- Mufasa: The Lion King – £4,415,961 – NE
Took £1.47m 33.3% Friday; £1.46m 33.1% Saturday; £1.44m 33.6% Sunday; £1.3m Monday.
365th biggest opening between Batman Begins and Marley & Me (close to Peter Rabbit 2, Sweeney Todd, Pitch Perfect 3 and Night at the Museum 2) and 545th inflated opening between Ralph Breaks The Internet and Scream 3 (close to Oz: The Great and Powerful, Life of Pi, A.I. and Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical).
14th biggest 2024 opening between It Ends with Us and Venom: The Last Dance (close to Joker: Folie à Deux, Kung Fu Panda 4, Twisters and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire)
Opened 74% less than 2019’s The Lion King opened £16,671,765/£18,403,595 #1 713 screens taking £75,938,299/£83,826,626; 2nd biggest film of 2019 behind Avengers: Endgame £88,688,477; Friday £5.2m; this was the biggest opening day for a Disney live-action film (2017’s Beauty and the Beast £4.9m)
1994’s The Lion King opened £2,461,009/£6,035,151 taking £22,525,524/£55,239,516; 2nd biggest film of 1994 behind Four Weddings and a Funeral £26,851,834/£65,848,959
Buzz has been soft for Mufasa highlighted by the limited media coverage last week for the UK premiere compared with the huge media coverage 2019’s The Lion King premiere received ahead of its opening. In 2019 the premiere had huge star power in attendance including Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, Beyonce and Elton John. Mufasa premiere had Blue Ivy Carter (Beyonce’s daughter) generating the most media coverage as many questioned her wearing such an adult dress as 12 12-year-old.
The early reaction to Mufasa was incredibly positive but reviews have been mixed, The Times gave it 5 stars, but other reviews were 2/3 stars.
The majority of Disney’s recent reimaginations have opened strongly, but the sequels have failed to match their success. 1996’s 101 Dalmatians opened at £2,360,762/£5,053,307, while 2000’s sequel 102 Dalmatians opened £1,154,618/£2,078,312. More recently 2013’s Maleficent opened £6,590,071, while sequel 2019’s Maleficent: Mistress Of Evil opened £3,300,000 and 2010’s Alice in Wonderland opened £10,555,220/£14,138,673, while 2016’s Alice Through The Looking Glass opened £2,229,399.
2023’s The Little Mermaid opened £5,012,929 taking £1.57m Friday; £1.75m Sat; £1.64m Sunday; £1.91m Bank Holiday Monday
With the Christmas holidays started it’s the wo most lucrative weeks of the year when every day bar Christmas Day is like a Saturday so Mufasa dropping from Sunday means it doesn’t have the legs and it wasn’t opening against Sonic the Hedgehog 3 audiences just aren’t interested in seeing it, but it’s not a surprise as this was the vase with all other Disney reimagination sequels.
The first reimagination was a photorealistic almost scene-by-scene remake of the hugely popular original animated film, while the sequel was similar to Disney’s straight-to-video sequels they made in the 90s, Disney made 1998’s The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride, it sold over 15m copies, in 2005 was one of the top-selling direct-to-video releases of all time taking $464.5m worldwide.
The problem with many prequels is they undermine a lot of what made the original film so great, Mufasa, in the original animated film it was Simba’s birthright to be king after Simba’s death due to ancestry but in Mufasa, he only became king by popularity.
The majority of prequels are unnecessary telling stories few want to know about; they are just cynical money grabs despite most of them coming far short of the film it leads into.
For decades Disney would re-release their classic animation films to new generations (The Little Mermaid was re-released in the summer of 1998 opening £234,783 (£470,731 inflated) taking £1,768,481 (£3,545,739 inflated) always successful in cinemas and the 80s and 90s, (in the early 80s re-releases of animated classics including The Jungle Book and Snow White were the top 3 biggest films of the year). The cinema re-release would be followed by a home video release available for a limited time. In the 90s and 00s, Disney made direct-to-video sequels to their classic animated films.
These films are called live-action, but they are photo-realistic animation, while looking stunning feels emotionless unlike 2D animation which is a far more emotional experience; The Lion King when Mufasa dies, or when The Iron Giant sacrifices himself to protect everyone on Earth as his hero Superman would do. These moments bring tears to the audience young and old as seen in a Ted Lasso episode.
While it makes these animated films very rewatchable, have seen these animated films countless times reimaginations aren’t as rewatchable, but they have done their job as hype brings in the audience and they take a predictable £40m+ in the UK and $1bn worldwide before the pixie dust fades away.
Disney expected Mufasa: The Lion King to take about £50m buzz at the moment is extremely low, presales look very soft, but they also did for Mona 2 ahead of the opening, but audiences had mixed opinions about the 2019 animated film, Interestingly Mufasa Rotten Tomatoes score is 60% higher than 2019’s The Lion King 51%.
The first teaser trailer was released in April receiving mixed reactions calling it “unnecessary” and a “soulless prequel to a soulless remake” Barry Jenkins responded by saying “There is nothing soulless about The Lion King … For decades children have sat in theatres all over the world experiencing collective grief for the first time, engaging Shakespeare for the first time, across aisles in myriad languages. A most potent vessel for communal empathy.” The trailer was released in August and a final trailer in November.
Mufasa has become the directors’ biggest film ahead of 2017’s Oscar-winning Moonlight (£4.3m) and 2019’s If Beale Street Could Talk (£1.6m), but of course, they are quite different films playing to a quite different audience.
