| Date | |
|---|---|
| Author | Tom Linay |
| Categories | box Office |
The Weekend Round-up
- Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them was the second biggest film of 2016, so the sequel, The Crimes Of Grindelwald had a lot to live up to. Thankfully it has opened with £12.3m, which is the second biggest Friday to Sunday opening weekend of the year, only behind Avengers: Infinity War. The first film opened with £15.3m, so the sequel is tracking behind but Mary Poppins Returns, the next mega-blockbuster on the horizon, is not in cinemas until 21 December, so hopefully The Crimes Of Grindelwald can hold up well over coming weeks.
- The Grinch fell to second but posted a strong hold, falling just 22% to £3.9m. That takes its 10-day total to £10m and as we get closer to festive season, you would expect there are more strong holds to come.
- Bohemian Rhapsody is still pulling in the crowds. This weekend, it fell 34% to £3m, which takes its total to £34.9m. It has now overtaken Deadpool 2 to become the eighth biggest film of 2018 to date. Next on the list is Peter Rabbit in seventh with £40.9m and Bohemian Rhapsody looks like it might have the legs to get there.
- Widows came in fourth, falling 46% (once previews are removed) to £882k. That takes its total to £4.3m and 12 Years A Slave’s, Steve McQueen’s last film, final total of £20m looks a long way off.
- A Star Is Born completed the top five, falling 40%, its biggest drop to date to £747k. The powerhouse musical is now on £27.1m and is the 10th biggest film of 2018 to date, although Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald will overtake it in the next week or so.
- Outside of the top five, Burn The Stage, a documentary about the Korean pop group BTS opened in sixth with £644k, which includes £337k from previews.
Overall, the box office was up 29% from last weekend and up 20% from the same weekend last year, when the top films were Justice League, Paddington 2, Murder On The Orient Express and Thor: Ragnarok.
Next Weekend
- Robin Hood is an updating of the classic tale. Taron Egerton stars as Robin Hood, a war-hardened Crusader, who along with his Moorish commander mount an audacious revolt against the corrupt English crown. It’s in cinemas on Wednesday.
- The Girl In The Spider’s Web is the latest thriller featuring the character Lisbeth Salander, with Claire Foy taking over the role. Salander and journalist Mikael Blomkvist find themselves caught in a web of spies, cybercriminals and corrupt government officials. It’s in cinemas on Wednesday.
- Nativity Rocks is the fourth film in the popular Christmas series. The staff and students from St Bernadette's Primary School in Coventry audition for a place in a rock musical competition.
- Nobody’s Fool is a comedy starring Tiffany Haddish and Tika Sumpter. A woman is released from prison and reunites with her sister. She soon discovers that her sister is in an online relationship with a man who may not be what he seems.
- Assassination Nation is a comedy drama that has earned an 18-cert. After a malicious data hack exposes the secrets of the perpetually American town of Salem, chaos decends and four girls must fight to survive, while coping with the hack themselves.
The Buzz
Mary Queen Of Scots looks like one of the biggest films of awards season and it received its premiere in Los Angeles last week, so the first reviews are now in. The Guardian gave it four stars, calling it ‘a finely constructed drama, avoiding stuffiness without slipping into camp territory and while diehard historians might disapprove, everyone else will be supremely entertained.’ The Wrap praised the two leads, saying ‘Ronan’s fiery Mary and Robbie’s emotionally complex Elizabeth truly reign divine on screen.’ Robbie Collin in The Telegraph called it a ‘lush and ravishing period piece’ and the ‘film is led by a performance of thrilling regality and nuance from Saoirse Ronan’. Full review here: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/mary-queen-scots-review-margot-robbie-andsaoirse-ronan-butt/. It’s in UK cinemas on 18 January.
Across The Pond
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald opened in the top spot in the US but fell a bit short of the studio's anticipated $65m debut with $62m. The Grinch fell to second, adding $38.6m, which takes its total to $126.9m. Bohemian Rhapsody added $16m, which takes its total to $128.2m. Instant Family opened in fourth with $14.5m and played to an audience that was 65% female and 61% of the audience was over 35 years old. Completing the top five is Widows, which opened with $12.3m.