Source Code will be hitting VOD before DVD...

...potentially changing the current structure for home video releasing. Here's the story from Variety:

Summit Entertainment is the latest distributor to experiment with the video-on-demand window, announcing that "Source Code" will be available on VOD and electronic sell through July 8 -- some 98 days after its April 1 theatrical release but two weeks before the thriller bows on DVD and Blu-ray.

That window isn't part of the $30 60-day premium window that Fox, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. established this spring with DirecTV. But the mini-major, which was not a part of those deals, is still bucking the traditional VOD model, in which on-demand titles are available at the same time as DVD releases for around $5. "Source Code" earned $110 million worldwide.

There are no specifics yet on pricing; it's up to the cablers, satcasters and e-tailers to set that figure -- not studios. However, since the early "Code" release is considered a test, none of the service providers are expected to raise the price much beyond the current $5 figure.

"Source Code" DVDs and Blu-rays are released widely on July 26, Other studios have a 28 day delay before titles are available via Netflix and Redbox.

Box Office Bulletin: "Rio" holds off "Madea"...

Via Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, and other sources:

Another strong weekend at the box office saw animated and family fare reap the benefits of a heavily attended Easter weekend. "Rio" retained the #1 spot in estimated box office figures, edging out Tyler Perry's latest Madea film, while "Hop" saw an expected Easter bump to cross the $100 million mark in gross earnings.

"Rio" dropped a modest 32% in estimated figures, moving its domestic 10-day box office gross to $81 million. Worldwide the film continues to have massive success, earning more than $202 million in 17 days. While tracking seems to indicate that "Fast Five", the fifth film in the "Fast & The Furious" franchise will debut strong in the April 29 box office weekend, "Rio" should hold on for a strong third weekend. No doubt about it, "Rio" is a bonafide smash.

The other animated feature in wide release, "Hop" saw an uptick of 16% in the Easter weekend, the holiday that the film is centered around. If estimates hold, "Hop" will become the third film to surpass $100 million so far in 2011, joining "Rango" and "Just Go With It" in achieving that milestone. Expectations are that "Hop" will freefall, perhaps as early as next weekend, with "Rio" delivering strong numbers and two other family films, "Hoodwinked Too..." and "Prom" attempting to pull dollars from the family audience.

NEW OPENINGS:

"Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family" was not the director's best opening but performed on pace with many of his other offerings. "...Family", the sixth film to feature Perry's grandmotherly Madea character, opened on more screens than any other Perry feature (2,288) and pulled in an estimated $25.7 million. Tyler Perry's films typically have two strong weekends and then decline rapidly in attendance, so this opening could foresee a total gross of approximately $50-$55 million when all is said and done.

Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon's "Water For Elephants" performed better than anticipated, landing in third place with approximately $17.5 million on a budget of $38 million. Curiously, it was Witherspoon's name who came first in the marketing of the film, perhaps because Pattinson's last non-"Twilight" feature, "Remember Me" was a huge box office disappointment. Although Pattinson's performance was the focal point of the film's mixed reviews, the film reportedly played well overall with audiences and should land in the high-$40 to mid $50 million range. Certainly an acceptable return theatrically for 20th Century Fox's anticipations.

DisneyNature's third consecutive Easter film opening, "African Cats", landed a solid $6.4 million estimated opening, placing it behind "Earth" and just ahead of "Oceans" in terms of success with the DisneyNature brand of documentaries. A total gross around $20 million should be expected for the well-received film, narrated by Samuel L. Jackson.

A look at some notable indies and more after the cut!

Box Office Actuals: April 15-17, 2011

Via Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, and other sources:

Despite a slight overestimation, "Rio" still delivered the biggest opening weekend of 2011 with $39.2 million in box office receipts. "Rio" was just the latest in a steady stream of popular animated features for the year, following in the footsteps of "Hop", "Rango", and "Gnomeo and Juliet". "Rio" has already amassed $170 million in worldwide box office, as the film was released overseas a week ahead of its North American release.

"Rio"'s success was supposed to be in concert with comparable numbers for the much anticipated "Scream 4", a rekindling of the 90's franchise that earned $300 million domestically from its initial trio of films. 11 years went by, the stars of the franchise traveled up and down the A-list, but back together once more, excitement was there. Some terrific reviews, with most of them average-to-good, did not translate to audience. An opening Friday led to a diminished interest as the weekend went on and the film opened to a disappointing $18.7 million. The hopes of a comparable final gross are seemingly dashed as this muted "Scream" should earn approximately $50-$55 million by the end of its run.

Although initially reported as a Top 10 debut for Robert Redford and Roadside Attractions, "The Conspirator" opened at #11 with actual receipts counted. Top 10 debut or not, the film still delivered a comparable number to its estimate with $3.5 million earned at 707 locations. "The Conspirator" has become the largest opening gross for a Roadside Attractions film and could move past the Oscar-nominated "Winter's Bone" ($6.5 million) and "Bella" ($8.1 million) as the upstart's biggest success to date.

The Tea Party-endorsed "Atlas Shrugged Part I" amassed an intriguing $1.7 million at a mere 299 locations. The film, an adaptation from the writings of Ayn Rand, drew miserable reviews from critics but supporters of the film used those dismissals as a galvanizing effort in getting out to see the film. Rocky Mountain Films released the film strategically around the country and received a large amount of promotion for Right-wing and Republican-themed talk shows. This attention allowed Rocky Mountain to save on buying TV ad spots and other expensive marketing vehicles. Time will tell if this is going to sustain a second weekend and Rocky Mountain had not yet announced whether they would be expanding the film this coming weekend.

