| Date | |
|---|---|
| Author | Tom Linay |
The Weekend Round-up
- The Invisible Man was seen by many people this weekend, enough to see it open at the top of the box office. H.G. Wells’ classic story with a modern twist opened with £2.2m, which is the best opening for a horror/thriller since It: Chapter Two in September.
- Sonic The Hedgehog took something of a tumble this weekend, falling 54% to £1.9m, but it’s still in the middle of a terrific theatrical run and is now up to £17.2m. It’s now the biggest film based on a video game of all time in the UK. At least, I think it is. If anyone can think of a bigger one, please let me know.
- Parasite added £1m in third, which was enough to take it over the £10m mark. It now sits on £10.4m and is less than £1m away from becoming the biggest foreign language title of all-time in the UK, which is currently The Passion Of The Christ with £11.1m. It’s now seemingly just a matter of time before Parasite overtakes it. Historic stuff!
- Dark Waters opened in fourth with £861k, which includes £50k from previews. In the film, Mark Ruffalo plays a corporate lawyer who takes on an environmental lawsuit against a chemical company that exposes a lengthy history of pollution. The company in question is the DuPont corporation and this is the second time Mark Ruffalo has starred in a film featuring the company. In 2015 he was in Foxcatcher about John du Pont and that film opened with a similar £880k on its way to £2.2m.
- Dolittle fell to fifth this week and like Sonic took something of a tumble. It fell 59% to 837k and has now crossed the £15m mark. The Robert Downey Jr adventure is now up to £15.2m.
- Outside of the top five, Emma has crossed the £6m mark and is now up to £6.2m, while 1917 is now up to £42.8m and has about six weeks left as the biggest film of the year, when I expect No Time To Die will overtake it.
A couple of new entries landed in the lower reaches of the top 15. Portrait Of A Lady On Fire opened in 11th with £230k, which includes £97k from previews, while Downhill continued the disappointing recent performance of US comedy, opening with just £189k in 13th.
Next Weekend
- Onward is the latest original title from Pixar. Set in a suburban fantasy world, Tom Holland and Chris Pratt play two teenage elf brothers who embark on a quest to discover if there is still magic out there.
- Military Wives is the powerful true story about a group of women who, with their partners away serving in Afghanistan, form a choir and quickly find themselves at the centre of a media sensation and global movement. Kristin Scott Thomas and Sharon Horgan star.
- Blumhouse Fantasy Island is a horror adaptation of the popular '70s TV show about a magical island resort.
- The Photograph is a romantic drama starring Issa Rae and LaKeith Stanfield. It’s a series of intertwining love stories set in the past and in the present.
The Buzz
It is now exactly one month away from the cinematic event of 2020 and what’s certain to be the biggest film of the year. No Time To Die is Daniel Craig’s final outing as James Bond and with five years since his last outing, anticipation is sky high. In this new story, James Bond has left active service but his peace is short-lived when Felix Leiter, an old friend from the CIA, turns up asking for help, leading Bond onto the trail of a mysterious villain armed with dangerous new technology. The internet is reporting that the runtime is two hours 43 minutes which will make it comfortably the longest Bond film in history, but I expect there’s a lot of story to pack in. Tickets are now on sale and there’s still time to book into the film so don’t miss out on the biggest AV opportunity of 2020.
Across The Pond
The Invisible Man topped the box office in the US too, opening with $29m. Sonic the Hedgehog fell to second adding $16m, a drop of 39%, which takes its total to $128.3m, and The Call of the Wild fell 47% to $13.2m for a new total of $45.9m. My Hero Academia: Heroes Rising opened in fourth with $5.1m, and after opening on Wednesday, it has now grossed $8.5m. Bad Boys for Life completed the top five, adding $4.3m for a new total of $197.4m.