Top 5 Breakdown
- Paddington 2 – £2,883,617 – £26,903,226
Down 36.56% in its fourth weekend returning to #1 after three weeks away and will likely hold top next weekend to before the arrival of Star Wars: The Last Jedi into weeks’ time.
Paddington 2 is now the 13th biggest film of the year and overtake The Lego Batman Movie, The Boss Baby and Sing by next weekend getting close to becoming the ninth film this year to take over £30m with Star Wars: The Last Jedi being the tenth film to do so this year
Last year was 11 films that took over £30m (taking £405m) with Deadpool the biggest surprise but this year few would have predicted Dunkirk, It and La La Land to take £30m (2017 top 10 will take £460m+ with Star Wars: The Last Jedi to take £80m+ of its 2017 BO)
Paddington 2 took 14.7% (£2,513,675) more than Paddington in its fourth weekend but was a much more crowded weekend of new releases (weekend before Christmas) with Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (£1,851,424) and Dumb & Dumber To (£1,807,059) opening and was the second weekend for The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (£5,409,312). After 4 weekends Paddington had taken only 48% of its final box office.
Paddington 2 first two weekends was 63% more than Paddington in its third weekend dropped to 60% ahead and in its fourth weekend 49% ahead but didn’t face any competition last weekend, unlike previous weekend with Frozen.
Paddington 2 is holding close to last year’s Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them which took £2.73m in its fourth weekend taking £42,392,249 (taking 77% of its final box office £54.6m). If Paddington 2 was to perform similarly it would take £35m+ but as Paddington took 48% (£18.12m) of its final box office of £37,842,948 would see a final box office of £55.9m.
Paddington took £12.7m over the lucrative Christmas holidays but its family film competition Penguins of Madagascar, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and Annie disappointed at the box office. This year Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Ferdinand and Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be much tougher but of course the first family film always has the advantage, but Paddington 2 will be three weeks further in on its release than Paddington.
We will see this weekend how two of those films might affect Paddington 2 as both Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle and Ferdinand is previewed this weekend;
20th Century Fox will be hoping for better things from Ferdinand than Penguins of Madagascar which suffered opening the weekend after Paddington in December 2014 opening with only £1,575,949. After much negativity when the reboot of Jumanji was announced shortly after Robin Williams death the film has received surprisingly positive buzz.
Ferdinand is based on children’s book The Story of Ferdinand outsold Gone with the Wind in 1938 to become #1 bestseller. In 1938 Life magazine called Ferdinand “the greatest juvenile classic since Winnie the Pooh while in In Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler ordered the book burned “degenerate democratic propaganda” after the war 30,000 copies were quickly published and given out for free to the country’s children to encourage peace. The Story of Ferdinand is not as well known in the UK in recent years it did appear in the 2009 film The Blind Side in a scene where a coach mentions that Michael would rather stare at balloons than hit someone and Sandra Bullock’s character replies “Ferdinand the Bull”.
Paddington took £2,558,263 in its fifth weekend taking £23,959,025 but hard to compare with Paddington 2 fifth weekend as it the lucrative Christmas Day weekend. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them the fifth weekend took £1,416,433 but was the opening weekend for
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story opening with £17,305,011 and Moana took £1,424,527 in its third weekend.
With Welcome to the Jungle and Ferdinand having previews, Paddington 2 is likely to drop about 40% in its fifth weekend taking £1.7m-£2m.
- Daddy’s Home 2 – £1,945,640 – £7,879,672
Down 60.45% in its second weekend hard to compare with Daddy’s Home took £2,908,358 in its second weekend which was the second weekend of the lucrative Christmas holidays taking £8.142,525 (47%) of its £17.2m total.
With Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle previewing this weekend we will see if Daddy’s Home 2 has the legs of its original;
Daddy’s Home 2 will be Paramount Pictures biggest film of 2017 overtaking both Baywatch (£9.52m) and Transformers: The Last Knight (£9.52m) by next weekend; but the nine films Paramount released in 2017 have only taken £41.1m to date will see them be the worst performing studio in the UK and below Lionsgate and Studiocanal (hanks to Paddington 2 and La La Land).
