- The Housemaid £2,038,034 – £26,081,648
Dropped 27.9% in its fifth weekend.
£567k 27.8% (-30.3% £813kk) Fri; £926k 45.4% (-23.5% £1.21m) Sat; £545k 26.7% (-32.2% £804k) Sun.
43rd biggest fifth weekend between The Greatest Showman and Peter Rabbit (close to Jurassic Park, Oppenheimer, The Full Monty and Dunkirk) and 103rd biggest inflated fifth weekend between Bridget Jones’s Baby and Star Wars Attack of the Clones (close to Moulin Rouge, Notting Hill, A Star Is Born and Three Men and a Little Lady).
While the industry often underestimates films that play strongly to the female audience, as they undervalue the audience, with fewer films. The trajectory of The Housemaid underscores a critical flaw in modern Hollywood: its over-reliance on algorithmic forecasting. The ‘surprise’ hit is a symptom of models that cannot quantify community buzz or patient audience growth.
The Housemaid has become Paul Feig’s biggest film ahead of Bridesmaids (£23.05m). It is also Sydney Sweeney’s biggest film in the UK, ahead of Anyone But You (£11.71m) and has overtaken It Ends With Us (£21.91m), Gone Girl (£22.61m), Fifty Shades Darker (£23.15m) and The Girl On The Train (£24.01m).
2016’s The Girl on the Train dropped 48.6% £624,453/£675,016 and £21,965,662 93.4% of £24.1m
2014’s Gone Girl dropped 33.6% £1,061,282/£1,147,216 and £19,330,235 87.4% of £22.61m/£26,365,105
2000’s What Lies Beneath dropped 23.1% £811,997/£1,530,376 and £9,101,043 65.8% of £13,827,135/£24,888,844
1992’s The Hand That Rocks the Cradle dropped 30.3% £266,813/£665,786 and £4,397,429 73.9% of £5,950,847/£14,682,464
1988’s Fatal Attraction dropped 11.5% £724,242/£2,522,251 and £8,368,409 54.2% of £15,441,564/£53,172,690
2018’s A Simple Favour took £4,930,383
While 2011’s Bridesmaids dropped 35.1% £1,022,982/£1,352,159 and £18,356,960 82.2% of £23,050,000/£30,467,079
The Housemaid previously held similar to 2012’s Life of Pi (opened the same day 13 years earlier), dropped 48.6% £1,201,163/£1,510,411 and £24,147,499 84% of £28,726,668/£34,859,834.
7th biggest 2025 between Superman and Mission Impossible 8 (close to Jurassic World Rebirth, Zootropolis 2, The Fantastic Four and How To Train Your Dragon).
After a disappointing year for Lionsgate, their final two films, The Housemaid and Now You See Me: Now You Don’t, have taken over E30m. The Housemaid is Lionsgate’s biggest film since 2017’s La La Land, with £29,816,588 and will overtake it by next weekend.
5th biggest Lionsgate film between THG Mockingjay Part 2 and The Hunger Games, close to La La Land, The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes, John Wick: Chapter 4, and London Has Fallen. If The Housemaid continues to hold as it has done, it could become Lionsgate’s biggest ever film, topping Catching Fire, Mockingjay Part 1, La La Land and Mockingjay Part 2.
206th biggest between The Golden Compass and The Lost World: Jurassic Park (close to The Twilight Saga: New Moon, Sex and the City, Sherlock Holmes and The Sixth Sense) and 415th biggest inflated between Bolt and Rocketman (close to Enchanted, The Martian, Murder on the Orient Express and The Beach).
It’s no surprise Lionsgate has already announced plans to film the sequel, The Housemaid’s Secret, with Sydney Sweeney and director Paul Feig returning. It’s not yet known if Amanda Seyfried will return as her character didn’t appear in the Freida McFadden novel, but the film has many changes from the novel.
The Housemaid has become Paul Feig’s biggest film in the UK. All of his films have had major female roles, he said in an interview, “I’m never looking for strong female characters, because I don’t like that term, it feels two-dimensional. I like women who are strong and weak and funny and vulnerable and scared.” A decade ago, he received massive negativity from the poorly conceived Ghostbusters reboot with female leads.
The problem is that the rest of the films being released this year for female audiences (Practical Magic 2, Devil Wears Prada 2, Wuthering Heights, Narnia, and Sense and Sensibility) rely on mining the past (legacy sequels, public domain IP) as they are the easy options. No singling out female-targeted films, as of course it’s the same for men and children, a diet of sequels, reboots, remakes and MCU that will be all hype, no sustenance.
The Housemaid feels like a “surprise” not because of anything inherent to the audience, but because the industry is structurally and psychologically incapable of serving that audience effectively. This failure is a microcosm of the industry’s larger crises. This is not a “women in film” issue, but as a whole-market correction. The industry has bet everything on a diet of nothing but sugary, processed franchise IP for all demographics. The audience is getting sick of it, and the symptoms are showing up first where the diet has always been most meagre: in films for women.
This weekend will again be a battle between The Housemaid and Hamnet for #1; Hamnet is boosted by BAFTA nominations, along with its Oscar nominations last week.
- 2. Hamnet £1,964,266 – £12,063,897
Down 24.7% in its third weekend
£510k 25.97% (-28.7% £715k) Fri; £831k 42.3% (-22.34% £1.07m) Sat; £623k 31.7% (-24.6% £823k) Sun
267th biggest third weekend between Tangled and Inside Out (close to Little Women, The Girl on the Train, The Da Vinci Code and Interstellar) and 596th biggest inflated second weekend between The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Mrs Brown’s Boys d’Movie (close to Jerry Maguire, Shakespeare In Love, Good Morning Vietnam and The Greatest Showman).
14th biggest second weekend over the last 52 weeks between Captain America: Brave New World and How To Train Your Dragon (close to The Fantastic Four, F1, Marty Supreme and Sinners).
Last week, Hamnet received 8 Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Chloé Zhao (previously directed the Oscar-winning 2020’s Nomadland and 2021’s Eternals) and Best Actress Jessie Buckley and received 11 BAFTA nominations this week, including Best Film, Best British Film, Best Director, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor.
