Top 5 Breakdown
- Batman Vs Superman Dawn of Justice – £14,621,007 – NE
With biggest opening of the year and biggest Fri-Sun opening for comic-book movie in UK
Third biggest superhero film opening behind two Avengers films due to their previews.
Despite being slated by critics had the biggest first day opening of the year so far £6.37m but Sundays weekend estimates of £15.3m were overestimated as similar to the US opening actuals came in a million less.
Squeezing past last year’s Fri-Sun opening of Avengers Age of Ultron (opening Thursday it took £17.9m over 4 days Fri-Sun took £14,397,229). Its opening squeezes past The Dark Knight Rises 2012 opening of £14.36m but as Batman Vs Superman opened in 3D along with the ticket price rises over the last 4 years.
Including Easter Monday taking £3.4m, it took £18.2m slightly ahead of Avengers Age of Ultron 4 day opening box office of £18,015,774 taking £23.7m in its opening week dropping 53% in its second weekend £8,591,670 and £32,297,331 after 11 days. Deadpool took £19.97m in its opening week and Avengers Age of Ultron took £22.35m.
Will be interesting to see how Batman Vs Superman compares for the week and then how it drops this weekend likely 55%+ benefiting from Easter school holidays and grey weather and limited competition. If it was to take average of £2m a day over the next six days could see it have similar box office to Age of Ultron.
Deadpool opened with £13.79m its opening was bigger than Batman Vs Superman as it did it without 3D.
In comparison Batman Begins opened June 2005 with £4.42m, The Dark Knight opened in July 2008 with £11.19m and The Dark Knight Rises in July 2012 with £14.36m.
Director Zack Snyder previous films at the box office from 300 – March 2007 – £4.76m, Watchmen – March 2009 – £3.24m, Sucker Punch – March 2011 – £814,976 – Man of Steel June 2013 with £11.2m
Marvel films are more accessible and over the 12 movies to date have expanded its fan-base into mainstream audiences. DC launched Batman in 1989 and then again in 2005 but it was only with Man of Steel in 2013 they launched plans for their shared universe of films.
Warner had copyright issues with Superman forcing them to start production of Man of Steel in 2011 or Jerry Siegel’s family would own rights to Superman’s origins the film was released in June 2013 taking $668m worldwide including £30m in the UK after opening with £11.2m receiving mixed reviews with many criticizing its pace and lack of character development similar issues many had with Batman Vs Superman.
After the release of Man of Steel Warner originally planned a Man of Steel sequel but then surprised everyone at Comic Con in July 2013 sequel would feature Superman and Batman for the first time in a film and given a July 2015 release date. In January 2014 Warner delayed it to May 6th which would have seen it open against Captain America Civil War before moving it forward to its March 25th date.
The first teaser trailer was due for release April 20th 2015 but was leaked online on April 16th at Comic Con in July the trailer was released to a mixed response. A third was released in December with positive response and then the final in February both many felt revealed too many spoilers.
News of Wonder Woman being cast in Batman Vs Superman was seen as a joke when the first pictures of Gal Gadot were released many couldn’t look past her breasts in the costume. But fans were surprised with Wonder Woman being the highlight in the most recent trailers and trailer and while many were disappointed with the film most have said Wonder Woman was the real surprise from the film.
Research by Movio says audience profile is predictably 78% male and 14-49 70% of which go to see films in their opening weekend and go to the cinema 3.2 more times than regular US cinemagoers. 57% of the advance sales have been for Thursday night previews and 22% for Friday night.
Wonder Woman shined in the recent trailers will she bring in the female audience. Most comic-book adaptions play more to men than women but DC will be hoping Wonder Woman’s introduction to Batman Vs Superman and her own movie released in 2017 will bring in the female audience as female characters have been lacking in Marvel adaptions.
Many have said it was a very expensive reaction video to the events of Man of Steel showing the Superman/Zod fight from different view it is also a long teaser trailer for Justice League.
There has been a conspiracy theory critics have been brought by Disney to give Batman Vs Superman negative reviews this is obviously crazy but many have been very harsh on the film which is far from perfect but and as exhausting to watch as Avengers Age of Ultron. Always thought Total Film was “brought” by Disney when it first launched in 1997 as they were far more positive for their films than other magazines.
There have been occasions in the past when critics and Academy members have been “bribed” in the past to give positive reviews why studios lay on free alcohol at some media screening to mellow them out. In years gone by critics would have full bars and silver service catering before screenings.
It was similar to how critics took out all their anger on the Pointbreak remake but there have been many worse so it’s no wonder some DC fans are feeling there is a conspiracy.
Yesterday in the US Supergirl crossover episode with The Flash which many said was everything that Batman Vs Superman was as it had two superheroes not feeling the need to beat the other up as we will also have next month in Captain America Civil War is it something about men in tights they feel need to compensate by starting a fight?
- Zootropolis £5,306,726 – NE
Box office increased 54% from Friday- Saturday after Fridays weather was sunny and mild Saturday and Sunday was far more cinema-going weather.
On Easter Monday added £1.72m bringing its total to £7.03m could see it top £12m by Sunday.
