- The Wild Robot – £3,256,572 – NE
Included £182,163 from previews.
Took £536k 16.46% Friday; £1.3m 39.93% Saturday; £1.42m 43.61% Sunday; took £312k Monday
509th biggest opening between The Devil Wears Prada and Morbius (close to Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil, Ransom, Ali G Indahouse and Cats) and 779th biggest inflated opening between Central Intelligence and 300: Rise of An Empire (close to America’s Sweethearts, Naked Gun 33 1/3 The Final Insult, The Huntsman: Winter’s War and Green Lantern)
19th biggest 2024 opening between Mean Girls and A Quiet Place: Day One (close to The Fall Guy, One Life, Back to Black and If)
88th biggest animated opening between Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie and The Smurfs 2 (close to Hotel Transylvania 3, Toy Story, Chicken Little and Flushed Away) and 110th biggest inflated animation between Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie and Antz (close to Bee Movie, Coraline, Beauty and the Beast (1992) and Pocahontas).
25th biggest Dreamworks Animation between Over The Hedge and Shrek (close to Monsters Vs. Aliens, Turbo, Flushed Away and Trolls Band Together) and 30th inflated opening between Antz and Trolls Band Together (close to Megamind, Bee Movie, Captain Underpants and Puss in Boots).
Opened in 670 cinemas 79th widest opening similar to The Garfield Movie and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (close to The Fabelmans, Military Wives, Frozen 2 and Bullet Train).
The Wild Robot had the biggest opening for an original Dreamworks Animation film since 2017’s The Boss Baby (£8,025,886) and 2016’s Trolls (£5,440,878) both openings were inflated with weekend previews; recent original Dreamworks Animation openings 2022’s The Bad Guys (£2,279,074) and 2019’s Abominable (£2,141,256).
The Wild Robot will hold strongly next weekend before the lucrative half-term holiday at the of the month and until Paddington In Peru opens on November 8th. Should take £15m+.
- 2. Smile 2 – £2,000,089 – NE
Took £300,864 from previews (Wednesday £65k double bill and £233k Thursday)
Took £539k 26.95% Friday; £677k 33.85% Saturday; £784k 39.2% Sunday.
888th biggest opening between The Boxtrolls and Le Man’s 66 (close to Unbreakable, Alien vs Predator, Deepwater Horizon and Chicago) and 1,351st biggest inflated opening between Bedazzled and Maverick (close to The Rocketeer, Skyscraper, The Running Man and Enemy of the State).
26th biggest 2024 opening between Argylle and Furiosa (close to Madame Web, Garfield, Civil War and Transformers One)
51st biggest horror opening between Scream 4 and The Devil Inside (close to The Omen (2006), The Ring Two, Annabelle: Creation and Dawn of the Dead) and 84th biggest inflated horror between Dracula Untold and Cabin in the Woods (close to Scream (1997), The Lawnmower Man, Nightmare on Elm Steet III and Blair Witch 2).
Opened in 606 cinemas 207th widest opening similar to The Greatest Showman, iT and La La Land (close to Five Nights At Freddy’s, Men In Black International, Paddington 2 and Captain America: Civil War).
Opening was 8.69% of US.
2022’s Smile opened with £1.86m; including Weds £195k; Thurs £165k; Fri £370k; Sat £602k; Sun £495k taking £11,096,080.
After the surprise success of the first film Paramount Pictures quickly announced plans for a sequel and in April 2023 it was in pre-production. Smile was originally planned for Paramount+ but after strong test screenings, they gave it a theatrical release as Disney did recently with The Bogeyman, Barbarian and Alien: Romulus. Paramount hopes they can churn out as many Smile sequels as they did with Paranormal Activity releasing 6 films over 7 years (the first wasn’t released in the UK by Paramount).
- 3. The Apprentice £749,149 – NE
Includes £102,869 from previews.
Took £182k 24.3% Friday; £247k 32.98% Saturday; £320k 42.72% Sunday.
2,118th biggest opening between American Psycho and Assault on Precinct 13 (close to About Schmidt, My Week with Marilyn, JFK and Blink Twice) and 2,689th biggest inflated opening between Open Range and The Upside (close to The Count of Monte Cristo, Midnight Run, The Lincoln Lawyer and Domestic Disturbance).
Opened in 524 cinemas 602nd widest opening similar to Paw Patrol: Ready, Race, Rescue, The Huntsman: Winter’s War, Johnny English Reborn and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Had 46.44% of US opening ($1,613,233) it was likely to perform stronger in the UK as the film generated much social media coverage but wasn’t expected to translate into BO.
The Apprentice film generated a lot of media coverage since its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival receiving positive reviews (77% Rotten Tomatoes) and 8-minute standing ovation. The Apprentice had its UK premiere last week during the London Film Festival
There was a struggle to sell US rights as Donald Trump’s legal team sent a cease-and-desist letter to the movie’s producers after it was shown at the Cannes Film Festival. Saying “This ‘film’ is pure malicious defamation, should not see the light of day, and doesn’t even deserve a place in the straight-to-DVD section of a bargain bin at a soon-to-be-closed discount movie store, it belongs in a dumpster fire.” The producers said, “The film is a fair and balanced portrait of the former president.”
After the film opened in the US Donald Trump raged on Truth Social “A FAKE and CLASSLESS Movie written about me, called, The Apprentice (Do they even have the right to use that name without approval?), will hopefully “bomb.” It’s a cheap, defamatory and politically disgusting hatchet job, put out right before the 2024 Presidential Election, to try and hurt the Greatest Political Movement in the History of our Country.”
