- Joker: Folie A Deux- £5,674,029 – NE
Took £2.15m 37.3% Friday; £2.17m 37.65% Saturday; £1.44m 25.05% Sunday.
254th biggest opening between Clash of the Titans and Black Adam (close to Inception, Dune Part 1, Eternals and Interstellar) and 384th inflated opening between Downton Abbey and Zootropolis (close to The Bodyguard, Coco, Speed and Seven)
It has the 7th biggest 2024 opening between Bob Marley: One Love and Kung Fu Panda 4. It is close to Beetlejuice 2, It Ends with Us, Twisters and Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire.
Had Lady Gaga’s biggest opening ahead of 2018’s A Star Is Born (£4.1m) and 2021’s House of Gucci (£2.42m)
Opened in 722 cinemas and 2,049 screens. It was the 11th widest opening ever. It ranked between Star Wars: The Last Jedi (723) and other films like Barbie, Avatar: The Way of Water, and The Lion King (721 cinemas). The screen average was £7,859. This ranked as the 435th biggest, placed between Bram Stokers Dracula and The Great Gatsby. As Joker 2 played on multiple screens impossible to make comparisons Deadline reported that 40% of US cinemas for Joker 2 only generated 5% of the gross, so 1,640 cinemas had a $1,150 average as IMAX/PLF formats artificial inflate screen average.
Comparable to its US opening Folie A Deux was stronger with 15.06% of US openings compared to 13.05% for Joker that was to do with the popularity of Lady Gaga or that UK audiences like musicals and perform much stronger in the UK, but they would surely have been more music.
The first film was originally conceived as a standalone film but after taking 1.078bn worldwide Todd Philips started development on a sequel. It’s a DC Elseworlds project outside of the DC Cinematic Universe. It was shot entirely in IMAX.
Folie A Deux dropped 67.6% from Sunday to Monday (£1.44m/£467k) compared to 53.3% for Joker (£3.9m/£1.82m) and took £432k on Tuesday.
It had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on September 4th. The film received an 11-minute standing ovation. However, standing ovations mean little. Megalopolis had 7 minutes; The Beaver 10 minutes; The Paperboy 15 minutes; The Neon Demon 17 minutes; Mud 18 minutes.
The teaser trailer was released in April featuring a cover of What the World Needs Now Is Love had 167 million views in its first 24 hours the most watched Warner Bros trailer.
2019’s Joker opened £12,555,329 #1 666 screens (3-day opening no previews); took £3.81m Friday taking £58.5m/£64.6m inflated; took £3.81m Friday; £4.7m Saturday; £3.9m Sunday and £20.2m opening 7 days Joker: Folie A Deux won’t get close to £20m.
The buzz was strong ahead of Joker: Folie A Deux’s Venice Film Festival world premiere. Expectations were high. It was expected to open similarly to 2019’s Joker, which opened with £12,555,329 at #1 on 666 screens for a 3-day opening with no previews. It took £3.81m on Friday, leading to £58.5m/£64.6m inflated. Buzz dropped off after the premiere. It received mixed reviews. However, these were similar to Joker, which had 63% on Rotten Tomatoes compared to Joker’s 69%.
Buzz for Joker 2 feels similar to how Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny was ahead of its Cannes world premiere as it dropped off after receiving mixed reviews (opened £7,144,441 #1 743 screens compared to 2008’s Kingdom of the Crystal Skull opening £12,227,799 #1 539 screens.
Joker received positive reviews (69% on Rotten Tomatoes) Joker: Folie A Deux received average reviews after the Venice Film Festival premiere (63% on Rotten Tomatoes), and they got worse as it came to its release (33% now).
Albert Einstein famously said “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results” but the film industry regularly does the same thing again and again making the same mistakes.
Ahead of the Venice Film Festival premiere Joker: Folie A Deux was expected to open similarly to Joker but likely not to have the legs Joker had #1 for 6 weeks. It was a perfect storm for Joker in 2019 as the film’s opening afterwards Gemini Man, Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil, A Shaun The Sheep Movie: Farmageddon. Terminator: Dark Fate and Stephen King’s Doctor Sleep came short of expectations. Transformers One opens the week after followed by Smile 2 and Venom: The Last Dance over the following two weeks, Joker: Folie A Deux was expected to stay #1 for three weeks, but now it might only be #1 for one week.
Issues with the sequel started in 2019 after director Todd Phillips said “We have no plans for a sequel… the movie’s not set up to [have] a sequel. We always pitched it as one movie, and that’s it.” It was a comparable situation with 2009’s The Hangover but after it took $469m worldwide Warner was desperate for a sequel and after Joker took over $1bn worldwide Warner Bros were desperate for a sequel as they are for Barbie, but some films shouldn’t have a sequel no matter how much a film takes.
William Goldman famously wrote, “Nobody knows anything.” The sequel should be ‘Nobody Learns Anything’ as the industry keeps doing the same thing never learning from its mistakes. The first Joker film had a tight $55m budget while the sequel had $200m budget and Warner Bros gave Todd Philips the final cut. While calling the sequel Folie à Deux it was trying to be too clever for itself.. It’s a clever title once you know it means madness for two but seeing it cold it seems pretentious.
The original film cost about $65m while the sequel cost almost $200m, how did the sequel cost more than three times the original film when most of it is set indoors, it’s been reported salaries for Phillips, Gaga and Pheonix were over $50m combined and it was shot on IMAX certified cameras.
Many suggested one of the reasons was due to it being a musical but it wasn’t a musical Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga just sang words to each other, so also alienated those who were expecting a musical.
