Top 5 Breakdown
- It – £6,070,542 – £ 21,168,697
Down only 38.68% in its second weekend the fourth smallest drop of the 20 biggest films of 2017 after Dunkirk, La La Land and Beauty and the Beast; had the fourth biggest second weekend of 2017 after Beauty and the Beast, Dunkirk and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and 3rd biggest second weekend of the year behind Beauty and the Beast and Dunkirk.
After 10 days on release, It is already the 14th biggest of 2017 and will overtake Wonder Woman, Fifty Shades Darker, Logan and possibly The Lego Batman Movie depending on how it holds in its third weekend against Kingsman: The Golden Circle.
It took £15.01m in its first seven days the fifth biggest of the year behind Beauty and the east, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, The Fate of the Furious and Dunkirk; after 10 days on release become the fifteenth biggest film of the year and Warner Bros fourth and will shortly overtake Wonder Woman to become its third biggest film of the year. The big question is how it holds against Kingman: The Golden Circle opening on Wednesday which is likely to open with £7m.
Last week made the comparison with It and The Blair Witch Project both having similar Rotten Tomatoes scores 85% Vs 86% while their opening was similar (Blair Witch inflation increased opened £10.3m) their second weekends were very different as the hype surrounding The Blair Witch Project was centred around Halloween weekend but the buzz around It was centred around the film which is play to audiences who would normally go to see a horror. The Blair Witch Project took £15.1m in 1999 3.586m admissions would be £27.33m total while It has 2.77m admissions currently using the average price of £7.62.
2007’s I Am Legend is the biggest horror film of all time in the UK but this starred Will Smith at the high of his stardom taking £25.9m 5.12m admissions would be £39.1m today.
It had the fifth best second weekend of 2017 behind Beauty and the Beast, Dunkirk, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and Despicable Me 3; but down from last year when Bridget Jones’s Baby dropped only 19.6% in its second weekend taking £6.45m but can’t, of course, compare the two as audiences are so different.
IMAX cinemas almost missed out on screening IT as had no plans to show the film until mid-August as had planned to screen Inhumans for two weeks before Kingsman: The Golden Circle opens in IMAX on Friday.
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- Victoria and Abdul £1,846,970 – NE
After premiering at the Venice and Toronto Film Festival and premiering in London the Mrs Brown sequel received mixed reviews with many critics criticised the white-washing of the British Raj which was close to Viceroy’s House which opened with opening with £0.92m taking £4.07m.
It was Stephen Frears biggest opening in the UK his previous biggest Philomena opened November 2013 with £1.44m; The Queen in September 2006 £856,273 went on to take £9,009,127; Mrs Henderson Presents opened November 2005 with £752,394 taking £2,910,006; Florence Foster Jenkins opened May 2016 with £710,099; High Fidelity opened with £696,812 in July 2000 taking £4,696,042.
While It the second weekend cannibalized both mother! and American Assassin Victoria and Abdul targeting older audience normally preferring to go mid-week than the weekend so will likely perform strongly over the week. Victoria and Abdul was helped having the trailer screened with Dunkirk and The Beguiled, Hampstead, Churchill,
Judi Dench will almost certainly be nominated for Best Actress BAFTA for Victoria and Abdul 20 years after playing Mrs. Brown will she win twice for playing the same character?
Mrs. Brown was released by Buena Vista in the UK opening September 5th, 1997 after premiering at the Cannes Film Festival; took £2.54m at the UK box office #48 biggest film of the year and the seventh biggest British film of 1997 behind The Full Monty, Bean, The English Patient, Fierce Creature, Shooting Fish and A Life Less Ordinary.
- Mother – £831,676 – NE
For months, little was known about Darren Aronofsky’s film but Paramount surprised everyone in July announcing its release was brought forward a month after being selected to screen at both Venice and Toronto Film Festivals the only problem was meant opening again It, While no one could have predicted how big It was going to open or hold as strongly a teaser trailer seen 197m times within the first 24 hours would be a sign to most to not to release a horror a week after but Paramount is an enigma make some very strange decisions.
