Top 5 Breakdown
- Despicable Me 3 – £11,154,904 – NE
Since Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 opened two months ago Alien: Covenant, King Arthur, Pirates of The Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge, Baywatch, Wonder Woman, The Mummy and Transformers: The Last Knights all have had disappointing openings with much of the industry blaming the weather.
But despite sunny weekend weather Despicable Me 3 still managed to have the fourth-biggest opening of the year and the biggest animated opening of the year topping Sing opening in January opening with £10.48m but £4.2m of its opening was from weekend previews. Despicable Me 3 also had the third biggest Fri-Sun opening as close to Minions opening two years ago Despicable Me 3 didn’t have the normal weekend previews that artificially inflate children films openings.
Despicable Me 3 had the third biggest opening for an Illumination Animation film in the UK behind 2013’s Despicable Me 2 opened £14.82m (taking £4.9m from previews) £9.9m without and 2015’s Minions £11.55m without previews.
Despicable Me 3 opened with £2.34m on Friday but being a children’s film Sat/Sun was where it took the built of its box office and will be the case for the next few weekends.
While Despicable Me 3 might of opening 12.5% bigger than Despicable Me 2 Fri-Sun opening its box office is similar as there has been over 16% ticket inflation since 2013.
Despicable Me 3 will likely drop about 53% in its second weekend taking £5.2m with a 10-day total of £19m+ facing tougher competition week after opening with Spider-Man: Homecoming (expected to open with £12m+) than Despicable Me 2 in 2013 had The Internship and Now You See Me while Minions had Terminator Genisys and Magic Mike XXL
The six Illumination Animation films in the UK have taken almost £190m at the box office and will have taken over £220m by the end of Despicable Me 3 theatrical release. After having an Illumination Animation opening in the summer for the past three years next year release Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch in November before moving back to summer for the next few summers with The Secret Life of Pets 2, Minions 2, Sing 2 and soon to be announced Despicable Me 4. From next year Illumination Animation will be sharing animation spotlight at Universal Pictures with Dreamworks Animation and Laika. While Laika is likely to continue their most original animation its likely Illumination Animation and Dreamworks Animation will be sequel heavy.
- Baby Driver – £ 3,605,705 – NE
After receiving very positive reviews currently, 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes Edgar Wright’s action musical was always expected to open strongly opening was boosted by £1.2m from previews Wednesday and Thursday.
Baby Driver had Edgar Wright’s second-best UK bow after 2007’s Hot Fuzz’s £5.92m which included £1.6m in previews which went on to take £20.98m. with strong word of mouth, Baby Driver is likely to hold strong in the coming weeks being an alternative to Spider-Man: Homecoming and War for the Planet of the Apes how it holds against those two will see if it can get close to matching the box office of Hot Fuzz.
What was interesting about Baby Driver was how different the US trailer was with the international trailer as the US trailer made the film look like just another heist film but the international trailer highlighted the musical element which made the film a what you would expect from an Edgar Wright film. Maybe Sony Pictures were concerned to go to Edgar Wright as his previous films whilst being successful in the UK wasn’t in the US so targeting Fast and Furious audience was the better way to go?
Baby Driver has been compared to 1993’s True Romance (for the iPhone generation) which was then seen as a modern day Bonnie and Clyde. Showing that Baby Driver is not as original a film as many think it is.
- Transformers: The Last Knight – £ 1,601,971 – £ 7,942,613
Down 65.4% in its second weekend hard to compare with second weekends of the other parts of the franchise as all except Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen had several days of previews. So, making a direct comparison with Age of Extinction second weekend drop of 84.7% is hard to do as it had 5 extra days.
But after 11 days on release Transformers: The Last Knight has taken over half of all previous films apart from the first film but any comparison with a film released ten years ago is impossible and will likely end with £11.5m.
Next year’s Bumblebee could be a reboot of the franchise being directed by Travis Knight who previously directed last year’s critically acclaimed Kubo and the Two Strings which disappointed at the box office he thought to be taking inspiration from the classic robot animated film Iron Giant.
