Weekend box-office – 21st to 27th of March 2014 – will audiences feel the Need for Speed?

Aaron Paul (better known as Breaking Bad’s Jesse Pinkman) is having his qualities as a big-screen action star with his lead in Need For Speed which bids to make a mark on the box-office this week. It seemed like it had no major competition besides returning favourites Mr Peabody and Sherman, Grand Budapest Hotel and 300: Rise of an Empire. We predicted last week that it’d make a strong start but the real measure of success will be the opening numbers themselves.

US:

1. Mr Peabody and Sherman – Director: Rob Minkoff – $21.2 million
2. 300: Rise of and Empire – Noam Murro – $19.1 million
3. Need for Speed – Scott Waugh – $17.8 million
4. Non-Stop – Juanne Collet Serra – $10.6 million
5. The Single Moms Club – Tyler Perry – $8.3 million

UK:

1. Need for Speed – Scott Waugh – £2 million
2. The Grand Budapest Hotel – Wes Anderson – £1.3 million
3. 300: Rise of an Empire – Noam Murro – £1.2 million
4. The Lego Movie – Phil Lord, Chris Miller – £1 million
5. Non-Stop – Juanne Collet Serra – £0.9 million

Mr Peabody has suddenly bounced into pole position in its second week while 300: ROAE and Non-Stop slipped places Tyler Perry’s Madea Christmas follow up Singles Moms Club made a poor start. Grand Budapest Hotel leaped up a place, thriving in the alternative to the blockbusters that sandwich it. Last week’s predictions score me 2/10 taking my running total to 93/200.

US:

1. Divergent – Neil Burger
2. Muppets Most Wanted – James Bobin
3. Mr Peabody and Sherman – Rob Minkoff
4. 300: Rise of an Empire – Noam Murro
5. Need for Speed – Scott Waugh

UK:

1. Need for Speed – Scott Waugh
2. A Long Way Down – Pascal Chaumeil
3. Starred Up – David Mackenzie
4. 300: Rise of an Empire – Noam Murro
5. The Grand Budapest Hotel – Wes Anderson

Max Charles and Ty Burrell in Mr Peabody and Sherman, this week’s US box-office.

Imogen Poots and Aaron Paul in Need for Speed, this week’s UK box-office number one.

BIFA nominations unveiled and Alan Taylor’s Terminator auditioners announced

Brie Larson is the 24 year old 21 Jump Street and Scott Pilgrim star who’s recently stunned the critics in new drama Short Term 12. Margot Robbie started her career with TV roles on Pan Am and Neighbours but is going big after a role in About Time and soon stars with Leonardo Di Caprio and Matthew McConaughey in Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street and is in IMDB’s Top 100 on the Starmeter (ranked 51st currently). Emilia Clarke, Daenerys Targaryen on HBO’s legendary Game of Thrones, is ranked at 44th on that same meter and recently starred with Jude Law in the comedy Dom Hemmingway. It’s announced that they’ll be going head to head for a very important role.

Sarah Connor, the focus of the first two Terminator films, is that role but what we said about going head to head isn’t quite true. The Hollywood Reporter, well, reported that the three stars were under consideration by director Alan Taylor. He’s just released his Marvel epic Thor: The Dark World and is also known for Palookaville. At first glance, Clarke looks like a real contender as she and Taylor will know eachother through their work on Game of Thrones.

Arnold Schwarzenegger is rumoured to be starring in the new reboot of the James Cameron classic but not much more is known. We could guess of a switch of time zone from the most recent instalment, Salvation, seeing as they’ll be casting a young Sarah Connor.

Finally, we’ve find out the nominations for the BIFA, or British Independent Film Awards. They were unveiled via Scot star Ewan MacGregor reading them out. This year, there’s particular focus on Filth, Philomena and Le Week-End. There also appears to be an effort to bring in youth with Scarlett Johansson, Felicity Jones and Saorise Ronan given nods. You can find out who wins on the event itself, December 8th.

BEST BRITISH INDEPENDENT FILM
Metro Manila
Philomena
The Selfish Giant
Starred Up
Le Week-end

BEST DIRECTOR
Jon S Baird, Filth
Clio Barnard, The Selfish Giant
Sean Ellis, Metro Manila
Jonathan Glazer, Under The Skin
David Mackenzie, Starred Up

THE DOUGLAS HICKOX AWARD [BEST DEBUT DIRECTOR]
Charlie Cattrall, Titus
Tina Gharavi, I Am Nasrine
Jeremy Lovering, In Fear
Omid Nooshin, Last Passenger
Paul Wright, For Those In Peril

BEST SCREENPLAY
Jonathan Asser, Starred Up
Clio Barnard, The Selfish Giant
Steven Knight, Locke
Hanif Kureishi, Le Week-end
Jeff Pope, Steve Coogan, Philomena

BEST ACTRESS
Judi Dench, Philomena
Lindsay Duncan, Le Week-end
Scarlett Johansson, Under The Skin
Felicity Jones, The Invisible Woman
Saoirse Ronan, How I Live Now

BEST ACTOR
Jim Broadbent, Le Week-end
Steve Coogan, Philomena
Tom Hardy, Locke
Jack O’Connell, Starred Up
James McAvoy, Filth

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Siobhan Finneran, The Selfish Giant
Shirley Henderson, Filth
Imogen Poots, The Look Of Love
Kristin Scott Thomas, The Invisible Woman
Mia Wasikowska, The Double

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
John Arcilla, Metro Manila
Rupert Friend, Starred Up
Jeff Goldblum, Le Week-end
Eddie Marsan, Filth
Ben Mendelsohn, Starred Up

MOST PROMISING NEWCOMER
Harley Bird, How I Live Now
Conner Chapman / Shaun Thomas, The Selfish Giant
Caity Lotz, The Machine
Jake Macapagal, Metro Manila
Chloe Pirrie, Shell

BEST ACHIEVEMENT IN PRODUCTION
A Field in England
Filth
Metro Manila
The Selfish Giant
Starred Up

BEST TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT
Shaheen Baig – Casting, Starred Up
Johnnie Burn – Sound Design, Under The Skin
Amy Hubbard – Casting, The Selfish Giant
Mica Levi – Music, Under The Skin
Justine Wright – Editing,  Locke

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Pussy Riot – A Punk Prayer
The Great Hip Hop Hoax
The Moo Man
The Spirit Of ’45
The Stone Roses: Made Of Stone

BEST BRITISH SHORT
L’Assenza
Dr Easy
Dylan’s Room
Jonah
Z1

BEST INTERNATIONAL INDEPENDENT FILM
Blue Is The Warmest Colour
Blue Jasmine
Frances Ha
The Great Beauty
Wadjda

THE RAINDANCE AWARD
Everyone’s Going To Die
The Machine
The Patrol
Sleeping Dogs
Titus

Terminator – July 1st 2015

British Independent Film Awards – December 8th