- A Haunting in Venice – £2,186,930 -NE
Included £26,701 from previews.
764th biggest opening between The Exorcist (1998 RE) and Why Him? (close to The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, The Truman Show, Basic Instinct and The Iron Lady) and 1,224th biggest inflated between The Lovely Bones and The Equalizer 2 (close to Fight Club, Miracle on 34th Street, Bird on a Wire and Beverly Hills Cop III).
Opened in 711 cinemas 1he 18th widest similar to Fantastic Beasts 3; 24th 700+ opener since 2017’s Star Wars: The Last Jedi
The previous two Hercule Poirot films
2017’s Murder On The Orient Express opened £4,985,600 #1 taking £24,224,914
2022’s Death on the Nile (62% Rotten Tomatoes) opened £1,898,357 #3 in 710 cinemas taking £8,012,201.
The release date was delayed several times of Death on the Nile due to Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox and COVID and also had to deal with the controversy surrounding Micheal Fassbender. It was surprising they greenlighted the third film so quickly but had a lower budget than Death On the Nile and while the first two films had A-star ensemble cast A Haunting in Venice wasn’t as strong.
Murder on the Orient Express had a huge world premiere at the Royal Albert Hall, with the cast in attendance, while the cast of Death on the Nile attended an Egyptian exhibit at The British Museum ahead of its opening. Both generated strong media coverage that helped their openings, (both opening a week before the US in the UK) but due to the actor strike, only Kenneth Branagh was able to promote A Haunting in Venice and didn’t generate the media coverage it would have normally received. As with Haunted Mansion, it was surprising the film didn’t open in October.
The first two Hercule Poirot films were shot with 65mm Panavision and shown exclusively at the Odeon Leicester Square in 70mm, A Haunting in Venice wasn’t shot on film.
The previous two Hercule Poirot films held well in their second weekend as they play to an older audience who don’t rush out to see films over the opening weekend so A Haunting in Venice should drop about 30%.
- 2. The Nun 2 – £1,133,830 – £3,870,260
Dropped 35.2% in the second weekend.
Held surprisingly strong for a horror sequel as would normally expected for the film to drop 50%+ in its second weekend most horror sequels, but probably dropped less as its opening weekend was lower than other similar horror films this year and opened over 50% less than The Nun.
907th biggest second weekend between Final Destination 2 and Star Trek: Insurrection (close to Starship Troopers, Edward Scissorhands, Team America: World Police and Face/Off) and 1,460th inflated between Dead Again and Fighting With My Family (close to Unstoppable, Snakes on a Plane, Sliver and Rambo III).
46th biggest horror second weekend between Final Destination 2 and Shaun of the Dead (close to Scream 2, The Exorcist (1998RE), The Haunting and 28 Days Later) and 83rd biggest inflated between The Strangers and Insidious: The Last Key (close to Poltergeist 2, Piranha 3-D, The Lawnmower Man and House on Haunted Hill).
2018’s The Nun dropped 55% £1,832,874 #2 and £7,663,574 of £11,302,155
2013’s The Conjuring dropped 24% £1,620,713 #4 and £5,852,046 of £9,337,626
2014’s Annabelle dropped 24% £1,465,919 #3 and £4,585,010 of £7,402,588
2016’s The Conjuring 2 dropped 82% £823,957 #5 and £9,457,326 of £10,896,992
2017’s Annabelle: Creation dropped 39% £1,193,210 #3 and £4,754,102 of £8,079,017
2019’s Annabelle Comes Home dropped 65% £770,640 #5 and £3,983,064 of £6,176,801
2021’s The Conjuring 3 dropped 61% £1,039,094 #4 and £5,312,625 of £9,367,720
The 8 Conjuring films have taken almost £70m since 2013.
Horror has been one of the strongest-performing genres of films since cinemas reopened three years ago, with 19 wide-released horrors including Insidious: The Red Door, Evil Dead Rises, Scream VI, M3gan, The Menu, Smile, Nope, The Black Phone, Scream, Candyman, A Quiet Place Part II and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It taking over £100m. There are 4 more due for release this year The Exorcist: Believer, Five Nights at Freddy’s, Saw X and Thanksgiving.
1,640th biggest between Insidious Chapter 3 and Poltergeist (2015) close to Single White Female, The Happening, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) and Paranormal Activity: Ghost Dimension 3D) and 2,149th inflated between Where The Wild Things Are and Primal Fear (close to Body of Evidence, Midnight Run, The Relic and Violent Night).
- 3. The Equalizer 3 – £874,709 – £6,287,458
Dropped 15% in the third weekend, holding far better than the previous two films in their third weekend.
683rd biggest third weekend between Deep Blue Sea and Braveheart (close to The Specialist, Sweet Home Alabama, True Grit and Cape Fear) and 939th biggest inflated between Watchmen and Bullet Train (close to The Bourne Legacy, Insomnia, Jack Reacher and Die Hard.
