- The Exorcist: Believer- £1,677,878 – NE
Took £620k Friday (37%); £647k Saturday (38.5%); £411k Sunday (24.4%)
IMAX took 7% (£120k)
1,002nd biggest opening between The Haunted Mansion and Face/Off (close to The Expendables 3, Atomic Blonde, Cape Fear and Disclosure) and 1,592nd biggest inflated between Evil Dead and Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (close to Lake Placid, Kiss the Girls, Lethal Weapon and The Fly (1987).
29th biggest 2023 opening between The Nun 2 and Cocaine Bear
68th biggest horror opening between Resident Evil: Afterlife and Final Destination 2 (close to Insidious: The Last Key, Saw VI, 28 Weeks Later and The Haunting) and 115th inflated horror between Evil Dead (2013) and The Haunting in Connecticut (close to Nightmare on Elm Steet 4, The Faculty, Poltergeist (2015) and The Craft (1996).
Opened in 554 cinemas 306th widest (similar to Sing, Cinderella, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Star Trek: Into Darkness; 562nd 500+ cinema opening since 2002’s Monsters, Inc.
It opened similar to recent horrors Saw X (£1,925,010) and The Nun 2 (£1,743,903) as they all attracted similar audiences.
Warner Bros re-released the original in cinemas in 1998 opening with £2,186,977 from 248 screens (£4,325,113 inflated) taking £7,143,595 (£14,127,656 inflated). It was re-released in UK cinemas last weekend.
1990’s The Exorcist III opened £181,104 (£619,484 inflated) taking £962,994 (£3,294,018 inflated).
As with Halloween and many other Blumhouse Productions The Exorcist: Believer didn’t open as strongly in the UK as the US; 2018’s Halloween opened $76.22m US #1 compared to £2,656,097 #2 from 533 screens.
While the original film terrified the audience 50 years ago the problem is it doesn’t scare younger audiences who have watched far more horrific horrors, this was evident when Warner Bros re-released the film in UK cinemas in 1998 and how younger audiences reacted to it. As these reimaginations/sequels are trying to replicate the original film is just not scary enough now.
Over the years there have been many rip-offs of The Exorcist and spoofs of the film including Repossessed starring Leslie Neilsen and Linda Blair and Scary Movie 2.
It was originally planned as a reboot but then was redeveloped as a direct sequel to the original film. It was due to be released on Friday 13th but was brought forward a week after Taylor Swift Eras Tour film was dated for October 13th and Universal brought forward the UK release a week despite the Taylor Swift film not being released internationally in October.
Universal Pictures paid $400m for worldwide rights for The Exorcist trilogy, this was similar to the $400m Netflix paid for rights to Knives Out sequels.
- 2. The Creator – £1,034,510 – £4,188,564
Dropped 54.1% in the second weekend.
Took £268k Friday 25.9% (42.5% drop £466k); £462k Saturday 44.7% (42.6% drop £805k); £304k Sunday 29.4% (50.9% drop £619k)
1,003rd biggest second weekend between Dumb & Dumber To and Cabin in the Woods (close to The Man from U.N.C.L.E, Tomorrowland – A World Beyond, Lost in Space and Chronicle) and 1,576th inflated between Super Mario Brothers (1993) and Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde (close to Full Metal Jacket, Event Horizon, Ronin and Red Heat).
The last weekend of September and the first weekend of October have been lucrative time for adult dramas.
2015’s The Martian dropped 40% £3,854,809 #1 and £13,211,096 of £23,589,854
2014’s Gone Girl dropped 25% £3,064,545 and £9,827,252 of £22,125,201
2012’s Looper dropped 37% £1,519,503 #2 and £5,412,102 of £10,015,848
Many compared the film with
2019’s Ad Astra dropped 43% £1,284,924 #2 and £4,512,420 of £6,079,432
2023’s 65 dropped 55% £567,710 #5 and £2,402,288 of £3,211,909
2009’s District 9 dropped 48% £1,184,392 #1 and £4,783,530 of £8,875,093
2013’s Elysium dropped 61% £1,210,315 #2 and £5,896,129 of £8,679,403
2015’s Chappie dropped 55% £448,288 #6 and £1,986,686 of £2,367,500.
Other sci-fi films
2001’s A.I. dropped 31% £1,556,911 #1 and £4,807,215 of £8,027,562
2013’s After Earth dropped 45% £1,231,671 #2 and £4,776,087 of £6,224,021
1991’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day dropped 15% £1,977,921 (£5,202,650 inflated) and £6,618,366 of £18,179,609 (£47,818,972 inflated)
2023’s M3gan dropped 42% £1,354,538 #2 and £4,667,263 of £6,953,411
2004’s I, Robot dropped 47% £2,467,971 #2 and £10,805,656 of £17,790,336
Others include.
