- Spider-Man: Brand New Day £1,635,798 – £96,295,304
Dropped 41.3% in its sixth weekend.
£307k 18.8% (-58.1% 732k) Fri; £710k 43.4% (-34.9% £1.09m); £618k 37.8% (£954k -35.2%) Sun
34th biggest sixth weekend between LOTR: Two Towers and Jurassic Park (close to Joker, Oppenheimer, LOTR: Return of the King and Die Another Day) and 79th biggest sixth weekend between Oppenheimer and Finding Dory (close to Moulin Rouge, Casino Royale, Ocean’s 11, and Despicable Me 2).
Sony Picture’s CEO Tom Rothman said in an interview this week the reason why Brand-New Day connected so strongly with audiences around the world was not because it was a comic-book film but because it is about a lonely guy,”… “It’s about friendship. It is very human. It is very emotional. It has got plenty of whiz-bang, but that is not what the secret is. The secret is it’s a relatable story that almost everybody has related to.” Rothman added that it is “not so much a superhero film, but a ‘super-person’ film.”
He also said that the success of The Odyssey, Obsession and Toy Story 5 was clear evidence that audiences will turn out at the multiplexes for the right properties.
Much has been made about how successful the summer has been but its going to be hard to repeat having five films Spider-Man Brand New Day, The Odyssey, Obsession and Toy Story 5, which are so different but also so similar.
It is the Breakfast Club; they see Spider-Man as a superhero film, The Odyssey as an epic, Obsession as a horror film, and Toy Story 5 as a franchise entry. But that is not what they are. They are human stories that happened to be dressed up in familiar genres. The industry will learn the wrong lessons because it is easier to define films by their labels than to understand their humanity.
Barbie 2 faces the exact same trap as The Lego Movie 2. The first film was a singular event that captured the cultural zeitgeist. A sequel even if it eventually gets made, will likely suffer the same fate: diminishing returns, higher expectations, and a studio wondering why lightning did not strike twice.
I said similar six weeks ago “Spider-Man is not just a hero; he is a symbol of resilience. He is the everyman who, through courage and determination, overcame impossible odds. That is why he is so huge in the US. He reminds them of how they moved on with their lives 25 years ago. He was that all-American regular boy who was able to do it. And that is why they embrace him far more than any other MCU or DC character, because they all think they could be Spider-Man.
Also said similar about The Odyssey, Obsession and Toy Story 5, as these are films that play beyond their target audience, The Odyssey is a cultural phenomenon as with Oppenheimer they become Field of Dreams films, people come “”It’s only twenty dollars per person.” They will pass over the money without even thinking about it. For it is money they have and peace they lack”. Obsession had similarities with Brand New Day as was two things a horror and about toxic masculinity, while Toy Story 5 like all other Pixar films is about nostalgia, Toy Story especially as it has three generations.
8th biggest between Avatar and Avengers: Endgame (close to Spectre, Barbie, Top Gun: Maverick and Star Wars: The Last Jedi) and 29th biggest inflated between Harry Potter and Deathly Hallows Part 2 and Crocodile Dundee (close to The Spy Who Loved Me, Toy Story 3, Casino Royale, and Superman (1978)
Sony/Marvel will surely announced Spider-Man 5 as part of Phase Seven for release July 2029/30; Spider-Man will appear in Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Sony Pictures will release Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse year, Sony Pictures have no plans for any more Spider-Man spinoff films.
- 2. The Odyssey £1,530,041 – £82,810,143
Dropped 36.4% in its eighth weekend.
£406k 26.5% (-32% £597k) Fri; £591k 38.6% (£950k -37.8%) Sat; £533k 34.8% (£852k -37.4%) Sun
9th biggest eighth weekend between Toy Story 4 and Mamma Mia! (close to The Full Monty, Slumdog Millionaire, Avatar: The Way of Water and Despicable Me 4) and 19th biggest inflated eighth weekend between Babe and Chicago! (close to Casino Royale, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Gladiator and Top Gun).
After taking more than Brand New Day would have expected The Odyssey to have topped the weekend as it would have helped the most from cinemas that were not part of NCD including BFI IMAX, Vue Manchester and the Science Museum all having sold out shows across the weekend. So, IMAX cinemas across the UK also charged £6 on NCD.
