Thanks for this. It's great to see it itemized and aggregated like this. Really gets down to the nuts and bolts of what the studios want to invest in. It really is a big help as a screenwriter to see want movies each studio banks on in one of their biggest quarters of the sales year. Sales shouldn't wholly dictate or rudder your imagination as a writer, but it can help polish and prioritize your ideas and concepts. Knowing this info can help you select your best ideas to submit to legit competitions, like The Quest for example :) at least that's the way I'm receiving it! Thanks again Scott and Wendy!

"Sales shouldn’t wholly dictate or rudder your imagination as a writer, but it can help polish and prioritize your ideas and concepts." There is no secret formula to success as a screenwriter. And each writer must discover their own way into and through the morass. With two broad paths -- give them what they want or sell them your dream -- we have options. What I'm saying is what you're saying. We don't write in a vacuum, rather we are the sellers and they are the buyers. And they have agendas, strategies, and bottom lines. Some writers can flourish in writing to the market. Others can't. It's important to know where your instincts and capabilities lie. Of course, those can change over time, witness any number of writers and directors who started out doing indie movies, them moved into mainstream filmmaking. In general, I believe, the more you know, the better off you are. But once you've locked on a story to write, go nuts and be creative. Set aside box office considerations -- after you've developed the story to the point you're ready to type FADE IN -- and let your freak flag fly [as Jimi Hendrix might have put it]. Thanks for that observation, rojomayne. An apt one.

Yay! Numbers! I'll echo @rojomayne's sentiment in thanking you for breaking it down like this and how it helps focus what's selling and actually getting made. Very interesting.

Thanks for this Scott. I'm assuming the figures above are the week on week figures? It's interesting that Iron Man 3's figures seem to leap upwards in the second week, bucking a general trend of dropping in the second week. Likewise Fast and the Furious 6 had a pick up in week two, which makes me think should I be running out the door to see both of these and why? Is it word of mouth, is it the date of release? Are they simply great films that are must go sees? Or is it simply that Robert Downey Junior is as charming as ever?

TQA, the numbers are actually domestic gross to date / international gross to date. Look at that figure for Iron Man. Compare to STID. Granted the latter has not opened in as many foreign markets as IM3, but suggests Star Trek has more limited appeal worldwide than Avengers.

Oops I completely misinterpreted that, just as well I'm not in charge of marketing or budgets. Just goes to show as well that your domestic market is still pretty huge. But if a film appeals to international markets it's really onto a winner.