As seen by Iron Giant, 2011’s Real Steel and 2004’s I, Robot can have films about robots that have human elements to them if Travis Knight could do this with Bumblebee we could see a rebooted Transformers franchise but the time Transformers 6 opens in 2019.
- All Eyez On Me – £ 912,662 – NE
Decent opening for Tupac Shakur biopic despite poor reviews it found space in the market over a busy weekend of new releases. But as to its US opening three weeks ago will likely have a very short stay in the top 10.
- Wonder Woman – £ 911,311 – £ 20,731,916
Down only 42.3% in its fifth weekend Wonder Woman has crossed £20m barrier climbing into the top 10 biggest films of 2017 but with Despicable Me 3 opened last weekend and Spider-Man Homecoming net weekend unlikely to last long in the top 10.
But Wonder Woman has overtaken the box office of Captain America: Winter Soldier £19.31m, Thor The Dark World £19.71 and all X-Men films apart from X-Men: Days of Future Past, Deadpool, and Logan.
Will shortly overtake Iron Man 2 £20.92m. Depending on how Wonder Woman holds against Spider-Man Homecoming she could overtake last year’s Doctor Strange £23.19m which would star in the biggest leading female film of the year topping Fifty Shades Darker.
But after Wonder Woman has taken over $346m in the US becoming the biggest DC Extended Universe film and $700m globally its £23m box office will be slightly disappointing to Warner Bros for the UK. While the industry will blame the weather for its disappointing opening was sunny weather over this weekend but this didn’t stop Despicable Me 3 opening with over £11m Wonder Woman should have opened similar.
After Wonder Woman gave comic-book fans what they have craved for from a DC Extended Universe film since Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Trilogy now look ahead to future films with Justice League released in November director Zac Snyder has recently stepped down from directing duties with Joss Whedon taking over post-production. Aquaman follows in December 2018. As always The Simpson’s predicted it with Joss Whedon and Just Us League
Many other films in development including Suicide Squad 2 and The Batman which was to star and directed by Ben Affleck but probably after the disappointing performance of Live By Night dropped out from directing with Matt Reeves replacing him both films are rumored for 2019 release. Joss Whedon is also developing a Batgirl movie with a casting list “leaked” on Reddit last week with Elle Fanning, Olivia Cooke, Bella Throne, Katherine Langford, Margaret Qualley, Jane Levy, Emma Roberts, Haley Lu Richardson and Naomi Scott on the list.
After a mixed year for Warner Bros this year so far in the UK with films The Lego Batman Movie, Wonder Woman and Kong: Skull Island their best performers but none doing the box office expected whilst having flopped King Arthur, Chips and Live By Night. Slate for the rest of the year includes Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk opening in three weeks’ time. Horrors Annabelle 2 and It (teaser trailer the most viewed ever) Lego Ninjago and Justice League with long-delayed Gerald Butler Geostorm final coming out in October.
UK box office in figures
This weekend’s top 10 box office took £19,630,337 up 105.6% from last weekend £9,547,583
The weekend admissions 2,649,168 up 105.6% from last weekend 1,288,473
17 films opened at weekend taking £16,449,987; Despicable Me 3 took 67.8% (£11,154,904) and Baby Driver 21.9% (£3,605,705), All Eyez on Me 5.5% (£912,662) The House 2.9% (£487,542) with the remaining 13 films sharing £182,431 (1.1%)
Despicable Me 3 took 56.8% of the top 10 box office
The weekend was up 28.1% from last year (£15,314,677): Absolutely Fabulous The Movie £4,016,132, Central Intelligence £3,043,015.
Up 25.5% from 2015: (£15,633,889): Terminator: Genisys £3,793,617, Magic Mike XXL £1,575,092, Amy £523,192,
Minions £11,556,856, Knock, Knock £250,825 and Slow West £140,858 opened.
