UK/US Box Office March 22nd- 24th week 12

 

1. Captain Marvel  –  £3,378,582 –  £29,494,63

Down 49.1% in its third weekend holding #1 despite the arrival of Us which topped the US b ox office charts

Captain Marvel had the 5^th biggest third weekend (after Avenger Infinity War, Avengers Assemble , Black Panther and Avengers: Age of Ultron) and the eight biggest after three weeks on release (after Avenger Infinity War, Avengers Assemble, Black Panther, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, Captain America: Civil War and Iron Man 3

Had 15^th biggest third weekend drops for MCU only Iron Man 3, Iron Man 2, Ant-Man, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: The First Avenger and The incredible Hulk had bigger drops. The third weekend is normally the weekend film stabilises itself after its big opening weekend and then big drop off, but as Captain Marvel had the fourth smallest drop in its second weekend might have expected it to hold as well in its third.

Captain Marvel dropped more than Wonder Woman dropping 45% (40% without); after her disappointing opening of £6,179,616 (including £1,219,884 previews) which was affected by several non-film related issues including weather, cooler temperatures saw it take £3,480,956 in its second weekend. Captain Marvel has already overtaken Wonder Woman’s total box office of £22,086,045.

Captain Marvel is holding similar to 2013’s Iron Man 3 which took £3,182,108 in its third weekend and £31,122,954; after 17 days on release most MCU films have taken about 85% of their final box office

Over 17 days on release has become 10^th biggest MCU in the UK overtaking  Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 1, Doctor Strange, Iron Man 2, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: Winter Soldier, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Iron Man, Ant-Man, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger and The incredible Hulk; will likely end up being the sixth biggest MCU between Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2 and Iron Man 3 with £36m+;

After 17 days on release Captain Marvel is the 125^nd biggest film in the UK between Chicken Run and Ice Age II and 195^th biggest inflation inflated between Night at the Museum and Planet of the Apes

Will shortly become the 117th film in the UK to take over £30m at the box office;

 Disney’s 31^st biggest between Monsters University and A Bug’s Life and 4nd biggest inflation inflated between Thor: Ragnarok and Armageddon. (close to High School Musical 3, Calendar Girls, Signs and Chicago).

19^th biggest comic-book film in the UK between Man of Steel and Guardians of the Galaxy and 26^th biggest inflation inflated between Thor: Ragnarok and Spider-Man Homecoming.

The 21 Marvel Cinematic Universe films have taken over £622m over the last 11 years (£668m inflation inflated); Avengers: Endgame opens in a month will likely take similar to last year’s Avengers: Infinity War (£70,804,892) despite being over 3 hours long with Spider-Man: Far from Home in July.

No further Marvel films have been announced apart from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 expected to be released in 2021. Marvel have said they will announce further films after the release of Avengers: Endgame but with that title you would assume that it’s the final Avengers film, but as Kevin Feige has said before superheroes never die. While some turned to dust in Infinity War Nick Fury paged Captain Marvel to save them from Thanos, the question you have to ask is why Nick Fury waited until then and not in the first Avengers film.

2. Us –  £2,766,839 – NE

Us had a strong Friday (4th highest grossing opening Friday in 2019) was #1 ahead of Captain Marvel but dropped of over Saturday and Sunday; opened 32% bigger than Get out and 141% bigger than The First Purge; in the US the film broke records for being the biggest original horror but in the UK opened with only 4% of its opening. Maybe people use the 10% rule as to predict the opening in the UK to the US;

How to Train Your Dragon 3 opened in the US with $55.02m ad UK £5.32m

Alita: Battle Angel opened in the US with $28.5m and UK £3.19m

But Us as Get Out, A Quiet Place and Halloween all opened much less despite all four horror films received positive reviews and strong word of mouth, while The Conjuring and Saw films receive mixed reviews but perform much stronger at the box office.

