Review of 2015 from January to August

A couple of months ago we released our top picks for the first half of the year but, with the summer season finishing, we’ll give an overview of the year’s films from a commercial and critical perspective.

Film: Taken 3
Director: Olivier Megaton
Starring: Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker, Famke Janssen, Maggie Grace, Dougray Scott
IMDb/RT: 6.1/10 – 9%
Budget: $48 million
Opening weekend: $39 million
Box-office: $325 million
Summary: The second highest grossing outing in the series is thankfully the last. There’s been growth since Taken ($226 million) but less than Taken 3 ($376 million).

Film: Blackhat
Director: Michael Mann
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Leehom Wang, Ritchie Coster, Holt McCallany, Viola Davis
IMDb/RT: 5.4/10 – 34%
Budget: $70 million
Opening weekend: $4 million
Box-office: $18 million
Summary: The star of Thor ($644 million) and Rush ($90 million) and the director of Heat ($187 million) and Collateral ($217 million) should have been a match-up to enjoy but somehow Blackhat flopped.

Film: The Wedding Ringer
Director: Jeremy Garelick
Starring: Kevin Hart, Josh Gad, Kaley Cuco Sweeting, Alan Richson, Jorge Garcia
IMDb/RT: 6.7 – 27%
Budget: $23 million
Opening weekend: $20 million
Box-office: $79 million
Summary: A slip up in comparison to Kevin Hart’s 2014 hit Ride Along ($154 million).

Film: Mortdecai
Director: David Koepp
Starring: Johnny Depp, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, Olivia Munn, Paul Bettany
IMDb/RT: 5.5/10 – 12%
Budget: $60 million
Opening weekend: $4 million
Box-office: $30 million
Summary: This disastrous caper is proof of former superstar Johnny Depp’s dwindling popularity outside of Pirates.

Film: Jupiter Ascending
Directors: Andy and Lana Wachowski
Starring: Mila Kunis, Channing Tatum, Eddie Redmayne, Sean Bean, Terry Gilliam
IMDb/RT: 5.5/10 – 25%
Budget: $176 million
Opening weekend: $18 million
Box-office: $182 million
Summary: This effort from the creators of The Matrix ($463 million) suffered from its release delays and ridiculously overpriced budget.

Film: Fifty Shades of Grey
Director: Sam Taylor Johnson
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan, Eloise Mumford, Jennifer Ehle, Marcia Gay Harden
IMDb/RT: 4.2/10 – 25%
Budget: $40 million
Opening weekend: $85 million
Box-office: $570 million
Summary: Being critically reviled didn’t get in the way of this erotic drama.

Film: Kingsman: The Secret Service
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Starring: Taron Egerton, Colin Firth, Samuel L Jackson, Sophie Cookson, Mark Strong
IMDb/RT: 7.8/10 – 75%
Budget: $81 million
Opening weekend: $35 million
Box-office: $406 million
Summary: The spy thriller from Kick-Ass ($96 million) Vaughn turned out to be his most acclaimed and profitable yet, even out grossing the likes of The Bourne Legacy ($276 million).

Film: Focus
Director: Glenn Ficara, John Requa
Starring: Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Rodrigo Santoro, Gerald McRaney, BD Wong
IMDb/RT: 6.6/10 – 57%
Budget: $50 million
Opening weekend: $19 million
Box-office: $159 million
Summary: A strong performance from Smith renews his popularity after the mediocre After Earth ($243 million).

Film: Chappie
Director: Neill Blompkamp
Starring: Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman, Sigourney Weaver, Die Antwoord
IMDb/RT: 7.0/10 – 30%
Budget: $49 million
Opening weekend: $13 million
Box-office: $102 million
Summary: A let down in comparison to Blomkamp’s more lucrative works – District 9 ($210 million) or Elysium ($286 million).

Film: Cinderella
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Starring: Lily James, Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden, Stellan Skarsgard, Helena Bonham Carter
IMDb/RT: 7.1/10 – 85%
Budget: $95 million
Opening weekend: $68 million
Box-office: $542 million
Summary: Branagh’s lavish take on the period fantasy romance has successfully found a new following for the fairy tale.

Film: Insurgent
Director: Robert Schwentke
Starring: Shailene Woodley, Theo James, Miles Teller, Ansel Elgort, Kate Winslet
IMDb/RT: 6.4/10 – 30%
Budget: $110 million
Opening weekend: $53 million
Box-office: $295 million
Summary: The Divergent series has quickly turned out to be the inferior of The Hunger Games.

