- Uncharted – £4,705,948 – NE
Second biggest opening this year after Sing 2 (£6,867,533) and the 10th biggest opening of the pandemic; opened £27,820 less than Sonic the Hedgehog (£4,733,768) opened two years ago.
302nd biggest opening between Batman Forever and Frozen (close to Sonic The Hedgehog, 22 Jump Street, San Andreas and Mad Max: Fury Road) and 452nd biggest inflation inflated between The Conjuring 2: The Enfield Case and The Incredible Hulk (close to Sleepy Hollow, Battleship, 2 Fast 2 Furious and Die Hard Die Harder).
It was all about timing for Uncharted, while it might have received poor reviews (calling it a Tomb Raider and Raider of the Lost Ark rip-off) its target demographic won’t read them and also attracted the Tom Holland’s tween/teen girl fanbase who had to seem Spider-Man No Way Home. Was original due to open the same weekend in the US but was delayed a week due to the Superbowl but keeping it dated for February 11th gave the film the lucrative half-term and with cold wet weather expected Uncharted is likely to have a very strong 10 days? Uncharted was #1 on Monday but #2 on Tuesday behind Sing 2 so it’s likely to be front-loaded.
In April 2020 Sony Pictures delayed Spider-Man No Way Home from July 16th to November 5th (was later moved to December 17th after Marvel moved Eternals to November 5th) bring Uncharted forward from October to July but then a year later moved it to February 18th giving Uncharted a huge advantage with the trailer played with Spider-Man No Way Home.
Video games comparisons with Uncharted turned into films with mixed results include Tomb Raider (£3,081,916 taking £7,739,354); Max Payne, Assassin’s Creed (£5,285,064 taking £7,996,695), Resident Evil; Prince of Persia (£1,371,066 taking £8,829,805) video games to films have had mixed results. Successful video game movies include Pokémon Detective Pikachu (£4,951,838 taking £13,368,175); Sonic The Hedgehog (sequel opening in April), Mortal Kombat (sequel in development), Tomb Raider (sequel in development) and Rampage (£4,109,247 taking £8,695,722).
While a similarly themed film based on a fictional video game 2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle opened £8,154,548 (including £4,114,058 previews) without previews of £4,040,490
taking £36,968,605 and sequel 2019’s Jumanji: The Next Level opened £9,464,661 (including £4,250,000 previews) without previews £5,214,661 taking £36,079,399.
The film started development in 2008 with many directors attached including David O. Russell, Dan Trachtenberg, Neil Burger, Seth Gordon, Shawn Levy and Travis Knight and many actors were attached to the film before Tim Holland was cast in May 2017. It was originally due for release in June 2016 and was delayed many times before moving to February 2022.
Opened with $21.5m from 15 territories ahead of its US opening this weekend #1 in all the territories UK $6.4m Russia $4.5m; Spain $3.5m expanding globally this weekend.
2. Sing 2 – £3,203,950 – £16,799,195
Down 37.8% in its third weekend; took £878,669 more than Sing in io its third weekend but the total was £1,417,907 less due to having no previews; after dropping #2 behind Uncharted Fri-Sun and Monday returned to #1 on Tuesday.
Sing 2 is Illumination Entertainment’s 11th film since Despicable Me in 2010 and 5th biggest third weekend after Minions £4,154,359 #1 down 33% (taking £27,623,294 58% of £47,645,626); Despicable Me 3 £3,839,659 #2 down 27% (taking £25,600,301 53.8% of £47,562,575); 2016’s The Secret Life of Pets £3,624,751 #1 down 24% (taking £22,261,438 61.2% of £35,825,195); 2018’s The Grinch £3,283,072 #2 down 16% (taking £14,079,595 51% of £27,610,501
Other Illumination Entertainment third weekends
2010’s Despicable Me £2,581,073 #2 down 0% taking £15,069,277 76.6% of £19,670,786); 2017’s Sing (£2,325,281 #3 down 39% taking £18,217,102 63.2% of £28,840,000); 2013’s Despicable Me 2 £2,225,543 #2 down 44% (taking £27,082,903 57.1% of £47,436,199); 2019’s The Secret Life of Pets 2 £2,038,860 #4 down 31% (taking £14,938,639 80.1% of £18,638,365); 2011’s Hop £788,809 #5 up 29% taking £4,622,392 63.1% of £7,320,425); 2012’s Dr Seuss’ The Lorax £375,710 #7 down 56% taking £5,962,519 85% of £7,017,256)
In 2017 Sing faced competition from The Lego Batman Movie in its third weekend opened #1 £7,906,468 (including £2,449,044 previews) taking £5,457,424 Fri-Sun with Sing #3 with £2,325,281 (Fifty Shades Darker opened #2 with £7,557,485); The Lego Batman Movie probably attracted similar older child audience as Uncharted did against Sing 2 over the weekend
Sing took £2,325,281 in its third weekend down 39% and £2,108,203 down 10% in its fourth weekend; weekends either side of half-term taking £5,242,772 over 10 days and £3,134,569 Mon-Thurs.