2014’s Interstellar dropped 29% £3,777,804 #1 and £12,131,990 of £20,852,599
2013’s Gravity dropped 22% £4,838,152 #1 and £14,711,488 of £32,756,514 #
2016’s Arrival dropped 48% £1,496,205 #2 and £5,782,996 of £9,144,719
1997’s Contact dropped 34% £609,160 (£1,192,876 inflated) and £1,973,008 of £3,231,287 (£6,327,606 inflated).
Adult sci-fi films have often struggled to find an audience like 2003’s Solaris £313,804 taking £663,508; 2007’s Sunshine £1,021,063 taking £3,175,911 and 2015’s Ex Machina £1,093,952 taking £2,890,149.
Normally critical acclaim will boost film BO potential but with sci-fi, it often harms it as seen with films like Ad Astra and Dune. Ad Astra had a budget of $80m taking $127m worldwide (60% international) while Dune’s budget was $165m taking $402m (70% international). In normal circumstances, a film taking $400m+ worldwide wouldn’t have its sequel at once greenlit, but the controversy surrounding its release (being released day and date on HBO Max) and financed by Legendary Pictures (moved from Warner to Sony in November 2022) saw it greenlit days after its US opening. A film like Dune received huge media coverage should have surely taken double its BO (similar to 2014’s Interstellar $188m US, $515m international (73%) and $703m worldwide or 2013’s Gravity $274m US, $474m international (63%) and $748m worldwide).
It was Gareth Edwards’s fourth film after 2010’s Monsters dropped 55% £154,743 #7 and £695,249 of £952,963; 2014’s Godzilla dropped 57% £2,731,355 #2 and £11,828,213 of £17,074,621 and 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story dropped 67% £5,652,730 #1 and £33,943,482 of £66,010,513.
- 3. Saw X – £953,541 – £3,813,938
Dropped 50.5% in the second weekend.
Took £312k Friday 32.7% (56.4% drop £715k); £403k Saturday 42.3% (41.9% drop £694k); £238k Sunday 24.9% (53.9% drop £516k)
1,101st biggest second weekend between The Green Mile and Saw V (close to Total Recall (1990), The Children of Men, Micheal Collins and Demolition Man and 1,658th inflated between Once Upon a Time in Mexico and Happy Feet 2 (close to Robocop (1988), Scream 4, The Game and Alive).
Second Weekends
2010’s Saw 3D dropped 70% £1,068,403 #4 and £6,408,080 of £8,022,330
2006’s Saw III dropped 44% £1,403,657 #2 and £5,597,183 of £8,458,236
2007’s Saw IV dropped 60% £988,489 #5 and £4,849,988 of £6,195,963
2008’s Saw V dropped 60% £953,397 #3 and £4,631,644 of £6,123,282
2005’s Saw II dropped 43% £1,231,066 #3 and £4,869,075 of £7,181,561
2017’s Jigsaw dropped 59% £752,137 #4 and £3,680,161 of £4,855,609
2009’s Saw VI dropped 45% £940,505 #4 and £3,777,930 of £4,982,917
2004’s Saw dropped 16% £1,036,005 #2 and £3,062,930 of £6,645,485
2021’s Spiral: From the Book of Saw dropped 79% £156,292 #7 and £1,201,653 of £1,496,103
With The Exorcist: Believer opening this weekend and targeting the same audience it will drop 50%+
- 4. The Great Escaper – £593,150- NE
Took £194k Friday (32.7%); £221k Saturday (37.2%); £178lk Sunday (30%)
53rd biggest 2023 opening between Mummies and Strays
Opened in 608 cinemas 156 widest opening (similar to Despicable Me 3, Trolls and Inside Out) and 178th 600+ cinema opening since 2015’s Jurassic World
Another disappointing opening for a film targetting the lucrative Grey Pound, the film starred Michael Caine in what could be his final acting role and was the final film of Glenda Jackson before her death in June 2023.
The film received positive reviews but didn’t get the media coverage it deserved, while it will perform better Monday-Thurs than the weekend as older audiences prefer to see films during the week. It’s a film that needs word of mouth to find its audience, the problem is it will have its shows heavily reduced in its second weekend.
Opened less than comparable films including Allelujah £715,783 #4 from 558 screens taking £3,393,983; The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry £784,698 #3 from 642 screens taking £3,357,529; 2022’s The Duke £992,659 #3 from 651 screens taking £5,283,515; 2018’s The Guernsey Literary and Potato £825,777 #3 from 499 screens taking £5,937,280.
The problem with these films is they open far too wide as they used to open on limited wide release and then expand, the problem distributors have is if these films don’t find an audience in their opening weekend they won’t expand further as seen by the film opening in over 600 screens.
It plays to an older demographic who prefers going to the cinema during the week rather than the weekend. The problem with both is they won’t film audiences rush out to see over the weekend. Exhibitors always talk about the need for more films to be released but it is not more films they want but the right kind of films as they should be supporting films like The Great Escaper and give them a chance to find their audience as similar feel-good British films 20+ years ago would.