Warner Bros faced similar issues with $168m budget Furiosa again premiered at the Cannes Film Festival as 2015’s Mad Max: Fury Road but it was a vastly different film without Charlize Theron returning for the prequel taking $173.3m worldwide half the box office of Mad Max: Fury Road.
2019’s Joker had strong legs and held #1 for 6 weeks down 22% in the second weekend £9,766,609 taking £30,030,142 51.96% of £57,800,000; Joker: Folie A Deux will drop 60% and could lose #1 to Transformers One.
- 2. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – £1,132,437 – £22,780,871
Down 37.9% in the fifth weekend
Took £223k 19.7% (-43.7% £396k) Friday; £526k 46.5% (-34.8% £807k) Saturday; £383k 33.8% (-64.31% £613k) Sunday.
140th biggest fifth weekend between Seven and The Woman In Black (close to The Bodyguard, Night At The Museum, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Peter Rabbit 2) and 295th biggest inflated fifth weekend between Bend It Like Beckham and How to Train Your Dragon (close to Shrek the Third, Licence to Kill, Dumbo and My Girl).
5th biggest 2024 between Dune: Part 2 and Kung Fu Panda 4 (close to It Ends with Us, Migration, Bob Marley: One Love and Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes).
Selected Tim Burton fifth weekend
Beetlejuice dropped 4% £206,277/£714,795 and £2,257,052 62.62% of £3,604,282/£12,411,267 inflated.
1989’s Batman dropped 29.6% £493,257/£1,687,235 and £10,310,588 85.68% of £12,034,291/£40,906,260 inflated
1997’s Mars Attacks dropped 62.3% £142,404/£278,861 and £6,500,894 92.07% of £7,061,157/£13,740,630 inflated
2000’s Sleepy Hollow dropped 38.1% £463,992/£870,121 and £9,325,809 92.83% of £10,046,249/£18,083,248 inflated.
2001’s Planet of the Apes dropped 43.3% £443,306/£853,418 and £16,130,486 95.72% of £17,027,825/£32,574,970 inflated
2005’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory dropped 34% £1,116,172/£1,888,724 and £33,251,095 88.01% of £37,781,940/£63,531,415 inflated
2008’s Sweeney Todd dropped 62.4% £127,050/£194,729 and £10,739,511 98.04% of £10,930,875/£16,648,563 inflated
2010’s Alice In Wonderland dropped 48.5% £1,285,889/£1,722,443 and £37,940,131 89.97% of £42,169,542/£56,131,558 inflated
2019’s Dumbo up 9.5% £1,016,016 and £23,349,387 92.90% of £25,141,389
1991’s Edward Scissorhands took £4,299,657/£11,238,707 inflated
234th biggest between Transformers and Shark Tale (close to Trolls, Ghost, X-Men 2 and The Lion King (1994) and 468th biggest inflated between Sleepless in Seattle and Cliffhanger (close to Cool Runnings, Lethal Weapon 2, Lost in Space and Back To The Future Part III).
- 3. Speak No Evil £408,214 – £4,760,866
Down 34.6% in its fourth weekend
Took £104k 25.49% (-42.86% £182k) Friday; £188k 46.08% (-31.39% £274k) Saturday; £116k 28.43% (-66.76% £185k) Sunday.
938th biggest fourth weekend between Sommersby and 27 Dresses (close to Déjà vu, 12 Monkeys, The Equalizer 2 and SAW III) and 1,216th biggest inflated between Rocky Balboa and The Women (close to Gothika, Coraline, Scream (2022) and Scream 3).
It’s the third James McAvoy Blumhouse Productions film after 2019’s Glass dropped 41% £560,579 #5 and £9,646,964 of £10,653,825 and 2017’s Split dropped 45% £682,691 #7 and £9,584,867 of £11,018,070.
The remake of the 2022 Danish film Gæsterne received positive reviews and has a similar plot to Blink Twice (dropped 62% £124,611 #12 and £2,933,902) and 2022’s The Menu dropped 42% £192,827 #5 and £3,018,300 of £3,866,701.
James Watkins previously directed 2012’s The Woman in Black (dropped 22% £1,888,232 #2 and £17,629,443 of £21,237,668) the biggest British horror film in the UK.
1,500th biggest between The Jackal and You’ve Got Mail (close to The Usual Suspects, Sicario, Side Effects and Misery) and 2,055th biggest inflated between Hanna and Remember Me (close to House of Wax, Roxanne, Zombieland: Double Tap and Nightmare On Elm Street).
The 84th biggest horror is between Jigsaw and Saw VI (close to The Ring Two, Candyman, The Woman In Black: Angel of Death and Piranha 3-D) and the 126th biggest inflated horror between House of Wax and Underworld: Evolution (I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, The Purge, Candyman (1993) and Evil Dead II).
- 4. The Substance £358,277 – £2,170,877
Down 14.9% in the third weekend
Took £96k 26.82% (-15.79% £114k) Friday; £141k 39.39% (-14.55% £155k) Saturday; £121k 33.8% (£184k -34.24%) Sunday.
1,466th biggest third weekend between I Love You Man and The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society (close to Room, A History Of Violence, Quartet and Violent Night),
The Substance received positive reviews since premiering at the Cannes Film Festival winning Best Screenplay and also won People’s Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival. The director Coralie Fargeat was surely influenced by films like Robert Zemeckis’ Death Becomes Her, David Cronenberg’s The Fly and Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining. Demi Moore said in an interview in Variety “The film raises an important idea: When you chase after something you think is better, you risk losing what you have.”
