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Posted by: LewisGT 9th March 2024, 10:51 PM

With the 'Anyone But You' hype finally slowing down and 'Wonka' too far behind to climb any higher, I think we can finally determine the EOY box office for 2023 in the UK.

It's hard to find totals for any of the films (outside of the top 10) in GBP so most of these figures are slight estimations but the order should be right.

I've discounted the re-release of 'Titanic' as it was originally released in 1997 but that would be #75 if it was included.


Here are some of the notable positions outside of the top 100:

101. The Old Oak
102. Missing
104. Women Talking
106. Till
107. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.
108. Champions
112. Dream Scenario
114. Joy Ride
121. Scrapper
125. Polite Society
129. Bottoms
132. How To Have Sex
134. Sisu
136. Rise Of The Footsoldier: Vengeance
137. The Blackening
138. 80 For Brady
155. Eurovision: Grand Final Live
157. Beau Is Afraid
159. Big George Foreman
167. Pearl
173. May December
175. Theatre Camp
180. Marcell The Shell With Shoes On
186. Blackberry

It's unfortunate that the final film of one of Britain's most legendary directors, Ken Loach, just misses out at #101.

Posted by: LewisGT 9th March 2024, 11:07 PM

Top 100

1. Barbie - £95,693,958 (estimated)
2. Wonka - £63,492,993 (estimated)
3. Oppenheimer - £59,550,750 (estimated)
4. The Super Mario Bros. Movie - £54,900,000 (estimated)
5. Guardians Of The Galaxy: Vol. 3 - £36,800,000 (estimated)
6. Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse - £30,800,000 (estimated)
7. The Little Mermaid - £27,448,310 (estimated)
8. Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One - £26,600,000 (estimated)
9. Puss In Boots: The Last Wish - £26,100,000 (estimated)
10. Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny - £20,388,019 (estimated)

11. Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania - £19,300,000 (estimated)
12. Elemental - £18,600,000 (estimated)
13. The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes - £18,100,000 (estimated)
14. John Wick: Chapter 4 - £17,600,000 (estimated)
15. Trolls Band Together - £15,700,000 (estimated)
16. Fast X - £15,300,000 (estimated)
17. Napoleon - £14,458,530 (estimated)
18. Creed III - £14,300,000 (estimated)
19. Dungeon & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves - £13,700,000 (estimated)
20. Wish - £13,200,000 (estimated)

21. Meg 2: The Trench - £13,100,000 (estimated)
22. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour - £12,200,000 (estimated)
23. Anyone But You - £11,600,000 (estimated)
24. Five Nights At Freddy's - £10,600,000 (estimated)
25. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem - £10,300,000 (estimated)
26. Killers Of The Flower Moon - £9,900,000 (estimated)
27. A Haunting In Venice - £9,828,388 (estimated)
28. Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom - £9,726,598 (estimated)
29. The Flash - £8,856,170 (estimated)
30. The Equalizer 3 - £8,600,000 (estimated)

31. Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts - £8,250,000 (estimated)
32. PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie - £8,100,000 (estimated)
33. Insidious: The Red Door - £8,000,000 (estimated)
34. Scream VI - £7,700,000 (estimated)
35. The Marvels - £7,204,734 (estimated)
36. M3GAN - £7,200,000 (estimated)
37. The Creator - £7,084,748 (estimated)
38. The Nun II - £6,500,000 (estimated)
39. The Exorcist: Believer - £6,200,000 (estimated)
40. Saw X - £6,050,000 (estimated)

41. Shazam! Fury Of The Gods - £6,000,000 (estimated)
42. Magic Mike's Last Dance - £5,680,002 (estimated)
43. Cocaine Bear - £5,650,000 (estimated)
44. Saltburn - £5,627,212 (estimated)
45. Evil Dead Rise - £5,405,332 (estimated)
46. The Great Escaper - £5,318,899 (estimated)
47. A Man Called Otto - £5,150,000 (estimated)
48. The Boy And The Heron - £5,100,000 (estimated)
49. Asteroid City - £4,923,619 (estimated)
50. Air - £4,850,000 (estimated)

51. What's Love Got To Do With It? - £4,811,341 (estimated)
52. Blue Beetle - £4,600,000 (estimated)
53. Haunted Mansion - £4,350,000 (estimated)
54. Pathaan - £4,280,000 (estimated)
55. Ferrari - £4,175,000 (estimated)
56. No Hard Feelings - £3,920,000 (estimated)
57. Babylon - £3,900,000 (estimated)
58. Empire Of Light - £3,839,708 (estimated)
59. Allelujah - £3,659,343 (estimated)
60. Plane - £3,636,029 (estimated)

61. The Fabelmans - £3,359,565 (estimated)
62. The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry - £3,357,529 (estimated)
63. 65 - £3,211,909 (estimated)
64. Mummies - £3,096,154 (estimated)
65. Knock At The Cabin - £3,017,709 (estimated)
66. Jawan - £2,778,156 (estimated)
67. Gran Turismo - £2,662,023 (estimated)
68. Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken - £2,533,636 (estimated)
69. Talk To Me - £2,480,208 (estimated)
70. Tár - £2,465,000 (estimated)

71. The Pope's Exorcist - £2,463,742 (estimated)
72. Sumotherhood - £2,450,330 (estimated)
73. Past Lives - £2,446,499 (estimated)
74. The Whale - £2,347,780 (estimated)
75. Godzilla Minus One - £2,344,545 (estimated)
76. Sound Of Freedom - £2,275,000 (estimated)
77. Animal - £2,250,000 (estimated)
78. Epic Tails - £2,200,000 (estimated)
79. Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani - £2,182,564 (estimated)
80. Anatomy Of A Fall - £2,000,000 (estimated)

81. The Miracle Club - £1,935,942 (estimated)
82. The Boogeyman - £1,855,758 (estimated)
83. Strays - £1,810,000 (estimated)
84. Expend4bles - £1,803,675 (estimated)
85. Renfield - £1,712,263 (estimated)
86. Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé - £1,679,778 (estimated)
87. Dunki - £1,584,513 (estimated)
88. Greatest Days - £1,538,272 (estimated)
89. Next Goal Wins - £1,500,000 (estimated)
90. Tiger 3 - £1,469,196 (estimated)

91. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 - £1,450,000 (estimated)
92. A Little Life - £1,432,612
93. Leo - £1,417,017 (estimated)
94. Dumb Money - £1,320,000 (estimated)
95. Thanksgiving - £1,300,000 (estimated)
96. Rye Lane - £1,260,000 (estimated)
97. National Theatre Live: Good - £1,254,831
98. Jailer - £1,194,480 (estimated)
99. Book Club: The Next Chapter - £1,134,878 (estimated)
100. André Rieu’s White Christmas - £1,001,095

Posted by: LewisGT 9th March 2024, 11:07 PM

100. André Rieu’s White Christmas - £1,001,095

For many people, Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year. This year the Christmas joy starts early with the cinema special André Rieu’s White Christmas. It will be a party you will never forget.



André Rieu’s White Christmas is a filmed Christmas concert performance by the musician and his orchestra. From the first melody, you will be immersed in the incomparable Christmas atmosphere of André's winter world. Bemazed by the magnificently decorated Christmas palace, complete with snow, two ice rinks, beautiful winter settings, romantic lighting, red carpet, countless lights, 150 beautiful chandeliers and more than 50 Venetian chandeliers.


Director: Michael Wiseman
Cast: André Rieu
Release Date: 2nd December 2023
Distributor: Piece of Magic
Certification: PG
Genre: Concert
Rotten Tomatoes: n/a
IMDb: 9.0

Top 15 Chart Run: 5-x (1 week)
Opening Weekend: £1,001,095 (#5)


In the year where event cinema really took off, we start the Top 100 with a concert film. Of course, André Rieu has already been a cinema-concert originator and this was the final of 3 releases from him in 2023 and also the most popular, as his other two '2023 Maastricht Concert: Love Is All Around' and 'Dublin 2023' just missed out on the top 100 (#113 & #115). This was only in cinemas for 1 week, so did well to sneak in.

Posted by: LewisGT 9th March 2024, 11:36 PM

99. Book Club: The Next Chapter - £1,134,878 (estimated)

SLIGHTLY SCANDALOUS. TOTALLY FABULOUS.



Four best friends take their book club to Italy for the fun girls’ trip they never had. When things go off the rails and secrets are revealed, their relaxing vacation turns into a once-in-a-lifetime cross-country adventure.


Director: Bill Holderman
Cast: Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen
Release Date: 12th May 2023
Distributor: Universal
Certification: 12A
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes: 46%
IMDb: 5.6

Top 15 Chart Run: 4-6-14 (3 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £299,370 (#4)


Lighting didn't quite strike twice for the geriatrics-on-holiday sequel to the 2018 smash-hit. This time they went to Italy but the film couldn't match the £4.2 million total of the original.

Posted by: LewisGT 9th March 2024, 11:50 PM

98. Jailer - £1,194,480 (estimated)

ஜெயிலர்



Muthuvel Pandian, a retired, stern yet compassionate jailer lives a peaceful life with his family, but trouble knocks his door when his cop son’s tryst with an antique mafia gang goes awry and forces Muthu to step back into a dark world he had voluntarily took a break from.


Director: Nelson Dilipkumar
Cast: Rajinikanth, Jackie Shroff, Shivarajkumar
Release Date: 10th August 2023
Distributor: Big Films
Certification: 12A
Genre: Thriller
Rotten Tomatoes: 50%
IMDb: 7.1

Top 15 Chart Run: 7-14 (2 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £727,742 (#7)


2023 was a good year for Indian cinema in the UK with this being the first of 8 in the top 100.

Posted by: LewisGT 10th March 2024, 12:00 AM

97. National Theatre Live: Good - £1,254,831

PROFESSOR JOHN HALDER IS A ‘GOOD’ MAN. BUT ‘GOOD’ MEN MUST ADAPT TO SURVIVE.



As the world faces its Second World War, John Halder, a good, intelligent German professor, finds himself pulled into a movement with unthinkable consequences.


Director: Dominic Cooke
Cast: David Tennant, Elliot Levey, Sharon Small
Release Date: 20th April 2023
Distributor: National Theatre
Certification: 15
Genre: Theatre
Rotten Tomatoes: n/a
IMDb: 8.3

Top 15 Chart Run: 14 (1 week)
Opening Weekend: £117,421 (#14)


One of two live theatre releases in the top 100 this year is 'Good'. This only had one week in the top 15 at the box office, but that is because most of it's grosses actually came from midweek showings that don't count towards the weekend totals. Well over half of it's total actually came from it's opening day (Thursday) where it got off to a very strong start.

Posted by: LewisGT 10th March 2024, 12:12 AM

96. Rye Lane - £1,260,000 (estimated)

Tag along with two young Londoners recovering from breakups



Two twenty-somethings, both reeling from bad break-ups, connect over the course of an eventful day in South London – helping each other deal with their nightmare exes, and potentially restoring their faith in romance.


Director: Raine Allen-Miller
Cast: David Jonsson, Vivian Oparah, Poppy Allen-Quarmby
Release Date: 17th March 2023
Distributor: Disney
Certification: 15
Genre: Rom-Com
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
IMDb: 7.2

Top 15 Chart Run: 7-10-10-12 (4 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £258,997 (#7)


'Rye Lane' brought back the Rom-Com 9 months before 'Anyone But You'. One of the best reviewed British films of 2023, this is the debut from director Raine Allen-Miller and received a lot of love for having a black-led cast in a genre that hasn't always been very diverse. A rare modern film that's under 90 minutes, what's not to love?

It doesn't seem to have an official tagline so I just had to copy a headline from a promotional post about the film. The last confirmed figure I could find was actually slightly less than 'Good' so I had to go with an estimate that ranks it above that film.

Posted by: Tafty³³³ 10th March 2024, 12:32 AM

Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, Bottoms, The Blackening, Theatre Camp & particularly How To Have Sex and Marcel The Shell... all deserved to be a lot, LOT higher </3

'Anatomy of A Bore' that low down isn't surprising. I feel like those kind of award-baity dramas never do too well anyway.

Posted by: LewisGT 10th March 2024, 01:34 PM

QUOTE(Tafty³³³ @ Mar 10 2024, 12:32 AM)

Posted by: LewisGT 10th March 2024, 01:34 PM

95. Thanksgiving - £1,300,000 (estimated)

THERE WILL BE NO LEFTOVERS.



After a Black Friday riot ends in tragedy, a mysterious Thanksgiving-inspired killer terrorizes Plymouth, Massachusetts - the birthplace of the holiday. Picking off residents one by one, what begins as random revenge killings are soon revealed to be part of a larger, sinister holiday plan.


Director: Eli Roth
Cast: Patrick Dempsey, Ty Olsson, Addison Rae
Release Date: 16th November 2023
Distributor: Sony
Certification: 18
Genre: Horror
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
IMDb: 6.3

Top 15 Chart Run: 6-8-13 (3 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £486,198 (#6)


The third film to be made that started as one of the fake trailers attached to Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez's 'Grindhouse', Eli Roth's 'Thanksgiving' was a surprise critical hit. Fully embracing it's B-movie roots, Addison Rae gets her biggest role yet. We're always bombarded with new Christmas hits so it was nice to see a film based around another holiday, albeit one we don't celebrate here in the UK.

Posted by: LewisGT 10th March 2024, 01:54 PM

94. Dumb Money - £1,320,000 (estimated)

WHEN WALL STREET RIGGED THE GAME, HE CHANGED IT.



Vlogger Keith Gill sinks his life savings into GameStop stock and posts about it. When social media starts blowing up, so do his life and the lives of everyone following him. As a stock tip becomes a movement, everyone gets rich—until the billionaires fight back, and both sides find their worlds turned upside down.


Director: Craig Gillespie
Cast: Paul Dano, America Ferrera, Pete Davidson
Release Date: 22nd September 2023
Distributor: Black Bear
Certification: 15
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
IMDb: 6.9

Top 15 Chart Run: 5-10-14 (3 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £506,095 (#5)


Despite a stacked cast (Seth Rogen, Sebastian Stan, Shailene Woodley and Vincent D'Onofrio are amongst the other actors not named above), 'Dumb Money' ended up being a bit of a flop at the worldwide box office compared to its reported $30 million budget. In the same vein as 'The Big Short', it tries to turn a potentially dry financial scandal into something fun and digestible and the reviews suggest it was successful in that aim. It's definitely one on my too-watch list.

Posted by: LewisGT 10th March 2024, 02:11 PM

93. Leo - £1,417,017 (estimated)

BLOODY SWEET!



A mild-mannered man becomes a local hero through an act of violence, but it brings forth consequences with connection to a dangerous world, one which will shake his carefully constructed life to its very core.


Director: Lokesh Kanagaraj
Cast: Joseph Vijay, Kamal Haasan, Sanjay Dutt
Release Date: 19th October 2023
Distributor: Ahimsa Entertainment
Certification: 18
Genre: Action
Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
IMDb: 7.2

Top 15 Chart Run: 4-15 (2 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,157,367 (#4)


Not to be confused with the Adam Sandler animated-Lizard Netflix comedy of the same name last year, 'Leo' is instead our 2nd Indian release of the top 100 so far. It's the first film to appear that has a £1 million+ opening weekend, but that's just because it dropped like a brick after a great start.

Posted by: LewisGT 10th March 2024, 02:26 PM

92. A Little Life - £1,432,612

UTTERLY COMPELLING THEATRE.



