Top 5 Breakdown

1. Christopher Robin – £2,138,824 – £7,184,365

Down 16.25% in its second weekend; had the 309^th biggest seco in the UK between Godzilla and Ocean’s Twelve and the 410^th inflation inflated biggest second weekend between The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Second-Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Christopher Robin had one of the lowest second-weekend drops for a wide release this year helped by not having previews and a wet second weekend. The second weekend was close to last year’s Paddington 2 19.98% and more than Peter Rabbit 36.8% had an advantage over both as they were limited to Sat/Sun box office while Christopher Robin had the benefit of Friday.
Hard to compare Christopher Robin with other Disney reimaginations as most would have expected it to be similar to Paddington but instead it’s a midlife crisis adult film and a children’s film. Was surprising Winnie-the-Pooh could be seen by others rather than in a film like Drop Dead Fred, Phoebe Cates is having a midlife crisis and Drop-Dead Fred her imaginary childhood friend appears when she’s grown up to cheer her up, but no one can see him apart from her. As he can be seen by others feels like Christopher Robin is controlling him and if you look deeper into could be quite disturbing and cruel Pooh has no free will of his own, which is something he craves.
Finding Neverland (also directed by Marc Forster) dropped 26% in its second weekend £572,757 in October 2004 taking £1,845,179 with total of £3,306,342 while similarly themed Saving Mr Banks dropped 31% in its second weekend in December2013 £547,881and £1,986,253 taking £4,347,734; while its unofficial prequel Goodbye Christopher Robin dropped 49% in its second weekend £397,441 and £1,744,601 and £2,866,637 total.
Christopher Robin will take more than Into the Woods £9,644,236 and Alice Through the Looking Glass £9,544,781 but with school holidays ending this weekend will likely come short of Oz the Great and Powerful £14,987,064.

2. Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! – £1,701,162 – £58,748,746

