- Nosferatu £5,246,910 – NE
Took £2,181,447 (41.75%) from previews on Wednesday/Thursday
Took £1.03m 19.55% Friday; £1.26m 24.1% Saturday; £769k 14.59% Sunday.
Took 12% (£650k) from IMAX.
289th biggest opening between Brave and Pirates of the Caribbean 5 (close to Five Nights At Freddy’s, Assassin’s Creed, Alien: Covenant and Trainspotting 2) and 435th biggest opening inflated between E.T and The Expendables (close to Apollo 13, Basic Instinct, Paranormal Activity (2009) and Sleepy Hollow).
171st widest opening 623 cinemas similar to Nosferatu, Venom: The Last Dance, Elemental and The Railway Children Return; 242nd 600+ cinema opening since 2015’s Jurassic World.
Nosferatu has received positive reviews and strong buzz since its world premiere at the start of December.
Robert Eggers’s previous films all received positive reviews but didn’t find wide audiences and Nosferatu took more in its opening day than any of his other films have opened over the weekend.
2022’s The Northman opened £897,737 #4 528 screens taking £4,349,002
2016’s The Witch (opened #7 £447,626 from 179 screens taking £883,088)
2020’s The Lighthouse (opened #10 £384,284 from 83 screens)
1993’s Bram Stoker Dracula opened £2,640,584/£6,515,086 335 screens taking £11,548,429/£28.5m.
While the last Dracula film was part of Universal Pictures Dark Universe shared monster universe 2014’s Dracula Untold opened £1,713,283/£2,019,226 taking £4,454,648/£5,250,121
- 2. Mufasa £3,269,384 – £20,713,443
Dropped 23% in its third weekend.
Took £1.14m 34.9% (-12.3% £1.3m) Friday; £1.26m 38.5% (-16.6% £1.51m) Sat; £869k 26.6% (-37.9% £1.4m) Sun.
95th biggest third weekend between Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and The Lego Movie (close to Life of Pi, The Grinch, Sing 2 and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish) and 191st inflated third weekend between Thor: Ragnarok and A Christmas Carol (close to Arthur Christmas, Gnomeo And Juliet, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and The Fugitive).
Took 37% less in its third weekend than 2019’s The Lion King £5,158,311
1994’s The Lion King up 3.8% £2,554,781/£6,265,109 and £6,505,591 28.9% of £22,525,524/£55,239,516
Disney’s reimagination sequels have failed to repeat success. 2013’s Maleficent dropped 39.7% £1,570,437 and £13,620,598 70% of £19,453,353; Sequel 2019’s Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil dropped 6.9% £2,009,956 and £11,608,754 78.6% of £14,773,607; 2010’s Alice in Wonderland dropped 34% £4,847,129 and £30,493,427 72.31% of £42,169,542/£56,485,924; sequel 2016’s Alice Through The Looking Glass dropped 38.4% £832,914 and £8,306,639 83.4% of £9,915,284.
The biggest Disney re-imagination third weekends:
2017’s Beauty and the Beast dropped 45.3% £6,750,000/£7,182,577 and £51,385,248 70.94% of £72,430,579
2019’s The Lion King dropped 52% £5,158,311 #2 and £50,701,449 66.8% of £75,938,299/£83,826,626
2010’s Alice in Wonderland dropped 34% £4,847,129/£6,492,709 and £30,493,427 72.3% of £42,169,542
2016’s The Jungle Book dropped 28.9% £5,758,824/£6,194,039 and £30,201,705 65.3% of £46,235,032
2019’s Aladdin dropped 33.2% £2,345,046 and £17,692,002 70.4% of £36,710,978
2023’s The Little Mermaid dropped 49.7% £2,125,299 and £19,996,908 73.3% of £27,275,784
Disney have two more reimaginations set for release in 2025 Snow White and Lilo & Stitch with Moana set for release in 2026 and Tangled in development.
284th biggest between Shakespeare In Love and Johnny English Reborn (close to Cinderella, Fantastic Beasts 3, Doctor Dolittle and 101 Dalmatians) and 535th biggest inflated between Kill Bill Volume One and Stuart Little 2 (close to Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Sister Act, Hercules and Bend It Like Beckham).
- 3. We Live In Time £2,843,516 – NE
Took £1,174,963 (34.7%) from previews on Wednesday/Thursday
Took £547k 19.24% Friday; £661k 23.25% Saturday; £647k 22.76% Sunday.
586th biggest opening between Confessions of a Shopaholic and American Beauty (close to Vanilla Sky, Knives Out, The Holiday and Don’t Worry Darling) and 942nd inflated biggest opening between Just Friends and RoboCop (close to Ticket To Paradise, One Day, Death Becomes Her and Cocktail).
30th biggest opening over the last 52 weeks between A Quiet Place: Day One and Back to Black (close to Mean Girls, The Wild Robots, If and Red One).
