Top 5 Breakdown

1. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – £8,892,489 – £30,136,276

 After 10 days on release, Fantastic Beasts became the fastest film to take 330m at the UK box office since Star Wars: The Force Awakens likely be matched in three weeks’ time with Rogue One.

Dropping 42.1% in its second weekend having the best second weekend of the year ahead of The Jungle Book which took £8.09m in April; Fantastic Beasts is already after 10 days on release is already the tenth biggest film of 2016 and third Warner Bros film of the year to do so currently like Disney but they still have Moana and Rogue One to come;

Current top 10 up to Sunday; Bridget Jones’s Baby £47.8m, The Jungle Book £46.2m, Finding Dory £42.8m, Deadpool £37.9m, Captain America: Civil War £36.9m, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice £36.6m, The Secret Life of Pets £35.9m, Suicide Squad £33.6m and, The BFG £30.6m; by now Fantastic Beasts has climbed above The BFG and by next weekend will of become Warner Bros biggest film of 2016.

Fantastic Beasts had the third biggest opening week taking £21.19m of the year behind Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice £23.16m which benefited from Easter holidays and Captain America: Civil War £22.57m which benefited from May Day Bank Holiday.

Fantastic Beasts had the smallest drop for a film opening with £10m+ in 2016 and the third smallest drop for a film opening with more than £7m behind The Jungle Book and Bridget Jones’s Baby.

The big question for Fantastic Beasts is how it will hold against Moana in its third weekend as if it drops like most Harry Potter films looking like having a £4-4.5m weekend would also expect Moana to open with comparing Moana with other recent Disney animated films. Unlike most other animated films Moana doesn’t benefit from weekend previews

As most of the Harry Potter films had preview screenings it’s hard to compare Fantastic Beasts directly with their box office the only film it can be comparable to is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire which took £9.27m in its second weekend having taken a similar £29.6m but this was 11 years ago, and didn’t benefit also from 3D surcharges. 

We will have a better idea of Fantastic Beasts final box office depending on how it holds against Moana but if it was continued to hold like Goblet of Fire it will be looking at a box office of about £48m+ which will see it squeeze past Bridget Jones’s Baby and The Jungle Book to be the biggest film of 2016 until Rogue One; would see Fantastic Beasts be the seventh biggest Harry Potter film which is a decent start of a new series with in an existing franchise but doubtful the start Warner Bros were hoping for.

The performance of Fantastic Beasts highlights the issues with the current state of the industry most are denial about; 15 years ago when the first Harry Potter film was released tickets were 100% less than they are now and £50m box office was a massive success 15 years later cinema tickets are double they are now but box office is the same

But Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire didn’t face any major competition until its fourth weekend with The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe opening with £8.88m after four weeks Goblet of Fire had taken £40.57m 67% of its final box office of £60.5m. King Kong followed the following weekend opening with £6.94m.

While comparisons can be made with the box office of Fantastic Beasts with 2005’s Goblet of Fire this doesn’t tell the whole story as you really need to compare admissions using industry claimed average prices. While their opens are similar Fantastic Beasts admissions are 35% less; their box office after 10 days on its release are similar £29.6m Vs £29.99m but admissions 6,284,501 Vs 3,998,667 are 36% less.

HP and the Philosopher’s Stone	16 Nov 2001	£16.33	3,944,445	£4.14	£66.1m	15,966,183
HP and the Chamber of Secrets	15 Nov 2002	£18.71	4,361,305	£4.29	£54.8m	12,773,893
HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban	31 May 2004	£23.88	5,318,485	£4.49	£46.1m	10,267,261
HP and the Goblet of Fire	18 Nov 2005	£14.93	3,169,852	£4.71	£48.7m	10,339,703
HP and the Order of the Phoenix	12 July 2007	£16.49	3,265,347	£5.05	£58m	11,485,148
HP and the Half-Blood Prince	15 July 2009	£19.78	3,636,030	£5.44	£50.7m	9,319,853
HP and the Deathly Hallows P1	19 Nov 2010	£18.31	3,077,311	£5.95	£52.2m	8,773,109
HP and the Deathly Hallows P2	15 July 2011	£23.75	3,919,142	£6.06	£73.1m	12,062,707
Fantastic Beasts and.	18 Nov 2016	£15.33	2,044,000	£7.50	29.99m	3,998,667