Down 36% in its sixth weekend; is the second biggest film of the year and Universal Pictures third biggest film in the UK after Mamma Mia! and Jurassic World and will shortly become the 18^th film since Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in 2001 to take £60m+.
Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! has become the 17^th biggest film in the UK between Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (released 15 years ago its inflation inflated total is £108m); inflation inflated the sequel is #52 between Shrek The Third and Dunkirk.
Mamma Mia (£69,166,087) is the 10^th biggest film in the UK between Avengers: Infinity War and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story but inflation inflated (£104,680,212) #11 behind Titanic, Avatar, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Skyfall, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring, Jurassic Park, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
The fact that 6 of the top 10 are films released over 15 years ago highlights the problem with box office today and the price of cinema tickets as far few people are going to the cinema than could be if the prices increased by inflation since 2002. While Gordon Gekko might think “greed is good” but greed by exhibitors to dramatically increase ticket prices from the mid-00s till now has killed the dramatic growth between 1985-2002.
For the last five weeks, the sequel has been #2 the first two weeks was #1 Fri-Sun but previews of Mission Impossible: Fallout and Ant-Man and the Wasp kept it from #1. The last two weeks if the sequel as performing as strongly as many say it should have returned back to #1 against Christopher Robin. But the sequel didn’t and dropped below £3m in its fifth weekend, below £2m in its sixth weekend and likely below £1m in its seventh-weekend shows as said over a month ago it doesn’t have the legs of the original.
Most industry people get caught up in its big box office numbers as they also have done with Incredibles 2 making direct comparisons with their box office but with 50%+ ticket inflation since the release of Mamma Mia! in 2008 and 70%+ since Incredibles in 2004 these two films are performing very similar to their original films but with a third less admissions.
With only £176,962 between Christopher Robin and Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! last weekend removing £135,341from previews would have thought with Christopher Robin having mixed reception would have dropped more than Mamma Mia! 2 in its second weekend which would have seen it return to #1 after 6 weeks (in February after 6 weeks on release The Greatest Showman was #1) but instead the gap between the two films got bigger this weekend.
Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! took 35% less than Mamma Mia! in its sixth weekend (£2,208,482) and The Greatest Showman (£2,201,523); after being one of only a handful of films taking £3m after 4 weeks it has dropped much heavier than both of them other the last two weeks despite strong word buzz.
After 6 weeks on release, most films (despite having huge openings) now have taken about 90%+ of their total box office e.g. Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Spectre, Skyfall and Black Panther.
Then there are the word of mouth films opening much lower but hold slightly stronger Paddington, Moulin Rouge, Billy Elliot, Arthur Christmas and Mamma Mia! and then there are the sleeper hits that holder far stronger than anyone could have possibly expected as they become those cultural phenomenon’s films audiences want to see again and again in cinemas Avatar, Titanic and The Greatest Showman.
While many could have predicted Titanic and Avatar to become one doubtful anyone could have expected The Greatest Showman to do similar while its success probably helped Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! initially, as they saw the trailers before seeing it a dozen times it didn’t have the same impact on them that made them go back as many times.
While Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! will take similar box office total as Mamma Mia! it will have had about 5 million fewer admissions as total box office will be about 6.68x opening closer to Arthur Christmas, Moulin Rouge and Paddington rather than the 10+ for The Greatest Showman, Titanic, Billy Elliot, Avatar and Mamma Mia! It is still of course far better hold than most films closer to 3.5x for Star Wars: The Force Awakens and 4.6x Black Panther.
Most films openings are about 30% of final box office (depending on if have previews) Star Wars: The Force Awakens 27.65% and Black Panther 21.6% with Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! taking much closer to those films with 14.9% after opening with £9,735,930 to The Greatest Showman, Titanic, Billy Elliot, Avatar and Mamma Mia! taking less than 10%.
Despite Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! opening bigger than Mamma Mia! five weeks again it took 21% less in its fifth weekend than Mamma Mia! taking £2,803,272 showing that the sequel won’t have the legs of the sequel. Its fifth weekend is much closer to The Greatest Showman £2,042,450 which was holding far stronger after opening with far less.
Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! has taken 39% more than Mamma Mia! after five weeks (£39,168,064) but has now also dropped below its inflation inflated total for the first time on release (£59,279,358) with 500,000 fewer people seeing the sequel compared to the original 6,927,961 Vs 7,532,320. This again highlights what I have been saying for years how ticket inflation over the last 16 years has artificially inflated box office and admissions with real admissions probably closer to levels of 20 years ago.
Mamma Mia! stayed in the top 3 for 11 weeks until the end of September until Taken, Righteous Kill and Death Race opened; taking over £1m at the box office for 10 weekends and staying in the top 5 for 13 weeks (#13 £479,057) and in the top 10 for 17 weeks (#17 £142,664); with The Nun, Crazy Rich Asians and The Predator opening early September the sequel will be dropping down the chart much faster in the next few weeks than the original with next weekend the last weekend will take £1m+.
In comparison The Greatest Showman was in the top three for two weeks became #1 in its sixth weekend taking £2,201,523 up 8% and £23,226,869; in the top five for 12 weeks (#12 £753,420) and in top 10 for 17 weeks (#17 £300,947) only dropping out of the charts because of four new releases and the film released on DVD. After six weeks The Greatest Showman had taken only 49% of its final BO of £47m while Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! has taken over 85% (slightly less than the normal 90% of the total BO most major films take after 6 weeks).
While the soundtrack to Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again! dropped down to #2 after 4 weeks at #1 Ariana Grande’s Sweetener #1 and The Greatest Showman soundtrack down #3.
The UK top 20 films of 2018 have taken £554.24m top 10 taking 74.2% (£411.26m); the top 5 has taken 42% (£231.13m) showing that the biggest films of the year are now taking much more of the box office. With 2017 holdovers The Greatest Showman taking £33.60m of its £47m and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle took £22.4m of its £37m in 2018 and both would be in the top 10 biggest films of 2018.

3. The Meg – £1,502,535 – £11,734,530

Down 43.4% in its third weekend; continues to hold similar to 1999’s inflation inflated Deep Blue Sea as it is in the UK taking £1,636,166 (£875,255 in 1999 and £11,563,483 total (£6,185,802) went on to take £8,087,585 would be £15,118,597 today.
As with all other films releasing the end of August often sees the box office hold steady with films holding strong making it harder for new releases to find a footing in the chart. As with Suicide Squad two years ago despite reviewing mixed reviews from critics being the final action film of the summer The Meg has held far stronger than might of done had it opened another time of the year.
The Meg has overtaken Rampage and Ocean’s 8 to become Warner Bros second biggest film of the year behind Ready Player One. Warner Bros had a very disappointing first six months of the year with Tomb Raider and Rampage not doing anywhere nearly as well as expected.
Removing Mowgli off their release schedule Warner Bros have a strong remaining slate of the year into weeks’ time The Nun opens (the fifth part of The Conjuring franchise generated much media coverage earlier this month after releasing a trailer to scary for YouTube)the following week Crazy Rich Asians opens. A Star Is Born remake opens in October generating very strong buzz and then Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them Part 2 and Creed 2 in November and Aquaman in December should see the studio end the year far better than it began.
2017’s 47 Meters Down took £1,326,136
2016’s The Shallows took £1,723,386
2004’s Open Water took £4,818,915
1999’s Deep Blue Sea took £8,087,585