Film: Home
Director: Tim Johnson
Starring: Jim Parsons, Rihanna, Jennifer Lopez, Matt Jones, Steve Martin
IMDb/RT: 6.7/10 – 45%
Budget: $135 million
Opening weekend: $52 million
Box-office: $387 million
Summary: Dreamworks are struggling to stand out with their new properties in a market dominated by the likes of Warner Bros’ The Lego Movie or Disney’s Frozen.

Film: Get Hard
Director: Etan Cohen
Starring: Will Ferrell, Kevin Hart, Alison Brie, Tip Harris, Craig T Nelson
IMDb/RT: 6.1/10 – 29%
Budget: $40 million
Opening weekend: $34 million
Box-office: $106 million
Summary: The combination of these celebrated comics ought to have been special but didn’t come close.

Film: Furious 7
Director: James Wan
Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham
IMDb/RT: 7.4/10 – 81%
Budget: $190 million
Opening weekend: $147 million
Box-office: $1.512 billion
Summary: The blockbuster sequel made seven times more than the original did 14 years ago ($207 million) but the series might not have much room to grow into for film eight.

Film: The Avengers: Age of Ultron
Director: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, James Spader
IMDb/RT: 7.8/10 – 74%
Budget: $280 million
Opening weekend: $191 million
Box-office: $1.401 billion
Summary: A slight slip up from 2012’s Avengers Assemble ($1.520 billion), the sequel still delivered the goods for the fans.

Film: Pitch Perfect 2
Director: Elizabeth Banks
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Hailee Steinfeld, Elizabeth Banks
IMDb/RT: 6.7 – 67%
Budget: $29 million
Opening weekend: $69 million
Box-office: $285 million
Summary: Pitch Perfect is quickly rivaling Jump Street and Bridesmaids to be the best comedy of the decade so far, while growing from the original’s $115 million.

Film: Mad Max: Fury Road
Director: George Miller
Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Rosie Huntington Whitely, Zoe Kravitz, Nicholas Hoult
IMDb/RT: 8.3/10 – 98%
Budget: $150 million
Opening weekend: $45 million
Box-office: $374 million
Summary: A stunningly successful return from the road warrior.

Film: Tomorrowland
Director: Brad Bird
Starring: Britt Robertson, George Clooney, Raffey Cassidy, Tim McGraw, Hugh Laurie
IMDb/RT: 6.6/10 – 50%
Budget: $190 million
Opening weekend: $33 million
Box-office: $208 million
Summary: While it polarized critics, concealing many secrets during marketing may have been the financial downfall of the underrated sci-fi adventure and another disappointment for Disney after John Carter ($284 million) and The Lone Ranger ($260 million).

Film: San Andreas
Director: Brad Peyton
Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Carla Gugino, Alexandra Daddario, Ioan Gruffudd, Paul Giamatti
IMDb/RT: 6.4/10 – 50%
Budget: $110 million
Opening weekend: $55 million
Box-office: $469 million
Summary: The disaster thriller was a success but not a 2012 ($769 million) style smash hit.

Film: Spy
Director: Paul Feig
Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne, Miranda Hart, Jude Law
IMDb/RT: 7.3/10 – 94%
Budget: $65 million
Opening weekend: $29 million
Box-office: $236 million
Summary: After striking big with Bridesmaids ($288 million) and The Heat ($229 million), Paul Feig is continuing to put himself on a good track for the Ghost Busters reboot.

Film: Jurassic World
Director: Colin Trevorrow
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Irrfan Khan, Omar Sy, Vincent D’Onofrio
IMDb/RT: 7.3/10 – 71%
Budget: $150 million
Opening weekend: $208 million
Box-office: $1.642 billion
Summary: With a sequel coming in 2018, the franchise (dormant for fourteen years) is now set for big things.

Film: Inside Out
Directors: Pete Docter, Ronaldo Del Carmen
Starring: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Richard Kind, Bill Hader, Kyle MacLachlan
IMDb/RT: 8.6/10 – 98%
Budget: $175 million
Opening weekend: $90 million
Box-office: $701 million
Summary: Inside Out has become Pixar’s third biggest original feature.

Film: Ted 2
Director: Seth MacFarlane
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Seth MacFarlane, Amanda Seyfried, Giovanni Ribisi, Patrick Stewart
IMDb/RT: 6.6/10 – 46%
Budget: $68 million
Opening weekend: $33.5 million
Box-office: $180 million
Summary: A very disappointing follow up to 2012’s Ted ($549 million). After the mediocre performance of MacFarlane’s western A Million Ways to Die in the West ($86 million), there’s increasing doubt in the Family Guy creator’s popularity.

