The U.K. and Ireland box office experienced a massive tentpole shift as Universal’s “The Odyssey” captured the top spot, storming the market with a spectacular debut weekend of £12.5 million ($16.8 million).
The performance registered as Nolan’s second-biggest opening frame in the market, landing well ahead of “Oppenheimer.” Driven by an unprecedented showing on premium large formats, “The Odyssey” achieved the biggest opening Friday of the year and recorded Universal’s fifth-biggest opening Friday ever. The BFI Imax – the U.K.’s largest screen – reported its highest three-day opening weekend in history, bringing in a $294,249 from the single venue. This historic frame broke the previous all-time BFI Imax weekend record held by “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” ($289,682) in 2017, with “Oppenheimer” now sitting in third place with $277,936. To date, the London site alone has logged over 82,000 admissions, generating $2.9 million in ticket sales and maintaining a 94% occupancy rate, making it the venue’s third highest-grossing title of all time with 173 consecutive sold-out showtimes.
Disney claimed second place as “Toy Story 5” brought in $2.2 million in its fifth weekend. The film’s five-week running cume is now $60.6 million. Disney also took the No. 3 spot with its live-action “Moana.” In its sophomore session, the film added $2 million, taking its running total to $7.4 million.
Universal secured fourth place with “Minions & Monsters,” which took $1.5 million in its third week, pushing its cume to $12.5 million. Studiocanal’s horror feature “Evil Dead Burn” was in fifth place in its second weekend, banking $406,258 for a running total of $2.2 million.
Black Bear’s ensemble comedy-drama “The Invite” occupied sixth place during its third weekend, adding $318,749 to its cume, which now rests at $3.3 million. Universal’s “Obsession” followed at No. 7 in its 10th frame, pocketing $249,169 to push its total to $24.9 million.
Warner Bros.’ superhero holdover “Supergirl” hit eighth place in its fourth frame with $123,852, boosting its cumulative haul to $7.4 million. Universal’s Steven Spielberg sci-fi thriller “Disclosure Day” sat at ninth place with $91,904 in its sixth week, taking its total to $16.9 million. Paramount’s “Jackass: Best and Last” finished 10th in its fourth week, adding $57,313 for a total of $2.9 million.
Looking ahead to the upcoming theatrical frame, Miracle/IHeart Cinema rolls out the animated family feature “Chickenhare And The Secret Of The Groundhog” across a wide saturation footprint of more than 300 screens. Park Circus is re-releasing the classic Aardman animation “Chicken Run” into over 100 locations, while Curzon has a 4K restoration rollout for Andrei Tarkovsky’s masterpiece “Nostalghia.”
Trafalgar is opening Sia’s music event “Sia: Nostalgic For The Present (Concert)” and Altitude “Pinocchio Unstrung.” Verve Pictures launches Helen Walsh’s contemporary drama “On The Sea,” featuring a cast led by Barry Ward and Lorne Macfadyen. Picturehouse Entertainment is rolling out Giuseppe Tornatore’s fashion designer documentary “Brunello Cucinelli: The Gracious Visionary,” Mubi Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke’s Cannes-winning supernatural black comedy “A Useful Ghost” and Dogwoof Ivy Meeropol’s documentary “Ask E. Jean.” Zee Studios International is opening “The India Story,” while Vue Lumière brings “Animal Farm” to select sites.
Source: variety.com