2018 is another transition year for Paramount Pictures with few standout films apart from Mission Impossible 6, Cloverfield 3 and Transformers spin-off Bumblebee.
as it won’t be until 2019 when Jim Gianopulos slate takes effect with films Eli, What Men Want, Rhythm Section, Top Gun 2, Terminator reboot (20th Century Fox have internationally) and Gemini Man.
Daddy’s Home 2 is likely to be affected with Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle previews with a third-weekend drop of about 40% taking £1m+.
- Justice League – £1,486,953 – £15,554,643
Down 50.28% in its third weekend; Justice League third weekend bigger drops than the previous DC Extended Universe 39% Man of Steel, Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, 42% Suicide Squad and 20% Wonder Woman.
Justice League is currently the 24th biggest film of the year and will shortly overtake Kong: Skull Island, T2: Trainspotting 2 but will probably come short of overtaking Blade Runner 2049. While there have been several films that surprisingly took £30m there are also many including The Lego Batman Movie, Fifty Shades Darker, War for the Planet of the Apes and Justice League most would have expected to take over £30m at the box office.
Probably the reason why audiences are more accepting of Marvel Cinematic Universe is that all seventeen films have been similar toned but with DC over the decades had Richard Donner direct Superman, Tim Burton direct Batman and Batman Returns (quickly skipping past Joel Schumacher directing Barman Forever and Batman and Robin and Bryan Singer directing Superman Returns) but then Christopher Nolan directing The Dark Knight trilogy.
The problem Warner Bros had with their planned DC Extended Universe was due to legal issues they had to get production started on Man of Steel started by 2011 while it had been in development since 2008 the project still was rushed. Opening only two years after Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises it could never live up to fan expectation. Which was the one advantage Christopher Nolan had with The Dark Knight Trilogy he was given time to develop the films not pressured in meeting the release date which has been the case with DC Extended Universe films?
Was reports Warner Bros refused to delay the release of Justice League as senior executives would miss out on their huge bonuses if it was released before AT&T merger happened. The problem, of course, would have been when they could have moved Justice League to with Marvel releasing Black Panther in February, Avengers: Infinity Wars in May with Han Solo and Warner Bros opening Fantastic Beasts 2 in November. By keeping its original release date Justice League became a mismatch of two director’s visions along with the fact that the film originally had been planned as a two-parter.
The problem with comic-book movies is they all look and feel the same as many have compared Justice League to Avengers Assemble as ScreenCrush excellently showed in this recent video. Which gives audiences the feeling of Groundhog Day when you watch them which was close to last year with Batman Vs Superman, Captain America: Civil War and X-Men: Apocalypse. Rather than trying to replicate Marvel Cinematic Universe DC would be better giving audiences something different which 20th Century Fox did also last year with Deadpool and with its sequel released next summer.
Warner Bros have had a very missed year at the box office their 22 releases (final film The Disaster Artist opens this week) has taken £208.99m up 3.5% from last year £201.9m); while Dunkirk and It performed strongly many of their films as Justice League disappointed The Lego Batman Movie failed to match The Lego Movie Box office but far better than Lego Ninjago while long-delayed King Arthur and Geostorm predictably flopped.
Warner Bros have about 20 films set for release in 2018 with the same mix of big-budget films Tomb Raider reboot, Ready Player One, The Meg, Aquaman, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them 2 and the long in post The Jungle Book: Origins along with Ocean’s Eight, A Star is Born and The 15:17 to Paris.
Justice League will drop about 55% in its fourth weekend taking £600-£700k.
- Wonder – £1,240,245 – NE
Disappointing opening for Wonder after receiving positive reviews and strong buzz over the last few weeks after Lionsgate held a very extensive program of talker screenings on World Kindness Day on Monday 13th November to build word of mouth.
