- American Made £1,067,075 – NE
Having the lowest #1 in the UK in 2017 and the lowest since Prisoners in October 2013 and with no major released this weekend could be lower next weekend. While there is some excuse for lowest box office in the US since 2001 the same couldn’t be said for the UK with James Bond Vs Ethan Hunt faceoff should have expected both to create some heat seen both films perform strongly in the UK but instead they cannibalized each other; Ethan Hunt Vs James Bond should have been as exciting as Mayweather Vs. McGregor but both were hype no substance.
Only £63,968 stopped American Made to become Tom Cruise’s worst ever opening in the UK as it squeezed past 2012’s Rock of Ages £1,003,107 which is his worst opening in the UK. But of course, ticket inflation is 19.6% since and American Made is the type of action film he has had massive success in the past while Stacee Jaxx was completely different to anything he had previously done before. I was one of a few that really enjoyed Rock of Ages maybe I really enjoy those classic rocks 80s tunes with the Tom Cruise and Malin Akerman I Want to Know What Love Is one of my favorite scenes. It was a very non-Tom Cruise role which he has rarely done in the last 15 years apart from Les Grossman what was great with that role is people watched it not knowing it was him there were rumors it was but no one thought it could be him.
American Made is Tom Cruise’s second film with director Doug Liman 2014’s Edge of Tomorrow was well received critically but similarly to American Made opened internationally early due to the World Cup but was overshadowed by Maleficent opening against it and X-Men: Days of Future Past which opened a week before; Edge of Tomorrow opened with £1.85m but held strongly over the weeks after its release taking £7.75m; Comparisons could be made with Wonder Woman this summer despite getting strong buzz and great reviews opening was hurt by horrific non-film events but as with Edge of Tomorrow held strongly in the weeks after opening but the damage was already done.
As Daniel Craig with James Bond Tom Cruise has had little success away from Mission Impossible films since War of the Worlds in 2005 which is very disappointing. When he tried something different Rock of Ages or Jack Reacher it failed to match the success of previous films Oblivion looks great but was disappointing while Edge of Tomorrow was a fantastic film but due to poor dating it disappointed at the box office but despite this Tom Cruise and Doug Liman are still planning a sequel. Mission Impossible Rogue Nation followed which was a similarly sized hit as previous Mission Impossible films with a similar plot to Captain America: Winter Soldier opened a few months earlier and Spectre opened a few months after. The Mummy was a strange choice for him trying but it was Mission Impossible with Mummy’s was much hope that American Made could be the film that could relaunch Tom Cruise as the world’s biggest movie star instead that will be left to two sequels Mission Impossible 6 and Top Gun: Maverick opening 33 years after the original so similar to Bladerunner 2049 the teens who saw the original in the cinemas will now be in their 50s will the teens today be as interested the same question is aimed at Blade Runner 2049 but that’s a sequel to a flop despite being called a masterpiece since.
Many compared American Made with films like 1990’s Air America and 2002’s Catch Me If You Can. opened with £3,720,957 taking £14,622,101 but plot wise it is also close to the underrated 2014 Kill the Messenger a very underrated film which Universal Pictures also poorly handled giving it strange limited wide release in the US and dumping it in the UK opening with £57,666 from 115 screens.
A few months ago, when I saw American Made on Launching Films website thought it was a mistake as I thought Universal Pictures wouldn’t be so crazy to open a film in the UK over 5 weeks before its US opening there must be a reason for it. One possible reason was it was a decision made by Cross Creek Pictures who co-produced the film previous made Rush and Legend both were also released earlier in the UK but they were because they were based on British subjects or people.
Studios never learn unless your lead actor has a British accent or is a Marvel superhero don’t open your film internationally early as always hurts its still far more important US box office. Earlier this year saw this with Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and Alien: Covenant, while GOTG2 opened far bigger than the first film, was expected to open bigger than its $146.5m and hold better than it did. While Alien: Covenant received mixed reviews in the UK and that saw it open to almost half of Prometheus but that did also benefit from being released in 3D which Alien: Covenant didn’t. Alien: Covenant ended up taking almost half Prometheus took and had 20th Century Fox questioning the future of the franchise. 20th Century Fox didn’t learn from similar early international release last year for X-Men: Apocalypse which saw it open to less than half Deadpool opened with a few months before.
