| Date | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mia Blakeney |
Box Office Round-up
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is the latest blockbuster to surpass expectations, opening with £7.4m, the fifth biggest opening weekend of the year (behind Deadpool & Wolverine, Inside Out 2, Dune: Part II and Despicable Me 4). Director Tim Burton’s last film in cinemas was 2019’s Dumbo, which opened with £6.1m on its way to £25.1m, so Beetlejuice Beetlejuice has made a better start than that. Twisters is the last film in cinemas which is a sequel to a much-loved film from the 80s or 90s. That opened with £3.1m and has almost finished its cinema run and sits on £14m, so Beetlejuice Beetlejuice will be looking for a total way north of that.
South Asian films are back in the top five as The Greatest Of All Time opened in second with £769k, which includes £357k from previews after opening on Thursday. The biggest South Asian release so far this year is Fighter which came out in January and grossed just over £1m. The Greatest Of All Time has a good shot of setting a new benchmark this year.
Colleen Hoover’s It Ends With Us stayed in third, adding £669k, a drop of 42% from last weekend. That takes its total after five weekends in cinemas to £20.1m and it’s the seventh highest grossing film released on 2024, although Beetlejuice Beetlejuice may well overtake it over the next few weeks.
On its seventh weekend, Deadpool & Wolverine continued its sensational run, falling 46% to £662km, which takes its total to £56m, which makes it the fourth highest grossing film in the MCU, behind only Avengers: Infinity War (£70.8m), Avengers: Endgame (£88.7m) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (£97.1m). In terms of 15-cert comic book films, it looks like it might not have the legs to overtake Joker, which finished on £58.2m in 2019.
Rounding out the top five is Alien: Romulus which added £544k, a drop of 47% from last weekend. That takes its total to £12.1m and it’s slowly creeping towards the final total of Alien: Covenant, which finished on £12.9m in 2017.
Outside of the top five, the other major new entry in the top 10 was period drama Firebrand which opened in 10th with 120k, which includes £11k from previews. Star Wars was back in the top 10 this week as Episode III: Revenge of the Sith grossed £159k over the weekend.
Next Weekend
Speak No Evil is a dark thriller about a family who is invited to spend a weekend in an idyllic country house, unaware that their dream vacation will soon become a psychological nightmare. James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis star. It’s in cinemas from Thursday.
The Critic is a crime drama starring Ian McKellen. In 1930s London, a powerful theatre critic, threatened by the new owner of the newspaper where he works, enlists a young actress to help him prevent his boss from firing him. Gemma Arterton and Lesley Manville co-star.
Lee is the story of American photographer Lee Miller, a fashion model who became an acclaimed war correspondent for Vogue magazine during World War II. Kate Winslet stars.
The Buzz
We Live In Time is a romantic drama from John Crowley (Brooklyn) and stars Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield. Pugh plays an up-and-coming chef, whilst Garfield is a recent divorcée. They find their lives forever changed when a chance encounter brings them together, in a decade-spanning, deeply moving romance. It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival at the weekend and the first reviews are out now. The Guardian gave it four stars and said ‘it’s such a joy to watch two such assured and natural performers allowed the room to exercise both movie star and actor muscles as well as showcase their ease with both comedy and drama.’ It opens in the UK & Ireland on 1 January.
Across The Pond
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice opened in the top spot with a terrific $111m, the second biggest opening in September of all-time. Deadpool & Wolverine fell to second adding $7.2m for a new total of $614m. Reagan added $5.2m in third for a new total of $18.5m. Alien: Romulus fell to fourth adding $3.9m which takes its total to $97.2m. It Ends With Us rounded out the top five, adding $3.8m for a new total of $141.4m.