 

		OWE	%OWE	Total	x	2WE	drop	2weT	3WE	drop	3WET
HP and the Philosopher’s Stone	16 Nov 2001	£16.33	24.7%	£66.1	4.04x	£8.36	49%	£29.1	£5.8	31%	£38.1
HP and the Chamber of Secrets	15 Nov 2002	£18.71	34.1%	£54.8	2.92x	£7.31	61%	£30.0	£4.6	26%	£37.1
HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban	31 May 2004	£23.88	51.8%	£46.1	1.78x	£4.29	82%	£31.5	£3.3	23%	£36.5
HP and the Goblet of Fire	18 Nov 2005	£14.93	24.6%	£48.7	3.26x	£9.27	38%	£29.6	£4.8	48%	£37.0
HP and the Order of the Phoenix	12 July 2007	£16.49	28.4%	£58	3.51x	£6.63	60%	£30.1	£2.8	57%	£37.8
HP and the Half-Blood Prince	15 July 2009	£19.78	39.1%	£50.7	2.56x	£5.17	74%	£33.1	£2.9	44%	£40.5
HP and the Deathly Hallows P1	19 Nov 2010	£18.31	35.1%	£52.2	2.85x	£8.34	54%	£33.2	£3.7	55%	£39.1
HP and the Deathly Hallows P2	15 July 2011	£23.75	32.4%	£73.1	3.07x	£8.52	64%	£44.2	£4.5	46%	£55.2

2. Allied – £1,331,919 – NE

Its’s opening was ahead of Robert Zemeckis’ last film The Walk’s £795,115 but below Flight’s £1.4m; Brad Pitt’s last role was in the ensemble The Big Short opened with £1.25m taking £5.49m previously starring alongside Angelina Jolie in By the Sea which opened with only £24,770 last December.

The opening was less than Tom Hanks Cold War spy film Bridge of Spies £1.67m opening the same weekend last year against Black Mass with £1.27m and Carol with £481,495.

In 2001 the weekend after Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone opened Brad Pitt’s Spy Game opened with £1.01m dropping 34% in its second weekend £669,417 going on to take £3.9m.

It is Brad Pitt’s fourth World War II film in 8 years’ after 2008’s The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, 2009’s Inglourious Basterds opening with almost triple £3.6m and 2014’s Fury which opened with almost double £2.67m. Next up for Brad Pitt is War Machine for Netflix and World War Z 2 which was originally due for release next summer but now likely for release in November 2018.

Robert Zemeckis has directed many incredible films over his career Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Forrest Gump, Contact and Castaway which was his last live-action box office success in 2000 as 2004’s The Polar Express and 2009’s A Christmas Carol were a mix of animation and live-action.

As with the release of similar themed Mr and Mrs Smith in June 2005 which became Brad Pitt’s biggest film in the US taking $186.3m only overtaken 3 years ago, by World War Z in the UK it also performed well opening on June 10^th 2005 with £3.94m going on to take £9.97m. (removed Star Wars Episode III; Revenge of the Sith from top spot after 4 weeks; Mrs and Mrs Smith held top spot for one week before Batman Begins opened with £4.42m.

The film’s marketing was overshadowed with news of Angelina Jolie filling for divorce from Brad Pitt the same day Paramount strangely released a new TV spot the same day.

Reviews were very mixed for Allied some described the chemistry between Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard sizzled others described it as passionless.

Paramount Pictures have had another poor year at the box office taking only £49.14m from their 11 films being the sixth biggest UK distributor of 2016 as were last year taking £54.29m; Star Trek Beyond was their highest earner £14.98m taking 30% of their annual box office. They have one final film to be released this year the long-delayed Monster Trucks. Paramount as Sony in 2016 have less than half the box office of their rivals.