4. The Equalizer 2 – £1,256,615 – £4,558,724

Down 36.56% in its second weekend exactly the same as the original film dropped 36% taking £1,207,129 and £4,280,077 taking £6,669,034; took £321,000 from Bank Holiday Monday with £4.9m total.
Was only £49,486 between the second weekend of The Equalizer 2 and The Equalizer but 6.21% ticket inflation between 2014 and 2018 showing again that there might be only four years between the two films and while on paper it looks like the sequel has held close to the original film still can’t compare the two.
Had the 487^th biggest second weekend between Eddie the Eagle and Fury; The Equalizer was 498^th in between Elysium and Megamind; inflation inflated The Equalizer 2 had the 530^th biggest second weekend between GI Joe: Retaliation and The Emoji Movie with The Equalizer one further place down at 532^nd.
Possibly thought with the stronghold of both The Meg and Mission Impossible Fallout The Equalizer 2 would be caught in the middle but Denzel Washington’s star power and the sequel being a better film than the original saw it hold strongly in its second weekend. Opening after those two films probably helped it as audiences saw the trailer before they saw those two films
The Equalizer took £620,025 in its third weekend down 49% taking £5,558,555 83.3% of its total box office with Idris Elba’s Yardie opening this weekend the sequel will likely drop similar to the original film again in its third weekend.

5. Incredibles 2 – £1,268,401 – £51,229,806

Down 4.38% in its sixth weekend; with summer holidays drawing to a close the family films have held strongly boosted by cooler temperatures.
Incredibles 2 has become the 30^th biggest film in the UK between Marvel’s Avengers Assemble and Quantum of Solace; inflation inflated 70^th biggest film between The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug and War of the Worlds.

Will shortly match the inflation inflated total of Incredibles took £31,900,893 in 2004 would be £56m today.
The 20 Pixar films have now taken almost £615m at the UK box office with their seven sequels taking 40%. Over Pixar’s first 13 years Pixar released only one sequel Toy Story 2 but in the last eight years have released six with Toy Story 4 their next to be released. Pixar used to be one of the most creative companies in Hollywood it’s interesting that they only started focusing on sequels after the company was brought by Disney in 2006 for $7.4bn.
A few years after buying Pixar Disney also brought Marvel Entertainment and Lucasfilm both purchases were to make further existing film properties from comic-book movies, Star Wars and Indiana Jones rather than making anything original. Last year Disney announced they were buying 20^th Century Fox will likely see the 83-year-old studio become another production label making reboots, remakes and reimaginations of existing film series probably more for Disney Play rather than theatrically.
Despite their success in recent years making original films targetting an adult audience, but these are films that don’t interest Disney as they are more interested in properties that have extended universe.
I might seem to be overly critical of Disney’s motives, but they used to be the most creative studio in Hollywood for years but now its all about properties which make cinema feel very dull as when I go to the cinema I want to something I’m not expecting something new and original which is what Pixar was all about.
Pixar films still get a lot of praise that they deserve they are still lacking that originality which they used to have. After Toy Story 4 Pixar’s next films set for release in 2020 have yet to be announced they are expected to be original films which by 2020 will probably be the only original films Disney will be making.
In 2004 Incredibles was the fourth biggest film of the year in the UK after Shrek 2 £48,104,138, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban £46,077,489, Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason £35,942,287; other films in the top 10 Spider-Man 2 £26,716,429, The Day After Tomorrow £25,212,419, Shark Tale £22,816,336, Troy £18,002,561, I, Robot £17,981,834, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed £16,490,226.
Incredibles 2 will likely be the fourth biggest film in 2018 after Avengers Infinity War, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2; all of the top 10 films this year will be over £30m.
Been much written about the performance of this summer being strong despite the hot weather and the World Cup but most films have performed as expected this summer with Incredibles 2 and Avengers: Infinity War always expected to be the biggest two films of the summer and year.
Disney held back the release of Incredibles 2 to open just before the summer holidays, which they have done for all of their Pixar films apart from The Good Dinosaur in 2015 (the one that underperformed). Next year Disney release Toy Story 4 21^st June as they release The Lion King in July and it means Disney will be going head to head for the first time against Illumination Entertainment with the release of The Secret Life of Pets 2.