The Substance will shortly overtake MUBI’s Priscilla taking £2,717,948); MUBI has recently acquired Luca Guadagnino’s Queer starring Daniel Craig for the UK, the film premiered at the Venice Film Festival receiving positive reviews and has its UK premiere at the London Film Festival. Luca Guadagnino previously directed Challengers and Call Me By Your Name.
Demi Moore starred in several Brat Pack films in the 80s and then Ghost, A Few Good Men, Indecent Proposal and Disclosure, The Scarlet Letter, Striptease (taking £2,166,470/£4,637,417) and G.I. Jane (taking £2,348,806/£4,570,650) but hasn’t had a lead acting role for over 20 years.
The Substance had a strong second weekend despite being limited to evenings and late-night shows. It was helped by strong word of mouth and Demi Moore on the Graham Norton Show last week (1.6m watched the return of his shoe on BBC1. Demi said: “It is almost impossible to fully describe because it is dealing with some serious subject matters. The best way I can sum it up is that it is like The Picture of Dorian Gray meets Death Becomes Her meets a Jane Fonda workout video.”
In an interview for Empire, she said “reading ‘Ghost’. ‘This could either be a disaster or come together and somehow work.’ The Substance fits into that category., I thought, ‘Wow, we’ve got a love story, a thriller and a comedy.” … “It’s such a unique way to explore the issue of ageing, and the male perspective of the idealised woman that we’ve bought into. Not what’s been done to us, but the part we’ve played in doing it to ourselves.”
The film generated a lot of media coverage reports of walkouts in cinemas due to the level of gore.
2,387th biggest between Rambo: Last Blood and Beautiful Creatures (Nightmare on Elm Steet III, Monkey Man, Striptease and The Sweetest Thing) and 2,828th biggest inflated between Monkey Man and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (close to Blair Witch (2016), Urban Legend, Romeo Must Die and Texas Chainsaw 3D).
45th biggest 2024 film between The Iron Claw and The Strangers: Chapter 1 (close to Blink Twice, Monkey Man, Imaginary and The First Omen).
It was made by Working Title and was originally going to be released by Universal Pictures, but The Match Factory acquired rights and sold it to many territories before the Cannes Film Festival where it received a 13-minute standing ovation.
- 5. The Outrun £319,960 – £1,112,045
Down 28.8% in its second weekend
45th biggest 2024 second weekend between The Strangers: Chapter 1 and The First Omen (close to The Zone of Interest, Monkey Man, The Critic and Fly Me to the Moon).
It’s holding well in its second weekend despite exhibitors cutting showtimes in its second weekend as they did recently with The Substance and Lee, these films are word-of-mouth films, and audiences don’t rush out to see them over the opening weekend.. They wait a week or so and then struggle to find showtimes at their local cinema; my local cinema has one show a day at 4 pm while Joker: Folie A Deux has 29.
Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival receiving positive reviews describing it as powerful, and unusual, in its depiction of addiction.
Saoirse Ronan’s first film since 2022’s See How They Run (took £4,845,487); previously starred in 2021’s The French Dispatch (took £3,934,943), Ammonite (took £174,852), 2019’s Little Women (took £21,283,939); 2019’s Mary Queen of Scots (took £9,290,695), 2018’s On Chesil Beach (took £989,898), 2018’s Lady Bird (took £5,079,887), 2015’s Brooklyn (took £5,539,564)
While Kate Winslet’s Lee is down 40.8% in its fourth weekend £237,762 #7 taking £3,382,908
- Despicable Me 4 £295,462 – £47,759,576
Down 15.8% in its thirteenth weekend
Took £17k 5.86% Friday; £141k 48.62% Saturday; £132k 45.52% Sunday.
It has taken about £6m since being released on VOD on August 26th due to a lack of major family films since Inside Out 2. Inside Out 2 would also still be in the top 10 now had it not been released on Disney+ on September 25th.
Held strongly over the last few weeks showing again if it’s a film people want to see in the cinema they will see it in the cinemas no matter if it is available to watch at home. With Transformers One and The Wild Robot opening over the next two weeks, it will drop down the charts.
Thirteenth weekends
2022’s Minions: The Rise of Gru dropped 17% £267,854 #6 536 screens and £45,446,556 of £45,764,546; #1 Ticket To Paradise £2,805,615
2017’s Despicable Me 3 dropped 23% £195,960 #8 410 screens and £46,717,650 of £47,562,575 #4 and £39,340,831; #1 Kingsman: The Golden Circle £8,525,664
2015’s Minions dropped 39% £86,223 #14 338 screens and £46,253,057 of £47,645,626: #1 Everest £3,160,154
2013’s Despicable Me 2 dropped 42% £220,262 #12 362 screens and £46,077,591 of £47,436,199: #1 Rush £1,336,449
2010’s Despicable Me took £19,670,786/£26,455,718 inflated after 11 weeks in the top 15.
59th biggest between Jurassic Park and Minions (close to Bridget Jones’s Baby, Shrek 2, Despicable Me 3 and Despicable Me 2) and 140th biggest inflated between Ice Age II and Toy Story (close to The Flintstones, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Babe and Crocodile Dundee II).
The 14 Illumination Entertainment films have taken £490m (£535m inflated) since the first Despicable Me opened in 2010; upcoming Super Mario Bros 2 April 2026, Minions 3 June 2027 and Despicable Me 5 in July 2028.
UK box office in detail
The weekend’s top 10 box office took £8,762,909 up 57.6% from last weekend’s £5,558,555: 1,106,428 admissions up 52.9% from 723,652 admissions.
