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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Olympus Has Fallen drops in at No 1 | Olympus Has Fallen drops in at No 1 |
| (3 months later) | |
| The winner: sunshine | The winner: sunshine |
| The weekend before a big blockbuster is often quiet at the box office, as distributors are reluctant to release a major film, only to see it get clobbered seven days later. Consequently, with the summer blockbuster season officially kicking off this Thursday with Iron Man 3, the market is relatively becalmed. Even so, cinema owners could have done without the spring sunshine that finally arrived across much of the country on Saturday and Sunday, reducing audience numbers especially for matinees and early evening showtimes. | The weekend before a big blockbuster is often quiet at the box office, as distributors are reluctant to release a major film, only to see it get clobbered seven days later. Consequently, with the summer blockbuster season officially kicking off this Thursday with Iron Man 3, the market is relatively becalmed. Even so, cinema owners could have done without the spring sunshine that finally arrived across much of the country on Saturday and Sunday, reducing audience numbers especially for matinees and early evening showtimes. |
| See if this film is playing near you | |
| Including Wednesday/Thursday previews totalling £652,000, Olympus Has Fallen opened at the chart summit with £2.25m. Ignoring the previews, top title remains Tom Cruise sci-fi Oblivion, with £1.66m. For Gerard Butler, Olympus represents a welcome return to commercial form after his last film Playing for Keeps stumbled out of the gate with £507,000 including £188,000 in previews, ignominiously landing outside the top 10. The actor's last straight-up action role, Law Abiding Citizen, debuted with £1.49m in November 2009. His biggest opening remains 300, with £4.75m including previews of £784,000, back in March 2007. | Including Wednesday/Thursday previews totalling £652,000, Olympus Has Fallen opened at the chart summit with £2.25m. Ignoring the previews, top title remains Tom Cruise sci-fi Oblivion, with £1.66m. For Gerard Butler, Olympus represents a welcome return to commercial form after his last film Playing for Keeps stumbled out of the gate with £507,000 including £188,000 in previews, ignominiously landing outside the top 10. The actor's last straight-up action role, Law Abiding Citizen, debuted with £1.49m in November 2009. His biggest opening remains 300, with £4.75m including previews of £784,000, back in March 2007. |
| Predictably, matinee-reliant family film The Croods was one of the worst affected by the weekend sunshine, falling 66% from the previous weekend. | Predictably, matinee-reliant family film The Croods was one of the worst affected by the weekend sunshine, falling 66% from the previous weekend. |
| The chasing pack | The chasing pack |
| Pickings were relatively slim for the other new releases. Evil Dead was perhaps a bit lower than expected, with £1.09m over the weekend, and £1.38m including Thursday previews. An apt comparison might be The Cabin in the Woods, which debuted with £1.60m back in April last year. Landing in seventh place, Love Is All You Need got off to a disappointingly slow start, with £202,000 from 131 cinemas. Unluckily for distributor Arrow, the film's sunny setting proved no match for the actual sunshine that materialized. The older demographic, which might be expected to embrace this middle-aged romance, has a noted preference for their own gardens during sunny periods, and in any case is notoriously dilatory about arranging cinema trips. Better things may await this title, if it holds its screens. | Pickings were relatively slim for the other new releases. Evil Dead was perhaps a bit lower than expected, with £1.09m over the weekend, and £1.38m including Thursday previews. An apt comparison might be The Cabin in the Woods, which debuted with £1.60m back in April last year. Landing in seventh place, Love Is All You Need got off to a disappointingly slow start, with £202,000 from 131 cinemas. Unluckily for distributor Arrow, the film's sunny setting proved no match for the actual sunshine that materialized. The older demographic, which might be expected to embrace this middle-aged romance, has a noted preference for their own gardens during sunny periods, and in any case is notoriously dilatory about arranging cinema trips. Better things may await this title, if it holds its screens. |
