1. Ticket To Paradise   – £2,805,615   – NE

Took £1,121,119 Tues- Thurs (40% of opening) taking £1,684,496 Fri-Sun

Had the 534^th biggest opening between Cast Away and Django Unchained (close to Confessions of a Shopaholic, The Holiday, A Quiet Place and The Other Woman) and the 925^th biggest inflation inflated between Legally Blonde 2: Red, White and Blonde and Straight Outta Compton (close to Intolerable Cruelty, Billy Elliot, Twins and Bounty Hunter).

22^nd biggest rom-com between The Holiday and The Other Woman (close to What Women Want, The Proposal, Maid In Manhattan and The Break-Up) and 53^rd biggest inflation-inflated rom-com between Legally Blonde 2 and Bounty Hunter (close to While You Were Sleeping, My Best Friend’s Wedding, One Fine Day and Pretty Woman).

857^th biggest Fri-Sun between Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked and Pan (close to Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Wimbledon, Bride and Prejudice and Runaway Bride).

Always impossible to remove preview BO with Fri-Sun and see it as additional BO as many of those who would have seen the film over the weekend will have seen it during the previews, so often previews probably just share out the same BO over several more days and don’t increase a film opening. As seen by Ticket To Paradise taking a very similar Fri-Sun BO as The Lost City (£1,736,938 Vs £1,684,496)

Opened on Tuesday (20th September) after being delayed from last Friday by Universal Pictures a few days earlier to avoid opening days before the Queen’s Funeral.

Three weeks ago George Clooney said at the UK premiere ‘The whole country was experiencing a “tough time”, and he was happy in his role as a dispenser of frothy cinematic delights to be “a ray of sunshine” for everyone.’ This was before the death of the Queen on September 8th. Opening after the funeral the film could be the right film at the right time, the feel-good film set in the summer sunshine being the perfect antidote to the outpouring of grief opening the day after the country ended its morning period. 25 years ago became that film after Princess Diana’s death and Moulin Rouge 21 years ago after the horrific 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Rom-coms have struggled at the box office over the last decade as they were 32 years ago when they were at their peak when Julia Roberts starred in Pretty Woman. A decade ago a romcom like Ticket To Paradise would open with £3m-£4m similar to About A Boy, Valentine’s Day, Bridesmaids, The Proposal, Confessions of a Shopaholic, The Holiday, The Other Woman, Two Weeks’ Notice, Maid In Manhattan and The Break-Up. But now was always likely to open similar to Last Christmas (£2,654,354), Along Came Polly (£2,252,808), Yesterday (£2,212,380), One Day (£2,208,724), Forgetting Sarah Marshall (£2,144,038), Bend It Like Beckham (£2,001,795) despite having an extended opening with 4 days of previews.

Selective George Clooney films

1997’s One Fine Day opened £1,179,360 (£2,341,334 inflation inflated) taking £6,277,048 and (£12,461,560 inflation inflated) 5.32x opening. The film disappointed in the US opening the week after Jerry Maguire in December 1996 and opened in the UK 8 months later in July 1997

2003’s Intolerable Cruelty opened £1,555,684 (£2,831,065 inflation inflated) taking £6,465,278 (£11,765,641 inflation inflated) 4.2x opening;

1998’s Out of Sight opened £869,255 (£1,742,824 inflation inflated) taking £3,166,201 (£6,348,115 inflation inflated) 3.6x opening

2010s Up In The Air opened £1,298,023 taking £5,580,729

Selective Julia Roberts films

While Julia Roberts 1990’s Pretty Woman opened £803,454 (£2,310,288 inflation inflated) taking £11,990,862 (£34,479,062 inflation inflated) 14.92x opening;

1997’s My Best Friend’s Wedding opened £1,424,928 (£2,828,850 inflation inflated) taking £8,488,511 (£16,851,884 inflation inflated);

1999’s Runaway Bride opened £1,649,984 (£3,166,715 inflation inflated) taking £7,562,023 (£14,513,336 inflation inflated) 4.6x opening; 5.96x opening

2001’s America’s Sweethearts opened £1,719,897 (£3,356,707 inflation inflated taking £5,637,933 (£11,003,502 inflation inflated) 3.3x opening.

George Clooney and Julia Roberts previously worked together on 2001’s Ocean’s Eleven 2003’s Confessions of a Dangerous Mind (opened £356,623 #6 from 201 screens taking £1,038,201) 2004’s Ocean’s Twelve 2016’s Money Monster (opened £820,829 #4 from 412 screens taking £2,387,743); The Ocean’s films were successful at the box office but it was more about the ensemble cast that would have attracted audiences. Have been rumours of Ocean’s Fourteen 15 years after the last film sadly there will need to be replacements due to the deaths.

Julia Roberts was a massive global star in the 90s it’s been a while since she has had a hit film, have to go back to Mirror, Mirror in 2012 and Eat Pray Love in 2010. Similarly have to go back a decade for George Clooney as while he starred alongside Sandra Bullock in Gravity he wasn’t in for long so it’s going back to The Descendants and Up In the Air. That said films with both actors are very watchable.

The iconic scene from Notting Hill when Anna Scott says, “I’m also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her”, could be used about the Royal Family as they might be surrounded by pomp and ceremony but the death of the Queen was the death of a mum, grandma and great grandma and they had to grief in public with millions watching, which makes that line even more strong.

The producers called Ticket To Paradise a sorta sequel to a film released about 20 years ago which would be 1999’s Notting Hill opened £4,323,678 (£8,298,175 inflation inflated) taking £30,765,273 (£59,045,940 inflation inflated) 7.12x opening or 1994’s Four Weddings and a Funeral opened £1,432,424 (£3,561,226 inflation inflated) taking £27,762,648 (£69,022,214 inflation inflated) 19.4x opening.