After The Odyssey and Brand-New Day have been the top two for the last six week as with Barbie and Oppenheimer and Joker, they are likely to drop down the top 10 next weekend and be out of the two ten within two weeks, as the films opening over the next three weeks will lessen their legs. As it was surprising to see how quickly Barbie, Oppenheimer and Joker dropped out of the top 10 after dropping from the spots they held for many weeks.
Barbenheimer
2023’s Oppenheimer dropped 50% £483,102 #6 and £56,392,838 96.4% of £58.5m Oppenheimer remained in the top five for seven weeks and the top ten for ten weeks.
The Odyssey is expected to have a 100-day theatrical window, followed by PVOD in November and Sky Cinema in April 2027.
In the US over 50% of its sixth weekend was from IMAX and it must be similar in the UK with the 70mm IMAX cinemas taking about 10% of the weekend box office, this is why The Odyssey is having such small drops week after week and will continue so until it loses IMAX screens while it will take higher and higher percentage from IMAX. IMAX must have taken at least 20% of its total BO probably much higher as in the US its close to 30%.
11th biggest between Top Gun: Maverick and Star Wars: The Last Jedi (close to Avatar, Avengers: Endgame, Titanic, and Avatar: The Way of Water) and 39th biggest inflated between Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (close to Shrek 2, The Lion King (2019), Bridget Jones’s Diary and Toy Story 2).
- 3. Insidious: Out Of The Further £757,954 – £6,485,737
Dropped 43.7% in its third weekend.
£228k 30.1% (-44.1% 408k) Fri; £290k 38.3% (-43.4% £512k) Sat; £240k 31.7% (-43.4% £424k) Sun
916th biggest third weekend between Jumper and Knocked Up (close to Paranormal Activity, Arachnophobia, Civil War and The Proposal) and 1,263rd biggest inflated third weekend between Mona Lisa Smile and M3gan (close to Lethal Weapon, Children Of Men, Dawn Of The Dead and Side Effects).
As with the last film and the first two films Insidious: Out Of The Further held far stronger than many other horrors, it was of course helped by being the only horror on release, the wide range of films and the lack of competition.
2023’s Insidious: The Red Door dropped 64.7% £535,268 and £6,537,978 83.2% of £7,858,051
2011’s Insidious dropped 26.7% £963,963/£1,274,149 and £5,520,636 78.5% of £7,035,245
2013’s Insidious 2 dropped 46.8% £572,554/£702,321 and £6,023,282 86.1% of £6,996,519
2015’s Insidious Chapter 3 dropped 58.2% £289,492/£321,613 and £3,536,345 91.3% of £3,874,112
2018’s Insidious: The Last Key dropped 50.7% £505,604/£560,926 and £4,582,081 90.9% of £5,040,84
With Resident Evil opening next weekend Insidious: Out Of The Further will drop down the chart.
- 4. Toy Story 5 £418,332 – £58,216,759
Down 12.6% in its twelfth weekend
Returned into the top five due to National Cinema Weekend, showing again people will see a film they want to see in the cinema no matter if its available to watch a home.
Minions & Monsters also had a small drop in its tenth weekend, family films often perform strongly over National Cinema Day, and these two films audiences interested audiences far more than seeing Cars: 20th Anniversary that was released for National Cinema Weekend.
With schools returning last week, it is also a slow time for children’s films why summer films often see an encore bounce over the first weekend of September as its normally the weekend with the fewest wide releases, there were many re-releases but few that were likely to find a wide audience.
- 5. The End Of Oak Street £354,613 – £6,903,607
Down 46.2% in its fourth weekend
It’s surprising after receiving mixed reviews The End Of Oak Street has lasted so long in the top 10 but its more likely due to the poor performances of many films that have opened since, as the film is quite generic, the only saving grace for the film is Anne Hathaway’s performance, making the film more enjoyable than it should be.
Also opened
The Death Of Robin Hood -True Brit
Opened £316,129 #7 from 465 screens (including £70,651 previews)
The Incomer – Universal Pictures
Opened £125,521 #19 from 258 screens.
