1. Fighting With My Family –  £2,022,174 –   NE  

Took £400,000 from Wednesday and Thursday previews #1 on both days

Opened far bigger than the fictional British wrestling film Walk Like A Panther opened with £91,333 from 222 screens last March.

Had the 688^th biggest opening in the UK between The Panic Room and Early Man (close to Run, Fat Boy, Run, Bend It Like Beckham and There’s Something About Mary) and 898^th biggest inflated opening between Dad’s Army and Early Man (close to Sliding Doors, Miss Congeniality 2 and Dirty Grandpa) .

16^th biggest Lionsgate opening between Dirty Grandpa and The Expendables 2 and 18^th biggest inflation inflated between The Expendables 2 and Dirty Grandpa

Opened In 568 screens having Lionsgate’s fourth widest release ever in the UK and was the first film partnership with the Amazon Treasure Truck.

It’s the second film Stephen Merchant has starred with Dwayne Johnson; Tooth Fairy opened May 2010 with £844,889 taking £3,866,018 (in the top 15 for 11 weeks)

Fighting with My Family tells the similar British story of the underdog as in films like Billy Elliot, Eddie the Eagle, One Chance, Bend It Like Beckham, Brassed Off and Blow Dry which is the British equivalent of the inspirational sports film.

Billy Elliot opened in September 2000 with £1,541,109 (£2,528,820 inflation inflated) taking £16,972,531 (£27,850,380 inflation inflated)

Eddie the Eagle opened in April 2016 with £2,834,785 (opening included 4 days of previews £1,289,216) taking £1,545,569 Fri-Sun and £8,613,352 total

Despite the arrival of Captain Marvel this weekend Fighting With My Family should hold well in its second weekend due to strong word of mouth

2. The Lego Movie: The Second Part –  £1,389,726  –   £15,828,621 

Down 41.9% in its fourth weekend;

55^th biggest Warner Bros film in the UK between Batman Begins and Kong: Skull Island and 69^th biggest inflation inflated between Ready Player One and The Meg

69th biggest animated film after four weeks between Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn and Gnomeo and Juliet and 84^th biggest inflation inflated between Flushed Away and Rio (close to The Polar Express, Puss in Boots and Coco).

Fourth weekends  

2014’ s The Lego Movie #2 £1,633,265 down 50% and £28,801,707 of £32,887,286

2017’s The LEGO Batman Movie #2 £1,526,823 down 47% and £24,954,821 of £26,771,191

2017’s The LEGO Ninjago Movie #6 £470,870 down 47% and £9,071,791 of £9,378,170

In an interview last week with the LA Times Warner Bros boss Kevin Tsujihar talked about The Lego Movie 2 box office performance saying “It didn’t do as well as tracking would’ve suggested, which was a little puzzling. The first movie was so fresh and so different. We need to continually rethink the experience, but the Lego brand is incredibly strong.”

The performance of The Lego Movie: The Second Part probably has more to do with how the marketplace has been soft since the opening of Bohemian Rhapsody. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald didn’t open as big as expected and then the Christmas films Bumblebee and Aquaman predictable cannibalized each other but the biggest surprise was Mary Poppins Returns was half the film many expected it to be. This meant audiences weren’t seeing the trailers for January/February releases.

What didn’t help was How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World and The Lego Movie: The Second Part opening so close together while Instant Family surprised. audiences as much as critics. The result of this was How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World and The Lego Movie: The Second Part both taking a third less than many expected.

3. Instant Family £1,085,662 – £8,029,102

Down 34.2% in its third weekend.

Was surprised how well Instant Family has performed at the box office but after seeing it its understandable why audiences have enjoyed it as it pulls at the heartstrings and even the most cynical critic had something in their eye by the end of the film.

Films about adoption foster care play strongly to audiences with films including 2016’s Lion, 2013’s Philomena, 2010’s Despicable Me, 2007’s Juno, 2001’s I Am Sam, 1987’s Baby Boom and 2009’s The Blind Side (gets mentioned a lot in Instant Family).

The Blind Side opened March 2010 with £1,313,317 taking £5,933,635

Lion opened January 2017 with £1,265,282 taking £11,742,907

Juno opened February 2008 with £2,002,120 taking £9,240,584

Was Paramount Pictures 52^nd biggest film between Tropic Thunder and True Grit (close to Bee Movie, Cloverfield and Baywatch) and their 57th biggest inflated between GI Joe: Retaliation and Norbit (close to Super 8, Cowboys & Aliens and Jack Reacher).