Mother premiered in Venice on September receiving boos and cheers and reaction since has been similarly marmite; The Hollywood Reporter described it as “a very Rosemary’s Baby-like intimate horror tale” while Variety “a baroque nightmare that’s about nothing but itself”.
When you have critics coming out of the press screenings trying to sum up in words (WTF) what they have just seen with you know that regular cinemagoers are likely had, even more, trouble with it. With articles published on Friday trying to explain what the film is about.
Its marketing was trying to be too clever for its own good as its only when you see the movie you realize that the teaser poster Jennifer Lawrence is standing in the Garden of Eden, a frog, appears briefly in the film and biblically represent “unclean spirits in the sight of God.” Seeing the poster afterward you what you have watched was a prequel to Noah with Ed Harris and Michelle Pfeiffer as Adam and Eve and Domhnall and Brian Gleeson are Cain and Abel. So, the most “original” film of the year is as so many “original” films like Victoria and Abdul and The Beguiled just another sequel.
Jennifer Lawrence films always generate huge media coverage and with three high-profile premieres for mother at Venice, London and Toronto received huge conversation on social media coverage but this wasn’t the films target audience while Jennifer Lawrence started her career with indie films Winter’s Bone and Like Crazy
Before Jennifer Lawrence starring in her career breakthrough role winning Best Actress, Oscar Silver Linings Playbook opened 21st November 2012 £1,260,979 taking £4,492,382
She starred in several smaller independent films The House at the End of the Street opening surprisingly close to close to Mother almost 5 years later and will likely take similar final box office. Should have done better as it did open months after the first The Hunger Games which opened a year after X-Men; First Class (but in the first film her character had a smallish part and has grown in the sequels Days of Future Past and Apocalypse close to Wonder Woman’s role in the upcoming Justice League sees her now in a more central role in the success of Wonder Woman this summer.
The House at the End of the Street – 21st September 2012 £796,041 taking £2.26m
The Beaver opened 17th June 2011 £55,185
Like Crazy opened January 27th, 2012 £93,981
Winter’s Bone opened September 17th, 2010 £138,264
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Jennifer Lawrence spoke about the polarized reaction the film has received “Thee people who love it love it and want to see it another time. The people who don’t like, absolutely despise it, there is no middle ground. We knew that it was divided. That’s what so exciting — everybody is going to feel something. It’s going to create a conversation. It’s going to create a controversy. Nobody is going to leave not getting something from it.”
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Problem Paramount had with mother! which caused such polarized reaction has they had an art-house film starring the world’s biggest actress so targeted her fanbase even though must have known reaction would be negative but after similarly poor reviewed Passengers still managed to open with £1.9m and took £10m.
Darren Aronofsky previous films Noah opened with £2,511,397 April 2014 taking £9,851,448; Black Swan opened January 2011 with £2,762,429 taking £15.7m; The Wrestler opened January 2009 £802,046 taking £1,592,098; The Fountain opened January 2007 £80,506 taking £235,315 and Requiem for a Dream took £84,189 in January 2001.
The failure of Mother is unlikely to affect Jennifer Lawrence career with Red Sparrow and X-Men: Dark Phoenix both released next year after which she plans to have a career break. But Darren Aronofsky will find it much harder to get a studio to greenlight his next film but is the producer on White Boy Rick which opens in January with Yann Demange directing who is rumoured to be one of the favorites to direct Bond 25.
While critical reaction was mixed while some called it brilliant and a masterpiece many cinemagoers reacted angrily to the film not because it was a bad film but they had no idea what the film was about. Most didn’t have an issue with the film itself and as always despite playing a very different role than her recent films Jennifer Lawrence gave another Oscar-worthy performance.
Jennifer Lawrence attached to mother turned it from a small art-house film to a mainstream movie or that is how Paramount saw it and marketed it so which is why the reaction to the film has been so marmite. I jokingly commented on Twitter if cinemagoers could report Paramount Pictures for breaching Consumer Protection Act as marketing was misleading wasn’t the film many thought were paying to see which is the reason for the reaction it has received.
- American Assassin – £768,951 – NE
It’s four-day opening still failed to open ahead of mother due to being cannibalized by American Made, The Hitman’s Bodyguard and Logan Lucky; American Assassin took £167,004 from previews removing them took £600,507 from 433 screens compared to last year’s Hell or High Water £552,230 from 264 screens.