The biggest Disney re-imagination openings:
2017’s Beauty and the Beast opened £19.7m (took £4.9m Friday) taking £72,430,579
2019’s The Lion King opened £16,671,764 (£5.2m Friday) taking £75,938,299
2010’s Alice in Wonderland opened £10,555,220 (£2.56m Friday) taking £42,169,542
2016’s The Jungle Book opened £9,901,921 (£2.2m Friday) taking £46,235,032
2019’s Aladdin opened £7,066,773 (took £1.2m Friday and Weds £725k, Thurs 608k) taking £36,710,978
Disney have two more reimaginations set for release in 2025 2025 Snow White and Lilo & Stitch with Moana set for release in 2026 and Tangled in development.
- 2. Wicked Part 1 £2,511,897 – £48,233,182
Dropped 27.3% in its fifth weekend.
Took £696k 33.8% (-11.1% £783k) Friday; £894k 43.4% (-36.1% £1.4m) Saturday; £467k 22.7% (-63.2% £1.27m) Sunday; £866k Monday.
The 19th biggest fifth weekend between Paddington and The Lion King (2019) (close to Barbie, Beauty and the Beast (2017), Star Wars: Phantom Menace and Minions) and the 55th inflated fourth weekend between Ocean’s 11 and Fatal Attraction (close to Bridget Jones’s Diary, Calendar Girls, Mamma Mia 2 and Bohemian Rhapsody).
The difference is Wicked isn’t like all other musicals as it’s a spinoff of L. Frank Baum’s 14-book Oz series and there were another 26 spinoff books written between 1921 and 1951. The 1939 film The Wizard of Oz was based on his first book, the film was a flop when it was first released and didn’t make a profit for MGM until being re-released in 1949.
Wicked Sing-Along is released on Boxing Day and will be released on VOD on January 3rd,
Fifth weekends
2023’s Wonka dropped 43.4% £3,779,635 and £53,074,026 83.9% of £63,277,138
2022’s Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical dropped 14% £1,128,063 #2 and £16,166,581 57.6% of £28,044,574
2005’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory dropped 34% £1,116,172/£1,888,724 and £33,251,095 88.1% of £37,354,584 (£64,081,749 inflated)
2018’s Mary Poppins Returns dropped 26% £1,668,638 #4 and £40,699,643 91.44% of £44,541,719
2013’s Les Miserables dropped 41.1% £1,640,857/ £2,002,700 and £33,456,340 82% of £40,818,299/£49,819,578
2008’s Mamma Mia! Dropped 11.5% £2,803,272/£4,296,553 and £39,168,064 57.5% of £68,116,092/£104,401,010.
2018’s A Star Is Born dropped 15.3% £1,821,004/£2,010,166 and £22,929,874 78.3% of £29,299,129/£32,342,667
2001’s Moulin Rouge dropped 19.8% £1,072,657/£2,064,994 and £12,494,719 69.7% of £17,934,410/£34,525,905
1997’s Evita dropped 25.1% £838,500/£1,641,977 and £11,436,629 80.3% of £14,237,881/£27,881,059
2017’s The Greatest Showman dropped 2.9% £2,042,450 and £19,965,506 40.3% of £49,523,728/£52,697,478
The popularity of the stage show Wicked in the UK is similar to Mamma Mia! In April 2024, the stage musical became the 10th longest-running stage show in London’s West End, seen by over 12 million people, having over 6,500 shows and generating over £2bn in ticket sales since its premiere in 2006.
Cynthia Erivo starred in the 2013 revival of The Color Purple in London, which was moved to Broadway in 2015, starring alongside Jennifer Hudson. Ariana Grande has sold over 90 million albums worldwide and has a huge fanbase in the UK, selling over 31 million units, having 7 UK number 1s, and hosting the One Love Manchester Concert in June 2017 after the terrorist attack at her Manchester Arena concert.
97th biggest between Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Deadpool (close to The Simpsons, Paddington, Aladdin (2019) and Love Actually) and 220th biggest inflated between Aladdin (1993) and A View to A Kill (close to Last Tango in Paris, Ratatouille, Fantastic Beasts 2 and Calendar Girls).
The soundtrack album is at #1 on the compilations chart, album downloads chart and soundtrack albums chart and three songs are in the singles chart Defying Gravity #27; Popular #44; What Is This Feeling #39.
- 3. Moana 2 £2,057,688 – £29,751,577
Down 43.1% in its fourth weekend
Took £520k 20.7% (-4.4% £544k) Friday; £780k 31.1% (-53.3% £1.67m) Saturday; £1.21m 48.2% (-13.5% £1.4m) Sunday; £757k Monday.
99th fourth biggest weekend between Star Wars Attack of the Clones and The Secret Life of Pets (close to Sing, The Greatest Showman, Shrek 2 and The Croods) and the 202nd inflated fourth weekend between The Santa Clause 2 and Hook (close to Inside Out, Cats and Dogs, Batman Forever and Tarzan).
2016’s Moana dropped 22.4% £1,105,469 and £9,833,507 49.1% of total; up 45% in fifth weekend (Christmas) £1,620,268 #5; dropped 28% in sixth weekend £1,179,760 #6; dropped 11% in seventh weekend £1,050,979 #3; playing strongly to February taking £20,041,031.
Moana became a massive hit on home entertainment in 2017 (the fourth biggest of the year between Fantastic Beasts and Bridget Jones’s Baby) and was on Netflix for the next two years before moving to Disney+ in 2020.
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 £750m inflated since 1989’s Oliver & Company.