Disney has three remaining films of the year The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, Wreck-it-Ralph: Ralph Breaks the Internet and Mary Poppins Returns. Little is expected from the Nutcracker after a troubling production and director being replaced after extensive reshoots. Ralph Breaks the Internet brings all of Disney’s worlds into one film and could take double what the first film took in 2013.

Mary Poppins Returns is a massive unknown as the original is beloved by generations how could the sequel ever match up to it. But if there is one studio that can remake the original film and sell it as an original film it is Disney as they did that in 2015 repacking Star Wars: A New Hope as Star Wars: The Force Awakens but audiences didn’t realise what it was until it took almost $2bn at the box office.
UK box office in detail
This weekend’s top 10 box office took £12,788,350 down 15.5% from last weekend £15,143,203
The weekend admissions 1,624,949 down 14.9% from last weekend 1,909,824; 2018 average ticket up 3.87% from last year’s £7.49 to £7.87 for 2018 according to six-month box office results.
16 films opened at weekend taking £3,997,188; BlacKKKlansman 30.8% (£1,234,214); The Spy Who Dumped Me 26.4% (£1,057,211); remaining 14 films shared 42.6% (£1,705,763): top 2 films took 30.2% of top 10; Christopher Robin took 16.72% and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again took 13.3%
The weekend was up 90.8% from 2017 (£6,700,471): American Made £1,067,075; Logan Lucky £705,087; Detroit £658,028; Rough Night £244,462; Mayweather Vs. McGregor £171,256;
Up 41.5% from 2016: (£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;
Up 36.1% from 2015; (£9,389,554); Paper Towns £2,072,789; Sinister 2 £1,069,261; Vacation £608,748; The Bad Education Movie £594,861; Strange Magic £56,127; Good People £25,454
Up 14.1% from 2014: (£11,216,125); Lucy £3,076,997; Into the Storm £1,147,657; Deliver Us from Evil £629,554; What If £592,501; Doctor Who: Deep Breath £522,908; 2 Days, 1 Night £165,278; Sin City: A Dame to Kill For £12,117; Sin City (Re: 2014) £10,244
Up 20.8% from 2013: (£10,580,446); Elysium £3,127,005; We’re the Millers £1,508,326; The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones £1,143,385; Jurassic Park 3D £111,703; Lovelace £86,076; The Kings of Summer £6,773
Up 18.6% from 2012 (£10,782,345); Keith Lemon: The Film £1,196,310; The Three Stooges £509,324; The Imposter £252,170; Shadow Dancer £201,936;
Down 18.4% from 2011 (£15,690,651): One Day £2,208,724; Final Destination 5 £1,450,464; Conan the Barbarian £622,268; The Skin I Live In £325,349;
Up 17.7% from 2010: (£10,857,796): Grown Ups £2,006,945; Scott Pilgrim vs. The World £1,604,545; Diary of a Wimpy Kid £671,161; The Girl who Played with Fire £404,896;
Up 52.5% from 2009 (£8,384,307); Inglourious Basterds £3,596,415; Dance Flick £462,825; Shorts £171,876; I Love You, Beth Cooper £123,519
Up 18.8% from 2008 (£10,756,388); Hellboy 2: The Golden Army £2,969,602; Get Smart £1,542,005; College Road Trip £121,360; Somers Town £121,345
Up 61.2% from 2007 (£7,941,925); Knocked Up £1,583,998; Lady Chatterley £48,776; Flood £2,501
Up 109.4% from 2006; (£6,106,683); You, Me and Depree £1,636,249; Severance £483,152; Volver £433,283;
Up 100.8% from 2005 (£6,367,870); The Dukes of Hazzard £1,720,754; The Cave £563,761; The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lavagirl in 3D £399,436; Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants £110,557
Up 47.2% from 2004 (£8,683,904): Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story £2,200,271; The Chronicles of Riddick £1,043,685; The Motorcycle Diaries £333,368; Raising Helen £209,201
Up 52.3% from 2003 (£8,393,708); Tomb Raider 2 £1,524,676; Confidence £325,685; The Man Who Sued God £195,418; Swimming Pool £119,092;
Up 88.4% from 2002 (£6,787,774): The Guru £1,521,984; Reign Of Fire £932,168; Talk To Her £174,757; Black Knight £167,084
Up 91.2% from 2001 (£6,685,496); Heartbreakers £751,754; Crocodile Dundee in L.A. £354,593; Lucky Break £348,613; Josie and the Pussycats £37,662
Average ticket prices are up almost 100% since 2001 from £4.14 to £7.97 but box office is only up 50% from 2011-2003 highlights the issues I have been saying for years the industry fails to deal with.
Next weekend in 2017: (£6,193,484): The Limehouse Golem £371,412; God’s Own Country £167,824; Patti Cake$ £121,446; Inhumans £80,176; Back to Burgundy £4,542
Also opened

