January | 2013 | Merlardo Productions

Posted on Jan 28 by anthony

Movies by the Numbers: January 28th, 2013

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters Movie Poster

Jeremy Renner continues to be the dominant male action star as Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters claimed the top spot in a relatively quiet weekend. The $19 million opening is better than Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter and The Brothers Grimm. Renner’s involvement can easily be linked to the film’s early success. In the last few years the action star has become quite a draw with theatergoers. As to be expected, critics panned the film but that has never been a problem with over-the-top, special effects driven, action films. Combined with overseas totals, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters will more than likely double its $50 million production budget.

Last week’s king, or queen, Mama saw a considerable drop in week two but is still on pace to perform better than any film of the same genre from 2012. Proving that the old horror formula is not dead, Mama has used a straight forward marketing campaign to continue drawing audiences despite the normal decline that comes with a January release. Having already closed in on $50 million, every dollar from here on in is icing on the cake for a film that has definitely over-performed. Continue reading →

Posted on Jan 23 by anthony

Project365: Week 3

Project365 is off to a good start in the year 2013. While it is literally freezing in New York City, we have managed to find interesting things to photograph and, of course, managed to defrost enough to post them up here. Let us know what you think in the comments below or over at our Facebook page. If you haven’t already, you can also start your own Project365 — just be sure to check in and share your photos with us every Wednesday!

January 13, 2013

Gym View by Jen Gallardo

Foggy Morning by Anthony J. Merced

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Posted on Jan 22 by anthony

Movies by the Numbers: January 22, 2013

Mama Movie Poster

The first three day weekend of 2013 saw Jessica Chastain flex her muscle as one of the new superpowers in Hollywood while Mark Wahlberg and Arnold Schwarzenegger saw their latest releases fizzle. By all expectations, Mama should not have been as successful as it was. For a genre that has been dominated by a “found-footage” style, Mama went back to horror roots, delivering a solid premise that hooked audiences. Jessica Chastain’s rising star power helped to push the film to over double its production budget in its first weekend. The other secret to the film’s success lies in the numbers. The much desired female demographic flocked to the film in large numbers. Over 60% of the audience was comprised of women and under the age of 25. Combined with a PG-13 rating, Mama should have legs as the month drags on.

Finishing in second was another film starring Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty. Earning nearly $16 million in its second week of full release, Katherine Bigelow’s latest film has held better than comparable films such as Black Hawk Down. Similarly, Zero Dark Thirty is only slightly off from the total of Black Hawk Down at this same point. Overall, the buzz from the slow release, combined with the award show nominations, has helped to set the film up for a successful run. February will see stiff competition with Live Free or Die Hard. However, the film should do most of its damage before the latest installment of the Die Hard series. Continue reading →

Posted on Jan 19 by jen

Project365: A Beginning

In 2012, Anthony and I decided to a do a joint “photo-a-day” project called “Project366.” Over the course of the year, we posted our photos for each week. It was an endeavor, but we made it through. We’ve decided to do it again this year but, since this year is not a leap year, it is our “Project365.”

During 2013, we will be switching things up a bit. Starting in February, we will be taking photos based on monthly themes. At the beginning of each month, we will announce here (and on our Facebook and Twitter pages) the new theme for the month. We are hoping this will lead to livelier discussions about our photos and, hey, maybe you can play along at home! We highly encourage you to start your own Photo-a-Day project (it’s never too late to start!) and share links to your photos with us.

Without further ado, here are the photos from the beginning of this year’s Project365; we hope you enjoy them!

January 1, 2013

A Fortune for 2013 by Jen Gallardo

New Year Confetti by Anthony J. Merced

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Posted on Jan 14 by anthony

Movies by the Numbers: January 14, 2013

Zero Dark Thirty Movie Poster

Zero Dark Thirty fired a warning shot to all of the other Oscar contenders with a $24 million opening in its first weekend of wide release. Katherine Bigelow’s latest film proves that all of the real life controversy has helped to garner a more rabid following. The strong opening weekend was better than both Argo and Lincoln. The decision to push the release date back from December helped Sony’s marketing effort as they took advantage of a usually slow month. Aside from having the time to grow unopposed, the film has seen an unusual amount of coverage given the content and how it may have been acquired. The extra few weeks helped to build up extreme anticipation and so far audiences are certainly interested.

In second place was A Haunted House, the horror movie spoof written by and starring Marlon Wayans. While the film only brought in $18 million, it managed to bring in a higher per-theater average attendance. A Haunted House screened in nearly 800 less theaters than Zero Dark Thirty but still managed a respectable showing. In the end it will most likely finish around $40 million which is par for the course with such films. The audience demographics skewed more ethnic as 48% were African American and 30% were Latino ticket buyers. Continue reading →

Posted on Jan 10 by jen

Project 366: The End

It took us a while to finally post these, but here are the last two photos Anthony and I took in the year 2012. As always, this daily project was an adventure wrought with lots of challenges — but we managed to thrive. We are looking forward to challenging ourselves in new ways in 2013. Keep an eye out for our first group of photos from 2013 next week!

December 30, 2012

Santa’s in a Tree by Jen Gallardo

Places I’ve Visited by Anthony J. Merced

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Posted on Jan 4 by jen

Project 366: Week 52

Christmas finally arrived this week and we spent much of the time eating, as you’ll see below! We also spent a lot of time playing with gifts we received and, of course, having a good time with family and friends as well. We hope your holiday was joyous and well-catered! As always, let us know which photos are your favorites in the comments area below this post.

December 23, 2012

Handmade Card by Jen Gallardo

Kid Toys by Anthony J. Merced

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Posted on Jan 4 by jen

Project 366: Week 51

At this point, we reached the holiday home stretch! Christmas cards were mailed out, some gifts were exchanged and preparations were made for vacation time. Let us know which photos were your favorites in the comments below.

December 16, 2012

Waiting on a Train by Jen Gallardo

Across the Street by Anthony J. Merced

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