- 4. Transformers One – £639,554 – £2,739,400
Down 62.2% in the second weekend
1,624th biggest second weekend between 2 Guns and Maverick (close to The Nice Guys, Sense and Sensibility, Bewitched and Death Becomes Her) and 2,179th biggest second weekend inflated between Something Borrowed and The Ides Of March (close to Tron Legacy, Beavis and Butthead Do America, The Player and Little Miss Sunshine).
30th biggest 2024 second weekend between The Beekeeper and Madame Web (close to Furiosa, The Fall Guy, Trap and Blink Twice).
191st biggest animated second weekend between Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1992 RE) and Kubo and the Two Strings (close to Toy Story 2 (Digital 3-D), The Angry Birds Movie 2, Captain Underpants and Ice Age: Collision Course) and 207th biggest inflated animated second weekend between Kubo and the Two Strings and Ballerina (close to The Prince of Egypt, The Fox and the Hound (1988 RE), Captain Underpants and Planes 2: Fire & Rescue).
Despite receiving positive reviews Transformers One had a similar heavy second-weekend drop as many of the other Transformer’s films. While the original 1986 film was animated and played to younger audiences, the live-action films targeted tweens and teens who wouldn’t have been interested in seeing an animated film. Was Paramount hoping it would perform similarly to Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
Saying that tweens and teens did see Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Vers; 2018’s Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse opened £2,279,995 taking £10,040,340 and 2023’s Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse opened £9,159,823 taking £30,366,099. The sequel followed the hugely successful Spider-Man: No Way Home while Transformers One followed last year’s Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts. It might have been different had it followed 2018’s Bumblebee.
The question is where Paramount now goes with the Transformers franchise, they were hugely successful for the studio up to 2014 and the reboot should have happened then, but Chinese BO inflated its global box office.
Of course, it didn’t help Transformers One with The Wild Robot opening the week after, with half-term this week and next it could see it double its BO over the next 10 days, but it will struggle to get close to match even Transformers: The Last Knight BO.
Second weekends
2007’s Transformers dropped 73% £2,333,219/£3,682,328 #2 458 screens and £14,516,560 of £22,863,864/£36,084,158
2009’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen dropped 48% £4,368,024/£6,399,476 #1 521 screens and £16,485,053 of £26,539,878/£38,882,873
2011’s Transformers: Dark Of The Moon dropped 56% (27% without previews) £4,750,519/£6,247,795 #1 522 screens and £19,701,418 of £27,862,654/£36,644,448
2014’s Transformers: Age Of Extinction dropped 76% (52% without previews) £1,877,346/£1,925,805 #3 520 screens and £15,516,101 of £19,074,771/£20,516,319
2017’s Transformers: The Last Knight dropped 65% (59% without previews) £1,601,971 #3 573 screens and £7,942,613 of £9,540,299/£10,151,693
2018’s Bumblebee dropped 66% (30% without previews) £1,736,877 #5 590 screens and £9,118,933 of £12,760,693/£14,086,250
2023’s Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts dropped 60% (52% without previews) £1,184,662 #4 600 screens and £5,008,562 of £8,114,370
- 5. Terrifier 3 – £562,616 – £2,250,691
Down 46.4% in its second weekend
Took £186k 33.1% (-52.9% £395k) Friday; £236k 42% (-34.4% £360k) Saturday; £562k 24.9% (77.67% £294k Sunday)
1,777th biggest second weekend between High Fidelity and Changing Lanes (close to Sinister 2, Violent Night, Unforgiven and Shallow Grave) and 2,346th inflated biggest second weekend between Hudson Hawk and Arlington Road (close to True Romance, The Queen of the Damned, The Fly II and The Butterfly Effect).
33rd biggest 2024 second weekend between The Bikeriders and Trap (close to Speak No Evil, Madame Web, Trap and Blink Twice).
By Monday Terrifier 3 was Signature Entertainment’s biggest film overtaking 2022’s Orphan: First Kill taking £2.3m.
Signature Entertainment opened in 2011 acquiring mostly low budget straight to video/VOD action and horror films.
There was a two-year gap between Terrifier 2 (October 2022) and Terrifier 3 (October 2024) so would expect Terrifier 4 (October 2026) but will it open as strongly as it was helped by the mediocre performance of Joker: Folie A Deux and the success of horrors like Longlegs and The Substance.
Also released.
- Joker: Folie A Deux – £501,000 – £9,797,478
Took £418k 29.21% (-80.56% £2.15m); Friday; £636k 44.44% (-70.69% £2.17m) Saturday; £377k 26.35% (-73.82% £1.44m) Sunday; took £146k Monday (down 69%) #2 and £150k Tuesday (down 65%) #3.
1,206th biggest third weekend between Battleship and The Duke (close to Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, Zathura, Constantine and Daredevil) and 1,484th inflated third weekend between Wonder Park and Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (close to Star Wars: Phantom Menace 3D, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Rambo III and Deepwater Horizon).
92nd biggest comic-book third weekend between Hellboy 2: The Golden Army and Daredevil (close to Captain America: The First Avenger, Watchmen, Ghost Rider and Dick Tracy) and the 100th inflated comic-book third weekend between Everything Everywhere All At Once and The Marvels (close to The Flash, The Hulk, X-Men: Dark Phoenix and Green Lantern).
