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| Author | DCM |
The Weekend Round-up
- Sonic The Hedgehog posted a sensational hold this weekend, keeping his paws tight to the top of the box office. The family adventure added £4.2m, a drop of just 12% from last weekend, which takes its total to £14.7m after just 10 days in cinemas – an average of £1.47m per day! It has already overtaken the lifetime total of last year’s Pokemon Detective Pikachu, which finished on £13.8m.
- Dolittle was in third last weekend but went back up to second this week, posting an even better hold than Sonic The Hedgehog, falling just 5% to £2m. After a strong half term week last week, the Robert Downey Jr adventure is now up to £14.1m.
- Parasite continued its momentous cinema release, adding £1.7m for a new total of £8.4m. It now looks nailed on to overtake the second biggest foreign language release of all time in the UK, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’s, final total of £9.4m and it looks likely to get close to The Passion Of The Christ (£11.1m), which is the biggest foreign language release of all time in the UK.
- The dog came good, as The Call Of The Wild opened in fourth with £1.5m, which includes £478k from previews after opening on Wednesday. We’ve had a spate of dog themed films in the last few years, from A Dog’s Purpose in 2017 to A Dog’s Way Home and A Dog’s Journey last year. A Dog’s Purpose is the highest grossing with £3.2m, which is a total that’s not out of reach for The Call Of The Wild.
- Emma opened outside the top five last weekend but came in fifth this week, adding £1.2m. That takes its total after 10 days in cinemas to £4.6m.
- Outside of the top five, 1917 took its biggest tumble yet in sixth, on its seventh weekend, falling 45% to £1.1m. That takes its total to £41.6m and it has now overtaken Les Miserables final total of £40.8m. In terms of the biggest awards season titles, it looks like The King Speech’s final total of £45.7m will be just out of reach but 1917 isn’t going to fall too far short.
- A couple of new entries landed in the lower reaches of the top 10. Like A Boss continued the disappointing recent performance of US comedy, opening with just £520k in eighth, which included £15k from previews. Horror sequel Brahms: The Boy II opened in ninth with £504k. The first film opened with £733k in 2016 on its way to £2.7m.
Overall the box office is down 13% from last weekend and up 48% from the same weekend last year when the top films were The LEGO Movie 2, Instant Family, How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World and Alita: Battle Angel.
Next Weekend
- The Invisible Man is a thriller starring Elisabeth Moss. When Cecilia's abusive ex takes his own life and leaves her his fortune, she suspects his death was a hoax. As a series of coincidences turn lethal, Cecilia works to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see.
- Dark Waters is a thriller starring Mark Ruffalo as a corporate defence attorney who takes on an environmental lawsuit against a chemical company that exposes a lengthy history of pollution.
- The True History Of The Kelly Gang is based on Peter Carey's novel and it’s the story of Australian bushranger Ned Kelly and his gang as they flee from authorities during the 1870s. George Mackay, Thomasin Mackenzie, Nicholas Hoult and Russell Crowe star.
- Downhill is a remake of the 2014 arthouse hit, Force Majeure. Barely escaping an avalanche during a family ski vacation in the Alps, a married couple is thrown into disarray as they are forced to reevaluate their lives and how they feel about each other. Julia Louis Dreyfus and Will Ferrell star.
The Buzz
Onward is the first of two original Pixar films in 2020. Tom Holland and Chris Pratt voice elf brothers, in a suburban fantasy world who embark on a quest to discover if there is still magic out there. The first reviews are now out, with Empire giving it the full five stars, saying ‘Pixar returns with a great big power-chord of a movie — heart-pumping, resonant, and positively harmonious’. The Guardian called it ‘Pixar’s best film in years’ and The Telegraph said it ‘may be middle-of-the-pack Pixar but it’s still a real pleasure’. It’s in cinemas on 6 March.
Across The Pond
Sonic The Hedgehog topped the box office in the US, adding $26.3m, a drop of 55% from last weekend. That takes its total to $106.6m. The Call of the Wild opened in second with $24.8m and Birds of Prey came in third, adding $7m for a new total of $72.5m. Horror sequel Brahms: The Boy II opened in fourth with $5.9m and Bad Boys for Life completed the top five, adding $5.9m for a new total of $191.2m.