- The Creator- £2,255,034 – NE
Took £359,464 (16.2%) from previews Thursday.
Took £466k (20.6%) Friday; £805k (35.7%) Saturday; £619k (27.4%) Sunday.
727th biggest opening between The Lady in the Van and Along Came Polly (close to Speed, Starship Troopers, Shutter Island and Collateral) and 1,184th inflated between The Peacemaker and Super Mario Brothers (close to Presumed Innocent, Star Trek V The Undiscovered Country, Eyes Wide Shut and Dead Poets Society).
The opening was close to Sci-Fi’s 2001’s A.I. £2,285,786; 2019’s Ad Astra £2,265,387; 2013’s After Earth £2,249,532; 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgement Day £2,337,980; 2023’s M3gan £2,356,357; 2016’s Passengers £2,418,976; 2012’s Looper £2,427,994; 2012’s Total Recall £2,493,230.
25th biggest 2023 opening between Insidious: The Red Door and A Haunting in Venice
Opened in 651 cinemas 78th widest opening similar to John Wick: Chapter 4, The Duke, Coco and Spectre (between Avengers: Infinity War and Sonic the Hedgehog 2); 176th 600+ opener since 2015’s Jurassic World.
The Creator received far more positive reviews in the UK than in the US as these grown-up adult sci-fi films which is the norm for these kinds of films. Many reviews highlighted how visually stunning it was but felt hollow inside as its style over substance, as it took elements from many other sci-fi films from Blade Runner to The Golden Child.
While The Creator, like many other sci-fi films, performed better internationally it was still lower than expected, especially removing Thursday previews, and about half of the BO was inflated with IMAX/PLF surcharges.
Normally critical acclaim will boost film BO potential but with sci-fi, it often harms it as seen with films like Ad Astra and Dune. Ad Astra had a budget of $80m taking $127m worldwide (60% international) while Dune’s budget was $165m taking $402m (70% international).
In normal circumstances, a film taking $400m+ worldwide wouldn’t have its sequel at once greenlit, but the controversy surrounding its release (being released day and date on HBO Max) and financed by Legendary Pictures (moved from Warner to Sony in November 2022) saw it greenlit days after its US opening. A film like Dune which received huge media coverage should have surely taken double its BO (similar to 2014’s Interstellar $188m US, $515m international (73%) and $703m worldwide or 2013’s Gravity $274m US, $474m international (63%) and $748m worldwide).
While for Disney the soft opening for The Creator will see them make even more sequels, reboots and remakes and fewer original films as they will say we did what you asked and made an original sci-fi film, but you didn’t see it. But while Gareth Edwards, as Kenneth Branagh a few weeks ago and many other directors since July heavily promoted the film, it needed the cast talking about it, but of course with the actor’s strike this wasn’t possible. That said The Creator opened similar to Ad Astra.
The last weekend of September and the first weekend of October has been lucrative time for adult dramas including The Martian (£6,531,734); Gone Girl (£4,109,628); Looper (£2,427,994) and recently No Time To Die (£25,916,476).
Many compared the film with James Gray’s Ad Astra opening with £2,265,387 taking £6,079,432; 2023’s 65 £1,270,409 #3 taking £3,211,909 and Neill Blomkamp directed films 2009’s District 9 opening £2,288,378 taking £8,875,093; 2013’s Elysium £3,127,005 taking £8,679,403; 2015’s Chappie £1,015,058 taking £2,367,500.
Others include.
2014’s Interstellar £5,378,220 taking £20,852,599
2013’s Gravity £6,238,375 taking £32,756,514
2016’s Arrival £2,924,059 taking £9,144,719
1997’s Contact £923,561 (£1,808,546 inflated) taking £3,231,287 (£6,327,606 inflated).
Adult sci-fi films have often struggled to find an audience like 2003’s Solaris £313,804 taking £663,508; 2007’s Sunshine £1,021,063 taking £3,175,911 and 2015’s Ex Machina £1,093,952 taking £2,890,149.
It was Gareth Edwards’s fourth film after making low-budget Monsters in 2010, he went on to direct (as often happens) high-budget ($160m) Godzilla in 2014 and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in 2016, the film had a problematic production with Tony Gilroy brought in for 6 weeks of reshoots making the film a mismatch of Edwards and Gilroy.
Monsters opened in 2010 with £348,577 #5 from 164 screens taking £952,963; 2014’s Godzilla opened £4,176,960 #1 taking £17,074,621 and 2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story opened £17,305,011 #1 taking £66,010,513.