2019’s Joker dropped 44% £5,489,716 #1 and £40,302,422 682 screens 68.89% of £58.5m/£64.6m inflated
Marvel’s third-weekend biggest drops
2024’s Madame Web dropped 59% £246,538 #5 and £3,916,755 of £4,196,294
2023’s The Marvels dropped 61% £485,099 #5 and £6,564,315 of £7,095,634
2022’s Morbius dropped 67% £247,627 #10 and £5,885,258 of £6,436,994
2021’s Eternals dropped 58% £1,217,624 #2 and £12,826,257 of £14,870,100
2021’s Black Widow dropped 22% £1,410,288 #1 and £13,830,117 of £18,841,549
2019’s X-Men: Dark Phoenix dropped 68% £333,279 #8 and £7,105,017
2015’s Fantastic Four dropped 64% £249,205/£275,473 #13 and £5,653,567/£6,249,505
2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger dropped 59.3% £597,916/£786,368 and £8,629,339 91.03% of £9,479,437/£12,467,180
2005’s Fantastic Four dropped 49% £821,595/£1,390,257 #4 £9,721,732 78.81% £12,335,439/£20,873,344
2003’s Daredevil dropped 48% £499,882/£897,311 and £4,847,828 90.57% of £5,352,774/£9,608,470
2003’s The Hulk dropped 75.3% £342,342/£614,519 and £7,862,309 96.21% of £8,172,009/£14,669,124
DC’s biggest third-weekend drops
2011’s Green Lantern dropped 75% £279,485/£367,574 #7 and £5,506,570 92.24% of £5,969,754/ £7,851,310
2023’s The Flash dropped 53.6% £619,541 and £8,008,947 #7 90.43% of £8,856,170
2023’s Shazam! Fury Of The Gods dropped 57.1% £469,120 and £4,851,844 82.34% of £5,892,663
1987’s Superman IV dropped 26.7% £280,335/£1,039,195 and £2,158,859 62.43% of £3,457,959/£12,818,574
745th biggest between Into the Woods and Stargate (close to Ted 2, The A-Team, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and Looper) and 1,198th biggest inflated between Wall Street and We’re the Millers (close to Robocop (1988), Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Cobra and Spies Like Us).
18th biggest 2024 film between Bad Boys: Ride or Die and A Quiet Place: Day One (close to Wicked Litle Letters, One Life, Mean Girls and Garfield).
UK box office in detail
The weekend’s top 10 box office took £8,766,339 up 21.2% from last weekend’s £6,892,905: 1,098,059 admissions up 26.2% from 870,316 admissions.
34th biggest weekend of the last 52 weeks between 22 March 2024 #1 Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire £4,056,097 (45.91%) and 04 October 2024 #1 Joker: Folie A Deux £5,674,029 (64.75%)
109th biggest since cinemas reopened out of 205 weeks between 22 March 2024 #1 Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire £4,056,097 (45.91%) and 04 October 2024 #1 Joker: Folie A Deux £5,674,029 (64.75%)
767th biggest top 10 of the last 22 years (out of 1,176) between 11 April 2014 #1 Captain America: The Winter Soldier £1,782,201 (20.31%) and 04 October 2024 #1 Joker: Folie A Deux £5,674,029 (64.75%) and 1,019th inflated between 23 April 2010 #1 Date Night £1,272,405 (19.44%) and 04 October 2024 #1 Joker: Folie A Deux £5,674,029 (64.75%)
The top 3 took (£6,005,810) 68.5% of the top 10; The Wild Robot 37.15% (£3,256,572); Smile 2 22.82% (£2,000,089); The Apprentice 8.55% (£749,149)
787th biggest admissions #1 (411,183) between 25 April 2008 #1 Forgetting Sarah Marshall (412,315) and 07 March 2014 #1 300: Rise of an Empire (410,954)
503rd biggest percentage share #1 (37.15%) between 10 August 2012 #1 Ted (37.16%) and 15 January 2010 #1 Avatar (37.14%)
Down 25.5% from 2023; (£11,761,134); Trolls Band Together (£3,051,810); Killers Of The Flower Moon (£2,531,393); Leo (£1,157,367); The Prince Of Egypt: The Musical (£113,687); Gravity (10th Anniversary) (£59,879); #1 Trolls Band Together £3,051,810 1st week 653 screens (25.95% of top 10)
Down 27.1% 2022 (£12,015,545); Black Adam (£5,655,003); The Banshees Of Inisherin (£1,643,220); Decision To Leave (£410,107); Poltergeist (40th Anniversary 4k Restoration) (£46,598); Coraline (Re: 2022) (£27,432); #1 Black Adam £5,655,003 1st week 650 screens (47.06% of top 10)
Down 50.2% 2021 (£17,614,556); Dune (£5,876,892); The Boss Baby 2 (£1,193,115); The French Dispatch (£867,672); Dear Evan Hansen (£236,397); #1 Dune £5,876,892 1st week 657 screens (33.4% of top 10)
Up 895.9% 2020; (£880,280); Michael Ball & Alfie Boe – Back Together (£175,778); I Am Greta (£29,687); #1 Tenet £187,275 down 37% 8th week 320 screens (21.27% of top 10)
Down 40.4% 2019; (£14,701,611); Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil (£3,300,000); Shaun The Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (£1,305,511); Zombieland: Double Tap (£1,242,352); Official Secrets (£537,990); The Shining (Re: 2019) (£18,191); #1 Joker £5,489,716 44% drop 3rd weekend 682 screens
Down 39.1% 2018: (£14,380,280); Halloween (£2,656,097); Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (£2,119,165); Hunter Killer (£368,082); Samson Et Dalila – Met Opera 2018 (£176,889); Fahrenheit 11/9 (£56,814); #1 A Star is Born £2,883,000 2nd week #1 3rd week release 663 screens 7% drop (20.1% of top 10)