Ever since 20th Century Fox delayed Kingsman: The Golden Circle it was in trouble opening sandwiched between it Blade Runner 2049but after American Made poor international debut its likely to be dead on arrival and likely to open close to last year’s Jack Reacher: Never Go Back $22.87m.
Universal Pictures had a massive clue with the film’s title about how they should release the film first but if they were still going to do so you must have a UK premiere but American Made was Tim Cruise’s first film to open in the UK since 1993 with The Firm not to have a UK premiere. The Mummy was due to have one but was cancelled days before after the tragic events at the end of Ariana Grande concert in Manchester in May. While the film disappointed at the box office the media coverage it and Wonder Woman affected both films box office performance as both films campaigns were leading up to their climax with the UK premiere. Tom Cruise still did interviews and TV interviews the media coverage it would have received would have been far more as with Wonder Woman. While UK premieres don’t receive the same media coverage as they did 10+ years ago a Tom Cruise premiere is always a major event as he spends so much time meeting the fans remember when I was at 20th Century Fox Minority Report UK premiere was delayed almost an hour because he wanted to spend time talking with his fans. So many other premieres the talent gets out of the car waves a bit to fans and then spends time just doing interviews but the fans who often travel around the world camped out in Leicester Sq. only get a fleeting glimpse of their hero.
While August is often a waste ground the weekend before school’s return can be very lucrative at the UK box office. Looking back at this weekend over the last 16 years shows how disappointing this weekend was American Made had the lowest #1 for the final weekend in August since before 2001 with films including Grown Ups and The Guru both shockingly bad films but they still managed to open bigger.
In 2016 Finding Dory £1,510,744, Bad Moms £1,471,466, Suicide Squad £1,272,331.
In 2015 Straight Outta Compton £2,498,231 and Inside Out £1,199,103
In 2014 Lucy £3,076,997, The Inbetweeners 2 £2,366,161, Guardians of the Galaxy £1,259,998, Into the Storm £1,147,657.
In 2013 Elysium £3,127,005, We’re The Millers £1,508,326, Planes £1,165,315, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones £1,143,385.
In 2012 Brave took £2,371,691 Ted £1,692,883 9both in their fourth weekends) The Bourne Legacy £1,596,289, The Dark Knight Rises £1,378,717, Keith Lemon: The Movie £1,196,310
In 2011 The Inbetweeners Movie £5,696,848, One Day £2,208,724, Rise of the Planet of the Apes £1,659,572, The Smurfs £1,478,650 and Final Destination 5 £1,450,464.
In 2010 Grown Ups £2,006,945, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World £1,604,545, Toy Story 3 £1,499,524 and The Expendables £1,311,381.
In 2009 The Final Destination £3,633,395 and Inglourious Basterds £1,276,012
In 2008 Hellboy 2: The Golden Army £2,969,602, Mamma Mia! £1,837,577, Get Smart £1,542,005 and The Dark Knight £1,454,847
In 2007 The Bourne Ultimatum £2,864,804 and Knocked Up £1,583,998
In 2006 You, Me and Depree £1,636,249
In 2005 The Dukes of Hazzard £1,720,754 and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory £ 1,116,172
In 2004 Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story £2,200,271, The Village £1,570,369 and The Bourne Supremacy £1,089,750.
In 2003 American Pie: The Wedding £2,180,783, The Pirates of the Caribbean £2,091,524 and Tomb Raider 2 £1,524,676
In 2002 The Guru £1,521,984
In 2001 Planet of the Apes £ 2,364,945 and Cats and Dogs £1,073,361
- Dunkirk – £998,531 – £51,679,746
Down 48.7% in its sixth weekend overtake Christopher Nolan’s 2008’s The Dark Knight £48.68m and will now just squeeze past 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises £56.24m;
Became the 25th highest grossing film in the UK and will climb into the top 20 films by next weekend replacing Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
But of course, these films were released over 5 years ago their admissions tell a different story with when Dunkirk does overtake The Dark Knight Rises would have done it with 7,391,590 admissions 21% less than The Dark Knight 9,362,532 and 16% less than The Dark Knight Rises 8,830,070. As Dunkirk admissions are calculated using UK Cinema Association/BFI claimed average for the year rather than the real average of £10.50 if this was used Inception would have taken £62.32m, The Dark Knight Rises £92.71m, and The Dark Knight £98.3m.
