- Wonka – £2,227,606 – £56,192,556
Down 41.4% in the sixth weekend.
Wonka is the 12th film in 30 years to be #1 for 6 weeks+; previously Barbie £2,697,820 #1 6 weeks; previously Avatar: The Way of Water £2,789,760 #1 7 weeks; Spider-Man No Way Home £2,335,488 #1 weeks; Tenet #1 8 weeks in 2020 (£628,247); 2019’s Joker (£1,668,466) 2009’s Avatar (£4,338,774); 2000’s Gladiator (£613,491) #1 7 weeks 1998’s Titanic (£3,403,199) #1 13 weeks, 1997’s The Full Monty (£2,112,163) #1 13 weeks, 1996’s Independence Day (£968,780) #1 7 weeks, and 1994’s Four Weddings and a Funeral (£941,817) #1 7 weeks and 1993’s Jurassic Park (£1,581,161) #1 8 weeks.
Took £330k 14.8% (70.3% drop £1.13m) Friday; £1.11m 49.9% (27% drop £1.52m) Saturday and £784k 35.2% (30% drop £1.12m) Sunday.
10th biggest sixth weekend between Skyfall (£2,275,469) and Mamma Mia! (£2,208,482); biggest top 10 Avatar; Titanic; Paddington; Avatar: The Way of Water; Top Gun: Maverick; Toy Story 4; LOTR: Fellowship of the Rings; Spider-Man: No Way Home; Skyfall and Wonka; and 33rd biggest inflated between Babe (£984,078) and Star Wars: The Force Awakens (£1,997,507); biggest top 10 inflated Avatar; Titanic; LOTR: Fellowship of the Rings; The Full Monty; Jurassic Park; Crocodile Dundee; Mamma Mia!; Ghost; Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone and Paddington.
33rd biggest film in the UK between The Dark Knight Rises and Incredibles 2 (close to Dunkirk, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Casino Royale and Bohemian Rhapsody) and 74th biggest inflated between The Incredibles and Incredibles 2 (close to Notting Hill, Alice In Wonderland, Gladiator and The Greatest Showman).
7th biggest Warner Bros film between The Dark Knight Rises and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (close to Joker, Dunkirk, Fantastic Beasts and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1).
Wonka has currently taken 6.31x opening similar to Jerry Maguire, Pitch Perfect, 21 Jump Street, Nanny McPhee, Police Academy 3, Yesterday and Jumanji; Barbie was 5.16x; Top Gun Maverick 5.23x; Mary Poppins Returns 5.44x; Paddington 7.41x.
Wonka was playing in 739 cinemas and 1,125 screens.
David Heyman has had the Midas Touch this year producing two of Warner Bros biggest films Barbie and Wonka both shot at Leavesden Studios. He has had huge success with Warner Bros producing Harry Potter films, 11 of Warner Bros’s biggest 20 films in the UK are produced by him. He also developed Paddington at the studio for many years before they dropped the project and Studiocanal acquired it, and both films were critical and box office successes with a third film set for release next November.
Sixth weekends
2014’s Paddington up 11% £2,834,003 (Christmas) #3 and £30,818,050 from 584 screens 81.2% of £37,965,541; was #1 for 2 weeks; in the top 5 for 8 weeks and in the top 10 for 12 weeks; took £2m+ for 6 weeks and £1+ for 7 weeks.
2017’s Paddington 2 dropped 19% £1,357,273 and £31,365,641 #2 from 631 screens and £29,332,318 73.5% of £42,643,286; #1 for 3 weeks split over 5 weeks, opened #1, then dropped #2 for 2 weeks before returning #1 in early December; top 5 for 8 weeks and top 10 for 10 weeks; took £2m+ for 4 weeks and £1m+ for 9 weeks.
2022’s Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical up 81% £2,040,514 (Christmas) #3 and £20,816,984 726 screens 74.2% of £28,044,574
2005’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory dropped 40% £660,671 #3 and £35,046,490 93.8% of £37,354,584 (£64,081,749 inflated)
2009’s Fantastic Mr Fox dropped 51% £221,129 #11 and £8,582,765 92.7% of £9,260,892 (£13,755,148)
2016’s The BFG dropped 52% £332,704 #7 and £27,272,470 88.9% of £30,694,086
1990’s The Witches took £2,135,460 (£7,405,372 inflated) and 1996’s James And The Giant Peach £5,750,628 (£12,558,128 inflated); 1996’s Matilda took £10,227,163 (£22,333,913 inflated)
British audiences love seeing musicals even films that underwhelmed have performed stronger in the UK including most recently In The Heights taking 4x £1,073,687 opening and Cats (3.75x £3,207,471 opening). So, with the combination of a musical, a prequel of a beloved children’s film, Roald Dahl, similarities to Paddington and a strong British cast it was a no-brainer that Wonka was going to have long legs.
While many are now comparing Wonka to The Greatest Showman having overtaken its UK and global BO The Greatest Showman was very different few expected it to take a quarter of the BO it took Wonka was always expected to take £40m+ in the UK after the success of Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical last year and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 19 years ago.