Down 10.4% 2017: (£9,783,969); Geostorm (£1,625,895); Happy Death Day (£998,388); The Death of Stalin (£995,458); My Little Pony (£916,123); Paw Patrol: Big Screen Tails (£35,332); Marshall (£14,967); The Princess Bride (30th Anniversary) (£1,128); #1 Blade Runner 2049 £1,791,027 3rd week 2nd #1 (w1 and w3) 617 screens (18.3% of the top 10)
Down 43.3% 2016: (£15,448,907); Trolls (£5,440,878); Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (£2,688,561); Ouija: Origin of Evil (£779,626); I, Daniel Blake (£444,800); Keeping Up with the Joneses (£271,306); Don Giovanni – Met Opera 2016 (£254,469); Queen of Katwe (£73,754); #1 Trolls £5,440,878 1st week 608 screens (35.2% of the top 10)
Down 49.7% 2015; (£17,426,172); Hotel Transylvania 2 (£6,317,438); Suffragette (£2,938,446); Pan (£2,738,758); Crimson Peak (£967,168); The Lobster (£229,619); Otello – Met Opera 2015 (£172,773); The Program (£144,181); #1 Hotel Transylvania 2 £6,317,438 1st week 557 screens (36.2% of top 10)
Down 31.2% 2014: (£12,738,897); Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (£4,785,448); The Judge (£420,720); Northern Soul (£278,829); Black Butler (£1,327); #1 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles £4,785,448 1st week 522 screens (37.5% of top 10)
Down 19% 2013: (£10,812,691); Turbo (£3,892,774); Captain Phillips (£3,483,981); Escape Plan (£961,470); Enough Said (£170,357); #1 Turbo £3,892,774 1st week 528 screens (36% of top 10)
Down 40.2% 2012: (£14,670,714); Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (£6,030,904); Paranormal Activity 4 (£2,544,701); Frankenweenie (expansion) (£741,683); Beasts of the Southern Wild (£181,801); #1 Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted £6,030,904 1st week 532 screens (41.1% of top 10)
Down 22% 2011; (£11,227,673); Paranormal Activity 3 (£3,405,036); Contagion (£1,463,638); Monte Carlo (£237,469); Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer (£33,605); Restless (£11,270); #1 Paranormal Activity 3 £3,405,036 1st week 390 screens (30.3% of top 10)
Down 12.6% 2010: (£10,027,140); Despicable Me (£3,664,376); The Social Network (£2,486,454); Vampires Suck (£1,089,339); #1 Despicable Me £3,664,376 1st week 522 screens (36.5% of top 10)
Down 16.1% 2009; (£10,447,511); Couples Retreat (£1,825,142); The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (£905,786); Triangle (£260,626); #1 Up £5,162,325 2nd week 535 screens 19% drop (49.4% of top 10)
Up 19.6% 2008; (£7,332,004); Burn After Reading (£2,045,565); Eagle Eye (£1,096,777); Igor (expansion) (£981,750); The Rocker (£217,745); #1 Burn After Reading £2,045,565 1st week 396 screens (27.9% of top 10)
Down 18.2% 2007: (£10,717,468); Saw IV (£2,482,889); Eastern Promises (£623,491); Sicko (£156,173); #1 Ratatouille £3,056,938 2nd week 525 screens 19% drop (33.5% of top 10)
Up 3.3% 2006; (£8,486,228); Barnyard: The Original Party Animals (£1,022,890); The Guardian (£826,569); The Grudge 2 (£773,422); The Last Kiss (£431,071); Marie Antoinette (£283,883); #1 The Departed £1,456,564 3rd week 2nd #1 358 screens 14% drop (17.1% of top 10)
Down 22.6% 2005: (£11,324,493); Nanny McPhee (£2,603,834); Corpse Bride (£1,150,464); Sky High (£646,569); Broken Flowers (£395,880); Dreamer (£149,058); #1 Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit £4,666,723 2nd week 499 screens 50% drop (41.2% of top 10)
Down 9.1% 2004; (£9,648,812); Alien vs Predator (£2,003,663); Alfie (£1,314,156); The Princess Diaries 2 (expansion) (£807,008); #1 Shark Tale £3,199,963 2nd week 504 screens 58% drop (33.1% of top 10)
Down 34.4% 2003 (£13,372,837); Kill Bill Volume One (expansion) (£2,693,742); The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (£2,005,435); Mystic River (£295,135); Bollywood Queen (£27,020); #1 Finding Nemo £5,923,138 3rd week 2nd #1 475 screens (44.3% of top 10)
Down 3.1% from 2002: (£9,046,691); XXX (£3,435,891); Slap Her, She’s French (£210,321); All Or Nothing (£164,291); The Powerpuff Girls (£92,007); #1 XXX £3,435,891 1st week 435 screens (37.9% of top 10)
Down 7.4% from 2001 (£9,463,581); America’s Sweethearts (£1,719,897); Jeepers Creepers (£1,533,151); Atlantis (expansion) (£1,282,458); Brotherhood of the Wolf (£123,245); #1 American Pie 2 £2,823,776 2nd week 420 screens 49% drop (29.8% of top 10)
2023 Next week: (£12,520,974); Five Nights at Freddy’s (£5,379,587); Beetlejuice (35th Anniversary) (£98,845); #1 Five Nights at Freddy’s £5,379,587 1st week 607 screens (42.96% of top 10)
US Box Office
- Smile 2 – Paramount Pictures
Opened $23.02m; received mixed reviews (85% Rotten Tomatoes) and B CinemaScore (Smile received 81% Rotten Tomatoes and B- CinemaScore
Opened in PLF screens taking 36%; has $27m budget.