Get Out opened March 2017 with £2,160,099 taking £10,053,463

A Quiet Place opened April 2018 with £2,696,892 taking £11,801,912

The First Purge opened July 2018 with £1,778,157 taking £6,085,402

Halloween opened October 2018 with £2,656,097 taking £8,171,544

While The Nun opened in September 2018 with £4,098,198 (including £663,520 previews) taking £11,302,155

It opened September 2017 with £10,002,443 taking £32,340,000 (part 2 opens in September)

476th biggest opening in the UK between Kill Bill – Volume 2 and Black Swan and the 645th inflation inflated between Fred Claus and The Heat (close to White Noise, Final Destination 2, Kick-Ass 2 and Scary Movie 2).

The twins featuring in Us played Rachel’s child Emma in Friends 16 years ago

3. Fisherman’s Friends – £972,996 – £3,361,336

Down 15.7% in its second weekend; had one of the smallest second weekend drops for a wide release this year due to strong word of mouth, while performed strongly during the week targeting an older demographic.

With all the doom and gloom of Brexit Fisherman’s Friends is the perfect antidote a feelgood British films including The Full Monty and Calendar Girl.

Second weekends

Sunshine on Leith in October 2013 took £732,296 down only 5% and £2,165,216 taking £4,499,183

Finding Your Feet in February 2018 took £465,622 down 50% and £2,127,798 taking £5,436,523

Its 25 years ago in May since Four Weddings and a Funeral opened with £1,432,424 taking £27,369,755 (£60,802,963 inflation inflated) three years later The Full Monty opened with £1,600,000 taking £52,232,058 (£92,657,361 inflation inflated).

Entertainment Film Distributors celebrated their 40^th anniversary last year started as a video distributor moving into film distributor in the 80s. So independent distributors have come and gone over the last 40 years, but Entertainment Film Distributors are still here (smaller than they used to be) but doing it their unique way.

For 20 years between 1990 and 2010 they released New Line Cinema films in the UK releasing the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Austin Powers sequels and The Mask and many more. Over the years they have also released many British films having huge success recently with the two Inbetweeners films.  In the mid-90s National Lottery created three franchises Pathe Productions, DNA Films and The Film Consortium to make British films more than £13m was spent and only 11 films distributed only one made a profit. Entertainment Film Distributors were to have a fourth franchise but were rejected.

4. What Men Want –  £515,410  –   £1,853,240

Down 38.3% in its second weekend 25.%

What Men Want held surprisingly well in its second weekend this was more likely due to a lack of new releases and those two films White Crow and The Great Escape underwhelming.

What Women Want took £2,512,404 down 25% in its second weekend and £7,568,144 taking £17,091,251 (£29,806,481 inflation inflated).

Nest from Paramount is remake Pet Sematary out next week and Wonder Park the week after opening for Easter after underwhelming at the box office in the US is unlikely to do much better in the UK as Peppa Pig: Festival of Fun is also targetting younger children.

5. Fighting With My Family –  £388,963 –   £5,250,911

Down 38.5% in its fourth weekend; 

With limited competition both What Men Want and Fighting With My Family have held in the top five linger than might have otherwise expected.  

Did expect Event Cinema’s Great Escape Gala Screening to do far better than it did but only managed to take £172,550 In #12 but that was probably likely affected by the sunny weather om Sunday.

Holding  similar to Eddie the Eagle (#7) in its fourth weekend took £395,565 down £7,992,761 (34% more) of £8,613,352 total; The Jungle Book #1 for a second weekend with £8,095,442.

It’s the second film Stephen Merchant has starred with Dwayne Johnson; Tooth Fairy opened May 2010 dropped 32% in its fourth weekend taking £249,578 and £3,375,473 taking £3,866,018 (in the top 15 for 11 weeks).