Wonka could be compared to 2018’s Mary Poppins Returns dropped 40% by £998,726 #5 and £42,133,214 94.6% of £44,541,719.
2008’s Mamma Mia! Dropped 21% £2,208,482 #2 and £45,205,845 65.3% of £69,166,814; 2018’s Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! Dropped 24% £1,701,162 #2 and £58,748,746 89.6%of £65,603,758; while 2017’s The Greatest Showman up 8% £2,201,523 #1 and £23,226,869 46.8% of £49,592,940 and Barbie dropped 27% £1,944,777 #1 and £89,082,599 93.2% of £95,595,082
2 Poor Things £1,819,563 – NE
Includes £254,972 (14%) from previews, taking £1,564,591 Fri-Sun
Took £457k 25.1% Friday; £645k 35.4% Saturday and £463k 25.4% Sunday.
944th biggest opening between Yogi Bear and Shakespeare In Love (close to Slumdog Millionaire, True Grit, Inside Man and The Descendants) and 1,478th biggest inflated between 500 Days of Summer and Bad Neighbours 2 (close to Philomena, Chocolat, Misery and As Good As It Gets).
Opened in 587 cinemas 217th with the widest opening (similar to Evil Dead Rises and Bumblebee) between First Man, Finding Dory, Skyfall and Ant-Man and The Wasp). Taking £3,100 average per cinema 1,590th highest between The Nun 2 (587) and The Rocketeer (248) close to In the Name of the Father (138) Platoon (88), A Beautiful Mind (396) and Malice (436).
Yorgos Lanthimos’s previous films
2019’s The Favourite opened £3,973,975 including £1,775,372 previews) £2,198,603 (Fri-Sun) #2 538 screens taking £16,972,417; Poor Things is an 18 while The Favourite 15.
2017’s The Killing of a Sacred Deer opened £286,448 #10 from 100 screens taking £862,085
2015’s The Lobster opened £229,619 #9 from 75 screens taking £1,521,066
2009’s Dogtooth opened £26,149 from 16 screens taking £189,815
It had its world premiere at the 80th Venice Film Festival in September and its UK premiere at the London Film Festival in October receiving critical acclaim (92% Rotten Tomatoes) and has been nominated for 7 Golden Globe Awards, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
Emma Stone’s second film starring in Yorgos Lanthimos directed film after the Oscar-winning The Favourite and Poor Things will receive Oscar and BAFTA nominations later in the month.
Yorgos Lanthimos has already filmed his next also starring Emma Stone he made directly after completing Poor Things, Kinds of Kindness will also be released by Searchlight Pictures and will likely be released this time next year.
3 Anyone But You £1,246,921 – £5,369,706
Up 13.9% in the third weekend
Took £377k 30.2% (up 6.2% £355k) Friday; £532k 42.7% (up 24% £429k) Saturday and £338k 27.1% (up 8.7% £311k) Sunday.
465th biggest third between X-Men: Apocalypse and Split (close to Ghost, Wedding Crashers, Forrest Gump and Bend It Like Beckham) and 764th inflated between Early Man and Ant-Man (close to Legally Blonde, Dead Poets Society, Date Movie and Intolerable Cruelty).
24th biggest third-weekend rom-com between Wedding Crashers and Bend It Like Beckham (close to Four Weddings and a Funeral, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Run, Fat Boy, Run and It’s Complicated) and 64th biggest inflated between Shallow Hal and Date Movie (close to Sliding Doors, She’s All That, Yesterday and The Wedding Singer).
As with The Greatest Showman Anyone But You is a film that the audience enjoyed but critics didn’t, while a key part of a rom-com is the chemistry between the leads, Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell (Glen Powell also had it with Zoey Deutch starring in the 2018 Netflix rom-com Set It Up).
Romcoms historically had long legs as they took time to find their audience and were released close to tentpoles playing to the female audience famously with films like Sleepless in Seattle opening the week after Jurassic Park and My Best Friend’s Wedding opening the same weekend as Batman & Robin. While Batman and Robin opened with twice as much it stayed in the top 10 for 5 weeks and took $107.32m while My Best Friend’s Wedding took $127.12m.
Over recent years rom-coms have struggled to find an audience as studios moved into grossout rom-coms playing to a younger audience while Netflix and other streaming platforms found success with rom-coms. Predictably analysts made comparisons with The Greatest Showman but it has a long way to go to be comparable.
Will Gluck returns to his rom-com roots after directing Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway, Peter Rabbit and Annie.
2011’s Friends with Benefits dropped 37% £580,641 #6 and £5,309,886 of £6,241,762
2010’s Easy A took £773,795
Easy A is probably one of the best modern romcoms as it homages many 80s romcoms and John Hughes films whilst also being a modern-day retelling of A Scarlet Letter, it was also one of Emma Stone’s early leading roles, sadly it didn’t find its audience in cinemas.