51st widest opening 689 cinemas close to Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts, See How They Run, Bob Marley: One Love and Toy Story 4; 242nd 600+ cinema opening since 2015’s Jurassic World.
As with Better Man opening last week, We Live In Time received strong media coverage being a British film with Andrew Garfield promoting the film heavily, while also as with Better Man received positive reviews and positive word of mouth.
So why did We Live In Time as Better Man has a softer-than-expected opening, as with Better Man, New Year’s Day and Boxing Day are lucrative release dates for films but as both were 15s a mid-January date might have been better suited, but of course then has to compete against award contenders.
As seen with Better Man despite isn’t softer expected opening and dropping out of the top 5 it had a strong hold in its second weekend, so its word of mouth could see We Live In Time hold well over the coming weeks, but with A Real Pain opened Wednesday and with Babygirl and Maria opening on Friday the market is very crowded for films targetting women.
John Crowley previously directed 2003’s Intermission opened £146,220 on 28 screens taking £2,141,314/£3,819,641; 2015’s Brooklyn opened £1,041,278 on 308 screens taking £4,981,577/£5,472,135; and 2019’s The Goldfinch opened £320,849 515 screens.
2010’s Love and Other Drugs opened £1,606,253/£2,138,071 taking £5,272,800/£7,018,584
2011’s One Day opened £2,208,724/£2,886,649 taking £8,024,165/£10,487,028
2014’s The Fault in Our Stars opened £3,434,334/£4,047,608 taking £11,006,752/£12,972,243
2013’s About Time opened £1,761,079/£2,135,949 taking £7,602,017/£9,220,211
2004’s The Notebook opened £309,507/£545,946 taking £1,109,047/£1,956,270
2024’s It Ends With Us opened #1 in August with £4,516,760 taking £21,241,321
- 4. Sonic The Hedgehog 3 £2,672,308 – £18,756,893
Down 77.3% in its second weekend (34% not including previews)
Took £979k 36.6% Friday; £994k 37.2% (-31% £1.44m) Saturday; £699lk 26.2% (-46.64% £1.31m) Sunday.
294th biggest second weekend between Seven and Pitch Perfect 2 (close to Zootropolis, Pokemon Detective Pikachu, Oz: The Great and Powerful and Maleficent) and 542nd biggest second weekend inflated between Rocky Balboa and Mr and Mrs Smith (close to The Lego Movie: The Second Part, Ralph Breaks The Internet, Home Alone and Look Who’s Talking).
13th biggest second weekend of the last 52 weeks between It Ends with Us and Migration (close to Mufasa: The Lion King, Kung Fu Panda 4, Bob Marley: One Love and Venom: The Last Dance); 8th biggest over 52 weeks between Mufasa: The Lion King and Bob Marley: One Love (close to It Ends with Us, Migration, Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and Twisters).
2020’s Sonic The Hedgehog dropped 12% £4,171,244 #1 634 screens and £14,688,538 of £18,986,844 over 5 weeks before COVID lockdown
2022’s Sonic The Hedgehog 2 dropped 42% £2,903,034 #2 685 screens and £10,643,083 of £26,182,692
336th biggest between It Chapter 2 and Saving Private Ryan (close to Hotel Transylvania 3, How to Train Your Dragon 3, The Secret Life of Pets 2 and Mission: Impossible) and 610th biggest inflated between Ali G Indahouse and As Good As It Gets (close to G-Force, Waterworld, Puss in Boots and Mulan (1998).
- 5. Moana 2 £1,756,445 – £38,206,080
Down 20.7% in its sixth weekend
£616k 35.1% (-7.23% £664k) Friday; £623k 35.5% (-20.8% £787k) Sat; £517k 29.4% (-32.2% £763k) Sun
23rd sixth biggest weekend between Slumdog Millionaire and The Grinch (close to Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical, Barbie, Mamma Mia 2 and Inside Out 2) and the 59th-inflated sixth weekend between Callender Girls and Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 (close to Shrek, Arthur Christmas, Doctor Dolittle and Casper).
Took 48.9% more than 2016’s Moana £1,179,760 dropped 27.2% in its sixth weekend and £16,374,011; dropped 11% in seventh weekend £1,050,979 #3; playing strongly to February taking £20,041,031.
Moana is one of Disney’s most loved recent animated films Kate Winslet said, “From a young age now, and all the mums remember this as well, you have to say to your daughters – ‘I am proud of myself, I feel good about how I look, you look amazing!’ Because guess what? With social media, they may never hear it from anyone else. You have to tell them. And that’s why that film (Moana) is so special to me. Because there’s that beautiful girl, she’s strong, she’s resilient, she’s powerful. She’s going out into the world by herself and has this gorgeous, soft, normal shape! I just love it.”
The 34 Disney animated films have taken £500m+ and £755m inflated since 1989’s Oliver & Company.
