U.K. box office: James Bond still a killer
New films stayed out of the way of Quantum of Solace at British multiplexes this past weekend, which looks to have been a wise move:
1. Quantum of Solace: £9.2 million (2nd week; drops 40%)
2. High School Musical 3: Senior Year: £1.5 million (3rd week; drops 45%)
3. Ghost Town: £.71 million (3rd week; drops 9%)
4. Saw V: £.49 million (3rd week; drops 48%)
5. Pride and Glory: £.39 million (NEW)
It’s no surprise that Bond continues to dominate among British audiences -- though Charles Gant at the Guardian Fillm Blog, in his now-regular weekly look at the British box office, compares Solace’s performance with that of Casino Royale two years ago and suspects it will not outstrip its predecessor in the long term, despite its killer opening weekend.
The real story this weekend looks like Ghost Town: a drop of only 9 percent in its third week? That is absolutely astonishing, and backs up my supposition of last week that Ricky Gervais is simply more beloved in the U.K. than he is in the U.S. (I suspect mainstream audiences here don’t know his name at all, actually.)
New release W. just missed edging into the top 5: it was right below Pride and Glory at No. 6, earning £.37 million. I wonder if British audiences felt this was anticlimactic, now that Barack Obama has been elected president, or if it was really just the Bond steamroller that keeps attendance down. Perhaps the film is an instant period piece.
Mamma Mia! finally dropped out of the U.K. top 10 this weekend, after 18 weeks in release and £67.6 million in earnings. That’s only slightly less than what the film earned in North America, where it’s been in release for 16 weeks. (Worldwide, it’s earned more than half a billion bucks.)
I’m still keeping an eye on the per-screen averages, which continue the trend I’ve been noting: that wide, mainstream releases do better in this respect than arthouse releases, which is the opposite of how things usually play out in North America. This week’s numbers:
1. Quantum of Solace: £17,046 at each of 541 cinemas
2. The Dark Knight: £5,048 (4 cinemas)
3. HSM3: £3,231 (470 cinemas)
4. Let’s Talk About the Rain: £2,331 (18 cinemas)
5. Ghost Town: £2,109 (339 cinemas)
6. OSS 117: Cairo Nest of Spies: £2,082 (2 cinemas)
I dunno where The Dark Knight came from all of a sudden again, but it was up 114 percent over last week. Still, it can’t beat Mamma Mia!’s haul: the Batman has taken in only £48.6 million in its 16 weeks of release.
[numbers via UK Film Council]
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comments
posted by Martin (Wed Nov 12 08, 11:35AM)
Ghost Town's still doing well?
I thought us UK types were sick and tired of him already.
I despair.
posted by Gee (Wed Nov 12 08, 1:26PM)
"...Ricky Gervais is simply more beloved in the U.K"
Quite the opposite, from what I've seen. His detractors generally outweigh his supporters.
I can only think Ghost Town is doing okay *despite* Ricky Gervais. Not much competiton at the moment, perhaps, for this type of film?
posted by MaryAnn (Thu Nov 13 08, 10:54PM)
His detractors may outweigh his supporters, but he does actually have supporters. Here, not so much.
posted by blake (Fri Nov 21 08, 7:39PM)
It's Gervais overload, that is what I can't stand.
In small doses he's fine.
I thought Extras and The Office are terrific.
And you know what it's like when someone tells you how funny or great something is, the more you want to hate it.
And as as every critic calls him the next big thing in comedy, well, everyone gets their knifes out and wants him to fail.
posted by Proper Dave (Fri Nov 21 08, 8:06PM)
I put off seeing Ghost Town because of its decidedly mixed reviews (MaryAnn's included) and a trailer that made it look awful. Then a few days ago I saw it and loved it.
Mark me down as a Gervais supporter. His podcasts in particular are hysterical - if anything, funnier than his TV work (although that may be down to his sidekick Karl Pilkington).