Data Documentation Template for Daily Movie Box Office Receipts

NAME: moviedaily.dat
TYPE: text (tab delimited)
SIZE: 94KB, 5 variables, 2468 observations, header row

DESCRIPTIVE ABSTRACT: This file contains daily per theater box office receipts for 49 
movies. This data is to accompany the article entitled Movie Data.

SOURCES: Values have been retrieved from http://www.the-numbers.com/.

VARIABLE DESCRIPTIONS: The first variable is the movie’s number in the alphabetical list, 
the second is the movie title, the third is an index for the observation number, the fourth is the 
per theater box office receipt amount in dollars, and the fifth is the date (mm/dd/yyyy). If the 
daily data is missing, the third, fourth, and fifth variables are coded as NA. Movie titles are 
arranged alphabetically and data is chronological.

SPECIAL NOTES: 

STORY BEHIND THE DATA: We find that almost all receipts exhibit seasonality by day of the 
week. These patterns persist on small as well as large movies. Students seem to enjoy looking at 
the patterns for those movies they have seen.

PEDAGOGICAL NOTES: This data has been used in introductory statistics classes as well as in 
forecasting curricula. A complete set of classroom and project assignments, with solutions, is 
submitted with the article Movie Data.

REFERENCES: Data and information retrieved from 
http://www.the-numbers.com/
www.oscars.org/awardsdatabase
www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/100yearslist.aspx 
http://www.imdb.com/Sections/Awards/Sundance_Film_Festival/).


SUBMITTED BY:
Constance H. McLaren, Analytical Department, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809
Concetta A. DePaolo, Analytical Department, Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 47809