Third Weekends
2014’s The Equalizer dropped 48% £620,025 #6 from 411 screens and £5,558,555 of £6,669,034
2018’s The Equalizer 2 dropped 50% £625,218 #8 from 443 screens and £6,090,669 of £7,247,966.
It’s the fifth film starring Denzel Washington and directed by Antoine Fuqua after 2002’s Training Day (took £1,942,439), 2014’s The Equalizer 2016’s The Magnificent Seven (£5,895,017) and 2018’s The Equalizer 2.
1,133rd biggest between Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts and Vertical Limit (close to Phone Booth, Jackie Brown, Taken and 28 Days Later) and 1,690th biggest inflated between Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts and Kiss the Girls (close to Out of Sight, The Taking of Pelham 123, Copycat and John Wick: Chapter Two).
- 4. Jawan – £480,243 – £2,351,867
Dropped 64.3% in the second weekend.
9th biggest Bollywood film in the UK between PK and Dilwale
Pathaan dropped 64% £701,103 #2 from 212 cinemas and £3,075.013.
Jawan took $17.7m globally over the weekend taking $104.2m worldwide $35.6m outside of India
The upcoming film Leo was the first Bollywood film to open advance bookings 6 weeks in advance (opening October 19) and has sold over 24k tickets (£250k)
- 5) Barbie – £456,329 – £94,534,532
Dropped 18.7% in the ninth weekend.
Holding well in its ninth weekend despite being released digitally showing again if it’s a film people want to see in the cinema, they will still see it in the cinema even if it’s legally available to watch at home. It will be released in IMAX on Friday with additional end-credit footage that could see it overtake Spectre to become the fifth-biggest film in the UK.
55th biggest ninth weekend between Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (£456,414) and Black Panther (£452,734) close to LOTR: Return of the King, The World Is Not Enough, The Bodyguard and The Lion King (2019) and 113th biggest inflated between Bohemian Rhapsody and Ralph Breaks the Internet (close to Toy Story 2, The Matrix, True Lies and Home Alone).
6th biggest between Spectre (£95,179,832) and Avatar (£94,025,474) close to Spider-Man No Way Home, No Time To Die, Avengers: Endgame and Top Gun Maverick and 19th biggest inflated between Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 and Casino Royale (close to Toy Story 3, Spider-Man No Way Home, Shrek 2 and Toy Story 2; 7th since 2009’s Avatar to take £90m+ and is Warner Bros UK biggest film overtaking 2011’s Deathly Hallows Part 2.
Barbie is one of a kind as normally by now, a sequel would be dated for summer 2026 along with spinoff TV shows, but with no deals in place for sequels for Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig and Ryan Gosling unlikely a sequel will happen as it will be vastly more expensive and Ryan Gosling is ‘one and done’, doesn’t do sequels. As The Lego Movie has shown with its sequel lightning doesn’t strike twice as what made the first film so much fun and unique can’t be replicated. (That said spinoff The Lego Batman Movie is the best Batman movie).
After most of its release being ahead weekly with Top Gun Maverick Barbie has taken £20m+ more took 58% less in its ninth weekend £456,329 Vs. £1,095,131, as Paramount held back the digital release of Top Gun Maverick to its 14th week. Also, weeks 8-14 were still summer holidays for Barbie week 8 saw a huge 65% drop due to the end of summer holidays and the weekend after National Cinema Day. Makes it hard to compare Barbie with Top Gun Maverick now, saying that as Top Gun Maverick (as Oppenheimer) took a large percentage of box office from IMAX/PLF it was really impossible to make any comparisons.
Barbie has become the highest-grossing film at the Irish box office ever, overtaking Avatar, taking €8,854,036 and overtaking Titanic €8,253,258.
Also Opened
Saturday was Batman Day and Park Circus re-released several of them in cinemas including The Dark Knight #12 £175,576 331 screens: Batman #22 £66,351 from 327 screens and Joker #24 £37,014 from 319 screens.
The last Batman Day was May 17th, 2019, when Warner released 4K versions of Batman #19 £38,112; Batman Returns #39 £7,906; Batman Forever #96 £293 and Batman & Robin #107 £154
Disney is re-releasing a classic film each week as part of their 100th anniversary The Jungle Book #14 £117,015 from 642 screens.
Also released.
Oppenheimer – Universal Pictures
Down 32.7% in its ninth weekend taking £323,129 – £57,304,372.
Oppenheimer has taken 5.26x opening (Dunkirk 5.65x; Insomnia 4.87x; Inception 5.92x) similar to Inception in its 9th-weekend #14 taking £271,033 but the marketplace was far more crowded in 2010 as in 2017 Dunkirk’s 9th-weekend #8 £336,547.
