- The Nun 2 – £1,743,903 – NE
Took £619k (35.5%) Friday; £617k (35.4%) Saturday; £508k (29.1%) Sunday.
963rd biggest opening between Just Friends and Die Hard with a Vengeance (close to The Fast and the Furious, About Time, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and Hotel Transylvania) and 1,530th inflated between Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and xXx: The Return of Xander Cage (close to Snakes on a Plane, The Godfather Part III, Outbreak and Pulp Fiction).
63rd biggest horror opening between The First Purge and Saw VI (close to Jigsaw, Insidious: The Last Key, Final Destination 2 and 28 Weeks Later) and 108th biggest inflated between Friday the 13th (2009) and Nightmare on Elm Steet 4 (close to Poltergeist 2, Piranha 3-D, The Faculty and The Fly (1987).
The opening was close to recent horrors Smile, Nope, Evil Dead Rises, The Black Phone and Halloween Kills as they are attracting the same audience as upcoming Sax X and The Exorcist: Believer.
274th widest opening in in 561 cinemas similar to A Quiet Place Part II, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, Arrival, Jason Bourne and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes; 556 500+ opener since 2001’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone.
The 8 Conjuring films have taken over £65m since 2013.
2018’s The Nun opened £4,098,198 #1 taking £11,302,155
2013’s The Conjuring opened £2,156,124 #3 taking £9,337,626
2014’s Annabelle opened £1,939,963 #3 taking £7,402,588
2016’s The Conjuring 2 opened £4,637,862 (£1,855,835 from previews Mon-Thurs taking £10,896,992
2017’s Annabelle: Creation opened £1,960,203 #2 taking £8,079,017
2019’s Annabelle Comes Home £2,223,482 #3 taking £6,176,801
2021’s The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It opened £2,708,455 #1 taking £9,367,720
The second weekend in September has been a lucrative date for Warner Bros with horror films with It Chapter One, The Nun and It Chapter Two released between 2017 and 2019.
In 2017 Gerald Brittle writer of The Demonologist about the Warrens filed a $900 million lawsuit against Warner Bros, New Line Cinema and James Wan claiming he had exclusive rights to the Warrens’ story and it was illegally stolen by the studio, it was scheduled to go to trial in April 208, Warner Bros needed to prove ghosts exist and weren’t based on his book but were based on “historical facts.” Sadly, the case never went to trial and Warner Bros settled in December 2017.
Horror has been one of the strongest-performing genres of films since cinemas reopened three years ago, with 19 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 4 more due for release this year The Exorcist: Believer, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Saw X and Thanksgiving.
Insidious: The Red Door opened in July £2,279,084 (£816k Friday; £837k Saturday and £628k Sunday) the second-biggest opening of the Insidious film series after 2013’s Insidious 2 and the third biggest horror opening in 2023 after M3gan (£2,356,357) and Scream VI (£3,043,922).
2018’s The Nun dropped 55% in its second weekend £1,832,874 #2 and The Nun 2 will likely have a similar second weekend drop against the next horror A Haunting in Venice, and will likely take about half of The Nun’s £11.3
- 2. Jawan – £1,346,689 – NE
Includes £306k (22.7%) from Thursday previews.
Took £313k (23.2%) Friday; £385k (28.6%) Saturday; £343k Sunday.
1,254th biggest opening between Exorcism of Emily Rose and Kindergarten Cop (close to Cliffhanger, Angelas Ashes, The Lone Ranger and Crocodile Dundee II) and 1,879th biggest inflated between The Royal Tenenbaums and Lion (close to Copland, American Psycho, Leon and The Untouchables).
Opened in 261 cinemas 1,921st widest opening similar to Primal Fear, Free Willy, Sommersby and Unforgiven; had screen average of £5,160 791st biggest between Burn After Reading and One Day.
Jawan follows in the footsteps of Pathaan opening with £1,967,854 in January (including £550,768 from two days of previews) having one of the biggest openings for a Bollywood film in the UK opened in 261 screens 38 more than Paathan and less than half of all other films in the top 10 (bar Past Lives).
Bollywood films opening with £1m+ from 250+ cinemas show that other films are being released far too wide; there have been 23+ 700+ cinema openings since 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi. Many playing on 4+ screens and in 3,000+ screens just mean many become very front-loaded as hype surrounding them rushing out to see them over opening weekend.
Distributors used to be far more selective in the cinema’s films were booked in before digital making sure each print was booked into the right cinema, a 500+ opening was a rarity until the late 00s. Surely if distributors were more selective with the screens the cinemas that are showing them would have higher BO, they would play longer and mean that other films could also play longer and not have the crazy situation when Oppenheimer took control of the major screens from Mission Impossible Deas Reckoning and Barbie.
Opened bigger than 2016’s Sultan opened £1,048,417 from 121 screens (£8,665 average) taking £1,505,128; 2010’s My Name Is Khan £936,454 #6 from 91 screens (£10,291 average) taking £2,316,393; 2013’s Chennai Express £935,671 #10 126 screens (£7,426 average) taking £1,624,693.
Other Bollywood openers include.
