DanChartFan

Thank you both for the replies. I was aware of the ukfilmcouncil archive back to 2001 which gives a top 15 where imdb only gives a top 10, however whenever I choose any particular year from the archive I only see a few weeks worth followed by a error message rather than a full year's data, so either the stie doesn't load too well on a regular dial-up broadband connection or else I'm doing something wrong? Also I was searching the net for any reference to 'Full Monty' being a box office no 1, but found none. It did possibly become the UK's No1 for total takings, until Titanic wiped the floor with everyone else, but not sure about it being no1 in any given week of it's run in UK cinema's. I find it really bizarre that although the box office chart shares far more info than the music charts do (eg. takings, no of screens etc), it seems nowhere online does any company want to own up to being the compiler of the charts, now or in the past, or make available any details of the rules or methods for compiling the charts. Comparing with the music charts again the web is positively awash with versions of the chart rules, personal websites all about chart rules and famous exceptions, and references to the compilers past and present as well as the OCCs site, but for the film charts not a sausage. There must have been a definitive chart before the earliest entries in the imdb database (Apr 1998), the beeb was referring to it weekly on Ceefax, but who knows what it was and whether it matches either the source of the book I mentioned covering 1945-1994, or the wikipedia lists pre 1998?

Hey, did anyone else watch Doc Martin last night? I can't help feeling a bit dissappointed with the new series so far. I know that losing Katherine Parkinson (Pauline) and Stephanie Cole (Aunt Joan) was always gonna change the dynamic but it just doesn't feel right to me. They didn't even bother to explain where Pauline went to, just that she's gone, but viewers cared about her as a character and surely deserved to know where she went even if it was one line to the effect that she had gone to medical college or something. Also I'm sure the Doc is in need of a diagnosis himself as in the most recent episode he barely called the minor characters by the same name twice. Mrs Dunwich became Mrs er ....., then Mrs ...Thing, and then for no apparent reason Mrs Winchelsea. Even more strange was Morwenna's grandfather who has the same surname as her, Mr Newcross, who when he had a heart attack suddenly was addressed as Mr Dunwich, surely a close relative of a (new) major character must have a clear and consistent name even if we write off the Mrs Dunwich/Winchelsea one as a minor character that we'll not see again. On the plus side I do like Aunt Ruth, I could even see series 6 being Doc Ruth if she takes over the storyline the way she did in yesterday's ep.

My personal prediction is that within maybe 5 to 10 years or so a new generation of young music buyers will discover the idea of a physical format for tracks/singles (probly vinyl or something new rather than CDs) and more or less believe it to be ther own thing if you see what I mean. I don't think that physical singles, expecially vinyl, will ever truly die, the market is just extremely sick at the moment. I too feel I was forced to stop buying physical singles, first my local HMV stopped doing vinyl singles, then the only CDs they stocked were all from Syco and displayed in a Syco sponsored cardboard shipper that also held related albums and books. When you can't find the singles you actually wanted to buy why bother going to HMV and buy what they thought you wanted.

Hiya, I posted this a while ago and it got moved to the archive before anyone saw it to reply, could I ask the mods to leave this here for a least a few days so that people might be able to help me this time. Thanks. "Hiya can anyone answer a few questions about the UK Box Office Chart or me? I'm trying to compile a full list of No1s at the UK Box Office from whenever the first chart was until the latest chart. I know that the current chart is compiled by Nielsen EDI (part of Rentrak) and is the one in the archives on imdb and boxoffice mojo and the archives go back to 1998, apart from a few random weeks and some earlier news stories still lurking on the bbc and elsewhere on the web. I know that the current chart is compiled on weekend receipts (Fri- Sun or poss Fri- Mon on bank hols (or is it just the US one that does that?)). Have the charts always been weekend only in the UK or has any compiler ever done a full week chart. When did Nielsen EDI or a direct predecessor of the same chart first start publishing the weekend charts? Also I ordered from amazon and recieved within 36 hrs (!amazed considering it was free delivery!) a book published by Guiness in 1995 called 'Box Office Hits' which gives all the No1s at UK Box Office since 1969 and the top 10 films at BO for each year from 1945 to 1968. The charts in the book are compiled by Screen International (or it predecessors) and I have no idea if it's a weekend or full week chart, any ideas? Also wikipedia now has articles for the No1 Uk films for every year since 1991, but the years from 1991 to 1994 do not correlate at all with the above book's version of events, at times the no1 film on wiki is not in the top 5 in the book or vice versa. Does anyone know what source(s) wikpedia uses pre 1998 (post 1998 matches imdb as far as I can tell)? Is the Nielsen EDI chart the direct sucessor of the Screen International one, or just the same one [Like the OCC music charts are the Rceord Retailer's charts)? Or do two rival charts still exist? And finally I see in your archive page a descrepancy between UK Chart, UK-Ireland chart and I've seen elsewhere UK-Malta chart, are these all different charts by the same or different compilers? Sorry to ask so many questions, but maybe someone could point me to a website that answers them (if such site exists). Thanks for any help recieved. "

Oh right so just outside the top 50 then. Fair enough.

