Top 5 Breakdown

1. The Secret Life of Pets – £9,529,446 – NE

 2D £5,048,222 with previews £8,155,635 (85.6%) – 3D £851,015 with previews £1,373,810 (14.4%)

Had the biggest non Pixar and fifth biggest opening of the year and Universal’s biggest since Minions last year

Had the biggest animated opening of the year ahead of Disney’s Zootropolis opened with £5.31m including £1.73m in previews. Kung Fu Panda 3 £4.77m including £1.59m in previews. Angry Birds with £2.14m.

The second biggest original animation opening behind 2004’s The Incredibles £9.75m and the sixth biggest opening for original animation opening Fri-Sun.

After taking £3.6m last weekend from previews which was the biggest ever for an original animated film. Took £5.89m Fri-Sun

Minions opened with £11.59m last year Fri-Sun opening without previews.

Opening two weeks ahead of the US to avoid going head to head with Ice Age: Collusion Course and Finding Dory similar to last year with Minions often the first animated film has the advantage but of course Ice Age: Collusion Course and Finding Dory open at the start of the school holidays.

Minions	July 2015	£11.55m
Despicable Me 2	July 2013	£14.78m (£4.9m previews)
Despicable Me	October 2010	£3.66m (£205,000 in previews)

Opening was bigger than Disney’s Zootropolis £5.3m (£1.7m from previews) and Inside Out £7.3m last year but was boosted by £3.6m taken last weekend which Inside Out didn’t.

 Ice Age: Collision Course has two weekends of previews over the next two weekends which will likely affect its box office as Ice Age has been a loved animated franchise over the last 14 years.  

2. Independence Day: Resurgence – £5,046,573 – NE

 2D £2,577,364 with previews £3,124,210 (61.9%) 3D £1,060,548 with previews £1,344,410 (26.6%)

IMAX/3D £463,960 with previews £577,954 (11.4%)

Had the ninth biggest opening of 2016 including previews behind Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice £14.62m, Captain America: Civil War £14.47m, Deadpool £13.73m, The Jungle Book £9.90m, The Secret Life of Pets £9.58m, X-Men: Apocalypse £7.35m, Zootropolis £5.31m and The Revenant £5.24m.

Twenty years ago Independence Day had the biggest opening of the year £7.01m and became the biggest film of 1996. Roland Emmerich followed the film with disaster films The Day After Tomorrow in 2004 and 2012 opening in in 2009 with £7.32m and £6.48m but ever since the release of the first film had plans for a sequel.

Disaster and apocalyptic films have been audience’s favourites over the years these are the biggest openers in the last 20 years. Independence Day: Resurgence opening 10^th biggest shows how disappointing its opening was especially as the original was such a popcorn movie and many described the sequel similarly.

 

Was surprised no one from Leave Campaign used Independence Day as part of their campaign but the film is about unity about countries coming together to fight a common enemy. Normally if someone quoted a line from your film during a peak time TV show and the biggest selling newspaper used films poster to promote a news story the film distributor would think they had won the lottery.

Boris Johnson using inspiration from President Whitmore saying “This Thursday can be our countries Independence Day” along with The Sun using it as the headline to June 23^rd paper played into the Rupert Murdoch conspiracy theories with many.

Big question was this a turn-off to audiences but anyone who had seen the original President Whitmore’s speech was about unity not separation and its opening was far bigger

A better tagline would have been Whoever Wins, We Lose from Alien vs. Predator. Cameron Saunders told me several weeks ago the sequel was the most fun since Deadpool and majority of the media agreed with that.

There was the issue of in the US it wasn’t press screened which always angers critics having to pay to see the film with regular audience. This now often happens a lot Sony Pictures aren’t doing press screenings of Ghostbusters. The most famous was The Avengers (remake of 60s TV show) in August 1998 when Warner Bros announced would be no press screenings the press when journalists wrote articles about not being able to see it including a half page article in the Sunday Times.

20^th Century Fox online marketing was very strong with many viral videos including a website which would allow you to see if your home was destroyed during the alien attack while they blocked several locations including the Orlando Pulse night club 1 World Trade Centre brought up images similar to the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. http://www.independencedaymystreet.com/news/all

Other marketing including Wayne Rooney was also mixed received

But the trailer that was played during England Vs Russia match on June 11th for Euro 2016 had all the fun that Deadpool had as people watched it double-taking unsure at first what these ex footballers were talking about.

Was also the Jeff Goldblum meets David Levinson and also the Jeff Goldblum meme maker.

But possibly marketing was a bit too clever and fun for a normal summer popcorn movie which Independence Day: Resurgence is.

The trailers were viewed 135 million times, were 120,000 tweets before release but 200,000+ is normally a good indication of a blockbuster opening.

At CineEurope last week Jeffrey Katzenberg said they blew it with 3D last weekend was a perfect example of why with only 14% of audiences for The Secret Life of Pets watching in 3D while 26% for Independence Day: Resurgence. Both films were retro-fitted in 3D  done so purely as exhibitors can charge a third more and audiences won’t anymore Avatar, Life of Pi, Hugo and Gravity audiences enjoyed the 3D experience and saw the films mostly in 3D everyone raved about the 3D for The Jungle Book but 3D performed averagely. 

Exhibitors are now looking at IMAX or fake IMAX to add surcharges to already expensive cinema tickets. Event Cinema also have 50%+ surcharges to their regular ticket prices as 3D does while audiences are happy to pay these prices now will they in years to come like 3D.

3. The Conjuring 2 £1,555,161 – total £7,727,522

Down 66.5% from its 7 day opening weekend; holding similar to the first film which took £1.62m after 10 days taking £5.85m looking like it should end ahead of The Conjuring’s £10.5m.