2013’s Dhoom 3 £ 884,567 #5 from 97 screens £9,120 average taking £1,976,454 (highest grossing)
2022’s Ponniyin Selvan 1 £745,386 #5 from 119 screens £6,264 (av)
2016’s Dangal £652,886 #6 from 165 screens £3,957 (av)
2022’s RRR £650,204 #2 from 160 screens £4,064 (av)
2022’s Brahmastra £516,943 #4 from 217 screens (Disney) £2,383 (av)
2022’s Laal Singh Chaddha £411,189 #7 from 350 screens (widest Bollywood opening released by Paramount) £1,175 (av)
2022’s K.G.F: Chapter 2 £357,038 #8 from 89 screens £4,012 (av)
The upcoming film Leo was the first Bollywood film to open advance bookings 6 weeks in advance (opening October 19) and has sold over 10k tickets within 24 hours, this compares to 2k tickets within 24 hours for Varisu in January (£648,230 #7 161 screens).
Jawan opened with $6.1m in the US and $57m worldwide.
As with other Bollywood films Jawan will likely be front-loaded dropping 60% in its second weekend.
- 3. The Equalizer 3 – £1,017,032 – £4,735,394
Dropped 63.5% in the second weekend (48% not including previews); £277k 27.2% (52.2% drop £579k) Friday; £407k 40% (50.3% drop £819k) Saturday; £333k 32.7% (40.7% drop £562k) Sunday.
1,024th biggest second weekend between This Means War and Open Season (close to Gone in Sixty Seconds and The Accountant, The Magnificent Seven and Law-Abiding Citizen) and 1,592nd biggest inflated between Anna Karenina and The Equalizer 3 (close to Full Metal Jacket, Ronin, Platoon and V for Vendetta).
2014’s The Equalizer dropped 36% £1,207,129 #3 and £4,280,077 from 467 screens taking £6,669,034: behind Gone Girl #1 £4,109,628 and Dracula Untold #2 £1,713,283.
2018’s The Equalizer 2 dropped 36% £1,256,615 #5 and £4,558,724 from 497 screens of £7,247,966; opening mid-August the marketplace was much more crowded with 5 films taking £1m+
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.
- 4..Barbie – £561,118 – £93,718,921
Dropped 65.8% in the eighth weekend; £126k 22.5% (65.3% drop £363k) Friday; £231k 41.2% (76.1% drop £963k) Saturday; £204k 36.4% (68.1% drop £639k) Sunday.
Barbie had a double punch in its eighth weekend the first was the big drop off from NCD boost and the second was the return of schools on Friday seeing it have a huge drop means that it won’t take £100m+ but it should still overtake Spider-Man No Way Home, No Time To Die, Spectre and Avatar over the next few weeks.
64th biggest eighth weekend between Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (£564,716) and The Bodyguard (£556,460) close to Jumanji: The Next Level, Crocodile Dundee, Bohemian Rhapsody and Billy Elliot) and 142nd biggest inflated between Happy Feet (£562,405) and Joker (£559,405) close to Ralph Breaks the Internet, Life of Pi, What Lies Beneath and Three Men and a Baby).
7th biggest between Avatar (£94,025,474) and Avengers: Endgame (£88,719,051) close to No Time to Die, Spectre, Top Gun Maverick and Titanic and 19th biggest inflated between Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and Casino Royale (close to Toy Story 3, Spider-Man No Way Home, Shrek 2 and Toy Story 2; 7th since 2009’s Avatar to take £90m+ and is Warner Bros UK biggest film overtaking 2011’s Deathly Hallows Part 2.
Barbie is one of a kind as normally by now, a sequel would be dated for summer 2026 along with spinoff TV shows, but with no deals in place for sequels for Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig and Ryan Gosling unlikely a sequel will happen as it will be vastly more expensive and Ryan Gosling is ‘one and done’, doesn’t do sequels. As The Lego Movie has shown with its sequel lightning doesn’t strike twice as what made the first film so much fun and unique can’t be replicated. (That said spinoff The Lego Batman Movie is the best Batman movie).
Comparing Barbie with Top Gun Maverick after 51 days (had two days of previews) took £72.31m 22.8% less than Barbie over 53 days, this was 86.65% of its final BO of £83.5m; after weeks of taking less than Barbie, it took 74.8% more (£981k) in its eighth weekend 63.8%. With Barbie now available digitally it’s unlikely to take more than £96m, that said as it wasn’t released in IMAX/3D and had limited PLF/premium this would be the equivalent of £130m+.
Barbie: The Soundtrack has taken over the singles chart with; Billie Eilish’s What Was I Made For? #4; Dua Lipa’s Dance The Night #17; Charli XCX’s Speed Drive #16; Ryan Gosling’s I’m Just Ken #36; Barbieworld Nicki Minaj #40; Lizzo’s Pink #69; The soundtrack album #1 Compilations (where it will likely be for many weeks as seen by The Greatest Showman soundtrack #8 in its 290 weeks on release) and of course #1 on the Soundtrack chart.
Barbie has become the highest-grossing film at the Irish box office ever, has overtaken Avatar taking €8,854,036 also overtaking Titanic €8,253,258.