- 5) A Haunting In Venice – £558,724- £7,884,914
Down 44.5% in the fourth weekend
661st biggest fourth weekend between District 9 and The Fault In Our Stars (close to The Descendants, The Banshees Of Inisherin, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin and Rain Man) and 901st biggest inflated between Us and Die Hard (close to The Pelican Brief, The Accused, Jojo Rabbit and Burn After Reading).
Earlier two of Hercule Poirot’s fourth weekends
2017’s Murder On The Orient Express dropped 39% £1,373,756 #4 and £20,442,641 of £24,224,914
2022’s Death on the Nile dropped 62% £283,550 #5 and £7,150,696 of £8,012,201.
Other similar films fourth weekends
2021’s House of Gucci dropped 62% £289,041 #5 and £8,074,049 £9,649,005
2019’s Knives Out dropped 65% £430,200 #6 and £9,692,857 of £13,171,796
2012’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel dropped 14% £1,530,112 £ and £13,855,438 of £20,323,993
2015’s The Lady in the Van dropped 50% £470,763 #7 and £10,450,946 of £12,660,028.
2015’s The Second-Best Marigold Hotel dropped 52% £671,088 #3 and £13,413,705 of £15,575,797
1,052nd biggest between King Arthur (2004) and Godzilla: King Of The Monsters (close to The Hateful Eight, Chocolat, Miss Potter and Waking Ned Devine) and 1,606th inflated between Total Recall (2012) and Just Go With It (close to Mrs Brown, Empire of the Sun, Beaches and Far From The Madding Crowd).
UK box office in detail
This weekend’s top 10 box office took £5,519,804 down 24.4% from last weekend’s £7,302,788: 685,485 admissions down 23.4% from 894,577.
39th biggest weekend of the year out of 40 weeks between 15 September 2023 #1 A Haunting in Venice £2,186,930 and 22 September 2023 #1 A Haunting in Venice £1,472,237; the last five weeks have been the worst four weeks of the year.
115th biggest since cinemas reopened out of 151 weeks between 02 September 2022 #1 Minions: The Rise Of Gru (£1,056,163) and 27 August 2021 #1 Free Guy (£1,607,761)
1,044th biggest top 10 of the last 21 years (out of 1,123) between 25 April 2008 #1 Forgetting Sarah Marshall £2,144,038 (38.7% of top 10) and 08 December 2017 #1 Paddington 2 £1,690,027 (30.64% of top 10) and 26 August 2022 #1 Andre Rieu’s 2022 Maastricht Summer Concert £798,706 (15% of top 10) and 1,088th biggest inflation inflated between 10 December 2021 #1 West Side Story £1,297,786 (24.9% of top 10) and 26 August 2022 #1 Andre Rieu’s 2022 Maastricht Summer Concert £798,706 (15% of top 10).
The top 3 took (£3,665,929) 66.4% of the top 10; The Exorcist: Believer30.4% (£1,677,878); The Creator 18.74% (£1,034,510); Saw X 17.3% (£953,541).
667th highest percentage (30.40%) between 09 December 2022 #1 Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical (30.41%) and 30 January 2015 #1 Big Hero 6 (30.35%)
1,046th biggest admissions #1 (210,524) between 18 March 2007 #1 Norbit (211,689) and 23 June 2006 The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (209,416).
Down 19.9% from 2022 (£6,887,976); The Woman King (£1,308,685); Amsterdam (£632,722); The Lost King (£368,753); Nothing Compares (£31,628); Vengeance (£29,052); Bram Stoker’s Dracula (30th Anniversary 4K Restoration) (£13,991); #1 Smile £1,715,678 2nd week 521 screens down 8% (24.91% of top 10)
Down 70% from 2021 (£18,399,057); The Addams Family 2 (£2,009,785); #1 No Time To Die £15,235,947 2nd week (82.8% of top 10)
Up 292.5% from 2020 (£1,406,296); Saint Maud (£263,433); Akira (Re: 2020) (£201,124); Kajillionaire (£44,275); Hocus Pocus (Re: 2020) (£20,491); #1 Tenet £296,049 7th week 53% drop 355 screens
Down 70.6% from 2019 (£18,790,335); Joker (£12,555,328); Judy (£2,086,969); Vampirina: Fang-Tastic Party (£74,628); #1 Joker £12,555,328 1st week 666 screens (66.8% of top 10);
Down 71.8% from 2018: (£19,552,430); Venom (£8,031,342); Johnny English Strikes Again (£4,117,692); A Star is Born (£4,100,196); Aida – Met Opera 2018 (£302,179); Blindspotting (£28,231); #1 Venom £8,031,342 1st week 556 screens (41.1%)
Down 51.4% from 2017: (£11,370,381); Blade Runner 2049 (£6,071,625); The Mountain Between Us (£777,646); Norma – Met Opera 2017 (£224,794); The Glass Castle (£49,425); #1 Blade Runner 2049 £6,071,625 1st week 634 screens (54.4% of the top 10)
Down 62.2% from 2016: (£14,587,631); The Girl on the Train (£6,957,945); War on Everyone (£187,564); Tristan und Isolde – Met Opera 2016 (£178,283); My Scientology Movie (£106,720); Blood Father (£68,808); #1 The Girl on the Train £6,957,945 1st week 612 screens (47.7% of the top 10)