Stephen Merchant will be next seen in Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit one of the first Fox Searchlight films released since Disney acquired 20^th Century Fox expected to be released in the autumn and premiere at the Toronto/Venice/London

Dwayne Johnson stars in Fast and Furious spinoff Hobbs & Shaw opening in the summer and Jumanji 2 in December before going on a Jungle Cruise with Emily Blunt in summer 2020

Florence Pugh stars in the Little Women remake opening in December and is then rumoured to star in Black Widow spinoff with Scarlett Johansson only 10 years after she first appeared in Iron Man 2.

Lionsgate release Missing Link next week, Hellboy reboot in two weeks currently receiving poor buzz and then after selling UK rights to the first two films to Warner Bros held on to the rights to John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum opening in May which has got fans very excited.

UK box office in detail

This weekend’s top 10 box office took £9,597,710 down 16.8% from last weekend £11,537,479

The weekend admissions 1,329,323 down 16.8% from last weekend 1,597,989 average ticket $7.22 down from last year’s £7.49

10 films opened at weekend taking (£3,724,746); Us 74.2% (£2,766,839); remaining 9 films shared 25.7% (£957,907): Top three took 74.2% (£7,118,417) of the top 10; Captain Marvel (£3,378,582) 35.2%; Us (£2,766,839) 28.8%; Fisherman’s Friends (£972,996) 10.1%;   

The weekend was down 17.1% from 2018: (£11,575,592); Pacific Rim: Uprising (£1,655,186); A Wrinkle In Time (£655,542); Unsane (£478,451); Blade Runner: The Final Cut (Secret Cinema 2018) (£349,492); Proud Mary (£26,291); #1 Peter Rabbit (£4,595,239) 2nd week 37% drop

Down 48.9% from 2017: (£18,777,727); Power Rangers (£1,574,624); Life (£743,281); The Lost City of Z (£270,139); CHiPs: Law and Disorder (£205,933); Idomeneo – Met Opera 2017 (£186,423); #1 Beauty and the Beast £12,334,338 2^nd week 37% drop

Up 23.8% from 2016: (£7,752,500); 10 Cloverfield Lane (£1,601,161); The Boy (£726,003); High-Rise (£542,788); Sing Street (£166,226); Michael Collins (Re: 2016) (£11,650); Risen (£69,909); Rock the Kasbah (£3,804); #1 Kung Fu Panda 3 £1,740,695 2^nd  week down 64%

Down 18.6% from 2015; (£11,794,092); Home (£6,025,917); The Divergent Series: Insurgent, (£2,938,860); The Gunman (£405,934); Wild Card (£152,034); The Voices (£118,255); #1 Home £6,025,917 1^st week

Up  57.3% from 2014: (£6,099,424); Starred Up (£495,181); A Long Way Down (£361,901); Labor Day (£278,726); About Last Night (£173,376); Yves Saint Laurent (£123,913); #1 The Grand Budapest Hotel £1,267,408 1^st week 9 (2^nd weekend) 3% drop

Down 13.6% from 2013: (£11,114,309); The Croods (£5,372,290); Jack the Giant Slayer (£1,591,736); Identity Thief (£1,313,162); Stolen (£202,373); Compliance (£72,417); #1 The Croods £5,372,290 1^st week

Up 4.9% from 2012 (£9,142,345); The Hunger Games (£4,900,177); Act of Valour (£262,935); The Kid With a Bike (£66,822); Wild Bill (£60,430); #1 The Hunger Games £4,900,177 1^st week

Up 54.4% from 2011 (£6,215,594); Chalet Girl (£677,716); The Lincoln Lawyer (£571,836); Anuvahood (£536,818); Submarine (£244,476); You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (£112,168); #1 Rango  1^st week (3^rd week) 32% drop

Down 24.1% from 2010: (£12,663,580); Bounty Hunter (£2,055,021); I Love You Phillip Morris (£1,066,092); The Spy Next Door (£698,155); Old Dogs (£130,384); My Last Five Girlfriends (£29,030); The Scouting Book for Boys (£11,343); Staten Island (£518); #1 Alice in Wonderland £4,847,129 3^rd week 34% drop

