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The Weekend Round-up
Paddington 2 was the star performer on a great weekend for cinema. The family comedy opened with £8.3m, which is the seventh highest Friday to Sunday total of 2017 to date and a 60% increase over the £5.2m the first Paddington opened with in November 2014. With six weeks still until Christmas and no major competition for the family audience until Ferdinand in mid-December, Paddington 2 has a great chance of topping the first film’s final total of £37.9m. It also surpassed StudioCanal’s biggest ever opening weekend, a title that was held by the first Paddington.
Almost as impressive as Paddington 2 was last weekend’s top film, Murder On The Orient Express. The all-star Kenneth Branagh whodunnit fell just 12% in second to £4.4m, which takes its 10-day total to £13m. It looks nailed on to get to £20m and with a few more holds like this weekend, it could get well north of that figure.
Thor: Ragnarok came in third, falling just 33% to £3.1m. That takes its total to £25.9m and it will soon become the eighth film of 2017 to date to cross the £30m mark, a figure that will put it on the top 10 of the year. When you consider that the last Thor film finished on £20.1m, it shows the continued growth in popularity of Marvel films.
After a slightly soft opening last weekend, A Bad Moms Christmas went and delivered a storming second weekend, falling 0% to £1.3m. In fact there was only £253 between the two weekends, with this weekend falling slightly short. It has now grossed £4.2m and with Christmas still six weeks away there should be plenty more to come.
Jigsaw completed the top five, adding £415k, which takes its total to £4.5m. It now looks like it will fall short of the £5.4m it needs to avoid winning the title of lowest performing film in the series, a title currently held by Saw VI.
Outside of the top five, Only The Brave opened in seventh with £269k, while The Florida Project opened in eighth with £241k, which includes £77k from previews.
Overall the box office was up 25% from last weekend and up 62% from the same weekend last year, when the top films were Arrival, Doctor Strange and Trolls.
Next Weekend
Justice League is the final superhero film to be released in 2017 and it could be one of the biggest. Fuelled by his restored faith in humanity and inspired by Superman's selfless act, Bruce Wayne enlists the help of his newfound ally, Diana Prince, to face an even greater enemy. Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice banked £36.6m in the UK, so hopefully Justice League will match that.
Film Stars Don’t Die In Liverpool is a potential acting awards contender about a romance that sparks between a young actor, played by Jamie Bell, and a Hollywood leading lady, played by Annette Bening. It has been receiving rave reviews for the two lead performances.
Ingrid Goes West is a comedy-drama about an unhinged social media stalker who moves to LA and insinuates herself into the life of an Instagram star. Aubrey Plaza and Elizabeth Olsen make up the classy leads.
Good Time is a gritty thriller starring a career best Robert Pattinson. After a heist goes awry, a bank robber spends a night trying to free his mentally ill brother from being sent to Riker's Island prison.
The Buzz
Daddy’s Home 2 is the sequel to the surprise 2015 smash, which grossed over £17m in the UK after it was released on boxing day 2015. Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg return as Brad and Dusty who must now deal with their intrusive fathers during the holidays. It opened in the US to a solid $30m this past weekend, which bodes well for its UK release on 22 November. It also previews the Saturday and Sunday before (18 and 19 November).
Across The Pond
Thor: Ragnarok held on to the top spot, falling 54% in its second weekend to $57m, which takes its total to $212m. Daddy's Home 2 opened in second with $30m. While this is less than the $38.7m the first film opened with, that film opened over the Christmas holiday so you would expect that to be bigger. Murder on the Orient Express opened in third with $28.7m and A Bad Moms Christmas has a good hold in fourth, falling just 32% in its second weekend to $11.5m. That takes its total to $39.9m. Jigsaw completed the top five with $3.4m, which takes its total to $34.4m.