKBUSTERS

Name	The Others	LW	Movies	Back
Colleen	$324,654,296	1	6	$0
John	$233,830,636	1	7	-$90,823,660
Chuck	$275,620,381	3	7	-$49,033,915
Jeff	$275,620,381	3	7	-$49,033,915
Jenna	$275,620,381	3	7	-$49,033,915
Ned	$184,796,721	3	8	-$139,857,575
Jamie	$182,431,997	7	8	-$142,222,299
Faith	$105,055,250	8	7	-$219,599,046

MULTIPLIERS

Name	Multiplier	LW	Back
Chuck	$2,204,178,371	2	$0
Jeff	$2,017,006,233	3	-$187,172,138
John	$1,852,846,656	1	-$351,331,715
Colleen	$1,789,635,090	5	-$414,543,281
Jenna	$1,646,628,114	7	-$557,550,257
Jamie	$1,461,025,330	6	-$743,153,041
Ned	$1,113,520,467	4	-$1,090,657,904
Faith	$937,331,914	8	-$1,266,846,457

As Marty McFly once said in the summer blockbuster, "Let's see if these bastards can do 90!"

Ahhhhh, It's Godzilla!

Oh no, they say he's got to go go go Godzilla

Oh no, there goes Tokyo go go Godzilla

Godzilla came, he saw, he took down a monster couple! Opening at $93 million it took over the top spot in the league.  Also coming out this week was Million Dollar Arm which failed to find an audience.  The Others are coming, just haven't had the time to add the category to the spreadsheet.  Just to let you know, there haven't been any major releases for the others, so it's a pretty tight race.

What does this mean for the league?  John and Colleen are sitting on top thanks in part to a big hipped monster, the most popular Marvel super hero not in The Avengers or X-Men, and a bunch of frat boys.  I can see who this season is unfolding.  Can I mention here that since moving to the pick 'em format, never has there been anyone behind by $219 million after 3 weeks.  There is a long way to go so anything can happen.

Out this week are X-Men and Blended and The Railway Man.  Ok, so the last one is really known but it looks good!

BLOCKBUSTERS

Name	The Others	LW	Movies	Back
Colleen	$233,830,636	1	7	$0
John	$233,830,636	1	7	$0
Chuck	$184,796,721	3	8	-$49,033,915
Jeff	$184,796,721	3	8	-$49,033,915
Jenna	$184,796,721	3	8	-$49,033,915
Ned	$184,796,721	3	8	-$49,033,915
Jamie	$91,608,337	3	9	-$142,222,299
Faith	$14,231,590	8	8	-$219,599,046

MULTIPLIERS

Name	Multiplier	LW	Back
John	$1,852,846,656	1	---
Chuck	$1,386,765,431	5	-$466,081,225
Jeff	$1,290,416,953	3	-$562,429,703
Ned	$1,113,520,467	7	-$739,326,189
Colleen	$1,063,045,810	4	-$789,800,846
Jamie	$916,083,370	2	-$936,763,286
Jenna	$829,215,174	6	-$1,023,631,482
Faith	$29,095,314	8	-$1,823,751,342

This season so far best described by Thor in The Avengers, "You speak of control, yet you court chaos."

Frat House Rules!

Neighbors comes out victorious knocking Spidey out of the top spot.  With a $49 million dollar opening, they have propelled John to the top spot.  Unfortunately, Mom's Night Out and the Legends of Oz didn't fair as well.  Out this week, movieland's top monster and a down on his luck scout banks on a man from India.

BLOCKBUSTERS

Name	The Others	LW	Movies	Back
Colleen	$140,642,252	1	8	$0
John	$140,642,252	1	8	$0
Chuck	$91,608,337	1	9	-$49,033,915
Jamie	$91,608,337	1	9	-$49,033,915
Jeff	$91,608,337	1	9	-$49,033,915
Jenna	$91,608,337	1	9	-$49,033,915
Ned	$91,608,337	1	9	-$49,033,915
Faith	$3,715,931	8	9	-$136,926,321

MULTIPLIERS

Name	Multiplier	LW	Back
John	$1,014,151,200	1	---
Jamie	$916,083,370	1	-$98,067,830
Jeff	$824,475,033	3	-$189,676,167
Colleen	$690,292,274	4	-$323,858,926
Chuck	$641,258,359	4	-$372,892,841
Jenna	$549,650,022	6	-$464,501,178
Ned	$274,825,011	7	-$739,326,189
Faith	$18,579,655	8	-$995,571,545

After two weeks, Lord Voldemort from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows ... Part 2 couldn't have said it better. "Well I thought we'd do a bit better then that!"