Other recent rom-coms third weekend
2022’s Ticket To Paradise dropped 35% £861,172 #4 and £6,730,687 of £9,669,162
2023’s No Hard Feelings dropped 44% £348,815 #7 and £3,223,224 of £3,881,194
It has been seen as a sorta sequel to 1997’s My Best Friend’s Wedding dropped 38% by £471,145 (£922,610 inflated) taking £3,165,925 of £9,003,541 (£17,631,013 inflated) and 1999’s 10 Things I Hate About You took £2,809,751 (£5,319,172 inflated).
1,780th biggest between Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit and Astro Boy (close to Scent of a Woman, Nine Months, A Life Less Ordinary and The Prince of Tides) and 2,255th biggest inflated between The Forever Purge and The Flintstones In Viva Rock Vegas (close to Broadcast News, The Brady Bunch Movie, Fever Pitch and No Hard Feelings).
4 One Life £1,246,292 – £5,857,289
Down 62.7% (28% without previews) in its second weekend
Took £346k 27.8% (down 31.2% £503k) Friday; £567k 45.5% (24.9% drop £755k) Saturday; £333k 26.7% (28.5% drop £466k) Sunday.
821st biggest second weekend between Fury and Wanted (close to The Banshees Of Inisherin, Philadelphia, Victoria and Abdul and Sully: Miracle on the Hudson) and 1,354th inflated between Hostel and Crash (close to Misery, The Krays, LA Confidential and Enemy at the Gates).
31st biggest second weekend over the last 52 weeks between The Marvels and Transformers: Rise of the Beasts (close to Killers Of The Flower Moon, A Haunting In Venice, Anyone But You and The Creator)
One Life was released almost exactly 30 years after Schindler’s List took £14,150,675.
One Life performed as strongly during previews and the weekend taking similar box office as films targetting older audiences will often play stronger during the week rather than the weekend, it was different over the last week as most schools were still closed.
The marketing materials generated controversy after the synopsis used in some independent cinemas referred to the children saved by Nicholas Winton as Central European rather than Jewish. The term wasn’t used by filmmakers or Warner Bros and was likely been added by a third party on IMDB with independent cinemas using that synopsis rather than one supplied by Warner Bros.
Normally there is outrage when non-Jewish actors play Jewish roles as recently with Bradley Cooper playing Leonard Bernstein in the Netflix biopic, Maestro. But with One Life Sir Nicholas Winton’s family requested Sir Anthony Hopkins to be cast giving the film a much higher profile.
That said Anthony Hopkins starred in the coming drama Armageddon Time as a Jewish grandfather alongside Anne Hathaway and Jeremy Strong but despite premiering at the Cannes Film Festival and receiving positive reviews did not find an audience in cinemas.
- 5. The Beekeeper £938,303 – NE
Took £250k 26.1% Friday; £409k 42.8% Saturday and £262k 27.4% Sunday.
1,686th biggest opening between Transporter 3 and Philadelphia (close to Die Hard 2 Die Harder, Hitman: Agent 47, The Bank Job and Predator 2) and 2,191st inflated between Steel Magnolias and Long Shot (close to Thelma & Louise, The Hard Way, Absolute Power and The Living Daylights).
59th biggest opening in the last 52 weeks between Knock at the Cabin and Ruby Gillman (close to Plane, Grand Turismo, Godzilla Minus One and The Expendables 4).
Opened in 478 cinemas 680th wides similar to Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Green Lantern, Power Rangers, The Jungle Book 2, Hustlers, Long Shot and Dog and close to Rock of Ages and The Lost World: Jurassic Park; taking £2,001 average per screen 2,183th highest similar to Mighty Morphin Power Rangers (1995) and close to Shanghai Noon (371), Innerspace (217), Highlander (74) and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (239) showing these films are opening far too wide.
While many like to mock Jason Statham, his films are crowd pleasers The Transporter (opened £338,420 taking £623,493, The Mechanic opened £921,554 taking £2,445,760, Crank opened £450,141 taking £1,279,643 as well as The Expendables, The Meg and Fast & Furious ensemble franchises. Starting with Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in August 1998 with £941,638 taking £11,399,953.
Sky Cinema acquired UK rights in February 2023, but as with Ferrari (Black Bear), the film was given a full theatrical release by Studiocanal and then will be shown on Sky Cinema later in the year.
Sky Cinema started acquiring UK rights for films to premiere day and date Sky Cinema and cinemas with Monster Family, Anon, Hurricane Heist and Final Score in 2018 and has been acquiring higher-profile films over the last year including Ferrari, A Good Person, May December and Lee (premiered at Toronto Film Festival). The majority of films Sky Cinema acquires are shown the same day in cinemas and on Sky Cinema, this has seen major exhibitors refusing to book despite Sky Cinema being accessible to less than a quarter of the UK.
Also opened.
The Boys In The Boat – £270,297 #10 from 418 screens
Includes £19,180 previews.
Took £60k 23.9% Friday; £114k 45.4% Saturday and £78k 31.1% Sunday.
Opening in 418 screens 1,060th widest similar to Scary Movie 3, The Bourne Supremacy and Flight Plan.