90th biggest ninth weekend between Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa (£326,664) and The Grinch (£322,605) close to Dunkirk, The Theory Of Everything, Moulin Rouge and Goldeneye) and 174th biggest inflated between The Dark Knight and Scooby Do (close to Trainspotting, Apollo 13, In the Line of Fire and Cape Fear).
29th biggest between LOTR: The Two Towers (£57,600,094) and Dunkirk (£56,777,289) close to LOTR: The Return of the King, Joker, Star Wars: The Phantom Menace and The Dark Knight Rises and 70th biggest inflated between Notting Hill and Alice In Wonderland (close to The Kings Speech, The Matrix Reloaded, Gladiator and The Greatest Showman); 47th film to take £50m+ since 1997’s The Full Monty.
Ninth weekends
2010’s Inception dropped 35% £271,033 #14 154 screens £34,609,887 of £35,264,403; held #1 for 1 week and in the top 5 for 5 weeks and top 10 for 8 weeks.
2020’s Tenet dropped 27% £134,968 #4 from 276 screens and £17,122,299 of £17,479,421; dropped 27% in the eighth weekend taking £134,968 held #1 for 8 weeks and in the top 5 for 9 weeks and top 10 for 10 weeks
2017’s Dunkirk dropped 46% £336,547 #8 290 screens and £55,758,074 of £56,797,955; held #1 for 4 weeks and in the top 5 for 8 weeks and top 10 for 10 weeks.
2014’s Interstellar took £20,852,599 after 7 weeks; held #1 for 2 weeks in the top 5 for 4 weeks and top 10 for 6 weeks.
2008’s The Dark Knight dropped 40% £211,370 #11 from 180 screens and £48,020,515 of £49,411,323: #1 for 2 weeks, top 5 for 6 weeks and top 10 for 8 weeks.
2012’s The Dark Knight Rises dropped 34% £231,156 #11 from 140 screens and £55,769,510 of £56,446,768: #1 for 2 weeks, top 5 for 6 weeks and top 10 for 8 weeks.
Christopher Nolan’s films have taken over £320m at the UK BO and £400m inflated; average £42m and £51m over the last 7 films.
UK box office in detail
This weekend’s top 10 box office took £6,463,338 down 2.96% from last weekend’s £6,660,831: 810,958 admissions down 3% from 835,738.
37th biggest weekend of the year out of 37 weeks below the previous lowest 08 September 2023 #1 The Nun 2 £1,743,903
104th biggest since cinemas reopened out of 128 weeks between 10 September 2021 #1 Shangi-Chi (£3,583,848) and 20 May 2022 #1 Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (£2,968,358).
968th biggest top 10 of the last 21 years (out of 1,120) between 05 April 2002 #1 Blade 2 £1,335,594 (20.7% of top 10) and 30 May 2003 #1 The Matrix Reloaded £3,783,905 (58.7% of top 10) and 1,064th biggest inflation inflated between 03 December 2021 #1 House of Gucci £1,511,982 24.8% of top 10) and 29 June 2012 #1 Ice Age: Continental Drift £853,226 (16.5% of top 10).
The top 3 took (£4,195,469) 64.9% of the top 10; A Haunting in Venice 34.26% (£2,186,930); The Nun II 17.76% (£1,133,830); The Equalizer 13.7% (£874,709).
555th highest percentage (33.84%) between 19 January 2007 Rocky Balboa (33.89%) and 28 November 2008 Four Christmases (33.81%)
974th biggest admissions #1 (274,395) between 11 August 2006 Cars (275,199) and 25 January 2019 Glass (272,381).
