- Alien: Romulus – £2,021,921 – £8,230,692
Took £593k 29.34% (-59.38% £1.46m) Friday; £783k 38.74% (-36.85% £1.24m) Saturday; £645k 31.91% (-37.38% £1.03m)
Down 46% in its second weekend
454th biggest second weekend between Independence Day: Resurgence and Dinosaur (close to Ghostbusters Afterlife, X-Men, The Silence of the Lambs and Terminator 2: Judgement Day) and 782nd inflated opening between Lost in Space and Judge Dredd (close to Beverly Hills Cop II, the Perfect Storm, Oblivion and Shaun of the Dead).
11th biggest 2024 second weekend between Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire and Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire (close to Bob Marley: One Love, Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes, Back to Black and Bad Boys: Ride or Die).
Alien: Romulus is the seventh Alien film and the first since 2017’s Alien: Covenant set between the events of 1979’s Alien and 1986’s Aliens. After Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019 it was announced at CinemaCon that more Alien films were in development. In 2022 Fede Álvarez was signed to direct and was originally due for streaming on Hulu but was switched to theatrical release before filming started.
As with many Disney sequels Alien: Romulus includes many nostalgic scenes from previous Alien films with Cailee Spaeny giving her best Ripley impression, she said she watched Sigourney Weaver on repeat “for months”.
Fede Álvarez previously directed 2013’s Evil Dead dropped 60.8% £538,466 and £2,560,331 76.3% of £3,355,676, 2016’s Don’t Breathe 44% £574,782 and £2,250,373 60.5% of £3,719,221)
1979’s Alien was the 5th biggest film of the year after Moonraker, Superman 2, Jaws and Every Which Way But Loose; Alien and Aliens had a long-exclusive run at the Odeon Leicester Square all others opened wide.
Second weekends
1986’s Aliens dropped 29.8% £448,841/£1,902,799 inflated and £2,916,249 67.85% of £4,298,142/£18,107,066 inflated
1992’s Alien3 dropped 38% £1,001,093/£2,485,580 inflated and £3,684,590 56.49% of £6,522,262/£16,092,310 inflated
1997’s Alien Resurrection dropped 59.3% £1,152,150/£2,242,022 inflated and £5,045,006 69.75% of £7,232,926/£14.074m inflated
2012’s Prometheus dropped 50% £3,135,504 #1 and £15,471,936 536 screens 62.82% of £24,628,830/£30,621,716
2017’s Alien: Covenant dropped 64% (62% without previews) £2,127,347 #2 and £10,003,742 631 screens 77.47% of £12,913,468 (£13,654,829 inflated); #1 King Arthur £2,501,993
In 2012 Prometheus broke box office records at the BFI IMAX selling over 30,000 tickets in advance (£470,977); During the first 24 hours tickets were available sold £137,000 in presales and in its first week the first week £293,312.
20th Century Fox planned three sequels to 2012’s Prometheus but only one 2017’s Alien: Covenant was made, and sequel plans ended when Disney acquired the studio in 2019.
887th biggest between The Rock and Kindergarten Cop (close to Octopussy, Ghostbusters 2, Collateral and The Hulk) and 1,437th biggest inflated between Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging and The Island (close to Point-Break (1991), Thelma & Louise, Sea of Love and Masters of the Universe).
- 2. It Ends With Us – £1,847,480 – £15,860,073
Down 37.3% in its third weekend
Took £622k 33.7% (-37.8% £1m) Friday; £783k 36.6% (-36.8% £961k) Saturday; £549k 29.7% (-35.5% £851k) Sunday.
266th biggest third weekend between The Day After Tomorrow and Bad Boys For Life (close to Pitch Perfect 2, Calendar Girls, The Full Monty and Sex and the City) and 484th biggest inflated third weekend between The Pirates! In An Adventure With Scientists and Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (close to P.S. I Love You, A Few Good Men, My Girl and Last Christmas).
After It Ends With Us has now taken $250m worldwide (overtaking the global box office of Anyone But You $220m) Sony Picture would be hoping to announce plans for the sequel but it’s complicated due to the fallout between Blake Lively Justin Baldoni as Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios acquired rights to Colleen Hoover sequel It Starts With Us. Baldoni’s character Ryle has a smaller role in the sequel. Blake Lively could direct the sequel.
As with many book-to-film adaptions, there were many changes as the book acknowledges the violence from the start but in the film Lily believes at the start they were accidental. Ellen DeGeneres featured heavily in the book with a young Lily watching Ellen and Finding Nemo giving her daughter’s middle name Dory. While at the end in the hospital, Lily tells her daughter, “It ends with us”. This was originally removed from the script as the screenwriter thought it was too corny to say instead “It stops here, between you and me” but after fans were given the chance to read the script they wanted the line to return.
The trailer was viewed 128.1m in the first 24 Hours becoming the biggest recent it’s for female-led films Wicked 112.9m views; Barbie 101.6m; Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour 96.2m; Mean Girls 79.3m; Challengers 75m; The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes 61.6m and its had many more views playing with many summer films.
The first trailer for Bridget Jones: Mad About The Boy was released exclusively in cinemas with It Ends With Us.
As with 2022’s Don’t Worry Darling there were claims of tensions between the director Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively during postproduction with two cuts of the film the director’s cut and a second cut Blake Lively requested which became the released version, despite the original version testing better. It was reported Ryan Reynolds wrote a key rooftop scene at the start of the film. Blake Lively said “We help each other. He works on everything I do. I work on everything he does. So, his wins, his celebrations are mine and mine are his.”
Third weekends
Films about abusive relationships include.
2013’s Safe Haven dropped 62% £155,090 #11 and £2,076,306/£2,518,276 inflated
1991’s Sleeping With the Enemy dropped 17.5% £857,804/£2,256,336 and £4,086,18144.27% of £9,230,825/£24,128,097 inflated.
Blake Lively recent films include.
2015’s The Age of Adaline dropped 66% £193,494 of £1,084,834
2018’s A Simple Favor dropped 52% £484,975 #6 and £4,475,268 90.77% of £4,930,383; a sequel has been made and will be released by Amazon/Lionsgate next year.