- 5) Past Lives – £515,509 – NE
Took £94k (18.2%) Friday; £130k (25.2%) Saturday; £131k (25.4%) Sunday.
Included £155,490 (29.1%) from previews.
The film received widespread critical acclaim (97% Rotten Tomatoes) and has been heralded as a front-runner of the Film of the Year and a major award contender. The film has been building buzz since premiering at Sundance in January and the Berlin Film Festival in February.
It opened in the US in June on a platform release from 4 screens expanding over the following weekends until it got to 906 screens in week 5 but then dropped off. So often these films expand to lose their screens quickly and then, it dropped 130 in week 9, 390 in week 10 and 210 in week 11 and over the weeks since they have held far stronger playing in 59 screens.
Past Lives opened in 216 screens in the UK, so does Studiocanal stick or twist in its second weekend? As you look at Parasite release in the UK, opened £1,397,387 #4 in 137 screens and then added almost 300 screens in the second weekend £2,523,518 #2 up 81% from 428 screens, adding another 137 screens in the third weekend £1,722,236 #3 but dropped 31%.
While Past Lives generated media coverage due to its reviews the lack of talent interviews due to the strike has affected generating media coverage, but it’s very much a word-of-mouth film, Audiences will discover over the next few weeks if it can hold on to its screens.
It has been compared to films like Lost in Translation, Sliding Doors, When Harry Met Sally and Before Midnight, about the roads not taken
Also Opened
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 – Universal Pictures
Took £411,191 from 567 screens; £121k (29.4%) Friday; £155k (37.7%) Saturday; £135k (32.8%) Sunday
2002’s My Big Fat Greek Wedding opened £1,503,436 #2 from 341 screens taking £13,441,558; it had very long legs taking 8.94x opening and stayed in the top 10 for 9 weeks (top 5 for 6 weeks)
The 2016 sequel wasn’t nearly as successful opening £983,534 #4 from 434 screens taking £3,811,836; stayed in the top 10 for only 3 weeks.
It was predictable after the huge success of the original film that they would want to make a sequel but after that underwhelmed as did the TV show spinoff it was surprising a third film was made, but the same could be said for many sequels this year from Expendables 4 to Indiana Jones 5 as studios seek out the easy option despite these films likely to attract a fraction of the audience who saw the original. While it also lessens the legacy of the films that came before the sequels, it is similar to the made-for-streaming reboots and sequels which are all inferior to their originals and completely unnecessary.
Also released.
Oppenheimer – Universal Pictures
Down 50.4% in its eighth weekend taking £483,101 – £56,392,838.
Took £118k 24.4% (55% drop £262k) Friday; £189k 39.1% (59.7% drop £469k) Saturday; £176k 36.4% (22.8% drop £228k) Sunday.
Had the lowest drop in the top 10 all others dropped 60%+
Oppenheimer has taken 5.18x opening (Dunkirk 5.65x; Insomnia 4.87x; Inception 5.92x) similar to Inception in its 8th-weekend #10 taking £417,302 but the marketplace was far more crowded in 2010 and in 2017 Dunkirk’s 8th-weekend #6 £336,547; It #1 with £6,070,542
xth biggest eighth weekend between Incredibles (£974,056) and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (£941,370) close to Bohemian Rhapsody, Gladiator, Dunkirk and Despicable Me 2) and the 111th biggest inflated between Lost in Translation (£960,605) and Casper (£955,871) close to Seven, Wayne’s World, The Dark Knight Rises and Pulp Fiction).
31st biggest between Star Wars: The Phantom Menace (£56,596,112) and The Dark Knight Rises (£56,374,370) close to LOTR: The Two Towers, Dunkirk, Casino Royale and Bohemian Rhapsody and 73rd biggest inflated between The Incredibles and Incredibles 2 (close to Notting Hill, Alice in Wonderland, Gladiator and The Greatest Showman); 47th film to take £50m+ since 1997’s The Full Monty.
Eighth weekends
2010’s Inception dropped 40% £417,302 #10 258 screens and £34,055,353 96.6% of £35,264,403; dropped 35% in the ninth weekend £271,033; held #1 for 1 week and in the top 5 for 5 weeks and top 10 for 8 weeks.
2020’s Tenet dropped 36% £187,275 #1 from 320 screens and £16,877,908 96.5% of £17,479,421; dropped 27% in the eighth weekend taking £134,968 held #1 for 8 weeks and in the top 5 for 9 weeks and top 10 for 10 weeks
2017’s Dunkirk dropped 32% £629,435 #3 502 screens and £55,046,949 96.9% of £56,797,955; dropped 46% in the ninth weekend taking £336,547 held #1 for 4 weeks and in the top 5 for 8 weeks and top 10 for 10 weeks.
2014’s Interstellar took £20,852,599 after 7 weeks; held #1 for 2 weeks in the top 5 for 4 weeks and top 10 for 6 weeks.
2005’s Batman Begins dropped 48% £73,127 #10 from 89 screens and £16,036,833 95.8% of £16,733,960: #1 for 2 weeks, top 5 for 5 weeks and top 10 for 8 weeks.