Third weekends

About A Boy in May 2002 dropped 32% taking £1,521,312 and £10,667,633 total £16,513,078

Cheaper by the Dozen dropped in February 2004 dropped 41% with £608,479 and £5,816,845 taking £6,907,690 (£11,523,073 inflation inflated)

Cheaper By The Dozen 2 in January 2006 with £584,855 down 25% and £4,928,955 taking £5,647,928 (£8,981,525 inflation inflated)

Yours, Mine and Ours in April 2006 took £90,821 down 48% and £1,057,835

Daddy Day Care in July 2003 £754,644 down 2% and £3,717,319 taking £5,040,678

While previous Mark Wahlberg films directed by Sean Anders

Daddy’s Home in January 2016 £2,268,945 #3 down 22% and £11,861,574 taking £16,742,333

Daddy’s Home 2 in November 2017 #2 £1,135,646 down 42% and £9,742,929 taking £14,296,957

Rose Byrne next stars in female comedy Limited Partners opening in July while Mark Wahlberg stars in Netflix thriller Wonderland directed by Peter Berg. After the success of the two Daddy’s Home films will surely be a third film probably released next year, in 2017 Mark Wahlberg spoke of wanting Liam Neeson to star in the third film which would be interesting casting after his recent comments staring with Mel Gibson.

4. How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World – £1,048,106–   £17,274,691   

Down 39.9% in its fifth weekend; will shortly overtake the total box office of the first film released in 2010.

17^th biggest Dreamworks Animation film in the UK and 62nd biggest animated film in the UK between Ralph Breaks The Internet and How to Train Your Dragon and 78th biggest inflation inflated between Over the Hedge and Puss in Boots (close to Pokemon: The First Movie, Antz and Kung Fu Panda 2)

Fourth weekends

How to Train Your Dragon 2 in August 2014 took £893,792 down 19% (seventh including Scotland) and £19,498,676 total £24,258,735.

How to Train Your Dragon in April 2010 took £843,663 up 3% and £15,272,853 total £17,168,517.

The 31 Dreamworks Animation films released since 1998 have taken over £650m at the UK box office before Universal Pictures released How To Train Your Dragon 3 released by UIP, Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox.

5. Green Book –  £742,723 –   £7,409,253

Up 55.7% in its fifth weekend after winning three Oscars last week including Best Pictures, Best original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor Mahershala Ali.

19^th biggest eOne film between The House with A Clock in Its Walls and Nativity 3: Dude, Where’s My Donkey? And 24^th biggest inflation inflated eOne film between The House with A Clock in Its Walls and Divergent.

With many award contenders opening close to their US release dates like A Star Is Born and Bohemian Rhapsody it is surprising Best Picture for the six-year running was held back for release in the UK. It is a strange coincidence the last film to released in the same year as the US was Argo which Green Book has other things in common with.

Green Book winning Best Picture surprised many as most thought Roma would win Best Picture and Best Director. As in 2013 Gravity was also expected to win both Best Director, but Alfonso Cuarón  won Best Director and Argo Best Picture.

Only three times has the not been nominated for the film that wins Best Picture and they are all strangely connected. In 1990 Bruce Beresford wasn’t nominated for Driving Miss Daisy (many have said Green Book is just Driving Miss Daisy with the roles switched). In 2013 Ben Affleck wasn’t nominated for Best Director for Argo and this year Peter Farrelly wasn’t nominated for Green Book.

Many compared Green Book’s Best Picture win with Crash winning Best Picture in 2006 as it also received polarized reaction as there were many more deserving films that didn’t win including Munich, Brokedown Mountain and Good Night, Good Luck.

Green Book winning Best Picture was to quote Argo it was the bed bad idea to win Best Picture after all the controversy that surrounded the awards and was the one film that would benefit the most at the box office if it won as all other films had either ended their release or were close to doing so.

Green Book was produced by Participant Media as was Roma, but the film went through their output deal with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin with Universal Pictures releasing in the US, Amblin partners international and Lionsgate sold the rest of the world.