With Kingsman: The Golden Circle opening Wednesday it’s unlikely American Assassin will be in the chart for long and after it disappointed also in the US over the weekend unlikely see any of the other books adapted.
Lionsgate has had mixed success at the UK box office this year with La La Land taking almost 50% of their total box office of the year to date of £61m with The Hitman’s Bodyguard and Hacksaw Ridge their second and third biggest films so far. The Glass Castle, My Little Pony, Jigsaw, Only the Brave, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool, Wonder and Stronger are their remaining releases for the year; My Little Pony has been a childhood favourite since the early 80s with three spinoff series over the years the third Friendship Is Magic is in its seventh series currently being broadcast on Tiny Pop in the UK it will face competition from Lego Ninjago for half-term holidays Six years after Saw 3D (seventh part) was expected to be the last of the franchise is back in Jigsaw is expected to scare audiences this Halloween against teen horror Happy Death Day. While Wonder and Stronger are generating strong buzz currently at film festivals.
- The Emoji Movie – £388,656 – £13,653,209
What can be said about The Emoji Movie that I have said over the last six weeks it has been on release now in its seventh weekend and still having one of the lowest declines of the top 10 down 28.56%;
Early in its release The Emoji Movie was comparable to The Angry Birds Movie but it’s surprising stainability within the top 5 for these past seven weeks has probably more in common with 2015’s Pixels a similarly poorly received critically still managed to stay in the top 10 for 5 weeks taking £8,137,504 despite Inside Out and Minions.
The Emoji Movie is the #19 biggest film of the year and the fifth biggest animated film of the year; Spider-Man: Homecoming has taken £30.38m becoming the second biggest Spider-Man outing and the sixth highest grossing Marvel film. While many might see this as a successful reboot of the franchise now being a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universal and follow-up to last year’s Captain America: Civil War to me was a little disappointing.
Also released
Wind River – STX – dropped 32.7% in its second weekend taking £255,037 total £942,773 from 163 screens;
UK box office in detail
This weekend’s top 10 box office took £11,473,081 down 18.2% from last weekend £13,995,694
The weekend admissions 1,505,654 down 18.2% from last weekend 1,836,705 (average price £7.62 by UK Cinema Association/BFI for 2017).
It took 52.91% of the top 10; 16 films opened at weekend taking £3,936,848; Victoria and Abdul 46.9% (£1,846,970); mother took 21.1% (£831,676); American Assassin took 19.5% (£768,951) with the remaining 13 films shared £489,251 (12.4%);
The weekend was down 1.49% from last year (£11,647,518): The Magnificent Seven £2,132,609 and The Girl with All the Gifts £432,529.
Up 23.11% from 2015: (£9,319,305): Everest £3,160,154, A Walk in the Woods £252,175, The Battle of Britain at 75 (Concert) £225,942 and Bill £221,807.
Next weekend in 2016: (£13,075,476) Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children £3,473,781, Deepwater Horizon £1,984,340, Supersonic £542,263, Free State of Jones £118,635.
UK Box Office Top 10
US Box Office Top 10
US Box office
Warner Bros – It drops 51.3% taking $60.1m taking $218.81m; has become the biggest September release ever ahead of 1986’s Crocodile Dundee $174.8m and later week will of becoming the largest R-rated horror film of all-time topping The Exorcist’s $232.9 million. (but neither film box offices totals are adjusted for inflation would see their totals double). It has also overtaking 1999’s The Green Mile $136m to become the highest grossing Stephen King film.
The big question will be how Kingsman: The Golden Circle and Lego Ninjago will open against It this weekend as both films have huge awareness and had strong marketing campaign both have been tracking to open with $40m but if It was to drop 50% taking $30m what film would it hurt the most?
Warner Bros overtook Disney to become #1 studio in US taking $1,49bn while Disney will of course end the year as #1 studio releasing Thor: Ragnarok Coco and then Star Wars: The Last Jedi in November/December but until then Warner Bros will likely be #1 with It likely to take $350m, Lego Ninjago and Blade Runner 2049 $150m+ each and Justice League $300m but long delayed action film Geostorm and now called Father Figures (previously Who’s the Daddy and Bastards) unlikely to do much.