Its soft box office performance is another nail in the coffin for these kinds of films being made by studios as they often struggle to find an audience in cinemas.
Other Depression-era sporting films include 2003’s Seabiscuit and 2005’s Cinderella Man and other films about the 1936 Olympics include 2014’s Unbroken and 2016’s Race.
The book was originally acquired in 2011 by the Weinstein Co. with Kenneth Branagh set to direct, in 2018 Lantern Entertainment acquired Weinstein’s assets and MGM acquired world rights.
It was George Clooney’s first directed film to have a theatrical release since
2017’s Suburbicon opened £231,412 #10 364 screens
2014’s The Monuments Men opened £1,616,625 #2 489 screens taking £ 6,132,299
2011’s The Ides of March opened £665,387 #8 213 screens taking £2,777,102
2008’s Leatherheads opened £474,780 #6 335 screens taking £933,067
2006’s Good Night and Good Luck opened £411,455 #7 139 screens taking £2,359,453
2003’s Confessions of a Dangerous Mind opened £356,623 #6 from 201 screens taking £1,038,201
George Clooney will be seen next on screen starring alongside Brad Pitt in Wolfe opening in September.
UK box office in detail
This weekend’s top 10 box office took ££9,374,860 down 41.7% from last weekend’s £16,079,436: 1,141,883 admissions down 29.3% from 1,615,125 admissions.
34th biggest weekend of the last 52 weeks between 27 January 2023 #1 Avatar: The Way of Water £2,116,615 (22.46%) and 01 December 2023 #1 Napoleon (£1,908,971)
76th biggest since cinemas reopened out of 165 weeks between 25 November 2022 #1 Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical (£4,135,418) and 21 May 2021 #1 Peter Rabbit 2 (£4,605,673)
675th biggest top 10 of the last 21 years (out of 1,137) between 25 November 2022 #1 Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical £4,135,418 (44.07% of top 10) and 07 September 2018 #1 The Nun £4,098,198 (43.73% of top 10) and 959th biggest inflated between 25 September 2009 #1 Fame £2,408,242 (34.35% of top 10) and 19 April 2013 #1 Olympus Has Fallen £2,247,900 (29.28% of top 10)
The top 3 took (£5,294,090) 56.56% of the top 10; Wonka 23.76% (£2,227,606); Poor Things 19.41% (£1,819,563); Anyone But You 13.3x% (£1,246,921).
906th highest #1 percentage (23.76%) between 08 October 2004 Bride and Prejudice (23.77%) and 26 September 2014 Billy Elliot The Musical Live 2014 (Theatre) (23.73%)
983rd biggest admissions #1 (279,499) between 07 March 2008 Vantage Point (279,738) and 29 June 2018 Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (277,268)
Down 24.8% from 2023; (£12,465,200); M3gan (£2,356,357); Empire Of Light (£1,721,921); Varisu (£648,230); Tar (£394,649); #1 Avatar: The Way of Water £4,172,161 5th week 659 screens down 29% (33.47% of top 10).
Up 11.1% from 2022 (£8,436,218); Scream (£2,468,510); #1 Spider-Man No Way Home £3,215,166 5th week 28% drop 679 screens (38.1% of top 10)
2021; Lockdown 2
Down 47.9% 2020 (£17,977,081); 1917 (£7,446,302); Wozzeck – Met Opera 2020 (£112,187); Seberg (£47,992); #1 1917 £7,446,302 1st week 683 screens (41.4% of top 10)
Down 29% from 2019: (£13,204,230); Stan and Ollie (£2,578,838); Colette (£788,432); The Upside (£681,422); Adriana Lecouvreur Met Opera 2019 (£184,460); The Front Runner (£87,699); #1 Stan and Ollie £2,578,838 1st week 654 screens (19.5% of top 10)
Down 44.4% from 2018; (£16,859,941); Darkest Hour (£4,058,356); Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (£2,361,782); Insidious: The Last Key (£1,840,992); Eric Clapton: A Life in 12 Bars (£183,051); #1 Darkest Hour £4,058,356 1st week 605 screens (24.1% of the top 10)
Down 33.3% from 2017: (£14,046,174); La La Land (£6,596,256); Manchester by the Sea (£729,478); Live by Night (£698,218); The Bye Bye Man (£535,492); Underworld: Blood Wars (£349,301); Sherlock: The Final Problem (£322,253); #1 La La Land £6,596,256 1st week 606 screens (47% of top 10)
Down 39.9% from 2016: (£15,591,252); The Revenant (£5,235,851); Creed (£2,221,758); Room (£674,033); #1 The Revenant £5,235,851 1st week 589 screens (33.6% of top 10)
Down 47.9% from 2015; (£18,016,196); Taken 3 (£6,714,530); Into the Woods (£2,476,409); Foxcatcher (£877,408); #1 Taken 3 £6,714,530 1st week 483 screens (37.2% of top 10)
Down 27.5% from 2014: (£12,936,654); 12 Years a Slave (£2,511,349); The Railway Man (£1,230,483); Delivery Man (£1,102,433); #1 12 Years a Slave £2,511,349 1st week 207 screens (19.4% of top 10)