Next weekend in 2016: (£16,304,545) The Legend of Tarzan £3,570,350, Now You See Me 2 £2,964,641, Sultan £1,048,417, The Neon Demon £126,996, Maggie’s Plan £102,534
Other box office news
425 films were released in the first six months of 2017 with box-office up 6.5% from £610m last year to £650m; is about 3% about industry claimed ticket inflation with average ticket price claimed by UK Cinema Association and BFI will be about £7.61 up from £7.41 in 2016 but as most people who go to the cinema know real average is £9.50 and in London £15.
The single biggest week for cinemagoing in 2017 was February half-term £45 million was taken at the box office shared between The LEGO Batman Movie, Fifty Shades Darker, Sing, T2: Trainspotting and La La Land.
The current top three biggest films in the UK are Beauty and the Beast, Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and La La Land with the top 20 biggest films so far in 2017 below.
UK Box Office Top 10
US Box Office Top 10
US Box Office
After 2017 started so strongly with Hidden Figures, Split, Get Out and Beauty and the Beast the industry thought 2017 would be the first year since 2002 that would see real growth in the market since 2002. As whilst box office has grown over the years since this is all due to ticket inflation as admissions haven’t increased since.
Summer 2017 from May 5th-July 2nd has taken $1.98bn 8% less than last year. 2017 is now the same as 2016 $7.5bn. As since Beauty and the Beast opened in March few films have opened bigger than expected The Boss Baby and Wonder Woman but most including The Fate of the Furious, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, Alien: Covenant, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, The Mummy, Baywatch, Transformers: The Last Knight and Despicable Me 3 all have opened lower than tracking predicted.
Spider-Man: Homecoming this weekend and War for the Planet of the Apes are expected to open with $120m+ and $65m+. But then few of the remaining summer films are unlikely to open any bigger if Harry Styles fans come out for Dunkirk it could do. The Emoji Movie and The Dark Tower likely to open with $40m+, Atomic Blonde and Annabelle 2 $30m+.
Since Beauty and the Beast opened in March few films have opened bigger than expected The Boss Baby and Wonder Woman but most including The Fate of the Furious, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, Alien: Covenant, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, The Mummy, Baywatch, Transformers: The Last Knight and Despicable Me 3 all have opened lower than tracking predicted. Spider-Man: Homecoming this weekend and War for the Planet of the Apes are expected to open with $120m+ and $65m+. But then few of the remaining summer films are unlikely to open any bigger if Harry Styles fans come out for Dunkirk it could do. The Emoji Movie and The Dark Tower likely to open with $40m+, Atomic Blonde and Annabelle 2 $30m+.
But then few of the remaining summer films are unlikely to open any bigger if Harry Styles fans come out for Dunkirk it could do. It’s Christopher Nolan’s first film since 2014’s Interstellar which must be one of the most disappointing recent films. As with Interstellar Dunkirk was shot on film and will be released in selected cinemas in 35mm, 70mm, and 70mm IMAX.
The Emoji Movie and The Dark Tower likely to open with $40m+, Atomic Blonde and Annabelle 2 $30m+. Atomic Blonde came out of nowhere as it was previously titled The Coldest City based on a graphic novel of the same name which made it sound like a spy thriller but changing the title to Atomic Blonde it’s then comparable to John Wick.
For the rest of the year Kingsman: The Golden Circle, American Made, Flatliners, Blade Runner 2049 are likely to perform strongly but none likely to take over $200m. After It teaser trailer became the most watch trailer ever in March with 197m views in its first 24 hours and 246m views after36 hours will they all come out to see the film? Happy Death Day could also perform strongly with a great Groundhog Day trailer.
Thor: Ragnarok likely to be bigger than last two Thor films with the addition of Hulk and can Justice League be the follow-up DC fans want after Wonder Woman and then there is of course Pitch Perfect 3 and Ferdinand and the little independent film Star Wars: The Last Jedi after The Force Awakens took $936m in the US could it be the first billion-dollar film at the US box office.
