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The Weekend Round-up
Kenneth Branagh’s Murder On The Orient Express proved the enduring popularity of Agatha Christie’s classic whodunnit by topping the box office with an impressive £5m. That is very similar to the other recent rail network / major crime interface film, The Girl On The Train, which kicked off its run with £7m, but that included £1.8m in previews, so its Friday to Sunday total of £5.2m is only slightly higher than Murder On The Orient Express. That film finished on £24m, so hopefully Murder can get pretty close.
Last week’s top film, Thor: Ragnarok, had a strong second weekend, falling just 36% to £4.6m. That takes its total to £20.8m and it has already surpassed Thor: The Dark World’s final total of £20.1m. It has a good chance of being the third Marvel Cinematic Universe film this year to hit £30m, after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 and Spider-Man: Homecoming.
Comedy sequel, A Bad Moms Christmas opened in third with £1.8m, which includes £509k from Wednesday and Thursday previews. Bad Moms opened with £1.5m, which included £254k from previews, in August 2016, so the sequel has opened more strongly. Bad Moms held up extremely well over its first few weeks to reach £8.4m, so hopefully A Bad Moms Christmas can do the same. The seasonal theme should help.
Jigsaw fell to fourth, adding £752k, which takes its total to £3.7m. It needs to hit £5.4m to avoid winning the title of lowest performing film in the series, a title currently held by Saw VI.
The Death of Stalin completed the top five, falling 36% to £520k. That takes its total to £3.6m.
Outside of the top five, Blade Runner 2049 crossed the £18m mark in eighth, after adding £347k for a new total of £18.2m.
Killing Of A Sacred Deer opened in 10th with £286k, which included £93k from previews. Director, Yorgos Lanthimos’ previous film, The Lobster, opened with £230k in October 2015 but held up so strongly over following weeks it managed to get to £1.5m. Hopefully Killing Of A Sacred Deer will be able to perform similarly.
Overall the box office was down 23% from last weekend and up 21% from the same weekend last year, when the top films were Doctor Strange, Trolls and The Accountant.
Next Weekend
Paddington 2 is the sequel to the 2014 box office smash. Paddington, now happily settled with the Brown family and a popular member of the local community, picks up a series of odd jobs to buy the perfect present for his Aunt Lucy's 100th birthday, only for the gift to be stolen. We are forecasting it to be one of the biggest films of the year and it’s every bit as good as the first film.
Only The Brave is a survival drama with an all-star cast. Based on the true story of the Granite Mountain Hotshots, a group of elite firefighters risk everything to protect a town from a historic wildfire. The cast includes Josh Brolin, Miles Teller and Jeff Bridges.
Professor Marston And The Wonder Women is the story of psychologist William Moulton Marston, the polyamorous relationship between his wife and his mistress, the creation of his beloved comic book character Wonder Woman, and the controversy the comic generated. It stars Luke Evans and Rebecca Hall.
The Florida Project is the latest film from Tangerine director, Sean Baker. Set over one summer, the film follows precocious 6-year-old Moonee as she courts mischief and adventure with her ragtag playmates and bonds with her rebellious but caring mother, all while living in the shadows of Disney World. It is one of the best reviewed films of the year.
The Buzz
The Disaster Artist is the latest film from one of the busiest men in Hollywood, James Franco. Franco stars as Tommy Wiseau and the film takes a look behind-the-scenes of his cult favourite film, The Room. The film is being talked up as a potential awards contender, particularly for Franco’s performance and the script. The Hollywood Reporter said that ‘Franco, who’s absolutely hysterical as the brooding, deluded Wiseau, leads a parade of familiar faces...delivering a winning, Ed Wood-esque blend of comedy and pathos that could very well earn its own cult status.’ The Guardian gave the film four stars saying ‘The dazzle of the cast and the targeted in-jokes never take away from the film’s core messaging about the importance of believing in one’s own ability as an artist.’ It’s out in the UK on 1 December, before expanding the following week (7 December) into more screens.
Across The Pond
As is customary with Marvel films, Thor: Ragnarok opened in the US a week after its UK bow and kicked off its run with an impressive $123m. That’s the seventh highest opening for a film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A Bad Moms Christmas opened on Wednesday and started with a $21.3m five-day total. Jigsaw came in third, adding $6.6m for a new total of $28.7m and Tyler Perry's Boo 2! A Madea Halloween added $4.6m for a new cume of $43m. Geostorm completed the top five, adding ringing in an estimated $3m, which takes its total to $28.9m.