Down 39.7% from 2015; (£9,148,818); Sicario (£1,596,734); The Walk (£795,115); Regression (£214,742); Giselle – Bolshoi 2015 (£128,875); #1 The Martian £3,854,809 2nd week 582 screens 41% drop (42.1% of top 10)
Down 50.1% from 2014: (£11,071,974); The Maze Runner (£2,041,229); Annabelle (£1,939,963); One Direction: Where We Are – The Concert Film (£1,021,527); 71 (£205,116); Effie Gray (£67,339); Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (£20,689); The Calling (£8,112); #1 Gone Girl £3,064,545 2nd week 563 screens 25% drop (33% drop (27.7% of top 10)
Down 6.8% from 2013: (£5,923,584); Sunshine on Leith (£770,239); How I Live Now (£232,400); Thanks for Sharing (£188,906); The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology (£38,432); The to do List (£13,512); #1 Prisoners £1,107,641 2nd week 437 screens 19% drop (18.7% of top 10)
Down 58.7% from 2012 (£13,375,585); Taken 2 (£7,378,048); Sinister (£1,435,722); The Perks of Being a Wallflower (£827,983); Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 (£13,391); Sparkle (£15,911); #1 Taken 2 £7,378,048 1st week 506 screens (55.1% of top 10)
Down 52.1% from 2011 (£11,517,788); Johnny English Reborn (£4,965,000); The Lion King 3D (£2,746,763); Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (£495,734); Midnight in Paris (£495,709); Tyrannosaur (£81,790); #1 Johnny English Reborn £4,965,000 1st week 524 screens (43.1% of top 10)
Down 16.9% from 2010: (£6,639,950); Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (£1,784,309); Life As We Know It (£985,558); The Death and Life of Charlie St Cloud (£643,368); Mr Nice (£239,844); #1 Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps £1,784,309 1st week 444 screens (26.8% of top 10)
Down 53.1% from 2009; (£11,750,437); Up (£6,411,836); Zombieland (£1,240,984); Love Happens (£559,724); Halloween II (£522,661); #1 Up £6,411,836 1st week 511 screens (54.5% of top 10)
Down 0.4% from 2008; (£5,542,578); The House Bunny (£894,188); Mirrors (£834,092); City of Ember (£496,909); Nights in Rodanthe (£193,318); Gomorrah (£171,348); The Mutant Chronicles (£74,788); #1 The House Bunny £894,188 1st week 346 screens (16.1% of top 10)
Down 2.9% from 2007: (£5,687,298); The Heartbreak Kid (£1,236,288); The Kingdom (£919,537); Control (£252,426); And When Did You Last See Your Father (£133,347); Daywatch (£95,574); #1 The Heartbreak Kid £1,236,288 1st week 409 screens (21.7% of top 10)
Down 32.3% from 2006; (£8,159,980); Click (£1,797,073); Hoodwinked (£1,764,419); World Trade Centre (£1,667,589); Life and Lyrics (£95,724); #1 Click £1,797,073 1st week 402 screens (22.1% of top 10)
Down 46% from 2006; (£10,215,688); The Devil Wears Prada (£3,267,580); The Departed (£2,298,313); Accepted (£349,897); #1 The Devil Wears Prada £3,267,580 1st week 447 screens (31.9% of top 10)
Up 3.5% from 2005 (£5,332,334); Serenity (£958,816); Oliver Twist (£692,494); Kinky Boots (£623,163); Night Watch (£271,857); Tara Road (£73,150); #1 Serenity £958,816 1st week 355 screens (18% of top 10)
Down 21.3% from 2004 (£7,015,008); Bride and Prejudice (£1,667,616); Resident Evil: Apocalypse (£801,171); Man On Fire (£656,466); #1 Bride and Prejudice £1,667,616 1st week 376 screens (23.7% of top 10)
Down 57.1% from 2003 (£12,858,833); Cabin Fever (£1,056,338); Kill Bill (£162,857) (platform) (£152,793); #1 Finding Nemo £7,381,962 2nd week 1st #1 453 screens (57.4% of top 10)
Cown 30.2% from 2002 (£7,906,650); Lilo & Stitch (£1,516,249); My Little Eye (£893,633); Boat Trip (£425,325); One Hour Photo (£420,500); Sweet Sixteen (£144,388); #1 Lilo & Stitch £1,516,249 1sr week 280 screens (19.1% of top 10)
Up 0.9% from 2001 (£5,465,628); Amelie (£559,747); Driven (£144,591); Original Sin (£96,622); #1 Moulin Rouge £1,072,657 5th week #1 3rd week 397 screens 20% drop (19.6% of top 10);
Next week: (£9,458,247); Lyle, Lyle Crocodile ( £2,783,562); Halloween Ends (£2,110,010); Prima Facie – NT Live 2022 (£282,166); Emily (£276,322); The Lost Boys (35th Anniversary 4k Restoration) (£20,718); #1 Lyle, Lyle Crocodile £2,783,562 1st week 652 screens (29.43% of top 10)
US Box Office
- The Exorcist: Believer – Universal Pictures
Opened $26.49m; received poor reviews (23% Rotten Tomatoes) and C CinemaScore
Entelligence reported it had 1.9m admissions slightly less than Nun II 2m and much less than the 4m Halloween Kills and A Quiet Place II; while it took $2.2m from IMAX.