2008’s The Dark Knight dropped 39% £355,239 #10 from 229 screens and £47,641,230 96.4% of £49,411,323: #1 for 2 weeks, top 5 for 6 weeks and top 10 for 8 weeks.
2012’s The Dark Knight Rises dropped 53% £352,587 #8 from 256 screens and £55,312,954 98% of £56,446,768: #1 for 2 weeks, top 5 for 6 weeks and top 10 for 8 weeks.
Christopher Nolan’s films have taken over £315m at the UK BO and £400m inflated; average £28.6m and £41.2m over the last 7 films.
UK box office in detail
The weekend is historically one of the worst weekends of the year, being the weekend after Bank Holiday and Friday schools reopen and the weekend would have been far worse without Bollywood’s Jawan and Past Lives previews. How quickly all the positivity fads from National Cinema Day as the industry seems to believe all they have to do is one day and people will return for the other 364 days of the year.
The problem is that nothing is likely to change over the weeks ahead as after Barbie was #1 for 6 weeks there will likely be 6 new #1 over the next 6 weeks as the film’s opening over the next few weeks will be front-loaded.
This weekend’s top 10 box office took £6,660,831 down 26.6% from last weekend’s £9,073,887: 835,738 admissions down 26.6% from 1,138,505.
36th biggest weekend of the year out of 36 weeks below the previous lowest 17 March 2023 #1 Shazam! Fury Of The Gods £2,397,953
100th biggest since cinemas reopened out of 127 weeks between 18 March 2022 #1 The Batman (£3,351,288) and 04 November 2022 #1 Black Adam (£2,006,821)
940th biggest top 10 of the last 21 years (out of 1,119) between 29 February 2008 #1 The Bank Job £951,013 (14.24% of top 10) and 19 September 2008 #1 Tropic Thunder £2,483,271 (37.32% of top 10) and 1,060th biggest inflation inflated between 12 August 2022 #1 Nope £1,859,337 (28.66% of top 10) and 01 September 2017 #1 American Made £968,068 (15.63% of top 10).
The top 3 took (£4,107,624) 61.7% of the top 10; The Nun II 26.18% (£1,743,903); Jawan 20.22% (£1,346,689); The Equalizer 15.27% (£1,017,032.
799th highest percentage (26.18%) between 07 January 2011 The King’s Speech (581,370) and 30 November 2018 Ralph Breaks the Internet (26.15%).
1,030th biggest admissions #1 (260,965) between 21 March 2003 Just Married (219,250) and 21 September 2012 ParaNorman (218,701).
Up 33% from 2022 (£5,007,757); See How They Run (£1,163,484); Tad the Lost Explorer and the Curse of the Mummy (£818,525); Jaws (Re: 2022) (£524,233); Brahmastra Part 1: Shiva (£516,943); Bodies Bodies Bodies (£351,159); #1 See How They Run £1,163,484 1st week 690 screens (23.2% of top 10)
Up 2.7% from 2021; (£6,488,144); Respect (£424,514); Malignant (£409,299); Copshop (£198,225); #1 Shangi-Chi £3,583,848 2nd week 38% drop 653 screens (55.2% of top 10)
Up 159% from 2020 (£2,572,070); Break the Silence (£249,996); The Broken Hearts Gallery (£87,568); The Roads Not Taken (£27,742); #1 Tenet £1,233,090 3rd week 612 screens down 42% (43.84% of top 10)
Down 44.4% from 2019; (£11,975,243); It: Chapter Two (£7,368,586); #1 It: Chapter Two £7,368,586 1st week 652 screens (61.5% of the top 10)
Down 29.1% from 2018: (£9,386,760); The Nun (£4,098,198); American Animals (£347,486); The Miseducation of Cameron Post (£142,996); Puzzle (£23,565); Final Score (£9,945); #1 The Nun £4,098,198 1st week 548 screens (43.6% of top 10)
Down 52.4% from 2017: (£13,995,695); It (£10,002,443); Wind River (£437,899); Poster Boys (£24,964); #1 It £10,002,443 1st week 606 screens (71.4% of the top 10)
Down 10.2% from 2016: (£7,420,952); Ben-Hur (£1,047,800); Don’t Breathe (£1,028,938); Kubo and the Two Strings (£844,027); Hell or High Water (£552,230); Captain Fantastic (£280,614); Anthropoid (£227,591); #1 Sausage Party £1,219,972 2nd week 55% drop 533 screens (16.4% of the top 10)
Down 42.3% from 2015; (£11,539,308); Legend (£5,189,074); The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials (£2,799,428); The Visit (£1,031,292); Irrational Man (£197,188); #1 Legend £5,189,074 1st week 522 screens (44.9% of top 10)