The opening was close to Lion opened with £1.26m taking £11.76m and Hidden Figures opened with £1.44m taking £6.13m and 2009’sThe Blind Side opened £1,313,317 in March 2010 and went on to take £5,933,635.
Lionsgate would have hoped after holding such an extensive talker screening program three weeks ago and then opening the film over a quiet weekend, two weeks after the film opened in the US Wonder would have opened stronger, so will be hoping it holds well.
Talker screenings are a careful balance as a distributor uses them for films like Wonder to build up word of mouth but so often when they have such extensive programs as was done for Wonder they can work against it.
With only one more film released this year Stronger opening on Friday Lionsgate have taken almost £73m from their 27 releases this year.
- Murder on the Orient Express – £824,494 – £22,127,760
Down 39.98% in its fifth weekend has overtaken War for the Planet of the Apes to become 20th Century Fox’s fourth biggest film of the year and the 19th biggest film of the year and will shortly overtake Wonder Woman and Fifty Shades Darker. Has overtaken 2014’s Gone Girl (£21.94m) and still could overtake last years The Girl on the Train (£23.37m).
Agatha Christie is the Marvel Cinematic Universe to over 50s her novels sold over 2 billion worldwide only Shakespeare and God have sold more. Murder on the Orient Express success highlights need for much more content for over 50s are very loyal and regular cinemagoers more than fickle millennials. This year Dunkirk, It, La La Land, Blade Runner 2049, Lion, Victoria and Abdul, Hidden Figures, The Death of Stalin, Viceroy’s House, Moonlight, and Jackie had a high over 50s audience along with many Event Cinema events.
20th Century Fox has released 22 films in 2017 with one more to be released Ferdinand taking £173m which will be down from last year’s £212.5m; The Boss Baby, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, Logan, and Murder on the Orient Express were biggest films of the year but didn’t have any film taking over £30m as they did last year with Deadpool. As Warner Bros, they had many disappointments including Assassin’s Creed and Alien: Covenant.
2018 they will release similar mix of films including three Marvel films (New Mutants, Deadpool 2 and Dark Phoenix), The Predator, Alita: Battle Angel (James Cameron produced), the Queen Biopic Bohemian Rhapsody (currently generating negative media coverage after they fired directed Bryan Singer) and Jennifer Lawrence spy movie Red Sparrow along with Three Billboards Outside and The Shape of Water both generating strong Oscar buzz.
Of course, the big question what will be 20th Century Fox in a years’ time after rumors returned last week Disney is planning to acquire film elements of 20th Century Fox which have gotten many excited that it will allow Disney to take full control of Marvel and Star Wars. Incorporating 20th Century Fox within Disney wouldn’t be straightforward as AT&T is currently finding trying to the merger with Warner Bros along with many projects they currently make Disney would have no interest in continuing. This could all be a game to Rupert Murdoch as he awaits decision over if they are able to take full control of Sky as it would be the final bit to his puzzle he has been trying to get for many years
Also released
The Disaster Artist – Warner Bros – took £130,238 from 22 screens expands wide on Wednesday.
UK box office in detail
This weekend’s top 10 box office took £9,864,139 down 42.4% from last weekend £17,119,618
The weekend admissions down 49.2 % from last weekend 2,548,321 (average price £7.62 by UK Cinema Association/BFI for 2017).
Did random price check of over 150 UK cinemas showing Star Wars The Last Jedi regular adult tickets averages are 2D £11.76 3D £13.63 IMAX £18.12 and 4DX £17.24; while average ticket price is still claimed to be £7.41. From my random survey, only 6% of cinemas are lower than UKCA claimed average with Cardiff the cheapest and of course Leicester Sq. the most expensive.