Are many other films from Ninjago to mother! and Murder on the Orient Express which had an excellent teaser trailer but the expected flops will be Geostorm and unlikely the magic will strike twice for Bad Moms Christmas and Daddy’s Home 2.
Universal Pictures – Despicable Me 3 opened with $75.41m opening 9.69% less than 2013’s Despicable Me 2 $83.5m which going into the weekend it was expected to beat. The opening was also 35% less than 2015’s Minions $115.7m.
Reviews for Despicable Me 3 were mixed with many saying the jokes have run out but that was the case with Despicable Me 2 and Minions but children love the films but I’m sure would be as happy to stay at home and watch either of the previous films.
As with Minions, Despicable Me 3 has a Marvel Extended Universe film opening in its second weekend but Spider-Man: Homecoming is expected to open with double Ant-Man opened in 2015 so is expected to drop closer to Minions 57.4% than Despicable Me 2’s 47.4%. But Despicable Me 3 is expected to be the summer and the year’s biggest animated film having a three window before The Emoji Movie opens a film will, of course, be hated by adults seeing the reaction to the short two minute trailers.
Despicable Me 3 received A- CinemaScore with the audience was split 50/50 between male and female with families making up 69% of the film’s moviegoers, 50% of which were children under age 13; Minions and the previous Despicable Me films received A CinemaScore. Final box office expected of $300m+ which would see it be the third biggest of the franchise. Universal Pictures has already dated Minions 2 for release in July 2020 and can be expected them to announce the untitled Illumination Animation film dated July 2021 to be Despicable Me 4 shortly.
Internationally Despicable Me 3 took $95.6m with a worldwide total of $192.3m. Has yet to open in China but the first film wasn’t released in China while previous two took $53m and $68m. While Minions took $1.15bn and Despicable Me 2 took $971m its unlikely Despicable Me 3 will get close to either film globally so will be another of the expected summer billion dollar films to fall short.
Sony Pictures – Baby Driver opened with $21m and $30.1m for its five-day opening ahead of the high teens opening the film had been tracking to open with. But since premiering at SXSW in March buzz has been very strong and has had a strong marketing campaign.
Baby Driver opened almost twice as big as his previous biggest opening in the US 2010’s Scott Pilgrim vs. the World $10.6m.
Received A- CinemaScore 55% were male vs. 45% female with 61% of the audience was 25 years or older. This audience is likely to be similar for Spider-Man: Homecoming and War for the Planet of the Apes opening over the next two weeks so the big question is how well it will hold in its second weekend.
Used to be a decade or more ago films with strong buzz and word of mouth would hold strong in the weeks after opening but still expected to have a bigger second-weekend drop than Wonder Woman had last month 43%.
Paramount Pictures – Transformers: The Last Knight dropped 62% taking $17m and $102.1m;
Transformers: The Last Knight took $327.8m internationally with $198m from China after dropping 75% in its second weekend it’s likely to end with $250m 22% less than Age of Extinction. As rentals from China are about 20% compared with 50% for US Paramount Pictures will still make more money from its $140m US box office than China showing how China has artificially inflated many films globally box office over recent years but not increased profits.
The other issue with China are films will get pirated far quicker. This weekend a Chinese pirate of Alien: Covenant came online 7 weeks after its US release the film has now played out of cinemas but won’t be available legally until August 15th which is why early VOD release is urgently needed as this could cut piracy.
Paramount will, of course, continue Transformers franchise but will likely be rebooted by another director spinoff Bumblebee is set for release in 2018 with Transformers 6 released in 2019 neither expected to have anything to do with Michael Bay. Since 2011 when Paramount was the biggest studio in the US and globally they have failed to build on that success not helped to lose Dreamworks, Dreamworks Animation, Marvel and Lucasfilm (Indiana Jones) to their rivals.
As we are seeing now almost 18 months after Tom Rothman became chairman of Sony Pictures with films including Baby Driver, Spider-Man; Homecoming and The Dark Tower is finally revitalizing the studio. Can Jim Gianopulos do the same for Paramount Pictures over the next year after recently announcing Mission Impossible 6 for release next summer dated Top Gun 2 for July 2019 33 years after the first film will both films revitalize Paramount Pictures and Tom Cruise? But Paramount need a lot more than those two films need to build a strong slate of films something they have failed to do in many years.