While Ol Parker previously directed 2018’s Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again and wrote screenplays for the two The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel films. Ticket To Paradise looks like Mamma Mia! without the music.

2012’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel opened £2,222,051 (£2,818,551 inflation inflated) taking £20,308,480 (£25,760,207 inflation inflated)

2015’s The Second-Best Exotic Marigold Hotel opened £3,771,852 (including £704,965 previews) taking £15,575,797

The film started its international release two weeks ago taking $11.1m in its third weekend from 46 territories and $31.1m, opens in the US on October 21st.

It will be interesting to see how both Ticket To Paradise and Don’t Worry Darling hold in their second weekends as word of mouth will likely be much more positive than the reviews.

• 2. Don’t Worry Darling  – £2,771,935 –  NE

Took £967,320 Friday; £923,390 Saturday and £770,717 Sunday

£33,680 separated Don’t Worry Darling with Ticket To Paradise, but the later opening was inflated with three days of previews taking £1.12m.

Had 540^th biggest opening Batman Returns and £2,768,975 (close to American Beauty, The Holiday, The Lost City and School of Rock) and 936^th biggest inflation inflated between Tomb Raider 2 and Die Hard 2 Die Harder (close to War of the Roses, Groundhog Day, Total Recall (1990) and Sleepless in Seattle).

The film has generated a lot of media attention for both film and non-film-related issues that included Shia LaBeouf’s departure from the film, (replaced by Harry Styles which helped generate huge media coverage and include one of his songs in the film), Olivia Wilde being served custody papers while she was onstage at CinemaCon in April. While Florence Pugh didn’t attend the press conference at the Venice Film Festival or the New York premiere. But all publicity positive or negative is good as it generates media coverage and gets the film talked about. 

The film received film festival launch after her directorial debut Booksmart received critical acclaim, but was the film a film festival film as critics at film festivals are far harsher than regular critics as Dear Evan Hanson and Halloween Kills last year probably received far hash reviews that they could have done. 

Received world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival getting a mixed response, praising Florence Pugh’s performance; been compared to Stepford Wives and Truman Show.

2003’s The Stepford Wives (remake) opened £946,787 (£1,703,795 inflation inflated) taking £3,766,378 (£6,777,803 inflation inflated)

1998’s The Truman Show  opened £2,210,999 (£4,432,971 inflation inflated) taking £9,929,680 (£19,908,639 inflation inflated)

1990’s The Vanishing opened £19,949 from 3 screens (Dutch original received critical acclaim) taking £81,485

1993’s The Vanishing opened £290,384 #3 from 197 screens (US remake poorly received)taking £1,218,848

1996’s Fear opened £116,183 #10 from 86 screens taking £235,024

The film opens the same weekend as 2018’s A Simple Favour opened with £1,621,900 (£303,453 previews) taking £4,930,383

While Warner Bros compared the film with 2015’s Focus opened £1,910,245 taking £7,350,427

Olivia Wilde’s previous film 2019’s Booksmart received critical acclaim and opened with £634,452 taking £1.5m.

Much was made that it had the widest opening for a female director opening in 693 screens ahead of Olivia Newman’s Where The Crawdads Sing in July in 691 screens, but a) there shouldn’t be any need for such records, but b) there is no reason for these films to open so wide. 20+ years ago distributors would carefully identify the best locations to open films limiting locations due to print costs. In doing so they could expand the film’s release over weeks or even months, but as now as films open at the widest point in week one there is no chance of expansion why films don’t play as long as they should.

With a film like Don’t Worry Darling and Where The Crawdads Sing, both getting poor reviews but being embraced by female audiences, they aren’t films that audiences rush out to see so likely to have longer legs (as seen by Where The Crawdads Sing taking 46% of its £8.2m BO within first 10 days (Top Gun: Maverick took similar percentage in 12 days) most films (apart from animation) take between 55%-60%), while has taken 5.9x opening (comparable with Belfast, Operation Mincemeat and Elvis).

So if a film could have long legs why open it so wide especially as over the next few weeks there is limited competition, this is surely due to a concern by studios that exhibitors will drop a film within a week if it doesn’t meet their expectations, so original films are opening as wide as possible in case it never has a chance to expand.

12 years ago Avatar dropped 55% in its second weekend taking £3,828,123 and £18,404,659 with Alvin And The Chipmunks II opening at #1 there was no indication at that time that it was going to go on and take £94,025,474 11x opening (only 19.6% in its opening 11 days), similarly The Greatest Showman in 2017 down 49.3% £2,409,143 and £9,998,783 after 13 days it would go on to take £49,523,728 10.4x opening (20.2% in its opening 13 days). As William Goldman famously said “Nobody knows anything…… Not one person in the entire motion picture field knows for a certainty what’s going to work. Every time out it’s a guess and, if you’re lucky, an educated one.”

• 3         Avatar (re-release) – £1,218,692 – NE

Took £276k from Friday which was 249% more than the recent re-release of Spider-Man No Way Home £93k (£469,309) and 13% more than 2012’s Star Wars:  Phantom Menace 3D £240k (£1,528,156);

Took 19% from 51 IMAX screens (£231,551) with 86% from 3D and 3D IMAX

1,325^th biggest opening between Phantom of the Opera and Hostel (close to Ghostbusters (1984), Beauty and the Beast (1992), Skyline and The Long Kiss Goodnight) and 1,802^nd biggest inflation-inflated opening between Hocus Pocus and Walking with Dinosaurs (close to Full Metal Jacket, Over the Top, A Clockwork Orange (re-issue) and The Last Boy Scout).