Film: Terminator Genisys
Director: Alan Taylor
Starring: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney, Jason Clarke, JK Simmons
IMDb/RT: 6.9/10 – 26%
Budget: $155 million
Opening weekend: $27 million
Box-office: $352 million
Summary: While it was a healthy opening but the franchise has long lost its previously stellar hype. Still not an improvement on 2009’s Terminator Salvation ($371 million).

Film: Magic Mike XXL
Director: Gregory Jacobs
Starring: Channing Tatum, Matt Bomer, Joe Manganiello, Amber Heard, Jada Pinkett Smith
IMDb/RT: 6.3/10 – 65%
Budget: $14 million
Opening weekend: $123 million
Box-office: $117 million
Summary: The progressive stripper comedy sequel has decreased from Steven Soderbergh’s 2012 original ($167 million) and other raunchy blockbusters have been more profitable – for example Fifty Shades of Grey ($569 million) – but it’s still an impressive tally.

Film: Minions
Directors: Pierre Coffin, Kyle Balda
Starring: Sandra Bullock, Pierre Coffin, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Geoffrey Rush
IMDb/RT: 6.7/10 – 54%
Budget: $74 million
Opening weekend: $115 million
Box-office: $1.004 billion
Summary: This triumphant spin off managed to surpass and compete with the previous instalments of the beloved Despicable Me franchise ($543 million – $970 million).

Film: Ant-Man
Director: Peyton Reed
Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Corey Stoll, Michael Pena, Michael Douglas
IMDb/RT: 7.8/10 – 79%
Budget: $130 million
Opening weekend: $57 million
Box-office: $363 million
Summary: It’s an underperformance in comparison to Marvel’s fellow Phase 2 superhero flicks such as Iron Man 3 ($1215 million), Thor: The Dark World ($644 million), Captain America: The Winter Soldier ($714 million) or Guardians of the Galaxy ($774 million) but is a worthy reception for the kings of summer blockbusters.

Film: Trainwreck
Director: Judd Apatow
Starring: Amy Schumer, Bill Hader, Brie Larson, John Cena, Tilda Swinton
Budget: $35 million
Opening weekend: $30 million
Box-office: $123 million
Summary: A traditional fooled-around-and-fell-in-love rom-com might have sank but the presence of rising star Amy Schumer has elevated this to the likes of Apatow’s The 40 Year Old Virgin ($177 million) or Knocked Up ($219 million).

Film: Pixels
Director: Chris Columbus
Starring: Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Josh Gad, Michelle Monaghan, Peter Dinklage
IMDb/RT: 5.6/10 – 17%
Budget: $88 million
Opening weekend: $24 million
Box-office: $174 million
Summary: This sci-fi adventure’s financial reception didn’t live up to the premise but a budget half the size of Tomorrowland’s means that it may actually breakeven at the box-office.

Film: Southpaw
Director: Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, Oona Laurence, Naomie Harris, Rachel McAdams
IMDb/RT: 7.8/10 – 60%
Budget: $25 million
Opening weekend: $17 million
Box-office: $67 million
Summary: This sport drama failed to rekindle the mass popularity of boxing flicks such as Rocky ($225 million).

Film: Paper Towns
Director: Jake Schreir
Starring: Nat Wolff, Cara Delevingne, Halston Sage, Jaz Sinclair, Austin Abrams
IMDb/RT: 6.9/10 – 55%
Budget: $12 million
Opening weekend: $13 million
Box-office: $75 million
Summary: A decent opening for the young adult romantic drama but well off the other John Green adaptation The Fault in Our Stars ($307 million).

Film: Vacation
Directors: Jonathan Goldstein, John Francis Daley
Starring: Ed Helms, Christina Applegate, Leslie Mann, Chris Hemsworth, Chevy Chase
IMDb/RT: 6.3/10 – 26%
Budget: $31 million
Opening weekend: $15 million
Box-office: $69 million
Summary: The comedy reboot of the adored Chevy Chase franchise didn’t inspire a great amount of nostalgia for fans of the originals.

Film: Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Alec Baldwin
IMDb/RT: 7.8/10 – 93%
Budget: $150 million
Opening weekend: $56 million
Box-office: $445 million
Summary: The Cruise action vehicle builds off the wobble of Edge of Tomorrow ($369 million). The spy series returned in style and will grow throughout the summer.

Film: Fantastic Four
Director: Josh Trank
Starring: Miles Teller, Michael B Jordan, Jamie Bell, Kate Mara, Toby Kebbell
IMDb/RT: 4.0/10 – 8%
Budget: $120 million
Opening weekend: $26 million
Box-office: $134 million
Summary: A superhero reboot full of hope and promise morphed into the year’s most depressing car crash. It was even a decrease from the 2005 film ($330 million) and its sequel ($289 million).