70th biggest animated film between The Pirates! In an Adventure With Scientists and Aladdin (close to Sonic The Hedgehog, The Secret Life of Pets 2, Kung Fu Panda 2 and Ice Age) and 93rd biggest animated film inflation inflated between The Emperor’s New Groove and Flushed Away (close to Antz, Mulan, The Emoji Movie and Shaun The Sheep Movie).
347th biggest film in the UK between The Pirates! In an Adventure With Scientists and Free Guy (close to Pitch Perfect 2, The Bodyguard, Enchanted and Chicago) and 577th biggest inflation inflated between The Emperor’s New Groove and Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (close to The Wedding Singer, School of Rock, Flushed Away and Santa Claus The Movie).
Sing 2 will become the 268th film to take £20m+ at the UK box office and the 7th Illumination Entertainment to take £20m+.
Sing 2 is the first of three Illumination Entertainment films released this year with Minions The Rise of Gru (delayed from 2021) opening in July (two weeks after Lightyear the first time Pixar and Illumination Entertainment have gone head-to-head with two major franchises out of school holidays) and Mario opening December 23rd (based on Super Mario Bros video game previously made in a live-action film in 1993 both a critical and box office flop)
With no children’s films released now until Sonic the Hedgehog 2 in 6 weeks (April 1st) Sing 2 will likely have similar long legs as other children’s films have recently; Clifford The Big Red Dog #11 £98,146 took in 10th weekend and Encanto #12 £91,266 in 12th weekend.
While No Time To Die and Spider-Man No Way Home received plaudits from the industry it’s children’s films that have been the strongest performing genre of films since cinemas reopening in July 2021. What is surprising is many of these children’s were available to watch at home but parents still choose to take their children to see these films in cinemas despite being more expensive to watch them in the cinema than at home.
3. Death on the Nile – £1,898,357 – NE
Had 866th biggest opening between The Legend of Zorro and Charlotte’s Web (close to Focus, Chicago, Victoria and Abdul and Master and Commander) and 1,159th biggest inflation inflated between Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lightning Thief and The Expendables 3 (close to How To Be Single, Lincoln, Munich and Insomnia).
Had the widest release of the weekend playing in 710 screens (131 more screens than Uncharted) and 92 more screens than Murder on the Orient Express opened within November 2017 (618) this is due to Death on the Nile expected to play for fewer weeks (Murder on the Orient Express stayed in the top 10 for 7 weeks (taking £196,186 in its 7th) but Death on the Nile is likely to have a far shorter playing time despite having a 45-day theatrical window.
Based on the 1937 novel by Agatha Christie and is a follow up to 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express which was a huge success; opened in November 2017 with £4,985,600 taking £24,224,914.
Disney gave Death on the Nil a much lower profile launch than 20th Century Fox gave to Murder on the Orient Express (having a world premiere at the Royal Albert Hall and opening the UK a week before the US).
Could use the Armie Hammer scandal as an excuse to why Disney didn’t promote Death on the Nile as strongly but did similar with all of the films they inherited after acquiring 20th Century Fox in 2019 and all of the films have performed far less successful than they would have done.
Free Guy has been the film best performing 20th Century Fox film Disney have released opening with £2,477,891 in August taking £16,786,848 but I would have imagined when the film was originally conceived it was expected to perform similar to Night at the Museum and The Lego Movie.
While other films they have released Dark Phoenix, The New Mutants, Spies In Disguise, Jojo Rabbit, The Call of the Wild, Ron’s Gone Wrong, West Side Story, The King’s Man and Nightmare Alley have all underperformed. Is it that Disney have no interest in these films as while some might have had plans for further instalments by Fox they aren’t likely to happen with Disney, or is it they have a lack of experience in opening original films as it’s far easier to open a film from an existing franchise or reimagination of a classic animated film but to open an original film that’s not been something Disney has achieved in about a decade. This was also seen by Pixar’s Soul, Luca and Turning Red original films being released straight to Disney+ but their Toy Story spinoff Lightyear keeping its summer release date.
The film was delayed for over two years originally set for release December 20th, 2019, delayed to October 9th, 2020, first for production issues, then the acquisition of 20th Century Fox by Disney in 2019 and finally due to COVID.
Death on the Nile was shot with 65mm Panavision as Murder on the Orient Express and was shown exclusively at the Odeon Leicester Square in 70mm as Murder on the Orient Express also was. Would be interesting to know how they performed at the cinema top price tickets for Death on the Nile were £30 (are £32.50 for The Batman)
4. Belfast – £1,050,633 – £11,274,496
Down 28.8% in its fourth weekend; with the three new releases dropped 92 screens from 749 to 657 but playing in 124 more screens than Jackass Forever its screen average is lower £1,599 Vs £1,871 showing it’s playing for too wide. As there are probably still many cinemas especially in Ireland where Belfast is performing strongly but in many others not so much.