For 2016 only releases 20^th Century Fox are slightly ahead of Disney but they have of course Moana and Rogue One which will see them add another £70m+ to their total for the year. Warner Bros will overtake Universal and maybe 20^th Century Fox.

2017 starts with XxX: The Return of Xander Cage opening 12 years after the last film which opened with £920,506 taking £2.62m the first film xXx opened with £3.43m taking £11.41m; the trailers look even sillier than Mechanic: Resurrection.

Followed by Rings which has been delayed so many times. Denzel Washington’s Fences will be dependent on award buzz and reviews as the play isn’t as well known in the UK as the US  the other films he directed 2002’s Antwone Fisher had a very limited theatrical release in the UK while his second 2007’s The Great Debaters  never had a theatrical release). God Particle which we found out recently is another Cloverfield spinoff movie but even the cast didn’t know it was when they were filming it.

Ghost in the Shell the long in development remake of the Manga series which was original a Dreamworks-Paramount-Disney film with Disney releasing in US but in January Disney dropped US rights with Paramount taking them. Their summer films Baywatch and Transformers 6 are their big hopes for the year and have little except from Friday the 13^th dated for the rest of 2017.

3. Trolls – £834,362 – £21,798,376

Down 32.7% in its sixth week is close to becoming 20^th Century Fox’s second biggest film of 2016. But with Moana opening on Friday will likely drop heavily so unlikely to beating Zootropolis £23.61.

20^th Century Fox has had a very mixed 2026 Deadpool, The Revenant, Trolls, Absolutely Fabulous; The Movie and Miss Pergrine’s Home for Peculiars strong performers but also many major disappointments Independence Day: Resurgence, Ice Age: Collusion Course, X-Men: Apocalypse.

But they will still likely be the second biggest distributor of the year in the UK behind Disney 18 main releases to date taken £189.49m (would see them be above Disney currently with 2016 releases only) with two more films to be released this year after disappointing in the US Birth of a Nation unlikely to do much her while Why Him? (which isn’t a film about why Donald Trump is President) but a similar family Christmas comedy to last year’s Daddy’s Home, while late December is very busy with films are only two comedies this Christmas.

2017 has another mixed slate of the last two Dreamworks Animation films, the last Hugh Jackman Wolverine film Logan along with Alien Covenant, War of the planet of the Apes and Kingsman; The Golden Circle. In 2018 more of the same including a little film called Avatar 2.

4. Bad Santa 2– £799,156 – NE

The opening was helped by two days of previews taking £206,491 without which would have taken £592,665 25% more than the first film with previews opening was 68% more but if you compare admissions they are similar Bad Santa 105,669 and Bad Santa 2 106,554.

But unlike the original film the sequel had poor reviews and poor word of mouth and will drop heavily over the coming weeks and whilst the first played through Christmas the sequel will be out of cinemas within weeks.

First Bad Santa film was released in the UK a year after the US in November 2004 opening in fourth with £474,450 behind Finding Neverland second weekend, Shark Tale fourth weekend and The Grudge first weekend opening with £2.26m. Bad Santa held well in its second weekend up 2% £284,196 going on to take £2.4m. when released on DVD became a cult classic.

For many years after the first film was released were many rumors of a sequel was likely delayed due to Miramax being sold by Disney and Weinstein’s setting up their own distributor. Films like Bad Santa didn’t’ fit within the Disney brand as they were concentrating on more family movies.

Would have hoped filmmakers would have seen this as a sign there was no need or reason to make a sequel especially 13 years after the first film as sequels to these kinds of films are made at most a couple of years after the first film. Bad Santa 2 is just one of the many unnecessary pointless sequels that have been made in recent years’.

eOne have three more films to be released in 2016 The Edge of Seventeen, Office Christmas Party and Ballerina they are currently £96.55m having topped their 2014 box office and 2016 could top 2012 their record-breaking year when they took £105.6m and 9.04% share of the box office. After dropping to the second highest grossing studio last year they will make it four in five years. But 2017 eOne currently doesn’t have the same big hitters of The BFG and The Girl on the Train on their slate.

