- Avatar: Fire and Ash £4,427,062 – £31,598,260
Down 27% in its third weekend
£1.55m 35.1% (-10.9% £1.74m) Fri; £1.69m 38.2% (-18.8% £2.08m) Sat; £1.18m 26.7% (-46.4% £2.2m) Sun; and £441k Monday
47th biggest third weekend between Mary Poppins Returns and Avengers: Endgame (close to Paddington 2, Fantastic Beasts, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and Titanic) and 91st biggest inflated third weekend between Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies and Mamma Mia 2 (close to Jurassic Park: The Lost World, Home Alone, Star Wars Attack of the Clones and The World Is Not Enough).
In the second weekend, Avatar: Fire and Ash took 25.6% more than Avatar and 42.1% more than Avatar: The Way of Water.
Third weekends
2009’s Avatar up 55.2% £5,940,479/£8,441,159 and £32,815,618 35.12% of £93,442,625/£136,900,316
2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water up 53.7% £7,643,764 and £44,971,330 58.6% of £76,725,041/£79,518,67; £3.25m (up 27.4%); £2.2m Saturday (13.7% drop) (Sunday £2.15m up 167%)
While a 27% third weekend drop looks like Avatar: Fire and Ash held very strongly the second weekend of the Christmas holidays is unique and will see major films often boosting their previous weekends’ BO or having an even smaller drop, as seen with other Christmas third weekend tentpoles, including.
2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi dropped 22% £7,975,174 and £68,263,774, 82.57% of £82,676,198
2019’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker dropped 53% £4,396,258 and £51,331,946, 88.35% of £58,100,786
2021’s Spider-Man: No Way Home up 31% £6,055,345 and £69,849,930 72.76% of £95,994,961
2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens up 1.4% £10,304,56/£11,047,748 and £97,383,157 79.2% £123,000,050/£131,871,066
Avatar 2 was #1 for 7 weeks, similar to 2000’s Gladiator, 1996’s Independence Day and 1994’s Four Weddings and a Funeral, but Avatar: Fire and Ash will remain at the top for fewer weeks; it could lose #1 against Hamnet next weekend.
The 7 James Cameron-directed films have taken £400m at the UK BO and £600m+ inflation inflated.
It’s the 6th biggest 2025 between Jurassic World Rebirth and Superman (close to Lilo & Stitch, Zootropolis 2, Mission Impossible 8 and The Fantastic Four).
149th biggest between Slumdog Millionaire and Gladiator (close to Gravity, Deadpool 2, War of the Worlds and The Da Vinci Code) and 304th biggest inflated between Troy and There’s Something About Mary (close to The Matrix, Hook, Mission: Impossible II and I, Robot).
James Cameron said in 2006 he would like to make sequels if the first film was successful; now he has said something similar about making more than four Avatar films. While Avatar 3 will take less than previous two films, it’s more about merchandising and theme park opportunities for Disney, as they might have taken $32bn worldwide over the last 20 years, they will have taken double this in 2025 for merchandising sales, as Yoghurt said in Spaceballs “Merchandising, merchandising, where the real money from the movie is made”.
Fourth weekends
Avatar: The Way of Water dropped 23.2% £5,869,123 and £57,286,005 74.7% of £76,725,041
Avatar dropped 19.7% £4,770,980/£6,779,352 and £40,991,797 43.8% of £93,442,625/£136,900,316.
Avatar: Fire and Ash will drop closer to 50% and could lose #1 to Hamnet despite still having all IMAX/PLF/3D and other premium screens.
- 2. The Housemaid £3,857,746 – £12,367,165
Down 12.8% in its second weekend (up 26% without previews)
£1.34m 34.7% (+90% £705k) Fri; £1.47m 38.1% (+37.4% £1.1m) Sat; £1.047m 27.1% (+76.6% £593k) Sun; and £458k Monday.
168th biggest second between Logan and The Revenant (close to Life of Pi, Inception, The Martian and Avatar) and 304th biggest inflated second weekend between The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and True Lies (close to There’s Something About Mary, Forrest Gump, Slumdog Millionaire and The Fugitive).
8th biggest second weekend over the last 52 weeks between Zootropolis 2 and Mission Impossible 8 (close to Jurassic World Rebirth, The Fantastic Four, F1 and Captain America: Brave New World).
As Avatar: Fire and Ash BO is inflated with over 50% from IMAX/PLF/3D. The Housemaid had higher admissions across the weekend and overtook Avatar 3 on Monday. While the industry’s focus is always on Avatar 3, as Wicked 2 and Zootropolis 2, their BO is expected, it is films like The Housemaid and Marty Supreme that are far more important, as these are films audiences have also chosen to see and are also attracting audiences who wouldn’t see the tentpoles.
Freida McFadden’s novel sold over 4.5m copies (including over 750,000 in the UK) and was on the Amazon best-seller list for 83 weeks and generated a lot of attention on social media, including TikTok.
The Housemaid has been compared to 2016’s The Girl on the Train and also the recent BBC TV drama The Guest, as both feature a young woman who takes the job of a housekeeper in an expensive home with a perfect couple, but they have hidden secrets. The Guest had over 3.5m viewers in September on BBC One.
Sydney Sweeney has had an up and down 2025, receiving critical acclaim for her performance in Christy, but failed to find an audience and also generated controversy featuring in an American Eagle jeans campaign with the slogan “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans.”
The Housemaid has become Paul Feig’s third biggest film ahead of 2016’s Ghostbusters (£10.75m) and behind Last Christmas (£18.11m) and Bridesmaids (£23.05m). It is also Sydney Sweeney’s biggest film in the UK, ahead of Anyone But You (£11.71m)
It’s also comparable to films like Parasite, Gone Girl, Fatal Attraction and The Hand That Rocks the Cradle.