Took $2.5m from Thursday previews; The Exorcist: Believer $2.85m; M3GAN $2.75m; Terrifier 3 $2.39m; Trap $2.2m; Smile $2m; Don’t Breathe $1.87m; The Invisible Man $1.65m.
Smile 2 is Paramount Picture’s fourth #1 of the year after Mean Girls, Bob Marley: One Love and IF. Gladiator II is generating strong buzz but opening the same weekend as Wicked it’s unlikely to be their fifth #1 of the year as Gladiator II is looking at $60m opening while Wicked $80m+. Sonic The Hedgehog 3 opens against Mufasa: The Lion King; Sonic 1 opened $58.01m taking $148.97m and Sonic 2 opened $72.1m taking $190.87m.
Smile 2 had about a third of admissions for the weekend according to Entelligence with The Wild Robot 16% and Terrifier 3 13%. 71% after 5pm. 31% men 25+ (28% for Smile), 24% men under 25 and women over 25 and women under 25 22%; 18-34 70% they will quickly move on to Venom: The Last Dance opening Friday expected to open with $70m+.
920th biggest opening between DC League of Super-Pets and The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (close to Cocaine Bear, The Haunting in Connecticut, Insidious: Chapter 3 and Poltergeist (2015).
2022’s Smile opened $22.6m (25% from PLF; taking $105.93m and $217.4m worldwide
It was tracking to open between $20m-$25m.
Smile 2‘s social media across TikTok, X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube has 154.4m followers ahead of Saw X (134m) and The Nun II (149.8m).
The original film had a $17m with an extraordinarily strong marketing campaign which went viral, was originally made for Paramount+ but was given a theatrical release after high test scores and lack of Paramount releases for the last few months of the year.
Smile opened with $14.5m from 58 territories and $36.5m worldwide.
Opened with $23m from 13 territories; UK $2.6m; France $2.1m; Germany $2m; Australia $1.3m; Italy $1.3m.
- Terrifier 3 – Cineverse
Dropped 51% in its second weekend $9.3m #3 and $36.2m
Being unrated it wasn’t able to have TV adverts.
2022’s Terrifier 2 took $10.96m and $15.74m worldwide; 2016’s Terrifier took $419k worldwide
Terrifier 3 budget was $5m.
It was the second biggest independent horror opening this year after Longlegs (opened $22.4m taking $74.04m and $108.88m worldwide), Longlegs buzz had been growing for weeks before opening but Terrifier 3 came out of nowhere for most people with the majority never likely heard of the previous two films.
Studios spend millions creating social media campaigns, but they don’t connect as well to their target audience as films like Terrifier 3 and Godzilla Minus One do, timing was also key as had Joker: Folie A Deux opened similar to Joker it is unlikely Terrifier 3 would have opened as strongly.
The question is will it be a one-week wonder with Smile 2 opening on Friday as horror audiences are normally fickle and quickly move on to the next one? While Terrifier 4 will open at the same time next year against tougher competition would it open as strongly?
- Joker: Folie à Deux – Warner Bros
Dropped 69% in its third weekend $2.14m #6 and $56.4m
Joker: Folie à Deux held IMAX screens for three weeks due to signing a three week deal ahead of release with Smile 2 taking PLF screens.
1,650th biggest between Godzilla Minus One and Drumline; 2,892nd biggest inflated between Shining Through and Godzilla Minus One; 26th biggest 2024 between Transformers One and Challengers; 125th biggest comic-book between Shazam! Fury of the Gods and The Fantastic Four (2015); 269th biggest Warner Bros between Executive Decision and Me Before You.
Third weekend
2019’s Joker dropped 47.6% $29.25m #2 and $247.27m of $335.47m and $1.078bn worldwide.
2023’s The Flash dropped 65.4% $5.23m #8 and $99.48m of $108.13m and $271.43m worldwide
2023’s The Marvels dropped 37.5% $6.32m #6 and $76.75m of $84.5m and $206.13m worldwide
2022’s Morbius dropped 53.6% $4.73m #6 and $65.14m of $73.86m and $167.46m worldwide
2019’s Birds of Prey dropped 60.4% $6.8m #3 and $72.32m of $84.17m and $205.53m worldwide
2019’s X-Men: Dark Phoenix dropped 62.2% $3.53m #10 and $60.09m of $65.84m and $252.44m worldwide
As always when a tentpole underperforms there are articles about how much it will lose, and Variety said the $200m budget film could lose between $150m-$200m. It’s expected to take about $65m in the US and $215m worldwide, these films need to take at least $450m to break even, Warner Bros said it would break even by taking $375m, In 2019 Joker was one of the most profitable comic-book films having a $65m budget taking $1,078bn worldwide.