Up 94.3% from 2022 (£3,325,794); Moonage Daydream (£181,467); Clerks III (£47,712); Jackie Brown (25th Anniversary) (£21,636); #1 See How They Run £984,779 2nd week 15% drop 717 screens (29.61% of top 10)
Down 34.3% from 2021 (£4,812,471); Gunpowder Milkshake (£35,578); 12 Mighty Orphans (£17,220); #1 Shangi-Chi £2,362,692 3rd week 34% drop 664 screens (49.1% of top 10)
Up 148.2% from 2020 (£2,603,624); Bill and Ted Face the Music (£462,051); Andre Rieu’s Magical Maastricht: Together In Music (£124,101); Rocks (£75,478); #1 Tenet £796,309 616 screens 45% drop 4th week 30.6% of top 10)
Down 46.8% from 2019 (£12,155,175); Downton Abbey (£5,180,865); Hustlers (£1,353,324); #1 Downton Abbey £5,180,865 1st week 728 screens (42.6% of top 10)
Down 33% from 2018: (£9,647,148); The Predator (£2,394,163); Crazy Rich Asians (£1,599,858); King of Thieves (£1,535,876); #1 The Predator £2,394,163 1st week 553 screens (24.8% of top 10)
Down 43.7% from 2017: (£11,473,084); Victoria and Abdul (£1,846,970); mother! (£831,676); American Assassin (£768,951); Aces of the Jungle (£374,982); #1 It £6,070,542 2nd week 608 down 39% screens (52.9% of the top 10)
Down 51% from 2016: (£13,181,394); Bridget Jones’s Baby (£8,111,077); Blair Witch (£959,401); The Beatles: Eight Days a Week – The Touring Years (£654,726); The Infiltrator (£370,439); Hunt for the Wilderpeople (£167,646); #1 Bridget Jones’s Baby £8,111,077 1st week 641 screens (61.5% of the top 10)
Down 30.6% from 2015; (£9,319,305); Everest (£3,160,154); A Walk in the Woods (£252,175); The Battle Of Britain At 75 (Concert) (£225,942); Bill (£221,807); The D Train (£8,516); #1 Legend £2,446,860 2nd week 544 screens 53% drop (26.2% of top 10)
Up 5.8% from 2014: (£6,109,464); A Walk Among the Tombstones (£1,317,948); The Riot Club (£496,647); 20,000 Days on Earth (£356,467); Magic in the Moonlight (£273,998); The Giver (£186,989); Think Like a Man too (£131,138); Wish I Was Here (£27,739); #1 The Boxtrolls £1,333,137 2nd week 509 screens (33% drop (21.8% of top 10)
Down 38.7% from 2013: (£10,548,613); Insidious 2 (£2,877,742); Rush (£2,099,308); White House Down (£1,184,338); Justin and the Knights of Valour (£831,011); In a World… (£35,178); 42 (£3,797); #1 Insidious 2 £2,877,742 1st week 414 screens (27.2% of top 10)
Down 16.7% from 2012 (£7,760,490); The Sweeney (£1,545,294); ParaNorman (£1,393,123); Hope Springs (£728,689); To Rome with Love (£141,008); Premium Rush (£115,358); #1 The Sweeney £1,545,294 1st week 406 screens (19.9% of top 10)
Down 24.7% from 2011 (£8,582,687); Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (£2,814,860); The Change-Up (£727,497); I Don’t Know How She Does It (£562,609); 30 Minutes or Less (£260,337); You Instead (£6,770); #1 Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy £2,814,860 1st 382 screens 42% drop (32.8% of top 10)
Up 5.6% from 2010: (£6,120,627); The Other Guys (£1,980,601); Devil (£807,292); Just Wright (£82,513); I’m Still Here (£22,730); Grease Sing-along (£15,701); #1 The Other Guys £1,980,601 1st week 441 screens (32.5% of top 10)
Up 12.1% from 2009; (£5,767,172); Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (£1,583,544); Gamer (£641,568); The Firm (£310,060); Away We Go (£250,211); #1 Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs £1,583,544 1st week 438 screens (27.4% of top 10)
Down 2.9% from 2008; (£6,654,546); Tropic Thunder (£2,483,271); Linha De Passe (£34,156); The Wave (£27,981); #1 Tropic Thunder £2,483,271 1st week 460 screens (37.3% of top 10)
Down 13.9% from 2007:(£7,504,924); Superbad (£1,484,456); Disturbia (£728,145); Shoot ‘Em Up (£374,770); 3:10 To Yuma (£368,510); December Boys (£23,145); #1 Run, Fat Boy, Run £1,543,836 2nd week 411 screens 23% drop (20.5% of top 10)
Up 32.1% from 2006; (£4,892,872); Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (£1,033,759); The Queen (£856,273); The Night Listener (£314,078); DOA (£224,786); #1 Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby £1,033,759 1st week 403 screens (21.2% of top 10)
Down 1.3% from 2005 (£6,549,677); Pride and Prejudice (£2,529,947); Wolf Creek (£554,618); Must Love Dogs (£142,199); #1 Pride and Prejudice £2,529,947 1st week 397 screens (38.6% of top 10)
Up 2.9% from 2004 (£6,276,762); Collateral (£2,238,200); Trauma (£144,148); Ae Fond Kiss (£106,366); #1 Collateral £2,238,200 1st week 450 screens (35.6% of top 10)
Down 16.2% from 2003 (£7,710,363); The Italian Job (£2,294,027); Underworld (£1,487,839); Le Divorce (£93,061); Raising Victor Vargas (£50,672); #1 The Italian Job £2,294,027 1st week 428 screens (29.7% of top 10)
Down 10.9% from 2002 (£7,251,582); Signs (£3,767,713); A Walk to Remember (£246,860); #1 Signs £3,767,713 1st week 443 screens (51.9% of top 10)
Down 1.9% from 2001 (£6,587,094); The Fast and the Furious (£1,763,020); The Martins (£310,600); #1 Moulin Rouge £1,859,732 2nd week 314 screens 23% drop (28.2% of top 10);
Next Week 2022 (£8,643,800); Ticket to Paradise (£2,805,615); Don’t Worry Darling (£2,771,935); Avatar (Re: 2022) (£1,218,693); #1 Ticket to Paradise £2,805,615 1st week 687 screens (32.46% of top 10)
US Box Office
As in the UK, this weekend was the second lowest of the year in the US ahead of the previous lowest in February when Magic Mike’s Last Dance opened, but it was still up from the same weekend last year when The Woman King opened.