• The Spy Who Dumped Me – Lionsgate

Opened with £1,057,211 from 475 screens (including previews Weds/Thurs £351,913; took £211,978 o Bank holiday Monday with six-day total of £1.6m
Two years ago, Bad Moms opened 25th August £1,471,466 including previews of £253,739 taking £8,141,704 while similarly themed Spy opened June 2015 with £2,557,824 taking £9,654,086.

• BlacKkKlansman – Universal Pictures

Opened with £1,234,214 from 220 screens including £122,838 from satellite Q&A previews; with Bank Holiday Monday total is up to £1.6m.
With its Bank Holiday box office, BlacKkKlansman has already become Spike Lee second biggest film in the UK overtaking 1993’s Malcom X £1.4m 1993 BO would be now an inflation inflated £3.39 with ticket inflation almost 150% since 1993.
Spike Lee’s biggest film in the UK was 2006’s Inside Man opened with £1,806,854 taking £8,106,743; starring an ensemble cast including John David Washington dad Denzel Washington it was Spike Lee’s most commercial film to date.
While African American lead films have become popular in recent years before they wouldn’t travel well outside of the US and international distributors would give them very limited releases targeting specific locations using outside marketing agencies to help them target their audience. Was only films starring the likes of Eddie Murphy, Will Smith or Denzel Washington that were more commercial titles that studios would open on wider releases.
In 2015 Sony Pictures brought Kevin Hart to the UK to promote The Wedding Ringer and it opened far stronger than other similar films including Think Like a Man Too, About Last Night and Think Like a Man as they were marketed as what they were comedies.

• The Children Act – eOne

Took £517,378from 148 screens
After premiering at the Toronto Film Festival last year receiving positive reviews (85% Rotten Tomatoes) with Variety saying, “it is that rarest of things: an adult drama, written and interpreted with a sensitivity to mature human concerns.” Hollywood Reporter said “The two central performances could hardly be better. Thompson works here with remarkable subtlety.”
Was surprising then has taken almost a year for the film to open in the UK. Its release date end of August just before Bank Holiday feels like it’s being dumped as was always likely to face an uphill challenge to find an audience in a crowded marketplace and then with more than a dozen new releases
Was originally set for release in late April which is normally a good time to open an adult drama as children have gone back to school and there is a slight gap in the market until the next tentpole release. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society this year and Their Finest and Eye in the Sky previous years.
Maybe the UK release was dictated on eOne by the US distributor even though it is made by BBC Films. Or maybe they felt they needed to distant it from On Chesil Beach also written by Ian McEwan which opened in May after London Film Festival premiere.

• Alpha – Sony Pictures

Took £225,606 from 300 screens

• Luis and the Aliens – Warner Bros

Took £218,000 from 467 screens; with Incredibles 2 and Hotel Transylvania 3 holding strongly was little room for a third animated film.

• Slenderman – Sony Pictures

Took £389,339 from 300 screens
Other News
Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet Secret Cinema ended its 14-day run on August 26^th taking £457,000 Fri/Sat with £3.33m total taking an average of £256,000 per night.
Earlier this year Secret Cinema’s 16 week run of Blade Runner: The Final Cut took £4.80m.
Secret Cinema has ticket prices of £75+ 853%+ average ticket price so every ticket for Secret Cinema is worth 9.5x a regular ticket so as with Event Cinema it is helping artificially inflate UK box office and more importantly admissions as those two events add over 1m admissions to the total for the year, but actual admissions are closer to 100,000. The same is true with Event Cinema screenings often costing 100%+ regular ticket prices.
Secret Cinema and Event Cinema are great additions to regularly cinema, but box office should be separate but exhibitors like Event Cinema as premium seating and formats like 4DX, 3D, ScreenX, IMAX and PLF as it allows them to add surcharges to the already expensive ticket prices. But cinemagoers will only be willing to pay these surcharges for a short time if they don’t feel that they are adding to their cinema experience why 3D sales have dropped off in recent years and Event Cinema doesn’t seem to be growing as strongly as it used to be.
UK Box Office Top 10