Took 40% from IMAX/PLF
Took $2.85m from Thursday previews; Candyman took $1.9m; Smile $2m; Evil Dead Rise $2.5m; M3GAN $2.8m; The Black Phone $3m and The Nun 2 $3.1m.
728th biggest opening between Borat and All Eyez on Me (close to Zombieland: Double Tap, The Sixth Sense, Don’t Breathe and The Curse of La Llorona).
Opened close to many recent horror movies including Evil Dead ($24.5m), Smile ($22.6m), The Black Phone ($23.6m).
Ahead of opening was expected to open between $30m-$36m; it’s the sixth instalment of The Exorcist of the 50-year-old franchise and the first of a trilogy of new films with the sequel set for April 2025 release.
Over the last 50 years have been many more exorcism films that have had mixed success at the box office including 2005’s The Exorcism of Emily Rose opening $30.05m taking $75.07m and $145.16m worldwide and 2010’s The Last Exorcism opening $20.36m taking $41.03m and $69.43m worldwide, while the iconic head spinning scene has been seen in many comedy horrors including Scary Movie franchise and Repossessed. While poor Exorcist sequels didn’t help, all of them were inferior to the original classic.
These have lessened the scariness of The Exorcist which saw audiences faint and run out of cinemas when it was originally released 50 years ago as audiences had never seen anything like it. Comparisons could be made with The Blair Witch Project in 1999 as when it opened many believed it was real.
It was originally due to be released on Friday, October 13th but was brought forward a week after Taylor Swift Era Tour was dated there at the end of August.
Opened in IMAX/PLF screens.
While The Exorcist: Believer budget was $30m it cost Universal Pictures $400m in 2021 to acquire world rights for The Exorcist trilogy.
Blumhouse Productions recently rebooted the Halloween film series.
2018’s Halloween opened $76.22m taking $159.34m (61.3%) and $259.93m worldwide
2021’s Halloween Kills opened $49.4m taking $92m (69%) and $133.42m worldwide
2022’s Halloween Ends opened $40.05m taking $64.07m (61.4%) and $104.36m worldwide
Blumhouse Productions has taken almost $3bn in the US and $5.6bn worldwide.
Opened with $17.9m from 52 territories; Mexico $4m and UK $2.1m; Italy $1.2m; Spain $966k; $800k internationally from IMAX and $3m worldwide.
- Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie – Paramount Pictures
Dropped 50% in the second weekend, taking $11.33m and $38.44m.
2021’s PAW Patrol: The Movie dropped 49.4% $6.65m and $24.11m of $40.12m and $144.32m WW; a third film is due in 2026.
207th biggest animated film between Rugrats Go Wild and Treasure Planet; 2,354th biggest between Running Scared and Bachelor Party; 3,636th biggest inflated between The Reaping and An Ideal Husband; 38th biggest 2023 between 80 for Brady and A Haunting in Venice; 288th biggest Paramount Pictures between The Ghost and the Darkness and Last Holiday.
Recent September animation second weekends
2019’s Abominable dropped 42.2% $11.92m and $37.75m of $60.71m
2018’s Smallfoot dropped 37.5% $14.4m and $42.26m of $83.24m
2016’s Storks dropped 36.8% $13.47m and $38.48m of $72.67m
2015’s Hotel Transylvania 2 dropped $33.19m and $90.73m of $169.7m
2013’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 dropped 38.4% $20.95m and $60m of $119.79m
2012’s Hotel Transylvania dropped 36.4% $27.05m and $76.71m of $148.31m
Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie was a sequel and a spinoff to a very popular property with sales of over $14bn since 2014, the leading brand for children up to 6 topping a 2019 survey ahead of Mickey Mouse, Frozen, and Elmo and is the most watched TV show for children aged 2-5 since 2016 and shown in 170 countries seen by 350 million households.
Studio Top 5 2023; Universal $1.45bn; Disney $1.29bn; Warner $1.14bn; Sony $740.3m; Paramount $731.8m.
Took $14m from 57 territories and $86.64m worldwide; China $13.2m; Germany $5.2m; Mexico $4.5m; Australia $4.1m; Brazil $1.6m.