5. Arrival – £778,449 – £7,334,028

Down 47.9% in its third weekend after positive reviews and strong buzz for months, its box office has been underwhelming in the UK as it has been in the US.

But while it has been compared to the adult sci-fi dramas over the past three years Gravity, Interstellar, and The Martian it was always going to be hard for Arrival to repeat their successes; while Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner both starred in massive films including starring in competing Marvel and DC films The Avengers and Man of Steel neither have had success as the lead. Amy Adams’s biggest leading film was 2007’s Enchanted opening with £2.54m taking £16.69m (sequel Disenchanted released in 2018).

Arrival had great reviews and strong word of mouth but was handicapped with its release date opening sandwiched between Doctor Strange and Fantastic Beasts while they targeting different audiences they still squeezed its box office.

Last year The Lady in the Van opened the same weekend with similar positive reviews and strong word of mouth but was still able to play against Mockingjay Part 2 opening dropping only 28% in its second weekend and 41% in its third weekend going on to take £13.21m.

Also, released

Almost Christmas – £60,991 from 121 screens

Other box office news

Amma Asante’s A United Kingdom had a disappointing opening in sixth after receiving huge media coverage last month opening the London Film Festival with positive reviews was expected to open far stronger than its £609,293.  Its opening was likely affected by Allied opening the same weekend targeting similar female audience which saw both suffered. 

Last year’s London Film Festival opener benefited from being released days after its premiere opening with £1.54m. While 2014’s opener The Imitation Game opened a month later with £2.68m.

Opening A United Kingdom closer to its London Film Festival premiere would have been far better but with The Girl on the Train, Inferno and Queen of Katwe opening in October it would have likely suffered a similar fate.

A United Kingdom did have Amma Asante’s biggest ever UK opening ahead of 2014’s Belle £406,896.

—-

This weekend’s top 10 box office took £14,354,043 down 343.7% from last weekend £21,657,132;

weekend admissions 1,725,396 down 32.6% from last weekend 2,559,800.  

The weekend was down 1.8% from same weekend last year (£14,624,747) The Good Dinosaur £2,917,266, Bridge of Spies £1,676,092, Black Mass £1,270,048, Carol £481,495 and Tamasha £254,750 opened.

Same weekend opening in 2014: Penguins of Madagascar opened with £1.6m, Get Santa £575,000 and St Vincent £386,640.

Next weekend in 2015: Christmas with the Coopers £682,736. Victor Frankenstein £430,713, Krampus £412,353 opened.

A recent survey said average ticket price was £8.24 (the same cost as 13 pints of cider) up from Cinema Exhibitors Association average ticket price of £7.21 for 2015 a 7.3% increase from 2014.

 

Complete UK Box office top 10 – November 25^th – 27^th 2016 

 US Box Office

1. Disney – Moana – opens with $82.1m for five-day Thanksgiving weekend; received A CinemaScore; having the second biggest 5-day Thanksgiving opening behind Frozen $93.5m; Disney now have nine of the ten biggest Thanksgiving opening, 5 from Walt Disney animation, 3 from Pixar and one from Touchstone. Moana has no competition for the next three weeks until Sing opens if Moana holds like Frozen over those next three weeks should be close to $200m

2. Warner Bros – Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them – drops 39.4% -$45.1m – $156.2m; performing like 2002’s Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as well as the Hobbit Trilogy Fantastic Beasts will likely end with about $240m. Was always going to be hard to launch a new series of films within the Harry Potter world as the fan-base has grown up but unlike the Star Wars franchise they have yet to bring their children into the Harry Potter world.