Gail Daughtry And The Celebrity Sex Pass – Sony Pictures
Opened £7,458 #59 from 101 screens.
There were many other re-releases for National Cinema Weekend including.
Cars: 20th Anniversary £263,289 #11 494 screens
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (35th Anniversary Reissue) #15 £178,509 from 445 screens
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (40th Anniversary 4K Re-Issue) #27 £46,734 299 screens
All showing that most people saw National Cinema Weekend as a chance to see The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day again, this is the problem having it over a dead weekend as cinemagoers are not interested in the other films. This is of course the problem with National Cinema Day while its popular to cinemagoers it feels like its being forced upon exhibitors and studios.
It should have been seen as a thank you to cinemagoers for coming back so strongly too cinemas this weekend and have one on us, that was of course how it was originally conceived in 1996.
While there were 500 cinemas that took part in National Cinema Weekend there were 300+ that did not and then they included BFI IMAX and Vue Manchester 70mm IMAX of The Odyssey, so industry would say it had over 1m admissions but how much box office for the weekend wasn’t part of National Cinema Weekend, so it just becomes a way to inflate admissions.
—
2026 BO is currently up 22% from 2025.
The weekend’s top 10 box office took £6,232,728 down 45% from last weekend’s £11,335,669, 982,848 admissions, down 45% from 1,415,190 admissions (regular average not NCD £4)
51st biggest weekend of the last 52 weeks between 07 November 2025 #1 Predator: Badlands £2,376,779 (37.24%) and 10 October 2025 #1 Tron: Ares £1,790,651 (29.16%)
250th biggest since cinemas reopened out of 303 weeks between 20 May 2022 #1 Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness £2,968,358 (47.54%) and 02 December 2022 #1 Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical £2,531,782 (40.64%)
1,134th biggest top 10 of the last 25 years (out of 1,273) between 30 August 2002 #1 Insomnia £1,159,754 (18.60%) and 02 December 2022 #1 Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical £2,531,782 (40.64%) and 1,225th biggest inflated between 02 September 2022 (NCD) Minions: The Rise Of Gru £1,056,163 (18.84%) and 27 August 2021 #1 Free Guy £1,607,761 (29.62%)
The top 3 took £3,923,793 (62.9%) of the top 10; Spider-Man: Brand New Day 26.2% (£1,635,798; The Odyssey 24.5% (£1,530,041; Insidious: Out Of The Further 12.16% (£757,954)
923rd biggest percentage share #1 (26.25%) between 04 September 2009 #1 District 9 £2,288,378 (26.29%) and 07 January 2011 #1 The King’s Speech £3,523,102 (26.23%)
1,192nd biggest admissions (204,219) between 24 September 2021 #1 Shangi-Chi £1,558,002 (207,181) and 26 August 2016 #1 Finding Dory £1,510,744 (203,879)
Down 40.4% from 2025; (£10,456,946); The Conjuring: Last Rites (£6,777,552); – NT Live 2025 (£188,706); Honey Don’t! (£168,964); Jumanji (30th Anniversary) (£42,501); #1 The Conjuring: Last Rites £6,777,552 1st week 609 screens (64.81% of top 10).
Down 45.3% from 2024; (£11,405,575); Beetlejuice 2 (£7,352,760); The Greatest Of All Time (£768,842); Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge Of The Sith RE (£159,314); Firebrand (£119,952); blur: Live At Wembley Stadium (£81,680); Spider-Man: Homecoming RE (£70,800); The Third Man (75th Anniversary Reissue) (£18,602); Batman Forever (Re: 2024) (£21,104); #1 Beetlejuice 2 £7,352,760 1st week 714 screens (64.47% of top 10).
