SpongeBob SquarePants is bringing the 20th anniversary party down to San Diego Comic-Con with two panels, a theme-series booth on the floor, as well as daily activities. Still TBD whether Paramount will be showing footage down there from its upcoming animated feature The SpongeBob Movie: It’s a Wonderful Sponge, but…

When it comes to evaluating the financial performance of top movies, it isn't about what a film grosses at the box office. The true tale is told when production budgets, P&A, talent participations and other costs collide with box office grosses and ancillary revenues from VOD to DVD and TV. To get close to that mysteri…

Paramount Pictures said today that Joe Whitmore has been promoted to EVP Worldwide Marketing and Creative Content. He will oversee creative global content initiatives and broadcast promotions for the studio's theatrical campaigns as well as marketing strategies and special projects. "Year after year, Joe has dazzled…

UPDATE, MONDAY, 8PM: Updates in the overseas B.O. figures below have been made for Warner Bros., Fox International, Disney, the Weinstein Co. and Universal.  The biggest change among all of them is that Warner Bros.’ Will Smith crime romance Focus bested its Sunday estimate of $12.2M abroad with $13.95M — welcome…

UPDATE, MONDAY ACTUALS 3:41 PM: Most films in the top 10, not just Warner Bros.’ Focus, are down from their Sunday AM estimates in their actuals today. Only two films bested their Sunday estimates: 20th Century Fox’s Kingsman: The Secret Service with $11.88M (Sunday estimate was $11.75M) with a cume through three…

3RD UPDATE, TUESDAY, 4PM: Fifty Shades of Grey is now counting an overseas bow of $173.6M through Monday.  Updates for Universal, Warner Bros., Lionsgate  and Fox have been made below. 2ND UPDATE, MONDAY, 10:45 AM PT: Universal’s Fifty Shades Of Grey is coming in slightly lower with an international bow of $156M (for…

Deadline reported grosses on Jupiter Ascending on Sunday at $32.5M and that estimate rose on Monday to $33.8M in Warner Bros' actuals. There are still Australia, China and Japan releases to come, but with an $18.7M opening domestically and with Fifty Shades Of Grey teed up to begin its day-and-date rollout tomorrow, Ju…

6TH UPDATE, MONDAY ACTUALS, 3:20 PM: Paramount’s SpongeBob SquarePants: Sponge Out Of Water came in with $635K less than its weekend estimate reported yesterday of $56M. Still, it’s a great gross for this time of year, especially when there aren’t a lot of kids out of school. Per Rentrak, only 1% of all K-12 and…

3RD UPDATE, TUESDAY 4:48 AM PT: We now have actuals from most of the studios for the international weekend. Among the biggest fluctuations reported were Penguins Of Madagascar, which landed $2M higher than projected on Sunday; American Sniper clocking an extra $1M; and Jennifer Lopez's The Boy Next Door knocking…