		OWE	2WE	2WE total	Final BO
Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey	14 Dec 2012	$84.61m	$36.88m	$150.04m	$303.0m
Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug	13 Dec 2013	$73.64m	$31.5m	$127.55m	$258.36m
Hobbit: The Battle of the 5 Armies	17 Dec 2014	$54.72m	$40.91m	$168.01m	$255.11m

3. Disney – Doctor Strange – drops 22.7% – $13.7m – $205.7m; has become the 28^th biggest comic-book movie in the US and will shortly overtake Thor: The Dark World and Batman Begins and will likely end with a box office like Big Hero 6 about $225m.

4. Paramount Pictures – Allied – opens $17.7m; received B CinemaScore Allied received very mixed reviews from critics opened like last year’s Bridge of Spies which opened with $18.5m over 5 days but received far stronger reviews; Opening was bigger than director Robert Zemeckis The Walk last year but below his 2012 film Flight $24.9m. Allied did have Brad Pitt’s biggest opening since 2014’s Fury but not that impressive as The Big Short expanded last year with $10.5m and By The Sea opened with only $96,250.

5. Paramount Pictures – Arrival – drops 7.3% – $10.6m – $62.5m; underwhelming performance for Arrival alongside the disappointing opening for Allied two films were the start of a re-energized Paramount Pictures who continue to be the sixth biggest studio in the US for the third year; Paramount are a third of the studio they were 5 years ago when they were the leading biggest studio of the year but lost Marvel to Disney (Paramount wanted to buy before but the board refused) Disney acquired the and then Dreamworks Animation to 20^th Century Fox.

6. 20^th Century Fox – Trolls – drops 30.7% – $10.6m – $135.4m; has overtaken Robots, The Peanuts Movie and Rio 2 becoming 20^th Century Fox’s 12^th biggest animated film in the US and should climb into their top 10 biggest animated film becoming their fourth biggest Dreamworks Animation film; should overtake both Kung Fu Panda 3 and Rio this week to become their biggest animated film of the year and their tenth biggest.

7. Universal – Almost Christmas – up 4.9% – $7.6m – $34.6m;

8. Broad Green – Bad Santa 2 – opens $9.1m; received C+ CinemaScore; opening 50% less than original film released 13 years ago, with $12.2m; one of many unwanted unnecessary sequels have been made in recent years the constant delays over the years from the first film should have been enough to tell producers that no one wanted sequel.

9. Lionsgate – Hacksaw Ridge – drops 18.3% – $5.5m – $52.2m;

10. STX – The Edge of Seventeen – drops 37.7% – $2.9m – $10.2m; very disappointing performance for a film that has received rave reviews but there doesn’t seem to be the audience out there for these types of films as audiences have become much pickier with the films they pay to see and those they wait to see.

Also, opened

20^th Century Fox – Rules Don’t Apply – opens with $2.1m; very disappointing opening for Warren Beatty’s first film for 15 years. Was always unlikely to find an audience over Thanksgiving weekend.

On limited release expansion

A24 – Moonlight –  drops 12.7% – $1.3m –  dropping 32 screens – total $8.2m

Focus – Loving – up 94.5% – $1.69m – adding 284 screens – total $4.01m

Focus – Nocturnal Animals – up 65.6% – $836,000 – adding 89 screens – $1.68m

Roadshow Attractions – Manchester By the Sea – up 387.4% – $1.25m – adding 44 screens – $1.62m

Main opening Friday weekend predictions:

Opening UK

• Moana – Disney

Animated musical fantasy comedy adventure; 56th Disney’s animated feature film includes voices of Auli’i Cravalho as Moana and Dwayne Johnson as Maui and directed by Ron Clements and John Musker their seventh animation for Disney and first since 2009’s The Princess and the Frog which was Disney’s last animated film to disappoint at box office but also directed two of Disney’s classics 1989’s The Little Mermaid the animated film revitalised Disney’s animation and 1992’s Aladdin.