Being nominated for both Best Film and Best British Film, it’s likely to win the latter along with Best Actress, with One Battle After Another likely to win Best Picture and Director, as it will also do for the Oscars.
Hamnet and Marty Supreme are the only films that will receive a BO boost from the Oscar and BAFTA nominations, as all other nominees opened several months ago and have ended their cinema release.
Steven Spielberg produced Hamnet, said at the US premiere in November, “Directors are always searching for stories to tell, but sometimes the story tells us which director it wants to belong to. Chloé Zhao was the director that Maggie O’Farrell’s book Hamnet found its way to and there was no other choice that could have been made in the world.” … “the kinds of screens that we are fighting the tides to keep filled with not just blockbuster, epic, escapist movie rides, but sensitive and intimate portraits of marriage and family and life-altering epiphanies that spring from heartache and heartbreak, like the film you’re about to see. There needs to be room for films like Chloé’s on screens like these.”
27 years ago, Shakespeare In Love took $100m in the US ($230m inflated) and $289m ($660m inflated) worldwide and received 13 Oscar nominations.
1999’s Shakespeare in Love up 11.4% £1,870,778/£3,559,366 and £7,797,671 37.4% of £20,814,996/£39,157,902
Hamnet’s third weekend was similar to other female-focused dramas, including.
2019’s Little Women dropped 22.3% £2,018,280/£2,239,117 and £13,215,006 62.1% of £21,283,939/£23,612,791
2011’s Black Swan dropped 32.7% £1,725,630/£2,280,907 and £10,648,346 67.8% of £15,708,154/£20,762,758
2005’s Pride And Prejudice dropped 23.8% £1,473,062/£2,505,144 and £9,433,853 64.8% of £14,562,448/£24,765,437
2024’s It Ends With Us dropped 34.8% £1,847,480 and £15,860,073 73.8% of £21,500,000
Hamnet has taken $42.3m worldwide from 36 territories.
- 3. 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple £1,228,023 – £5,748,976
Down 63.6% in its second weekend (49% without previews)
Took £337k 27.4% (-56.8% £724k) Fri; £553k 45% (-44.14% £990k) Sat; £338k 27.5% (-52.2% £707k) Sun.
899th biggest second weekend between DC League of Super-Pets and Road Trip (close to Mars Attacks, Edge of Tomorrow, 300: Rise of An Empire and The Rock) and 1,433rd inflated second weekend between 13 Going On 30 and John Wick: Chapter Two (close to End of Days, Speed 2: Cruise Control, A Time To Kill and LA Confidential).
30th biggest second weekend over the last 52 weeks between Mickey 17 and The SpongeBob Movie: Search for Squarepants (close to The Salt Road, The Bad Guys 2, Now You See Me: Now You Don’t and The Naked Gun).
50th biggest horror second weekend between Saw II and Scream 2 (close to Longlegs, Drag Me to Hell, Annabelle: Creation and My Bloody Valentine) and 90th biggest inflated horror second weekend between The Omen and Hostel and Nope (close to Poltergeist 2, Cabin in the Woods, The Hills Have Eyes and The Strangers).
The heavy drop for The Bone Temple surely wasn’t a surprise given the polarised reaction to The Jimmys in 28 Years Later last year, focussing on The Jimmys in The Bone Temple they were trying to be too clever for themselves and instead alienated a large amount of the audience who are confused and disgusted that they include him, as there was surely no reason or need to do so.
2025’s 28 Years Later dropped 50% (39% without previews) £2,379,964 #2 705 screens (Fri £746k 31.4%; Sat £944k 39.7%; Sun £690k 29%) and £9,704,463 62.5% of £15,567,482.
Alex Garland talked about the deceptive power of nostalgia: “The thing about looking back is how selective memory is” .. “It cherry picks, and it has amnesia, and crucially, it also misremembers. We are living in a time right now which is absolutely dominated by a misremembered past.”
1,332nd biggest between James And The Giant Peach and The Wild Thornberrys (close to Predators, The Thomas Crown Affair, Con Air and Death Becomes Her) and 1,910th biggest inflated between Red Eye, Identity, American Psycho, and The Hills Have Eyes.
28 Years Later performed similarly to T2 Trainspotting, also made over 20 years after the original film.
1996’s Trainspotting dropped 43.9% £798,771/£1,564,178 and £4,763,428 38.3% of £12,431,663/£24,344,067
2017’s T2 Trainspotting dropped 42.3% £2,935,145/£3,123,245 and £10,638,197 62.7% of £16,956,434/£18,043,095
2002’s 28 Days Later dropped 28.5% £1,073,042/£1,993,507 and £3,338,507 53.5% of £6,238,016/£11,589,041
2007’s 28 Weeks Later dropped 43.9% £882,692/£1,393,080 and £3,335,395, 62.8% of £5,309,160/£8,379,011
While 28 Years Later was directed by Danny Boyle, The Bone Temple was directed by Nia DaCosta. She previously directed 2021’s Candyman, which took £5,128,058, and 2023’s The Marvels took £7,095,634.
Sony Pictures officially announced in December that they would make a third film. Danny Boyle has previously said he would direct the third film if it were made.
28 Years Later dropped 41% in its third weekend, £1,409,291 #4 £12,450,171 80% of £15,527,027; with horror Primate opening this weekend and Send Help and The Strangers – Chapter 3 opening over the next two weeks, it will drop 50% over the next two weeks.
- 4.Avatar: Fire And Ash £1,100,721 – £40,168,959
Down 35.3% in its sixth weekend
£179k 16.27% (-43.5% £317k) Fri; £536k 48.7% (-30.2% £768k) Sat; £385k 35% (-37.6% £617k) Sun
78th biggest sixth weekend between Elvis and The Lion King (2019) (close to Life of Pi, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Inception and Avengers: Infinity War) and 170th biggest inflated sixth weekend between Meet the Fockers and Braveheart (close to King Kong, Quantum of Solace, Mission Impossible and Hercules).