As with the US, The Creator took almost 50% of its opening from IMAX/PLF
- 2. Sax X – £1,925,010 – NE
Took £715k (37.1%) Friday; £694k (36%) Saturday; £516k (26.8%) Sunday.
890th biggest opening between Jarhead and A Monster Calls (close to Deep Blue Sea, Annabelle, Drag Me to Hell and Hereditary) and 1,387th inflated between Me Before You and Contagion (close to Stigmata, House on Haunted Hill, Jeepers Creepers 2 and Underworld: Evolution).
Opened in 561 cinemas 294th widest opening similar to Le Man’s 66, How to Train Your Dragon 3, Venom, Captain Underpants, Moana and About Time: 560th 500+ opening since 2002’s Monsters, Inc.
5th biggest opening of the Saw franchise
2010’s Saw 3D opened £3,600,083 #1 taking £8,022,330
2006’s Saw III opened £2,522,521 #1 taking £8,458,236
2007’s Saw IV opened £2,482,889 #2 taking £6,195,963
2008’s Saw V opened £2,436,817 #2 taking £6,123,282
2005’s Saw II opened £1,231,066 #3 taking £7,181,561
2017’s Jigsaw opened £1,851,249 #2 taking £4,855,609
2009’s Saw VI opened £1,736,287 #2 taking £4,982,917
2004’s Saw opened £1,239,813 #2 taking £6,645,485
2021’s Spiral: From the Book of Saw opened £779,107 #4 taking £1,496,103
27th biggest opening of 2023 between A Haunting In Venice and The Nun 2.
With The Exorcist: Believer opening this weekend and targeting the same audience it will drop 50%+
- 3. A Haunting In Venice – £1,006,466- £6,782,314
Dropped 35% in the third weekend.
Took £244k (24.2%) Friday; £448k (44.5%) Saturday; £314k (31.2%) Sunday.
649th biggest second weekend between Erin Brockovich and Lethal Weapon 3 (close to House of Gucci, The Iron Lady, Burn After Reading and Philomena) and 1,112th biggest inflated between The Devil’s Advocate and Get Out (close to The Descendants, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, In Her Shoes and First Man).
Earlier two Hercule Poirot’s third weekends
2017’s Murder On The Orient Express dropped 47% £2,279,200 #3 and £17,753,371 of £24,224,914
2022’s Death on the Nile dropped 43% £764,438 #4 and £6,455,216 of £8,012,201.
Grey pound second weekends
2021’s House of Gucci dropped 48% £779,974 #3 and £7,340,675 of £9,649,005
2012’s The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel dropped 23% £1,787,352 #2 and £10,855,596 of £20,323,993
2015’s The Lady in the Van dropped 40% £950,961 #6 and £9,047,439 of £12,660,028.
2015’s The Second-Best Marigold Hotel dropped 27% £1,409,311 #1 and £11,731,915 of £15,575,797
1,052nd biggest between King Arthur (2004) and Godzilla: King of the Monsters (close to The Hateful Eight, Chocolat, Miss Potter and Waking Ned Devine) and 1,606th inflated between Total Recall (2012) and Just Go with It (close to Mrs Brown, Empire of the Sun, Beaches and Far from the Madding Crowd).
- 4. The Nun 2 – £418,693 – £5,871,593
Dropped 43% in the fourth weekend.
Took £120k (28.7%) Friday; £187k (44.7%) Saturday; £112k (27%) Sunday.
5th biggest The Conjuring franchise fourth weekend between Annabelle and The Conjuring 2
831st biggest fourth weekend between JFK and Alice Through the Looking Glass (close to Shaun of the Dead, Terminator Salvation, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and 12 Monkeys) and 1,029th inflated between Birdman and A Good Day To Die Hard (close to Point-Break (1991), Angel Has Fallen, Scream (2022) and Scream 3).
Fourth weekends
2018’s The Nun dropped 35% £659,153 #5 and £10,597,539 of £11,302,155
2017’s Annabelle: Creation dropped 14% £572,226 #6 and £7,582,319 of £8,079,017
2021’s The Conjuring 3 dropped 25% £494,713 #6 and £7,726,651 of £9,367,720
2013’s The Conjuring dropped 49% £492,468 #11 and £9,337,626 of £10,471,087
2014’s Annabelle dropped 39% £457,026 #10 and £7,126,266 of £7,402,588
2016’s The Conjuring 2 dropped 51% £401,155 #8 and £10,312,076 of £10,896,992
2019’s Annabelle Comes Home dropped 43% £281,471 #8 and £5,690,476 of £6,176,801
The 9 Conjuring films have taken £80m since 2013.