It took $60.3m internationally from 56 territories and $152.6m internationally and $371.3m globally; after 10 days on release its #17 biggest film of the year globally and #286 biggest ever ahead of Gone Girl and Edge of Tomorrow; It should be looking to take now over $500m globally which would see it take similar box office of Dunkirk.
Lionsgate – American Assassin – $14.84m; decent opening after receiving mixed reviews and B+ CinemaScore opening ahead of films like 2014’s Sicario $12.14m and 2014’s Nightcrawler $10.44 and 2012’s End of Watch $13.15m; took $6.2m from 41 territories expanding in more over the next few weeks.
Paramount Pictures – Mother – $7.53m; received F CinemaScore audience split 44% male vs. 56% female 18% were under the age of 25 showing that Jennifer Lawrence’s fanbase failed to show up.
Its Jennifer Lawrence worst wide opening release since 2012’s House at the End of The Street $12,287,234 opened a few months after first The Hunger Games film opened. But unfair to put the film’s failure on her shoulders as she was front and center in marketing and media campaign at premieres at Venice and Toronto Film Festivals and London premiere generating huge media coverage and social media conversation.
The problem was it’s such a different role for Jennifer Lawrence her recent roles have been heroic and strong as is her personality off-screen which her fans love but in mother she plays against type, was not helped with the trailer for her next film Red Sparrow showing with mother and was unlikely to play well to her fanbase.
Jenifer Lawrence films have taken $5.5 billion worldwide but The Hunger Games and X-Men seven films have taken $4.61bn 82.5% of the box office her other films sharing $900m. As with her Passengers co-star, Chris Pratt remove Jurassic World, Guardian of the Galaxy and The Lego Movie neither have had hit that can be called their own.
A few months ago, Paramount Pictures were blaming Rotten Tomatoes algorithm for the failure of their summer releases, of course, this was an excuse as was proved but recent research. For mother, the film received positive reviews 69% Rotten Tomatoes but received F CinemaScore highlighting while films might be critical successes they don’t translate into box office hits and vice versa.
The last film to receive an F CinemaScore was Paramount’s 2012 horror Devil Inside but still had one good opening weekend taking $33.73m (taking $53.2m) then dropping 76% in its second-weekend mother is likely to drop similarly in its second weekend take only $25m; the best comparison to mother! is 2009’s The Box which opened with similar $7.5m taking only $15m similar is expected from mother!
Mother! took $6m from 16 territories so will be lucky if it takes $50m globally while the film’s budget was only $30m its marketing campaign that included three high-profile premieres must have been more than double the budget.
13 other films received F CinemaScore; 200’s Dr T and the Women,2002’s Darkness and Solaris, 2005’s Wolf Creek, 2006’s Bug and The Wicker Man remake, 2007’s I Know Who Killed Me, 2008’s Disaster Movie, 2009’s The Box, 2013’sThe Devil Inside, Silent House and Killing Them Softly.
Everything about mother was ill-conceived as was always a strange project for a studio to be involved in especially Paramount as was Noah after its moderate success wanted to keep the relationship with Darren Aronofsky so happy to make mother especially when Jennifer Lawrence was cast. Darren Aronofsky started dating Jennifer Lawrence soon after filming started last summer so as she cast because he fancied her?
Paramount’s worldwide president of marketing and distribution Megan Colligan defended the film in a statement to the Hollywood Reporter “This movie is very audacious and brave,” “You are talking about a director at the top of his game, and an actress at the top her game. They made a movie that was intended to be bold. Everyone wants original filmmaking, and everyone celebrates Netflix when they tell a story no one else wants to tell. This is our version. We don’t want all movies to be safe. And it’s okay if some people don’t like it.”
But her statement ignored the issue many had with the film and why the reaction was so polarized which wasn’t the film itself but its marketing and the way it was sold as they made the film to be something it wasn’t. As seen by the success of original films including It, Dunkirk, Get Out, Split, Girls Trip, Baby Driver and Hidden Figures audiences want to see original films alongside the blockbuster movies.