Other wide re-releases include

2012’s Titanic 3D opened £2,856,540 taking £10,964,978; 3.85x opening

2011’s The Lion King 3D opened £2,746,763 taking £12,154,600; 4.45x opening

1998’s The Exorcist opened £2,186,977 (£4,384,807 inflation inflated) #1 249 screens taking £7,143,595 (£14,322,642 inflation inflated) 3.3x opening;

2000’s A Clockwork Orange opened £618,615 (£1,207,345 inflation inflated) taking £1,694,263 (£3,306,678 inflation inflated) 2.75x opening

In the 80s and 90s before Disney got into the reimagination game, they would regularly re-release one of their animated classics and they would always find an audience as cinemagoers always enjoyed seeing them in the cinema e.g.: 1993’s The Jungle Book opened £579,602 (£1,458,936 inflation inflated) taking £6,924,777 (£17,430,591 inflation inflated) 12x opening,

The industry has seemed to lower expectations of what a successful opening is as Avatar’s opening with $9.7m in the US and $30.5m worldwide has been heralded as a successful re-release and a sign that audiences are embracing 3D again.

When Avatar opened in 2009 average price for regular 2D screenings was £5.44, industry average has gone up almost 50% since to £8.08 but that only tells half the story as 90%+ of the BO for Avatar was from 3D and IMAX (IMAX took more from 9 cinemas than Avatar took in 2D from 300 for most weeks) BFI IMAX average was £12.90 (sold 47k tickets in advance taking £607k) with normal cinemas charging about a third than £5.44 average (£8+).

For the 2022 re-release BFI IMAX tickets were £18+ up 40% and were showing on 50 other IMAX screens across the UK including Cineworld Leicester Square (£25) and 21 4DX (£24.50), with most tickets across the country about twice the industry average.

Taking £231k from 51 IMAX screens with an average price of £18 that’s about 13,000 cinemagoers 250 per screen over 3 days about 28 per screening, showing its opening wasn’t nearly as strong as it seems.

Avatar was re-released in cinemas ahead of the release of Avatar: The Way of Water finally opening in December, it feels a very long time since Avatar was released in 2009 and can the sequel possibly be as successful as the original film and have the legs of the original film.

Avatar opened in December 2009 with £8,509,050 (£11,555,147 inflation inflated) £8,509,050 had the 3rd biggest opening of 2009 behind Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and The Twilight Saga: New Moon. Avatar was the biggest opening for a non-franchise movie since 2008’s Hancock £9.59m (including previews) was #1 for 7 weeks knocked off by Valentine’s Day for a week before returning #1 for another 2 weeks being knocked off again by Alice In Wonderland in its 12th weekend due to losing a vast proportion of 3D screens 299 to 132.

In 2009 Avatar was the 40^th biggest ever opening in the UK between War of the Worlds and High School Musical 3 (close to Spider-Man 2, Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) and was the 102^nd biggest inflation inflated to 2022 opening between X-Men and I, Robot (close to Mission: Impossible, Minority Report, Notting Hill and Rocky IV).

Avatar took 79% (£6,722,149) of opening weekend from 3D and IMAX 3D with 21% (£1,786,900) from 2D.

Avatar dropped 55% in its second weekend taking £3,828,123 and £18,404,659 with Alvin And The Chipmunks II opening with £5,347,191 (including £1,018,218 previews) so there was no indication that the film was going to have the legs it was going to have from its third weekend to be the success it was going to be which was similar the case with The Greatest Showman.

Avatar increased 55.2% in its third weekend taking £5.94m (£32,815,618 total) 83% (£4.9m) from 300 3D cinemas with 3D screens, 12.3% (£713,000) from 418 2D cinemas, 4.75% (£282,000) from nine IMAX cinemas; screen average £31,353 in Imax 3D; £16,340 3D; and £1,705 2D.

Avatar re-release and Avatar The Way of Water will open in at least 51 IMAX cinemas.

The fourth weekend took only 7% of BO from 300 2D screens which was the same amount taken from  nine IMAX cinemas taking £4,770,980 from 493 sites and £40,991,797

Stayed in the top 10 for 15 weeks and top 15 for 16 weeks dropping heavily in week 12 when Alice In Wonderland opened at #1 at £10,555,220 taking all the 3D screens Avatar had for the previous 11 and after the previous 11 weeks taking over £2m dropped 60% taking £908,049 and £88,748,017. When a film holds #1 for over 6 weeks it drops out of the chart within a few weeks, it was different with Top Gun Maverick as it was only #1 for 2 weeks.

While the original film was a massive hit there are big questions over if the sequel can match the success of the original film as it hasn’t dated that well seen by many as Dances With Smurfs.

While the plot is very similar to 1991’s Dances with Wolves opened £349,152 (£931,072 inflation inflated) platform release took £10,598,273 (£28,262,061 inflation inflated) taking 30.35x opening with opening 10 days taking similar 19.5% of the opening.

1995’s Pocahontas opened £1,307,369 (£3,035,500 inflation inflated) taking £10,518,123 (£24,421,389 inflation inflated) taking 8x opening

1992’s FernGully: The Last Rainforest opened £114,059m #8 from 213 screens taking £411,338 (the film had opened in the US in April opening $3.54m and flopped so given a limited release in the UK)

While there are big questions over if audiences will embrace 3D again as they did with the original film as a huge part of the film’s success came from 3D surcharges. James Cameron has talked a lot about 3D not being dead but when Avatar was released about 50% of its BO came from 3D as it did for films like Gravity but films released over recent years have taken far less from 3D. Surely if studios want audiences to embrace 3D again then shouldn’t be surcharged for Avatar re-release to get audiences back into favour of 3D.

Ahead of the re-release of Avatar James Cameron said that “Young film fans never had the opportunity to see the film in a movie theatre,” and “Even though they think they may have seen the film, they really haven’t seen it.” Sounding like he was quoting from the 1996 Star Wars re-release trailer ‘for an entire generation people have experienced Avatar the only way it’s been possible on the TV screen, but if you’ve only seen it this way you haven’t seen it at all.”