- Saw X – Lionsgate
Dropped 57% in the second weekend taking $7.83m and $32.24m
2773rd biggest between What’s the Worst That Could Happen? And Definitely, Maybe; 4,002nd biggest inflated between Love Happens and Eye of the Beholder; 42nd biggest 2023 between Missing and Plane; 192nd biggest horror between Bride of Chucky and The Lost Boys; 97th biggest Lionsgate film between Kevin Hart: Let Me Explain and How to Be a Latin Lover.
The original Saw film was due to go straight to DVD in 2004 before receiving two positive test screenings, Saw X was a return to the roots for Saw set between the first two films.
Lionsgate made a parody of AMC’s Nicole Kidman cinema advert.
Saw franchise has taken $510m+ in the US and $1.065bn WW.
Second weekends
2004’s Saw dropped 39.3% $11.09m and $35.39m of $55.96m and $103.9m WW
2005’s Saw II dropped 46.9% $16.85 and $60.12 of $87.03m and $152.92m WW
2006’s Saw III dropped 55.9% $14.8m and $59.38m of $80.23m and $135.75m
2007’s Saw IV dropped 67.4% $10.34m and $50.39m of $63.3m and $135.75m
2008’s Saw V dropped 67.6% $9.74m and $45.46m of $56.74m and $118.2m
2009’s Saw VI dropped 62.7% $5.27m and $22.53m of $27.69m and $69.75m
20010’s Saw 3D dropped 65.7% $7.73m and $38.33m of $45.71m and $133.73m WW
2017’s Jigsaw dropped 60.6% $6.55m and $28.69m of $38.05m and $39.51m WW
2021’s Spiral dropped 47.5% $4.59m and $15.87m of $23.21m and $39.51m WW
Opened with $11.3m from 50 territories; Mexico $2.36m; UK $2.3m; Brazil $911k.
- The Creator – 20th Century Studios
Dropped 56% in the second weekend, taking $6.24m and $25.07m.
3,316th biggest between Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and The Wood; 4,476th biggest inflated between The Scarlet Letter and Beautiful Girls; 49th biggest 2023 between Magic Mike’s Last Dance and Strays; 317th biggest sci-fi between Aliens in the Attic and Piranha 3D.
Sci-Fi Secomd weekends
2019’s Ad Astra dropped 47.3% $10.01m and $35.39 of $50.18m and $127.46m WW.
Neill Blomkamp’s District 9 dropped 51.2% $18.21m and $72.8m of $115.64m and $210.88m WW
2013’s Elysium dropped 54.1% $13.68m and $56m of $93.05m and $286.14m WW.
2015’s Chappie dropped 57.3% $5.7m and $23.31m of $31.56m and $102.81m WW
2016’s Arrival dropped 49.6% $12.13m and $43.7m of $100.54m and $203.38m WW
1997’s Contact dropped 21.7% $16.11m and $47.4m of $100.92m and $171.12m WW
2015’s Ex Machina dropped 58.3% $2.23m and $10.86m of $25.44m and $36.86m
2019’s Alita: Battle Angel dropped 56.7% $12.34m and $61.02m of $85.83m and $404.98m
2011’s Real Steel dropped 40.4% $16.29m and $51.73m of $85.46m and $299.26m WW
2004’s I, Robot dropped 58.4% $21.72m and $95.12m of $144.8m and $353.13m WW
2002’s Minority Report dropped 39.5% $21.59m and $73.42m of $132.07m and $358.37m WW
2001’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence dropped 52.2% $14.03m and $59.57m of $78.61m and $235.92m WW
2022’s M3gan dropped 39.8% $18.3m and $56.83m of $95.04m and $179.96m WW
Other Gareth Edwards films
2010’s Monsters up 39.4% $28,590 added 10 screens and $60,620 of $237,301
2014’s Godzilla dropped 66.8% $30.94m and $148.29m of $200.67m and $524.97m WW
2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story dropped 58.7% $64.03m and $286.03m of $533.53m and $1.058bn WW.
Took $10.8m in the second weekend and $36.9m from x territories and $61.8m worldwide; UK $5.2m; France $3.6m; Germany $2.9m; Australia $2.2m; Spain $2m; IMAX $7.8m worldwide
- The Nun II – Warner Bros
Dropped 46% in the fifth weekend $2.6m #7 and $81.08m.
1,042nd biggest between Snow Dogs and While You Were Sleeping; 2,027th biggest inflated between Apocalypto and Death on the Nile (1978); 24th biggest 2023 between Insidious: The Red Door and Blue Beetler; 46th biggest horror between Scream (2022) and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre; 176th biggest Warner Bros between Police Academy and The Dukes of Hazzard.
The Conjuring Universe 9 films have taken $819m in the US and over $2.35bn since 2013.