- The Nun II – Warner Bros
Dropped 55% in the second weekend $14.53m and $56.32m.
Ahead of the weekend and at the start of the weekend it was expected A Haunting in Venice would open #1 but Sunday estimates came in very close to each other and then the final figures took $200k more. This doesn’t tell the complete story as A Haunting in Venice took $1.1m from previews and took IMAX/PLF screens from The Nun.
747th biggest second weekend between Battle Los Angeles and Die Hard 2 (close to Flight, Taken 3, The A-Team and Olympus Has Fallen).
1,610th biggest between Once Upon a Time in Mexico and Me Before You; 2,583rd biggest inflated between The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2; 30th biggest 2023 between Shazam! Fury of the Gods and Air; 80th biggest horror between Saw V and White Noise; 261st biggest Warner Bros between Executive Decision and Me Before You.
The budget was $38.5m compared to The Nun’s $22m.
The Conjuring Universe 9 films have taken almost $800m in the US and almost $2.3bn since 2013.
Second weekends
2021’s The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It 57.1% $10.33m #3 and $44.08m of $65.63m and $206.43m WW
2019’s Annabelle Comes Home dropped 53.4% $9.45m #4 and $49.83m of $74.15m and $228.51m worldwide
2019’s The Curse of La Llorona dropped 69.5% $8.04m #3 and $41.83m of $54.73m and $121.66m worldwide
2018’s The Nun dropped 66.1% $18.23m #2 and $85.11m of $117.45m and $36.39m worldwide
2017’s Annabelle: Creation dropped 55.4% $15.61m #2 and $64.15m of $102.1m and $305.38m worldwide
2016’s The Conjuring 2 dropped 63.2% $14.88m #3 and $71.05m of $102.47m and $310.2m worldwide
2014’s Annabelle dropped 57.3% $15.85m #4 and $61.64m of $84.27m and $256.86m worldwide
2013’s The Conjuring dropped 46.9% $22.2m #2 and $83.94m of $137.4m and $317.78m worldwide
Took $30.1m (dropped 45.7%) from 72 territories and $102.3m and $158.8m worldwide; Mexico $14.9m; Indonesia $7.6m; Brazil $7.2m; Italy $5.5m; UK $4.9m.
- A Haunting in Venice – Disney/20th Century Studios
Opened with $14.27m; received positive reviews (79% Rotten Tomatoes) and B CinemaScore.
Death on the Nile and Murder on the Orient Express both received B CinemaScore.
As with The Equalizer 3 and The Nun 2 it took almost 40% from IMAX/PLF and will lose those screens to Barbie and The Expendables 4 this weekend.
Ahead of the opening, was expected to open between $13m+; 2022’s Death on the Nile opened $12.89m taking $45.63m and $137.3m less than half of 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express opened $28.68m taking $102.82m and $352.79m. Death on the Nile release was delayed several times due to Disney acquiring 20th Century Fox and COVID and also having to deal with the negative publicity surrounding star Armie Hammer.
Unlike the previous two films, which had the ensemble cast promoting them with interviews due to the strike, only Kenneth Branagh was allowed.
Took $1.2m from Thursday previews; 2022’s Death on the Nile took $1.1m and Ticket to Paradise $1.1m; Murder on the Orient Express $1.6m similar to Arrival $1.45m and The Girl on the Train $1.23m.
As with Gran Turismo, Thursday preview BO included IMAX fan previews on Wednesday.
As Death on the Nile opened in 375 IMAX, 700 PLF; had a lower budget ($70m) than Death on the Nile $90m compared to $55m for Murder on the Orient Express, but unlike those two films wasn’t filmed in 65mm Panavision and isn’t released in 70mm.
Death on the Nile opened $20.7m from 47 territories; Russia ($2.5m); UK ($2.4m); Italy ($2.1m); France ($2.1m); Germany ($1.4m).
Opened with $22.7m from 51 territories; UK $2.6m; China $2.4m; Italy $2.1m; France $1.7m; Spain $1.2m; Korea $1m; Japan $900k; Germany $800k; Mexico $700k; Australia $700k.
Took $900k from IMAX internationally.