95th biggest between The Simpsons and Shrek The Third (close to Les Miserables, Inside Out, Paddington and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and 218th biggest inflated between Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and Basic Instinct (close to Tomorrow Never Dies, The Mummy Returns, A View to A Kill and Fantastic Beasts 2)
18th biggest animation between The Simpsons and Shrek The Third (close to Finding Dory, Frozen, The Secret Life of Pets and Ice Age III) and 36th biggest inflated animation between Ratatouille and Aladdin (close to Shark Tale, The Lego Movie, Wall·E and Sing 2).
6 films were taking £1m+ over the weekend ss many of the films are playing to different demographics as was the case between 2018 and 2020 rather than one cannibalizing the market as in 2023 with Avatar 2.
Nosferatu £5,246,910; Mufasa: The Lion King £3,269,384; We Live In Time £2,843,516; Sonic The Hedgehog 3 £2,672,308; Moana 2 £1,756,445; Wicked £1,658,167 with Better Man taking £925,066.
2024; 4; Wonka; One Life; Priscilla and Anyone But You
2023; 3; Avatar: The Way Of Water; Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody; Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical
2022; 2; Spider-Man: No Way Home and The King’s Man
2020; 9; Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker; Jumanji: The Next Level; The Gentlemen; Little Women; Jojo Rabbit; Andre Rieu: 70 Years Young; Frozen 2; Spies In Disguise and Cats
2019; 6; Mary Poppins Returns; The Favourite; Aquaman; Andre Rieu’s 2019 New Year Concert from Sydney; Bumblebee; Ralph Breaks the Internet
2018; 7; Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle; Star Wars: The Last Jedi; The Greatest Showman; Molly’s Game; Pitch Perfect 3; All the Money in the World and Paddington 2
UK box office in detail
The weekend’s top 10 box office took £19,627,945 down 19.7% from last weekend’s £24,433,177: 2,478,276 admissions down 19.7% from 3,084,997 admissions.
6th biggest weekend between of the last 52 weeks between 15 November 2024 #1 Gladiator II £9,155,050 (46.53%) and 05 December 2024 #1 Moana 2 £6,904,866 (37.13%)
14th biggest since cinemas reopened out of 216 weeks between 15 November 2024 #1 Gladiator II £9,155,050 (46.53%) and 01 July 2022 #1 Minions: The Rise Of Gru £10,424,758 (53.33%)
88th biggest top 10 of the last 22 years (out of 1,188) between 30 June 2017 #1 Despicable Me 3 £11,154,904 (56.82%) and 30 December 2011 #1 Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol £8,188,209 (41.85%) and 222nd inflated between 01 August 2003 £10,939,690 #1 Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines £6,080,369 (55.58%) and 04 January 2008 £12,768,659 #1 I Am Legend £3,740,369 (29.29%)
The top 3 took (£11,359,810) 57.8% of the top 10; Nosferatu 26.7% (£5,246,910); Mufasa: The Lion King 16.7% (£3,269,384); We Live In Time 14.5% £2,843,516
502nd biggest admissions #1 (662,489) between 03 November 2017 #1 Murder on the Orient Express (665,634) and 20 August 2010 The Expendables (661,462)
844th biggest percentage share #1 (26.73%) between 07 August 2015 #1 Fantastic Four (26.73%) and 27 September 2002 #1 Signs (26.71%)
Up 48% from 2024; £13,260,177); One Life (£3,324,502); Priscilla (£1,326,326); Night Swim (£590,691); Scala!!! (£15,673); #1 Wonka £3,779,636 5th weekend 739 screens (28.5% of top 10).
Up 75.1% from 2023; (£11,210,520); A Man Called Otto (£1,088,410); Andre Rieu In Dublin 2023 (£715,987); Till (£327,496); #1 Avatar: The Way of Water 4th week £5,870,063 23% drop 714 screens (52.36% of top 10).
