Weekend Box Office Report: X-Men Show Their Powers

If this summer is “the last stand” for the box office bulls, the third installment of the X-Men franchise should make shorts nervous. Debuting as the 5th best four day opening, the 4th best three day opening, and the second largest Friday opening, X3 racked up $120 million over the Memorial Day weekend. Along with […]

Memorial Day Box Office

My friend and fellow money manager, Doug Kass, is making a good call to short Dreamworks Animation (DWA) on the back of less than stellar box office for Over The Hedge. There are no catalysts for DWA unless the film does surprisingly well this weekend. Short of buyout rumors becoming reality I see little upside […]

The Da Vinci Code Holds Very Well On Monday

The Da Vinci Code grossed $8.9 million Monday. That is very strong, 11th all-time for a Monday according to MovieCityNews.com, trailing only franchises like Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. I had been thinking the $77 million opening might lead to a low $200 million domestic run but based on the Monday figure, a […]

Central European Media Enterprises: Shares Under Pressure

Central European Media Enterprises (CETV) shares fell 6% on Monday to close at $58.50. The stock got as low as $55.30, down more than 11%, before recovering. I was nibbling in the morning so I could add to positions in a few new client accounts where I was averaging down. You can take my willingness […]

Weekend Box Office Report: The Da Vinci Code Comes Through

Despite poor reviews, The Da Vinci Code exceeded estimates with weekend ticket sales of $77 million in North American theatres. The weekend gross exceeded estimates in place prior to poor reviews out of Cannes. Along with a solid performance from Over The Hedge and reasonable business from other films in wide release, the year-over-year decline […]

Sears Holdings 1Q06 Earnings Preview

Sears Holdings (SHLD) will have reported earnings by the time you read this. Since I get a lot out of writing previews by setting my own expectations and understanding the setup in the shares, I am posting a preview anyhow. Hopefully, this note will help you put the reported figures in perspective. SHLD accelerated its […]

Poseidon Sinks The Box Office But It Will Float

Poseidon sunk the box office as the big budget film flopped, bringing in just $20 million and opening in second place. Poor performance from Poseidon was the primary cause for an 8.4% decline in box receipts versus the same weekend a year ago. The negative comp broke a six weekend winning streak and the weak […]

Viacom: Better But Needs More Growth

Viacom (VIAB) reported a solid quarter, which I would characterize as slightly above expectations. Viacom’s good results follow better than expected results at Disney and News Corp, possibly a sign that fundamentals are improving for the diversified entertainment companies. At a minimum, I think that analyst estimates are now achievable as they have adjusted to […]

Disney’s Results Will Keep The Shares Moving Upward

Results from Disney (DIS) look awfully good to me. EPS came in at 37 cents against consensus of 31 cents. I only see a 1 cent benefit from a lower than expected tax rate so it looks like a clean beat to me. Revenues were $8.03 billion vs. consensus of $8.18 billion, yet despite the […]

NTL Earnings and Guidance Support The Bull Case

NTL Incorporated (NTLI) reported 1Q06 earnings as expected including the hoped for acceleration in cost savings synergies from its merger with Telewest. Investors are responding favorably to the report and follow-up conference call, moving NTLI shares 2-3% higher. I think the stage is set for NTLI shares to move into the mid $30s or higher […]