But the real question to ask is to quote from another James Cameron film ‘Are you ready to go back to Titanic’ the re-release this week will show if audiences are interested in both Avatar and 3D again.

If the re-release was about building up interest for Avatar, then it’s about getting as many people into cinemas as possible to get them to see the film where it was made to be seen and in the formats, it was made to be seen in. So BO for the first Avatar film isn’t important as its o get already returned to being the #1 global film after a recent re-release in China, so why not cut prices for it and not have any difference in prices for the various formats it’s playing in?

Maybe even make 3D cheaper as surely looking longer term to the release of the sequel the more people who embrace 3D again could then embrace the sequel. The problem is the industry doesn’t think like that.

The question is what’s a successful re-release opening as over the last few weeks Spider-Man: No Way Home re-released opened with £469,309, E.T. (40th Anniversary) £438,715 (could say both were lower than they would have done due to National Cinema Day, but probably more people saw them again because of National Cinema Day) as E.T. (20th Anniversary) in 2002 opened with £465,048 when average tickets were £4.14, with 75p+ booking fee for National Cinema Day prices were very similar. While Jaws re-release last weekend opened with £524,233 from 447 screens.

Avatar re-release can only really be compared with the Star Wars trilogy 1997 re-release; Star Wars; A New Hope Special Edition opened £3,770,206 (£7,484,832 inflation inflated); The Empire Strikes Back £2,023,379 (£3,949,010 inflation inflated); Return of the Jedi £1,695,114 (£3,308,338) as Disney have heavily promoted Avatar re-release far more than the other recent re-releases, that were seen more as encore releases (E.T (£438,715 #7 529 screens), Spider-Man No Way Home (£469,309 #5 567 screens) and Jaws (£524,233 #3 from 447 screens) rather than targetting new audience as Avatar was aiming for.

At the end of the film new footage of Avatar: The Way of Water was trailered as was the case with The Lord of the Rings films.

When Avatar sequels were announced they were vital to 20th Century Fox to try to stay competitive with Disney but since Disney acquired the studio the sequels are more to boost attendance at Pandora World at Disney and the merchandise than the films themselves, this was similarly the case with Star Wars films Disney made they were the software for the merchandising hardware.

• 4         See How They Run  – £473,221     – £3,696,152

Down 51.9% in its third weekend

Not holding as strongly as other films targetting grey pound due to mixed word of mouth

Searchlight premiered The Banshees of Inisherin and Empire of Light at Venice and Toronto Film Festivals and The Menu and Chevalier at Toronto Film Festival so were surprised that See How They Run didn’t screen at a film festival, that said the only film festival it would have premiered would have been London. But as Disney has brought David O Russell’s Amsterdam forward a similar period murder mystery comedy probably felt the two films were too similar as would be targetting the same audience.

Third weekends

2022’s The Duke #5 dropped 26.6% taking £500,749 and £3,866,162 of £5,283,515

2022’s Death on the Nile dropped 43.3% taking £764,438 and £6,455,215 taking £8,012,201

2019’s Knives Out dropped 24% taking £1,257,974 #4 and £8,412,092 taking £10,573,381

2017’s Murder on the Orient Express #3 dropped 48% (Justice League opened) £2,279,200 (from 617 screens) taking £17,753,371 73.3% of £24,224,914; stayed in the top 10 for 7 weeks (taking £196,186 in its 7th).

2012’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel #2 £1,787,352 down 24% 499 screens and £10,855,596 53.4% of £20,308,480.

2015’s The Lady in the Van #6 £950,961 down 41% 548 screens and £9,047,439 71.5% of £12,660,028.

2015’s The Second-Best Marigold Hotel #1 £1,409,311 down 29% 592 screens and £11,731,915 75.3% of £15,575,797.

2015’s Suffragette #5 £594,930 down 56% (SPECTRE opened) 441 screens and £7,447,800 70.2% of £10,600,616

2019’s The Good Liar #7 £263,002 down 57% and £3,223,157 83.4% of £3,844,314

2015’s Woman In Gold £281,230 down 24% #6 from 255 screens and £1,868,910 65.5% of £2,851,499

Mid-September has been a lucrative time to open British-based films over recent years including 2019 Downton Abbey; 2017 Victoria and Abdul; 2016 Bridget Jones’s Baby; 2015 Legend; 2014 Pride; 2013 Rush.

And curiously several Royalty films

1998’s Elizabeth dropped 10% £375,362 #8 and £2,940,838 and £4,462,086 (£8,946,316 inflation inflated)

2007’s Elizabeth: The Golden Age dropped 51% £455,011 and £4,118,978 of £5,054,647; 3.75x opening (£8,087,435 inflation inflated)

2002’s Gosford Park dropped 18% £742,814 and £4,018,197 of £12,259,248; 14.64x opening; (£23,926,262 inflation inflated)

2006’s The Queen dropped 12% £803,371 and £4,314,538 of £9,414,401; 10.99x opening; (£15,619,786 inflation inflated)

While other Brit-based films targetting similar demographic second weekends (including several other September opening)

2015’s The Lady in the Van £950,961 #6 41% drop and £9,047,439 of £12,660,028

2022’s Downton Abbey: A New Era £971,706 38% drop and  £10,383,398 of £15,024,203              

2013’s Philomena £1,006,356 £1,006,356 #3 29% drop and £7,298,426 of £10,470,225   

2014’s The Grand Budapest Hotel £1,309,103 #2 20% drop and £4,115,618 of £10,577,014

2017’s Victoria and Abdul £943,300 #3 24% drop and £7,022,063 of £9,828,274 

• 5. Moonage Daydream   – £375,398 – £676,185

Up 106.9% in its second weekend after taking £181,467 #10 from 51 IMAX cinemas last weekend, this weekend lost IMAX screens to Avatar switching to regular screens.