Down 6.4% from 2014: (£7,115,583); The Boxtrolls (£2,000,597); Pride (£718,778); A Most Wanted Man (£610,312); The Wizard of Oz (Re: 2014) (£42,478); #1 The Boxtrolls £2,000,597 1st week 510 screens (28.1% of top 10)
Down 16.1% from 2013: (£7,942,235); About Time (£1,761,079); Riddick (£1,415,141); #1 About Time £1,761,079 1st week 556 screens (22.2% of top 10)
Up 7.5% from 2012 (£6,196,846); Dredd (£1,049,345); Lawless (£973,234); Anna Karenina (£875,702); That’s My Boy (£254,621); #1 Dredd £1,049,345 1st week 415 screens (16.9% of top 10)
Down 22.7% from 2011 (£8,618,765); Friends with Benefits (£1,947,272); Jane Eyre (£1,012,111); Colombiana (£424,049); Troll Hunter (£200,607); #1 The Inbetweeners Movie £2,147,393 4th week 475 screens 42% drop (24.9% of top 10)
Up 0.8% from 2010: (£6,609,071); Resident Evil: Afterlife (£1,690,655); Tamara Drewe (£615,553); Going the Distance (£436,361); Cyrus (£429,687); The Runaways (£59,443); #1 Resident Evil: Afterlife £1,690,655 1st week 361 screens (25.6% of top 10)
Up 11.6% from 2009; (£5,969,293); Dorian Gray (£883,148); Sorority Row (£782,693); Julie & Julia (£540,441); Adventureland (£210,671); Whiteout (£150,995); Fish Tank (£103,180); The September Issue (£81,892); Miss March (£24,434); #1 District 9 £2,288,378 2nd week 446 screens 48% drop (19.8% of top 10)
Down 11.7% from 2008; (£7,542,608); Pineapple Express (£1,372,911); The Women (£865,310); The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas (£513,653); Eden Lake (£192,027); Sydney White (£1,157); #1 Pineapple Express £1,372,911 1st week 389 screens (18.2% of top 10)
Down 4.9% from 2007:(£7,003,476); Run, Fat Boy, Run (£2,010,250); Atonement (£1,634,065); Rise of the Footsoldier (£85,903); #1 Run, Fat Boy, Run £2,010,250 1st week 413 screens (28.7% of top 10)
Up 73.9% from 2006; (£3,829,476); Right at your Door (£441,548); Little Miss Sunshine (£349,810); Pulse (£210,409); Beerfest (£208,782); Snow Cake (£23,944); #1 You, Me and Depree £746,602 3rd week 410 screens 36% drop (19.5% of top 10)
Up 13.2% from 2005 (£5,883,345); The Longest Yard (£1,255,334); Cinderella Man (£614,346); Green Street (£446,369); The Man (£329,233); #1 The Longest Yard £1,255,334 1st week 379 screens (21.3% of top 10)
Down 4.8% from 2004 (£6,998,915); Open Water (£1,970,176); Anchor Man (£555,864); Wicker Park (£316,722); Super-Size Me (£264,843); #1 Open Water £1,970,176 1st week 378 screens (28.1% of top 10)
Down 24.8% from 2003 (£5,338,138); Calendar Girls (expansion) (£1,762,505); Tears of the Sun (£406,324); Sin Eater (£161,779); Spirited Away (£152,504); #1 Calendar Girls £1,762,505 2nd week (1st #1) 462 screens (33.1% of top 10)
Down 5.6% from 2002 (£6,305,370); The Bourne Identity (£2,150,511); Importance of Being Earnest (£554,413); Once Upon A Time In The Midlands (£129,920); #1 The Bourne Identity £2,150,511 1st week 419 screens (34.1% of top 10)
Down 10.9% from 2001 (£7,473,347); Moulin Rouge (£2,403,378); Scary Movie 2 (£1,553,796); #1 Moulin Rouge £2,403,378 1st week 284 screens (32.1% of top 10);
Next Week 2022 (£3,325,794); Moonage Daydream (£181,467); Clerks III (£47,712); Jackie Brown (25th Anniversary) (£21,636); #1 See How They Run £984,779 2nd week 15% drop 717 screens (29.61% of top 10)
US Box Office
- The Nun II – Warner Bros
Opened $32.6m (39% less than The Nun); received mixed reviews (45% Rotten Tomatoes) and C+ CinemaScore.
541st biggest opening between Due Date and Blade II (close to Scream 2, A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010), Immortals and Saw IV).
Took $3.1m from Thursday midnights; The Nun took $5.4m; similar to La Llorona ($2.8m) and Annabelle Comes Home ($3.5m).
40% of opening from IMAX/PLF (This is the norm for opening but most of the play for a week as A Haunting in Venice will take the screens on Friday)
Entelligence reported it had 2.3m admissions having a third of the cinemagoing audience
The budget was $38.5m compared to The Nun’s $22m.
With mixed reviews, low CinemaScore and losing IMAX/PLF screens on Friday The Nun 2 will likely drop about 60% in its second weekend.
The Conjuring Universe 9 films have taken almost $800m in the US and $2.1bn since 2013.