Horror has been one of the strongest-performing genres of films since cinemas reopened three years ago, with 20 wide-released horrors including Insidious: The Red Door, Evil Dead Rises, Scream VI, M3gan, The Menu, Smile, Nope, The Black Phone, Scream, Candyman, A Quiet Place Part II and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It taking over £100m. There are 3 more due for release this year The Exorcist: Believer, Five Nights at Freddy’s and Thanksgiving.
59th biggest horror between The First Purge and Paranormal Activity 4 (close to Annabelle Comes Home, 28 Days Later, Paranormal Activity 4 and The Haunting) and 98th inflated between The Happening and The Devil Inside (close to The Craft (1996), Stigmata, The Hills Have Eyes (2006) and Halloween: H20).
1,204th biggest between When Harry Met Sally and Dead Poets Society (close to The Magnificent Seven, Beverly Hills Cop II, Coming To America and War of the Roses) and 1,769th biggest inflated between Finding Your Feet and National Lampoon’s Loaded Weapon (close to Conspiracy theory, The Siege, Lake Placid and Red Eye).
- 5. The Equalizer 3 – £323,247 – £7,890,866
Down 39.8% in the fifth weekend
696th biggest fifth weekend between Taken 3 and Dragonheart (close to The Final Destination, The Banshees Of Inisherin, The Perfect Storm and Edge of Tomorrow).
Fifth Weekends
2014’s The Equalizer dropped 30% £429,406 #8 and £6,370,768 of £6,669,034
2018’s The Equalizer 2 dropped 35% £403,012 #9 and £6,883,886 of £7,247,966.
It’s the fifth film starring Denzel Washington and directed by Antoine Fuqua after 2002’s Training Day (took £1,942,439), 2014’s The Equalizer 2016’s The Magnificent Seven (£5,895,017) and 2018’s The Equalizer 2.
895th biggest between What Happens in Vegas… and The Aviator (close to The King’s Man, Deep Blue Sea, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) and 1,451st biggest inflated between Layer Cake and Underworld (close to The Godfather Part III, Poltergeist 2, The Children of Men and Source Code).
UK box office in detail
This weekend’s top 10 box office took £7,302,788 up 41.5% from last weekend’s £5,160,786: 894,577 admissions up 38.1% from 647,526.
36th biggest weekend of the year out of 38 weeks between 17 March 2023 #1 Shazam! Fury Of the Gods (£2,397,953) and 08 September 2023 #1 The Nun 2 (£1,743,903); the last four weeks have been the worst four weeks of the year.
97th biggest since cinemas reopened out of 130 weeks between 17 March 2023 #1 Shazam! Fury Of the Gods (£2,397,953) and 07 October 2022 #1 Smile (£1,715,678).
879th biggest top 10 of the last 21 years (out of 1,122) between 17 October 2008 #1 Burn After Reading £2,045,565 (27.9% of top 10) and 12 December 2003 #1 Love Actually £2,273,706 (31.2% of top 10) and 1,042nd biggest inflation inflated between 28 August 2020 #1 Tenet £5,335,654 (85.72% of top 10) and 11 June 2010 #1 Sex and the City 2 £1,272,405 (23.45% of top 10)
The top 3 took (£5,186,510) 71.1% of the top 10; The Creator 30.9% (£2,255,034); Saw X 26.4% (£1,925,010); A Haunting in Venice 13.8% (£1,006,466).
648th highest percentage (30.88%) between 04 November 2022 #1 Black Adam (30.88%) and 18 July 2008 #1 Mamma Mia! (30.75%)
969th biggest admissions #1 (282,940) between 26 September 2014 #1 Billy Elliot the Musical Live 2014 (283,348) and 27 February 2009 #1 Slumdog Millionaire (281,766)
03 September 2010 The Last Exorcism (185,690) and 29 February 2008 The Bank Job (182,887).
Up 6.1% from 2022 (£6,887,976); Smile (£1,860,452); Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris (£807,817); #1 Smile £1,860,452 1st week 519 screens (22.3% of top 10)
Down 74% from 2021 (£28,089,047); No Time to Die (£25,916,476); #1 No Time to Die £25,916,476 773 screens 1st week (92.3% of top 10)
Up 177.3% from 2020 (£2,633,473); Cats & Dogs: Paws Unite! (£456,532); The Elfkins (£131,374); On the Rocks (£93,821); David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet (£92,052); #1 Tenet £628,247 6th week down 3% 542 screens (23.4% of top 10)
Down 19.9% from 2019 (£9,120,747); Ready or Not (£947,958); The Goldfinch (£320,849); #1 Downton Abbey £2,682,080 3rd week 18% drop 722 screens (29.4% of top 10).