Film: Straight Outta Compton
Director: F Gary Gray
Starring: O’Shea Jackson Jr, Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Aldis Hodge, Paul Giamatti
IMDb/RT: 8.4/10 – 89%
Budget: $28 million
Opening weekend: $60 million
Box-office: $125 million
Summary: The musical biopic has become one of August’s biggest hits but did smaller numbers than 2002’s Eminem effort 8 Mile ($242 million).

Film: The Man From UNCLE
Director: Guy Ritchie
Starring: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Hugh Grant
IMDb/RT: 7.6/10 – 67%
Budget: $75 million
Opening weekend: $13 million
Box-office: $57 million
Summary: The star studded spy thriller from the director of the Sherlock Holmes films ($524 million – $545 million) has struggled to find a home with fans.

The Best of 2015 – Half way review

In the first sixth months of 2015, we haven’t quite yet found a release worthy of the prestigious 10/10 score but there’s been no shortage of box-office goods with three films already breaching the $1 billion mark with more to come.

Worldwide:

1. Furious 7 – Director: James Wan – Stars: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker – $1,511,636,779
2. The Avengers: Age of Ultron – Joss Whedon – Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson – $1,372,063,254
3. Jurassic World – Colin Trevorrow – Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard – $1,259,873,609
4. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson – Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan – $569,651,467
5. Cinderella – Kenneth Branagh – Lily James, Cate Blanchett – $538,986,777
6. San Andreas – Peyton Reed – Dwayne Johnson, Alexandra Daddario – $441,858,144
7. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn – Colin Firth, Taron Egerton – $403,788,617
8. Home – Tim Johnson – Jim Parsons, Rihanna – $367,811,449
9. Mad Max: Fury Road – George Miller – Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron – $356,649,491
10. Taken 3 – Oliver Megaton – Liam Neeson, Forest Whitaker – $325,771,424

US:

1. Jurassic World – Colin Trevorrow – Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard – $514,374,155
2. The Avengers: Age of Ultron – Joss Whedon – Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson – $452,963,254
3. Furious 7 – James Wan – Vin Diesel, Paul Walker – $351,032,910
4. Inside Out – Pete Docter, Ronaldo Del Carmen – $200,844,477
5. Cinderella – Kenneth Branagh – Lily James, Cate Blanchett – $200,286,777
6. Pitch Perfect 2 – Elizabeth Banks – Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson – $181,513,690
7. Home – Tim Johnson – Jim Parsons, Rihanna – $174,901,605
8. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson – Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan – $166,167,230
9. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water – Paul Tibbitt – $162,994,032
10. Mad Max: Fury Road – George Miller – Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron – $147,594,972

UK:

1. The Avengers: Age of Ultron – Joss Whedon – Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson – £49,096,981
2. Jurassic World – Colin Trevorrow – Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard – £39,216,914
3. Furious 7 – James Wan – Vin Diesel, Paul Walker – £38,399,325
4. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson – Dakota Johnson, Jamie Dornan – £33,065,566
5. Home – Tim Johnson – Jim Parsons, Rihanna – £24,908,077
6. Cinderella – Kenneth Branagh – Lily James, Cate Blanchett – £20,886,693
7. The Theory of Everything – James Marsh – Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones – £20,446,079
8. Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams – TJ Miller, Maya Rudolph – £19.527,404
9. Pitch Perfect 2 – Elizabeth Banks – Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson – £17,466,588
10. Mad Max: Fury Road – George Miller – Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron – £17,260,896

Here’s our personal top 7 for January to June. To give you a taste of our opinions, 2014’s top picks were Interstellar, Nightcrawler, Boyhood, Guardians of the Galaxy and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.

8) Into the Woods

Director: Rob Marshall
Starring: Meryl Streep, Anna Kendrick, James Corden, Emily Blunt, Chris Pine
Budget: $50 million
Box-office: $212.9 million

7) Tomorrowland

Director: Brad Bird
Starring: Britt Robertson, George Clooney, Raffey Cassidy, Pierce Gagnon, Hugh Laurie
Budget: $190 million
Box-office: $202 million

6) Minions

Director: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin
Starring: Pierre Coffin, Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm, Michael Keaton, Geoffrey Rush
Budget: $74 million
Box-office: $141 million

5) The Theory of Everything

Director: James Marsh
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox, Simon McBurney, David Thewlis
Budget: $15 million
Box-office: $121.2 million