UK box office in detail

This weekend’s top 10 box office took £8,486,971 down 8.7% from last weekend £9,295,305

The weekend admissions 1,175,481 down 8.7% from last weekend 1,287,438 average ticket up from last year’s £7.49

18 films opened at weekend taking (£3,253,164) (Sky Cinema didn’t report box office for Serenity); Fighting with the Family 62.2% (£2,022,174); The Aftermath 18.3% (£595,657); remaining 16 films shared 19.5% (£635,333): Top three took 52.9% (£4,497,562) of the top 10; Fighting With My Family (£2,022,174) 23.8%; The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part (£1,389,726) 16.3%; Instant Family (£1,085,662) 12.8;   

The weekend was down 25.5% from 2018: (£11,400,044); Red Sparrow (£1,843,124); Game Night (£1,094,478); Monster Family (£126,235); A Fantastic Woman (£98,445); #1 Black Panther (£3,736,954) 3rd week (46% drop)

Down 47.8% from 2017: (£16,157,614); Logan (£9,443,363); Viceroy’s House (£921,309); Fist Fight (£400,112); Trespass Against Us (£32,569); #1 Logan (£9,443,363) 1^st week

Down 10.1% from 2016: (£9,440,280); Grimsby (£1,928,789); The Forest (£448,258); Secret In Their Eyes (£117,094); #1 Deadpool (£2,987,877) 3^rd week (48% drop)

Down 31.1% from 2015; (£12,304,244); The Second-Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (£3,771,852); Focus (£1,910,245); The Boy Next Door (£406,174); It Follows (£371,142); Catch Me Daddy (£37,679); #1 The Second-Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (£3,771,852);1^st week

Down 28.5% from 2014: (£11,864,224): Non-Stop (£2,652,364); Ride Along (£1,420,992); The Book Thief (expansion) (£1,370,649); Prince Igor – Metropolitan Opera 2014 (£259,667); Unforgiven (£4,778); #1 The Lego Movie (£3,266,594) 3^rd week (45% drop)

Up 8.9% from 2013: (£7,788,702); Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (£1,502,782); Safe Haven (£812,460); Broken City (£499,283); Arbitrage (£402,873); Stoker (£367,509); #1 Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters (£1,502,782) 1^st week

Down 21.2% from 2012 (£10,782,506); This Means War (£1,821,698); Project X (£561,655); Wanderlust (£490,592); Hunky Dory (£31,930); London, Paris, New York (£32,640); #1 The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (£2,342,095) 1^st week (2^nd week) 5% increase

Down 38.6% from 2011 (£13,823,666); I am Number Four (£1,628,523); No Strings Attached (£978,974); West is West (£758,226); Drive Angry (£651,344); The Rite (£626,159); Animal Kingdom (£155,081); #1 Gnomeo and Juliet (£2,502,806) 1^st week (3rd week) up 9%

Down 8.6% from 2010: (£9,286,544); The Crazies (£1,194,207); Leap Year (£728,251); From Paris With Love (£678,950); Micmacs (£182,529); Extraordinary Measures (£131,759); Everybody’s Fine (£68,948); Capitalism: A Love Story (£29,595); #1 Avatar (£2,260,319) 2^nd week (10^th week) 20% drop

Down 13.1% from 2009; (£9,768,713); Gran Torino (expansion) (£1,351,278); The Unborn (£1,300,543); The International (£760,382); New in Town (£438,979); Franklyn (£52,567); #1 Slumdog Millionaire (£1,676,508) 1^st week (8^th week) 7% increase

Up 27.1% from 2008; (£6,676,677); The Bank Job (£951,013); Semi-Pro (£774,698); The Accidental Husband (£703,631); Untraceable (£549,524); Margot at the Wedding (£33,958); #1 The Bank Job (£951,013) 1^st week

Up 5.1% from 2007:(£8,075,563); Ghost Rider (£1,851,897); The Illusionist (£675,293); Material Girls  (£300,962); Freedom Writers (£233,382); #1 Hot Fuzz (£2,219,655) 3^rd week 33% drop

Up 32.7% from 2006; (£6,392,804): Syriana (£864,796); The Weather Man (£406,217); Last Holiday (£399,524); The Matador (£335,017); Kidulthood (£100,056); Mirrormask (£14,704); #1 Date Movie (£1,057,768) 2^nd week 18% drop

Up 88.8% from 2005 (£4,495,350); Boogeyman (£788,439); The Flight of the Phoenix (£292,012); Harold & Kumar Get the Munchies (£284,050); #1 Boogeyman (£788,439) 1^st week