156th biggest between Monsters University and Gladiator II (close to Shrek Forever After, Notting Hill, Ice Age II and A Star Is Born) and 320th biggest inflated between Rambo: First Blood Part II and Happy Feet (close to The Boss Baby, The Grinch, A Christmas Carol and Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical)
Much has been made about how the UK cinema market could support four huge films, the reason is they played to different demographics and also crossover demographics, have seen this happen a lot over the years but not to this extreme as they weren’t all massive titles all having huge fanbases. They all play strongly to female audiences even Gladiator 2 due to Paul Mescal. Success breeds success.
- 4. Paddington In Peru £653,489 – £31,375,364
Dropped 20.5% in the seventh weekend.
£161k 24.7% (+27.8% £126k) Friday; £231k 35.4% (-35.8% £360k) Sat; £261k 40% (-22.1% £335k) Sunday; £315k Monday
The 105th biggest seventh weekend between Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows and Ralph Breaks the Internet (close to Chicken Run, Ratatouille, Wish and A Bug’s Life) and the 211th biggest inflated between THG: Catching Fire and Shirley Valentine (close to Happy Feet, Alice in Wonderland, Ice Age and Peter Rabbit).
Paddington in Peru took 48.5% less than Paddington (£1,268,785) and 59.8% less than Paddington 2 (£1,625,960) in its seventh weekend and has taken similar to Paddington 2 after 6 weeks. Was always surprised by the lack of family films over the October half-term and with Wicked and Moana opening in November Paddington In Peru didn’t open the last week of October.
6th biggest 2024 film between Dune: Part 2 and Gladiator II (close to Beetlejuice 2, Kung Fu Panda 4 and It Ends with Us)
The first two films were hugely popular in the UK, but they faced lesser competition over the weeks after opening having long legs which saw them play through to January, Paddington In Peru doesn’t have similar legs.
Seventh weekend
2014’s Paddington down 55.2% £1,268,785 and £32,834,123 86.85% of £38,027,750; in top 5 for 8 weeks (£943,320) and top 10 for 12 weeks (£208,857) (mid-February)
2017’s Paddington 2 up 19.8% £1,625,960 and £34,250,039 80.32% of £42,661,628; stayed in the top 5 for 8 weeks (£1,884,062) and top 10 for 10 weeks (£401,521) in mid-January.
140th biggest between Slumdog Millionaire and Gladiator (close to Gravity, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Thor: Ragnarok and The BFG) and 297th biggest inflated between The Hangover and Furious 8 (close to Hook, Stuart Little, A Fish Called Wanda and Monsters vs. Aliens).
6th biggest 2024 between Dune: Part 2 and Moana 2
- 5 Gladiator II £497,569 – £29,691,557
Down 45.8% in its sixth weekend
281st biggest sixth weekend between The Flintstones and Cats and Dogs (close to Catch Me If You Can, Johnny English Reborn, Night at the Museum 2 and The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel) and 483rd inflated between Kingsman: The Secret Service and Batman Begins (close to Troy, Maverick, X-Men and Hook)
Sixth weekends
2000’s Gladiator dropped 56.2% £613,491 /£1,150,476 and £20,643,940 66.05% of £31,257,293/£58,616,618 inflated; #1 for 7 weeks.
2024’s Dune Part 2 dropped 32.4% £1,127,052 #4 and £36,814,712 96.56% of £39,466,555
2021’s Dune dropped 35% £413,585 #6 448 screens £20,954,264 95.5% of £21,947,056; Dune took 3.73x opening if Dune part 2 did similar it will take £34m+
2010’s Inception dropped 36% £1,076,106 #6 and £31,575,347 90.3% of £34,976,999 (£46,851,543 inflated); took 5.92x opening
2013’s Gravity dropped 46% £592,321 #4 and £25,763,353 78.6% of £32,756,514; 5.24x opening
2014’s Interstellar dropped 65% £213,953 #10 and £19,727,100 93.2% of £21,173,601; 3.73x opening
2015’s The Martian dropped 26% £437,450 #6 and £22,593,037 95.8% of £23,589,854; 3.61x opening
2023’s Oppenheimer dropped 20% £1,638,665 and £53,173,902 89.3% of £59,550,750; took 5.37x opening.
2005’s War of the Worlds dropped 43% £572,379 #6 and £28,924,152 95.2% of £30,367,791 (£51,386,687 inflated); 3.43x opening
2017’s Dunkirk dropped 49% £998,531 #2 and £51,679,746 91% of £56,797,955; 5.65x opening
157th biggest between Moana 2 and King Kong (close to War of the Worlds, Man of Steel, Twilight Saga: Eclipse and Life of Pi) and 323rd biggest inflated between Signs and A Christmas Carol (close to The Living Daylights, Pulp Fiction, Indecent Proposal and Lethal Weapon 3).
8th biggest 2024 film between Moana 2 and Beetlejuice 2 (close to Kung Fu Panda 4, It Ends with Us and Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes).
There will be 8 films taking £30m+ this year all of them were expected to do so; Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, Despicable Me 4, Wicked, Dune: Part 2, Paddington In Peru, Moana 2 and Gladiator 2, they were expected to be joined by Mufasa: The Lion King this month but that is now very unlikely.
Christmas re-releases
It’s A Wonderful Life #9 £140,143 and £1,247,593
The Polar Express #11 £105,754 and £461,044
Home Alone #12 £95,552 and £3,320,242
Elf #13 £93,874 and £1,910,543
UK box office in detail
The weekend’s top 10 box office took £11,137,093 down 1.4% from last weekend’s £11,294,181: 1,406,199 admissions down 1.4% from 1,426,033 admissions.
