| Date | |
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| Author | Tom Linay |
The Weekend Round-up
- In a year of unrivalled blockbuster cinema, Avengers: Endgame has laid down an incredible marker. Marvel’s feverishly anticipated behemoth kicked off its run with a record-breaking £43.4m haul, which includes £12m from Thursday previews. That figure breaks a whole host of records, here’s a summary: £12m is the biggest opening day in history and was the biggest single day for a film in history, until Saturday when Endgame banked £12.2m. £31.4m is the biggest Friday to Sunday total of all time, smashing the previous record holder Star Wars: The Force Awakens which could only manage £24.3m. Last year, Avengers: Infinity War opened with £29.4m, which included £6.3m from Thursday previews, and finished on £70.8m, so you have to think Endgame has a good shot of getting to the £100m mark that so far only Skyfall and The Force Awakens have reached. After just four days in cinema, Avengers: Endgame is already the biggest film of the year, overtaking Captain Marvel’s £38.9m.
- Dumbo was a long way back in second but surprisingly posted a strong performance in the face of Endgame, increasing on last weekend’s performance by 8% to £1m. That takes its total to £23.3m.
- Even more surprisingly, Wonder Park leapt back up the chart to third, increasing on last weekend’s total by 52%. It’s amazing what some bad weather can do. That takes its total to £3.8m.
- Red Joan also posted a great hold, perhaps showing how much the sunny weather over the Easter weekend hurt it. The Judi Dench starring drama fell just 3% to £421k, which takes its total after 10 days in cinemas to £1.5m.
- Shazam! was the biggest victim of Endgame’s dominance, falling 59% to £398k. That takes its total to £12.9m.
- Outside of the top five comedian Bo Burnham’s directorial debut, Eighth Grade, one of the best reviewed films of the year, opened in 10th with £145k, which includes £20k from previews.
Overall the box office is up 707% (!) from last weekend and up 36% from the same weekend last year when the top films were Avengers: Infinity War, The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Pie Society, A Quiet Place and Rampage.
Next Weekend
- Long Shot is a comedy starring Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen. When Fred Flarsky (Rogen) reunites with his first crush, one of the most influential women in the world, Charlotte Field (Theron), he charms her. As she prepares to make a run for the Presidency, Charlotte hires Fred as her speechwriter and sparks fly.
- Tolkien is a biopic of the Lord Of The Rings author. It explores the formative years of the orphaned author as he finds friendship, love and artistic inspiration among a group of fellow outcasts at school. Nicholas Hoult and Lily Collins star.
- A Dog’s Journey is the next film in the series that started with A Dog’s Purpose in 2017. A dog finds the meaning of his own existence through the lives of the humans he meets.
- The Curse Of La Llorona is the latest film in The Conjuring extended universe. Ignoring the eerie warning of a troubled mother suspected of child endangerment, a social worker and her own small kids are soon drawn into a frightening supernatural realm.
- Vox Lux is the highly rated second feature from actor-turned-director Brady Corbet. An unusual set of circumstances brings unexpected success to a pop star. Natalie Portman stars.
The Buzz
Pokemon Detective Pikachu is the new live-action film with Ryan Reynolds voicing the lovable Pokemon character. The film has played to audiences in the US and seems to be hitting the mark. Dan Casey of Nerdist said ‘Detective Pikachu is a pure joy from start to finish. It’s a heartfelt, relentlessly charming story filled with excellent worldbuilding’. Paul Shirey, Editor-In-Chief of Joblo praised the technical wizardry, saying ‘CGI is on point and it’s great seeing these creatures come to life in a live-action setting. [Ryan Reynolds] is the ace in the hole and he brings plenty of laughs to the insanely adorable yellow ball of furry electricity.’ Robbie Collin of The Telegraph has also seen it and said ‘I appreciate this sounds like the worst compliment ever, but Detective Pikachu is like if the Bob Hoskins Super Mario Bros film had been good’. Its in cinemas on 10 May.
Across The Pond
Avengers: Endgame broke records across the pond too, opening with a ridiculous $350m, which is nearly $93m bigger than the previous record set by Avengers: Infinity War ($257.7m) last year. That figure includes the largest opening day and largest single day, Friday’s $156.7m. It looks like it has a shot at topping Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ record total of $936.7m. Captain Marvel made it a Marvel one-two, adding $8m in second, which takes its total to $413.6m. Last week’s top film, The Curse Of La Llorona fell to third, dropping a chunky 72% to $7.5m. That takes its total to $41.3m. Breakthrough came in fourth, adding $6.3m for a new total of $26.1m. Shazam! completed the top five, adding $5.5m for a new total of $131.1m..