- The Equalizer 3 – Sony Pictures
Dropped 40% in the third weekend taking $7.23m and $73.67m
981st biggest third weekend between Unforgiven and I Love You, Man (close to Mystic River, Public Enemies, Patriot Games and Swordfish).
1,166th biggest between The Jerk and Monster House; 2,027th inflated between Sophie’s Choice and How Stella Got Her Groove Back; 23rd biggest 2023 between Meg 2: The Trench and Blue Beetle; 79th biggest based on TV show between Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and Jackass: Number Two; 149th biggest Sony Pictures between Christmas with the Kranks and Monster House.
Third weekends
2018’s The Equalizer 2 dropped 37.5% $8.75m #5 and $79.81m of $102.08m and $190.4m WW
2014’s The Equalizer dropped 48.2% $9.7m #6 and $79.86m of $101.53m and $192.33m WW.
Denzel Washington’s biggest films to date at the US box office were 2007’s American Gangster taking $130.16m and 2012’s Safe House $126.18m.
The Equalizer sequels are the only sequels he has made and played so many unforgettable non-fiction and fictional characters over the years including Steve Biko (Cry Freedom), Trip (Glory), Malcolm X, Joe Miller (Philadelphia), Lt. Cmdr. Hunter (Crimson Tide), Rubin ‘Hurricane’ (The Hurricane), Dr Jerome Davenport (Antwone Fisher) and Frank Barnes (Unstoppable) he next stars in Gladiator 2. He won two Oscars Best Supporting Actor for Glory and Best Actor for Training Day.
His films have taken $2.44bn at the US box office and $4.21bn WW.
Took $8.3m (dropped 27.8%) from 54 territories total $58.7m and $132.4m worldwide; UK $7.9m; Germany $5.7m; France $5.6m; Australia $4.9m; Saudi Arabia $4m.
- My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 – Focus Features
Dropped 53.1% $4.7m #4 and $18.57m
Hard to make comparisons with 2002’s My Big Fat Greek Wedding’s second weekend as it took $804,683 up 34.7% #16 (MYFGW3 opened in 3,678 screens) and slowly expanded not getting to its widest release of 2,000+ screens until its 26th week it it it on release (taking $8.45m) playing in cinemas for 52 weeks taking $241.38m and $368.74m worldwide.
2016’s My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2 dropped 37.2% $11.21m #3 and $36.58m of $59.68m and $90.63m
While Opened 49% more than Book Club: The Next Chapter dropped 55.1% $3m #4 and $13.12m of $17.55m and $28.84m worldwide.
Took $1.6m from 24 territories and $5.3m and $23.9m worldwide.
- Barbie – Warner Bros
Dropped 33% in the ninth weekend taking $3.821m #5 and $625.97m.
98th biggest ninth weekend between Meet the Parents and An Officer and a Gentleman (close to The Incredibles, Aladdin (2019), Frozen II and Night at the Museum)
Held well in its ninth weekend despite being released on digital on Tuesday and will finally be released in IMAX on Friday for one week only and will include new post-credit footage.
EntTelligence average ticket price of Barbie $12.65 and Oppenheimer $13.65
11th biggest film between Jurassic World and The Avengers; 31st biggest inflated between Ghostbusters (1984) and The Lion King (2019); 1st biggest 2023 film ahead of The Super Mario Bros. Movie; biggest Warner Bros film ahead of The Dark Knight ($533.72m)
Studios Top 5 2023; Universal $1.45bn; Disney $1.29bn; Warner $1.1bn; Sony $709.5m; Paramount $705.3m.
Took $3.4m from 73 territories and $791.8m and $1.417bn worldwide UK $120.8m; Germany $56.5m; Australia $55.6m; Mexico $54.3m; France $47.6m; Brazil $43.8m; Spain $36.3m; Italy $35.7m; China $35.1m; Holland $20.5m; Argentina $15.4m.
14th biggest worldwide between Frozen II and Avengers: Age of Ultron; biggest worldwide 2023 ahead of The Super Mario Bros. Movie ($1.359bn); Biggest Warner Bros film worldwide ahead of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II ($1.31bn) and Aquaman ($1.14bn).
- Oppenheimer – Universal Pictures
Down 32% in the ninth weekend taking $2.09m #9 and $318.63m.
The industry predictably has gone over the top with their reaction to the BO of Oppenheimer but only needs to compare week-by-week BO with 2010’s Inception to see that its BO was expected especially as 40%+ came from IMAX/PLF. Christopher Nolan is the reason why the majority came to see Oppenheimer as it was for both Dunkirk and Inception, while the industry has very short memories as three years ago tenet should have attracted the same Nolan fans but it opened far too soon in cinemas for the majority.
While many talks about Nolan directing a Bond film, there was speculation after Spectre that he would direct Bond 25, but he decided to direct Tenet which could be seen as his Bond film.