Has already overtaken The Conjuring 2014 spin-off Annabelle which took £7.51m.

Warner will be hoping to repeat its success with low budget horror with Lights Out released in August which received positive reviews after premiering at the Los Angeles Film Festival earlier this month.

While The Conjuring franchise continues next year with Annabelle 2, The Conjuring 3 and The Nuns.

4. Me Before You – £666,583 – total £8,020,111

Dropping 31.9% in its fourth week still holding similar to The Fault in Our Stars which took £556,783 I its fourth weekend it is however still less than its total £9,885,970 but this was more to its far bigger opening weekend.

Despite all the controversy surrounding the film’s release as with The Fault in Our Stars sold millions of copies in the UK helped attract a strong female audience to the film as did a strong social media campaign. Was also helped being the teen female targeted film on release will face competition from with Absolutely Fabulous this weekend which will probably target an older female audience.

5. The Nice Guys £199,217 – total £3,464,135

Down 51.5% in its fourth weekend climbs up one place and into the top 5 for the first time on its release more thanks to all of the other films dropping more heavily rather than the performance of The Nice Guys. Having lowest for any film in the UK Top 5 since May 2013.

After generating positive reviews ahead of its release opening during a busy weekend four weeks ago had a disappointing start but held strongly over the weeks after release. It is an example of the changing marketplace where smaller films need time to find their audiences over weeks rather than days which was helped by the dearth of films targeting older audiences.

The Nice Guys was seen as a sorta trailer to Kiss Kiss Bang Bang but lacked much which made it such a great action comedy and one of my favourite films in recent years  the film helped relaunch Robert Downey Jr career soon after starred in Iron Man (but similar to Johnny Depp and Pirates of the Caribbean Robert Downey Jr renewed success has been solely superhero related with his other acting roles misfiring) while it took longer for Shane Black Iron Man 3 in 2013. 

It’s another example Ryan Gosling is an actor many like but has been 12 years since The Notebook still yet to star it a blockbuster hit has starred in a wide range of different films always very watchable. He has two very high profile upcoming films the musical La La Land where he stars again alongside Emma Stone which receives its world premiere at Venice Film Festival in September before opening in December and the eagerly awaited Bladerunner sequel released in 2017. While for Russell Crowe stars in The Mummy reboot with Tom Cruise out next summer

The performance of Me Before You opening the same weekend of The Nice Guys but has taken more than double shows disappointing performance of the film had and shown changing audience demographics as 20 years ago would of top the charts. Have been many similar films in recent years like Edge of Tomorrow and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. that opened disappointingly but held well but nowadays strong opening weekend is vital.

Also Released

Elvis & Nixon – eOne – £97,441 from 107 screens

The Meddler – Sony Pictures – £18,000 from 100 screens

Other box office news:

This weekend’s top 10 box office took £17,743,825 up 106.5% from last weekend £8,589,370; 

Weekend was down 45.8% from same weekend last year (£15,864,188) when Minions – £11,556,856, Knock, Knock £250,825 and Slow West £140,858 opened.

Next weekend 2015: Terminator: Genisys £3,773,582, Magic Mike XXL £1,521,191, Amy £520,528 opened.

Complete UK Box office top 10 – June 24^th – 26^th 2016

 

US Top 10 Box Office

1. Walt Disney – Finding Dory – dropped 45.8% – $73.2m – $286.5m; is 98% ahead of Finding Nemo after 10 days which had taken $144.3m in June 2003.

2. 20^th Century Fox – Independence Day: Resurgence – opened $41.6m receiving B CinemaScore; 17% less than first film $50.2m but as it was released in 1996 was a huge decline on original films opening.Was much negativity on social media ahead of release about the film not being screened to press which was probably due to reception X-Men: Apocalypse received. But many who did review it compared it favourably to the original was seen as one of the sequels audiences wanted to see this year. The postmortem  has said its failure was due to the lack of Will Smith but he wasn’t a star when the first film was released but the biggest question is in the time of front-loaded opening why a film called Independence Day didn’t open Independence Day weekend today June 29th of course when dating 20th Century Fox like everyone else was expecting big things from The BFG which had already claimed the weekend to itself. 

3. Warner Bros – Central Intelligence – dropped 48.3% – $18.3m – $69.3m

4. Sony Pictures – The Shallows – opened $16.7m; receiving positive reviews many described as best shark movie since Jaws only received B+ CinemaScore so might not be sleeper hit many believed. The Shallows is about a shark but the real star is the seagull .

5. STX – Free State of Jones – opened $7.7m; received A- CinemaScore; summer used to be a great time to release drama films 20 years ago Apollo 13 and Dead Poet’s Society amongst many others but in recent years The Help in 2011 was the last drama summer success Weinstein’s Southpaw was last summers disappintment. 

6. Warner Bros – The Conjuring 2 – dropped 48.2% – $7.7m – $86.9m; after 17 days first film took $107.9m

7. Lionsgate – Now You See Me 2 – dropped 39.7% – $5.6m – $52.1m; the first film took $80.7m after 17 days.

8. 20^th Century Fox – X-Men: Apocalypse – dropped 53.4% – $2.4m – $151.1m; in comparison Days of Future Past had taken $216.7m after five weeks in 2014.

9. Paramount Pictures – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows – dropped 54.3% – $2.4m – $77.1; in comparison TMNT had taken $166.2m after 4 weeks.

10. Walt Disney – Alice Through the Looking Glass – dropped 50% – $2.1m –  $74.5m; in comparison Alice in Wonderland $309.7m after 5 weeks.