Up 34.2% from 2009; (£7,146,864); Paul Blart: Mall Cop (£1,289,513); Duplicity (£796,244); Lesbian Vampire Killers (£648,634); The Age of Stupid (£101,752); Flash of Genius (£15,626); #1 Marley & Me £2,166,270 2^nd week 51% drop

Down 23.3% from 2008; (£12,516,106); Horton Hears a Who (£2,947,089); The Spiderwick Chronicles (£2,555,791); Step Up 2 (£2,358,003); Meet the Spartans (£1,140,100); The Orphanage (£329,009); Love in the Time of Cholera (£91,784); Lars and the Real Girl (£78,707)); #1 Horton Hears a Who £2,947,089 1^st week

Up 7.1% from 2007:(£8,956,317); 300 (£4,746,071); TMNT (£948,791); Amazing Grace (£431,967); I Want Candy (£349,301); #1 300 £4,746,071 1^st week

Up 46.8% from 2006; (£6,536,128): Inside Man (£1,806,854); Hostel (£1,215,987); The Ringer (£560,520); Transamerica (£137,932); The Boys from County Clare (£36,708); #1 Inside Man £1,806,854 1^st week

Up 26.1% from 2005 (£7,489,470); Miss Congeniality 2 (£1,302,070); Valiant (£1,096,329); Melinda and Melinda (£129,257); Maria Full of Grace (£84,335); Mickybo and Me (£47,918); #1 Hitch £1,660,358 2^nd week over 4 weeks

Up 24.5% from 2004 (£7,704,369); Starsky & Hutch (wide up 905%) (£4,145,897); Open Range (£424,954); Zatoichi (£137,049); Grand Theft Parsons (£21,108); #1 Starsky & Hutch (+905%) £4,145,897 1^st week (2^nd week)

Up 123.2% from 2003 (£4,300,084); Just Married (£973,469); National Security (£426,698); Evelyn (£344,270); #1 Just Married £973,469 1^st week

Down 5.4% from 2002 (£10,151,091); Ali G Indahouse (£3,231,673); Ice Age (£3,029,738); Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius (£541,453); Return to Neverland (£266,149); #1 Ali G Indahouse £3,231,673 1^st week  

Next weekend in 2018: (£17,838,773); Ready Player One (£5,113,041); Isle of Dogs (£1,641,509); Blockers (£1,349,627); Duck Duck Goose (£653,832); Cosi Fan Tutte – Met Opera 2018 (£261,409); Midnight Sun (£163,482); Journeyman (£60,249); #1 Peter Rabbit 3^rd week up 22%

Also opened

• The White Crow – Studiocanal

£326,997 from 88 screens

Ralph Fiennes Coriolanus opened with £158,000 from 124 screens in January 2012. In 2014 The Invisible Woman opened with £132,000 from 51 screens taking £1.02m and £889,000.

• Great Escape 75th Anniversary – Park Circus

£172,550 from 353 screens

Would have expected the event to have a stronger performance as the 1963 film The Great Escape which gas been called the best World War II adventure film ever made, but sunny weather on Sunday probably made people decide to stay and enjoy one of the first long light evenings of the year.

• Five Feet Apart – Vertigo

£253,341 from 204 screens

Vertigo Films have gone under the radar but were launched in 2002 as Entertainment Film Distributors they don’t get to release many big films anymore with 2010’s StreetDance 3D probably their biggest film to date.

For an independent distributor to survive in the UK in such a competitive market is a huge success especially if you look at the many companies that have closed over the last 20 years. Had Lionsgate and eOne both started as small British independent distributors Redbus and Eclectic acquired over the years now become major distributors.

UK Box Office Top 10

US Box office

• Us – Universal Pictures

Opened with $70.5m; received critical acclaim (100% Rotten Tomatoes score) and B CinemaScore (Get Out received A-)

Had the biggest opening for an original horror and the biggest opening for an original film since Avatar in 2009.

