| Date | |
|---|---|
| Author | Mia Blakeney |
Box Office Round-up
Paddington is back where he belongs - at the top of the box office, as Paddington In Peru opened with a huge £9.5m, the third biggest opening weekend of 2024 to date. It’s also the biggest opening of the three Paddington films too, eclipsing the £8.3m Paddington 2 opened with in 2017. That film also set a series best final total, finishing with £42.7m, so that has to be the target for Paddington In Peru. With Christmas still seven weeks away, there’s plenty of time, although there’s some pretty big films on the horizon.
Red One is the only major Christmas-themed release this year and has got into cinemas early, opening on Wednesday (6 November). In five days in cinemas it has banked £2.4m, and if it can hold on to screens between now and Christmas it should have a good run. Two years ago, Violent Night, a Christmas-themed action film, opened on the first Friday in December with £824k on its way to £3.8m.
Last weekend, Heretic delivered the biggest opening weekend for an original horror film this year, and on its second weekend it delivered a strong hold, falling just 35% to £1m. That takes its total to £3.8m. Today it will overtake M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap, which finished on £3.8m.
Venom: The Last Dance fell to fourth, adding £965k, down 56% from last weekend. That takes its total after 17 days in cinemas to £11m. Venom: Let There Be Carnage finished its run with £18.1m in 2021, so this is set to be the lowest performing film in the series.
The Wild Robot rounded out the top five, adding £665k, which is a hefty, Paddington In Peru-inspired, 70% drop from last weekend. That takes its total to £12.7m and it has now surpassed May’s big family film IF, which finished on £12.5m.
Outside of the top five, Small Things Like These continues to be a big hit in Ireland, adding £660k for a new total of £2.2m. Pharrell Williams LEGO-biopic Piece By Piece opened in 10th with £187k, which includes £69k from previews.
Next Weekend
Gladiator II is the sequel to Ridley Scott’s Oscar Best Picture winner. After his home is conquered by the tyrannical emperors who now lead Rome, Lucius is forced to enter the Colosseum and must look to his past to find strength to return the glory of Rome to its people. Paul Mescal, Pedro Pascal and Denzel Washington star.
The Buzz
Nosferatu is the latest iteration of the classic horror tale, this time directed by Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse, The Northman), in what seems like a perfect marriage of filmmaker and source material. It’s not often that horror films make it into the awards conversation, but this one seems to be heading in that direction after its first screenings in the US. Matt Neglia of specifically awards focussed website Next Best Picture tweeted ‘Robert Eggers continues his impressive streak of crafting highly detailed and transportive period films with Nosferatu, one of the most seductively macabre films ever made… I cannot wait to succumb to the darkness all over again.’ Tomris Laffly tweeted ‘my favorite Robert Eggers. A moody, gothic, EROTIC horror with sharp teeth—grabs you by the throat, takes its time… Bill Skarsgård…you have to see for yourself. But the main attraction to me is Lily-Rose Depp.’ Courtney Howard tweeted that it ‘goes HARDER than any other horror film this year. Holy f*ck. A gorgeous grotesquerie of dread-infused terrors & a divine dark delight.’ It’s in cinemas on 1 January.
Across The Pond
Venom: The Last Dance held on to the top spot in North America too, adding $16.2m, a drop of 40% from last weekend. That takes its total to $114.8m. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever opened in second with $11.1m. Heretic opened in third with $11m, while The Wild Robot added $6.7m in fourth, which takes its total to $130.9m. Smile 2 rounded out the top five, adding $5m for a new total of $60.5m.