Following four college friends in New York City: aspiring actor Willem, successful architect Malcolm, struggling artist JB, and prodigious lawyer Jude. As ambition, addiction, and pride threaten to pull the group apart, they always find themselves bound by their love for Jude and the mysteries of his past. But when those secrets come to light, they finally learn that to know Jude St Francis is to understand the limitless potential of love in the face of life.


Director: Ivo van Hove & Nick Wickham
Cast: James Norton, Luke Thompson, Omari Douglas
Release Date: 19th October 2023
Distributor: Trafalgar
Certification: 18
Genre: Theatre
Rotten Tomatoes: n/a
IMDb: 8.5

Top 15 Chart Run: 6-9 (2 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £317,703 (#6)


The biggest live-theatre release of the year is 'A Little Life'. James Norton leads the cast from this play adapted from the novel by American author Hanya Yanagihara.

Posted by: LewisGT 10th March 2024, 02:38 PM

91. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 - £1,450,000 (estimated)

IT’S MORE THAN A JOURNEY. IT’S MORE THAN A PROMISE. IT’S THE EVENT THAT BRINGS EVERYONE TOGETHER.



Following the death of their patriarch Gus, the Portokalos family travels to Greece for a family reunion, and to deliver Gus’ journal to his old friends.


Director: Nia Vardalos
Cast: Nia Vardalos, John Corbett, Elena Kampouris
Release Date: 8th September 2023
Distributor: Universal
Certification: 12A
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes: 29%
IMDb: 5.2

Top 15 Chart Run: 7-8-14 (3 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £411,191 (#7)


The original 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' has been credited as being the highest-grossing Rom-Com of all-time but that was 22 years ago now and it seems like the audience just isn't there anymore. The 2nd film made about £4.2 million in 2016. This was was written and directed by franchise-star 'Nia Vardalos' in what must have been a huge passion project.

Posted by: LewisGT 10th March 2024, 08:41 PM

90. Tiger 3 - £1,469,196 (estimated)

THIS TIME, IT’S PERSONAL.



Following the events of Tiger Zinda Hai, War, and Pathaan, Avinash Singh Rathore returns as Tiger but this time the battle is within. He has to choose between his country or family as an old enemy is after his life, who claims that his family was killed by Tiger. He holds Tiger captive in Pakistan as the Indian agent’s loyalty towards his country faces its biggest test.


Director: Maneesh Sharma
Cast: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Emraan Hashmi
Release Date: 12th November 2023
Distributor: Yash Raj
Certification: 12A
Genre: Action
Rotten Tomatoes: 55%
IMDb: 5.8

Top 15 Chart Run: 3-9 (2 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,184,001 (#3)


Another film out of India, this is actually the 5th film in YRF Spy Universe, with the 4th of those actually still to come. This was the highest grossing Hindi-language of 2023 worldwide.

Posted by: LewisGT 10th March 2024, 08:50 PM

89. Next Goal Wins - £1,500,000 (estimated)

BE HAPPY.



Dutch coach Thomas Rongen attempts the nearly impossible task of turning the American Samoa soccer team, known for a brutal 2001 FIFA World Cup qualifying match they lost 31-0, from perennial losers into winners.


Director: Taika Waititi
Cast: Michael Fassbender, Kaimana, Oscar Kightley
Release Date: 26th December 2023
Distributor: Disney
Certification: 12A
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes: 45%
IMDb: 6.5

Top 15 Chart Run: 7-12 (2 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £844,604 (#7)


Released on a busy Boxing Day that spawned 4 films in the top 100, 'Next Goal Wins' is adapted from a 2014 documentary that told the story of the American Samoa team that lost 31-0 to Australia in 2001. After the disappointing reaction to 'Thor: Love And Thunder', the Waititi hype seems to have subsides as this became the first flop of his career.

Posted by: LewisGT 10th March 2024, 09:04 PM

88. Greatest Days - £1,538,272 (estimated)

NEVER FORGET.



Based on the Take That musical, five best friends have the night of their lives seeing their favourite boy band in concert. Twenty-five years later, their lives have changed in many different ways as they reunite for one more epic show by their beloved band, to relight their friendship and discover that maybe their greatest days are ahead of them.


Director: Coky Giedroyc
Cast: Aisling Bea, Matthew McNulty, Amaka Okafor
Release Date: 16th June 2023
Distributor: Elysian Film Group
Certification: 12A
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes: 75%
IMDb: 5.7

Top 15 Chart Run: 5-7-14 (3 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £536,955 (#5)


Aisling Bea leads the cast for the film adaptation of 'The Band' that incorporates the music of 'Take That'. A bit of a crowd-pleaser, the film was a moderate hit over the summer of last year.

Posted by: LewisGT 10th March 2024, 09:14 PM

87. Dunki - £1,584,513 (estimated)

A SOLDIER’S JOURNEY TO KEEP A PROMISE



Four friends from a sleepy little village in Punjab share a common dream: to go to England. Their problem is that they have neither the visa nor the ticket. A soldier alights from a train one day, and their lives change. He gives them a soldier’s promise: He will take them to the land of their dreams. What follows is a hilarious and heartwarming tale of a perilous journey through the desert and the sea, but most crucially through the hinterlands of their mind.


Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Taapsee Pannu, Vikram Kochhar
Release Date: 21st December 2023
Distributor: Yash Raj
Certification: 15
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes: 48%
IMDb: 6.8

Top 15 Chart Run: 3-11-15 (3 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £707,495 (#3)


The fourth Indian film so far and the first that isn't an actioner. This is instead a comedy/drama about immigration and is largely set in the UK which must have helped it's fortunes over here.

Posted by: LewisGT 10th March 2024, 09:24 PM

86. Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé - £1,679,778 (estimated)

A FILM BY BEYONCÉ



Accentuates the journey of Renaissance World Tour, from its inception, to the opening in Stockholm, Sweden, to the finale in Kansas City, Missouri. It is about Beyoncé’s intention, hard work, involvement in every aspect of the production, her creative mind and purpose to create her legacy, and master her craft. Received with extraordinary acclaim, Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour created a sanctuary for freedom, and shared joy, for more than 2.7 million fans.


Director: Beyoncé, Mark Ritchie, Ed Burke
Cast: Beyoncé, Blue Ivy Carter, Jay-Z
Release Date: 1st December 2023
Distributor: Trafalgar
Certification: 15
Genre: Concert
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
IMDb: 8.6

Top 15 Chart Run: 4-7-15 (3 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,082,080 (#4)


The other big concert film of the year, Beyoncé's version is actually half concert-film and half-documentary with the story of the Worldwide Tour being intersected with the concert footage. With 'TEXAS HOLD 'EM' currently smashing the charts, will we get a sequel?

Posted by: LewisGT 11th March 2024, 05:09 PM

85. Renfield - £1,712,263 (estimated)

SUCKS TO BE HIM.



Having grown sick and tired of his centuries as Dracula’s lackey, Renfield finds a new lease on life — and maybe even redemption — when he falls for feisty, perennially angry traffic cop Rebecca Quincy.


Director: Chris McKay
Cast: Nicholas Hoult, Nicolas Cage, Awkwafina
Release Date: 14th April 2023
Distributor: Universal
Certification: 15
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes: 58%
IMDb: 6.4

Top 15 Chart Run: 5-7-12 (3 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £680,661 (#5)


There seemed to be a fair bit of pre-release hype going into this one, we are in a bit of a Cage-aissance with 'Mandy, 'Pig' and 'The Unbearable Weight Of Massive Talent' getting lots of plaudits over the past few years and the opportunity to see him in one of his dream roles playing Dracula with such a fun premise seemed like a must-see. But then the middling reviews came in and all hype seemed to disappear. I though it was pretty decent when I saw it but maybe more suited to a streaming release.

Posted by: LewisGT 11th March 2024, 05:22 PM

Recap

85. Renfield - £1,712,263 (estimated)
86. Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé - £1,679,778 (estimated)
87. Dunki - £1,584,513 (estimated)
88. Greatest Days - £1,538,272 (estimated)
89. Next Goal Wins - £1,500,000 (estimated)
90. Tiger 3 - £1,469,196 (estimated)

91. My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3 - £1,450,000 (estimated)
92. A Little Life - £1,432,612
93. Leo - £1,417,017 (estimated)
94. Dumb Money - £1,320,000 (estimated)
95. Thanksgiving - £1,300,000 (estimated)
96. Rye Lane - £1,260,000 (estimated)
97. National Theatre Live: Good - £1,254,831
98. Jailer - £1,194,480 (estimated)
99. Book Club: The Next Chapter - £1,134,878 (estimated)
100. André Rieu’s White Christmas - £1,001,095

Posted by: LewisGT 11th March 2024, 05:22 PM

84. Expend4bles - £1,803,675 (estimated)

THEY’LL DIE WHEN THEY’RE DEAD.



Armed with every weapon they can get their hands on and the skills to use them, The Expendables are the world’s last line of defense and the team that gets called when all other options are off the table. But new team members with new styles and tactics are going to give “new blood” a whole new meaning.


Director: Scott Waugh
Cast: Jason Statham, Sylvester Stallone, 50 Cent
Release Date: 22nd September 2023
Distributor: Lionsgate
Certification: 15
Genre: Action
Rotten Tomatoes: 14%
IMDb: 4.8

Top 15 Chart Run: 2-8-11 (3 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £761,444 (#2)


It's somehow found some longevity in the home entertainment charts (probably because it feels like it should have been a straight-to-video release) but there's no denying that 'Expend4bles' lived up to their title at the box-office. This made just over $50 million worldwide, a far cry away from the $300 million+ of the 2nd film. The main problem has got to be the new recruitments, 50 Cent and Megan Fox are just not on the same league as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis when it come to action and nostalgia.

Posted by: LewisGT 11th March 2024, 05:34 PM

83. Strays - £1,810,000 (estimated)

GO FETCH YOURSELF.



When Reggie is abandoned on the mean city streets by his lowlife owner, Doug, Reggie is certain that his beloved owner would never leave him on purpose. But once Reggie falls in with a fast-talking, foul-mouthed stray who loves his freedom and believes that owners are for suckers, Reggie finally realizes he was in a toxic relationship and begins to see Doug for the heartless sleazeball that he is.


Director: Josh Greenbaum
Cast: Will Ferrell, Jamie Fox, Isla Fisher
Release Date: 18th August 2023
Distributor: Universal
Certification: 15
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes: 53%
IMDb: 6.3

Top 15 Chart Run: 5-11-14 (3 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £598,619 (#5)


It feels like each year we see fewer and fewer high-concept, raunchy comedies released in cinemas. We feel a long way away from when Will Ferrell, Seth Rogen, Adam Sandler, Jim Carrey and Judd Apatow dominated the box-office. I wish we could have them back but I'm part of the problem because I didn't go to see this one. The idea of Ferrell playing an abandoned dog feels like it should be good, but the trailer just didn't connect with me. It's probably worth watching when it pops up on a streamer though.

Posted by: LewisGT 11th March 2024, 05:47 PM

82. The Boogeyman - £1,855,758 (estimated)

IT’S NOT REAL. IT’S NOT REAL. IT’S NOT REAL.



Still reeling from the tragic death of their mother, a teenage girl and her younger sister find themselves plagued by a sadistic presence in their house and struggle to get their grieving father to pay attention before it’s too late.


Director: Rob Savage
Cast: Sophie Thatcher, Chris Messina, Vivien Lyra Blair
Release Date: 2nd June 2023
Distributor: Disney
Certification: 15
Genre: Horror
Rotten Tomatoes: 60%
IMDb: 5.9

Top 15 Chart Run: 5-6-8-10-12 (5 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £492,071 (#5)


You can definitely see how this felt like a good idea on paper. Stephen King adaptations have always been potential box office gold and getting one of the buzziest directors in horror, Rob Savage (straight off of pandemic hits 'Host' and 'Dashcam') felt like a potential breakout. Low budgets mean that horror movies never truly flop but I think it's safe to say that Disney was expecting more from this one.

Posted by: LewisGT 11th March 2024, 05:58 PM

81. The Miracle Club - £1,935,942 (estimated)

FOUR WOMEN WENT TO LOURDES IN SEARCH OF A MIRACLE.



Three close friends who have never left the outskirts of Dublin (much less Ireland) get the journey of a lifetime — a visit to Lourdes, the picturesque French town and place of miracles.


Director: Thaddeus O'Sullivan
Cast: Maggie Smith, Laura Linney, Kathy Bates
Release Date: 13th October 2023
Distributor: Lionsgate
Certification: 12A
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes: 66%
IMDb: 6.3

Top 15 Chart Run: 9-11-12-13 (4 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £276,379 (#9)


Compared to the films around it in this list, 'The Miracle Club' had a low opening weekend but this is a film was an older target audience, which often relates to strong midweek showings and a longer run in cinemas and that's what we saw here. You'd probably still expect to it do slightly better with a starry cast.

Posted by: LewisGT 11th March 2024, 08:34 PM

80. Anatomy Of A Fall - £2,000,000 (estimated)

DID SHE DO IT?



A woman is suspected of murder after her husband's death; their half-blind son faces a moral dilemma as the main witness.


Director: Justine Triet
Cast: Sandra Hüller, Swann Arlaud, Milo Machado-Graner
Release Date: 10th November 2023
Distributor: Lionsgate
Certification: 15
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
IMDb: 7.8

Top 15 Chart Run: 5-10-11 (3 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £412,751 (#5)


At #99 we have Best Picture nominee 'Anatomy of a Fall'. This is a French legal drama and focuses on the court case against a woman who is accused of murdering her husband with lead actress Sandra Hüller receiving all of the accolades for her performance. I think there's a chance that this actually grossed more than what Box Office Mojo suggests but I can't really find any other decent sources to confirm this. EDIT: Screen Daily have just confirmed that this has now grossed £2 million which would put it about 80th. I’ve moved everything down a spot.

Posted by: LewisGT 11th March 2024, 08:53 PM

79. Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani - £2,182,564 (estimated)

THE POWER OF FAMILY WILL DECIDE THE FATE OF LOVE



Gym-freak brat Rocky falls in love with Rani, who comes from a well-educated Bengali family. Being from polar opposite worlds, the two decide to switch their families to adjust to each other’s cultures and backgrounds and to know if their marriage will survive. Rocky and Rani are trapped in a world where they are united by love but divided by families and the ultimate question is will they fit in?


Director: Karan Johar
Cast: Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh, Dharmendra
Release Date: 28th July 2023
Distributor: Moviegoers
Certification: 12A
Genre: Rom-Com
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
IMDb: 6.5

Top 15 Chart Run: 7-8-11-12-14 (5 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £370,882 (#7)


We enter the £2 million club with our fifth Indian release 'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani'. This one is a rom-com with a very typical rom-com premise and stars one of the few Bollywood stars I'm somewhat familiar with in Alia Bhatt. The Box Office for Indian films can be difficult to determine and I've seen sources that suggest this should be a bit higher but when in doubt, I'm just going with what Box Office Mojo says and that has it landing here.

Posted by: LewisGT 11th March 2024, 09:06 PM

78. Epic Tails - £2,200,000 (estimated)

SMALL HEROES, BIG ADVENTURE.



Life in Yolcos, a beautiful and prosperous port city in ancient Greece, is peaceful until the population is threatened by the wrath of Poseidon.