There is some debate that Us lives in the same universe as Get Out and after the huge success of Get Out the audience who saw it would also want to see Us and it is also Blumhouse Productions film which has made a brand for itself with this genre of films. The fact that it’s the biggest original film since Avatar highlights how franchise and property heavy box office has been the past decade. As these films will normally open big and drop heavily this to me isn’t a sign of a healthy marketplace.

Get Out opened February 2017 with $33.37m taking $176.04ml; it had very small drops over its second and third weekends 15.4% in its second and 26.5% in its third Us will likely drop much more heavily, as audience reaction hasn’t been as universally positive as Get Out. As there has been mixed reaction to the films ending.

Ahead of release the film was tracking for a $35m+ opening similar to Get Out which always seemed low; took $7.4m from Thursday night previews $21.8m from Friday and Saturday $25.3m.

Some of Us box office headlines

Biggest opening for an original horror

3^rd largest horror opening ever after It $123.4m and Halloween $76.2m

9^th biggest March opening between Zootopia and 300

11^th biggest R-rated opening between last years Halloween and 2007’s 300

109^th biggest opening in the US between 1997’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park and 2009’s Fast and Furious

Halloween opened $76.22m in October 2018 taking $159.34m

Firs trailer was released on Christmas Day with more than 106m global views and Superbowl TV spot was seen 64m times; film premiered at SXSW two weeks ago with rave reviews; originally the film was to open March 15^th, but the extra week distanced itself from Captain Marvel.

Despite opening strongly in the US internationally Us had a soft opening taking only $16.7m from 39 territories; Get Out took only 31% of its box office internationally and Us is likely to take similar amount.

• Captain Marvel – Disney

Dropped 49% in its third weekend taking $34.5m and $320.9m

Had the second biggest March second weekend after 2017’s Beauty and the Beast $90.4m;

18^th biggest second weekend between Spider-Man and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

Had the seven biggest MCU second weekend after Avengers Infinity War, Black  Panther, Avengers Assemble, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War and Iron Man 3

Took $52.1m from 54 territories and $588.8m and $910.3m worldwide; China ($146.3m), Korea ($40.1m), UK ($38.9m), Brazil ($30.6m), Mexico ($29.4m), Australia ($22.4m), France $18.5m), Indonesia ($18.5m), Russia (18.2m) and Germany ($17.8m).

After topping Wonder Woman last week also overtook Thor: Ragnarok ($854), Venom ($855m, Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 ($864m), Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice ($874m, Spider-Man: Homecoming ($880m) and Spider-Man 3 ($891m) to become the 10^th biggest comic-book film worldwide.

While Captain Marvel might be the first female Marvel comic-book film must remember that it follows directly on from the end scene in Avengers: Infinity War when Nick Fury pages Captain Marvel, so like the audience who saw Black Panther also came to see Avengers: Infinity War they also came to see the next chapter which leads up to Avengers: Endgame opening next month

Advance booking is expected to open next week for Endgame and are unconfirmed rumours that its running time will be 184mins. Why it needs to be that long I have no idea, as its being hyped as the final Avengers film, but as Kevin Feige has previously said comic-book heroes never die. While we might have seen the likes of Black Panther and Spider-Man turn to dust in Infinity War we known that Marvel aren’t going to kill of these characters after the first successful solo film, so expect a Dallas shower scene moment in Endgame when Infinity war events become just a dream?

Captain Marvel is #52 biggest film globally between Shrek 2 and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

The 21 Marvel Cinematic Universe films have now taken $7.19bn in the US and $18.44bn worldwide

• Wonder Park – Paramount Pictures

Dropped 44.7% in its second weekend taking $8.76m and $29.23m

Took $5m international from 24 territories  and $10.2m total

• Gloria Bell – A24

Adding 615 screens up 352.7% from last weekend taking $1.65m and $2.34m total

After two weeks on limited release has expanded into 654 screens which is an awkward number of screens for a distributor do, they stick or try going wider as often they go too wide.