4) Still Alice

Directors: Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland
Starring: Julianne Moore, Kristen Stewart, Alec Baldwin, Hunter Parrish, Kate Bosworth
Budget: $5 million
Box-office: $41.8 million

3) Selma

Director: Ava DuVernay
Starring: David Oyelowo, Carmen Ejogo, Tom Wilkinson, Oprah Winfrey, Tim Roth
Budget: $20 million
Box-office: $66.8 million

2) The Avengers: Age of Ultron

Director: Joss Whedon
Starring: Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Elizabeth Olsen, Jeremy Renner
Budget: $280 million
Box-office: $1.3 billion

1) Jurassic World

Director: Colin Trevorrow
Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Irrfan Khan, Jake Johnson, Vincent D’Onofrio
Budget: $150 million
Box-office: $1,2 billion

Weekend box-office – 21st to 27th of March 2015 – will Cinderella have a ball and outrun Liam Neeson?

Disney’s classic properties are now constantly being rebooted with grand financial success. Alice in Wonderland, Snow White and the Huntsman, Oz the Great and Powerful, Maleficent and Into the Woods (although the latter is more based on Grimm’s tales) have all been smash hits and now Cinderella is now launching. Thor director and Shakespeare veteran Kenneth Branagh is at the helm of the fantasy drama (starring the likes of Lily James, Cate Blanchett and Helena Bonham Carter) but its opponent is the action thriller Run All Night (starring Liam Neeson, Joel Kinnaman and Ed Harris). Last week, we predicted Cinderella would hit the mark but lets find out.

US:

1. Cinderella – Director: Kenneth Branagh – $67.8 million
2. Run All Night – Juame Collet Serra – $11 million
3. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn – $6.2 million
4. Focus – Glenn Ficarra, John Requa – $5.7 million
5. Chappie – Neill Blomkamp – $5.7 million

UK:

1. The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – John Madden – £1.4 million
2. Run All Night – Juame Collet Serra – £0.8 million
3. Focus – Glenn Ficarra, John Requa – £0.8 million
4. Suite Francaise – Saul Dibb – £0.5 million
5. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson – £0.5 million

Cinderella has made a very impressive debut, running into the ground all other competition. Run All Night is relatively disappointing in comparison to Neeson’s action hits Taken, Non-Stop and The Grey. Robo-thriller Chappie has slipped significantly from first to fifth. In the UK, the sequel to Best Exotic Marigold Hotel enjoys a third week on top of the box-office and period drama Suite Francaise (starring Michelle Williams and Kristin Scott Thomas) makes a surprise arrival in fourth. This week we’ve scored 4/10.

US:

1. Insurgent – Robert Schwentke
2. Cinderella – Kenneth Branagh
3. The Gunman – Pierre Morel
4. Run All Night – Juame Collet Serra
5. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn

UK:

1. Insurgent – Robert Schwnetke
2. Home – Tim Johnson
3. The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – John Madden
4. The Gunman – Pierre Morel
5. The Voices – Marjane Satrapi

Lily James in Cinderella, this week’s US number one.

Judi Dench and Bill Nighy in The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, this week’s UK number one.

Weekend box-office – 14th to 20th of March 2015 – is Chappie rebooting at the box-office?

In the aftermath of the smash hit Fifty Shades of Grey, various films have been scrambling for the top spot. Last week, hustling romance Focus (starring Will Smith and Margot Robbie) took top spot but now Neill Blomkamp (the South African behind the Best Picture nominated District 9, Matt Damon sci-fi thriller Elysium and the next Alien film) is releasing his third feature, Chappie – a robo-action with Sharlto Copley (Maleficent), Hugh Jackman (X-Men), Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire), Sigourney Weaver (Avatar) and the rap duo Die Antwood. Its rival is the equally star studded The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, starring Judi Dench (Philomena), Bill Nighy (Love Actually), Maggie Smith (Harry Potter) and Richard Gere (Chicago).

US:

1. Chappie – Director: Neill Blomkamp – $13.4 million
2. Focus – Glenn Ficarra, John Requa – $10 million
3. The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – John Madden – $8.5 million
4. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn – $8.3 million
5. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water – Paul Tibbitt – $6.7 million

UK;

1. The Second Exotic Marigold Hotel – John Madden – £2 million
2. Focus – John Ficarra, John Requa – £1.3 million
3. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson – £1.1 million
4. Chappie – Neill Blomkamp – £1 million
5. Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams – £0.8 million

Chappie’s opening is slightly disappointing but it is still set to surpass the $50 million budget. The comedy sequel to Marigold Hotel is performing well but not well enough to outgross its predecessor. The Vince Vaughn comedy Unfinished Business has flopped, landing in 10th. This week I’ve scored 5/10.