Director: David Alaux, Eric Tosti, Jean-François Tosti
Cast: Rob Beckett, Giovanna Fletcher, Josh Widdicombe
Release Date: 10th February 2023
Distributor: StudioCanal
Certification: U
Genre: Kids
Rotten Tomatoes: 40%
IMDb: 5.8

Top 15 Chart Run: 9-5-7-9-10-13 (6 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £259,637 (#9)


When somebody says they're a fan of French cinema, this is what I'm picturing from now on. I'm not quite sure what made this increase in business on it's 2nd week back in February, it couldn't have been word of mouth. For the UK release, the film was dubbed with a proper C-list cast.

Posted by: LewisGT 11th March 2024, 09:16 PM

77. Animal - £2,250,000 (estimated)

A FATHER-SON BOND CARVED IN BLOOD



The hardened son of a powerful industrialist returns home after years abroad and vows to take bloody revenge on those threatening his father’s life.


Director: Sandeep Reddy Vanga
Cast: Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol
Release Date: 1st December 2023
Distributor: AA Films UK
Certification: 18
Genre: Action
Rotten Tomatoes: 30%
IMDb: 6.3

Top 15 Chart Run: 6-6-7 (3 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £719,022 (#6)


Taking the bronze medal for 2023 Indian releases is 'Animal'. Unfortunately, it's not the story of the drum-loving muppet, but instead it's a 3-and-a-half hour action bonanza in the vein of John Wick (but gorier).

Posted by: LewisGT 11th March 2024, 09:30 PM

76. Sound Of Freedom - £2,275,000 (estimated)

FIGHT FOR THE LIGHT. SILENCE THE DARKNESS.



The incredible true story of Tim Ballard, a former US government agent, who quits his job in order to devote his life to rescuing children from global sex traffickers.


Director: Alejandro Gómez Monteverde
Cast: Jim Caviezel, Mira Sorvino, Bill Camp
Release Date: 1st September 2023
Distributor: Angel Studios
Certification: 15
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes: 57%
IMDb: 7.7

Top 15 Chart Run: 4-8-9-15 (4 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £760,060 (#4)


The film 'the libs didn't want you to see', 'Sound Of Freedom' was one of the most controversial films of 2023. They were successfully able to market this drama about child sex abuse into being a top 10 summer hit in America (this out-grossed 'Mission: Impossible' and 'Indiana Jones') through an innovative crowd-funding campaign where Republicans were encouraged to buy donate money to a ticketing fund that was used to buy cinema tickets for those who wanted to see the film and defy those who 'didn't want you to see it'. The star, in particular, is a proper conspiracy nut which is a shame as I've heard the film is actually hard-hitting and deals with the delicate subject with care.

Posted by: LewisGT 13th March 2024, 07:14 PM

75. Godzilla Minus One - £2,344,545 (estimated)

POSTWAR JAPAN. FROM ZERO TO MINUS.



Post war Japan is at its lowest point when a new crisis emerges in the form of a giant monster, baptized in the horrific power of the atomic bomb.


Director: Takashi Yamazaki
Cast: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, Yuki Yamada
Release Date: 15th December 2023
Distributor: Anime Ltd
Certification: 12A
Genre: Action
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
IMDb: 8.3

Top 15 Chart Run: 2-11-10-11 (4 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £816,891 (#2)


Japan showed Hollywood why they are the grandfathers of the Godzilla franchise with the now Oscar-winning 'Godzilla Minus One' becoming a worldwide smash with critical acclaim on a fraction of the budget of it's American counterparts. This is the highest-grossing live-action Japanese film ever in the U.K.

Posted by: LewisGT 13th March 2024, 07:30 PM

74. The Whale - £2,347,780 (estimated)

I Need To Know That I Have Done One Thing Right With My Life



A reclusive English teacher suffering from severe obesity attempts to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter for one last chance at redemption.


Director: Darren Aronofsky
Cast: Brendan Fraser, Sadie Sink, Hong Chau
Release Date: 3rd February 2023
Distributor: A24
Certification: 15
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes: 64%
IMDb: 7.7

Top 15 Chart Run: 5-6-10-13-14 (5 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £690,026 (#5)


Brendan Fraser won the Oscar for 'Best Actor' for this otherwise polarising A24 release. A very uncomfortable watch with the bleak topic and Fraser wearing a 300 pound fat suit to portray the titular 'whale'. There's no official tagline for this one so enjoy the most popular quote from the film.

Posted by: LewisGT 13th March 2024, 07:40 PM

73. Past Lives - £2,446,499 (estimated)

인연



Nora and Hae Sung, two childhood friends, are reunited in New York for one fateful week as they confront notions of destiny, love, and the choices that make a life.


Director: Celine Song
Cast: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro
Release Date: 8th September 2023
Distributor: StudioCanal
Certification: 12A
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
IMDb: 7.9

Top 15 Chart Run: 5-6-7-12-12-13 (6 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £515,509 (#5)


Just as the Award season is coming to a close, we're getting into a bit of a run of Oscar contenders. This one ultimately went home empty-handed but it's one that every time I've heard people talking about it, it's always in glowing terms. Trust me, the Award section is not going to continue with the next entry.

Posted by: LewisGT 13th March 2024, 07:52 PM

72. Sumotherhood - £2,450,330 (estimated)

DIFFERENT HOOD, SAME OLD SH*T



Riko and Kane have got it all: big dreams, no respect and a fifteen grand debt. Could things get any worse? Yes! So, it’s time to man up and finally be taken serious as “Roadmen”. Once putting their heads together on various ways to make some money, they decide to rob a megastar in a nightclub toilet and hold up the local bank but things inevitably don’t go to plan!


Director: Adam Deacon
Cast: Adam Deacon, Jazzie Zonzolo, Jennifer Saunders
Release Date: 13th October 2023
Distributor: Paramount
Certification: 15
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes: 45%
IMDb: 4.6

Top 15 Chart Run: 4-7-8-10-13 (5 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £746,714 (#4)


After 'Anuvahood', I didn't think there was an audience for another parody of the 'hood' films directed and starring Adam Deacon but apparently I was wrong, as 'Sumotherhood' became a success at the box-office. Ed Sheeran plays 'Crack Ed' if you want an indication of the type of humour in this film. It's difficult to see on the small image above, but, yes, that really is Jeremy Corbyn on the poster.

Posted by: LewisGT 13th March 2024, 09:00 PM

71. The Pope's Exorcist - £2,463,742 (estimated)

POSSESSION WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING.



Father Gabriele Amorth, Chief Exorcist of the Vatican, investigates a young boy’s terrifying possession and ends up uncovering a centuries-old conspiracy the Vatican has desperately tried to keep hidden.


Director: Julius Avery
Cast: Russell Crowe, Daniel Zovatto, Alexandra Essoe
Release Date: 17th April 2023
Distributor: Sony
Certification: 15
Genre: Horror
Rotten Tomatoes: 49%
IMDb: 6.1

Top 15 Chart Run: 5-7-9-13-15 (5 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £707,050 (#5)


Russell Crowe leads in the first exorcist film in this list. The real life person he portrays has claimed to have performed over 100,000 exorcisms. I've put the genre as 'horror' but with that concept, surely 'comedy' would have been more appropriate. I also don't think the term 'based on a true story' has ever been more loosely applied.

Posted by: LewisGT 14th March 2024, 06:18 PM

70. Tár - £2,465,000 (estimated)

The narcissism of small differences leads to *the* most boring conformity.



Set in the international world of Western classical music, the film centers on Lydia Tár, widely considered one of the greatest living composer-conductors and the very first female director of a major German orchestra.


Director: Todd Field
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss, Sophie Kauer
Release Date: 13th January 2023
Distributor: Universal
Certification: 15
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
IMDb: 7.4

Top 15 Chart Run: 8-8-12-14 (4 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £394,649 (#8)


Cate Blanchett led the 'cancel-culture' drama as a composer who finds herself in the middle of a controversy storm after allegations about her behaviour. It has one of the most interesting endings of the year but I wasn't taken by much else in the film. This was director Todd Field's first feature in 16 years.

Posted by: LewisGT 14th March 2024, 06:35 PM

69. Talk To Me - £2,480,208 (estimated)

YOU CALL. THEY’LL ANSWER.



When a group of friends discover how to conjure spirits using an embalmed hand, they become hooked on the new thrill, until one of them goes too far and unleashes terrifying supernatural forces.


Director: Danny Philippou, Michael Philippou
Cast: Sophie Wilde, Alexandra Jensen, Joe Bird
Release Date: 27th July 2023
Distributor: Altitude
Certification: 15
Genre: Horror
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
IMDb: 7.1

Top 15 Chart Run: 5-9-12-14 (4 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £643,547 (#5)


Many A24 films are released by 'Altitude' in the UK and this became the production company's biggest ever opening weekend in the UK, overtaking 2016's best picture winner 'Moonlight'. Made by the Australian Philippou twins who started their career on YouTube under the name 'RackaRacka', they made their transition to big screen entertainment in the best way possible with the best reviewed horror film of 2023.

Posted by: LewisGT 14th March 2024, 07:00 PM

68. Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken - £2,533,636 (estimated)

DISCOVER THE HERO JUST BENEATH THE SURFACE.



Ruby Gillman, a sweet and awkward high school student, discovers she’s a direct descendant of the warrior kraken queens. The kraken are sworn to protect the oceans of the world against the vain, power-hungry mermaids. Destined to inherit the throne from her commanding grandmother, Ruby must use her newfound powers to protect those she loves most.


Director: Kirk DeMicco, Faryn Pearl
Cast: Jane Fonda, Lana Conder, Toni Collette
Release Date: 30th June 2023
Distributor: Universal
Certification: PG
Genre: Kids
Rotten Tomatoes: 65%
IMDb: 5.7

Top 15 Chart Run: 3-8-9-9-13 (5 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £885,056 (#3)


Dreamwork's latest animated feature was dead in the water in America but found a little bit more hope in the UK, even if it's total was still disappointing. I saw next-to-no promotion to this one so it feels like Universal just let it flop.

Posted by: LewisGT 14th March 2024, 07:49 PM

67. Gran Turismo - £2,662,023 (estimated)

FROM GAMER TO RACER.



Based on the unbelievable, inspiring true story of a team of underdogs - a struggling, working-class gamer, a failed former race car driver, and an idealistic motorsport exec - who risk it all to take on the most elite sport in the world.


Director: Neill Blomkamp
Cast: David Harbour, Orlando Bloom, Archie Madekwe
Release Date: 9th August 2023
Distributor: Sony
Certification: 12A
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes: 65%
IMDb: 7.2

Top 15 Chart Run: 4-10-13-15 (4 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,045,838 (#4)


In a year where the video-game curse was finally broken and adaptations ruled the screen, both at home ("The Last Of Us") and at the cinema ("The Super Mario Bros. Movie"), the same magic didn't quite apply to 'Gran Turismo'. It's not technically an adaptation, but instead a biopic telling the story of an avid player of the games who won a chance to become a real life race-driver. Neill Blomkamp had hid away from Hollywood since the disappointing performance of 'Chappie' stopped his momentum in 2015, so I don't think anyone saw him directing such a traditional blockbuster.

Posted by: LewisGT 14th March 2024, 07:57 PM

66. Jawan - £2,778,156 (estimated)

जवान



An emotional journey of a prison warden, driven by a personal vendetta while keeping up to a promise made years ago, recruits inmates to commit outrageous crimes that shed light on corruption and injustice, in an attempt to get even with his past, and that leads him to an unexpected reunion.


Director: Atlee
Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi
Release Date: 7th September 2023
Distributor: Yash Raj
Certification: 15
Genre: Action
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
IMDb: 7.0

Top 15 Chart Run: 2-4-9 (3 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,346,689 (#3)


The 2nd biggest Indian release of the year in the UK, 'Jawan' was so close to becoming a #1 hit, ending up a couple of hundred thousand behind 'The Nun II'.

Posted by: LewisGT 16th March 2024, 07:17 PM

65. Knock At The Cabin - £3,017,709 (estimated)

SAVE YOUR FAMILY OR SAVE HUMANITY. MAKE THE CHOICE.



While vacationing at a remote cabin, a young girl and her parents are taken hostage by four armed strangers who demand that the family make an unthinkable choice to avert the apocalypse. With limited access to the outside world, the family must decide what they believe before all is lost.


Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Cast: Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge
Release Date: 2nd February 2023
Distributor: Universal
Certification: 15
Genre: Horror
Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
IMDb: 6.1

Top 15 Chart Run: 3-5-6-9 (4 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £985,027 (#3)


Adapted from the 2018 novel 'The Cabin At The End Of The World', M. Night Shyamalan seems to have left both the initial hit-maker phase and the following massive flop phase of his career and entered the middling-hit phase where his films has been making solid, if unextraordinary box-office takings while getting ok-to-solid reviews. I did see this one when it came to streaming, Bautista is proving himself to be the most talented of the wrestlers-turn-actors that have cracked Hollywood.

Posted by: Tafty³³³ 16th March 2024, 07:34 PM

'Knock At the Cabin' was SOOOOO GOOD until the last 20 mins... when it all falls apart and pisses me off. UGH!

'Talk To Me', 'Past Lives' & 'Godzilla Minus One' all deserved more than they got, even though they were clear big hits.

I was very surprised at how poorly 'Sumotherhood' did at the Box Office. I assume late 00's and that woulda been a multi week number 1 with 5x it's gross.

Posted by: LewisGT 16th March 2024, 07:35 PM

64. Mummies - £3,096,154 (estimated)

DISCOVER A NEW WORLD.



Through a series of unfortunate events, three mummies end up in present-day London and embark on a wacky and hilarious journey in search of an old ring belonging to the Royal Family, stolen by ambitious archaeologist Lord Carnaby.


Director: Juan Jesús García Galocha
Cast: Joe Thomas, Sean Bean, Hugh Bonneville
Release Date: 31st March 2023
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Certification: U
Genre: Kids
Rotten Tomatoes: 53%
IMDb: 5.9

Top 15 Chart Run: 3-6-8-13-14-12-14-x-15 (8 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £648,460 (#3)


Spanish animation 'Mummies' received a British cast to dub it into English (including 'Shakka' and ex-X Factor contestant 'Rachel Adedeji') and bagged itself a hit. It probably helps the film was set in London with a plot that involves the Royal Family.

Posted by: LewisGT 16th March 2024, 07:37 PM

QUOTE(Tafty³³³ @ Mar 16 2024, 07:34 PM)

Posted by: LewisGT 16th March 2024, 07:46 PM

63. 65 - £3,211,909 (estimated)

65 MILLION YEARS AGO, PREHISTORIC EARTH HAD A VISITOR.



65 million years ago, the only 2 survivors of a spaceship from Somaris that crash-landed on Earth must fend off dinosaurs and reach the escape vessel in time before an imminent asteroid strike threatens to destroy the planet.


Director: Scott Beck, Bryan Woods
Cast: Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt, Chloe Coleman
Release Date: 10th March 2023
Distributor: Sony
Certification: 12A
Genre: Action
Rotten Tomatoes: 36%
IMDb: 5.4

Top 15 Chart Run: 3-5-7-9 (4 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,270,409 (#3)


We haven't seen a rival Dinosaur franchise to rival 'Jurassic Park' since 'The Land Before Time', but it doesn't look like Adam Driver's pre-historic actioner is going to form any competition. Despite a premise that seemed ripe for some fun B-Movie thrills, this film got poor reviews from critics and audiences agreed. If only this could have landed 2 places lower.