283rd biggest ninth weekend between The Santa Clause and Deadpool (close to Jagged Edge, The Descendants, Air Force One and Presumed Innocent).
87th biggest between Transformers and Iron Man; 223rd biggest inflated between Gladiator and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides; 5th biggest 2023 between Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 and The Little Mermaid; 12th biggest Universal Pictures film between Minions and Meet the Fockers.
The 400 IMAX cinemas in the US (1%) have taken 30% of the US BO and 20% of worldwide BO.
IMAX and $87m total US.
Ninth weekends
2020’s Tenet dropped 28.4% $912,468 #4 $53.82m of $58.5m and $365.3m WW; dropped 28.4% in the ninth weekend taking $912,468; held #1 for 5 weeks and stayed in top 10 for 13 weeks.
2017’s Dunkirk down 29.6% $1.31m #10 $185.14m of $183.02m 97.3% of $188.045m and $525.24m WW; down 29.6% in the eighth weekend taking $1.31m held #1 for 2 weeks and stayed in the top 10 for 9 weeks.
2014’s Interstellar was down 18.1% $2.46m #15 $182.8m of $188.02m and $677.89m WW; down 18.1% in the ninth weekend taking $2.46m stayed in the top 10 for 6 weeks.
2010’s Inception dropped 38.7% $2.8m #10 $282.21m of $292.57m and $825.79m WW; dropping 38.7% in the ninth weekend $2.8m held #1 for 3 weeks and staying in the top 10 for 11 weeks.
2008’s The Dark Knight dropped 25.1% $4.12m #7 $517.79m of $533.34m and $1.003bn WW; dropped 25.1% in the ninth weekend $4.12m held #1 for 4 weeks and stayed in the top 10 for 10 weeks.
2012’s The Dark Knight Rises dropped 32.2% $2.18m #11 $441.05m of $448.13m and $1.081bn WW; dropped 32.2% in the ninth weekend $2.18m; held #1 for 3 weeks and stayed in the top 10 for 8 weeks.
2020’s Tenet ($205m budget) took $365.3m worldwide; 2017’s Dunkirk ($150m+ budget) took $527m worldwide; 2014’s Interstellar ($165m+ budget) took $773.43m worldwide; 2010’s Inception ($160m+ budget) took $870.1m worldwide.
Took $10.8m (dropped 44.6%) from 83 territories $593.97m total and $912.7m worldwide; UK $73m; China $54m; Germany $48m; France $41.6m; Italy $26m.
It has taken $179m internationally for IMAX; 5th highest grossing IMAX film worldwide after Avatar, Avatar: The Way of Water, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and Avengers: Endgame.
68th biggest worldwide between LOTR: The Two Towers and Spider-Man 3; 3rd 2023 worldwide between The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3; 2nd biggest R-rated between Joker and Deadpool 2; 12th biggest Universal Pictures worldwide between Minions: The Rise of Gru and The Secret Life of Pets.
- Dumb Money – Sony Pictures
Opened for $220,947 from 8 screens.
A disappointing start for the film
It has a limited expansion this weekend before going wide on September 29th to build word of mouth. Sony opted to give it a platform opening after premiering at the Toronto Film Festival receiving positive reviews (87% Rotten Tomatoes) due to the SAG strike cast not being able to promote and is vital to build awareness for films like Dumb Money.
The film is based on the book The Antisocial Network by Ben Mezrich, he previously wrote The Accidental Billionaires, which became 2010’s The Social Network (opened $22.4m taking $96.96m and $224.92m.
Other similar films include 2014’s The Wolf of Wall Street which opened $18.36m taking $116.9m and $392m worldwide.
Other financial films include.
2015’s The Big Short opened $705,527 from 8 screens and $10.53m expanded taking $70.25m and $133.4m worldwide
2000’s Boiler Room opened $5.74m taking $16.97m and $28.78m worldwide
1987’s Wall Street opened $4.1m taking $43.84m
2010’s Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps opened $19.01m taking $52.47m and $134.74m WW
2011’s Margin Call opened $169,289 56 screens taking $5.35m and $19.5m WW
1990’s Bonfire of the Vanities opened $4.21m taking $15.69m
2019’s Hustlers opened $33.18m taking $104.96m and $157.56m WW
1983’s Trading Places opened $7.34m taking $90.4m
UK Box Office Top 10
UK Box Office Preview
Expend4bles will likely be the fourth new #1 over the last four weeks. The Expendables 4 was released 9 years after the last film which was expected to be the final film as it was the lowest grossing of the series, but now franchises never end.
Expend4bles will likely open similarly to The Expendables 3 opened £1,689,927 #3 from 462 screens taking £3,741,848 and as 2012’s The Expendables 2 opened £1,985,082 #4 from 451 screens taking £5,938,099 will be front-loaded.
