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The Weekend Round-up
One of the big festive comedies, Daddy’s Home 2 opened in the top spot this weekend with £4.9m. That figure is heavily boosted by previews last weekend and from going on general release on Wednesday. The first film opened on boxing day, so a direct comparison is tricky but it delivered £1.6m across two days, so Daddy’s Home 2’s Friday to Sunday total of £2.8m compares favourably. The first film finished on over £17m, so this sequel will need a strong run up to and beyond Christmas to get close to that.
After a marvellous opening weekend and a terrific hold last weekend, Paddington 2 had a strong third weekend too, falling 32% to £4.5m and comfortably the biggest Friday to Sunday total of the weekend. That takes its total to £23m and at the same point in its run, the first film was only up to £14.3m.
Last week’s top film, Justice League, fell to third and took a pretty hefty tumble, falling 60% to £3m. That gives it a 10-day total of £12.9m and it’s going to need a strong December to reach Wonder Woman’s final total of £22.2m.
Murder On The Orient Express came in fourth, falling 40% to £1.4m. That was enough to take its total over the £20m mark and it now sits on a terrific £20.4m. Unsurprisingly, the sequel, Death On The Nile was announced last week, with Kenneth Branagh returning as Poirot.
Completing the top five was Disney’s Frozen, which was re-released on Saturday and Sunday with a brand new short film, Olaf’s Frozen Adventure, playing in front of it. The hugely popular Disney animation added a terrific £1.1m over just the two days, which takes its lifetime total to £43m, cementing its position as one of the biggest animated titles of all time.
Outside of the top five, Battle Of The Sexes opened in seventh with £553k (including £96k from previews), while George Clooney’s Suburbicon opened in 10th with £231k, which included £21k from previews. Festive animation, The Star, opened in 11th with £204k.
Overall the box office was down 8% from last weekend and up 18% from the same weekend last year, when the top films were Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, Allied and Trolls.
Next Weekend
Wonder is based on the New York Times bestseller and tells the incredibly inspiring and heartwarming story of August Pullman, a boy with facial differences who enters fifth grade, attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time. It has been out in the US for a couple of weeks and has been something of a smash there, so far grossing $69.4m.
The Disaster Artist is a comedy film about the making of one of the worst films of all time, The Room. When Greg Sestero, an aspiring film actor, meets the weird and mysterious Tommy Wiseau in an acting class, they form a unique friendship and travel to Hollywood to make their dreams come true. James Franco directs and stars and by all accounts is a serious acting awards contender.
Happy End is the latest film from two-time Palme d’Or winning director, Michael Haneke. It’s a drama about a family set in Calais with the European refugee crisis as the backdrop and stars Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Louis Trintignant and Toby Jones.
The Buzz
Hostiles is a western that is gaining awards buzz for Christian Bale’s central performance. In 1892, a legendary Army captain reluctantly agrees to escort a Cheyenne chief and his family through dangerous territory. It has premiered at film festivals around the world and The Hollywood Reporter called it an ‘estimable piece of work grounded by a fine-grain sensibility and an expertly judged lead performance.’ It’s in UK cinemas on 5 January.
Across The Pond
On the lucrative Thanksgiving weekend, Pixar’s Coco opened on Wednesday and finished top of the box office with $51m for the three-day weekend and $71.2m for the five-day weekend. Justice League fell to second, adding $41m three-day and $59.6m across the five days, which takes its total to $172m. Wonder had another great weekend, falling just 18% to $22.7m for the three-day weekend and $32.2m across the five day holiday. That takes its total to $69.8m. Thor: Ragnarok came in fourth, adding $16.9m across the three-day weekend and just under $25m for the five-day weekend. That takes its total to an impressive $277.7m. Daddy's Home 2 completed the top give, adding $13.2m over the three-day weekend and $18.6m for the five-day. That takes its total to $72.6m.