Sixth weekends
2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water dropped 33.1% £2,789,760 (Fri £529k; Sat £1.34m; Sun £921k) and £67,845,973 88.43% of 83.1% of £76,725,041.
2009’s Avatar dropped 6.7% £5,155,844/£7,591,601 and £57,441,123 61.47% of £93,442,625/£136,900,316.
4th biggest 2025 between Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy and Lilo & Stitch (close to Jurassic World Rebirth, Zootropolis 2, Superman and Mission Impossible 8); in December ahead of opening, it a surely expected to top A Minecraft Movie £56.44m, Wicked – Part 2 £47m and Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy £46.4m, but its no going to get close to any of them.
91st biggest between Indiana Jones …The Crystal Skull and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (close Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Dune Part 2 and Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith) and 199th biggest inflated between I am Legend and Gravity (close to X-Men 2, Mission: Impossible, Scooby-Doo and Forrest Gump).
The 92nd film to take £40m+ since 1993’s Jurassic Park
Avatar: Fire And Ash and Zootropolis 2 are only staying in the top 5 due to the new releases not finding their expected audiences, and Avatar: Fire And Ash is still holding on to many IMAX screens.
Avatar: The Way of Water was released on VOD after 102 days, but Avatar: Fire and Ash is reportedly shorter, so it could be released on VOD in February/March.
Avatar: Fire and Ash received two Oscar nominations for Best Costume Design and Best Visual Effects. Avatar: The Way of Water received four nominations: Best Picture, Best Production Design, Best Sound and Best Visual Effects (winner), and Avatar was nominated for nine, including Best Director and Best Picture, winning three: Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, and Best Visual Effects.
- 5. Zootropolis 2 £1,035,905 – £31,655,747
Up 5.6% in the ninth weekend
9th biggest ninth weekend between Mamma Mia! And Toy Story 4 (close to Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, LOTR: Fellowship of the Ring, Casino Royale and Avatar: The Way of Water) and 30th biggest inflated ninth weekend between The Sixth Sense and Pretty Woman (close to The Living Daylights, Love Actually, Chicken Run and Frozen).
The biggest 9th weekend for a Disney animated film ahead of Frozen, Moana 2 and Frozen 2.
Has overtaken Sing (£29.51m) and Monsters University (£30.76m) and is just behind The Incredibles (£32.39m), Shrek Forever After (£32.65m) and Sing 2 (£33.00m).
Normally, there is another animated film opening this weekend ahead of half-term holidays, but this year the next animated film doesn’t come out for another three weeks, which has meant Zootropolis 2 has held far stronger than it would normally.
Zootropolis 2 will be released on VOD shortly, but like other VOD releases of animated films, its release won’t have much impact on its BO over the coming weeks.
The 4th biggest Disney animated film has taken £8m more than 2016’s Zootropolis and £11m less than 2024’s Moana 2. Whilst it’s become the biggest animated film in China and France. As with Avatar: Fire and Ash, Zootropolis 2 has taken far less in the UK. Normally, the UK is one of the highest international territories, but with these two films its below several others, despite the popularity of Zootropolis and the last two Avatar films.
150th biggest between Slumdog Millionaire and Gladiator (close to WOG: The Curse of the WereRabbit, Incredibles, Shrek Forever After and The BFG) and 310th biggest inflated between Furious 8 and Mission: Impossible II (close to Stuart Little, There’s Something About Mary, A Fish Called Wanda and Never Say Never Again).
Also opened
The new releases all struggled to find an audience and are unlikely to last more than a few weeks in cinemas, despite having a 45-day theatrical window. This is the problem with fixed-length theatrical windows, whether they be 31 days or 120 days, exhibitors will pull underperforming films from cinemas after a week, so in their second weekend, if they are still playing in cinemas, they will be sharing the screen with other films having random timed daily shows.
- Return to Silent Hill opened £579,967 #10 from 365 screens.
The third instalment of the Silent Hill film series, but the last film was released 14 years ago, and the video game it’s based on is still popular. Silent Hill 2 Remake, in October, sold over 2.5m copies.
2012’s Silent Hill: Revelation 3D opened £1,043,068/£1,296,876 taking £1,661,279/£2,065,515
2006’s Silent Hill opened £991,687/£1,612,764 taking £3,537,755/£5,753,392
- Mercy opened £612,349 #9 from 475 screens.
The trailers have made it look like Minority Report meets Dark City, and I expected it to open similarly to the director’s recent 2018’s Searching (opened £765,050, taking £2,023,281).
The trailer reminded me of many 90s thrillers like 1995’s Virtuosity and Nick of Time. Most of Amazon/MGM’s original films feel similar to these high-concept 90s action thrillers; these films barely found an audience 30 years ago, so they are unlikely to do so now. Mercy now feels more like a Netflix action film like Carry-On, Heart of Stone, The Grey Man, Triple Frontier and Red Notice that will be seen by 100m on Netflix but struggle to find an audience in cinemas.
It is films like Mercy that are affected by theatrical windows as it with be out of cinemas in a couple of weeks and they are films that people will wait to see on streaming, why rather than having a fixed window of whatever length (31 days to 100) it needs to be a flexible window, so films like The Housemaid and Marty Supreme that will play strongly in cinemas beyond 45 days the window can be longer, but then for Mercy it can be 17 days.
- No Other Choice opened £621,339 #8 from 209 screens.
Includes £188,143 from previews.
The latest film from the director of Stoker, Lady Vengeance, The Handmaiden, and Decision to Leave. The film has received critical acclaim since premiering at the Venice Film Festival.
Opened similarly to 2022’s Decision To Leave, £410,107 #6 from 114 screens.
H Is For Hawk and The History Of Sound both struggled even harder to find audiences despite receiving positive reviews, and Claire Foy and Paul Mescal promoted the two films.