Down 53.1% from 2013: (£19,963,299); Les Miserables (£8,127,991); Gangster Squad (£2,090,614); Texas Chainsaw 3D (£1,247,735); #1 Les Miserables £8,127,991 1st week 589 screens (40.7% of top 10)
Down 25.5% from 2012 (£12,582,954); War Horse (£3,944,746); The Darkest Hour (£740,773); Shame (£535,288); Margin Call (£131,982); #1 War Horse £3,944,746 1st week 491 screens (31.3% of top 10)
Down 25.1% from 2011 (£12,522,775); The Green Hornet (£1,878,905); Conviction (£279,016); Blue Valentine (£176,411); Henry’s Crime (£64,508); #1 The King’s Speech £4,401,926 2nd week 422 screens 25% increase (35.1% of top 10)
Down 37.1% from 2010: (£14,882,462); Up In The Air (£1,298,023); The Book Of Eli (£1,232,001); All About Steve (£275,083); 44 Inch Chest (£152,171); #1 Avatar £5,527,039 5th week 441 screens 16% increase (37.1% of top 10)
Down 22.1% from 2009; (£12,037,268); Seven Pounds (£1,565,949); My Bloody Valentine (£1,337,613); Beverly Hills Chihuahua (£1,028,983); The Wrestler (£802,046); #1 Slumdog Millionaire £2,630,820 2nd week 1st #1 330 screens 44% increase (21.8% of top 10)
Down 2.6% from 2008; (£9,618,777); Charlie Wilson’s War (£1,332,932); Dan in Real Life (£603,860); Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (£118,510); The Lady Vanishes (re) (£3,791); #1 I Am Legend £2,051,372 3rd week 465 screens 45% drop (21.3% of top 10)
Down 10.1% from 2007: (£10,426,402); The Pursuit of Happyness (£2,527,181); Smokin’ Aces (£1,023,862); The Last King of Scotland (£861,991); #1 The Pursuit of Happyness £2,527,181 1st week 402 screens (24.2% of top 10)
Down 8.7% from 2006; (£10,263,408); Jarhead (£1,927,987); Memoirs of a Geisha (£1,147,056); Breakfast on Pluto (£199,154); Cry Wolf (£196,093); #1 Jarhead £1,927,987 1st week 390 screens (18.7% of top 10)
Up 5% from 2005 (£8,932,279); Closer (£1,568,526); Team America: World Police (£1,526,329); Million Dollar Baby (£803,899); Vanity Fair (£204,693); #1 Closer £1,568,526 275 screens (17.5% of top 10)
Down 18.3% from 2004 (£11,474,178); The Last Samurai (£2,723,081); Lost in Translation (£797,071); #1 Lord of the Rings: Return of the King £3,713,999 4th week 43% drop 502 screens (32.4% of top 10)
Down 10.8% from 2003 (£10,505,144); Gangs of New York (£2,622,748); The Tuxedo (£1,080,504); The Good Girl (£114,235); City By The Sea (£77,936); #1 Lord of the Rings: Two Towers £3,728,876 4th week 35% drop 513 screens (35.5% of top 10)
Up 4.6% from 2002 (£8,962,263); Rat Race (£1,004,783); Domestic Disturbance (£402,837); Rock Star (£294,973); Soul Survivors (£200,178); Last Orders (£100,560) #1 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring £4,371,354 4th week 27% drop 482 screens (48.8% of top 10)
Next week: (£8,455,983); Babylon (£1,323,683); That Time I Got Reincarnated As A Slime The Movie: Scarlet Bond (£62,612); Alice, Darling (£4,749); #1 Avatar: The Way of Water £4,172,161 6th week down 33% 651 screens (33.47% of top 10)
UK BO 2023
On the same day, ComScore reported UK & Ireland BO for 2023 £1,062bn up 8.3% from last year (£980.51m), and UKCA reported UK BO £978.52m up 8.3% in 2022.
The Republic of Ireland was up 13%, Wales 10%, Northern Ireland up 9% with England and Scotland having the smallest increase of 8%. The Republic of Ireland regularly has higher growth than the rest of the UK. 1,013 films were released; the top 5 took 33% (£350m); the top 10 took 40.5% (£465m); the top 20 60% (£640m) and the top 50 8% (£900m).
Post-COVID the majority of weekends are down about a third from 2019 levels as seen with weekend BO over the last two weekends down on most years since 2002. Much has been said that there will be a return to pre-COVID levels in 2025 but there will be the same films opening in 2025 as in 2022, comic-book, Disney reimaginations, sequels and another Avatar sequel so why will UK admissions increase by 45m from 2023 to 2025 and BO return to £1.3bn?
US Box Office
There were 17 films over the 4-day weekend taking $1m+ compared with 10 last year but more money was taken last year with Avatar 2 and M3GAN taking a combined $61m Vs $51m for Mean Girls and The Beekeeper. There are few major releases now until Dune 2 in March some analysts crazily think it could open with $100m despite the first opening with $41m.