Warner Bros – Wonder Woman drops 35.4% taking $16.1m and $346.64m;
After five weeks has become the biggest DC Extended Universe film in the US topping Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice $330.36m and become the 11th biggest comic-book movie in the US overtaking Guardians of the Galaxy, Suicide Squad, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. In its sights are Deadpool $363m, Spider-Man 2 $373.5m and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 which could see Wonder Woman get close to $400m.
Has now taken $708m worldwide with $360m internationally; international box office is now bigger than, The Wolverine $282.2m, Thor $268.2m and Iron Man $266.7m. Currently, #93 biggest film in the world and will shortly overtake Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and possibly Suicide Squad in its sight.
Warner Bros – The House opened with $8.7m; was tracking to open in low teens but after taking less than a million from Thursday midnights an opening close to Chips was always expected.
Summer used to be a lucrative time for comedies and R-rated comedies over the years but after Rough Night and Snatched also flopped hasn’t been a comedy hit since Bad Moms last July. STX released trailer last week for Bad Moms Christmas which as with Daddy’s Home 2 also released in November sees the battle of the unwanted parent comedy sequel. Both films were surprises first time out but unlikely can be repeated a second time.
New Line Cinema has had summer success in recent years with comedies 2011’s Horrible Bosses, 2013’s We’re the Millers and 2016’s Central Intelligence but then 2015’s Vacation flopped. Had moderate successes with Fist Fight and Going in Style this year with upcoming comedies Game Night, Life of the Party, Tag and Margie Claus.
Focus Features – The Beguiled took $3.25m expanding from 4 screens to 576 screens up 1,321% taking $3.57m; The film received its premiere at Cannes Film Festival where Jessica Chastain was a jury member took to Twitter this week describing it as “The Beguiled takes a typical male fantasy and changes it up. The power is with the women in this remake,”
On limited release
Lionsgate – The Big Sick expanded to 71 screens taking $1.67m up 296.7% taking $2.22m.
Opened July 7th
Opening UK
- Spider-Man: Homecoming – Sony Pictures
The sixteenth film of the Marvel Cinematic Universe co-produced by Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios.
In the leaked emails from Sony Hacking in November 2014 were discussions between Amy Pascal and Doug Belgrad over plans to make a new trilogy of Spider-Man films wanting Marvel Studios to produce with Sony retaining creative control, marketing, and distribution. Discussions between the two studios broke down but in February 2015 both announced they would co-produce a new film and Spider-Man would appear first in Captain America: Civil War while Marvel Studios characters would also appear in Spider-Man: Homecoming and future Spider-Man films. This is the second Spider-Man reboot in five years and the third different Spider-Man film made in the last 15 years.
Discussions between the two studios broke down but in February 2015 both announced they would co-produce a new film and Spider-Man would appear first in Captain America: Civil War while Marvel Studios characters would also appear in Spider-Man: Homecoming and future Spider-Man films. This is the second Spider-Man reboot in five years and the third different Spider-Man film made in the last 15 years.
Sony will be hoping the addition of Marvel within the Spider-Man world will be like Captain America: Civil War last year making the film more than just a Spider-Man film. Tonally the trailer shows the Marvel influence as Sony always feel the need to add more and more to their films which often makes them feel tiresome.
Sony will be looking for the Avengers bump Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War had with Captain America: The First Avenger with the addition of Avengers characters; The Winter Soldier up 110% and Civil War up 301% from The First Avenger.
The addition of Tony Stark/Iron Man in Spider-Man: Homecoming along with the John Hughes feel of the film will be more appealing to. But reviews have been mostly positive some calling it the best Spider-Man film others feeling its corporate mismatch which is seen with the film having six writers and nine producers with two of them being Kevin Feige and Amy Pascal wonder how much control director Jon Watts had.