Has overtaken totals of recent Best Picture BAFTAs 2011’s The Artist (£9,296,740); 2006’s The Queen £9,296,740; 2006’s Brokedown Mountain (£9,469,032)
Belfast is odds on to win Best Picture at BAFTAs Similar Best Picture Bafta 4th weekends
2007’s Atonement dropped 26% #2 £866,625 413 screens taking £8,511,001 of £11,967,043
2018’s Three Billboards dropped 29% #8 £884,478 457 screens taking £9,435,132 of £15,238,741
2016’s The Revenant dropped 13% #3 £1,213,805 536 screens taking £18,350,699 of £21,759,689
1999’s Shakespeare In Love drooped 26% #2 £1,379,489 taking £10,502,827 of £20,080,703)
2014’s 12 Years A Slave dropped 36% #2 £1,422,066 544 screens taking £13,693,375 of £20,027,551
2000’s American Beauty dropped 8% #3 £1,523,175 taking £9,504,037 of £21,261,601
551ST biggest film in the UK between Enemy of the State and Unbreakable (close to The English Patient, Bram Stokers Dracula, Batman Returns and Bend It Like Beckham) and 851st biggest inflation inflated between The Talented Mr Ripley and Role Models (close to Rush, Misery, A Room With A View and Suffragette).
Has overtaken 2013’s Philomena taking £10,470,225 along with Suffragette (£10,600,616), The Grand Budapest Hotel (£10,577,014), Gangs of New York (£10,563,616), Stan and Ollie (£10,523,554), The Social Network (£10,306,540), Philadelphia (£10,064,236), Jerry Maguire (£9,930,120), The Truman Show (£9,929,680) and Lost in Translation (£9,865,162)
Received 6 BAFTA nominations last week including Best Film but surprisingly no nomination for Best Director for Kenneth Branagh despite being nominated for Best Screenplay and received seven Oscar nominations including Best Film and Best Director.
The 10 Best Picture Oscar nominations have taken £45m+ to date at the UK box office with almost half from Dune. Four of the nominees had a very limited cinema release CODA, Don’t Look Up, Drive My Car and The Power of the Dog. The lack of any high-profile films will mean the BAFTAs and Oscars will likely see further drops in viewing figures and do wonder how much longer the BAFTAs can remain in prime-time Sunday night on BBC1. It’s 25 years now since the Oscars and cinemagoers shared the same tastes in Best Picture and the biggest global film of the year Titanic.
Belfast can’t be compared with other award contenders released late last year including Spencer taking £2.83m and King Richard taking £1.56m as Belfast might be seen as a small black and white independent film but directed by Kenneth Branagh and starring Judi Dench and Jamie Dornan the film generated huge media coverage ahead of release. There was a multitude of interviews across all media in the lead up to its opening while also receiving critical acclaim and being a British film it gets a Brit boost at the box office as many of the big award contenders.
Comparisons have been made with Alfonso Cuaron’s Oscar and BAFTA winner Roma about a year in the life of a middle-class family maid in the early 1970s, the film had a limited cinema release before being released on Netflix. As Belfast Roma was shot in black and white.
1987’s Hope and Glory has a similar story about a young boy’s experiences living in London during World War 2 directed by John Boorman (took £845,927) similar to Belfast was about John Boorman’s childhood during the Blitz.
There are also films like Steven Spielberg’s Empire of the Sun (1987) about s schoolboy who separated from his parents after the Japanese Occupation of Shanghai (took £1,962,873); 2008’s The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, 2013’s The Book Thief, 2019’s JoJo Rabbit and the fantasy 2006’s Pan’s Labyrinth and 2000’s Angela’s Ashes took £7,753,488 (£12,722,769 inflation inflated).
Kenneth Branagh has directed all sizes of films over the last decade it has been mostly big-budget studio releases since Thor in 2011 his last non-studio release was 2018’s All Is True took £976,123 and 1993’s Much Ado About Nothing took £5.5m (£12.5m inflation inflated); 1988’s Henry V his directorial debut took £652,555;
5. Jackass Forever – £997,197 – £4,077,586
Down 52.3% in its second weekend; despite receiving positive reviews Jackass Forever dropped heavily in its second weekend and has become the second biggest Jackass film in the UK after Jackass 3D, but no surprise as the first two films were released in 2003 and 2006.
931st biggest second weekend between The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Swordfish (close to The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, Fighting With My Family, Need for Speed and Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa) and 1,174th biggest inflation inflated between Hidden Figures and Magic Mike XXL (close to Tower Heist, Deepwater Horizon, Dirty Grandpa and Nacho Libre).
67th biggest Paramount Pictures second weekend between The Fighter and Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa (close to 3-D Jackass, The Dictator, Hercules and Paranormal Activity 4).
2003’s Jackass; The Movie dropped 39.5% taking £795,252 and £2,858,550 74% of £3,860,921 (£6,278,345 inflation inflated)
2006’s Jackass: Number Two dropped 57% taking £318,985 and £1,460,607 of £1,684,673 (lasted only 2 weeks in top 10)
2010’s Jackass 3D dropped 37.5% taking £1,059,714 and £4,001,400 71.7% of £5,576,6832013’s Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa dropped 49.7% taking £975,121 63.9% of £4,058,130 of
Also Opened
- Marry Me – Universal Pictures
Opened with £700,513 #6 from 505 screens
Received poor reviews from critics sharing similar plot to Notting Hill which was voted as the best romantic-comedy by BBC Radio 2 viewers last week with Pretty Woman second both films as Maid In Manhattan tell similar Cinderella fantasy.