US Box office Top 10

• Crazy Rich Asians – Warner

Down only 6.4% in its second weekend taking $25.8m and $76.61m;
Comparisons have been made with the box office performance of 2011’s The Help which also opened with $26m and $35m over its five-day opening and dropped 23% in its second weekend taking $20.1m and went on to take $ 169m. The Help received similar strong buzz and was based on a bestselling novel but also had Oscar buzz which is unlikely for Crazy Rich Asians even for the new Popcorn Award that was made for Black Panther to win.
Warner Bros is developing Kevin Kwan’s two sequels to Crazy Rich Asians China Rich Girlfriend and Rich People Problems which will be surely fast-tracked at the studio for release in 2020 and 2022.
This year has been overshadowed by the success of Black Panther but as it was the 18^th MCU film after 10 years with the character launched in Captain America: Civil War the performance of Crazy Rich Asians and its second-weekend hold is a more impressive achievement. Also shows that audiences do want to see films that aren’t sequels, remakes, reboots, re-imaginations or comic-book movies.
Internationally took $6m from 18 territories with a total of $7.1m; opens in Australia this weekend and in the UK September 14^th.

• The Happytime Murders – STX Entertainment

Opens with $9.53m; 22% Rotten Tomatoes and only C- CinemaScore
Took $950k which was more than Melissa McCarthy last comedy Life of the Party in May, which taking $700K from previews opening with $17.9m taking $52.8m; Happytime Murders previews was closer to 2016’s The Boss from April 2016 taking $985K and $23.5m weekend and $63.28m total; while Sausage Party opened in August 2016 with $34.26m taking $97.68m.
Was expected to open high teens and then Sunday estimates predicted $10m+ but took $700k less.
The idea of puppets co-existing in the human world was on paper a good idea a grown-up Who Framed Roger Rabbit (celebrating its 30^th anniversary this year) but poorly written script made then film made the film feel much more like 1992’s Cool World or 2001’s Monkeybone

The Happytime Murders was in development for 10 years previously set up at Lionsgate with Cameron Diaz and Katherine Heigl in talks after 2012’s Ted took $218.8m the film went into turnaround with STX acquiring it in July 2015 originally having Jamie Foxx in the role Melissa McCarthy plays. The film was made for about $40m with much of the budget funded from foreign sales as STX only release directly in China and the UK.
After the first trailer was released in May received positive reaction and recurved much media coverage with Sesame Street demanding STX not use their tagline “All Street, no Sesame” signs were on the door with no second trailer and either Elizabeth Banks or Melissa McCarthy doing any live publicity for the film as both were busy with their upcoming films Superintelligence and Untitled James Gunn film.
STX was launched in 2011 seeing a gap in the marketplace with major studios not making as many midrange budget films as they concentrate on the bigger budget films. They released their first films in 2015 and releasing 25 films to date taking $1.3bn worldwide with 2016’s Bad Moms taking $310m.
The remaining films released have taken less than $50m as these midrange budget films are the films being squeezed at the box office as audiences are going less often to the cinema or were until MoviePass dropped their monthly subscription to $9.95. The midrange budget and lower films have benefited the most from MoviePass as subscribers went to see them in cinemas but probably wouldn’t have done had they had t pay full price.
Took $1.2m from 18 territories

• The Meg – Warner Bros

Drops 39.4% in its third weekend taking $12.81m and $105.08m total.
It’s the 17th film of the year to surpass $100 million at the domestic box office; 20 years ago, when a film took $100m+ it was the sign of the success of a film. Over the years as budgets and marketing costs have increased $250m+ must now be the sign of a film being a box office success.
In its third weekend, Deep Blue Sea took $6.65m and $57.09m of $73.64m total; The Meg inflation inflated weekend box office and total are exactly the same taking $12.28m and $105.42m; the budget for Deep Blue Sea was less than half of The Meg as its marketing costs.
Have been claims by the industry about how strong this summer has been, but all films hut all films have performed as expected Incredibles 2 was always going to be the biggest film of the summer with Mamma Mia 2, The Equalizer 2, Mission Impossible: Fallout, Ant-Man and The Wasp, Oceans 8, Hotel Transylvania 3 and Deadpool 2 all performing similar to previous films. While Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom opening internationally earlier and a week after Incredibles 2 was always likely to hurt its box office taking about 40% less than Jurassic World.
In 2015 Jurassic World opened the week before Pixar’s Inside Out but the sequel opened a week after, the sequel received mixed reviews and that buzz from its international opening hurt its US opening. Apart from James Bond and Marvel Cinematic Universe films, few films benefit from opening internationally early so always amazes me studios keep opening them early.
Took $32.7m internationally from 65 territories (including $143m in China) total $303.3m and globally $411.6m #262 biggest film globally between Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian and Batman.