- Mean Girls – Paramount Pictures
Opened $28.63m; received positive reviews (72% Rotten Tomatoes) and B CinemaScore.
25% of the opening came from PLF screens.
Took $3.25m from Thursday midnights including fan previews on Wednesday; similar to Wonka’s $3.5m; Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again $3.4m; Don’t Worry Darling $3.1m.
668th biggest opening between Murder on the Orient Express and Titanic (close to Spy, Allegiant, Horrible Bosses and He’s Just Not That into You).
According to EntTelligence Mean Girls was seen by 2m over the weekend; women 75%; 34% 26–35-year-olds and 37%. Those under 25 were only 37%
2004’s Mean Girls opened $24.43m taking $85.05m and $130.12m worldwide; received A- and 84% Rotten Tomatoes.
Social media was measured to have 264m across X, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube below A Star Is Born 301m and ahead of Rocketman (113.5m) and The Color Purple (200m). You would have surely expected a far bigger opening, especially given the popularity of the original film in the last 20 years, but again industry has lowered expectations for the size of the opening.
As with Smile, it was originally due to be released on Paramount+ but after positive test scores Paramount decided to give it a theatrical release, it was also after the successful run of the musical based on the film running from 2018 to 2020, the run ended early due to COVID. It was expected to open in the UK in 2021 but its opening was delayed until June 2024 due to COVID.
Opened $6.5m from 16 territories Australia $2.3m; Mexico $1.7m; Brazil $590k; France $360k; Spain $330k; expands further internationally over the next few weeks.
- Wonka – Warner Bros
Down 40% in its fifth weekend taking $8.46m #3 and $176.28m
201st biggest fifth weekend between Gone Girl and Iron Man 3 (close to The Little Mermaid (2023), Monsters vs. Aliens, Maleficent and Happy Feet)
291st biggest between Men in Black 3 and Pretty Woman; 774th inflated between The Nightmare Before Christmas and La La Land; 11th biggest 2023 between Taylor Swift: Eras Tour and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny; 10th biggest musical between Grease and The Greatest Showman (overtaking Chicago, Mary Poppins Returns and Les Misérables); 53rd biggest Warner Bros between The Perfect Storm and The Lego Batman Movie.
Other Roald Dahl’s film adaptions fifth weekends
2005’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory dropped 32.4% $7.41m and $183.94m of $206.45m and $474.96m WW
2009’s Fantastic Mr Fox dropped 52.2% $1.39m and $16.25m of $21m and $46.47m WW
2016’s The BFG dropped 54.8% $458,064 and $52.14m of $55.48m and $195.24m WW
In the UK Wonka is performing similarly to Paddington
2015’s Paddington dropped 22.7% $4.03m and $62.22m of $76.27m and $282.43m WW
2017’s Paddington 2 dropped 60.3% $1.3m and $38.53m of $40.9m and $227.3m WW
2017’s The Greatest Showman dropped 14.3% $10.64m and $113.12m of $174.34m and $434.9m WW
2018’s Mary Poppins Returns dropped 31.9% $5.21m and $158.7m of $171.95m and $349.54m WW
2018’s Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again dropped 41.9% $3.4m and $111.22m of $120.63m and $395.04m WW.
Analysts are now comparing Wonka with The Greatest Showman, but they are very different films, buzz was strong for Wonka for 15 months after very positive reactions to test screenings in October 2022. Wonka entered Christmas as the only major release as little was expected from Aquaman 2 generating negativity for months. Wonka received very positive reviews in the UK, and momentum built from its strong UK opening before the US. After Charlie and the Chocolate Factory took $475m and Matilda was hugely successful in the UK and on Netflix last year a similar global BO to Charlie was surely the minimum expected.
It was very different to The Greatest Showman, had a little buzz going into its opening, received mixed reviews and after opening fourth behind The Last Jedi, Jumanji and Pitch Perfect 3 little was expected from it, but it became the people’s champion. While Wonka also benefited from IMAX/PLF and other surcharge cinema The Greatest Showman as Barbie In the summer against Oppenheimer didn’t have IMAX/PLF and was also booked into smaller screens.
Took $15.3m from 77 territories $330.8m total and $509.68m worldwide; UK $71.1m; France – $25.4m; Mexico $24.4m; Australia $21m; Germany $20.9m; Italy $15.2m; Japan $15.1m; Spain – $13.7m; Holland $11.9m; Brazil $8.6m; China $7.1m; Poland $6.9m.
238th worldwide between Toy Story 2 and Aladdin (1992); 11th biggest 2023 worldwide between Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part One and Elemental; 7th biggest musical worldwide between Mamma Mia! And Beauty and the Beast (1991) (overtaking Les Misérables $435.4m; La La Land $435.2m; The Greatest Showman $429.9m and close to 2005’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’s $474.96m worldwide; 39th biggest Warner Bros worldwide between Dunkirk and Sherlock Holmes.
Took $16.1m from IMAX worldwide.