Swinging into the season.

The first weekend in May is becoming quite a coveted spot during the year.  Marvel has set up shop with Iron Man and The Avengers taking home massive box office receipts in the past.  Hoping to continue that streak, they have moved in Spider-Man as a place holder to the next Avengers movie. Although $92 million is a decent opening, I bet expectations were over the century mark.

Now let's look to week two.  As Spidey tries to keep it's handle on the top spot, there are a few new movies coming out.  Legends of Oz looks to cash in on Dorothy's fame; Mom's Night Out wants to rekindle the women bonding aspect of Bridesmaids; and Neighbors wants us to imagine a world of living by a frat. This might be a horror movie for those over 25. 

BLOCKBUSTERS

Name	The Others	LW	Movies	Back
Chuck	$91,608,337	--	9	$0
Colleen	$91,608,337	--	9	$0
Jamie	$91,608,337	--	9	$0
Jeff	$91,608,337	--	9	$0
Jenna	$91,608,337	--	9	$0
John	$91,608,337	--	9	$0
Ned	$91,608,337	--	9	$0
Faith	$0	--	10	-$91,608,337

MULTIPLIERS

Name	Multiplier	LW	Back
Jamie	$916,083,370	--	---
John	$916,083,370	--	---
Jeff	$824,475,033	--	-$91,608,337
Chuck	$641,258,359	--	-$274,825,011
Colleen	$641,258,359	--	-$274,825,011
Jenna	$549,650,022	--	-$366,433,348
Ned	$274,825,011	--	-$641,258,359
Faith	$0	--	-$916,083,370

I will now leave you with some great words by Vince from Rydell High School, "It doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's what you do with your dancin' shoes."

Summer is almost here. Don't fret, the League starts now!

Sooo, May is here and summer is just around the corner.  Spidey hit the theaters yesterday and all picks are in.  The league is under way!

This year was particularly hard to predict.  In years past, we typically would decide on the top 3 or 4 movies and then divert from then on.  Well not this year!  Diversity is the theme.  There were four movies picked to finish first this year.  Three of those were not even selected on other lists.  Craziness!  Eleven different movies were chosen to be in our top four.  Could this be a year of parity?

Good l.

I will now leave you with a quote from one of the best summer blockbusters ever, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl!

Will Turner:  You cheated.
Jack Sparrow:  Pirate.

Stats Galore!

PART A:

Name	Regular	W/O Monuments	W/ Lego Movie	Multiplier	Screen Avg	Earnings
Chuck	1	1	1	6	1	1
Jenna	2	2	2	1	2	2
Jamie	3	3	3	3	4	3
Ned	4	4	4	4	3	4
Jeff	5	5	5	2	5	5
Faith	6	6	6	5	7	8
John	7	8	7	8	6	7
Colleen	8	7	8	7	8	6

So here you have a lovely chart with lots of numbers beside each of our names.  One might look at the headings and figure out that it has something to do with movies!  Take a moment, and look at the chart again.  For the most part, the lists are all the same except for Multipliers.  I can see this starting a debate in the future ...

Now let's look at each column individually.  Well not the 1st column, that is in greater detail in the last post.  The second column was figured if The Monuments Men was not included in the totals.  If you recall, the original date for this movie's release was around Christmas.  However, some time in early December, they decided to move the release date to the week after the season closed.  You will see that there isn't much change in the league.  However, Jamie would have missed 2nd by just a mere $260,000 and John would not have passed Colleen in the last week.  