- H Is For Hawk opened £273,192 #13 from 342 screens
H Is For Hawk received its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival and UK premiere in October at the London Film Festival, receiving mixed reviews, but all say Clare Foy’s performance is incredible. It’s about a film dealing with grief, loss and healing with the training of a wild goshawk. Other films dealing with grief and coping include 2014’s The Babadook, 2009’s A Single Man, and 1998’s What Dreams May Come.
- The History Of Sound opened £198,419 #14 from 292 screens.
The History Of Sound drama starring Paul Mescal, Josh O’Connor and Chris Cooper and directed by Oliver Hermanus (Living). Received world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, nominated for the Palme d’Or, receiving positive reviews; MUBI acquired US rights, and Focus Features International.
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BO is currently 22% ahead of 2025; February will see BO drop below 2025 as it’s unlikely Wuthering Heights and Scream 7 will get close to the BO of Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy, Captain America: Brave New World and Dog Man.
The weekend’s top 10 box office took £10,969,807, down 25.6% from last weekend’s £14,738,163: 1,369,514 admissions, down 25.6% from 1,839,970 admissions.
25th biggest weekend of the last 52 weeks between 11 April 2025 #1 A Minecraft Movie £7,201,921 (63.01%) and 20 June 2025 #1 28 Years Later £4,780,374 (44.12%)
101st biggest since cinemas reopened out of 271 weeks between 17 November 2023 #1 THG: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes £5,420,681 (49.29%) and 03 March 2023 #1 Puss In Boots: The Last Wish £4,950,495 (45.13%)
555th biggest top 10 of the last 24 years (out of 1,242) between 12 April 2013 #1 Oblivion £4,959,386 (45.20%) and 03 February 2023 #1 Puss In Boots: The Last Wish £4,950,495 (45.13%) and 871st biggest inflated between 28 February 2020 #1 The Invisible Man £2,163,797 (23.39%) and 30 July 2021 #1 The Suicide Squad £3,252,028 (31.66%)
The top 3 took £5,230,323 (47.7%) of the top 10; The Housemaid 18.58% (£2,038,034); Hamnet 17.91% (£1,964,266); 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple 11.19% (£1,228,023)
1,177th biggest percentage share #1 (18.58%) between 30 August 2002 #1 Insomnia £1,159,754 (18.60%) and 01 September 2006 #1 You, Me and Depree £1,165,610 (18.57%)
1,102nd biggest admissions (254,436) between 24 April 2009 #1 State of Play £1,513,951 (254,446) and 23 June 2023 #1 Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse £1,995,517 (251,959)
Up 39.91% from 2025; (£7,840,790); Flight Risk (£811,232); The Brutalist (£754,678); Presence (£365,390); #1 A Complete Unknown £1,667,821 2nd week 707 screens down 36% (21.27% of top 10)
Up 40.71% from 2024; (£7,796,217); All Of Us Strangers (£1,176,972); Fighter (£590,146); The Color Purple (£452,364); Baghead (£330,008); #1 Mean Girls £1,496,629 2nd week down 54% 647 screens (19.2% of top 10)
Up 16.42% from 2023; (£9,422,654); Pathaan (£1,967,854); Plane (£1,161,382); The Fabelmans (£1,067,384); Billie Eilish: Live At The O2 (Extended Cut) (£329,407); Unwelcome (£118,322); #1 Avatar: The Way of Water £2,116,615 24% drop 623 screens 7th week (22.46% of top 10)
Down 13.41% 2022 (£12,668,620); Sing 2 (£6,867,533); Parallel Mothers (£301,877); Rigoletto – Met Opera 2022 (£86,823); Friday The 13th (1980) (Re: 2022) (£8,256); #1 Sing 2 £6,867,533 1st week 632 screens (54.2% of top 10)
2021 Lockdown
Down 19.54% 2020; (£13,633,691); The Personal History Of David Copperfield (£1,524,147); Paw Patrol: Ready, Race, Rescue (£483,886); The Grudge (£461,921); The Turning (£104,459); #1 1917 £4,518,270 3rd week 27% drop 742 screens (33.1% of the top 10)
Up 3.37% from 2019: (£10,612,229); Vice (£1,327,464); Dragon Ball Super: Broly (£851,508); The Mule (£725,554); A Dog’s Way Home (£705,875); Love Yourself In Seoul – BTS World Tour 2019 (£518,810); Second Act (£403,211); Destroyer (£106,410); Schindler’s List (25th Anniversary) (£29,745); #1 Glass £1,936,631 2nd week 559 screens 44% drop (18.2% of top 10)
Down 36.79% from 2018; (£17,354,267); Maze Runner: The Death Cure (£2,247,915); Early Man (£2,020,653); Downsizing (£1,131,687); 12 Strong (£421,515); Tosca – Met Opera 2018 (£404,994); Last Flag Flying (£16,867); #1 Darkest Hour £2,672,022 3rd week 2nd-week #1 over 3 weeks 641 screens 15% drop (15.4% of top 10)
Down 57.51% 2017: (£25,816,418); Sing (£10,487,380); T2 Trainspotting (£5,146,791); Hacksaw Ridge (£1,490,158); Denial (£229,067); #1 Sing £10,487,380 1st week 554 screens (40.6% of top 10)
Down 18.94% 2016: (£11,333,473); Dirty Grandpa (£2,047,207); Spotlight (£1,060,435); Turandot – Met Opera 2016 (£375,950); Youth (£265,217); 13 Hours (£238,231); The 33 (£26,208); #1 The Revenant £2,278,262 3rd week 616 screens 41% drop (20.1% of top 10)
Up 2.03% 2015; (£10,751,450); Ex Machina (£1,093,952); Mortdecai (£484,878); The Gambler (£381,554); Swan Lake – Bolshoi 2014 (£284,344); A Most Violent Year (£216,538); #1 American Sniper £2,539,534 2nd week 1st #1 457 screens 0% drop (23.6% of top 10)