US:

1. Cinderella – Kenneth Branagh
2. Run All Night – Juame Collet Serra
3. Chappie – Neill Blomkamp
4. Focus – Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
5. The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – John Madden

UK:

1. The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – John Madden
2. Focus – Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
3. Run All Night – Juame Collet Serra
4. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson
5. Chappie – Neill Blomkamp

Sharlto Copley in Chappie, this week’s US number one.

Maggie Smith in The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, this week’s UK number one.

Weekend box-office – 7th to 13th of March 2015 – is Fifty Shades going to lose Focus?

Controversially graphic romantic drama Fifty Shades of Grey has had an undisputed reign on the past couple of box-office results but now it faces its first serious challenge in the form of hustling thriller Focus, starring rising star Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street) and Will Smith (I am Legend, Hancock). The latter will be hoping for greater things following the commercial and critical bomb After Earth. Last week, we predicted that Focus would win but we’ll soon find out. Meanwhile, the ensemble of Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Richard Gere, Dev Patel and Bill Nighy lead the sequel to smash hit The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which is hoping for big things in the UK.

US:

1. Focus – Directors: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa – $18.7 million
2. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn – $11.9 million
3. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water – Paul Tibbitt – $10.8 million
4. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson – $10.6 million
5. The Lazarus Effect – David Gelb – $10.2 million

UK:

1. The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – John Madden – £3.8 million
2. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson – £2.2 million
3. Focus – Glenn Ficarra, John Requa – £1.9 million
4. Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams – £1.2 million
5. Shaun the Sheep: The Movie – Mark Burton, Richard Starzak – £1 million

While nabbing the number one spot, it’s a slightly underwhelming debut for Focus in a generally slow moving week. The only other new entry is Evan Peters horror The Lazarus Effect. The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, should it follow the pattern of the first, may well begin to rise in takings next week. This week, we’ve scored a poor 1/10.

US:

1. Focus – Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
2. Chappie – Neill Blomkamp
3. Unfinished Business – Ken Scott
4. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn
5. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water – Paul Tibbitt

UK:

1. The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel – John Madden
2. Chappie – Neill Blomkamp
3. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson
4. Focus – Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
5. Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams

Will Smith and Margot Robbie in Focus, this week’s US number one.

Judi Dench in The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, this week’s UK number one.

Weekend box-office – 28th of January to 6th of February 2015 – will Fifty Shades retain its top spot?

Last week, The graphic adaptation of the novel Fifty Shades of Grey opened with incredible figures both sides of the Atlantic with $85 million in the US and £13 million in the UK. It seems set for another week of incredible takings but its not thriving as well as expected. Its low takings might be setting up spy thriller Kingsman: The Secret Service for a second week comeback while sequel Hot Tub Time Machine 2, comedy The DUFF and sports drama McFarland USA compete to grace the top five.

US:

1. Fifty Shades of Grey – Director: Sam Taylor Johnson – $22.6 million
2. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn – $18.3 million
3. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water – Paul Tibbitt – $16.6 million
4. McFarland USA – Niki Caro – $11 million
5. The DUFF – Ari Sandel – $10.8 million

UK:

1. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson – £4.6 million
2. Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams – £2.6 million
3. Shaun the Sheep Movie – Mark Burton, Richard Starzak – £2.4 million
4. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn – £1.2 million
5. The Wedding Ringer – Jeremy Garelick – £1 million

Its been an almost non-mover week besides the low ranking new entries. Despite keeping the number one spot, Fifty Shades has suffered a catastrophic 75% drop. Hot Tub Time Machine two is a dire flop with a mere $6 million in seventh place. This week I’ve scored 2/10

US:

1. Focus – Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
2. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson
3. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn
4. The Sponge Bob Movie: Sponge Out of Water – Paul Tibbitt
5. McFarland USA – Niki Caro

UK:

1. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson
2. Focus – Glenn Ficarra, John Requa
3. Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams
4. Shaun the Sheep Movie – Mark Burton, Richard Starzak
5. It Follows – David Robert Mitchell

Jamie Dornan in Fifty Shades of Grey, this week’s US and UK number one.

Weekend box-office – 21st to 27th of February 2015 – will Fifty Shades whip up a storm?