Up 125.2% 2022 (£8,716,739); Licorice Pizza (£879,373); The 355 (£367,148); Boiling Point (£79,117); #1 Spider-Man No Way Home £4,477,415 4th week 26% drop 680 screens (51.4% of top 10)
2021 Lockdown
Down 9.1% 2020; (£21,600,665); The Gentlemen 41.7% (£3,057,108); Jojo Rabbit 33% (£2,415,233); Andre Rieu: 70 Years Young 23.4% (£1,717,074); #1 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker 3rd weekend £4,396,258 (20.3% of top 10)
Up 14.2% 2019 £17,185,874); The Favourite (£3,973,975); Andre Rieu’s 2019 New Year Concert from Sydney (£1,745,941); Welcome to Marwen (£242,156); Life Itself (£54,131); #1 Mary Poppins Returns £4,444,023 3rd week #1 718 screens 40% drop (25.8% of top 10)
Up 12.9% from 2018; (£17,391,172); Molly’s Game (£2,283,420); Hostiles (£380,718); Brad’s Status (£33,579); #1 Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle £3,895,450 3rd week 1st #1 579 screens 25% drop (22.43% of the top 10)
Up 14.1% 2017: (£17,194,216); Assassin’s Creed (£5,285,064); A Monster Calls (£1,920,744); Silence (£1,542,926); Nabucco – Met Opera 2017 (£335,390); #1 Assassin’s Creed £5,285,064 1st week 527 screens (30.7% of top 10)
Up 29.6% 2016: (£15,145,367); The Hateful Eight (£2,778,633); A War (£17,356); #1 Star Wars: The Force Awakens £6,001,948 4th week 634 screens 42% drop (39.6% of top 10)
Down 1% 2015; (£19,828,105); The Theory of Everything (£3,749,293); The Woman In Black: Angel of Death (£2,431,823); Birdman (£1,524,667); Enemy (£20,937); #1 The Theory of Everything £3,749,293 1st week 532 screens (18.9% of top 10)
Up 6.2% 2014: (£18,483,581); Last Vegas (£1,811,695); Paranormal Activity: The Marked Ones (£1,543,091); Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom (£1,472,500); #1 American Hustle (expansion) £3,467,644 2nd week 1st #1 411 screens up 7,401% (18.7% of top 10)
Up 3.1% 2013: (£19,026,396); The Impossible (£4,034,470); Quartet (£2,294,917); Playing for Keeps (£507,319); Chinatown (Re: 2013) (£16,138); #1 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey £4,075,781 4th week 568 screens 41% drop (21.4% of top 10)
Up 65.1% 2012: (£11,885,910); The Iron Lady (£2,151,368); Goon (£728,286) l; #1 Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol £2,223,200 2nd week 73% drop 517 screens (18.7% of top 10)
Up 46.1% 2011; (£13,432,653); The King’s Speech (£3,523,102); 127 Hours (£2,168,570); The Next Three Days (£1,046,333); Season of the Witch (£559,769); It’s Kind of a Funny Story (£82,056); #1 The King’s Speech £3,523,102 1st week 395 screens (26.2% of top 10)
Up 26.5% 2010: (£15,390,090); Did You Hear About The Morgans (£1,155,060); Post Grad (£12,486); #1 Avatar £5,940,479 (£8,067,071 inflated) 493 screens 2nd week split over 3 weeks (38.6% of top 10)
Up 65.3% 2009; (£11,872,842); The Spirit (£1,351,370); The Reader (£671,064); Che: Part One (£429,836); Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants 2 (£41,305); #1 Yes Man 2nd week £2,223,950 (18.7% of top 10)
Up 53.7% 2008; (£12,768,659); Lust, Caution (£240,665); #1 I Am Legend £3,740,369 2nd week 458 screens 66% drop (29.3% of top 10)
Up 78.4% 2007: (£11,003,216); Miss Potter (£1,400,943); Apocalypto (£1,360,110); Employee of the Month (£1,075,883); White Noise: The Light (£698,461); #1 Night at the Museum £2,958,093 2nd week 487 screens 62% drop (26.8% of top 10)
Up 80.6% 2006; (£10,866,142); Just Friends (£1,750,481); Brokeback Mountain (£987,261); Match Point (£751,992); Running Scared (£275,498); #1 King Kong £2,160,421 473 screens 2nd-week #1 over 4 weeks 19% drop (19.88% of top 10)
Up 119.7% 2005: (£8,933,539); White Noise (£1,787,478); The Aviator (expansion) (£1,314,946); Alexander (£1,200,083); Vera Drake (£266,010); #1 White Noise £1,787,478 1st week 314 screens (201% of top 10)
Up 43.3% 2004; (£13,698,709); Stuck On You (£1,114,837); American Splendor (£135,568); #1 Lord of the Rings: Return of the King £6,496,723 3rd week #1 498 screens 9% drop (47.4% of top 10)
Up 66.7% 2003 (£11,773,904); Star Trek X: Nemesis (£1,957,845); City Of God (£307,177); Spider (£63,949); #1 Lord of the Rings: Two Towers 3rd-week #1 £5,774,170 502 screens 29% drop (49.1% of top 10)
Up 75.1% from 2002: (£11,208,567); Behind Enemy Lines (£903,589); The Last Castle (£161,862); Mulholland Drive (£134,798); Monsoon Wedding (£130,466); Beauty and the Beast (£44,797); #1 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring £5,967,910 3rd week #1 470 screens (53.2% of top 10)
2024 Next week: (£9,374,860); Poor Things (£1,819,563); The Beekeeper (£956,380); The Boys In The Boat (£270,297); #1 Wonka £2,227,606 6th weekend 703 screens 41% drop (23.76% of top 10)
2024 UK Box office
December 2024 was £115.6m up 21% from 2023’s £95.5m; if 2024 average holds at £7.92 December admissions would be 14.6m
#1 Wicked £23.3m; #2 Moana 2 £21.9m; #3 Mufasa: The Lion King £17.4m; #4 Sonic The Hedgehog 3 £16m; #5 Paddington In Peru £6.4m; #6 Gladiator II £6m; #7 Conclave £3.9m; #8 Better Man £2.9m; #9 Pushpa 2 – The Rule £1.9m; #10 Kraven The Hunter £1.5m
Annual admissions would be 125.43m up 1.46% from 123.61m but as the average ticket price increased 3% in 2023, the ticket average for 2024 would surely be at least £8.10 up 2.3% which would have seen ticket prices increase 15% since 2019.