It was the first film to be authorized by the Bowie estate having access to 5 million items,  was a biopic of David Bowie Stardust made in 2020 which didn’t get approval from his estate so wasn’t allowed to use any of his music.

Recent British music documentaries include

2015’s Amy opened £523,192 #5 from 133 screens taking £3,541,421

2016’s The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years opened £654,726 #3 from 96 screens taking £1,062,308

2016’s Supersonic opened £542,263 #5 from 387 screens taking £730,404

2018’s Whitney opened £142,936 #12 from 231 screens taking £454,095

2014’s 20 Feet from Stardom opened £62,154 #17 from 65 screens

1988’s Imagine: John Lennon opened £23,034 from 27 screens

Moonage Daydream had its world premiere at Cannes Film Festival receiving positive reviews (90% on Rotten Tomatoes).

Film News

The UK and Ireland BO are still expected to top £1bn this year despite the slowdown of the box office over the last 6 weeks and that it won’t improve for another few weeks, which will be 25% down on BO pre-COVID when it topped £1.3bn between 2017-2019.

18 films have taken over £10m and 11 films over £20m those films have taken £520m+ of the BO

Much must depend on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever and Avatar: The Way of Water taking more than their predecessors both of which had long legs, the sequels are likely to be much, more front-loaded.  The industry might have heralded the opening of the Avatar re-release last weekend but it was much lower than many other major re-releases.

Black Adam opens in October but that is tracking low as is buzz was reported it was testing as badly as Batgirl which Warner announced they wouldn’t release, of course, it stars Dwayne Johnson so likely to open similar to Rampage or Hobbs & Shaw but that’s a long way from MCU opening.

The UK does have an extra Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical, combining two things UK audiences enjoy Roald Dahl adaptations and musicals, so likely be an alternative to those not wanting to go back to Wakanda or Pandora and also sets up an interesting battle against Disney’s Strange World opening the same weekend. While also big questions over what will happen to the cinema during the World Cup from November 20^th to December 18^th looking back at Screen International’s to the 70s during World Cup weeks analysts always noted BO was down due to World Cup. That said it’s more likely to affect Black Panther 2 rather than Matilda the Musical or Strange World.

UK box office in detail

This weekend’s top 10 box office took £8,643,800 up 159.9% from last weekend’s £3,325,794; admissions 1,000,195 up 149.3% from 401,247 admissions

706^th biggest top 10 of the last 21 years (out of 1,067) between 04 June 2021 #1 A Quiet Place Part II £3,567,048 (41.3% of top 10) and 09 October 2015 #1 The Martian £3,854,809 (44.6% of top 10) and 952^nd biggest inflation inflated between 01 April 2011 #1 HOP £1,392,740 21.5% of top 10) and 10 October 2008 #1 The House Bunny £894,188 (16.1% of top 10);

Top 3 took £6,796,242 78.6% of the top 10; Ticket To Paradise 32.5% (£2,805,615); Don’t Worry Darling 32.1% (£2,771,935); Avatar 14.1% (£1,218,692)

Up 89.6% from 2021 (£4,559,204); The Many Saints Of Newark (£945,319); Oasis Knebworth 1996 (£344,833); The Green Knight (£166,118); Dune (1984) (Re: 2021) (£39,582); #1 Shangi-Chi £1,558,002 4th week (34.2% of top 10)

Up 232% from 2020 (£2,603,624); Bill And Ted Face The Music (£462,051); Andre Rieu’s Magical Maastricht: Together In Music (£124,101); Rocks (£75,478); #1 Tenet £796,309 616 screens 4^th week 30.6% of top 10)

Down 18.4% from 2019 (£10,591,749); Ad Astra (£2,265,387); Rambo: Last Blood (£1,075,071); The Farewell (£207,356); The Kitchen (£107,929); #1 Downton Abbey £3,280,442 2nd week down 37% 736 screens (31% of the top 10)

Down 20.8% from 2018: (£10,913,234); The House with a Clock in its Walls (£3,370,591); A Simple Favour (£1,621,900); Mile 22 (£795,888); The Little Stranger (£300,089); #1 The House with a Clock in its Walls £3,370,591 1st week 541 screens (30.8% of top 10)

Down 40.1% from 2017: (£14,426,113); Kingsman: The Golden Circle (£8,525,664); Maze (£123,985); Borg vs. McEnroe (£101,918); Lawrence of Arabia – 70mm (Re: 2017) (£9,359); #1 Kingsman: The Golden Circle £8,525,664 1st week 602 down (59.1% of the top 10)

Down 25.8% from 2016: (£11,647,518); The Magnificent Seven (£2,132,609); The Girl with All the Gifts (£432,529); The Rolling Stones: Havana Moon (£56,666); #1 Bridget Jones’s Baby £6,453,799 2nd week 648 screens 20% drop (55.4% of the top 10)

Up 21.1% from 2015; (£7,140,352); Miss You Already (£487,247); Solace (£340,537); Captive (£52,227); Life (£38,237); 99 Homes (£38,078); McFarland (£12,773); #1 Everest £1,996,439 2nd week 1st #1 598 screens 37% drop (27.9% of top 10)

Up 7.7% from 2014: (£8,023,248); Billy Elliot The Musical Live 2014 (£1,904,098); The Equalizer (£1,890,146); What We Did on our Holiday (£811,087); Maps to the Stars (£131,057); I Origins (£14,953); #1 Billy Elliot The Musical Live 2014 £1,904,098 1st week 509 screens (33% drop (26.6% of top 10)

Up 31.2% from 2013: (£6,586,232); Diana (£623,051); R.I.P.D. (£506,521); The Call (£409,975); Cold comes the Night (£4,833); #1 Rush £1,336,449 2nd week (1st #1) 464 screens (20.2% of top 10)