Up 25.4% from 2004 (£6,768,162); Along Came Polly (£2,252,808); The Missing (£497,573); House of Sand and Fog (£132,163); #1 Along Came Polly (£2,252,808) 1^st week

Up 1.2% from 2003 (£8,381,722); Jackass: The Movie (£1,314,740); Analyze That (£575,278); Solaris (£313,804); Adaptation (£238,958); #1 The Ring (£1,692,154) 2^nd week 23% drop

Down 13.8% from 2002 (£9,851,530); A Beautiful Mind (expansion) (£1,226,446); The Mothman Prophecies (£762,516); The Shipping News (£96,694); #1 Ocean’s Eleven (£2,623,689) 1^st week (3^rd week release) 27% drop  

Next weekend in 2018: (£9,614,433); You Were Never Really Here (£288,344); Gringo (£215,029); Walk Like a Panther (£91,333); Carmen – ROH, London 2017/18 (£57,931); Wonder Wheel (£42,976); #1 Black Panther (£2,931,682) 4^th week 22% drop

Box Office news

After a poor January February was down 29^ from last year; box office for 2019 is currently down 24% from 2018 £57m. This weekend will be the first of the year that will be more than last year but with mixed reviews Captain Marvel might not have the legs of previous MCU films.

Jordan Peele’s follow-up to Get Out Us opens in two weeks but Get Out wasn’t as big git in the UK opening with £2,160,099 and £10,053,463. Disney’s Dumbo reimagination Dumbo opens at the end of the month but 2019’s box office probably won’t pick up until Avengers: End Game opens at the end of April.  

Also opened

• The Aftermath – 20th Century Fox

Opened with £595,657 from 562 screens

Always surprises me when an art-house film like The Aftermath gets such a wide release wondering if this is a distributor decision or exhibitor as films like these would of opened in less than half of the screens a decade ago.

Also released

• Bohemian Rhapsody – 20^th Century Fox

Took £278,829 up 33.3% in its 19^th weekend taking £54,202,368; #12 despite being available for digital download for over a week and is released on DVD on Monday.

Bohemian Rhapsody is the biggest film ever to win Best Actor Oscar at the UK box office and the first time since Adrien Brody (The Pianist) and Sean Penn (Mystic River) won in 2003 for two Oscar winners to open in the same year in the UK due to shifting release schedules. With more films opening day and date with the US fewer award contenders are held over to open ahead of award nominations.

If Bohemian Rhapsody holds similar to The Greatest Showman, it could take upwards of £57m could see it climb into the top 20 biggest films in the UK overtaking Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and Dunkirk; will shortly overtake Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them and Casino Royale.  

Bohemian Rhapsody is 20^th Century Fox’s fourth biggest film in the UK after Avatar, Titanic and Star Wars: The Phantom Menace

The Greatest Showman took £90,458 #12 down 70% in its 19^th weekend in 247 cinemas taking £46.2m 95.49% of £48.4m total.

With Bohemian Rhapsody getting close to the end of its release now look ahead to the second part of the Live Aid Extended Universe the Elton John biopic Rocket Man (also directed by Dexter Fletcher).

Paramount Pictures have surprisingly brought it forward a week in the UK to open May 24^th only problem is The Secret Life of Pets 2 and Aladdin also open the same weekend ahead of half-term. Bohemian Rhapsody opened faced far lesser competition opening in October.

Bohemian Rhapsody doubled up on its two BAFTA awards winning Four Oscars including Best Actor; Queen opened the Oscars ceremony performing a montage of their songs.

20^th Century Fox’s other Oscar winner The Favourite increased its box office by 68%in its tenth weekend taking £287,797 and £16,251,192

UK Box Office Top 10

US Box office

• How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World – Universal Pictures

Dropped 45.4% in its second weekend taking $30.02m and $97.67m  

After having the biggest opening of the trilogy took similar amount in its second weekend as the second film despite opening five years later, receiving critical acclaim and two weeks after The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, should have held stronger.

How to Train Your Dragon in March 2010 dropped 33.7% taking $29.01m and $92.13m total $217.58m

How to Train Your Dragon 2 in June 2014 dropped 50% taking $24.71m and $94.59m total $172.1m

The three How to Train Your Dragon films have taken $1.49n worldwide and $492m in the US; all three released by different studios, first by Paramount Pictures in 2010 and the sequel in 2014 by 20th Century Fox.