Saving Private Ryan took £675,992 in its sixth weekend in October 1998 taking £15,149,037 going on to take £18,740,016 (4.604m admissions); can’t make direct comparisons with Dunkirk as benefited from opening during summer holidays and average ticket prices almost three times what they were in 1998 (£4.07) along with the 40 IMAX screens. By comparing admissions Saving Private Ryan would have taken £22.75m on its way to £35.04m if using the claimed £7.61 average from UK Cinema Association and BFI. But as the average for Dunkirk with IMAX surcharges is nearer £12.50 would be £37.37m going on to take £57,55m which will be close to the final box office for Dunkirk.
Dunkirk Will have a special screening at the Toronto Film Festival to celebrate IMAX 50th anniversary. Which will help it relaunch the film for award season against the many other Oscar contenders that will also be screened during the festival? Dunkirk is the current favourite but with so many potential award contenders still to be released including Steven Spielberg’s The Post, Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread (already announced as Daniel Day Lewis final acting role), Ridley Scott’s All the Money in the World and with Clint Eastwood’s The 15:17 to Paris still a possible for award season as Warner Bros have yet to date it. While at Venice and Toronto Film Festival Downsizing, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Wonder, Suburbicon and many more will start their possible award campaigns.
- The Hitman’s Bodyguard £883,681 – £4,153,837
Down 57.9% in its second weekend with the arrival of both American Made and Logan Lucky The Hitman’s Bodyguard was always likely to have a heavy second-weekend drop.
The Hitman’s Bodyguard has already overtaken the box office of all The Transporter films in the UK; The Transporter opened January 2003 with £338,420 taking £623,493; Transporter 2 opened November 2005 with £414,400 taking £991,940; Transporter 3 opened December 2008 with £958,615 taking £2,446,717 and will shortly overtake This Mean’s War (a film many have confused it with) opened March 2012 £1,821,698 which took £4,826,653
The Hitman’s Bodyguard was surprisingly released on Netflix Japan last Friday which saw pirate copies online within hours.
- Logan Lucky £705,087 – NE
As with its US opening last weekend Logan wasn’t so Lucky not helped by opening against American Made targeting similar demographic and with The Hitman’s Bodyguard opening last weekend all three films have predictably cannibalized each other.
Normally would of expected like Logan Lucky after receiving positive reviews and UK premiere with Channing Tatum, Adam Driver and director Steven Soderbergh attending would open strongly but it’s yet another disappointing performance of a film released by Studiocanal UK this year after Silence, Gold, Free Fire, Mindhorn and The Big Sick all underperforming but of course have Paddington 2 opening in November which is expected to perform similar to the first film which took over £30m which is more than the box office of their 2017 released all together.
Steven Soderbergh last major release was Side Effects which opened £904,746 March 2013and went on to taking £4.74m which should have been the minimal target for Logan Lucky. But the James Bond Vs Ethan Hunt faceoff turned into a damp squib showing yet again that Daniel Craig needs James Bond more than James Bond needs him. As since Daniel Craig starred in Casino Royale all of his other films have underwhelmed The Invasion, The Golden Compass (was meant to be the first of a trilogy but failure saw New Line Cinema become a production entity within Warner Bros before had independence Aliens, Dream House, Adventures of Tintin (planned to be a series of films the sequel was planned to be directed by Peter Jackson) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo US remake of the Scandinavian trilogy was also planned as a trilogy the sequel is currently finally being made but without Daniel Craig.
In the US, the film disappointed opening again The Hitman’s Bodyguard despite receiving a lot of media coverage in the build up to its release which was overshadowed by the will he or won’t he appear in Bond 25.