Name	W/O Monuments	Back
Chuck	$536,275,770	---
Jenna	$507,536,962	-$28,738,808
Jamie	$507,277,708	-$28,998,062
Ned	$484,597,394	-$51,678,376
Jeff	$467,173,380	-$69,102,390
Faith	$458,493,902	-$77,781,868
Colleen	$427,548,147	-$108,727,623
John	$423,051,335	-$113,224,435

Moving on, you will see that the title of the third column is 'W/ Lego Movie'.  This of course is referring to The Lego Movie.  The Lego Movie was released on the same weekend as The Monument Men.  If given the opportunity to select The Lego Movie, would you?  The stats were compiled to reflect that everyone would have agreed to this.  Yes, that is quite a leap but it could happen!  Basically everyone's lowest movie was dropped and The Lego Movie's $69 million opening was added.  Again the standings did not change much.  However, Jeff nearly caught Ned due to the fact that Oldboy made less than a million dollar at the box office.  

Name	W/ Lego Movie	Back
Chuck	$596,715,608	---
Jenna	$567,976,800	-$28,738,808
Jamie	$552,638,580	-$44,077,028
Ned	$545,804,743	-$50,910,865
Jeff	$544,576,202	-$52,139,406
Faith	$506,358,093	-$90,357,515
John	$503,689,587	-$93,026,021
Colleen	$501,463,287	-$95,252,321

The fourth column is labeled "Multiplier".  Now we have all seen this before.  In fact it used to determine the winner!  It also changed the standings drastically sending Chuck down to 6th and Jeff up to 2nd.  The multiplier does have an impact on the league.

The question is, is it good or bad?  (Here comes the debate.)  Let's look at the good first! Including the multiplier is adding another level of complexity to the league. First you pick the top 10, then you put them in the correct order.  It's highly unlikely for 2 members to be the same down the list.

However, is this complexity needed?  This past holiday was one of our shortest list and yet still there wasn't a tie.  Plus the multiplier adds great disparity in the league.  Looking at the w/o, Jenna was only $28 million behind, a number achievable by any movie in her list. On the other hand, with the multiplier you could be hundreds of million behind and must have a high ranking movie to achieve this.

I believe a compromise is heading in our decisions.  Any suggestions?

Name	Multiplier	Back
Jenna	$3,799,780,945	---
Jeff	$3,671,730,410	-$128,050,535
Jamie	$3,547,978,135	-$251,802,810
Ned	$3,526,371,384	-$273,409,561
Faith	$3,517,577,285	-$282,203,660
Chuck	$3,481,460,990	-$318,319,955
Colleen	$3,380,177,358	-$419,603,587
John	$3,309,450,930	-$490,330,015

I have tracked screen averages for the past several seasons.  Although the league did not change all that much, I think this is a great stat.  What better way to provide a movie's worth than by how much it is bringing in ... per screen.  Often times when searching BOM you will find that movies classified as The Others is bringing in way more per screen than a Blockbuster. One just example would be 12 Years a Slave and Vampire Academy. (Typically around 2000 screens is the cutoff for a Blockbusters.)

Name	Screen Avg	Back
Chuck	$145,625	---
Jenna	$135,300	-$10,325
Ned	$129,972	-$15,653
Jamie	$128,787	-$16,837
Jeff	$128,133	-$17,492
John	$118,599	-$27,026
Faith	$117,934	-$27,691
Colleen	$116,817	-$28,807

This brings us to the final column, 'Earnings'.  This takes us back to Movie Moguls, the game in which this is based on.  In the game, you drafted 6 movies and then watched their earnings over a period of time.  It's fun because you can potentially earn money every weekend.  However, the time factor to keep this up is a bit difficult currently.

The totals you see below were the earnings for movies picked during October 18th and February 9th. Unfortunately you do not see much change in the standings.

Name	Earnings	Back
Chuck	$1,707,224,387	---
Jenna	$1,615,028,434	-$92,195,953
Jamie	$1,570,258,195	-$136,966,192
Ned	$1,515,085,278	-$192,139,109
Jeff	$1,506,698,071	-$200,526,316
Colleen	$1,322,329,865	-$384,894,522
John	$1,311,336,726	-$395,887,661
Faith	$1,223,027,721	-$484,196,666

PART B:

With out further due here are the standings for The Others.  The totals were calculated by everyone picking three movies and adding their opening weekends.  Basically if you picked Lone Survivor and/or American Hustle, awesomeness! If you didn't, bummer ... ness!