Down 2.2% from 2018: (£7,468,933); Night School (£1,596,377); The Wife (£392,635); #1 Night School £1,596,377 1st week 452 screens (21.37% of top 10)
Down 25% from 2017: (£9,737,689); Goodbye Christopher Robin (£781,110); Flatliners (£486,721); Home Again (£484,124); #1 Kingsman: The Golden Circle £4,187,105 2nd week 620 down 51% (42.9% of the top 10)
Down 44.1% from 2016: (£13,075,476); Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children (£3,473,781); Deepwater Horizon (£1,984,340); Supersonic (£542,263); Free State of Jones (£118,635); Swiss Army Man (£80,403); #1 Bridget Jones’s Baby £4,807,165 3rd week 646 screens 26% drop (36.7% of the top 10)
Down 35.7% from 2015; (£11,352,036); The Martian (£6,531,734); The Intern (£758,713); Macbeth (£746,642); Il Trovatore – Met Opera 2015 (£234,387); Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ (£151,087); #1 The Martian £6,531,734 1st week 582 screens (57.5% of top 10)
Down 31.9% from 2014: (£10,716,576); Gone Girl (£4,109,628); Dracula Untold (£1,713,283); Bang Bang (£602,193); Dolphin Tale 2 (£536,766); Life After Beth (£53,427); #1 Gone Girl £4,109,628 1st week 549 screens (33% drop (38.3% of top 10)
Up 13.6% from 2013: (£6,429,080); Prisoners (£1,365,527); Blue Jasmine (£833,798); Runner (£764,886); Filth (£247,860); The Wicker Man (Re: 2013) (£14,817); Girl Most Likely (£90,810); Austenland (£12,384); #1 Prisoners £1,365,527 1st week 400 screens (21.2% of top 10)
Down 4.5% from 2012 (£7,641,350); Looper (£2,427,994); Resident Evil: Retribution (£792,265); The Campaign (£772,102); Holy Motors (£66,087); #1 Looper £2,427,994 1st week 449 screens 12% drop (31.7% of top 10)
Up 40.5% from 2011 (£5,198,264); Abduction (£900,782); The Phantom of the Opera (25th Anniversary Concert) (£550,955); The Debt (£417,977); Shark Night 3D (£416,770); What’s Your Number? (£320,331); Melancholia (£132,437); Red State (£105,753); #1 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy £1,064,901 3rd week 465 screens 49% drop (20.4% of top 10)
Up 14.6% from 2010: (£6,372,852); Buried (£820,631); Made in Dagenham (£674,059); Back to the Future (Re) (£461,194); Takers (£208,390); The Secret of Kells (£6,151); #1 The Other Guys £976,459 3rd week 427 screens 4% drop (15.3% of top 10)
Down 8.5% from 2009; (£7,977,997); The Invention of Lying (£1,735,326); Toy Story 3D (£1,395,209); Pandorum (£346,097); #1 Fame £1,786,358 2nd week 460 screens (22.4% of top 10)
Up 16.5% from 2008; (£6,269,596); How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (£1,154,607); Brideshead Revisited (£375,270); Fly Me to the Moon 3-D (£311,791); 88 Minutes (£92,761); #1 How to Lose Friends and Alienate People £1,154,607 1st week 451 screens (18.4% of top 10)
Up 17.7% from 2007: (£6,203,477); Halloween (£620,844); Michael Clayton (£601,196); The Brave One (£497,838); Mr Woodcock (£483,017); War (£207,091); Mrs Ratcliffe’s Revolution (£15,600); Hot Rod (£44,241); Across the Universe (£27,471); #1 Run, Fat Boy, Run £988,788 4th week 398 screens 18% drop (15.9% of top 10)
Down 10.5% from 2006; (£8,159,980); Click (£1,797,073); Hoodwinked (£1,764,419); World Trade Centre (£1,667,589); Life and Lyrics (£95,724); #1 Click £1,797,073 1st week 402 screens (22.1% of top 10)
Up 39.8% 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 14.5% from 2005 (£6,378,025); A History of Violence (£1,135,345); Goal! (£857,253); Four Brothers (£789,718); Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (£280,414); #1 Pride and Prejudice £1,473,062 3rd week 23% drop 412 screens (23.1% of top 10)
Up 1.8% from 2004 (£7,170,652); Saw (£1,239,813); Layer Cake (£1,090,561); Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow (£628,808); Man About Dog (£134,924); The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (£125,748); De-Lovely (£117,789); Dead Man’s Shoes (£44,361); #1 Wimbledon £1,499,011 2nd week 446 screens 12% drop (20.9% of top 10)
Down 14.4% from 2003 (£8,536,497); Bad Boys 2 (£3,175,258); Down with Love (£599,047); Bright Young Things (£327,293); Finding Nemo (platform) (£152,793); #1 Bad Boys 2 £3,175,258 1st week 383 screens (37.2% of top 10)
Up 3.9% from 2002 (£7,031,358); Road to Perdition (expansion (£1,318,382); Van Wilder (£707,783); Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (£124,269); #1 Signs £1,877,796 3rd week 431 screens 29% drop (26.8% of top 10)
Up 3.6% from 2001 (£7,048,276); Mike Bassett: England Manager (£835,219); Enigma (£796,776); The Score (£736,742); The Brothers (E59,542); #1 A.I. £1,556,911 2nd week 430 screens 32% drop (22.1% of top 10).
