When two big blockbusters open against each other on the same date, there’s usually a casualty – and for that reason, it rarely happens. But both Twentieth Century Fox and Paramount will be pleased with the box office grosses for their latest releases, The Simpsons Movie and Transformers, which went head-to-head this weekend. Buoyed by previews on Wednesday and Thursday, the Simpsons flick debuted on an impressive £13.63 million. Also thanks to healthy previews, Transformers opened on £8.72 million.
When you throw in the £2.88 million the latest Harry Potter film pulled in at the weekend, plus Hairspray’s nifty £1.39 million, the UK box office overall is riding high. Box office compiler Nielsen EDI measured the weekend – the top 15 films grossed £28.16 million combined – as the biggest of the last 52. In fact, we’d be very surprised if there has ever been a bigger single weekend at the UK box-office. Trade publication Screen International reports that, stripping out all paid previews from consideration, the weekend is indeed the highest-ever three-day total in the territory.
With such big new entrants into the market, it’s no surprise to see existing blockbusters shedding scores of their screens and plummeting down the chart. Fantastic Four & The Rise of the Silver Surfer crashed from 233 screens to 81, and lost 77% of its box office on the weekend. Ocean’s Thirteen went from 116 to 34 cinemas, and declined 73% in revenue terms. Family film Firehouse Dog managed to fall 75% in terms of box office, despite shedding just four of its 203 sites – ouch!
With blockbusters on the rampage, it was heartening to see specialist releases still fighting their corner. Sherrybaby, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal, opened at number eight in the chart, with a decent £36,000 from 13 screens. Hanging in there, still, is a trio of French films occupying places nine to eleven: La Vie en Rose, Tell No One and Molière. Tell No One is still in the top ten, after seven weeks, and has broken the £1 million barrier. It is less than £50,000 away from overtaking The Chorus to become the seventh-biggest French film ever at the UK box office. La Vie en Rose is now at £1.2 million, and is £50,000 behind the fifth-biggest French film, Delicatessen.
I Have Never Forgotten You: The Life and Legacy of Simon Wiesenthal opened on just one screen, but the documentary about the legendary Nazi hunter connected with a highly motivated niche audience, and managed over £7,000 from that single cinema. Lonely Hearts, starring John Travolta, James Gandolfini, Jared Leto and Salma Hayek, also opened on a single screen, where it took £3,400. Chad drama Daratt debuted at two sites, and also took £3,400. Family dysfunction documentary Running Stumbled suffered from a lack of positive reviews, which are usually an essential pre-condition for success of an arthouse release, and took a measly £207 from its one screen.