Wonder took 12.5% of the top 10; 11 films opened at weekend taking £1,869,117; Wonder 66.3% (£1,240,245); remaining 10 films shared 33.6% (£628,872);
The weekend was down 11.6% from last year (£11,160,568): Moana £2,214,898, Sully: Miracle on the Hudson £1,786,844, The Edge of Seventeen £273,139, Bleed for This £250,975
Up 8.5% from 2015: (£9,087,311): Christmas with the Coopers £683,217, Victor Frankenstein £431,125, Krampus £412,713, The Night Before £272,930
Next weekend in 2016: (£8,465,385) Office Christmas Party £1,198,176, Snowden £209,352, The Birth of a Nation £135,162
UK Box Office Top 10
US Box Office Top 10
US Box office
Disney – Coco – drops 45.8% in its second weekend taking $27.53m and $110.1m;
Disney Second weekend drops after Thanksgiving
2010 – Tangled – 55.7% – $21.6m – taking $96.57m
2013 – Frozen – 53.1% – $31.61m – taking $93.93m
2015 – The Good Dinosaur – $15.32m – taking $75.76m
2016 – Moana 50.1% – $28.27m – taking $119.78m
Short film Olaf’s Frozen Adventure attached to Coco received much hostility from audiences when it was screened in Mexico which saw Disney remove it from playing before the film. It received similar negativity when it was attached to Coco US release and will be removed from screenings in the US from December 8th. In the UK the short was shown with screenings of Frozen over the last two weekends.
Warner Bros – Justice League – dropped 59.5% in its third weekend taking $16.65m and $197.4m total
Justice League third weekend drop was the biggest in the DC Extended Universe; Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice dropped 54.5%, Suicide Squad 52.1% and Man of Steel 49.8%; Justice League will end with about $220m 24% less than Man of Steel, 33% less than Batman Vs Superman: Dawn of Justice, 32% less than Suicide Squad and 46% less than Wonder Woman.
Justice League took $35.7m the weekend international taking $370.1m and $567.4m globally from 67 territories;
While is much-deserved negativity surrounding DC Extended Universe must remember after five films Marvel Cinematic Universe films took $1.12bn in the US and $2.29bn globally compared to DC Extended Universe five films have taken $1.55bn in the US and $3.67bn internationally;
Lionsgate – Wonder – dropped 46.4% in its third weekend taking $12.14m and $87.69m total; Wonder continues to hold well with many believing it could take over $150m at the US box office. Many have compared the film to The Blind Side which had taken $128.8m after three weeks gong on to take $259.95m.
Disney – Thor: Ragnarok – dropped 41.4% in its fifth weekend taking $9.88m and $291,63m total;
Thor: Ragnarok took $6.5m internationally over the weekend with a total of $525m and global box office of $816m become the seventh biggest Marvel Cinematic Universe globally; China and the UK are its biggest international markets.
Paramount Pictures – Daddy’s Home 2 dropped 42.7% in its fourth weekend taking $7.57m and $82.88m;
Daddy’s Home took $9.54m in its fourth weekend taking $129.5m (36% more) if Daddy’s Home 2 continues to hold as it is will end with $98m which would be 35% less than the original film and Paramount’s second biggest film of the year.
Globally Daddy’s Home 2 has taken $117m less than half of Daddy’s Home $243n
Focus Features – Lady Bird – expanded into 1,194 screens (adding 403 screens) up 5.8% taking $4.29m total $17.08m climbed back into the top 10;
Fox Searchlight – Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri expanded into 1,430 screens (adding 816 screens) taking $4.39m up 0.1% taking $4.4m from 614 screens taking $13.53m;
Its currently performing close to 2014’s Birdman and 2015’s Spotlight and with likely Oscar nominations is expected to take around $45m.
Fox Searchlight were worried about the long title and wanted to shorten it as concerned it might work against it as did famously with Shawshank Redemption in 1994. Three years earlier Universal cut Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café title to just Fried Green Tomatoes and was a sleeper hit but then in the UK Rank used the full title and it disappointed.