Admissions would be similar to 1994 when BO was £401m showing how ticket inflation has affected UK BO. Over the last three years admissions have only increased by 7m. They are still over 50m less than they were in 2018. Where is the growth coming from to get them back to 2018 levels and beyond? BO could return to 2019 levels in 2026 due to ticket price increases. The industry average is up 11.4% since 2019 from £7.11 to £7.92, but as 40% of BO is now from IMAX/PLF and other premium formats real average is a third more.
ComScore reported UK and Ireland BO was £1.06bn down 0.2% (£3m) from 2023 £1,062bn; 2022 BO £980.51m.
Top 10 took £412.3m 41% of 2024 BO similar to 2023’s 40.5% (£465m)
Inside Out 2 £59.2m; Deadpool & Wolverine £57.6m
Wicked £57.33m; Despicable Me 4 £48.26m
Dune: Part 2 £39.6m; Moana 2 £36.4m
Paddington In Peru £34.2m; Gladiator 2 £31.37m
Beetlejuice 2 £26.3m; Kung Fu Panda 4 £22m
The top 20 took £583.8m 63.6% similar to 2023’s 60% (£640m); the Top 50 took £805m 80% down from 2023’s 85% (£900m).
2024 UK BO will be announced in the next few days and will be about £931m down from £978m in 2023.
Omdia predicts the UK box office will be £1.02bn in 2025 highest since 2019 (£1.25bn) with admissions of 129m, admissions would still be almost 50m lower than they were in 2018, only increasing 15m in 4 years.
2024 US Box Office
2024 US BO $8.75bn, with 40%+ of BO from IMAX/PLF. It’s a third more than $10.78. NATO has been slow in updating average prices over the last 5 years, staying at $9.16 for 3.5 years (2019 – 2022) and has been at $10.78 for the last 2 years. EntTelligence 2024 average is $12.52-$16.82 from standard to premium. EntTelligence also says admissions were about 620m.
22 films took $100m+ compared to 35 in 2018, not that $100m is a sign of BO success anymore as it was 30+ years ago. Excuses will be made about the strikes but it’s unlikely the top 5 films taking $2bn would have been any different had they ended sooner Inside Out 2, Deadpool 3, Wicked, Moana 2 and Despicable Me 4.
There’s a slight difference in the percentage share of the top 5 and top 10 of the BO in 2024 and 2019:
2024 Top 5 $2bn 22.8%: Top 10 $3.28bn 37.5%
2019 Top 5 $2.7bn 24.1%: Top 10 $4.39bn 39.2%
2025 US BO
The current prediction for US BO is between $9.3bn-$$9.7bn up from $8.81bn in 2024 but this would see admissions, not top 900m in 2025, if the full recovery is going to happen in 2026 admissions should be topping 1bn in 2024.
Excuses need to stop, and the industry needs to get audiences to see many more films in cinemas. While cinemagoers will begrudgingly pay $15+ to see the top 10 as they always do, are much more selective in the other films they see in the cinema.
BO would still be a third down from 2019 while BO might be down to $1.5bn from 2019 and that’s if NATO holds its average everyone knows is a third less than the real average. $9.7bn would be comparable with the BO level of almost 20 years ago would be $15bn now inflated as the average has gone up from $6.88 to $10.78 (at least) I go by Entelligence average of $12.52.
US Box Office
Mufasa: The Lion King – Disney
Down 36% in its third weekend $23.46m and $168.22m
116th biggest third weekend between Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (close to Aladdin, Night at the Museum, The Little Mermaid and Wonka).
350th biggest between Black Adam and Wild Hogs; 867th biggest inflated between Cold Mountain and Outbreak; 15th biggest 2024 between Gladiator II and It Ends With Us; 90th biggest Disney film between The Help and Wild Hogs.
Third weekends
2019’s The Lion King dropped 49.7% $38.52m and $431.16m of $543.63m and $1.662bn worldwide
1994’s The Lion King dropped 17.1% $14m and $199.72m of $312.85m/$1.12bn and $771.05m/$2.04bn WW
While audiences will come out in large numbers to photorealistic animated remakes of the classic animated films they have little interest in seeing the sequels this has been the case since 2000’s 102 Dalmatians
The Little Mermaid dropped 44.1% $23.15m and $229.17m of $298.17m and $569.62m worldwide.