Was originally developed by STX but was picked up by Universal Pictures in 2019
Jennifer Lopez has had much success from rom-coms over the years including 2002’s Maid in Manhattan (opened £2,424,584 (£4,106,503 inflation inflated) taking £8,076,118 (£13,678,470 inflation inflated), 2005’s Shall We Dance (opened £1,080,140 taking £3,776,565), 2010’s The Back-Up Plan, 2019’s Second Act (opened #13 £403,211)
Most recently starred in 2019’s Hustlers and her performances in 1998’s Out of Sight and 2003’s Gigli are what is best known for away from her music career.
Peter Jackson’s The Beatles: Get Back documentary took £79,987 #13 from 31 screens having the thirds best screen average of the top 15 (£2,580) has more screenings this weekend.
After being released on Disney+ in November. It was originally planned to have an IMAX cinema release and performed strongly in the US last weekend opening #10 taking $488,549 from 181 screens with a strong screen average of $2,699.
UK box office in detail
This weekend’s top 10 box office took £13,675,065 up 13.3% from last weekend £12,067,656
The weekend admissions were 1,818,493 up 13.3% 1,604,741 from last week; using the average price of £7.52 which is calculated by CAA calculating admissions for 2021 for the UK 74m with UK BO of £556.9m; This is up 11.4% from 2020 (£6.75) when it should be lower as VAT was 5% for UK cinemas from July 2020 till September 30, 2021, and is 12.5% till March but exhibitors haven’t reduced prices to customers unlike the majority of the hospitality sector).
Top 3 took £9,808,255 71.2% of the top 10; Uncharted 34.4% (£4,705,948); Sing 2 23.4% (£3,203,950); Death on the Nile 13.9% (1,898,357;
2021 n/a cinemas closed
Down 17.3% from 2020 (£16,539,141); Sonic The Hedgehog (£4,733,768); Emma (£1,635,797); Ghost (30th Anniversary) (£78,805); The Lost Boys (Re: 2020) (£61,613); #1 Sonic The Hedgehog £4,733,768 1st week 619 screens (28.6% of the top 10)
Up 23.1% from 2019; (£11,116,499); Instant Family (£2,469,853); Happy Death Day 2U (£735,454); The Kid Who Would be King (£666,749); A Private War (£223,438); Notting Hill (20th Anniversary) (£1,125); #1 The LEGO Movie 2 £2,472,489 2nd week 652 screens 38% drop (22.2% of top 10)
Down 53.1% from 2018: (£29,122,391); Black Panther (£17,700,000); The Shape of Water (£2,466,217); Father Figures (£250,465); Lady Bird (limited) (£184,254); #1 Black Panther £17,700,000 1st week 585 screens (60.8% of top 10)
Down 39.3% from 2017: (£22,550,899); The LEGO Batman Movie (£7,906,468); Fifty Shades Darker (£7,557,485); The Space Between Us (£258,401); Fences (£102,688); 20th Century Women (£60,203); Prevenge (£30,118); Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk (£14,692); #1 The LEGO Batman Movie £7,906,468 1st week 600 screens (35.1% of top 10)
Down 45.3% from 2016: (£25,026,922); Deadpool (£13,729,803); Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (£4,296,291); Zoolander 2 (£2,089,678); Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (£357,444); A Bigger Splash (£347,704); Concussion (£111,993); Oddball and the Penguins (£23,835); The Iron Giant: Signature Edition (£13,729); Jem and the Holograms (£8,869); #1 Deadpool £13,729,803 1st week 543 screens (54.8% of top 10)
Down 38% from 2015; (£22,051,391); Fifty Shades of Grey (£13,550,290); Peppa Pig: The Golden Boots (£687,417); Love is Strange (£99,755); Grease Sing-along (Re: 2015) (£10,694); #1 Fifty Shades of Grey £13,550,290 1st week 586 screens (61.4% of top 10)
Down 22.5% from 2014: (£17,643,201); The Lego Movie (£8,051,140); The Monuments Men (£1,616,625); Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy (£966,920); Cuban Fury (£966,276); Endless Love (£744,867); Her (£449,307); The Book Thief (limited) (£16,795); Sleepless in Seattle (Re: 2014) (£19,492); #1 The Lego Movie £8,051,140 1st week 547 screens (45.6% of top 10)
Down 9.3% from 2013 (£15,084,507); A Good Day to Die Hard (£4,551,116); This is 40 (£1,229,352); Beautiful Creatures (£1,109,167); Sammy’s Great Escape (£519,049); #1 A Good Day to Die Hard £4,551,116 1st week 484 screens (30.2% of top 10)
Up 8.4% from 2012 (£12,616,654); The Woman in Black (£3,153,020); The Muppets (£2,650,664); Star Wars: Episode I – Phantom Menace 3D (£1,528,156); The Vow (£1,091,469); A Dangerous Method (£186,775); Big Miracle (£149,796); #1 The Woman in Black £3,153,020 1st week 412 screens (25% of top 10)
