With Jeremy Fuster and Max Deering both on holiday, it’s a pretty loose, off-the-cuff and unstructured, even by our standards, episode. With Lisa Laman again offering another round of “financial flashback,” this week’s guest is Nathanael Rice, who just four months ago launched a potential rival to the likes of Box Office Mojo and The Numbers.

It’s called Box Office Watch, and while it’s still getting its sea legs, it’s a visually dynamic and user-friendly offering in the realm of sites stuffed with present-and past-tense box office data.

Beyond the brief check-ups on Obsession (now past $400 million), Backrooms (now above $355 million), and Disclosure Day (which held well over the holiday and crossed $100 million in North America), the crux of the conversation is about Minions & Monsters.

The main topic of discourse is about why Minions 3 opened so much lower than its predecessors, and whether the “mere” $62 million domestic and $162 million worldwide end-of-holiday total matters for an $85 million flick that should, at worst, still earn 6-7x that worldwide.

Otherwise, yes, we spend a few minutes on how Young Washington’s $21 million Fr-Sun debut essentially rescued the Independence Day weekend from an otherwise miserable, under-$100 million domestic total.

Oh, and in relation to Supergirl’s unheroic plunge, barely crossing $100 million globally at the end of its second weekend? Well, at least it’ll make more than Masters of the Universe?

Recommended Reading…

* Scott Mendelson details how this June’s $1 billion domestic total was mostly dependent on the long legs and big bucks of Obsession, Backtooms and Michael rather than on expected tentpoles like Supergirl and Masters of the Universe.

* Jeremy Fuster lays out how theaters are responding to and benefiting from the current box-office upswing.

* Lisa Laman discusses the history of big animated releases going head-to-head (or spacing themselves out) over the summer movie season.

* Ryan Scott ran down this year’s Fangoria Chainsaw Awards, specifically discussing the films nominated for Best Wide Release horror movie.

If you like what you hear, please like, share, comment, and subscribe (using a cartoon mallet) with every justified ounce of strength and passion.

If you’d like to reach out and offer good cheer, request in-show discussions, or suggest ideas for bonus episodes, please email us at [email protected].

* Scott Mendelson - The Outside Scoop and Puck News

* Jeremy Fuster - TheWrap

* Lisa Laman - Land of the Nerds, Dallas Observer and Looper

* Ryan C. Scott - SlashFilm, Fangoria and Inverse

* Max Deering - Fangoria and Action For Everyone

* Nathanael Rice - Box Office Watch

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