2021’s The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It opened $24.1m (20% from IMAX (8.8% $1.2m)/PLF/Dolby Cinema and 1.6m saw it on HBO Max) taking $65.63m and $206.43m WW
2019’s Annabelle Comes Home opened $20.26m taking $74.15m and $228.51m worldwide
2019’s The Curse of La Llorona opened $26.34m taking $54.73m and $121.66m worldwide
2018’s The Nun opened $53.8m taking $117.45m and $36.39m worldwide
2017’s Annabelle: Creation opened $35.01m taking $102.1m and $305.38m worldwide
2016’s The Conjuring 2 opened $40.4m taking $102.47m and $310.2m worldwide
2014’s Annabelle opened $37.13m taking $84.27m and $256.86m worldwide
2013’s The Conjuring opened $41.85m $137.4m and $317.78m worldwide
Opened with $52.7 from 69 territories and $85.3m worldwide; (IMAX WW $4m): Mexico $8.9m; Brazil $4.4m; Italy $3.3m; Spain $2.3m; UK $2.1m; India $2m; Argentina $1.8m; Malaysia $1.8m; Australia $1.5m.
Took 36% less than The Nun opened with $79.3m internationally (59%) and $133.2M globally.
- The Equalizer 3 – Sony Pictures
Dropped 65% in the second weekend taking $12m and $61.76m
995th biggest second weekend between Three Kings and The Boxtrolls (close to The Taking of Pelham 123, The Bone Collector, The Silence of the Lambs and Abominable).
1,444th biggest between Dog and Ender’s Game; 2,391st inflated between Dog and Exorcist: The Beginning; 28th biggest 2023 between Blue Beetle and Shazam! Fury of the Gods; 86th biggest based on TV show between Beavis and Butt-Head Do America and The Saint; 189th biggest Sony Pictures between Underworld: Evolution and Miracles from Heaven.
As 84% were 25+; 45+ were 50% of the audience with 24% between 45-54 and 26% 55+ and it received A CinemaScore would have expected the film to hold stronger but lost IMAX/PLF screens to The Nun 2.
2018’s The Equalizer 2 dropped 61.1% $14.02m and $62.25m of $102.08m and $190.4m WW
2014’s The Equalizer dropped 45.1% $18.75m and $64.23m of $101.53m and $192.33m WW.
Denzel Washington’s biggest films to date at the US box office were 2007’s American Gangster taking $130.16m and 2012’s Safe House $126.18m.
He hasn’t had the success other African American actors have had as The Equalizer sequels are the only sequels he has made and has played so many unforgettable non-fiction and fictional characters over the years including Steve Biko (Cry Freedom), Trip (Glory), Malcolm X, Joe Miller (Philadelphia), Lt. Cmdr. Hunter (Crimson Tide), Rubin ‘Hurricane’ (The Hurricane), Dr. Jerome Davenport (Antwone Fisher) and Frank Barnes (Unstoppable) next stars in Gladiator 2. He won two Oscars Best Supporting Actor for Glory and Best Actor for Training Day.
His films have taken $2.41bn at the US box office and $4.14bn WW. The Equalizer are the only sequels he has made.
Took $11.5m from 50 territories total $45.8m and $107.7m worldwide; UK $5.9m; France $4.4m; Germany $4.2m; Australia $4m; Spain $3.2m.
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 – Focus Features
Opened $10.02m; received poor reviews (28% Rotten Tomatoes) and B CinemaScore.
Took $550k from Thursday midnights.
Opened 49% more than Book Club: The Next Chapter $6.6m but 44% less than MBFGW2.
2002’s My Big Fat Greek Wedding opened with $597,362 from 105 screens and slowly expanded not getting to its widest release of 2,000+ screens until its 26th week on release (taking $8.45m) playing in cinemas for 52 weeks taking $241.38m and $368.74m world
2016’s My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 opened $17.86m taking $59.68m and $90.63m
Took $2.65m from 21 territories and $12.7m worldwide.
- Barbie – Warner Bros
Dropped 42% in the eighth weekend taking $5.9m and $620.5m.
71st biggest eighth weekend between Night at the Museum and The Polar Express (close to Jumanji: The Next Level, Frozen II, Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and Crocodile Dundee)
Barbie was released digitally on September 12th and will finally be released in IMAX on September 22nd for one week only and will include new post-credit footage.
Mattel will get about $125m from Barbie and have 14 other projects in development including J.J. Abrams Hot Wheels film, a Matchbox car film, a Major Matt Mason film starring Tom Hanks, Polly Pocket, developed by Lena Dunham and starring Lily Collins, Barney with Daniel Kaluuya, and a Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots movie with Vin Diesel. But the problem is they will all be compared with the massive success of Barbie and Barbie is a one-off.
EntTelligence average ticket price of Barbie $12.65 and Oppenheimer $13.65
12th biggest film between The Avengers and Star Wars Ep. VIII: The Last Jedi; 34th biggest inflated between The Lion King and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest; 1st biggest 2023 film ahead of The Super Mario Bros. Movie; biggest Warner Bros film ahead of The Dark Knight ($533.72m)
What helped Barbenheimer is the audience of the two films are almost a mirror image of each other. Barbie’s audience is 66.2% female and 74.6% under 29, while Oppenheimer is 70.7% male and 52.9% over 30. The two films complimented each other Barbenheimer probably helped Oppenheimer far more than Barbie, as while Barbie’s audience also went to see Oppenheimer, not as many Oppenheimer probably went to see Barbie.