Posted by: LewisGT 16th March 2024, 10:33 PM

62. The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry - £3,357,529 (estimated)

HOPE IS A JOURNEY.



Harold Fry is an unremarkable man who has made mistakes with all the important things: being a husband, a father and a friend. And now, well into his 60s, he is content to fade quietly into the background of life. Until, one day – Harold learns his old friend Queenie is dying. Harold leaves home, walking to his post office to send her a letter. And out of the blue, Harold decides to keep walking, all the way to her hospice, 450 miles away.


Director: Hettie Macdonald
Cast: Jim Broadbent, Penelope Wilton, Joseph Mydell
Release Date: 28th April 2023
Distributor: eOne
Certification: 12A
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
IMDb: 6.8

Top 15 Chart Run: 3-4-8-10 (4 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £784,698 (#3)


The geriatric comedy/drama is the one genre of British cinema that seems impervious to any trends. On a whole, it seems like British cinema is not at it's strongest but we still keep churning these out that allow some of our most legendary actors to shine in starring roles. Reading the premise to this one, it seems ripe for a sequel where he gets a divorce, there's no way his wife should be staying with him after he does that

Posted by: LewisGT 16th March 2024, 10:45 PM

61. The Fabelmans - £3,359,565 (estimated)

CAPTURE EVERY MOMENT.



Growing up in post-World War II era Arizona, young Sammy Fabelman aspires to become a filmmaker as he reaches adolescence, but soon discovers a shattering family secret and explores how the power of films can help him see the truth.


Director: Steven Spielberg
Cast: Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, Gabriel LaBelle
Release Date: 27th January 2023
Distributor: eOne
Certification: 12A
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
IMDb: 7.5

Top 15 Chart Run: 4-7-10-13 (4 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,067,384 (#4)


The King of the Blockbuster, actually released something much more intimate and personal, telling a story based on his own childhood. Michelle Williams is completely OTT in her performance but I enjoyed it and it was nice to see Paul Dano in a role where he wasn't either playing pathetic or terrifying. It has definitely been a trend of directors making autobiographic films of recent times.

Posted by: Tafty³³³ 17th March 2024, 02:46 AM

The Fabelmans was my favourite movie of last year! Love love LOVVVEE that movie.

Posted by: LewisGT 18th March 2024, 06:56 PM

60. Plane - £3,636,029 (estimated)

SURVIVE TOGETHER OR DIE ALONE.



After a heroic job of successfully landing his storm-damaged aircraft in a war zone, a fearless pilot finds himself between the agendas of multiple militias planning to take the plane and its passengers hostage.


Director: Jean-François Richet
Cast: Gerard Butler, Mike Colter, Tony Goldwyn
Release Date: 27th January 2023
Distributor: Lionsgate
Certification: 15
Genre: Action
Rotten Tomatoes: 78%
IMDb: 6.5

Top 15 Chart Run: 3-6-7-9-14 (5 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,161,382 (#3)


This opened on the same weekend as 'The Fabelmans' all the way back in January 2023 and opened one place higher. It managed to to maintain this lead throughout the rest of it's run and they end up next to each other on the EOY list. This has a bit of a misleading title as (spoiler alert), the titular Plane crashes pretty early in the film and the film is more about the aftermath.

Posted by: LewisGT 18th March 2024, 07:03 PM

Just doing some updating to previous posts after some more accurate information has been sourced. The BFI doesn't really post much date so a lot of this is off Box Office Mojo's estimates, but I've found some new data and have made the following updates:

'Plane' and 'The Fabelmans' both move up one place to accommodate 'The Unlikely Pilgrimage Of Harold Fry' entering at #62. Box Office Mojo has 'TUPOHF' as being higher but I've seen it's gross from late in it's run and there's no way it's higher.

Screen Daily has confirmed that 'Anatomy Of A Fall' has now passed £2 million which has moved it from #99-#80. I did say in my original post that the estimate seemed far too low.

I'll have some new posts up later

Posted by: LewisGT 18th March 2024, 08:48 PM

59. Allelujah - £3,659,343 (estimated)

A ROUSING, POT-BANGING SUCCESS



When news of the closure of a small hospital’s geriatric ward begins to reach the community, the hospital invites a local news crew to document their planning of a concert in honor of the hospital’s most celebrated nurse. But there might be something more threatening to the hospital itself, more deadly than the politicians ready to shut down the place at a moment’s notice.


Director: Richard Eyre
Cast: Jennifer Saunders, Russell Tovey, Judi Dench
Release Date: 17th March 2023
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Certification: 12A
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes: 38%
IMDb: 6.0

Top 15 Chart Run: 4-5-8-11 (4 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £715,783 (#4)


Adapted from an Alan Bennett play, 'Allelujah' is another one of those British dramas that quietly rack-up some nice box office after modest openings. This one got a bit of a critical mauling but the star-power seen it through. I don't know the exact details but I heard that this one has an out-of-place twist that cheapens the 'Save the NHS' message the film otherwise supports. There's no official tagline for this one so I've just nabbed the quote of a review from the poster.

Posted by: LewisGT 18th March 2024, 09:01 PM

58. Empire Of Light - £3,839,708 (estimated)

FILM. AN ILLUSION OF LIFE.



Hilary (Olivia Colman) is a cinema manager struggling with her mental health, and Stephen (Micheal Ward) is a new employee longing to escape the provincial town where he faces daily adversity. Together they find a sense of belonging and experience the healing power of music, cinema, and community.


Director: Sam Mendes
Cast: Olivia Colman, Michael Ward, Colin Firth
Release Date: 9th January 2023
Distributor: Disney
Certification: 15
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes: 46%
IMDb: 6.6

Top 15 Chart Run: 3-7-13 (3 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,721,921 (#3)


Before this films release, you would have been forgiven for thinking it was going to be a huge Awards contender. Sam Mendes was coming fresh off the mega success of '1917' and Olivia Colman has become synonymous with class with her recent projects but this ended up feeling like a misfire in both of their careers. It had a massive opening weekend when compared to the other films in this region (admittedly with a lot of previews totalled in) but only managed 3 weeks in the top 15 and sunk without a trace. It had ambitions to be the new 'Cinema Paradiso' but it wasn't to be. Let's hope those four Beatles biopics directed by Medes are any good, eh.

Posted by: LewisGT 18th March 2024, 09:19 PM

57. Babylon - £3,900,000 (estimated)

ALWAYS MAKE A SCENE.



A tale of outsized ambition and outrageous excess, tracing the rise and fall of multiple characters in an era of unbridled decadence and depravity during Hollywood’s transition from silent films and to sound films in the late 1920s.


Director: Damien Chazelle
Cast: Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Diego Calva
Release Date: 20th January 2023
Distributor: Paramount
Certification: 18
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes: 57%
IMDb: 7.1

Top 15 Chart Run: 3-6-10-12 (4 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,323,683 (#3)


Talking of films, you would have been forgiven for thinking were going to be a huge Awards contender, this opened a week after 'Empire Of Light' and ended up making about the same amount. Damien Chazelle somehow convinced Paramount to splash an $80 million budget on this 3-hour 1920s Hollywood set, 18-certifficate comedy about the transition from silent films into 'talkies'. Despite being a critical darling (until this film), I'm only 1/3 on Chazelle films I've seen ('Whiplash' is a masterpiece, 'La La Land' and 'First Man' can get in the bin) but I am intrigued to finally sit down and watch this one at some point. It apparently has the wildest Elephant scene since 'Grimsby'.

Posted by: LewisGT 18th March 2024, 09:36 PM

56. No Hard Feelings - £3,920,000 (estimated)

PRETTY. AWKWARD.



On the brink of losing her childhood home, Maddie discovers an intriguing job listing: wealthy helicopter parents looking for someone to “date” their introverted 19-year-old son, Percy, before he leaves for college. To her surprise, Maddie soon discovers the awkward Percy is no sure thing.


Director: Gene Stupnitsky
Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Andrew Barth Feldman, Matthew Broderick
Release Date: 23rd June 2023
Distributor: Sony
Certification: 15
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes: 70%
IMDb: 6.4

Top 15 Chart Run: 3-6-7-8-13 (5 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,181,383 (#3)


Although she was in Apple+'s 'Causeway', in 2022, this felt like the proper big Hollywood comeback for Jennifer Lawrence after the best part of a decade away and it was certainly an interesting choice. A comedy where she plays a woman in her 30s being paid to 'date' a teenage boy by his parents. Slightly icky premise aside, this is a rare big-budgeted studio broad-comedy released in cinemas recently and I think that is to be celebrated.

Posted by: LewisGT 20th March 2024, 08:28 PM

55. Ferrari - £4,175,000 (estimated)

We are the Competition



Set in the summer of 1957, with Enzo Ferrari's auto empire in crisis, the ex-racer turned entrepreneur pushes himself and his drivers to the edge as they launch into the Mille Miglia, a treacherous 1,000-mile race across Italy.


Director: Michael Mann
Cast: Adam Driver, Penélope Cruz, Shailene Woodley
Release Date: 26th December 2023
Distributor: Black Bear
Certification: 15
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes: 72%
IMDb: 6.5

Top 15 Chart Run: 2-8-12 (3 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,981,677 (#2)


The unofficial prequel to 'Le Man '66' (or 'Ford v Ferrari' to the uncultured), we conclude the failed Oscar bait section with Michael Mann's 'Ferrari'. It's UK production was co-handled by Sky Movies and the film is already available to watch on there. It feels surprising that this has ended up even this high as it felt like a MASSIVE flop with a blink-and-you-miss-it run in the cinemas. Adam Driver gets the chance to continue his over-the-top Italian persona after 'House of Gucci'. From the confirmed data I can find, this looks like it actually made more than 'No Hard Feelings' so I'm moving it up a space.

Posted by: LewisGT 20th March 2024, 08:39 PM

54. Pathaan - £4,280,000 (estimated)

THERE IS A STORM COMING. FASTEN YOUR SEATBELT.



An Indian agent races against a doomsday clock as a ruthless mercenary, with a bitter vendetta, mounts an apocalyptic attack against the country.


Director: Siddharth Anand
Cast: Shridhar Rukh Khan, Abbas Tyrewala, Siddharth Anand
Release Date: 25th January 2023
Distributor: Yash Raj
Certification: 12A
Genre: Action
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
IMDb: 5.8

Top 15 Chart Run: 2-4-8-15 (4 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,967,854 (#2)


We can finally crown the top Indian release of the year as 'Pathaan'. Just getting pipped to being a #1 film by 'Avatar: The Way Of Water' all the way back in January, it got Hindi cinema off to a brilliant start and proved to be unbeatable by the other 7 Indian films in the top 100. I'm not sure if it has been review-bombed but that 5.8 rating on IMDb compared to 84% on Rotten Tomatoes seems sus.

Posted by: LewisGT 20th March 2024, 09:03 PM

53. Haunted Mansion - £4,350,000 (estimated)

HOME IS WHERE THE HAUNT IS.



A single mom named Gabbie hires a tour guide, a psychic, a priest and a historian to help exorcise her newly bought mansion after discovering it is inhabited by ghosts.


Director: Justin Simien
Cast: LaKeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson, Owen Wilson
Release Date: 11th August 2023
Distributor: Disney
Certification: 12A
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes: 37%
IMDb: 6.0

Top 15 Chart Run: 5-7-7-9-13 (5 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £990,084 (#5)


A reboot of the 2003 film-based-on-theme-park-attraction 'The Haunted Mansion' starring Eddie Murphy, Disney decided to release this film in the MIDDLE OF SUMMER. The most obvious Halloween release of all-time, this film was really set up to flop, and boy did it. A $150 million budget, this could only make £118 million worldwide. There was potential here, there's a great cast and a talented director but the decision to go '12A' already felt strange. A lower budget paired with a Disney+ release at Halloween and I think this would have caught on more.

Posted by: LewisGT 20th March 2024, 09:10 PM

52. Blue Beetle - £4,600,000 (estimated)

JAIME REYES IS A SUPERHERO WHETHER HE LIKES IT OR NOT.



Recent college grad Jaime Reyes returns home full of aspirations for his future, only to find that home is not quite as he left it. As he searches to find his purpose in the world, fate intervenes when Jaime unexpectedly finds himself in possession of an ancient relic of alien biotechnology: the Scarab.


Director: Angel Manuel Soto
Cast: Xolo Maridueña, Bruna Marquezine, Susan Sarandon
Release Date: 18th August 2023
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Certification: 12A
Genre: Superhero
Rotten Tomatoes: 78%
IMDb: 6.0

Top 15 Chart Run: 3-4-8-10 (4 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,189,812 (#3)


Opening just one week after 'Haunted Mansion, this shares the same IMDb score (6.0) but with a much lower Rotten Tomatoes score. This is the first Superhero film to drop out and was one of 4 releases in the now concluded, DC Extended Universe. A lot of the marketing was trying to promote that this was the first 'Latin superhero movie' but despite the strongest review of the four, ends up as the lowest grossing.

Posted by: LewisGT 20th March 2024, 09:24 PM

51. What's Love Got To Do With It? - £4,811,341 (estimated)

FROM THE PRODUCERS OF BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY, LOVE ACTUALLY AND TICKET TO PARADISE.



Two childhood friends now in their thirties must decide whether to follow their heads or their hearts once the man decides to follow his parents’ advice and enter into an arranged marriage in Pakistan.


Director: Shekhar Kapur
Cast: Lily James, Shazad Latif, Emma Thompson
Release Date: 24th February 2023
Distributor: StudioCanal
Certification: 12A
Genre: Rom-Com
Rotten Tomatoes: 71%
IMDb: 6.3

Top 15 Chart Run: 4-5-7-8-11-13 (6 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,082,163 (#4)


It's playing off the title of the Tina Turner song, but a biopic this is not. Until 'Wicked Little Letters' just passed it, this was the biggest British comedy of the post-Covid era. A rom-com about arranged marriage, the film is co-set in Pakistan, the nation of the director, Shekhar Kapur.

Posted by: LewisGT 21st March 2024, 07:10 PM

50. Air - £4,850,000 (estimated)

SOME ICONS ARE MEANT TO FLY.



Discover the game-changing partnership between a then undiscovered Michael Jordan and Nike’s fledgling basketball division which revolutionized the world of sports and culture with the Air Jordan brand.


Director: Ben Affleck
Cast: Matt Damon, Jason Bateman, Ben Affleck
Release Date: 5th April 2023
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Certification: 15
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
IMDb: 7.4

Top 15 Chart Run: 4-4-5-8-7-11 (6 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,174,554 (#4)


Kicking off the top half of the 100 is the most successful of the 'product-biopic' genre that has developed over the last few years, 'Air'. This was the latest pairing of Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and tells the story of the creation of the 'Jordan Air' trainers that made Nike the go-to company for trainers. Interestingly, Michael Jordan doesn't really feature in the film much, the focus is more on his mother, played by Viola Davis, and the role she played in the creation of the iconic footwear. I thought this was great and would highly recommend anyone to check it out on Prime Video.

Posted by: LewisGT 21st March 2024, 07:40 PM

49. Asteroid City - £4,923,619 (estimated)

AN AMERICAN EMPIRICAL PICTURE FROM WES ANDERSON.



Set in a fictional American desert town circa 1955, the itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention (organized to bring together students and parents from across the country for fellowship and scholarly competition) is spectacularly disrupted by world-changing events.