2018’s A Simple Favour dropped 38.2% £1,001,620 and £3,407,225 69.1% of £4,930,383
2016’s The Girl on the Train dropped 51% £3,412,472 and £13,654,644, 58.4% of £23,372,415
2014’s Gone Girl dropped 25.4% £3,064,545/£3,196,887 and £9,827,252 44.4% of £22,370,392/£26,365,105
2000’s What Lies Beneath dropped 25% £1,693,668/£3,080,483 and £5,390,052 39% of £13,827,135/£24,888,844
1992’s The Hand That Rocks the Cradle dropped 4.9% £951,378/£2,291,013 and £2,584,147, 43.4% of £5,950,847/£14,682,464
1988’s Fatal Attraction dropped 16.9% £1,057,095/£3,552,758 and £3,105,219 20.1% of g £15,441,564/£53,172,690
22nd biggest 2025 between Nosferatu and One Battle After Another (close to Dog Man, Downton Abbey 3, A Complete Unknown and Weapons).
After a disappointing year for Lionsgate, their final two releases, The Housemaid and Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, have taken E20m. The Housemaid is Lionsgate’s biggest film since 2023’s The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (£17.92m). In November, they released another Hunger Games prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping. If The Housemaid continues to hold on as strongly, it will be their first £20m+ film since 2017’s La La Land.
8th biggest Lionsgate film between John Wick: Chapter 4 and London Has Fallen (close to The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes, Knives Out, The Expendables and John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
586th biggest between Ghostbusters (1984) and Atonement (close to Ransom, Sliding Doors, Pulp Fiction and Starsky & Hutch) and 981st biggest inflated between South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut and The Incredible Hulk (close to Groundhog Day, Small Soldiers, Misery and Crimson Tide).
It’s no surprise Lionsgate has already announced plans to make a sequel also starring Sydney Sweeney, which, of course, is a major spoiler.
- 3. Marty Supreme £2,764,274 – £6,002,922
Up 98% in its second weekend, adding 492 screens from last weekend (625 from 133 cinemas)
£1.04m 37.6% (+132.7% £447k) Fri; £1.01m 36.5% (+120% £459k) Sat; £714k 25.8% (+48.1% £482k) Sun; and £346k Monday.
293rd biggest second weekend between Monsters University and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (close to The Bourne Ultimatum, It Ends With Us, Mission: Impossible III and Bad Boys For Life) and 529th biggest inflated second weekend between Parasite and The Bourne Supremacy (close to American Sniper, The Village, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and Sleepers).
16th biggest 2025 second weekend between The Conjuring: Last Rites and Sinners (close to The Fantastic Four, F1, 28 Years Later and Downton Abbey 3).
It’s the seventh-highest film starring Timothée Chalamet, ahead of The French Dispatch (£4.17m) and currently behind A Complete Unknown (£11.9m); but Marty Supreme is very much a Timothée Chalamet film, whereas films like Wonka, Dune Part 1 and Part2, Interstellar and Little Women he is part of a bigger cast.
It’s films like Marty Supreme and The Housemaid that might take a quarter of the BO of A Minecraft Movie, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, Wicked – Part 2 and Avatar: Fire and Ash, but they have a bigger impact on BO. While those other films are always expected to take their BO, films like Marty Supreme and The Housemaid attract other audiences.
Timothée Chalamet has reignited the classic Hollywood archetype of the movie star whose charisma transcends gender and genre. Like screen icons such as Paul Newman, Warren Beatty, or Robert Redford, Chalamet draws audiences not merely to a story, but to him—his presence becomes the event. Whether he’s playing a folk legend in A Complete Unknown or a ping-pong hustler in Marty Supreme, the specific subject becomes secondary; people come to witness his unique blend of vulnerability, style, and magnetism. This is the same appeal that drove viewers to Dune: Part Two even without a prior interest in sci-fi, and it echoes the way Newman turned pool halls into compelling drama in The Hustler.
In stepping into the role of Marty Reisman, Chalamet isn’t just portraying another real-life figure—he’s consciously entering a lineage of charismatic anti-heroes defined by talent, swagger, and outsider cool. The project can be seen as a modern successor to Newman’s iconic hustler roles, filtered through today’s lens of emotional depth and artistic prestige. Chalamet represents a rare contemporary fusion: an actor whose artistic credibility and movie-star aura allow him to elevate niche stories into mainstream attractions, proving that pure screen magnetism still defines true stardom.
Timothée Chalamet could be seen as Generation Z’s Tom Hanks, as through his blend of preternatural talent, discerning project choices, and transgressive yet relatable charisma, is following the award-winning, audience-unifying blueprint of a Tom Hanks. He is becoming the defining and most trusted cinematic presence for his generation, turning every film—whether about love, war, space, or ping-pong—into a must-see event centred on his extraordinary ability to connect.
To promote the film, Timothée Chalamet had a Zoom call with the A24 marketing team, presenting marketing ideas for the film.
Timothée Chalamet has recently starred in A Complete Unknown, Dune Part 2, Wonka and will star in Dune Part 3 next year. A Complete Unknown dropped 36.2% £1,667,821 and £5,916,730, 49.8% of £11,887,982.
- 4. Zootropolis 2 £2,084,983 – £27,522,024
Up 34.2% in its sixth weekend
Took £775k 37.2% (+165.4% £292k) Fri; £719k 34.5% (21.2% £593k) Sat; £590k 28.3% (-11.8% £669k) Sun; and £329k Monday.
16th biggest sixth weekend between Frozen 2 and Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical (close to Wonka, The Greatest Showman, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and No Time To Die) and 40th inflated sixth weekend between 1917 and Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical (close to Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Babe, The Mask and Mrs Doubtfire).