Mother was always going to be a very hard film to sell to audiences wasn’t helped by the secrecy of the plot and the late release of the trailer to build awareness while that might work with art-house films which mother is it doesn’t for a studio release which it is. Mother was originally dated for October 13th release which would have seen it open against teen horror Happy Death Day but the audience for mother was an older one which was close to It which had 65% of its opening weekend audience over 65.
The poor performance for Mother continues another horrific year for Paramount their biggest Transformers: The Last Knight taking almost 50% less than the previous film while Baywatch, xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, Ghost in the Shell and Monster Trucks all underwhelmed.
Remaining films Suburbicon, Downsizing and Daddy’s Home 2 will need to take almost $300m to avoid then having their worst year since 2004. What is most shocking is 10 years ago they were the #1 studio and had four incredible years between 2007 and 2011.
It all fell apart in 2012 when they lost Marvel to Disney and then a year later Dreamworks to Disney and Dreamworks Animation to 20th Century Fox. Before Marvel was brought by Disney Paramount were given an opportunity to buy Marvel but Viacom rejected the purchase which was a similar crazy decision as Blockbuster turning down an offer to buy Netflix in 2000 for $50m now worth $67bn today and Blockbuster went bankrupt less than 10 years later.
In 2013 Paramount swapped their Indiana Jones rights for Jerry Bruckheimer Beverly Hills Cop 4 was expected to be one of his first projects which was meant to be released last March but instead we will have to wait until July 2019 for Top Gun: Maverick the sequel to the 1986 Tom Cruise massive hit (Tom Cruise returns as Maverick aged 58). A year later Disney will release Indiana Jones 5 starring a 78-year-old Harrison Ford.
Open Road – Home Again – drops 39.5% $5.18m taking $16.98m holding close to last year’s Bridget Jones’s Baby which had taken $ 16.59 after 10 days;
On Sunday Reese Witherspoon produced excellent TV mini-series Big Little Lies won five Emmys and produced 2014’s Gone Girl but since her Best Actress win for Walk the Line in 2005 hasn’t had a live-action hit. But she did miss out from starring in Gone Girl and she turned down The Intern to make Hot Pursuit instead.
Warner Bros – Annabelle: Creation – drops 39.8% in its sixth weekend taking $2.41m and $99.71m; The three previous films have taken over $413m in the US and over $1.15 billion globally; The fifth part of the franchise The Nun will be released next July with The Conjuring 3 expected probably in 2019.
Annabelle Creation took $8.6m from international total $184m and $280.2m globally overtaking global box office of the original films $256.87m.
Weinstein Co- Wind River down 17.9% taking $2.57m taking $29.14m; expanding much quicker than last year’s Hell of High Water which suffered from expanding too fast.
Warner Bros- Dunkirk down 29.6% in its ninth weekend $1.31m taking $185.14m;
Comparing with previous Christopher Nolan film 2014’s Interstellar took $2.46m in its ninth weekend and $182.8m 97.2% of final box office of $188.02m while 2010’s Inception took $2.8m and $282.2m 96.4% of final box office of $292.57m.
If Dunkirk continues to hold as it is currently will likely now take less $194.8m less than Saving Private Ryan’s $216.54m 1998 box office; Dunkirk is expected to be released on DVD in November but will probably be re-released closer to award season.
Saving Private Ryan took $3.4m dropping only 24.4% in its ninth week taking $178.09m (82.2% of final box office of $216.54m; if Dunkirk held as strongly would have ended with $229.22m) was released 19 years ago when average ticket price was $4.69 compared to $8.95; Saving Private Ryan admissions 22.11m (2017 box office would be 91% more $197.88m) Vs Dunkirk 14.92m (1998 box office would be 48% less $69.98m); Saving Private Ryan stayed in the top 10 for 12 weeks but will likely be Dunkirk final weekend in the top 10.
Dunkirk took $5.7m internationally $323.2m total with global box office of $508.3m; #12 biggest film of 2017 ahead of The Boss Baby, War for the Planet of the Apes, The Mummy; #173 biggest film in the world overtaking The Boss Baby, Aladdin, and Ghost.
In 2014 Interstellar took $675.12m and in 2010 Inception took $825.53m globally while Saving Private Ryan took $481.84m globally which would be about $919.5m total.
