Bah Humbug!
Weekly Update:
We finally got some serious rain! Estimated at first to be 4 inches but I think it increased in certain areas to 12 inches! It has stopped but I think I saw more is coming later in the week and what is really nice is the reservoirs are filled at the moment! Not sure how long they will stay that way but we need to keep them going and filled as long as we can. I haven't seen the mountains yet but I hope when I do, they are covered in snow! We can only hope that is the case and the rains continue through the season. I think we have officially started Winter Solstice? Was it on the 21st or something like that? I hope later Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow and hides for even more Winter rain! Can it just rain for a few weeks straight please? That would be such a blessing and a relief for awhile anyway. More rain more rain more rain please!
At the movies:
Holding ground with a very mall drop in numbers is Avatar: Fire and Ash with an extra 64 million for week 2. Just passing the 200 mil mark and with the New Year Holiday, should get to 300 in no time. Up the charts to #2 is Zootopia 2 with 20 mil more gaining 35% climb where as everyone else drops but this puts the film just over 300 mil mark now. New at #3 (but opened limited previously) is Marty Supreme with 17.5 mil and not too bad. Slight drop to #4 is The Housemaid with 15.4 mil as it also had a very small drop percentage. New at #5 is Anaconda with 14.6 mil to open and did everyone thinks this was the new Jumanji movie?
New films that did not make the top 5:
Just one this week at #8 is Song Sung Blue going wide on over 2500 runs and earning only 7.6 mil but likely going for awards over box office, I hope.
Quote of the week:
"One faces the future with one's past." - Pearl S. Buck
Facts & Tips:
A spider's silk is stronger than steel.
"Kai, I have a confession to make. When I was a boy, I used to wait in the woods outside your hut and when you came out, I threw stones at you and hide." - Takato Yonemoto as Basho in 47 Ronin.
Nice spot!
Weekly Update:
The rain... it approaches! Finally some good news! Rain is supposed to hit us around Tuesday but they say by Wednesday it will be here in full force and a lot of it (I HOPE!). To me, us having rain on or during Christmas is our equivalent of a "white Christmas" since we don't get snow here but our mountains will. But I hope it rains and rains and rains for days so we can recover just 1% of this drought, that would mean millions of gallons of reserve water (including the mountain snow). Now currently my forecast only goes up to Thursday which says rain for most of the day but possibly not all of it. What is beyond that is vague at best but I'm hoping for more rain of course. I don't know why people don't like the rain, they realize we need that to survive right? Also, it helps (me anyway) reduce a lot of costs like water and some utilities because I am not needing to use sprinklers for example for the yard. So, rain good, no rain and only heat is bad.
At the movies:
A lot of new movies, a lot of changes but this was the last weekend before Christmas. New at #1 is Avatar: Fire and Ash with 88 million and the original movie opened to around 70 mil and went on to do huge numbers but will this franchise continue to follow that pattern? New at #2 is David with 22 mil and this may be the biggest opening for faith-based Angel Studios. New at #3 is The Housemaid with 19 mil and not much written on this one. New at #4 is The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants with 16 mil and this may do better this coming week with kids needing something to do after opening presents. Holding on to the #5 spot is Zootopia 2 with 14.5 mil extra and now shy of 300 mil, likely to get there by end of the coming weekend.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
Just one in at #9 on very limited release is Marty Supreme earning 875k but it was only on 6 screens so made a per screen of 146k which is exceptional. Look for this one to expand just after the new year.
Quote of the week:
"Things are not quite so simple always as black and white." - Doris Lessing
Facts & Tips:
Every ton of recycled paper saves about 17 trees.
"How long can a broken flower last? Make the deal with me. I can save you." - James Pax as Quinn Chow in the TV series Silk Stalkings.
beep beep honk honk
Weekly Update:
Die Hard is a Christmas movie! Ok, why do people think it is not a holiday movie? Because it's an action film? There are lots of action type films that are holiday films so why is there even a debate with people about this? Police Detective John McClane is coming home for the holidays to visit his estranged wife but arrives when her company is having their HOLIDAY party at the office with a Christmas tree and everything. They place Christmas songs throughout the film and Argyle the limo driver that picked up John at the airport is hanging out with a big teddy bear, a holiday gift. When he kills one of the henchmen and writes Ho Ho Ho on his shirt and he's wearing a Santa hat! The office is decorated in holiday decor too. In fact, Die Hard 2 is also a Christmas movie but it's the opposite as Holly is flying to DC for the holiday seeing John. So both the first two Die Hard movies are Christmas or to be more vague, holiday films.