35th biggest weekend of the last 52 weeks between 22 March 2024 #1 Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire £4,056,097 (45.91%) and 05 July 2024 #1 Inside Out 2 £5,127,182 (58.56%)
109th biggest since cinemas reopened out of 203 weeks between 22 March 2024 #1 Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire £4,056,097 (45.91%) and 05 July 2024 #1 Inside Out 2 £5,127,182 (58.56%)
767th biggest top 10 of the last 22 years (out of 1,174) between 11 April 2014 #1 Captain America: The Winter Soldier £1,782,201 (20.31%) and 05 July 2024 #1 Inside Out 2 £5,127,182 (58.56%) and 1,019th inflated between 23 April 2010 #1 Date Night £1,272,405 (19.44%) and 09 June 2006 #1 The Omen £2,096,002 (39.16%)
27 August 2021 #1 Free Guy £1,607,761 (29.62%) and 24 December 2004 #1 The Polar Express £688,859 (21.66%)
The top 3 took (£7,214,680)) 82.3% of the top 10; Joker: Folie A Deux 64.75% (£5,674,029); Beetlejuice Beetlejuice 12.92% (£1,132,437); Speak No Evil 4.66% (£408,214)
Year to date BO is 10% down from 2023. While September looks soft October has Joker: Folie à Deux and then November sees the release of Paddington in Peru, Gladiator 2, Wicked and Moana 2 far stronger than last year.
103rd highest #1 percentage (64.75%) between 18 November 2022 #1 Black Panther Wakanda Forever (805,019) and 22 April 2016 #1 The Jungle Book (64.54%)
458th biggest admissions #1 (716,418) between 26 July 2013 #1 I Am Legend (719,302) and 03 October 2003 #1 Bad Boys 2 (715,148)
Up 58.7% from 2023; (£5,519,804); The Exorcist: Believer (£1,677,878); The Great Escaper (£598,135); Blackberry (£117,263); #1 The Exorcist: Believer £1,677,878 1st week 554 screens (30.4% of top 10).
Up 27.2% 2022 (£6,887,976); The Woman King (£1,308,685); Amsterdam (£632,722); The Lost King (£368,753); Nothing Compares (£31,628); Vengeance (£29,052); Bram Stoker’s Dracula (30th Anniversary 4K Restoration) (£13,991); #1 Smile £1,715,678 2nd week 521 screens down 8% (24.91% of top 10)
Down 52.4% 2021 (£18,399,057); The Addams Family 2 (£2,009,785); #1 No Time To Die £15,235,947 2nd week (82.8% of top 10)
Up 232.7% 2020; (£2,633,473); Cats & Dogs: Paws Unite! (£456,532); The Elfkins (£131,374); On the Rocks (£93,821); David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (£92,052); #1 Tenet £628,247 6th week down 3% 542 screens (23.4% of top 10)
Down 53.4% 2019; (£18,790,335); Joker (£12,555,328); Judy (£2,086,969); Vampirina: Fang-Tastic Party (£74,628); #1 Joker £12,555,328 1st week 666 screens (66.8% of top 10).
Down 55.2% 2018: (£19,552,430); Venom (£8,031,342); Johnny English Strikes Again (£4,117,692); A Star is Born (£4,100,196); Aida – Met Opera 2018 (£302,179); Blindspotting (£28,231); #1 Venom £8,031,342 1st week 556 screens (41.1%)
Down 22.9% 2017: (£11,370,381); Blade Runner 2049 (£6,071,625); The Mountain Between Us (£777,646); Norma – Met Opera 2017 (£224,794); The Glass Castle (£49,425); #1 Blade Runner 2049 £6,071,625 1st week 634 screens (54.4% of the top 10)
Down 39.9% 2016: (£14,587,631); The Girl on the Train (£6,957,945); War on Everyone (£187,564); Tristan und Isolde – Met Opera 2016 (£178,283); My Scientology Movie (£106,720); Blood Father (£68,808); #1 The Girl on the Train £6,957,945 1st week 612 screens (47.7% of the top 10)
Down 22.8% 2015; (£11,352,036); The Martian (£6,531,734); The Intern (£758,713); Macbeth (£746,642); Il Trovatore – Met Opera 2015 (£234,387); Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ (£151,087); #1 The Martian £6,531,734 1st week 582 screens (57.5% of top 10)
Down 18.2% 2014: (£10,716,576); Gone Girl (£4,109,628); Dracula Untold (£1,713,283); Bang Bang (£602,193); Dolphin Tale 2 (£536,766); Life After Beth (£53,427); #1 Gone Girl £4,109,628 1st week 549 screens (33% drop (38.3% of top 10)
Up 47.9% 2013: (£5,923,584); Sunshine on Leith (£770,239); How I Live Now (£232,400); Thanks for Sharing (£188,906); The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology (£38,432); The to do List (£13,512); #1 Prisoners £1,107,641 2nd week 437 screens 19% drop (18.7% of top 10)
Down 34.5% 2012: (£13,375,585); Taken 2 (£7,378,048); Sinister (£1,435,722); The Perks of Being a Wallflower (£827,983); Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007 (£13,391); Sparkle (£15,911); #1 Taken 2 £7,378,048 1st week 506 screens (55.1% of top 10)
Down 23.9% 2011; (£11,517,788); Johnny English Reborn (£4,965,000); The Lion King 3D (£2,746,763); Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark (£495,734); Midnight in Paris (£495,709); Tyrannosaur (£81,790); #1 Johnny English Reborn £4,965,000 1st week 524 screens (43.1% of top 10)