Up 33.4% from 2012 (£6,476,971); Killing Them Softly (£955,506); The House at the End of the Street (£796,041); Savages (£379,898); Now is Good (£317,451); Intouchables (£109,328); Raiders of the Lost Ark (Re: 2012) (£73,558); Tower Block (£36,371); Hysteria (£9,903); #1 ParaNorman £1,219,194 2nd week (1st #1) 484 screens 12% drop (18.8% of top 10)

Up 16.3% from 2011 (£7,431,246); Crazy, Stupid, Love (£860,112); Warrior (£808,410); Drive (£607,454); Killer Elite (£481,143); Jurassic Park (Re: 2011) (£245,422); Soul Surfer (£47,293); Page One: Inside the New York Times (£6,757); #1 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy £2,104,762 2nd week 422 screens 25% drop (28.3% of top 10)

Up 30.7% from 2010: (£6,612,218); Eat Pray Love (£1,165,234); The Town (£1,005,039); 3-D The Hole (£906,722); #1 The Other Guys £1,292,144 2nd week 444 screens 35% drop (19.5% of top 10)

Up 23.3% from 2009; (£7,010,262); Fame (£2,408,242); Surrogates (£961,271); The Soloist (£373,151); Creation (£199,477); The Crimson Wing (£746);#1 Fame £2,408,242 1st week 459 screens (34.3% of top 10)

Up 37.1% from 2008; (£6,302,076); Taken (£1,165,986); Righteous Kill (£768,803); Death Race (£683,038); I’ve Loved You So Long (£116,990); Appaloosa (£90,673); Redbelt (£10,303); #1 Tropic Thunder £1,345,392 2nd week 461 screens 46% drop (21.3% of top 10)

Up 33.6% from 2007:( £6,468,802); I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry (£1,090,831); Death Proof (£407,525); A Mighty Heart (£153,028); As You Like It (£9,444); Evening (£20,836); Clubland (£1,808); #1 Run, Fat Boy, Run £1,206,177 3rd week 401 screens 22% drop (18.6% of top 10)

Up 65.4% from 2006; (£5,225,385); The Children of Men (£1,284,254); Trust the Man (£280,929); Dirty Sanchez (£257,034); Clerks II (£223,046); #1 The Children of Men £1,284,254 1st week 370 screens (24.5% of top 10)

Up 41.1% from 2005 (£6,125,984); Revolver (£882,814); Land of the Dead (870,285); Howl’s Moving Castle (212,628); #1 Pride and Prejudice £1,934,083 2nd week 402 screens 24% drop (31.5% of top 10)

Up 31% from 2004 (£6,598,718); Wimbledon (£1,699,096); Hero (£1,005,571); Cellular (£427,365); The Punisher (£186,017); #1 Wimbledon £1,699,096 1st week 444 screens (25.7% of top 10)

Up 20.5% from 2003 (£7,175,270); Once Upon a Time in Mexico (£846,100); Young Adam (£228,692); Ned Kelly (£211,643); #1 Calendar Girls £1,761,985 4th week 2nd #1 439 screens 5% drop (24.5% of top 10)

Up 24.6% from 2002 (£6,934,104); My Big Fat Greek Wedding (£1,503,436); Swimfan (£396,425); Road To Perdition (platform) (£256,035); #1 Signs £2,657,379 2nd week 440 screens 29% drop (38.3% of top 10)

Up 25.4% from 2001 (£6,893,581); A.I. (£2,285,786); Crazy/Beautiful (£137,017); #1 A.I. £2,285,786 1st week 428 screens (33.1% of top 10);

Next weekend 2021 (£28,089,047); No Time To Die (£25,916,476); #1 No Time To Die £25,916,476 773 screens 1^st week (92.3% of top 10)

US Box Office

• Don’t Worry Darling – Warner Bros

Opened with $19.35m; received poor reviews (36%) and B- CinemaScore (similar to Booksmart B+)

Warner Bros estimates at the start of the week were $17m (similar to 2018’s A Simple Favour opening $16.01m taking $53.54m and $97.64m worldwide) but estimates at the end of the week were between $20m-$27m.

Showing the poor reviews generated at Venice and Toronto Film Festivals weren’t impacting cinemagoers as Rotten Tomatoes audience score was 87%. Critics at film festivals are much harsher on films they think don’t deserve to be there, as was the case last year with Dear Evan Hanson and Halloween Kills as the festival audience was very different to their target audience.

Dear Evan Hanson wasn’t able to get past the negativity generated at the film festival and poor reviews (29% Rotten Tomatoes) despite an audience score is 88%, while Halloween Kills poor reviews (39% Rotten Tomatoes) didn’t stop it from opening with $49.4m taking $92m and $131.64m worldwide (2018’s Halloween opened $76.22m taking $159.34m and $255.61m with Halloween Ends opening next month).

Often films are selected for film festivals due to directors’ previous films as was the case with Don’t Worry Darling due to Booksmart receiving critical acclaim and not their suitability for a film festival as certain films play far better than others, as for a film like Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelman’s it could launch it into award season but then other potential award contenders it could be a kiss of death and also impact on the films BO. While Don’t Worry Darling as The Woman King and Pearl opened a couple of weeks after screening at film festivals The Fabelman’s doesn’t open until November.

Took $3.1m from Thursday previews similar to 2018’s Gaga’s A Star Is Born $3.2m and Jordan Peele’s Get Out took $1.8m, but the previews included $600k from IMAX fan screenings on Monday, Thursday midnights are being artificially inflated having other previews added to them, but previews have been extended for years now as midnight previews used to start at midnight now they start about 4 pm giving cinemas at least two more screenings.  