Gloria Bell received positive reviews (94% Rotten Tomatoes score) featuring another strong performance by Julianne Moore in the title role. The film is a remake of a remake of his 2013 Chilean film.

• How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World – Universal Pictures

Dropped 35.2% in its fifth weekend taking $6.52m and $145.73m  

The three How to Train Your Dragon films have taken $1.6bn worldwide and $540m in the US.

The 38 Dreamworks Animation films have taken over $15bn worldwide over the last 21 years; Shrek 2 biggest Dreamworks Animation film in the US taking $441.2m and $919.8m worldwide; in comparison the 9 Illumination Entertainment films have taken $4.1bn worldwide since 2007.

Took $6m from 62 territories and $342.3m and $488.1m worldwide; #210 biggest worldwide between War for the Planet of the Apes and Angels & Demons; How to Train Your Dragon took $494.9m worldwide and How to Train Your Dragon 2 $621.5m

• The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part – Warner Bros

Dropped 46% in its seventh weekend taking $1.16m and $103.36m

The four Lego Movies have taken almost $594m in the US and $1.07bn worldwide

Took $6.2m from 59 territories and $76.2m total and $179.6m worldwide; UK $23.4m): Germany ($4.2m), Poland ($3.5m), Mexico ($3.4m) and France ($3.4m).

• Cruel Intentions – Sony Pictures

Opened with $258,708 from 758 screens

Celebrating the films 20^th anniversary the film was re-released in cinemas for one week only, the problem being that why would you pay $15 to see the film in the cinema when you can own it on digital for $4.99.

Cruel Intentions is a great film starring Sarah Michelle Gellar who the lead in Buffy the Vampire Slayer at the time (one of my favourite shows of that time, have recently started watching all of the episodes again and its still as much fun as I remembered).

Cruel Intentions had a great soundtrack including The Verve Bitter Sweet Symphony

Cruel Intentions opened in March 1999 with 413.02m taking $38.58m

Like so many TV actors Sarah Michelle Gellar didn’t have much success in films she had bit roles in I Know What You Did Last Summer and Scream 2 but her lead films Cruel Intentions and Simply Irresistible few saw except for me. Simply Irresistible flopped in the US in 1999 and went straight to DVD (as Office Space) but I got to see It as was working for 20^th Century Fox at the time.

While Reese Witherspoon’s acting career took off after starring in the film, she had appeared in a few films no one apart from me had seen S.F.W, Freeway, Fear, Twilight and Overnight Delivery. Pleasantville opened just before Cruel Intentions and then Election afterwards with Legally Blonde in 2001 the film most people started to notice her.

• The Aftermath – Fox Searchlight

Added 21 screens up 114% taking $120,728 from 26 screens and $200,982 total

The final film Fox Searchlight released before being acquired by Disney last week is unlikely to expand much further; Tolkien opening in May will be the first film released under Disney. Since Disney acquired the studio, they have announced the closure of Fox 2000, but Fox Searchlight is likely to remade with limited change probably a reduced amount of films released.

Upcoming films this year include Jojo Rabbit, Lucy in the Sky, Ready or Not, The French Dispatch, Downhill and Nomadland. With Fox Searchlight Disney will be hoping to win a Best Picture Oscar something they have only previously done from Miramax films they have yet to win from a film made by Disney.

• Bohemian Rhapsody – 20^th Century Fox

Took $7.6m internationally in its 22^nd week on release (including $6.4m from China cutting 11 scenes) taking $673m  internationally and $889.3m worldwide #55 biggest film globally between Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and Spider-Man 3; has become 20^th Century Fox’s third biggest film globally.

While its UK and UK performance might have been expected it has taken over $113m in Japan dropping only 15% in its 20^th weekend; while Captain Marvel might have overtaken Bohemian Rhapsody globally at the box office this weekend it won’t be still playing in cinemas for half as long as Bohemian Rhapsody.

In the UK Bohemian Rhapsody is still playing in cinemas in its 22^nd week taking almost £55m.