Up 37.5% 2010: (£6,372,852); Buried (£820,631); Made in Dagenham (£674,059); Back to the Future (Re) (£461,194); Takers (£208,390); The Secret of Kells (£6,151); #1 The Other Guys £976,459 3rd week 427 screens 4% drop (15.3% of top 10)
Up 9.8% 2009; (£7,977,997); The Invention of Lying (£1,735,326); Toy Story 3D (£1,395,209); Pandorum (£346,097); #1 Fame £1,786,358 2nd week 460 screens (22.4% of top 10)
Up 39.8% 2008; (£6,269,596); How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (£1,154,607); Brideshead Revisited (£375,270); Fly Me to the Moon 3-D (£311,791); 88 Minutes (£92,761); #1 How to Lose Friends and Alienate People £1,154,607 1st week 451 screens (18.4% of top 10)
Up 54.1% 2007: (£5,687,298); The Heartbreak Kid (£1,236,288); The Kingdom (£919,537); Control (£252,426); And When Did You Last See Your Father (£133,347); Daywatch (£95,574); #1 The Heartbreak Kid £1,236,288 1st week 409 screens (21.7% of top 10)
Down 14.2% 2006; (£10,215,688); The Devil Wears Prada (£3,267,580); The Departed (£2,298,313); Accepted (£349,897); #1 The Devil Wears Prada £3,267,580 1st week 447 screens (31.9% of top 10)
Up 64.3% 2005: (£5,332,334); Serenity (£958,816); Oliver Twist (£692,494); Kinky Boots (£623,163); Night Watch (£271,857); Tara Road (£73,150); #1 Serenity £958,816 1st week 355 screens (18% of top 10)
Up 24.9% 2004; (£7,015,008); Bride and Prejudice (£1,667,616); Resident Evil: Apocalypse (£801,171); Man On Fire (£656,466); #1 Bride and Prejudice £1,667,616 1st week 376 screens (23.7% of top 10)
Up 2.6% 2003 (£8,536,497); Bad Boys 2 (£3,175,258); Down with Love (£599,047); Bright Young Things (£327,293); Finding Nemo (platform) (£152,793); #1 Bad Boys 2 £3,175,258 1st week 383 screens (37.2% of top 10)
Up 10.8% from 2002: (£7,906,650); Lilo & Stitch (£1,516,249); My Little Eye (£893,633); Boat Trip (£425,325); One Hour Photo (£420,500); Sweet Sixteen (£144,388); #1 Lilo & Stitch £1,516,249 1st week 280 screens (19.1% of top 10)
Up 60.3% from 2001 (£5,465,628); Amelie (£559,747); Driven (£144,591); Original Sin (£96,622); #1 Moulin Rouge £1,072,657 5th week #1 3rd week 397 screens 20% drop (19.6% of top 10)
2023 Next week: (£13,316,825); Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Concert) (£5,729,998); Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie (£3,348,155); Sumotherhood (£746,714); The Miracle Club (£276,379); Friday The 13th (1980) (Re: 2023) (£102,978); #1 Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Concert) £5,729,998 1st week 656 screens (43.03% of top 10)
UK Box Office News
September box office took £60.1m up 21% from September 2023. The 2024 box office is 10% down on 2023 levels.
Beetlejuice 2 took a third of the box office £21,646,238; #2 Speak No Evil £4,352,147; #3 Lee £3,140,418; #4 Prima Facie £2,579,426; #5 Deadpool & Wolverine £2,105,814; #6 It Ends With Us £2,093,288; #7 Despicable Me 4 £1,899,167; #8 The Substance £1,812,279; #9 Alien: Romulus £1,730,030; #10 The Critic £1,398,725.
October was expected to be strong after 2019’s Joker took £58m but Joker: Folie A Deux will take less than a quarter about £15m. Other major October releases include The Wild Robots, Smile 2, Transformers One and Venom: The Last Dance, but they are the calm before the storm in November with Paddington In Peru (the first two films took £38m and £42.6m), Gladiator 2, Wicked Part 1 and Moana 2.
US Box Office
- Joker: Folie à Deux – Warner Bros
Opened $37.8m; received mixed reviews (33% Rotten Tomatoes) and D CinemaScore (Joker B+)
Took $7m from Thursday midnights; Joker $13.3m; Beetlejuice Beetlejuice $13m; Wonder Woman $11m; Venom $10m; Logan $9.5m.
Joker had a budget of $55m while Joker: Folie à Deux’s budget was about $200m.
IMAX/PLF was 41%, and presales were 46%. Men 25+ 41%; 40% females 25+.
According to Movio presales for IMAX/PLF are 46% Vs 24% for Joker with 13% very frequent cinemagoers (26 trips to the cinema over the last 6 months).
According to Entelligence, 2.5m saw Joker: Folie à Deux compared to 3.3m for The Marvels (opened $46.11m taking $84.5m and $206.13m worldwide).
455th biggest opening between Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls and Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle (close to Get Smart, The Angry Birds Movie, Gone Girl and Red Dragon) last two films opened over the same weekend in 2014/2002)
IMAX took $10m $5m US and $5m international.
2019’s Joker opened $96.2m taking $335.47m and $1.078bn worldwide; ahead of the Venice Film Festival premiere Joker: Folie à Deux was expected to open $100m+, but as Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny premiering at the Cannes Film Festival last year buzz dropped off for Joker 2 after its premiere.