The 38 Dreamworks Animation films have taken over $14.6bn worldwide over the last 21 years; Shrek 2 is the biggest Dreamworks Animation film in the US taking $441.2m and $919.8m worldwide; in comparison the 9 Illumination Entertainment films have taken $4.1bn worldwide since 2007.

It is the first DreamWorks Animation film to be distributed by Universal Pictures after they acquired the animated studio in August 2016 for $3.6bn; 20th Century Fox released Dreamworks Animation films from 2013 to 2017; were previously released by Paramount Pictures between 2006 and 2012 and before released by Dreamworks from 1998 to 2005 (Antz the first released in October 1998).

Took $52m from 58 territories and $277.2m and $375.4m worldwide; #308 biggest worldwide between Mad Max: Fury Road and Slumdog Millionaire.

• A Madea Family Funeral – Lionsgate

Opened with $27.06m; received poor reviews (33% Rotten Tomatoes)

The nine Tyler Perry Madea films have taken over $525m at the box office since 2005 the low-budget comedies have been very lucrative for Lionsgate but don’t travel beyond the US taking only $5.6m internationally.

This was meant to be Tyler Perry’s final Madea film after Paramount Pictures signed him to direct Nobody’s Fool last year but the $19m comedy took $33.71m in the US and as his Madea films didn’t travel taking only $1.83m.

• Alita: Battle Angel – 20th Century Fox

Dropped 41.5% in its third weekend taking $7.22m and $72.45m total

Alita: Battle Angel has taken $112.1m in China which will help it take $400m+ worldwide far from being profitable but also taking more than many expected as they were writing it off three weeks before opening.

Took $40.4m from 81 territories (including $64.8m from China) and $278.2m internationally $350.5m worldwide; #365 biggest worldwide between Peter Rabbit and Speed.

• The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part – Warner Bros

Dropped 31.8% in its fourth weekend taking $6.6m and $91.66m

Has taken 56.2% less than The Lego Movie and 38.3% less than The Lego Batman Movie after four-week which is surprising as while it might not be as original as the first film released five years ago it is still a very enjoyable film as audiences and critics have both said.

Fourth weekends

2014’s The Lego Movie dropped 33.5% taking $20.82m and $209.13m of $257.76m; $469.2m worldwide

2017’s The Lego Batman Movie dropped 39.1% taking $11.7m and $148.68m of $175.75m; $312m worldwide

2017’s The Lego Ninjago Movie dropped 38.4% taking $4.31m and $51.57m of $59.28m; $123.1m worldwide

The four Lego Movies have taken almost $585m in the US and over $1.05bn worldwide

Took $6.1m from 74 territories and $61.1m total and $152.8m worldwide; UK: $20.3m; Russia: $3.3m Germany: $3.2m; Poland: $3.2m; Mexico: $3.1m

• Fighting with My Family – MGM

Down 40.3% in its third weekend taking $4.66m and $14.91m  

Might of expected Fighting With My Family to holder stronger after receiving strong word of mouth but will shortly overtake similar themed Eddie the Eagle which took $15.78m in 2016.

• Green Book – Universal Pictures

Up 114.9% in its 16^th weekend taking $4.57m and $75.78m

After winning Best Picture on Sunday Green Book added 1,368 screens it had the biggest increase for a Best Picture win since The King’s Speech in 2011 taking; last year The Shape of Water took $2.3m and Moonlight the year earlier took $2.3m up 227% from the week before; Spotlight, Birdman, 12 Years a Slave and Argo all took about $2m  million on the first post-Oscar weekend. The winner in 2012, The Artist, fared better with $3.6 million (both The

Oscar winners would normally see much bigger increases previously as many of the Oscar contenders would open on limited release at Christmas and slowly expand in January.

Over the last decade award contenders will premiere at Venice and Toronto Film Festivals in September and then open between September and December. Many of the Oscar winners over recent years have premiered at Venice and Toronto Film Festivals.

Other Oscar winners A Star Is Born increased its box office by 203.9% (adding 490 screens) taking $1.85m and $212.88m was released with an additional 12 minutes for one week only;

Bohemian Rhapsody increased by 54% (adding 415 screens) taking $961,926 and $214.45m.

Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse up 143.3% (added 1,661 screens) $2.15m taking $187.43m

The Favourite up 46.1% (added 353 screens) $813,941 taking $33.2m

Free Solo up 135.4% (added 148 screens) $372,119 taking $16.95m

Green Book win or lose was the film that was going to benefit the most from the Oscars as ever since receiving Oscar nominations it has played in over 1,000 screens, but is available on digital download and next week will be released on DVD.  

Green Book has taken $81.37m worldwide more than the global box office of Moonlight which took $27.85m in the US and $65.1m worldwide.

Took $31.9m from 63 Lionsgate/Amblin territories (including $17.1m from China) and $112.1m total (top territories China $17.1m; France $10.2m; UK $9.7m; Italy $8.4m; Germany $7.8m; $188m worldwide;

• Bohemian Rhapsody

Up 54% in its 18^th week taking $961,926 and $214.45m; #175 biggest film in the US between X2: X-Men United and Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax; #21 biggest 20^th Century Fox film in the US between X2: X-Men United and The Empire Strikes Back

Took $3.5m from 41 territories $654.3m internationally and $868.7m globally; #63 biggest fil, globally between Wolf Warrior 2 and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

UK Box Office Predictions

After a very disappointing first two months of the year exhibitors are hoping Captain Marvel will bring audiences back to the cinema and to have the biggest opening since Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.

It’s hard to compare Captain Marvel opening with previous MCU films as the majority of them had previews inflating their opening Captain Marvel is the first since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 to open without. (as that was a direct sequel had to make comparisons).

Prior to that was Captain America: Civil War, even though it is the third Captain America film it started the story arc that features in Captain Marvel as Captain Marvel will set up Avengers End Game opening next month. So would have expected the audience to see Captain America: Civil War would also go to see the other films of the story arc Doctor Strange, Spider-Man Homecoming, Thor:Ragnorok, Black Panther, Avenger Infinity War (Ant-Man and the Wasp mentions it passing but cannot be directly compared as plays to a younger audience).

Captain Marvel should be looking for an opening similar to Thor:Ragnorok, but it’s not as easy to just take away £5,141,794 previews from its £12,375,804 as the tradition three-day weekend would take much of the preview box office within its weekend. What normally happens with extended opening its audiences see the film over seven days rather than three.

Captain Marvel will probably open with more than the whole of the top 10 this weekend and take 60% share of the market this weekend.

Brie Larson has been promoting Captain Marvel over recent weeks coming to the UK last week to promote the film with Samuel L. Jackson have found it weird they share the billing with interviews as the film is called Captain Marvel and not Captain Marvel and Nicky Fury. When Gal Gadot did interviews for Wonder Woman two years ago she also shared many interviews with Chris Pine, but you don’t see the male solo comic-book films having the leading actor share interviews with co-star.

Much has been made about Marvel finally making a leading female comic-book film nine years after Scarlett Johansson appeared as the Black Widow in Iron Man 2 (ever since have been rumours of a Black Widow film which is still several years away). Marvel waited to see how Wonder Woman would perform before launching Captain Marvel this was similar to waiting to launch Black Panther as their 18^th MCU rather than as it was originally planned to be one of the first slate of films.

Captain Marvel had its European premiere in London on February 27^th and then its  world premiere on March 4^th (never understand how you can have a world premiere after European  premiere) review embargo ended on Tuesday and the film started it international release on Wednesday. With most MCU films having extended openings surprising Captain Marvel doesn’t open on Wednesday in the UK.

Reviews for Captain Marvel have been mixed many saying enjoyable but familiar as this is the 21^st MCU film over 11 tears while kit might be the first female lead the ploys have been similar.

Captain Marvel has two weeks before Jordan Peele’s US his follow-up to Get Out opens and the week after Disney release the first of their three reimaginations Dumbo ahead of Easter.

Captain Marvel UK box office will of course be compared with Wonder Woman two years ago which had performed much lower than expected as its release was harmed as it opened days after the tragic terrorist attack at the end of the Ariana Grande concert in Manchester which saw Warner Bros cancel their UK premiere of Wonder Woman and opened over a hot sunny weekend.

Wonder Woman opened June 2017 with  £6,179,616 (4-day weekend) taking £21,289,886, Captain Marvel will likely open a third bigger taking more than a third more.