24th biggest weekend between of the last 52 weeks between 21 June 2024 #1 Inside Out 2 £7,762,903 (68.96%) and 23 August 2024 #1 Alien: Romulus £2,021,921 (19.18%)
72nd biggest since cinemas reopened out of 214 weeks between 06 January 2023 £11,210,520 #1 Avatar: The Way of Water £5,870,063 (52.36%) and 17 November 2023 £10,997,223 #1 THG: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes £5,420,681 (49.29%)
512th biggest top 10 of the last 22 years (out of 1,186) between 23 September 2016 £11,162,139 #1 Bridget Jones’s Baby £6,453,799 (57.82%) and 12 May 2017 £11,133,770 #1 Alien: Covenant £5,178,531 (46.51%) and 825th inflated between 17 September 2004 £6,276,762 #1 Collateral £2,238,200 (35.66%) and 15 April 2005 £6,573,859 #1 The Interpreter £1,589,829 (24.18%)
The top 3 took (£8,985,546) 80.7% of the top 10; Mufasa: The Lion King 39.6% (£4,415,961); Wicked Part 1 22.5% (£2,511,897); Moana 2 18.5% (£2,057,688).
621st biggest admissions #1 (557,571) between 25 July 2014 #1 Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (558,409) and 18 March 2005 #1 Robots (556,742)
453rd biggest percentage share #1 (39.6%) between 11 July 2008 #1 Mamma Mia! (39.67%) and 17 June 2022 #1 Jurassic World: Dominion (39.64%)
Down 14.2% from 2023; (£12,979,322); Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom (£2,484,442); Dunki (£707,495); Salaar (£394,578); #1 Wonka £7,214,019 3rd week (55.58% of top 10)
Up 41.7% 2022 (£7,861,021); no new releases 2-day weekend as Sunday was Christmas Day; #1 Avatar: The Way of Water 2nd week £4,974,004 732 screens (63.27% of top 10)
Up 31.3% 2021 (£8,478,878); The Matrix: Resurrections (£2,686,785); #1 Spider-Man No Way Home £4,619,518 2nd week 84% (76% not previews) drop 656 screens (54.5% of top 10)
Up 12,310.6% 2020; (£91,059); #1 Wonder Woman 1984 £72,674; #2 Home Alone £3,840; #3 Come Away £3,245; #1 Wonder Woman 1984 £72,674 214 screens 2nd weekend (79.8% of top 10)
Down 64% 2019; (£30,884,264) Cats £3,207,471; #1 Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker 740 screens (£20,864,500) 1st week (67.56% of top 10)
Down 32.7% 2018: (£16,539,374); Mary Poppins Returns (£8,181,541); The Nutcracker – Bolshoi Ballet 2018 (£258,038); #1 Mary Poppins Returns £8,181,541 1st week 735 screens (39.4% of the top 10)
Down 62.4% 2017: (£29,632,571); Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (£8,154,548); Pitch Perfect 3 (£4,334,525); Ferdinand (£3,644,748); #1 Star Wars: The Last Jedi £10,158,640 2nd week 706 screens 64% drop (34.28% of top 10)
Down 10.7% 2016: (£12,473,395); Passengers (£2,418,976); Ballerina (£1,094,317); It’s a Wonderful Life (Re-release) (£130,016); #1 Rogue One: A Star Wars Story £5,652,730 2nd week 680 screens 67% drop (45.3% of the top 10)
Down 71.1% 2015; (£38,533,406); Star Wars: The Force Awakens (£34,011,849); Sisters (£1,215,368); #1 Star Wars: The Force Awakens £34,011,849 1st week 670 screens (88.3% of top 10)
Down 24.8% 2014: (£14,808,248); Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (£1,851,424); Dumb & Dumber To (£1,807,059); The Nutcracker – Bolshoi 2014 (£293,192); Guys and Dolls (Re: 2014) (£5,570); #1 The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies £5,409,312 2nd week 605 screens 45% drop (36.5% of top 10)
Down 37.7% 2013: (£17,885,304); Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (£4,545,934); Walking with Dinosaurs (£982,023); The Harry Hill Movie (£549,736); Moshi Monsters: The Movie (£334,748); Sleeping Beauty – Bolshoi 2011 (£86,942); American Hustle platform (£39,595); #1 The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug £5,358,380 2nd week 594 screens 43% drop (30% of top 10)
Down 24.3% 2012: (£14,717,807); Life of Pi (£3,610,604); Pitch Perfect (£952,107); Home Alone (Re: 2012) (£43,544); West of Memphis (£1,103); #1 The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey £5,979,241 2nd week 601 screens 48% drop (40.6% of top 10)
Up 54.4% 2011; (£7,210,571); no new releases; #1 Arthur Christmas £2,047,463 7th weekend up 52% 549 screens (28.4% of top 10)
Up 86.2% 2010: (£5,980,170); Little Fockers (£3,035,717); Arthur and the Great Adventure (£83,875); #1 Little Fockers £3,035,717 1st week 488 screens (50.7% of top 10)
Down 18.6% 2009; (£13,679,336); Avatar (£8,509,050); St. Trinian’s 2 (£1,586,832); Nine (£44,443); #1 Avatar £8,509,050 1st week 503 screens (62.2% of top 10)
Up 32.5% 2008; (£8,404,783); Twilight (£2,508,422); The Tale of Despereaux (£560,870); A Bunch of Amateurs (£91,156); It’s a Wonderful Life (RE) (£49,845); Bicycle Thieves (re) (£3,802); #1 Twilight £2,508,422 1st week 448 screens (29.8% of top 10)
Up 4.7% 2007: (£10,638,757); St. Trinian’s (£1,832,594); Alvin and the Chipmunks (£1,433,937); P. S. I Love You (£224,096); I’m Not There (£58,491); #1 Enchanted £2,547,975 2nd week 1st week #1 24% of top 10)
Up 38.8% 2006; (£8,021,487); Flags of Our Fathers (£97,765); #1 Happy Feet £2,048,266 3rd week 475 screens 1% up (25.5% of top 10)
Up 86.8% 2005: (£5,961,400); No new releases; #1 The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe £2,843,353 3rd week 2nd 1 over 3 weeks 525 screens 41% drop (47.7% of top 10)
Up 250.1% 2004; (£3,180,924); National Treasure (£312,784); House of Flying Daggers (£251,498); The Aviator (platform) (£23,835); #1 The Polar Express 4th week 1st #1 41% drop 452 screens (21.6% of top 10)
Down 45.6% 2003 (£20,475,870); Lord of the Rings: Return of the King (£15,021,761); Freaky Friday (£1,214,559); Good Boy! (£146,354); #1 Lord of the Rings: Return of the King £15,021,761 1st week 494 screens 29% drop (73.4% of top 10)
Down 37.2% from 2002: (£17,727,804); Lord of the Rings: Two Towers (£13,063,560); Sweet Home Alabama (£758,267); Hey Arnold (£35,881); #1 Lord of the Rings: Two Towers £13,063,560 1st week 501 screens (73.7% of top 10)
Down 23.4% from 2001 (£14,532,108); The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings (£11,058,045); The Princess Diaries (£587,677); #1 The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings £11,058,045 1st week 470 screens (76.1% of top 10).