The novel sensation Fifty Shades of Grey has been rushed into production as a new motion picture which is set to transfer its behemoth popularity into box office success. The controversially graphic romantic drama depicting the antics of an obsessive billionaire and a vulnerable journalist is quickly garnering a critic proof reputation that propelled The Da Vinci Code to stellar financial takings. Last week, we predicted it’d win but challenging it are spy thriller Kingsman: The Secret Service, animation SpongeBob, Oscar favourite American Sniper and the sci-fi action Jupiter Ascending.

US:

1. Fifty Shades of Grey – Director: Sam Taylor Johnson – $85.2 million
2. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn – $36.2 million
3. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water – Paul Tibbitt – $31.5 million
4. American Sniper – Clint Eastwood – $16.4 million
5. Jupiter Ascending – The Wachowskis – $9.3 million

UK:

1. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson – £13.6 million
2. Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams – £1.8 million
3. Shaun the Sheep: The Movie – Mark Burton, Richard Starzak – £1.7 million
4. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn – £1.6 million
5. Jupiter Ascending – The Wachowskis – £0.8 million

Fifty Shades has remarkably storm to success. These results may spell the apocalypse of cinematic integrity but it’s rare to see an 18 certificate film with a female director (Nowhere Boy’s Sam Taylor Johnson) and writers (author EL James and Saving Mr Banks’ Kelly Marcel). In the UK it triumphed with an opening weekend to rival last year’s top hits The Inbetweeners 2 and Transformers: Age of Extinction but we can expect Avengers 2 and Star Wars 7 to smash that record later in the year. The ultraviolent The Secret Service an impressive second place. I’ve scored 8/10 this week.

US:

1. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson
2. Hot Tub Time Machine 2 – Steve Pink
3. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn
4. SpongeBob The Movie: Sponge Out of Water – Paul Tibbitt
5. American Sniper – Clint Eastwood

UK:

1. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson
2. The Wedding Ringer – Jeremy Garelick
3. Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams
4. Shaun the Sheep: The Movie – Mark Burton, Richard Starzak
5. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn

Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan in Fifty Shades of Grey, this week’s US and UK number one.

Weekend box-office – 14th to 20th of January 2015 – will Jupiter ascend to greatness?

Two of this week’s major releases are ones that suffered horrific delays. Off the financial disappointment of Cloud Atlas, The Matrix’s team the Wachowskis had planned the sci-fi action Jupiter Ascending (starring Mila Kunis and Channing Tatum) for July 2014 but fantasy adventure Seventh Son was originally set for February 2013, a full two years ago. Their efforts to get into American screens may be undone by animation The SpongeBob Movie. Last week, we predicted Jupiter would win but let’s see what goes down.

US:

1. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water – Director: Paul Tibbitt – $55.4 million
2. American Sniper – Clint Eastwood – $23.3 million
3. Jupiter Ascending – The Wachowskis – $18.4 million
4. Seventh Son – Sergei Bodrov – $7.2 million
5. Project Almanac – Dean Israelite – $5.2 million

UK:

1. Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams – £2.5 million
2. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn – £2.2 million
3. Shaun the Sheep Movie – Mark Burton, Richard Starzak – £2.1 million
4. Jupiter Ascending – The Wachowskis – £1.3 million
5. American Sniper – Clint Eastwood – £1 million

SpongeBob (which features Antonio Banderas as a pirate) has experienced a fairly high profile entry while we can best describe Jupiter Ascending’s debut as mediocre at its best. Still, it’s above to complete flop of Seventh Son. In the UK, it faired no better as Disney animation Big Hero 6 held off spy thriller Kingsman: The Secret Service for a second week. This week we’ve scored 1\10.

US:

1. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson
2. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn
3. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water – Paul TibbittK
4. American Sniper – Clint Eastwood
5. Jupiter Ascending – The Wachowskis

UK:

1. Fifty Shades of Grey – Sam Taylor Johnson
2. Big Hero 6 – Don Hall, Chris Williams
3. Kingsman: The Secret Service – Matthew Vaughn
4. Shaun the Sheep Movie – Mark Burton, Richard Starzak
5. Jupiter Ascending – The Wachowskis

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge out of Water, this week’s US number one.

Ryan Potter and Scott Adsit in Big Hero 6, this week’s UK number one.

Disney unveil Star Wars Rebels’ villain and Avatar theme park experience plus Hunnam leaves 50 Shades and Wheatley to direct Doctor Who

As Peter Capaldi roles into the role of The Twelfth Doctor for the 8th season of Doctor Who and the 50th Anniversary Special draws closer (indeed we only have to wait until November 23rd), next years thirteen episodes are coming together with one up and coming British director signed up to direct two episodes. The director/writer behind civil war drama A Field in England and horror hits like Sightseers and Kill List.