What will be interesting to see is lessons will be learnt from Barbenheimer studios realise two films playing to very different demographics can perform strongly, This, of course, was the case 30 years ago when studios would open films like Sleepless in Seattle the week after Jurassic Park and the two films would play strongly together.
Barbie has blown away all the cobwebs of Warner Bros.’ disappointing start of 2023; Disney $1.63bn; Universal $1.51bn; Warner $1.06bn; Sony $813.8m; Paramount $700m.
Took $5.5m (down 58.3%) from 73 territories and $782.2m and $1.403bn worldwide (likely taking $1.5bn+); UK $120.8m; Germany $56.5m; Australia $55.6m; Mexico $54.3m; France $47.6m; Brazil $43.8m; Spain $36.3m; Italy $35.7m; China $35.1m; Holland $20.5m; Argentina $15.4m.
14th biggest worldwide between Frozen II and Avengers: Age of Ultron; biggest worldwide 2023 ahead of The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($1.359bn); Biggest Warner Bros film worldwide ahead of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II ($1.31bn) and Aquaman ($1.14bn).
- Oppenheimer – Universal Pictures
Down 46% in the eighth weekend taking $3.08m and $315.21m.
253rd biggest eighth weekend between A River Runs Through It and Sing 2 (close to Field of Dreams, O Brother, Where Art Thou? The Big Short and Frost/Nixon).
93rd LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring and Thor: Ragnarok; 226th biggest inflated between The Amityville Horror (1979) and Star Trek; 5th biggest 2023 between Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 and The Little Mermaid; 12th biggest Universal Pictures film between Minions and Meet the Fockers.
The 400 IMAX cinemas in the US (1%) have taken 30% of the US BO and 20% of worldwide BO $86m total US.
Eighth weekends
2020’s Tenet dropped 17.4% $1.27m #4 $52.46m 89.7% of $58.5m and $365.3m WW; dropped 28.4% in the ninth weekend taking $912,468; held #1 for 5 weeks and stayed in top 10 for 13 weeks.
2017’s Dunkirk is down 57.4% $1.86m #8 taking $183.02m 97.3% of $188.045m and $525.24m WW; down 29.6% in the eighth weekend taking $1.31m held #1 for 2 weeks and stayed in the top 10 for 9 weeks.
2014’s Interstellar was up 11.1% $3m #14 taking $177.38m 94.3% of $188.02m and $677.89m WW; down 18.1% in the ninth weekend taking $2.46m stayed in the top 10 for 6 weeks.
2010’s Inception dropped 6.2% $4.57m #9 taking $277.14m 94.7% of $292.57m and $825.79m WW; dropping 38.7% in the ninth weekend $2.8m held #1 for 3 weeks and staying in the top 10 for 11 weeks.
2008’s The Dark Knight dropped 36% $5.51m #3 taking $512m 96% of $533.34m and $1.003bn WW; dropped 25.1% in the ninth weekend $4.12m held #1 for 4 weeks and stayed in the top 10 for 10 weeks.
2012’s The Dark Knight Rises dropped 47.4% #10 taking $437.78m 97.7% of $448.13m and $1.081bn WW; dropped 32.2% in the ninth weekend $2.18m; held #1 for 3 weeks and stayed in the top 10 for 8 weeks.
2020’s Tenet ($205m budget) took $365.3m worldwide; 2017’s Dunkirk ($150m+ budget) took $527m worldwide; 2014’s Interstellar ($165m+ budget) took $773.43m worldwide; 2010’s Inception ($160m+ budget) took $870.1m worldwide.
Took $19.5m (down 60.8%) from 83 territories $575.7m total and $890.9m worldwide (expected to take $900m+); UK $72m; Germany $46.9m; China $46.8m; France $40.1m; Australia $25.9m; Italy $24.3m; S. Korea $24m; Spain $21.4m.
It has taken $176m internationally for the IMAX; 5th highest grossing IMAX film worldwide after Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Avengers: Endgame.
72nd biggest worldwide between LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire; 3rd 2023 worldwide between The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3; 2nd biggest R-rated between Joker and Deadpool 2; 12th biggest Universal Pictures worldwide between Minions: The Rise of Gru and The Secret Life of Pets.
UK Box Office Top 10
UK Box Office Preview
The third Hercule Poirot film A Haunting in Venice received similar reviews as the previous two films, 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express (61% Rotten Tomatoes) was a huge success opening with £4,985,600 #1 taking £24,224,914, the second 2022’s Death on the Nile (62% Rotten Tomatoes) opened £1,898,357 #3 taking £8,012,201.
The Nun 2 will drop 50%+ similar to 2018’s The Nun taking £800-£950k (will take about half of the £11,302,155 the first film) which could see it battling out #2 with Sunday’s ABBA: The Movie Fan Event which has strong presales and with tickets £15+ doesn’t need to sell as many tickets so could take similar to The Nun 2.
As with Paathan in January Jawan will drop 60%+ in its second weekend taking £450k- £600k.