Fifth weekends
2021’s The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It dropped 57.9% $1.26m and $62.19m #8 and $59.2m of $65.63m and $206.43m WW
2019’s Annabelle Comes Home dropped 40.3% $1.55m #9 and $69.73m of $74.15m and $228.51m worldwide
2019’s The Curse of La Llorona dropped 51.9% $890,020 #12 and $53m of $54.73m and $121.66m worldwide
2018’s The Nun dropped 50.2% $2.7m #7 and $113.46m of $117.45m and $36.39m worldwide
2017’s Annabelle: Creation dropped 46.7% $4m #4 and $96.27m of $102.1m and $305.38m worldwide
2016’s The Conjuring 2 dropped 55.4% $1.71m #11 and $99.34m of $102.47m and $310.2m worldwide
2014’s Annabelle dropped 41.5% $1.95m #14 and $82.45m of $84.27m and $256.86m worldwide
2013’s The Conjuring dropped 41.4% $3.88m #12 and $127.83m of $137.4m and $317.78m worldwide
Took $6.7m from 75 territories and $167.6m and $248.78m worldwide; Mexico $21.6m; Brazil $10.7m; Indonesia $9.2m; France $7.9m; UK $7.9m.
684th biggest worldwide between Eragon and The Blair Witch Project; 24th biggest 2023 between The Flash and Sound of Freedom; 20th biggest horror between Get Out and The Blair Witch Project; 114th biggest Warner Bros between Space Jam and Dark Shadows.
- A Haunting In Venice – 20th Century Studios
Dropped 26% in the third weekend taking $2.69m #8 and $35.61m.
2,544th biggest between Silkwood and Larry Crowne; 3,795th inflated between The Mountain Between Us and Point Break (2015); 39th biggest 2023 between PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie and Knock at the Cabin; 227th biggest thriller between The China Syndrome and The American.
Third weekends
2017’s Murder on the Orient Express dropped 48.6% $6.76m #6 and $84.83m of $102.82m and $352.78m WW; took 71% internationally.
2022’s Death on the Nile dropped 38.8% $2.75m #5 and $37.11m of $45.63m and $137.3m WW; 67% internationally
Took $4.4m internationally (down 37%) from 52 territories $67m total and $102.7m worldwide.
UK Box Office Top 10
UK Box Office Preview
Much has been written about Taylor Swift Era Tour Concert over the last 6 weeks. While it wasn’t a surprise there was a concert film for Taylor Swift’s hugely successful Era Tour the surprise was it was being released before she started the international leg. This was why AMC was able to gazump studios acquiring US rights as they believed only US rights were available as it would surely be crazy to release a concert film before fans were able to experience it live especially after fans spent hundreds buying the tickets. It was then surprising Era Tour would open globally same day in 100 countries.
As a 2023 Morning Consult survey said 53% of US adults are Swift fans, 44% identified as Swifties and 16% as her “avid” fans, the film should attract Swifties about 104m+ of the 520m Swift fans worldwide. As 20% of Swifties are from the US and these adult Swifties will pay at least $19.89 should be looking at a $300m+ opening, $1bn+ US BO and $3bn+ worldwide.
Its then surprising presales are only $100m worldwide, it will be interesting to see the split over days sold as the majority of presales look like they are for Friday and Sat/Sun look much softer. Being fans they would have rushed out to buy tickets as soon as they went on sale and would all be desperate to see it on Friday night.
Era Tour Film’s biggest foe is itself as there hasn’t been anything like it in cinema history as it’s Avengers, Star Wars and Avatar combined. Saw that with first-day presales but the problem is those record-breaking numbers didn’t continue after the first day, as after taking $37m after 24 hours $65m after 14 days and then $100m globally, with a massive number of Swifties presales should be $1bn+. You also see by looking at individual cinemas with Friday hugely popular but then Sat and Sun soft. Internationally it should be far more popular than the US as Era Tour hasn’t gone internationally yet, surely the 80m+ Swifties would be eager to see it multiple times before seeing it live in a few months, but only need to look at One Direction This Is Us 10 years ago.
Tickets went on sale for Taylor Swift on Tuesday 26th September but unlike the US no presale box office has been released, in the US it sold $37m after 24 hours and $65m after 14 days. In the UK last Tuesday saw people have to queue to use Odeon and Vue websites,
Vue reported their Manchester, Dublin and Glasgow cinemas were amongst the highest-selling in the country, but no figures have been released. Looking at those cinemas and several others across the UK the bulk of the tickets sold are for Friday, which makes me believe it’s going to be front-loaded, while BO might be strong it’s of course due to all tickets across the UK £13.13 for children, £19.89 adults and £23.89 IMAX/PLF, so it only needs to sell a quarter of the tickets of Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie.
There are 2.9 million Swifties in the UK and many of them missed out on being able to buy tickets for Taylor Swift Era Tour concerts next year, while those that did get tickets will surely want to see the film. Being fans they would want to see the film immediately it opens why Fridays 6 pm–7 pm shows are very busy and with tickets £13.13/£19.89/£24.89 it should open with £15m+ and take £60m+.