Last week Paramount Pictures screened footage of Rocket Man directed by Dexter Fletcher receiving very positive response with many saying it could be bigger than Bohemian Rhapsody. Rocket Man has been advertised as a fantasy not a biopic but that won’t stop critics complaining it wasn’t a biopic as Bohemian Rhapsody when it opens in May?

Surprisingly Rocket Man opens May 24^th in the UK opposite Aladdin and The Secret Life of Pets 2 a week ahead of the US. What helped Bohemian Rhapsody was opening in October against any major competition and that along with its strong word of mouth despite mixed reviews allowed it to run and run as The Greatest Showman did a few months earlier.

UK Box Office Predictions

Tim Burton’s Dumbo opens on what was going to be Brexit Day, after receiving mostly positive reaction from its premiere a few weeks ago was surprised to read the mixed and negative reviews (48% Rotten Tomatoes) received today. Will audiences listen to critics and still go and see it as Dumbo the animated film has delighted children ever since it was released in 1941.

Disney’s previous reimaginations have all received positive  reviews, but do reviews have much impact on children’s films after the success of Peter Rabbit last year slated by critics?

9 years ago Tim Burton started off Disney’s reimaginations with Alice in Wonderland opened with £10,555,220 taking £42,169,542; the biggest reimagination was 2017’s Beauty and the Beast opening with £19,700,000 taking £72,355,735 while 2016’s The Jungle Book opened with £9,901,921 taking £46,235,032 but Dumbo is probably looking to open more like 2014’s Maleficent £6,590,071 (sequel opening in October) taking £19,292,000.

With Easter holidays starting up Dumbo is the biggest film for the Easter holidays but does face competition from Missing Link next weekend but that is likely to play to a younger audience as Peppa Pig: Festival of Fun and Wonder Park and after receiving very positive reviews Shazam

As what always seems to happen when a Disney film opens the weather gets cooler and rainier as will be the case this weekend.

Captain Marvel will be fighting out with Us for second with Captain Marvel likely to drop about 50% with the arrival of Dumbo and Us dropping 40%+

Opening in UK Next Week

• Shazam! – Warner Bros

The seventh instalment in the DC Extended Universe produced by New Line Cinema starring Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer and Djimon Hounsou and directed by David F. Sandberg

Shazam was originally called Captain Marvel but was switched to Shazam in the 70s; will be the first full-length feature film centred around the character.

Development started at New Line in the early 2000s, but was delayed for many years; went into  pre-production in 2008 with director Peter Segal and Dwayne Johnson considered to star as the villain Black Adam but the film was cancelled. Was officially announced in 2014, with Johnson attached to star but he was later attached to a solo Black Adam film.

Warner Bros screened the film early in March and knowing they had a great film they allowed critics to post reactions immediately after the screening on social media and the embargo ended on March 23^rd receiving very positive reviews (93% Rotten Tomatoes).

Zachary Levi and Mark Strong came to the UK last week to promote the film doing all the regular chat shows and more.

Recent comic-book comedies included Ant-Man opening with £4,011,345; Thor:Ragnorok £12,375,804 (including £5,141,794 previews) Fri-Sun £7,234,010 and Ant-Man and the Wasp opening with £4,988,747

Other similar comedy comic-book films have been The Lego Batman Movie and Megamind while there have also been many unintentionally funny comic-book films like Catwoman and Fantastic Four.

Shazam! Opens over a busy weekend with two other wide releases Missing Link and Pet Sematary and the second weekend of Dumbo all targetting similar audiences the weekend before Easter holidays begin.

• Missing Link – Lionsgate

Stop-motion animated comedy adventure featuring voices of Hugh Jackman, Zoe Saldana, Timothy Olyphant, Emma Thompson, and Zach Galifianakis and written and directed by Chris Butler.

Produced by Laika the first not to be distributed by Focus Features; Annapurna Pictures acquired US rights in April 2018 and will be released through United Artists Releasing next week. Lionsgate acquired UK rights in June 2018 screening footage at CineEurope.