Other comparisons include.
2014’s The Fault in Our Stars £961,640 #2 dropped 43% and £8,605,638 of £11,006,752.
2022’s Where The Crawdads Sing dropped 41% £501,947 #7 and £5,306,310 65.39% of £8,115,231.
2022’s Don’t Worry Darling dropped 44% £1,020,083 #3 664 screens and £8,209,397 82.13% of £9,995,806
Due to the rumoured behind-the-scenes production issues that generated strong media coverage 2022’s Don’t Worry Darling dropped 33.8% £1,835,165 and £6,194,764 61.97% of £9,995,806
420th biggest between Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip and Bruno (close to Forrest Gump, There’s Something About Mary, Black Swan and Fatal Attraction) and 721st biggest inflated between The Lion King 3D and Dr. Dolittle 2 (close to Sommersby, Rocky, P.S. I Love You and Dick Tracy).
- 3. Deadpool & Wolverine – £1,778,863 – £52,075,805
Down 25.7% in its fifth weekend
Took £482k 27.11% (-31.14% £700k) Friday; £714k 40.16% (-23.64% £935k) Saturday; £582k 32.73% (-22.09% £747k) Sunday.
55th biggest fifth weekend between Harry Potter and the Chamber Of Secrets and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (close to Jurassic World, The Sixth Sense, Star Wars: The Last Jedi and Men In Black) and the 136th inflated fifth weekend between Basic Instinct and Tangled (close to Toy Story, There’s Something About Mary, Dances with Wolves and War of the Worlds).
3rd biggest comic-book fifth weekend between Black Panther and Men In Black (close to The Dark Knight Rises, The Dark Knight, Aquaman and The Batman) and 7th inflated MCU fifth weekend between The Dark Knight Rises and Batman (close to The Mask, Men In Black 2, Batman Forever and Men in Black 3)
3rd biggest MCU fifth weekend between Black Panther and Avengers Infinity War (close to Spider-Man: No Way Home, Captain Marvel, Doctor Strange in the Multiverse and Avengers: Age of Ultron).
Fifth weekends
2016’s Deadpool dropped 35% £966,484 #4 472 screens and £35,773,741 97.71% of £37,616,432 (£40.45m inflation inflated); took 2.74x opening; #1 Kung Fu Panda 3 £4,771,131
2018’s Deadpool 2 dropped 53% £1,182,010 #3 565 screens and £29,042,739 89.36% of £32,501,893/£35.87m inflated; took 2.51x opening; #1 Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom £14,334,894
2016’s Suicide Squad dropped 38% £784,618 #5 454 screens and £32,460,925 of £33,191,023/£35.47m; took 2.95x of opening; #1 Sausage Party £2,690,156
2019’s Joker down 29% £2,446,200 #1 639 screens and £51,563,891 88.14% of £57.8m took 4.6x opening.
2012’s The Dark Knight Rises dropped 31% £1,506,178/£1,884,496 #5 440 screens and £49,776,391 88.51% of £56,424,320 (£70,153,943 inflated) 3.93x opening; #1 Brave £5,269,402
2008’s The Dark Knight dropped 37% £1,454,847/£2,229,833 and £43,498,315 89% of £49,309,894 (£75,102,762 inflated) 4.41x opening; #1 Hellboy 2: The Golden Army £2,969,602
2022’s The Batman dropped 28% £1,200,386 #4 617 screens and £37,855,328 92.83% of £40,811,982 (£42,032,626 inflated) 3.02x opening; #1 Sonic The Hedgehog 2 £4,986,334
2002’s Spider-Man dropped 52.5% £689,000/£1,280,030 #4 433 screens and £25,330,824 92.01% of £33,458,286/£52,804,463 inflated: #1 Scooby-Doo £5,129,109
Disney’s first MCU 2013’s Iron Man 3 dropped 57% £606,579/£740,342 425 screens and £34,971,276 94.88% of £36,858,807/£44,986,936 inflated: #1 The Hangover Part III £5,964,619
Deadpool & Wolverine couldn’t be compared to the first two films as it has received far more hype and media coverage than those films received and needed to be compared to other MCU films similar to MCUs.
2022’s Doctor Strange in the Multiverse dropped 16% £1,151,843 #2 627 screens and £40,711,421 96.79% of £42,082,090; took 2.13x opening; #1 Top Gun: Maverick £10,325,500
The 34 MCUs have taken £1.13bn since 2008 and £1.3bn inflated.
45th biggest between The Full Monty and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (close to Super Mario Bros and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, Quantum of Solace and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) and the 114th biggest inflated between Frozen and Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (close to Chicken Run, For Your Eyes Only, Mrs Doubtfire and Ghostbusters (1984).
6th biggest comic book between The Dark Knight Rises and Marvel Avengers Assemble (close to Avengers: Infinity War, Joker, The Dark Knight and Avengers Age of Ultron) and the 13th biggest inflated between Spider-Man 3 and Spider-Man (close to The Dark Knight, Men In Black, Batman Forever and Iron Man 3).
The upcoming MCU includes a new Daredevil TV series, 20th Century Fox made the 2003 film, it was then remade for Netflix as a TV series and Marvel is bringing it back as a TV series titled Born Again. Footage received rave reactions for Captain America: Brave New World at D23 but the film has had extensive reshoots and has been delayed from May 2024 to February 2025.
Thunderbolts is the only new Marvel film on their slate, but it’s another group of anti-heroes seen before many times Guardians of the Galaxy and Suicide Squad. The Fantastic Four: The First Steps, the third version of The Fantastic Four in 20 years. Another reboot Blade starring Mahershala Ali has seen several directors leave the film. Wesley Snipes returned to play Blade in Deadpool and Wolverine saying, “There will only ever be one Blade” Then there are the next Avengers films titled Doomsday in 2026 and The Secret Wars in 2027, with the thousands of characters in Marvel comics they are again going the easiest route with their upcoming slate.