Comparisons are with
2013’s One Direction: This Is Us opened £3,471,872 (included £1,267,189 from Thursday previews) 78% from 3D #1 from 476 screens taking £8,005,391; was front-loaded dropping 67% in the second weekend £1,122,137 and £5,822,032.
In the US it dropped 54.5% from Friday to Saturday and then 28% from Sunday
2009’s Michael Jackson’s This Is It opened £4,877,255 (£7,145,537 inflated) taking
Took £1,355,855 second weekend down 72.2% and £8,114,380 of £9,732,593 (£14,258,964 inflated)
While 2011’s Justin Bieber: Never Say Never opened £820,592 #9 from 388 screens taking £1,993,888.
One Direction: This Is Us had a huge premiere in Leicester Square within 24 hours of the premiere 3.6 million tweets were sent about One Direction and the hashtag #1DMoviePremiere received 1.9 million tweets.
For all the hype concert films received Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never, Glee The 3D Concert Movie and Katy Perry’s Part of Me none were able to turn the hype into box office success over an extended period as they were fan-led rushing out to see them over opening weekend.
Opens in 625 IMAX cinemas in 45 countries.
In the US Entelligence reported that ticket prices are $13.13 and $19.89 actual prices with booking fees and taxes are $20.82 and $14.16 for a child’s ticket. They also claimed there’s a very even disbursement of sales over the three days. That’s not the case in the cinema I’ve looked at and in other reports I’ve seen on Reddit saying that Friday is very strong, but Saturday and Sunday is soft and its likely to have a huge drop Fri-Sat and then Sat-Sun, while the 4-week booking will mean it will drop 60%+ second weekend.
Entelligence said 4,200 shows were sold out for Friday out of 13,000 (32%) and there are 65k shows over opening weekend with 11.5m seats. While Friday was always going to be huge the question is more about how many sold-out shows there are on Sat/Sun. While 4,200 sounds a lot with an average seater of 350, that’s about 1.5m and about $35m opening, which would be similar to The Little Mermaid and Justice League.
The problem is the industry is comparing Era Tour with films like Barbie or Justin Bieber’s Never Say Never but there are no comparisons for the Era Tour.
Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie has had two weekends of previews taking almost £2m so could open about twice as much as 2021’s The Paw Patrol Movie opening £2,410,496 #2 from 581 screens taking £8,478,200.
Also opening action comedy Sumotherhood directed by Adam Deacon previously directed 2011’s Anuvahood opened £536,818 #7 from 149 screens taking £2,080,070. Had breakout roles in Kidulthood and Adulthood; 2006’s Kidulthood opened £100,056 #15 from 41 screens taking £453,876 and 2008’s Adulthood opened £1,203,319 #4 from 157 screens taking £3,347,811.
The Miracle Club also opened, took almost 20 years to get the film made due to delays over the script and funding, (financed by presales to Lionsgate and receiving £1.32m from the UK Global Screen Fund).
- Opening in three weeks
- The Marvels – Disney
33rd MCU and sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel and continuation of Ms Marvel TV series starring Brie Larson, Teyonah Parris, Iman Vellani, Zawe Ashton, Park Seo-joon, and Samuel L. Jackson and directed by Nia DaCosta.
It’s due to have its world premiere on November 1st in Los Angeles but the question is will the SAG strike be over by then? Talks started this week but it’s expected to take several weeks to get back to normal if there is an agreement.
The budget for The Marvels was $274.8m but they received a 25% tax break shooting the film in the UK bringing the budget to $220m. It is also the shortest MCU film at 105 minutes.
2019’s Captain Marvel opened £12,750,000 taking £39,234,293
But the problem with The Marvels is it’s not a straightforward sequel to Captain Marvel as audiences will need to have seen Ms Marvel TV series to understand the film, making the film less accessible.
This of course is the problem with the MCU as audiences will need to have seen the 32 other MCU films and the 23 TV shows and why they have played to fanbase since Avengers: Endgame. Four years on from Captain Marvel opening with £12.75m and taking £39.23m The Marvels surely need to open bigger and take more to avoid superhero fatigue.
The Marvels is the third MCU film of 2023 after both Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, advance sales started this week in the US and they are currently a third of GOTG3.
Its release date has been moved several times from July 8th, 2022, November 11th, 2022, February 17th, 2023, and July 28th, 2023. It was also not expected to have an IMAX release due to Dune Part 2 opening a week earlier but when Dune was delayed it was announced The Marvels would be released in IMAX. IMAX/PLF is vital for films like The Marvels as they bring in almost 50% of the BO.
The Marvels Suite premiered at the Last Night of the Proms in September.
- Dream Scenario – Entertainment Films
Comedy starring Nicolas Cage, Julianne Nicholson, Michael Cera, Tim Meadows, Dylan Gelula and Dylan Baker and directed by Kristoffer Borgli.
Premiered at the Toronto Film Festival receiving positive reviews (91% Rotten Tomatoes).