2019’s Aladdin dropped 42.4% $24.68m and $232,56m of $355.5m and $1.054bn worldwide
1996’s 101 Dalmatians dropped 35.9% $8.93m and $75.57m of $136.18m and $320.68m worldwide
2000’s 102 Dalmatians dropped 24.9% $6.23m and $44.27m of $66.95m and $183.61m worldwide
2014’s Maleficent dropped 46.1% $18.5m and $163.02m of $241.41m and $759.85m worldwide
2019’s Maleficent: Mistress of Evil dropped 32.4% $13.09m and $85.24m of $113.9m and $491.7m worldwide
2010’s Alice in Wonderland dropped 45.5% $34.18m and $265.43m of $334.19m and $1.025bn worldwide
2016’s Alice Through the Looking Glass dropped 50.1% $5.64m and $62.53m of $77.04m and $299.82m
Took $53.5m and $307.8m from 55 territories and $476.16m worldwide; France $30.9m; UK $25.9m; Mexico $21.4; Germany $20.5m; Italy $19.6m; $31m from IMAX; US $15.6m and International $15.4m
276th biggest worldwide between Home Alone and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; 9th biggest 2024 worldwide between Kung Fu Panda 4 and Venom: The Last Dance; 73rd biggest Disney worldwide between Elemental and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.
- Sonic The Hedgehog 3 – Paramount Pictures
Dropped 42% in the third weekend $21.35m #2 and $187.66m
148th biggest third weekend between Hercules and Transformers: Dark of the Moon (close to Monsters vs. Aliens, Oz the Great and Powerful, Spider-Man: Far from Home and The Croods) and Sonic the Hedgehog #278; Sonic the Hedgehog 2 #303
271st biggest between Gladiator and The Croods; 755th biggest inflated between Reds and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry; 12th biggest 2024 between Bad Boys: Ride or Die and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes; 34th biggest Paramount Pictures between A Quiet Place and What Women Want.
Third weekends
2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog dropped 37.7% $16.31m and $128.6m of $148.97m and $319.71m WW
2022’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2 dropped 46.6% $15.65m and $146.25m of $190.87m and $405.42m worldwide
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 has been dated for Spring 2027.
Took $51.2m from 61 territories $148.8m total and $336.4m worldwide; UK $23.6m; Mexico $16.2m; France $14.4m; Australia $9.7m
489th biggest worldwide between Batman Forever and Prince of Persia: Sands of Time; 21st biggest 2024 between It Ends With Us and The Wild Robot; 54th biggest Paramount Pictures between Over the Hedge and Star Trek Beyond.
- Nosferatu- Focus Features
Dropped 40 in its second weekend $13.09m and $69.23m
900th biggest second weekend between The Spiderwick Chronicles and Mama (close to Freddy vs. Jason, Fury, Hollow Man and Insidious: The Red Door)
Robert Eggers previously directed.
2015’s The Witch dropped 42.4% $5.06m and $16.67m of $25.13m and $40.42m worldwide
2019’s The Lighthouse dropped 34.7% $1.97m and $6.95m of $10.86m and $18.12m worldwide
2022’s The Northman dropped 48.2% $6.36m and $22.86m of $34.23m and $65.63m worldwide
Robert Eggers’s next film is expected to be a reboot/sequel to 1986’s Labyrinth for Sony Pictures
1992’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula 50.8% $15.02m and $53.72m of $82.52m/$214.87m and $215.86m/$562.1m worldwide
2014’s Dracula Untold dropped 57.5% $9.98m and $40.83m of $56.28m and $217.12m worldwide
Took $26.8m from 61 territories $31m total and $100.4m worldwide; UK $6.6m; Mexico $3.5m; Italy $2.2m and Australia $2m; has taken more internationally than all of Robert Eggers’s other films.
- A Complete Unknown – Searchlight
Dropped 30% $8.18m and $41.81m
It was nominated for three Golden Globes but failed to win; has 11 nominations on the BAFTA long list final BAFTA nominations will be announced on January 15th.
Selected previous James Mangold film’s second weekends.
1997’s Cop Land dropped 45.8% $7.31m and $27.42m of $44.86m
1999’s Girl, Interrupted dropped 46.9% $4.31m and $16.16m of $28.91m and $48.35m worldwide
2005’s Walk the Line dropped 14% $19.21m and $54m of $119.51m and $186.79m worldwide
2019’s Ford v Ferrari dropped 50% $15.73m and $57.72m of $117.62m and $225.5m worldwide
- Moana 2 – Disney
Down 34% in its sixth weekend $12.44m #4 and $425.2m
33rd biggest sixth weekend between The Super Mario Bros. Movie and How the Grinch Stole Christmas (close to The Lion King (1994), Inside Out 2, Incredibles 2 and The Grinch)
8th biggest animated film between Toy Story 4 and The Lion King (1994); 35th biggest between Captain Marvel and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire; 155th inflation inflated between Zootopia and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves; 4th biggest 2024 between Wicked and Despicable Me 4; 20th biggest Disney between Captain Marvel and The Lion King (1994).