Ryan Reynold appeared alongside Hugh Jackman as Deadpool and Wolverine in 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine and they fought each other with Wolverine killing Deadpool. After Wolverine changed the timeline in 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past everything after the 70s was wiped. The events in X-Men Origins: Wolverine never happened shouldn’t be the hostility between Deadpool and Wolverine. As in Batman Vs Superman and Captain America: Civil War when Deadpool and Wolverine fight it feels tiresome as both have super healing powers.
- 4. Despicable Me 4 – £1,419,828 – £41,992,767
Up 18.8% in its seventh weekend
Took £395k 27.84% (-25.75% £532k) Friday; £603k 44.95% (+44.95% £416k); Saturday; £421k 29.67% (+11.38% (£378k) Sunday.
22nd biggest seventh weekend between Skyfall and Casino Royale (close to Harry Potter Chamber Of Secrets, Mamma Mia!, Jurassic Park and Paddington) and 51st biggest animated seventh weekend between Finding Nemo and Terminator 2: Judgement Day (close to Top Gun, The Living Daylights, The Lion King (2019) and Moulin Rouge)
4th biggest animated seventh weekend between Frozen 2 and Toy Story 4 (close to Frozen 2, Incredibles 2, Frozen and Inside Out 2) and eighth biggest inflated between Finding Nemo and Frozen (close to Shrek, Toy Story 4, Toy Story 2 and The Lion King (1994)
Seventh weekends
2022’s Minions: The Rise of Gru dropped 32% £755,042 #4 675 screens and £38,566,832 96.14% of £45,764,546; #1 Nope £1,859,338
2017’s Despicable Me 3 dropped 37% £751,380 #5 586 screens and £41,630,395 87.53% of £47,562,575: #1 Dunkirk £2,634,839
2015’s Minions dropped 49% £516,174 #7 559 screens and £41,803,599 88.77% of £47,645,626: #1 Fantastic Four £2,686,176
2013’s Despicable Me 2 dropped 28% £922,390 #11 500 screens and £40,819,971 86.22% of £47,436,199; #1 Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa £2,175,850
2010’s Despicable Me dropped 7% £241,944 #6 487 screens and £19,394,633 98.20% of £19,670,786/£26,455,718 inflated: #1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 1 £8,344,776
The 14 Illumination Entertainment films have taken £490m (£525m inflated) since the first Despicable Me opened in 2010; upcoming Super Mario Bros 2 April 2026, Minions 3 June 2027 and Despicable Me 5 in July 2028.
The 15th biggest animated film between Frozen and Inside Out (close to Toy Story 2, Finding Dory, The Simpsons and Shrek The Third) and the 30th biggest inflated animated between Inside Out and Shrek Forever After (close to Ice Age II, Toy Story, Shark Tale and The Lego Movie).
78th biggest between Bridget Jones’s Diary and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (close to Paddington 2, Alice In Wonderland, Peter Rabbit and Les Miserables) and 173rd biggest inflated between The Batman and The Bodyguard (close to The Mask, Bruce Almighty, Batman and Goldeneye).
Includes £557,610 from two weeks in Ireland.
Taking £251,590 Fri-Sun UK and Ireland; £78k on Friday
34th biggest 2024 opening between The Bikeriders and The Beekeeper (close to All Of Us Strangers, Trap, Fly Me to the Moon and Borderlands)
The film opened in Ireland/ROI on August 8th taking £784,074, but for some unknown reason, the last two weeks of the Irish opening have been classed as previews and added to its £251,590 UK opening.
Irish films have often opened in Ireland ahead of the UK like 2008’s In Bruges £343,760 #11 from 70 screens and then opened in the rest of the UK 7 weeks later Irish BO isn’t included in its opening £638,654 #3 270 screens and £2,819,391. Similarly, 2003’s Veronica Guerin took £1,375,834 in Ireland ahead of its UK opening of £348,026 #5 from 251 screens taking £2,015,022. Distributors have been artificially inflating weekend BO for the last 30+ years, it used to be preview screening on Thursday night, but that extended to weekend previews for the first Harry Potter film in 2001. It makes comparing BO impossible as how can you compare a film opening with 10 days of previews to a 3-day opening?
Had Kneecap charted on weekend BO alone it would have charted #11? The problem including £784,074 in its opening weekend is Kneecap will drop 80%+ in its second weekend, after holding strongly in Ireland for the last two weeks it won’t hold screens in the UK and it’s a word-of-mouth film.
Kneecap premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January receiving positive reviews (96% Rotten Tomatoes) and opened in the US at the start of August.
Also released.
- Blink Twice – Warner
£745,299 from 567 screens
Took £202k 27.08% Friday; £299k 40.08% Saturday; £245k 32.84% Sunday.
2,116th biggest opening between Macbeth and Endless Love (close to American Psycho, Assault on Precinct 13, The Craft (1996) and Back to the Future) and 2,686th inflated opening between Ladies In Lavender and Logan Lucky (close to Soapdish, Midnight Run, The Crucible and I Don’t Know How She Does It).
40th 2024 biggest opening between The Iron Claw and The Holdovers (close to Fly Me to the Moon, Monkey Man, Imaginary and Abigail)
Blink Twice after receiving positive reviews should have opened similarly to
2022’s The Menu £932,029 #2 605 screens taking £3,611,105
2017’s Get Out opened £2,160,099 #3 585 screens taking £10,053,463
2019’s Ready Or Not opened £947,958 #4 425 screens taking £1,637,064
2019’s Midsommar opened £812,052 #5 457 screens taking £2,360,060
2020’s Parasite opened £1,397,387 #4 137 screens taking £12,030,000
2022’s Don’t Worry Darling opened £2,771,935 #3 693 screens taking £9,995,806
2019’s Knives Out opened £2,937,305 #2 641 screens taking £10,573,381
And TV shows like White Lotus
It would have received far more media coverage had it kept its original title Pussy Island.