"Win Win" continues to grow and more analysis after the cut:

Box Office Bulletin: A "Brand" established...

Via Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, and other sources:

It was great news and somewhat disappointing news for British comedic actor Russell Brand at the box office this weekend. His starring turn as the animated "E.B." in the family film "Hop" retained the #1 spot at the box office for a second weekend in a row. His lead performance in the remake of Dudley Moore's 1981 comedy, "Arthur", opened at #2. While "Hop" easily won the weekend, "Arthur" underperformed expectations and may slide to #3 when the actual figures are reported Monday afternoon. At this time, Brand stars in the Top 2 films in the country - an impressive feat not to be discounted.

NEW OPENINGS:

"Arthur" vastly underperformed the expectations Warner Bros. placed upon it. Tendering a $40 million budget, studio executives pegged "Arthur" to fall in the $18-$20 million range for its opening. This expectation matched our own Robert Hamer's prediction in his Weekend Openings column. Landing at an estimated $12.6 million take, that $40 million budget may be tough to achieve domestically, as word-of-mouth and reviews sour the interest. Brand will likely not suffer much from this professionally as he remains a star on the rise.

A look at the surprise breakout of "Hanna", a snubbing of "Your Highness", and a good showing for "Insidious", along with everything else from the weekend after the cut.

Box Office Actuals: April 1-3, 2011

Via Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, and other sources:

After cleaning out the cash drawers of North American movie theaters last night, most of the new releases from the April Fool's Day weekend were a bit over-estimated. "Hop" still ruled the weekend but fell just short of having the biggest opening weekend of the year - a success still held by "Rango", which started at $38.1 million as opposed to 'Hop"'s $37.5 million haul.

"Hop" looks to draw strong numbers next weekend with no true competition fighting for its dollar. Additionally, a strong second weekend may keep audiences coming back again and again through the Easter holiday and keep "Hop" near the top of the box office chart for much of this month. Although the film has been poorly received by critics, families and children are responding to it in a big way. "Hop" follows "Despicable Me" as Illumination Entertainment's second big success, perhaps making them a player for the foreseeable future in animated film.

"Source Code", starring Jake Gyllenhaal, opened at $14.8 million, less than the $15.0 projected start. The film, a smart and unique science-fiction/mystery/thriller directed by Duncan Jones (Moon), delivered another soft opening for Summit Entertainment. Many are reporting that the bankability of Jake Gyllenhaal is to blame for "Source Code" falling well short of expectations, but Summit consistently struggles to deliver big numbers. Strong word-of-mouth may keep this rolling through the week, but "Arthur", "Hanna", and "Your Highness" all will compete for much of the same audience that "Source Code" is hoping to retain.

FilmDistrict's first release, the horror film "Insidious", delivered a $13.2 million final tally. Shot for $1.5 million, the film is already an overwhelming success and challenged "Source Code"'s #2 ranking while appearing at approximately 500 less locations. The collaboration from director James Wan and screenwriter Leigh Whannell, who created the "Saw" franchise, marks a bit of a comeback for the duo. "Insidious" could arguably be one of the more impressive openings of the year thus far.

Elsewhere, "Sucker Punch" crashed and burned a staggering 68%, while the Weinstein Company's PG-13 recut of "The King's Speech" failed to galvanize audiences.

THE WEEKEND BREAKDOWN

#1 Film - "Hop", earned $37.5 million

Last Year's #1 Film at this time: "Clash Of The Titans", earned $61.2 million

Biggest Per Screen Average: "Hop", $10,490 at 3,579 locations ($37.5 million)

Worst Per Screen Average (50+ Sites): "Rabbit Hole", $199 at 61 locations ($12,132,
$2.2 cumulative)

Largest Increase (50+ Sites): "Win Win", +145.2%

Steepest Decline (50+ Sites): "Mars Needs Moms", -84.6%

Films Earning More Than $1m for the weekend: 15

Films Which Surpassed $100m: Yogi Bear

Films Which Surpassed Reported Budget This Weekend: Insidious.

The Top 40, with other notables, after the cut!

Box Office Bulletin: A "Hop"ping Good Time!

Via Box Office Mojo, The Numbers, and other sources:

Live action/animation hybrid "Hop" seems to have exceeded even the most optimistic of expectations by landing, if estimates hold, the largest opening weekend of 2011 with approximately $38.1 million in box office receipts.


NEW OPENINGS:

"Hop", made by Illumination Entertainment for $63 million, the studio who debuted with 2010's blockbuster, "Despicable Me", delivered the first true all-family film of 2011 and reaped the benefits. Despite the massive success of "Rango" and the well-attended "Gnomeo and Juliet", "Hop" looked like the year's first film which would engage everyone in the household and families responded. Despite most critics panning the film, distributor Universal Pictures won in the court of public opinion. Featuring voice work by Russell Brand, Hugh Laurie, and Hank Azaria, and James Marsden in the main live-action role, this Easter Bunny meets the Santa Claus storyline may elicit a sequel down the line. A second strong weekend looks promising as the next animated family film to come down the pike, the G-rated "Rio", lands on April 15.

A look at "Source Code", "Insidious", and a knockout "Sucker Punch" after the cut...