Starring Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Jon Favreau, Marisa Tomei, and Robert Downey Jr and directed by Jon Watts
The first trailer was released in December with a second released in March receiving more Twitter mentions than Justice League trailer which was released the same week. A third trailer was released in May
Spider-Man: Homecoming opens the week after Despicable Me 3 if the film performs as Despicable Me 2 in June 2013 which took £3.9m or Minions in July 2015 £6.23m in their second weekends Spider-Man: Homecoming will have a real battle on its hands.
Strangely for a Marvel film, its marketing was confused from the spoiler-filled trailers (but director John Watts has said recently in an interview that the trailers don’t spoil the film) to the strangely photoshopped poster released in May which sees Tony Stark/Iron Man overshadow Spider-Man and the IMAX poster released week again is poorly photoshopped. The marketing campaigns have become very slick and polished over the last nine years Spider-Man: Homecoming is much more confusing probably because Sony Pictures
Much was made about Patty Jenkins directing $150m budget Wonder Woman after only directing one film before the Oscar winning 2003 Monster but going from small indie to $150m is a regular for male directors as seen by director of Spider-Man Homecoming Jon Watt only directed two films Clown and Cop Car which barely did anything at the box office. Early this year Jordan Vogt-Roberts directed Kong: Skull Island having only previously directed 2013’s The Kings of Summer and in August Nikolaj Arcel has directed The Dark Tower his first English language film after previously directing A Royal Affair.
It’s often questioned by studios give their tentpole releases to novice directors as seen recently with Star Wars Rogue One and Han Solo with directors Gareth Edwards and Phil Lord and Chris Miller they try to bring their vision to the films whereas a novice director can be controlled more and used as a puppet by the producers.
After making The Lego Movie, 21 Jump Street and its sequel Lucasfilm must have known the kind of Han Solo film they would have made but Lucasfilm have their own vision of what a Star Wars film is and if you deviate from that your removed. JJ Abrams did exactly what Lucasfilm wanted with Star Wars: The Force Awakens remake of A New Hope. Directors on these films are puppets to the producers and why Lucasfilm opted for Ron Howard as a strong and stable director to replace Phil Lord and Chris Miller as they know exactly what film he will make.
So many other male directors have gone from indie to high budget films Colin Trevorrow directed 2012’s Safety Not Guaranteed which took $4m at the box office was attached to direct The Book of Henry but chose instead to direct Jurassic World since made The Book of Henry and is currently shooting Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom before directing Star Wars Episode IX next year.
Likewise, previous directors of Spiderman films Sam Raimi who previously directed genre studio films before Spider-Man in 2002 was his first big budget film and Marc Webb who had only previously directed 500 Days of Summer after directing the two Spider-Man films he has gone back to his indie roots directing Gifted and The Only Living Boy in New York. If course hiring an indie director for a big budget film can go horribly wrong Michael Lehmann who previously directed cult hits Heather and Meet the Applegates then made Hudson Hawk.
Opening on Wednesday Spider-Man Homecoming has a 5-day opening weekend which should see it open with £13m+ close to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 313.19m opening in April. This would be the biggest opening of a Spider-Man film in the UK previous biggest was Spider-Man 2 3 in 2007 £11.82m but with ticket, inflation would be £17.82m today.
The five Spider-Man films have taken £136m at the UK box office over the last 15 years ticket inflation would increase this to £201m. Spider-Man Homecoming is expected to take £30m+ at the box office which would see it become the fifth biggest Marvel Cinematic Universe film in the UK behind Avengers Assemble, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and Captain America: Civil War which will see the 16 MCU films take over £400m at the UK box office.
Spider-Man Homecoming is the third reboot over the last 15 years but has a long history in 1985 Cannon Films acquired rights for five years from Marvel for $225,000 Menahem Golan spent another $2m on 10 different scripts but after severe financial issues Cannon was brought by Pathe Communication who went on to MGM Studios Golan got Spider-Man right back and set up 21st Century Films but couldn’t get funding for Spider-Man he did make Captain America in 1990.