3rd biggest animation sixth weekend between Frozen 2 and Moana 2 (close to The Grinch, Inside Out 2, Toy Story 3 and Finding Dory) and 5th biggest inflated animation sixth weekend between Finding Nemo and Toy Story 3 (close to Incredibles, Toy Story 2, The Grinch and The Lion King (1994).
2nd biggest Disney animation sixth weekend between Frozen 2 and Moana 2 (close to Frozen, Moana, Ralph Breaks the Internet and Wish) and 2nd biggest Disney inflated animation sixth weekend between Frozen 2 and The Lion King (1994) (close to Moana, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Hercules and Tarzan)
Sixth weekends
2024’s Moana 2 dropped 20.7% £1,756,445 and £38,206,080 90.2% of £42,357,963
2019’s Frozen 2 dropped 3.5% £2,092,775 and £46,066,366 86% of £53,549,035
2016’s Zootropolis dropped 23.5% £516,137/£538,426 and £22,212,103 93.4% of £23,461,047/£25,075,775
Zootropolis dropped heavily as it opened before Easter, and its sixth weekend was during school term, with schools returning on Monday. Zootropolis 2 will drop 50% in its seventh weekend.
8th biggest 2025 film between Superman and Mission Impossible 8 (close to Jurassic World Rebirth, Avatar 3, The Fantastic Four and How To Train Your Dragon).
189th biggest between Spider-Man and Elvis (close to The Pirates of the Caribbean, Four Weddings and a Funeral, The Twilight Saga: New Moon and The LEGO Batman Movie) and 371st biggest inflated between Aeroplane and Shirley Valentine (close to Evita, Dances with Wolves, Batman Returns and Top Gun).
40th biggest animated film between The Grinch and The LEGO Batman Movie (close to Ice Age: Continental Drift, Shrek, The Croods and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) and 59th biggest inflated animated film between Home and Ice Age (close to Kung Fu Panda, Arthur Christmas, Tangled and Despicable Me).
- 5 The SpongeBob Movie: Search For Squarepants £1,177,468 – £5,996,385
Down 61.3% in its second weekend (up 11% without previews)
Took £433k 36.8% (+112.25% £204k) Fri; £407k 34.6% (+5.2% 387k) Sat; £337k 28.6% (+22.5% £275k Sun); £181k Monday.
948th biggest second weekend between Rush Hour and The Mummy (2017) (close to Tomb Raider (2018), 21 Jump Street, The Polar Express and The Santa Clause 2) and 1,472nd biggest inflated second weekend between The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Bad Neighbours 2 (close to Phenomenon, Scary Movie 2, Beethoven and Miss Congeniality 2).
32nd biggest 2025 second weekend between Mickey 17 and Now You See Me: Now You Don’t (close to The Bad Guys 2, The Naked Gun, Karate Kid: Legends and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2)
2005’s The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie down 10% £1,126,635/£1,849,021 and £4,098,548 76.4% of £5,364,336/£9,077,231
2015’s SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water 3D dropped 50.4% £1,121,097/£1,201,953 and £4,821,995 60.36% of £7,989,048/£8,831,167
The most recent film, 2021’s The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run, was due to have a cinema release in the UK, but international rights were sold to Netflix in July 2020 due to COVID; it was one of several Paramount films sold to Netflix and Amazon due to COVID.
Also opened
- Song Sung Blue – £936,254 #7 from 587 screens.
Includes £227,910 from Thursday previews.
Took £255k 36.07% Friday; £274k 38.76% Saturday; £178k 25.18% Sunday.
8 years ago, critics dismissed The Greatest Showman and Song Sung Blue, with the combination of Hugh Jackman, Kate Hudson and Neil Diamond in a feel-good musical, feels like the perfect film to see at the start of the year, a film audiences can get behind, being a people’s champion, something Wicked: For God was meant to be but ran out of steam very quickly, but in a crowded market it struggled to find an audience.
Neil Diamond’s catalogue is full of anthemic, sing-along classics (including Sweet Caroline and America), which is a communal experience, meant for audience toes to tap and hearts to swell, exactly the Showman formula.
Star Power with Charisma: Hugh Jackman is the modern P.T. Barnum of musical cinema. His innate likability and proven song-and-dance chops (Les Mis, The Greatest Showman) provide instant trust and spectacle. Kate Hudson brings warmth and relatable charm.
Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline is the definitive song of collective celebration. It’s played in football, rugby, cricket, and the Olympics. The moment the “Bah, bah, bah!” chorus hits, everyone, regardless of age or team, sings along, arms around each other. It’s a pure, unfiltered moment of national joy. Also played at weddings, pubs at closing time, and parties. It has completely shed its American origins and been adopted as a UK communal property.
Song Sung Blue won’t get the chance to find its audience as exhibitors have cut back showtimes in its second weekend. In a crowded marketplace, Song Sung Blue is a film audiences would previously discover over weeks as they wouldn’t rush out to see it over opening weekend, but this rarely happens anymore.
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2025 1% ahead of 2024.
The weekend’s top 10 box office took £17,090,566, down 11.1% from last weekend’s £19,220,402: 2,208,083 admissions, down 11.8% from 2,483,256 admissions.