Director: Wes Anderson
Cast: Jason Schwarzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks
Release Date: 23rd June 2023
Distributor: Universal
Certification: 12A
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes: 75%
IMDb: 6.5

Top 15 Chart Run: 4-5-6-7-11-15 (6 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,082,163 (#4)


Wes Anderson just won his Oscar for the short-film 'The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar', but his big theatrical release 'Asteroid City' proves that his original style is still essential viewing becoming a solid hit. Another incredible ensemble cast, the big new edition to this was seeing Tom Hanks try his hand at the talky, monotone style. I think this one might be my favourite of his that I've seen so far. Margot Robbie's scene is one of my favourite moments of last year.

Posted by: LewisGT 21st March 2024, 08:01 PM

48. The Boy And The Heron - £5,100,000 (estimated)

WHERE DEATH COMES TO AN END, LIFE FINDS A NEW BEGINNING.



While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother’s tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boy’s mother. As he tries to adjust, this strange new world grows even stranger following the appearance of a persistent gray heron, who perplexes and bedevils Mahito, dubbing him the “long-awaited one.”


Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Cast: Robert Pattinson, Florence Pugh, Christian Bale
Release Date: 26th December 2023
Distributor: Elysian
Certification: 12A
Genre: Anime
Rotten Tomatoes: 97%
IMDb: 7.6

Top 15 Chart Run: 4-6-7-10 (4 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,640,667 (#4)


Hayao Miyazaki came out of retirement to win the Oscar for 'best animated feature' and became Studio Ghibli biggest release in the UK, purely from it's opening weekend. I need to do a deep-dive of their films at some point. Who had the Studio Ghibli release grossing more than the DC Superhero film this year? EDIT: With some more films now dropping in below it, this has moved into the top half

Posted by: LewisGT 21st March 2024, 08:18 PM

47. A Man Called Otto - £5,150,000 (estimated)

FALL IN LOVE WITH THE GRUMPIEST MAN IN THE WORLD.



The story of Otto Anderson, a grumpy widower who is very set in his ways. When a lively young family moves in next door, he meets his match in quick-witted and very pregnant Marisol, leading to an unlikely friendship that will turn his world upside-down.


Director: Marc Forster
Cast: Tom Hanks, Mariana Treviño, Rachel Keller
Release Date: 6th January 2023
Distributor: Sony
Certification: 15
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes: 69%
IMDb: 7.5

Top 15 Chart Run: 4-6-6-11-13 (5 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,088,410 (#4)


'A Man Called Otto' is an American remake of the 2015 Swedish drama 'A Man Called Ove' which itself was adapted from 2012 novel of the same name. Coming from Marc Foster who previously directed 'Monster's Ball', 'Finding Neverland', 'Quantum of Solace' and 'World War Z', this was a nice hit for Sony making $113 million worldwide on a $50 million budget proving that Tom Hanks remains one of the biggest stars on the planet.

Posted by: LewisGT 21st March 2024, 08:39 PM

46. The Great Escaper - £5,318,899 (estimated)

INSPIRED BY A TRUE LOVE STORY.



In the summer of 2014, a World War II veteran sneaks out of his care home to attend the 70th anniversary commemoration of the D-Day landings in Normandy.


Director: Oliver Parker
Cast: Michael Caine, Glenda Jackson, John Standing
Release Date: 6th October 2023
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Certification: 12A
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
IMDb: 6.5

Top 15 Chart Run: 4-6-8-7-6-9 (6 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £598,135 (#4)


Look at the opening weekend for this compared to everything around it and you can see just how much this connected with audiences to have a long run on the screens. The last film to appear that opened with a lower figure than this was at 'Tár' #70. There was a double-whammy of poignancy with this film as, not only did Michael Caine announce that it will be his final acting role, co-star 'Glenda Jackson' sadly passed away just before it's release, making it also the final film of her wonderful career. This sounds like one of those perfect-for-a-lazy-Sunday-afternoon type of British films, but the reviews say that this exceeds those expectations and created something special.

Posted by: Tafty³³³ 22nd March 2024, 01:48 PM

Evil Dead Rise is outstanding. Such a brilliantly crafted horror movie. I do seem to love these "stuck in an apartment complex" movies tbh. '[REC]' is one of my all time favourite horror movies too and I got big vibes from this of that.

---

I thought 'Babylon' was ok. It definitely could and should have been better though. Also, stupidly long for no real reason or purpose! However, the Margot acting scene was incredible! So tense!

Also... NO La La Land slander omg!!! But Damien hasn't really "missed" for me yet! I like all his movies somewhat!

Posted by: JackTheeStallion 22nd March 2024, 02:42 PM

Evil Dead Rise is my fave horror film of last year I think!

Posted by: LewisGT 24th March 2024, 01:33 PM

45. Evil Dead Rise - £5,405,332 (estimated)

MOMMY LOVES YOU TO DEATH.



Three siblings find an ancient vinyl that gives birth to bloodthirsty demons that run amok in a Los Angeles apartment building and thrusts them into a primal battle for survival as they face the most nightmarish version of family imaginable.


Director: Lee Cronin
Cast: Lily Sullivan, Alyssa Sutherland, Morgan Davies
Release Date: 21st April 2023
Distributor: Universal
Certification: 18
Genre: Horror
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
IMDb: 6.5

Top 15 Chart Run: 2-2-3-5-7-11 (6 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,477,840 (#2)


The latest attempt to revive Sam Raimi's career-making horror franchise, 'Evil Dead Rise' was originally slated to be a streaming release but was bumped up to cinemas after positive test screenings. I'm sure they are glad they made that decision as this became the biggest film ever in the franchise, grossing $147 million worldwide against a $20 million budget. EDIT: Moving this up a place will make the previous replies look out of place, sorry

Posted by: LewisGT 24th March 2024, 01:35 PM

44. Saltburn - £5,627,212 (estimated)

WE’RE ALL ABOUT TO LOSE OUR MINDS.



Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton, who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.


Director: Emerald Fennell
Cast: Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike
Release Date: 17th November 2023
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Certification: 15
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes: 71%
IMDb: 7.0

Top 15 Chart Run: 4-4-7-5-6-x-13 (6 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £841,064 (#2)


A film that I imagine needs no introduction. This had an insane run for a film that was only had a limited 5-week run in cinemas before it was also available on Prime Video. It's a weird one to consider if they left a lot of money on the table by the streaming release or if it was that it was available to watch at home that fully propelled it into the forefront of popular culture. I wonder if this films defining legacy will be the chart resurgence of 'Murder on the Dancefloor' or Barry Keoghan in a bathtub. This is probably been the hardest film so far to decide on a genre for though

Posted by: LewisGT 24th March 2024, 01:53 PM

43. Cocaine Bear - £5,650,000 (estimated)

GET IN LINE.



An oddball group of cops, criminals, tourists and teens converge in a Georgia forest where a 500-pound black bear goes on a murderous rampage after unintentionally ingesting cocaine.


Director: Elizabeth Banks
Cast: Keri Russell, Aiden Ehrenreich, O'Shea Jackson Jr.
Release Date: 24th February 2023
Distributor: Universal
Certification: 15
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes: 66%
IMDb: 5.9

Top 15 Chart Run: 3-4-6-10-13 (5 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,581,128 (#3)


Taking the phrase 'inspired by true events' incredibly loosely, Elizabeth Banks' directing debut 'Cocaine Bear' sounded like the perfect B-Movie premise. However, this didn't end up hitting in the same it felt like it might before release. Some found the Pulp Fiction-esque B-Plots to distract from what should have been a fun Bear-rampage movie but I saw it on my Birthday weekend last year and had a blast. Even a group of irritating teenagers who did not shut up throughout the whole movie couldn't spoil it. This was the first posthumous release for legendary actor Ray Liotta and also features a scene-stealing supporting part from "Esteemed Character Actress Margo Martindale".

Posted by: LewisGT 24th March 2024, 02:41 PM

42. Magic Mike's Last Dance - £5,680,002 (estimated)

THE FINAL TEASE.



Mike Lane takes to the stage again after a lengthy hiatus, following a business deal that went bust, leaving him broke and taking bartender gigs in Florida. For what he hopes will be one last hurrah, Mike heads to London with a wealthy socialite who lures him with an offer he can’t refuse… and an agenda all her own. With everything on the line, once Mike discovers what she truly has in mind, will he—and the roster of hot new dancers he’ll have to whip into shape—be able to pull it off?


Director: Steven Soderbergh
Cast: Channing Tatum, Salma Hayek, Ayub Khan-Din
Release Date: 9th February 2023
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Certification: 15
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes: 48%
IMDb: 5.2

Top 15 Chart Run: 2-3-5-7-12 (5 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,529,155 (#2)


There seemed to be some pretty strong hype going into this one. The reputation of 'Magic Mike XXL' only seems to growing and growing with each passing year and I think everyone was very interested to see what made Channing Tatum want to strip off those pants one last time, original director 'Steven Soderbergh' to make a belated return and Salma Hayek want to join this trilogy closer 8 years after the previous film. This completely tanked in the US, but I don't think the UK numbers are actually that bad, it only opened about £100K less than 'XXL' and in a much weaker marketplace. It couldn't quite catch the £6.9 million total of that one though.

Posted by: LewisGT 24th March 2024, 02:56 PM

41. Shazam! Fury Of The Gods - £6,000,000 (estimated)

OH. MY. GODS.



Billy Batson and his foster siblings, who transform into superheroes by saying “Shazam!”, are forced to get back into action and fight the Daughters of Atlas, who they must stop from using a weapon that could destroy the world.


Director: David F. Sandberg
Cast: Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Rachel Zegler
Release Date: 17th March 2023
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Certification: 12A
Genre: Superhero
Rotten Tomatoes: 49%
IMDb: 5.9

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-2-4-7-9 (5 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £2,397,953 (#1)


We we're so close to having all of the #1 films of 2023 landing in the top 40 but the year's least popular chart-topper 'Shazam! Fury Of The Gods' just missed out. Although, with how inaccurate I'm finding Box Office Mojo's estimations, it has every chance of climbing in within a few posts. The 2nd DC film already to appear, it's starting to spare Marvel's blushes for 'The Marvels' that is still to come.

Posted by: LewisGT 27th March 2024, 07:41 PM

40. Saw X - £6,050,000 (estimated)

WITNESS THE RETURN OF JIGSAW.



Between the events of ‘Saw’ and ‘Saw II’, a sick and desperate John Kramer travels to Mexico for a risky and experimental medical procedure in hopes of a miracle cure for his cancer, only to discover the entire operation is a scam to defraud the most vulnerable. Armed with a newfound purpose, the infamous serial killer returns to his work, turning the tables on the con artists in his signature visceral way through devious, deranged, and ingenious traps.


Director: Kevin Greutert
Cast: Tobin Bell, Shawnee Smith, Synnøve Macody Lund
Release Date: 29th September 2023
Distributor: Lionsgate
Certification: 18
Genre: Horror
Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
IMDb: 6.6

Top 15 Chart Run: 2-3-7-10-10-14 (6 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,925,011 (#2)


This and 'Shazam!' could easily be the other way around, the last confirmed totals for both I can find is that they've both 'passed £6 million'. I'm just going to stick with what Box Office Mojo says and keep this higher. After they tried to do something wildly different with Chris Rock's 2021 'Spiral: From The Book Of Saw', they came running back to Jigsaw himself, Tobin Bell, and decided to go back in time (the film is set between 'Saw' and 'Saw II') for the 10th entry and get the franchise star back. It worked in the sense that this recieved the best reviews of the franchise since the original and it grossed more in the opening weekend than the Covid-effected 'Spiral' but this still ended as just the 7th most successful Saw film in the UK.

Posted by: LewisGT 27th March 2024, 07:41 PM

39. The Exorcist: Believer - £6,200,000 (estimated)

DO YOU BELIEVE?



When two girls disappear into the woods and return three days later with no memory of what happened to them, the father of one girl seeks out Chris MacNeil, who’s been forever altered by what happened to her daughter fifty years ago.


Director: David Gordon Green
Cast: Leslie Odom Jr., Lidya Jewett, Olivia O'Neill
Release Date: 6th October 2023
Distributor: Universal
Certification: 15
Genre: Horror
Rotten Tomatoes: 22%
IMDb: 4.8

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-3-6-6-8-10 (6 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,678,645 (#1)


After his 'Halloween' sequel trilogy that ignored all the previous sequels, David Gordon Green decide to try the exact same thing again with 'The Exorcist' franchise. The original 'Exorcist in 1973 is one of the biggest films to ever hit cinemas but there have been plenty of imitators in the year since (see 'The Pope's Exorcist') and it feels impossible for another exorcism film to hit in the same way. That's the way it proved with this having a pretty disappointing take, only just pipping ‘Saw X’ to avoid landing the lowest out of the big 2023 Halloween releases.

Posted by: LewisGT 27th March 2024, 07:41 PM

38. The Nun II - £6,500,000 (estimated)

CONFESS YOUR SINS.



In 1956 France, a priest is violently murdered, and Sister Irene begins to investigate. She once again comes face-to-face with a powerful evil.


Director: Michael Chaves
Cast: Taissa Farminga, Jonas Bloquet, Storm Reid
Release Date: 8th September 2023
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Certification: 15
Genre: Horror
Rotten Tomatoes: 52%
IMDb: 5.6

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-2-3-4-7 (5 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,743,903 (#1)


Completing the hat-trick of consecutive Halloween Horrors, 'The Nun II' was the first out of the gate, opening in early September and it looked like the extra time in the screens is what boosted it above 'Saw X' and 'The Exorcist: Believer'. A lucrative spin-off of 'The Conjuring' franchise it may be, but this struggled to reach the highs of the 2018 original. That film totalled out at '£11.4 million', not too far away from being double 'II's take. These past few posts just shows that there is a base-level of horror fans that will go and see everything at Halloween. There's 2 more to come that broke-out a little bit more.

Posted by: LewisGT 27th March 2024, 07:42 PM

37. The Creator - £7,084,748 (estimated)

THIS IS A FIGHT FOR OUR VERY EXISTENCE.



Amid a future war between the human race and the forces of artificial intelligence, a hardened ex-special forces agent grieving the disappearance of his wife, is recruited to hunt down and kill the Creator, the elusive architect of advanced AI who has developed a mysterious weapon with the power to end the war—and mankind itself.


Director: Gareth Edwards
Cast: John David Washington, Madeleine Yuna Voyles, Gemma Chan
Release Date: 28th September 2023
Distributor: Disney
Certification: 12A
Genre: Sci-Fi
Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
IMDb: 6.8

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-2-5-9-9-9-14 (7 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,743,903 (#1)


Opening on the same weekend as 'Saw X', this original Sci-Fi from Gareth Edwards (his first film since 2016's 'Rogue One') just about topped the chart once previews were added in. This seemed to marmite, I've seem so many people call it one of their films of the year and so many others calling it tired and unoriginal. One thing that everyone seemed to agree on though was that the visuals were brilliant for a film with the comparatively low budget it had ($80 million). This is the only non-horror in this section of 5 to kick off the top 40.

Posted by: LewisGT 27th March 2024, 07:42 PM

36. M3GAN - £7,200,000 (estimated)

FRIENDSHIP HAS EVOLVED.



A brilliant toy company roboticist uses artificial intelligence to develop M3GAN, a life-like doll programmed to emotionally bond with her newly orphaned niece. But when the doll’s programming works too well, she becomes overprotective of her new friend with terrifying results.