Oliva Wilde’s 2019’s Booksmart opened $6.93m taking $22.68m

Opened with $10.8m internationally from 61 territories and $30m globally

• Avatar – Disney

Opened with $10.52m and $771.03m; received positive reviews (82% on Rotten Tomatoes)

Took $2.5m from Thursday previews with 45% from IMAX 3D and 75% from 3D (A CinemaScore in 2009)

Weekend split was 93% 3D; 39% regular 3D, 27% Imax 3D 29% (29%); PLF 3D 21%; 6% 4DX; EntTelligence reported average price $15.51 compared to $11.67 for Don’t Worry Darling and $11.13m for The Woman King; Don’t Worry Darling had 1.4m admissions; Woman King 900K and Avatar 600k.

4^th biggest film in the US between Spider-Man No Way Home and Top Gun: Maverick; 5^th biggest inflation inflated between Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back;

Comparisons were made with other recent re-releases Avengers Endgame $6.1m from 2,025 screens and Spider-Man No Way Home $5.4m from 3,935, but can’t be compared with any of these other re-releases, as they were encore re-releases months after opening just targeting fans for one more time, it needed to be compared with Star Wars 1997 re-release as it was done to build up hype for the next instalment.

When Avatar opened in 2009 it played on about 178 IMAX screens while the re-release played on about double taking about 45% of the opening. In 2009 average US was $7.91 while 2D IMAX was $14.58 (IMAX data) 3D had about $3+ surcharge but now IMAX tickets are about $25 (AMC Lincoln Square $30.38 more than 3 times the industry average and Dolby 3D $32).

Avatar opened on 1,860 screens less than half the screens Don’t Worry Darling opened in (4,113) but the 176 IMAX screens took almost half of its BO, Don’t Worry Darling was also playing on IMAX and PLF screens but as it targeted a female audience they don’t normally go for the formats.

It would be interesting to see the breakdown of the audience who had seen it before in cinemas compared with their first time and what percentage saw it via subscription cinema.

As James Cameron while promoting Avatar re-released said that a decade of cinemagoers hasn’t experienced Avatar in cinemas this was similar to the re-release campaign of Star Wars, then it needs to be compared with Star Wars 1997 re-release, which it was nowhere near despite being 25 years ago and industry average up almost 100% since ($4.69 to $9.38).

A New Hope opened $35.9m from 2,104 screens taking $138.25m

Empire Strikes Back opened $21.97m from 2,111 screens taking $67.58m

Return of the Jedi opened $16.29m from 2,111 screens taking $45.47m

In 1997 the films were released without any gimmick formats just standard 35mm with no surcharges for premium formats or seating, their inflation inflated openings would be today at least double their 1997 openings, but as Avatar’s re-release was double those normal prices closer to 4x times as much, so A New Hope would have opened with about $145m 10x more than Avatar.

Would be interesting to see the audience split what percentage had seen it previously in the cinema in 2009 and what percentage are experiencing it for the first time in the cinema having grown up watching it on TV. As probably as the recent Spider-Man No Way Home re-release the majority probably had seen it in the cinema many times before.

Opened with $20.5m from 50 territories and $30.5m worldwide 61 territories and $30m worldwide; France $2.9m; Italy $1.5m; Germany $1.3m; the UK $1.3m; and Korea $1.3m

Took $6m from IMAX globally taking $3.1m

Took 75% of internationally BO from 3D compared to 27% for Avengers Endgame

• The Woman King – Sony Pictures

Down 42% in its second weekend taking $11m and $36.15m

Lost IMAX and PLF screens to Don’t Worry Darling and Avatar after taking 45% of the opening weekend from those formats last weekend

The film has historical inaccuracies which were picked up upon when the trailer was released but critics didn’t highlight them as they have on many other films based on historical events that have taken artistical licence that has been heavily criticised. Why is it acceptable for some film and TV shows but not for others?

Since receiving its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival on September 9^th the film has generated strong buzz. Sometimes films open immediately after premiering at film festivals like The Woman King and Sully in 2016 and that buzz helps the films open, but then others will world premiere at Venice/Toronto then open several months later as Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans opening in November and January in the UK.

Of course, the advantage studios have opened a festival film in September is the lack of competition as the later in the year the more crowded the market gets.

Took $1.1m from 2 territories internationally and $37.6m worldwide

• Pearl – A24

Down 39% in its second weekend taking $1.91m and $6.63m

Prequel to X dropped 48.7% in the second weekend taking $2.19m and $8.25m taking $11.76m; received its world premiere at the Venice and Toronto Film Festivals. MaXXXine sequel to X is currently in production.

The film was shot in secret immediately after X was filmed with a budget of $1m.

• See How They Run – Disney

Down 37% in the second weekend taking $1.91m and $6.11m

The film played best in the cities with only a third of cinemas taking over $500 on Friday showing the film opened far too wide (in 2,404 screens). 2021’s The French Dispatch opened

$1.34m taking $16.12m

2022’s Death on the Nile dropped 49.1% to $6.56m and $25.29m taking $45.63m

2017’s Murder on the Orient Express dropped 51.9% to $13.8m and $51.73m taking $102.82m

2019’s Knives Out dropped 46.9% by $14.21m and $63.55m taking $163.36m

2022’s Downton Abbey: A New Era dropped 63.8% by $5.78m and $28.36m taking $43.89m

It’s seen as a positive that all Searchlight films will have a 45-day theatrical window but with a film like See How They Run that will be out of cinemas within three weeks films need to have a flexible window dependent on performance not fixed months before release.

Took $900k from 10 territories $6.2m total and $12.3m worldwide

UK Box Office Top 10

UK Box Office Preview

After being inflated with previews in its opening weekend ticket To Paradise will switch place with Don’t Worry Darling with both films dropping about 35% Fri-Sun (Ticket To Paradise dropping 50-55% including previews.