- The Emoji Movie £682,694 – £10,534,953
Down 33.7% in its fourth weekend incredibly having the lowest weekend of any films in the top 10;
The Emoji Movie has matched the box office of Cars 3 and almost double of The Smurfs: The Lost Village £5.79m and Captain Underpants £6.31m.
The Emoji Movie has become Sony Pictures UK fourth film of 2017 to take over £10m after Spider-Man: Homecoming, T2: Trainspotting and Baby Driver with Blade Runner 2049 and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle both expected to take over £10m.
Also released
Rough Night – Sony Pictures – £244,000 from 357 screens; after flopping in the US earlier in the summer Sony delayed UK release to August which just delayed the result.
Detroit – eOne – £658,028 from 378 screens; despite receiving positive reviews opening against Logan Lucky and American Made caused it to cannibalize saying that the UK market should have been strong enough for all three films to find an audience especially with John Boyega, Will Poulter and director Kathryn Bigelow coming to the UK last week for its UK premiere.
Since starring in Star Wars: The Force Awakens John Boyega starred in The Circle which flopped in the US being released straight to Netflix in the UK. Next up The Last Jedi before Pacific Rim: Uprising opens next March and then starts filming Star Wars Episode IX but will likely find it similar as hard as Daniel Radcliffe has done to get past Star Wars while Daisy Ridley as Emma Watson will find it easier to not just be known as Rey starring in Murder on the Orient Express opening in November and then vocally in Peter Rabbit and acting in Chaos Walking.
Mayweather Vs. McGregor – £171,256 from 52 screens sounds impressive but Vue Cinemas were charging over £20 a seat to see the boxing which was much more than Sky Box Office.
To Celebrate Judgement Day August 29th Terminator 2: Judgement Day was retrofitted into 3D taking £448,162 in one evening from 443 screens; top performing cinema was predictably BFI IMAX taking £11,929 from two screenings with ticket prices £18.50 (66% capacity) selling 644 of the 978 seats available for the two shows; did question why exhibitors were charging premium 3D prices for a 26-year-old film that wasn’t shot in 3D with tickets around the country costing around £14.
UK box office in detail
This weekend’s top 10 box office took £6,700,471 down 30.2% from last weekend £9,602,352
The weekend admissions 739,291 down 12.6% from last weekend 999,921 (average price £7.62 by UK Cinema Association/BFI for 2017).
12 films opened at weekend taking £3,036,446 American Made 35.1% (£1,067,075); Logan Lucky 23.2% (£705,087); Detroit 21.6% (£658,028); Rough Night 8.1% (£244,462) with the remaining 8 films sharing £361,794 (11.9%)
Weekend was down 25.8% from last year (£9,034,593): Bad Moms £1,471,466, War Dogs £1,005,133, The Purge: Election Year £807,803, Mechanic: Resurrection £508,715, Julieta £356,191, Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping £31,128
Down 21.9% from 2015: (£8,579,970): Straight Outta Compton £2,498,231, Hitman: Agent 47 £961,411, 45 Years £331,196, We Are Your Friends £260,715
Next weekend in 2016: (£11,014,615) Sausage Party £2,690,156, Brotherhood £1,979,309, Café Society £494,457 and Morgan £193,686.
UK Box Office Top 10
US Box Office Top 10
Was the lowest top 10 for over 20 years and the lowest top 12 since 2001 and with no major releases opening next weekend it won’t get any better until It opens in two weeks’ time early buzz has been very positive from social media reaction with tracking predicted to open with up to $60m would be the biggest September opening to date.
US Box office
Lionsgate – The Hitman’s Bodyguard – drops 52% in its second weekend taking $10.26m and $39.82m;
Warner Bros – Annabelle: Creation – drops 50.08% in its third weekend taking $7.86m and $78.21m; Annabelle: Creation should overtake the first films total box office $84.27m by next weekend. The three previous films have taken over $400m in the US and over $1.1 billion globally.
Annabelle Creation took $22m from international total $137.2m and $215m globally should as with its US box office overtake global box office over the next couple weeks before the arrival of It; $84.27m in the US and $172.6m internationally taking $256.87m.