8th biggest weekend of the last 52 weeks between 26 December 2025 #1 Avatar: Fire And Ash £6,062,546 (31.54%) and 30 May 2025 #1 Lilo & Stitch £6,139,573 (36.15%)
30th biggest since cinemas reopened out of 268 weeks between 22 October 2021 #1 Dune £5,876,892 (33.36%) and 30 May 2025 #1 Lilo & Stitch £6,139,573 (36.15%)
161st biggest top 10 of the last 24 years (out of 1,239) between 12 December 2014 #1 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies £9,753,642 (57.05%) and 25 December 2015 #1 Star Wars: The Force Awakens £10,164,805 (59.62%) and 331st biggest inflated between 06 July 2012 #1 The Amazing Spider-Man £11,091,972 (78.67%) and 21 February 2003 #1 The Ring £2,200,084 (22.45%)
The top 3 took £11,049,082 (64.6%) of the top 10; Avatar: Fire and Ash 25.65% (£4,427,062); The Housemaid 22.35% (£3,857,746): Marty Supreme 16.01% (£2,764,274)
906th biggest percentage share #1 (25.90%) between 22 February 2019 #1 The LEGO Movie 2 £2,410,824 (25.94%) and 02 January 2026 #1 The Ring Two £2,062,792 (25.90%)
618th biggest admissions (572,712) between 19 November 2021 #1 Ghostbusters: Afterlife £4,314,263 (573,705) and 12 August 2016 #1 Suicide Squad £4,241,508 (572,403)
Down 12.05% from 2025; (£19,627,945); Nosferatu (£5,246,910); We Live In Time (£2,843,517); Nickel Boys (£127,219); Nosferatu £5,246,910 1st week 623 screens (26.73% of top 10).
Up 30.18% from 2024; £13,260,177); One Life (£3,324,502); Priscilla (£1,326,326); Night Swim (£590,691); Scala!!! (£15,673) #1 Wonka £3,779,636 5th weekend 739 screens (28.5% of top 10).
Up 53.99% 2023 (£14,337,250); Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody £3,325,458; Corsage £203,121; Berliner Philharmoniker Live: New Year’s Eve Concert 2022 £54,784; #1 Avatar: The Way of Water £7,643,764 3rd week (53.31% of top 10)
Up 98.04% 2022 (£8,716,739); Licorice Pizza (£879,373); The 355 (£367,148); Boiling Point (£79,117); #1 Spider-Man No Way Home £4,477,415 4th week 26% drop 680 screens (51.4% of top 10)
2021 Lockdown
Down 20.08% 2020; (£21,600,665); The Gentlemen 41.7% (£3,057,108); Jojo Rabbit 33% (£2,415,233); Andre Rieu: 70 Years Young 23.4% (£1,717,074); #1 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker 3rd weekend £4,396,258 (20.3% of top 10)
Up 0.45% 2019 £17,185,874); The Favourite (£3,973,975); Andre Rieu’s 2019 New Year Concert from Sydney (£1,745,941); Welcome to Marwen (£242,156); Life Itself (£54,131); #1 Mary Poppins Returns £4,444,023 3rd week #1 718 screens 40% drop (25.8% of top 10)
Down 0.74% from 2018; (£17,391,172); Molly’s Game (£2,283,420); Hostiles (£380,718); Brad’s Status (£33,579); #1 Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle £3,895,450 3rd week 1st #1 579 screens 25% drop (22.43% of the top 10)
Up 0.40% 2017: (£17,194,216); Assassin’s Creed (£5,285,064); A Monster Calls (£1,920,744); Silence (£1,542,926); Nabucco – Met Opera 2017 (£335,390); #1 Assassin’s Creed £5,285,064 1st week 527 screens (30.7% of top 10)
Up 14.66% 2016: (£15,145,367); The Hateful Eight (£2,778,633); A War (£17,356); #1 Star Wars: The Force Awakens £6,001,948 4th week 634 screens 42% drop (39.6% of top 10)
Down 12.94% 2015; (£19,828,105); The Theory of Everything (£3,749,293); The Woman In Black: Angel of Death (£2,431,823); Birdman (£1,524,667); Enemy (£20,937); #1 The Theory of Everything £3,749,293 1st week 532 screens (18.9% of top 10)
Down 6.61% 2014: (£18,483,581); Last Vegas (£1,811,695); Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (£1,543,091); Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (£1,472,500); #1 American Hustle (expansion) £3,467,644 2nd week 1st #1 411 screens up 7,401% (18.7% of top 10)
Down 9.27% 2013: (£19,026,396); The Impossible (£4,034,470); Quartet (£2,294,917); Playing for Keeps (£507,319); Chinatown (Re: 2013) (£16,138); #1 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey £4,075,781 4th week 568 screens 41% drop (21.4% of top 10)
Up 45.24% 2012: (£11,885,910); The Iron Lady (£2,151,368); Goon (£728,286) l; #1 Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol £2,223,200 2nd week 73% drop 517 screens (18.7% of top 10)
Up 28.51% 2011; (£13,432,653); The King’s Speech (£3,523,102); 127 Hours (£2,168,570); The Next Three Days (£1,046,333); Season of the Witch (£559,769); It’s A Funny Story (£82,056); #1 The King’s Speech £3,523,102 1st week 395 screens (26.2% of top 10)
Up 38.62% 2010: (£15,390,090); Did You Hear About The Morgans (£1,155,060); Post Grad (£12,486); #1 Avatar £5,940,479 (£8,067,071 inflated) 493 screens 2nd week split over 3 weeks (38.6% of top 10)
Up 45.40% 2009; (£11,872,842); The Spirit (£1,351,370); The Reader (£671,064); Che: Part One (£429,836); Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2 (£41,305); #1 Yes Man 2nd week £2,223,950 (18.7% of top 10)
Up 35.20% 2008; (£12,768,659); Lust, Caution (£240,665); #1 I Am Legend £3,740,369 2nd week 458 screens 66% drop (29.3% of top 10)
Up 56.89% 2007: (£11,003,216); Miss Potter (£1,400,943); Apocalypto (£1,360,110); Employee of the Month (£1,075,883); White Noise: The Light (£698,461); #1 Night at the Museum £2,958,093 2nd week 487 screens 62% drop (26.8% of top 10)
Up 58.87% 2006; (£10,866,142); Just Friends (£1,750,481); Brokeback Mountain (£987,261); Match Point (£751,992); Running Scared (£275,498); #1 King Kong £2,160,421 473 screens 2nd-week #1 over 4 weeks 19% drop (19.88% of top 10)
Up 93.23% 2005: (£8,933,539); White Noise (£1,787,478); The Aviator (expansion) (£1,314,946); Alexander (£1,200,083); Vera Drake (£266,010); #1 White Noise £1,787,478 1st week 314 screens (201% of top 10)
Up 26.02% 2004; (£13,698,709); Stuck On You (£1,114,837); American Splendor (£135,568); #1 Lord of the Rings: Return of the King £6,496,723 3rd week #1 498 screens 9% drop (47.4% of top 10)
Up 46.62% 2003 (£11,773,904); Star Trek X: Nemesis (£1,957,845); City Of God (£307,177); Spider (£63,949); #1 Lord of the Rings: Two Towers 3rd-week #1 £5,774,170 502 screens 29% drop (49.1% of top 10)
Up 54.01% from 2002: (£11,208,567); Behind Enemy Lines (£903,589); The Last Castle (£161,862); Mulholland Drive (£134,798); Monsoon Wedding (£130,466); Beauty and the Beast (£44,797); #1 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring £5,967,910 3rd week #1 470 screens (53.2% of top 10)
2025 Next week: (£11,993,374); Babygirl (£1,091,180); A Real Pain (£999,818); Maria (£509,328); Se7en (30th Anniversary) (£143,394); #1 Mufasa: The Lion King £2,201,920 down 33% 658 screens (19.74% of top 10).