- The Beekeeper – MGM
Opened $16.57m #2; received mixed reviews (68% Rotten Tomatoes) and B+ CinemaScore.
Had 1.3m admissions according to EntTelligence.
Took $2.4m from Thursday midnights; similar to Lucy $2.7m; Rampage $2.4m; Terminator: Dark Fate $2.35m; John Wick: Chapter 2 $2.2m
2002’s The Transporter opened $9.1m taking $25.29m and $43.92m worldwide
2006’s Crank opened $10.45m taking $27.83m and $42.93m worldwide
2011’s The Mechanic opened $11.42m taking $29.12m and $76.13 worldwide
Jason Statham’s films have taken over $635m in the US and over $1.80bn worldwide.
Opened $20.4m from 49 territories and $37.2m worldwide including $8.1m from IMAX; China $4.4m; Germany $2.8m; Australia $1.4m; Mexico $1.3m; UK $1.2m; Ukraine $919k; Italy $780k; Spain $729k.
- Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom – Warner Bros
Dropped 50% in the fourth weekend $5.25m #6 and $108.21m
984th biggest fourth weekend between Coraline and The Horse Whisperer (close to X-Men: Apocalypse, Fast X, Daredevil and Blade).
691st biggest between The 40-Year-old Virgin and Crocodile Dundee 2; 1,506th biggest inflated between Romeo Must Die and Running Scared; 21st biggest 2023 between Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem and Scream VI; 80th biggest comic-book between Ghost Rider and Superman II; 109th biggest Warner Bros between Creed and A Time to Kill.
Fourth weekends
2018’s dropped 44% $17.35m and $287.94m of $335.06m and $1.51bn WW
2023’s The Flash dropped 56.7% $2.26m and $105.21m of $108.13m and $270.63m WW
2023’s Blue Beetle dropped 46.3% $3.82m and $63.74m of $72.48m and $129.28m WW
2023’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods dropped 66.1% $1.56m and $56.56m of $57.63m and $133.83m WW.
2019’s Shazam! Dropped 66.1% $5.58m and $131.21m of $140.37m and $365.97m WW.
DC Extended Universe took $2.76bn in the US and $7.06bn worldwide.
Took $16.6m from 78 territories and $268.4m and $377.73m WW; China $57.5m; Mexico $19.6m; France $16.8m; Germany $14.4m; Brazil $12.4m; UK $11.4m; Australia $11.2m; Indonesia $10.4m; S. Korea $6.9m; Italy $6.1m; Spain $5.8m; Taiwan $5.8m.
IMAX took $32.8m globally.
383rd biggest worldwide between Taken 2 and Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood; 20th biggest 2023 between Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes; 62nd biggest comic-book between Black Widow and Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse 3D; 72nd biggest Warner Bros between Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Mad Max: Fury Road.
- Migration – Universal Pictures
Down 38% in the fourth weekend $6.23m #5 and $85.79m
774th biggest fourth weekend between Mystic River and 2 Fast 2 Furious close to Pete’s Dragon, Christopher Robin, The Lost City and The Wedding Singer).
130th biggest animation between The Emperor’s New Groove and The Nightmare Before Christmas; 938th biggest between Starsky & Hutch and Along Came Polly; 1,877th inflated between Starman and Cannonball Run II; 28th biggest 2023 between The Equalizer 3 and The Nun II; 134th biggest Universal Pictures between Waterworld and Along Came Polly.
Fourth weekends
2022’s Puss in Boots: The Last Wish up 6.8% $14.46m and $107.43m of $185,53m and $481.07m worldwide
2021’s Sing 2 dropped 31.2% $7.98m and $119.07m of $162.72m and $408.4m
The 13 Illumination Entertainment films have taken $3.78bn in the US and $9.54bn worldwide.
Took $8.9m from 73 territories $87.36m total and $175.47m worldwide; Germany $13.5m; France $9.8m; Mexico $7.5m; Australia $7m; Spain $4m having staggered international release and original Illumination animated film hard to compare with any other animated films.
155th biggest animation worldwide between Flushed Away and Meet the Robinsons; 1,056th worldwide between The Descendants and Identity Thief; 137th biggest Universal Pictures between Cowboys and Aliens and Identity Thief.
- The Book of Clarence – Sony Pictures
Opened $2.55m #10; received mixed reviews (71% Rotten Tomatoes) and B CinemaScore.
Took $285,000 from Thursday midnights.
A very disappointing opening for the faith-based comedy, with a $40m budget and $20m marketing it is unlikely to turn a profit that said as Legendary Pictures financed the film and Sony just distributed it they won’t be hit that badly. As with other faith-based films, it’s unlikely to travel well internationally.
- Anyone But You – Sony Pictures
Down 27% in its fourth weekend $7.12m #4 taking $55.36m
Fourth weekends
1996’s One Fine Day dropped 44.5% $3.44m and $37.3m of $46.15m
627th biggest fourth weekend between Vanilla Sky and Ghostbusters: Afterlife (close to Click, Horrible Bosses, Notting Hill and Mean Girls (2004).