2023’s The Flash opened $55.04m taking $108.13m and $271.43m worldwide
2023’s The Marvels opened $46.11m taking $84.5m and $206.13m worldwide
2022’s Morbius opened $39m taking $73.86m and $167.46m worldwide
2019’s Birds of Prey opened $33.01m taking $84.17m and $205.53m worldwide
2019’s X-Men: Dark Phoenix opened $32.82m taking $65.84m and $252.44m worldwide
Warner Bros avoided marketing the musical aspects of the film as they did with Wonka and Paramount did with Mean Girls.
Francis Ford Coppola posted on Instagram “Ever since the wonderful The Hangover, he’s always been one step ahead of the audience never doing what they expect. Congratulations to Joker: Folie à Deux.”
Presales were much softer than Joker and its expected opening dropped off over the weeks that followed, days before opening Joker: Folie à Deux was expected to open between $55m-$60m similar to Dial of Destiny’s $60.36m; The Flash’s $55.04m.
The first film was originally conceived as a standalone film but after taking 1.078bn worldwide Todd Philips started development on a sequel. It’s a DC Elseworlds project outside of the DC Cinematic Universe. It was shot entirely in IMAX.
Joker: Folie à Deux Rotten Tomato score has been dropping off ahead of its opening was 63% a week ago and is now down to 33%. According to reports it had a Venice premiere to keep director Todd Philips happy who has generated $2.5bn for Warner Bros with The Hangover trilogy and Joker.
Could Warner Bros face similar issues next year with The Battle of Baktan Cross directed by Paul Thomas Anderson starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Regina Hall, Sean Penn, Alana Haim, Teyana Taylor, Wood Harris, and Benicio del Toro with an August release date could be looking at Cannes launch. It has a $140m budget his 9 films have taken $169.9m in the US and $317.69m worldwide.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s films receive critical acclaim but struggle to play to mainstream audiences, they play strongly on a platform as 2007’s There Will Be Blood $190,739 from 2 screens taking $40.22m and $76.18m worldwide. (his biggest film to date); 2021’s Licorice Pizza took $17.31m/$32.9m worldwide; 2017’s Phantom Thread $21.19m/$47.5m; 2014’s Inherent Vice $8.11m/$14.74m; 2012’s The Master $16.24m/$29.04m worldwide. As Christopher Nolan directed films they often come with requirements like 70mm for The Master while The Battle of Baktan Cross was shot on 35mm so will demand a film release alongside digital/IMAX; Christopher Nolan announced his next untitled film will be released on 17th July 2026.
They will also release Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Bride next September likely to premiere at Venice/Toronto. It’s the second film she has directed after 2021’s The Lost Daughter premiered at the Venice Film Festival before limited theatrical release and Netflix release. Netflix was going to make the film but dropped it after the strikes. The budget is $100m+ Maggie Gyllenhaal has talked about the “creative freedom” granted by Warner Bros bosses.
Warner Bros are also the studio that made a Batgirl film for $90m and dumped it while in post-production, made Salem’s Lot in 2021 and kept delaying its release, releasing it on Max last month and giving it a UK cinema release this week also cancelled Coyote vs. Acme and Scoob! Holiday Haunt for tax purposes, which makes you think of the play The Producers.
While negativity surrounded films like The Flash and The Marvels ahead of their release for months, it was all positive for Joker: Folie à Deux right up to its Venice Film Festival. It was reported Warner Bros cut back on its marketing spend close to release, after holding a glitzy World premiere in Venice the London and LA premieres were less glitzy.
In 2019 Joker dropped 41.9% in its second weekend $55.86m #1 and $193.59m; its second-weekend drop won’t be as severe as The Marvels 78.1% $10.12m as it had The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes opening #1 $44.6m or The Flash 72.5% $15.14m while Joker: Folie à Deux has expansion of Saturday Night.
Opened with $81.1m from 76 territories in 25,788 screens and $114.8m worldwide; UK $7.6m; Germany $5.7m; Italy $5.4m; Mexico $5.3m; France $4.8m; Brazil -$4.7m; S. Korea $3.7m; Australia $3.1m; Spain $3.1m; Joker opened with $152.2m internationally and $248.4m worldwide.
- The Wild Robot – Universal Pictures
Dropped 47% in the second weekend $18.98m #2 and $64.18m
Universal Pictures showed The Wild Robot at CinemaCon and world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, which has $78m budget Universal Pictures has been very enthusiastic about the film positioning it for award season. The trailer has had more than 300m views globally.
507th biggest second weekend between Ocean’s Eight and Glass (close to Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, TRON: Legacy, The Angry Birds Movie and Elemental).
164th biggest animated film between The Nut Job and Ice Age: Collision Course; 1,418 biggest between The Nut Job and Down to Earth; 2,609th biggest inflated between Rambo and About Last Night (2014); 24th biggest 2024 between The Beekeeper and Challengers; 132nd biggest animated film between The Nut Job and Ice Age: Collision Course; 199th biggest Universal Pictures between A Dog’s Purpose and Halloween Ends.
Second weekends
1999’s The Iron Giant dropped 34.6% $3.74m/$7.95m #10 and $12.54m/$26.62m of $23.31m/$49.47m worldwide
2008’s WALL-E dropped 48.5% $32.5m #2 and $127.19m of $223.8m and $527.4m worldwide
2014’s Big Hero 6 dropped 38.3% $34.66m #2 and $110.3m of $222.52m and $657.87m worldwide
Dreamworks Animations have taken $6.45bn in the US and $17.3bn worldwide.