Next week: (£6,887,976); The Woman King (£1,308,685); Amsterdam (£632,722); The Lost King (£368,753); Nothing Compares (£31,628); Vengeance (£29,052); Bram Stoker’s Dracula (30th Anniversary 4K Restoration) (£13,991); #1 Smile £1,715,678 2nd week 521 screens down 8% (24.91% of top 10)
Film News
After 10 weeks in the top 10 both Barbie and Oppenheimer dropped out of the top 10, Barbie dropped #13 taking £131,544 down 56% and £95,317,523 while Oppenheimer dropped #16 down 63% taking £96,276. Ahead of the weekend, there was a possibility that Oppenheimer could have finally topped Barbie. Barbie has become the 6th biggest film in the UK overtaking SPECTRE and behind Avatar (£96.7m).
The Exorcist was re-released in cinemas for its 50th Anniversary opening #17 with £84,128 from 352 screens.
Warner Bros previously re-released it in cinemas in 1998 opening with £2,186,977 from 248 screens (£4,325,113 inflated) taking £7,143,595 (£14,127,656 inflated).
In 1984 BBFC decided even an 18 certificate was unsuitable. So, in 1988, it was removed from video stores after being available for the previous seven years, but the film continued to play in cinemas getting an 18 certificate in 1991. It was resubmitted for video at the end of 1998 and as it no longer had the impact it had 25 years ago it was given an 18 certificate for video, and the film was shown on BBC1 this week.
Advance tickets for the Taylor Swift Era Tour have been on sale in the UK for over a week but unlike the US no presale data has been released, Vue Cinemas did say their Manchester, Glasgow and Dublin cinemas were amongst the highest-selling cinemas in the country and it outsold all other Event Cinema presales.
Looking across those three Vue cinemas and several others across the country sales are strong on Friday night (BFI IMAX was 99.9% sold out) but Saturday and Sunday shows are far less busy. As it’s going to be fan-led and the majority under 25 would rush out to buy immediately after they went on sale seen by Vue and Odeon websites struggling to cope last Tuesday.
Tickets went on sale in the US this week for Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé taking $7m in the first 24 hours compared to $37m for Taylor Swift, but as Beyonce plays to an older audience it’s likely to have linger legs. Tickets have yet to go on sale in the UK.
Sky Cinema annouced a promotion deal with Vue Cinemas offering 2 free tickets a month, this could be as lucrative as Orange Wednesday was for over a decade between 2003 and 2014, After 6 years 23.5m+ tickets had been issues. Meerkat Movies has been running for the last 8 years but no figures have been made public in how it compares to Orange Wednesday. There are over 4m subscribers of Sky Cinema and they are likely to go regularly to the cinema if 20% of those took up on the offer a month it could add 10m+ admissions and £100m+ to the BO. In 2003 Orange Wednesday was hoped to “incentivize people to go to the cinema more frequently and see a broader range of films,” but over those years admissions didn’t increase but cinemagoing on Wednesday did increase.
It’s interesting that Vue Cinemas are happy to take this promotional deal with Sky Cinema but they won’t book Sky Cinema films they release in cinemas and on the same day on Sky Cinema.
US Box Office
- Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie – Paramount Pictures
Opened $22.76m; received positive reviews (80% Rotten Tomatoes) and A CinemaScore
2021’s PAW Patrol: The Movie opened $13.14m taking $40.12m and $144.32m WW; a third film is due in 2026.
Entelligence said it had 2.3m admissions with over half lower-priced children’s tickets with no premium formats.
895th biggest opening between The Interpreter and Jackass: The Movie (close to Smallfoot, The Princess Diaries, Rugrats in Paris and Planes)
Late September has been a lucrative time to open a family film, Abominable was the last to do so opening with $20.61m in 2019.