Has a strong ensemble cast including Channing Tatum, Naomi Ackie, Adria Arjona, Haley Joel Osment, Levon Hawke, Christian Slater, Geena Davis, and Kyle MacLachlan. UK premiere last Monday with Naomi Ackie and Channing Tatum in attendance.
Zoë Kravitz started in development of the film in 2017 then called Pussy Island. She said, “The title means a lot of things,” “I started writing this story in 2017. As a woman in general and a woman in this industry, I’ve experienced some pretty wild behaviour from a different sex. The title was a joke at first, this place where people would go, bring women, party and hang out. The story evolved into something else, but the title wound up having multiple meanings. And it alludes to this time and place we claim to not be in anymore, in terms of sexual politics. People are evolving and changing but there is still a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths from past behaviour. It’s a nod to that, but it’s also playful, and a really playful film in a lot of ways. I like that the title leads with that and has some heavy meaning beneath it.”
The problem is that audiences will rush out to see Aliens: Romulus and Deadpool and Wolverine but audiences won’t come out to see films like Blink Twice unless they generate huge media coverage as It Ends With Us has received which made it a film to see in the cinema.
- The Crow – Entertainment
Opened £410,308 #8 from 484 screens.
49th biggest 2024 opening between The Strangers: Chapter 1 and The Watchers (close to The First Omen, Tarot, MaXXXine and Love Lies Bleeding).
Started development in December 2008 with Stephen Norrington attached to direct and then Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, F. Javier Gutiérrez, and Corin Hardy were signed before Rupert Sanders was attached to direct. Bradley Cooper, Luke Evans, Jack Huston, and Jason Momoa were all cast as Eric Draven before Bill Skarsgård was announced as Draven in April 2022 and filming started in July 2022.
1994’s The Crow opened £590,346/£1,438,628 inflated; 155 screens taking £2,886,860/£7,035,056 inflated
The reboot has generated negative media coverage for many months after being delayed many times. Cliff Dorfman wrote several drafts to the film and saw the film posting on Twitter “If hypothetically, one happened to see a screening of @TheCrow_Movie which @Lionsgate is releasing in August, one might say, it’s horrible, it’s unwatchable, don’t waste your money, or can’t believe it’s so much worse than the original. It is. And don’t”. the tweet was later deleted but not before many had seen it. Alex Proyas the director of the original said the reboot should have never been made and most people would agree with him.
- Between The Temples – Sony Pictures £27,752 #28 from 105 screens
- Coraline (15th Anniversary) – Trafalgar Releasing dropped 68% in its second weekend taking £398,628 #8 372 screens and £2,292,440.
- The Amazing Spider-Man (2012 Re-release) – Sony Pictures £146,633 #14 404 screens and £26,029,436; following the release of the original trilogy of Spider-Man films over the last three weeks The Amazing Spider-Man had the lost opening for a re-release. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 opens this weekend before the three MCU Spider-Man films open.
- Pulp Fiction (30th Anniversary 4K re-issue) – Paramount £108,369 from 350 screens.
Pulp Fiction was originally released by Buena Vista in October 1994 with £705,197/ £1,718,511 inflated from 131 screens taking £12,306,990/£29,991,188 inflated.
Pulp Fiction might play on 350 screens it had about three shows across the weekend.
Paramount Pictures acquired rights to Miramax Library in 2020 signing a long-term exclusive first look deal “to develop, produce, finance and distribute new film and television projects based on Miramax’s IP.”
Upcoming re-releases include Interstellar (10th anniversary), Mean Girls (20th anniversary) and Shaun Of The Dead (20th anniversary).
Over the last few years, December has seen many Christmas re-releases during the pandemic in December 2020 17 years after originally released Elf was #1 during its original release it was #2 behind Love Actually.
Park Circus has been re-releasing films for over 20 years, but the pandemic saw a wider mix of re-releases opening wide, the majority of them have a limited run targeting an anniversary date or a date that is key to the film like May 4th for Star Wars and October 3rdfor Mean Girls.
Last year’s NCD Park Circus re-released Jurassic Park (30th Anniversary) #11 £283,297 456 screens and in 2022 E.T. (40th Anniversary) #7 £438,715 529 screens.
But most of the time re-releases are similar to In 2022’s Beetlejuice in 350 screens tsking £93,042 #14.
UK box office in detail
The weekend’s top 10 box office took £10,544,299 down 20.6% from last weekend’s £13,276,771: 1,331,351 admissions down 20.6% from 1,676,360 admissions.
22nd biggest weekend of the last 52 weeks between 17 November 2023 #1 The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes £5,420,681 (49.29%) and 19 January 2024 #1 Mean Girls£3,251,159 (31.69%)
71st biggest since cinemas reopened out of 197 weeks between 09 June 2023 #1 Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse £4,062,817 (37.79%) and 10 March 2023 #1 Scream VI £3,043,922 (29.19%)
568th biggest top 10 of the last 22 years (out of 1,168) between 25 November 2011 #1 Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (£4,574,978) 43.38% and 02 September 2011 #1 The Inbetweeners Movie £3,679,555 (34.92%) and 863rd inflated between 15 April 2011 #1 Scream 4 £2,061,885 (25.7%) and 25 June 2021 #1 Fast & Furious 9 £6,014,132 (60.56%)
The top 3 took (5,648,264) 53.6% of the top 10; Alien: Romulus 19.18% (£2,021,921); It Ends With Us 17.52% (£1,847,480); Deadpool and Wolverine 16.87% (£1,778,863).