Took $14.7m from 76 territories $135.5m total and $192m worldwide; UK $11.8m; Germany $7.9m; Italy $7.6m; Mexico $7.4m; France $7.1m; Brazil $6.5m; Spain $4.8m; S. Korea $4.6m; Australia $4.4m.
Has taken $13.5m worldwide from IMAX including $7.3m internationally.
980th biggest worldwide between Open Season and The Longest Yard; 23rd biggest 2024 worldwide between The Wild Robot and IF; 112th biggest comic book worldwide between Gekijouban Jujutsu Kaisen 0 and Superman II; 159th biggest Warner Bros between The Intern and Superman II.
In its second weekend Joker took $123.7m from 79 territories and $351.2m internationally and $543.9m worldwide; UK $36.9m; Mexico: $28.9m; Korea: $28.0m; Russia: $20.4m; Brazil: $18m; Italy: $16.7m; Japan: $15.4m; Australia: $14.9m; Spain: $13m; Indonesia: $11.3m; France: $10.3m; Germany: $9.3m.
- The Wild Robot – Universal Pictures
Dropped 28% in the fourth weekend $10.097m #2 and $101.71m
Rival studios believe teens are paying to see The Wild Robot and sneaking in to see Terrifer as The Wild Robot has held very strongly the last two weeks as The Wild Robot was released on VOD on Monday, but as seen with films like Despicable Me 4 audience still choose to watch them in the cinema despite being released on VOD.
Universal Pictures showed The Wild Robot at CinemaCon and world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, which has $78m budget Universal Pictures has been very enthusiastic about the film positioning it for award season. The trailer has had more than 300m views globally.
315th biggest fourth weekend between The Birdcage and TRON: Legacy (close to Kung Fu Panda 4, Over the Hedge, WALL·E and Coco).
It will be released on VOD next week in the US; after receiving positive reviews and holding strongly at the box office Dreamworks is already developing a sequel.
120th biggest animated film between Trolls Band Together and The Prince of Egypt; 794th biggest between American Pie and Journey to the Centre of the Earth; 1,683rd biggest inflated between What’s Love Got to Do With It and Encanto; 16th biggest 2024 between Alien: Romulus and Bob Marley: One Love; 117th biggest Universal Pictures between American Pie and Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat.
Fourth weekends
Recent original Dreamworks Animations
2022’s The Bad Guys dropped 26.5% $7.03m #2 and $66.41m of $97.45m and $250.38m worldwide
2019’s Abominable dropped 42.2% $3.51m #6 and $53.52m of $60.71m and $188.62m worldwide
2017’s Captain Underpants dropped 40.3% $4.28m #9 and $65.74m of $73.92m and $125.42m WW
Dreamworks Animations have taken $6.45bn in the US and $17.3bn worldwide.
Took $23.2m from 76 territories $94.3m total and $196.04m worldwide; Mexico $13.7m; Australia $9.9m; Germany $4.6m; France $4.55m; Spain $4.4m; UK $4.2m.
151st biggest worldwide between Gekijouban Jujutsu Kaisen 0 and Beowulf; 962nd biggest worldwide between Panic Room and The Shape of Water; 21st biggest 2024 worldwide between Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and Joker: Folie à Deux; 130th biggest Universal Pictures worldwide between Kindergarten Cop and For Your Eyes Only.
- We Live in Time – A24
Up 1,699% in its second weekend adding 980 screens taking $4.16m #5 and $4.5m
The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival receiving positive reviews (79% on Rotten Tomatoes) opens In the UK in January and UK premiere on Friday at the London Film Festival.
John Crowley previously directed 2019’s The Goldfinch opened $2.67m taking $5.33m and $10.03m worldwide; 2015’s Brooklyn had a slower expansion opening in 5/23/111/845 screens after 4 weeks $3.94m taking $38.32m and $62.07m worldwide and 2013’s Closed Circuit opened $2.46m taking $5.75m.
It is Andrew Garfield’s first film since 2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home
- Transformers One – Paramount Pictures
Dropped 30% in the fourth weekend $3.76m #6 and $52.96m.
189th biggest animated film between Corpse Bride and Hoodwinked; 1,763rd biggest between Blow and Forces of Nature; 3,046th biggest inflated between The Principal and With Honors; 25th biggest 2024 between The Beekeeper and Joker: Folie à Deux; 234th biggest Paramount Pictures between The Devil Inside and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.
The seven live-action Transformers films have taken $1.7bn in the US and $5.3bn worldwide since 2007’s Transformers. Transformers One is the first animated film of the series since 1986’s The Transformers: The Movie (opened $1.77m taking $5.84m).
Fourth weekends
2007’s Transformers dropped 43.2% $11.64m #6 and $284.67m of $319.24m and $709.7m worldwide
2009’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen dropped 43.5% $13.69m #3 and $363.8m of $402.1m and $836.3m worldwide
2011’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon dropped 43.5% $12.05m #4 and $325.84m of $352.39m and $1.12bn worldwide
2014’s Transformers: Age of Extinction dropped 39.6% $9.84m #5 and $227m of $245.43m and $1.1bn worldwide
2017’s Transformers: The Last Knight dropped 55.4% $2.84m #9 and $124.95m of $130.16m and $605.42m worldwide
2018’s Bumblebee dropped 45.4% $7.2m #7 and $108.9m of $127.1m and $467.98m worldwide
2023’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts dropped 37.4% $7.35m #5 and $136.46m of $157.06m and $438.96m worldwide
Being rated PG Transformers One it was aimed at a much younger audience than the live-action films, but they haven’t seen any of the live-action Transformers films but were hoping audiences would come out to see it as they have done with the Spider-Man: Spider-Verse animated films.