1,611th biggest between Saw V and A Civil Action; 2,806th biggest inflated between The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and Monster’s Ball; 45th biggest 2023 between Shazam! Fury of the Gods and AIR; 69th biggest rom-com between Midnight in Paris and Just Married (close to Love Actually, Shall We Dance?, Friends with Benefits and Never Been Kissed); 217th biggest Sony Pictures between Escape Room and Once Upon a Time in Mexico.
Most recent rom-coms
2023’s No Hard Feelings dropped 39.3% $3.28m and $46.57m of $50.45m and $87.25m worldwide
2022’s Ticket to Paradise dropped 31% $5.9m and $56.31m of $68.27m and $168.76m worldwide.
It’s been called a sorta sequel to 1997’s My Best Friend’s Wedding dropped 23.1% $8.32m and $83.5m of $127.12m and $299.28m worldwide) as it features Dermot Mulroney and Rachel Griffiths as parents of Sydney Sweeney (aged 26). The film has been compared to Much Ado About Nothing and 1999’s 10 Things I Hate About You dropped 27.2% $2.71m and $28.77m of $38.17m and $53.47m worldwide.
Will Gluck’s earlier films took $380m in the US and $890m worldwide.
2009’s Fired Up dropped 33.6% $1.64m and $15.43m of $17.23m and $18.6m worldwide
2010’s Easy A dropped 36.4% $4.28m and $48.22m of $58.4m and $76.2m worldwide
2011’s Friends with Benefits dropped 60.6% $1.84m and $53.07m of $55.8m and $146.59m worldwide
2014’s Annie dropped 57.8% $4.75m and $79.26m of $85.91m and $139.82m worldwide
2018’s Peter Rabbit took $115.23m and $346.72m worldwide and 2021’s Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway $40.5m and $150.97m worldwide
Took $5.1m from 23 territories total $22.78m and $79.51m worldwide; UK $6.9m and Australia $8.9m.
2,183rd biggest worldwide between Revolutionary Road and Nights in Rodanthe; 75th biggest 2023 between The Boogeyman and The Pope’s Exorcist; 103rd biggest rom-com between Did You Hear About the Morgans? And Serendipity; 270th biggest Sony Pictures between Finding Forrester and The Other Boleyn Girl.
UK Box Office Top 10
UK Box Office Preview
The original Mean Girls opened 20 years ago with £1,393,494 #3 from 364 screens taking £5,411,323 over the years since its popularity has grown, research in 2019 found the Machiavellian-like plot popular with adolescents as adolescents place a lot of emphasis on popularity and they are keenly aware of the difference between being liked and being popular. Similarly, films like Heathers and most recently Saltburn are also popular.
Will this version of Mean Girls be as popular as the original film if the stage musical doesn’t open in London until June, as Wonka trailers haven’t featured music from the stage show?
Opening Wednesday has a 5-day opening so will open with £2m+
Poor Things will likely hold #2 with a strong second weekend hold down 25%-30% taking £1.3m-£1.5m with Wonka dropping another 40%+ in its seventh weekend taking a similar box office.
With Anyone but You and One Life holding well in fourth and fifth and The Holdovers likely to open similar to 2005’s Sideways opened £349,642 #8 72 screens taking £2,676,546. Being a Christmas-themed film despite receiving positive reviews it’s unlikely to find a wide audience.
The box office is going to be soft for the next two weeks until Migration and Argylle open in two weeks the first weekend of February as it builds up for half-term.
Opening in two weeks
- The Iron Claw – Lionsgate
The biographical sports drama starring Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Maura Tierney, Holt McCallany, and Lily James and directed by Sean Durkin, is based on the life of professional wrestler Kevin Von Erich.
Received positive reviews named one of the top 10 films of 2023 by the National Board of Review and took $24m in the US.
- Peppa’s Cinema Party – Trafalgar
The follow-up to 2017’s Peppa Pig: My First Cinema Experience celebrating the 20th anniversary of Peppa Pig. It includes 10 new episodes of Peppa Pig including a three-part Wedding Party Special.
2017’s Peppa Pig: My First Cinema Experience opened £1,050,962 #3 from 531 screens taking £3,719,305
2019’s Peppa Pig: Festival of Fun opened £982,617 #5 from 506 screens taking £2,874,901
2015’s Peppa Pig: The Golden Boots opened £687,417 #6 from 370 screens taking £2,336,860
Cinemas are charging reduced prices for the 70-minute film playing over the half-term week with adults and children £5 at Odeon/Cineworld and £3.99 at Vue.
As Peppa Pig targets 4–6-year-olds, seeing these specials in the cinema is probably the first cinema experience for many children and 70 minutes is about as long as they will sit still in the cinema. That said going to My First Cinema Experience in 2017 was still too long for many children so an interval would be good.
- Origin – Black Bear
Biographical drama starring Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor as Wilkerson, Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Audra McDonald, Niecy Nash-Betts, Nick Offerman, and Blair Underwood and directed by Ava DuVernay, based on the book Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson.
Premiered at the Venice Film Festival receiving positive reviews and had a limited release in the US in December