Down 6.4% from 2023; (£6,660,831); The Nun 2 (£1,743,903); Jawan (£1,346,689); Past Lives (£515,509); My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 (£411,191); School Of Rock (20th Anniversary) (£16,300); #1 The Nun 2 £1,743,903 1st week 561 screens (26.18%)
Up 24.4% 2022 (£5,007,757); See How They Run (£1,163,484); Tad the Lost Explorer and the Curse of the Mummy (£818,525); Jaws (Re: 2022) (£524,233); Brahmastra Part 1: Shiva (£516,943); Bodies Bodies Bodies (£351,159); #1 See How They Run £1,163,484 1st week 690 screens (23.2% of top 10)
Down 3.9% 2021 (£6,488,144); Respect (£424,514); Malignant (£409,299); Copshop (£198,225); #1 Shangi-Chi £3,583,848 2nd week 38% drop 653 screens (55.2% of top 10)
Up 66.3% 2020; (£3,746,637); The New Mutants (£686,407); After We Collided (£65,797); Les Misérables (£48,090); #1 Tenet £2,151,490 2nd week down 60% 613 screens (57.42% of top 10)
Down 47.9% 2019; (£11,975,243); It: Chapter Two (£7,368,586); #1 It: Chapter Two £7,368,586 1st week 652 screens (61.5% of the top 10)
Down 35.5% 2018: (£9,386,760); The Nun (£4,098,198); American Animals (£347,486); The Miseducation of Cameron Post (£142,996); Puzzle (£23,565); Final Score (£9,945); #1 The Nun £4,098,198 1st week 548 screens (43.6% of top 10)
Down 55.5% 2017: (£13,995,695); It (£10,002,443); Wind River (£437,899); Poster Boys (£24,964); #1 It £10,002,443 1st week 606 screens (71.4% of the top 10)
Down 16% 2016: (£7,420,952); Ben-Hur (£1,047,800); Do not Breathe (£1,028,938); Kubo and the Two Strings (£844,027); Hell, or High Water (£552,230); Captain Fantastic (£280,614); Anthropoid (£227,591); #1 Sausage Party £1,219,972 2nd week 55% drop 533 screens (16.4% of the top 10)
Up 15.6% 2015; (£5,392,011); No Escape (£637,630); Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (£431,726); The Transporter Refuelled (£352,278); American Ultra (£347,401); Ricki and the Flash (£220,032); Dope (£39,787); #1 Straight Outta Compton £1,366,741 2nd week 456 screens (25.3% of top 10)
Down 8.5% 2014: (£6,808,576); Sex Tape (£1,431,058); Before I Go to Sleep (£790,271); The Hundred-foot Journey (£694,875); The Guest (£313,003); They Came Together (£21,951); Island of Lemurs: Madagascar (£3,341); #1 Sex Tape £1,431,058 1st week 440 screens (21.1% of top 10)
Down 21.5% 2013: (£7,942,235); About Time (£1,761,079); Riddick (£1,415,141); #1 About Time £1,761,079 1st week 556 screens (22.2% of top 10)
Up 0.6% 2012: (£6,196,846); Dredd (£1,049,345); Lawless (£973,234); Anna Karenina (£875,702); That is My Boy (£254,621); #1 Dredd £1,049,345 1st week 415 screens (16.9% of top 10)
Down 27.7% 2011; (£8,618,765); Friends with Benefits (£1,947,272); Jane Eyre (£1,012,111); Colombiana (£424,049); Troll Hunter (£200,607); #1 The Inbetweeners Movie £2,147,393 4th week 475 screens 42% drop (24.9% of top 10)
Down 5.7% 2010: (£6,609,071); Resident Evil: Afterlife (£1,690,655); Tamara Drewe (£615,553); Going the Distance (£436,361); Cyrus (£429,687); The Runaways (£59,443); #1 Resident Evil: Afterlife £1,690,655 1st week 361 screens (25.6% of top 10)
Down 28.4% 2009; (£8,704,321); District 9 (£2,288,378); 500 Days of Summer (£1,242,631); #1 District 9 £2,288,378 1st week 447 screens (26.3% of top 10)
Down 30.2% 2008; (£8,929,646); Rocknrolla (£1,565,439); The Duchess (£1,402,200); Disaster Movie (£925,655(; Bangkok Dangerous (£307,420); #1 Rocknrolla £1,565,439 1st week 362 screens (17.53% of top 10)
Down 11% 2007:(£7,003,476); Run, Fat Boy, Run (£2,010,250); Atonement (£1,634,065); Rise of the Footsoldier (£85,903); #1 Run, Fat Boy, Run £2,010,250 1st week 413 screens (28.7% of top 10)
Up 62.8% 2006; (£3,829,476); Right at your Door (£441,548); Little Miss Sunshine (£349,810); Pulse (£210,409); Beerfest (£208,782); Snow Cake (£23,944); #1 You, Me, and Depree £746,602 3rd week 410 screens 36% drop (19.5% of top 10)
Up 5.9% 2005: (£5,883,345); The Longest Yard (£1,255,334); Cinderella Man (£614,346); Green Street (£446,369); The Man (£329,233); #1 The Longest Yard £1,255,334 1st week 379 screens (21.3% of top 10)