Down 10.2% from 2011 (£15,233,283); Gnomeo and Juliet (£2,945,627); True Grit (£1,823,254); Yogi Bear (£1,820,405); Just Go With it (£1,628,265); Never Let Me Go (£625,496); #1 Gnomeo and Juliet £2,945,627 1st week 462 screens (19.3% of top 10)
Down 11.7% from 2010: (£15,488,281); Valentine’s Day (£3,732,393); The Wolfman (£2,367,849); Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief (£1,502,663); My Name Is Khan (£936,454); A Single Man (£502,009); Pretty Woman: 20th Anniversary (£51,938); #1 Valentine’s Day £3,732,393 1st week 432 screens (24.1% of top 10)
Down 17% from 2009; (£16,464,180); Bolt (£5,457,438); Hotel for Dogs (£1,500,298); Friday the 13th (£1,198,653); Notorious (£1,119,587); Pink Panther 2 (£821,726); Under the Sea 3D (£21,357); #1 Bolt £5,457,438 1st week 496 screens (33.1% of top 10)
Down 39.3% from 2008; (£9,817,133); Jumper (£3,068,803); The Bucket List (£602,248); There Will Be Blood – expansion (£540,472); All the Boys Love Mandy Lane (£103,084); #1 Jumper £3,068,803 1st week 406 screens (32.2% of top 10)
Up 4.6% from 2007: (£13,071,799); Hot Fuzz (£5,918,149); Because I Said So (£400,987); The Science of Sleep (£130,139); Casablanca (re:06) (£29,446); #1 Hot Fuzz £5,918,149 1st week 427 screens (45.3% of top 10)
Up 26.4% from 2006; (£10,821,573); Chicken Little (£3,173,867); Final Destination 3 (£2,219,978); Big Momma’s House 2 (£1,735,839); The Little Polar Bear 2 (£80,915); #1 Chicken Little £3,173,867 1st week 400 screens (29.3% of top 10)
Up 28.5% from 2005 (£10,644,664); The Magic Roundabout (£1,569,843); The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (£1,252,322); Son of the Mask (£725,524); The Sea Inside (£89,507); #1 Meet the Fockers £2,957,466 3rd week 456 screens 36 drop (27.8% of top 10)
Up 46.7% from 2004 (£9,322,973); Cheaper by the Dozen (£1,817,148); The Haunted Mansion (£1,677,927); Looney Tunes: Back in Action (£926,447); Tooth (£209,049); #1 Cheaper by the Dozen £1,817,148 1st week 364 screens (19.5% of top 10)
Up 30.2% from 2003 (£10,500,986); Daredevil (£1,953,136); Treasure Planet (£888,084); The Hours (£616,573); Undercover Brother (£235,527); #1 Two Weeks’ Notice £2,189,331 2nd week 416 screens 17% drop (20.8% of top 10)
Down 8.5% from 2002 (£14,947,751); Ocean’s Eleven (£5,095,062); Ali (limited) (£125,573); #1 Monsters, Inc. £5,757,712 2nd week 504 screens 37% drop (38.5% of top 10)
Next weekend in 2020 (£13,862,134); The Call Of The Wild (£1,465,400); Like A Boss (£520,059); Brahms: The Boy II (£506,773); Greed (£369,028); Swan Lake – Bolshoi Ballet 2020 (£194,536); #1 Sonic The Hedgehog £4,171,244 2nd week 634 screens 12% drop (30.1% of top 10)
US Box Office
- Death on the Nile – Disney
Opened with $12.89m; received mixed reviews (64% Rotten Tomatoes) and B CinemaScore (both same as Murder on the Orient Express)
Took $1.1m from Thursday previews (31% down from Murder on the Orient Express $1.6m similar to Arrival $1.45m and The Girl on the Train $1.23m);
It played in 375 IMAX, 700 PLF and several 70mm screens; Death on the Nile had a budget of $90m compared to $55m for Murder on the Orient Express.
Death on the Nile opening alongside Marry Me targeting the female audience over Superbowl weekend which is normally a soft weekend.
Opened with 55% less than 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express opened $28.68m taking $102.82m and $352.79m worldwide
Opened with $20.7m from 47 territories (similar to the international opening of House of Gucci targetting similar demographic less Lady Gaga fanbase); Russia ($2.5m); UK ($2.4m); Italy ($2.1m); France ($2.1m); Germany ($1.4m). It opened #1 in many of the countries Uncharted didn’t open in.
- Jackass Forever – Paramount Pictures
Dropped 65% in its second weekend taking $8.08m and $37.45m
Second weekends
2002’s Jackass: The Movie dropped 44.1% taking $12.72m and $42.09m of $64.25m and $79.49m worldwide
2006’s Jackass Number Two dropped 49.6% taking $14.6m and $52.07m of $72.77m and $84.64m worldwide
2010’s Jackass 3D dropped 57.7% taking $21.31m and $86.86m of $117.22m and $171.68m worldwide
2013’s Jackass: Bad Grandpa dropped 36.7% taking $20.01m and $61.56m of $102m and $151.82m worldwide
Took $2.7m from 9 territories internationally $10m total and $47.4m worldwide
- Marry Me – Universal Pictures
Opened with $8m; received mixed reviews (57% Rotten Tomatoes and B+ CinemaScore)
It was released the same day on Peacock in the US.