Oh and Killing In The name should be within the last few entries too, think it was abt 550k.

If memory serves the Candle In The Wind single was released on a Friday (?) due to production only being able to start following the funeral on the Sunday. Therefore the weekly sale above is, I believe, actually for two chart weeks (Fri/Sat plus a week). It would still be in the list on it's two day sale as well I think though.

I think all the extra charts were only here when the M.R.I.B. compiled data (i.e. Network Chart) was still compiled and made publicly available. M.R.I.B. stopped compiling them and since then this has been a voluntarily compiled tribute to what they used to do (see the topic line). Therefore they can only compile what they have access to (basically a daily check of the itunes charts) plus the Weds Chart Update. One of the mods who help with this thread can correct me though if I've got that wrong.

It's all the more puzzling when you consider that CD's with the video on are (or at least were pre the download reorganisation of the rules) eligible, but the same product on a not too disimilar DVD isn't. I think that the chart's company might be afraid that some record company will put too much extra video footage on that mite create an unfair chart advantage,

I agree with whoever said that Bruno Mars is better than 90% of the charts nowadays. He is one of the few acts who is actually 'pop' and one of the few that I can imagine could've been released in any decade and been sucessful. Most of the hip hop stuff would've failed to sell in any other decade and eventually will fail to sell again when the fashions change, while Bruno Mars will always sell. And yes you can definately dance to Bruno Mars, in fact that's probably the only chart act I am moved to dance to, though I'm thinking more 'Lazy Song' than 'Just the way you are'. I think to be honest this is discussion is probably splitting the hip hop teens (anti Bruno Mars) from the older more pop-orientated 20 and 30 somethings plus (pro Bruno Mars).

I've just thought of another one but don't know if it was ever a chart eligible format. I have some postcards that can be played on a turntable, but rather than music they are both pictures and audio of the royal wedding of Charles and Diana and were aimed at tourists in gift shops in London, I bought mine in a gift shop for about 20p each, and years after Diana had sadly died, when you would've thought they'd be asking for a bit more cash for them but it got me a bargain anywho.

Definately a fruit :P

At the risk of sounding like a dinosaur (I'm only 28 honest!) the charts mainly relied on sales of 10" shellac or resin discs until at least 1960, rather than the 7" vinyl that later made the single it's own. Vinyl obviously came in many variations of size, speed, shape and colour too. Are dualdiscs the one with vinyl on one side and a cd on the other? I have one of that type but can't remember who it's by or find it, I think it was a group like Pendulum or something? I have a few singles on video or dvd, that are literally just the video of the track plus maybe a short behind the scenes or something, I know they've never been eligible to the singles charts but I count them as part of my singles collection. Have ringtones ever been chart eligible? I didn't think so but someone earlier seems to have suggested they are so it could be I'm wrong. I suppose someone operating an early punchcard computer or mainframe may have been bored enough to make a punchcard version of a track but I doubt it was ever a commercial format outside of the ones used by fairground organs.

Good to see that my post was moved unanswered to a thread that noone has used in 6months. I take it noone can answer any of my questions then? Given how much information is freely given out with current film charts (as compared to music charts where you're either lucky, rich or know the right person to get detailed sales and year to dates and the like) I didn't expect it to be so difficult to find out even one fact about the history of UK box office charts.

Hiya can anyone answer a few questions about the UK Box Office Chart or me? I'm trying to compile a full list of No1s at the UK Box Office from whenever the first chart was until the latest chart. I know that the current chart is compiled by Nielsen EDI (part of Rentrak) and is the one in the archives on imdb and boxoffice mojo and the archives go back to 1998, apart from a few random weeks and some earlier news stories still lurking on the bbc and elsewhere on the web. I know that the current chart is compiled on weekend receipts (Fri- Sun or poss Fri- Mon on bank hols (or is it just the US one that does that?)). Have the charts always been weekend only in the UK or has any compiler ever done a full week chart. When did Nielsen EDI or a direct predecessor of the same chart first start publishing the weekend charts? Also I ordered from amazon and recieved within 36 hrs (!amazed considering it was free delivery!) a book published by Guiness in 1995 called 'Box Office Hits' which gives all the No1s at UK Box Office since 1969 and the top 10 films at BO for each year from 1945 to 1968. The charts in the book are compiled by Screen International (or it predecessors) and I have no idea if it's a weekend or full week chart, any ideas? Also wikipedia now has articles for the No1 Uk films for every year since 1991, but the years from 1991 to 1994 do not correlate at all with the above book's version of events, at times the no1 film on wiki is not in the top 5 in the book or vice versa. Does anyone know what source(s) wikpedia uses pre 1998 (post 1998 matches imdb as far as I can tell)? Is the Nielsen EDI chart the direct sucessor of the Screen International one, or just the same one [Like the OCC music charts are the Rceord Retailer's charts)? Or do two rival charts still exist? And finally I see in your archive page a descrepancy between UK Chart, UK-Ireland chart and I've seen elsewhere UK-Malta chart, are these all different charts by the same or different compilers? Sorry to ask so many questions, but maybe someone could point me to a website that answers them (if such site exists). Thanks for any help recieved.