The Equalizer 3 will drop again 50% in its third weekend taking £450k-£550k.
With Barbie being released on digital on Wednesday Oppenheimer could finally climb above it in the chart in their ninth weekend.
Past Lives will expand its release in its second weekend, but despite rave reviews and strong word of mouth, it will still sadly drop taking £250k-£300k in the 8th.
With a quiet weekend of new releases and the low BO of the films at the bottom of the top 10, could see Rise of The Footsoldier: Vengeance opening 10th opening similar to 2021’s Rise of the Footsoldier: Origins £122,898 #10 from 243 screens. Opening 16 years after the first Rise of the Footsoldier opened with £85,903 #14 from 138 screens.
The weekend will again be one of the lowest of the year and it’s going to be a very slow September and October comparable to previous years 2021-2022 and 2019 as it’s hard to see there being another £2m+ opening until October.
- Opening in three weeks
Sumotherhood – Paramount Pictures
Action comedy starring Adam Deacon, Jennifer Saunders, Danny Sapani and Peter Serafinowicz and directed by Adam Deacon
Adam Deacon had breakout roles in Kidulthood and Adulthood and Sumotherhood is a parody of those gritty urban thrillers.
2006’s Kidulthood opened £100,056 #15 from 41 screens taking £453,876
2008’s Adulthood opened £1,203,319 #4 from 157 screens taking £3,347,811
- Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie – Paramount Pictures
Animated superhero comedy sequel to 2021’s PAW Patrol: The Movie featuring voices including Mckenna Grace, Taraji P. Henson, Marsai Martin, Christian Convery, Kim Kardashian, James Marsden and Kristen Bell and directed by Cal Brunker.
2021’s The Paw Patrol Movie opened £2,410,496 #2 from 581 screens (including £1,152,309 from Mon-Thurs previews) taking £8,478,200. It opened at the start of August and played well till the end of the summer holidays. This time it opens ahead of half-term but faces competition from Trolls Band Together opening October 20, but they are both aimed at different ages.
Previous Paw Patrol made up of multiple episodes had limited openings in Vue Cinemas
2020’s Paw Patrol: Ready, Race, Rescue opened #10 £483,886 from 524 screens taking £1,772,296
2019’s Paw Patrol: Mighty Pups opened #5 £521,505 from 507 screens taking £1,265,526
2017’s Paw Patrol: Mission Big Screen opened from 83 Vue Cinemas with £42,460
- The Miracle Club – Lionsgate
Drama starring Laura Linney, Kathy Bates, Maggie Smith, and Stephen Rea and directed by Thaddeus O’Sullivan.
It premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Festival in June and had a limited theatrical release in the US in July opening $664,607 #14 and taking $2,218,529; received mixed reviews 71% Rotten Tomatoes).
Took almost 20 years to get the film made due to delays over the script and funding, (financed by presales to Lionsgate and receiving £1.32m from the UK Global Screen Fund) and finally started shooting in April 2022.
20 years ago, it could have found an audience but now without talent available to promote the film will struggle to find an audience.
- The Exorcist: Believer – Universal Pictures (October 6th)
Supernatural horror, the sixth instalment in The Exorcist series and direct sequel to the 1973 film produced by Blumhouse Productions. It stars Leslie Odom Jr., Ann Dowd, Jennifer Nettles, Norbert Leo Butz, Lidya Jewett and Ellen Burstyn and is directed by David Gordon Green (who recently directed the Halloween reboot trilogy also for Blumhouse).
It was originally planned as a reboot but then was redeveloped as a direct sequel to the original film. It was due to be released on Friday 13th but was brought forward a week after Taylor Swift Eras Tour film was dated for October 13th and Universal brought forward the UK release a week despite the Taylor Swift film not being released internationally in October.
Universal Pictures paid $400m for worldwide rights for The Exorcist trilogy, this was similar to the $400m Netflix paid for rights to Knives Out sequels.
As with the recent Halloween reboot, it is the first of a trilogy of Exorcist films with the second, The Exorcist: Deceiver due for release on April 18, 2025.
The original theatrical version was released X uncut in 1974, Warner Bros. released it on home video in 1981 (one of their first video releases in the UK) at that time films didn’t need to be classified for home video. It was never on the Director of Public Prosecution’s list of video nasties.
After the Video Recording Act in 1984 it became necessary for The Exorcist to be classified by the BBFC but they decided that 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.
Warner Bros re-released the film in cinemas in 1998 opening with £2,186,977 from 248 screens (£4,325,113 inflated) taking £7,143,595 (£14,127,656 inflated).
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
Taking $159.34m; £8,725,496 UK and $259.93m worldwide
2021’s Halloween Kills opened $49.4m US and £1,598,062 #3 from 500 screens
Taking $92m; £4,899,770 UK and $133.42m worldwide
2022’s Halloween Ends opened $40.05m and £2,110,010 #2 from 574 screens
Taking $64.08m; £4,899,770 UK and $104.36m worldwide
By being brought forward a week means that it will open only a week after Saw X and both films could be played out before Halloween.