Despite poor reviews, it was an Instagram celebrity modern-day version of 1998’s Notting Hill opened with $21.81m taking $116.08m and $363.88m worldwide
Marry Me saw Jennifer Lopez reunite with Owen Wilson starring in the 1997 adventure horror Anaconda opened with $16.62m taking $65.88m and $136.88m worldwide, she previously starred in 2019’s Hustlers opened with $31.18m taking $104.96m and $157.56m worldwide.
20 years ago Jennifer Lopez starred in Maid in Manhattan opened with $18.71m taking $94.01m and $154.9m worldwide
Instead opened similar to 2018’s Second Act with $6.48m taking $39.28m and $72.29m worldwide
Opening over Superbowl weekend and against Death on the Nile also targetting female audiences it was always likely the two films would cannibalize each other and there was no point in both opening the same weekend just because it was Valentine’s Day weekend.
Jennifer Lopez has starred in 32 films taking $1.43bn in the US and $3.09bn worldwide
Opened with $8.5m from 65 territories
- Moonfall – Lionsgate
Dropped 70% in its second weekend taking $2.94m and $15.25m
After being having the highest budget for an independent film comparisons surely made with the highest budget independent financed film ($180m) also released by Lionsgate in the US 2017’s Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets #8 dropped 62.6% taking $6.36m and $30.18m of $41.2m and $225.97m worldwide.
Also comparable to 2017’s Geostorm directed by Roland Emmerich’s former producing partner Dean Devlin dropped 56.9% in its second weekend taking $5.9m and $23.78m taking $33.7m and $221.6m worldwide.
The failure of Moonfall highlights the massive issues with cinema over the last 15 years with the domination of comic-book as global destruction now belong to comic-book movies and needed to swap space suits for spandex and tights for their superhero Conspiracy Man.
2019’s Midway dropped 52.5% taking $8.5m and $34.89m of $56.84m and $127.42m worldwide
2016’s Independence Day: Resurgence dropped 59.3% taking $16.71m and $72.87m of $103.14m and $389.68m worldwide
2013’s White House Down dropped 45.8% taking $13.47m and $50.48m of $73.1m and $205.36m worldwide
2009’s 2012 dropped 59.5% taking $26.41m and $108.13m of $166.11m and $791.21m worldwide
2008’s 10,000 BC dropped 53.2% taking $16.77m and $61.57m of $94.78m and $269.78m worldwide
2004’s The Day After Tomorrow dropped 59.5% taking $27.86m and $128.47m of $186.74m and $552.63m worldwide
2000’s The Patriot dropped 31.2% taking $15.42m and $65.45m of $113.33m and $215.29m worldwide
1998’s Godzilla dropped 59.1% taking $18.02m and $99.32m of $136.31m and $379.01m worldwide
1996’s Independence Day dropped 29.8% taking $35.24m and $160.31m of $306.16m and $817.4m worldwide
1994’s Stargate dropped 25.7% taking $12.36m and $34.46m of $71.56m and $196.56m worldwide
Took $23.2m internationally
- Spider-Man No Way Home – Sony Pictures
Dropped 21% in its ninth weekend taking $7.52m and $759.37m
4th biggest film in the US between Avatar and Black Panther (the 5th film to take over $700m since Avatar in 2009) and the 2nd biggest comic-book movie between Avengers Endgame and Black Panther; 12th biggest inflation inflated between Star Wars Ep. I: The Phantom Menace and Forrest Gump.
Ninth weekends
2017’s Spider-Man Homecoming #7 up 30.6% taking $3.58m and $324.08m 97% of $334.2m
2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home #8 up 155.8% taking $4.3m and $384.75m 98.5% of $390.53m
2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron #10 dropped 40.7% taking $1.68m and $452.47m 98.6% of $459m
2018’s Avengers Infinity War #9 52.5% taking $2.58m and $669.56m 98.6% of $678.81m
2019’s Avengers Endgame #13 dropped 46.6% taking $1.98m and $834.59m 97.2% of $858.37m
But Spider-Man No Way Home can only really be compared to Christmas releases as films between Christmas and the New Year perform differently than any other time of the year often increasing the weekend after Christmas.