2023 Next week: (£16,079,436); Ferrari (£1,981,677); The Boy And The Heron (£1,640,667); Anyone But You (£1,253,694); Next Goal Wins (£844,604); Ice Age (Re: 2023) (£24,554); #1 Wonka £6,672,464 4th week down 8% 779 screens (41.5% of top 10)
UK Box office
2024 total BO has now topped £1bn and is 2% down on last year.
UK admissions for November were 13,243,001 the highest November since 2018 (14,847,358) admissions for the year are 110,835,553. With admissions for December likely to be about 10m after the soft opening of Mufasa admissions will be similar to 2023 (123,618,878) which will surely be seen as disappointing, especially after such a strong November. 2024 admissions will be similar to they were in 1994 (123.5m).
There is always confusion with UK BO as ComScore includes Ireland in with UK BO while UKCA only includes the UK, as ComScore reported their figures earlier they are the ones that get reported.
Industry keeps putting back the recovery from COVID now saying it will happen next year, there are lots of big films, but most are sequels targetting similar audiences.
US Box Office
- Sonic The Hedgehog 3 – Paramount Pictures
Opened $60.1m; received positive reviews (87% Rotten Tomatoes) and A CinemaScore
Took $6.5m from Thursday previews; Sonic the Hedgehog 2 $6.25m; Pokémon Detective Pikachu $5.7m; Uncharted $3.7m; Sonic the Hedgehog $3m.
211th biggest opening between Straight Outta Compton and Cars (close to The Amazing Spider-Man, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Jumanji: The Next Level and Sonic the Hedgehog #222; Sonic the Hedgehog 2 #147
Paramount Pictures fifth #1 in 2024 after Mean Girls, Bob Marley: One Love, IF and Smile 2
Males 59%; 18-34 43%; 35+ 21%; PLF screens and 4DX 21%
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 was expected to open between $60m-$70m; Sunday’s estimate was $65m dropped to $60m on Monday with final figures.
2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog opened $58.01m taking $148.97m and $319.71m worldwide
2022’s Sonic the Hedgehog 2 opened $72.1m taking $190.87m and $405.42m worldwide
Sonic the Hedgehog 4 has been dated for Spring 2027.
US BO is still 4.3% behind 2023 and 23% behind 2019 will need Sonic 3 and Mufasa to have very strongholds next week to top 2023 BO now which is unlikely, as Christmas Day releases A Complete Unknown, Nosferatu and Babygirl aren’t likely to open above $20m.
Opens internationally next weekend in 52 territories.
- Mufasa: The Lion King
Opened $35.4m; received mixed reviews (56% Rotten Tomatoes) and A- CinemaScore.
The opening was 82% less than 2019’s The Lion King and 15% less than 1994’s The Lion King (68% less inflated)
Took $3.3m from Thursday previews; The Lion King $23m; Beauty and the Beast $16.3m; The Little Mermaid $10.3m; Aladdin $7m; Maleficent $4.2m; The Jungle Book $4.2m; Alice in Wonderland $4m; Maleficent: Mistress of Evil $2.3m; Alice Through the Looking Glass $1.5m
503rd biggest opening between Super 8 and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (close to The Wild Robot, The Smurfs, Lilo & Stitch and Enchanted.
Took $7m in presales; opened in 400 IMAX and 2,300 3D screens it shares PLF screens with Sonic The Hedgehog 3.
Mufasa was tracking to open with about $50m.
54% female; 18-34 39%; 35+ 31%; 3D 18%; IMAX/PLF 28% with IMAX taking $4.4m
Last year EntTelligence reported The Little Mermaid had 7.4m admissions over three days 59% of the weekend’s BO. The average price was $13.37 with $11.19 for children and matinees taking 35%; IMAX/PLF took 26% and 3D took 14% (IMAX.
2019’s The Lion King opened $191.77m taking $543.63m and $1.662bn worldwide
1994’s The Lion King opened $40.88m/$108.1m taking $422.78m/$1.12bn and $771.05m/$2.04bn WW
Christmas films normally have strong legs but the difference with Mufasa is there isn’t the interest in the prequel as has been the case with all other sequels to reimaginations so it’s unlikely to have similar legs as other Christmas releases…
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 opened $95.57m taking $298.17m and $569.62m worldwide.