1,090th highest #1 percentage (19.18%) between 04 October 2002 #1 Lilo & Stitch (19.18%) and 31 December 2004 #1 The Incredibles (19.11%)
1,039th biggest admissions #1 (255,293) between 22 April 2005 #1 The Interpreter (257,481) and 24 April 2009 #1 State of Play (254,446)
Up 35.6% from 2023; (£7,775,273); Andre Rieu’s 2023 Maastricht Concert: Love Is All Around (£710,326); The Blackening (£367,486); Scrapper (£197,658); Theatre Camp (£141,872); #1 Barbie £1,944,777 6 weeks 753 screens (25.01%)
Up 98.5% 2022 (£5,311,427); Andre Rieu’s 2022 Maastricht Summer Concert (£798,706); Beast (£600,259); The Invitation (£261,791); Mr. Malcolm’s List (£43,467); Die Another Day (Re: 2022) (£6,225); #1 Andre Rieu’s 2022 Maastricht Summer Concert £798,706 1st week 607 screens (15.1% of top 10)
Up 94.3% 2021 (£5,427,888); Candyman (£1,112,674); Andre Rieu’s 2021 Summer Concert: Together Again (£420,056); Our Ladies (£124,295); The Nest (£121,186); #1 Free Guy £1,607,761 3rd week (29.6% of top 10)
Up 1,857% 2020; (£538,716); American Pickle (£27,732); #1 Unhinged £117,633 2nd week 270 screens (21.8% of top 10)
Up 22.1% 2019; (£8,636,602); Angel Has Fallen (£2,122,408); Scary Stories to Tell In the Dark (£611,218); Crawl (£458,796); Pain and Glory (£307,131); It (Re: 2019) (£9,242); #1 Angel Has Fallen £2,122,408 537 screens 1st week (24.6% of top 10)
Down 17.5% 2018: (£12,788,350); BlacKkKlansman (£1,234,214); The Spy Who Dumped Me (£1,057,211); The Children Act (£517,378); Slender Man (£389,339); Alpha (£225,606); Luis and the Aliens (£218,248); #1 Disney’s Christopher Robin £2,138,824 2nd week 673 screens 16% drop (16.7% of top 10)
Up 57.3% 2017: (£6,700,471); American Made (£1,067,075); Logan Lucky (£705,087); Detroit (£658,028); Rough Night (£244,462); Mayweather Vs. McGregor (Boxing) (£171,256); Thomas & Friends: Journey Beyond Sodor (£92,389); #1 American Made £1,067,075 1st week 543 screens (15.9% of the top 10)
Up 16.7% 2016: (£9,034,593); Bad Moms (£1,471,466); War Dogs (£1,005,133); The Purge: Election Year (£807,803); Mechanic: Resurrection (£508,715); Julieta (£356,191); Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (£31,128); #1 Finding Dory £1,510,744 5th week (3rd #1) 611 screens down 48% (16.7% of the top 10)
Up 22.9% 2015; (£8,579,970); Straight Outta Compton (£2,498,231); Hitman: Agent 47 (£961,411); 45 Years (£331,196); We Are Your Friends (£260,715); #1 Straight Outta Compton £2,498,231 1st week 429 screens (29.1% of top 10)
Up 15.9% 2014: (£9,093,638); Let’s Be Cops (£1,650,912); Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (expansion) (£1,077,370); If I Stay (£505,704); As Above, So Below (£398,787); Million Dollar Arm (£150,050); Obvious Child (£42,022); The Grand Seduction (£41,322); #1 Lucy £1,972,039 2nd week 504 screens (21.7% of top 10)
Down 0.3% 2013: (£10,580,446); Elysium (£3,127,005); We’re the Millers (£1,508,326); The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (£1,143,385); Thomas & Friends: King of the Railway (£63,311); Jurassic Park 3D (£111,703); What Maisie Knew (£95,852); Lovelace (£86,076); The Kings of Summer (£6,773); #1 Elysium £3,127,005 1st week 463 screens (29.5% of top 10)
Down 2.2% 2012 (£10,782,345); Keith Lemon: The Film (£1,196,310); The Imposter (£252,170); Shadow Dancer (£201,936); #1 Brave £2,371,691 4th week (2nd #1) 556 screens 55% drop (22% of top 10)
Down 32.8% 2011; (£15,690,651); One Day (£2,208,724); Final Destination 5 (£1,450,464); Conan the Barbarian (£622,268); The Skin I Live In (£325,349); #1 The Inbetweeners Movie £5,696,848 2nd week 471 screens 57% drop (36.3% of top 10)
Down 2.9% 2010: (£10,857,796); Grown Ups (£2,006,945); Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (£1,604,545); Diary of a Wimpy Kid (£671,161); The Girl who Played with Fire (£404,896); #1 Grown Ups £2,006,945 1st week 401 screens (18.5% of top 10)
Up 14.9% 2009; (£9,177,873); The Final Destination (£3,633,395); Funny People (£1,001,152); The Hurt Locker (£308,887); Broken Embraces (£296,048); Mesrine: Public Enemy No.1 (£57,978); The Final Destination £3,633,395 1st week 427 screens (39.6% of top 10)
Down 2% 2008; (£10,756,388); Hellboy 2: The Golden Army (£2,969,602); Get Smart (£1,542,005); College Road Trip (£121,360); Somers Town (£121,345); #1 Hellboy 2: The Golden Army £2,969,602 1st week 464 screens (27.6% of top 10)
Down 32.8% 2007:(£7,941,925); Knocked Up (£1,583,998); Lady Chatterley (£48,776); Flood (£2,501); #1 The Bourne Ultimatum £2,864,804 2nd week 56% drop 457 screens (36% of top 10)
Up 72.7% 2006; (£6,106,683); You, Me and Depree (£1,636,249); Severance (£483,152); Volver (£433,283); #1 You, Me and Depree £1,636,249 1st week 409 screens (26.8% of top 10)
Up 65.6% 2005: (£6,367,870); The Dukes of Hazzard (£1,720,754); The Cave (£563,761); The Adventures of Shark Boy and Lavagirl in 3D (£399,436); Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants (£110,557); #1 The Dukes of Hazzard £1,720,754 1st week 447 screens (27.1% of top 10)
Up 21.4% 2004; (£8,683,904); Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (£2,200,271); The Chronicles of Riddick (£1,043,685); The Motorcycle Diaries (£333,368); Raising Helen (£209,201); #1 Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story £2,200,271 1st week 315 screens (25.3% of top 10)
Up 39.1% 2003 (£7,578,928); Jeepers Creepers 2 (£1,069,346); The Lizzie McGuire Movie (expansion) (£405,205); Hollywood Homicide (£352,445); Intermission (£146,220); #1 The Pirates of the Caribbean 4th week (2nd #1) £2,037,014 444 screens 3% drop (26.9% of top 10)
Up 55.3% from 2002 (£6,787,774); The Guru (£1,521,984); Reign Of Fire (£932,168); Talk To Her (£174,757); Black Knight (£167,084); #1 The Guru £1,521,984 1st 368 screens (22.4% of top 10)
Up 57.7% from 2001 (£6,685,496); Heartbreakers (£751,754); Crocodile Dundee in L.A. (£354,593); Lucky Break (£348,613); Josie and the Pussycats (£37,662); #1 Planet of the Apes £2,364,945 2nd week 447 screens 57% drop (35.3% of top 10).