The film’s songs were co-written by Lin-Manuel Miranda his first project since starring in musical Hamilton on Broadway his next project is Disney’s live action reimagination of The Little Mermaid

Received its world premiere at the AFI Festival on November 14th receiving positive reviews; it’s Dwayne Johnson second animated film (Planet 51) but will take more in its opening weekend than it did in its whole release. Dwayne Johnson has come a long way since his acting debut 15 years ago, in The Mummy Returns going to last year starred in Furious 7 and San Andreas and this year in Central Intelligence to make him become Forbes world’s highest-paid actor of 2016 ahead of Robert Downey Jr and People’s sexiest man alive. It has also seen Dwayne Johnson attached to countless film projects next year starring in Fast 8, Baywatch and Jumanji and in 2018 Rampage.

Occasionally film titles get changed for their international release; Disney have had to do several title changes recently last year Tomorrowland title was changed due to European music festival Tomorrowland, Zootopia was changed to Zootropolis this year and next year’s Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales will be called Salazar’s Revenge in the UK and The Revenge of Salazar in France, Spain, and Italy.

Moana title change in Italy must be one of the strangest being renamed as Oceania as Disney Italia were concerned that people might confuse it with the country’s most famous porn star Moana Pozzi. Disney Italia will of course not want people to google Moana in Italy but in the global world we live in children will Google the title and find content that isn’t very Disney. In Spain, its title is changed to Vaiana due to Moana being a registered brand in Spain and several other European countries.

In September Disney pulled a Moana costume after racism claims which depicted Dwayne Johnson’s character Maui with a long-sleeve brown shirt and long pants featuring full-body tattoos describing Polyface as Disney’s new version of blackface.

Has received positive reviews and would normally expect an opening similar between £4.5m-5.5m like the likes of Frozen and Zootropolis but for Fantastic Beasts taking £8.9m in its second weekend would likely drop 50%+ on its third weekend which could see it taking £4m+?

Zootropolis	25 March 2016	£5.30m	22.4%	£23.61m
Big Hero 6	30 January 2015	£4.29m	22.1%	£19.34m
Frozen	6 December 2013	£4.70m	12.0%	£39.14m
Wreck-It Ralph	8 February 2013	£4.52m	20.9%	£21.61m
Winnie the Pooh	15 April 2011	£159,369	31.6%	£504,076
Tangled	28 January 2011	£5.10m	25.5%	£19.97m
The Princess and the Frog	5 February 2010	£2.23m	20.2%	£10.99m
Bolt	6 February 2008	£5.45m	30.7%	£17.74m
Meet the Robinsons	30 March 2007	£895,955	20.4%	£4.39m
Chicken Little	10 February 2005	£3.17m	23.8%	£13.29m
Home on the Range	6 August 2004	£198,226	13.8%	£1.43m
Brother Bear	5 December 2003	£887,321	16.4%	£5.40m
Treasure Planet	14 February 2003	£888,084	13.7%	£6.47m
Lilo & Stitch	4 October 2002	£1.51m	11.7%	£12.89m

 

• Sully – Warner Bros

Biographical drama film directed by Clint Eastwood (his 35th feature as director and his shortest at only 96 mins) about US Airways Flight 1549 and its pilot, Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, based on the autobiography Highest Duty by Sullenberger and Jeffrey Zaslow; starring Tom Hanks, Aaron Eckhart, Laura Linney, Anna Gunn, Autumn Reeser, Holt McCallany, Jamey Sheridan and Jerry Ferrara; was shot almost entirely with Digital IMAX cameras; received world premiere at Telluride Film Festival; receiving positive reviews.

After a year of American “heroes” wearing tights and lycra Sully is the perfect antidote about a regular guy with no superhero powers who saves the lives of all the passengers and crew on his flight going against protocol. Sully says, “I don’t feel like a hero. I was just a man doing a job,”

Clint Eastwood’s first film since the Oscar-nominated American Sniper which opened with £2.52m in January 2015 taking £13.62m. 

On paper Oscar fodder directed by Oscar-winning Clint Eastwood and starring two-time Best Actor Tom Hanks playing a US pilot who after multiple bird strikes which caused both engines to fail glided his plane to have a water landing on the Hudson River in 2009 with all 155 passengers and crew successfully evacuated.