Down 6.67% 2014: (£11,753,522); Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (£1,278,187); Inside Llewyn Davis (£718,401); August: Osage County (£537,310); Grudge Match (£265,643); #1 The Wolf of Wall Street £3,608,968 2nd week 506 screens 23% drop (30.7% of top 10)
Down 21.23% 2013: (£13,926,746); Lincoln (£1,657,337); Zero Dark Thirty (£1,052,845); Movie 43 (£787,648); The Last Stand (£538,867); Won’t Back Down (£736); #1 Les Miserables £4,016,611 3rd week 591 screens 9% drop (28.8% of top 10)
Up 13.61% 2012: (£9,656,063); The Descendants (£1,797,939); The Grey (£1,094,338); A Monster in Paris (£1,043,531); Like Crazy (£93,981); #1 War Horse £2,081,490 3rd week 510 screens 35% drop (21.5% of top 10)
Down 29.34% 2011; (£15,525,216); Tangled (£5,106,612); The Mechanic (£921,554); Hereafter (£601,728); How do you Know (£374,933); Biutiful (£156,029); Barney’s Version (£109,266); #1 Tangled £5,106,612 1st week 445 screens (32.9% of top 10)
Down 5.78% from 2010: (£13,422,186); Toy Story 2 (Digital 3-D) (£909,093); Brothers (£366,290); A Prophet (£312,237); Ninja Assassin (£187,285); The Boys Are Back (£64,465); Armoured (£64,931); #1 Avatar £5,155,844 6th week 428 screens 7% drop (38.4% of top 10)
Down 6.59% 2009; (£11,743,640); Valkyrie (£1,854,195); Underworld 3 (£990,285); Frost/Nixon (£591,411); Milk (£336,027); Rachel Getting Married (£84,652); #1 Slumdog Millionaire £2,806,996 3rd week 2nd #1 379 screens 7% increase (23.9% of top 10)
Up 4.85% 2008; (£10,462,095); Sweeney Todd (£4,525,246); In the Valley of Elah (£345,185); The Savages (£72,823); #1 Sweeney Todd £4,525,246 1st week 436 screens (43.2% of top 10)
Up 37.90% 2007: (£7,954,979); Blood Diamond (£1,471,104); Venus (£317,426); Bobby (£285,057); #1 Rocky Balboa £1,705,180 2nd week 411 screens 53% drop (21.4% of top 10)
Up 49.58% 2006; (£7,333,608); Munich (£1,209,970); Rumour Has It (£816,743); Hidden (Caché) (£169,234); #1 Fun with Dick and Jane £1,381,737 2nd week 419 screens 29% drop (18.8% of top 10)
Down 12.94% 2005: (£12,600,625); Meet the Fockers (£7,917,661); Assault on Precinct 13 (£748,846); Creep (£477,687); Sideways (£349,642); #1 Meet the Fockers £ 7,917,661 1st week 456 screens (62.8% of top 10)
Up 9.18% 2004; (£10,047,733); Scary Movie 3 (£3,490,585); Big Fish (limited) (£126,899); #1 Scary Movie 3 £3,490,585 1st week 418 screens (34.7% of top 10)
Up 3.24% 2003 (£10,625,350); I Spy (£878,229); Ghost Ship (£784,565); About Schmidt (£757,325); The Pianist (£195,222); #1 8 Mile £2,514,467 2nd week 423 screens 43% drop (23.6% of top 10)
Up 17.59% from 2002: (£9,329,000); Vanilla Sky (£2,978,264); In the Bedroom (£87,294); #1 Vanilla Sky £2,978,264 1st week 425 screens (31.9% of top 10)
2025 Next week: (£6,468,250); Companion (£739,553); Les Miserables: The Staged Concert (Re: 2025) (£549,548); Hard Truths (£327,633); Saturday Night (£113,463); The Apartment (4K Restoration) (£3,828); #1 A Complete Unknown £1,236,908 3rd week 26% drop 729 screens (19.12% of top 10)
US Box Office
- Avatar: Fire and Ash – 20th Century Studios
Down 40% in its sixth weekend, $6.4m and $377.9m
215th biggest sixth weekend between Stuart Little and The Proposal (close to A Quiet Place, Back to the Future Part II, Avengers: Age of Ultron and Legends of the Fall); Avatar #1 $34.94m and Avatar: The Way of Water #7 $20.13m.
EnTelligence said Fire and Ash 2D standard $16.66 and IMAX/PLF/3D $19.82; this compares to the average ticket price for a 3D/PLF $18.28 compared to $12.53 for 2D for Avatar 2.
61st biggest between Finding Nemo and Jurassic World: Dominion; 228th biggest inflated between Sister Act and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2; 4th biggest 2025 between Zootopia 2 and Superman; 18th biggest sci-fi film between Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Jurassic World: Dominion.
Taken $179.2m from IMAX worldwide; $54m US and $125.2m internationally.
Fifth weekends
Avatar 2 dropped 32% in comparison with Avatar, which dropped 14.9% in the fifth weekend, The Force Awakens, 37.8%, Rogue One, 39%, The Last Jedi, 50%, and The Rise of Skywalker, 45.4%. That said, with a third BO from 3D has taken far more from 3D than all of these films apart from Avatar.
2009’s Avatar dropped 14.5%, taking $42.78m and $493.25m, 65.8% of $749.76m/$1.25bn and $2.93bn/$4.5bn worldwide; #1 for 7 weeks; The Book of Eli #2, $32.78m
After 45 days of release, Avatar overtook Titanic to become the biggest film globally $ with 2.039bn and went on to take $749.76m in the US (held #1 for 7 weeks; Titanic was #1 for 15 weeks), $1.99bn internationally and $2.743bn worldwide. It remained the biggest film globally until Avengers: Endgame overtook it.
2022’s Avatar: The Way of Water dropped 40% taking $20.13m and $598.4m of $688.45m/$748m and $2.32bn/ $254bn worldwide; #1 for 7 weeks.
Took 18 days to take $1bn worldwide, slower than Avatar: The Way of Water, 14 days and Avatar, 17 days. The first two films both took over $2bn, but Avatar: Fire and Ash is unlikely to take over $2bn.