2023 Next week: (£9,073,887); The Equalizer 3 ( £2,783,302); Sound Of Freedom (£760,060); Cobweb (£325,904); Jurassic Park (30th Anniversary) (£283,297); #1 The Equalizer 3 £2,783,302 1st week (30.67% of top 10)
US Box Office
The third lowest weekend of the summer, the lowest since the first weekend of May, BO is likely to be similarly down next weekend before Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice opens on September 6th which is surprisingly tracking to open with $80m+, this will mean the sequel will take more in its opening week than Beetlejuice took in 1988 ($74.66m).
- Deadpool and Wolverine – Disney
Down 39% in its fifth weekend $18.31m #1 and $577.21m
20th biggest fifth weekend between The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Jurassic World (close to Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, Avengers: Infinity War and Guardians of the Galaxy)
16th biggest between Incredibles 2 and The Super Mario Bros. Movie; 61st biggest inflated between Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom; 2nd biggest 2024 between Inside Out 2 and Despicable Me 4; 6th biggest comic-book between The Avengers and The Dark Knight; 9th biggest Disney between Incredibles 2 and The Lion King.
Took $78m worldwide from IMAX; $41.3m US; internationally $36.7m
EntTelligence ticket pricing standard $15.06; Premium average $18.38
Fifth weekends
2018’s Deadpool 2 dropped 38.6% $8.68m #5 and $294.56m of $324.59m/$384.1m inflated and $785.89m/$929.96m worldwide inflated
2016’s Deadpool dropped 34.6% $10.94m #3 and $328.21m of $363.07m/$452.5m inflated and $782.83m/$975.6m worldwide inflated
The 34 MCU films have taken over $30bn over the last 15 years, becoming the biggest franchise in history ahead of Spider-Man’s $10.6bn over 10 films; Star Wars’s $10.3bn over 11 films; Harry Potter’s $9.6bn over 11 films; and James Bond $7.8bn over 25 films. Of course, it’s impossible to make direct comparisons with these other franchises as inflation inflated many have taken more than MCU.
The 34 films have taken $12.34bn in the US and $30.85bn worldwide.
Deadpool & Wolverine has 1.21 billion posts across TikTok, Facebook, X, YouTube, and Instagram combined compared to Spider-Man: No Way Home (1.2bn), Thor: Love & Thunder (963m) and Black Panther (900m). Avengers: Endgame and Avengers: Infinity War 2.47bn.
Despite the predictable success of Inside Out 2, Deadpool & Wolverine, Twisters and “Despicable Me 4 box office is down 16% from 2023 and 28% from 2019. These three films will take almost 50% of the summer box office, the problem is the other films apart from It Ends With Us performed exactly as expected similar to previous instalments while there will be only 9 films taking $100m+ down from 13 films in 2023, but it was better than 2022 with 8 films. $100m+ BO was a sign of success 30 years ago but not all $100m+ films are the same 100m for It Ends With Us is hugely different from $ $100m for Inside Out 2 and Deadpool & Wolverine.
Took $20.2m from 55 territories $634.1m total and $1.211bn worldwide; UK $66.6m; China $58.7m; Mexico $42.4m; Australia $38.7m; Germany $33.1m; France $31.7m; Brazil $25.6m; Spain $23.3m; India $18.7m; Italy $18.4m.
27th biggest worldwide between Iron Man 3 and Minions; the 8th biggest comic book between Iron Man 3 and Captain America: Civil War; the 15th biggest Disney between Iron Man 3 and Captain America: Civil War.
- Alien: Romulus – Disney
Dropped 61% in the second weekend $16.36m #2 and $72.8m
Took $31.2m worldwide from IMAX; US $11.6m; International $8m; China $11.6m.
643rd biggest second weekend between You Don’t Mess with the Zohan and Along Came Polly (close to The Village, Terminator Salvation, Real Steel and John Wick: Chapter 2)
1,210th biggest between Ben-Hur and Barnyard: The Original Party Animals; 2,324th biggest inflated between Loaded Weapon 1 and Enough; 18th biggest 2024 between Longlegs and Mean Girls; 155th biggest sci-fi between John Carter and Stargate; 61st biggest horror between Hollow Man and I Know What You Did Last Summer.
EntTelligence reported Alien: Romulus’s average price $15.40.
The first trailer released in March was seen over 50m times in its first 24 hours.