2009’s Avatar #4 up 3.3% taking $23.61m and $661.21m 88.2% of $749.76m
2015’s Star Wars The Force Awakens #7 dropped 11.7% taking $6.15m and $914.8m 97.7% of $936.6m
2017’s Star Wars The Last Jedi #16 dropped 40.2% taking $1.39m and $616.83m 99.4% of $620.18m
2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle #4 dropped 20.8% taking $7.93m and $377.61m 93.3% of $404.54m
2019’s Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker #15 dropped 39.9% taking $1.38m and $512.87m 99.5% of $515.2m
Sony Pictures biggest film in the US overtaking 2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle in 2017 ($404.5m)
Spider-Man No Way Home is the 8th Spider-Man film made by Sony Pictures since 2002;
Original trilogy directed by Sam Raimi starring Tobey Maguire between 2002 and 2007
Spider-Man took $407.02m; $418m international and $825.02m);
Spider-Man 2 took $373.58m; $415.39m international and $788.97m WW);
Spider-Man 3 took $336.53m and $558.45m and $894.98m WW);
The Amazing Spider-Man in 2012 and sequel in 2014 directed by Marc Webb starring Andrew Garfield
The Amazing Spider-Man took $262.02m $495.9m and $757.93m WW;
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 took $202.85m and $506.12m and $708.98m WW);
Spider-Man then became part of the MCU directed by Jon Watts and starring Tom Holland between 2017 and 2021
2017’s Spider-Man Homecoming $334.2m and $545.96m internationally $880.16m WW);
2019’s Spider-Man: Far From Home took $390.53m and $747.39m internationally $1.13bn WW)
Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse took $190.24m and $185.29m and $375.54m WW with Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse Part 1 and Morbius set for April 2022 release.
Took $11m from 63 territories $1.045bn total and $1.8bn worldwide; 6th biggest film worldwide between Avengers: Infinity War and Jurassic World (46th film to take over $1bn worldwide since Jurassic Park in 1993).
- Scream – Paramount Pictures
Down 40% in its fifth weekend taking $2.95m and $73.29m
After Scream took $68m with a budget of $25m it was seen as the best performing January release. Why does the industry always call films successful once they have taken more than their budget?
Spyglass and Paramount Pictures greenlit the sequel and as many of the sequels to films released from films that opened since the pandemic they would be expected to take much more than the previous instalment as normally cinemagoing should have returned.
1,121st biggest films in the US between Law Abiding Citizen and Yesterday; 1,907th biggest inflation inflated between The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and Yesterday; 156th biggest Paramount Pictures film between Hugo and Hotel for Dogs.
Fifth weekends
1996’s Scream dropped 1.3% #6 taking $7.34m and $59.47m 57.7% of $103.04m and $173.04m worldwide; had strong word of mouth and held very strongly stayed in the top 10 for 9 weeks)
1997’s Scream 2 dropped 50.8% $3.58m #9 and $90.78m 89.5% of $101.36m and $172.36m WW
2000s Scream 3 dropped 43% $2.86m #15 and $82.15m 92.1% of $89.14m and $161.83m WW
2011’s Scream 4 dropped 60.5% $277,103 #27 and $37.5m 98.2% of $38.18m and $97.23m WW
Taken $55.2m total international and $128.49m worldwide; 1,481st biggest film worldwide between Why Him? and Game Night; 171st biggest Paramount Pictures film worldwide between Star Trek: Insurrection and Sliver.
Sing 2 – Universal Pictures
Dropped 30% in its eighth weekend taking $3.07m and $143.5m
Sing 2 is the highest-grossing animated movie in the US since 2020, that said it has taken half of what the original had taken over similar time and Sing 2 didn’t have any competition.
82nd biggest animated film between Kung Fu Panda 3 and The Jungle Book (1967); 416th biggest film in the US between Kung Fu Panda 3 and Juno; 843rd biggest inflation inflated between Million Dollar Baby and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues; 9th biggest 2021 film between A Quiet Place: Part II and Ghostbusters: Afterlife; 57th biggest Universal Pictures film between Mamma Mia! and National Lampoon’s Animal House.
2016’s Sing eighth-weekend #10 down 58% taking $1.7m and $265.4m 98.1% taking $270.44m and $634.2m WW
Took $11m from 65 territories $167m total and $310.94m worldwide; 92nd biggest animated film worldwide between The Polar Express and The Lego Batman Movie; 485th biggest between The Bourne Supremacy and Little Fockers; 14th biggest 2021 film worldwide between Free Guy and A Quiet Place: Part II; 60th biggest Universal Pictures film worldwide between The Bourne Supremacy and Little Fockers; France at $18.97m; the UK $22.6m; Australia $13.24m; Russia at $15.23m; Mexico $13.1m; Spain $8.69m; Germany at $8.14m;
Oscar nominees
It used to be the weekend after Oscar nominations were announced the nominees would see a big increase in their box office as the nominations would spark interest in people seeing them, but over recent years Oscar nominations have failed to do this, while many films have seen big increases its only due to a large number of screens added not the box office taken.
- Licorice Pizza – United Artists
Up 49% in its 12th weekend #9 taking $959,788 adding 1,191 screens to 1,977 screens taking $14.02m
As with all previous Paul Thomas Anderson films, they perform well on platform but struggle when they expand showing by its very poor screen average of only $485.