Director: Gerard Johnstone
Cast: Allison Williams, Violet McGraw, Ronny Chieng
Release Date: 13th January 2023
Distributor: Universal
Certification: 15
Genre: Horror
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
IMDb: 6.4

Top 15 Chart Run: 2-2-5-9-13 (5 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £2,356,357 (#2)


One of the breakout hits of 2023, 'M3GAN' was a huge success and had a sequel (to be released next year) greenlit on it's opening weekend. One of the films that shown the power that TikTok and Social Media can do for a films promotion, the scene of 'M3GAN' dancing was everywhere from when the trailer first dropped.

Posted by: JackTheeStallion 28th March 2024, 01:45 PM

The Nun II and The Exorcist: Believer doing so well at the box office is baffling to me

Posted by: LewisGT 28th March 2024, 10:30 PM

QUOTE(JackTheeStallion @ Mar 28 2024, 01:45 PM)

Posted by: LewisGT 28th March 2024, 10:31 PM

35. The Marvels - £7,204,734 (estimated)

HIGHER. FURTHER. FASTER. TOGETHER.



Carol Danvers, aka Captain Marvel, has reclaimed her identity from the tyrannical Kree and taken revenge on the Supreme Intelligence. But unintended consequences see Carol shouldering the burden of a destabilized universe. When her duties send her to an anomalous wormhole linked to a Kree revolutionary, her powers become entangled with that of Jersey City super-fan Kamala Khan, aka Ms. Marvel, and Carol’s estranged niece, now S.A.B.E.R. astronaut Captain Monica Rambeau. Together, this unlikely trio must team up and learn to work in concert to save the universe.


Director: Nia DaCosta
Cast: Brie Larson, Iman Vellani, Teyonah Parris
Release Date: 10th November 2023
Distributor: Disney
Certification: 12A
Genre: Superhero
Rotten Tomatoes: 62%
IMDb: 5.6

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-2-5-9-12 (5 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £3,465,783 (#1)


The first true flop of the MCU, it even got beat by two of last year's DCEU movies This was definitely the most over-hated film of the year with the most toxic online discussions. It probably is one of the weaker MCU films but it's a lot better than 'Quantumania' if we're only discussing last year's films and there's some great things in here. A lot of them revolve around Iman Vellani who is an absolute delight as 'Ms. Marvel' and I hope something comes from the final scene where she gets recruited Nick Fury-style by Haillee Steinfeld's Kate Bishop. The only postive spin I could say for this film is that Nia DaCosta broke her own record for the most successful film directed by a black female director.

Posted by: LewisGT 28th March 2024, 10:31 PM

34. Scream VI - £7,700,000 (estimated)

NEW YORK. NEW RULES.



Four survivors of the Ghostface murders leave Woodsboro behind for a fresh start in New York City. However, they soon find themselves in a fight for their lives when a new killer embarks on a bloody rampage.


Director: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett
Cast: Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Courteney Cox
Release Date: 10th March 2023
Distributor: Paramount
Certification: 18
Genre: Horror
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
IMDb: 6.5

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-3-4-6-8-15 (6 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £3,043,922 (#1)


This was the highest-grossing 18 certificate film in 2023 and was a real success for Paramount this time last year. The first film in the franchise that doesn't star the scream-queen herself, Neve Campbell (and David Arquette's Dewey RIP), it showed that there was life in the new blood with this managing to just about out-gross 2022's 'Scream'. But then Paramount seemed to be determined to ruin any hype the franchise had. A trilogy closer was announced to be directed by the modern-King of the satirical slasher film Christopher Landon ("Happy Death Day", "Freaky") and things were looking good. But then they sacked the new star, Melissa Barrera after her support for Palestine, Jenna Ortega announced she isn't returning either due to 'scheduling conflicts and to top it off Landon also left the project. However it's been announced that Neve Campbell will return instead and the writer of 1996's original Scream film, Kevin Williamson is going to direct.

Posted by: LewisGT 28th March 2024, 10:31 PM

33. Insidious: The Red Door - £8,000,000 (estimated)

FACE YOUR DEMONS.



To put their demons to rest once and for all, Josh Lambert and a college-aged Dalton Lambert must go deeper into The Further than ever before, facing their family’s dark past and a host of new and more horrifying terrors that lurk behind the red door.


Director: Patrick Wilson
Cast: Ty Simpkins, Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne
Release Date: 7th July 2023
Distributor: Sony
Certification: 15
Genre: Horror
Rotten Tomatoes: 38%
IMDb: 5.5

Top 15 Chart Run: 3-4-6-8-11-14 (6 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £2,279,084 (#3)


This top 40 is just showing how consistent horror is at the box-office with 6/8 films so far being some flavour of the horror genre. This is the 5th instalment of the Insidious franchise and was the directing debut by franchise star Patrick Wilson. Bucking the trend for most franchises in 2023, this was the most successful Insidious film, beating of 2013's 'Insidious: Chapter 2' (£7.2 million).

Posted by: LewisGT 28th March 2024, 10:32 PM

32. PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie - £8,100,000 (estimated)

UNLEASH YOUR POWERS.



A magical meteor crash lands in Adventure City and gives the PAW Patrol pups superpowers, transforming them into The Mighty Pups.


Director: Cal Brunker
Cast: Mckenna Grace, Taraji P. Henson, Christian Convery
Release Date: 13th October 2023
Distributor: Paramount
Certification: U
Genre: Kids
Rotten Tomatoes: 71%
IMDb: 6.0

Top 15 Chart Run: 2-5-5-5-7-11-13-(x)-15 (8 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £3,348,155 (#2)


A sharp turn in direction for our #32 'PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie' is the 2nd cinematic entry of the long-running Kids show after 2021's 'Paw Patrol: The Movie'. This sequel ended up slightly down on the original but due to the low budgets, was still an absolutely huge runaway hit.

Posted by: LewisGT 28th March 2024, 10:32 PM

31. Transformers: Rise Of The Beasts - £8,250,000 (estimated)

UNITE OR FALL.



When a new threat capable of destroying the entire planet emerges, Optimus Prime and the Autobots must team up with a powerful faction known as the Maximals. With the fate of humanity hanging in the balance, humans Noah and Elena will do whatever it takes to help the Transformers as they engage in the ultimate battle to save Earth.


Director: Steven Caple Jr.
Cast: Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Peter Cullen
Release Date: 8th June 2023
Distributor: Paramount
Certification: 12A
Genre: Action
Rotten Tomatoes: 52%
IMDb: 6.0

Top 15 Chart Run: 2-4-7-8-9-10-12 (7 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £2,973,478 (#2)


Michael Bay has finally left the Transformers franchise with this following in the footsteps of prequel 'Bumblebee' to have a different director. 'Rise Of The Beasts' had comfortably the lowest opening for any of these films (£3 million compared to 2017's 'Transformers: The Last Knight's £4.6 million opening). That film also had the previous lowest total at £9.5 million which this couldn't quite match. It's a long way off the £19.5 million takings of franchise peak 'Age Of Extinction' (2014) but with the market still recovering after the pandemic and so many flop franchises recently, I don't think this ended up doing that bad.

Posted by: Tafty³³³ 28th March 2024, 11:29 PM

I enjoyed 'The Nun II' more than the first. It was responsible for one of my favourite movie moments of last year the magazine/newsstand scene is INSANE and incredibly well done! I do think 'The Nun' is a pretty overrated part of 'The Conjuring' universe on the whole though. Should've been left alone as the small side story in #2.

I didn't care for the new 'Insidious' movie tbh. I thought it was meh. Decent enough, but I definitely wanted it to be better than it was. HATED 'The Exorcist: Believer'. Absolutely DIRE. So, SO disappointed. I did enjoy 'SAW X' though and it's firmly in my top 3 'SAW' movies! It suffered in it's length a bit (shock, horror) but I had a really good time with it and I was actually impressed with how much I liked it. 'Scream VI' is SOOOO good! I love the new cast SO much and it showed to me that they could absolutely carry the franchise on without Neve... I am incredibly frustrated with SpyGlass and their handling of Melissa! Disgraceful. I'm really disappointed in Neve for agreeing to go back... I thought she'd be more supportive of Melissa tbh.

'The Creator' is SO good and very under appreciated, I think. It definitely wasn't as "original" as it promised itself to be but it was still very good! 'The Marvels' is INCREDIBLY underrated and by FAR the most over hated movie of 2023, imo. SO much fun and it's one I can definitely re-watch with ease each time. I do think the writer's strike and not being able to promote it hindered it a lot, but it definitely didn't overcome the bandwagon hate train enough. Iman Vellani is such a STAR! I found 'Equalizer 3' to be really boring tbh.

Posted by: LewisGT 1st April 2024, 07:56 PM

30. The Equalizer 3 - £8,600,000 (estimated)

JUSTICE KNOWS NO BORDERS



Robert McCall finds himself at home in Southern Italy but he discovers his friends are under the control of local crime bosses. As events turn deadly, McCall knows what he has to do: become his friends’ protector by taking on the mafia.


Director: Antoine Fuqua
Cast: Denzel Washington, Dakota Fanning, Eugenio Mastrandrea
Release Date: 1st September 2023
Distributor: Sony
Certification: 15
Genre: Action
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
IMDb: 6.8

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-3-3-5-6-12 (6 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £2,783,302 (#1)


Denzel Washington's first ever sequel became his first ever trilogy with 'The Equalizer 3' concluding the TV-remake franchise. Denzel has really proved what a great movie star he is with the grosses for each film being incredibly consistent. I could see Sony trying to convince him and Fuqua to comeback for a 4th entry. This was being billed as a re-teaming of Denzel and Dakota Fanning, who originally starred together in 2004's 'Man On Fire' when Dakota was only 10 years old.

Posted by: LewisGT 1st April 2024, 07:56 PM

29. The Flash - £8,856,170 (estimated)

WORLDS COLLIDE.



When his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, Barry Allen becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned and there are no Super Heroes to turn to. In order to save the world that he is in and return to the future that he knows, Barry’s only hope is to race for his life. But will making the ultimate sacrifice be enough to reset the universe?


Director: Andy Muschietti
Cast: Ezra Miller, Michael Keaton, Sasha Calle
Release Date: 14th June 2023
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Certification: 12A
Genre: Superhero
Rotten Tomatoes: 63%
IMDb: 6.7

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-2-7-10-12 (5 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £4,252,532 (#1)


DC's attempt to go across the multi-verse didn't get off to a good start with everything Ezra Miller did during the months prior to the films release. They caused more chaos than any super-villain from the DCEU managed! This was the first time Michael Keaton had put on the batsuit since 1992's 'Batman Returns' but with Ezra Miller and the fact that James Gunn had already been announced to be rebooting DC Films, this felt like it had no chance from the start. There is one last entry for the DCEU to come, can they scrape one final top 20 EOY placing?

Posted by: LewisGT 1st April 2024, 07:57 PM

28. Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom - £9,726,598 (estimated)

THE TIDE IS TURNING.



Black Manta seeks revenge on Aquaman for his father’s death. Wielding the Black Trident’s power, he becomes a formidable foe. To defend Atlantis, Aquaman forges an alliance with his imprisoned brother. They must protect the kingdom.


Director: James Wan
Cast: Jason Momoa, Patrick Wilson, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Release Date: 21st December 2023
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Certification: 12A
Genre: Superhero
Rotten Tomatoes: 34%
IMDb: 5.6

Top 15 Chart Run: 2-3-5-8-12-14 (6 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £2,484,442 (#2)


Not quite as the final ever release of the DCEU, 'The Lost Kingdom' was the follow-up to DC's most successful, and only billion grossing release of the 'extended universe', 2018's 'Aquaman'. It might not have even come close to reaching those heights but at least it was the biggest of the last 4 films they released last year. The original 'Aquaman' was my favourite film of the DCEU and this is probably my 2nd favourite. It's blatantly ridiculous with a paper-thin plot (every scene is a side-quest to retrieve something) but I found it the right kind of silly and enjoyable. Ending it in the exact same way as 2008's 'Iron Man' and 'Black Panther' was a bold move! 'I am Aquaman'

Posted by: LewisGT 1st April 2024, 07:57 PM

27. A Haunting In Venice - £9,828,388 (estimated)

DEATH WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING.



Celebrated sleuth Hercule Poirot, now retired and living in self-imposed exile in Venice, reluctantly attends a Halloween séance at a decaying, haunted palazzo. When one of the guests is murdered, the detective is thrust into a sinister world of shadows and secrets.


Director: Kenneth Branagh
Cast: Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Yeoh, Tina Fey
Release Date: 15th September 2023
Distributor: Disney
Certification: 12A
Genre: Horror
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
IMDb: 6.5

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-1-3-5-8-12-13-11 (6 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £2,186,930 (#1)


After the pretty rubbish 'Death on the Nile', Kenneth Branagh decided to properly mix it up with his 3rd attempt at Poirot by adapting one of the lesser-known Agatha Christie novels and creating a spooky, horror-tinged mystery for the detective to crack. I thought this was a fun twist and has got me back on board for any further adventures to come. I think it is impressive that it made this much at the cinemas though because I watched in on Disney+ and that feels like the perfect place to see it.

Posted by: LewisGT 1st April 2024, 07:57 PM

26. Killers Of The Flower Moon - £9,900,000 (estimated)

GREED IS AN ANIMAL THAT HUNGERS FOR BLOOD.



At the turn of the 20th century, oil brought a fortune to the Osage Nation, who became some of the richest people in the world overnight. The wealth of these Native Americans immediately attracted white interlopers, who manipulated, extorted, and stole as much Osage money as they could before resorting to murder. Based on a true story and told through the improbable romance of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), “Killers of the Flower Moon” is an epic western crime saga, where real love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal.


Director: Martin Scorsese
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone
Release Date: 20th October 2023
Distributor: Paramount
Certification: 15
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
IMDb: 7.6

Top 15 Chart Run: 2-3-3-3-8-12 (6 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £2,531,393 (#2)


It's always an event when Martin Scorsese releases a new film and 'Killers of the Flower Moon' was no exception. Based on the 2007 non-fiction book 'Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI', this was his 10th team-up with De Niro and 6th collab with DiCaprio and Apple was happy to put up a $200 million budget to make it. The star of the show, however, is Lily Gladstone who seemed sure to take home the 'Best Actress' Oscar before Emma Stone's name was read. This ended up being an Oscar disappointment, taking home no awards from 10 nominations and the ballooned budget just shows why you can't expect Apple to last long in the movie production game.

Posted by: LewisGT 9th April 2024, 08:41 PM

25. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem - £10,300,000 (estimated)

A NEW GENERATION OF HEROES WILL RISE… STRAIGHT FROM THE SEWERS.



After years of being sheltered from the human world, the Turtle brothers set out to win the hearts of New Yorkers and be accepted as normal teenagers through heroic acts. Their new friend April O’Neil helps them take on a mysterious crime syndicate, but they soon get in over their heads when an army of mutants is unleashed upon them.


Director: Jeff Rowe, Kyler Spears
Cast: Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu
Release Date: 31st July 2023
Distributor: Paramount
Certification: PG
Genre: Kids
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
IMDb: 7.2

Top 15 Chart Run: 4-6-6-6-5-9-10-12 (8 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £3,662,250 (#4)


25 films grossed more than £10 million at the box office last year with the first of these being 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem'. The latest attempt to reboot the legendary comic-book characters, this one was produced by Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg's 'Point Grey Pictures' studio and sees the novel approach of actually casting real-life teenagers to portray the adolescent reptiles. This is one of those post 'Spider-Verse' animated films that embrace the comic-book-y animation style and was a huge critical hit. A sequel is planned for 2026, while a TV spin-off is set to debut on Paramount+ later this year.