Second weekends
2017’s Alien: Covenant dropped 70.6% $10.61m #4 and $57.43m of $74.26m and $240.89m worldwide; took 69.2% internationally
2012’s Prometheus dropped 59.4% $20.71m #2 and $89.37m of $126.47m/$171.3m inflated and $403.35m worldwide; 68.6% internationally
1997’s Alien Resurrection dropped 59.6% $6.66m #2 and $36.24m of $47.79m/$112.2m inflated and $161.37m worldwide; 70.4% internationally
1992’s Alien³ dropped 57% $8.36m #3 and $35.2m of $55.47m/$144.1m inflated and $159.81m worldwide; 65.3|% internationally
1986’s Aliens dropped 14% $8.64m #1 and $25.07m of $85.16m/$248m inflated and $131.06m internationally; 35% internationally
1979’s Alien dropped 37% $2.19m #1 and $6.95m of $84.2m and $108.59m worldwide; 22.5% internationally
The unreleased films made by 20th Century Fox released by Disney apart from Avatar: The Way of Water and Free Guy predictably underwhelmed at the box office, The Call of the Wild, The New Mutants, The Last Duel and The King’s Man as they were films Disney had no interest. Over the last 5 years 20th Century Studios has made mostly low-budget horrors, remakes and sequels apart from those made by Regency (The Creator and Amsterdam). T
This year 20th Century Studios has released The First Omen, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes, Deadpool & Wolverine and Alien: Romulus all properties 20th Century Fox had success with originally. Upcoming films The Amateur (delayed 6 months from November 2024 to April 2025) and three more Avatar sequels. It’s easy to make a success from existing properties as Disney has done for the last decade, but 20th Century Fox also had huge success from original films including Bohemian Rhapsody, The Greatest Showman and The Fault in Our Stars but Disney has no interest in making this kind of films despite there being an audience who wants to see them.
RelishMix said Alien: Romulus had 246.8m followers across TikTok, Facebook, X, YouTube and Instagram for Alien: Romulus less than Alien: Covenant’s 352m followers.
Took $41.6m from x territories $152.8m total and $225.6m worldwide: China $73.3m; UK $10.7m; S. Korea $9.7m; France $7m; Mexico $5.6m; Spain $4.7m; Australia $4.2m; Germany $3.8m; Hong Kong $2.4m; Italy $2.3m.
800th biggest between Cruella and Rocky; 18th biggest 2024 between It Ends With Us and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire; 135th biggest Sci-fi between Ghostbusters and Stargate; 28th biggest horror between Annabelle Comes Home and Interview with the Vampire.
- It Ends With Us – Sony Pictures
Dropped 51% in the third weekend $11.64m #3 and $120.61m
528th biggest third weekend between Captain Phillips and The Maze Runner (close to Fun with Dick and Jane, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and Ocean’s Eight)
608th biggest between Mulan and Seabiscuit; 1,358th biggest inflated between The Distinguished Gentleman and Heaven is for Real; 296th biggest based on fiction book between Outbreak and Licence to Kill; 11th biggest 2024 between A Quiet Place: Day One and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire; 71st biggest Sony Pictures between 50 First Dates and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2.
In June Sony Pictures screened a rough cut at Colleen Hoover’s Book Bonanza in Dallas, they screened the Blake Lovely cut of the film rather than the director’s version. Sony said “Blake, Colleen and so many women put so much effort into this remarkable movie, working selflessly from the start to ensure that such an important subject matter was handled with care. Audiences love the movie. Blake’s passion and commitment to advancing the conversation around domestic violence is commendable,”
Third weekends
2014’s The Fault in Our Stars dropped 42.1% $8.56m #7 and $98.69m of $124.87m and $307.16m worldwide.
Films about abusive relationships include.
2013’s Safe Haven dropped 39.9% $6.27m #7 and $57.07m of $71.34m and $97.59m worldwide
2002’s Enough dropped 44.4% $3.78m #9 and $33.81m of $40m and $51.8m worldwide
1992’s Fried Green Tomatoes down 29% $7.05m #4 and $25.34m of $82.41m/$214.1m inflated $25.34m
1991’s Sleeping With the Enemy dropped 28% $9.21m #2 and $42.92m of $101.6m/$260.2m inflated and $175m/$450m worldwide inflated
Blake Lively recent films include.
2015’s The Age of Adaline dropped 6.1% $5.82m #3 and $31.75m of $42.62m and $65.66m worldwide
2016’s The Shallows dropped 45.3% $4.8m #9 and $45.82m of $55.12m and $119.1m worldwide
2018’s A Simple Favor dropped 36.2% $6.54m #4 and $43m of $53.54m and $97.64m worldwide; a sequel has been made and will be released by Amazon/Lionsgate next year.
While
2022’s Where the Crawdads Sing dropped 26.9% $7.56m #6 and $45.56m of $90.23m and $144.35m worldwide
2022’s Don’t Worry Darling dropped 48.9% $3.5M #5 and $38.47m of $45.3m and $87.6m worldwide
Took $22.3m from 52 territories internationally $121.8m and $242.6m worldwide; UK $20.5m; Australia $11.8m; Mexico $10.8m; Germany $9.1m; Brazil $8.1m; Spain $5m; France $4.5m; Holland $3.8m; Saudi Arabia $2.8m; Sweden $2.7m.
736th biggest worldwide between Paddington 2 and Daddy’s Home; 17th biggest 2024 between The Garfield Movie and Alien: Romulus; 71st biggest drama between 8 Mile and Dead Poets Society; 157th based on fiction book between Paddington 2 and Die Hard 2; 81st biggest Sony Pictures between RoboCop and Resident Evil: Retribution.
- Blink Twice- Amazon/MGM
Opened $7.3m #4; received positive reviews (78% Rotten Tomatoes) and B- CinemaScore.
$820k from Thursday previews; Don’t Worry Darling $3.1m; Get Out $1.8m; Don’t Breathe $1.87m; The Menu $1m.
It was expected to open with about $12-$15m instead with almost half showing the problem with cinemas today films like Bink Twice struggle to find the audiences they would get 20 years ago to get.
The audience was 56% female: 25% between 18-24 and 62% between 18-34.
Has plot similarities with
2022’s The Menu opened $9m taking $38.5m and $79.62m worldwide
2022’s Don’t Worry Darling opened $19.35m taking $45.3m and $87.6m worldwide
2017’s Get Out opened $33.37m taking $176.04m and $255.4m worldwide
2019’s Midsommar opened $6.56m taking $27.42m and $48.1m worldwide
Channing Tatum recently starred in Fly Me to the Moon, which opened $9.4m, taking $20.4m; he had a cameo in Deadpool & Wolverine and recently The Lost City opened $30.4m, taking $105.3m and Dog opened $14.9m taking $61.7m.
Open with $6.7m from 73 territories
- The Crow – Lionsgate
It opened for $4.64m #8; it received poor reviews (20% Rotten Tomatoes) and B- CinemaScore.