UK BO 2025
According to ComScore UK, BO grew 1% to £1.07bn, which came with the normal pain, that it was the third year running UK BO had topped £1bn.
The top film of 2025 wasn’t Wicked: For Good, as many people expected, but A Minecraft Movie (£56.9m). A Minecraft Movie’s BO was a surprise to many, despite Super Mario Bros taking a similar BO a year earlier. Both films were based on hugely popular computer games that had a massive fanbase, and both generate huge UGC on social media. Minecraft has sold over 300m copies, and Super Mario Bros has 400m, but Minecraft has more active monthly users (141m in 2023).
In second, Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy (£46.4m), but after having the biggest opening for the series in February, huge media coverage and raved reviews it didn’t have the legs expected (as so many other films) after opening with £12.29m, £50m+ was expected but it just managed to squeeze past £46m.
This was repeated by Wicked: For Good #3, Jurassic World: Rebirth #5, Superman #6, Avatar: Fore and Ash #7, Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning #8 and Fantastic Four #10; only Lilo & Stitch #4 and Zootropolis 2 #10 have taken what they were expected to take.
December BO was £104.2m, 10% drop from December 2024, due to Wicked: For Good not holding as well at the start of the month, but the last two weeks over the lucrative Christmas holidays were very strong due to Avatar: Fire and Ash not cannibalising the market and The Housemaid, Marty Supreme, Zootropolis 2, The Spongebob Movie: Search For Squarepants, Anaconda and Song Sung Blue playing across all demographics.
Rival studios learnt from December 2022, after Avatar: The Way of Water didn’t cannibalise the market, that there was room for many films. This won’t be the case this Christmas with Avengers: Doomsday cannibalising the lucrative two weeks, hopefully Jumanji 3 and Dune Part 3 and being 7 years on from Avengers: Endgame it could be different, but it looks like Marvel are throwing everything and the kitchen sink into Doomsday bringing back Avengers, and bringing back 20th Century Fox X-Men and combining them with Marvel’s Fantastic Four and Thunderbolts along with an baddie that looks like Tony Stark.
December’s biggest films were Avatar: Fire and Ash (£27.16m), 27% less than Avatar: The Way of Water. Zootropolis 2 (£17.92m), Wicked: For Good (£11.44m), The Housemaid (£8.5m) and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 (£6.69m).
Universal Pictures was the biggest studio in the UK in 2025, taking £270m+ from 35 films; The first time they have been #1 since 2021; Disney #2 with £250m+ from 17 films and Warner Bros #3 with £200m+ from 15 films.
The five big studios released about 65 films in 2025, taking about £700m. There were 224 wide releases, film’s opening in over 250 screens, up from 220 in 2024, showing that the issue has never been a lack of films being released, as it’s an average of 4 wide releases every week of the year, which should be more than enough. Downton Abbey 3 had the widest opening in 750 cinemas. Of course, that doesn’t tell the whole story, as many of the widest releases opened it over 2,000 screens.
A 1% BO increase will likely see admissions drop as average ticket price for 2025 will surely be up from 2024’s £7.73, as costs for everything from energy, food and staffing have increased a lot over the last year, along with a large percentage of BO from IMAX/PLF/3D and many cinemas with much more expensive recliner seats with many cinemas being converted into Lux. Despite similar happenings in 2024 average ticket price dropped 2.4% from £7.92.
All the research shows people are going to the cinema less often apart from Cinema United data saying GenZ are going 6 times a year in the US but as with the UK this is probably due to subscription cinema, in the US 15% use subscription cinema, but there are no numbers for usage in the UK despite it being in the UK for over 25 years since the Virgin Megapass in 1999.
There are al many promo schemes like 2for1 Meerkat Movies on Tues/Weds, again very little data has ever been released, and similar free tickets with the likes of Sky Cinema and The Times to Vue and Everyman and also 40% discounts to Vue from O2. The question is what impact all these promotions have as they bring down the average, but all customers of Sky TV and The Times are paying for it in higher costs to their services, even if they don’t use these free tickets.
A key part of the BO is Event Cinema with over £44m taken, and the biggest was Six The Musical, £6.2m with £20+ tickets.
Over £200m was from “British” films, including Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale and 28 Years Later, but they were fully funded by US studios.