Posted by: LewisGT 9th April 2024, 08:41 PM

24. Five Nights At Freddy's - £10,600,000 (estimated)

CAN YOU SURVIVE FIVE NIGHTS?



Recently fired and desperate for work, a troubled young man named Mike agrees to take a position as a night security guard at an abandoned theme restaurant: Freddy Fazbear’s Pizzeria. But he soon discovers that nothing at Freddy’s is what it seems.


Director: Emma Tammi
Cast: Josh Hutcherson, Piper Rubio, Elizabeth Lail
Release Date: 25th October 2023
Distributor: Universal
Certification: 15
Genre: Horror
Rotten Tomatoes: 32%
IMDb: 5.5

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-2-4-9-14 (5 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £5,379,587 (#1)


In a good year for horror on the big screen, the biggest hit of all was the long-awaited adaptation of 'Five Nights At Freddy's'. The point-and-click indie videogame that became a massive franchise, I don't think anyone really anticipated just how many people were waiting for this to release. Despite being a day-and-date release on Peacock as well as cinemas, the film broke all sort of records in it's opening weekend in the US and became Blumhouse's biggest ever release. It dropped like a stone after the crazy opening weekend but that weekend was so good that it was still comfortably one of the most profitable releases of the year.

Posted by: LewisGT 9th April 2024, 08:42 PM

23. Anyone But You - £11,600,000 (estimated)

THEY ONLY LOOK LIKE THE PERFECT COUPLE.



After an amazing first date, Bea and Ben’s fiery attraction turns ice cold — until they find themselves unexpectedly reunited at a destination wedding in Australia. So they do what any two mature adults would do: pretend to be a couple.


Director: Will Gluck
Cast: Sydney Sweeney, Glen Powell, Alexandra Shipp
Release Date: 26th December 2023
Distributor: Sony
Certification: 15
Genre: Rom-Com
Rotten Tomatoes: 56%
IMDb: 6.2

Top 15 Chart Run: 5-4-3-4-4-6-7-9-12-13 (10 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £1,253,694 (#5)


Proving that there's life in the romcom yet, 'Anyone But You' was a big hit at the start of this year, despite a slow start when it was originally released on boxing day. Actually increasing in weeks 2 and 3, good buzz saw the film hang around for a while and become a must-see event. Loosely based on Much Ado About Nothing and featuring two of the hottest young talents in Hollywood today, the jury is still out if this has shot Sweeney and Powell to the a-list of if it was just a one-off.

Posted by: LewisGT 9th April 2024, 08:42 PM

22. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour - £12,200,000 (estimated)

IT’S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING.



The cultural phenomenon continues on the big screen! Immerse yourself in this once-in-a-lifetime concert film experience with a breathtaking, cinematic view of the history-making tour.


Director: Sam Wrench
Cast: Taylor Swift, Mike Meadows, Max Bernstein
Release Date: 13th October 2023
Distributor: Trafalgar
Certification: 12A
Genre: Concert
Rotten Tomatoes: 99%
IMDb: 8.1

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-3-4-4-8-14 (6 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £5,729,998 (#1)


By some distance, the biggest event cinema release of all-time, 'Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour' was able to pack-out cinema screens all across the nation, a whole 9 months before the concert had even had a reach these shores. I don't think there could have been a better promotion for the tour, because even on a screen, it's a magic experience and has got me so hyped for June. I'm not sure we'll ever see another event cinema release this big ever again.

Posted by: LewisGT 9th April 2024, 08:42 PM

21. Meg 2: The Trench - £13,100,000 (estimated)

BACK FOR SECONDS.



An exploratory dive into the deepest depths of the ocean of a daring research team spirals into chaos when a malevolent mining operation threatens their mission and forces them into a high-stakes battle for survival.


Director: Ben Wheatley
Cast: Jason Statham, Jing Wu, Shuya Sophia Cai
Release Date: 4th August 2023
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Certification: 12A
Genre: Action
Rotten Tomatoes: 27%
IMDb: 5.0

Top 15 Chart Run: 3-3-4-3-7-11 (6 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £3,777,784 (#3)


We finally got the sequel to 2018's Stath vs Shark extravaganza with the shock choice of British director Ben Wheatley making his first step into mainstream Hollywood Blockbuster filmmaking. It didn't quite catch on in the same way as the original but was still a solid hit. It perhaps has the best tagline of 2023 too on the alternate poster 'New Meg, Old Chum'.

Posted by: LewisGT 13th April 2024, 10:25 PM

20. Wish - £13,200,000 (estimated)

BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR.



Asha, a sharp-witted idealist, makes a wish so powerful that it is answered by a cosmic force – a little ball of boundless energy called Star. Together, Asha and Star confront a most formidable foe - the ruler of Rosas, King Magnifico - to save her community and prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen.


Director: Chris Buck, Fawn Veerasunthorn
Cast: Ariana DeBose, Chris Pine, Alan Tudyk
Release Date: 24th November 2023
Distributor: Disney
Certification: U
Genre: Kids
Rotten Tomatoes: 48%
IMDb: 5.6

Top 15 Chart Run: 3-3-2-4-4-6-7-9-8-12 (10 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £2,432,228 (#3)


2023 was supposed to be a banner year for Disney. It was 100 years since the studio was founded and 'Wish' was supposed to be the film to celebrate the 100 year history. But, just like most of their releases last year, this got off to a terrible start with a really poor opening. It did manage to hold really well and lasted 9 weeks in the top 10 but it wasn't enough to recover and it was a big disappointment, not helped by some pretty savage reviews. It recently debuted on Disney+ and I'm also starting to see the signs of a bit of a turning of opinion. I think Wish's legacy will be much kinder than it's current reputation.

Posted by: LewisGT 13th April 2024, 10:25 PM

19. Dungeon & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves - £13,700,000 (estimated)

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY.



A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people.


Director: John Francis Daley, Jonathan Goldstein
Cast: Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith
Release Date: 31st March 2023
Distributor: eOne
Certification: 12A
Genre: Action
Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
IMDb: 7.2

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-2-2-3-5-6-10-15 (8 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £3,544,354 (#1)


Back-to-back Chris Pine films with this adaptation of the classic tabletop role-playing game. Completely separate from the first attempt to adapt the game with the trilogy that released between 2000-2012, this one embraces the comedy and comes from directors John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein who previously directed the 2016 'Vacation' remake and the under-rated 'Games Night' alongside writing 'Spider-Man: Homecoming', 'Horrible Bosses' and 'Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs'. With a huge $150 million budget, this felt like it was bound to be a huge flop, but it put up a valiant effort making $200 million worldwide. Not enough to stop it from being a money-loser but it's overwhelming positive reaction from fans of the franchise means that I think there's definitely hope for a sequel if they budget more appropriately. I thought it was pretty meh though unfortunately.

Posted by: LewisGT 13th April 2024, 10:25 PM

18. Creed III - £14,300,000 (estimated)

NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY.



A charming thief and a band of unlikely adventurers undertake an epic heist to retrieve a lost relic, but things go dangerously awry when they run afoul of the wrong people.


Director: Michael B. Jordan
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Jonathan Majors, Tessa Thompson
Release Date: 3rd March 2023
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Certification: 12A
Genre: Sports
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
IMDb: 6.7

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-2-2-3-5-9-14 (7 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £5,003,452 (#1)


In something you will only ever be able to hear in 2023, here is the first of two appearances for Jonathan Majors in the top 20 of the EOY chart. If you can cast your minds back to Q1 2023, it really felt like he was on top of the world with this becoming the biggest hit of the Creed trilogy and proving that these films can still work without a certain Mr Rocky Balboa and his first cinematic turn as Kang the Conqueror setting him up to be the new Thanos. But let's not let his actions distract from what was an amazing performance for Michael B. Jordan. Not only starring, but making his directorial debut in a massive hit for Warner Bros. There's nobody else taking on double-duty in this this top 25.

Posted by: LewisGT 13th April 2024, 10:25 PM

17. Napoleon - £14,458,530 (estimated)

HE CAME FROM NOTHING. HE CONQUERED EVERYTHING.



An epic that details the chequered rise and fall of French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte and his relentless journey to power through the prism of his addictive, volatile relationship with his wife, Josephine.


Director: Ridley Scott
Cast: Joaquin Phoenix, Vanessa Kirby, Tahar Rahim
Release Date: 22nd November 2023
Distributor: Sony
Certification: 15
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes: 57%
IMDb: 6.4

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-1-4-5-12-9-13 (7 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £5,235,706 (#1)


Ridley Scott's take on Napoleon Bonaparte, the topic that, famously, not even Stanley Kubrick could film, did make it to cinemas thanks to the endless pockets of Apple Studios, but suffered from some of the most mixed reviews of the year and didn't bother the awards like it was meant to. Let's hope the upcoming 'Gladiator 2' can become more of a home-run. £14.5 million is a pretty decent total for it in the UK but it wasn't able to have much luck worldwide and didn't come close to recouping it's budget.

Posted by: LewisGT 13th April 2024, 10:25 PM

16. Fast X - £15,300,000 (estimated)

THE END OF THE ROAD BEGINS.



Over many missions and against impossible odds, Dom Toretto and his family have outsmarted, out-nerved and outdriven every foe in their path. Now, they confront the most lethal opponent they’ve ever faced: A terrifying threat emerging from the shadows of the past who’s fueled by blood revenge, and who is determined to shatter this family and destroy everything—and everyone—that Dom loves, forever.


Director: Louis Leterrier
Cast: Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Momoa
Release Date: 19th May 2023
Distributor: Universal
Certification: 12A
Genre: Action
Rotten Tomatoes: 56%
IMDb: 5.8

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-2-3-5-7-9-15 (7 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £5,895,674 (#1)


A few years ago, the latest 'Fast & Furious' film missing the EOY top 10, never mind top 15, would seem crazy but we're in a time where most franchises seem to be stalling and sequels are no longer guaranteed hits. The 10th main entry to the drift-racing-gang turned whatever-it-is-now franchise, perhaps this should have been the last film and it would have done much better. I think this film's disappointment really shook Vin Diesel, so much so that he's prepared to lose-face by inviting The Rock back for Fast & Furious 11.

Posted by: LewisGT 16th April 2024, 07:56 PM

15. Trolls Band Together - £15,700,000 (estimated)

THERE ARE SOME NEW TROLLS ON THE BLOCK.



When Branch’s brother, Floyd, is kidnapped for his musical talents by a pair of nefarious pop-star villains, Branch and Poppy embark on a harrowing and emotional journey to reunite the other brothers and rescue Floyd from a fate even worse than pop-culture obscurity.


Director: Walt Dohrn, Tim Heitz
Cast: Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Camila Cabello
Release Date: 20th October 2023
Distributor: Universal
Certification: U
Genre: Kids
Rotten Tomatoes: 63%
IMDb: 6.0

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-2-1-2-5-7-10-15 (8 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £3,051,810 (#1)


Who would have thought 'Trolls Band Together' would be a bigger release for Universal than 'Fast X' last year? In a worrying sign of how fast time is flying, this was the follow-up to 'Trolls: World Tour' which was, famously, the first film to decide to release on PVOD instead of waiting for cinemas to re-open during the beginning of the COVID pandemic. While not getting close to the gross of the original (£25 million), this shown that the market is still there for the franchise to return to cinemas and it isn't seen as 'see-at-home' series yet. This was the highest grossing 'U' certificate release of 2023.

Posted by: LewisGT 16th April 2024, 07:56 PM

14. John Wick: Chapter 4 - £17,600,000 (estimated)

NO WAY BACK, ONE WAY OUT.



With the price on his head ever increasing, John Wick uncovers a path to defeating The High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes.


Director: Chad Stahelski
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård
Release Date: 23rd March 2023
Distributor: Lionsgate
Certification: 15
Genre: Action
Rotten Tomatoes: 94%
IMDb: 7.7

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-2-3-3-4-6-5-9-13 (9 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £5,321,533 (#1)


Potentially the final film in the John Wick series (he does die at the end), if so they ended on a high. With comfortably the biggest opening weekend of the franchise and brilliant reviews, the 4th 'chapter' for Wick saga sees director Chad Stahelski throw every single idea for an action scene at the screen with a bloated near-3-hour runtime. It's remarkable how far this franchise came from the low-budget first entry, starting a Keanu resurgence and making the career of ex-stuntmen turned directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch.

Posted by: LewisGT 16th April 2024, 07:57 PM

13. The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes - £18,100,000 (estimated)

EVERYONE HUNGERS FOR SOMETHING.



64 years before he becomes the tyrannical president of Panem, Coriolanus Snow sees a chance for a change in fortunes when he mentors Lucy Gray Baird, the female tribute from District 12.


Director: Francis Lawrence
Cast: Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, Peter Dinklage
Release Date: 17th November 2023
Distributor: Lionsgate
Certification: 12A
Genre: Action
Rotten Tomatoes: 64%
IMDb: 6.8

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-2-2-3-3-7-8-10-15 (9 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £5,420,682 (#1)


8 years after 'The Hunger Games' franchise ended with 'Mockingjay: Part 2', Lionsgate were able to bring it back after the author, Suzanne Collins wrote a prequel book in 2020. All 3 of the original sequels opened above £10 million with the peak being 'Mockingjay: Part 1' that opened with £12.7 million in 2014. With the general decline in box office, I don't think this did too bad for a prequel without the big stars of the originals (Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson). It didn't open huge but stuck around well.

Posted by: LewisGT 16th April 2024, 07:57 PM

12. Elemental - £18,600,000 (estimated)

OPPOSITES REACT.



In a city where fire, water, land, & air residents live together, a fiery young woman & a go-with-the-flow guy will discover something elemental: How much they have in common.


Director: Peter Sohn
Cast: Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie del Carmen
Release Date: 7th July 2023
Distributor: Disney
Certification: PG
Genre: Kids
Rotten Tomatoes: 73%
IMDb: 7.0

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-2-4-4-6-9-9-10-6-12 (10 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £3,049,002 (#1)


With Disney's decision to release a slew of Pixar films on Disney+, the inconsistent critical reaction of recent releases and the flop of 'Lightyear', there were worries that the prestige of a Pixar release had been lost. This was only further raised by the weak opening weekend of 'Elemental', both here and in the US. And while it didn't even up reaching anywhere near the legendary Animation Studios highs, this ended up being a bit of a word-of-mouth phenomenon, hanging around in cinemas for a while and having a great draw when it reached Disney+. It's going to be interesting to see if their upcoming run of sequels will see them get back to the top.

Posted by: LewisGT 16th April 2024, 07:57 PM

11. Ant-Man & The Wasp: Quantumania - £19,300,000 (estimated)

WITNESS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW DYNASTY.



Superhero duo Scott Lang and Hope Van Dyne, together with Hope’s parents Hank Pym and Janet Van Dyne, find themselves exploring the Quantum Realm, interacting with strange new creatures, and embarking on an adventure that will push them beyond the limits of what they thought was possible.