20th Century Fox – Murder on the Orient Express dropped 48.6% in its fourth weekend taking $6.76m and $84.83m; overtaking last years The Girl on the Train which took $75.39m; internationally has taken $237.55m globally has performed surprisingly well internationally taking much more than last years The Girl on the Train which took $173.18m;
On limited release
Paramount Pictures – Titanic – opens $438,602 from 87 screens
Celebrating its 20th Anniversary James Cameron has remastered the film in Dolby Vision and screened it in selective AMC cinemas for one week only.
Sony Classics – Call Me by Your Name down 28.4% in its second weekend taking $295,561 from 4 screens taking $908,175; surprising both Call Me by Your Name and Darkest Hour didn’t expand their screens in second weekends.
Focus Features – Darkest Hour drops 38.1% in its second weekend taking $108,372 from 4 screens total $411,481;
Fox Searchlight – The Shape of Water opens with $166,564 from 2 screens; received very positive reviews (98% Rotten Tomatoes score) since its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival
A24 – The Disaster Artist opens with $1.21m from 19 screens; expands over the next few weeks; after receiving positive reviews 95% Rotten Tomatoes A24 reported strong reaction to polling over the weekend.
Amazon – Wonder Wheel opens with $140,555 from 5 screens; disappointing opening for Woody Allen’s 43rd film opening with over half last year’s Café Society opened with in July 2016.
Wonder Wheel received mixed reviews only 41% Rotten Tomatoes score and its five-screen opening was most close to 2010’s You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger opening with $160,103 from six screens; will expand over the next couple of weeks but with a very crowded art-house marketplace it is likely to be one of the films which will get squeezed.
Opened December 8th
Opening UK
- The Disaster Artist – Warner Bros
Biographical comedy-drama starring James and Dave Franco, Seth Rogen, Alison Brie, Ari Graynor, Josh Hutcherson and Jacki Weaver and produced and directed by James Franco.
A work-in-progress cut had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March and the completed film premiered at Toronto International Film Festival and San Sebastián International Film Festival winning its top prize, the Golden Shell; received positive reviews from critics (currently 95% Rotten Tomatoes score) with James Franco performance receiving much praise;
The Room is claimed to be the worst film ever made is regularly screened at the Prince Charles Cinema with the director Tommy Wiseau often in attendance.
The Room and The Disaster Artist has similarities to 1994 Tim Burton film Ed Wood the director made the similarly infamous 1959 turkey Plan 9 From Outer Space. While Ed Wood received critical acclaim, it flopped at the US box office in October 1995 and was released seven months later in the UK; opened 26th May 1995 taking £495,353 (142,323 admissions) would be the equivalent of £1.1m today.
Films about filmmaking of course excite film critics but often don’t play as strongly to regular cinemagoers one exception this year was of course La La Land.
- Better Watch Out – Universal Pictures
Christmas horror comedy starring Levi Miller, Olivia DeJonge, Ed Oxenbould, and Patrick Warburton and directed by Chris Peckover; received positive reviews currently with a 90% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Will face similar problems as Krampus and Happy Death Day a young teen horror that will suffer from a 15-certificate stopping the target audience from seeing the film in cinemas.
- Brigsby Bear – Sony Pictures
Comedy-drama starring Kyle Mooney, Mark Hamill, Greg Kinnear, Matt Walsh, Michaela Watkins, Jorge Lendeborg Jr. and Ryan Simpkins and directed by Dave McCary.
Premiered at the Sundance Film Festival shortly after Sony Pictures acquired the US and selective international rights releasing it in the US in July.
As with so many films had a decent platform opening but then expanded far too quickly after three weeks from 37 screens to 408 but failed to find an audience which meant it couldn’t expand further despite receiving positive reviews from critics with an 80% Rotten Tomatoes score praising its optimistic and sentimental tone.
Received its UK premiere at the London Film Festival receiving positive reviews but will likely get a limited release in the UK. Sony Pictures hoping opening so close to Star Wars: The Last Jedi Mark Hamill might get audiences interested but while voicing many TV shows and films hasn’t had any success with films unlike Harrison Ford has been able to do.