There are huge expectations on 2026 releases with many sequels to huge previous films that have huge expectations attached to them, including Super Mario Bros, The Mandalorian & Grogu, Toy Story 5, The Odyssey, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, Jumanji 4 and Avengers: Doomsday. Can they outgross previous instalments or even match them, as these same analysts who are predicting these films are going to be massive, also said the same thing about last year’s films? As the key thing isn’t those who say the big films last year, it’s about them bringing back the many who didn’t see them but saw the previous instalment.
The 1% growth was seen as a positive by the UKCA: “2025 undoubtedly marked a significant further step in the sector’s recovery following the challenges of recent years. But they have a thing about 1% growth as they also heralded 1% admissions growth in 2018 after 16 years of no growth, as also a sign that audiences were growing, despite this growth coming from a big increase in Event Cinema BO.
The problem is the industry comes out with statement like “unprecedented demand” in July 2020, “the start of the second golden age of cinema” in 2021 and “UK admissions will top 200m+ within 5-10 years” without any data to back up their claims and when this doesn’t happen they blame Netflix, shorter theatrical windows and lack of content, despite everyone knowing for over the last 20 years exhibitors have eventualised cinemagoing from a regular outing to a treat.
It used to be something people did without thinking like a meal at McDonald’s now it’s either a meal out at a restaurant or a film, it used to be both, this is also why family chain restaurants like Pizza Hut, Frankie and Benny’s and TGI Fridays that were regularly in new entertainment complexes built next to cinemas in the 90s have closed.
As it’s no longer a meal and a movie its one or the other. But of course, it’s nothing to do with them its Netflix’s fault, despite these issues starting in 2003 when exhibitors took the easier approach of, rather than trying to build audience after 17 years of steady growth, to just get existing customers to pay more.
Not singling out cinemas as streaming companies and Pay Tv channels have done similarly, when subscription numbers don’t grow as quickly, they increase monthly costs, and then these services that were losing money finally make a profit.
- Avatar: Fire and Ash – 20th Century Studios
Down 34% in its third weekend, $41.41m and $307.67m
24th biggest third weekend between Finding Dory and Wonder Woman (close to Incredibles 2, Spider-Man, A Minecraft Movie and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle); Avatar #2 $68.49m and Avatar: The Way of Water #3 $67.4m.
Much was written about Avatar: Fire and Ash after its opening weekend, as the Avatar films have long legs, while that was the case with the first film, the legs of Avatar 2 were far shorter.
Played in 3,800 cinemas; 430 3D IMAX taking $8.7m; 1,050 PLF 80% 3D, 175 Dolby; 380 D-Box/4DX and 120 ScreenX.
EnTelligence said Fire and Ash 2D standard $16.66 and IMAX/PLF/3D $19.82.
110th biggest between Independence Day and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl; 510th biggest inflated between 2012 and Shang-Chi; 7th biggest 2025 between Jurassic World Rebirth and Sinners; 27th biggest sci-fi film between Independence Day and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.
Taken $140m from IMAX worldwide; $43.2m US and $96.72m internationally; in 1,703 IMAX cinemas worldwide, and will play in all of them until January.
Third weekends
2009’s Avatar dropped 9.4% $68.49m/$105.2m and $352.11m/$540.4m 46.9% of $749.76m/$1.25bn and $2.93bn/$4.5bn worldwide; Avatar played in 3,129 3D screens at 2,038 cinemas and 178 IMAX cinemas.
After 45 days of release, Avatar overtook Titanic to become the biggest film globally $ with 2.039bn and went on to take $749.76m in the US (held #1 for 7 weeks; Titanic was #1 for 15 weeks), $1.99bn internationally and $2.743bn worldwide. It remained the biggest film globally until Avengers: Endgame overtook it after 91 days of release. Avatar retained its #1 global status after it was re-released in China in March 2021. (Avatar took $262m in China).
2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water up 6.4% $67.4m/$73.7m and $293.29m/$320.6m 42.9% of $688.45m/$748m and $2.32bn/ $254bn worldwide; in over 52,000 screens worldwide in over 160 different versions globally, including 3D, 4K, HFR48, ScreenX and 4DX.
Took 18 days to take $1bn worldwide, slower than Avatar: The Way of Water, 14 days and Avatar, 17 days. The first two films both took over $2bn, but Avatar: Fire and Ash is unlikely to take over $2bn.
Third weekends
Took $186.7m from 52 territories $957m total and $1.37bn worldwide; China $152.8m (took 24% $35.7m from IMAX); France $95.1m; Korea $74.9m; Germany $67.2m; UK $54.2m; India $49.3m; Mexico $37.3m; Australia $34.3m; Italy $30.5m; Spain $28.3m.
Europe took $428m with 70% from 3D/PLF; Asia-Pacific $424M 70% 3D/PLF; Latin America $103m 53% 3D/PLF.
Took $28.6m in third weekend worldwide from IMAX and $152.2m total and internationally $96.9m; Avatar 2 was the 9th film to take $100m+ worldwide from IMAX. 2009’s Avatar took $100m+ from IMAX worldwide from 261 screens, The Dark Knight from 109 screens and then Gravity from 330 screens. Avatar 2 played in 1,543 IMAX screens worldwide with an average price of $20.
Avatar took $133.5m in its third weekend internationally from 52 territories (didn’t open in China until Jan 4th and Italy Jan 15th), $670.2m total and $1.022bn worldwide. (It was then the 4th biggest film worldwide after Titanic ($1.84bn), The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King ($1.12bn) and The Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest ($1.07bn).
Took $129.6m from 51 territories $777.1m total and $1.085bn worldwide; China $137.9m; France $81m; Germany $64.1m; Korea $44.1m; UK $42.5m; Mexico $31.8m; Australia $25.8m; Spain $25.2m; Italy $24.2m; India $23.6m; Indonesia $16.6m; Brazil $14.9m..