| Despite the presence of co-writer/star Matt Damon, Gus Van Sant's social-issue romantic drama Promised Land was predictably weak, with a £53,000 debut from 130 screens. Reviews fell into the pat-on-head category, not really sufficient to propel audiences to check out a film about natural-gas fracking in rural America. Among those who have actually seen it, Promised Land enjoys an entirely respectable score of 6.5/10 at IMDb. | Despite the presence of co-writer/star Matt Damon, Gus Van Sant's social-issue romantic drama Promised Land was predictably weak, with a £53,000 debut from 130 screens. Reviews fell into the pat-on-head category, not really sufficient to propel audiences to check out a film about natural-gas fracking in rural America. Among those who have actually seen it, Promised Land enjoys an entirely respectable score of 6.5/10 at IMDb. |
| First quarter: status report | First quarter: status report |
| The Cinema Exhibitors Association has released official admission figures for March, and readers of this column during that period will not be surprised to hear they make for pretty dismal reading. With 10.9m tickets sold, this is the lowest tally for the month of March since 2006, when the top releases at the time were The Hills Have Eyes, The Pink Panther, V for Vendetta, The Inside Man and Hostel. The number represents a disappointing slide from January, which delivered a gutsy 17.1m admissions, easily the highest total for that month during the nine years of monthly data available at the CEA website. With a dip to just under 14m in February, the first quarter overall has seen admissions total 41.9m, which compares with 40.1m in the same period last year, and 43.5m in 2011. | The Cinema Exhibitors Association has released official admission figures for March, and readers of this column during that period will not be surprised to hear they make for pretty dismal reading. With 10.9m tickets sold, this is the lowest tally for the month of March since 2006, when the top releases at the time were The Hills Have Eyes, The Pink Panther, V for Vendetta, The Inside Man and Hostel. The number represents a disappointing slide from January, which delivered a gutsy 17.1m admissions, easily the highest total for that month during the nine years of monthly data available at the CEA website. With a dip to just under 14m in February, the first quarter overall has seen admissions total 41.9m, which compares with 40.1m in the same period last year, and 43.5m in 2011. |
| The year got off to a cracking start with Les Miserables, Django Unchained, The Impossible and strong continuing business for 2012 releases The Hobbit and Life of Pi, but has failed to sustain the pace, despite the arrival of hits including Wreck-It Ralph and The Croods. | The year got off to a cracking start with Les Miserables, Django Unchained, The Impossible and strong continuing business for 2012 releases The Hobbit and Life of Pi, but has failed to sustain the pace, despite the arrival of hits including Wreck-It Ralph and The Croods. |
| UK v USA | UK v USA |
| While the "10% rule" – films in the UK might expect to achieve one 10th of the US box office number, except in pounds rather than dollars – remains a useful benchmark, it's interesting to note that many titles currently are landing significantly higher or lower. The Croods is punching well above its weight, with £23.7m in the UK, rather than the £15.5m total that is suggested by its current US gross of $155m. | While the "10% rule" – films in the UK might expect to achieve one 10th of the US box office number, except in pounds rather than dollars – remains a useful benchmark, it's interesting to note that many titles currently are landing significantly higher or lower. The Croods is punching well above its weight, with £23.7m in the UK, rather than the £15.5m total that is suggested by its current US gross of $155m. |
| Some differences are explained by the sensibility of the material. Jack the Giant Slayer, which is set in England with a largely British cast, has done £7.3m business here, as has the distinctly American-feel GI Joe: Retaliation. Equivalent US gross would be $73m, but in fact Jack has sputtered below that, with $63m, while Joe has soared to $111m. Paramount UK will at least be happy that Retaliation has already overtaken the lifetime of the first GI Joe movie, which maxed out at £6.4m here. | Some differences are explained by the sensibility of the material. Jack the Giant Slayer, which is set in England with a largely British cast, has done £7.3m business here, as has the distinctly American-feel GI Joe: Retaliation. Equivalent US gross would be $73m, but in fact Jack has sputtered below that, with $63m, while Joe has soared to $111m. Paramount UK will at least be happy that Retaliation has already overtaken the lifetime of the first GI Joe movie, which maxed out at £6.4m here. |