The previous two Hercule Poirot films had low second weekend drops; Murder On The Orient Express dropped 12% £4,376,429 #2 from 642 screens and £12,989,387 and Death on the Nile dropped 28% £1,349,395 and £4,738,119, so A Haunting in Venice will likely drop about 30% in its second weekend taking £1.3m-£1.5m.
Dumb Money received positive reviews, but not having the cast able to promote the film it is likely to struggle to find an audience as, despite the news story about GameStop Redditors receiving huge media coverage at the time, a film like Dumb Money needs talent interviews to get audiences to understand the film, The problem as it doesn’t have an internationally friendly cast as The Social Network, The Wolf of Wall Street and The Big Short.
Financial films have had mixed success at the box office depending on how accessible they are to audiences as they normally have a lot of jargon. Boiler Room (opened £88,765), Wall Street (opened £318,798 (£1,104,704 inflated) taking £2,850,868 (£9,878,877 inflated), The Wolf of Wall Street (£4,655,984 #1 £22,267,066), Rogue Trader (£269,871 taking £969,565, The Big Short (£1,302,205 #4 £5,494,586), Margin Call (opened £131,982 #12), Bonfire of the Vanities (£238,939 (£628,49 inflated) taking £473,284 (£1,244,909 inflated); 99 Homes (opened £38,078 #23) Hustlers (£1,353,324 #3 taking £7,253,643) and Trading Places.
Finally getting to play on IMAX screens (for a week) Barbie could see a boost in its 10th weekend with fans seeing it for one final time in cinemas to get to see the new end credit footage.
- Opening in three weeks
- Trolls Band Together – Universal Pictures
The animated musical comedy sequel to 2020’s Trolls World Tour features voice cast Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Zooey Deschanel, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Kunal Nayyar, Camila Cabello, Amy Schumer, RuPaul, and Zosia Mamet and directed by Walt Dohrn.
The original film opened in October 2016 with a strong £5,440,878 #1 from 608 screens taking £24,228,850; featured Justin Timberlake’s song Can’t Stop The Feeling the video has been viewed over 1.7bn times since May 2016. Just Sing was the theme song for Troll World Tour but was far less popular video was viewed 394m times since Troll World Tour featured the first song from NSYNC over 20 years ago.
The sequel Trolls World Tour was due to be released in April 2020 but less than a month before release studios delayed films due to COVID and UK cinemas closed on March 17th. Universal Pictures decided to release the film on VOD in April 2020. Exhibitors were outraged and decided to ban all of their upcoming films. Universal was in a no-win situation as the film was in the final stages of a marketing campaign, so it was either released on VOD or delayed to an unknown date as Sony Pictures did with Peter Rabbit 2.
Despite being released on VOD when cinemas reopened in July 2020, Trolls World Tour had a limited cinema release taking £948,876.
The film opens in the UK a month before the US (opening November 17th)
- Killers Of The Flower Moon – Paramount Pictures
Western crime drama based on the 2017 book by David Grann starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, John Lithgow, and Brendan Fraser and directed by Martin Scorsese.
It’s the sixth film between Scorsese and DiCaprio and the tenth between Scorsese and De Niro. Scorsese and DiCaprio were attached in 2017 and it was expected to start production in 2018 but didn’t start filming until April 2021 after Apple TV had taken over production with Paramount Picture’s releasing the film theatrically.
It had its world premiere at Cannes Film Festival receiving widespread critical acclaim.
Paramount Pictures had had a first-look production deal with Martin Scorsese from 2006 to 2019 releasing Shine A Light, Shutter Island and had US rights for Hugo, The Wolf of Wall Street and Silence.
It moved Apple TV after Paramount had concerns over the $200m budget for Killers of the Flower Moon and it was announced Apple would finance the film. This was similar to what happened with 2019’s The Irishman when Paramount acquired US rights, but after Martin Scorsese’s 2016 film Silence flopped dropped US rights and was acquired globally by Netflix.
Martin Scorsese’s Biggest UK openings
2014’s The Wolf of Wall Street £4,655,984
2003’s Gangs Of New York £2,622,748 (£4,707,951 inflated)
2006’s The Departed £2,298,313 (£3,761,305 inflated)
2010’s Shutter Island £2,250,178 (£3,014,104 inflated)
1992’s Cape Fear £1,664,733 (£4,133,309 inflated)
2004’s The Aviator £1,314,946 (£2,225,078 inflated)
2011’s Hugo £1,225,987
1996’s Casino £1,075,172 (£2,105,435 inflated)
1987’s The Color of Money £424,108 (£1,572,158)
1993’s The Age of Innocence £206,361 80 screens (£506,061 inflated)
cigarette burns and missed changeovers 