The industry often uses the 10% of US opening as a guide for a film to open in the UK but it’s not the case with MCU films, hard to make direct comparisons as many have extended openings but while Avengers: Infinity War opening with £29.37m Vs $257.69m (11.4%), Black Panther opened £17.7m VS $202m (8.7%) (UK openings inflated with previews).

The two MCU films that opened recently without previews Captain America: Civil War £14.46m Vs $179.1m (8%) and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 £13.09m Vs £146.51m (8.9%).

 Captain Marvel was tracking to open in the US with $100m+ a month ago this has upped to $120m and up to $150m over recent weeks. If Captain Marvel repeats the 8% opening of many MCU films opening will be between £9.5m- £11m becoming the ninth biggest MCU in the UK between Thor:Ragnorok and Spider-Man Homecoming (with previews) and seventh biggest Fri-Sun

Of the holdovers Fighting With My Family should hold the best due strong word of mouth and being an alternative to Captain Marvel as will the family films.  

Opening in UK Next Week

• Ben is Back – STX

Drama starring Lucas Hedges, Julia Roberts, and Courtney B. Vance and directed by directed by Peter Hedges, starring his son; had its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival receiving positive reviews (80% Rotten Tomatoes) released in the US in December on limited release.

• Fisherman’s Friends – Entertainment

Film based on the male singing group from Port Isaac, Cornwall who signed record deal with Universal Music in March 2010. The producers of 2017’s Finding Your Feet brought the rights. The film stars an ensemble cast featuring James Purefoy, Daniel Mays, Tuppence Middleton, with David Hayman, Dave Johns, Noel Clarke, Maggie Stead, Sam Swainsbury and director by Chris Foggin.

The film has been compared to feel good British films including The Full Monty and Calendar Girls as  so have many similar films over recent years, but it’s very hard to open a film like this anymore. If audiences can discover it and exhibitors give the film a chance it could perform like Sunshine on Leith or Finding Your Feet if not Swimming with Man

Sunshine on Leith opened in October 2013 with £770,239 taking £4,499,183

Finding Your Feet opened February 2018 with £923,220 taking £5,436,523

Swimming with Men opened July 2018 with £59,301 taking £322,555

Entertainment Film Distributors do strongly push their films and have had huge success over the years from British films including The Inbetweeners films.

• What Men Want – Paramount Pictures

Female reboot of the 2001’s comedy What Women Want starring Mel Gibson; the remake stars Taraji P. Henson, Aldis Hodge, Richard Roundtree, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Tracy Morgan and is directed by Adam Shankman.

Opened in the US last month with mixed reviews opening with $19m and has taken $55m to date.

What Women Want opened in February 2001 with £3,375,075 (£5,886,000 inflation inflated) taking £17,091,251 (£29,806,481 inflation inflated).

The reboot is unlikely to find an audience in the UK

Opening in the US

• Wonder Park – Paramount Pictures

Animated adventure featuring voices of Brianna Denski, Matthew Broderick, Jennifer Garner, Ken Hudson Campbell, Kenan Thompson, Ken Jeong, Mila Kunis and John Oliver, directed by  David Feiss; was originally called Amusement Park.

Produced by Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Movies; it is the third animated film from Nickelodeon Movies after Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius and Barnyard

Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius opened December 2001 with $13.83m taking $80.93m and $103m worldwide

Barnyard opened August 2006 with $15.82m taking $72.63m and $116.5m worldwide

• The Aftermath – Fox Searchlight

Drama starring Keira Knightley, Alexander Skarsgård, Jason Clarke, and Alexander Scheer and  directed by James Kent (Testament Of Youth) produced by Ridley Scott based on the novel  by Rhidian Brook.

Fox Searchlight acquired the film in August 2016; had its world premiere in London in February.

• Captive State – Focus Features

Sci-fi crime thriller starring John Goodman, Ashton Sanders, Jonathan Majors, Colson Baker, and Vera Farmiga and directed by Rupert Wyatt.

Participant Media acquired the rights in September 2016

Participant Media are currently in a purple patch with Green Book and Roma being the biggest winners at last week’s Oscars, but Captive State was originally set for release last August and was moved to March 2019 in April 2018.

Its Rupert Wyatt’s first film since 2014’s The Gambler and Rise of the Planet of the Apes in 2011 he was attached for a long time to direct Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes but 20^th Century Fox wanted May 2014 release date, but he wasn’t comfortable making it by that time it was instead directed by Matt Reeves which ended up being the biggest of the trilogy.