• Mission: Impossible: Fallout – Paramount Pictures

Down 24.9% in its fifth weekend taking $8.08m and $193.98m total has overtaken A Quiet Place to be their biggest film of the year and is their #27 biggest film in the US.
By next weekend will become their first film since Transformers: Age of Extinction to take over $200m showing how far the studio has fallen from its rivals over the last 6 years.
In 2011 Paramount Pictures celebrated their 100^th anniversary with films including Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Transformers: Dark of the Moon as was the biggest studio in the US. In the years since they lost Marvel, Dreamworks Pictures, Dreamworks Animation saw them have a much weaker slates going from #1 studio to #6. Last year Jim Gianopulos came to the studio and has been building his first slate of films A Quiet Place was one of his first films taking $188m in the US and $332m worldwide with 2019 being the key year for them with their strongest slate since 2011.
Mission Impossible Fallout will shortly overtake Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and possibly over Labor Day weekend also overtake Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and Mission Impossible II to become the biggest Mission Impossible film of the franchise to date; will likely take about $220m+ Paramount’s biggest film at the US box office since 2014’s Transformers: Age of Extinction.
The 6 Mission Impossible films have taken $1.12bn in the US and almost $3.31bn worldwide; Mission Impossible and Tom Cruise are Paramount Pictures MVP having lost Marvel Cinematic Universe, Dreamworks Animation and Indiana Jones franchises to rival studios (17 of their biggest 50 films in the US are from those IP’s); Tom Cruise returns in Top Gun 2 next summer 33 years after the first film, the studio has been trying to make the sequel for many years afterwards they will surely be wanting to get Tom Cruise back into Mission Impossible 7 for release in summer 2021.
Tom Cruise 39 films have taken almost $4bn at the US box office since making his acting debut in 1981’s Endless Love and $9.87bn worldwide; depending on how Mission Impossible: Fallout performs in China this weekend Tom Cruise will either cross $10bn with it or Top Gun 2 next summer. Tom Cruise for years was the world’s biggest film star, but over recent years has been replaced with cast members of Avengers, but they were part of an ensemble Tom Cruise was the box office draw for his films, people didn’t go to see Avengers: Infinity War because it starred Scarlett Johansson but did come to see Mission Impossible films because of Tom Cruise.
Early this month was the 10th anniversary of Tropic Thunder featuring one of Tom Cruise’s best performance as Les Grossman, many didn’t realise it was him at the time. where rumours at the time of a Less Grossman film but instead it saw Paramount Pictures renew their deal with Tom Cruise a few months earlier they were thinking of ending. Tropic Thunder was made by Dreamworks Pictures at that time they were based at the studio but only a few years later they moved to Disney.

Took $13m from 61 territories $344.8m total and $538.7m worldwide (opening in China August 31^st) #175 biggest worldwide between World War Z and The Empire Strikes Back; has overtaken global box office for Mission Impossible and $457.7m and Mission Impossible 3 $398m and by next weekend should have overtaken Mission: Impossible II $546m. Depending on how it does in China could take over $800m worldwide (fourth biggest Paramount Pictures film).

• Mile 22 – STX Entertainment

Drops 53.6% in its second weekend taking $6.36m and $25.5m;
Took $5.6m from 11 territories and $6.3m total

• BlacKkKlansman – Focus

Down 30.9% in its third weekend taking $5.2m and $31.79m;
Took $5.6m from 17 territories and $8.3m total global total of $40.4m
UK Box Office Predictions

The Happytime Murders opened on Monday days after receiving poor reviews ahead of its US release taking about half what it was tracking to open with, opened on Monday in the UK giving it a 7-day opening weekend. As most 7-day opening weekends its extended opening won’t increase its opening instead cannibalises Fri-Sun box office seeing it take 60%+ of its box office Mon-Thurs e.g. Warcraft: The Beginning, Baywatch, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2, Assassin’s Creed and The Huntsman: Winter’s War.
One thing all of those films is they were poorly received critically extending the opening to Monday will also mean the film is often reviewed the Friday before rather than its opening day which means there is much negative buzz around the film before it openings in the UK.
So always surprises me distributors still have Monday or Tuesday opening as while it might artificially inflate its opening it will also see the film drop far heavier in its second weekend. Eight years ago, The Watch opened with a respectful £2.23m but had four days of previews taking £1.42m 64% of its opening weekend Fri-Sun took only £803,402 and dropped 85% in its second weekend.
The Happytime Murderers is likely to do similar and open #1 by default with holdovers Christopher Robin taking £1.2m and Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again £990,000.
As with this weekend, The Happytime Murderer is the only film likely to break into the top 10 and that’s only because of its 7-day opening without Mon-Thurs BO will likely take about £700k for the weekend, but with the previews has a chance to be #1 depending on how the top two hold.
Opening in UK