Recent original Dreamworks Animations
2022’s The Bad Guys dropped 32.2% $16.23m #1 and $44.58m of $97.45m and $250.38m worldwide
2019’s Abominable dropped 42.2% $11.92m #2 and $37.75m of $60.71m and $188.62m worldwide
2017’s Captain Underpants dropped 48.9% $12.18m #3 and $44.44m of $73.92m and $125.42m WW
Took $13m from 36 territories $36.5m total and $100.4m worldwide.
- Beetlejuice Beetlejuice – Warner Bros
Dropped 37% in the fifth weekend $10.15m #3 and $265.33m.
1988’s Beetlejuice dropped 19.1% $5.01m/$13.2m #2 and $46.74m/122.61m of $74.66m/$195.83m inflated; had a $15m budget compared to $100m+ for the sequel.
129th biggest fifth weekend between Aquaman and Saving Private Ryan (close to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Greatest Showman, Despicable Me 2 and Twisters).
134th biggest between Twisters and Despicable Me 3; 407th biggest inflated between 48 Hrs. and Alien; 6th biggest 2024 between Twisters and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire; 5th biggest comedy between The Hangover and The Hangover Part II; 25th biggest Warner Bros between Gravity and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
Beetlejuice was the 10th biggest film in 1988; 1 Who Framed Roger Rabbit $156,45m; 2 Coming to America $128.15m; 3 Good Morning, Vietnam $122.23m; 4 Big $114.96m; 5 Crocodile Dundee II $109.3m; 6 Three Men and a Baby $90.52m; 7 Die Hard $83m; 8 Moonstruck $80.03m; 9 Cocktail $78,2m; 10 Beetlejuice $73.7m.
Tim Burton’s 20 films have taken $2.21bn in the US and $4.82bn worldwide.
Took $8.2m from 77 territories $137.1m total and $402.43m worldwide; UK $30m; Mexico $18.4m; France $13.1m; Australia $9m; Spain $8.4m.
356th biggest worldwide between Prometheus and Twilight; 7th biggest 2024 between Kung Fu Panda 4 and Bad Boys: Ride or Die; 17th biggest comedy between Rain Man and The Hangover 3; 69th biggest Warner Bros between Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore and Meg 2: The Trench.
- Transformers One – Paramount Pictures
Dropped 45% in the third weekend $6m #3 and $46m.
217th biggest animated film between Strange World and Treasure Planet; 2,379th biggest between Something Borrowed and Primary Colors; 3,700th biggest inflated between One Crazy Summer and Quick Change; 28th biggest 2024 between Trap and The Wild Robot; 291st biggest Paramount Pictures between Rugrats Go Wild and Crawl.
The seven live-action Transformers films have taken $1.7bn in the US and $5.3bn worldwide since 2007’s Transformers. Transformers One is the first animated film of the series since 1986’s The Transformers: The Movie (opened $1.77m taking $5.84m).
Third weekends
2007’s Transformers dropped 44.6% $20.51m #4 and $262.97m of $319.24m and $709.7m worldwide
2009’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen dropped 42.8% $24.21 #3 and $339.22m of $402.1m and $836.3m worldwide
2011’s Transformers: Dark of the Moon dropped 54.7% $21.32m #2 and $302.87m of $352.39m and $1.12bn worldwide
2014’s Transformers: Age of Extinction dropped 56% $16.3m #2 and $208.83m of $245.43m and $1.1bn worldwide
2017’s Transformers: The Last Knight dropped 62.2% $6.37m #5 and $118.91m of $130.16m and $605.42m worldwide
2018’s Bumblebee dropped 36.8% $13.2m #4 and $97.55m of $127.1m and $467.98m worldwide
2023’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts dropped 42.3% $11.75m #5 and $123.1m of $157.06m and $438.96m worldwide
Being rated PG Transformers One it was aimed at a much younger audience than the live-action films, but they haven’t seen any of the live-action Transformers films but were hoping audiences would come out to see it as they have done with the Spider-Man: Spider-Verse animated films.
Took $7.9m internationally from 61 territories and $49.8m and $97m worldwide; has a staggered international opening; China $18m; Australia $4.4m; Mexico $3m; S Korea $2.2m; Japan $2m.
- Speak No Evil – Universal Pictures
Down 35% in its fourth weekend $2.76m #5 and $32.55m
It’s the third James McAvoy Blumhouse Productions film after
2016’s Split dropped 34% $9.52m #4 and $112.49m of $138.29m and $278.45m worldwide
2019’s Glass dropped 34.2% $6.27m #5 and $98.33m of $111.04m and $246.9m worldwide
Recent Blumhouse Production films
2023’s Five Nights at Freddy’s dropped 60.5% $3.55m #5 and $132.67m of $137.27m and $297.14m worldwide
2022’s M3GAN dropped 35.5% $6.25m #5 and $82.16m of $95.15m and $180.08m worldwide
2021’s The Black Phone dropped 31% $5.37m #7 and $72.1m of $90.12m and $161.44m worldwide
Took $3.1m from 77 territories internationally $34.8m total and $67.4m worldwide.
- Saturday Night – Sony Pictures
Up 3.5% in the second weekend, $270,955 adding 16 screens to 21 screens and $629,204; it will expand wide the next week, many films perform strongly on platform opening but lose momentum when expanded when the films add screens far too quickly.
The film has generated strong buzz since its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival receiving positive reviews (79% Rotten Tomatoes). The big question is will it play internationally?
Also opened last weekend was the family film Monster Summer starring Mel Gibson and Lorraine Bracco opened $622k from 1,200 screens. Received mixed reviews (54% Rotten Tomatoes).