2019’s Aladdin opened $91.5m taking $355.5m and $1.054bn worldwide
1996’s 101 Dalmatians opened $33.5m taking $136.18m and $320.68m worldwide
2000’s 102 Dalmatians opened $19.88m taking $66.95m and $183.61m worldwide
2014’s Maleficent opened $69.43m taking $241.41m and $759.85m worldwide
2019’s Maleficent: Mistress of Evil opened $36.94m taking $113.92m and $491.73m worldwide
2010’s Alice in Wonderland opened $116.1m taking $334.19m and $1.025bn worldwide
2016’s Alice Through the Looking Glass opened $26.85m taking $77.04m and $299.82m
Opened with $87.2m from 55 territories and $122.2m worldwide; China $7.8m; France $7.7m; Mexico $7.1m; UK $5.5m; Germany $5m.
2023’s The Little Mermaid opened $68.3m from 51 territories; Mexico $8.5m; UK $6.3m; Italy $4.7m; Brazil $4m; Australia $4m; China $2.5m; 2019’s The Lion King opened $269.4m from 52 territories and $531m worldwide; China $97.5m; UK $19.9m; France $19.6m; Mexico $18.7m; Brazil $17.9m; Korea $17.7m; Australia $17.1m; Russia $16.7m; Germany $12.3m; India $9m.
- Moana 2 – Disney
Dropped 48% in its fourth weekend $13.2m #4 and $359.17m
171st biggest fourth weekend between Monsters vs. Aliens and The Lorax (close to Wonka, Ice Age, The Croods and Hotel Transylvania)
17th biggest animated film between Despicable Me 4 and Inside Out; 67th biggest between Despicable Me 4 and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3; 227th inflation inflated between What Women Want and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3; 5th biggest 2024 between Despicable Me 4 and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice; 30th biggest Disney between The Jungle Book and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3.
2016’s Moana dropped 31.3% $12.72m and $162.92m 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 $32.8m (down 44%) $431.1m total and $790.27m worldwide; France $46m; UK $37.6m; Germany $29m; Mexico $26.2m; Brazil $24m.
24th biggest animated film between Coco and Shrek Forever After; 108th biggest worldwide between Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Fast and Furious 6; 4th biggest 2024 worldwide between Despicable Me 4 and Dune: Part Two; 40th biggest Disney between Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales and Fast and Guardians of the Galaxy.
- Wicked Part 1 – Universal Pictures
Dropped 38% in its fifth weekend $14.15m #3 and $384.56m
45th biggest fifth weekend between Forrest Gump and Jumanji: The Next Level (close to Jurassic Park, The Hunger Games, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin)
51st biggest between Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse; 195th biggest inflated between The Mummy Returns and X-Men 2; 3rd biggest 2024 between Deadpool & Wolverine and Despicable Me 4; Biggest musical ahead of Grease and Chicago; 6th biggest Universal Pictures between Jurassic Park and Jurassic World: Dominion.
Wicked is a one-off due to the massive fanbase the musical is the second highest-grossing musical on Broadway after The Lion King took $1.25bn and $5bn worldwide, over 65 million have seen the stage show. Add in the massive global fanbase of Ariana Grande, and you’re talking Taylor Swift numbers.
Wicked has more in common with 2023’s Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour opening $93.22m taking $180.75m and $261.65m worldwide as it had a similar sized existing fanbase for the stage show and also the massive popularity of Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
Fifth weekends
2014’s Into the Woods dropped 42.7% $3.88m and $121.49m of $128m and $212.9m WW
2012’s Les Miserables dropped 43.7% $4.22m and $137.54m of $149.26m and $442.75m WW.
Comparison films include.
2013’s Oz the Great and Powerful dropped 31.6% $8.01m and $212.6m of $234.91m/$311.48m and $493.31m/$654.1m WW
2017’s Beauty and the Beast dropped 42.1% $13.7m and $454.72m of $504.01m and $1.263bn worldwide
2014’s Maleficent dropped 35.1% $8.37m and $202.01m of $241.41m/$318.53m and $758.41m/$1bn
2023’s Barbie dropped 37.8% $21.03m and $566.81m of $636.23m and $1.446bn worldwide
Jon Chu previously directed.
2018’s Crazy Rich Asians dropped 33.9% $8.68m and $149.54m of $174.83m and $239.34m worldwide
Took $12.6m (down 34%) from 81 territories $187.4m total and $572.97m worldwide; UK $60.8m; Australia $22.5m; Korea $13.1m; Mexico $9.6m; Germany $8m.
200th biggest worldwide between The Croods and Fifty Shades of Grey; 6th biggest 2024 between Dune: Part Two and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire; 8th biggest musical between Mamma Mia! And The Little Mermaid; the 24th biggest Universal Pictures between Mamma Mia! And Fifty Shades of Grey.
- Kraven the Hunter – Sony Pictures
Dropped 72% in its second weekend $3.05m #7 and $17.38m
Sony Pictures could have acquired the majority of the rights to Marvel characters (X-Men 20th Century Fox acquired, and The Incredible Hulk acquired by Universal Pictures) for $25m in 1998 but only acquired Spider-Man rights for $7m as at that time comic-book films had mixed success at the box office. At the time Sony Pictures said, “Nobody gives a damn about the other Marvel characters”.
Kraven The Hunter is the sixth film in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe. While Spider-Man films have been hugely successful since 2002, the extended universe films have been underwhelming both critically and at the box office. Due to strike delays, the budget of $110 m was increased from $90 m.