2016’s Moana is up 42.4% (Christmas) $10.98m and $210.04m of $248.75m and $643.33m worldwide
The 36 Disney animation films since 1988’s Oliver & Company have taken over $5.6bn and $9.6m inflated in the US.
Took $26m from 52 territories and $535.3m total and $960.93m worldwide; France $59.4m; UK $48.1m; Germany $39.5m; Mexico $29.6m; Australia $27.6m.
15th biggest animated film between Despicable Me 4 and Minions: The Rise of Gru; 62nd biggest worldwide between Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug; 4th biggest 2024 worldwide between Despicable Me 4 and Dune: Part Two; 30th biggest Disney between Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End and Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
- Wicked Part 1 – Universal Pictures
Up 49% in its seventh weekend $9.98m #5 and $450.53m
27th biggest seventh weekend between Hidden Figures and Juno (close to Beauty and the Beast (1991), Barbie, The Lion King (1994) and Inside Out 2)
29th biggest between Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and The Dark Knight Rises; 134th biggest inflated between Home Alone 2: Lost in New York and American Snipe3; 3rd biggest 2024 between Deadpool & Wolverine and Moana 2; Biggest musical ahead of Grease and Chicago; 3rd biggest Universal Pictures between The Super Mario Bros. Movie and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
Seventh weekends
Comparison films include.
2013’s Oz the Great and Powerful dropped 38.2% $3m and $223.72m of $234.91m/$311.48m and $493.31m/$654.1m WW
2017’s Beauty and the Beast dropped 29.4% $6.82m and $480.52m of $504.01m and $1.263bn WW
2014’s Maleficent dropped 32.1% $4.18m and $222m of $241.41m/$318.53m and $758.41m/$1bn
2023’s Barbie dropped 32.4% $10.21m and $609.09m of $636.23m and $1.446bn worldwide
Jon Chu previously directed Crazy Rich Asians dropped 35.4% $4.1m and $165.63m of $174.83m and $239.34m worldwide.
Took $10.8m (down 26%) from 81 territories $230.5m total and $680.58m worldwide; UK $72.6m; Australia $26.9m; Germany $15.2m; Korea $14.8m; Mexico $10m.
151st biggest worldwide between Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and Forrest Gump; 6th biggest 2024 between Dune: Part Two and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire; biggest musical ahead of Mamma Mia!, Les Misérables and Grease; 20th biggest Universal Pictures between Fast X and Sing.
- Babygirl – A24
Had a minimal drop in its second weekend taking $4.49m #7 and $16.11m
Strong word of mouth has seen Babygirl hold very strongly in its second weekend; the reaction is polarized those who like it love it but those who don’t hate it.
Halina Reijn previously directed 2011’s Bodies Bodies Bodies opened $3.12m taking $11.44m
Nicole Kidman has starred in three other erotic thrillers.
1995’s To Die For dropped 35.5% $4.02m and $12.82m of $21.28m
1999’s Eyes Wide Shut dropped 53.6% $10.07m and $40.27m of $55.69m and $162.09m worldwide
And 2012’s The Paperboy took $693,286.
Similar films include 1987’s Fatal Attraction up 1.4% $7.7m and $18.7m of $156.64m and $320.14m WW.
1996’s Bound dropped 37.9% $559,760 and $1.86m of $3.8m (limited opening 261 screens)
2024’s Challengers dropped 49.4% $7.59m and $29.4m of $50.11m and $96.01m
2015’s The Boy Next Door dropped 59.2% $6.08m and $24.67m of $35.42m and $52.42m worldwide and 2002’s Secretary took $4.05m.
- The Brutalist – A24
Up 16% in its third weekend $244,341 from 8 screens and $1.17m
Had two days of IMAX previews ahead of opening and will return to IMAX screens in January.
The three-hour film has received critical acclaim (93% on Rotten Tomatoes) has two acts and a 15-minute intermission; it was shot using VistaVision on 35mm and then 70mm prints. It’s the first film to be shot using VistaVision since 1961’s One-Eyed Jacks.
The Brutalist won Best Picture Drama Golden Globe and was nominated for seven including Best Film, Best Director and Best Actor. Received its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival A24 acquired US rights for $10m.
UK Box Office Top 10
UK Box Office Preview
Nosferatu will drop about 60% in its second weekend; as it had a 5-day opening weekend taking £2.2m from previews; taking £2m-£2.5m. With Mufasa: The Lion King dropping about 25% in its fourth weekend could see it returning to #1.