Internationally sixth weekend
Avatar 2 $53.3m (38% drop) from 52 territories $1.426bn total and $2.024bn worldwide; China $229.7m; France $129.8m; Germany $117m; Korea $96.9m; UK $81.9m; India $57.9m; Australia $55.1m; Mexico $51.4m; Spain $47m; Italy $45.3m.
Europe (70% 3D/PLFs); Asia (74% 3D/PLFs); Latin America (53% 3D/PLFs); IMAX $214m (11.3% from 1,453 screens), taking $138.8m internationally (7.3%)
Avatar took $107m in its sixth weekend internationally from 52 territories, $1.29bn total ($134m from IMAX worldwide and $491.8m US), 70.1% of $1.841bn worldwide (overtaking Titanic’s $1.84bn)
Avatar: Fire and Ash is expected to take about $1.7bn
Avatar 3 took $28.1m internationally from 52 territories, $1bn total and $1.38bn worldwide.
19th biggest worldwide between Avengers: Age of Ultron and The Super Mario Bros. Movie (close to Barbie, Deadpool & Wolverine, The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Star Wars Ep VIII: The Last Jedi).
- Mercy – MGM/Amazon
Opened $10.8m; received poor reviews (20% Rotten Tomatoes) and B- CinemaScore
Took $1.5m from Thursday previews; M3GAN 2.0 $1.5m; Atomic Blonde $1.52m; Gemini Man $1.6m; Companion $1.7m; The Running Man $1.9m
Opened lower than predicted; ahead of opening, it was expected to open between $12m-$15m the severe cold weather could have impacted the box office, with hundreds of cinemas on the East coast closed.
IMAX/PLF/3D took about 50% of its opening, with 22% from 3D.
Opened similarly to Greenland 2 ($8m), Flight Risk ($11.5m) and The Creator ($14m)
Audience breakdown: male 25+ 45%; female 25+ 31%; men under 25 15%, and women under 25 9%, with 18-34 about half of the audience. Which means they will quickly move to Send Help next weekend, and Mercy will drop about 60% in its second weekend.
Despite starring in massive franchises like Jurassic World, Guardians of the Galaxy and vocally in The Lego Movie, The Super Mario Bros Movie and Onward, Mercy is Chris Pratt’s first leading man film. He did previously star in Paramount’s The Tomorrow Man, but it was sold to Amazon due to COVID. He also starred as part of the ensemble in The Magnificent Seven and Passengers with Jennifer Lawrence. Chris Pratt is similar to the world’s biggest actresses, Zoe Saldaña ($15.47bn worldwide) and Scarlett Johansson ($15.4bn worldwide), who have massive global success but can’t open a film on their own.
MGM/Amazon is packaging their original film slate similar to what studios did in the 90s, have a high concept idea and then add well-known but not bankable actors. This used to work in the 90s, and also independent film companies to sell rights to finance films. The problem is, while they found an audience 20+ years ago, these high-concept films will find a bigger audience on streaming, as The Tomorrow Man did on Amazon in July, watched by 2.41 million US households over its opening weekend, which would be the equivalent of a $30m+ opening.
Mercy will get a 45-day theatrical window, but will be played out of cinemas within half of those days. This is one of the reasons Apple backtracked on their 2023 plans to spend $1bn annually for films to have full theatrical windows, as they were also original films that struggled to find an audience in cinemas. Mercy had a $60m budget.
With poor reviews and a B- CinemaScore, Mercy will drop 60% in its second weekend showing again. If the theatrical window was 31 days, it’s not the issue, as the audience just won’t pay $20 to see these kinds of films anymore and as seen with films like Carry-On, Heart of Stone and Hitman, they will find a far bigger audience on streaming.
Opened with $11.6m from 80 territories and $22.8m worldwide; China $2.6m; Mexico $965k; UK $866k; Japan $700k; Australia $660k, and Germany $515k.
- 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple – Sony Pictures
Dropped 73% in its second weekend, $3.42m and $20.57m
While the severe weather will be blamed for its huge second weekend drop, 2025’s 28 Years Later dropped 67.5% last weekend, so The Bone Temple was always likely to have a similar second weekend drop.
2025’s 28 Years Later dropped 67.5% $9.75m and $50.4m from $70.44 m and $151.3m worldwide
2002’s 28 Days Later dropped 40.3% $6m/$11.9m and $20.55m/$40.72m of $45.06m/$89.3m and $72.6m/$143.9m worldwide
2007’s 28 Weeks Later dropped 44.4% $5.45m/$9.12m and $18.9m/$31.6m of $28.63/$47.91m and $65.04m/$108.9m worldwide
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple had a budget of $63m, slightly more than 28 Years Later $60m.
But as with the first two films of the series, it’s a very English horror, so it was never going to perform as strongly. In the US, it was like Sony Pictures acquired global rights for 2017’s T2 Trainspotting, but it was never going to find a huge audience in the US.
28 Years Later second weekend took $13.7m internationally from 59 territories, $52.7m total, and $103m worldwide; UK $6.4m; Mexico $2.7m; Australia $1.7m; S. Korea $1.5m; France $1.3m; Germany $1.3m; Spain $1.2m
Took $6m internationally from 62 territories, $25.3m total, and $46.1m worldwide; UK $7.8m
- Zootopia 2 – Disney
Down 42% in its ninth weekend, $5.3m and $401.02m.
55th biggest ninth weekend between Zootopia and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (close to Jumanji: The Next Level, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish, The Greatest Showman and Inside Out 2).
11th biggest animated film between Toy Story 3 and Frozen; 53rd biggest between Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Frozen; 203rd biggest, inflation-adjusted between The Santa Clause and Platoon; 3rd biggest 2025 between Lilo & Stitch and Superman; 28th biggest Disney between Captain America: Civil War and Frozen.
EntTelligence said the average ticket price was $14.42; the average PLF ticket was $18.