Missing Link is the fifth Stop-motion animation film made by Laika

While Laika films receive critical acclaim they aren’t  as successful as other animated films as Universal Pictures now own Dreamworks Animation who had similarly themed Abominable set for release this year probably decided to pass on Missing Link.

Universal Pictures have previously released Laika films during less crowded periods with limited children’s competition, but Missing Link opens at the start of the Easter holidays against three other wide releases and Dumbo opening the week before.

Coraline opened May 2009 with £2,427,244 taking £7,244,992

ParaNorman opened September 2012 with £1,393,123 taking £5,845,347

The Boxtrolls opened September 2009 with £2,000,597 (including £689,434 previews) taking £8,376,841

Kubo and the Two Strings opened September 2016 with £844,027 taking £2,887,889

Missing Link featured in the latest The Industry Trust’s “Moments Worth Paying For” ant-piracy trailer.

• Pet Sematary – Paramount Pictures

Supernatural horror starring Jason Clarke, Amy Seimetz, and John Lithgow and directed by Kevin Kölsch and Dennis Widmyer; the second film version of Stephen King novel after the 1989 film.

Paramount Pictures announced plans for a new version of Pet Sematary in 2010 but it wasn’t until October 2017 when they officially greenlit the film; first trailer was released in October

While Us underwhelmed to its US opening Pet Sematary is likely to open similar to recent horror remakes Evil Dead, Poltergeist, My Bloody Valentine 3D, The Hills Have Eyes and The Haunting

• Peppa Pig: Festival Of Fun – eOne

As part of Peppa Pig’s 15^th anniversary Peppa Pig: Festival Of Fun includes 10 never-seen-before episodes that sees Peppa dance in the mud at a children’s festival, celebrate Grandpa Pig’s birthday, and go to the cinema to see Super Potato’s big movie. The episodes are connected with interactive elements that ask the audience to play and sing along.

Great to see Vue Cinemas are selling ticket for Peppa Pig: Festival Of Fun at a reduced price (£5.74 adults and children) as it will be many children’s first cinema experience but Cineworld and Odeon cinemas are charging regular prices for the 68-minute long film.

Two years ago went with my niece and nephew went to see Peppa Pig: My First Cinema Experience was their first ever trip to the cinema was a similar length to Festival of Fun 73 minutes, but my local cinema charged regular prices. My niece and nephews comment as they walked into the cinema was it’s a big TV, enjoy that first experience then they will be back for more. Paying full price for a 70-minute film many will feel ripped off especially as its just10 episodes joined together.

Peppa Pig: My First Cinema Experience opened in April 2017 with £1.05m taking £3.62m and was eOne’s second biggest film in the UK in 2017 after The Death of Stalin; Peppa Pig: Festival Of Fun will likely perform similarly as young children love Peppa.

Opening in the US

• Shazam! – Warner Bros

After receiving strong buzz and positive reviews was expected to open in the $30m’s now $40m’s

Took $3.3m from previews on Saturday March 23^rd (Aquaman took $2.9m)

• The Best of Enemies – STX

Drama starring Taraji P. Henson, Sam Rockwell, Babou Ceesay, Anne Heche, Wes Bentley, Bruce McGill, John Gallagher Jr., and Nick Searcy and directed by Robin Bissell based on the book The Best of Enemies: Race and Redemption in the New South by Osha Gray Davidson.

STX acquired US rights in July 2018; expected to open with about $7m

• Pet Sematary – Paramount Pictures

Had its world premiere at South by Southwest receiving positive reviews 92% Rotten Tomatoes score

Early tracking projected it to open $25m–30m

• High Life – A24

Science fiction starring Robert Pattinson and Juliette Binoche written and directed by French director Claire Denis; had its world premiere at the 2018 Toronto Film Festival receiving positive reviews 88% Rotten Tomatoes score.