Took $6.2m internationally from 70 territories and $58.44m and $111.41m worldwide; China $18m; Australia $4.4m; Mexico $3m; S Korea $2.2m; Japan $2m.
210th biggest animated film worldwide between The Boxtrolls and Free Birds; 1,677th biggest between Everything Everywhere All At Once and The 5th Wave; 30th biggest worldwide between The Wild Robot and Civil War; 192nd biggest Paramount Pictures between Pet Sematary and Terms of Endearment.
- Saturday Night – Sony Pictures
Dropped 50% in the fourth weekend $1.7m #9 and $7.53m
Despite the huge popularity of Saturday Night Live TV series Saturday Night is struggling to find a wide audience after a strong platform opening three weeks ago $270,487 from 5 cinemas, the expansion to 16 screens was soft so the wide expansion last week was always likely to be soft as well. Dropping 50% in its fourth weekend and down to #10 it’s likely to be losing many screens this weekend with Venom: The Last Dance opening.
Saturday Night is directed by James Reitman who has had mixed success with the previous films he directed 2005’s Thank You for Smoking had a similar opening of $262,923 from 5 screens but then a much slower expansion of 54/126/299 screens over the next three weeks before playing at its widest 1,020 screens. Slower expansions allow films to build word of mouth. The first episode of the new series of Saturday Night Live had 5.3m viewers but the film would appeal to a small percentage of those who watch the show.
2007’s Juno and 2009’s Up in Air were both critical and box office hits but then 2011’s Young Adult had polarised reactions again strong platform opening $310,263 from 8 screens but then added 978 screens taking $3.4m #10 +996.9% in its second weekend taking $16.3m.2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife opened $44m taking $129.36m.
Sony Pictures had surely positioned Saturday Night as an award contender but it’s likely to be one of many films that will be forgotten about by nominations time, without nominations it’s unlikely to find an audience internationally. (opens in the UK in January). It was the Surprise Film at the London Film Festival last week.
- Anora – Neon
Opened with $550,503 #18 from 6 screens: $91,750 screen average.
Best screen average since 2023’s Wes Anderson’s Asteroid City $142,230 from 8 screens ($853,382) the question is how it will expand over the next few weeks as so often films expand far too quickly, but as Anora is being positioned as an Oscar contender it will be a slow expansion over the next month.
Premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival winning the Palme d’Or, the first American film to do so since The Tree of Life in 2011. Had a 10-minute standing ovation receiving critical acclaim (98% Rotten Tomatoes). Also screened at the Toronto and London Film Festivals.
It’s currently the favourite to win Best Picture Oscar next year ahead of Emilia Perez, Conclave and The Brutalist. Next year’s Oscars are wide open compared to other years with fewer contenders. In the last 70 years has only been one film that won both the Palme d’Or and Best Picture: Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite.
Sean Baker’s previous films
2021’s Red Rocket opened $88,195 from 6 screens expanding to 377 screens after three weeks taking $1.02m and $2.31m worldwide.
2017’s The Florida Project opened $157,553 from 4 screens expanding to 229 screens after 6 weeks taking $5.9m and $10.95m worldwide
2015’s Tangerine opened $60,683 in 4 screens expanding to 44 screens after 5 weeks taking $702,354
It was acquired by Neon and became the fifth consecutive Palme d’Or winner distributed by Neon in the US after Parasite, Titane, Triangle of Sadness and Anatomy of a Fall.
UK Box Office Top 10
UK Box Office Preview
The first two Venom films opened in a much more crowded marketplace; 2018’s Venom had Johnny English Strikes Again £4,117,692 and A Star is Born £4,100,196 and 2021’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage had #1 No Time To Die 3rd week £8,404,165; Halloween Kills #3 £1,598,062; Ron’s Gone Wrong #5 £868,053; The Last Duel #6 £325,523 also opening.
2018’s Venom opened £8,031,342 #1 taking £20,123,186
2021’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage opened £6,167,833 #2 597 screens taking £18,027,072.
The two previous Venom films were both poorly received by critics but enjoyed by fans and reactions for Venom: The Last Dance seem similar saying it’s for the dans and it’s a guilty pleasure.
In the US Venom: The Last Dance was expected to open about $70m but days ahead of opening due to soft presales expected to open $65m similar to 2022’s Black Adam $67m taking $168.15m and $393.45m; 2028’s Venom opened $80.25m taking $213.51m and $856.08m and 2021’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage opened $90.03m taking $213.55m and $506.81m worldwide.
This would see Venom: The Last Dance open with about £6m-£7m; it’s likely to be front-loaded being “for the fans”.
The Wild Robot will hold strong in its second weekend down 20%-30% taking £2.3m-£2.6m ahead of a lucrative half-term (school holidays are staggered across the last two weeks of October) with cooler temperatures October half-term can be very lucrative.
With the arrival of Venom: The Last Dance, Smile 2 is likely to drop about 50%; 2022’s Smile dropped only 8% in its second weekend £1,715,678 #1 and £4,751,848 but the marketplace was far less crowded with new releases The Woman King opening £1,308,685 #2; Amsterdam £632,722 #5 and The Lost King £368,753 #7 playing to different demographic.