Name	The Others	Back
Jenna	$66.2	---
Faith	$59.6	-$6.60
Chuck	$49.8	-$16.40
Jeff	$33.3	-$32.90
Colleen	$11.0	-$55.20
John	$9.4	-$56.80
Ned	$1.0	-$65.20

Should I bring The Others back?

PART C:

Let me introduce to you Movie Mogul Madness first mini-game!  It's short. It's easy. It's simple.  Pick  and rank 5 movies from the following list.  Email me your choices by Friday, February 28th.  

300: Rise of An Empire

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Divergent

Mr. Peabody & Sherman

Muppets Most Wanted

Need for Speed

Noah

Rio 2

Transcendence

Tyler Perry's The Single Moms Club

Finished!

Without further due, here are the final standings!

Name	The Others	LW	Movies	Back
Chuck	$536,275,770	1	10	---
Jenna	$507,536,962	2	10	-$28,738,808
Jamie	$491,431,231	4	10	-$44,844,539
Ned	$484,597,394	3	10	-$51,678,376
Jeff	$476,411,305	5	10	-$59,864,465
Faith	$438,981,165	7	10	-$97,294,605
John	$436,312,659	8	10	-$99,963,111
Colleen	$427,548,147	6	10	-$108,727,623

Thanks for playing!  Summer League will be back starting in May.  That is just enough time (2.5 months to be exact) to get my act together and start stepping up.  On that note, how about some suggestions as to make this better?  For starters, I need the computer to start working more for me ...  

  

In closing!

We have finally made it!  The end is in sight.  For the past four months we have been watching very closely as the returns are released.  Hoping that we have found the winner.  That big opening that sets us apart.  Only time and time again to fall short wondering where we went wrong.  How could our picks fail?  They were fool-proof.  Big names, hot script, sequels, you can't lose.

The month of January has been quite productive.  Despite the Polar Vortexes and the feet of snow fallen, we have seen some of it's best box office totals.  Movies such as Ride Along and Lone Survivor have put up decent numbers.  There is one left to open.  Originally due out Christmas, it was pushed back until now.  The Monuments Men is set to release this week and thus finishing off the season.

Name	The Others	LW	Movies	Back
Chuck	$536,275,770	1	10	---
Jenna	$507,536,962	2	10	-$28,738,808
Ned	$484,597,394	3	10	-$51,678,376
Jamie	$469,427,798	4	9	-$66,847,972
Jeff	$454,407,872	5	9	-$81,867,898
Colleen	$427,548,147	6	10	-$108,727,623
Faith	$416,977,732	7	9	-$119,298,038
John	$414,309,226	8	9	-$121,966,544

Frankenstein has lost it's mojo.

I, Frankenstein failed to reached $10 million in it's opening weekend.  What does this all mean?  Well, it was the 6th best grossing movie this past weekend according to Box Office Mojo.  As for the league, not a whole lot.  Over the past couple of weeks we have seem some high releases (for January and the league has been shuffled.  Faith has moved out of last, Jenna has fallen one spot from first and Jamie looks to stay in front of Jeff for good.    

We have made it to the finish!  There is only one movie yet to be released and it is held by half the teams in the league.  And like the Super Bowl, we will have to wait two weeks before it opens.  The Monuments Men will finally open.  It was originally scheduled to open Christmas week.  While we wait, check out another Kate Winslet rough-go-it-drama or a Zac Efron bro-medy.

Name	The Others	LW	Movies	Back
Chuck	$536,275,770	1	10	---
Jenna	$507,536,962	2	10	-$28,738,808
Ned	$484,597,394	3	10	-$51,678,376
Jamie	$469,427,798	4	9	-$66,847,972
Jeff	$454,407,872	5	9	-$81,867,898
Colleen	$427,548,147	6	10	-$108,727,623
Faith	$416,977,732	7	9	-$119,298,038
John	$414,309,226	8	9	-$121,966,544