Down 2.5% 2004; (£6,394,789); The Terminal (£1,451,168); Hellboy (£1,058,375); Stage Beauty (£128,035); #1 The Terminal £1,451,168 1st week 436 screens (22.7% of top 10)
Up 19% 2003 (£5,237,796); Blackball (£376,233); Camp (£245,183); #1 The Pirates of the Caribbean 5th week (3rd #1 over 5 weeks) £1,542,745 456 screens 24% drop (29.4% of top 10)
Down 1.2% from 2002: (£6,305,370); The Bourne Identity (£2,150,511); Importance of Being Earnest (£554,413); Once Upon A Time In The Midlands (£129,920); #1 The Bourne Identity £2,150,511 1st week 419 screens (34.1% of top 10)
Down 16.6% from 2001 (£7,473,347); Moulin Rouge (£2,403,378); Scary Movie 2 (£1,553,796); #1 Moulin Rouge £2,403,378 1st week 284 screens (32.1% of top 10)
Next week: 2025 (£13,715,898); Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (£4,390,303); Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba Infinity Castle (£3,464,393); The Long Walk (£1,156,220); Spinal Tap II: The End Continues (£215,115); #1 Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale £4,390,303 1st week 751 screens 32.01% of top 10).
Summer 2026 BO
Much has been made of the US summer 2026 being the biggest ever topping earlier highest 2013, but it is impossible to compare, as average ticket price in 2013 $8.13 was compared to average price 2026 according to EntTelligence was $13.46 which is 66% more.
The gap of course widens as that’s just standard ticket price as IMAX/PLF is a third more, while real prices much more with many IMAX cinemas costing $30m+. As 40% of the BO is from IMAX/PLF and much higher for films like The Odyssey its impossible to make any direct comparisons despite of course the industry reaction to summer 2026 being the biggest ever a sign that audiences have returned after COVID.
But as research by the New York Times has shown BO might be up admissions are down as Spider-Man: Brand New Day is getting close to topping Star Wars: The Force Awakens in the US to be the biggest film in the US, but it has sold more than a third fewer tickets, 75m compared to 108m whilst 1997’s Titanic sold 137m almost double the amount of tickets of Brand New Day.
In reality the different is far greater as the New York Times used average ticket price for Titanic $4.5-$5 and rand New Day $12 but as seen with EntTelligence that is close to standard prices, for IMAX people have been paying close to three times as much $30+.
The other issue is that the top 3 this summer took 42% of the summer BO and top 6 almost 60% compared to top 3 in 2013 22% and top 6 almost 40%, as audiences have become very selective in the films they see in cinemas, so they see the predictable Spider-Man: Brand New Day, The Odyssey, Toy Story 5 and Micheal and will see Avengers: Doomsday at the end of the year but they won’t see many more. This was much different in 2013 and previous years when audiences were willing to take risks on maybes, now when they choose films to see in the cinema, they have to be sure things.
The other thing that was hidden was this summer was seven days longer than 2013, 130 vs 123; while its $4.76bn would be $6.8bn inflation adjusted, before factoring IMAX/PLF and other premium formats which would push it closer to $10bn.
Its similarly the case in the UK where 2026 summer was the biggest ever taking £527.8m from summer 2019’s £491.9m despite 11% ticket inflation, UKCA average in 2019 was £7.22 and last year was £8.01.
August 2026 BO was £119.2m, up 67% from August 2025’s £71.3m; but despite this admissions were probably only slightly more than 2023, while it was below 2019, 2018, 2016 and 2014 as August has been historically a string month in the US far stronger than in the US as August has been historically a strong month for British films, the admissions in August 2014 was due to The Inbetweeners 2. (Netflix have just announced a third film, could it get a UK cinema release next year?)