In 2006 after being arrested Hollywood said he would never work again but a decade later he returned to directing Oscar-nominated Hacksaw Ridge and then starred in the family film Daddy’s Home 2. Since then, there have been rumours Warner Bros wants him to star in Lethal Weapon 5. It’s shocking how Hollywood has welcomed him back, but they seem to have very short memories with some as seen by Roman Polanski getting a standing ovation in 2003 at the Oscars winning Best Director for The Pianist, having fled the US in 1978 after pleading guilty having sex with a minor.
UK Box Office Top 10
UK Box Office Preview
Joker: Folie A Deux will drop 60%+ taking £2m-£2.3m which will see Transformers One open with £3m+ over its four-day opening. This would see Transformers One open similar to Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts and Bumblebee without previews.
Being animated Transformers One will play to a similar audience as Bumblebee also rated PG rather than the other Transformers films rated 12A.
2007’s Transformers opened £8,718,561 taking £22,863,864/£36,084,158
2009’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen opened £8,349,739 taking £26,539,878/£38,882,873
2009’s Transformers: Dark Of The Moon opened £10,728,503 taking £27,862,654/£36,644,448
2011’s Transformers: Age Of Extinction opened £11,751,427 taking £19,074,771/£20,516,319
2014’s Transformers: The Last Knight opened £4,635,570 taking £9,540,299/£10,151,693
2018’s Bumblebee opened £5,103,382 taking £12,760,693/£14,086,250
2023’s Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts opened £2,973,478 taking £8,114,370
Also opening animated Buffalo Kids plays to preschoolers similar to Mummies last year opening £648,459 taking £2,736,767. Other 4 Cats animated films 2016’s Capture the Flag (opened £774,885 #7 taking £1,005,198); 2022’s TAD: The Lost Explorer opened £818,525 #2 taking £1,606,387 and 2018’s TAD: The Lost Explorer and The Secret of King Midas opened £302,312 #12.by
Also opening Terrifier 3, two weeks ago Terrifier & Terrifier 2 – Double Bill opened £91,215 #19 268 screens. The film terrified audiences at a preview screening last week, over a quiet weekend of new releases Terrifier 3 could open in the top 5 taking £300k+ and will overshadow the opening of Salem’s Lot Warner Bros are giving a cinema release two years after it was originally due for release and a month after being released on Max in the US.
In the US Terrifier 3 is expected to open up to $20m which could see it topple Joker: Folie A Deux after only one week.
Opening in three weeks
- Juror #2 – Warner Bros
Courtroom drama thriller starring Nicholas Hoult, Toni Collette, J. K. Simmons, Zoey Deutch and Kiefer Sutherland and directed by Clint Eastwood.
Has its world premiere at AFI Fest on October 27.
Nicholas Hoult and Toni Collette previously starred together in 2002’s About A Boy.
Juror #2 was expected to be Clint Eastwood’s last film he would direct (aged 94), but he is already working on another film. Clint Eastwood has been directing films for over 53 years (1971’s Play Misty For Me) received 11 Oscar nominations, four for Best Director with two wins (1992’s Unforgiven and 2004’s Million Dollar Baby).
Juror #2 is Clint Eastwood’s first directed film since 2021’s Cry Macho, his recent films have had mixed success at the box office 2015’s American Sniper opened £2,530,473 taking £13,424,242.
Warner Bros has made most of the films Clint Eastwood has acted and starred in taking almost $2bn in the US and $3.33bn worldwide for the 40 films he has directed and $1.81bn in the US and $2.44bn worldwide for his acting roles.
2011’s Hereafter opened £601,728 #7 274 screens taking £1,151,807
2012’s J. Edgar opened £413,210 #12 259 screens
2014’s Jersey Boys opened £415,608 #6 448 screens taking £1,325,962
2016’s Sully opened £1,786,844 taking £7,386,195
2018’s The 15:17 to Paris opened £290,577 #14 323 screens
2019’s The Mule opened £725,554 taking £1,421,554
2019’s Richard Jewell opened £158,868 #19 119 screens
2021’s Cry Macho opened £72,131 #15 341 screens
- Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story – Warner Bros
A documentary about the life of American actor Christopher Reeve directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui.
Warner Bros acquired world rights for $15m after premiering at the Sundance Film Festival receiving critical acclaim (100% Rotten Tomatoes).
- Heretic – Entertainment Film Distributors
Horror thriller film starring Hugh Grant, Sophie Thatcher, and Chloe East and directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods.
Had world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival receiving positive reviews (93% Rotten Tomatoes)
- Anora – Universal Pictures
Comedy-drama starring Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, and Vache Tovmasyan and directed by Sean Baker.
Premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival winning the Palme d’Or, the first American film to do so since The Tree of Life in 2011. Had a 10-minute standing ovation receiving critical acclaim (98% Rotten Tomatoes). Also screened at the Toronto and London Film Festivals.
Universal Pictures acquired international rights as they did with Sean Baker’s previous film 2022’s Red Rocket (opened £74,709 #12 168 screens.
It was acquired by Neon and became the fifth consecutive Palme d’Or winner distributed by Neon in the US after Parasite, Titane, Triangle of Sadness and Anatomy of a Fall.
- Small Things Like These – Lionsgate
Drama starring Cillian Murphy, Eileen Walsh, Michelle Fairley, Emily Watson, Clare Dunne, and Helen Behan and directed by Tim Mielants based on a 2021 novel by Claire Keegan.
Had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival receiving positive reviews (83% Rotten Tomatoes).
The film was financed by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s Artists Equity after Cillian Murphy met Matt Damon while working on Oppenheimer.