Avatar: Fire and Ash is expected to take about $1.7bn
39th biggest worldwide between Transformers: Age of Extinction and The Dark Knight Rises (close to Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Skyfall, Joker and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker).
- Zootopia 2 – Disney
Down 2% in its sixth weekend, $19.37m and $364.03m.
9th biggest sixth weekend between Wicked and Black Panther (close to Titanic, Avatar: The Way of Water, Frozen II and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle).
17th biggest animated film between Despicable Me 2 and Despicable Me 4; 68th biggest between The Jungle Book and Deadpool; 298th biggest inflated between Clear and Present Danger and Ice Age: The Meltdown; 3rd biggest 2025 between Lilo & Stitch and Superman; 32nd biggest Disney between The Jungle Book and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3.
EntTelligence said the average ticket price was $14.42; the average PLF ticket was $18.
2016’s Zootopia dropped 25.8% $14.35m/$19.1m and $296m/$394m of $341.3m/$454.1m and $1.025bn/$1.4bn worldwide
2016’s Moana up 42.4% $10.98m/$14.6m and $210.1m/$279.5m of $248.75m/$331m and $643.33m/$856.1m worldwide
2024’s Moans 2 dropped 34.1% $12.49m and $425.2m of $460.4m and $1.059bn WW
Social media for Zootopia 2 across X, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube before opening was 518m, above Kung Fu Panda 4‘s 353mn, but below Minions: Rise of Gru ‘s 668m.
Took $56.6m worldwide from IMAX; $10.9m US and $45.7m international, including $34m from China.
Took $62.7m from 51 territories $1,225bn total and $1.588bn worldwide; China $601.4m; Japan $68.9m; France $66.3m; Korea $53m; Germany $40.8m; UK $36.8m; Mexico $35.6m; Taiwan $21.6m; Italy $20.6m; Australia $20.1m; Spain $18.3m; Brazil $17.9m.
Last year, Moana 2 took $36.1m from 52 territories and $487.9m total and $883.2m worldwide; France $53.9m; UK $42.6m, Germany $34.8m; Mexico $28.2m; Brazil $25.7m.
- Marty Supreme – A24
Down 29% in its third weekend, taking $12.55m and $56m.
490th biggest third weekend between Minority Report and The Pacifier (close to A Man Called Otto, Gladiator II, The Truman Show and The Conjuring: Last Rites).
A24’s second biggest second wide weekend after Civil War, $11.22m dropped 56.1% and $44.97m of $68.75m and $127.26m worldwide.
2024’s A Complete Unknown dropped 29.8% $8.18m and $41.81m of $75m and $140.5m worldwide
Marty Supreme is all about Timothée Chalamet’s screen charisma that connects with the audience, transcending gender lines.
Timothée Chalamet has been heavily promoting the film for months and received widespread critical acclaim; social media for Marty Supreme was 197m across TikTok, X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube; with Timothée Chalamet everywhere promoting the film from standing atop The Sphere in Las Vegas to Marty Supreme blimp flying over Beverly Hills
A24 showed Marty Supreme in a few cinemas in 70mm and also had a few PLF screens.
- The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants – Paramount Pictures
Dropped 26% in its third weekend, $8.2m and $57.63m
2004’s The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie dropped 57.1% $7.65m/$14.2m and $68.2m/$126.5m of $85.41m/$158.3m and $141.06m/$260m worldwide
2015’s The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water dropped 47.3% $16.57m/$22.62m and $126.24m/$172.4m of $162.99m/$221.5m and $325.18m/$444m WW
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run was due to open Memorial weekend in 2020, but due to COVID, it was delayed several times, going straight to CBS All Access in early 20221 and international rights were acquired by Netflix.
Took $22.1m internationally, including UK $3.9m; Mexico $2.7m; Germany $2.6m.
- The Housemaid – Lionsgate
Dropped 1% in its third weekend, taking $15.1m and $75.93m
336th third biggest weekend between The Santa Clause 2 and Rango (close to Weapons, Casino Royale, 21 Jump Street and Ocean’s Eleven).
Paul Feig directed 2018’s A Simple Favor dropped 36.2% in its third weekend, $6.54m and $43m of $53.64m and $97.64m world and directed a sequel this year that was released straight to Amazon.
The trailers generated a lot of buzz as they featured a spooky version of Sabrina Carpenter Please, Please, Please and the novel the film was based on has sold almost 4m copies in the US. Since starring in 2023’s Anyone But You, Sidney Sweeney has generated a lot of media coverage; that said, a lot of it this year was negative due to the controversy generated after her American Eagle “great jeans” campaign.
2023’s Anyone, But You up 11.4% $9.75m and $43.96m of $88.31m (14.7x opening) and $220.33m WW
Similar films include.
2016’s The Girl on the Train dropped 41.5% $7.16m/$9.53m and $58.79m/$78.3m of $75.39m/$100.5m and $173.18m#$230.5m worldwide
2014’s Gone Girl dropped 33.7% $17.51m/$24.7m and $106.78m/$150.43m of $167.76m/$236.4m and $370.89m/$520.5m worldwide
2022’s Don’t Worry Darling dropped 48.9% $3.5m and $38.47m from $45.3 m and $87.6m worldwide
2000’s What Lies Beneath dropped 39.6% $13.8m/$29.5m and $95.13m/$203.2m of $155.5m/$332m and $291.4m/$622.3m WW
1992’s The Hand That Rocks the Cradle up 1.4% $8.2m/$22.6m and $42.85m/$119m of $88.1m/$244.2m
1992’s Single White Female dropped 28.2% $4.6m/$12.8m and $29m/$80.5m of $48.1m/$133.2m WW
Took $18.5m internationally and $133m worldwide.