August 2026 top 10
1 Spider-Man: Brand New Day £41.6m
2 The Odyssey £25m
3 The End Of Oak Street £6.5m
4 Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie £5.8m
5 Insidious: Out Of The Further £5.7m
6 Toy Story 5 £4.6m
7 Minions & Monsters £3.9m
8 Moana £2.9m
9 Tony £1.7m
10 The Dog Stars £1.6m
Biggest 2026 films to date
Year-to-date top 10, 2026
1 Spider-Man: Brand New Day £94.7m
2 The Odyssey £81.3m
3 Toy Story 5 £57.8m
4 Michael £53.2m
5 The Super Mario Galaxy Movie £38.6m
6 Project Hail Mary £34.7m
7 The Devil Wears Prada 2 £34.3m
8 Wuthering Heights £25.3m
9 The Housemaid £23.5m
10 Obsession £19.9m
There will probably be one more £50m+ film this year Avengers: Doomsday in December, there are a lot of films between now and then, its hard to see many of them taking over £20m.
US Box Office
- Spider-Man: Brand New Day — Sony Pictures
Dropped 19% in its sixth weekend $18.17m and $917.94m
11th biggest sixth weekend between Zootopia 2 and Black Panther (close to Wicked, The Odyssey, The Sixth Sense and Paranormal Activity).
Took $53.2m from IMAX worldwide total from the US, China, Japan, and South Korea
3rd biggest film worldwide between Avengers: Endgame and Avatar: The Way of Water (close to Titanic, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Avengers: Infinity War and Spider-Man: No Way Home).
While these films look like they are massive box office successes, they must be put it into perspective seen by 5th biggest film worldwide Ne Zha 2 taking $2.27bn from China alone as it shows that these films should be taking $5bn+ now as the industry is still comparing success with Titanic taking $2.26bn in 1997 now would be $6bn+.
Spider-Man and Avengers sixth weekends
2021’s Spider-Man No Way Home dropped 30.3% $14m and $720.89m of $814.86m and $1.91bn worldwide
2019’s Avengers Endgame dropped 53.3% $8.03m and $815.72m of $858.37m
International
Brand New Day took $26.1m from 24,300 screens in 67 territories taking $1.485bn total international and $2.4bn WW; France $74.3m; Germany $57.5m; China $230.8m; UK $130m; Mexico $89.8m; France $84.8m; Brazil $73m; Germany $66.5m; South Korea $64.3m; India $62m; Australia $59.2m; Spain $44.4m; Italy $43.6m; Japan $34.5m.
- The Odyssey – Universal Pictures
Dropped 9% in its eighth weekend $13.09m and $584.87m.
6h biggest eighth weekend between Frozen and Home Alone (close to Top Gun: Maverick, La La Land, Avatar: The Way of Water and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial).
Premium-format impact
EntTelligence said average ticket prices for Odyssey were general $15.32; 70MM $22.46 and 70MM IMAX $27.77
70mm IMAX has taken $66m worldwide from 41 cinemas averaging $1.6m per cinema; IMAX has taken over $457m worldwide.
Took $22.2m worldwide from IMAX; $6.2m US and $16.4m international and $486m total; for the last two weeks almost 50% of its BO has come from IMAX in the US; will play in IMAX cinemas until September 24.
Internationally
The Odyssey took $32.9m from 84 territories $988.8m total and $1.627bn worldwide UK $111.2m; China $98.4m; Korea $80m; France $86m; Germany $52.2m; Italy $59.8m; Australia $44.3m; playing in 441 IMAX cinemas including seven 70mm IMAX internationally.
UK Box Office Top 10
Box Office Preview
After six weeks of the top 10 with Spider-Man: Brand New Day #1 and The Odyssey #2 could see a new top three with these two down to fourth and fifth.
Warner will be hoping it could connect with female audiences as The Devil Wears Prada 2 did earlier in the year but the original film wasn’t as beloved by audiences and wasn’t a huge hit in 1999 in the UK, so more likely to be similar to 2025’s Freakier Friday which similarly had the three generations of the female characters.