Opened September 22nd
Opening UK
- Kingsman: The Golden Circle – 20th Century Fox
Action spy comedy sequel to the 2014 film Kingsman: The Secret Service starring Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, Taron Egerton, Mark Strong, Halle Berry, Elton John, Channing Tatum and Jeff Bridges directed by Matthew Vaughn screenplay written by Vaughn and Jane Goldman.
Originally set for 16th June 2017 delayed to October 6th in November 2016 in April Universal Pictures dated American Made September 29th and 20th Century Fox brought forward Kingsman to September 22nd.
20th Century Fox canceled the US premiere on September 12th due to Hurricane Harvey Telethon donating the premiere budget to the telethon with the London premiere on Monday replacing it.
Kingsman: The Secret Service opened 30th January 2015 with £4.24m second to Big Hero 6 opening with only £51,994 more (£4.29m) going on to take £16.39m; the film received positive reviews but generated criticism with the surprising misogynistic end scene.
Matthew Vaughn’s 2004 Layer Cake Layer Cake opened in October 2004 with £1.1m was his first film as a director, 2011’s X-Men: First Class opened with £5.4m, Kick-Ass £3.9m in 2010 and Stardust opened with £2.2m in 2007.
The original film was released in 2D and IMAX sequel is surprisingly released in 3D as 3D sales have dropped off in recent years.
- Lawrence of Arabia – Park Circus
To celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2012 the film received a digital 4K restoration that took three years to complete which was screened at the London Film Festival in 2012; Park Circus are re-releasing David Lean’s 1962 classic the way it was always meant to be experienced in 70mm with a 70mm restoration.
The original version of the film released in December 1962 with a 222 minute plus additional music running time but sometime in the next couple of months 20 minutes cut and in late 1970 another 15 minutes cut with a running time of 187 minutes. No print of the original version had survived and Columbia had no record of what the 222-minute version contained.
In 1986 archivist-producer Robert A. Harris spend 26 months (10 months longer than it took David Lean to make the film) restoring the film and worldwide search for film elements making a total reconstruction and restoration of the film going back to the black-and-white protection masters and got Peter O’Toole, Anthony Quinn, and Alec Guinness to rerecord their dialogue.
I saw Lawrence of Arabia and Spartacus in 70mm at the Odeon Marble Arch in the early 90s which had the biggest screen in Europe.
- Borg Vs. McEnroe – Artificial Eye
Biographical sports drama starring Sverrir Gudnason, Shia LaBeouf, Stellan Skarsgård, Tuva Novotny and Robert Emms directed by Janus Metz Pedersen. While US audiences are getting their first glimpse of about 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs UK audiences have instead film about famous rivalry between Björn Borg and John McEnroe at the 1980 Wimbledon Championships; opened the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival receiving positive reviews
Opening in US
- Kingsman: The Golden Circle – 20th Century Fox
Kingsman: The Secret Service opened February 2015 with $36.2m going on to take $128.21m and took $286.1m internationally and $414.35m worldwide.
Kingsman: The Golden Circle early tracking $40m a month ago but the big question is how will It affect its opening after opening with $123m with the second weekend of $56m which would see It taking about $30m against Kingsman which could cannibalize the two films and help Lego Ninjago to open top with $40m+.
Reviews have been mixed currently 56% Rotten Tomatoes with many saying it’s disappointing and overlong 141 minutes; Kingman: Th Secret Service in comparison received 75% Rotten Tomatoes score and was 20 mins shorter 123mins.
Will the mixed reviews have any impact on Kingsman: The Golden Circle against It holding and Lego Ninjago reviews won’t have as much impact on.
- Lego Ninjago – Warner Bros
Animated action-comedy featuring voices of Dave Franco, Justin Theroux, Michael Peña, Kumail Nanjiani, Abbi Jacobson, Zach Woods, Fred Armisen, Olivia Munn and Jackie Chan directed by Charlie Bean, Paul Fisher and Bob Logan based on the Lego Ninjago toy line, the first theatrical film to be based on an original Lego property and the second spin-off to The Lego Movie.