While opening estimates kept changing over the weekend for Batman Vs Superman Sundays estimates were very close to its final box office.
Taking £1.7m from previews last weekend its opening was just below Disney Animations biggest UK opening 2009’s Bolt which opened with £5.45m.
As with previous school holidays with films like Home, Cinderella and Inside Out Zootropolis will perform strongly over the next three weeks could see add £15m+. While its unlikely to reach the heights of 2013’s Frozen £41.8m with strong word of mouth will likely to last Easter’s £24.97m Dreamworks Animation Home took.
Opening below last year’s Dreamworks Home £6,017,210 but ahead of Frozen December 2013 £4.7m, Wreck-It Ralph February 2013 £4.53m and Big Hero 6 February 2015 £4.29m due to the competition of Kung Fu Panda 3.
- Kung Fu Panda 3 – £1,198,6216 – total £9,961,602
Holding well down 31.1% in its third weekend despite the arrival of Zootropolis showing as last Easter there is room for two family films.
Added £522,000 on Bank Holiday Monday totalling £9.47 could take £300,000+ a day till Sunday seeing reach £12m+ so should overtake box office of the first film which took £16.87m in 2008 but unlikely to beat 2011’s sequel £20.29m.
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 – £983,534 – NE
14 years after the first film opened the sequel received positive reviews marketing seemed to be strangely quiet similar to The Huntsman Winter’s for the sequel which is why its opening was down on the first film which opened with £1.5m in September 2002 as ticket prices have gone up 68% since 2002 opening is 61% less than the first film.
While first film increased its box office the second weekend and ran to December it’s unlikely sequel will last anywhere nearly as long in the charts.
The original film ended on £13.57m which would be over £22.79m in 2016.
- 10 Cloverfield Lane £771,215 – total £3,326,797
Down 51.8% in its second weekend similar to Cloverfield second weekend drop due to these films being very front loaded and of course arrival of Batman Vs Superman targeting similar audience which was why was even more strange decision not to open day and date with the US on March 11th.
Has taken almost half Cloverfield took in 10 days £6.7m and likely to finish with half Cloverfield £9.6m.
Paramount compared 10 Cloverfield Lane opening last weekend with Disturbia which dropped a similar 54% in its second weekend taking £338,232 and total of £1,385,642 while Contagion held far better dropping only 28% with £1,051,348 and £3,742,241 total.
Other box office news:
Deadpool has become the fifth biggest comic-book film in the UK taking £37.39m.
This weekend’s top 10 box office took £24,577,831 up 195% from last weekend £7,732,052 and up 85% from same weekend last year. (£12,820,294) when Cinderella opened with £3,791,276, The SpongeBob Movie £2,251,009, Get Hard £1,433,967 and The Seventh Son £410,608 opened. But as Easter was a week earlier this year it can’t be compared directly.
This weekend last year Fast and Furious 7 £12,734,255, While We’re Young £411,961 and Blade Runner: The Final Cut £203,923 opened.
February 2016 admissions were 15.4m up 1.3% from 2015 thanks to Deadpool and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip
Complete UK Box office top 10 – March 25th – 27th 2016
US Box Office
- Warner Bros – Batman Vs Superman Dawn of Justice –opens with $166m less than estimated $170.1m despite poor reviews had Warner Bros second biggest opening; receiving B CinemaScore could drop heavily in second w/e.
- Disney’s Zootopia – drops 37.7% – $23.1m – total $240.5m; overtaken WALL-E and Brave with Toy Story 2, The Incredibles and Monster University within its sights.
- Universal Pictures – My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 opens with $18.1m more than predicted but impossible to compare with original as never expanded wide until week 26; received A- CinemaScore. The big question will be how it holds in its second weekend.
- Sony Pictures – Miracles from Heaven – dropped 25.9% – $9.5m – $34.1m total
- Lionsgate – Divergent: Allegiant dropped heavily 67.3% $9.5m – $46.6m total. Has taken almost 50% less than the previous film the decision to release the film internationally first probably cost the film over $50m and killed the franchise.
- Paramount Pictures – 10 Cloverfield Lane – drops 52% – $6m – $56.1m total. Holding better than Cloverfield which dropped 61.9% in week 3 $4.8m but lower total $71.9m.
- 20th Century Fox – Deadpool – drops 47.6% – $5m – total $349.4m; unlikely of beating Spider-Man and Spider-Man 2. Has overtaken American Sniper to be the second biggest R-rated film ever behind 2004’s ThePassion of the Chirst and the biggest worldwide.
- Focus Features – London Has Fallen – drops 57.3% – $2.9m – total $55.6m.
- Roadshow Attractions – Hello, My Name is Doris – expanded up 70.4% – $1.7m – $3.2m
- Broad Street – Eye in the Sky – expanded up 146.9% $1m – $1.7m total.
On limited release
Warner Bros – Midnight Special – $97,000 from 5 screens and $358,000 total drops surprising 49% after received very good reviews expanding this weekend into 50+ extra screens.
Opening on limited release
Sony Pictures Classics – I Saw the Light opens with $50.464 from 5 screens