Golan sold TV rights for the film to Viacom, home-video rights to Columbia and theatrical rights to Carolco who attached James Cameron to write and direct while shooting True Lies in 1993 he had finished writing the script but due to rights issues. Legal issues began in 1993 with Golan suing Carolco then Carolco sued Viacom and Columbia to reunite the TV and video rights. Columbia and Viacom countersued Carolco and MGM and Marvel Comics sued to allege fraud in the original deal with Cannon. Within a year, Carolco, 21st Century, and Marvel had each filed for bankruptcy. In 1998 Marvel came out of bankruptcy and courts determined rights sold to Golan had expired, Marvel in 1999, sold the rights to Sony for a reported $7 million with both sharing the merchandising.
At Sony, the script went through dozen rewrites while Sony wanted Leonardo DiCaprio to play the Spider-Man then Freddie Prinze Jr before settling with Tobey Maguire. Spider-Man was originally set for release in December 2001 but then moved to May 2002 due to additional special effects were needed. While the first trailer had to be remade as it featured the World Trade Centre.
- It Comes At Night – Universal Pictures
Psychological horror starring Joel Edgerton, Christopher Abbott, Carmen Ejogo, Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Riley Keough and directed by Trey Edward Shults; received positive reviews opening in the US in June by A24 taking $6m from its opening weekend and has taken $13.5m to date.
Opening in the US
- Spider-Man: Homecoming – Sony Pictures
For the three weeks, up to its release, the film dominated social media with 345,000 conversations in the last week boosted by positive reviews, cast interviews and coffee shop viral. The film has currently got a 93% Rotten Tomatoes score from 77 positive and 6 negative reviews.
In 2009 Disney brought Marvel Entertainment three years later brought Lucasfilm the main reason for both acquisitions software sales (merchandise) rather than hardware (films) which was close to reason why Sony brought Columbia Pictures in 1989 and Matsushita brought Universal Pictures a year later as they saw their libraries as software to the electrical products these companies made. This was the reason why Disney was happy to bring Spider-Man into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as it gave them a $175m two-hour advert to sell MCU merchandise with Sony Pictures paying production costs.
While for Sony they get to reboot one of their biggest franchises (the five previous films have taken $1.57bn in the US and $3.96bn worldwide) as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The new Spider-Man launched in last year’s Captain America: Civil War and Sony Pictures will be looking for a similar bump Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War had with Captain America: The First Avenger with the addition of Avengers characters; The Winter Soldier up 47% and Civil War up 131% from The First Avenger.
Three weeks before opening Spider-Man: Homecoming was tracking to open with $100m; three weeks before Wonder Woman opened it was being tracked to open with $83m but then opened with 24% more $103m this was at a time before the positive reviews and there was concern over its marketing neither issues affected the build up to Spider-Man: Homecoming opening so is likely to open with $110m+ while three weeks before Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 opened was tracking to open with $150m opening with $146.5m.
As often in films they make mistakes of the geography where the film is set and distance from different locations Spider-Man: Homecoming with Spider-Man hanging from the side of the Avengers Tower but with Empire State Building and the World Trade Centre in view which would not be possible from Avenger Tower is actually Metlife building which is at 200 Park Avenue.
As with many films, Sony released the first four minutes of Spider-Man: Homecoming online.
Spider-Man actor Tom Holland has said previously are plans for a trilogy of new films with the sequel already dated for July 2019 which will begin minutes after Avengers Infinity finishes which is released in May 2019. But Marvel’s Kevin Fiege has said that the Spider-Man storyline will cover five films starting with Captain America: Civil War, Homecoming, Avengers: Infinity War, untitled Avengers and ending with Homecoming 2.
- A Ghost Story – A24
Drama starring Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara, with supporting performances from Will Oldham, Sonia Acevedo, Rob Zabrecky and Liz Franke and directed by David Lowery; had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival receiving positive reviews were A24 acquired world rights