In 2014 Warner Bros successfully avoided several lawsuits for The Conjuring film series but the latest one will be harder to deal with from a writer who believes the films infringe on his 1980 book The Demonologist. The Conjuring 2 producers claimed that the supernatural horror movies are based on “historical facts” and not The Demonologist.He is looking for $900m in damages the lawsuit against The Conjuring hinges on the fact that ghosts don’t exist and Warner Bros claims the horror movies are based on historical facts rather than the book. But how do you prove something doesn’t exist as it sounds like the film Miracle on 34th Street about proving if Santa Claus is real.
There have been several TV series based on the Enfield Poltergeist most recently The Enfield Haunting which was broadcast on Sky Living in 2015. More famously was the basis of 1992 BBC mockumentary drama broadcast Halloween 1992 Ghostwatch one of the scariest programmes ever broadcast on British TV as featured TV favourites Michael Parkinson, Sarah Greene and Mike Smith in what seemed to be a live Crimewatch style factual TV show with Sarah Greene as a live reporter who was seen at the end being dragged by a spirit behind a door. 25 years later Ghostwatch will be screened in selective cinemas this Halloween when it was broadcast live it was very scary but similar to watching The Blair Witch Project years later knowing not it wasn’t real (some thought it was real at the time) it’s not likely of dated well.
Weinstein Co – Leap! opened with $4.73m; after being delayed for several months but being the only new animated film was expected that Leap! With its positive reviews might open stronger but had a disappointing debut despite receiving an A CinemaScore.
Weinstein Co- Wind River expands into 1,401 screens up 54.62% taking $4.6m taking $10.03m;
Bleecker Street – Logan Lucky – drops 42.5% $4.36m in its second weekend taking $15.03m;
Warner Bros- Dunkirk dropped 40.3% in its sixth weekend $3.94m taking $172.47m;
Comparing with previous Christopher Nolan film 2014’s Interstellar took $5.45m in its sixth weekend and $166.75m (88.68% of the final box office of $188.02m) while 2010’s Inception took $7.83m and $262.03m. (89.5% of final box office of $292.57m)
If Dunkirk continues to hold as it is currently it will likely now take less than Saving Private Ryan’s $216.54m box office showing how much the ‘Brit effect’ has inflated its UK box office
As Saving Private Ryan took $8.09m dropping only 20.2% taking $155.29m (71.7% of final box office of $216.54m) was released 19 years ago when average ticket price was $4.69 compared to $8.95 and was no IMAX surcharges; Saving Private Ryan admissions 22.11m (2017 box office would be 91% more $197.88m) Vs Dunkirk 14.92m (1998 box office would be 48% less $69.98m).
Dunkirk took $5.6m internationally $239.7m total with global box office of $412.2m #241 biggest film in the world will shortly overtake The King’s Speech, Kingsman: The Secret Service, The Wolverine, and Jason Bourne; currently #11 biggest film of the year in the US and will overtake The Boss Baby, Get Out and The LEGO Batman Movie in the next week to climb to #8.
In 2014 Interstellar took $675.12m and in 2010 Inception took $825.53m globally while Saving Private Ryan took $481.84m globally which would be about $919.5m total.
Warner Bros gave Wonder Woman an encore release adding 1,407 screens taking $1.68m up 54.2% and $406.2m total; currently #23 biggest film in the US if it could squeeze out another $3m over the next few weeks could still possibly of The Hunger Games, Captain America: Civil War and Iron Man 3 to be briefly in the top 20 biggest films until Star Wars: The Last Jedi opens in December; Wonder Woman has now taken $806.2m worldwide is #64.
Wonder Woman finally opened on Friday in Japan as their audiences love female empowerment films with Frozen one of their biggest hits it could do very well if it connects with audiences. Taking $3.4m from Japan in its opening weekend more than double Captain America: The First Avenger, Avengers and Thor and Winter Soldier by 86%, Ant-Man by 84%, Guardians Of The Galaxy by 64%, Logan by 32%, Man Of Steel by 19% and GOTG2 by 11%. The Japanese market is much slower than other countries with films taking time to build over weeks on release.