- Belfast – Focus Features
Up 52% in its 14th-weekend #13 taking $304,920 adding 538 screens to 928 screens taking $7.92m
- Drive My Car – Janus Films
Up 88% in its 12th weekend #17 taking $189,365 adding 12 screens to 127 screens taking $1.22m
- Dune – Warner Bros
Up 380% in its 17th weekend taking $145,202 adding 592 screens to 678 taking $107.83m
- King Richard – Warner Bros
Up 443% in its 13th weekend taking $44,050 adding 428 screens to 463 taking $14.91m
UK Box Office Top 10
UK Box Office Preview
With no major new releases this weekend (and next) the top four are likely to not change with Uncharted to stay #1 until The Batman opens on March 3rd; as Friday is half-term Uncharted will hold strong in its second weekend dropping 25%-35% taking £3m-£3.5m; in 2020 Sonic the Hedgehog dropped only 12% in its second weekend taking £4,171,244 and £14,688,538.
With Sing 2 holding strongly #2 having smaller drops as Dolittle did in 2020 down only 5% (£2,032,270) in its third weekend, 2019’s The LEGO Movie 2 down 2% (£2,410,824) and 2017’s The Lego Batman dropped 19% without previews taking (£4,435,521) with Sing dropping only 10% (£2,108,203) in its 4th weekend.
Death on the Nile is likely to drop heavier than Murder on the Orient Express did in its second weekend (down only 12.22% taking £4,376,429 and £12,989,387 53.6% of £24,224,914) dropping 25%-35% taking £1.2m-£1.5m
With Belfast holding in #4 down 25%-30% taking £700k-£750k.
The only question is will half-term see a bounce for Spider-Man No Way Home as Jackass Forever and Marry Me drop more heavily (Spider-Man No Way Home returned into the top 5 on Tuesday).
While outside the top 5 buddy dog comedy Dog starring Channing Tatum (first leading role since 2017’s Lucky Logan he stars next alongside Sandra Bullock and Brad Pitt in The Lost City next month). Dog partnership films have been popular over the years with films like Turner and Hooch, K9 and most recently Max (opening $12.15m taking $42.65m). Normally these films are family comedies but Dog has a 12A, Dog has a fun trailer and could spark up some interest.
Opening next week
- Studio 666 – Sony Pictures
Supernatural horror comedy starring Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Nate Mendel, Pat Smear, Chris Shiflett, Rami Jaffee, Whitney Cummings, Leslie Grossman, Will Forte, Jenna Ortega and Jeff Garlin and directed by B. J. McDonnell.
- Cyrano – Universal Pictures
Musical romantic drama based on Schmidt’s 2018 stage musical based on the 1897 Edmond Rostand play Cyrano de Bergerac starring Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Bashir Salahuddin, and Ben Mendelsohn and directed by Joe Wright.
Had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival receiving mixed reviews (83% Rotten Tomatoes) nominated for Golden Globe’s Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy and Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (Dinklage).
It’s the eleventh direct adaption of the play and several films based on it including 1987’s Roxanne starring Steve Martin and Daryl Hannah, 1996’s The Truth About Cats & Dogs and 2010’s Megamind.
Director Joe Wright the last film was The Woman in the Window the last film made by Fox 2000 was delayed many times before being sold to Netflix.
Previously directed 2017’s Darkest Hour; 2015’s Pan; 2012’s Anna Karenina; 2011’s Hanna; 2009’s The Soloist; 2007’s Atonement and 2003’s Pride & Prejudice
- The Duke – Pathe
Comedy-drama starring Jim Broadbent, Helen Mirren, Fionn Whitehead, Anna Maxwell Martin, and Matthew Goode and directed by Roger Michell (the final film before his death in 2021).
Received its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and UK premiere at the National Gallery on February 8th and received critical acclaim (94% Rotten Tomatoes).
Was originally set for release in November 2020 by Pathe via 20th Century Fox but was delayed due to COVID to September 2021 to be released via a new distribution deal with Warner Bros but was delayed to February after an increase in COVID cases. It’s the second Pathe film to be released through Warner Bros after Parallel Mothers was released in January.
- The Godfather (50th Anniversary) – Paramount Pictures
The epic crime drama is the first part of the critically acclaimed trilogy, directed by Francis Ford Coppola and featuring an ensemble cast including Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan, Richard, Robert Duvall and Diane Keaton.
Won seven Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director, Best Actor (Brando), Best Adapted Screenplay (for Puzo and Coppola) and Pacino, Caan, and Duvall winning Best Supporting Actor, and Coppola for Best Director. Since its release, The Godfather is seen as one of the greatest films ever made and is ranked the second-greatest film in American cinema (behind Citizen Kane) by the American Film Institute. The Godfather Part II in 1974 received similar praise but the reaction to the third film and The Godfather Part III in 1990 was far more mixed. There were plans for a fourth film but after the third film wasn’t as successful as the first two never happened.
In 2020 Paramount said, “While there are no imminent plans for another film in the ‘Godfather’ saga, given the enduring power of its legacy it remains a possibility if the right story emerges.” Paramount has recently announced plans for many sequels, remakes and spinoffs to many of the films to be released on Paramount+ so a film or TV spinoff could still happen.
The Godfather 50 years after originally released is still the 55th biggest ever film in the UK with 11 million admissions when it was released in 1970 the equivalent of £82,720,000 similar to the box office of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Casino Royale. This does show it’s impossible to compare current releases box office with films that opened only a decade ago.