Before this 2018’s Smallfoot opened $23.04m; 2017’s The Lego Ninjago Movie $20.43m
2016’s Storks $21.31m; 2015’s Hotel Transylvania 2 $48.46m; 2014’s The Boxtrolls $17.27m
2013’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 $34.01m; 2012’s Hotel Transylvania $42.52m
2011’s The Lion King (RE) $30.15m; 2010’s Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole $16.11m
2009’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs $30.3m.
Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie was a sequel and a spinoff to a very popular property with sales of over $14bn since 2014, the leading brand for children up to 6 topping a 2019 survey ahead of Mickey Mouse, Frozen, and Elmo and is the most watched TV show for children aged 2-5 since 2016 and shown in 170 countries seen by 350 million households.
The film should have surely opened similarly to Hotel Transylvania and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs sequels, especially as it is 10 years since the Cloudy sequel opened. It’s another example of how the industry has lowered what a successful opening is post-COVID.
The sequel might have opened $10m more than the last film but that was available to watch the same day on Paramount+ and hundreds of episodes of Paw Patrol are also available on Paramount+ many people would probably just opt to let their children see it at home as unlike Pixar films it doesn’t play to old and young.
Studio Top 5 2023; Universal $1.45bn; Disney $1.29bn; Warner $1.14bn; Sony $740.3m; Paramount $731.8m.
Took $23.1m from 45 territories and $46.1m worldwide.
- Saw X – Lionsgate
Opened $18.3m; received positive reviews (87% Rotten Tomatoes) and B CinemaScore.
Took $2m from Thursday midnights; Jigsaw took $1.6m
Entelligence said it had 1.4m admissions; took 21% from PLF.
The original Saw film was due to go straight to DVD in 2004 before receiving two positive test screenings, Saw X was a return to the roots for Saw set between the first two films.
Lionsgate made a parody of AMC’s Nicole Kidman cinema advert.
Saw franchise has taken $500m+ in the US and $1.05bn WW.
2004’s Saw opened $18.27m taking $55.96m and $103.9m WW
2005’s Saw II opened $31.72m taking $67.02m and $152.92m WW
2006’s Saw III opened $33.61m taking $80.23m and $135.75m
2007’s Saw IV opened $31.75m taking $63.3m and $135.75m
2008’s Saw V opened $30.05m taking $56.74m and $118.2m
2009’s Saw VI opened $14.1m taking $27.69m and $69.75m
20010’s Saw 3D opened $23.23m taking $45.71m and $133.73m WW
2017’s Jigsaw opened $16.64m taking $38.05m and $39.51m WW
2021’s Spiral opened $8.75m taking $23.21m and $39.51m WW
Opened with $11.3m from 50 territories; Mexico $2.36m; UK $2.3m; Brazil $911k.
- The Creator – 20th Century Studios
Opened $14.07m; received mixed reviews (67% Rotten Tomatoes) and B+ CinemaScore.
Took $1.6m from Thursday midnights; The Woman King ($1.7m/$19.1m), 2019’s Gemini Man ($1.6m/$20.6m), 2016’s Arrival ($1.5m/$24.1m) and 2019’s Ad Astra ($1.5m/$19m).
Entelligence said it had 1m admissions.
Like other grown-up sci-fi films, The Creator received far more mixed reviews in the US than in the UK and predictably performed weaker in the US than internationally as these films perform better internationally. The US critics highlighted The Creator’s similarities with many other sci-fi films from Blade Runner to The Matrix while UK critics were overwhelmed by how it looked being a $80m budget film that looked like it cost more than double.
Took 49% from Premium Screens; 20% from IMAX ($3m) and PLF 25% ($3.5m)
The audience was 69% male and 78% over 25.
Like many other films over recent weeks, it took a significant percentage of its opening from IMAX/PLF and will lose these screens after only a week to The Exorcist: Believer on Friday.
This is the second disappointing opening starring John David Washington after starring in 2020’s Tenet. This is the kind of film that would have generated strong media coverage with a Comic-Con panel, but it was yet another cast-led film that has suffered with the actor’s strike, but knowing the strike would affect the film why did Disney open it now?
A film like The Creator would premiere at the Toronto or Venice Film Festival as The Martian did in 2015.
It opened similar to 2015’s Chappie opened $13.34m taking $31.56m and $102.81m WW and 2014’s Transcendence $10.88m taking $23.02m and $103.03m WW.
Opened lower than 2019’s Ad Astra $19m taking $50.18m and $127.46m WW.
Neill Blomkamp’s District 9 opened $37.35m taking $115.64m and $210.88m WW; 2013’s Elysium opened $29.8m taking $93.05m and $286.14m WW.
