Top 5 Breakdown
1. Everest – £1,995,517 – total £6,829,694
3D took £715,131 – total £2,761,159 – 2D took £967,423 – total £2,707,131 IMAX/3D took £312,964 with previews £1,360,928
Down only 19.8% in its third weekend (or 36.6% in its second weekend including its week long previews) held strongly with no competition and good strong word of mouth. Will face tougher competition this weekend with The Martian opens wide while Everest will lose its IMAX screens to The Walk having a similar week ahead of its release in IMAX as Everest.
2. Legend – £1,807,088 – total £13,265,823
Down only 25.7% in its third weekend has become the highest grossing 18 rated *British film in the UK of all time. (*financed by US and French companies). It is also the 12th highest grossing 18 rated film of all time.
3. The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials – £1,150,585 – total £6,923,065
2D took £995,738 total £5,426,838 – 3D took £154,846 – total £1,496,277
Down 23.8% in its third weekend holding surprisingly well far better than the first film released last October which had taken £5.86m after three weeks; the sequel has benefited slightly from 3D but with only 21% of its box office from 3D even without its surcharges would be ahead of the first film. The first film took £8.89m sequel should beat it over the next few weeks.
After so many Young Adult films failed to find their audiences this year The Longest Ride, Paper Towns and Me and Earl are just three of many receiving strong social media campaigns. The success of The Scorch Trials shows there is still an audience when genre is mixed with sci-fi Divergent earlier this year The Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 2 in November and The Fifth Wave in January.
4. Miss You Already – £467,924 – NE
A disappointing opening after receiving mostly positive reviews and a dearth of films for women in the last few weeks; Drew Barrymore and Toni Collette both did many interviews and over a quiet weekend for new releases would of expected it to have a stronger opening. With The Intern opening this weekend its likely audiences will have missed their chance in seeing film in cinemas by the weekend.
5. Inside Out – £423,127 – £37,902,589
2D took £418,914 total £32,909,689 – 3D took £4,213 – total £4,910,218
Holding fifth place for a third weekend and down only 2.9% in its 10th weekend on release having now become the second biggest original animation film of all time at UK box office and the third biggest Pixar film behind Toy Story 2 and Toy Story 3.
Will face tougher competition this weekend with Hotel Transylvania 2 starting its first of two weekends of previews ahead of its opening but as its figures won’t be added till its opening weekend.
By next weekend will be getting close to overtaking Fast & Furious 7 to become the fourth biggest film of 2015.
Also opened
Captive – Paramount -£52,227 from 126 screens
99 Homes – Studiocanal – £39,559 from 25 screens
Life – eOne –£36,000 from 48 screens
McFarland – Disney – £13,000 from 113 screens
Other box office news:
Despite strong holds for the top three films and Inside Out the weekend box office is down from last year when Billy Elliot: The Musical Live topped the chart opening with £1.9m with The Equalizer £1.89m and What We Did on Our Holidays £809,953 also opening.
This weekend’s top 10 box office took £6,969,646 down 18.2% from last weekend £8,526,240 and down 14.9% from same weekend last year. (£8,010,377)
This weekend last year Gone Girl opened strongly with £4,105,696 while Dracula Untold £1,713,203, Bang Bang £602,193 and Dolphin Tale 2 £536,766 also opened. After The Martian received strong buzz, media coverage and reviews will it open as well as last year’s Gone Girl or Interstellar?
This weekend
Major release
The Martian – 20th Century Fox
Sci-fi based on Andy Weir’s 2011 novel directed by Ridley Scott starring Matt Damon and ensemble cast Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Kate Mara, Sean Bean and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Ridley Scott had support by NASA with the making of the film as it is their future vision of a journey to Mars but they hope theirs will go without all the extra drama. NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren saying last week from the International Space Station that he and his cremate has read the book and hopes to have the film beamed into orbit on October 2nd for them to watch when it’s released. They chatted to Matt Damon last month the same time 20th Century Fox previewed first 49 minutes to journalists.
First trailer was launched in June following a viral marketing campaign which was well received; in August released a second trailer again attached to a viral marketing campaign. Was originally set for release November 25th but brought forward separating from Star Wars and after given Toronto premiere similar to Gravity had in 2013 with 20th Century Fox hoping for a repeat; Premiered at Toronto Film Festival on September 11th reaction was very positive being compared to Apollo 13 but some have compared it to Robert Zemeckis Castaway.
Had UK premiere on September 24th with Matt Damon and Jessica Chastain both attending then recording Graham Norton Show broadcast day after; Gravity opened November 8th 2013 with £6.2m Ridley Scott’s last film Exodus Gods and Monsters December 26th 2014 £2.6m and will be compared to Interstellar opened November 6th £5.3m.
The Martian has of course been compared with both Gravity and Interstellar but will its opening be similar or will The Walk IMAX opening harm its opening its box office?
Also released
The Intern – Warner Bros
Comedy starring Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway directed by Nancy Meyers originally set to star Tina Fey and Michael Caine at Paramount. First trailer was released in May which was well received felt like a kind of sequel to Devil Wears Prada with Hathaway the boss hiring De Niro has her intern; Nancy Meyers first film since It’s Complicated opened January 2010 with £1.1m, The Holiday December 2006 with £2.8m, Something’s Gotta Give February 2004 £1.2m and What Women Want opened in February 2001 with £3.4m; receives its UK Premiere September 27th.
Robert De Niro’s interview with the Radio Times became a viral story after walking out of the interview objecting to “negative inference” from journalist asking the questions.
Recently journalists have become the story over the interview with several interviews going viral including Cara Delevingne’s Good Day Sacramento interview for Paper Towns
Kate Mara and Michael B Jordan interview with Atlanta radio asking them rude, inappropriate questions while they were promoted Fantastic Four.
Macbeth – Studiocanal
Drama based on William Shakespeare’s play The Tragedy of Macbeth starring Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard having its world premiere at Cannes Film Festival receiving positive reviews; first trailer was released in June with more than 2 million views; had Scottish premier 27th September.
The Walk Sony Pictures
Biographical drama based on the story of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit’s walk between the Twin Towers on August 7th 1974 starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ben Kingsley and directed by Robert Zemeckis; received world premiere at New York Film Festival on September 26th received mixed reviews with many saying last 40 minutes make up for the rest of the film that needs to be seen in IMAX and 3D if you don’t suffer from vertigo; opens in IMAX exclusively going wide October 9th as Everest and likely will be added to its wide opening October 9th.
After the huge media coverage The Martian has received The Walk has been a bit muted in comparison didn’t help with an embargo until Saturday ahead of its world premiere. When reviews were released they said the last 40 minutes were spectacular viewing if you don’t have vertigo to be seen in IMAX and 3D.