$650k from Thursday previews
1994’s The Crow opened $11.77m/$31.1m inflated taking $50.69m/$133.9m inflated
It’s the second consecutive flop for Lionsgate after Borderland earlier in the month, both films had been surrounded with negativity for months, so their box office performance had been expected for many months. While Lionsgate fully financed Borderlands they only had US rights for The Crow.
During the making of The Crow in 1993 Brandon Lee was killed in an accidental shooting in a scene where his character dies. His father Bruce Lee died under mysterious circumstances in 1973 also while he was shooting a film. In the 1993 biographic film Dragon: A Bruce Lee Story he was suffering from nightmares about a phantom known as the Demon his father also suffered from these nightmares.
After the original film was surrounded by the shocking death of its leading actor who thought it was a clever idea to remake the film and release it 30 years later.
- Despicable Me 4 – Universal Pictures
Dropped 32% in its eighth weekend taking $4.24m #9 and $348.12m
143rd biggest eighth weekend between National Treasure and Philadelphia (close to Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Moana, Elf and The Grinch).
17th biggest animated film between Inside Out and Zootopia; 71st biggest between American Sniper and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers; 237th biggest inflated between Pocahontas and Ocean’s Eleven; 11th biggest Universal Pictures between Furious 7 and Minions.
Took $18.6m (down 34%) from 84 territories $537,1m total and $886.1m worldwide; China $54.9m; UK $53.8m; Mexico $44.5m; Germany $35.9m; France $30.7m…
18th biggest animated worldwide between Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and The Secret Life of Pets; 76th biggest between Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and The Secret Life of Pets; 13th biggest Universal Pictures between Minions: The Rise of Gru and The Secret Life of Pets.
UK Box Office Top 10
UK Box Office Preview
National Cinema Day returns for a third time after returning in 2022 after a 25-year gap. Last year The Equalizer 3 opened £2,783,302 taking £819k on NCD. While exhibitors gain with vastly more popcorn and drinks sold on NCD studios are the big losers. In 1997 Pathe felt they lost £1m+ from The Fifth Element opening over NCD opened with £1,510,073 (£2,957,072 inflated) increasing BO by 14% in its second weekend £1,720,531, took £7,088,854 (£13,881,613 inflated).
2023’s NCD took £4.65m from 713 cinemas 66% of 1,087 cinemas in the UK and Ireland with 1.56m admissions, there were 34% of cinemas not part of NCD including Everyman cinemas. This year’s advert said all tickets from £4 as last year from £3 as only Cineworld of the major exhibitors charged £3 all others had surcharges, Picturehouse £3.70, Vue £3.90, Odeon, Curzon and Showcase £4. That difference in pricing makes a significant difference at £3.90.
The first in 1995 was to celebrate 100 years of cinema all tickets £1 with 1.1m admissions, this was more than 2.5 times the normal Sunday audience of 400k. Over 150 films were shown which included new releases, classics and previews and were similarly successful a year later.
National Cinema Day is hugely popular so why did it take 24 years for it to return to the UK the 1996/97 NCDs were hugely popular in 1996 all tickets £1 (no booking fees) had 1.4m admissions and 2.5x normal Sunday admissions.
In 1998 McDonald’s was a sponsor and tickets were half-price, Daniel Battsek, chairman of the All-Industries Marketing Committee for Cinema, said: “National Cinema Day is fast becoming an institution. On NCD 1998 we are toasting the success of British Cinema and its continued development.” The cinema market is expected to continue to grow over the next five years, with admissions expected to increase to 185m by 2002. While admissions didn’t get to 185m by 2002 still grew steadily up to 36.3m. Had NCD continued beyond 1998 200m+ would have happened within a decade.
Andre Rieu’s 2024 Maastricht Concert: Power Of Love opens Saturday on 500+ screens but isn’t part of NCD with tickets for about £20. Likely to open similar to 2022’s Andre Rieu: Maastricht Summer Concert £798,706 and 2023 Andre Rieu: Maastricht Concert: Love Is All Around £710,326.
With Alien: Romulus likely to drop 50% in its third weekend Deadpool and Wolverine will return to #1 in its sixth week of release. As the last two NCDs Despicable Me 4 and Inside Out 2 will increase their BO, last year Elemental BO was up 64% in its 9th weekend and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem up 29% in its 5th weekend; in 2022 Minions: The Rise Of Gru #1 up 84% and DC League Of Super-Pets #2 up 68%.
The other new releases are unlikely to find a wide audience horror Afraid, about a digital assistant taking over control of a film similar to M3gan and a latest version of The Count Of Monte Cristo; the 2002 version opened £408,758 #5 267 screens taking £1,221,018.
Opening in two weeks
Action-comedy Wolfs starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt and directed by Jon Watts was due to open on September 20th by Sony Pictures after they acquired theatrical rights from Apple in December. In August Apple decided to give it a limited release in the US on September 20th. before being released on Apple the week after.
The film premieres at the Venice Film Festival at the start of September and Apple had planned a sequel so the decision to give the film a limited release wasn’t likely due to the film but more likely due to the disappointing BO of several of their films including Argylle and Fly Me to the Moon or a fallout between Sony and Apple after they choose Warner Bros to release F1 next year instead.
George Clooney and Brad Pitt starred together in Ocean’s 11, Ocean’s 12 and Ocean’s 13 but have had mixed success at the BO since. George Clooney had Up in the Air, The Descendants, Gravity and Ticket to Paradise but had many others that underperformed. Brad Pitt had Inglourious Basterds, World War Z, Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood and Bullet Train but also many others that disappointed. While seeing a film starring Brad Pitt and George Clooney has the over 35s interested it’s unlikely to play younger.
The problem is removing Wolfs from the release schedule September is incredibly soft have Beetlejuice 2 at the start of the month but not much else apart from many re-releases until Joker: Folie A Deux at the beginning of October. As Beetlejuice 2 isn’t likely to perform as strongly as the US, September is likely to be an exceptionally long month.