- Anaconda – Sony Pictures
Dropped 31%, taking $10m in its second weekend and $45.86m
Anaconda social media, Jack Black’s 48.7m; Selton Melo’s 9.9m, but Paul Rudd doesn’t do social media. Jack Black and Paul Rudd heavily promoted the film over the weeks ahead of opening.
It’s tonally similar to Jack Black films.
2008’s Tropic Thunder dropped 37% $16.27m and $65.83m of $110.51m and $195.7m worldwide
2017’s Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle up 38.4% $50.05m and $169m of $404.54m and $962.54m WW; sequel in 2019 and third film due for release next Christmas.
While the original Anaconda opened In 1997 dropped 27.7% $12.01m/$30.12m and $32.74m/$82.1m of $65.9m/$165.2m and $136.88m/$345m worldwide
2004’s Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid dropped 49.9% $6.42m/$11.9m and $22.73m/$41.3m of $32.23m and $70.99m WW
Took $13.4m internationally from 61 territories and $42.5m total and $88.4m worldwide; Australia $5.8m; Mexico $4m; UK $5.3m.
UK Box Office Top 10
Box Office Preview
Avatar: Fire And Ash will drop about 50% in its fourth weekend, taking £2m-£2.5m, which would like to see Hamnet open #1 based on the bestselling novel by Maggie O’Farrell, starring Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal, Emily Watson and Joe Alwyn and directed by Chloé Zhao.
Since premiering at the Telluride Film Festival in August, Hamnet has received positive reviews and strong buzz and received 6 Golden Globe nominations, including Best Drama Film, Best Director Drama, Best Actor Drama and Best Screenplay Drama, and will be getting similar BAFTA and Oscar nominations at the end of the month.
Over 4m copies of the book have been sold worldwide, with over 1.5m from the UK; the story is a deeply British literary mythologising of the nation’s greatest writer. The book won the Women’s Prize for Fiction and dominated the British literary press. Maggie O’Farrell is a beloved author in the UK.
27 years ago, Shakespeare In Love took $100m in the US ($230m inflated) and $289m ($660m inflated) worldwide and received 13 Oscar nominations.
The second weekend of January slot that has seen much success over the last 20 years, with the must-see award contenders including 1917, Three Billboards, La La Land, The Revenant, 12 Years A Slave, Slumdog Millionaire, Les Misérables, The Darkest Hour and The Last King of Scotland.
1999’s Shakespeare in Love opened £1,819,385/£3,422,691 taking £20,814,996/£39,157,902
Hamnet will open between £2.5m-£3m it could go higher, as currently presales look soft, but as Hamnet plays to older audiences it’s not a film audience book up weeks in advance.
It could be a three-way battle for #1 with Hamnet opening close to The Housemaid and Avatar: Fire And Ash holds as both are likely to drop 40%-45%.
With Marty Supreme down about 40% in its third weekend and then bigger drops for both Zootropolis 2 and The SpongeBob Movie: Search For SquarePants after schools have returned.
Biographical sports drama about boxer Prince Naseem Hamed is likely to struggle to find an audience despite being a similar rags-to-riches sports drama about an underdog who rises to the top like Eddie the Eagle and Cool Runnings.
Coming Soon
- H Is For Hawk – Lionsgate
Biographical drama starring Claire Foy, Brendan Gleeson, Denise Gough, Sam Spruell, and Lindsay Duncan and directed by Philippa Lowthorpe (Misbehaviour), based on the 2014 memoir by Helen MacDonald.
Developed by Film Four and Plan B Entertainment, Lionsgate acquired UK rights in November 2024, with Roadshow Attractions acquiring US rights.
Received its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival and UK premiere in October at the London Film Festival, receiving mixed reviews, but all say Clare Foy’s performance is incredible. It’s about a film dealing with grief, loss and healing with the training of a wild goshawk.
Other films dealing with grief and coping include 2014’s The Babadook, 2009’s A Single Man, and 1998’s What Dreams May Come.
- The History Of Sound – Universal Pictures
Period romance drama starring Paul Mescal, Josh O’Connor and Chris Cooper and directed by Oliver Hermanus (Living).
Received world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, nominated for the Palme d’Or, receiving positive reviews; MUBI acquired US rights, and Focus Features International.
Universal Pictures will be hoping the media coverage surrounding Hamnet will help attract Paul Mescal fans to also The History Of Sound, but it’s likely to struggle to find an audience.
- Return To Silent Hill – Entertainment Films
Supernatural psychological horror starring Jeremy Irvine and Hannah Emily Anderson and directed by Christophe Gans, the third instalment of the Silent Hill film series based on the video game Silent Hill 2.
Opening 14 years after the last film and 20 years after the first film was released; Silent Hill 2 video game was released in 2024, selling 1m copies worldwide. The franchise has sold over 13m copies worldwide, including the Silent Hill 2 Remake in October, selling 2.5m copies.
2006’s Silent Hill opened £991,687/£1,612,764 taking £3,537,755/£5,753,392
2012’s Silent Hill: Revelation 3D opened £1,043,068/£1,296,876 taking £1,661,279/£2,065,515
- Mercy – Sony Pictures/MGM
Sci-fi thriller starring Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson and directed by Timur Bekmambetov (Wanted).
The trailers have made it look like Minority Report meets Dark City with the addition of the dangers of AI in a surveillance state. In the trailer much of the scenes take place on screens similar to the Timur Bekmambetov’s Searching films.
It was previously set for release in August. While Chris Pratt films have taken $14.1bn worldwide and are one of the world’s highest paid actors, away from the franchises Jurassic World, Guardians of the Galaxy, and voicing characters in The Lego Movie and Super Mario Bros hasn’t had an original film opening since 2016’s Passengers.
Why do you think “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and “Zootropolis 2” haven’t done quite as well in the UK as the US and rest of the World?