The highest new entry will be horror Smile, Paramount has been heavily promoting it with radio and TV adverts along with a teaser with Top Gun: Maverick and is the first horror since Bodies, Bodies, Bodies. It opened Wednesday and has mixed positive reviews. Smile is based on an 11-minute short film expanded into a 2-hour film.

Avatar re-release will likely drop upwards of 60% as the re-release was fan led who will go out to see it over opening weekend.

Mrs Harris Goes To Paris could find her way into the bottom half of the top 10 which has been quite soft, why films like Minions: The Rise of Gru and DC League of Super-Pets stayed in the chart much longer than they would normally.

Top Gun: Maverick could finally leave the top 10 after 18 weeks

Last year No Time To Die opened with £25,916,476, weekend BO levels aren’t likely to return to that level until Black Panther 2 opens in November.

Opening next week

• Amsterdam – Disney

Mystery comedy starring an ensemble cast of Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, John David Washington,  Chris Rock, Anya Taylor-Joy, Zoe Saldaña, Mike Myers, Michael Shannon, Timothy Olyphant, Andrea Riseborough, Taylor Swift, Matthias Schoenaerts, Alessandro Nivola, Rami Malek, and Robert De Niro and written and directed by David O. Russell.

Early reaction has been poor with the embargo ending October 2^nd two days before opening which is very late for what is seen as a prestige film. Disney brought the release forward a month from November but then it wasn’t selected for any of the many film festivals in September shows the studio had little faith in the film. As a film directed by David O. Russell and with that ensemble cast would surely have been certain for Venice or Toronto.

What critics did mention was a scene with Taylor Swift was memorable for all the wrong reasons, despite not being able to say what it was they said it will become a gif.

David O. Russell’s first film since 2015’s Joy his fourth film for 20^th Century Fox

David O. Russell’s previous directed films

2016’s Joy opened £1,519,936 taking £4,801,506

2013’s American Hustle opened £3,467,644 (including £2,362,277 previews) taking £13,096,887

2012’s Silver Lining Playbook opened £1,260,979 taking £4,492,382

2011’s The Fighter opened £2,118,140 taking £5,168,297

2004’s I Heart Huckabees opened £155,592 #12 from 62 screens; expanding into 191 screens (widest) in the second weekend £127,580 #12 taking £505,572

2000’s Three Kings opened £1,438,818 taking £6,090,521 (£11,184,411 inflation inflated)

1995’s Spanking the Monkey opened #11 £16.942 from 6 screens

1994’s Flirting With Disaster opened #15 £60,513

• The Woman King – eOne

Historical drama starring  Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, and John Boyega and directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (she compared the film to The Last of the Mohicans, Braveheart and Gladiator.

The film had its world premiere at Toronto Film Festival receiving positive reviews and opened in the US on September 16^th at #1 with $19m.

The film started development at STX in 2015 but the studio was only willing to give it a $5m budget moving to Tristar in 2017 and in October 2021 it was announced that eOne would co-finance the film releasing the film in the UK and Canada with Sony Pictures releasing elsewhere.

The Ahosi was the inspiration to Dora Milaje warriors who guard T’Challa in Black Panther.

The Woman King had paid previews in the UK on September 20^th charting #3 that will be included as part of its opening BO.

• The Lost King – Pathe

Comedy-drama starring Sally Hawkins, Steve Coogan, and Harry Lloyd and directed by Stephen Frears; premiered at Toronto International Film Festival receiving average reviews.

Stephen Frears’s first film since 2017’s Victoria & Abdul since then directed several TV series.

2017’s Victoria & Abdul opened £1,846,970 taking £9,828,274; 5.32x opening

2016’s Florence Foster Jenkins opened #4 £712,899 (556 screens) taking £3,158,125; 4.43x opening

2013’s Philomena opened #4 £1,509,726 (547 screens) £10,470,225; 6.94x opening

2006’s The Queen opened £856,273 taking £9,414,401 (£15,619,786 inflation inflated); 11x opening

2005’s Mrs. Henderson Presents opened £752,394 taking £3,890,226 (£6,673,679 inflation inflated); 5.2x opening

1996’s The Van opened £204,447 #6 from 94 screens taking £884,749

1988’s Dangerous Liaisons opened £103,503 (£388,979 inflation inflated) platform taking £2,687,526 (£10,100,098 inflation inflated); 26x opening

1985’s My Beautiful Laundrette opened on platform in 5 cinemas taking £22,101

• Vengeance – Universal Pictures

Black comedy from Blumhouse Productions starring B. J. Novak, Boyd Holbrook, Dove Cameron, Issa Rae, and Ashton Kutcher and written and directed by B. J. Novak.

Had world premiere at the Tribeca Festival receiving positive reviews (80% Rotten Tomatoes) opened in the US in July on a limited wide release of 998 screens taking $1.75m and $4.22m

Unlikely to find an audience in UK cinemas

• Lyle, Lyle Crocodile – Sony Pictures

Has previews on October 8^th/9^th ahead of its opening on October 14^th, Sat/Sun previews pre-COVID were the norm for most family films, weekend previews help build word of mouth and boost opening by £1m+.

Children have grown up with the Lyle, Lyle Crocodile books since the first one was released in 1965

The film features original songs written by composers of the songs for The Greatest Showman.

Sony has had success opening children’s films in Sept/Oct over recent years including Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Hotel Transylvania, while Minions: The Rise Of Gru, DC League Of Super-Pets and Tad The Lost Explorer And The Curse Of The Mummy is dropping down the chart.  

Half-term is in three weeks and Lyle, Lyle Crocodile is the only family film being released, normally there are about three opening over the weekends ahead of half-term, but this year it hasn’t got any competition for 4 weeks before Disney’s Strange World and Roald Dahl’s Matilda the Musical opens at the end of November which Sony are also releasing with Netflix elsewhere in the world.