At the movies:
Regaining the the #1 spot is Zootopia 2 with a nice 26.3 million more and now just over 250 mil cume. Has potential to hit 300 if it maintains this trajectory but the holiday season is just warming up! Drop down to #2 is Five Nights at Freddy's 2 with 19.5 mil suffering a huge 70% drop but should hit 100 mil by tomorrow. Holding on to #3 is Wicked: For Good with 8.6 mil as it passes the 300 mil mark but will not get anywhere near 400. Showing up at #4 is Dhurandhar with 3.5 mil but only on about 400 screens. Screen average is fair but overall not bad. Rounding off the top 5 and holding is Now You See Me: Now You Don't with 2.4 mil as it struggles along, waiting to be bumped off.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
Really only 1 new release at #7 is Ella McCay earning 2.1 mil and less than 1k per screen so this will be losing screen count fast. In at #8 is the 25th Anniversary of Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas with 1.9 mil. Though that is a low number but its almost all profit being a re-release.
Quote of the week:
"There are no secrets that time does not reveal." - Jean Racine
Facts & Tips:
The first sailing boats were built by Egypt.
"Goin' on a year now I ain't had nothin' twixt my nethers weren't run on batteries!" - Jewel Staite as Kaylee Frye in Serenity.
UNSUBSCRIBE!!
Weekly Update:
I have a couple of emails I use for various things and reasons, I'm sure others do it to. I have my original one from when email became a thing and still use it to this day but I primarily use it to keep in touch with those who I originally used it with. Also, to sign up for things and junk and spam stuff. When I go to unsubscribe to things, it never seems to work and that is the case with any email really. Why does the unsubscribe button or click never seems to work and even after doing it, I still get emails from them? I even have a sort of blocker program and many still manage to get through... do these companies think that if they keep bothering me even after I said no, go through the process of unsubscribing that they will change my mind? In fact, it is quiet the opposite and it makes me hate them more and more because they are annoying and harassing me at this point. We need a law like Canada has for anti-spam and then the government goes after those companies who continue to do it.
At the movies:
New at #1 this weekend is Five Nights at Freddy's 2 with a big 63 million what traditionally is a drop-off weekend after the holidays. Also for a horror/thriller to do this well right now is substantial. Drop down to #2 is Zootopia 2 with 43 mil as it passes the 200 mil cume mark. Dropping down to #3 is Wicked: For Good with 16.8 mil and now just shy of 300 mil but should get there with no problems by mid-week. New at #4 is Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution with 10.2 mil and probably will drop out quickly. Holding on to #5 is Now You See Me: Now You Don't with 3.5 mil extra and this one won't go much further.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
We have two this week, in at #6 is Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair with 3.3 mil but it only released on just over 1100 screens. Very low per screen average so this will be out fast. In at #9 is Dhurandhar with 1.9 mil on only 400 screens but still a very low screen average to mean anything.
Quote of the week:
"Love has no age, no limit; and no death." - John Galsworthy
Facts & Tips:
A rainbow can only be seen in the morning or late afternoon.
"There are no two words in the English language more harmful than "good job." - JK Simmons as Terence Fletcher in Whiplash.
Brrrr
Weekly Update:
During the week I finally got to try the "dim sum" chain Din Tai Fung. I put dim sum in quotes because it is definitely not your traditional dim sum style place. To me, classic or traditional dim sum is the carts being pushed around that are steaming and you have the classics like har gow (shrimp) and shumai (pork) dumplings. Din didn't have any of those but more westernized types of stuff that was good but, just not dim sum. Also, soup dumplings which aren't really a thing with dim sum, at least the places I go to, it's not a big thing. Despite all of that though, the food was really good and their spicy noodles were definitely one of my favorites. I also liked their version of sticky rice because it was just the rice and big chunk of pork inside. No mushrooms and I didn't have to burn my fingers getting it out of the banana leaves and string. Price wise it is WAY expensive and really an experience but not something you would do every Sunday for brunch.
At the movies:
As we head into both the holiday and award season, we will be seeing some box office shifts going on. However, historically the next two weeks may be an lull till we get closer to Christmas. With that said, new at #1 is Zootopia 2 with a weekend box office of 96.8 million and a 5-day total of 156 mil. Slightly below expectations but still a solid numbers across the board. Drop down to #2 is Wicked: For Good with 62.8 mil extra and a bit high of a drop going from week 1 non-holiday to week 2 holiday. Right now on track to hit 300 mil in about a week. Following suit to #3 is Now You See Me: Now You Don't with 7 mil and quickly fading out, won't reach the 100 mil mark what so ever. Holding on to #4 is Predator: Badlands with 4.8 mil and still appears it will be short the 100 mil mark but good effort. Rounding off the top 5 is The Running Man with 3.7 mil and likely the last we see this one on the charts.
New movies that did not make the top 5:
A couple this week, in at #6 is Eternity with 3.2 mil on just over 1300 runs so it's a fair number but not great. In at #8 is Hamnet with 880K but this film was only on just over 100 screens. The per screen average is still very low though.
Quote of the week:
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." - Theodore Roosevelt
Facts & Tips:
A male kangaroo is called a Boomer.
"C'mon man, I'm the best with the pranks, man! They call me Prank Sinatra!" - Lamorne Morris as Winston Bishop in the TV series New Girl.