Director: Peyton Reed
Cast: Paul Rudd, Jonathan Majors, Evangeline Lilly
Release Date: 17th February 2023
Distributor: Disney
Certification: 12A
Genre: Superhero
Rotten Tomatoes: 46%
IMDb: 6.1

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-1-2-5-9-12 (6 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £8,834,435 (#1)


Despite getting off to a great start, this didn't up having much legs at the box office and just missed out on the EOY top 10. This ended up being the first sign of the MCU and superhero in generals decline in 2023. And I can see why, this is my least favourite film in the MCU by absolute miles. The first 2 Ant-Man films are (quite literally at times) grounded fun and this just seems to remove everything that made them work. An Ant-Man film without Luis telling us an anecdote in typical animated fashion is a crime in it's own. If this was the set-up for Jonathan Major's Kang, I'm glad we're not getting it tbh.

Posted by: LewisGT 25th April 2024, 12:18 PM

10. Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny - £20,388,019 (estimated)

A LEGEND WILL FACE HIS DESTINY.



Finding himself in a new era, approaching retirement, Indy wrestles with fitting into a world that seems to have outgrown him. But as the tentacles of an all-too-familiar evil return in the form of an old rival, Indy must don his hat and pick up his whip once more to make sure an ancient and powerful artefact doesn’t fall into the wrong hands.


Director: James Mangold
Cast: Harrison Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen
Release Date: 28th June 2023
Distributor: Disney
Certification: 12A
Genre: Action
Rotten Tomatoes: 70%
IMDb: 6.5

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-2-3-5-6-10-13 (7 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £7,144,441 (#1)


Just about sneaking in to the EOY top 10 is the 5th (and final) adventure for LucasFilm's iconic archaeologist. But, as you'll see, this was quite a distance behind the next film so really should have been a top 9. I was reading a preview for this film before it was released and one of the producers said something along the lines of 'the best thing about working on an Indiana Jones film is that no-one ever tells you that something is too expensive to film', but maybe they should have done because the budget for this film (reportedly) ballooned to $300 million. Despite making about $380 million worldwide, this insane budget meant that it never had a chance of being profitable and it would have needed to have made over about double that just to break-even theatrically. This was the first film in the franchise not to be directed by Steven Spielberg with 'Logan' director James Mangold taking the reigns. It did seem to get a better reception than 2008's 'Kingdom of the Crystal Skull' but still nowhere near the original trilogy.

Posted by: LewisGT 25th April 2024, 12:18 PM

9. Puss In Boots: The Last Wish - £26,100,000 (estimated)

SAY HOLA TO HIS LITTLE FRIENDS.



Puss in Boots discovers that his passion for adventure has taken its toll: He has burned through eight of his nine lives, leaving him with only one life left. Puss sets out on an epic journey to find the mythical Last Wish and restore his nine lives.


Director: Joel Crawford, Januel Mercado
Cast: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Harvey Guillén
Release Date: 3rd February 2023
Distributor: Universal
Certification: PG
Genre: Kids
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
IMDb: 7.8

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-1-2-2-3-4-6-6-7-10-13 (11 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £4,950,495 (#1)


Coming 12 years after the original 'Puss In Boots' was released in the UK in 2011 to a fairly muted reception, and already being seen as a lesser spin-off to a more successful series, I don't think anyone's expectations were high before this film was released. But then we saw it. Easily the best 'Shrek' related film since 2004's 'Shrek 2', 'The Last Wish' is a surprisingly fresh and moving tale of mortality and self-acceptance, with a movingly accurate portrayal of a panic attack, that elevates it above similar releases. Fully embracing the 'Spider-Verse' style of animation, this is a smart and lovingly crafted while not failing to deliver on the fairy-tale satire and silly humour that we expect from the franchise, And with the ending teasing the return of everyone's favourite grumpy ogre, Universal couldn't have made a better advertisement to whet people's appetites. 2011's 'Puss In Boots' opened to £1.9 million and ended on £15.6m. This has outperformed that in every possible metric.

Posted by: LewisGT 25th April 2024, 12:18 PM

8. Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One - £26,600,000 (estimated)

WE ALL SHARE THE SAME FATE.



Ethan Hunt and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, and dark forces from Ethan’s past closing in, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than his mission – not even the lives of those he cares about most.


Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Cast: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Rebecca Ferguson
Release Date: 10th July 2023
Distributor: Paramount
Certification: 12A
Genre: Action
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
IMDb: 7.7

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-3-3-5-8-8-8-12-15 (9 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £10,391,016 (#1)


As I've been talking about every week with 'Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire', the UK has a habit of bucking trends at the moment, with this actually being the highest grossing 'Mission: Impossible' in the UK despite 'disappointing' worldwide. The previous highest opening was 'Ghost Protocol' that debuted with £8.2 million and the previous biggest film was 'Fallout' with a final total of £24.5 million. 'Dead Reckoning Part One' has smashed both of those but all the discourse online is about how this was a flop and was destroyed by the Barbenheimer phenomenon. That was true, especially in the US, where IMAX is huge and it lost all of it's premium screens to 'Oppenheimer' after the first week, but the film got good reviews and a great audience reception so I think, as long as they pick a sensible release date for the final entry, the tentatively titled 'Part Two' will still be a huge hit.

Posted by: LewisGT 25th April 2024, 12:19 PM

7. The Little Mermaid - £27,448,310 (estimated)

WATCH AND YOU’LL SEE, SOME DAY I’LL BE, PART OF YOUR WORLD!



The youngest of King Triton’s daughters, and the most defiant, Ariel longs to find out more about the world beyond the sea, and while visiting the surface, falls for the dashing Prince Eric. With mermaids forbidden to interact with humans, Ariel makes a deal with the evil sea witch, Ursula, which gives her a chance to experience life on land, but ultimately places her life – and her father’s crown – in jeopardy.


Director: Rob Marshall
Cast: Halle Bailey, Jonah Hauer-King, Melissa McCarthy
Release Date: 26th May 2023
Distributor: Disney
Certification: PG
Genre: Kids
Rotten Tomatoes: 67%
IMDb: 7.2

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-2-3-3-5-4-5-6-8-10 (10 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £5,012,929 (#1)


Disney are still working their way though making live-action remakes of all of their animated catalogue and last year was the turn of 'The Little Mermaid'. Already causing lots of controversy among racists for the casting of the wonderful Halle Bailey (of 'Chloe x Halle' fame) as Arial, the film opened quite low at £5 million but hung around well and proved to be a big hit in the UK. To put that opening weekend in context, the remake of 'The Lion King' opened to £16.7 million. However, this is another one that disappointed with it's worldwide numbers and it's already got off to a bad start at the home video market. I don't think it will last long in the memory.

Posted by: LewisGT 25th April 2024, 12:19 PM

6. Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse - £30,800,000 (estimated)

IT’S HOW YOU WEAR THE MASK THAT MATTERS



After reuniting with Gwen Stacy, Brooklyn’s full-time, friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is catapulted across the Multiverse, where he encounters the Spider Society, a team of Spider-People charged with protecting the Multiverse’s very existence. But when the heroes clash on how to handle a new threat, Miles finds himself pitted against the other Spiders and must set out on his own to save those he loves most.


Director: Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K. Thompson
Cast: Shameik Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, Oscar Isaac
Release Date: 2nd June 2023
Distributor: Sony
Certification: PG
Genre: Superhero
Rotten Tomatoes: 95%
IMDb: 8.6

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-1-2-1-2-4-5-7-9-12 (10 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £9,159,823 (#1)


Despite not being a massive hit at the box office (it opened with £1.2 million in the UK), the original 'Spider-Verse' film has a strong claim to be the most influential film of recent times. Not since 'Shrek' has any film changed the way animation is perceived and made like 'Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse'. But, because of the low box-office, I was not expecting this film to be such an instant smash. In a year where live-action Superhero films struggled, Sony Animation Studios showed them how it's done with an endlessly creative and innovative 2.5 hour feast. The cliff-hanger ending might sting some but I have no doubt that this will go down as one of the best remembered films of the superhero craze. The 3rd film has a lot to live up to.

Posted by: LewisGT 1st May 2024, 06:44 PM

5. Guardians Of The Galaxy: Vol. 3 - £36,800,000 (estimated)

ONCE MORE WITH FEELING.



Peter Quill, still reeling from the loss of Gamora, must rally his team around him to defend the universe along with protecting one of their own. A mission that, if not completed successfully, could quite possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.


Director: James Gunn
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Bradley Cooper
Release Date: 3rd May 2023
Distributor: Disney
Certification: 12A
Genre: Superhero
Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
IMDb: 7.9

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-1-2-3-4-4-6-8-10-13 (10 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £12,079,820 (#1)


We're into the top 5 and we start with the biggest Superhero release in a floundering year for the genre. James Gunn brought back his rag-tag family of unlikely heroes for one last adventure and it proved to be one of the most heart-wrenching pieces of art of the year. Providing us with Rocket's tragic backstory while the main group fights to save his life. Despite being such warmly-received and a big hit, this too did show signs of Superhero fatigue as it opened lower than its predecessor, Vol. 2 (£13.1 million) and couldn't reach that films final gross (£41 million). Gunn now moves to take over DC's film department. Will he be able to find the same success as he did with the Guardians?

Posted by: LewisGT 1st May 2024, 06:44 PM

4. The Super Mario Bros. Movie - £54,900,000 (estimated)

NOT ALL HEROES WEAR CAPES. SOME WEAR OVERALLS.



While working underground to fix a water main, Brooklyn plumbers—and brothers—Mario and Luigi are transported down a mysterious pipe and wander into a magical new world. But when the brothers are separated, Mario embarks on an epic quest to find Luigi.


Director: Aaron Horvath, Michael Jelenic
Cast: Chris Pratt, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Day
Release Date: 5th April 2023
Distributor: Universal
Certification: PG
Genre: Kids
Rotten Tomatoes: 59%
IMDb: 7.0

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-1-1-1-2-2-3-3-6-7-9-11-13-12-15-10-11-14 (18 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £15,691,810 (#1)


Back-to-back Chris Pratt and we take a big step up in gross to find 'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' at #4. Video-game adaptations have been seen as box-office poison for the longest time, no doubt largely influenced by the disastrous first attempt to bring Nintendo's iconic plumber to the big screens, but Illumination Studios know what they're doing when it comes to this area and they've blown all video-game film records out of the water. That opening weekend alone is on par with what the 15th biggest film of last year ('Trolls World Tour') made in total. Expect to see much more Mario in cinemas in the years to come. It feels like a long time since the internet was raging when the Chris Pratt announcement was first made.

Posted by: LewisGT 1st May 2024, 06:45 PM

3. Oppenheimer - £59,550,750 (estimated)

THE WORLD FOREVER CHANGES.



During World War II, Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. appoints physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer to work on the top-secret Manhattan Project. Oppenheimer and a team of scientists spend years developing and designing the atomic bomb. Their work comes to fruition on July 16, 1945, as they witness the world's first nuclear explosion, forever changing the course of history.


Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt
Release Date: 21st July 2023
Distributor: Universal
Certification: 15
Genre: Drama
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
IMDb: 8.3

Top 15 Chart Run: 2-2-2-2-2-2-3-6-7-8-x-15 (11 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £10,891,486 (#2)


Christopher Nolan can never be doubted again. He tried to bring cinema back during the pandemic with 'Tenet' sticking to a 2020 release. It ended up being a bit of a disappointment, making around $350 million worldwide and following this up with a 3 hour, 15 rated biopic about a scientist felt like a huge risk. But he certainly had the last laugh, sitting with his Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director and a bear $1 billion worldwide gross. Seeming that he has a clause where he receives 15% of his films grosses, I wouldn't be surprised to learn that he was responsible for the 'Barbenheimer' phenomenon somehow. This is obviously the biggest 15 certificate release of 2023, but it's also the biggest 15 certificate release of all-time, just about edging out 'Joker' which made about £57.9 million. Even less surprisingly, it was the biggest film of the year that didn't hit #1 any weekend (it spent 6 weeks at #2 behind 'Barbie') and I'm too lazy to do the research but I'm pretty sure this is an all-time record too. It is the 28th biggest release in the UK ever so it does seem like a safe bet.

Posted by: LewisGT 1st May 2024, 06:45 PM

2. Wonka - £63,498,096 (estimated)

EVERY GOOD THING IN THIS WORLD STARTED WITH A DREAM.



Willy Wonka, chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time, is proof that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible.


Director: Paul King
Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Calah Lane, Keenan-Michael Key
Release Date: 8th December 2023
Distributor: Universal
Certification: PG
Genre: Kids
Rotten Tomatoes: 82%
IMDb: 7.0

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-1-1-1-1-1-2-3-7-8-5-8-6-7-10-x-15 (16 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £8,904,750 (#1)


Still in cinemas and reporting grosses each weekend in May, Timothée Chalamet is the man of the moment and helped 'Wonka' exceed all expectations and end up as the 2nd biggest film of 2023 and the 25th biggest film of all-time in the U.K. There was outrage when director Paul King, accounted that he was not going to direct the final part of the 'Paddington' trilogy, that he helped win over people's hearts, to direct this origin story for Roald Dahl's most famous creation. But, he must have managed to win the audience back as this dominated Christmas and the New Year at the cinemas and feels like a film that is going to became a family favourite. This biggest PG certificate film of 2023.

Posted by: LewisGT 1st May 2024, 06:45 PM

1. Barbie - £95,693,958 (estimated)

SHE’S EVERYTHING. HE’S JUST KEN.



Barbie and Ken are having the time of their lives in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbie Land. However, when they get a chance to go to the real world, they soon discover the joys and perils of living among humans.


Director: Greta Gerwig
Cast: Margot Robbie, Ryan Gosling, American Ferrera
Release Date: 21st July 2023
Distributor: Warner Bros.
Certification: 12A
Genre: Comedy
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
IMDb: 6.8

Top 15 Chart Run: 1-1-1-1-1-1-2-4-5-6-13 (11 weeks)
Opening Weekend: £18,509,236 (#1)


I think we all knew that #1 was going to be. Summer 2023 was pink. Dua Lipa and Billie Eilish both bagged #1s from the soundtrack, it even gave Ryan Gosling a big chart hit! People were dressing up to go the cinema like they were attending a Taylor Swift concert. Barbie fever took over the world in a way that it hadn't done since Aqua. There has long been a myth in Hollywood that the biggest blockbusters need to aim for a male audience or they'll flop. And, while there was still a huge male audience for this, the numbers prove that it was mostly female-driven and it's the 6th biggest film of all-time in the UK. It's only 1 million off of 'Avatar' and that was helped by 7 million re-releases. The only single dissapointment for this is that it couldn't quite hit £100 million. Although, I probably do think this is the lesser of the three, Greta Gerwig is 3/3 on 5 star films for me. Let's see how her 'Narnia' adaptation does next. Let's just thank God that we live in a universe where Margot Robbie played Barbie and not Amy Schumer like originally intended.

Posted by: Long Dong Silver 2nd May 2024, 01:42 PM

No wywas Barbie bigger than Wonka!!! Wonka was far better. Was Mean Girls: The Crapsicle not on this list?

Posted by: Juranamo 2nd May 2024, 04:23 PM

Mean Girls was released this year!

Regardless of what you perceived the quality of Barbie to be, no film was close to it in terms Box Office success... It really was a phenomenon!

Posted by: Long Dong Silver 3rd May 2024, 09:07 PM

Ahh Wonka was released at the tailend of 2023!! No wonder it just got to #2. Irs tally over 2023 and 2024 probably puts it on par with Barbie.

Posted by: Juranamo 3rd May 2024, 11:17 PM

QUOTE(Long Dong Silver @ 3rd May 2024, 10:07 PM)