We Live In Time is also likely to drop 50%+ in its second weekend again due to its 5-day opening could see it battling out against Sonic The Hedgehog 3 for third place. While Moana 2 and Wicked again will be fighting out for fifth place, they are likely to take similar BO.
The new releases A Real Pain (opening Wednesday) and Babygirl aren’t likely to break into the top 5.
Similar films to A Real Pain include.
2006’s Little Miss Sunshine opened £349,810/£568,890 114 screens taking £2,777,576/£4,517,126
2002’s The Royal Tenenbaums opened £700,025/£1,292,354 159 screens taking £2,674,161/£4,936,913
2008’s Dan in Real Life opened £603,860/£919,725 348 screens taking £1,469,782/£2,238,591
2007’s The Darjeeling Limited opened £435,198/£682,528 192 screens taking £1,323,698/£2,075,978
2014’s This Is Where I Leave You opened £109,425
2016’s Captain Fantastic opened £280,614
2012’s The Descendants opened £1,797,939/£2,235,428 403 screens taking £7,499,805/£9,324,718
1988’s Planes, Trains and Automobiles opened £247,856/£853,487 145 screens taking £1,757,962/£6,053,504
Erotic thrillers, apart from the 50 Shades of Grey trilogy, have struggled to find a wide audience over recent years, but that was due to the huge popularity of the books and the strong female audience.
Over recent years Nicole Kidman has starred in many TV shows including Nine Perfect Strangers, Lioness, The Undoing and Faraway Downs, Babygirl is her first leading role since starring in 2020’s Bombshell.
Similar films to Babygirl include.
1995’s To Die For opened £390,761/£889,318 96 screens taking £2,047,804/£4,660,519
1999’s Eyes Wide Shut opened £1,189,672/£2,238,053 344 screens taking £5,244,320/£9,865,799
Similar films include.
1988’s Fatal Attraction opened £904,240/£3,113,731 201 screens taking £15,441,564/£53,172,690
1995’s Disclosure opened £1,659,674/£3,777,189 349 screens taking £7,857,594/£17,882,800
2024’s Challengers opened £1,607,094 699 screens taking £6,357,926
2015’s The Boy Next Door opened £406,174 taking £817,282
2024’s Anora opened £509,005 #6 344 screens taking £1,672,928
2024’s Nightbitch opened £133,977 #9 98 screens
Director Halina Reijn said her inspiration for Babygirl was the erotic thrillers of the 1980s and 1990s including 1993’s Indecent Proposal (opened £1,547,925/£3,819,179 taking £11,885,752/£29,325,594) and 1992’s Basic Instinct (opened £2,168,649/£5,350,685 taking £15,480,560/£38,195,027); Halina Reijn previously directed 2022’s Bodies Bodies Bodies opened £351,159 521 screens.
Opening in three weeks
- Saturday Night – Sony Pictures
Comedy-drama about the 1975 premiere of NBC’s Saturday Night Live starring Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith, Ella Hunt, Dylan O’Brien, Emily Fairn, Willem Dafoe, Matthew Rhys, and J. K. Simmons and directed by Jason Reitman.
Had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival receiving positive reviews but struggled to find an audience in the US taking $9.8m. After failing to find an audience in the US and only getting one Golden Globe nomination Saturday Night will struggle to find an audience in the UK as Saturday Night Live isn’t as popular in the UK. Unless it gets BAFTA nominations Saturday Night is likely to struggle to find an audience in the UK and Sony will give it a limited opening.
Saturday Night was the surprise film at the London Film Festival
Jason Reitman previously directed. 2005’s Thank You for Smoking (never had a UK cinema release). 2007’s Juno; 2009’s Jennifer’s Body; 2010’s Up in the Air; 2011’s Young Adult; 2013’s Labor Day; 2014’s Men, Women & Children; 2018’s Tully; 2019’s The Front Runner; 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife
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Drama starring Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Michele Austin, David Webber, Tuwaine Barrett, Ani Nelson, and Sophia Brown and written and directed by Mike Leigh; premiered at the Toronto Film Festival receiving positive reviews (97% Rotten Tomatoes).
- Hard Truths – Studiocanal
Mike Leigh’s recent films
2005’s Vera Drake opened £266,010/£447,303 65 screens taking £2,178,874/£3,663,839
2008’s Happy-Go-Lucky opened £383,365/£583,894 77 screens taking £1,571,154/£2,392,988
2014’s Mr. Turner opened £904,947 129 screens taking £7,005,966
2018’s Peterloo opened £348,697 138 screens taking £1,209,912
- Companion – Warner Bros
Romantic psychological thriller starring Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, Lukas Gage, Megan Suri, Harvey Guillén and Rupert Friend and written and directed by Drew Hancock.