Luke Skywalker has been in the shadows of Mark Hamill’s 40-year acting career close to many Bond Girls and Daniel Radcliffe for Harry Potter while Emma Watson has been able to move on to other things.
Current Star Wars actors John Boyega and Daisy Ridley have both done very different roles between Star Wars films; John Boyega (The Circle, Detroit, Pacific Rim Uprising and voicing Bigwig in BBC/Netflix’s Watership Down) Daisy Ridley (Murder on the Orient Express, Chaos Walking and voicing Viola Eadie in Peter Rabbit).
The more John and Daisy get known for their Star Wars characters the harder it will be as Mark Hamill found out to be seen as someone, not Luke Skywalker, John and Daisy will star in Star Wars IX but with another trilogy planned and infinite Star Wars films planned in the future how many more Star Wars films are they contracted for? Star Wars: The Force Awakens was Harrison Ford’s last Star Wars film and Star Wars: The Last Jedi will be Carrie Fisher’s after her untimely death and will probably be Mark Hamill last before he turns into a ghost and then will return infinitely.
- Stronger – Lionsgate
Biographical drama starring Jake Gyllenhaal as Bauman, Tatiana Maslany, Miranda Richardson, and Clancy Brown and directed by David Gordon; premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival receiving positive reviews from critics.
Had a disappointing opening on limited wide release in September never managed to go wider than 645 screens taking $4,209,483 to date; will get a limited release in the UK.
Opening in the US
- Just Getting Started – Broad Green Pictures
Action comedy starring Morgan Freeman, Tommy Lee Jones, Rene Russo, and Elizabeth Ashley and directed and written by Ron Shelton. (is final film role Glenne Headly, who died in June 2017; originally titled Villa Capri.
Just Getting Started is Ron Shelton’s first film he has directed since 2003’s Hollywood Homicide previously directed classic 80s and 90s sports films Bull Durham, White Men Can’t Jump, Cobb, Tin Cup and Play it to the Bone.
Over a quiet weekend for new releases targeting older audience Just Getting Started is likely to open close to 2013’s Las Vegas $16.33m and 2010’s RED $21.76m if it opens somewhere between it could have a chance at opening #1 over a very slow weekend the weekend before Star Wars: The Last Jedi. If not, then close to Going in Style opened with $11.93m was underrated comedy opening earlier this year.
Last year the weekend before Rogue One Office Christmas party opened with $16.89m with Moana holding #1.
In 2015 In the Heart of the Sea opened the weekend before Star Wars: The Force Awakens with $11.05m with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 holding #1.
- I, Tonya – Neon
Biographical sports black comedy starring Margot Robbie, Caitlin Carver, Sebastian Stan, Julianne Nicholson, Bobby Cannavale and Allison Janney and directed by Craig Gillespie; had the world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival receiving positive reviews with another strong performance from Margot Robbie who also produced the film.
Tonally the trailer reminded me of Gus Van Sant’s black comedy To Die For starring Nicole Kidman which she won Best Actress Golden Globe and Margot Robbie could do the same for I, Tonya.
Since her breakthrough role in The Wolf of Wall Street Margot Robbie has starred in many films including Focus, The Big Short, Suicide Squad and Goodbye Christopher Robin next voices Flopsy in Peter Rabbit and Mary Queen of Scots before starring in Quentin Tarantino’s ninth film dated for release August 9th, 2019 by Sony Pictures.
Screened To Die For, for Nicole Kidman and Tom Cruise at Rank Film Distributors Preview Theatre late one night in May 1995 Tom Cruise was shooting Mission Impossible at Pinewood Studios and Nicole Kidman wanted to see the film before it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.
I, Tonya is Neon’s sixth film they have released this year as with Ingrid Goes West and Colossal I, Tonya is another cool and quirky film that hopefully cinemagoers get to see it should be helped by Golden Globe nominations with it expanding over Christmas.