Set 25 years after the first film as with all other legacy sequels features the children of the lead characters in the original film.
1999’s Practical Magic opened £1,001,536/£1,905,535 from 284 screens taking £2,987,705/£5,684,446
This was similar to 2003’s Freaky Friday opening £1,214,559/£2,191,130 taking £6,393,998/£11,535,118.
2025’s Freakier Friday opened £1,758,698 taking £8,192,283
The first six months of the year was very strong for films targetting female audiences and September should see a return with Practical Magic 2 and Sense And Sensibility will likely be the biggest films of September.
Sandra Bullock starring in The Lost City and Ocean’s Eight over the last 13 years since the massive success of Gravity. When Practical Magic opened in 1999 Sandra Bullock had recently starred in several disappointing films including In Love and War, Speed 2: Cruise Control and Hope Floats. After Practical Magic came one of her biggest hits Miss Congeniality.
Nicole Kidman has starred in Babygirl, Aquaman and the Lost City and Bombshell but as with Sandra Bullock has sadly been a long time since she had a big box office hit in the cinema so their decision to star in Practical Magic 2 was probably similar to Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway agreeing to finally making Devil Wears Prada 2 for Hollywood to see them as leading actors again.
The trailer felt like it was made by paint by numbers, we need all the stereotypical elements, we must show that they are still as they were 25 years ago, then their children turn up, having done something crazy, then their grand mums turn up and make things worse, and then they fix the mess and end the film with a dance. There is the argument. There is the kids. There is the meddling grandma. There is the dance, you have seen this before so many times in Hocus Pocus 2, Freakier Friday, Coming 2 America, and many others. So, it was no surprise the film has received poor reviews saying that it did not match the charm of the original, especially having embargo ending almost two weeks after having its London premiere.
Practical Magic 2 was tracking in the US to open $40m+ but after receiving mixed reviews it will surely open lower than expected and between £2m-£3m in the UK.
War drama Pressure based on David Haig 2014 stage play tells the story about the build up of D Day predicting the weather, as it would have a massive impact if they could land soldiers in France, the problem was the weather changes dramatically and there was a battle of wills between the UK and US weather experts. The US were going by historical data, while the British understood how the weather could change suddenly.
The film has been expanded to make it cinematic, while the play was probably much more intense and claustrophobic set in a room.
It was surprising that a British film opened in the US in May ahead of the UK and Europe were oy would play stronger and would have then had a premiere at the Venice Film Festival and built the momentum and media coverage from that.
It is being sold as from the producers of 2018’s Darkest Hour (open £4,058,356/£4,502,414 taking £24,112,875/£26,751,264, but its unlikely it will open anywhere nearly as strong even over five days.
Opening third documentary Oasis: Do Not Look Back In Anger directed by Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern; had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and UK premiere days after receiving positive reviews, but its likely to pay strictly to fans.
In 2021 Oasis Knebworth 1996 documentary opened £344,833 #4 from 435 screens
And 2024 blur: Live At Wembley Stadium opened £81,680 #13 319 screens.
The Odyssey will likely drop to fourth ahead of Spider-Man: Brand New Day, both likely to drop similar, The Odyssey shares many IMAX cinemas with Oasis: Do Not Look Back In Anger
Shaun The Sheep: The Beast Of Mossy Bottom has weekend previews this weekend ahead of its opening next weekend which will be added to its opening weekend that will make it much closer between it Resident Evil next weekend.
Coming Soon
- Heart Of The Beast – Paramount Pictures
Survival thriller starring Brad Pitt and Uber the dog, directed by David Ayer. The script was on the 2017 Black List.
This is a project with serious pedigree. David Ayer (who had his ups and downs) was attached to direct in 2024, and a year later, Brad Pitt was signed to star and produce via his Plan B company. Paramount bought it through their first-look deal with Damien Chazelle’s production company. It also has a world premiere at the San Sebastián Film Festival, suggesting it is aiming for quality over a straight commercial release.
The challenge? The “man and his dog” survival genre is a crowded field. We have seen variations in I Am Legend, The Call of the Wild, White Fang, Alpha, and Dog. The question is whether this film can bring something new to the table or if it is just banking on Pitt’s star power and a recognizable trope to find an audience.