| In the US, Disney has reached a solid $224m with Oz: The Great and Powerful; in the UK, it's a less impressive £14.9m. You might expect that disparity given the particular American affection for Oz, Wicked and L Frank Baum, and Disney UK can rest easy that its Oz result is ahead of every international territory so far except Russia/CIS. | In the US, Disney has reached a solid $224m with Oz: The Great and Powerful; in the UK, it's a less impressive £14.9m. You might expect that disparity given the particular American affection for Oz, Wicked and L Frank Baum, and Disney UK can rest easy that its Oz result is ahead of every international territory so far except Russia/CIS. |
| The indie hit | The indie hit |
| Still in the top five on its second week of play, and now expanded to 183 cinemas, The Place Beyond the Pines experienced the smallest decline of any film in the top 10, down just 12% from the previous frame. With £1.65m so far, it's the biggest tally of any film playing on fewer than 200 screens since The Angels' Share last summer. Of course, Pines, which stars Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper, may expand above 200 sites this Friday. | Still in the top five on its second week of play, and now expanded to 183 cinemas, The Place Beyond the Pines experienced the smallest decline of any film in the top 10, down just 12% from the previous frame. With £1.65m so far, it's the biggest tally of any film playing on fewer than 200 screens since The Angels' Share last summer. Of course, Pines, which stars Ryan Gosling and Bradley Cooper, may expand above 200 sites this Friday. |
| The future | The future |
| Thanks to the dearth of strong new releases, takings were 31% down on the previous weekend, and also 9% down on the similarly weak frame from a year ago, when the top new titles were Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Lockout and Gone. In 2012, the final weekend in April saw the arrival of The Avengers, which exploded with an opening of £15.8m, including previews. Marvel and partner Disney will have their work cut out achieving a similar result with Iron Man 3, arriving Thursday, even though reviews and audience word are both strongly positive, shaking off the stigma of the disappointing Iron Man 2. Alternatives include Michael Winterbottom's Paul Raymond biopic The Look of Love, starring Steve Coogan, and Richard Linklater's Bernie, with Jack Black. | Thanks to the dearth of strong new releases, takings were 31% down on the previous weekend, and also 9% down on the similarly weak frame from a year ago, when the top new titles were Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Lockout and Gone. In 2012, the final weekend in April saw the arrival of The Avengers, which exploded with an opening of £15.8m, including previews. Marvel and partner Disney will have their work cut out achieving a similar result with Iron Man 3, arriving Thursday, even though reviews and audience word are both strongly positive, shaking off the stigma of the disappointing Iron Man 2. Alternatives include Michael Winterbottom's Paul Raymond biopic The Look of Love, starring Steve Coogan, and Richard Linklater's Bernie, with Jack Black. |
| Top 10 films | Top 10 films |
| 1. Olympus Has Fallen, £2,247,900 from 453 sites (New) 2. Oblivion, £1,656,895 from 528 sites. Total: £8,058,971 3. Evil Dead, £1,375,842 from 394 sites (New) 4. The Croods, £678,951 from 517 sites. Total: £23,748,531 5. The Place Beyond the Pines, £580,790 from 181 sites. Total: £1,648,455 6. Scary Movie 5, £453,099 from 409 sites. Total: £1,983,601 7. Love Is All You Need, £202,176 from 131 sites (New) 8. GI Joe: Retaliation, £191,201 from 329 sites. Total: £7,288,281 9. Jack the Giant Slayer, £153,295 from 367 sites. Total: £7,347,344 10. Oz the Great and Powerful, £137,363 from 362 sites. Total: £14,886,744 | 1. Olympus Has Fallen, £2,247,900 from 453 sites (New) 2. Oblivion, £1,656,895 from 528 sites. Total: £8,058,971 3. Evil Dead, £1,375,842 from 394 sites (New) 4. The Croods, £678,951 from 517 sites. Total: £23,748,531 5. The Place Beyond the Pines, £580,790 from 181 sites. Total: £1,648,455 6. Scary Movie 5, £453,099 from 409 sites. Total: £1,983,601 7. Love Is All You Need, £202,176 from 131 sites (New) 8. GI Joe: Retaliation, £191,201 from 329 sites. Total: £7,288,281 9. Jack the Giant Slayer, £153,295 from 367 sites. Total: £7,347,344 10. Oz the Great and Powerful, £137,363 from 362 sites. Total: £14,886,744 |
| Other openers | Other openers |
| Promised Land, 130 sites, £52,664 Ek Thi Daayan, 23 sites, £30,587 Rebellion, 7 sites, £4,762 Me and You, 5 sites, £4,306 The Words, 10 sites, £765 F*ck for Forest, 3 sites, £379 (+ £557 previews) Bait tbc | Promised Land, 130 sites, £52,664 Ek Thi Daayan, 23 sites, £30,587 Rebellion, 7 sites, £4,762 Me and You, 5 sites, £4,306 The Words, 10 sites, £765 F*ck for Forest, 3 sites, £379 (+ £557 previews) Bait tbc |
| Thanks to Rentrak | Thanks to Rentrak |
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