Sony’s Spider-Man Universe second weekends
2018’s Venom dropped 56.4% $35m and $142.1m of $213.51m and $856.08m worldwide; received 30% Rotten Tomatoes
2021’s Venom: Let There Be Carnage dropped 64.7% $31.75m and $141.41m of $213.55m and $506.81m worldwide; 65% of Fridays BO came from IMAX/PLF; received 59% Rotten Tomatoes
2022’s Morbius dropped 73.8% $10.2m and $57.07m of $73.86m and $167.46m worldwide
2024’s Madame Web dropped 61.4% $5.91m and $35.36m of $43.81m and $100.49m worldwide
2024’s Venom: The Last Dance dropped 49.2% $25.9m and $89.85m of $139.32m and $473.06m worldwide
Took $5.8m from 62 60 territories $25.4m total and $42.8m worldwide.
- Gladiator II – Paramount Pictures
Dropped 40% in the fifth weekend $4.55m #6 and $154.04m
706th biggest fifth weekend between Sicario and Galaxy Quest (close to 12 Years a Slave, Little Women, The Social Network and Solo: A Star Wars Story).
Had a budget of about $310m and $100m+ marketing.
409th biggest between Who Framed Roger Rabbit? And Jerry Maguire; 987th inflated between Anaconda and Magic Mike; 13th biggest 2024 between Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes and It Ends With Us; 30th biggest historical film between 1917 and Les Misérables; 53rd biggest Paramount Pictures between Over the Hedge and Beverly Hills Cop II.
Gladiator II will be released on VOD on Christmas Eve
Fifth weekends
2000’s Gladiator dropped 37.6% $7.07m and $150.2m of $187.7m/$375.4m and $465.51m/$931.1m WW
Similar films include.
2023’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny dropped 40.5% $3.97m and $167.05m of $174.48m and $383.96m WW
2022’s Top Gun: Maverick dropped 33.7% $29.61m and $520.83m of $718.73m and $1.495bn worldwide
2024’s Dune: Part Two dropped 35.5% $11.35m and $252.64m of $282.14m and $714.44m worldwide
2023’s Oppenheimer dropped 43% $10.72m and $285.35m of $329.86m and $975.59m WW
2017’s Dunkirk dropped 39.2% $6.61m and $165.42m of $189.7m/$228.1m and $526.1m/$632.2m WW
2004’s Troy dropped 42.8% $3.41m and $125.6m of $133.37m/$231.53m and $497.4m/$863.45m WW
2015’s The Martian dropped 25.5% $11.71m and $183.12m of $228.43m and $630.62m worldwide
2001’s Hannibal dropped 41.8% $5.84m and $151.46m of $165.1m/$314.43m and $351.69m/$669.83m WW
2012’s Prometheus dropped 63.1% $1.81m and $122.39m of $126.47m/$171.28m and $403.35m/$546.25m WW
Ridley Scott’s 29 films have taken $2bn in the US and $5bn worldwide.
Took $5.4m and $262.3m from 65 territories and $416.2m worldwide; UK $37.2m; France $27.2m; Spain $19.6m; Mexico $16.3m; Australia $14.3m.
344th biggest worldwide between The Wolverine and Jason Bourne; 14th biggest 2024 between Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and Bad Boys: Ride or Die; 24th biggest historical film between Dances with Wolves and The Mummy (2017); 37th biggest Paramount Pictures between Terminator: Genisys and Sonic the Hedgehog 2.
UK Box Office Top 10
UK Box Office Preview
After having a 10-day opening weekend with 7 days of “previews” (despite all marketing saying it opened December 21st) starting last Friday with captioned screenings as Paramount has also done for Transformers One and Gladiator II; £190k Friday; £2.36m Saturday; £1.72m Sunday and £1.5m Monday Sonic 3 will have likely take about £9m before its official opening weekend, as it will likely take about £4m Fri-Sun it will likely have the second biggest opening of the year ahead of Wicked, Moana 2 and Inside Out 2.
2020’s Sonic The Hedgehog opened £4,733,768 #1 619 screens taking £18,986,844 over 5 weeks before COVID lockdown
2022’s Sonic The Hedgehog 2 opened £4,986,334 #1 650 screens; The Bad Guys opened #2 £2,279,074; taking £26,182,692
As Christmas Day is on a Wednesday holdovers aren’t likely to see similar increases as they did the last two years. In 2022 Christmas Day was Sunday and many films had big increases the following weekend 2022 Avatar: The Way Of Water +54%; Roald Dahl’s Matilda The Musical +80%; Black Panther: Wakanda Forever +117% and Strange World +95%; in 2023 Christmas Eve and the increases weren’t as big Wish +55% but Wonka dropped 8%, so would expect Mufasa: The Lion King to drop about 30% taking £2.5m-£3m.
The big unknown is Robbie William’s biopic, Better Man, receiving positive reviews and had a UK premiere in early December.
Robbie Williams sold 20.36 million albums and 9.2 million singles in the UK, including seven solo number-one singles and another seven with Take That, but his not as popular as he was 20+ years ago when he performed at Knebworth in the summer of 2003 a DVD was released a few months later What We Did Last Summer – Robbie Williams Live At Knebworth had a big Leicester Square premiere selling 350k DVDs.
UK audiences love their musical as seen currently with the enormous success of Wicked Part 1 but also
2022’s Elvis opened #1 740 screens £4,023,572; £1.25m (31.1%) Friday; £1.45m (36%) Sat £1.29m (36%) Sun; taking £27,492,430; had long legs staying in top 5 for 7 weeks and top 10 for 11 weeks.
