U.K. box office: ‘Alice’ holds off newcomers again

Alice is holding much stronger in the U.K. than it is in the U.S. and Canada, dropping only 30 and 34 percent in its second and third weeks, versus 46 percent (which is still respectable, of course) over both weekends in North America. And its British cumulative take of almost £30.5 million is more than a comparison with North America’s $265 million after last weekend would suggest. Charles Gant suggests at the Guardian’s Film blog that Alice will take a hit this coming weekend from How to Train Your Dragon, also opening in the U.K. (as I suspect will also be the case in North America), as well as Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang (which won’t be released in North America till August 20).

Outside the top 5, The Spy Next Door debuted at No. 6 with a not-very-nice £698,155, though it was on only 10 fewer screens than Phillip Morris. Avatar dropped to No. 7 but passed £90 million (the first film to do so in the U.K., according to the Guardian’s Gant), which would be the equivalent of $900 million in the U.S. and Canada; the film was “only” at $737 million after last weekend. Old Dogs debuted at an ignominous No. 12, earning £130,384, or a per-screen average of only £636. (For comparison’s sake, the top 5 enjoyed per-screens in the £2,000s and up to over £9,000 for Alice.)

Overall business was up 71 percent over the same weekend last year, which is absolutely crazy.

[numbers via UK Film Council]