Transformers One could have a strong hold ahead of half-term.
Also opening The Room Next Door is the latest Pedro Almodóvar film, his last film was 2022’s Parallel Mothers opened £301,877 #6 from 186 screens taking £1,109,127; Pain & Glory opened £307,131 from 125 screens; 2016’s Julieta opened with £356,191; 2011’s The Skin I Live In opened with £325,349; 2006’s Volver opened with £433,283. So, The Room Next Door will open with about £300k depending on how wide it opens.
The Front Room is the latest film directed by Robert Eggers’s brothers Max and Sam, Robert Eggers’s previous films 2022’s The Northman opened £897,737 #4 528 screens taking £4,349,002; 2016’s The Witch (opened #7 £447,626 from 179 screens taking £883,088); 2020’s The Lighthouse (opened #10 £384,284 from 83 screens).
The Front Room has been compared to Hereditary (opened £1,863,913) and Talk To Me (£643,547) with trailers played with several horrors released over the last few weeks including The Substance and Smile 2 targeting female audiences it could have a similar opening as Talk To Me.
Opening in three weeks
- Gladiator II – Paramount Pictures
Epic historical action sequel to 2000’s Oscar-winning Gladiator starring Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal, Connie Nielsen, and Denzel Washington. Nielsen, Derek Jacobi and directed by Ridley Scott.
Early screening reactions have been incredibly positive, and the industry is trying to create another Barbenheimer with Gladiator II and Wicked opening the same weekend in the US, in the UK Gladiator II is sandwiched between Paddington In Peru and Wicked.
There seems to be a difference of opinion between “influencers” calling Gladiator II the best film ever made and critics who say it looks incredible, Denzel Washington gives a Best Supporting Actor performance but has a very similar plot to the original.
Oppenheimer Gladiator II is seen as a major award contender with many thinking Ridley Scott could finally win Best Director Oscar after being nominated three times previously for Best Director, Thelma & Louise, Gladiator and Black Hawk Down. Only two sequels have won Best Picture and Director Oscars 1974’s The Godfather Part II and 2003’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Plans started for either a sequel or prequel to Gladiator in 2001 after the tremendous success of the film; took $187.7m/$375.4m inflated in the US and $465.39m/$931m inflated worldwide and won five Oscars including Best Picture and Best Actor and four BAFTAs including Best Film, Best Cinematography.
Development stopped in 2006 when Paramount acquired Dreamworks. The sequel was announced in 2018, and Paul Mescal was signed for the lead in 2023. Paul Mescal starred in the hugely popular TV series Normal People and All of Us Strangers earlier this year. Pedro Pascal starred in hugely popular TV series The Last of Us and The Mandalorian and his voice features in The Wild Robot.
The film was greenlit with a budget of $165m receiving a 40% tax break filming in Malta, the budget grew to about $310m, Paramount say the budget was $250m but that could be less than the tax break.
Gladiator II has been selected to be the Royal Film Performance on November 13th; the first since Top Gun: Maverick in May 2022.
Ridley Scott said, “Ever since making Gladiator, year after year, I kept asking myself ‘Is there a sequel?’ After 25 years, we are excited to finally answer that question for you, and audiences everywhere. Making Gladiator II endorsed Orson Welles’ quote that ‘filmmaking is the best train set a boy could ever have.’
Gladiator II opens in the UK a week ahead of the US.
There have been many stories from insiders about Gladiator II, In Deadline in July “a couple of industry veterans,” said Gladiator II” was “fantastic,” and could be a major player in the upcoming Oscar race saying Mescal was “terrific” and Washington “extraordinary”. In April Gladiator II test screened saying it was “thrilling” and “Oscar-worthy.” Empire City said Gladiator II was Ridley Scott’s best film and Paramount were blown away with the footage they have seen. All of this has to be taken with a pinch of salt.
The first trailer was released in July attached to Deadpool & Wolverine used No Church in the Wild by Jay-Z and Kanye West receiving a poor reaction from fans; the second trailer was released in September.
It has a running time of 147 mins 8 mins shorter than the first film 147 mins.
Attached to Gladiator II will be the first trailer to Mission Impossible 8 which is still filming with a budget of $300m+.
Gladiator opened in May 2000 £3,555,446/£6,667,507 inflated taking £31,257,293/£58,616,618 inflated; was #1 for 7 weeks, as Gladiator II opens the week after Paddington In Peru and a week before Wicked it won’t get to #1.
Gladiator was the second biggest film of 2000 after Toy Story; 2000’s top 10 films.
#1 Toy Story 2 £44,306,070/£79,750,926; #2 Gladiator £31,287,765/£56,317,977
#3 Chicken Run £29,356,701/£52,842,062: #4 American Beauty £21,385,440/£38,493,792.
#5 Billy Elliot £18,387,000/£33,096,600; #6 Stuart Little £17,828,403/£32,091,125
#7 Mission: Impossible II £17,291,606/£31,124,891.
#8 How the Grinch Stole Christmas £15,167,543/ £27,301,577
#9 Meet the Parents £15,107,452/£27,193,414; #10 X-Men £14,976,383/£26,957,489.
Gladiator III is already in development Ridley Scott said he has written the first 9 pages, but as with Top Gun 3, it’s unlikely ever to be made.
