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How has the 2015 box office performed compared to 2014? Read on to find out. Story by Matt Cummings From late 2014, critics and writers were ready to proclaim the 2015 box office as the most successful in history. We too felt a certain sense of destiny, with so many great films arriving throughout the year. We even wrote about it here , here , and here . Then January arrived, and one dud after another came with it, including Blackhat , Mortdecai , The Boy Next Door , and Project Almanac . February was actually worse, with Jupiter Ascending and Seventh Son dropping stinking loads at our door before running off. But within that mire of disaster, we also saw great films, including Paddington and Kingsman: The Secret Service , both of which kept many theaters from turning into mausoleums. You can read our QUARTER 1 REPORT here . As we pass the half-way mark of 2015, it's time to compare this year's box office to 2014, and to determine if everyone was right ab

The numbers are impressive, but what lessons can be learned from them? Story by Matt Cummings As if we didn't know already, the 2015 box office is certainly gearing up to be one of the biggest ever. We pontificated about this in our Big Movie Questions article back in January, but already the numbers are proving we were right to be excited. According to our friends at BoxOfficeMojo, the first 46 days of the 2015 box office have generated $1.45 billion, which represents the biggest start for the industry since 2010's $1.48 billion. That's 11% higher than 2014 and 26% higher than 2013. Moreover, the top 10 releases in 2015 combined to take in over $925m as compared to a paltry $775m for the year prior. Comparing 2015 and 2014 also yielded the following information: Both year's top performers ( Lone Survivor and American Sniper ) were released in their previous years. 2014 had four $100m movies by February 15 ( Lone Survivor , Ride Along , The LEG

This week's episode of Inside the Bucket is online! Revel in the 2015 digital mastery! Welcome to this week's episode of Inside the Bucket , which in Hollywood-speak means "We hate movies and television!" With SandwichJohn away, Matt, Sue, and Brandon pick up the pieces to bring you all freshest news from our website SANDWICHJOHNFILMS.COM . Please check out all the links to the items we covered in today's podcast. Later, they get into Rants and Raves as the trio try to steer you away from all the crap out there. After that, they break down their choices for the 2015 Oscars. Finally, Matt and Brandon review American Sniper and Paddington , while Sue just sits by looking at her cell phone. We encourage you to participate in our Open Forum aFriday, which is your chance to get in our business about running a passion project like our trainwreck. Be warned: Inside the Bucket is an EXPLICIT PODCAST. We tend to say controversial things and cuss just fo

Here's your chance to connect with the SJF community. While you're welcome to comment on any movie or television thoughts you might have, here's a brief rundown of the movies released this week and Blu-rays to be released next Tuesday: Movies - Blackhat - American Sniper - The Wedding Ringer - Paddington Blu-rays - Lucy - The Drop - Annabelle Also, don't forget to listen to our weekly podcast, where we break down the major news of the week and do our giveaways. No matter what you choose to talk about, a few ground rules: keep it nice, no ads, and no flaming. Other than that, sound off on any movie or television thoughts you have. Don't forget to listen to Inside the Bucket , the official podcast of SandwichJohnFilms.com - we're available on both iTunes and Stitcher Radio. Happy posting!

Michael Mann's cautionary Blackhat is expertly shot and well-acted but needs a serious edit. WARNING: This review contains spoilers. Review by Matt Cummings When the world is threatened by an unprecedented cyber attack, the US and Chinese governments band together to discover its source, gathering a list of talented cyber agents like the Chinese officer Chen Dawai (Leehom Wang) and his sister Kien Chen (Wei Tang) along with the FBI agent Carol Barrett (Viola Davis). But that won't be enough to stem the next wave of terror, so Dawai goes to the only person who can help: the imprisoned cyber criminal Nicholas Hathaway (Chris Hemworth). As their investigation leads all over the world, Hathaway must track the terrorist Sadak (Yorick van Wageningen) and his ruthless associate Kassar (Ritchie Coster) before they completely wipe out Hathaway's team and carry out another attack. This isn't Mann's first violent picnic - he seems to thrill in placing his ch

Set within the world of global cybercrime, Legendary’s Blackhat follows a furloughed convict and his American and Chinese partners as they hunt a high-level cybercrime network from Chicago to Los Angeles to Hong Kong to Jakarta. Directed and produced by Michael Mann, the film stars Chris Hemsworth, Viola Davis, Tang Wei and Wang Leehom , and it is written by Morgan Davis Foehl and Mann. Legendary’s Thomas Tull and Jon Jashni produce alongside Mann, while Alex Garcia and Eric McLeod serve as the executive producers. Please Leave A Comment-

Is January the month where films go to die? You decide in our January preview! Story by Matt Cummings After an incredibly busy month of December that saw no less than 12 interesting flicks go for our hard-earned dollars , January arrives with a distinctly "Don't forget about us!" feel. January has usually been the month where films go to die, cast off to the Island of Misfit Toys after entertaining earlier Oct-Dec releases. The reality: most of these will flop, some will linger around like Jay and Silent Bob, while others will make a profit and actually lead in the box office until around March. This year might be a different story, with one of the most anticipated slate of films in recent memory. For now. we're holding to our theory but for now there are a few that could be interesting. Our list includes a talking bear, a computer hacker, a sniper, and the end of Bryan Mills. Welcome to our January 2015 movie preview! January 6 Taken 3 Plot