Could we look into the reasons behind some of these AA releases too? I know Elton had already planned the release of 'Something about the way you look tonight' and 'Candle ..' was merely added to it before release, as a tribute to Diana. I believe 3am became a AA with Thunderbirds because one of Busted's members (Charlie?) refused to be involved in the promo (I think?) if they had to release the rather cheesier Thunderbirds (for the movie tie-in) instead of 3am (as had been previously planned), the AA became the compromise I think. Some early acts (Elvis, Everlys, Connie Francis etc) had diverse fanbases in the UK and the US and to make a single appeal to as many of them as possible (and therefore chart higher) they promoted two different styles of track at the same time on the same disc, usually one that was ballady and one that was rocky.

I know this is from a lot further back than what everyone is talking about, but the most popular non-single track is widely believed to be Van Morrison's Brown Eyed Girl which regularly polls highly on Radiod 2 pollls and the like. I have to admit not being very familiar with any track that wasn't a single, despite owning a fair few albums. One album I'm very familiar with though is Welcome to The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance and I've always thought that despite it's obviously quite depressing subject matter that 'Cancer' would've made a very sublime single as it's so poignant. Or maybe not? 'Mama' would've made a very good rockier one to follow Teenagers maybe? I also think that 'Teenagers' should've been 2nd or maybe even first, I've played the album to many friends who aren't familiar with MCR and it's always Teenagers they particularly like or remark on. I don't really know why they made 'Famous Last Words' a single though. Even 'Disenchanted' would've been a better single, I love how it starts as a sort of ballad almost and then bursts into the rockier bit. BTW someone mentioned Pixie Lott's Rollin Stone, I'm pretty sure that it WAS a single. I remember spending my free promotional credit on it on my mobile when whichever network I was on at the time launched a download facility. In any case it was my ring tone for a while after, but I had to change cos I kept enjoyin the music and forgetting I was meant to answer the fone when I heard it lol. And as for Lily Allen, I do think F**k You would've made a good single but was probably seen as too controversial to promote, rather like Alfie from the first album which was relegated to a b-side of another (3rd?) single despite being the best track on the album. I was at the Radio 1 event in Swindon 2 years ago and saw Lily perform (rather badly) live, she said something to the effect that the establishment had banned her from performing and promoting 'f**K you' and could we all join her in singing the song at the establishment as she was going to perform it anyway, I can only presume that the Beeb cut the live broadcast at that point lol. It was actually one of the two best songs she did that night, the other highlight was the Britney cover (title escapes me at the mo) which I definitely would've bought as a single if it had been one, but I do realise that it would've been a lower seller due to Britney's version already being popular.

"In other words, nobody could be bothered to go out to buy it?" Nobody can be bothered to 'go out' and buy anything music wise these days, preferring downloads for 'singles' and not bothering with full albums at all in most cases.

Could it partly be the reverse? A sort of Monday/Tues effect. What I mean is, is there still enough hard core chart fans checking for new releases or climbers they don't yet have each week at the beginning end of the week to boost newer stuff up at that point, with the less hyped/front loaded stuff potentially being boosted at the beginning of two or three weeks as more chart watchers pick up on those tracks.

Oops my first reply appeared not to go through, so soz about the repost.

It does, it's listed in the physical chart on the Almost Saturday thread this week. Sales are probably literaly less then three figures though, so virtually download only.

That talk about Jermaine Stewart still selling the od physical single (I didn't know he was no longer with us either, but if it was in 1997 why the reentry now?) reminded me of something I've been meaning to ask for a long time. Back in the pre-OCC days of the official charts (I'm really thinking abt 70s/80s B.M.R.B/Gallup days) it was often possible for really old singles to chart on the original catalgue no years after the release. Did record shops of the time sell both new and second hand records and submit the catalog no's of both types of sale in their log books in those days? Or did labels keep a lot of their back catalog in regular supply for years after release? Sorry if that seems an off topic question but it's something I've wondered for a while and I've never seen chart elligibility rules from before abt 1989 ish.

Don't know about downloads, but in terms of physicals I imagine places like HMV don't employ the necessary colleagues (stock control, display changers etc) on a sunday as they would be more expensive on sunday rates than the part timers that most retailers employ at weekends, though that is not meant as a criticism of anyone who's ever done weekend work in retail (I do myself).

Would 'Break my stride' have been selling reasonably well/consistantly in the download era maybe?

The blobby one had another bigish hit two xmas's later though!