2016’s Zootopia dropped 19% $5.32m and $323.84m of $341.3m/$454.1m and $1.025bn/$1.4bn worldwide
2016’s Moana dropped 37.5% $2.69m and $236.97m of $248.75m/$331m and $643.33m/$856.1m worldwide
2024’s Moans 2 dropped 30% $4.19m and $449.93m of $460.4m and $1.059bn WW
While many were “surprised” by Zootopia 2 its performing exactly as expected, very similar to previous Disney animated sequels. The only difference is similar to Frozen being huge in Japan, Zootopia 2 was huge in China, and in all other countries, it has performed exactly as expected.
Took $56.6m worldwide from IMAX; $10.9m US and $45.7m international, including $34m from China.
The 36 Disney animated films since 1988’s Oliver & Company have taken over $6bn and over $11bn inflated in the US.
Took $20m from 52 territories $1.343bn total and $1.744bn worldwide; China $611m; Japan $76.7m; France $69.4m; S. Korea $54.6m; Germany $43.6m; UK $39m; Mexico $37.5m; Australia $22.8m; Taiwan $22.1m; Italy $21.6m; Brazil $20.1m; Spain $19.7m.
Last year, Moana 2 took $11.1m from 52 territories and $554.9m total and $990.3m worldwide; France $59.4m; UK $48.1m; Germany $39.5m; Mexico $29.6m; Australia $27.6m.
2nd biggest animated film worldwide between Ne Zha 2 and Inside Out 2; 9th biggest worldwide between Spider-Man: No Way Home and Inside Out; 4th biggest Disney between Avengers: Infinity War and Inside Out.
Much has been made of Zootopia 2 overtaking Inside Out 2 global BO, but that was always expected due to the huge BO from China. Deadline listed the 60 films that have taken over $1bn worldwide, but not all $1bn films are the same. $1 bn was cool 20-30 years ago (similar to the industry celebrating $100m BO films in the 80s and 90s), but now these films should be taking $3bn-$5bn+. Titanic inflated BO $5.6bn, Avatar $4.5bn, and even Avengers: Endgame is $3.5bn. To paraphrase Sean Parker, “A billion dollars isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? Four billion dollars”. You can’t compare the current BO with the BO films that took a decade or more ago.
- Marty Supreme – A24
Down 36% in its sixth weekend, taking $3.54m and $86.29m.
614th biggest sixth weekend between War of the Worlds and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (close to The Truman Show, Anger Management, Fun with Dick and Jane and Eagle Eye).
Marty Supreme is now A24’s biggest film ahead of Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once ($77.1m).
1,011th biggest between Young Frankenstein and The Nun II; 2,098th biggest inflated between Forget Paris and The First Purge; 25th biggest 2025 between Disney’s Snow White and The Bad Guys 2.
Timothée Chalamet won Best Actor Comedy at the Golden Globes and is now the favourite to win Best Actor BAFTA and Oscar next month.
Took $8.3m from 26 territories, $30m total, and $115.663m worldwide; UK $16m; expands wider internationally this weekend.
Marty Supreme has become A24’s fourth film to take $100m+ worldwide after Everything Everywhere All at Once ($142m), 2024’s Civil War ($127m) and 2025’s Materialists ($107m)
- The Housemaid – Lionsgate
Dropped 54% in its sixth weekend, taking $3.94m and $115.19m
35th biggest sixth weekend between The Matrix Reloaded and The Game Plan (close to Phenomenon, Blue Jasmine, Saving Mr Banks and The Secret of My Success).
688th biggest between Peter Rabbit and Girls Trip (close to Notting Hill, You’ve Got Mail, Fifty Shades Darker and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil); 1,582nd biggest inflated between Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome and Ali; 20th biggest 2025 between Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 and Dog Man; 34th biggest thriller between District 9 and The Village; 16th biggest Lionsgate between Now You See Me and The Expendables.
Paul Feig directed 2018’s A Simple Favour, which dropped 72.9% $359,889 and $52.9m in its sixth weekend, $1.32mof $53.64m and $97.64m world and directed a sequel this year that was released straight to Amazon. 2011’s Bridesmaids dropped 29.5% $7.09m and $136.45m of $169.1m and $288.38m worldwide.
Sixth weekends
2023’s Anyone, But You dropped 14.4% $4.62m and $71.02m of $88.31m (14.7x opening) and $220.33m WW
Similar films include.
2016’s The Girl on the Train dropped 39.1% $1.63m and $73.34m of $75.39m/$100.5m and $173.18m#$230.5m worldwide
2014’s Gone Girl dropped 26..8% $6.2m and $145.35m of $167.76m/$236.4m and $370.89m/$520.5m worldwide
2000’s What Lies Beneath dropped 31.7% $4.61m/$9.9m and $130.91m/$280m of $155.5m/$332m and $291.4m/$622.3m WW
1992’s The Hand That Rocks the Cradle up 2% $6.88m/$19m and $59.8m/$165.9m of $88.1m//$244.2m
1987’s Fatal Attraction up 4.7% $8.04m/$23.7m and $66.55m/$196m of $156.64m/$462m
Took $21.3m from 74 territories, $115.1m total, and $294.5m worldwide; UK $30.4m
UK Box Office Top 10
Box Office Preview
The new releases are unlikely to challenge the top 5, with The Housemaid battling out #1 with Hamnet, which will be boosted by the media coverage received after it received 11 BAFTA nominations alongside its 8 Oscar nominations.
Hamnet dropped slightly less than The Housemaid last weekend 24.7% Vs 27.9%, 24.7% vs 27.9%. They were separated by only £73,768. If they have similar drops in The Housemaid’s sixth weekend and Hamnet’s fourth weekend, they could switch places, with both taking about £1.5m.
28 Years Later: The Bone Temple will drop about 45% in its third weekend, taking £550k-£700k and with Avatar: Fire And Ash dropping about 40% in its seventh weekend, they are likely to be battling out third place.
Zootropolis 2 is holding fifth place with a minimal drop in its tenth weekend due to being the only family film on release.
Horror Primate is likely to be the biggest new release, having a similar opening as last weekend’s Return To Silent Hill, about £600k. Or similar to last year’s Stephen King adaptation, The Monkey (opened £1,070,404, taking £2,959,723)
That depends if Shelter can open similarly to 2024’s The Beekeeper, £956,380 (£250k Friday; £409k Saturday and £262k Sunday), taking £3,830,079.