2016’s Arrival opened $24.07m taking $100.54m and $203.38m WW
1997’s Contact opened $20.58m taking $100.92m and $171.12m WW
2015’s Ex Machina opened $5.34m (expansion) taking $25.44m and $36.86m
2019’s Alita: Battle Angel opened $28.52m taking $85.83m and $404.98m
2011’s Real Steel opened $27.31m taking $85.46m and $299.26m WW
2004’s I, Robot opened $52.17m taking $144.8m and $353.13m WW
2002’s Minority Report opened $35.67m taking $132.07m and $358.37m WW
2001’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence opened $29.35m taking $78.61m and $235.92m WW
2022’s M3gan opened $30.42m taking $95.04m and $179.96m WW
1999’s The Iron Giant opened $5.73m taking $23.31m
1983’s Wargames opened $6.22m taking $79.56m
Other Gareth Edwards films
2010’s Monsters opened $20,508 from 3 screens taking $237,301
2014’s Godzilla opened $93.18m taking $200.67m and $524.97m WW
2016’s Rogue One: A Star Wars Story opened at $155.08m taking $533.53m and $1.058bn WW; Rogue One is the best Star Wars Disney film but the ending spoiled the film by adding Darth Vader going on a rampage as it ruined the start of A New Hope.
The end of September/early October has been a lucrative time to open films targetting adult audiences including 2015’s The Martian opening $34.3m taking $228,43m and $630.62m WW and 2013’s Gravity opening $55.78m taking $274.09m and $748.04m.
While The Creator was never going to open anywhere near those two films, it shows how disappointing the opening was and was the latest film to suffer not having actors available to promote the film as only Gareth Edwards was able to do promotion.
Opened with $18.3m from x territories and $32.3m worldwide; $2.2m from IMAX; UK $2.8m; France $2m; Germany $1.1m; Australia $1m; Mexico $800k.
- The Nun II – Warner Bros
Dropped 44% in the fourth weekend $4.79m #4 and $78.88m.
848th biggest third weekend between He’s Just Not That into You and Ticket to Paradise (close to Scream 3, The Others, Nope and 300: Rise of an Empire).
1,106th biggest between Alice Through the Looking Glass and 27 Dresses; 2,141st biggest inflated between Rumble in the Bronx and Boogeyman (2005); 24th biggest 2023 between Insidious: The Red Door and Blue Beetler; 50th biggest horror between The Purge: Election Year and The Ring Two; 182nd biggest Warner Bros between Where the Wild Things Are and Training Day.
The Conjuring Universe 9 films have taken $815m in the US and over $2.34bn since 2013.
Fourth weekends
2021’s The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It dropped 40.3% $2.99m #6 and $59.2m of $65.63m and $206.43m WW
2019’s Annabelle Comes Home dropped 53.7% $2.6m #8 and $69.73m of $74.15m and $228.51m worldwide
2019’s The Curse of La Llorona dropped 50% $1.85m #10 and $51.45m of $54.73m and $121.66m worldwide
2018’s The Nun dropped 45.5% $5.42m #5 and $109.01m of $117.45m and $36.39m worldwide
2017’s Annabelle: Creation dropped 2.3% $7.5m #2 and $95.26m of $102.1m and $305.38m worldwide
2016’s The Conjuring 2 dropped 50.2% $3.83m #9 and $95.26m of $102.47m and $310.2m worldwide
2014’s Annabelle dropped 57.5% $3.35m #11 and $79.5m of $84.27m and $256.86m worldwide
2013’s The Conjuring dropped 49.1% $6.62m #8 and $120.67m of $137.4m and $317.78m worldwide
Took $12.8m (45% drop) from 72 territories and $155.8m and $232.68m worldwide; Mexico $20.7m; Brazil $9.7m; Indonesia $9.1m; UK $7.3m; Italy $7.1m.
741st biggest worldwide between The Mask of Zorro and Gone in 60 Seconds; 24th biggest 2023 between The Flash and Sound of Freedom; 24th biggest horror between Alien: Covenant and Annabelle Comes Home; 121st biggest Warner Bros between Eraser and Million Dollar Baby.
- Expend4bles – Lionsgate
Dropped 69% in the second-weekend #8 $2.5m and $13.27m
2010’s The Expendables dropped 51.3% $16.96m #1 and $65.35m taking $103.06m and $274.47m WW
2012’s The Expendables 2 dropped 53.1% $13.42m #1 and $52.23m taking $85.02m and $314.97m WW
2014’s The Expendables 3 dropped 59.2% $6.48m #6 and $27.4m taking $39.32m and $214.65m WW
After the disappointing performance of The Expendables 3, it was expected to be the final film of the series, but the film series has been key to the success of Millennium Media over the last decade as they presell rights to the $100m film globally and earlier films have taken 80%+ of BO internationally. Lionsgate acquired US and UK rights for $30m plus P&A.