While in the US Warner Bros opened Sully early to avoid cannibalizing with the many other adult-targeted dramas opted to be the last in the UK. With Tom Hanks Inferno opening October 14^th having its premiere at the London Film Festival was unlikely after 2013 had Captain Philips and Saving Mr Banks both received positive reviews but Saving Mr Banks underperformed at the box office.

Tom Hank’s last major release was Steven Spielberg’s Bridge of Spies opening with £1.67m last November holding well in the weeks after release taking £7.79m. His 2013 Captain Philips is an obvious comparison which opened with £3.48m taking £15.5m but Tom Hanks has starred in many similar regular guy turned hero roles in the past including Philadelphia, Forrest Gump (£15.8m), Apollo 13 (£10.9m), Saving Private Ryan (£18.7m), Castaway (£14.4m), Road to Perdition (£6.4m) and Catch Me if You Can (£14.6m) which Sully could be compared to.

Opening six weeks after inferno which disappointed at the box office but still likely to open better than Sully as had an inbuilt audience of the previous films; while the story of Sully is incredible a true modern day hero is likely to open close to his similar regular guy becomes hero but doesn’t want credit Bridge of Spies £1.67m.

Inferno	14th October 2016	£2.95	£8.13m
A Hologram for a King	20 May 2016	£0.37m	£0.78m
Bridge of Spies	27 November 2015	£1.67m	£7.79m
Captain Philips	16 October 2013	£3.48m	£15.5m
Saving Mr Banks	29 November 2013	£0.79m	£4.3m

 

• The Edge of Seventeen – eOne

Coming of age comedy drama starring Hailee Steinfeld, Blake Jenner, Woody Harrelson and Kyra Sedgwick and directed by Kelly Fremon Craig.

Received its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival receiving critical acclaim being described as a John Hughes style coming of age female drama; produced by James. L. Brooks most famous now for The Simpsons made classics Terms of Endearment, Broadcast News and As Good as It Gets but his recent films apart from As Good As it Gets have disappointed I’ll Do Anything, Spanglish and How Do You Know his last film released in 2010 which is probably now more better known as Jack Nicholson’s last acting role.

Despite strong reviews failed to find an audience in the US and likely to do similar in the UK.

• Bleed For This – Icon

Biographical boxing film starring Miles Teller, Aaron Eckhart, Katey Sagal, Ciarán Hinds and Ted Levine and directed by Ben Younger based on the life of former world champion boxer Vinny Paz; had world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival receiving mixed reviews also screened at Toronto Film Festival and had UK premiere at London Film Festival; will have limited appeal boxing dramas apart from Rocky with Creed early this year and last year’s Southpaw rarely find audiences and Bleed For This has limited interest away from fans.

• Eat That Question – Frank Zappa In His Own Words – Sony Pictures

Documentary about musician Frank Zappa directed by Thorsten Schutte world rights except France and Germany) was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics at the Sundance Film Festival in January.

Was released in June on limited release in the US playing on a maximum of 29 screens taking $355,074; will be released on a couple of screens in the UK.

Opening US

Opening on limited release

Fox Searchlight – Jackie – (opening on limited release)

Biographical drama about Jackie Kennedy with an ensemble cast Natalie Portman, Greta Gerwig, Peter Sarsgaard, Max Casella, Beth Grant, Billy Crudup, Richard E. Grant, and John Hurt and directed by Pablo Larraín.

Was originally developed as a HBO miniseries with Steven Spielberg producing then moved to Fox Searchlight in 2010 with Rachel Weisz in the lead and Darren Aronofsky directing both left the project when they split up. Fox Searchlight then left the film and was in development for several years until 2015 when the film was set to go with Natalie Portman in the lead and Pablo Larraín directing.

Received its world premiere at Venice Film Festival receiving critical acclaim with Natalie Portman performance seen as favorite for award success; was screened at Toronto Film Festival where Fox Searchlight reacquired US rights to the film and set a December release date.