Wonder Woman received much media coverage over the last week after James Cameron said “All of the self-congratulatory back-patting Hollywood’s been doing over Wonder Woman has been so misguided,” “She’s an objectified icon, and it’s just male Hollywood doing the same old thing! I’m not saying I didn’t like the movie but, to me, it’s a step backward. Sarah Connor was not a beauty icon. She was strong, she was troubled, she was a terrible mother, and she earned the respect of the audience through pure grit. And to me, [the benefit of characters like Sarah] is so obvious. I mean, half the audience is female!”
Patty Jenkins response was
On limited release
Neon – Ingrid Goes West – adds 621 screens $782,988 up 192.8% and $1,322,738; after receiving positive reviews had a disappointing expansion showing again how hard independent films are now to find a wider audience.
Fox Searchlight – Patti Cake$ – up 51.3% $102,258 adding 45 screens in its second weekend taking $194,652; after having a disappointing opening weekend is expansion was similarly disappointing another Sundance Film Festival acquisition that in January studio executives go crazy for but then those same executives are wondering what went wrong.
Opened September 1st
Opening UK
- The Limehouse Golem – Lionsgate
Horror thriller starring Olivia Cooke, Bill Nighy, and Douglas Booth directed by Juan Carlos Medina adaptation of Peter Ackroyd’s 1994 murder mystery novel Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem with the screenplay written by Jane Goldman.
Alan Rickman was originally cast in the film in April 2015 but had to leave the film in September after he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer; the film is dedicated to Alan Rickman who died in January 2016.
The film had its world premiere last year at the Toronto Film Festival receiving mixed reviews.
Sandwiched between Annabelle: Creation and Stephen King’s It is a surprising release date especially as been on the shelf for almost a year. But could spark up some interest more than Alan Rickman not starring in it that the actual cast.
- Patti Cake$ – 20th Century Fox
Drama directed by Geremy Jasper; was screened at Sundance Film Festival Fox Searchlight Pictures acquired global rights for $9.5m but as with so many films studios acquire at Sundance several months later after the pixie dust has faded away studios are often left with films that are unlikely to find an audience when they are released. Despite receiving positive reviews being a female version of Hustle & Flow and 8 Mile has failed to find an audience on limited release in the US and will find it much harder to do so in the UK.
Opening in US
- Tulip Fever – Weinstein Co
Drama starring Alicia Vikander, Dane DeHaan, Jack O’Connell, Zach Galifianakis, Judi Dench, Christoph Waltz, Holliday Grainger, Matthew Morrison and Cara Delevingne and directed by Justin Chadwick and written by Tom Stoppard, adapted from a novel by Deborah Moggach.
Was in pre-production in early 2004 starring Jude Law and Keira Knightley and directed by John Madden made by DreamWorks and Miramax and Inside Track but a change in UK law forced suspension of Inside Track. This affected 25 upcoming movies including Regis Wargnier’s Man to Man, The Libertine, Nick Willing’s River King, Gaby Dellal’s $7 million On a Clear Day, Fernando Meirelles’ The Constant Gardener and Working Title’s Nanny McPhee some still were about to be made but Tulip Fever as one that fell apart.
In early 2014 Harvey Weinstein acquired rights from Paramount Pictures and the film started shooting in June 2014. The footage was screened in May 2015 at the Cannes Film Festival with a release date set for July 15th, 2016 but was then delayed to February 24th, 2017 then 25th August and then finally September 1st.
Harvey Weinstein and his brother Bob were famous for creating strong marketing campaigns that generated huge media coverage helped turn many of their films into huge hits and Oscar winners over the years from Pulp Fiction to this year’s Lion. So, was no surprise to generate some much-needed media coverage for the forgotten film created a TV spot which was “banned” from broadcast
The long delay between the film’s production to release date reminds me of Working Title Film Hippie Hippie Shake a film starring Cillian Murphy and Sienna Miller which ‘celebrate’ its 10th year anniversary since starting production in the UK. In 2009 creative differences saw its director Beeban Kidron quit during post-production.