• Action Point – Paramount Pictures

Action comedy starring Johnny Knoxville and Chris Pontius and directed by Tim Kirkby;
The film had the 23^rd worst wide opening in the US (Paramount Pictures worst opening) in June taking only $2.39m taking $5.02m. Surprising Paramount is giving its theatrical release in the UK.
Distributors need to be more selective in the films they release as there is no reason for Action Point to have a theatrical release only probably to enable the film to qualify for its Sky TV deal. As with Upgrade, both films will have token theatrical releases with distributors likely buying screens for a week.

• Searching – Sony Pictures

Psychological thriller starring John Cho and Debra Messing and directed by Aneesh; film is shot from the point-of-view of smartphones and computer screens; premiered at the Sundance Film Festival (where Sony Pictures acquired global rights) receiving positive reviews.
Over the years have been many techno-thrillers including War Games, Eagle Eye, The Net, Antitrust, Transcendence, Untraceable, Disclosure, Nerve, The Circle, Hackers, Blackhat, The Social Network, Enemy of the State, I, Robot, Sneakers, Die Hard 4.0 and Unfriended.
Few have really been able to show technology as it really is as its never as exciting as sounds, in reality, a group of computer programmers uploading code that destroys the world or changes the world. Searching gives audiences, a different way of experience.

• Upgrade – Universal Pictures

Thriller starring Logan Marshall-Green, Betty Gabriel, and Harrison Gilbertson and directed by Leigh Whannell produced by Blumhouse Productions banner; premiered at South by Southwest receiving positive reviews; opened in June in the US with $3m taking $12m to date. As with Action Point distributor will give it limited theatrical release unlikely to find an audience giving them token theatrical release probably buying screens so both films qualify for Sky TV deal.

• Yardie – Studiocanal UK

Crime drama starring Aml Ameen, Shantol Jackson, Stephen Graham, Fraser James, Everaldo Creary and directed by Idris Elba based on the novel by Jamaican-born writer Victor Headley; premiered at Sundance Film Festival receiving mixed reviews.
As with the pre-release media coverage for The Equaliser 2 Yardie was overshadowed reporters more interested talking about the James Bond rumours that won’t go away, but Idris Elba continues to deny, but they became most intense last week after it as announced Danny Boyle left Bond 25 due to “creative differences”.
Three years ago, Studiocanal released Legend opened with £5,189,074 taking £18,202,111 but Yardie is more likely to open between 2001’s Gangster No.1 £133,092 taking £354,513, Sexy Beast opened with £96,162 on limited release and £283,312 wide taking £582,156 and 2004’s Layer Cake opened with £1,090,561 taking £4,287,343
Late August early September has been a good time to launch British gangster films in the past with Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels opening August 1998 with £941,638 taking £11,399,953; Snatch opened two years later with £3,180,002 taking 12,137,698.

Studiocanal releases King of Thieves in two weeks’ time about 2015’s Hatton Garden heist while films often glamourise gangsters are it Kray Twins or The Great Train robbers but these events happened 30 years ago. The Hatton Garden heist is only a few years ago and to cast a loveable cast of old geezers Michael Caine, Jim Broadbent, Tom Courtenay and Michael Gambon feels far too soon.
Opening in US

• Kin- Lionsgate

Si-fi action starring Jack Reynor, Zoë Kravitz, Carrie Coon, Dennis Quaid, James Franco and Myles Truitt and directed by Jonathan and Josh Baker based on the 2014 short film Bag Man; Lionsgate acquired rights for the film at 2016’s Toronto Film Festival

• The Little Stranger – Focus Features

Horror starring Domhnall Gleeson, Ruth Wilson, Will Poulter, and Charlotte Rampling and directed by Lenny Abrahamson based on the novel of same name by Sarah Waters.

• Operation Finale – MGM

Historical drama starring Oscar Isaac, Ben Kingsley, Lior Raz, Mélanie Laurent, Nick Kroll, and Joe Alwyn and directed by Chris Weitz; received positive reviews with 65% Rotten Tomatoes score.