The short film The Master was shown before Storks last September; first trailer was released featuring the song Bad Blood by Taylor Swift was shown before The Lego Batman Movie; July 22 second trailer was shown at Comic-Con.
Third weekend in September has been very lucrative for family films in recent years with Hotel Transylvania 2 $48,464,322, Cloud with the Chance of Meatballs 2 $34,017,930, Hotel Transylvania $42,522,194, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs $30,304,648 and Dolphin Tale $19,152,401 only slight disappointments were 2016’s Storks $21,311,407 2014’s The Boxtrolls $17,275,239, and 2010’s Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole $16,112,211.
After huge success of The Lego Movie and The Lego Batman Movie Ninjago from the trailers looks to have the similar charm and fun being the only children’s film until My Little Pony which will play much younger Ninjago could have a strong opening of $40m+ but does open against Kingsman: The Golden Circle which could squeeze into its audience while It third weekend could still be over $30m which could affect both.
The Lego Movie opened February 2014 with $69.05m taking $257.76m and The Lego Batman Movie opened February 2017 with $53m taking $175.75m;
When The Lego Movie was first announced everyone thought it was madness as how can you make a film about bricks but remember waking up in the middle of the night on 18th June 2013 to see the first trailer released and watched it on a loop many times as it was just a wonderfully fun trailer
Batman made a wonderful cameo in The Lego Batman Movie and it was then no wonder he had his own movie which was equally as fun if not obviously originally.
The Lego Movie 2 is set for release in February 2019; Phil Lord & Chris Miller who directed the first film after leaving Han Solo are now rewriting the script which is set to tackle gender issues after the end of the first film the man says to his son ‘You’ve gotta play with your sister. That’s the thing you’ve gotta promise me. I’ll let you play with my world, but now you’ve gotta let your sister come in and play with your world.’ Now, she’s coming in, and that’s the major thing that the movie is about. What’s different about gender with how a boy plays vs. how a girl plays.
- Battle of the Sexes – Fox Searchlight (on limited release in 20 screens)
Sports comedy-drama starring Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Andrea Riseborough, Elisabeth Shue, Austin Stowell and Sarah Silverman directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris and written by Simon Beaufoy; had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival receiving positive reviews also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival and will be screened at the BFI London Film Festival on October 7, 2017.
Emma Stone looks to be breaking the Best Actress Oscar-winning curse often saw actress following films flop or get poorly received;
After winning Best Actress for Room Brie Larson starred in Kong: Skull Island, Free Fire and The Glass Castle; Julianne Moore won for Still Alice next films were Seventh Son, Maps to the Stars, Freeheld and Maggie’s Plan; Cate Blanchett from Blue Jasmine next films The Monuments Men, Truth, Carol and Knight of Cups; Sandra Bullock from The Blind Side to Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and Our Brand Is Crisis; Kate Winslet from The Reader to Revolutionary Road, Labor Day, A Little Chaos and Steve Jobs. Reese Witherspoon won Best Actress in 2005 for Walk the Line but apart from animated films has had little success on the big screen but of course won five Emmy’s for Big Little Lies.
Emma Stone gives a strong performance as Billie Jean King if it wasn’t for her undeserving win for the overrated La La Land she would be one of the favorites to win Best Actress this year.
- Victoria and Abdul – Focus Features
Biographical drama starring Judi Dench, Ali Fazal, Eddie Izzard, Tim Pigott-Smith and Adeel Akhtar and directed by Stephen Frears had the world premiere at Venice Film Festival.
20 years after playing Queen Victoria in Mrs Brown (winning Best Actress Bafta and nominated for Best Actress Oscar) she back in Mrs Brown 2; Mrs Brown was made by BBC originally as a TV drama but was acquired by Miramax premiered at the Cannes Film Festival opened July 18th, 1997 $76,268 from 6 screens taking $9,229,808.
Stephen Frears last directed Florence Foster Jenkins opened with $6,601,313 his biggest opening in the US ahead of High Fidelity $6,429,107 but most of his films opened on limited release as Victoria and Abdul also will opening in only four screens; Philomena opened November 2013 with $128,435 from 4 screens; The Queen in September 2006 $122,014 from 3 screens;