2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody opened £9,530,463 #1 (£3,054,530 previews) taking £54,948,727
2019’s Rocketman opened £5,381,904 #2 705 screens (including £1,360,606 from three days of previews) taking £23,502,881: top 5 for 5 weeks and top 10 for 7 weeks
2024’s Back To Black opened £2,772,698 taking £12,291,912
2024’s Bob Marley: One Love opened £6,950,773 (including £1.82m on Valentine’s Day (Wednesday) taking £17,183,582
2023’s Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody £3,325,458 #2 687 screens taking £11,383,690
2015’s Straight Outta Compton £2,498,231 #1 429 screens taking £8,043,283
2006’s Walk the Line £1,111,142 #2 198 screens taking £9,737,493
Better Man has benefited from being trailered before most of the November releases including Wicked.
Michael Gracey previously directed 2017’s The Greatest Showman opening the same weekend with £4,754,049 including £2.178,902 reviews #3 606 screens behind Star Wars: The Last Jedi #1 and Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle #2it had very long legs due to very positive audience reactions (despite receiving average reviews) in the top 10 for 18 weeks taking £1m+ for 12 weeks taking £49,592,940.
Opening in three weeks
- A Complete Unknown – Searchlight/Disney#
A biographical drama based on the 2015 book Dylan Goes Electric! by Elijah Wald starring Timothée Chalamet, Edward Norton, Elle Fanning, Monica Barbaro, Boyd Holbrook and Scoot McNairy, directed by James Mangold. The film’s title is from the chorus of Dylan’s 1965 single “Like a Rolling Stone”.
Received world premiere at the Dolby Theatre on December 10; received positive reviews (78% Rotten Tomatoes) and universal acclaim for Chalamet’s performance; named one of the top ten films of 2024 by the AFI and the National Board of Review; received three Golden Globe nominations for Best Motion Picture – Drama, Best Actor for Chalamet and Best Supporting Actor for Norton.
It was announced in 2020 that James Mangold would be writing and directing a biopic about Bob Dylan. At the time, it was titled Going Electric, and Timothée Chalamet was attached to play Dylan. The teaser trailer was released in July, and the trailer was released in October.
James Mangold previously directed 2006’s Walk The Line opened £1,111,142/£1,807,032 198 screens taking £9,737,493/£15,835,923.
- Wolf Man – Universal Pictures
Horror reboot of 1941’s The Wolf Man made by Blumhouse Productions starring Christopher Abbott. Julia Garner, Matilda Firth, Sam Jaeger, Benedict Hardie and Ben Prendergast directed by Leigh Whannell.
It was first announced in 2014 as part of the Dark Universe but after the failure of 2017’s The Mummy opted to make separate films like 2020’s The Invisible Man (2020) rekindled Universal’s interest in the Monsters franchise.
- Here – Curzon Film/ Amazon MGM
The drama starring Tom Hanks, Robin Wright, Paul Bettany, and Kelly Reilly and directed by Robert Zemeckis, based on the 2014 graphic novel by Richard McGuire; had its world premiere at AFI Fest receiving poor reviews (35% Rotten Tomatoes). Sony Pictures acquired US rights for distribution fee for the $45m budget film and was acquired by Amazon MGM Studios for the UK.
Tom Hanks and Robin Wright reunite 30 years after Forrest Gump with director Robert Zemeckis and screenwriter Eric Roth; 1994’s Forrest Gump opened $24.45m/$64.6m and $330.45m/$873.11m; took $1m+ for 21 weeks and won 6 Oscars including Best Picture/Director and Actor.
Here, it was rejected by all studios, including Paramount, where Miramax had a deal, and Robert Zemeckis made Forrest Gump. It was strange for a very American film to be financed by foreign sales, as it was unlikely to travel without award recognition, similar to Somy’s Saturday Night.
The problem is it’s a ’90s film released 30 years late. There aren’t audiences in cinemas to see films like Here anymore, so they go to streaming, as Apple found with the films they made. Zemeckis said, “I think the theatrical movie business is in a stressful situation right now.”
Director Robert Zemeckis has had mixed success since Forrest Gump with Contact/What Lies Beneath/Castaway/The Polar Express/Beowulf/Flight/The Walk ($1.56m opening and $10m $61m WW)/Allied/Welcome to Marwen ($2.4m opening taking $10.7m and $13m WW)/The Witches. State-of-the-art technology has often featured heavily in the films he has directed including 1988’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit opened $11.22m taking $156.45m and $329.8m worldwide and the Back to the Future trilogy and Death Becomes Her.
Tom Hanks has starred in several Sony Pictures films recently, including 2023’s A Man Called Otto, which opened (after platform) at $4.2 m and took $64.26m and $113.36m worldwide; 2019’s A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood opened at $13.25 m and took $61.7m and $67.92m worldwide (it was COVID-19 affected). It’s not his lowest opening which was 1990’s Bonfire of the Vanities $4.2m/$10.79m inflated taking $15.69m/$40.17m.
Tom Hank’s films have taken $5.56bn in the US and $11.778bn worldwide and won two Best Actor Oscars over two consequential years for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump. Would have expected over the next 30 years he would have won again for roles in films like Apollo 13 and Saving Private Ryan. The Green Mile, Cast Away, Road to Perdition, Catch Me if You Can, Captain Phillips, Bridge of Spies, Sully and The Post.
Here features de-ageing AI technology, as Ang Lee’s (Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk and Gemini Man) state-of-the-art digital technologies overshadowed many of director Robert Zemeckis’s films since Forrest Gump including The Polar Express, Beowulf and Welcome to Marwen.