Took $12.3m internationally and $25.6m including China and $36.41m worldwide.
- A Haunting in Venice – 20th Century Studios
Dropped 42% in the third weekend taking $3.62m #6 and $31.44m.
2,845th biggest between Adrift and Chef; 4,057th inflated between Moving Violations and The Corruptor; 42nd biggest 2023 between 65 and Asteroid City; 262nd biggest thriller between A History of Violence and The Debt.
Third weekends
2017’s Murder on the Orient Express dropped 4.6% (Thanksgiving) $13.17m #6 and $74.36m of $102.82m and $352.78m WW; took 71% internationally.
2022’s Death on the Nile dropped 31.5% $4.94m #4 and $32.74m of $45.63m and $137.3m WW; 67% internationally
Took $7m internationally from 52 territories $58.2m total and $89.64m worldwide.
- Dumb Money – Sony Pictures
Up 37% in the third weekend adding 2,221 screens taking $3.32m #7 and $7.12m
A further disappointing expansion was always going to be a hard sell to the audience made much harder with the actor’s strike as it’s a film that needed cast interviews on chat shows and Saturday Night Live to build buzz as reviews and advertising were never going to be enough.
Impossible to compare it with films like 2010’s The Social Network (opened $22.4m taking $96.96m and $224.92m) and other financial films The Big Short, The Wolf of Wall Street, Boiler Room, Wall Street, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Margin Call, Bonfire of the Vanities, Hustlers and Trading Places.
With 5 wide releases 5 films dropped over 1,000 screens The Equalizer 3 (1,086); Barbie (1,332); My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 (1,604); Blue Beetle (1,006) and Grand Turismo (1,010) and Oppenheimer 837 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 747 screens.
UK Box Office Top 10
UK Box Office Preview
Another quiet weekend is expected with the arrival of The Exorcist: Believer likely to open similar to Saw X (£1,925,010) and The Nun 2 (£1,743,903) as it will attract a similar audience. This of course will see Saw X dropping 50%+ in its second weekend.
Warner Bros re-released the original in cinemas in 1998 opening with £2,186,977 from 248 screens (£4,325,113 inflated) taking £7,143,595 (£14,127,656 inflated). It was re-released in UK cinemas last weekend.
1990’s The Exorcist III opened £181,104 (£619,484 inflated) taking £962,994 (£3,294,018 inflated).
As with the Halloween reboot and many other Blumhouse Productions, The Exorcist: Believer isn’t likely to perform as strongly in the UK as in the US. 2018’s Halloween opened $76.22m US and £2,656,097 #2 from 533 screens
The Great Escaper targets the Grey Pound starring Michael Caine (could be his final film) and Glenda Jackson (her final film before her death in June 2023). Likely to open to similar films recent films targeting older audiences including Allelujah £715,783 #4 from 558 screens taking £3,393,983; The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry £784,698 #3 from 642 screens taking £3,357,529; 2022’s The Duke £992,659 #3 from 651 screens taking £5,283,515; 2018’s The Guernsey Literary and Potato £825,777 #3 from 499 screens taking £5,937,280.
Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie has a second weekend of previews on Sat/Sun before its opening on October 13th and half-term holidays at the end of the month. Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie took £1m last weekend and taking a similar amount this weekend could see it open with about £4m next weekend, this could be similar to Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour. Tickets went on sale for Taylor Swift on Tuesday 26th September but unlike the US no presale box office has been released, in the US it sold $37m after 24 hours and $65m after 14 days. In the UK last Tuesday saw people have to queue to use Odeon and Vue websites,
Vue reported their Manchester, Dublin and Glasgow cinemas were amongst the highest selling in the country, but no figures have been released. Looking at those cinemas and several others across the UK the bulk of the tickets sold are for Friday, which makes me believe it’s going to be front-loaded, while BO might be strong it’s of course due to all tickets across the UK £13.13 for children, £19.89 adults and £23.89 IMAX/PLF, so it only needs to sell a quarter of the tickets of Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie.
- Opening in three weeks
Being the weekend before The Marvels it’s a quiet weekend for new releases.
- The Royal Hotel – Universal Pictures
Psychological thriller starring Julia Garner, Jessica Henwick, Toby Wallace, and Hugo Weaving and directed by Kitty Green inspired by the 2016 documentary Hotel Coolgardie by Pete Gleeson.[2]
It had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival, receiving positive reviews and had its UK premiere at the London Film Festival.