“I am very excited and honoured to be asked to direct the first two episodes of the new series of Doctor Who. I’ve been a fan since childhood – Tom Baker is my Doctor if you are asking,” Wheatley told Screendaily. “I’ve been watching the current run of Doctor who with my son and have discovered it all over again. The work that has been done is amazing. I’m really looking forward to working with Peter Capaldi and finding out where Steven Moffat is planning to take the new Doctor.” His often murderous filming style could be bringing back some of the excellent darkness of the series opening of season 6.

Charlie Hunnam’s casting was possibly the most controversial of the year (in a 12 months that included Ben Affleck as Batman). The Pacific Rim and Sons of Anarchy star was signed up to play young billionaire Christian Grey in Sam Taylor-Johnson’s novel adaptation of 50 Shades of Grey but that deal has crumbled. They’re saying that’s because the production clashed with Hunnam’s extensive TV work but I’m hoping he’s signing on for Guillermo Del Toro’s potential sequel Pacific Rim 2. Tell us in the comments who you think should join Dakota Johnson and Jennifer Ehle in the cast of Fifty Shades and fill Hunnam’s previous role of Grey

Star Wars Rebels is Disney’s attempt at returning George Lucas’ series (which they recently acquired) into animated television after Star Wars: The Clone Wars was axed at it’s prime. David Oyelowo and Tim Curry are set to lend their voices to the project and they’ve given us a first look at their new villain: the sinister Sith Lord The Inquisitor.

Disney have also given us some concept shots of their new Avatar themed area in the Animal Kingdom Park in Disneyworld, Florida. Avatar was the highest grossing film of all time at it’s 2009 release (and still is). The film’s director James Cameron has been brought in to oversee the reconstruction of Pandora (the mystical world which plays host to the plot and their heroes). Avatar’s sequels are planned for Christmas releases in 2016, 2017 and 2018 which’ll match the 2017 opening of the Pandora area.

Doctor Who season 8 – August 2014

Fifty Shades of Grey – August 1st 2014

Star Wars Rebels – 2014

The Pandora Area of the Animal Kingdom Park at Disneyworld Florida – 2017

Fifty Shade film casts it’s leads and Bob Peterson leaves Pixar’s Good Dinosaur

Our 75th post won’t be doing anything particularly special other than covering the recent movie news. From Fifty Shades of Grey to Disney/Pixar, this post has quite a contrast.

EL James’s Fifty Shades trilogy (made up of Fifty Shades of Grey, Fifty Shades Darker and Fifty Shades Freed) was the phenomenon of a novel series of last year. Sam Taylor Johnson (wife of Kick-Ass star Aaron Taylor Johnson) was assigned to task of adapting it for the big screen a couple of months ago and she cast the leads for the film.

The director of John Lennon biopic Nowhere Boy, Taylor Johnson, has brought in Dakota Johnson (The Social Network, 21 Jump Street) to play Anastasia Steele and Charlie Hunnam (Pacific Rim, Sons of Anarchy) as Christian Grey, the twenty something billionaire that Steele falls for. Dakota Johnson will also seen fairly soon alongside Aaron Paul, Imogen Poots, Dominic Cooper and Michael Keaton in video game adaptation Need for Speed. Hunnam meanwhile will be working with Guillermo Del Toro, as he did on Pacific Rim, with new project Crimson Peak. He’ll star with Jessica Chastain, Mia Wasikowska and Burn Gorman while they’ll be looking for a replacement for Benedict Cumberbatch after his leaving of the project.

Meanwhile at Pixar, some sad news has reached our ears. Bob Peterson will not direct film. The co-director of, arguably, Pixar’s best film, Up, has been removed from The Good Dinosaur and will be replaced by Brian Trust. “All directors get really deep in their films,” explains Ed Catmull, President of Pixar, “Sometimes you just need a different perspective to get the idea out. Sometimes directors are so deeply embedded in their ideas it actually takes someone else to finish it up. I would go so far as to argue that a lot of live-action films would be better off with that same process.”

This isn’t the first time that Pixar have done this. Director have been replaced on Ratatouille, Cars 2 and Brave but never on any of Pixar’s best like the Toy Story trilogy, Up, Wall-E, Monsters Inc, Finding Nemo and The Incredibles. I think we may have to pin out hopes for the next Pixar classic onto 2015’s Inside Out.

Fifty Shades of Grey is out August 1st 2014

Need for Speed is out March 14th 2014

Crimson Peak is out April 2015

The Good Dinosaur is out July 18th 2014

Inside Out is out June 19th 2015