While many like to mock Jason Statham, his films are crowd pleasers. The Transporter (opened £338,420, taking £623,493, The Mechanic opened £921,554, taking £2,445,760, Crank opened £450,141, taking £1,279,643 as well as The Expendables, The Meg and Fast & Furious ensemble franchises. Starting with Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in August 1998, with £941,638 taking £11,399,953.
The other two releases are Is This Thing On? And Kangaroo are likely to struggle to find an audience, despite Is This Thing On receiving a lot of media coverage with Will Arnett and Laura Dern in promoting the film in December and being loosely based on comedian John Bishop’s life.
It premiered at the New York Film Festival and the UK premiere at the London Film Festival, receiving positive reviews for different reasons, in the US, about it being the story of mid-life marriage struggles, while in the UK being also loosely about comedian John Bishop, but it failed to receive any Oscar or BAFTA nominations which would have helped it find an audience.
Films about comedians, including 1988’s Punchline, 1992’s Mr Saturday Night, 2019’s Late Night, 2009’s Funny People, 1999’s Man on the Moon and 2024’s Saturday Night, despite receiving positive reviews, struggle to connect with audiences. While films about mid-life marriage struggles also often struggle to find an audience, 2019’s Marriage Story, 2010’s Blue Valentine, 1989’s War of the Roses, 2012’s Hope Springs, 2008’s Revolutionary Road and 1999’s American Beauty.
Kangaroo is a family comedy about a man who rediscovers the important things in life after losing his job is the kind of film that you can’t hate, as it has lots of sweet kangaroos, but as seen with films like We Brought A Zoo, is that enough to get audiences to see it in the cinema? It was the highest-grossing local film made in Australia last year, taking A$6m.
But it will surely take much more than the documentary Melania; Amazon paid $40m for rights. Presales in UK cinemas have been very soft; that said, people won’t book a week in advance to see a documentary as they would do for a tentpole. It will be interesting to see if Amazon report BO.
Coming Soon
- Wuthering Heights – Warner Bros
Romantic drama starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi, Hong Chau, Shazad Latif, Alison Oliver, Martin Clunes, and Ewan Mitchell and written and directed by Emerald Fennell and inspired by Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel Wuthering Heights.
Emerald Fennell announced she was adapting Emily Brontë’s 1847 novel in 2024, and soon afterwards, Margot Robbie was attached. Margot Robbie previously produced Emerald Fennell’s Promising Young Woman and Saltburn.
In October 2024, a bidding war saw Warner Bros acquire distribution rights for $80m. Netflix offered far more, but Emerald Fennell wanted a cinema release for the film, but Margot Robbie’s production company, LuckyChap, has a production deal with Warner Bros.
The first trailer was released in September. Opens in IMAX cinemas.
The last two adaptations of Wuthering Heights in 1992 and 2012 struggled to find an audience in cinemas as they were more arthouse adaptations, but this version starring Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi has far more going for it. But could it match the huge openings of Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy and Fifty Shades of Grey that have recently opened over Valentine’s Day weekend?
US tracking is between $35m-$50m 10% of that is between £3.5m-£5m, but it will perform much stronger in the US.
Emerald Fennell’s previous films, 2020’s Promising Young Woman, didn’t have a UK cinema release due to COVID and was released on Sky Cinema; 2023’s Saltburn opened £841,064, taking £5,577,963.
Wuthering Heights opens over Valentine’s Day weekend. Female-focused films have opened strongly over this weekend, including 2025’s Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy opening £12,298,966; £3.54m Friday; £3.67m Saturday; £2.98m Sunday, taking £46,367,473.
11 years ago, Fifty Shades of Grey opened Valentine’s Day weekend at £13,550,290 (took £4.61m Friday), taking £38,570,543/£42,368,752; Fifty Shades Darker opened £7,906,468, and Fifty Shades Freed £6,132,414.
English period romance dramas have been a mainstay of cinema for decades, as they have a nostalgic element to dating that began with courtship, etiquette, letters, and lingering glances rather than the immediate physicality of swiping on an app.
Modern versions include.
2019’s Little Women opened £3,578,877/£3,970,472, taking £21,283,939/£23,612,791
2020’s Emma opened £1,635,797/£1,850,669 taking £7,455,943/£8,435,325 (COVID affected)
1996’s Emma opened £402,155/£1,400,549 taking £5,012,831/£17,457,729
2005’s Pride And Prejudice opened £2,529,947/£4,302,521 taking £14,562,448/£24,765,437
1996’s Sense and Sensibility opened £629,152/£1,238,208 taking £13,605,627/£26,776,676
1995’s Little Women opened £423,563/£974,925 taking £3,143,960/£7,236,529
It’s also the weekend when half-term holidays start, and over recent years have seen animated films opening for younger audiences.
- Crime 101 – Sony Pictures
Crime thriller starring Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Barry Keoghan, Monica Barbaro, Corey Hawkins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Nick Nolte, and Halle Berry and directed by Bart Layton, based on the 2020 novella by Don Winslow.
Following on from Amazon/MGM’s Mercy, which opened in January, it feels like their approach to making original films is using an algorithm/Moneyball approach, having a high concept idea and then add recognisable cast, and what you get is a 90s style film that now finds a much wider audience on streaming as seen by films like Carry-On, Heart of Stone
- Goat – Sony Pictures
Animated sports comedy featuring the voices of Caleb McLaughlin, Gabrielle Union, Stephen Curry, Nicola Coughlan, Nick Kroll, David Harbour and Jennifer Hudson and directed by Tyree Dillihay.
Opening ahead of half-term, but being about basketball might limit its appeal; as many animated films have done previously, it has a weekend previous to the weekend before opening to inflate its opening weekend.
2021’s Space Jam: A New Legacy opened £1,363,556/£1,452,405 taking £12,856,288/£13,693,998
1997’s Space Jam opened £1,467,506/£2,888,138 taking £11,648,511/£22,924,957