| Date | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mia Blakeney |
Box Office Round-up
Kenneth Branagh’s A Haunting In Venice opened in the top spot with £2.2m. This is the third film featuring Branagh’s Poirot, with Murder On The Orient Express opening with £5.1m in 2017 and Death On The Nile opening with £1.8m in 2022, so A Haunting In Venice has topped Death On The Nile. That film finished with £8m, so that’s the target for this third film.
Last weekend’s top film The Nun II fell to second but posted a decent hold, falling 35% from last weekend. That takes its total after 10 days in cinemas to £3.9m and in what’s been a strong year for horror, it’s another hit.
The Equalizer 3 posted a sensational hold in third, falling just 14% to £874k, which takes its total to £6.3m. It still has a great shot at being the highest grossing film in the series, with the first film finishing on £6.9m and the second film finishing with £7.5m.
After a great opening last weekend, Jawan stayed in the top five, adding £480k, a drop of 54% for a new total of £2.4m. It has just overtaken Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani (£2.3m) and is now the second-highest grossing South Asian film of 2023 behind Pathaan which finished its run with £4.3m.
Greta Gerwig’s Barbie continues its incredible run and on its ninth weekend added £456k, a drop of just 19% from last weekend. That takes its total to £94.5m and it is now the sixth-biggest film of all-time, having overtaken Avatar (£94m).
Outside of the top five, Past Lives in sixth increased on last weekend’s total by 3% (once previews are removed). It added £374k and is now on £1.2m. Oppenheimer in seventh has overtaken the final total of Dunkirk and on £57.3m is now Christopher Nolan’s biggest ever film in the UK & Ireland.
The box office was flat compared to last weekend and up 81% from the same weekend last year.
Next Weekend
Expend4bles is the fourth film in the testosterone-fuelled action franchise. The Expendables are assigned on a mission to stop a terrorist organization, headed by Suarto Rahmat, from smuggling nuclear warheads that will ignite a conflict between Russia and the U.S.
Dumb Money is the ultimate David vs. Goliath tale, based on the insane true story of everyday people who flipped the script on Wall Street and got rich by turning GameStop (yes, the mall videogame store) into the world's hottest company. Paul Dano, Shailene Woodley, Seth Rogen and Pete Davidson star.
The Lesson is a drama starring Richard E. Grant, Julie Delpy and Daryl McCormack. A young author takes a tutoring position at the estate of a legendary writer.
The Buzz
The Venice Film Festival is one of the most prestigious film festivals and their top prize, the Golden Lion, is often a good indicator for future awards success, having recently been won by two Oscar Best Picture winners, Nomadland and The Shape Of Water. This year the Golden Lion went to Yorgos Lanthimos’ Poor Things, which is seemingly one of the most universally loved major awards contenders to premiere in years. Emma Stone stars as Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). It received the full five stars in The Guardian, The Telegraph, Total Film, and Time Out and almost every other review was glowing, talking up Emma Stone’s chances of winning her second Best Actress Oscar. It appears to be a contender in almost every major category and it’s in cinemas on 12 January 2024.
Across The Pond
The Nun II just held on to the top spot with $14.7m, which takes its total to $56.5m. A Haunting In Venice opened in second just behind with $14.5m. The Equalizer 3 added $7.2m in second, which takes its total to $73.7m. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 added $4.7m in fourth, which takes its total to $18.6m. Barbie rounds out the top five, adding $4m for a new total of $626.2m.