Director David Ayer had mixed success Fury also starring Brad Pitt and then Suicide Squad more recent genre action films The Beekeeper and A Working Man. Its Brad Pitt’s first acting role since 2024’s F1 also starring in a standalone sequel and spin-off to 2019’s Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, The Further Misadventures of Cliff Booth directed by David Fincher and written by Quentin Tarantino opening in November.
If it was on the 2017 Black List, why did it take until 2024 to get the film into development?
- Sense And Sensibility – Universal Pictures
Romantic drama starring Daisy Edgar-Jones, Esmé Creed-Miles, Caitríona Balfe, Frank Dillane, George MacKay, and Fiona Shaw and directed by Georgia Oakley, based on the novel by Jane Austen.
Opens 30 years after the beloved Ang Lee film was released opened £629,152/£1,362,029 from 102 screens taking £13,605,627/£29,454,344; opened the same weekend in the UK as Casino and Trainspotting. The film had incredibly long legs taking 21.6x its opening having a very long theatrical release, nominated for 11 BAFTAs and 7 Oscars winning three BAFTAs wining Best Film, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress.
There were many Jane Austen adaptions in the 90s from the period setting Sense And Sensibility to the modern day setting Clueless.
Studios have been remaking classic novels for decades and after the huge success of 2019’s Little Women rebooting 1995’s version and 2020’s Emms rebooting with a feminine twist the 1996 version and of course this year Wuthering Heights reimagination. It was no surprise they would turn to Sense And Sensibility as its surely no different to Disney making live-action reimaginations of their animated films they are introducing these classics to a new generation.
As with Wuthering Heights, Sense And Sensibility is another classic child first read at school studying English Language, and it is a way for them to embrace the characters as they imaged them as they read the books. As its similar to 30 years ago when they watched Colin Firth as Mr Darcy in Emma TV series and Helen Fielding created Bridget Jones’s Diary as fan fiction and that became a cultural phenomime for over 25 years with her books selling millions of copies and the four films being massive global success.
The problem is it will of course be compared to the 1996 version as that was so successful critically, at the box office and winning awards, if the 2026 version does not do similar it will be like so many others just a pointless reimagination, as it has to improve on previous versions.
That said it does depend on your perspective as to me the 90s versions of Emma and Little Women are vastly better than their recent versions, but its similar to Star Wars films I prefer the originals growing up in the 70s and 80s but different generations liked the prequels and others preferred Disney’s. So, it is just about bringing these classics to a net generation who would not watch the older versions as they do not have actors they know or recognise.
2019’s Little Women opened £3,578,877 (including £847,467 previews) taking £21,283,939
1995’s Little Women opened one-week platform £37,326 and then #1 with £423,563/£974,925 taking £3,143,960/£7,236,529
- Avengers: Endgame Encore – Walt Disney
Re-release of the 2019 film with added footage ahead of the release of Avengers Doomsday I December, it also launches Disney’s Infinity Vision a spite format created by Disney after they did not get IMAX screens. Disney just expected Warner Bros to move Dune Part 3 when they moved Doomsday in June 2025 from May to December, but Warner Bros had locked in three weeks of IMAX screens for Dune Part 3 in May 2024. Warner could not move Due Part 3 at risk of angering both the director Denis Villeneuve and Legendary Pictures who produced the film. As premium formats have become very lucrative Disney had t create their own.
Avengers: Endgame Encore has four minutes of extra footage than the original version that sets up Doomsday. They have also tweaked the dialogue and have different scenes depending on the format, so those seeing it in Infinity Vision will see a slightly different 4 minutes than those watching it in standard, while it will be released in IMAX while Doomsday will not be released in IMAX for the first three weeks.
Its similar to what Disney did in 2022 re-releasing Avatar for a week ahead of the release of Avatar: The Way of Water opening £1,218,692#3 from 525 screens behind Ticket To Paradise and Don’t Worry Darling
Disney also re-released Avatar: The Way Of Water in October opening £254,394 #10 from 418 screen ahead of the release of Avatar: Fire And Ash